Man-nyun Hasuo (萬年何首烏).
It was a miraculous elixir said to grant immortality just by consuming it.
Honestly, there was a bit of exaggeration mixed in, but still—it was something that had lived for ten thousand years.
Something that might exist only one or two in this world, if at all.
Grandfather said it was a precious item and that he would keep it safe until we returned to the mountain estate.
"Then you'll give it to me as soon as we arrive?"
"Do you think this old man would covet his grandson's belongings? Hahaha! I'm in a great mood. The heavens have aided you. To think such a treasure was hidden inside that celadon jar."
I don't know why the Man-nyun Hasuo was inside the celadon jar.
But there was no need to dwell on it.
Thanks to Grandfather, the celadon jar ended up in my hands, and as a result, I obtained the Man-nyun Hasuo—that was all that mattered.
And the thought that Grandfather would likely be in a good mood for the next few months made me feel good as well.
Once I calmed down a bit inside the carriage, the events at the auction came back to me.
'Who was that man in silk clothes?'
All I knew was that a merchant had bought the celadon jar for a mere 100 jeon, tried to sell it to the royal palace, and had it stolen by the Eunwoldan.
Nowhere in the royal investigation records was there any mention of a man in silk clothes.
'What changed? All I've done so far is train.'
Was my change really significant enough to alter the events at the auction?
No way.
How impressive could a fifteen-year-old possibly be?
Then what exactly had changed?
'The only difference from the original history is that Grandfather participated in the auction…'
…Ah. I see.
Grandfather got involved in the auction.
The moment I realized the fact I had forgotten, the questions cluttering my mind were instantly resolved.
'He didn't notice it when the merchant fell. He already knew.'
Perhaps the original plan was something like this.
The Eunwoldan knew that the Man-nyun Hasuo was inside the celadon jar.
That was why they allowed the merchant to buy the celadon jar cheaply.
There was no need to drive up the price, and even if they stole a celadon jar worth only 100 jeon, the government troops wouldn't move.
They could obtain the Man-nyun Hasuo without arousing anyone's suspicion.
But due to sheer bad luck, the merchant broke the celadon jar, revealing the true nature of the Man-nyun Hasuo.
So they had no choice but to kill him and take it.
'Even before my regression, the Eunwoldan's plan went awry.'
But this time, things became tangled beyond repair.
Iron-Blooded Lee Gangjin.
A master in this country with no equal.
They must have been frantic once such a figure got involved.
If the celadon jar ended up in Grandfather's hands, neither stealing nor forcibly taking it would be possible.
That was why they participated in the auction.
To buy it somehow.
If Grandfather had approached out of simple curiosity, they probably thought he'd drop out if the price rose just a little.
But because of my existence, an absurd amount was called, and in the end, their plan failed.
Which meant—
'The man in silk clothes was also from the Eunwoldan.'
I recalled his appearance.
A pretty face. Upturned eyes. Cheeks with a rosy tint. A man who looked like a pampered pretty boy.
'Good. I remember him.'
If I saw him again later, I'd recognize him.
'For now, that issue is resolved. What remains is the Man-nyun Hasuo.'
Since Grandfather had intervened, the Eunwoldan wouldn't be able to act rashly.
But that didn't mean it was safe to let my guard down.
If it was something they desperately wanted, they would definitely try to create an opportunity somehow.
'I should eat it as soon as possible.'
I had already planned to consume it soon for the Seongmu Academy entrance exam, but now I needed to move up the timing.
I'd decoct it and eat it the moment I got home.
'Let's think positively. Positively.'
There was no reason to be anxious, and no need for it either.
Even if there had been a hidden secret I hadn't known, everything so far was proceeding according to plan.
And besides, right now, the most reliable person of all—Grandfather—was right beside me.
It was enough to think only about the path I needed to walk.
By the time I finished thinking that, the carriage had already arrived at the Cheongsin Mountain Estate.
As soon as we got home, I said that I would consume the Man-nyun Hasuo.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"This old man would prefer that you didn't. It wouldn't be too late to take it after sufficient training."
"No. My decision hasn't changed, Grandfather."
"..."
Grandfather stared at me silently with a hardened expression.
"You might fall into qi deviation if you fail to absorb the energy."
"I know that well."
I wasn't ignorant of how dangerous this path was.
Even so, I had to do it.
Even if I consumed the Man-nyun Hasuo right now, there was no guarantee I could fully make it my own before the entrance exam.
And since I had already caught on to the Eunwoldan's plan, there was even less reason to carry unnecessary risk.
"The Man-nyun Hasuo is mine, so isn't my choice what matters most?"
"…It sounds as if you planned this from the start. As if you already knew the Man-nyun Hasuo was inside the celadon jar."
I merely smiled faintly.
Some things didn't need to be said.
Grandfather reluctantly nodded and spoke to Father.
"Sangwon. Can you handle the Man-nyun Hasuo?"
"I know the theory perfectly."
There was nothing to worry about.
Father was, in his own way, a first-rate apothecary.
And since he was making it for me, he would be even more meticulous.
All I needed to do was reassure Grandfather.
"Don't worry, Grandfather. I can do this."
Hadn't I honed the Shinro Mind Method day and night for this very day?
No matter how rough and massive the energy of the Man-nyun Hasuo was, my dantian and meridians would be able to accept it.
"Please trust me."
No—
I would make it so, without fail.
"..."
After pondering with his eyes closed, Grandfather finally nodded slightly.
"If your will is truly that firm, then it can't be helped. But you must steel yourself."
After receiving Grandfather's permission, Father brought a pill formed by compressing the Man-nyun Hasuo.
It was about twice the size of a Cheongsimhwan.
With Grandfather and Father watching, I chewed and swallowed it.
"Hoo."
A brief moment of calm.
But this tranquility would only be fleeting.
Because it would soon come crashing down.
How did I know?
Even before my regression, I had once consumed a miraculous elixir on the level of the Man-nyun Hasuo.
I had nearly fallen into qi deviation from being unable to withstand the surging energy, but I barely endured and overcame it.
They say the first time is hard, but the second time is easy.
This time, I'd get through it more smoothly.
Probably.
'Positively!'
The moment I thought that, the energy of the Man-nyun Hasuo began to spread throughout my body.
It felt like spiked beads rolling through my blood vessels.
An overwhelming pain surged in, but it was no different from when I practiced Gangro.
'Endure.'
I closed my eyes and focused.
Absorbing all of this energy into my dantian, and throughout my entire body.
It might take several hours—no, perhaps several days.
But I had to succeed.
'If I fail, there won't be another chance.'
I didn't want to repeat the horrors of the past.
With that single-minded resolve, I gritted my teeth and endured—and didn't I regress because of it?
This time as well, I would overcome it proudly.
To create a kingdom shining with brilliant radiance.
I could not afford even a single failure.
Lee Gangjin watched his grandson circulating and regulating his qi.
The Man-nyun Hasuo was not a miraculous elixir one could easily come across.
That was why he never took his eyes off his grandson.
"Is Hyun there?"
At Lee Gangjin's call, the old man Hwang, who had been waiting outside, entered.
"Yes, Commander."
"From now on, you will take turns with me guarding Seoha. If you sense anything strange, provide assistance immediately. Understood?"
"I will keep it in mind."
Sangwon looked between his son and father with a tense expression.
"Will he be all right, Father?"
"He will. As long as he can endure it…"
Seoha would become the teenager with the greatest internal energy in the kingdom.
If that happened, passing the Seongmu Academy entrance exam would be effortless.
"Let's watch."
Lee Gangjin gazed at his grandson, who was circulating his qi without the slightest movement, with eyes filled with worry—yet also satisfaction.
The fierce struggle of qi with the Man-nyun Hasuo was finally nearing its end.
Under normal circumstances, it was a battle that could never be won.
Not even a proper martial artist—just a fifteen-year-old aspiring warrior.
It was only natural that handling such a massive energy would be overwhelming.
That was why I approached it from a different angle—one where I wouldn't lose.
Rather than turning all of the Man-nyun Hasuo's energy into internal energy, I chose to let it naturally melt into my body.
From the beginning, the Man-nyun Hasuo was a miraculous elixir said to grant immortality even to ordinary people.
In other words, a kind of highly effective health supplement.
So instead of forcing all of its energy into internal energy, I only retained the maximum amount I could safely handle.
It was a waste, but I diverted the rest toward improving my constitution.
Born with a cursed constitution that made my training efficiency worse than others', this was a perfect opportunity.
If I could improve both my internal energy and my constitution at the same time, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Before long, as the process of circulating the Man-nyun Hasuo's energy through my body came to an end, a sense of comfort began to settle in.
I could also feel a solid, fulfilling energy in my dantian—a satisfying result.
It felt like I could relax my focus and open my eyes now.
"Hoo."
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to find the surroundings extremely quiet.
Aside from the bright lantern nearby, everything was dark—it seemed to be dawn.
Grandfather was sitting in front of me with a smile, and Father was crouched to the side, sleeping.
"It's done."
"Excellent!"
Grandfather exclaimed joyfully and pulled me into an embrace.
The worry that had been etched on his face was gone.
As I felt Grandfather's warmth like that, a question suddenly arose.
How much time had passed?
For absorbing the Man-nyun Hasuo, it didn't feel like that much time had gone by.
We had returned from the auction and immediately turned it into a pill and consumed it, and the sky outside was gradually brightening…
"Did you watch over me for a whole day?"
"A day? Hahaha! You think it was only a day?"
"..."
Then how many days had passed?
"To fight and win for a full five days—just as expected of my grandson! Hahaha!"
Had I been so focused that I lost track of time?
To the point that five days felt like one?
"Let's see. How much internal energy you've accumulated."
Ignoring my confusion, Grandfather examined my body, then nodded with a satisfied expression after a moment.
"You absorbed most of it well. You fulfilled my condition splendidly. I'll allow you to take the Seongmu Academy entrance exam."
"Thank you!"
Grandfather was delighted as if he himself had grown stronger, and Father, who had woken up late, hugged me as well.
"We should hold a grand feast today. You must be tired, so take good care of yourself. Sangwon, make sure to look after Seoha properly."
"Understood, Father."
The moment Grandfather laughed heartily and stepped outside, my body slumped backward.
"Seoha! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Don't worry. It's just that the tension has finally released."
I had strained my mind continuously for five long days.
It was fortunate I'd been in a meditative state—if I'd endured it while fully awake, the exhaustion would have been far worse.
So as Grandfather said, I needed to rest a bit.
'If five days have passed, then the entrance exam is the day after tomorrow.'
More time had passed than expected, but it wasn't as if there was no leeway.
The problem was that after such intense focus, it was hard to fall asleep.
That damn insomnia that had plagued me even before my regression…
When I woke up after sleeping soundly, it was evening.
My last memory was clearly of dawn breaking…
Soon after, I was summoned by Grandfather and moved to find a feast laid out.
My eldest uncle, who was still actively serving, must have returned to the capital, as he wasn't present. But my younger uncle, an instructor at Cheongsin Academy, attended with Junha.
Judging by his sour expression, he must have secretly hoped for my failure.
As for Lee Junha, he couldn't even meet my eyes.
Since he'd even wet himself, there was no way he'd dare challenge me again.
Grandfather was in high spirits, drinking straight from a jar for the first time in a while.
That jar held a full mal, no less.
Saying it was a joyful day, Grandfather drank strong liquor, and with his cheeks flushed, he opened his mouth.
"Lately, thanks to Seoha, every day has been joyful. Hahaha! Sangwon was like that when he was young too."
Father merely smiled bitterly and quietly tilted his cup.
I hadn't heard much about Father's childhood.
By the time I got my act together and started living properly before my regression, he had already passed away.
Of course, I'd never had a conversation like this with Grandfather either, so everything that followed was new to me.
"Back when you placed first in the military examination, I thought you'd be the future of our family."
First place?
Did Father take first in the military examination?
Father smiled at my surprised look and tilted his cup again.
Why had he never mentioned such an important fact?
"If you hadn't suddenly met some strange woman and insisted on becoming an apothecary, you would've surely achieved greatness."
As if recalling an unpleasant memory, Grandfather furrowed his brows, then shifted his gaze to me.
"So, Seoha, don't let your talent rot away. Like your father, throwing away a straight and solid path to walk another road is foolish."
"..."
Only now did I clearly understand why the relationship between Grandfather and Father wasn't good.
Even in the short time I trained with him, I saw Grandfather's passion.
The effort he poured into Father must have been no less—probably even more.
After raising him to the point of placing first in the examination, Father suddenly married and said he would become an apothecary. How disappointed must Grandfather have been?
Those old, buried emotions had persisted to this very day.
I quietly looked at Father.
He drank with a bitter smile, then turned to me and spoke.
"What is it?"
"No, it's just…"
"Dad's fine. I don't regret the choice I made back then. Your grandfather seems to think differently, but still—wasn't it my life?"
Staring into his cup, Father muttered as if speaking to himself.
"You should live a life without regrets too."
"Yes. I will."
Father drained his cup and let out a small breath.
Why did I see regret in his eyes?