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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Cheonbaek Ginsengs
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Moomyeong replied.
[That's right. Even I normally can't sense things this clearly, but in this spirit-rich area, my qi sense seems to have reached its limit.]
"...My God."
It was the faint lifeline I'd barely grasped.
A single ray of light amid being buried alive.
My breath caught in my throat.
I had no idea how much time passed after that.
The dark clouds belched.
Lightning began crashing down.
I slipped and fell.
Even as my knees scraped raw, I didn't feel the pain—I sprang up and ran.
The weather changes in the mountains were nothing like on flat plains.
One moment it was just darkening, the next a downpour swept across the land.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Every exhale sent raindrops clinging to my lips spraying wildly.
My chest felt like it would burst.
Blood filled my mouth.
With every step, mud splashed up.
My footprints sank into the mire, only to be washed away instantly by the torrent.
Steam rose faintly from my entire body.
"How far up do I have to go?!"
The higher I climbed into the highlands, the steeper it got—until it became sheer cliffs.
I ended up crawling on all fours like a beast.
[You need to climb just as far again as you've come already.]
I nearly slipped off the cliff, steadying myself as I bellowed through the downpour.
"Damn it! Is this really the place?! There's not a single blade of grass!"
[Trust me. If you die, I die. I have no desire to die.]
The rock under my left foot gave way, tumbling endlessly downward.
My fingers, tempered by eight weeks of hellish training under Pahwanggun, clung to protruding footholds like suction cups—unyielding even in the slick rain.
Amid the waterfall of rain cascading down the cliff, I climbed three steps, ducked my head to catch my breath, then surged upward like a spider.
The treetops from where I'd started were now faintly visible far below—if at all.
Even as I ascended, I could feel it.
No one comes to this altitude unless they're dead certain and gunning straight for it.
Just me, hanging alone in a desolate world of barren rock, raging storm, and howling gale.
-Clack, clack, clack.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Even after eight weeks of body-tempering death marches, my body ran hot—yet here in the deluge, I couldn't hold out.
'If I don't hurry, this is dangerous.'
I pushed my body relentlessly.
I felt my fingers growing numb and stiff with cold.
Even with my reinforced physique, I barely overcame three near-falls before reaching the summit.
-Bzzz!
As if it had been waiting, the moment I crested the top, the jade bead thrummed with unprecedented intensity—like it would explode, vibrating so fiercely I couldn't even grip chopsticks, radiating light to its limit.
"Th-this is...!"
Even with my poor eyesight, I knew.
-Rumble.
Thunder crashed once more.
I wiped the rain from my eyes.
Arranged in a triangular formation like a defensive array, three stalks were embedded in the ground.
"Ah, ahh!"
Tears and snot mixing with mud and wounds, I crawled forward through the storm.
"Sp-spi—gin—seng...."
No doubt about it.
Crystal clear.
Three vibrant green ginseng plants stood plainly on the earth.
Anyone could see they radiated extraordinary energy.
With chattering teeth, I let out a primal wail from the depths of my chest, joy surging forth.
"I found the ginsengs—!!!"
There's an old saying in the world.
Spiritual herbs don't scatter—they cluster together.
Especially the three varieties, which often grow in the same spot. The advice is: once you dig one, don't get reckless—check your surroundings carefully.
But seeing them right before my eyes choked the breath from me.
Who in this world could imagine three roots atop this barren peak?
They were positioned beyond the detection range of the jade bead, which senses spiritual qi.
Even if someone passed right under this crag, they wouldn't have spotted a thing.
"Finally, something like this happens to me."
I screamed myself hoarse before dropping to my knees before them.
The rain pouring like a hole in the sky began to ease.
I stripped off my upper garment and spread it on the ground.
[These are called Cheonbaek Ginsengs. Rarer even than those on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Forbidden Star Peak, they're spiritual herbs among spiritual herbs, said to possess seven properties.]
I dug them up one by one.
Careful not to damage even a single fine root, I placed them gently on my clothes.
Each root was about the size of a palm.
Their bizarre shapes mimicked human forms—spiritual entities incarnate.
One was a shriveled ginseng with dried surface and yellowish leaves; another stood out with its red foliage.
After extracting those two, I eyed the last remaining one.
The third was the largest and most potent of the three.
Just holding it sent icy chills as if it would freeze my hand solid.
[No, leave that one.]
"What? It's the biggest one!"
Moomyeong stopped me cold as I lunged to devour all three, even if it meant ripping my gut open.
[The three ginsengs are Cheonseolbaek Sam, Cheonhwabaek Sam, and Cheonnoebaek Sam—each bearing the properties of ice, fire, and thunder, respectively.]
"...And?"
[Still don't get it?]
My chest, swelling with joy, suddenly cooled.
[The others might fuse if consumed together, but Cheonseolbaek Sam and Cheonhwabaek Sam are fire and ice—they'd clash and explode. Plus, with the ice-aspected Cheonseolbaek Sam being the largest, imbalance makes harmony impossible.]
"I-is there no way?"
[None.]
Moomyeong stated flatly.
After agonizing, I decided to leave the largest Cheonseolbaek Sam and take only the Cheonhwabaek Sam and Cheonnoebaek Sam.
Moomyeong's advice played a part: thunder and fire properties might just mesh without clashing, if pushed a bit.
I'd find a way later.
"Very well."
The rain stopped.
I wrapped the two Cheonbaek Ginsengs in my clothes, tied them to my waist, and gazed down from the dizzying height of the peak.
I descended the cliff swiftly.
[Actually, I wasn't sure if I should mention this.]
"Yeah?"
[With so many people around, it might be a mistake. But it seems a group of men is pursuing you. Best to put as much distance as possible from the Cheonseolbaek Sam you're leaving behind—and head somewhere uninhabited, just in case.]
"...Got it."
I half-tumbled down the cliff.
The instant my feet hit solid ground, I bolted away as fast as possible.
'I can't run into anyone.'
The spiritual qi from these ginsengs was on another level from any terrain.
If even a passerby was nearby, the jade bead's vibration would alert them—and that'd spell instant trouble.
Even a single spiritual herb draws bloody tribulations; two Cheonbaek Ginsengs? Forget it.
'Damn it all.'
My heart pounded like it would explode.
Right now, I was weak.
A certified third-rate, one of the lowest even in Chunmu Hall.
Even with no one around, cold sweat poured down.
And Moomyeong's words about pursuers? Enough to shred my nerves.
Walking naked through the night streets draped in gold necklaces would be less terrifying.
Anyone within thirty paces, and it was over.
'Not until I've fully absorbed them!'
My only realistic option: head to the most remote spot, devoid of spiritual qi.
"This should do."
A deep valley, shadowed and pitch-black, no light penetrating.
I had no clue how far into the depths I'd gone.
The forest was so dense, the soil so parched, no sign of life for centuries—no human trace, that much was clear.
"Moomyeong."
[Perfect. No one around.]
'Hurry.'
Time was critical.
No matter how remote, variables could arise.
Deep in the valley, I hid in a blind spot and pulled out the ginsengs.
[Now comes the crucial part. Examine them closely.]
I held up the Cheonhwabaek Sam and Cheonnoebaek Sam.
The Cheonnoebaek Sam was a small, stunted root.
The Cheonhwabaek Sam, by contrast, was thick and plump; from the leaf base, one root split into two downward.
[Here's the plan. You have two options.]
When it came to survival, both of us always racked our brains fully.
[First: consume only half the Cheonhwabaek Sam.]
"Why only half?!"
I vented my frustration vehemently.
[Among the seven properties of Cheonbaek Ginsengs, the strongest are undoubtedly ice and fire. The fire-dominant Cheonhwabaek Sam is already potent—and larger than the Cheonnoebaek Sam. Devouring both at once risks overwhelming fire qi plus thunder qi collapsing your body.]
"Then the other half?"
[Leave it here. Carrying even half invites detection and hell. Storage? Impossible, since it'd already be damaged.]
"...Second option?"
Moomyeong spoke flatly.
[Consume them all. Risks and all.]
"..."
[Whichever you choose, the process is the same: ingest Cheonhwabaek Sam first, immediately follow with Cheonnoebaek Sam. Then seal your meridians, circulate qi along internal channels, absorbing slowly like dry soil drinking water. Five stages total. I'll guide you—just endure.]
I licked my parched lips.
Moomyeong continued.
[After five stages, even with your gifted body, residual qi will remain unabsorbed. I'll concentrate it in your left hand and expel it to prevent qi deviation. The risk is failure mid-process, meridians tangling... Never mind. Skipping that.]
-Huu.
Deep breath.
"Don't hide it. Tell me—what happens if I fail midway through the five stages?"
[...At minimum, half-paralyzed. Blind and deaf on top.]
My throat burned with tension.
Better if he'd just said death.
Half-paralysis, loss of sight and hearing.
The despair hit so vividly, my heart felt ready to burst.
[Choose. I recommend half the Cheonhwabaek Sam first, prioritizing stability. At least half a gahwa by test standards. Yes, 'that should suffice.']
-Rip.
I tore off the remaining upper clothes.
Picked up the Cheonhwabaek Sam.
It pulsed, hot qi swirling around.
"Moomyeong. From my rock-bottom life, know what I learned was the most useless, harmful phrase in this world?"
[What?]
Staring at the Cheonhwabaek Sam, I steadied my breath.
"'That should suffice.'"
-Crunch.
I chewed and swallowed the Cheonhwabaek Sam, not sparing a single fine root.
[You madman.]
Moomyeong sighed.
The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts