Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 3

TL’ed and checked by Kirara and Adriane

“Cough, cough.”

When I regained my senses, I found myself shivering in the cold wind. Despite the reed barrier, the dawn air leaked through, causing occasional coughs.

“……?!”

What’s happening?!

Confused after losing consciousness, I hurriedly looked down at my chest. All the injuries had vanished. No, more than that, the clothes I was wearing and even my body size were completely different.

I’ve gotten smaller.

I sat up to survey my surroundings. Through the gaps in the reeds blocking the darkness, a cold current flowed, accompanied by the smell of dung and eerie shadows of trees. I was dumbfounded for a moment, but I knew this scene all too well.

‘Am I dreaming?’

I know.

I know exactly what’s going on.

This is undoubtedly when I was around 13 years old, just after losing my parents to a plague and being taken in as an extra mouth to feed at the village chief’s home. Living there as if a servant, I slept in an empty barn near the cowshed. With trembling hands, I cautiously removed the pile of reeds blocking the wind.

There it was. 

The cowshed.

“Aaahhhhh…!!”

I nearly screamed.

There’s only one word to describe the situation.

I’ve regressed to the past!

And to as far back as my childhood, 40 years ago!

‘Can something like this even happen?’

Though bewildered, I decided to stay calm.

First, I tried moving my body. Arms and legs moved fine, and the stiffness and the dawn’s chill snapped me back to reality. This felt too real to be an illusion.

Additionally, I sat slightly cross-legged and circulated my microcosmic circulation¹

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That’s when I realized something astonishing.

“Hmm… My internal energy is intact.”

Despite reverting to a child’s body, the internal energy (neigong)², I’d built over 50 years through the Three Talents Heart Method was intact. Although the benefits from basic techniques were marginal, I was sure this would be a significant aid in my future life. I knew better than anyone the difference between having internal energy and not having it.

“Cough, cough! Damn bastards.”

I coughed and spat out curses.

The objects of my disdain were, of course, the village chief and his family.

Though they took in a helpless orphan like me, for three years I lived like a servant. I was endlessly bullied by local kids and was beaten more times than I could count. Even the village chief’s son would only snicker at my suffering without offering any help.

Now, it was the same situation. My main job was caring for three cows and cleaning up dung. I had to feed the cows myself. I slept not in a proper house but on a pile of reeds in a barn that smelled of dung. It was a wonder I hadn’t gone mad living in these conditions.

‘Ah, damn it. It’s good that I survived, and it’s good that I’ve returned to the past, but why did it have to be now…’

I’ve set foot in hell once more.

I felt bitter.

My life only started to get on track when I turned 15 and took a menial job in a courier agency. Then at 18, I learned martial arts and became a low-level courier. Thinking that I had to live this hellish life for at least another five years made my hands tremble with annoyance and fear.

I sat for a while, contemplating my life.

In hindsight, it was a life without any good moments. Sure, life was somewhat bearable after becoming a low-level courier at 18, but the job was never easy. I had close calls with bandits, and once, a nobleman from the martial world slapped me in the face. A life of physical labor, numbing the constant exhaustion with a drink, was routine.

Why was I angry about the present? Naturally, because my life as a boy was far worse than my hard life as a low-level courier! I’d rather live a tough life with the freedom to spend my money than go through this hell again.

‘What do I do now?’

I pondered for quite a while.

Then I came to a conclusion.

“Even if it’s just for a day, I have to confirm if this is truly the past.”

The next day, around three o’clock in the morning, I woke up and first checked the cowshed. The cows seemed fine, not much affected by the cold, and none seemed unwell. It was clumsy at first, doing the cowshed work after decades, but soon enough, the tasks came back to me.

The next day, after about three hours, I woke up and checked on the cows. They seemed fine, untouched by the cold wind. Remembering my duties took a moment, but once I got started, everything came back naturally.

I stroked the large ox’s snout.

“Your name was Hwanggeum, wasn’t it? I remember.”

Thinking back, I seemed to have befriended the cows while living in the cowshed. Especially this big ox, whom I named Hwanggeum, I took special care of. Cows are inherently docile and gentle.

Hwanggeum nuzzled my hand as if understanding my words.

That simple action made me feel a touch sentimental.

“Animals are better than humans.”

I’ve lived for over 50 years and have grown tired of learning just what kind of creatures humans are. Living a life without family or friends, I’ve seen countless people who are strong against the weak and merciless. It was only natural for me to think that animals, which can’t speak, are better than humans.

Then it happened.

“It’s coming at me!”

I swiftly dodged by twirling around.

*Swoosh!*

“…”

“Huh…?”

A puzzled voice came through.

The owner of the voice had tried to splash water on me with the intention of messing around, but I had easily dodged, causing them some confusion. Still, even if my perception is weaker than most, 50 years of internal cultivation have endowed me with far superior senses and reflexes than the average person. Dodging a bucket of water is trivial for me, even in this child’s body.

I stared directly at the person who had tried to splash water on me. As soon as I saw him, my blood boiled and anger surged through my veins. Unconsciously, I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth to hold back the fury.

“What’s the matter, young master?”

Contrary to my inner turmoil, a calm voice flowed from my mouth.

Then the ‘young master’ hesitated for a moment before answering with a fake cough.

“Hmm! Ahem! I was just trying to dampen the front of the barn and made a mistake.”

“Alright.”

I nodded, even though his excuse sounded utterly ridiculous.

I wanted to beat up the ‘young master’ right then and there, but I restrained myself. Having been through numerous organizational lives, I had spent decades learning how to control my immediate emotional responses. Provocation by anger was not an option if I wanted to calmly assess, judge, and sort out the situation I had returned to in my past life.

The young master, with an ugly face and bloated body, was a chubby little brat.

That guy is none other than [the village chief’s son].

His name is Geum Man-jae³. Despite his grandiose name, he had no real talent, much like myself. He was of my age, and he enjoyed tormenting me with his arrogance and pretentiousness. I heard that he later squandered his father’s fortune while pursuing women and gambling.

“Um~”

Geum Man-jae began to saunter around the barn as if looking for faults. Failing to find any, he suddenly turned to me and said,

“You, clean up all the dung in the barn before I return from the academy.”

“What?”

“If I tell you to do it, do it. Are you planning not to do it?”

His sudden abuse of power startled me.

I was so infuriated that I lost my words for a moment.

‘This son of a…’

At that moment, I wanted to beat the crap out of Geum Man-jae, march into the kitchen, grab a knife, and butcher his entire family. My hands were trembling at the very thought. But I remembered that back in those days, this level of abuse was common, so I calmed myself and replied,

“Don’t worry, it will be taken care of.”

“……?”

Hearing my unusually calm tone, Geum Man-jae paused, seemingly puzzled. But, probably because he’s still a child, he didn’t think too much about it and huffed away. As he disappeared into the distance, I spat on the ground.

*Spit!*

“That little runt… You’ll see.”

If I gain power later on, I plan to take revenge for the humiliation I’ve suffered over the past three years. Just thinking about wiping out the entire village head’s family or crippling that greedy Geum Man-jae bastard gives me a thrill.

In other words, now is not the time.

I’ve given it a lot of thought yesterday.

And I concluded that I have to maintain my life in this village chief’s house ‘for the time being.’ Running away impulsively might give me peace of mind, but I’d have no way to live afterwards. It’s better to stick with a life where at least I get food and shelter.

Instead, I’ve decided to avoid mindlessly joining a bandit group as I did in the past.

‘Living as a bandit won’t work.’

Even if I join the bandit group, they’ll only teach me Six Harmonies Sword Technique and Three Talents Heart Method.

I’d be better off learning a more advanced martial art and find a way to thrive.

I had these thoughts in my previous life too, but back then, the desperate urge to escape the village head’s house was too strong, and I lacked the capabilities, so I gave up. In fact, I was lucky to be employed as a low-rank bandit back then.

But now it’s different.

I have 50 years worth of inner strength from practicing the Three Talents Heart Method in my previous life, and my swordsmanship is also at a second-rate level. Right now, if I picked up a kitchen knife, it wouldn’t be hard to slaughter an average adult male.

While I’d certainly die if I encountered a top martial artist, my current level is stronger than an average third-rate martial artist.

‘If I show these achievements to people in Murim, won’t they take me as a disciple?’

Becoming a disciple of a renowned martial artist!

That would solve both my survival problems and enable me to live the life of a high-ranking martial artist, something I’ve always dreamed of. Realizing that this is the best course of action under the current circumstances, I let out a slightly contented smile.

At the same time, I felt the need to gather information, even if it meant leaving this cattle shed where I’ve been attached like a shadow for twelve hours. Without knowing where and how these martial artists live, I can’t even begin to make plans.

‘Ugh, first I have to clean up this cow dung.’

Grumbling, I picked up a rake and a shovel and walked into the cattle shed. The pungent smell of cow dung filled the air. Cleaning it up daily was impractical since the cows kept defecating everywhere, so I cleaned it every three days. However, that nasty Geum Man-jae commanded me to clean it today, even though it wasn’t the day for it.

Of course, cleaning up the dung is good for the cow’s health, but I couldn’t see it in a positive light since it was done purely to exercise authority. Plus, I’m the one doing the dirty work while Geum Man-jae gets to look good in front of the village chief.

‘Ugh…’

It was while I was cleaning, with the cow dung smell permeating my entire body.

I went to the bushes to vomit because I felt dizzy from the strong smell. I had nothing to vomit up but the smell of stomach acid irritated my nose. I sat on a tree stump for a moment and looked up at the blue sky.

‘……!!’

At that moment, a lightning-like revelation pierced through my head.

My mouth was trembling.

‘Yes, yes! That was it!’

I am such an idiot.

Why did I abandon the easy path and choose the hard one?

Millennium Snow Ginseng!

A method came to his mind for obtaining the legendary elixir that, when consumed, could give you enough power to conquer the world in an instant.

1. 小周天, Xiao Zhou Tian: Small Circulation or Microcosmic Circulation practice teaches you how to use the mind to lead Qi through the two major Qi vessels-the Governing and Conception vessels along the outer centerline of the body.[↩]
2. Neigong refers to a series of internal changes that a practitioner goes through when following the path to Dao. Also described as internal cultivation, where it works from the core and spreads outwards.[↩]
3. 金萬材 in Hanja. It’s literal translation would be Gold (geum), Ten-thousand talents[↩]