"Big bro! Wake up! Big bro!"
Gwak Junha kept calling out to his brother, but Gwak Hyungjin, who had lost consciousness, did not respond.
"Big bro! Don't die! Big bro!"
It was then.
From afar, the sound of someone approaching could be heard, and a human-like figure became visible.
With a desperate voice, Gwak Junha shouted,
"Please help us! Please save my brother!"
Whether his voice had reached them or not, the figures drew closer and closer.
A truly handsome boy, a man built like a bear, a martial artist, and a physician carrying a medicine chest.
Tearfully, Gwak Junha cried out,
"My brother, my brother…"
The handsome boy gently took Junha's hand and said warmly,
"You don't have to worry anymore."
***
I looked at the child lying pale, having lost much blood.
Was he twelve years old now?
Come to think of it, he wasn't that different in age from me.
I'm fifteen now, after all.
But since I had died at thirty-nine, I often forgot that I was still a child.
Ah, I shouldn't think like that.
Anyway, that wasn't the important part.
At a glance, it was a serious condition.
"Will he be alright?"
In response to my question, the physician nodded.
"Yes, I brought enough medicine, and we weren't too late, so there's no problem."
"I'm counting on you."
I let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, we had arrived in time to save the boy's life.
And I was also relieved to have remembered just in time.
If I had been any later, I might not have been able to save my Master's son.
The reason I brought the physician with me to save the boy wasn't to use this favor to ask my Master to take me in as his disciple.
Of course, I would ask him to be my master, but not like this.
The master always had a sorrowful look whenever it was his eldest son's birthday or death anniversary.
I couldn't understand the feelings of someone who had buried their child in their heart.
I had never married, nor had children of my own.
But every time I saw that expression on the Master's face, my heart ached unbearably.
He probably could never forget the sight of his bloodied, lifeless son.
This time, I really wanted to save the Master's eldest son.
So that he could live on in Hubei with good memories — that was what I wanted.
The physician examining the child spoke.
"The danger has passed. We should move him for further treatment."
"Please do. I'll explain everything to his father."
Conveniently, there was writing paper and ink at the house.
I wrote a message saying that the child had been injured and taken to the Eunhae Merchant Group, asking them to come to the Eunhae Merchant Group's Finance Pavilion, and left it there before returning to the group with the two boys.
.
.
.
After explaining the situation to my father, I headed back to the Finance Pavilion.
Next to the sleeping boy was his younger brother, tightly holding his hand.
"Big bro…"
A younger brother desperately wishing for his brother to wake up.
I knew the younger brother's name.
Gwak Junha.
He was one of my personal guards.
And on the day I was attacked, he died with me.
I smiled bitterly, remembering his final moments.
"Young master, please flee quickly. They're not ordinary people."
"What are you saying? We have to go together!"
"It was an honor to serve you, young master. And… thank you for bringing joy to my father. He never said anything, but he was very happy to have met you."
"Gwak, guard!"
After saying that, Gwak Junha had charged at the enemies, letting me escape.
In the end, I died too, and I remembered another memory he had shared with me in life.
"Well… if I had to name the most regrettable moment in my life, I would say it was when I was eight years old."
"That day?"
"Yes, that's when my older brother died. If I hadn't begged him to play with me that day… he wouldn't have died."
The look in his eyes then was the same one I'd seen in Master's eyes.
Saving Master's eldest son was an act of duty from a disciple to his teacher, but to this boy, it was my repayment for the life he gave to save me.
As I was momentarily lost in thought, Gwak Junha asked me,
"Um, is my older brother really going to be okay?"
I nodded.
"Yeah, the physician said he'd be alright, didn't he?"
"Then why hasn't he opened his eyes yet?"
"He's been made to sleep on purpose. It doesn't hurt while you're sleeping, right?"
At my explanation, Gwak Junha nodded.
"So don't be too impatient."
"Yes, young master."
The moment Gwak Junha called me young master, it overlapped with that past moment I had experienced.
And before I knew it, my face stiffened.
Seeing my slightly frozen expression, Gwak Junha cautiously said,
"Everyone here was calling you 'young master'..."
"Ah… I see."
It was then.
"Young master."
Palgap entered the Finance Pavilion and called for me.
"The boy's father has arrived."
"Ah, really?"
I turned my head, and before I could even prepare myself, I faced him.
The man who had once been my master.
Gwak Myung-Hyun.
He must've just returned from an escort mission — he had a sword at his waist, an unwashed face covered in scruffy beard, his clothes were ragged, but his eyes were still sharp and intense.
"Hyungjin!"
He rushed to the child lying on the bed and checked on him.
His appearance hadn't changed a bit from my memory.
Maybe due to his cultivated martial arts, he always had a slightly cold aura, but there were few men as warm-hearted as Master.
Gwak Junha, on the verge of tears, stammered out,
"D-Dad, we were just playing, and hyung tripped, and he got stabbed in the stomach by bamboo, sniff…"
I patted Junha on the back and added an explanation.
"Today, by chance, I was walking through a bamboo grove when I found him injured and treated him. Thankfully, he passed the critical point and should recover with a few days of rest."
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
The master bowed deeply to me in gratitude.
To receive such a bow from my master!
Panicking, I hurriedly waved my hands.
"No, no! It was just fate that brought us together."
"I don't know how I'll ever repay this kindness."
"He simply had the fate to survive. So please, raise your head."
I placed my hand on the Master's shoulder to help him up.
In that moment, I felt Master flinch.
He lifted his head and looked at me, his eyes filled with some kind of confusion.
Then, Gwak Junha cried out as the boy seemed to wake up.
"Huh? B-Big bro! Are you awake?"
Master quickly turned his head and asked urgently,
"Hyungjin! Are you awake?"
"A-Ah… Father…"
"Thank goodness! Thank heavens!"
Seeing Master repeating how relieved he was, and Gwak Junha rejoicing over his brother regaining consciousness, I felt a strange emotion stir within me.
I may not understand Master's feelings, but I think I understand Gwak Junha's. After all, when I saw my second brother again—whose head had been cut off—I also felt an indescribable wave of emotion.
But what I feel now, is somewhat different.
Because I saved a child who should have died.
Maybe that's why?
As I watched Master and Gwak Junha rejoice, my eyes grew red for no reason.
That evening, a woman visited the Eunhae Merchant Group's Finance Pavilion.
She was the mother of the boy I had saved, and Master's wife.
And in the future, she would be known by the title, Bamboo Grove Weaver.
In a way, saving the boy named Hyungjin might have been my way of repaying the Bamboo Grove Weaver, who had once saved me.
However, if I had to name the real reason I saved Hyungjin, setting aside all other motives, there really wasn't much of a reason.
Does one need a reason to save a child who could be saved, a child who died tragically?
In truth, the moment I realized that today was the very day the child had died, I rushed to the Finance Pavilion without time to make any calculations.
I dragged a physician to the bamboo grove, and thankfully, I wasn't too late to find the boy and save him.
Because I had heard from Gwak Junha that his brother died from excessive bleeding, I made sure to pack plenty of blood-staunching powder and Golden Wound Medicine.
"Thank you so much, young master."
"You don't have to say that. It was just fate that brought us together."
"I don't know how I could ever repay you…"
At the Bamboo Grove Weaver's words, I shook my head.
"I didn't do this expecting anything in return. So please, don't think that way."
I barely managed to dissuade her.
Just then, the Master, who had been quietly watching me, spoke.
"Young master. May I have a private word with you?"
.
.
.
Shortly after.
The place Master led me to was the bamboo grove where his house stood.
Palgap and the personal guard were watching over me from a distance.
"Forgive me for asking you to come all the way here."
To the Master's words, I shook my head.
"Not at all. I assume you brought me here because you didn't want others to overhear what you're about to say."
"…You noticed?"
"Yes. The place you know best is probably the safest, isn't it?"
"You are smart."
"You flatter me."
I replied politely.
In that moment, the Master's eyes changed.
"Do you happen to know about the Mystic Dragon Star Physique?"
"…!"
I couldn't help but be shocked at that moment.
I never expected Master to mention the Mystic Dragon Star Physique.
In the future I had experienced, the Master never said a word to me about it.
But now, the fact that he was saying it like this…
It meant that he had known all along.
But there was one thing I didn't understand.
He mentioned the Mystic Dragon Star Physique even though this was supposedly our first meeting.
Which means that in the future I experienced, Master could not have failed to notice my constitution.
The difference between then and now is that this time, I consumed the Pure Icy Snow Plum, so fifty years' worth of internal energy is stored in my danjeon, and the Mystic Dragon moved personally to save me.
I looked silently at Master, and he gave a faint smile and said,
"So you do know."
He must've figured it out from my expression.
My master continued in a calm voice.
"In fact, when you touched my shoulder earlier, I realized that you have a tremendous amount of internal energy, and that it possesses the nature of yin."
"…"
"And, I also realized that your constitution is the Mystic Dragon Star Physique."
To be honest, I don't know the Master's exact level.
What's certain is that he's beyond the peak level, but he never told me outright.
With him knowing this much, there was no point in hiding it anymore.
And especially not from someone I would call Master.
"How did you know?"
"You mean about your internal energy having yin nature? That's probably because the martial arts I practice are Ice Arts."
"And how did you know my constitution is the Mystic Dragon Star Physique?"
At my question, the Master looked at me and smiled.
But that smile somehow felt bittersweet.
"I once met someone who had the Mystic Dragon Star Physique."
"What? Someone else had the same constitution as me?"
"Yes, but… I cannot tell you who that was. I'm sorry."
He seemed to have circumstances he couldn't explain.
Then I couldn't press him on it.
If it becomes necessary, I'm sure he'll tell me one day.
"That's alright. If there's a reason, I understand."
My master opened his mouth again.
"The reason I'm telling you all this is because you cannot learn yang-natured martial arts."
"Most likely, that's true."
"So, I was wondering… would it be alright if I taught you Ice Arts?"
"What?"
I was shocked by the unexpected offer.
I had been planning to ask him to become my master, but he made the offer first.
"I heard from the physician. If you hadn't found my son, he would have died for sure."
"That was just… fate…"
"I feel the same."
My master continued.
"You saved my child, and because of that, I was able to meet you. And I discovered your constitution and internal energy. It's all fate. And by that fate, I would like to pass down my Ice Arts to you."
The master cupped his hands and bowed deeply to me.
"Please allow it."
In many ways, I was truly flustered.
I never imagined Master would be the one to ask me to become his disciple.
But my answer was already decided.
"Please, I ask the same of you, Master."
"You accept?"
He seemed a little surprised, as if he hadn't expected me to agree so easily.
I smiled and answered again.
"Yes."
And just like that, Gwak Myung-Hyun became my master once again.