***
When the lid was opened, dozens of ConXX pills in tablet form came out.
"Are these pill-shaped elixirs?"
The old man sniffed them and then poured them all out onto the floor.
Lee An-jeong was surprised to the point where his eyes seemed as if they would pop out, and he poured out a bucketful of curses internally.
'Shibal! You primitive, crazy old man! If those absorb moisture, the medicinal effect dies. Ugh, Shibal!'
However, the old man continued and opened another plastic bottle.
Inside, dozens of InXX pills were also contained.
"These are also elixirs. Both are elixirs I have never seen before."
The old man once again poured the pills out onto the floor in a heap.
Lee An-jeong’s eyes flared, and his anger surged to the top of his head.
'This crazy old man! Do you know how precious those are!'
"Just what is the identity of these things?"
While examining the spilled pills, the old man flashed a terrifying glint in his eyes and looked back at Lee An-jeong.
Even in a situation where his anger made his hair stand on end, Lee An-jeong quickly turned his brain.
Those two types of pills were his most important capital for survival in this place.
Although his life was in a precarious situation, he absolutely did not want to have them taken away by the old man.
"Ah, those are digestive medicines made with a secret method passed down in my family. They are just things taken when one's stomach is not good, so they are not anything particularly great."
Lee An-jeong gave a forced smile and made up an excuse like that.
However, the old man was quicker-witted than he looked; he immediately realized that Lee An-jeong considered them precious and narrowed his eyes.
"Hehe. You crafty fellow! Are you pulling another trick? I suppose I’ll know once I try eating them!"
Along with those words, the old man tossed one pill each of ConXX and InXX into his mouth and chewed them.
At the bitter taste of the medicine, the old man furrowed his brow and barely swallowed them with his saliva.
"Geez, this is a very bitter medicine. Whoever made it, their skill is a total mess. I’ll have to drink even more!"
The old man quickly picked up the high-content energy drink placed on the floor and gulped it down.
"Mmm—this is an incredibly sweet tea. It is a taste I have never experienced in my entire life! It is truly amazing!"
After draining the entire can in one breath, the old man smacked his lips at the sweet lingering aftertaste on the tip of his tongue.
Then, he looked at the remaining four cans of drinks fallen on the floor.
"It is a very precious and excellent taste. I should save them and drink them. Somehow, I feel like my spirit is also snapping awake."
The expression of the old man, who had been muttering with such a satisfied look, changed abruptly in less than a few seconds.
It was because as the medicinal effects began to circulate, his heart suddenly began to beat slowly, and he felt a sensation of his mind becoming clear.
"Huh?"
The spiritual inspiration to feel Spiritual Qi became more sensitive, and he felt as if his concentration had also increased a bit more.
The old man realized that this was the medicinal effect of the two pills he had chewed and eaten a moment ago.
"Ho-oh—these were medicines with effects similar to Heart-Clearing Grass (Cheongsim-cho) or Spirit-Seed (Jeongsin-ja)! And they are even twice as excellent! They must be medicines that increase concentration and calm the mind, right?"
Lee An-jeong was startled by the old man who recognized the medicinal effects in one breath.
It seemed he possessed a substantial amount of knowledge regarding elixirs.
However, the old man soon tilted his head.
"Hmm. Yet, these are not medicinal effects that would allow one to detect a spirit vein deep underground. That means there is another reason why that fellow felt the Spiritual Qi of that deep spirit vein... just what could it be?"
Along with those words, the old man wore a serious expression for a moment, and then soon showed a hideous expression along with a fishy smile.
"Hehe—whatever. A secret of a mere little brat like this is simply insignificant to this Jin Wi-dong!"
Then, he shot a thick killing intent toward Lee An-jeong.
At this point, Lee An-jeong resigned himself internally and thought he was now dead.
It was because he was certain that the old man, who had lost interest in him, would no longer leave him alive.
As expected, the old man abruptly reached his hand toward Lee An-jeong.
"Hehe. Now I shall turn you into a Vitality Pill (Saeng-gi-dan) as well!"
Lee An-jeong’s body floated up into the air.
Recalling the image of Na Un-yeon, who had become an elixir a moment ago, Lee An-jeong’s body trembled violently with fear.
At the same time, his ill-fated life came to mind, and anger surged within him.
"You crazy old man! You son of a bitch! Just what did I do wrong for you to do this to me?! Shibal!"
Lee An-jeong, seized by fear and anger, spat out curses without ceasing.
Looking at Lee An-jeong, the old man wore a killing-intent-filled sneer.
"Hehe. Now you finally reveal your true feelings! Yes! Curse me more! The more you do, the more this Jin Wi-dong feels a thrill when I turn you into a Vitality Pill!"
Then, after holding the furnace in one hand again, he bloomed the blue flames.
Hwareureuk—
At the same time, he launched the blue flames toward Lee An-jeong.
"Hehe. Hurry and die to become my Vitality Pill!"
The blue flames flew over in an instant and enveloped Lee An-jeong’s body.
"Shibal! Save me! I don't want to die! Aaaaargh—"
Hot flames wrapped around his entire body.
He felt a sensation as if his skin was burning away in an instant, and his breath was choked by that scorching heat.
At the moment Lee An-jeong was wailing in fear like that, a surprising thing happened.
Hwa-ak—
The moment those hot blue flames touched the back of Lee An-jeong’s hand, they vanished without a trace.
It was as if they had been absorbed into Lee An-jeong’s body.
"Uh? What? Where did it suddenly disappear to?"
Lee An-jeong, not knowing the reason, examined his surroundings and his physical condition with a dazed expression.
Those blue flames had vanished like a ghost.
On the other hand, his body was perfectly fine, except for a few strands of hair that were slightly singed.
"C-Could it be?"
Lee An-jeong momentarily looked at the back of his right hand.
Surprisingly, a portion of the blue flames remained on the back of his right hand before being sucked right inside it.
Not only Lee An-jeong but also the old man witnessed that sight.
The old man’s eyes flipped over when the Blue Flame True Fire (Cheong-yeom-jin-hwa), which he considered so precious, was swallowed up.
"What is this? How did you swallow my Blue Flame True Fire? You fellow! Will you not put it out right now?"
The old man, greatly enraged, rushed toward Lee An-jeong.
Syu-u-u—
In an instant, he appeared before his eyes, grabbed the back of Lee An-jeong’s hand, and tried to pull out the Blue Flame True Fire that had gone inside it.
However, it was at that moment.
Ji-i-i-ing—
That bizarre pattern appeared on the back of Lee An-jeong’s grabbed hand and vibrated.
Then, a bright light flashed from the bizarre pattern.
Hwa-a-a-ak—
The moment that light touched the old man’s body, he felt his own body being sucked into that place.
He tried his best to pull back, but the suction force only grew larger the more he did.
He let out a loud scream at the pain felt throughout his entire body.
"Aaargh— J-Just what on earth is this—"
But the old man’s following words could not continue.
It was because the old man’s body was eventually absorbed into the bizarre pattern and vanished, just like the blue flames from a moment ago.
Only silence lingered in the cultivation cave where the old man had disappeared.
Only the two plastic medicine bottles that had fallen tuk-tuk onto the floor made one realize the old man had vanished.
"W-What on earth is this? I’m not dreaming right now, am I?"
Lee An-jeong simply could not believe what had just happened.
However, the large furnace left behind by the old man and the items that came out of Na Un-yeon’s storage bag made him realize it was not a dream.
<><><>
The surroundings were silent.
As if nothing had happened, only the midnight moonlight was noble.
Lee An-jeong snapped out of it and cautiously examined the outside of the cultivation cave.
Whether that old man Jin Wi-dong’s words were true or not, no one outside seemed to know what had happened here.
He sneakily checked the movements of the adjacent cultivation cave where Mak Cheong-un was.
Deureong—
From that place, no sound could be heard except for the sound of snoring, as if the fellow had fallen asleep.
This time, he examined the other cultivation caves further up.
However, no particularly special reaction was felt from there either.
It seemed the sound produced here truly had not leaked out at all.
"Whew... this is truly a case where a ghost would wail."
Lee An-jeong, who let out a deep sigh, turned around and looked inside the cultivation cave.
The large green furnace and the items that came out of Na Un-yeon’s and his own storage bags were scattered in a mess.
Lee An-jeong quickly moved them all into his own storage bag, fearing he might be caught.
In an instant, Lee An-jeong’s storage bag became thick.
Now, not a single trace of the old man or Na Un-yeon having come remained in the cultivation cave.
Lee An-jeong suppressed his rapidly beating heart and slumped down onto the floor.
As the tension completely released, a sense of relief from having escaped the fear of death was accompanied by a sudden surge of nausea from within.
"Ugh— Uwek—"
Lee An-jeong rushed outside just like that and vomited.
Since he had eaten nothing but the Byeokgok-dan (Grain Pill), only bitter water soaked the ground.
Wiping his mouth, Lee An-jeong trembled with hollow eyes.
"I really almost died. Wow... this is a truly terrifying world. It's full of all sorts of crazy bastards."
The old man who came because he touched the spirit vein.
Na Un-yeon, who came to steal because he thought he had a spiritual treasure.
Since coming to this xianxia world, he could hardly find a single good person.
Until now, he had called South Korea 'Hell Joseon' at every turn.
Compared to this xianxia world, the Republic of Korea he lived in felt like it would be no different from heaven.
Lee An-jeong trembled continuously as goosebumps broke out.
Yet, at the same time, for some reason, he felt a thrill on one hand at having survived.
It was beyond exciting; it felt as if his spirit was snapping awake.
Because that was so unfamiliar, he even harbored doubts as to whether he had gone crazy.
"What is it? Did I go crazy too after entering this crazy world? Or is it an influence from entering this little brat's body?"
He could not know what the cause was, but the more it was so, the stronger his desire to become stronger grew.
"Shibal! Even if you roll in a field of dog dung, the world of the living is better! This Lee An-jeong! I will definitely become strong and survive!"
Lee An-jeong ground his teeth like that, and then the event of a moment ago suddenly occurred to him.
"That aside, just what kind of secret does this pattern have?"
Lee An-jeong’s gaze turned toward the back of his right hand.
Before he knew it, that bizarre pattern that had appeared on the back of his right hand had completely vanished.
"Not content with swallowing the blue flames, it even swallowed that terrifying old man. Just what is the identity of this pattern? No, how is such a thing in this body? I thought he was a beggar?"
It felt spine-chilling to know that such an unknown, massive thing existed within this body he had possessed.
But at the same time, an unknown curiosity to confirm its identity also arose along with it.
He did not want to continue living anxiously without knowing its identity.
It was something that the former timid and ordinary high school senior, Lee An-jeong, could never have imagined.
"The Hell Joseon Lee An-jeong would never have checked... It's truly strange even to me. Did my personality change in the meantime...?"
Suddenly, a news article he had seen once came to mind.
An article about a heart transplant patient whose personality completely changed after recovery, becoming like the personality of the original owner of the transplanted heart.
Could it be that this 'possession' is, contrary to an organ transplant, influenced by the personality of the original owner who was possessed?
If that was correct, he might be under the influence of the personality of the original owner of this body, the beggar boy Lee An-jeong.
"Agh, I don't know. Whatever the case, I am now a Qi Condensation cultivator too, aren't I? It’ll appear again if I absorb Spiritual Qi!"
Lee An-jeong entered the cultivation cave again and took out about ten lower-grade Spirit Stones from his storage bag and placed them on the floor.
They were the ones he had obtained from the storage bag of the recently deceased Na Un-yeon.
Then, he took two pills from the medicine bottles, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them.
A moment later, as the medicinal effects began to circulate again, Lee An-jeong closed his eyes and performed the Qi Condensation Method.
Then, the formulas for Stage 3 (3-seong) of the Qi Condensation Stage passed through his head like subtitles.
Wooooooo—
Massive Spiritual Qi from the dozens of lower-grade Spirit Stones was sucked into his fingertips.
And it flowed through his blood vessels into his four limbs and hundred bones.
In an instant, his entire body fell into a state of ecstasy.
In that ecstasy, he even forgot how much time was passing.
It was then, at a certain moment.
Ji-i-i-ing—
He felt the Spiritual Qi that had entered his body being sucked into one place.
It was precisely into that pattern on the back of his right hand.
'Now is the time!'
<><><>