Dan Woosung, having filled his stomach with rice porridge, walked around the safe house, examining its structure.
It was a villa larger than he had expected.
It didn't seem to have been built specifically as a safe house, but rather as a vacation home owned by the wealthy Eunha Merchant Group. Behind the rear garden stood a detached building, isolated on its own. When he went inside, it was empty—no furniture, no fixtures. It looked like a good place to renovate into an indoor training hall.
To the right of the villa, multiple storage buildings held food ingredients, liquor, medicinal herbs, and some unidentified herbs. When he asked the nearby servants about them, they said the herbs were more or less drugs. Stronger than cigarettes sold in the market, they were a kind of hallucination grass.
The only somewhat useful thing was the herb storage.
Although there weren't any true elixirs, high-quality ginseng and tonics—purchased with the merchant group's wealth—were all mixed together. Taking them now would likely have adverse effects, but once he regained his health, they would probably be beneficial.
It was a place with good conditions.
Lee Jin-Eon's failure to make use of it was significant.
In the worst possible health, indulging in women, gorging on meat and alcohol, and enjoying hallucination grass—this safe house might as well have been a perfect place to say farewell to the living world.
Such a thought crossed his mind.
That Lee Jin-Eon may have also suffered from mental illness. Anxiety, panic, and fear likely held a strong grip on his psyche.
What was he so afraid of?
What was it that he found so displeasing?
Who had led Lee Jin-Eon to this safe house?
He had a feeling that once he returned to the main house, there would be quite a few people he'd have to give a taste of his fists. After all, beating people was the specialty of the Fist King, and his heart thumped like a child anticipating playtime.
Dan Woosung, whether he liked it or not, was on Lee Jin-Eon's side.
He intended to sort out the painful surroundings that had made Lee Jin-Eon suffer.
Perhaps it had been the so-called younger brothers, or someone in the merchant group tangled in interests.
Whatever the case, Lee Jin-Eon was no longer the same as before.
At the very least, by the time he returned to the main house, he would be a physically healthy man. Dan Woosung was no longer the man who only focused on cultivating internal energy. He was confident that even with just his external techniques using a sound body, he could fight.
He was beginning to think that he should seize control of the entire merchant group and use its resources to purchase large quantities of elixirs that could rapidly build internal energy.
Originally, Dan Woosung was a man with no interest in "money."
He had no concern for accumulating or storing wealth, nor did he find it interesting. However, since he had become the successor to the Eunha Merchant Group, he figured he might as well go on what one could call a money-spree using their financial power.
He had a clear reason to surpass the Fist King of his past life—money was merely a tool.
***
After spending seven days correcting his posture, changing his diet, and regulating his breathing and energy flow, Dan Woosung stepped outside the safe house for a walk on the eighth day.
He was clearly more energized than before, and the instances of cold sweats had significantly decreased.
More than anything, the servants were shocked by the changes in the First Young Master. When some tried to follow him on his walk, Dan Woosung said:
"That's enough. I'll walk alone. Go back."
"Will you be alright?"
Dan Woosung nodded and waved them off. His condition was far better than the servants had anticipated.
The first phase of recovery flowed as naturally as a babbling brook.
He ate rice porridge, quit drinking, and drank lukewarm water to flush his system.
The next step in recovery was walking. He walked until his digestive organs did their job and gurgled with sound.
Now, the servants no longer looked at him with shock as before. Even the physician, who always wore a strange expression, now simply greeted him each morning, asking if he had slept well.
Although the terrain of Jinhua Mountain was rugged, he felt he'd be able to start running in a few days. After sweating out his entire body, Dan Woosung returned to the safe house. At this point, he was exerting more energy than he was consuming.
He was planning to adjust his diet again.
As he returned to the safe house, a servant whose face had become familiar approached him and asked:
"Young Master."
"What?"
"Since your health seems to be recovering quickly, we were wondering if a letter should be sent to the main house…"
Dan Woosung cut the servant off.
"Nonsense. I'm not fully recovered yet. If a letter needs to be sent, I'll do it myself."
The servant, recognizing how much the master's tone had changed, was now even more intimidated.
"Understood."
"And, I noticed that food and daily necessities are delivered from outside from time to time."
"Yes, once a month, the main house sends supplies."
"Tell them I'm still recovering if they ask. Let the other servants know as well."
"Yes, understood."
There was no need to inform the outside world that he was recovering.
Suddenly, Dan Woosung realized—he didn't even know the faces of Lee Jin-Eon's father, family, or siblings. He'd learned their names roughly through letters, but meeting them in person would probably be awkward.
As he was about to head to his room, he asked the servant:
"Is there anyone here who can draw?"
"I'll find someone. Should I send them to your room, Young Master?"
"Send them."
***
To the servant who was brought to him, Dan Woosung said:
"I need a portrait drawn."
"Yes, sir."
Since the First Young Master had been idling in the safe house for a while, no one thought much of it even if he gave slightly unusual orders. The servant responded without much thought.
"Shall I start with the family?"
"No, not necessarily just the family. I just thought of some drawings, since you said you have skill. Just draw the faces of those who used to be around me. My father, siblings, and especially the ones who caused me trouble. Seeing their faces… how should I put it… might help with my recovery."
"Pardon? The ones who caused trouble…?"
"Yes, I have that kind of emotion. I want to beat them. I want to hit them. When I feel that, power naturally enters my fists. Then, naturally, I recover faster."
He said such absurd words in such a serious tone that the servant was bewildered.
But if the First Young Master said so, then so it was.
The servant responded with a chuckle.
"Understood."
The servant quickly covered their mouth with their hand and bowed their head.
"I apologize."
Dan Woosung also grinned.
"It's fine. Laughing isn't a crime."
"Ah, then… who should I start with?"
"Start with someone you can draw well. Now, these portraits are to focus on distinct features. They're not detailed works. You're to capture key traits—like a mole on the forehead, or a bald head. Got it?"
"Yes. Understood."
"Each time you finish one, tell me it's done."
"Yes."
The servant drew, and Dan Woosung corrected his posture.
After a short while, noticing the servant staring at him while mid-drawing, Dan Woosung spoke.
"Stop staring and draw."
"Ah, yes."
The servant tilted their head slightly and picked up the brush again.
'He's definitely changed.'
That was because Dan Woosung kept repeating specific poses to stretch the back of his knees and performed all sorts of strange movements to make his body more flexible.
Still, the strangeness wasn't negative.
The First Young Master's expression and tone were changing day by day, as if fresh wind had swept over them. His face had always been handsome, so the change didn't feel off-putting.
While Dan Woosung was doing calisthenics under the moonlight...
The servant started with the Second Young Master, who first came to mind.
The Second Young Master was, like the First Young Master Lee Jin-Eon, a handsome man—refined in conduct and polite in speech. Within the merchant group, he was the most popular among the young masters.
The servant wanted to regain their sense by starting with the portrait they could draw best. After a short while, Dan Woosung finished his pose and looked over the Second Young Master's portrait.
"Well drawn. Be sure to write the title and your name at the bottom of each piece."
"A title?"
"Yeah. Every painting needs a title. If it's a portrait, just write whose it is. And you should also note the artist. Your painting might sell for a high price one day."
The servant's eyes widened.
"What? My painting?"
Dan Woosung chuckled as he replied.
"You never know how life goes. Just like me…"
While Dan Woosung trailed off, the servant didn't quite grasp the meaning and briefly fell into thoughts of how much the painting might sell for.
"Understood. Just a moment. So first…"
The servant wrote "Second Young Master, Lee Hwa-Eon, Chief Steward" under the painting, then wrote their own name, "Myohyang."
Dan Woosung nodded.
"That's how it should be."
"Yes."
"Though, didn't you draw him too good-looking?"
"But he's even more handsome in real life."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Of course, you're more handsome, First Young Master. You two look very alike."
Dan Woosung smiled and said,
"Then I'll be looking forward to when it's my turn to be drawn."
Feeling pressure, the servant responded in a shrinking voice.
"Yes."
"From now on, stop doing miscellaneous work. Just practice your drawing."
"Huh? But then the workload…"
"How many servants are clinging to this safe house, huh? No backtalk. Just do it."
"Understood."
"Still, you really do have talent for painting."
The servant blushed at the compliment.
"Then I'll keep showing off my skills."
"Good."
Dan Woosung returned to correcting his posture. Sitting on his bedding, he stretched his body in various positions, and cracking sounds occasionally echoed out.
With this level of skill, the servant was unlikely to fail in recognizing people Lee Jin-Eon had known.
***
"Well done. Go rest."
"Yes, Young Master. Should I come again tomorrow evening?"
"No. Tell them you're painting under my orders from your quarters. Go draw everyone you can. That's how you'll get practice."
"Understood."
After the servant left, Dan Woosung looked through the portraits.
He examined the portrait of the man leading the Eunha Merchant Group.
Of course, the merchant group head was Lee Jin-Eon's father.
Even though it was a servant's drawing, it focused on features, so the head shape, facial structure, mouth line, and eyes all gave Dan a rough idea of the man's character.
'Looks like just a diligent worker, yet he built up a large business. Or perhaps he inherited it...'
Given the size of the Eunha Merchant Group, it was possible the wealth was generational, rather than built in a single lifetime.
Both younger brothers were good-looking.
Second Young Master Lee Hwa-Eon had the air of a brilliant scholar. Third Young Master Lee Ja-Eon, however, had a clearly different face from his two older brothers.
He had the look of a martial artist.
It was possible they had different mothers. Since there was no portrait of the mother, perhaps the mother of Hwa-Eon and Jin-Eon had already passed.
Among all the portraits, the most sharply depicted face was that of a man named Ouyang Hou, the Head of the Guard Division.
"Ouyang Hou was the Head of the Guard?"
He was a name known in Jianghu.
The fact that Ouyang Hou held that position meant a lot. First, it meant the merchant group had enormous financial power. Ouyang Hou was a master of the Ouyang Family. Hiring a master from such a clan to serve as guard leader meant his monthly pay had to be substantial.
But whether they were just paying him off or something more, that needed further looking into.
The Ouyang Family was particularly hardline, even within the orthodox factions. Since they naturally looked down on merchant groups, the details would need to be checked at the main house.
As for the rest, Dan Woosung simply memorized their names and facial features. None were famous, and their portraits left such weak impressions that he'd probably forget them soon.