Chapter 3

Ch. 3

King of Fist, in recovery

Dan Wooseong, who had satisfied his hunger with rice porridge, wandered around the Ahn family residence while examining its structure.

It was a villa larger in scale than expected.

It didn't seem to have been built for the purpose of a family residence, but rather appeared to be a vacation home owned by the wealthy Galaxy Merchant Group. Behind the rear garden, there was a separate building standing alone, but when he went inside, it was empty without any furniture or fixtures. It seemed like a good place to convert into an indoor training hall for use.

On the right side of the villa, there were several warehouses containing food ingredients, alcohol, medicinal herbs, and unidentifiable plants. When he asked the nearby servants about them, their use was close to drugs. They were more toxic than the tobacco sold in the market - a type of hallucinogenic herb.

The only helpful thing was the medicinal herb warehouse.

While not quite elixirs, there were high-quality ginseng and tonics purchased with the merchant group's financial power all mixed together haphazardly. Eating them now would have adverse effects, but they would be somewhat helpful when consumed after recovering his health.

It was a place with good conditions.

Lee Jin-eon's fault for not utilizing this was significant.

In the worst state of health, embracing women, gorging on meat and alcohol, and enjoying hallucinogenic herbs - it could be said to be a residence perfectly suited for bidding farewell to this world.

This thought occurred to him.

Lee Jin-eon must have had mental illness as well. Anxiety, panic, fear and such things must have occupied a large share in Lee Jin-eon's mental world.

What on earth had he been afraid of?

What on earth had displeased him?

Who had made Lee Jin-eon come to this residence?

He had a premonition that there would be many bastards who needed to get a taste of his fists when he returned to the main house. Since beating people was the King of Fist's specialty, his heart pounded like a child waiting for entertainment.

Dan Wooseong was inevitably on Lee Jin-eon's side.

He planned to properly sort out the surrounding circumstances that had made him feel tormented.

Perhaps it could be those called younger brothers, or there could be figures from the merchant group with vested interests involved.

In any case, Lee Jin-eon was no longer the Lee Jin-eon of before.

At least by the day he returned to the main house, he would be a physically healthy man. Dan Wooseong wasn't someone who had originally focused only on building inner qi. He was confident in fighting with just external techniques performed with a sound body.

He thought he should seize control of the entire merchant group and purchase large quantities of elixirs that could rapidly build inner qi to quickly accumulate inner qi.

Originally, Dan Wooseong was a man with no interest in 'money'.

He had no interest or fascination in accumulating and storing wealth. However, since he had become the successor of the Galaxy Merchant Group, he planned to do what they call 'throwing money around' once with the financial power they possessed.

Since he had a clear reason to surpass the King of Fist from his previous life, money was merely a means.

* * *

Dan Wooseong, who had spent seven days with posture correction, dietary changes, and qi cultivation breathing, finally went out for a walk outside the residence on the eighth day.

He was in a state where his energy had been boosted compared to before, and the frequency of breaking out in cold sweats had clearly decreased.

Most of all, the servants were amazed by the Great Young Master's transformation. Dan Wooseong said to the servants who tried to follow him on his walk.

"It's fine. I'll walk alone, so go inside."

"Will you be alright?"

Dan Wooseong nodded and waved his hand. Dan Wooseong's physical condition was much better than what the servants expected.

The first stage of the recovery process was ordinary, like a stream flowing gently.

Meals were rice porridge, he quit alcohol, and drank lukewarm water as if washing out his insides.

The next recovery stage was walking. He walked the walking path until his digestive organs did their job properly and made rumbling sounds.

Now the servants no longer showed surprise like before, and the physician who used to make strange expressions every time now only gave greetings asking if he had slept well the night before.

Though the mountain terrain of Nine Flower Mountain was rough, he felt he could run within a few days. Only after sweating all over his body did Dan Wooseong return to the residence. Now his activity level had increased compared to what he ate.

He planned to adjust his diet again.

When he returned to the residence, a servant whose face had become familiar approached and asked:

"Young Master."

"What?"

"Since your health is recovering at a rapid pace, should we send a letter to the main house......"

Dan Wooseong cut off the servant's words.

"Useless talk. I haven't fully recovered. If there's need to write a letter, I'll handle it myself."

The servant became more frightened, realizing that the Young Master's way of speaking had changed completely.

"Understood."

"And it seems like food supplies and daily necessities come from outside occasionally."

"Yes, items sent from the main house arrive once every month."

"Even if those bastards ask, tell them I'm still recovering. Pass this on to the other servants as well."

"Understood."

There was no need to deliberately let the outside know that he was recovering.

Suddenly, Dan Wooseong realized he didn't know the faces of Lee Jin-eon's father, family, and brothers. Though he had roughly learned their names through letters, he thought it would be awkward when he actually met them.

Dan Wooseong, who was heading to his room, asked the servant:

"Is there perhaps a child who can draw pictures?"

"I'll look for one. Should I send them to your room, Young Master?"

"Send them."

* * *

Dan Wooseong said to the servant who had been summoned:

"You can draw portraits."

"Yes."

Since the Great Young Master had been spending time bored at the residence, even if he gave somewhat odd tasks, they would just accept it. The servant replied without much thought.

"Should I start with family members?"

"No, I'm not necessarily talking only about family members. Since you're said to be skilled, I just thought of drawings. You can draw the faces of those who were around me. Father, brothers, especially the faces of those who caused trouble around me - seeing them would, how should I put it... seem to help in recovering health."

"Yes? Those who caused trouble......"

"Yes, I have such feelings. I want to beat them. I want to hit them. When such feelings arise, strength naturally enters the fists. Then health naturally recovers quickly too."

When he spoke nonsense in too serious a tone, the servant was flustered.

But if the Great Young Master said so, then that's how it was.

The servant replied with a smile.

"Understood."

The servant quickly covered her mouth with her hand and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry."

Dan Wooseong also grinned.

"It's fine. Smiling isn't a crime."

"Ah, then who should I draw first?"

"Starting with someone you can draw well. Now, these portraits should focus on characteristics. They're not detailed drawings. Capturing key features like having a mole on the forehead or being bald. Do you understand?"

"Understood. I understand."

"Tell me each time you complete one drawing."

"Yes."

The servant drew pictures, and Dan Wooseong corrected his posture.

After a while, Dan Wooseong said to the servant who had stopped drawing and was staring intently at him:

"Stop staring and draw."

"Ah, yes."

The servant tilted her head and picked up the brush.

'He's definitely become strange.'

This was because Dan Wooseong was repeating specific postures to stretch his back muscles and performing all sorts of strange movements to make his body flexible.

But that strangeness wasn't negative.

The Great Young Master's expression and way of speaking were gradually changing as if overlaid with a refreshing breeze, unlike before. Since his face had always been handsome, it wasn't a change that felt bad.

While Dan Wooseong was doing midnight calisthenics......

The servant first drew the second Young Master who came to mind first.

The second Young Master was a handsome Young Master like the Great Young Master Lee Jin-eon, and with proper conduct and gentle speech, he was the most popular Young Master within the merchant group.

She planned to refine her senses by drawing the picture she could draw best first. After a while, Dan Wooseong, who had relaxed his posture, admired the second Young Master's picture.

"Well drawn. Write the picture's title and your name at the bottom every time too."

"Title?"

"Yes. Pictures should have titles. For portraits, you just need to write whose portrait it is. And you should also indicate who drew it. Your pictures might sell expensively later, mightn't they?"

The servant's eyes widened.

"What? My pictures?"

Dan Wooseong said with a smile:

"You don't know about worldly affairs. Like me......"

The servant, not properly understanding Dan Wooseong's words, briefly fell into thoughts about how much her pictures might sell for.

"Understood. Just a moment. First......"

The servant wrote 'Second Young Master Lee Hwa-eon General Manager' under the picture and wrote her own name 'Myohyang'.

Dan Wooseong nodded.

"This is right."

"Yes."

"By the way, didn't you draw the second son too handsomely?"

"He's actually even more handsome in person."

"Ah, I see."

"Of course, Great Young Master is more handsome. You two resemble each other so much."

Dan Wooseong said with a smile:

"It's late. I'll look forward to when you draw me."

The servant, feeling pressured, replied in a shrinking voice:

"Yes."

"From now on, don't do miscellaneous work and spend time practicing drawing."

"Huh? Then the manpower......"

"How many servants are attached to a residence like this anyway? It's noisy, just do as told."

"Understood."

"By the way, you do have talent for drawing."

The servant's face reddened at Dan Wooseong's praise.

"Then I'll continue to demonstrate my skills."

"Good."

Dan Wooseong returned to posture correction. As he sat on the bedding and stretched his body in various postures, cracking sounds occasionally rang out.

With that level of drawing skill, it seemed he wouldn't make the mistake of not recognizing someone Lee Jin-eon knew.

* * *

"You worked hard. Go and rest."

"Yes, Young Master, should I come tomorrow evening too?"

"No, say you're drawing at your quarters on my orders. Go and draw everyone you can draw. That way it'll be practice."

"Understood."

After the servant left, Dan Wooseong examined the pictures.

Dan Wooseong carefully looked at the portrait of the man leading the Galaxy Merchant Group.

Of course, the merchant group leader was Lee Jin-eon's father.

Though it was a portrait drawn by a servant, since it was drawn focusing on characteristics, he could roughly grasp what kind of person he was through the head shape, features, mouth, and eyes.

'He just looks like a sincere worker but built up a big business. Or maybe he inherited the business......'

Given the scale of the Galaxy Merchant Group, it might not have grown in this generation but could have been inherited family business.

Both younger brothers were handsome.

The second son, General Manager Lee Hwa-eon, had the feeling of an intelligent scholar, but the third son Lee Ja-eon definitely had a different face from the preceding two brothers.

He gave the impression of having martial bones.

Perhaps their mothers were different. Seeing that there was no portrait of a mother, the mother of Lee Hwa-eon and Lee Jin-eon might have already passed away.

Among these, the protagonist of the most sharply depicted portrait was a man named Guard Brigade Leader Gu Yanghu.

"Was Gu Yanghu the guard brigade leader?"

He was a man whose name he had heard in the martial world.

The fact that Gu Yanghu was the guard brigade leader suggested several things. First, it meant the merchant group's financial power was tremendous. Since Gu Yanghu was a master of the Gu Family, inviting a master from a great family to sit as guard brigade leader meant the monthly salary paid to him wouldn't be trivial.

But whether they were only paying money needed further examination.

The Gu Family was a particularly hardline force even among the righteous path. Since they had a tendency to naturally look down on merchant groups, the detailed circumstances were problems that needed to be examined when he went to the main house.

He only remembered the names and facial characteristics of the rest. There were no famous people, and the impressions seen through the portraits were also unremarkable, so he might forget them quickly.

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