The Qi began to move gradually along my meridians.
But it wasn’t following the circulation path of the Ten Thousand Qi Grand Harmony Method.
Instead, it was moving according to the internal cultivation method I had learned in the future—the one I knew by heart.
I was so stunned by the unexpected motion of the Black Dragon that I was left speechless.
‘How…?’
But it was too soon to be surprised.
When the Black Dragon reached my dantian, it regurgitated all the Qi it had swallowed.
And then—
Everything went black.
.
.
.
“…”
When I opened my eyes, I was collapsed in the center of the room.
Ah!
The moment just before I lost consciousness came back to me.
After taking the Icy Blue Snow Plum Fruit, I couldn’t control the Qi and nearly died.
I quickly straightened my posture.
“…!”
I could feel the vast and cold Qi accumulated in my dantian.
It was unmistakably the Qi from the Icy Blue Snow Plum Fruit.
To save me, the Black Dragon had devoured all of its Qi, circulated it throughout my body, and stored it in my dantian.
“How ridiculous. I nearly died because of the Black Dragon Star Body, but it also saved me.”
Suddenly, I remembered something Heukjeok Uiseon once said.
“According to old legends, a woman born with the Black Dragon Star Body becomes a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and a man becomes the center of the world.”
I had thought he said it just to comfort me, but only now did I understand what he truly meant.
Thinking back, it was strange.
I’d been in life-threatening situations more than once in my past life, but nothing like this had ever happened.
Still, pondering it wouldn’t bring immediate answers.
In the end, I was alive. That was enough. I focused my attention on the Qi in my dantian.
Heukjeok Uiseon had once advised me that if I wanted to live a healthy life, I needed to learn Ice-based techniques.
Because for someone with the Black Dragon Star Body, Yang Qi was harmful—so martial arts infused with Yang-strength (陽强) were just as dangerous.
Luckily, I had once crossed paths with a martial arts master who specialized in Ice techniques and took him as my teacher.
The foundation of his teachings was the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art (太陰氷海神功).
At first, the name “Divine Art” had sounded grandiose, but the more I used it, the more I understood why it deserved such a name—it was truly extraordinary.
‘Still… it’s strange that such a master ended up settling in Hubei with no known ties…’
I had suspected there was a story behind it, but I never got to learn what it was.
I shook off the thought and quietly began practicing the technique.
As if I’d trained with it for decades, my meridians were already open, allowing the Qi to flow naturally.
Looks like the Black Dragon forced them open.
I could sense the presence of the Black Dragon, but it wasn’t moving at all.
Once I finished circulating the method, I opened my eyes.
Only then did my surroundings come into view. The entire room was frozen white.
“What the—!”
Startled, I jumped to my feet—and my clothes fell off weakly.
Rustle—
“Huh?”
I blinked in confusion.
The clothes on the ground were barely recognizable. They had rotted and were frozen solid.
‘What the hell is this…’
I tilted my head and opened the door.
Creeaak.
Standing right outside, with a face full of worry, was Palgap.
“Palgap. Thanks for—”
“Waaahhh! Young Master!”
Before I could finish, Palgap collapsed to his knees and began bawling.
“Wh–why, what’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
Choking on his sobs, Palgap spoke.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was? The whole night passed and you didn’t come out, the door was frozen white, and from inside I could hear bones snapping…”
“Th–that happened? Ha ha ha…”
“But now that you’ve come out safe and sound, I—really…”
Palgap continued sobbing until he suddenly tilted his head in confusion.
Sniff sniff
“But what is this smell? And… why are you naked, Young Master?”
“Oh, that…”
Palgap wrinkled his nose and immediately backed away.
‘Hmm? Don’t tell me…’
I had thought there was a terrible stench—and apparently, it was coming from me.
Still, to back away that fast…
“…What are you doing?”
“N–no, it’s just…”
“I’m already hurt.”
“I–I’m just going to get some bath water, that’s all!”
.
.
.
Palgap quickly prepared the bath, and I soaked myself in water infused with fragrant oils.
Feeling refreshed, I put on the clothes Palgap had brought—but then ran into a problem.
“Hmm. These feel a bit tight.”
Palgap looked baffled.
“That’s what you wore just the other day.”
“Then why are they tight now?”
“Huh? Now that I look closer…”
He studied me and said,
“You seem a bit taller and… more muscular, Young Master.”
“Really?”
“And your face… looks more handsome. Here, take a look in the mirror.”
I took the polished bronze mirror he offered and examined myself.
There was no denying it—my features had subtly changed. More refined. More striking.
There was only one reason for all this.
The Qi from the Icy Blue Snow Plum Fruit.
Palgap said he’d get new clothes tailored and went to find the seamstress.
While I bathed, Palgap had also cleaned up the wrecked room.
I sat at the edge of the bed.
What had felt like only a single shikjeong had actually been almost a full day—from mid-afternoon to the early morning of the next day.
Even so, I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t tired.
I summoned my Qi.
A faint blue light radiated from my palm.
Fifty years’ worth of Qi.
I’d nearly died, but in the end, I had gained everything.
And this—this was my sharp, hidden claw.
So I had to conceal it.
As the old saying goes—
A tiger hides its claws.
I moved straight to the next step.
The Ice arts master who had taught me was a truly good person.
But when it came to martial arts, he was strict—terrifying, even.
‘If you try to wield martial arts without the physical strength and stamina to support it, your body will fall apart. That’s why your foundation must be solid and thorough. It’ll be hard. So hard you’ll curse me—but endure it.’
Thanks to him, even though I didn’t begin training until I was twenty-four, I was still able to reach the realm of First-rate.
He said it was due to my exceptional talent, but it was just as much because I had built a rock-solid foundation.
So now, I retraced that memory and began building my base again.
The thought of enduring that grueling process once more nearly brought tears to my eyes.
‘But… why does it feel more bearable than it did back then?’
I was definitely going through the same steps as before.
Was it just because I’d done it once already?
Or maybe… my body had changed.
After all, Palgap did say he heard bones cracking from inside the room.
‘Could it be… a rebirth through bone transformation?’
It certainly seemed that way.
And just like that, the five-day break I’d been given flew by in a flash.
The morning after my break ended.
Starting today, I was to begin my official duties in the Finance Pavilion.
Everyone working under the Eunhae Merchant Group carried a wooden identification tag.
I looked down at the one I’d just been issued.
[Eunhae Merchant Group – Finance Pavilion – Special Trainee – Eun Seo-ho]
My status was listed as Special Trainee.
I hadn’t entered through a formal recruitment process, after all.
Special Trainees in the Finance Pavilion had the authority to access all areas of the division.
I fastened the ID tag to my waist and stepped out of my room.
After arriving at the Finance Pavilion, I made my way to the office of the Chief Administrator, Yu So-ak.
A warrior stood guard outside the door.
His name was Gyo Jin-un (橋進雲).
One of the two personal escorts serving Yu So-ak.
“You’ve arrived?”
“The Chief Administrator is inside, yes?”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
Gyo Jin-un announced my arrival, and from inside came Yu So-ak’s voice.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
I stepped inside.
On Yu So-ak’s desk, a precarious tower of documents was stacked.
“You’ve come.”
Yu So-ak looked up, his face weary with fatigue.
“Yes.”
“Here’s your task for today.”
He managed to extract a scroll from the dangerously leaning pile and handed it to me.
I unrolled it and glanced over the contents.
It was an order to review last year’s grain delivery records and summarize their characteristics in a report.
‘Same as before.’
It was the same task I’d been given in my previous life.
“Then go ahead and review the materials and submit your report.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yu So-ak lowered his head again and immersed himself in his work. I rolled the scroll back up and left the office.
I headed for my assigned desk.
As I sat down and looked around, a wave of nostalgia swept over me.
Just then, a man in a gray clerk’s robe and matching headband approached.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”
“Ah, yes. Good to see you.”
His name was Yeo Chang-ui (呂昌懿).
Assigned as my assistant, he was a Gyeong-rank clerk in the Finance Pavilion.
The employees of not just the Finance Pavilion but the entire Eunhae Merchant Group were divided into nine ranks based on experience and ability, from Gap-rank (甲級) to Im-rank (壬級).
The External and Internal Chief Administrators were equivalent to Minor Merchant Lords.
Beneath them were the Deputy Administrators, ranked at Gap.
Gyeong-rank was seventh among the nine—far from high, but considering his age, not at all low.
He was at a level where he had enough experience to assist someone while still being junior enough to handle support roles.
A suitable person to assign to someone like me, just beginning hands-on training.
‘Yu So-ak must’ve picked him out personally.’
There was no way someone like him would randomly assign a person to the son of the Merchant Lord. And if I took a liking to Yeo Chang-ui, he might rise quickly through the ranks alongside me.
Placing Yeo Chang-ui as my assistant had to be part of Yu So-ak’s design.
He was someone who prioritized ability and character above all else.
‘In my memory too, he was capable and had a decent personality.’
But sadly, our connection had been tragically short.
He died in an unfortunate accident not long after we met.
If he hadn’t, he would’ve become my right-hand man.
“I apologize for troubling you before. I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Please, don’t mention it.”
“I’ll be more mindful of my health going forward. Anyway, I’ll be starting my work now. Actually, I’ll need to bring some documents for this task.”
“You’re going to retrieve them yourself?”
“Yes. There’s quite a few I’ll need—would you help me carry them?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to assist.”
There was something I’d realized in the future I experienced.
You couldn’t satisfy Yu So-ak just by reviewing the documents handed to you.
You had to go and inspect them yourself, choose exactly what you needed.
I headed to the document archive with Yeo Chang-ui in tow.
I’d been here so often before that I could walk the path with my eyes closed.
I immediately began selecting the necessary materials.
To prepare a report summarizing the characteristics of last year’s grain deliveries, having only the delivery records wasn’t enough.
I needed data on grain production, supply and demand, official distribution, and delivery destinations—a mountain of information.
Back then, not knowing this, I had gotten thoroughly scolded by Yu So-ak.
But now? Things were different.
I was the one who turned the Eunhae Merchant Group into one of the top three in the world.
Tasks like this were second nature to me now.
Standing beside me, holding a tray and receiving each document I handed over, Yeo Chang-ui’s eyes began to waver.
Probably because I was picking out only the documents I needed without a moment’s hesitation.
A faint smirk tugged at my lips.
.
.
.
That day,
I finished the task I was given in just two shichen.
Normally, I would’ve needed to rest every shikjeong from sheer exhaustion, but with the Qi I’d gained and my improved body, I didn’t feel fatigued at all. (TL Note: Shikjeong is about 30 minutes)
Thanks to that, my efficiency soared, and I finished far earlier than expected.
“All done.”
At my words, Yeo Chang-ui approached with a look of disbelief.
“You’ve already finished? That’s not possible… That task takes at least two days! You can’t have rushed it—if it’s not thorough, Chief Administrator Yu will erupt.”
“How about we make a small wager?”
At that, Yeo Chang-ui blinked.
“A wager?”
“I’ll submit the report right now. Let’s bet on whether or not it passes. If it doesn’t, I’ll clean up all these documents myself.”
All around my desk, the reference materials I’d used were scattered in disarray.
It would take at least half a shichen to organize them.
“If it does pass, how about you clean them up yourself?”
At my words, Yeo Chang-ui nodded without hesitation.
“Deal.”
–TL Notes–
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