Chapter 4
Jin So-cheon’s adaptability was exceptional.
It would have been natural for him to be confused by the unfamiliarity of being a ‘reincarnator’ and the sudden existence of his daughter, but he maintained his life attitude of adapting to everything as if it were always meant to be.
However, one thing was clear.
Jin So-cheon was changing.
He took charge of cleaning, cooking, and preparing medicinal herbs at the mountain villa for half of the day, but at dawn, he always headed to a deserted bamboo forest to spend time alone.
A month passed like that.
Then another month.
And yet another month.
On the day it had been three months since he started living with his daughter, So-yun, at the old man’s mountain villa.
‘I finally created the focal point of the Force attribute.’
Jin So-cheon had achieved the feat of improving his sickly body into a physique suitable for martial arts through the Nature Meridian’s energy absorption, which he had diligently practiced every single day for three months.
「To be honest, are you a martial artist? When I first saw you, I thought you were someone who had never learned martial arts, but for the past three months, you’ve changed the very foundation of your body. This is impossible from a medical perspective. It can only be achieved through artificial training. Are you perhaps practicing Demonic Arts or something?」
The old man couldn’t help but be astonished by the changes in Jin So-cheon’s body.
He had known that Jin So-cheon’s body was different from ordinary people, but seeing him change so noticeably made him feel like his lifelong experience was being denied.
However, Jin So-cheon’s answer was brief.
「I hope the day will come when I can tell you my story, but it will probably be difficult. What’s certain is that I have no connection to any factions or gatherings in the martial world right now. Therefore, I am not a martial artist.」
After that, the old man never asked about Jin So-cheon’s past again.
Jin So-cheon also didn’t ask about the identity of the old man who possessed such medical skills yet remained secluded in an unnamed valley in Mount Zhongnan. The two simply remained faithful to their respective roles as the owner of the mountain villa and his servant.
Just like that……
The tranquil time of the three people, the Divine Doctor old man, the hunter Jin So-cheon, and his daughter Jin So-yun, flowed like a gentle stream.
When the snow-covered mountain peaks began to melt gradually, spring arrived in Mount Zhongnan as well.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Grandpa, Grandpa. Let’s go play, let’s go play at the waterfall.”
“So-yun, aren’t you tired? Didn’t you pick herbs all day? How about resting at home now?”
“No, no! I want to play with Grandpa!!”
‘Really……’
I’ve never truly grasped the meaning of the saying”It’s enough to make a ghost cry.”
I’ve never experienced anything particularly shocking in my life, and since my original profession was an assassin, people often saw me as a ghost.
But now, it truly was enough to make a ghost cry.
While living as a servant, I carefully observed the old doctor’s temperament, and he was inherently a ‘cold’ person.
Of course, being cold doesn’t mean he’s cold-blooded or mean.
He used expensive medicinal herbs without hesitation to save me and So-yun, and he’s undoubtedly our benefactor for providing food, clothing, and shelter to us, a father and daughter with nowhere to go.
However, people who are inherently cold like the old doctor don’t easily open their hearts.
I was the same, and my former master, the Cult Leader, was also someone who fell into that category, so I know better than anyone.
But……
“Haha! So-yun, why are you so stubborn? Alright, let’s go to the waterfall with Grandpa. The weather has warmed up, and spring greens are blooming everywhere there, so it would be good to pick some fresh vegetables as well.”
The old doctor was changing.
No.
To be precise, he still had a frosty side towards me, but he treated So-yun with warmth as if she were his own granddaughter.
“Okay! Alright, Grandpa.”
What’s even more absurd is So-yun.
So-yun was so wild and unruly that the word”tomboy”couldn’t even begin to describe her.
Since she had only experienced hardship from the time she was a tiny baby, I thought So-yun would grow up to be a mature and timid child.
But I was wrong.
Winter passed, spring came, and So-yun turned four years old.
Usually, a four-year-old child has a limited vocabulary, a narrow range of thought, and their range of action is inevitably restricted.
But So-yun was on a different level from ordinary four-year-olds.
First of all, she never stopped talking, to the point where it made my ears ring, and her energy level was astounding. She didn’t just toddle around; she was constantly running and jumping as if she were a martial artist performing light-foot techniques.
“Daddy! Daddy, let’s go too! Let’s go to the waterfall with Grandpa!”
“……”
I think I finally understand why raising a child is considered the most difficult thing in the world.
I was ignorant.
I had mastered the classics up to the Book of Poetry and had read countless martial arts manuals in the Demonic Cult’s library, but when it came to ‘parenting,’ I was clueless.
“So-yun, do you want to go with Grandpa just the two of you? Daddy is busy, so……”
“Is Daddy busy?”
“Yes.”
“Is Daddy busy? Then you can’t go with me?!”
So-yun asked, her eyes sparkling like a lake.
To be honest, I was planning to start intensive physical training today, but……
“Ahem! What are you doing? If So-yun wants you to go, you have to go. Tsk tsk, what kind of father are you?”
With the old doctor’s scolding added to the mix, there was no way for me to escape.
“Let’s go, So-yun.”
Before I knew it, I found myself carrying So-yun on my shoulders, a smile creeping onto my face.
“Let’s go! Daddy, let’s go!”
Why is it like this?
It’s a foreign feeling I’ve never experienced in my past life.
Every time, every moment, it’s embarrassing, awkward, and makes me feel flustered.
But I didn’t hate these unfamiliar and strange emotions and the peaceful days.
◈ ◈ ◈
“……”
A couple of months passed again.
It had been a long time since we started living at the mountain villa.
Not long ago, the cold energy that remained in So-yun’s body was completely eradicated by the old doctor’s treatment. As a reincarnator who had lost my martial arts, I started from scratch, training in the Nature Meridian and practicing the Six Harmony Fist and the Three Calamities Sword Technique until my body remembered them.
Naturally, I fell into deep contemplation.
‘How long do I have to stay here?’
To be honest, I have nowhere else to go.
The original Jin So-cheon was an orphan with no friends or relatives, so he didn’t even have a place to stay.
Of course, if it were just me, I wouldn’t mind wandering around and sleeping outdoors.
But So-yun is different, isn’t she?
So-yun still needs a house to shield her from the wind and rain and three meals a day to keep her full.
To do that, I need money.
‘But I’ve never earned money before……’
It’s a difficult situation.
In the Demonic Cult, I could freely use as much money as I wanted.
Now, I’m reduced to worrying about how to make money.
Of course, it wouldn’t be too late to stay at the mountain villa longer and think of a solution.
The old doctor also adores So-yun, so I could tell he wants us to stay.
However……
I have to leave this place someday.
I’m not sure what kind of life I’ll live in the future, but.
Now is the time for me, not as the hunter Jin So-cheon, but as the former assassin Jin So-cheon, to make the minimum preparations to live on my own.
“Sigh……”
Suddenly, I looked up at the night sky.
It was around the Xu Hour (7:00 PM ━ 9:00 PM), and the crickets were chirping, so it seemed that summer was approaching.
For some reason, the moon and stars in the night sky were shining exceptionally brightly tonight.
“Congratulations.”
At that moment.
The old doctor, who had apparently come out of the clinic, approached me and spoke.
“What…… what do you mean?”
“It’s been five months since you started working as a servant at the mountain villa. During that time, you’ve not only cooked meals every morning and evening, dug up and carried herbs like Chinese peony and Ophiopogon japonicus, but you’ve also cleaned the medicine storage and all the clinic rooms. I consider the cost of your treatment paid off. There are no debts between us now.”
“……How can I repay the grace of saving my life with just five months of work as a servant?”
“I never said I wanted you to repay the grace of saving your life. I just meant to cover the cost of medicine and food. And you’ve already done your part diligently.”
The old doctor’s words were somewhat unexpected.
To be honest, it was absurd to think that five months of work as a servant could cover the cost of the medicine the old doctor used on me and So-yun.
I didn’t say it out loud, but I know that the old doctor used 100-year-old mountain ginseng to drive out the cold energy from So-yun’s body.
100-year-old mountain ginseng is a precious medicinal herb that costs at least 100 silver taels per root.
The old doctor never intended to charge us for the medicine from the beginning.
“Sir……”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not telling you to leave.”
“I was just about to talk to you about that.”
“Why? Were you planning to leave?”
“I’m not saying I’ll leave right away. I was thinking of helping you a little longer and repaying your kindness.”
“Forget about the kindness. Didn’t I say? In your current state, it’s impossible for you to repay it no matter what you do. Just be grateful for the rest of your life and carry it as a burden in your heart.”
He’s my benefactor, but.
Sometimes I feel like he’s a really unpleasant old man with the way he talks.
“Alright. However, I can’t stay here forever.”
“Why? Are you thinking of going out into the world and making a name for yourself since you’re still young? Or are you thinking of remarrying?”
“I have no intention of making a name for myself or remarrying. Raising So-yun is enough for me.”
“Haha. I was just joking. But think carefully. Are you planning to wander around the mountains again with that little one on your back and live as a hunter? That would be cruel to the child. But here, there’s no shortage of food, clothing, and shelter for So-yun. Moreover, I’m planning to teach So-yun medicine.”
“……Medicine, you say?”
I asked, my eyes wide with surprise.
Even in my eyes, the old doctor’s medical skills were extraordinary.
Doesn’t the scripture say that one of the great blessings in life is meeting a good teacher?
It would be a s*roke of luck if So-yun could learn medicine from the old doctor.
“Indeed. So-yun is a remarkably bright child. She’ll probably become a famous doctor before she reaches adulthood.”
‘It’s definitely a good thing for So-yun……’
But.
I couldn’t readily answer.
It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with life at the mountain villa, but I can’t live a life of seclusion and leisure here forever.
“Thank you for your words. I truly mean it. It would be a blessing for So-yun to learn medicine from you. However, I don’t think I can do that.”
“Haha. I knew you’d say that.”
“……”
“I know. No matter what kind of life you’ve lived so far, you’ll go out into the world and achieve great things.”
“Sir……”
“I remember how you looked when you first arrived. Even while enduring excruciating pain that hovered between life and death, you picked up an axe and chopped firewood at the mention of paying for your treatment. After that, you never missed a day, training in the same spot every hour of every day.”
“……”
“I’ve never seen anyone with such determination as you. At first, I was astonished by your incredible recovery ability, but later, I was impressed by your tenacity. That’s when I knew. You’re not someone who can stay hidden in the mountains like me.”
“Sir……”
“Leave this place when the sun rises tomorrow.”
“To, tomorrow, you say?”
“I’m also a person with emotions. Living alone in these remote mountains, I’ve come to rely on So-yun. If I get more attached, it’ll be harder to let her go. Please be a good father.”
