CHAPTER 9

"So he secretly installed a mechanical device in his own room… He really is a man with money."

It was a door just big enough for one person to pass through. The village chief entered the passage, and after a short while, came back out holding a silver safe in his arms.

"Step back."

Creak.

As the silver safe came closer, the glint made my eyes squint, and I shielded them with my hand. Inside the village chief's silver safe were bars of pure silver stacked to the brim! I instantly sensed that the value of those silver bars far exceeded several hundred nyang.

The village chief handed me the silver safe and said,

"This… settles the matter, right?"

"Yes. Now step back. I'll never show my face in this village again."

"Thank you..."

"But if you report this to the authorities or say anything about it, not a single member of your family will live to see another day."

"I understand."

As I turned around and began to walk away, I said,

"Don't feel too bad. This is far better than having that money end up in your son's hands."

"Ugh… Just go easy on us, please..."

"Don't you know that Geummanjae has stopped studying at the academy and is wasting his days in brothels indulging in women and wine? That brat is only going to squander your fortune."

I insulted the village chief while revealing Geummanjae's true nature, but unexpectedly, he only gave a faint, sad smile. From that expression, I realized something:

He already knew about Geummanjae's corruption.

"Huh? Wait a minute… Didn't the chief believe his son was diligently studying?"

On a hunch, I asked,

"Chief, you knew about that, didn't you?"

In a voice as though he were scraping it from the floor, the village chief replied,

"Of course… How could I not know? The head of the Plum Blossom Escort Agency is a close friend of mine, and I also know people in the Beggar's Union of the neighboring village. If there's anyone who knows how useless my son is, it's me."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Then why do you keep sending him to the academy and letting him waste time studying useless texts far from home? Doesn't it pain you to waste your money like that? That brat—"

Here is the English translation of the additional passage:

"Do you think he even has a chance at passing the gwageo (state civil service exam)?"

Absolutely impossible.

Back when Geummanjae used to hang around with that smug look on his face, I had never—not even once—seen him open a book and study. He's nowhere near the level of a jinsa (literary licentiate), let alone a sujae (distinguished scholar).

At that, the village chief bit his lip. His eyes were slightly bloodshot.

"You don't understand… No matter what others say, only a parent holds on to belief in their child, wishing they'll eventually turn out alright. Even if he's straying now, one day he'll come to his senses. I believe in my son."

I didn't know.

My parents had died when I was very young, and in my past life, I'd never married or had children. The kind of love the chief was talking about—a parent's heart—was something I couldn't really grasp, no matter how I tried.

Still, there was a warm flicker of something in my chest.

Clink.

I pulled one silver ingot from the pile inside the safe and tossed it to the village chief. He fumbled and caught it clumsily. I clicked my tongue.

"Tch… Leaving you with a little. Try to live a better life from now on."

Without even looking back, I left the place.

Saying something like that probably won't change that man's life, but… I just felt like saying it.

"Where should I go now?"

I wasn't too keen on heading straight back to Cheongryong Martial Office.

The odds of the chief reporting me were low, and I had gotten everything I came for—but still, it had been an uncomfortable, shady business.

"He could report me to the authorities or hire a martial arts expert from the martial world, but if that happens… I'll wipe out his whole family no matter what it takes."

It did cross my mind that I may have acted too rashly, but what's done is done.

What matters now is doing well moving forward.

From now on, I wanted to roam the world, doing what I wanted, and only return when I was ready.

Just then, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Ah, that's right—Cheonnyeon Seolsam!" (Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng)

I had been so focused on my training and wandering that I had forgotten all about it.

Now that I'd received silver bars from the village chief and had fully cultivated my martial skills, it was finally time to head to Hwangsan and find the legendary Cheonnyeon Seolsam!

Time to go treasure-hunting, huh?

The journey to Hwangsan would take about 15 days—assuming I had a horse.

If I went on foot without any plan, it could easily take more than a month.

Before heading to Hwangsan, I needed to exchange the silver ingots for money.

This world isn't so easygoing that flashing a silver ingot will make people go, "Wow, amazing!" and bow down in awe.

The moment you carelessly reveal silver ingots out in the open, drifters and vagabonds will start swarming like flies, and soon, martial artists will be fighting over it.

I had to keep the silver safe hidden as much as possible and discreetly convert the ingots into usable funds.

"The silver safe stands out too much. I should stash it somewhere safe and come back for it later."

It was large enough to hold snugly in my arms, which made it pretty cumbersome to carry around.

As I headed deeper into the mountains, a thought suddenly hit me:

"Ah, right! What if I try to find the cave where I died in my previous life?"

That very cave—where I died so absurdly because of a trap mechanism!

Maybe… just maybe, it was because of the hidden treasure (bibo, ) in that cave that I was sent back in time.

"I need to change my plans."

Once that thought took hold, I couldn't waste another moment.

First, I stopped by a nearby village and bought some iron spikes, a coil of rope, and a copper shield.

There wasn't anyone in this region who knew the terrain better than I did, so despite the rough forest paths, I was able to find my way directly.

I could go to Hwangsan later.

Uncovering the secret of that cave felt more important right now.

The sky gradually darkened.

I broke some dry branches to start a fire and prepared to camp for the night.

Unlike three years ago, I now had a proper sleeping bag and supplies—and I could use my internal energy to protect myself from the cold.

If I just cleared the stones and pebbles from the ground, I'd be able to lie down and get a decent night's sleep.

Crackle…

The fire caught. As I warmed myself, I fell into thought.

Why was I sent back in time?

Just as I was killed by the trap mechanism, at the very last moment, I'd reached into that box.

I vaguely remember grasping a book.

Though the memory is fuzzy, I'm pretty sure that's what it was.

"Could it be that holding that book is what sent me back in time?"

Too many things are uncertain.

Shaking my head, I decided to get some sleep first.

I'd think about it after I found the cave.

At dawn the next day, I got up and started searching the mountain.

I remembered well where I'd holed up in my past life for sword training.

It was a valley—close enough to a village to not be isolated, yet not too treacherous.

Before long, I discovered the familiar creek, and soon found the flat area where I had once built a thatched hut.

All that was left was to find the cave nearby.

I slowly retraced my memories.

As I was making my way down the mountain path, sunlight spilling over the ridge, I suddenly froze.

"…!!"

I stopped in my tracks.

Right before me was a narrow ledge, cleverly hidden—one wrong step and I could've fallen off a cliff three stories high.

Thick branches had grown over the cliff edge, making it nearly invisible until I was right on top of it.

Peeking cautiously over the edge of the cliff, I saw it—the same cave I had seen long ago. My heart pounding, I carefully set down the silver safe for the moment. Since I'd have to climb down, I hammered an iron spike into the ground and tied the rope around my waist, then slowly began my descent.

Once I felt solid footing, I carefully climbed down the rest of the way and entered the cave.

Inside, it was pitch-dark, just like before. I untied the rope from my body and moved a little deeper in—and then, I noticed light leaking in from somewhere.

Flash!

"Ugh… Just as I thought…"

The exact scene I'd seen before dying came into view, and I swallowed hard.

There it was—a box that looked like some kind of miraculous treasure (gihyeon,), bathed in an eerie light deep inside the cave. The chamber was surprisingly spacious.

"This is the place with the trap mechanism. The arrows fly insanely fast…"

Even with my current skills, I wasn't confident I could dodge them easily.

Staring at the box, I took a deep breath and pulled a dagger from my coat, then threw it at the box.

The dagger struck the lid precisely, then bounced off to the side.

Judging by the fact that the trap didn't trigger, the mechanism must be designed to activate only when a human body enters a certain range.

There were likely sensors hidden in the floor or walls—but detecting those with my current abilities was impossible. You'd need a professional thief or tomb raider for that.

"Still, humans are meant to use tools."

I quietly lifted the copper shield I'd bought from the village blacksmith.

Rather than relying solely on footwork to dodge arrows, it seemed more realistic to use the shield to block vital points while advancing. In front of a mechanism like this, a martial artist's pride meant absolutely nothing.

Clang!

"I did it!"

An arrow slammed into the face of the copper shield and ricocheted off.

The arrow's speed was just barely visible to my enhanced reflexes—it was that fast.

At my current level, dodging it outright was impossible. The only thing I could do was predict where the arrows would come from and hold up the shield to block them.

The arrows from this trap were many times faster than anything a human could shoot.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I stepped forward—one more step toward the box.

It seemed there were no more traps.

I cautiously tapped the box's lid with the sheath of my blade and then opened it.

Creak…

I pulled out a single book from inside.

For a moment, I wondered if just touching it would send me back in time again—but nothing happened.

Sitting down on the spot, I began carefully inspecting the book.

On the cover, it read: "Cheonam Biseo" — The Secret Manual of Heaven's Darkness.

"What… is this?"

It didn't feel like a typical secret martial arts manual.

The name wasn't as intense or bombastic as those used by demonic sects, nor was it reminiscent of orthodox sect manuals filled with righteous titles…

I didn't feel anything odd. Tilting my head, I tried to look at the contents of the book. But as soon as I turned a single page, I was startled.

"What is this?"

Strange letters!

They were bizarre characters I had never seen in my life, like the language of another world. They were written densely like the legs of insects. Judging by the meticulous handwriting, it was clearly a structured language. But the problem was—I had never seen such writing before. Even though I had encountered Buddhist Sanskrit and characters from the Western regions during my travels, these letters were on an entirely different level.

One thing was certain: This "Cheonam Secret Manual" was a book I couldn't interpret or read with my current abilities. But it was also undeniably true that this book had reversed time for me.

So what should I do with this suspicious book?

I furrowed my brow and stared at the book for a long time, but I couldn't come to any conclusion. Sitting cross-legged and pondering, I eventually picked up the Cheonam Secret Manual and tucked it into my chest.

"I guess I'll have to carry it with me."

In some ways, this book was far more important than silver ingots. I climbed back up the cliff, hid the treasure chest and the silver ingots deeper inside the cave, and came back out. Just one ingot would be enough for travel expenses, so that wouldn't be a problem.

Though I had expected an incredible adventure, the cave exploration ended surprisingly anti-climactically and without much struggle. There was a lingering unease since I hadn't really solved the mystery, but I had only faced mortal danger once. All I had in the end was a book in my hand.

Still, I had an ominous feeling.

I sensed that this Cheonam Secret Manual contained an enormous secret that went far beyond martial arts techniques.

"Later, I'll probably have to seek out a great scholar. Among the wise sages of the world, there must be someone who can decipher this book."

After leaving the cave, I headed straight for Hwangsan.

It had been a few days since I raided the village chief's house and took the silver ingots, but there were no signs that the local constables suspected me. It was possible the wanted poster hadn't reached this region yet, but I also doubted the village chief would report it to the authorities.

Realistically, that made sense. All I had done was beat to death a few scoundrels from the Black Horse Gang—and even then, there were no witnesses, so no one could say for sure that I was the culprit.

Besides, if word got out about the village chief's deal with me, it would also expose the fact that he was secretly wealthy. Once that happened, vagrants from the martial world, suspecting he had more silver and gold, would never leave him alone. So he probably wouldn't report it.

"But I can't let my guard down just yet. He might try to hire a martial arts expert to track me down and kill me…"

Still, that was just a possibility.

Elite martial artists and top-level masters usually had strong pride—they wouldn't easily accept a job from a mere village chief, no matter how much money he offered. Plus, to hire a master so skilled I couldn't even touch him, the chief would need to spend as much money as I had taken from him.

In short, I don't need to worry about revenge from the village chief—at least for now.

Walking all the way to Hwangsan felt too tiring and troublesome, so I rented a horse at a post station along the way. Riding a horse was at least three times faster than walking, so it didn't take many days before I arrived at Hwangsan.

The moment I looked up at Hwangsan from the village at the foot of the mountain, I felt like my hardships were finally coming to an end.

Clip-clop.

But as I sat on the horse, which lightly trotted forward, a sigh escaped my lips. Just looking at the fog and clouds surrounding the mountain peaks made it clear how grueling the road ahead would be.

"Whew… Still, considering how vast Hwangsan is, this won't be easy."

Hwangsan.

Hwangsan is composed of a total of seventy-two peaks, each one towering easily beyond six hundred jang (an ancient Korean unit of length, about 2 meters per jang). Although some peaks—especially Hwangsanbong—have seen more human activity, there are still many treacherous areas untouched by man that must be explored with great caution.

Searching all seventy-two peaks!

And all for the possibility of finding the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng (Cheonnyeon Seolsam)—which might not even exist!

It was undeniably a crazy thing to do, but I had no choice. If I didn't know about the ginseng, I could have ignored it, but I had firsthand experience that confirmed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng truly exists on Hwangsan. And I had three clues that could lead me to it.

First:

The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng does not exist on the twenty-four outer peaks of Hwangsan.