Chapter 4: Fifteen Again (4)
Palgap nodded at my question.
"Yes, I see it, young master."
"Do you see something transparent hanging from the third branch down?"
Fortunately, Palgap's eyesight wasn't bad, and he quickly spotted it.
"Oh? You mean that transparent thing? What is it, young master?"
"I'll explain later—just hurry up and pick it!"
Palgap dashed off without knowing what was going on and returned with the fruit.
"Here it is, young master."
I took it from him and said, "This is top secret. You can't tell a soul."
"Pardon? What is this thing, anyway?"
"A spirit medicine."
Palgap's eyes widened in shock. "A what?"
I pressed a finger to my lips, and he nodded.
I could trust Palgap.
In the future, I'd given the elderly Palgap a house, land, and money, telling him to enjoy a peaceful retirement.
But he'd stayed by my side until the end.
And when the Baekcheon Merchant Group attacked, he'd died protecting me.
How could I forget the way he'd gasped, telling me to run even as he lay dying?
If I couldn't trust Palgap even after witnessing his death and returning, I'd be the world's biggest bastard—and a fool to boot.
So this time, don't die for me, I thought to him silently.
Soon, the guard returned.
"Nothing there. Must've been some mountain beast hiding out."
"Good. Let's head back."
"Can you walk, young master?"
"I rested a bit. I'm fine now."
.
.
.
We made it back to the merchant group without delay.
After washing off the snow from the mountain, we headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
There was a private space set aside for our family in one corner of the dining hall.
It looked exactly as I remembered.
A round red table.
And six chairs around it.
For Grandfather, my parents, my two brothers, and me.
The number of chairs had changed over time—sometimes increasing, sometimes decreasing.
I'd arrived at the dining hall a little early on purpose.
I wanted to touch that table and those chairs one by one, where my family had sat.
I reached out my hand.
My fingertips trembled.
Thud.
Soon, my hand touched the chairs.
The future I'd endured and the nightmare I'd had last night kept whispering to me now.
Build your strength to protect this happiness.
I would. Absolutely.
As I steeled myself, I heard footsteps.
"You're early."
I turned and froze.
It was my second brother.
My living, breathing second brother stood before me. The sheer joy of it overwhelmed me.
"What's with that look? Like a dead man come back to life?"
"Uh..."
Only then did I realize what expression I was making, thanks to Eun Jin-ho's words.
"Still feeling sick?"
I turned at the voice. It was my eldest brother, Eun Jeong-ho.
I swallowed hard under their worried gazes, calming myself before answering.
"No, I took a walk in the back mountains early this morning and got tired."
"A walk?"
"It was snowing—must've been cold."
"They say climbing mountains at dawn is good for your health."
"Ah..."
"I see."
Just then, Father, Mother, and Grandfather entered the dining hall.
Grandfather's name was Eun Ji-bong.
His hair was white, but his eyes were still sharp and vital.
Father, Eun Gil-sang.
And Mother, called Orchid Flower Lady for her love of orchids.
"Sit, everyone."
At Grandfather's words, we took our seats, and the maids began setting out the food.
Mung bean porridge today.
The first family breakfast since my return.
Seeing it stirred a memory of my final moments.
They said they'd prepared my funeral table...
But I hadn't gone.
And I could imagine what had become of my family.
Grip.
My fist clenched without me realizing.
I won't lose them this time. Never.
.
.
.
After breakfast, I returned to my room and sat at my desk.
Now it was time to consume the spirit medicine properly.
From memory, after taking it, I needed to circulate my heart method for at least three hours.
That was how to digest its energy.
Full absorption would take a few more days, but with five days of vacation, that wasn't an issue.
As long as nothing interrupted while I consumed it and circulated the method.
Which meant I needed someone to stand guard.
If disturbed mid-circulation, my qi and blood could reverse, plunging me into qi deviation.
In the future, clan warriors under Father's orders had stood guard.
But I couldn't ask for that now.
How could I explain everything to Father? Where would I even start?
In the end, there was only one person I could ask.
I called for Palgap.
"Palgap!"
He opened the door and came in at my call.
"Yes, young master! You called?"
"I'm locking the door now and won't come out."
The quick-witted Palgap caught on immediately.
"Are you going to take that thing from this morning?"
"Right."
"Is that safe, young master? To be honest, this humble servant has his doubts."
I answered his worried tone firmly.
"Yes. I have to eat it to survive."
"..."
Even at my resolute attitude, Palgap didn't look away.
No explanation, no dice.
I pulled out the story I'd prepared.
"Truth is, an immortal appeared in my dream."
"Pardon? An immortal?"
"Yeah. He told me to eat it and circulate a heart method. Said my constant illnesses are a sign of short life."
I continued.
"He even told me the spirit medicine's location and the heart method to use after eating it."
"Really?"
"Think about it. How else could I have found it so easily?"
"Now that you mention it, you're right."
Only then did Palgap nod.
I couldn't tell even the loyal Palgap that I'd returned from the future.
He wouldn't understand why yet, and if he learned, who knew what effect it might have on him.
Plus, he'd probably never believe it.
Palgap asked, "Then why not tell the caravan master?"
"The immortal in my dream warned me repeatedly. Keep it secret. If word gets out, blood will spill."
"B-blood... spill?"
Palgap swallowed hard at the word.
"It's an incredible spirit medicine. Ruffians will come after it."
"Ah..."
"The more people who know—like Father and the family—the higher the chance it'll leak."
Palgap nodded.
He probably thought I meant black道 thugs, but my "ruffians" included both black and white道 figures.
Because in the future I'd lived, that's exactly what happened.
And while "blood spilling if it leaks" was an excuse, it was also the real reason.
If the Azure Ice Snow Plum's existence got out—and that I'd eaten it—the Eunhae Merchant Group would bear the brunt.
"That's why you were so careful?"
"Yeah."
"But why tell me?"
I smiled. "You're the one I trust after my family."
Palgap's eyes reddened with emotion.
"Ahem! Young master, you've thought of everything. And an immortal! Must be the merit from the late Madam's good deeds."
Come to think of it, Grandmother had helped many poor and suffering people.
"Anyway, don't let anyone in until I open the door myself. Not even a fly."
"Understood! Not an ant, not a bird—nothing gets in."
Palgap left with a determined look, and I locked the door just in case.
Then I sat cross-legged in the center of the room.
"Hoo—."
I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes.
Calmly recalling from memory, I began circulating the heart method.
Myriad Qi Great Luo Heart Method.
The heart method Black Crimson Sword Immortal had taught me in that future.
True to its name—like a net trapping all qi—it ensured that any energy entering the practitioner's body was fully absorbed without loss.
And it didn't clash with other methods.
It only applied to specific energies entering the body.
No issues in my memory.
I stopped circulating and retrieved the Azure Ice Snow Plum from its secret compartment under the bed.
It still shimmered with a crystalline, transparent blue glow.
"Hoo—."
I exhaled deeply once more and placed it in my mouth.
'Huh?'
I was startled.
If I hadn't known it was the Azure Ice Snow Plum, I'd have sworn I'd popped ice into my mouth.
It was that cold.
And the moment it touched my tongue, it melted smoothly.
A faint plum fragrance filled my mouth.
I straightened my back and closed my eyes.
Then I circulated the method again.
"......"
Slowly, the spirit medicine's energy began to stir.
Beyond cold—frigid.
Something's off.
It was different from when I'd taken the medicine before and circulated.
That time, it had been tolerable.
Not now.
Something's wrong. Why is it this cold?
The frigid energy began squeezing my heart.
Cold pierced my bones, my whole body shuddering.
Pain intensified, but I calmly assessed the situation.
Just like how I always got colder-headed when panicked or angry.
The heart method's fine. So then...
The only potential issue: the Azure Ice Snow Plum.
The sole difference between then and now was the medicine I'd eaten.
In the future, it had been the Cold Spirit Ten Grasses.
It looked like grass, overall white.
Come to think of it... the Cold Spirit Ten Grasses gave ten years of cultivation.
And Black Crimson Sword Immortal had said that was enough.
The Azure Ice Snow Plum granted sixty years per fruit.
Damn it. Too good a medicine, and it's backfiring.
It was absurd.
A better stroke of fortune turning into harm.
Some of its spiritual energy absorbed safely, but most rampaged uncontrolled.
And thanks to the Myriad Qi Great Luo Heart Method, it couldn't escape the body.
Cold sweat soaked my back.
This way, death was certain.
I can't... can't die like this.
I had to pay back the Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance that crushed me, my family, and the Eunhae Merchant Group.
And if I died now, how heartbroken would my family be? How grief-stricken Palgap?
I knew without thinking.
I calmed my emotions and sorted my thoughts.
Best way: gather the remaining energy in my dantian...
Martial artists built inner energy in their dantian via cultivation methods.
But the Myriad Qi Great Luo wasn't a cultivation method; it didn't cycle through the body.
Its goal was to let the body itself absorb the energy, not store it in the dantian.
Original plan: use the medicine to strengthen my body first, then slowly build inner energy.
Pushing cultivation on a frail body could've caused issues.
And back then, the Cold Spirit Ten Grasses' energy had been fully used up without remainder.
But not now.
I recalled a cultivation method I knew.
No choice. Have to try.
I shouldn't do this, but circumstances forced it.
Especially on an immature body without a proper foundation.
My meridians weren't fully open, and I was still weak.
Like forcing a massive river through a rock-choked crevice.
The damage to my body was obvious.
But it was my only option.
Do or die.
The moment I resolved, something unexpected happened.
'Huh?'
A massive energy stirred.
An energy I hadn't even known was inside me.
The instant it moved, I instinctively knew what it was.
This is... the Hidden Dragon?
I'd thought Black Crimson Sword Immortal's explanation metaphorical, but this was real.
The Hidden Dragon devoured every bit of the Azure Ice Snow Plum's energy I'd swallowed.
But what came next was strange.