By Zephyria 
“Eeeek!”
Seong Mu-yeon let out a shrill scream.
Boys and girls, big and small, wearing animal masks, were surrounding his bed, staring intently at his sleeping face.
“I told you not to do that!”
Seong Mu-yeon shouted, and the unique animal masks scattered in a flurry.
Seong Mu-yeon clutched his pounding heart and panted for a long time. He almost bid farewell to the world due to a heart attack.
‘Why are they doing this, really…….’
Seong Mu-yeon grumbled inwardly and flung open the window. Before his eyes, a lush green forest, brimming with vibrant life, unfolded. He took a deep breath, and the scent of grass, laden with morning dew, filled his lungs.
Seong Mu-yeon roughly rubbed the sleep from his eyes and changed his clothes. Then, he glared at the mask quietly resting on the bedside table.
“…….”
It was a badger-shaped mask carved from wood. Seong Mu-yeon sighed deeply and picked up the mask.
‘Why me.’
With an unwilling expression, he put the mask on his face. It was a rule he had to follow to live here.
The kitchen was bustling with meal preparations.
“You’re awake. Go and wake Yakseon Daein…….”
As Seong Mu-yeon appeared, a servant wearing an owl mask spoke.
“Yes.”
“…….”
After a simple reply, Seong Mu-yeon flinched as the owl mask stared intently at him, pausing from preparing the meal.
“Why, why?”
“‘Brother’.”
The owl sternly corrected the word he had omitted.
“Ah, yes……. ‘Brother’…….”
Only then did the owl nod in satisfaction and resume preparing the meal.
‘Why me!’
Seong Mu-yeon wept inwardly. He couldn’t help but lament how he had come to serve young servants, barely reaching his chest, as elder brothers and sisters.
Opening Yak Seon’s door, the strong smell of alcohol stung his nose.
“Please wake up, Daein.”
“Ugh…….”
At the touch of a hand shaking her shoulder, Yak Seon frowned deeply and turned over.
“Daein!”
“Shut up! Get lost!”
Yak Seon roared, then instantly fell back asleep, only letting out soft snores. It was exasperating. Waking her up every morning was a war. What was even more absurd was that Yak Seon didn’t remember anything after waking up like this.
Only Seong Mu-yeon, who had to endure all sorts of curses and was often hit, felt wronged.
As he was contemplating pouring cold water on her, the owl entered.
“Daein……. I brought some cool water…….”
Yak Seon’s shoulder twitched as the owl murmured.
“Aren’t you thirsty……?”
After coaxing her for a while in a low voice, Yak Seon surprisingly roused herself slowly. Then, without even opening her eyes properly, she gulped down the cold water offered by the owl.
“How much did you drink again after going to the village yesterday?”
“Huh? Uh……. I don’t know.”
Yak Seon scratched her back vigorously and got off the bed.
“Where did my shoe go?”
She couldn’t even find one of her shoes, having lost it somewhere.
‘Tsk tsk.’
Seong Mu-yeon clicked his tongue inwardly.
Yak Seon, with her hair a bird’s nest and her eyes swollen shut, looked utterly pathetic.
Who would think she was the renowned master of medicinal arts? It would be more plausible to call her a street vagrant.
Was this really the person he once felt was as high as the sky, filled with respect and awe?
‘Still, she’s the one who saved my life.’
Three years ago, Seong Mu-yeon barely recovered his health with the medicine Yak Seon gave him. But because his face was known throughout the Central Plains, it was difficult for him to step outside. When even Namgung Cheon-chu, who had hidden him, became endangered, Seong Mu-yeon eventually followed Yak Seon and has been able to survive until now, acting as a servant without being discovered.
Since he had to be prescribed medicine every three months anyway, he had no other choice.
In the end, Yak Seon, suffering from a hangover, skipped breakfast, and Seong Mu-yeon sat alone at the table.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon picked up his chopsticks and broke out in a cold sweat. More than a dozen servants were surrounding the table, watching him eat.
……I feel like I’m going to choke.
“Could you please stop staring?”
Despite Seong Mu-yeon’s timid protest, the servants were undeterred and continued to watch him, even resting their chins on their hands.
From the first day he arrived here, the servants had observed his every move as if he were a monkey in a cage. They followed him not only when he slept and ate but even seemed ready to follow him to the outhouse.
“If you’re done eating, take your medicine…….”
The owl handed him a steaming herbal decoction.
“Thank you.”
Seong Mu-yeon slowly drank the hot decoction, blowing on it to cool it down.
‘……What are they?’
It had already been three years since he started living with them. Yet, Seong Mu-yeon still knew nothing about the servants.
He had never seen their faces, which were always covered with masks, nor had he seen them eat or sleep.
He didn’t know if they ate when he wasn’t looking, but there was no reason to hide it.
Questions piled up, but Seong Mu-yeon tried to erase them from his mind.
Seong Mu-yeon had to take medicine every day, and Yak Seon was the only person in the world who could prescribe it.
What could he do, being in her debt? He could grab a servant and forcibly remove their mask, but he would surely be kicked out.
The one who is in need has to bow their head.
Dwelling on unsolvable problems was a waste of time.
As he finished his meal, Yak Seon, who had barely regained her senses, appeared.
“Let me take a look at you.”
At her gesture as if to come closer, Seong Mu-yeon obediently offered his body. She placed her hand on Seong Mu-yeon’s back and closed her eyes.
After a moment, Yak Seon opened her eyes and narrowed her brow.
“Are you even training properly? Why is your condition getting worse?”
“I’m working hard.”
Seong Mu-yeon grumbled discontentedly.
For the first few months, the medicine had a great effect. Seong Mu-yeon gradually felt his body becoming healthier, and he gained the energy to do anything.
However, as time went on, the medicine’s effect gradually diminished. No, the effect was the same, but after reaching a certain level, it only maintained his condition without improving it.
“I’ve repeatedly told you not to rely solely on medicine!”
Yak Seon clicked her tongue.
“If you don’t improve your martial arts level and eliminate the root cause, what good will eating this medicine for a hundred years do! You should have caught it early, but you didn’t know the heavens from the earth and ran around like a fool! Serves you right!”
“Ah, why are you bringing that up again! I’m telling you I’m training hard! What can I do if it doesn’t work?”
Yak Seon, angered by his clear backtalk, struck him on the back.
“Ouch!”
“Drama queen!”
“It would be faster for you to make medicine with Spirit Pill than for me to achieve Rebirth Through Marrow Cleansing, you know!”
Yak Seon’s grip was beyond what the frail Seong Mu-yeon could handle. It would definitely be red and swollen. Seong Mu-yeon, who could only mutter all sorts of curses inwardly, suddenly realized that Yak Seon was quiet.
“Daein?”
Yak Seon was staring at the air with a serious expression, as if she was thinking about something.
“Daein……? Is the Spirit Pill research going well?”
Seong Mu-yeon, feeling uneasy, asked cautiously, and Yak Seon snapped out of her thoughts.
“Whether it’s going well or not, would you even understand if I told you? Don’t worry about my work and focus on your training! If you hadn’t caused that accident, you wouldn’t be in this state!”
“Tch…….”
Yak Seon blatantly ignored him and sneered. He, who had a history of only doing things that didn’t help alleviate his condition, quietly backed down.
“Anyway, I’m going to visit the village today. The village chief has a bad cold and is bedridden.”
“Have a good trip.”
Yak Seon packed some simple medicinal herbs and left the laboratory, escorted by the servants.
‘Witch.’
Seong Mu-yeon made no attempt to hide his displeasure and didn’t even say goodbye. But his body diligently chopped firewood, did laundry, and trained faithfully.
Dirty and despicable as it was, Yak Seon was the only person who could save his life.
Yak Seon had been pouring all her efforts into researching the Spirit Pill. The new medicine that would soon be created was in her hands, and Seong Mu-yeon placed all his hope on it.
Of course, he didn’t even expect that he could reach the transcendent realm and be reborn into a new body, shedding his old one.
‘As if the transcendent realm is some dog’s name next door.’
If it could be achieved just by wanting it, countless martial artist wouldn’t be desperately trying to eat even scraps of spirit pill.
Seong Mu-yeon judged himself quite objectively and knew well that such great luck would not happen to him unless he had divine favor.
Deep in the mountains, where no one’s footsteps reached, he sat cross-legged in the backyard, where the warm spring sunshine was good, and snorted loudly before focusing on his training again.
That day, Yak Seon did not return until late at night.