Chapter 9

0009 ———————————————-

Millennium Snow Ginseng

The village I lived in was called Sowel Village. Despite its seemingly good name, it was a place that left me with nothing but nightmare-like memories. It was a closed-off rural area with all the drawbacks that come with it, frequent ostracism, and everything was controlled by the absolute authority of the village chief.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the village chief was quite capable. He was making money for the village by collaborating with the nearby Plum Flower Escort Agency. The reason why he could get away with forcing pretty housewives to be his concubines and using villagers for personal errands was because of this.

A tyrant's village.

That was my impression of my hometown.

In fact, I was able to escape to the Plum Flower Escort Agency with the village chief's tacit approval. His influence was strong even in the agency, so if things had gone wrong back then, I might have been a servant for life. The thought that my life could be controlled by the slightest change in the village chief's mood is chilling.

Thud

As I entered Sowel Village, I felt a mix of emotions.

‘Should I just cause a ruckus and leave?’

If I wanted to, I could create a massacre here and leave without much trouble. By roughly masking my face and targeting the village chief's family at night, there would be almost no risk of being caught. There would be no better opportunity to settle my past grievances.

However, I had made up my mind before coming, so I shook my head and walked towards the village chief's house. It was a tense and difficult step.

As I walked along the rural field paths, a few young men approached and recognized me.

“Hey, isn't that Sowel?”

“Wow, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Haha.”

“...”

There were about five or six of them, well-fed and robust, typical young workers of the village. These guys had been tormenting me, who was working as a servant at the village chief's house, even before three years ago. I used to get beaten up by them and was often forced to do their errands. They were a few years older and always in a group, making it almost impossible for me to resist.

I laughed coldly and said,

“It's been a while. How have you been?”

The leader of the group looked a bit surprised but soon flashed a sinister smile.

“Sowel, you must have lost your fear after not getting beaten up for three years, huh?”

“Hahaha!”

“We should beat you up a bit more to make you listen!”

I just stared at them blankly.

I don't have any psychological trauma from being bullied. On the contrary, I've been sharpening my blade every day, wanting to kill these guys, and my hands are itching. I'm suppressing my killing intent, but I could cut their throats right now and still feel unsatisfied.

These guys are weaker than five bandits with knives. Even ten bandits with knives would be no match for me, who could slaughter them in a short time. They are less than insects to me.

What are they relying on to act so arrogantly?

I thought for a moment but realized that the reason they were acting this way was because the village chief hadn't properly conveyed why I left the village. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to mock me, who left to join a martial arts school. A martial artist would normally avoid such a situation out of fear. The village chief must have kept the reason for my departure a secret.

Understanding the situation, I smiled. Thinking that I could act more freely than I initially planned, I felt a bit more at ease. One of the young men in front, perhaps finding my smile unsettling, threw a punch.

Thud!

“Gah!”

The sound of the impact was the sound of the puncher's arm bone breaking in an odd direction. The guy who received two kicks to the chest vomited and fell forward, trembling. The young men were flustered by the sudden turn of events.

“What... what?”

“What's going on...”

Bang!

I grabbed two of their heads and slammed them together. They immediately fainted, their eyes rolling back. The others, not understanding the situation, took a step back. I sighed and said,

“Ha, can you see my movements? You probably don't even know what's happening, right?”

They probably can't react.

I haven't been idle for the past three years. I had nothing to do but practice martial arts, and I trained with a fierce determination to become stronger. Although my talent was average and I couldn't reach the level of a first-class expert, I still developed skills far beyond those of an ordinary person.

“Y-You...”

“Hey, you three. Tell me my name. I'll let you off if you do.”

Hearing my demand, the guys trembled as if they couldn't believe the reality. They seemed to realize that they couldn't possibly stand against me.

“Gah!”

“Trying to run will only get you more beatings.”

I instantly grabbed the collar of the guy who screamed and tried to run, and threw him to the ground.

Thud

The guy's face hit the ground first, breaking his nose and knocking out a tooth. My sudden and swift movement must have made them realize the gap in our abilities.

“Tell me.”

“...”

The once cruel rural bullies turned pale. They exchanged glances but remained silent for a long time. I realized they really didn't know my real name, which was quite shocking.

‘I've held onto the memory of being bullied by these guys for nearly fifty years, and they didn't even know my name all this time?’

To them, ‘Sowel’ was just a toy to torment at will. I felt something boil inside me and laughed savagely.

“Haha! This is great. It's really great!”

“What... what's great?”

“If there's a sacrifice, it should be eaten with gratitude, right?”

I grinned.

“Then die, you bastards!”

Crack

Thud!

“Gah!”

A moment later, their necks were broken, and their chests caved in, making it impossible for them to breathe.

Thud

“Gah!”

“Ah!”

I kicked the heads of the unconscious guys like a soccer ball, killing them. It took only a few breaths to take the lives of five or six people.

“Hahaha!”

After taking revenge that I had held for half a century, I felt a mix of relief and intense pleasure. My hands trembled with excitement.

I did it!

I killed all those bastards!

‘Is revenge meaningless? Bullshit! It's just the idle talk of those who haven't tried it!’

I clenched my fangs tightly.

My blood boiled. I wanted to tear apart and scatter the intestines of those who oppressed and bullied me. The feeling of being dragged to a corner and beaten with a stick for over an hour, and the memory of being stripped and beaten like a dog, came back vividly after decades.

Revenge must be taken!

I vowed to make it my life's creed.

After calming down a bit, I walked calmly to the village chief's house.

After walking about five li on a mountain path, I saw the village chief's large residence, which was out of place in such a small village. I noticed that there was almost no sign of people, and most of them seemed to be out.

Creak

As I opened the front door and walked in, I saw the village chief's concubine, Lady Xu, fetching water. She was startled when she saw me. Before she could scream, I quickly approached and struck her acupoint.

“...Uh... Uh...”

Unable to speak, she tried to escape, but I gently restrained her and sat her down at the threshold. I said coldly,

“You can be considered a victim of the village chief, so I don't want to harm you. But don't interfere with what I'm doing. If you don't, your son's life will be in danger.”

She had a three-year-old son, born after she became the village chief's concubine, and was neglected by the main wife and Jinmanzai.

“...!!”

“Nod if you understand. I'll release your acupoint, but don't scream.”

Lady Xu nodded, and I released her acupoint. She coughed a few times and looked at me with fear.

“Bai Xiong, what are you doing? I heard you joined a martial arts school, but it's not right to break in without notice.”

I said calmly,

“You have no grudge against me. You didn't treat me well when I was rotting in the stable, but you didn't insult or bully me. If you stay quiet, you and your son won't get hurt, so don't worry.”

“What... what are you planning to do? You can't be thinking of... the village chief...”

I laughed coldly as I saw her trembling.

“Don't worry. I won't kill him. I came back to this village to do what I have to do. Don't make things difficult for me and stay put.”

“...”

“Where is the village chief?”

“He's collecting rent in another village right now.”

She seemed to understand the situation. Realizing that getting involved would only cause her harm, she decided to stay out of it.

“When will he be back?”

“In about an hour... when the sun sets.”

It was the perfect time. I nodded and asked,

“Where are the main wife and Jinmanzai?”

“In the main house... and Jinmanzai is living at the school dormitory.”

“Living at the school dormitory? Bullshit... He's probably partying with women at the brothel right now.”

I was sure. When I was a servant, Jinmanzai once sent me to deliver food and money to the brothel. At that time, Jinmanzai was rolling around with a woman, emitting a foul and disgusting smell.

“...”

I laughed coldly, but Lady Xu's expression didn't change much. She probably knew that Jinmanzai had fallen into a life of debauchery and neglected his studies. I felt a bit bitter looking at her.

‘Lady Xu was a poor but virtuous young woman who was sold to the village chief. She was said to be very beautiful and pure, but the world has changed her.’

Even now, Lady Xu's appearance was so young and beautiful that it was hard to believe she was in her early to mid-thirties. She was a woman who didn't fit with the fat, hairy village chief. I had nothing more to say to her and said,

“I'm going to point your acupoints and do what I have to do. Even if you hear something outside, don't try to come out. If you do, you'll be in danger.”

Thud

I struck her acupoints to immobilize her and placed her in a room. She looked scared but seemed to be listening to me.

I walked to the main house and headed towards the village chief's main wife. She was leisurely spinning thread when she saw me and looked startled. She then shouted,

“Sowel, you scoundrel! How dare you barge into this house!”

“Shut up. If you don't want to die.”

“Wha...”

Thud

“...”

I threw a dagger from my sleeve and embedded it in the pillar next to her face. The village chief's main wife fell silent, realizing I was here with murderous intent. She looked around fearfully but seemed to understand that screaming would result in her death.

She trembled and said,

“W-What do you want? If it's money, I can give you...”

“Shut up. I didn't come here to talk to a sow like you.”

I growled fiercely and said,

“If you cause trouble, today will be the last day for your family.”

“...”

I struck her acupoints and confined her inside. I quickly subdued the servants who were wandering around and locked them in rooms. With my internal energy, the strong acupoint strikes would wear off in about one to two hours.

I sat calmly in the main room, leaning against the wall.

A short while later.

I met the person I was waiting for at the appointed time.

The village chief looked around his quiet house in confusion and walked towards the main room. As he opened the door, he saw me leaning against the wall with a spear in hand.

“...!!”

“Hello, Village Chief. It's been a while.”

The village chief looked shocked for a moment but then stood calmly.

“And so, you've returned...”

“What do you mean 'returned'? Didn't you expect this?”

The village chief pursed his lips and looked around nervously.

I glared at him and said,

“Sit down. I have something to say.”

“Alright...”

The village chief sat down awkwardly. Despite being the leader of this corrupt family and the dictator of Sowel Village, he maintained a calm demeanor. I watched him calmly and then spoke.

“You knew I harbored a grudge against this village and this family, yet you sent me out into the world. If you have something to say, say it now.”

“... Yes, I knew you would come back like this three years ago.”

The village chief sighed and said,

“You've really become a first-class expert at the Blue Dragon Martial Arts School. I heard there was chaos in the lower village; was that your doing?”

“Who knows? I'm hearing about it for the first time.”

“...”

I laughed sarcastically and said,

“The moment I stepped into this house, I wanted to kill every last one of you, even the hens. I especially wanted to tear you, the village chief, limb from limb.”

“Guh...”

“But I decided to hold back and talk to you first. I wanted to know why you sent me out into the world, even though you expected me to come back for revenge.”

That's right.

I was curious why he sent me out into the world, knowing I would come back for revenge.

The village chief wasn't stupid; he must have known that if I went out into the world, something like this would happen. Yet, he still sent me to the Blue Dragon Martial Arts School with some money, which I couldn't understand.

“You didn't cause a massacre in our family, so I'm grateful.”

“Enough talk. What were you thinking?”

“I believed in you.”

I looked at the village chief, puzzled by his words. He spoke nervously but with a trembling voice,

“I'm sorry for the things our family did to you and for bullying you. But I felt guilty towards your parents and planned to help you become independent when the time was right. Making you work as a servant was to prepare you for a better life on your own.”

I bared my teeth and laughed. The veins in my arm holding the spear throbbed.

“Haha... Dreams are better than reality. How could making me work as a servant in the stable be for my own good?”

“...”

“Sending me to the Blue Dragon Martial Arts School was just a way to get rid of me, wasn't it? You probably thought I would die somewhere and be done with it. You never expected I would come back and beat you up like this.”

The village chief hesitated and then knelt, bowing his head.

“I'm sorry! I'm a selfish person and couldn't treat you any better.”

“Hmm...”

“Please, spare my life. Please...”

The village chief seemed to have decided to take a gamble and revealed his true thoughts. Hearing what I expected, I felt a surge of anger. The moment he bowed and begged, I had an urge to smash his head with my spear.

But – I held back. If I killed him here, I would be no different from him.

I suppressed my killing intent and said,

“Haha... If you hadn't taken me in, I would have wandered as an orphan and died of hunger or become a beggar. You at least gave me a place to live and sent me to the Blue Dragon Martial Arts School, so I'll count that as a favor.”

The village chief looked at me anxiously. I smiled and said,

“But I need to be compensated for the material and emotional damage I've suffered.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Give me five hundred taels of silver.”

“Huh...!!”

The village chief's eyes widened.

Five hundred taels of silver!

That amount would deplete more than half of the village chief's wealth. Even though he was making a lot of money, he was still just a village chief in a small rural area, so his wealth had its limits. He pleaded,

“Please... If my wealth is gone, the entire Sowel Village will starve. I'm increasing the village's income by paying tribute to the Plum Flower Escort Agency and creating jobs. Please...”

“You're lying. I'm talking about your hidden wealth.”

The village chief looked shocked.

“What?”

“There's a silver safe hidden somewhere in this house.”

“Huh... There's no such thing.”

Swish!

My spear moved at an incredible speed and stopped just in front of the village chief's nose. If it had moved an inch further, it would have split his forehead and exposed his brain. The Lei Ling Ba Shi (Eight Styles of Thunder Spirit) didn't suit my nature, but it was a first-class spear technique, and I had reached a high level of mastery