Revival Spirit Fruit (4)
The bandits met her gaze, and for some reason, their legs began to tremble like aspen leaves in the wind.
"Do you want to die, dearies?"
At that moment, someone else appeared.
He was an ordinary-looking young man with a sinister air about him.
Though he hadn't done anything but hold his willow leaf sword, the bandits collapsed to their knees with a thud.
No one could say why. Their legs simply gave out.
Their pants grew damp.
Tsking his tongue, the man wielding the willow leaf sword spoke.
"Tch, looks like your ki is all spent."
His appearance was that of a youth, but his speech belonged to an old man.
"Indeed. Hehe."
The woman replied affectionately.
"Dearies, if you don't want to die, live nicely from now on."
"Y-Yes! Yes, ma'am!"
"We'll do that."
"We'll wash our hands of it right now."
And with that, the bandits fled in a panic.
The pair turned to Mun Ju-seong and asked,
"Are you the kid they call Mun Ju-seong?"
"Ah, y-yes! That's me."
"Come with your mother."
"Pardon?"
"Eun-nim's young master asked us to help out at our Yeo Chun Guest Inn."
The Super First-rate Pa Du-pa-pa.
And the revival of her husband, the half-immortal Transcendent Realm master, the Flowing Willow Sword Emperor.
The familiar building loomed ahead.
We had arrived at the Eunhae Merchant Group's headquarters.
"We've finally made it, sir."
I nodded at Palgap's words.
Returning to Hubei had been faster and easier than heading to Shaanxi.
Water routes were quicker than land anyway, and coming back just meant drifting downriver.
As we entered the compound, the gatekeeper hurried over and bowed.
"Greetings, Lord Hyunpung."
"You've had a hard time. Everything alright?"
"Yes, all is peaceful."
"Good to hear."
I headed inside and spoke to Yeo Chang's deputy.
"Rest up well today."
"Thank you."
"And Warriors Bae Cheol, Go Ju-sang."
"Yes!"
"You two worked hard."
"It was a meaningful journey."
"An honor to travel with you."
The two warriors bowed and departed.
I watched their retreating figures with a sly grin.
I'll have to call on them now and then.
"Palgap and you two warriors, head to Mungok Hall first."
Meaning wash up and handle your business.
"Got it, sir."
"We'll go ahead then."
I made straight for Eunryong Hall, where Father was.
I needed to report in person that I'd arrived safely.
Since Hyunpung Division was independent, reporting directly to Father was fine.
.
.
.
A short while later, I stood before Father.
"Your son has returned safely."
"Good, you did well."
Father chuckled as he looked at me.
"I heard the details from Executive Eom. You pulled off another big feat this time."
He was talking about capturing the Shaanxi gang.
"I knew you had the talent, but even I didn't expect this. Catching a con artist and tricking a confession out of him? Haha!"
I felt a bit embarrassed.
"And that wasn't enough—you set up a direct tea farm deal for black tea production and absorbed three merchant groups in Shaanxi."
Oh, right, that happened.
"Are we taking those groups?"
"Yes, we'll manage them under our banner."
Perfect.
"The consent documents were handled by Chief Steward In and Alliance Leader Yeon."
"Glad to hear it."
"Yes, you really worked hard."
"No, just doing what needed doing."
"By the way, how'd things go with the Wu Merchant Group?"
I gave a concise verbal report on the essentials, then handed over the pre-written document.
"Details are in this report."
"Good, no issues then."
"Yes."
Father nodded as he took the report.
"Go rest now."
"I should at least pay respects to Grandfather and Mother first."
After reporting to Father and returning to Mungok Hall, I washed up and changed clothes.
Then I visited Grandfather and Mother in turn, assuring them I'd returned safely.
Jeong Ho-hyung was away on business.
I informed his wife and Jin Ho-hyung of my return, then headed back to my annex.
Ah, exhausting.
One more thing left to do.
The real purpose of this Shaanxi trip: feed the Revival Spirit Fruit to Hong Geum-so Madam's husband.
Busy daily life resumes tomorrow.
Today was the most leisurely.
And since we're eating it anyway, better fresh for maximum effect, right?
A single-room house.
A man lay on the bed inside.
Emaciated as he was, his features hinted at a handsome man in his healthy days.
His name was Seo-u.
Hong Geum-so Madam's husband.
A first-rate warrior, he'd worked as a escort leader for an escort agency.
But a fight with a black path warrior during an escort mission had left him bedridden.
The foe specialized in plague palm strikes.
He'd somehow repelled the attacker, but the plague palm wound festered later.
When he started vomiting blood, he knew something was wrong—the plague palm had rotted his organs.
He could no longer work as an escort leader.
His rotting organs left him unable to move, see, or speak.
Only his nose and ears still worked.
Aware or not, every night his wife told him about her day.
"The weather was lovely today. We'd walk the riverbank on days like this."
"……."
"Please get up. I want to walk the riverbank with you again."
At first, Seo-u had wanted to end it all.
But hearing his wife's daily insistence that he would recover, he abandoned those thoughts.
He resolved to live.
That must have been why.
He clung to life so desperately.
"Try to hold on as long as you can. Honestly, no hope, but you're still worth a bit of coin."
Even as anger flared at the money-grubbing doctor's words.
"I sold our wedding jewelry today. I wanted to keep it till the end, but……."
Even holding back sorrow at his wife's words.
Then one day, she spoke in an unusually excited tone.
"I've started working at the Eunhae Merchant Group. Thought maybe some rich young master's clothes, but it was the group leader's son. He liked my sewing. Truth be told, it was doll clothes, not human ones, but he paid handsomely."
And then, not the usual doctor's voice, but another.
"Tsk tsk, wrong meds all this time. Shameful for a so-called doctor—that dog's bastard!"
That was when it started.
His body began to feel gradually more at ease.
"The group leader praised me today. Said my doll clothes were beautiful."
"I told you? The Ja Mu dolls are a huge hit. Sold tons, got a bonus."
His wife's voice grew brighter.
"Today, young master Eun Seo-ho said……."
"Young master Eun Seo-ho……."
Mentions of this Eun Seo-ho figure took up more and more of her talk.
And they moved from the stuffy little house to one filled with pleasant scents.
Their surroundings slowly improved.
All thanks to this Eun Seo-ho.
A year passed that way, and his sight began to return.
He could finally see his longed-for wife's face.
"Huh? You…… you can see me?"
His eyes moved—unusual for him—and she cried out in surprise.
Seo-u blinked once.
Meaning yes.
"Ah……."
Tears welled in her eyes.
.
.
.
Time passed.
Seo-u sensed it: a few more years of treatment, and he wouldn't die.
But greed is insidious.
Grateful just to be alive, yet recalling his martial days made his current self seem pathetic.
Now he just lay at home, living off his wife's earnings.
He'd vowed to make her happy once he rose…….
But this only burdened her.
She said just staying alive was enough…… but he didn't want that.
It was summer.
Cicadas outside announced it.
A whirring device beside him—the fan—kept the heat away.
A joint creation of artisan Gong Mil and young division leader Eun Seo-ho—no, Lord Hyunpung.
To invent and sell such wondrous machines. Truly a genius.
Then the door to his room creaked open.
Kiiik.
No footsteps.
Who? Thief? What's the aim?
Unable to move, he couldn't respond.
As Seo-u tensed, a handsome young man's face appeared before him.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Eun Seo-ho, Lord Hyunpung of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"……!"
Seo-u's eyes widened.
He'd wondered what this man looked like; now the mystery was solved.
But questions arose.
Normally, the maid would announce visitors.
Yet he'd slipped in silently.
And his wife was at work.
He hadn't come with her.
Meaning secret business with him alone.
"You're wondering why I'm here."
Seo-u blinked once.
"I don't forget grudges—or favors. Your wife's skills brought our group great profit. I was grateful, and then this came into my hands."
Eun Seo-ho opened a box from his bosom.
A fruit like a cherry appeared.
"Revival Spirit Fruit. Eat it, and your body reverts to ten years ago."
"……!"
"I'll give it to you, daehyeop. No need for qi circulation training. It restores the body itself, not inner power."
Shocking words.
He'd heard rumors of such spirit medicines. But why?
Why give such a priceless treasure to him?
Even if his wife helped the group, not to this extent.
Reading his thoughts, Eun Seo-ho said,
"Wondering why to you, right?"
Seo-u blinked.
"You once saved my life. You probably don't remember."
Had I?
"That's how favors work, no? The giver forgets, the receiver remembers……."
Eun Seo-ho smiled.
"As I said, I don't forget favors. You saved my life, so I'll restore yours—not just your life, but the one you lost."
Eun Seo-ho picked up the Revival Spirit Fruit and placed it in Seo-u's mouth.
"Just swallow."
Seo-u did.
In that instant, he felt the changes.
His sunken flesh and muscles filled out.
His barely intact organs revived.
His withered meridians came alive.
And.
"Ah…… aaah……."
His voice returned.
Seeing it, Eun Seo-ho said,
"Congratulations on reclaiming your new life."
I left Hong Geum-so Madam's house as silently as I'd entered.
"Did it go well, sir?"
I nodded at Palgap, who'd been waiting nearby.
"Yeah."
My two escort warriors chimed in.
"Truly fortunate."
"Didn't feel like someone else's business, honestly."
Warriors often tread the sword forest path—never knowing when an enemy's strike might wound or kill them.
Like Seo-u Warrior, bedridden from escort work.
He'd been a diligent, good-hearted leader with deep respect from others.
That made his plight all the more tragic.
Those who'd quietly received his favors protected him and his wife.
Keeping thugs away from Hong Geum-so Madam.
There's a saying.
One accumulates virtue not for others, but for one's future self in crisis.
People reap what they sow.
That's why we must live kindly.
Words for Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance.
They'll reap their karma too.
For the miracle with Seo-u Warrior, I'd paid his doctor handsomely to keep quiet.
Seo-u himself agreed to the secret.
It'll come out someday, but by then I'll handle the attention.
"Let's head back to headquarters."