The Green Tea Pig Strategy

‘Is he going to push me off a cliff again? Or maybe throw me in front of a wild beast……?’

Seol Ah-heon let out a deep sigh. Even in the midst of such anxiety, the horse’s coat felt soft under his touch. It felt like he was receiving a bit of animal therapy.

“That’s enough.”

If Baek Geon-ha hadn’t intervened, he would have kept stroking the horse forever. But now, it was truly time to say goodbye. Seol Ah-heon patted the animal and gave his farewell.

“Live well. Eat lots of delicious things.”

He turned away, leaving behind the horse that was puffing out its breath.

From now on, he had to run on his own two feet. He had done it once before, so surely he could do it again—but he knew it would be deathly exhausting. Just as he was bracing himself—

“Take this.”

Baek Geon-ha tossed his travel pack over. Catching it, Seol Ah-heon staggered for a moment. It was surprisingly heavy, as if it were filled with iron blocks.

“Ilyeong. You too.”

Mu Ilyeong handed his bundle to Seol Ah-heon as well. Suddenly saddled with the luggage of both men, Seol Ah-heon was seized by an ominous feeling. He had been uneasy until a moment ago, but now, it felt as if misfortune had taken a concrete shape and was striding right toward him.

“Carry them well and follow me. If you lose even one item, I will punish you.”

“Pardon?”

Baek Geon-ha said no more and started walking. Perhaps because they were still inside the village, he didn’t use a specialized movement technique, but his walking speed was significantly faster than an ordinary person’s.

Left with no choice, Seol Ah-heon hoisted the luggage and followed. The weight felt as if it were crushing his shoulders. Unfortunately for him, the real ordeal was only just beginning.

********************************************************

‘Am I a horse? Am I a horse?!’

While running along the mountain paths carrying luggage for three people, Seol Ah-heon swallowed back tears. Even if you treated an actual horse like this, it would be considered animal abuse.

Where in the world was it written that a person should run indefinitely while carrying at least 50kg of weight?

If the pace were slow, it might be one thing, but Baek Geon-ha was fast as the wind. He didn’t have a fingernail’s worth of consideration for Seol Ah-heon and his heavy burden. Then again, a man with any sense of consideration wouldn’t have dumped all the luggage on him in the first place.

“Wheeze, wheeze……!”

His vision began to tilt and blur. It was impossible to keep running like this. Even if it meant getting scolded severely by Baek Geon-ha later, Seol Ah-heon couldn’t take another step.

[Try falling behind if you dare. I’ll make you carry Mu Ilyeong on your back as well.]

At that moment, a telepathic message struck Seol Ah-heon like a whip.

His mind snapped into focus. He was already struggling this much; carrying Mu Ilyeong too? Even with a well-trained martial artist’s body, that would be impossible. He might manage to pick him up, but how could he possibly maintain this speed?

Moreover, the mental agony of carrying Mu Ilyeong would be immense. Of course, Mu Ilyeong probably didn’t want to be carried by him either, but Seol Ah-heon didn’t care about his feelings.

‘That must never happen!’

Baek Geon-ha was not the type to make idle threats. He was exactly the kind of man who would actually strap Mu Ilyeong to his back. Seol Ah-heon grit his teeth and ran. He had to keep up with Baek Geon-ha at any cost.

“Uaaaaaa……!”

Between his slightly parted lips, a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a battle cry escaped.

Hearing this, Baek Geon-ha let out a smirk. It seemed the boy still had strength left; they could run a bit further. Immediately, Baek Geon-ha’s figure shot forward like an arrow. It was only natural that Seol Ah-heon, trailing behind, felt utterly despondent.

**********************************************************

“Kh…….”

Finally, a break was granted. Seol Ah-heon collapsed with a painful groan. He didn’t have the strength to move a single finger, so he remained sprawled on the ground with the luggage still on his back.

“Weak.”

The tone, which sounded genuinely pitying, made his temper flare. Perhaps this was all part of Baek Geon-ha’s master plan? Intending to build up his strength in this cruel way.

Regardless of the motive, Seol Ah-heon was beyond exhausted. He felt as if his body were made of tattered rags. He desperately wanted to rest, but the wicked Baek Geon-ha wouldn’t leave him be.

“What are you doing? I take it you’re still feeling alive enough to lounge around?”

The sarcastic retort of ‘Do I look alive to you?’ nearly climbed up his throat, but Seol Ah-heon answered calmly.

“No, I feel like I’m dying.”

“Stop exaggerating.”

“I mean it. I’m on the verge of death.”

He finally snapped. However, the response that followed made Seol Ah-heon instantly regain his politeness.

“Verge of death? In my line of work, I’ve seen many people truly on the verge of death. Compared to them, you aren’t even within a hundred steps of it.”

“Y-y-you’re right…….”

If he pushed back here, the only answer he’d get would be, ‘Oh really? Then shall we experiment with your body?’ The sorrow of the weak pierced his heart. Seol Ah-heon gloomily sat up.

He put down the luggage and crossed his legs. He intended to perform Un-gi-jo-sik (breathing exercises to circulate internal energy). Just as he closed his eyelids, someone tapped his back.

“Hah!”

Startled, Seol Ah-heon snapped his eyes open. During meditation, one is in a defenseless state, so even a small stimulus can cause a major shock. It was common sense in the Murim world that you never touch someone who is circulating their energy.

There was no way Baek Geon-ha didn’t know this. Even if he hadn’t fully started the process yet, he didn’t appreciate the interruption. Looking back, it was, as expected, Baek Geon-ha. Seol Ah-heon suppressed his irritation and spoke.

“What is it?”

“From the looks of it, you haven’t fully absorbed the Soul-Freezing Pill.”

For once, Baek Geon-ha’s aura was serious. Seol Ah-heon softened his resentment slightly and replied.

“But I definitely swallowed it whole……?”

“Do you think eating it is everything? You have to absorb it properly.”

“…….”

That was true. Seol Ah-heon had worried about this based on what he had read in Wuxia novels. He had once asked himself, ‘Can I really handle the power of the Soul-Freezing Pill?’

The answer from the Frost-Blood Demonic Empress back then was clear:

‘Who else but you, who has mastered the Frost-White Divine Art, could possibly take the Soul-Freezing Pill? I will help you, so do not worry.’

The Empress had indeed done her best. He had been too out of it to realize at the time, but she had aided his meditation and even transferred some of her own internal energy. She had given everything a master could give a disciple.

But was even that not enough?

“Then what should I do?”

“Absorb the remaining energy scattered in your auxiliary meridians.”

“……There’s such a thing in my auxiliary meridians?”

It hadn’t been long since Seol Ah-heon had even learned to feel his pressure points. To hear about auxiliary meridians left him bewildered, as if he were listening to someone else’s story.

‘Wait, how does Baek Geon-ha know something even I don’t know?’

Even with a high level of cultivation, it wasn’t like he could see through someone else’s body like an X-ray. He didn’t necessarily doubt Baek Geon-ha, but he was curious.

“Young Leader, how do you know this?”

“Because we shared our bodies.”

He shouldn’t have asked. Startled, Seol Ah-heon’s eyes darted toward Mu Ilyeong.

‘He must have heard that, right?’

Unless he was plugging his ears, he obviously did. Uaaagh! Seol Ah-heon screamed internally. Having a third party know about his private affairs was deeply embarrassing. Of course, Mu Ilyeong likely knew what had happened between him and Baek Geon-ha, but hearing it mentioned so directly was another matter.

“C-can you normally tell those things through that?”

“Because I performed the Yin-Harvesting Art.”

That damn Yin-Harvesting Art was always the issue. Or should he be thankful for it this time? Because of it, Baek Geon-ha had discovered that he hadn’t fully absorbed the Soul-Freezing Pill. Seol Ah-heon rubbed his beet-red face.

“Thank you for letting me know. I will try my best to absorb the remaining energy of the pill.”

“How?”

“By working hard at my meditation…….”

“Are you saying you haven’t been working hard until now?”

“……It’s not that, but…….”

Something was strange. It was normal for Baek Geon-ha to be uncomfortably interrogative, but today was different. It didn’t seem like he was just trying to pick a fight.

Baek Geon-ha was serious in a way he hadn’t been before. A heavy dignity radiated from his face, now devoid of its usual mockery. Seol Ah-heon unconsciously straightened his posture.

“Seol Ah-heon.”

“Yes.”

“You lack the knack for it. At this rate, you could work hard for a hundred days and still be in the same spot.”

“…….”

“So, I will teach you the knack.”

Seol Ah-heon’s eyes widened. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Baek Geon-ha had been sarcastic, bullied him, or insulted him. But the man seemed sincere. He truly intended to train him.

“May I ask why?”

He should have thanked him first, but he couldn’t help asking. While Seol Ah-heon might not be a genius, he wasn’t stupid enough to blindly accept Baek Geon-ha’s goodwill.

“It’s simple. Because I need to receive Yin energy from you.”

“…….”

“The purer and stronger your Yin energy, the more it benefits me, does it not?”

In that moment, he was reminded of a Korean BBQ place near his university. That restaurant was famous for only serving pigs that had been fed green tea. It was delicious but expensive; his classmates used to joke, ‘Why do we have to pay for the green tea the pig ate?’

‘I’m not a pig raised on green tea…… I’m a human being raised on the Soul-Freezing Pill!’

There was a difference between being fed and having eaten it yourself, but the conclusion was the same. Raising livestock on special feed to make them tastier for consumption.

The problem was that the method of “consumption” was truly scandalous. Remembering the pain of that night, Seol Ah-heon couldn’t help but blurt out:

“Are you going to use the Yin-Harvesting Art again?!”