Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 17 – Back to Everyday Life (2)

When I returned home, news of the Yang Minor Faction had already spread.

“It’s hard to believe.”

Father seemed troubled by the fact that the Yang Faction Leader had tried to kill him and his family by mobilizing vagabonds. No matter how much trouble his son was in, he probably never imagined such a form of revenge.

“He was a much more evil man than we thought. If internal strife hadn’t broken out between him and the Blood Hound, we could have faced great calamity.”

Father nodded silently at my words.

In contrast, Mother couldn’t hide her joy.

“Heaven has helped us! It’s truly fortunate.”

“Yes, Mother.”

At that moment, Father spoke abruptly.

“Still, we should repay the debt we owe to the Yang Minor Faction.”

“Yes.”

I had expected him to say that. He would consider it a debt to the Yang Minor Faction, not to Yang Gi-cheol personally.

But we won’t have to repay it. I had already told Jeong Yeo, the new Faction Leader, not to collect the debt.

I had even suggested a specific way to refuse, saying they wouldn’t take the money as a way of atoning for their attempt to attack us. If not in this way, being not a dull person, he would find some suitable excuse not to accept it.

“And this, I’ve read it well.”

I returned the secret manual of the White Moon Sword Arts to Father.

“How was your practice?”

“I think I’ve made some progress.”

“That’s good.”

He probably didn’t have high expectations after just a few days of practice, but he would find significance in the fact that I had changed.

Mother looked at me with a smile.

“Son.”

“Yes.”

“Are you alright?”

A short question, but one loaded with meaning. While very happy about my change, she must also be quite worried.

“Of course. I’m better than ever.”

“Good.”

“I’ll take my leave now.”

As I turned to leave, I looked back at Father.

“I hope you won’t be too disheartened by this incident… Father.”

Was it because he was being comforted by his son after a long time? A look of emotion flashed across Father’s face.

In fact, I was the one who was truly moved.

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It was the first time I had called him “Father.”

In my past life, I didn’t have a father figure. My mother had raised me alone since I was young. So I had never called anyone “Father” before.

“Go and rest.”

“Yes, Father.”

Once I said it out loud, it wasn’t that difficult.

Thus, I returned to my everyday life.

***

I had two main tasks to do.

Taking care of myself and taking care of the family. I started with what I could do immediately.

The next day, I went to see Seo Jung.

Seo Jung, who was coming out after training the Sword Squad members, looked surprised to see me.

“What’s the matter?”

The look in his eyes was gentler than before. He must be seeing me in a new light due to my recent actions, especially after I saved Gwang-du from Yang Gi-gang.

“Please accept this.”

“What is this?”

What I handed over was three thousand nyang. It was part of the thirty-two thousand nyang I had brought back from Yang Gi-cheol.

After checking the promissory note, he looked at me in shock.

“Where did this money come from?”

“It’s money I’ve been saving up.”

“What?”

He seemed skeptical. It must have been hard to believe that someone like me, who had been living like a good-for-nothing, would have such money.

“I was saving it to give to a girl I liked.”

But when I spoke so naturally, Seo Jung was half-convinced. Moreover, since I had used so much of the family’s money, he might think I could have this much saved. That’s why I chose the amount of three thousand nyang, though I wanted to give more.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Please use this money to reorganize the Sword Squads. Raise the monthly salaries you couldn’t increase, and recruit new members.”

Seo Jung was even more surprised than when he received the money. The amount of three thousand nyang was shocking, but the purpose I suggested for its use was even more so.

“Do you think we’re here for money?”

“I know you’re not. But the families of the Sword Squad members shouldn’t suffer because of money.”

“Why are you giving this directly to me instead of to the Master?”

“I guess you wouldn’t accept money from Father.”

Seo Jung flinched. I had accurately guessed his inner thoughts.

He is a deeply loyal person. Even if Father gave him money to reorganize the squad, he would refuse, saying to pay off the family’s debts first. That he could manage the Sword Squad somehow.

“You and the Sword Squad are the core of our main branch. If you and the Sword Squad fall, the main branch will fall with you.”

“What are you saying? The core of the main branch is the Master!”

Though he scolded me sternly, Seo Jung’s face couldn’t hide his emotion.

Like my parents, he probably never expected to hear such words from this good-for-nothing, immature young master.

“Will you accept my intention?”

After pondering for a moment, Seo Jung finally nodded.

“Can you promise to use this money solely for the Sword Squad? As a man, and as a martial artist.”

I was asking this in case he might return it to Father.

“I will.”

I bowed sincerely.

“Thank you very much, Squad Leader.”

As I turned to leave, Seo Jung spoke from behind.

“Dan Ahn.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled at him. Like with Gwang-du, there was no need to say much more to him. He would see a lot in the future.

From the next day, the atmosphere in the Sword Squad became more lively.

Although I wasn’t part of the Sword Squad, I could feel it.

The Sword Squad members I encountered greeted me with smiles.

They had already liked me for the incident with Yang Gi-gang, and now they learned that the money came from me. Knowing Seo Jung’s personality, he wouldn’t have hidden the source of the money.

As the Sword Squad’s atmosphere brightened, the whole household brightened.

The content of the whispers about me also changed. At first, they thought my change was a prelude to a major incident, but now there was talk that I might have really changed.

I heard they also posted a notice about recruiting new members for the Sword Squad. With three thousand nyang, they couldn’t expand much, but I heard they could increase by about twenty people.

While increasing the fighting force was good, the most important thing was that morale had improved.

For the first time in a long while, there was vigor in the Byeok Clan Sword Manor.

When Mother heard the news, she gave me an earful about where I got such a large sum of money, but in the end, she had to believe me. What else could she do when I was behaving so well these days?

The next day, Mother invited the wives of nearby martial families and held a gathering after a long time. She apparently boasted about her son all at once, making up for lost time. Of course, she didn’t forget to brag about how I had given money for the Sword Squad. The only difference was that it was presented as money I had saved for the Sword Squad, not for a woman.

While taking care of family matters like this, I didn’t neglect my physical training and martial arts practice.

With wholehearted training, my body was gradually changing. The soft flesh was disappearing, replaced by firm muscles.

The real problem, as expected, was inner energy.

The highlight of the Soul-Reaping Asura Sword Technique I had learned lies in the last three forms.

The issue is that the fourth form requires one Gapja (60-years) of inner energy, the fifth form two Gapja (120-years), and the sixth form three Gapja (180-years).

I set my immediate goal at one Gapja. I don’t even hope for two or three Gapja.

If I could just use the fourth form, Soul-Stealing Calamity, I would have a trump card.

I could probably handle most experts with the first three forms, but you never know what might happen.

I was circulating the Heavenly Martial Heart-Guarding Technique at all times except when sleeping, but the amount of inner energy accumulating was absolutely insufficient.

The Heavenly Martial Heart-Guarding Technique can accumulate inner energy about three times faster than ordinary cultivation methods.

It would take twenty years of just training to accumulate one Gapja of inner energy.

There’s only one solution now.

“Somehow, I need to break through the Conception and Governing Vessels.”

If the Conception and Governing Vessels are opened, the speed of inner energy accumulation will increase threefold again.

Then, the time it takes to reach one Gapja would be reduced from twenty years to seven years.

With the current five years of inner energy, and considering that I would need to take an elixir to open the Conception and Governing Vessels, plus the additional inner energy gained from that, I could potentially reach one Gapja of inner energy in as little as two or three years.

I needed an elixir to help open the Conception and Governing Vessels.

I heard there was once an era when elixirs were abundant.

But in the current era, elixirs are scarce. The fact that I could possess four Gapja of inner energy in my past life was only possible because I was the Alliance Leader, and even then, it was due to the life-and-death battles against the evil sects and demonic cults.

It would be ideal if I could obtain legendary elixirs like the Great Return Pill or the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, but it was absolutely impossible with this money.

Such elixirs are not only hard to find, but even if someone claims to sell them, they’re traded for tens or hundreds of thousands of nyang, as the seller names the price. They’re items that don’t even appear on the market.

Could I find the necessary elixir with twenty-nine thousand nyang?

I thought it might be possible. The elixir I need just needs to help open the Conception and Governing Vessels, and be able to fill about ten years’ worth of inner energy.

I didn’t know the price of elixirs because I had only consumed what was given to me and had never bought them myself.

Twenty-nine thousand nyang.

Can I buy it with this?

***

Two days later, I was entering a building in Jinan.

This is the Jinan branch of the Black Market.

There’s a saying in the martial world:

If it’s not in the Black Market, it doesn’t exist in this martial world.

It serves as a marketplace for trading martial world items. In the past, it dealt even in stolen goods, hence the name “Black Market,” but in the current era, it has come out into the open, dealing only in items with clear origins.

The person who played the biggest role in this was Commander-in-Chief Gal Saryang. He monitored the Black Market and collected various information. Sometimes, the flow of goods provided much more valuable information than what could be obtained through people.

Anyway, thanks to that, I knew the Black Market well. Where it was located and how it operated.

There were three Black Markets in Shandong, and the largest one was this Jinan branch.

I had ridden here after saying I would be out for two or three days to get some fresh air. I thought about bringing Gwang-du along to avoid boredom, but given the nature of the business, I decided it was better to leave him behind.

When I told the guard at the entrance that I came to buy an elixir, he guided me to a well-decorated guest room in the inner courtyard.

A maid came and served tea, then left, but I didn’t touch the tea.

During my time as the Alliance Leader, I often received this question:

What’s the secret to surviving long in the martial world?

My answer was always the same.

Be careful in everything.

Being careful should become a habit. I had once been subjected to endless assassination attempts. The most skilled assassins are those with patience that has reached the extreme.

What they wait for is just one moment of carelessness. The hundredth mistake you make thinking “surely not,” after doing well ninety-nine times.

You want to live long?

Don’t let your guard down until the very end.

An old man in luxurious robes entered the room.

“I hear you came to buy an elixir?”