Chapter 92: The Ginseng Diggers (3)
Though it was a vast mountain, it was not difficult to find Chun-baek hyung.
Crackle-crackle-
This was because in the deep mountains and valleys where the sun had moved beyond the ridge, there was no easier sign to find each other than a bonfire.
A regular Ginseng Digger would not do sothing as crazy as lighting a bonfire in the mountains at night, but that did not apply to the strongest Ginseng Diggers.
Following the guidance of a bonfire visible from a great distance, I crossed three low peaks, and there was Chun-baek hyung, roasting a rabbit.
Thanks to his experience as a wanderer, the roasted rabbit looked quite presentable.
“You’re here?”
“I’m late.”
“Not at all. I haven’t been here long either.”
Even before I made my presence known, Chun-baek hyung greeted .
“Did you have any harvest?”
Chun-baek hyung asked with a subtle air about him.
I don't know if it was because I had opened my eyes to Spirituality or because I had beco close enough to Chun-baek hyung, but I could clearly read his emotions without looking into his eyes.
It ant that unlike the usually calm and dignified Chun-baek hyung, a slightly smug air was clearly palpable.
Chun-baek hyung's deanor resembled that of a child wanting to be praised.
“The whole world is covered in snow, so it’s not easy.”
When I, guessing his thoughts, feigned ignorance, Chun-baek hyung smiled brightly, unlike his usual self.
“Look at this.”
Chun-baek hyung held sothing out.
It was sothing I was well acquainted with.
It was thanks to my thorough study of spirit herbs and dicinal plants during my Myeong-gae days.
“Isn’t this Nine-Branch Herb? Judging by its size, it must be three hundred years old.”
Nine-Branch Herb was a dicinal herb especially effective for relieving blood stasis and boosting energy, and it was considered slightly superior to Fleeceflower Root.
Like Fleeceflower Root, Nine-Branch Herb that had aged for a long ti becos a spirit herb.
In the Jianghu Murim, even a hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Root is treated as a spirit herb, so a three-hundred-year-old Nine-Branch Herb could be called an excellent spirit herb.
“Ahem.”
Chun-baek hyung strutted around, unlike his usual self.
Right now, Chun-baek hyung was a novice Ginseng Digger who had found a three-hundred-year-old spirit herb in a snow-covered mountain, so his strutting was a natural outco.
“That’s amazing.”
In fact, what caught my eye first was not the Nine-Branch Herb in Chun-baek hyung's hand, but his hand itself.
His hand, already rough as befitting a sturdy martial artist, was worn out in several places.
Even though I hadn't seen it myself, I could guess how much ground he had dug up to find that Nine-Branch Herb.
How could I not know that Chun-baek hyung had done his best for , as he knew I was acting as a Ginseng Digger because I needed spirit herbs?
With a proud expression, Chun-baek hyung held out the Nine-Branch Herb.
“Take it.”
I shook my head.
“That is yours, hyung.”
But my refusal was refused.
“I won today’s contest, so follow my words.”
“Hmm?”
Co to think of it, I rembered proposing a contest before we each went off to find spirit herbs.
“I see. You won today, hyung.”
“So take it.”
“……?”
I couldn't deduce the correlation between Chun-baek hyung winning and taking the Nine-Branch Herb.
“Since you lost to , you should concede defeat and accept the Nine-Branch Herb according to the winner’s wish.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
“Isn’t it the winner who sets the rules?”
It seed like sound logic.
“……I will use it well.”
I decided to pretend I hadn’t found the Thousand Spirit Fungus in my bosom.
It would be best to secretly give the hidden Thousand Spirit Fungus to Chun-baek hyung later as a return gift for the Nine-Branch Herb.
This was because it was right for Chun-baek hyung to be the victor today.
***
Originally, Ginseng Diggers are not people who dig for spirit herbs, but people who dig for dicinal herbs.
This is because if you neglect dicinal herbs and only look for spirit herbs, you're bound to starve to death.
Since we had wandered through the deep mountains and valleys for over a month, we were able to procure a few spirit herbs and a large number of dicinal herbs.
With a bundle of dicinal herbs slung over my shoulder like a peddler, I proposed to Chun-baek hyung.
“Let’s take care of this before we go.”
“Let’s.”
Therefore, the first place we visited in a town after a long ti was a dicinal herb shop.
Winter is the off-season for dicinal herb shops.
This is because skilled Ginseng Diggers do not climb mountains in winter.
In the first place, a clumsy Ginseng Digger cannot dig for dicinal herbs in the winter mountains.
There is a clumsy Ginseng Digger nad Chun-baek hyung who dug up a spirit herb, not a dicinal herb, but it would be right to treat this as an exception.
Anyway…….
When winter cos, the difficulty of digging for dicinal herbs increases exponentially.
Only a skilled Ginseng Digger would have the ability to dig a satisfactory amount of dicinal herbs in the winter mountains, but skilled Ginseng Diggers do not climb mountains in winter.
This is because they have the ability to get through the winter with the dicinal herbs they dug in spring, sumr, and autumn. Isn't that what skill is?
Those without ability cannot dig for dicinal herbs in the winter mountains, and those with ability do not create a situation where they have to climb mountains in winter in the first place.
Therefore, it was inevitable that winter would be the off-season for dicinal herb shops.
“Thank you. Please have a safe trip!”
The owner of the dicinal herb shop saw us off with a booming voice.
To him, who was languishing in the off-season, my bundle of dicinal herbs was a serendipitous encounter.
“Take care.”
The dicinal herbs that filled my bundle turned into a handso amount of silver coins and were placed in my money pouch.
“Geomnamchun?”
When I handed Chun-baek hyung his share of the silver coins, he gestured with his fingers.
“Are you buying, hyung?”
“Of course.”
“Let's go.”
As we walked in search of the taste of the secular world, a few beings were captured by my keen senses.
A beggar begging.
A waiter enthusiastically soliciting custors.
A passerby in ordinary attire.
As Chun-baek hyung and I passed by, chatting, their figures secretly disappeared.
It seems I have now secured enough plausibility to discover the Garden of Joy.
***
Ti is inherently relative.
As we traveled around Jianghu, volunteering as Ginseng Diggers and sparring frequently, ti flew by like an arrow.
The journey that began around the Start of Winter passed the Winter Solstice and drew near to New Year's Eve.
The Ginseng Digger journey of over two months seems like a long ti, but in fact, considering the vastness of the Central Plains, it was a period where it was difficult to even properly explore one province.
New Year’s Eve.
Also called Jeya, this day signifies the day before welcoming the new year.
Although I chose to be a slightly unfilial son to respond to the heavenly mandate given to , I had no desire to beco the ultimate unfilial son. So, I made my way to the Dancheon Clan after a long ti to coincide with New Year's Eve.
-New Year? I don't rember ever celebrating such a thing.
-Then let’s go together.
To my cautious question, Chun-baek hyung replied so, and it was a foregone conclusion that I would accompany Chun-baek hyung, who probably had nowhere else to go, to the Dancheon Clan.
“Young Master Lee, you’ve arrived.”
“You always work hard.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging greetings with a familiar Dancheon Clan guard and taking a few steps, I soon arrived at my comfortable quarters.
As if still under the grace of my mother, Baek Yeo-hae, my quarters were still immaculately clean without a speck of dust.
“Chun-baek hyung, please rest for a while.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to make a return report.”
“Good luck.”
“I’ll be back.”
Due to frequent outings, including running away from ho, I had beco quite accustod to making return reports, so I headed to the Clan Head’s Chamber with natural steps.
“What brings you here?”
However, I couldn't get used to my father, Dancheon Gang, reacting this way.
Putting aside my personal sentint that he wasn't originally this kind of Clan Head, I began.
“Is it strange for a son to co ho?”
My way of speaking and behavior also seed to have changed a bit.
“It is a little strange.”
“Hmm.”
When I couldn't find an answer to the short words of my father, Dancheon Gang, who seed a little sulky, my uncle Yeo Baek, who was seated next to the Clan Head, did not hide his laughter.
“This is your karma, Myeong.”
“……I suppose so.”
In any case, since the esteed Clan Head had asked what brought here, it was right to answer.
“One must greet the new year with family.”
It was still awkward, but once I said it out loud, it was really nothing.
Thinking of the years I had returned for that one phrase, the preciousness of protecting things felt new again.
-I’ve finally co to see you.
The voice of Chwipung-gae, who had muttered while placing his hand on the burial mound, brushed past my ears.
In fact, it might be his influence.
The reason why I, who, like Chun-baek hyung, did not celebrate the new year, had gone out of my way to visit the Dancheon Clan on the pretext of New Year's Eve.
“So you did have so common sense.”
As if satisfied with my answer, a pleased smile crept onto my father Dancheon Gang’s lips.
But as I said before, I don't want to be the ultimate unfilial son, but my sad fate is that I was not given the heavenly mandate to be a filial son.
“I think I’ll have to leave again around the Start of Spring.”
This year's New Year's Eve was not far from the Start of Spring, so I inford him that I would be leaving ho again soon.
“You rotten brat.”
My father Dancheon Gang's expression crumpled.
“Hahaha.”
“Yeo Baek, don't laugh.”
“Yes, sir.”
Despite the Clan Head's stern command, Uncle Yeo Baek laughed under his breath.
***
“You’ve all worked hard this year.”
Clan Head Dancheon Gang, putting on a dignified air in front of the family.
“Phew, I’m getting older again. I think I can stop aging now.”
Uncle Yeo Baek, now showing a cheerful and relaxed deanor.
“Eat a lot.”
My mother Baek Yeo-hae, who spoke in a chilly voice while subtly pushing a side dish in front of .
“You, when did you get here?”
My older brother Dancheon Hak, who was surprised by my appearance, perhaps because he had neglected to maintain the family's information network due to my absence, but still burned with a fighting spirit.
We ate together, looking like any other ordinary family.
It was a familiar scene of a family.
.
.
.
“You seed harmonious.”
On the way back to my quarters after the al, Chun-baek hyung, who had quietly filled a seat just eating his food, said so.
“Did we?”
Since it was a comnt from Chun-baek hyung, who rarely spoke empty words, I was truly satisfied.
I don't care much for the opinions of others, but there's no reason to dislike being told that we looked good.
“To be honest, I was a little worried knowing your background. It was a needless worry.”
“Hmm?”
The background Chun-baek hyung was referring to must be the fact that I was an illegitimate child of the Dancheon Sword Clan.
Suddenly, I recalled my first eting with Chun-baek hyung.
I rembered that our connection was ford when Chun-baek hyung blocked the sword of Namgung Tan, who had insulted by ntioning my illegitimate status on the way to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.
-I am also an illegitimate child. It was just that. I just didn't like that fellow from the Namgung Clan.
That’s right.
I had forgotten because I was indifferent, but Chun-baek hyung was also a person with a similar background to mine.
“……Are your parents well?”
“It’s been a while since they passed away.”
“Hmm. My condolences.”
“It’s an old story.”
Chun-baek hyung laughed it off nonchalantly.
Just as he said, he seed to have let go of the past well.
Compared to the Dancheon Myeong of my past life, Chun-baek hyung was a very mature person.
“Don't worry. I have a family too.”
I think I know who.
It must be the current successor of the Mysterious Sect that made Lee Chun-baek the King of Wanderers. He must be referring to his master.
“I hope I can introduce you to him soday.”
“Isn’t that a given? It is only proper to go and pay respects to a friend’s parents.”
“Right. Parents. That’s right.”
A hint of longing flickered across Chun-baek hyung's face.
In the not-so-distant future, I was scheduled to seek him out with Chun-baek hyung, so it was not an empty promise.
Anyway, New Year's Eve passed and a new year dawned, making twenty-three years old.
It has been five years since I regressed, and the Great War of Righteousness and Evil is seven years away.
I have achieved much, but there is still much to achieve.
I know that chasing after the giant that is the Heavenly Demon and surpassing him will by no ans be easy.
But it’s okay.
It ans I have finally reached the tiline where Myeong-gae, at the age of twenty-three, beca a Branch Lord and began to earnestly expand his sphere of activity.
I will protect the things that have beco precious to .
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