There are countless people in the world who enjoy liquor, and just as many varieties of liquor itself.
And now, here in Daebyeol Mountain, there exists a special kind of liquor.
Heavenly Fragrance Nectar (天香露酒).
It’s a liquor that gathers within the flowers of a spirit herb known as Heavenly Fragrance (天香).
They say the fragrance is so divine it’s called “the scent of heaven,” and the liquor that forms within these blossoms has an aroma so unforgettable, one taste will stay with you for life.
It’s also a miraculous remedy for a particular illness.
“So, you’re saying there’s Heavenly Fragrance Nectar here in Daebyeol Mountain?”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s question, I nodded.
“That’s what was written on the note I found. So I’m going to confirm it. One of the notes turned out to be real, but the other might be fake.”
I went on.
“But if I don’t check and later it turns out to be true, I’ll regret it, thinking, ‘I should’ve gone and checked it back then.’”
Everyone nodded at my words.
Because they’ve probably all had moments like that.
“Then we’re all in agreement about going to look for the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, right?”
At my question, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am replied.
“We simply go where you go, sir.”
The other Escort Guards nodded in agreement.
Palgap scratched behind his ear and said,
“Honestly, what say do we have in where you go or not, Young Master? And even if we tried to stop you, you’d go anyway, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s our Palgap. You know me too well.”
“Sorry?”
“Ah, guess I said what I was thinking out loud.”
I smiled and said,
“Let’s go, then.”
The Heavenly Fragrance Nectar could be found at the foot of Daebyeol Mountain.
The Heavenly Fragrance spirit herb only grows near mountain bases, and its flowers only bloom in autumn, making this the perfect time.
We’d have to wander the dark mountainside, but that didn’t matter.
We had the luminous pearls with us.
After walking for a while, we caught a scent.
It was a fragrance so exquisite it was hard to describe.
If a scent could be seen, this one would be called beautiful without hesitation.
“Could this scent be… the fragrance of Heavenly Fragrance?”
Escort Guard Lee Pil asked in awe.
“Seems like it. Though it’s my first time smelling it too.”
I nodded and followed the direction the fragrance drifted from.
There bloomed purple flowers, each the size of a human head, with a recessed center filled with violet liquid.
“It’s the Heavenly Fragrance.”
“There really is Heavenly Fragrance here. What kind of note was that?”
At Lee Pil’s words, I let out a short laugh.
“Maybe some hermit wrote it down out of boredom? And honestly, fortuitous encounters are supposed to be unbelievable.”
“Well, you’re right.”
When I pulled a small gourd bottle from my pocket, Seo Wu clicked his tongue.
“Prepared, as always.”
I grinned.
“Then let’s bottle some Heavenly Fragrance Nectar.”
In my previous life, this Heavenly Fragrance Nectar was used in the most ridiculous way.
A man lost his way in Daebyeol Mountain and stumbled upon the Heavenly Fragrance.
He drank the liquor pooled inside and took the rest down in a bottle.
A master who smelled the fragrance advised him.
“That’s an incredible Elixir called Heavenly Fragrance Nectar. If you can’t safeguard it properly, you’d better give it to someone who can.”
Someone overheard that and the rumor spread.
Things went downhill fast.
Because of Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, the man’s village erupted in conflict and neighbors became enemies.
But today, I’ll be taking all the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, so there’s no chance of that village falling into ruin.
“But Young Master, what happens to the flowers once we harvest the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar?”
“Whether we collect the liquor or not, they’ll wither by the end of the tenth month. Then they only bloom again after about five hundred years.”
“Whoa! Then this stuff must be insanely expensive.”
“Of course. It’s a priceless treasure.”
“But what exactly is this liquor good for?”
Escort Guard Jin Yu answered Palgap’s question.
“Have you heard of Meridian Severance Syndrome?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it. There’s the Nine Yin Severance and the Nine Yang Severance, right?”
“Yes, it’s the perfect remedy for that. It works regardless of the type.”
Jin Yu continued.
“That’s why this matter must remain confidential until the Young Master gives permission. If word gets out that we have Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, it could stir up a bloodstorm.”
“Eek!”
At Jin Yu’s warning, Palgap trembled and looked at me.
His eyes asked if it was true, and I nodded firmly.
“Just as Jin Yu said.”
In my previous life, a father who needed Heavenly Fragrance Nectar to cure his son’s Solar Meridian Severance sought out that man.
The man handed him the liquor, but it didn’t work.
Turned out the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar was a fake.
Furious, the father went to confront the man. But an alcohol-loving neighbor had secretly drunk the real one and refilled the bottle with something else.
Humiliated and enraged, the man stabbed the neighbor to death.
The neighbor’s son went mad with grief and tried to kill the man, but ended up killing the wrong person—someone who had come to stop the fight.
Thus began a vicious chain of revenge, and the entire village turned into sworn enemies.
“All done.”
We’d filled three gourd bottles full of Heavenly Fragrance Nectar. I pocketed two and held out the last one to the Escort Guards.
“Aren’t you curious about the taste? Go on, have a sip each.”
Palgap and the four Escort Guards all waved their hands.
“No, sir!”
“We can’t touch such a priceless treasure!”
“This should go to someone who really needs it, not us.”
“Exactly. Besides, we can’t drink now. We have to guard you, sir.”
At their responses, I nodded.
“Then we’ll save it until we’re back at headquarters. You can have some then, right?”
“…”
Seeing they didn’t reject it right away told me they wanted to.
Naturally.
They’re only human, after all. It’s impossible to have no desires.
Just turning down this offer was already a show of incredible restraint.
The aroma of this liquor was as alluring as the temptation of a peerless beauty.
And if you keep suppressing desire forever, it’ll explode eventually.
“You know, when it’s not being used as medicine but simply as a drink, you can dilute it a hundredfold and the aroma still stays the same.”
Honestly, it’s less liquor and more like a refined elixir beverage.
So the best way to drink it would probably be as a mix with actual liquor. That’s when the taste really shines.
“Then let’s have a banquet with it once we return to headquarters.”
Only then did the others seem to relax and nod in agreement.
“Thank you for your consideration, sir.”
“Shall we head back?”
I fiddled with the pouch holding the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar and made my way back to the campsite.
By tomorrow, we’d reach that village.
The village where the father who needed the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar in my past life lived—was the very place we were headed.
I plan to give him the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar and strike a deal.
Some might say I’m bargaining with a life, but to me, this is a fair transaction.
Because in my past life, the son died due to the father’s failure to obtain the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar.
And what I intend to ask for in return isn’t even that great.
Moreover, it’s something that could end up saving many lives.
There’s a village about a day’s journey from Daebyeol Mountain, if you’re quick.
Its name is Minjang Village (閔莊村).
Since it’s near the water source, it’s a fairly prosperous village.
Most of the land belongs to a wealthy landlord named Min Ik (閔益).
The villagers work his land as tenant farmers, and since even the residential and commercial plots belong to him, in some ways, his influence surpasses that of the local magistrate.
Even the magistrate bows first when Min Ik visits the county office.
Despite his seemingly carefree life, Min Ik carries a burden—his second son.
His second son was so brilliant he’d learned the Thousand Character Classic by age three, but he had one grave weakness: he couldn’t stand heat.
Yet he could live through the coldest winters without a single brazier.
Puzzled by the boy’s strange condition, Min Ik summoned countless physicians to examine him, and finally, the cause was identified.
“This boy has a Yang based Meridian Severance… More specifically, the Solar Meridian Severance. With the sun trapped inside him, how could he not burn?”
“Did you say… Solar Meridian Severance?”
“Yes. With such strong Yang Qi, he’s bound to be intelligent and have great martial potential, but the excessive Yang burns away his innate True Qi… Most with this condition die before they turn twenty.”
“T-then what can I do? How can I save my son?”
“He needs a rare Elixir.”
“Excuse me?”
“Something like Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ginseng from the Snow Mountains, or Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, which can treat any form of Meridian Severance. Without such a thing, it can’t be cured.”
“Good heavens…”
“If someone with an Extreme Yin constitution stays close to him, his life could be extended, but… people like that are exceedingly rare.”
From that day on, Min Ik began searching far and wide for an Elixir to save his son.
But only swindlers came.
Though worn down with disappointment, he refused to give up.
How could a father abandon his child’s life?
And so, time passed without answers.
By now, the tenth month was drawing to a close.
He took solace in the fact that his son’s condition improved during the winter.
He was in his office, calculating the year’s harvest.
Creak.
Suddenly, the closed window burst open on its own.
“…?”
At first, he thought it was the wind. But when he saw the letter drop onto the floor through the open window, he realized it wasn’t.
He stood and flung the window wide.
But no one was there.
‘Wait. My office is on the third floor… how?’
He called to the Escort Guard stationed outside.
“Did someone come by just now?”
“No one has, sir.”
“The window opened just now.”
“There was a gust of wind, it seems.”
The guard was loyal and skilled, so Min Ik had no choice but to believe him.
‘Still…’
He regretted that the guard watching him up close had stepped away for just a moment.
‘Could someone have known that?’
He picked up the letter from the floor and opened it.
[Tonight, I’ll visit your office with the Elixir that can cure your son’s illness.]
That night.
I was staying at an inn in Minjang Village.
This village is named Minjang because most of the land belongs to Lord Min Ik.
And the man who needs the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar is none other than Min Ik, the de facto ruler of this place.
I sent him a letter saying I’d visit tonight.
It’s about time I head out.
I took only Escort Guard Jin Yu and made my way toward the Min family estate.
“We’ll part ways here. I’ll handle the rest alone. Jin Yu, move as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
Anyone would’ve objected to me going alone, which is why I brought him.
Since Jin Yu was formerly an assassin, I knew he’d stay close and guard me from the shadows no matter what.
If Palgap ever begins training with the secret manual the bookstore old man recommended, I’ll have to ask Jin Yu to help.
I climbed over the outer wall of the Min estate.
I was using the No-Trace Step at its highest level, so no one sensed me.
There was no sound, no footprints—nothing to give me away.
Evading all presence, I quietly made my way toward the building where Lord Min’s office was located.
I intended to enter through the window.
Thanks to Master’s training, climbing walls or moving across rooftops posed no challenge.
Basic stamina training under Master really was brutal.
Anyway, I reached the third-floor office and glanced up.
There were signs someone had been on the fourth floor.
He must’ve stationed a guard up there.
I gently pushed the window.
Creak.
Through the opened window, I saw Lord Min sitting at his desk. Just as I remembered.
“Heave-ho.”
As I slipped through the window, he looked up.
I straightened my robes and cupped my fist in greeting.
“Greetings, Lord Min.”
“You’re the one who sent this letter?”
He glanced at the letter in his hand. I nodded.
“Yes.”
“You could’ve just come. Why send a message like this?”
“To protect you and myself, of course.”
“…”
“You’ve been searching for an Elixir, but if word got out you truly obtained one, can you imagine the trouble that would follow?”
“That… is true.”
I pulled a gourd bottle from my pouch and set it on the side table.
“This is the Heavenly Fragrance Nectar.”
“…!”
“As you know, it’s the best remedy for all forms of Meridian Severance.”
Lord Min quickly calmed his surprise and asked in a steady voice.
“What do you want?”
–TL Notes–
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