Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Baiting the Hook
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A guest room provided by the Baekji Old Bookstore.
Baek Yang-hui was deep in meditation, circulating his energy.
'Spiritual energy... What a wondrous aura.'
The spiritual energy from the spiritual core that had inexplicably appeared after his regression.
The spiritual energy contained within the mysterious iron orb's spirit pill.
Even setting aside the fact that they shared the exact same quality...
Spiritual energy was truly a miraculous force.
Even for Baek Yang-hui, who had experienced countless martial arts and energies in his previous life while advancing his family's techniques, this was something he'd never felt before.
He'd named it spiritual energy, but it differed from the pure qi typically possessed by Daoist sect warriors.
It was clearer, deeper, more fundamental and primal.
'Truly...'
If a celestial realm truly existed in the world, it would be the very essence filling that place.
'Nah, no way that's real.'
Ancient myths spoke of immortal paradises like the Fairy Mountains or Peach Blossom Spring where immortals gathered.
But myths were myths, distinct from reality.
There were legends that upon reaching enlightenment touching the heavens, one would ascend as an immortal—but those were just legends.
Yet the spiritual energy within Baek Yang-hui was so mysterious it made him wonder if those myths and legends might actually be true.
'It's just energy, but it's naturally settling into my body, making it tougher and stronger.'
There were martial arts like the Shaolin Muscle Scripture that worked in similar ways.
However, those required deliberate circulation or training to achieve such effects; he'd never heard of an energy itself tempering the body automatically.
'The amount of internal energy is about twenty years' worth. In standard terms, that's entry-level second-rate. I've already reached Father's realm right after regressing.'
A warrior who started training from childhood typically reached second-rate around age thirty.
Considering Baek Yang-hui was only eight, it was an absurd achievement.
"Huuuuh... Haaaa..."
Exhaling deeply, he opened his eyes.
Having tidied his clothes, Baek Yang-hui opened the door and stepped outside.
"Ah, little brother. You're up."
"Yes, Brother Gu."
Gu-ak was stretching in the courtyard right in front.
Beside him, Chui-dal was practicing the Principle Harmony Six Unions Art he'd been taught on the way, moving his short, childlike body this way and that.
For a moment, Baek Yang-hui felt a shock.
'No way. To think I'd find that brat Chui-dal cute.'
Even the arrogant, foul-mouthed Chui-dal who never listened had looked adorable in his childhood.
-Heh heh heh, bro. I'm hungry. Got any money?
> -Heh, buy me some booze while you're at it!
A shock like the heavens and earth splitting apart. Stepping into the courtyard, Baek Yang-hui flicked Chui-dal hard on the forehead for no reason.
Snap!
"Kyaak! Why'd you hit me?!"
"You little punk, being rude to your big brother."
Snap!
"Ow! Ow! It hurts! Stop hitting meee!"
Snap!
"Kwaaaah! That one was harder!"
Watching Chui-dal clutch his forehead and roll on the ground brought a satisfied smile to Baek Yang-hui's face.
Yes, that's the Chui-dal I know.
Gu-ak clicked his tongue at Baek Yang-hui and asked a question.
"Little brother, so what's the plan? You've barely left the room for days, talking about resolving the Baek Book Merchant Group's crisis."
"I swallowed a delicious treat, so I had to condition my body properly, didn't I?"
Gu-ak smacked his lips at the memory.
The spirit pill Baek Yang-hui had gulped down in one bite at the marketplace was clearly a priceless elixir, no matter who looked at it.
No genius, no matter how prodigious, could turn an eight-year-old into a whirlwind slaughtering assassins unless it was that potent.
"Must be nice. We suffered together, but you hogged all the good stuff."
Seeing Gu-ak grumble, Baek Yang-hui grinned.
"Want an elixir?"
"Elixirs aren't something you just hand out because you want to... But looking at your face, you actually have some?"
Baek Yang-hui wore an expression so transparent anyone could see through him.
His shoulders lifted slightly in smugness, his nose even higher.
Gu-ak intuited it immediately.
This kid definitely knows some hidden elixir field.
"No way? Wait, really?"
"Yes. Really."
"How?"
"Nicely."
In his previous life, Baek Yang-hui had never even glimpsed an elixir.
But that didn't mean he knew nothing about them.
He'd heard rumors that shook the world from time to time, envying and resenting those who stumbled upon such fortunes.
'Namgeum Merchant Guild. They went bankrupt fifteen years from now because of elixirs, right?'
Thinking back now, it was ridiculous.
Elixirs had grown on the mountain behind their main estate in Jangwon, turning everything into chaos.
The Namgeum Merchant Guild suffered all sorts of outrages from swarming warriors, got looted, and collapsed miserably.
They lost everything over elixirs they didn't even know existed—talk about rotten luck.
Well, now that he knew they were scumbags who caused havoc, it served them right.
"Little brother. So, you really know where the elixirs are?"
Gu-ak's urging snapped him from his thoughts.
"Yes. I do."
"How? Don't say you heard it while begging as a beggar. That doesn't fly."
"Would I? I sensed it with my energy perception."
"...Just say you heard a rumor. What nonsense is that?"
Baek Yang-hui simply stayed silent, gazing at Gu-ak with unusually clear, sparkling eyes.
"Nonsense...? Wait, really?"
"Brother Gu. Do you believe an eight-year-old brat slaughtered over a dozen assassins?"
"..."
Thinking how this kid always left him speechless, Gu-ak shouted.
"Then we shouldn't be sitting around here! What if someone else digs them up first? Let's go! Get ready!"
His voice rose unusually high in pitch.
But Baek Yang-hui shook his head.
"Brother Gu. A true prodigy must follow the principle of one stone two birds."
"Since when was 'one stone two birds' a principle?"
"It's an idiom to pursue for life, so yes, a principle."
Well, it was an idiom, after all. A four-character idiom.
"While we're at it hunting elixirs, let's sweep away the Namgeum Merchant Guild scum too, Brother Gu."
Seeing Baek Yang-hui smile wickedly with some scheme in mind, Gu-ak asked uneasily.
"Hey, is it okay for the upright young master of the righteous Baek Clan to talk about sweeping them away?"
"Can't exactly pat them on the head, can we?"
True enough. As Gu-ak nodded in agreement,
Chui-dal cut into the conversation.
"Bro. Don't I get anything to do?"
"You? Of course not. What could a kid do?"
"I'm only a year younger than you!"
"Your mouth's getting mouthier, punk."
Chui-dal quickly shielded his forehead.
'If he weren't my benefactor, I'd... Doesn't he know 'kind words bring kind replies,' this bro?'
Always flicking my head at the drop of a hat.
And nitpicking my speech on top of that?
Even at his young age, Chui-dal felt a surge of frustration.
Gu-ak looked at Chui-dal with shared sympathy.
"Anyway, I want to repay the grace you and Great Hero Gu showed me. Let me help."
"Hm. Your heart's in the right place."
Baek Yang-hui stroked his chin briefly, then climbed onto Chui-dal's back.
"Up!"
"...What are you doing, bro?"
"You said you want to repay me? You're my mount until we wipe out the Namgeum Merchant Guild."
"...Not some special mission?"
"What special job for a greenhorn?"
"Greenhorn?! I was raised in an assassin sect, you know!"
Daring to raise his voice? Flick, I'll smack you.
Instead of swinging his hand, Baek Yang-hui circulated his energy.
His weight on Chui-dal's back doubled or more, making him stagger.
"What the—?"
"It's called Thousand Catties Weight, you ignorant little brother. Your job is carrying me around to build stamina. Provide steady, unshakable comfort, got it?"
Chui-dal pouted but didn't dare retort, fearing the weight would increase further.
"So, what's the plan, little brother?"
"Simple."
Grinning, Baek Yang-hui explained the scheme.
In just one sentence.
"Brother Gu, time to go back to being a Black Path thug for a bit!"
"?"
What bizarre scheme was this sly kid plotting now?
Gu-ak sighed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Drip. A bead of sweat fell to the dirt, leaving a round mark.
The owner of that sweat was Chui-dal, who'd been carrying Baek Yang-hui for over three hours already.
"Hah, huff. Bro."
"Yeah."
Calling out to Baek Yang-hui but unable to continue due to ragged breathing.
'Kid's tough. Hurting this much but won't ask to get down. He's had that grit since he was a seedling.'
In his previous life, Chui-dal's perseverance and will were exceptional.
Pouring those traits into pursuit arts had earned him the moniker Baek-ri Chui-dal.
"Bro, huff, so how exactly do we get one stone two birds?"
"You'll see. Oh, right turn here."
Carrying Baek Yang-hui, Chui-dal was climbing the wild mountain behind the Namgeum Merchant Guild's main headquarters.
For a hill near the massive city of Namchang, it was surprisingly rugged, leaving Chui-dal dripping sweat nonstop.
"Left at this fork."
"Huff, where the hell... are we... going?"
"Where else? To dig up some elixir herbs."
Chui-dal froze for a moment.
Just casually giving directions without looking around, and claiming they're hunting elixirs?
Shouldn't finding elixirs involve thoroughly searching every inch?
As Chui-dal grappled with common sense versus reality,
"Oh, getting close now."
Baek Yang-hui closed his eyes and sniffed.
Well, the sniffing was for fun; he fully opened his energy sense, feeling the lingering traces of incoming auras.
'A bit of yin qi wrapped in thick yang qi. Three kinds, looks like.'
Yang qi stronger, so not something like snow ginseng—probably aged ginseng turned into spirit herb.
"Almost there. Hang in there, Chui-dal."
"Y-yes..."
After over three hours trudging through the mountains, Baek Yang-hui spotted something and hopped off Chui-dal's back.
'The natural energies are gathering into that valley.'
Places where energy converged like that were called dragon veins' cores or spirit acupoints.
A short walk later, red fruits appeared before them. Drawing a small dagger from his bosom, he carefully dug around the base of the stem bearing the fruits.
"Chilji ginseng and triple ginseng."
Five roots with thick, radish-like tubers, each stem bearing three red fruits.
From what he'd heard in his previous life, each root granted about thirty years of internal energy.
Combined with other ingredients into an elixir pill, even better effects.
'Was gonna let 'em age another ten years before harvesting. But feeding the family early isn't bad.'
"Wow, whoa. Real elixirs... huff... were here."
"Of course real. Your bro doesn't lie."
Baek Yang-hui set aside the smallest of the five roots and wrapped the other four in cloth from his bundle, stowing them away.
"Chui-dal. You asked earlier how we'd get one stone two birds?"
"Yes, huff huff."
"Simple. Like scattering chum before fishing—throw out bait and draw the fish in."
Pulling his beggar rags from the bundle, Baek Yang-hui grinned.
"Saw a few apothecaries around here. What if word spreads that some clueless beggar boy happened to dig up herbs in the back mountains and is trying to sell them?"
And if those herbs look like spirit ginseng to the apothecaries.
Especially clustered chilji and triple ginseng?
"Heh heh heh. They say the world's best show is watching a fire burn, Chui-dal. Let's light one up."
Seeing Baek Yang-hui's mischievous, almost dangerously playful smile, Chui-dal shivered.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Three days later.
"Hey, heard the rumor?"
"Rumors are a dime a dozen. Which one?"
"They found elixirs!"
The vast marketplace of Namchang buzzed with news of discovered elixirs.
Nearby warriors began swarming like flames across a field.