As I said, decades later, the Hwangsan Sect rapidly expanded its power, asserting dominance over the regions of Hwangsan and the Guanzhong area. Within it, the once-prominent sect, Mo-don Nunsomu Martial Sect, was completely defeated and subjugated by the Hwangsan Sect.
Unable to stand by any longer while watching Hwangsan's aggressive expansion, the Jungnam Sect and the Hwasan Sect joined forces and clashed with the Hwangsan Sect at Daeryun Mountain. This was the great battle known as the Five Peaks Blood War.
There was no clear victor in that battle. All three sects suffered heavy losses and eventually fell into a lull. As a result, the Guanzhong region and the Five Peaks area entered a power vacuum, and during that time, dark sects and demonic martial artists ran rampant. I remember our Plum Blossom Escort Bureau being attacked by Blood Phosphorus Hand during that chaos.
Most likely, by now, even the Sagong family has been swallowed up by the Hwangsan Sect. That's why they're not known at all anymore.
No matter how much their power has grown, for the Hwangsan Sect to become strong enough to challenge two of the Nine Great Sects — Jungnam and Hwasan — in a 2-to-1 fight is astonishing. Trying to passively respond to such a domineering sect would only result in being devoured. If possible, they should've already formed alliances with other sects to keep Hwangsan in check and prevent such a tragedy.
Sagong Lin let out a deep sigh.
"Haah… I understand what you're saying, young hero. I know Uncle and Brother are worried too, but even if we are, there's nothing we can do about it. If you have no strength, then even if you're aware of the situation, there's nothing you can actually do."
That's true. It's not like Sagong Hwan or the Sagong clan are fools who don't realize they should be keeping the Hwangsan Sect in check. They're simply enduring because it's too unrealistic to resist a sect that has peak and transcendent martial artists at their command.
"Is there really nothing more that can be said or done?"
"Miss Sagong Lin, you seem to be standing at the threshold of becoming a peak-level master. Don't you want to make a name for yourself in the martial world? Honestly, it feels like a waste for someone like you to be doing escort work here…"
"You mean it's a waste."
Sagong Lin gave a short laugh. Her expression held a mixture of sorrow and bitterness. The fact that I found even that side of her beautiful probably means I've already fallen for her.
"If I enter the martial world, I'm sure I could earn some fame in my own way. I could live a fulfilling life as a female hero. But if I do that, it would put too much burden on the rest of my family. I can't just live however I please."
"That's…"
"Young hero, everyone has their own way of living."
I knew Sagong Lin was being sincere.
She had an interest in martial arts and wanted to be active in the martial world — that's why she became a disciple of the great master Taesan Nomong. But because her family's circumstances weren't favorable, she was enduring her desires and helping her family instead.
She was even still single. Though she was at the age where most would already be married — or just past it — she hadn't married yet. Probably because she was simply too busy with everything she had to do.
I felt as if the second mystery had been solved.
'So that's why Sagong Lin's name remained quietly buried even decades later.'
She would soon reach the level of a peak master, and one day might even become a transcendent master. But she would spend decades devoting all her strength to protecting her family and never step into the wider world. I thought she was unfortunate — but then again, perhaps not entirely.
Everyone has their own way of living.
Even if the path she chose wasn't her ideal, if she could live with contentment, wasn't that okay too?
Finishing my thoughts, I bowed deeply to Sagong Lin.
"I'll be leaving for Mount Hwang soon. Thank you for everything until now."
"…I thought you might."
Sagong Lin spoke quietly as she gazed out at the snow falling peacefully outside.
"You have a dream, don't you? A dream that leads you toward the wide and vast world…"
"I just want to fulfill my own desires, that's all."
"Dreams and desires aren't so different. I envy you, young hero…"
Sagong Lin smiled with a quiet melancholy.
"Farewell, Baek Mong."
And that day, I submitted my resignation to Escort Chief Sagong Hwan and left the Sagong Escort Bureau.
Determined that this time, I would find the Millennial Snow Ginseng in Hwangsan no matter what.
****
6. Millennial Snow Ginseng
This time, I was certain I could obtain the Millennial Snow Ginseng. That confidence came naturally — my martial arts had clearly improved beyond the level I had reached during my second death. I had also saved money from three years of working as an escort. Most importantly, I had come to Mount Hwang without any particular grudges or enemies this time.
There was nothing, no one, that seemed likely to stand in my way.
On top of that, while working at the Sagong Escort Bureau, I had acquired plenty of maps and geographical information about Hwangsan. I had been preparing meticulously over the past three years, to the point where I thought failing again would cause serious psychological damage.
The reason I was so obsessed with obtaining the Millennial Snow Ginseng — to the point it could be called a fixation — was because once I possessed it, I would no longer be circling beneath the level of first-rate masters. I would undoubtedly break through into the realm of peak-level mastery.
Peak masters were not common in this world. On the vast land of Zhongyuan (the Central Plains), with tens of millions of people, they numbered only in the hundreds…
I heard that they are rarely seen. Their martial power is enough to shift the balance of the world, and to them, gaining wealth and fame is trivial — these were martial artists of a different league. People often claim to have seen peak masters here and there in the world, but in most cases, they're simply mistaking high-level martial artists for something greater. True peak masters are said to be harder to find than a hundred-year-old wild ginseng.
What will happen to my life the moment I gain that kind of power?
Just imagining it filled me with an unexplainable sense of joy.
To prepare for the search for the Millennial Snow Ginseng in Mount Hwang, I first made meticulous plans: gathering mountaineering gear and provisions. I also used the map I had acquired of the inner peaks of Hwangsan to determine my search routes.
Mount Hwang has a total of 72 peaks, but I would be searching only 30 of them. This is because it's certain that the 24 outer peaks do not contain the Snow Ginseng, and the 12 peaks near the Hwangsan Sect's headquarters had to be avoided. Furthermore, since the Hwangsan Sect uses 6 of those peaks as their base, those were also off-limits. This left me with 30 peaks to explore.
Of course, even though I say 30, each peak was a towering mountain with steep slopes of at least 600 jang (about 1,800 meters). Just searching one mountain would take at least a month, so I estimated my journey could take three to four years at the minimum — possibly even more than ten.
"Hmph. Even if it takes ten years, if that's the price for obtaining the Millennial Snow Ginseng, I'll pay it gladly."
I made a firm resolve. No matter what happened, I would not give up.
I began exploring the first peak the very next day after arriving at the base of Mount Hwang. First, I left my travel bag at a nearby inn and took only my climbing gear to begin my ascent. To thoroughly search the mountain, I had to go off-trail, deep into the forested areas.
Naturally, since there were more untouched areas than human-trodden paths, an enormous amount of time and effort was required from the very first day.
After completing my search for the day, I returned to the inn, thoroughly exhausted. I tried to get a good night's sleep, but I couldn't. It made sense — after a full day of scouring the mountains, I'd found almost nothing.
"This isn't efficient. Using the inn as my base and moving back and forth wastes too much time."
I wasn't exploring the outskirts — I needed to stay close to the inner peaks. Walking at least 30 li (about 12 km) a day, going back and forth to the inn would only waste precious time.
In that case, it would be better to build a hut or a thatched cottage in the mountains and live there.
From the next day, I began constructing a simple shelter near the entrance to the inner peaks. I'd built a thatched cottage once before, so it wasn't too difficult. First, I gathered wooden pillars for the framework, cut them to the right length, and laid them on the ground. Then I covered the roof with materials that could withstand rain and dew.
Of course, building a shelter or a thatched house alone in the mountains was an incredibly hard task. But during my time as an escort, I'd become close with masons who built roads and structures — I had learned a lot from them. As long as the basic foundation was covered, I could complete the structure with physical strength and willpower.
It took me about four days to complete the hut. I had spent the entire day working on it. Even so, it wasn't exactly pretty — it was just a place to keep out the rain and dew. I laid straw on the floor, and of course, there was no heating. I hadn't even built a separate kitchen.
But this much is fine. I've suffered worse before. I can improve this place gradually while using it as a base. What matters now is finding the Millennial Snow Ginseng — whether my dwelling is comfortable or not is a secondary concern.
Once my shelter was set up, I began my search in earnest. If I needed food, I would either buy provisions from the village or pay to eat at an inn. If I wanted to wash, I cleaned myself in a nearby stream. When I didn't feel like spending money, I would catch small wild animals nearby and eat them.
At first, the innkeeper thought I was insane and almost reported me to the authorities. But eventually, he seemed to accept that I was just a strange person who chose to live in the mountains.
About two months had passed since I started my search.
By then, I had roughly explored four out of the thirty inner peaks of Mount Hwang. Searching through just four mountains thoroughly was grueling, but I managed to endure it thanks to my internal energy. Strangely, even though I could only practice for about one hour a day, the constant hardship of hiking through mountains every day made my energy flow more powerfully through my meridians. I could feel it settling more deeply.
Around that time, I realized that half of the money I'd saved over three years was already gone. At this rate, I would be penniless in just a few months. I started thinking seriously about what I should do next. After a long contemplation, I came to a conclusion:
"I'll work."
It was impossible to cut myself off from society completely. I wasn't born a hunter, and living by catching wild animals in the forest was both physically exhausting and limited in practicality. Regardless of my martial prowess, hunting for food takes a toll on the body and is a harsh lifestyle. I had to find a way to earn money to buy supplies.
Fortunately, a single comment from the innkeeper helped me decide what to do.
"Since you live up in the mountains, why not chop wood and sell it to the lumber mill? They'll buy it from you."
The innkeeper was right. The trees on Mount Hwang were of high quality and had many uses. That's why the nearby town had a dedicated lumber mill, where workers processed wood and distributed it where needed.
I made a deal with the mill owner, received a hatchet, and started chopping wood the next day.
Cutting down trees wasn't difficult — the challenge was transporting the logs to the mill. So I settled on cutting two or three trees at a time and carrying them down. Even so, the lumber mill owner was surprised I could haul down full-grown trees by myself, as if it were a miracle.
Whenever I needed money, I chopped and sold wood. The rest of the time, I spent either training my internal energy or continuing my search through Mount Hwang. Over time, I began to feel like I was adapting to life in the mountains.
****
A year passed like that.
I was now searching my ninth peak, and the Millennial Snow Ginseng had yet to show even the faintest sign of itself. In terms of progress, I had completed about 30% of the exploration. It was exactly the pace I had expected, and because of that, I actually felt at ease.
The innkeeper struck up a conversation when he saw me again.
"You used to be a martial artist, right? So what's a young man like you doing living up on Mount Hwang?"
"I just don't like people."
"Hah… really now…"
The innkeeper clicked his tongue in disbelief. I just gave a faint smile in response.
Saying I "don't like people" wasn't exactly a lie. Until I found the Millennial Snow Ginseng, I wanted to avoid drawing attention or becoming widely known. Quietly living like this and devoting myself to the search — until the day I found it — was the best way forward.
Three months passed.
A heavy rainstorm came and destroyed my thatched cottage. I rebuilt it, this time making it much larger than before. I had a feeling this would turn into a long-term battle, and during storms, the wind and cold were unbearable. This time, I even built a fence around it to block the wind as much as possible.
Another three months passed.
A cold wave hit the village, and the year's harvest completely failed. The tenant farmers were looking despairingly close to death, and even the landowners were clearly shaken — the atmosphere in town was grim. As people struggled to survive, there was no longer a way for me to earn money by bringing wood to the lumber mill. Since the mill's business was tied to the farming economy, someone like me — a half-outsider — drew too much attention trying to make money during a time of hardship.
So, for about a month, I had no choice but to survive by hunting wild animals — snakes, wild boars, deer, and the like.
During this time, I crafted a bow and became quite proficient with it. Of course, I could hunt using my sword or blade thanks to my martial skills, but I came to realize that a bow was simply more practical. It was a simple wooden bow with stone-tipped arrows, but it had plenty of killing power, so I ended up using it frequently.
****
And then, exactly two years after I first entered Mount Hwang,
I realized I had explored 16 of the 30 peaks. That was just over half. Though a little slower than expected, it was still decent progress.
To mark the moment, I bought some liquor from the village and drank it in my cottage, gulping it down inside.
"Kuh… damn it…"
It was my first time drinking alcohol in this life. I was so suffocated by frustration that I just wanted to get properly drunk for once. Even then, I stayed mostly sober as I poured out my complaints:
"A place where white and pale pink lotus flowers bloom together? Where the hell is that supposed to be!!"
That was the only clue I had. I hadn't told a single person about it until now. I wanted to avoid drawing attention or having anyone else start looking for it. But at this point, having only that single line to go by was driving me to a mental breaking point.
My body had grown into full adulthood, and I now had a decent amount of facial hair. The thought of possibly having to search for several more years left me feeling like my patience was running dry. Falling asleep drunk and mumbling nonsense felt downright pathetic.
"This won't do. I have to start asking around. If I keep going like this and finish all 30 peaks without finding anything… my mind won't survive it."
It was time to stop acting like a fool.
At this point, I had searched enough that even if someone else started looking, my lead was still solid. Even if I raised some suspicion, I decided I'd start asking around in the village and neighboring areas. If all else failed — well, I was even ready to die trying.
The first person I asked was the innkeeper.
"Huh? Have you ever seen a pale pink lotus?"
The innkeeper tilted his head, puzzled. He thought for a moment, then looked like something had come to mind.