Chapter 114: A Vessel Capable of Bearing It
I quietly looked down at the spiritual herb growing beneath the rock.
Three moisture-covered leaves.
A thin, translucent stem.
Drops of water clung to the tips of the leaves, each carrying a faint blue glow that shimmered softly.
Coldwater Spirit Grass.
This was the fortuitous encounter I'd intended to collect while traveling to and from Mount Hua.
Though I called it a fortuitous encounter, Coldwater Spirit Grass wasn't some legendary elixir that could grant decades of internal energy in an instant.
Its true value lay elsewhere.
Once consumed, it gently refined the qi pathways.
It was exactly the kind of medicinal herb a martial artist needed after rapidly increasing their internal energy with elixirs.
A sudden increase in internal energy wasn't always beneficial.
If the body wasn't strong enough to support the newly gained power...
that increase could become poison instead.
Coldwater Spirit Grass refined the qi pathways and helped the body adapt to rapidly increased internal energy.
For someone like me, whose realm had risen greatly in a short period...
it was more valuable than almost any elixir.
The second Flow I'd obtained at Mount Hua.
After accepting it, I had reached another level.
But that only meant I needed to be even more careful.
As my realm rose...
my physical body needed to grow with it.
“In that sense, Coldwater Spirit Grass is exactly what I need right now.”
I carefully pulled the herb from the ground.
After brushing away the dirt...
I placed it directly into my mouth without hesitation.
Crunch. Crunch.
I kept chewing the tough stem.
Gradually...
the bitterness disappeared.
A cold, clear sweetness brushed across my tongue and flowed down my throat.
I closed my eyes where I stood and began circulating my energy.
Whooo...
Internal energy slowly emerged from my dantian and traveled throughout my body.
The medicinal energy of the Coldwater Spirit Grass spread alongside that flow.
Across my chest.
Through my shoulders.
Down my arms and wrists.
Along my spine...
into my waist and legs.
Each time the energy completed a circuit...
the qi pathways within my body widened slightly and became more supple.
It's working properly.
I took a long breath.
It felt as though the inside of my lungs had been washed clean with cold water.
My dantian remained calm...
and my internal energy flowed naturally without being forcibly drawn out.
I could clearly feel the circulation becoming smoother.
Slowly...
I opened my eyes.
My five senses felt even sharper than before.
The roar of the waterfall beyond the cave.
The cold air slipping through cracks in the rocks.
Even the weight of the water droplets gathering on my fingertips.
I could perceive all of it.
“Good.”
A sense of perfect satisfaction, difficult to put into words, filled me.
As I admired the effects of the Coldwater Spirit Grass...
a memory from my previous life suddenly resurfaced.
Originally...
the first people to discover this herb had been the innkeeper and the herbalists I'd met earlier.
One day, they climbed near Blackwater Falls together and accidentally found this spiritual herb.
The problem came afterward.
The amount of money they received for selling it...
was far greater than they'd expected.
It was wealth far beyond anything men who had spent their entire lives climbing mountains and gathering herbs could normally touch.
At first...
the innkeeper and herbalists had tried to divide it with smiles.
According to the story, they had even drunk together at the inn, throwing their arms around one another's shoulders.
But when it came time to divide the money...
greed crept in.
One claimed he had seen the herb first.
Another argued that since he had found the waterfall, he deserved a larger share.
The innkeeper insisted that he was the one who had actually entered the cave.
Their argument turned into bloodshed in an instant.
The inn became stained with blood.
Men who had once called one another brothers slaughtered each other across the drinking table.
Even the innkeeper's wife and child...
who tried to stop them...
were caught in the chaos and lost their lives.
And there happened to be a Mount Hua Taoist passing through who later dealt with the aftermath.
One of the Five Dragons and Two Phoenixes.
Taoist Jinwon.
The tragedy later became widely known throughout the martial world.
Partly because a promising young martial artist from Mount Hua had personally handled the incident...
and partly because Coldwater Spirit Grass was a treasure any martial artist would covet.
It was even a story I'd heard during the years I was imprisoned as a test subject of the Shadow Corps.
“I heard a bunch of idiots tore each other's throats out over one spiritual herb.”
“Well, when a blessing too great for someone to handle falls into their lap, it can become poison instead.”
“Heh. The funniest part isn't even the herb. It's that the people who trusted each other were the first ones to draw their blades.”
Their laughter still echoed vividly in my memory.
I let out an inexplicable sigh.
There was no longer any reason to stay in the cave.
I left and headed back toward the inn.
By the time I returned...
the sun had already sunk considerably.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The atmosphere was still warm and lively.
The herbalists and innkeeper sat together, drinking.
Beside them...
the innkeeper's wife and son moved busily, bringing out food and side dishes.
Our group was nowhere to be seen.
Jin Gwangung, Hyeongwon, and Myeongjeon had probably gone to their rooms to rest.
I stopped briefly at the entrance and looked at the scene.
Laughter.
Dented drinking cups.
A small peace earned after a hard day's work.
And yet these same people...
had once become blinded by greed and brutally turned their blades on one another.
Knowing what had happened in my previous life...
their peaceful smiles looked strangely bitter.
Then—
the innkeeper noticed me and quickly rose.
“Taoist, did you make it safely to Blackwater Falls?”
I gave a light nod.
Then I immediately took several silver coins from my robes and placed them in front of him.
Clink.
The innkeeper's eyes widened at the unexpected silver.
“Taoist, what is this...?”
“Take it.”
He hurriedly waved both hands.
“N-No, that's all right.”
“The elder who came with you already paid more than enough for your rooms and food.”
“I can't accept anything more.”
I answered calmly.
“Thanks to your directions, I was able to find Blackwater Falls without trouble.”
“Consider this payment for that.”
The innkeeper still looked bewildered.
“But I hardly explained anything....”
“It's fine.”
I pushed the silver toward him once more.
“And I'll pay for the alcohol at that table tonight as well.”
The three herbalists' faces immediately brightened.
“Oh! Taoist!”
“Are you sure that's all right?”
“Brother, hurry up and take it!”
The innkeeper gave an awkward smile and bowed.
“...Thank you, Taoist.”
