Chapter 2
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Prodigal Third Young Master
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Adapting to this unfamiliar body wasn't all that hard.
In the battlefield, those who couldn't adapt died first.
My tenacious life force, acknowledged by friend and foe alike, and my quick adaptability had already been proven in my previous life—and they were still serving me well in this one.
'The Seo Mun Clan...'
The world of the strong, the murim I had never experienced in my past life.
Among them, when speaking of prestigious martial clans that rivaled the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, people often mentioned the Five Great Clans.
They were martial factions that had produced outstanding warriors even before the wars broke out, shaking up their regions with their fame. I'd heard the names of each of the Five Great Clans before.
'Now they're called the Six Great Clans.'
While another martial force had risen to prominence, the Seo Mun Clan didn't quite match the authority of those six families, but within Shandong Province, it was still one of the top clans.
It enjoyed deep public esteem and a solid reputation.
From its position of constantly challenging for a spot among the Six Great Clans, it was like a tiger biding its time with hidden fangs—a gentle facade that concealed one rotten blemish...
That blemish was the Seo Mun Clan's Third Young Master, Seo Mun-ha.
Me.
"No major issues. A few days of rest should do it."
The Old Physician, who had taken my pulse, added,
"Thanks to that boy's devoted care for you, young master. Looks like sincerity pays off."
"I see."
"...If anything else comes up, let me know. I'll send over some medicine."
With a couple of deliberate coughs, as if signaling his work was done, the scholarly old man departed.
"Are you alright, young master?"
A-so poked his head in front of me as I watched the physician's retreating back.
"I'm fine. But why did that physician seem so displeased?"
I wondered if he was unhappy that this body was perfectly healthy.
"Well..."
A-so began cautiously,
"He's not from our clan. He's well-respected around here and quite senior in age, but your tone with him..."
I nodded.
In my previous life's final years, there were few around me worth honoring with respect, regardless of ally or enemy, so it had become second nature. But the physician clearly took issue with my blunt speech.
"Still, you're definitely the Seo Mun-ha I knew."
From what A-so had told me, I was an arrogant, insufferable bastard.
A reckless hellion relying on his clan's meager prestige. At seventeen, Seo Mun-ha's indulgence in wine, women, and vice had spread rumors across all of Shandong Province that he was the worst prodigal wastrel of his generation.
"Is that so?"
"Really, you remember nothing at all?"
"Unfortunately not."
"Our poor young master..."
A-so started tearing up again.
He was surprisingly soft-hearted for a boy, but among the few by Seo Mun-ha's side, he was the one who genuinely worried.
What few there were.
Unique, even.
From what I'd heard, he was thoroughly isolated within the clan. Without even maternal relatives to back him up, Seo Mun-ha was thoroughly despised by his family, with no real standing to speak of.
At best, this dingy chamber...
I could understand a little why this body's original owner had turned out so twisted.
"Anyway, you must be hungry? I'll get you some porridge!"
"Don't run. You'll trip."
"Yes, sir!"
A-so scampered off, his short limbs pumping away.
Finally alone, I could calmly sort through my thoughts.
Yi Mok-yeom and Seo Mun-ha.
Yi Mok-yeom, dead on the battlefield, had entered the living Seo Mun-ha's body.
From what I'd heard, during an outing three days ago, he'd barely survived a brush with death. For the past few days, he'd been delirious and groaning in pain. But even trying to piece together how this happened, there was no connection between those two names.
'Lucky, I guess.'
To put it bluntly, this was a phenomenon I'd never heard of anywhere in the Central Plains.
If it happened often, every emperor would have seized immortality first thing.
"Hoo."
Speaking of emperors brought a sigh for many reasons.
Seventeen years, no less.
Quite some time had passed since my death in that life, and the world had changed accordingly.
They'd succeeded in holding back the northern barbarians, but the emperor had changed, and so had the reign era.
A bloodbath had swept through the imperial court.
'Poor guy.'
He'd been young and naive back then, too frail to shoulder the world, reduced to a puppet by the eunuchs' influence—my lord from those days.
A twinge of emptiness and nostalgia hit me.
'Iron Cavalry Unit? Sounds tasty, young master?'
Why had we endured all that suffering?
It was a dog's death if there ever was one, but surely the Iron Cavalry Unit's merits had played some role in bringing this hard-won era of peace.
The peace I'd longed for.
The reincarnation I'd longed for.
Amid the swirl of complex emotions, a sliver of guilt lingered toward this body's original owner.
'Poor guy.'
I had no idea what had happened to Seo Mun-ha's soul, not even if he was dead or alive.
'I'll at least get some revenge for you.'
I still knew next to nothing, but I'd figure it all out in time.
Either way, this new life meant a chance to live as a warrior once more.
Just as I'd desperately wished in my past life.
First, I sat in lotus position and checked over my weakened body.
Until A-so returned.
A little over half a shichen had passed.
A-so entered the chamber carrying a tray as big as himself.
"Eat slowly."
The Seo Mun Clan was a clan worthy of the name.
No matter how much of a disgrace the son was, serving trays that could buckle legs showed off the clan's exceptional finances in a roundabout way.
"What's wrong? I brought only your favorites, young master..."
As A-so said, the tray brimmed with colorful dishes and mouthwatering aromas. For a moment, I wondered if the Seo Mun Clan was a martial house or a merchant guild. It was overly lavish for one meal, so I just spooned up some porridge now and then.
"Too much for an invalid."
"R-right... of course."
Thinking my improved color was a trick of the light, A-so clapped his hands.
"Let's eat together."
"Huh?"
His eyes widened in vague confusion as he waved his hands frantically.
"I-I'm fine. I'm full. I snacked while helping the head chef."
His overreaction confirmed it. He thought not memory loss, but madness.
'Something Seo Mun-ha wouldn't say.'
My earlier tone too—I needed to be more careful.
Manners and etiquette aside, at least look the part. A-so and I passed the quiet meal time, each harboring our own confusion.
After eating came Qi Circulation Meditation—what some called Qi Tuning Breath or the Gathering Method.
No internal energy to circulate, so it was close to simple meditation, but this breathing technique cleared the mind and body like spiritual cultivation.
He'd been sternly warned not to disturb during it, so the moment I finished, A-so asked eagerly,
"What brought this on all of a sudden?"
"This what?"
"You never cared about martial arts. They said you had no talent..."
"Can't live like a weakling forever."
A-so nodded cutely, as if it were great news.
Even Seo Mun-ha, who'd sworn off martial arts, was a descendant of a martial clan. He'd have had plenty of chances to learn family arts or secret techniques, which clashed with his claimed memory loss. Still, A-so showed absolute trust, unconcerned.
He'd believe me if I said mountains were water and water was mountains.
"So, have your memories returned?"
...Not quite that absolute.
"A bit. Some memories are coming back."
"Ah, you hated martial arts so much you shuddered at the mention. Must've heard 'Gyeongmun' until your ears blistered."
Blisters, what blisters.
A half-baked heart technique without even a proper name. Basic heart methods and formulas were fundamentals, pieced together from the Great Ming treasury by my own hand—nothing to do with the Seo Mun Clan.
'The Seo Mun Clan's martial arts.'
Now that I'd brushed against it, I was intrigued.
"Do you know anything about the main family's martial arts, A-so?"
"Uh, well..."
A-so pondered, shaking his head side to side stiffly.
Common knowledge passed down casually. Even an ignoramus like A-so in martial arts would know.
"A sword clan?"
"Even us servants learn when we come of age. The main family takes great pride in its swordsmanship. Not that anyone can learn it—it's like a qualification exam."
"Are you interested in martial arts?"
"Not really... but if I fail the exam, I can't serve you anymore, young master."
I patted A-so's head as he spouted such loyal words.
"Young master?"
This was already more than Seo Mun-ha deserved.
Unlike me, plenty dragged to the battlefield had no family at all.
"From now on, I'll properly learn martial arts. When I have the energy, I'll guide you in your spare time."
"Really? Well, I've got time... but you're really going to train?"
"Is that so strange?"
"No! You can do it, young master!"
A-so jumped up, clenching his tiny fists. For some reason, he was more fired up than me.
"Everyone said you're smart but just don't try."
A-so was wrong. I didn't know who "everyone" was. But Seo Mun-ha hadn't just slacked—he lacked even innate talent.
His skeletal structure wasn't bad. But if he'd been sharp-minded, he wouldn't have let his body rot like this.
Dull and lazy Seo Mun-ha.
"Right..."
Wiping the spit from my face metaphorically, I struggled to my feet.
"Where are you going? You shouldn't be up from bed yet..."
"Feel like walking."
"The Old Physician said..."
"I'm fine."
At the you hour as the sun set, ignoring all protests, I left the chamber.
"Whew, your stubbornness hasn't changed."
Ignoring the servant boy's sigh and my body's aches.
Strolling the inner courtyard of the Seo Mun Clan, the breeze on my skin brought home many realizations.
"It's cold out, young master."
"Is it."
Feeling alive, among other things.
"How about heading back in?"
The unexpected nagging hinted at my situation.
The weather and my wretched condition aside, I wasn't welcome anywhere.
"So you really woke up?"
"Up and plotting trouble already?"
"Weakling's got energy."
Open scorn and slander.
This wasn't tacit approval—it was by design.
"Who's that?"
"Watch it, kid. That's the one..."
Even passing servants shot me looks of contempt; no one spoke directly.
I'd suspected as much.
Half a day since regaining consciousness, and the only clan member I'd seen was A-so.
"A-so."
"Y-yes, young master!"
The boy flinched, fidgeting.
I could tell what he'd been through without asking.
"Answer honestly."
"Yes, young master."
Like learning the lay of the land, I wandered the vast grounds, asking repeatedly. Using memory loss as an excuse again.
"What do others specifically see me as?"
"..."
"Not your thoughts—I want to know how others perceive me."
"You won't get mad?"
"No. I promise."
"The Seo Mun Clan's stain..."
"Specifically."
"...A lazy womanizer, the world's worst prodigal. They say the money you blew at gambling could rebuild all the inner and outer pavilions. Add the courtesans you went through indiscriminately, and they'd form a small county. And the liquor you've drunk—if you counted it, the Yangtze's water level would've risen... Exaggerations, of course."
In a way, impressive.
Seo Mun-ha was.
"More."
I still wanted to hear it. I'd overheard servants murmuring in passing.
"That your mother... Lady Mana... was eaten by you when you came out."
"That's enough."
Now I could gauge the priorities and context.
Mending family ties?
Shaking the prodigal image?
Everything from one to ten was uphill.
Unless fulfilling the clan's long-held dream—elevating to the Six Great Clans.
The knots were tight; late repentance to meet unheld expectations was near impossible.
'Always has been.'
More than learning martial arts, even.
"I'll change it slowly from now on."
I'd resolved to live as Seo Mun-ha long ago.
Not taking it lightly—swallow spit, eat sweets. His karma was mine to resolve.
"Let's go."
I slowly toured the inner and outer courtyards.
All the major halls, pavilions, squads, and units within the estate.
A superficial grasp of the clan's structure and organization.
"Hah!"
"Young master! Th-this is..."
Finally, the largest training ground in the estate.
"It's good you're motivated, but still..."
A martial clan's core was martial arts and warriors, no?
With uncharacteristic interest, I eyed the sweat-scented training ground.