Chapter 17

Hwang Geumman nodded and began to cry.

“Right. This is...the life I dreamed of. Exactly this life... Would Mother be proud if she saw me?”

“Of course.”

I reached out and touched Hwang Geumman’s forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“Wait a moment. Commemoration Without End; Affection-Trace Remainder; Mother’s Voice as Before; Form Revealed Like a Dream.”

“What are you—”

In that instant, Hwang Geumman’s eyes flew wide.

Before him, the mother he had longed for was standing there, beaming.

“M-Mother?”

—Yes. My son.

“Mother!”

Hwang Geumman threw his arms around her.

Warmth answered him.

An illusion?

That didn’t matter.

Even in a dream, his mother stood before him.

“Mother! Mother! I missed you!”

—My son. I’ve been watching all along. You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?

“Yes! Mother! It was so hard! I’m sorry! I’ve been so pathetic!”

—No. I saw everything today. Seeing people praise my son...I have no regrets.

“Y-you saw?”

—Yes. My son has become a Great Sir.

“No! Not yet. I’m still a small man!”

His mother smiled gently and stroked his head.

—My son is already a Great Sir. A Great Sir must act as a Great Sir. Do you understand?

“Yes, Mother! I’ll act like a Great Sir!”

—Good. This mother will always be watching.

“Please! Please watch me! See how your son lives!”

Her happy smile drew a bright smile from Hwang Geumman as well.

—I believe in my ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) son. From now on, be someone who helps others.

“Yes, Mother!”

—It seems our time is up.

“Mother?”

—It was good to see you, my son. I’m well, so don’t worry, and come up only after a long, long life. All right?

“Yes, Mother!”

As her figure slowly faded, Hwang Geumman kept his eyes wide, trying to hold every last trace of her.

Only after her image was gone did he finally close his eyes—

—to fix what he’d just seen, whole, in his heart.

When he opened them again, there was no greed in his gaze—only clear, steady light.

I watched, intrigued.

So it can be solved like this, too.

I realized that hitting isn’t the only answer.

Hwang Geumman bowed with fists together toward me.

“Benefactor! Thank you! Because of you, I’ve realized how wrong my life has been.”

“Seeing you change like this—I’m the one who’s grateful.”

“May I see your face? I’ll serve you as my benefactor for life.”

I snorted a laugh.

“That’s enough. Changing like this has already repaid the favor.”

It seemed I needn’t worry anymore.

With a light sweep of my hand, the goods I’d hidden with the Transparency Mantra appeared.

“This is what’s left after we distributed everything. That looks like your personal property, so I didn’t touch it.”

I watched his eyes as I showed the wealth.

His gaze and expression shifted.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

...Ah.

Should I not have shown him the money?

He rushed to the gold, grabbed it, and, touching it over and over, spoke with delight:

“I was worrying what I’d use to help people! Hahaha!”

A needless worry.

“No, wait! Let’s use this money to start a new trade caravan! Then we’ll earn even more and help even more people!”

So a goal had taken shape for his new life.

He’d still chase money with a death grip, but the purpose was completely different.

Thinking I no longer needed to fret, I slipped away quietly.

After a long think, Hwang Geumman decided to found a merchants’ caravan and turned to speak to me.

“Benefactor. I’ll form a caravan—”

I wasn’t there.

“Benefactor...”

He looked around the room, then walked over to the open window.

Staring out, he murmured,

“I will find the benefactor who set me on a proper life. And I will repay this grace.”

Clenching his fist on that vow, Hwang Geumman—

In later years, he would be called the greatest tycoon of the Central Plains, the Golden God Lord.

****

“Brother Namgung. Are you all right?”

At my voice, Namgung Baek came to his senses and looked around.

“Where is this?”

“Outside Ganzhou, on the outskirts.”

“The outskirts?”

“Yes. I found you collapsed on the road and brought you here.”

“On the road? Ah...”

At last, his memory returned.

“Damn... I really took it from those bastards.”

“Bastards?”

I asked with a worried face. He shook his head.

“No. It’s nothing to do with you. Anyway—thank you. I owe you my life.”

“No. I only carried you here after finding you collapsed.”

“No—without you, who knows what would have happened to me in the road. Thank you.”

“You’re too kind. Here, I made some porridge. Please eat.”

He meant to refuse—

GRRRRK—

—but the savory smell of porridge set his stomach rioting.

“Why am I so hungry?”

“You woke up after a week.”

“A—a whole week?”

“Yes.”

If not for him, I might’ve starved to death...

“Thank you. Without you, I’d have been in real trouble. I’ll eat gratefully.”

While he ate the porridge I handed him, Namgung Baek recalled what happened at the Hundred-Gold Sect branch.

That was close. I never thought they would have Qi-Scattering Poison floating in the air.

Disable the opponent’s internal qi with Qi-Scattering Poison, then suppress with bruisers trained in Astral-Body Art.

I doubt I was the only martial artist who got done like that.

He remembered the last words he heard before he passed out.

Words that clearly planned to kill him.

And yet he was alive.

How did this happen?

First, he needed to check whether his internal qi was moving properly.

After finishing the porridge, he sat in meditation and began to observe within.

Pain surged.

“Kh—!”

His internal qi gathered, but the meridians were damaged.

Likely the work of Qi-Scattering Poison.

Ending his observation, something occurred to him, and he hurriedly looked around.

What he fixed on was a bundled object—

his cherished blade, the Azure Heaven Sword.

It was the heirloom his grandfather had passed down.

He sighed in relief, then met my eyes.

He smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, it’s my grandfather’s heirloom. If I lost it, that would be a disaster.”

“I thought so, so I brought it along.”

“You brought it, little brother? Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”

“It’s nothing. But...you don’t look well. Are you in pain somewhere?”

“I’m fine. Our Namgung Clan has a secret Spirit Pill. If I take that... Huh?”

He searched himself all over.

Everything but the sword had been stripped away.

At least the sword was safe—he should be grateful for that, right?

A sigh escaped him.

What a pathetic state.

“Take this.”

He looked at the silver-sheened pill I held out.

“What is it?”

“A secret pill of our household. Your qi seems weakened—this should help.”

“Th-thank you.”

He wanted to refuse, but this wasn’t the time.

He vowed to repay this grace later and began circulating his breathing.

VMMMM—

The moment he started, Namgung Baek jolted.

W-what is this?

A cool, refreshing force whipped through his whole body like a storm.

It surpassed even the Namgung Clan’s secret Sky-Dome Profound-Qi Pill.

He already owed me for saving his life; now I’d given him a pill this extraordinary?

A tremendous grace indeed.

“Phew.”

He finished circulation, opened his eyes, and checked his condition.

All the damaged meridians had mended, and his internal qi flowed smoothly.

More than that, his internal qi had increased by twenty years.

Even the Sky-Dome Profound-Qi Pill adds only ten years—yet the pill I gave him had added a full twenty.

Gripping my hand, he thanked me fervently.

“Thank you! Truly—thank you! I will repay this grace.”

“What are you saying? It’s only right for a younger brother to help his elder brother.”

“Haha! Is that so? Then it’s only right for an elder brother to help his younger brother, too, isn’t it? I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Spoken like that...you’re scaring me a little.”

“Haha! Don’t be scared.”

Namgung Baek was ready to do anything for me.

But first, there was a matter he had to settle.

“My business isn’t finished. Once it’s done, let’s talk again.”

Knowing what that “business” was, I smiled and nodded.

“Yes. Do that, brother.”

He hurried back into the city, only to find everything already resolved; he wore a dazed look, as if he were dreaming.

He returned to where I’d been—

No one was there.

“Huh...”

A boy young as an immortal had helped him.

He hadn’t even repaid the grace and the boy had vanished.

“You said your name was Wigang, right? I’ll find you and repay this favor.”

****

I came home, dispelled the clone, and was about to rest when a commotion rose outside.

“What’s going on?”

“T-the second young master is very ill! The lady is urgently calling for the first young master!”

“Wigun is sick?”

“Yes!”

“Got it.”

I ran straight to my younger brother Jeok Wigun’s room.

His face was flushed red, sweat running down in sheets, his breath ragged.

“Mother.”

“Wigang? I don’t know why Wigun suddenly became like this.”

Mother’s face was crumpling with worry as she held Wigun’s hand tight.

“What about the physician?”

Father came in then, shaking his head.

“The physician couldn’t find the cause. The fever is too severe—he said we must bring it down first, but there’s little improvement.”

Beside us, Mother kept wringing a cloth and laying the cool compress on Wigun’s brow.

I stepped close, gently took Wigun’s hand, and murmured a Healing Mantra.

Before white light could bloom from my palm, I wrapped it quickly with my other hand to keep the glow hidden.

The power of the mantra wound through Wigun’s body; his harsh breathing began to ease, little by little.

“Huh? Dear, Wigun’s color is coming back.”

“Huh? It is.”

“The prescription the physician gave must be working.”

“Seems so. Thank heavens.”

Watching my parents smile in relief, I smiled, too.

Sssrrrp—

Sweat streamed down my face.

I was a bit shaken myself.

Come to think of it, Wigun’s constitution seemed weak.

He was still at an age to grow, so I’d held back on harsh training...

When he turns ten, I’ll begin proper training in earnest.

He’s the future master of True Martial Sect, which will become the strongest sect in the Central Plains—he can’t be weak.

I’ll train him thoroughly.

This is no time to be out wandering.

I should be preparing my brother’s training—the brother who will bear True Martial Sect’s future.

I’d been neglecting what mattered most.

I tapped my forehead in reproach, then, with a resolute face, made my vow:

Don’t worry, little brother. I’ll make you strong.

So that no one in this world can lay a finger on you.