At those words, I immediately straightened my posture.
There was hope.
"I'm listening."
"As I said, the reason you're ill is because your Mystic Dragon Star Body has no water qi to sustain it. And water carries yin energy. So, what do you think you need to do?"
It was a light, almost rhetorical question from the Black Flute Immortal Physician.
The answer came to me quickly.
"Replenish yin energy… I need to take an elixir filled with yin energy!"
"Exactly. But your body is currently weakened to the extreme. If you were to ingest such a potent elixir now, your body wouldn't be able to withstand the yin energy. If only we had discovered this five years earlier, you could've just taken the elixir without issue."
"No way… Then what should I do? The fact that you're telling me this must mean there's another method."
The Black Flute Immortal Physician nodded calmly.
"That's right. You need to gradually adapt your body to yin energy. Once you've done that, your body should be able to endure the elixir."
"To adapt to yin energy… would eating cold foods help?"
That was the first method that popped into my mind.
"That's a method, yes. But it's too slow and not nearly effective enough."
The Black Flute Immortal Physician gave a faint smile and continued.
"Luckily, the weather has turned cold, and the ice has begun to form. Starting today, for the next hundred days, every night at midnight, immerse yourself in ice water and practice the mental cultivation method I'll teach you for one full hour."
"I understand, but… will that really work?"
To my question, the Black Flute Immortal Physician responded with a grin.
"Sounds easy, doesn't it?"
I flinched at that.
Because I had thought it sounded easy.
"You'll understand once you try. It's far from easy. Especially for you—because of all the tonic medicines you've taken, it'll be so painful you'll want to pass out."
"What? Because of the tonics?"
At my question, he explained.
"The tonics you've been taking all this time—they were all meant to boost yang energy. They've shortened your lifespan by a few years."
"…"
I could only sigh.
All those expensive herbal remedies I had taken to heal my body had actually been harming me all along.
But then, a question struck me.
'Then why didn't the other physicians notice this when they checked my pulse?'
When I voiced the question to the Black Flute Immortal Physician, he gave a smirk and said,
"Because none of them are better than me."
"…What?"
"They didn't know your constitution. They must have just assumed your body was deficient in yang energy. Tsk tsk."
"I… I see."
The Black Flute Immortal Physician consoled me as if sensing my dismay.
"Just remember—you must not skip even a single day of this. If you give up or fail, there won't be any time left to heal your body."
"Yes. I understand."
I nodded.
If it meant I could be cured, there was nothing I wouldn't endure.
There was hope.
And so began my hundred days of torment.
"Uwaaah!"
The moment I stepped into the ice water for the first time, I immediately understood why he had said it would be so agonizing that I'd want to faint.
My skin felt like it was being torn apart, and every bone in my body felt like it was being stabbed with knives.
'I have to endure this. No matter what, I have to push through.'
I wanted to live.
I wanted to live and become the greatest merchant under heaven.
More than anything, I didn't want my death to bring pain to my family.
And so I endured all one hundred days, and with the Black Flute Immortal Physician's help, I finally consumed the elixir.
I became healthy again—just like when I was a child.
Once I had recovered, I joined the operations of the Eunhae Merchant Group, and from that point on, our merchant group began to grow rapidly.
.
.
.
"Ughhh!"
As I recalled those events, my body trembled involuntarily.
Even now, the memory of immersing myself in freezing water every night for an hour was horrifying.
"But… I'm fifteen now. Hehehe."
Which meant—I could now cure this terminal body without going through that brutal ice water training.
And I already knew exactly where to find the elixir rich in yin energy.
I planned to use that elixir to regain my health.
But it wasn't something that could be done in just a day. That's why I had originally intended to use the upcoming Winter Solstice holiday.
The Eunhae Merchant Group usually gave a three- to four-day break during the solstice each year.
Since my current condition wasn't too severe, I thought I could wait until then—but now the plan had changed.
'The sooner I regain my health and learn martial arts, the better.'
The yin elixir I needed was surprisingly close by.
It was located in the largest mountain in Sungyang District, right behind where the Eunhae Merchant Group was based.
But night had already fallen.
With my current body, entering a snow-covered mountain in the middle of the night would be suicide.
And the elixir I needed could only be found during the hours of the rabbit (5:00am to 7:00am).
'I'll have to wait for dawn tomorrow.'
.
.
.
"Huff… huff…"
My breath came in ragged gasps.
Masked figures surrounded me from all sides.
My entire body was pierced with throwing knives and hidden weapons.
Step… step… step.
A man walked toward me—a man with a goat-like beard.
He pointed somewhere, and I followed the direction of his hand.
What I saw were bodies hanging from a tree.
Blood was dripping from them—those were the corpses of my family.
The bearded man grinned and swung a blade gleaming with a deadly blue sheen toward me.
.
.
.
"Gah! Haa… haaa…"
I shot upright, panting heavily.
With trembling hands, I touched my neck. It was still intact.
"A… dream?"
No.
It was a dream, but it also reflected something I had actually lived through.
I looked down at my not-yet-fully-grown hands.
Yes, I had really returned to when I was fifteen.
There was no doubt I'd be haunted by this nightmare for a while.
That's how deep my rage ran.
'Not until I've made them pay—properly.'
I got out of bed and opened the window.
The sound of drums echoed in the distance.
Three chimes of the bell.
It meant the hours of the tiger (3:00am to 5:00am).
If I set out now, I'd reach the elixir around the hours of the rabbit (5:00am to 7:00am).
Just then, I heard Palgap's voice from outside.
"Young master! Did I hear you coughing?"
As I had instructed him the night before, Palgap was waking me up.
"Yeah! I'm awake!"
I dressed quickly and stepped out of the room.
.
.
.
Crunch, crunch.
My feet sank deep into the snow.
I was now climbing the mountain behind the Eunhae Merchant Group estate, accompanied by Palgap and a bodyguard dispatched from the Silver Wind Squad.
Outside of the merchant group's compound, I was required to have an escort wherever I went.
Not because public safety in the area was poor, but because the Eunhae Merchant Group's influence was so significant that there were occasional threats aimed at my family.
Since I hadn't yet been assigned a personal guard, I had to request escorts from Silver Wind Squad, the group responsible for our family's security, whenever I left the premises.
"Young master. Are you sure you're alright?"
Palgap asked from behind.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Maybe it was because I was born with the Mystic Dragon Star Body, but my memory was unusually sharp—even though it had been so long ago, I still remembered everything vividly.
The name of the elixir I was looking for was Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit.
It forms when the cold energy that gathers around plum trees—those that bloom despite the bitter cold of early spring—condenses into a fruit.
As the name suggests, unlike typical plums that are green or yellow, its defining feature is its transparent blue color, like ice.
And true to its title as an elixir, it is brimming with yin energy.
'I heard that just one Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit can grant the internal energy of one gajpa's worth....'
One gapja—that's sixty years' worth of internal energy.
With a single Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit, a third-rate martial artist could leap to first-class, a first-class to peak master, and a peak master could become a supreme master.
It was on par with the Snow Lotus of the North Sea Ice Palace or Millennium Cold Ginseng—an incredible elixir.
As I recalled the past, a bitter smile formed on my lips.
'That's why the Blood Incident must have happened.'
It was when I was twenty-seven years old.
At the time, the Eunhae Merchant Group was on the verge of a major trade deal.
And since it had occurred near the main compound, we had gathered extensive intelligence on the situation.
A martial artist from the underworld who had drifted into Hubei Province, where the Eunhae Merchant Group was based, had gone out hunting and stumbled upon a Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit.
After obtaining it, he got drunk and, swept up in the moment, bragged about it to his companions.
He should've kept it hidden, but instead, he showed it off.
The moment his companions saw it, their eyes went bloodshot with greed.
A bloodbath broke out immediately.
The underworld martial artist lost the elixir but barely managed to survive. He then went to seek help from another dark sect in the area.
Things quickly spiraled out of control.
The information made its way to the Murim Alliance, and they also got involved.
In the end, the Murim Alliance claimed the Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit.
But by then, around five hundred people had died—and not a few of them were innocent civilians caught in the chaos.
What's worse, the Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit the alliance took ended up being the catalyst for another bloodbath.
'If I get the Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit this time, that future won't happen… right?'
If so, the deaths of those five hundred people might never occur.
'Still… it's kind of a waste.'
With just one fruit, I could've instantly reached the level of a first-class martial artist—a realm I'd only attained in the future through years of struggle.
But I had no choice.
There were other elixirs, yes—but they were either located far away or so expensive they were impossible to buy on a whim.
My symptoms weren't outwardly severe yet, and I wasn't backed by someone like the Black Flute Immortal Physician, either.
So, I chose to look on the bright side.
If I could quickly heal my illness and begin learning martial arts, it would be a tremendous time-saver.
With that, I organized my thoughts and started walking again.
Walking through snow drained my stamina quickly, and I began to feel short of breath.
"Young master, please—let's turn back now."
To Palgap's suggestion, I shook my head firmly. I hadn't come this far to just turn around!
That wasn't an option.
"No. Just a bit further…"
The bodyguard beside us chimed in.
"I also agree with Palgap. It's best to return now. The Merchant Lord will be worried. If you insist on continuing, I'll have to escort you back by force."
And if he said that, he would carry me back if needed.
"Then… just 15 minutes, please."
I put on my most pitiful expression, and eventually, the guard gave in with a reluctant nod.
Now I had only 15 minutes of time left.
I had to move fast.
Heading further north, I soon spotted the long rock from my memory.
Just like in my recollection, I walked fifty steps west from the long rock.
And then, the tree appeared.
A plum tree, growing wild in the mountain.
'The third one from the bottom… that's it!'
A translucent blue fruit was hanging from it.
It was so clear that, unless you already knew what to look for, it would be nearly impossible to notice.
Now the only thing left was to pick it without the bodyguard noticing.
'Should I send Palgap off somewhere with the guard for a while?'
But no matter how I thought about it, I didn't have the stamina to pick the Blue-Ice Snow Plum Fruit myself.
My vision started to blur and spin.
The only reason I'd made it this far was because the snow-covered ground had helped ease my condition a bit.
Maybe because of my constitution, I always felt slightly better when it was cold or snowing.
Anyway, right now I had to divert the bodyguard's attention. Which meant there was only one way.
I quietly picked up a stone that was half-buried in the snow. The moment the bodyguard looked away—I threw it, fast.
Thunk!
Flap!
Startled mountain birds flew into the sky.
The bodyguard tensed at the sound.
'He won't think I threw it on purpose. I just need to make him go check it out.'
I added fuel to the fire.
"Huh? What was that? I think I saw something just now?"
The bodyguard rushed over to me.
"Just in case, we should get down from the mountain immediately."
Just the reaction I expected.
"Yes… ugh!"
I collapsed to the ground.
Then, wearing a sheepish expression, I said,
"I must've overdone it. Haha… My legs feel too weak…"
"Then should I carry you on my back…?"
Palgap shook his head.
"If I carry the young master in this deep snow and slip, it could be even more dangerous."
The bodyguard looked troubled for a moment, then finally said,
"Alright, I'll go check what's over there. Please stay here."
"Got it."
As the bodyguard headed toward the source of the noise, Palgap turned to me and asked,
"So, what would you have me do?"
He had realized my actions were just a performance to draw the bodyguard's attention away.
People often thought Palgap was slow-witted because he looked like a bear and moved sluggishly—but that wasn't true.
He was smart, and quick-witted too.
That must be why Father assigned him to serve me.
I stepped close to Palgap and whispered softly,
"See that tree?"