That thought crept in again, and I let out a sigh.
And my thoughts kept spiraling from there.
What if this was just a hallucination before death?
Well, then there's nothing to be done. What more can the dead do?
But what if I had truly returned to when I was fifteen?
As that idea took hold, I bit my lip.
If that were true, then everything I had gone through was still a part of the future to come in this life.
And I had no intention of meeting such a miserable end again.
After all, a clash with the White Heaven Merchant Group backed by the Murim Alliance was inevitable.
My dream was to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the greatest in the land, and I had no intention of giving up on that dream.
But to do so, I needed the strength to protect myself, my family, and the merchant group.
Having lived through that horrific future, I now felt that need more desperately than ever.
The White Heaven Merchant Group, supported by the Murim Alliance...
Tsuccessor wealth and martial strength were overwhelming.
As I racked my brain with serious thoughts, I heard voices outside—Palgap and another servant.
"Huh? It's snowing already?"
"Ah, it's a pain if we have to shovel snow."
"Let's hope it doesn't pile up too much."
At that, I chuckled.
The snow that started falling around midday the day after my fifteenth birthday had come unusually early that year—something I still remembered.
And I also remembered that quite a lot of it would pile up.
Suddenly, I shot up from my bed.
"That's right! Why didn't I think of that?"
If I had really come back to the past, that meant I knew what would happen in the future.
And that included the hidden opportunities.
Those chances still didn't have owners.
And anything unclaimed belonged to the one who found it first.
"But before that…"
I slumped back down onto the bed.
"I need to do something about this frail body first."
It struck me again just how pitifully weak I had been at this point in time.
As a child, I had been a healthy boy, no different from others.
But after I turned twelve, my health had started to decline, and by the time I was twenty, I could barely walk without a cane.
But that wouldn't happen this time.
Because now I knew the condition of my body all too well.
And I also know all the good and bad things the future holds.
If I used that information to move faster than anyone else, I'd be the one who gained the most.
I clenched my fist tightly.
If I really had turned back time, then I had to take revenge for myself and my family.
Even if the annihilation of the Eunhae Merchant Group and my own death hadn't yet happened, to me, they already had.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
What the leader of the White Heaven Merchant Group, Namgoog Kang, said just before he killed me:
"Truth is, the higher-ups destroyed the Eunhae Merchant Group because of you."
Because of me…
Maybe it was because our group had competed too fairly and got in White Heaven's way.
That much was clear from some of the other things he had said in the past.
But the fact that he chose to say that at the very end made me think there was something more to it.
He had already mentioned plenty of reasons why our group was a nuisance, so why save that line for last?
'This is something I'll have to look into slowly. There's still plenty of time.'
I died at the age of thirty-nine.
That means I've got more than twenty years ahead of me.
And I have no intention of changing my goal.
You looked down on money so much… Then let me crush you with that very money.
***
That Afternoon
I was summoned by my father.
When I opened the door to the merchant group leader's office, I saw him seated behind the desk.
The moment I saw him, tears welled up in my eyes.
Eun Gil-Sang, the leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group—he was my father.
In the future, he would pass on the position of Merchant Group Leader to my eldest brother and retire.
But not long after beginning the peaceful retirement he had so longed for, he fell ill with an inexplicable disease and passed away before we could even try to save him.
Unlike the visibly sick man I remembered from back then, he now looked perfectly healthy—and that alone hit me like a wave.
I held back tears with everything I had, but perhaps my face had flushed from the effort, because my father tilted his head as he looked at me.
"Your face is red. Are you feeling very unwell? Chief Yoo was saying you didn't look well either."
So Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo had already reported it.
I had expected as much.
It was his duty to give an accurate report on the performance of successors training in the Finance Pavilion.
Still, I hadn't thought he'd report it so quickly.
"I should've come to your room myself. I'm sorry."
"No, Father. Please don't apologize."
"You've been getting sick more often lately. It worries me."
His voice and gaze were full of concern.
If I stayed like that, I might really burst into tears, so I bit my lip.
"Is the work too much for you? Or is your health not keeping up? If that's the case, we can delay your start with the practical training."
That must have been the reason he called me here.
Successors to the merchant group began their practical training the moment they turned fifteen and had to go through five years of training.
The first three years were spent at the Finance Pavilion, learning the flow of money.
The next year was at Breeze Pavilion, where one would learn the detailed operations of the entire group.
And the final year was spent at the Sunset Pavilion, where you handled product selection and sales—only after completing this was one officially recognized as the young Merchant Group Leader and successor.
Which meant skipping the practical training wasn't even an option.
That's why Father hadn't mentioned it outright.
And I didn't want to skip it either.
Especially because of the incident that would soon take place at the Finance Pavilion. To prevent it, I needed to start the training.
After calming my emotions, I answered in the most composed voice I could manage.
"No, Father. I'll begin my training as scheduled starting tomorrow."
"Are you sure? You're not pushing yourself because of the pressure of being one of the successors, are you?"
At that question, I sighed inwardly.
His worried expression tugged painfully at my heart.
I hesitated for a moment.
Trying to find a way to ease his worry while still sticking to my plan.
'...Taking a few days off should be okay.'
After mentally calculating the time I had, I carefully spoke.
"Then, Father… would it be alright if I rested for just five days? I'd like to take some time to recover."
Only then did my father's face relax with relief.
"That's a wise decision. I'll inform Chief Yoo myself, so do as you need."
"Yes, Father. I apologize for making you worry."
"I should ask Physician Baek to prepare a medicinal decoction for you."
Decoction.
I almost sighed aloud without realizing.
Because in the previous life, I nearly died from the medicine I'd been given.
Any more of that and it could truly become poison.
"I'm sorry, Father, but I took some decoction not too long ago. Even something beneficial in excess can become harmful. I think resting well in my room will be enough."
"Very well. Do as you see fit."
***
Back in My Room
Lying on my bed, I let out a long sigh.
'Ugh! Just walking a bit leaves me out of breath?'
How could I possibly grow the merchant group and take revenge when I was this sick?
First and foremost, I needed to heal this body.
In truth, the reason my body was weak wasn't due to some ordinary illness.
I recalled the future I had lived—when I had taken over and was running the Eunhae Fabric Store.
.
.
.
It was around the time I had just taken charge of the Eunhae Fabric Store.
So, I had just turned twenty.
A young woman came to the shop to sell silk she had woven herself.
Selling homemade textiles was a common way for women to earn money, so it wasn't anything unusual.
But her silk—was different.
It was the finest silk I had ever seen.
I paid her generously for it.
Nearly three times the going rate for regular silk. When she asked about the price, I told her:
"A merchant is someone who buys good products at a fair price and sells them to those who need them for profit. Someone who tries to acquire fine goods without paying fair value isn't a merchant—they're a swindler."
It was my conviction that such merchants never lasted long. That's why I never undercut the value of a product.
My relationship with her continued. We came to refer to her as the Bamboo Grove Weaver Girl—because she lived near the local bamboo forest.
I took great care to look after her family.
Valuing people above all was a principle passed down through generations in our family—and I believed in it, too.
Thanks to her silk, our fabric store grew rapidly.
Her silk became famous among the local aristocrats.
And because we offered generous prices for quality goods, more and more skilled weavers began coming to us.
But I didn't stop there.
Using that fine silk, I began creating products tailored to wealthy tastes—and they sold extraordinarily well, bringing in massive profits.
And ultimately, meeting the Bamboo Grove Weaver even saved my life.
It was during the winter of my twenty-third year.
A middle-aged man came to find me.
He was one of the Five Great Physicians—Black Flute Immortal Physician.
He always carried a black flute, hence the name. A physician who didn't belong to either the orthodox or unorthodox sides, and roamed freely.
I welcomed him warmly.
My illness had been worsening, and I was already trying to find a skilled physician.
And now, here he was, coming to me.
Upon meeting me, he spoke abruptly:
"I heard about you from my daughter."
"Pardon?"
His sudden words puzzled me.
"The wife of the Mr. Gwak in Bamboo Grove. She's my daughter."
"Ah…"
The woman from the Gwak family—he meant the Bamboo Grove Weaver.
He narrowed his eyes at me and asked:
"Did you approach her on purpose, knowing she was my daughter?"
"No. I had no idea."
I truly didn't know.
Had I known, I would have gone to see her much sooner.
"Then why did you pay her so generously for her silk and take such care of her family?"
"There was no particular reason. I simply valued her skill."
"Valued her skill?"
"Yes. That's a legacy of our family's tradition. A petty merchant only sees the money in front of them. A great merchant sees the lasting returns that come from valuing people. I believe the same."
He stared at me silently.
After a long gaze into my eyes, he let out a soft laugh.
"You're sincere. No wonder she asked me to come."
"Excuse me?"
"My daughter asked me to save you. Said someone like you deserves to live. That no one has ever cared for her family the way you did. She wanted to repay that kindness."
His words made me feel both embarrassed and awkward.
I had only acted in my own interest—yet to her, I had shown kindness worth repaying.
"Well, whatever the reason doesn't matter. I wasn't there for her when she needed a father, having left her in a friend's care to roam like the wind… It's late, but I must try to be a father now."
He reached out his hand to me.
"Give me your wrist."
As if entranced, I held out my wrist, and the Black Flute Immortal Physician began taking my pulse.
After examining it for a short while, his expression changed.
It was as if he had found something interesting.
Removing his hand, he said:
"A man born with the Mystic Dragon Star Body… But without water in the body, of course it's drying up and dying."
"What? Mystic Dragon Star Body? What is that?"
"The Mystic Dragon governs water qi. That's why it's a constitution usually found in women, whose bodies are naturally more aligned with yin energy. Those born with the Mystic Dragon Star Body tend to possess exceptional innate talent."
"You mean… because I'm a man?"
"Exactly. I've never seen a man with this body type before either."
"Ah…"
"You probably started getting sick around the age of twelve, didn't you?"
"...Yes, that's right."
"As your masculine identity strengthened, your yang energy also grew stronger. That imbalance is why your condition began worsening. At this rate, you won't last more than five years."
"W-what do you mean?"
Seeing my shock, the Black Flute Immortal Physician gave a heavy nod.
"Yes. You'll die within five years."
My mind went blank.
I had thought it was just an illness—but now I was being told it was due to my constitution? I couldn't believe it.
And to hear I wouldn't survive another five years?
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Desperately, I asked:
"What… what can I do to survive? Master, please… I want to live. I don't want to suffer anymore."
I couldn't accept dying like this.
I didn't want to see my family grieving, after doing everything they could to save me.
Seeing my desperation, the Black Flute Immortal Physician finally spoke:
"Heh, didn't I say my daughter asked me? She begged me to save you. And I came here to honor that request."