When many people hear “the heir of the Hwanggeum Family,” they look on with envy.
They expect a life without worries, doing whatever they desire, and then passing away in a golden burial robe, blessed until the very end.
But what was the reality of the Hwanggeum Family? From the moment of birth, I had to live under suffocating surveillance.
“Our youngest must have eaten rat poison or something.”
There was a reason why Geumhwacheong clicked his tongue like that, and why Geumwolsang and Geumsurin’s eyes widened in shock.
We were currently under a watchful eye, suspected of betrayal by the entire martial world.
With no power to protect ourselves, our only crime was having wealth.
Some might ask, “If you have money, why not convert it into power?”
But the Murim Alliance was firmly the pillar of the Jeongpa, and it was impossible to grow one’s strength while being monitored by traditional Munpa.
To put it simply, we were just a flashy dog meat bone.
This truth was known not only to my brothers but also to our servants. That was why we lived in constant fear.
And my Nechonggwan was the manager of the spies who kept us under control.
In other words, he was a front man. The Chonggwan furrowed his brows as fiercely as he could.
“Master, you’re clearly out of your depth.”
“Trying to act like the master now, are you?”
“Here in the Hwanggeum Family?”
Though my Nechonggwan sneered, I kept silent.
“Master, this matter will be reported directly to the Elderly Council to determine the level of punishment.”
He said this and stomped into the back room, seething with anger.
Geumhwacheong shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t think of it so cruelly. It’s just education from your elder brother. I’ve been there too—suddenly feeling angry. I never chose to be born here, so I understand why you feel trapped and frustrated under this constant surveillance. But people have shackles, and those shackles aren’t something one can break free from just by struggling alone.”
“Brother, may I ask just one question?”
Geumhwacheong’s eyes widened at my words.
“What? You want to fight with pride over struggling?”
“No. I’m asking if you’ve ever thought about the end of those shackles.”
At my question, Geumhwacheong, and even everyone else, fell silent. It seemed that such heavy thoughts were strange for someone as young as twelve.
Still, it was fine. I wasn’t looking for an answer—I just wanted to eat the food laid before me.
As expected of a wealthy family, the dishes were all exceptional.
My eyes caught the Ma Cheongsangsu—a dish of stir-fried dangmyeon (glass noodles) with finely shredded beef. My appetite immediately awakened like a hunting hound’s.
Soon the savory taste of the beef mixed with the tender dangmyeon, and the spicy Sichuan seasoning rose in my mouth. It had been a long time since I’d had such a proper meal.
“This is delicious. Please, have some.”
I savored the food slowly, choosing to ignore the astonished gazes of my brothers.
***
In front of Okmyogak.
I stood at the main gate of Okmyogak, facing my Chonggwan. Around us were servants making rounds, watching me just as I was watching them.
My Chonggwan unfolded two red silk curtains—those used only in Geumjeongwon, where the Elders of the Hwanggeum Family gathered.
The scarlet carpet and the golden embroidery on the edges were so lavish that commoners could live off the price of these curtains for a month.
“Order a five-day house arrest for the Fourth Master for violating the dignity maintenance regulations. Geumjeonggak.”
My Chonggwan spoke as solemnly and quietly as possible. The servants encircling us looked envious and somewhat smug.
At that moment, I was handed a brown pouch. Shaking it, I found it contained Byeokgokdan. It meant that during my house arrest, I wouldn’t even be given food.
I accepted the pouch and immediately entered Okmyogak. The servants inside vacated their spots. They said that if servants stayed, the severity of the punishment would be lessened.
Though I had never struck anyone in my past life, I remembered receiving house arrest for unauthorized leaving. That was the hardest time of my life.
“Do you have any questions or objections?”
My Chonggwan asked.
I shook my head.
“No.”
Then Okmyogak’s doors were locked behind me.
Five days were given. A short time.
***
Geumjeongwon.
Located in the most prestigious spot on the vast land of the Hwanggeum Family, this place was more splendid than even some royal palaces.
The only stairway, known as Geonbulro, was nearly five hundred cheok tall and wide. Ornamental plants of noble families were densely planted on either side.
The building was so luxurious that it could easily host discussions not only about family matters but also about the central plains and the martial world at large.
“Rumor has it that Chok Choksu has appeared here?”
“From now on, we might have to lay at least three traps for you.”
But inside Geumjeongwon, things were far from peaceful—bordering on chaotic.
The Elders were mostly retired Muin. Most of them didn’t get involved in the family’s internal affairs; they simply guarded their seats and received a monthly stipend of two hundred silver taels.
Some Elders were loyal to the Hwanggeum Family, but most were outsiders brought in by prestigious Munpa to keep watch over the family.
“Do you think it’s alright to just lounge around here and collect money?”
“Well, isn’t that what the Hwanggeum Family has always been? The family is basically protected by the Central Plains, so it’s more like a minimal social contribution.”
“That’s true.”
For retired Muin, becoming an Elder of the Hwanggeum Family was a blessing.
No work, steady income. Though, naturally, you had to have made a considerable name for yourself when active.
Most Elders stayed in the family as a form of retirement, but some were exceptions.
One such was Elder Lee Cheongmyeong, who was reporting from the corner.
Lee Cheongmyeong had retired three years ago from the Murim Alliance’s Training Command. He was the loudest voice demanding punishment for Gold-necked Hwan.
“How was the Fourth? I would’ve thought he’d resist, shout, and make a scene.”
“No, he entered quietly.”
Lee Cheongmyeong sneered slightly as he reported.
He prided himself on knowing the number of spoons in the Hwanggeum Family. A true strategist, he had analyzed every piece of information related to the family.
Among all the information, the most sensitive concerned the direct descendants—since they were the biggest obstacles to controlling the Hwanggeum Family.
“Is that so? Something feels off.”
People don’t change easily. According to Lee Cheongmyeong, the least threatening of the children was the Fourth. Gold-necked Hwan never showed any greed and ignored being treated as nothing by servants.
But to see that person suddenly hitting a servant’s face one morning and acting boldly was hard to understand.
“For now, we need to strengthen his house arrest in Okmyogak.”
Of course, Lee Cheongmyeong wasn’t the only one intent on bringing down the Hwanggeum Family. The room was filled with generals and Munpa representatives. He knew of over thirty organizations within the Hwanggeum Family.
“We can’t let this plan be derailed.”
Though uneasy, Lee Cheongmyeong shook off his doubts. They were ahead of anyone else when it came to dismantling the Hwanggeum Family.
***
The first thing I did after the doors of Okmyogak closed behind me was to lower every Juyeom (beaded curtain) on the windows.
Even though it was just mid-morning, blocking out all sunlight plunged the entire building into darkness.
It might seem suspicious, but anyone who thought that way was already inside here. Many of the servants were spies dispatched by the Elders.
More important was understanding my current situation.
I pressed my palm to the smooth floor, closed my eyes, and let my Qi flow through Baekhyehyeol, the center of Jeongsuri.
“Thank goodness.”
The ability I had gained in my past life was still alive.
This ability was closer to a cursed fate than a fortunate encounter. After all, it was acquired after being confined underground for years.
My ability was born at a limit—a point when I was mentally broken rather than physically. The Sangdanjeon had opened then. It probably happened because extreme physical pain and exhaustion made my spirit awaken.
“When it first opened, I thought this might be the way I’d end.”
No matter how ignorant I was of Mugong, I understood the basics. The Sangdanjeon opened when you connect the Imdokyangmaek and understand the Ohaeng contained in your internal power.
Therefore, the Sangdanjeon opening meant you were an extremely powerful expert.
If a person who hadn’t learned Mugong opened the Sangdanjeon, it meant they were genuine Jin-in who had poured decades into alchemy. They’d faint just by seeing me.
But nothing changed just because the Sangdanjeon opened. I was neither a prodigy nor a saint, nor a Mugokseong, the supreme Mugong master.
The Sangdanjeon was separate from Mugong—it was simply an enlightenment about the principle behind things.
The change in me was an ultra-sensitive perception where truth and falsehood, essence and appearance, naturally blended together.
Yet instead of using this to escape, I only perfected the art of self-deception.
“What should I do now?”
To my knowledge, no one had ever cultivated Mugong with the Sangdanjeon already opened.
Usually, children are born with Baekhyehyeol open but it soon closes. If it stays open, the child can’t absorb Qi properly and becomes mentally unstable.
That meant I was an impossible human being.
Hoo.
I took a deep breath, feeling a mix of excitement and fear as I examined my Hadanjeon. It was a blank slate—no internal power accumulated.
From now on, I had to make a choice.
Still, this was from the cursed fate etched into my terrible memories.
I wasn’t alone in prison all this time.
The only pleasant days during ten years of confinement were a fortnight when another person was imprisoned in the same cell.
One person—a middle-aged man in a dark robe. After a few conversations, he kept muttering to himself.
“Your head looks pretty abnormal. No wonder you’re confined here.”
“If a person like you didn’t join the Majyo but studied Jeongpa Mugong…”
After days of discussion, the man in the dark robe finally said:
“Have you ever heard of Taeeul Shingong?”
My first fateful encounter was in that hellish past.