Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 14

This time, I was certain I would obtain the Millennium Snow Ginseng. My martial arts skills had significantly improved since the second time I died, and as a courier, I had saved up a good sum of money over the past three years. Most importantly, I had come to Huangshan with no complicated vendettas this time. There was no one in particular who could hinder me.

Moreover, while working as a courier in Sagong Courier Agency, I had managed to gather quite a bit of geographical information and maps about Huangshan. If I failed this time, the emotional blow would be enormous—I had been meticulously preparing for the last three years.

The reason I was so obsessed with eating the Millennium Snow Ginseng was simple: once I acquired it, I would no longer be circling below the top-rate martial artists but could potentially surpass them to become an apex master.

Apex masters were not common in this world. I heard that there were less than five hundred of them in the vast Central Plains, which is home to tens of millions. Their martial prowess could change the course of the world, and for them, acquiring wealth and fame was laughably easy. There were people who claimed to have seen apex masters everywhere, but in reality, they were mostly mistaking high-ranking martial artists for them. Genuine apex masters were rarer to find than century-old mountain ginsengs.

How will my life change the moment I gain this power?

The anticipation was more exhilarating than the wait itself.

For the search for Millennium Snow Ginseng in Huangshan, I had meticulously prepared climbing gear and provisions. I also made sure to determine the direction of my search using the maps of the inner peaks of Huangshan.

Huangshan had a total of seventy-two peaks, but I would only search thirty of them. This was because it was confirmed that the outer twenty-four peaks didn’t have any Millennium Snow Ginseng, and the twelve peaks near the Huangshan Sect had to be excluded. Since the sect’s base was located at the sixth peak, that one had to be excluded as well.

Of course, saying ‘thirty peaks’ might sound trivial, but each one was a harsh mountain with heights exceeding five hundred jang (1 jang = 3 meters). If it took at least a month to thoroughly search one mountain, then my journey would take at least three to four years. It could even take a decade or more.

‘Heh, even if it takes ten years, it’s a cheap price to pay for obtaining the Millennium Snow Ginseng.’

I hardened my resolve. I swore in my heart not to give up, no matter what happened.

The day after I arrived at the base of Huangshan, I began searching the first peak. I first left my belongings at an inn nearby, then started climbing Huangshan with my equipment. I needed to venture into the unexplored wilderness in addition to the human-made paths. Obviously, places untouched by humans far outnumbered those that were, and from the first day, my search took an enormous amount of time and effort.

After the search ended on the first day, I returned to the inn quite exhausted. I intended to get some good sleep, but for some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep. It was probably because I had roamed the mountain all day but had almost nothing to show for it.

‘This isn’t efficient. If I keep returning to the inn as my base, the range of my search will be limited.’

I needed to explore the inner peaks, not roam around the outskirts. It would be like walking at least 30 li (1 li = 500m) a day, but going back and forth to the inn would be a waste of time.

“In that case, it would be better to build a shack or a thatched house in the mountains and live there.

From the next day, I started building a hut at the entrance of mount Huangshan. Since I’ve already built a thatched house once before, it was an easy task. First, I found wooden pillars to serve as the foundation of the house, cut them to an appropriate size, and laid them down. Then, I covered the roof with materials that could withstand rain and dew.

Building a shack or thatched house alone was originally an incredibly arduous task. However, I had learned a lot while working as a construction laborer during my days as a courier, becoming friends with plasterers. Even if it’s a house, as long as it satisfies the basic requirements, you can somehow build it with physical strength and stamina.

It took about two weeks to complete the thatched house. It felt like I spent the entire day building the house. Even so, it wasn’t a pleasant sight; it was just a structure to protect from rain and dew. The floor was simply covered with straw, and heating was, of course, impossible. I didn’t even build a separate kitchen.

But this is good enough. I’ve suffered a lot in my life, so I can take my time to improve from here. What’s important now is finding the Millennium Snow Ginseng, so whether my dwelling is comfortable or not is a secondary issue.

Once the house was prepared, I officially started my exploration. If I needed food, I would buy groceries from the village, or pay for food at an inn. If I wanted to wash, I washed in the nearby stream—if I didn’t want to spend money, I hunted small wild animals in the vicinity. The innkeeper initially thought I was insane and considered reporting me to the authorities, but eventually accepted that I simply intended to live in the mountains from a young age.

About two months after starting the exploration.

I had roughly explored four of the 30 peaks of mount Huangshan. Thoroughly scouring four mountains was a very difficult task, but I endured it through my internal energy. Strangely enough, despite only having about one hour a day to practice my internal energy, I felt it clinging more strongly to my bloodstream as I struggled through my mountain expeditions.

By that time, about half of the money I had saved up for three years had disappeared. If things continued this way, I’d be broke in a few months. So I pondered on what I should do next. After much consideration, I came to a conclusion.

“Let’s work.”

I can’t completely sever ties with the world. I’m not a born hunter, and there are limits to catching and eating wild animals in the wilderness. Apart from my martial arts, hunting animals is an extremely exhausting and painful process. I felt the need to earn money to buy groceries.

Fortunately, the words of the innkeeper decided what I had to do.

“You live in the mountains, right? Then go chop some wood and take it to the lumberyard. They’ll buy it from you.”

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The innkeeper was right. The wood from Huangshan was of good quality and had many uses, so the village had its own lumberyard. People processed the wood on-site and supplied it where needed. After making a deal with the owner of the lumberyard, I received an ax and started chopping wood whenever I had the time.

Of course, chopping the wood was easy, but transporting it to the lumberyard was another task. So, I cut down just two or three trees and considered it enough. The owner of the lumberyard was surprised, almost shocked, that I was bringing in such valuable wood.

Whenever I needed money, I would chop wood for the lumberyard; the rest of the time I practiced my inner strength or scoured Huangshan. Gradually, I began to adapt to my life in the mountains.

A year passed like this.

I was on my ninth mountain peak, yet I had not seen any sign of the thousand-year-old ginseng. Progress-wise, I was about 30% done—just as I had expected, which actually set my mind at ease.

The innkeeper sometimes spoke to me.

“You seem like a former warrior; why did you decide to live in Huangshan?”

“I just dislike people.”

“Heh, I see…” 

The innkeeper clicked his tongue, while I simply smiled.

It’s not a lie that I dislike people. I want to avoid gaining unnecessary attention until I find the thousand-year-old ginseng. Living quietly like this and striving until I find it is best.

Three more months passed.

Heavy rain destroyed my straw house. I rebuilt it, this time much larger, expecting a protracted stay and also because it was freezing whenever heavy rain or wind struck. This time, I even built a fence to keep out as much wind as possible.

Another three months passed.

Cold damage devastated the village, ruining the year’s crops. The tenant farmers were desperate, and even the landlords were in a bind, causing a gloomy atmosphere in the village. Life became harder for people, and I couldn’t make money from selling wood to the lumberyard. With the lumberyard also affected by the farming situation, my livelihood was frowned upon. So for a month, I had no choice but to hunt snakes, wild boars, or deer for food.

During this time, I crafted a bow and became proficient in using it. I had martial skills so I could hunt using a sword or spear, but I found a bow more convenient. Though rudimentary with stone tips, it was lethal enough for me to prefer using it.

And then—exactly two years after I entered Huangshan.

I finally realized that I had explored 16 peaks. It was a bit slower than I had anticipated, but more than half were checked off. I bought some alcohol from the village and guzzled it down in my straw house.

“Damn it…”

It was the first time I had drunk alcohol in this life. I was so frustrated that I wanted to get seriously drunk. My rational mind was still intact as I complained.

“[A place where white and black lotuses bloom together?] Where on earth is that!”

I had yet to ask anyone about this sole clue. I didn’t want to risk someone else getting interested and looking for it. But just having that single sentence as a guide was mentally taxing.

Now fully grown and with a well-grown beard, I was feeling the limits of my patience, not knowing how many more years I had to search. The feeling of falling asleep while drunkenly babbling was truly depressing.

‘I can’t go on like this. I have to start asking people. If I search all 30 peaks and still find nothing… I won’t be able to handle it mentally.’

Enough of this foolishness.

Having explored this much, even if someone starts to take an interest and look into it, my pace of exploration is faster. Even if I garnered a bit of suspicion, I decided to ask around in the village and the surrounding areas. If it comes down to it, I even had the strong resolve to die.

The first person I asked was the innkeeper.

“Huh? Have I seen a black lotus?”

The innkeeper tilted his head. After a moment’s thought, he seemed to recall something.

“I think some monk grows it!”

“Which monk?”

“I’m not sure. I just vaguely remember hearing about it.”

Next, I questioned the owner of the lumberyard. In fact, he and the innkeeper were the two people I was closest to in the village near the base of Huangshan Mountain.

“A black lotus…grown by a monk… I think I’ve heard something like that too.” The lumberyard owner pondered for a bit and then said, “That’s probably about Baekhwan Temple (or Temple of Pure Steadfastness)¹. People were saying the temple’s head monk was growing it, so it created a bit of a buzz. People went to see it, but were disappointed to find it was just a lotus that was black in color. Nothing special about it.”

“I see.”

“Baekhwan Temple is on Baekhwan Peak.”

Given that the temple was on Baekhwan Peak, it was likely that the temple was named Baekhwan because of the peak.

I felt a bit foolish for not asking earlier when I was so easily given a clue. But then again, I’ve been living near Huangshan for two years. Asking such questions only casually now perhaps made me less suspicious. Had I been a recent arrival asking about such things, I might’ve attracted undue attention.

Both the innkeeper and the lumberyard owner didn’t seem to care about my question. There was nothing to suspect, after all.

Having learned the location of Baekhwan Temple, I headed towards Baekhwan Peak, one of the fourteen peaks I had yet to explore. It was over 40 ‘li’ away, but I walked there with determination and finally reached the base of Baekhwan Peak.

Now all I had to do was explore Baekhwan Peak.

‘Should I meet the head monk of Baekhwan Temple first?’

It might be good to see the black lotus he is rumored to be growing. With that thought, I climbed the stairs leading to Baekhwan Temple and was soon able to meet the head monk. The head monk of Baekhwan Temple didn’t seem to be a martial artist, just an ordinary old monk.

He looked so old that it wouldn’t be strange if he were to pass away soon. His shoulders and hands were shaking as if afflicted by a chronic illness.

“M…M-Mister… You said…you want to see…the black lotus?”

“Yes, I’ve heard it’s quite a unique flower.”

The head monk faintly smiled.

“It is… unique indeed… I brought it from Snow Garden…”

‘Snow Garden?!’

“About ten years ago… I stumbled into a ravine while traveling… The snow was so deep… but I was unharmed… There was a pond in that snowy area, and lotuses were blooming in it. They were very small… hehe…”

“So you brought it back?”

The head monk seemed delighted as he spoke.

“I did bring back some lotus seeds… Hehe…”

“Where is this Snow Garden?”

“I don’t really… know… There was a lot of fog…”

A monk who was training at the temple led me out, saying, “Mister, please come out now. The head monk is not feeling well.”

“I understand.”

When I asked the monks about the black lotus, they led me to the back of the temple. Indeed, the black lotus was blooming just as I had heard. I observed the black lotus silently and then said, “So, you only have black lotuses here.”

“Usually, lotuses are white, but this one is peculiar indeed. However, the roots and leaves of this black lotus are good for the body, so we often eat it.”

“I see. Haven’t you guys tried to find that valley the head monk mentioned?”

“We had no reason to look. Although the terrain is intriguing, Huangshan is a vast place. There’s no need to explore every part of it.”

Judging by the expressions of the monks, their words seemed to be true. They were just monks secluded in the mountains, spending their days in ascetic practice. I felt a bit deflated, expecting the involvement of some martial world conspiracy. However, the less trouble, the better; so, I thought to myself.

‘If I dig around Baekhwan Peak, I’ll surely find that snowfield. There must be a connection between the snowfield and the Millennium Snow Ginseng!’

My search began anew.

With fervent determination and perseverance, I vowed to find the millennium ginseng within a year!

I had endured a miserable life just for this. Moreover, considering how much hardship I had undergone while living in the mountains for several years, it was unbearable.

I will find it.

I will definitely… consume the Millennium Snow Ginseng!!

***

“Ah… Aaaaaah…!!”

I let out a cry of joy.

Today marked 3 years and 2 months since I entered Huangshan. It had been over a year since I started investigating the base of the Baekhwan Peak. I had come far from Baekhwan Peak and was exploring the middle part of Changnan Peak (Long Southern Peak)² when I found a strangely twisted cliff. I advanced by cutting through vines and branches.

And now.

Before my eyes lay a snowy field. The strange terrain formed behind the valley was full of yin energy, accumulating all year round. Because of that, the air above was sharply cold, eternally in winter weather. The accumulated snow never melted.

I could also see the pond the head monk mentioned.

Just as I heard, it was a place where [white and black lotuses were blooming together].

‘Ah… not yet. Just a bit more…!!’

Gritting my teeth, I braved the cold of the snowfield, pushing through the snow. Centering around the pond, I shoveled the snow around. During that, I found a cave where the snow strangely didn’t accumulate. The cave was large enough for two or three people, so I calmly walked in.

Deeper into the cave, another snowy field spread out. And right in the middle, where sunlight seemed to reflect, there was something large.

As big as a human forearm, its shape resembled ginseng.

Moreover, the surface had patterns flowing that resembled the white willow I had heard of.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

I screamed as if wailing.

And then I knelt and shed tears.

“I’ve done itttttttttttttttt!!!”

3 years and 2 months.

To be exact, a whopping 6 years after my regression—

I had finally found the Millennium Snow Ginseng that had been my goal.

1. Derived from chinese characters; 白桓寺[↩]
2. 長南峰[↩]