The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything Chapter 23

 Step. Step.

In the silence that had fallen over the training ground, only one man’s footsteps could be heard.

Wang Geum-san walked forward with his shoulders held proudly upright, showing no hesitation even before Gye Yeon-seok, whom the Taeul Sect found so difficult to deal with.

“Since I have interfered with an important matter of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, must I compensate you for it?”

At Wang Geum-san’s words, Gye Yeon-seok’s teeth began to chatter.

“Th-that is……”

Before he could finish, Wang Geum-san cut him off.

“More importantly, since when did the Gyeryong Merchant Guild become bold enough to look down upon the Wang Estate?”

“N-no! Look down upon you? I would never dare!”

Gye Yeon-seok flinched violently and bowed deeply at the waist.

“I came here today to meet my benefactors, but watching you disgrace yourself has left me in a rather unpleasant mood.”

“Pardon? B-benefactors……?”

Instead of answering, Wang Geum-san swept his gaze across the warriors Gye Yeon-seok had brought with him.

“Leave now. Before my mood worsens further.”

“……”

Gye Yeon-seok seemed to have lost the ability to think.

He stammered wordlessly for a moment, then hurriedly led the Gyeryong Merchant Guild’s warriors away.

Gye Cheol-yeong, who had looked so triumphant only moments earlier, glanced around helplessly before following his father.

Hong Mun-gi, who had suddenly found himself receiving Wang Geum-san as a guest, remained completely bewildered.

“……So-un rescued Master Wang’s daughter?”

Unable to believe what he had heard, Hong Mun-gi asked again.

Wang Geum-san nodded with a gentle smile.

Hong Mun-gi had also heard of Wang So-so’s disappearance.

Golden King Wang Geum-san held nearly all commercial rights in Anhui—no, throughout Jiangdong—in the palm of his hand.

Even though Hong Mun-gi kept his distance from worldly affairs, rumors that Wang Geum-san’s precious only daughter had vanished had reached his ears countless times.

And the person who had rescued her was So-un.

“Come to think of it……”

He remembered how So-un had suddenly entered the Great Mysterious Hall several days earlier and asked for tea.

Could the child he had mentioned saving at the time have been……

“It appears that child was my daughter.”

“……”

Hong Mun-gi’s mouth fell open.

Kidnappings often occurred among slash-and-burn farmers and nomads who lived beyond the protection of established villages.

He had assumed So-un had rescued a child from one of those poor families.

“In truth, that was what surprised me most.”

Wang Geum-san continued.

“There was hardly anyone in Anhui who had not heard of my daughter’s disappearance. Yet he simply brought her back to the Wang Estate and left.”

“He simply left her there?”

The moment Hong Mun-gi heard that, his mind suddenly cleared.

So-un had spoken of rescuing Wang So-so as though it were nothing important.

He had also left without asking for recognition or compensation.

Those two things now fit together perfectly.

“……So that was why.”

“Do you understand something?”

“No. I merely believe I understand that child’s thoughts a little better.”

A hint of surprise appeared on Wang Geum-san’s face.

“So-un likely did not believe his actions deserved any special meaning.”

“He did not?”

“If he believed rescuing your daughter was especially meaningful, would that not imply that rescuing the child of a poor household held less meaning?”

If he demanded compensation for saving Wang So-so, then he would have to expect the same for saving a child whose family possessed nothing.

“The Taeul Sect does not teach its disciples to think that way.”

Wang Geum-san seemed moved by his words and slowly nodded.

“May I meet that child?”

A feast was held at the Taeul Sect using the gifts Wang Geum-san had brought.

There were precious fabrics, ornaments, and all manner of luxurious goods.

One cart was piled high with grain, while another carried several sealed boxes whose contents remained unknown.

‘He is far more generous than I expected.’

One look at Father was enough to tell me how much wealth Wang Geum-san had brought.

His brow had never known a peaceful day because of the sect’s financial troubles, yet now the corners of his mouth kept twitching upward.

“The Estate Master would like to speak with you for a moment.”

A man who seemed to hold a high position within Wang Geum-san’s party guided me politely.

He led me to the same detached residence where Namgung San had stayed.

“It is good to see you.”

The moment I entered, I sensed faint traces of people hidden throughout the residence.

‘A concealment art?’

Perhaps my senses had sharpened after reaching one cycle of internal energy.

Or perhaps even Wang Geum-san’s wealth had been unable to hire guards skilled enough to hide from me completely.

Either way, their presence was surprisingly clear.

It was the first time I had ever sensed concealed people so distinctly.

When I glanced toward one corner of the ceiling, Wang Geum-san’s expression changed subtly.

“Can you sense them?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Did you not just notice someone hiding there?”

“Ah…… Yes.”

“Huhut!”

Wang Geum-san let out a hearty laugh.

At the same time, the hidden presences became more obvious.

Their breathing had grown uneven.

“The truth is, the kidnappers took So-so while avoiding those men.”

He paused and corrected himself.

“Actually, it would be more accurate to say they ignored them entirely.”

There was a saying in Jianghu that martial arts could compensate for a lack of skill.

There was another saying that someone who dug deeply enough into a single path would eventually understand the paths branching from it.

It seemed the Namgung Clan’s elites had found it easy to bypass guards trained only to protect their master.

“A young man not yet twenty defeated people skilled enough to slip past those guards and rescued my daughter.”

Wang Geum-san studied me closely.

“To be honest, it is difficult to believe.”

He released neither fighting spirit nor killing intent.

Even so, the experience accumulated over his long life pressed down on me just as heavily.

“Furthermore, you claim you encountered them by coincidence, rescued her, and then simply left.”

His gaze sharpened.

“That is even more difficult to believe.”

It seemed my actions, which made no sense to him, had only led him toward a different misunderstanding.

“I apologize if my actions caused you to misunderstand.”

“No, no.”

Wang Geum-san shook his head.

“For the first time in quite a while, I felt proud of another person.”

His smile faded.

“Of course, that is only if this truly is a misunderstanding.”

A clear chill entered his voice.

It seemed this incident had damaged his ability to trust others.

In truth, I could hardly blame him for being suspicious.

Without my intervention, he would never have seen Wang So-so alive again.

Even so, being treated like a suspect was not pleasant, and my own voice gradually cooled.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I investigated you thoroughly.”

Wang Geum-san looked directly at me.

“But in the end, I discovered nothing.”

Of course he had not.

In my previous life, I had been a simple man whose thoughts were painfully easy to read.

“So if there is something you are hiding from me, I would like you to tell me.”

His tone remained firm.

“I will compensate you properly for the discourtesy of asking.”

“I do not know what might ease the heart of a wounded man.”

I met his gaze.

“What are you most curious about?”

Wang Geum-san’s expression did not waver.

“First, I want to know why you did not return to the Wang Estate with my daughter.”

To him, my decision to walk away from an enormous reward seemed impossible to understand.

“First, because I could not explain the full circumstances of what happened.”

His suspicion only deepened.

“I had already been following the kidnappers for three days when I rescued your daughter.”

I continued calmly.

“By then, her condition had become extremely serious. They were about to kill her to silence her, so I had no choice but to act immediately. There was no time to inform anyone.”

“……Ahem.”

No matter how strong-hearted a man might be, it was difficult to remain calm after hearing that his child had nearly been murdered.

“Second, because the reward would have been too great.”

“You hid what you had done because of the reward?”

The enormous reward Wang Geum-san might give me sounded appealing at first.

But if I lacked the strength to protect that wealth, it would become a disaster rather than a blessing.

“Third, because saving Wang So-so was simply an act based on a personal vow.”

“What vow?”

“To never turn a blind eye to injustice.”

To be precise, it was to never overlook someone who committed injustice against me.

In any case, what I needed was a sponsor powerful enough to separate the Taeul Sect from the Gyeryong Merchant Guild.

It did not particularly matter who that sponsor was.

I had chosen to save Wang So-so only because her kidnapping was connected to my personal grudge against Namgung Sang-won.

Moreover, I now possessed the Seven-Colored Jewel I had obtained from Namgung San.

The Wang Estate was no longer my only option.

“The gifts you brought today have already exceeded the compensation I desired. There is no need for you to seek me out any further.”

“Were you offended?”

“If an act of kindness is repaid with suspicion, who would willingly perform another?”

I looked directly at him.

“I do not wish to become someone who hesitates before helping others. Therefore, I have no desire to continue this relationship with you, Estate Master.”

Wang Geum-san had spent his entire life pursuing profit and had risen to the very peak of the merchant world.

I understood how little faith such a man might place in others.

But that was his position.

My mood had been soured because of his suspicion, and that was mine.

I rose and offered him a polite clasped-hands greeting.

Then, just as I turned to leave—

Thud.

My mouth fell open at what he did.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

The men hiding above us immediately revealed themselves.

With their master kneeling and bowing, they could hardly remain concealed.

“Please forgive me for failing to recognize a benefactor sent by heaven and greeting you with suspicion.”

Wang Geum-san bowed deeply.

“You saved my precious daughter. I will carve that grace into my bones and offer my gratitude every morning for the rest of my life.”

“Please forgive us!”

The guards all bowed with him, leaving me completely bewildered.

Who was this man?

He was a great merchant capable of piling mountains of gold before him, a man responsible for the livelihoods of countless people.

Even the highest nobles in Beijing could not treat him carelessly.

Yet he was now kneeling and bowing before me.

I hurried over and tried to pull him upright.

“Please do not do this. How can someone of your position bow to a mere warrior?”

“First, you saved my daughter.”

Wang Geum-san did not move.

“Second, by saving her, you saved me. You also saved my household and every family that depends upon it.”

He raised his head.

“How could I possibly refuse to bow before you?”

I could not forcefully lift a man who refused to budge.

In the end, I could only nod.

“I understand, so please stand. Someone may see us.”

“Does that mean you forgive me?”

“Yes, I understand. Now please get up.”

Wang Geum-san finally rose and returned to his seat, a bright smile spreading across his face.

He had not become a great figure of the merchant world by accident.

This man truly knew how to manipulate people.

“Thank you.”

“Please stop speaking so respectfully. If you continue, I truly will leave.”

“Ahem. I apologize.”

Wang Geum-san composed himself.

“No matter how much I considered it, I needed something I could trust. There were too many things I could not understand, even after investigating as far as I could. That was why I behaved so rudely.”

He lowered his head slightly.

“I apologize once again.”

“I understand. Please stop now.”

The overwhelming air that had made him seem impossible to approach disappeared.

All that remained was a strange expression in which exhaustion and relief were mixed together.

Wang Geum-san turned toward the hidden guards.

“Please leave us for a moment.”

“Yes.”

The guards vanished like ghosts.

A moment later, I could no longer sense their presence anywhere on the ceiling or within the building.

“May I ask you one thing?”

“This is about the medicine, is it not?”

There could only be one reason he had gone so far to test my intentions.

The medicine I had given Wang So-so.

If that medicine had not existed, he would not have needed to learn what kind of person I was.

Even if I had been involved in the kidnapping, he could have watched me over time until my true intentions revealed themselves.

“Oh. I heard you possessed a clever mind, and it seems the rumors were true.”

“My memory is merely better than necessary.”

“That medicine…… What exactly is it?”

Wang Geum-san’s expression grew serious.

“So-so’s physicians cannot identify it. They are especially concerned about the poisonous herbs used to make it. They say there is a risk of poisoning.”

He sighed.

“But So-so insists that she will continue taking it even if it kills her.”

Before parting with Wang So-so, I had written down the method for preparing the pills she needed to take every day.

As long as she took one pill each day for the rest of her life, she would no longer suffer from the Solar Body.

Naturally, she would never want to give it up.

“It is true that the medicine contains poisonous herbs. The risk of poisoning must also be considered.”

“……Then is it not dangerous?”

“That is why I taught her the Taeul Heart Method. Its qi can neutralize the poison left inside her body.”

I continued,

“A more advanced cultivation method would have been preferable, but the situation was urgent, and the Taeul Heart Method was the only one available to me.”

“Then……”

Wang Geum-san leaned forward.

“If she continues taking that medicine and practices only the Taeul Heart Method, she will remain healthy for the rest of her life?”

“She has already begun practicing the Taeul Heart Method, so she will no longer be able to learn another internal cultivation method.”

I lowered my head slightly.

“Although I obtained your daughter’s permission beforehand, I apologize for making that decision without consulting you.”

“No, that is not what I am asking.”

Wang Geum-san waved his hands impatiently.

“How much longer will she live if she continues taking the medicine?”

The pill was not some spiritual medicine that increased one’s lifespan.

How could I possibly answer such a question?

“I am not a fortune-teller. How would I know someone’s natural lifespan?”

Wang Geum-san’s eyes widened like bells.

“Then…… she can live out her natural life?”

“If she avoids any serious illness or accident, I suppose she can.”

“How did you learn such a method of preparing medicine?”

I needed to embellish the truth slightly.

I could hardly tell him that it came from a confidential document stored within Mantongbu.

“Several years ago, I was bitten by a venomous snake in the mountains and nearly died.”

I continued calmly.

“An old man saved me by treating the venom with poisonous herbs. His knowledge of medicine was so extraordinary that I persistently followed him until he finally taught me several methods of preparing medicines.”

“He treated venom using other poisons?”

I explained part of the method of fighting poison with poison recorded in the Secret Record of Ten Thousand Herbs.

Wang Geum-san remained deep in thought for a long while before speaking.

“You encountered a fortuitous opportunity.”

“A fortuitous opportunity?”

“Yes. Throughout history, the only person known to neutralize poison with poison was the former Divine Physician of Life and Death.”

His eyes shone with realization.

“His death was never publicly confirmed, so I believed his true teachings had disappeared. To think such a connection still remained.”

Because of his daughter’s condition, Wang Geum-san had accumulated an enormous amount of medical knowledge.

Thanks to that, my explanation passed without difficulty.

Then, without warning, Wang Geum-san seized my hand and lowered his head.

“Thank you.”

“If you say that again, calluses will start growing inside my ears.”

Warm drops fell onto the back of my hand.

“I will pray for you every morning when I awaken.”

His voice trembled.

“And I will never forget this grace until the day I die.”

As his tears fell onto my hand, the resentment I had felt toward him slowly melted away.

In the end, it was decided that Wang So-so would enter the Taeul Sect.

Considering what she had recently endured, one might have expected Wang Geum-san to be cautious.

However, Wang So-so insisted so strongly that even he did not seem willing to stop her.

Instead, he carefully asked whether several escort warriors might accompany her.

Since the Gyeryong Merchant Guild had already placed one of its Hall Masters in Busaeng Hall as an instructor, the Taeul Sect’s Hall Masters agreed that a few guards were hardly worth objecting to.

The man who had first guided me to Wang Geum-san later called me aside.

He introduced himself as the chief steward of the Wang Estate.

After Wang Geum-san returned, the steward had moved all the mysterious boxes from the second cart into the detached residence.

“What is all this?”

“These are gifts the Estate Master has prepared for you, Young Master.”

“……?”

The gifts he had already brought for the Taeul Sect were enormous, and he had even promised continued financial support.

Yet there were still more?

The chief steward first presented a long box with an elegant, antique appearance.

“This is one of the most valuable treasures in the Estate Master’s collection. It is called the Black Dragon Sword.”

Inside lay a sword that was entirely jet-black, from the blade to the hilt.

“Hah……”

The flawless blade and the hilt, shaped like two dragons coiling toward the heavens, made it appear more like a work of art than a weapon.

“The hilt and scabbard were forged from black iron, while the blade was made from Diamond Indestructible Iron. Its edge will not be damaged even if it clashes with a divine weapon or treasured blade.”

Not a single ornament decorated it.

In that sense, the sword looked utterly plain.

Yet it possessed a strange, almost demonic beauty that drew in the eye and refused to let go.

While I stared at the sword, the chief steward opened the next box.

“This is the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe, made using a special crafting method passed down through the Wang Estate for generations.”

The close-fitting robe was unlike anything I had seen before.

It seemed perfectly suited to martial artists, who could wear it beneath their clothes without restricting their movements.

“It is woven by twisting together Heavenly Silkworm Thread, Diamond Thread, and Silver Thread. It is elastic, does not hinder movement, and possesses extraordinary defensive power.”

The chief steward continued explaining with growing excitement.

“The Murim Alliance has attempted to purchase these robes several times. However, because only a small number can be produced, the Wang Estate has always refused.”

“If it is that valuable, should the Estate Master or Lady So-so not use it themselves?”

“Ah, of course. Both of them already wear one.”

He smiled.

“They are extremely difficult to make, so the Wang Estate produces them whenever enough materials are gathered. This year, for the first time, every member of the main household received one. This was the only robe remaining, so the Estate Master decided to give it to you.”

As chief steward, he should have been responsible for managing much of the Wang Estate’s wealth.

It felt strange seeing such a man speak so happily while giving away priceless treasures.

Perhaps noticing my puzzled expression, the chief steward scratched his wrinkled cheek.

“You likely do not understand how grateful we truly are.”

“……No. I believe I understand well enough.”

“The Estate Master lost both his parents when he was young, and his wife passed away while giving birth to Lady So-so.”

His expression softened.

“To him, Lady So-so is his only remaining family. That is why she is more precious to him than anything else.”

Compared to Gye Yeon-seok, who had five wives and concubines altogether, the contrast was striking.

“When the young lady disappeared, we prepared for war.”

The chief steward’s voice grew heavy.

“The Estate Master intended to commission assassinations against three sects at once. He had already begun liquidating the family’s fortune to pay for it.”

“……”

“If that had happened, the Wang Estate itself might not have survived. Neither would the countless families who depend upon it.”

He looked at me with eyes filled with sincere gratitude.

“Young Master, you did not save only Lady So-so. You saved tens of thousands of people.”

“……”

“The Estate Master said that if you ever require assistance, you need only ask. And if speaking to him directly feels uncomfortable, you may come to me instead.”

“Haha…… These gifts are truly wonderful, but they are also rather overwhelming.”

“There is no need to feel burdened. Every one of us believes we owe you our lives.”

“I understand. But if you continue, I will become too embarrassed to remain here, so please stop.”

I turned toward the remaining boxes.

“What is inside those? Did you empty the Estate Master’s entire treasury?”

There were still five boxes left.

“No. We merely brought items the young lady no longer requires.”

“Items she no longer requires?”

The moment he opened the first box, cold energy spilled out as though I had stepped into an ice storehouse.

“They say that is the inner core of a Snow Carp.”

Clack!

I slammed the lid shut in shock.

“Then what is in this one?”

“A Snow Lotus Seed. I heard the Dragon-Slaying Escort Agency endured considerable hardship in the Northern Sea to obtain it.”

Inside the box lay a lotus seed radiating pale-blue cold qi.

Wang So-so had said she had spent her life inside a room as cold as an ice storehouse.

It seemed that room had been created using treasures and spiritual medicines like these, all of which released powerful cold energy.

“Then all the remaining boxes contain……”

The chief steward smiled warmly, just like Wang Geum-san.

“Yes.”

Long live the rich.