Chapter 115: It's Time to Go Home (1)
Chapter 114 – It’s Time to Go Home (1)
A ten-thousand-year snow ginseng!
As Son U-gon raised his head with an expression of disbelief, Namgung Cheon gestured with his chin.
“You can open it if you doubt it.”
“T-then, excuse me.”
Click.
As he opened the wooden box with trembling hands, a fresh root of ten-thousand-year snow ginseng indeed lay inside.
Was this what it meant for light to shine from inside a box?
‘I-it really is a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng!’
He could already tell the moment he opened the lid, as he felt his head clear up from the aroma alone.
Son U-gon’s hands trembled violently.
“H-how could you give me such a precious thing…?”
“I won it as a prize for winning the Joint Conference. Surely you know? That there is a tradition of awarding a root of ten-thousand-year snow ginseng as a prize to the winner of the Joint Conference.”
“O-of course I know that… but you are giving this to me?”
“Are you crazy? Why would I just give it to you? What is there to like about you?”
“Th-then?”
“I mean for you to treat your wife with it. Don’t gobble it up yourself.”
“Ah, I had no intention of eating it myself either!”
“Then you should have spoken clearly. You made me misunderstand.”
“Ugh. But are you really giving this to me?”
Namgung Cheon nodded and continued.
“The extreme yin energy of the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng should be more than enough to offset the extreme yang energy of the Searing Heat Sickness. If she digests it well, she will become much healthier than before.”
“B-but are you really giving away something this precious without any conditions?”
“Of course not. I am taking your loyalty as payment. At least, any human who knows gratitude would understand that much.”
“You are willing to give up something this precious for a mere oath of loyalty?”
Son U-gon’s manner of speech had changed at some point, but he himself had not noticed it at all.
“What do you mean, ‘mere loyalty’? The hardest thing in the world to obtain is a person’s heart. I may buy your loyalty with that ten-thousand-year snow ginseng, but I don’t expect that loyalty to last forever. There always comes a moment when the effects wear off. However, since the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng is quite a precious spiritual herb, the effects should last for a while.”
“I am not a beast that does not know gratitude!”
“I wouldn’t know that since I haven’t experienced it yet.”
Son U-gon looked at Namgung Cheon with a blank expression, then stared intently at the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng in the wooden box again.
The ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
He was on the verge of letting out a hollow laugh.
Once, a physician who had examined his wife’s pulse had muttered nonchalantly.
“You must prepare yourself. It is Searing Heat Sickness. Unless there is a spiritual herb like the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng, there is no hope.”
The moment he heard those words, it felt as if the sky were collapsing.
A ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
It was not as if ‘ten-thousand-year snow ginseng’ was the name of some neighborhood dog.
Even if he sold his house, he would not be able to touch even a fine root of a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
At the very least, by feeding her ice and applying cold compresses from time to time, he had barely managed to keep her alive until now.
However, obtaining ice in the middle of summer was no easy task, costing an enormous amount of money just because of how hard it was to find.
And yet, a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
‘Was a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng really this easy to obtain? Was it something that could be handed out so casually like this?’
It was not.
A ten-thousand-year snow ginseng was absolutely not a herb that could be tossed aside so lightly.
It was a spiritual herb that took root by itself in high altitudes where the snow never melted throughout the four seasons, untouched by human hands for at least ten thousand years.
In terms of preciousness…
‘My loyalty? A person’s heart?’
Ha! Just what kind of person are you…?
Son U-gon quietly gazed at Namgung Cheon.
Had his eyes always been this deep?
It felt like looking into a fathomless abyss.
Just facing him made it feel as if his soul were being sucked in.
‘Just what are your eyes looking at? Where is your gaze directed?’
Although they were facing each other, what Namgung Cheon saw was something beyond him.
Something much higher, much more distant, and much greater.
‘Ah…’
For some reason, he understood.
Just by making eye contact, his head bowed naturally.
To someone looking at such a distant place, what would a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng in front of him matter?
To reach the place he was looking at, even ten roots of ten-thousand-year snow ginseng would not matter.
‘So this is what it means to be overpowered by a mere gaze.’
He had thought throughout his life that the expression about subduing someone with just a look was a lie.
‘At such a young age, how could he have such eyes…?’
Facing Namgung Cheon’s mind’s eye, Son U-gon felt something welling up from a corner of his chest.
The emotion that surged up to his throat manifested as a single term.
‘A hidden dragon… indeed.’
Meanwhile, Bok-seong, who was watching Namgung Cheon and Son U-gon, tilted his head in confusion.
Had the two of them not been just staring at each other without a single word for a while now?
As if they were in a staring contest.
However, the taut tension flowing between the two did not allow him to rashly intervene, so he only held breath.
It was not an unpleasant tension, but it was certainly a very solemn atmosphere.
After a time that could be considered either long or short, Son U-gon suddenly stood up from his seat.
Immediately after, he knelt down with a thud, cupped his fists, and shouted in a voice loud enough to shake the roof.
“Azure Eagle Captain Son U-gon greets the provisional Young Patriarch! This subordinate will risk his life to serve you, Young Master, regardless of the outcome!”
The ringing voice shook even Bok-seong’s chest.
Although the one who received the oath of loyalty was Namgung Cheon, for some reason, his own chest warmed up.
That was because Son U-gon’s expression and gaze were filled with sincerity.
What kind of conversation did the two share during that suffocating staring contest?
Although nothing was certain, the Azure Eagle Captain had not merely sold his loyalty for a ten-thousand-year snow ginseng.
He had surely felt something while looking at Namgung Cheon.
Namgung Cheon smiled faintly.
“Captain Son. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you!”
The two pupils of Son U-gon as he looked at Namgung Cheon were shining exceptionally bright.
It was hard to tell whether that was due to resolve or the trace of tears wet with emotion.
* * *
The Songbai Academy, located southwest of Mount Huang.
Although it had been less than five years since it opened, it was recently the most popular martial academy near Mount Huang.
As if boasting of its recent momentum, the signboard of the martial academy was exceptionally large and grand, and below it, two stoutly built men stood firm like guardian posts.
In truth, there was no need for a martial academy to keep gatekeepers posted at all times, but the reason for doing so was to aim for a sort of promotional effect.
The gatekeepers of the Songbai Academy boasted substantial builds, and their fierce impressions were enough to make one’s knees go weak just by locking eyes with them.
In the director’s room of the Songbai Academy, two men were currently sitting opposite each other, drinking tea.
The tea emitting a deep fragrance was Huangshan Maofeng, which was counted among the ten great teas of the Central Plains, and judging by its fresh taste and high aroma, it was undoubtedly of the highest grade.
The Director of the Songbai Academy, Yi Se-jeok, curled up the corners of his mouth as he looked at the man sitting opposite him.
“How is the taste?”
“Is ‘fine’ even enough to describe it? Is this not the highest-grade Huangshan Maofeng? As always, I am receiving precious treatment.”
“Haha, since the person is precious, this is the least I should do.”
“You flatter me.”
“Come now, drink up.”
“Thank you.”
As the man lifted his teacup, Yi Se-jeok casually brought up a topic.
“I hear the Namgung Clan Leader convened a formal council.”
He paused.
When the man showed a faint reaction, Yi Se-jeok continued speaking as if he had not noticed.
“It seems they are planning to decide on the Young Patriarch. Rumors are circulating that all the relatives have gathered at the Namgung Clan right now.”
“……”
In the end, the man put down his teacup without taking even a single sip of tea.
The man replied indifferently as he looked at the teacup where gentle ripples were forming.
“It is a matter that has nothing to do with me now.”
“Is that really so?”
“Yes.”
“But were you not the Vice-Captain of the Azure Eagle Squad?”
“I was in the past. But I am not anymore.”
“Then now…”
“I am strictly an instructor at the Songbai Academy. This is where I belong now.”
Only then did the Director of the Songbai Academy’s mouth split into a wide grin.
As if he were satisfied with the man’s words.
“I am glad that you seem to have firmly set your mind. I was worried you might do something foolish.”
“Do not worry, Director.”
“Indeed. Actually, even if you said you would return, I did not plan to stop you. However, a contract is a contract, and there is such a thing as a penalty fee.”
At that, a bitter smile hung on the young man’s lips.
Regardless, the Director of the Songbai Academy twisted his lips and continued speaking.
“Honestly, two thousand taels of silver is not a small sum, is it? We also needed a minimum safety net. Well, if you stay at our academy for exactly ten years, you won’t have to pay back the two thousand taels. A year has already passed, so only nine years are left.”
“I see.”
“I hear quite a few children come to us after looking at Instructor Cha. Let us do well together in the future. I am counting on you.”
“I understand. I will work hard.”
“I am just saying this just in case, but if a Young Patriarch is decided and they come looking for you…”
The man lifted his teacup with a bitter smile.
“Do not worry. They do not have enough leeway to pull me out. They probably won’t even come looking for me.”
* * *
“At least we made it all the way here.”
Son U-gon muttered as he sat in an inn, looking at the main gate of the Songbai Academy opposite them.
Namgung Cheon, who sat opposite him, took a drink of alcohol and nodded.
“To bring back a child who left home, one must go search for them anywhere.”
He seemed too young to be saying those words…
Son U-gon quickly erased the words that came to mind and quietly shook his head.
“It probably won’t be easy. From what I know, that fellow Cha Mu-jin has already signed a contract. Above all, Mu-jin seemed to have completely settled his mind.”
“He swore loyalty to the clan, yet he settled his mind?”
Son U-gon gave a bitter smile.
“Didn’t you say so yourself, my Lord? That there comes a moment when the effects wear off. From Mu-jin’s perspective, those effects have completely worn off.”
“Then we will just administer another dose.”
“It won’t be easy. The Songbai Academy must have administered their dose first.”
“Then is there any other way?”
“What way is it?”
Namgung Cheon grinned and picked up the alcohol bottle.
Son U-gon quickly raised his cup, but feeling awkward when he saw Namgung Cheon pouring his own drink, he lowered his hand.
Namgung Cheon emptied the cup into his mouth and spoke.
“He must get beaten up. What choice is there when he won’t listen?”
“Are you saying you will drag him back by force?”
“Did you think I would toss him another ten-thousand-year snow ginseng? You don’t seriously think ten-thousand-year snow ginseng just grows from my body, do you?”
“I-it’s not that, but…”
Thud!
Namgung Cheon set the cup down on the table and stood up abruptly.
“Now, let’s go.”
“Yes? Right now? Immediately?”
“There is no time. There are many things to resolve in a fortnight.”
“Ah, so you have to reassemble the Azure Eagle Squad in a fortnight?”
“No. I also have to reclaim the commercial rights of Yixian County.”
“I see… No, wait! What did you say?”
Son U-gon asked back in horror, but Namgung Cheon did not even pretend to hear and only said what he wanted to say.
“Anyway, as long as we reel in the Vice-Captain, the two of you can handle the other members, right?”
“Y-yes, but whether they will sincerely offer their loyalty…”
“Forget it. That is enough. Loyalty is something that must well up naturally.”
‘Indeed, he thinks differently.’
“And if it doesn’t well up…?”
“…?”
“We will just beat them into submission and squeeze it out of them.”
He was not just different, but far too different…
Just then, Namgung Cheon arrived in front of the main gate of the Songbai Academy. The stoutly built gatekeepers blocked his path.
“Stop. This is the Songbai Martial Academy. Where did you come from?”
“I came to look for my kid.”
“Your kid? Is your younger sibling attending this school by any chance?”
“No. I heard my kid is an instructor here.”
“An instructor?”
While the gatekeepers looked at each other with bewildered expressions, Namgung Cheon picked his ear and spoke.
“Go inside and tell Instructor Cha Mu-jin to come out. It is time to go home now.”