Return of Hades

Return of Hades:
Episode 1
 

A life full of regrets.

What if it had been like this?

It would have been better if I had done that.

If I had made a different choice at that time…

I lived my whole life with such thoughts.

I have been known as Ming Wang from my childhood to my adulthood.

But regrets don’t change anything.

The past is the past.

Holding on to memories that have already passed doesn’t change anything.

The past is something you can’t change unless you can live your life again.

But…….

How did this happen?

[I’ll give you a chance to fix your regrets].

I do get to live my life again.

* * *

In a small room, an ant was sucking and running around.

Wi Ji-yeon was looking into the mirror with a serious expression.

‘You’re young.’

No, not young, but younger.

Her reflection in the mirror showed that she hadn’t even finished breastfeeding yet.

She was probably only fourteen or fifteen at this point.

I wasn’t sure, but I thought she was probably around that age.

At least I couldn’t see the scars on her cheeks that came afterward.

“The cord is still intact.

Most importantly, the pole that was supposed to be destroyed was still intact.

Of course, the amount of hollowing was terrible.

“What the hell?

Am I dreaming?

Mate!

I slapped my cheek hard, just in case, but it hurt like hell.

I could feel it was real.

Wi Ji-yeon rubbed her swollen cheeks and looked around. She looked around for any clues.

‘Nothing special.

The room was just a room.

The room he’d lived in as a child.

The only things inside were a few clothes and a few books.

There was nothing in sight to explain the situation.

“What the hell is going on here?

I was wondering.

“Confucius. That’s the incense altar.”

A voice came from outside the tightly closed door.

Wi Ji-yeon eyes widened when he heard it.

The woman’s name sounded very familiar.

“Xiang Dan?”

She had been Wi Ji-yeon’s tutor since childhood.

However, she hadn’t seen her for a long time since her family’s collapse.

Wi Ji-yeon cautiously opened the door.

A familiar-looking woman was waiting outside the door.

“Heh…….”

He let out a short gasp.

It was indeed Xiang Dan.

Just like he remembered.

Surprise overcame his delight.

How the hell did this happen?

Before he could formulate an answer.

“Mr. Confucius, are you okay?”

Xiang Dan called out to me in a strange voice.

He looked worried for some reason.

Wi Ji-yeon saw that and sobbed up.

No matter the situation, it was time to get a grip.

He couldn’t do anything if he were surprised.

He turned to Xiang Dan.

“Xiang Dan, how old am I this year?”

“What? Why is that suddenly…”

“Just answer me. Come on.”

Xiang Dan’s expression became subtle. But she answered straight away.

“You’ve just become a Zhihak this year. Why are you suddenly doing that?”

“There’s something I want to check out.”

Zhihak.

It means fifteen years old.

Wi Ji-yeon closed her eyes for a moment and thought.

If that’s true, then maybe…

‘I’m back in the past.

But how?

“I don’t know.

The answer didn’t come easily.

The last thing I remembered was nothing out of the ordinary.

I was practicing the Immortal King Heart Technique as usual.

“I heard someone’s voice.

No, wait.

Someone’s voice?

‘What did I hear?

I don’t remember.

My memory is foggy, as if there’s a fog in my head.

‘I must have had an important conversation with the voice’s owner.

What exactly did we talk about?

Again, I don’t remember.

All I can remember are the last words I heard.

[I’ll give you a chance to make amends].

I think it was something like that.

But even that was a blur so that she couldn’t be sure.

Wi Ji-yeon let out a small sigh. It was unlikely that she would be able to recall it right away.

“Mr. Confucius, Are you sure you’re okay?”

The sudden sigh startled her.

Xiang Dan asked in surprise.

Wi Ji-yeon nodded at first.

To be honest, I still don’t know what happened.

“I’ll just have to get my bearings.

It’s a certainty that the past has returned.

If that’s the case, she can only act accordingly.

“I’m fine; what else is going on?”

“The congressman I told you about has arrived.”

“The councilman?”

“Yes. The one who manufactured the elixir is called Kinghades… Confucius?”

Fear appeared on Xiang Dan’s face.

Suddenly, Wi Ji-yeon’s face became frighteningly stiff.

She trembled and asked.

“Did I do something wrong? Why do you suddenly have such an expression…?”

“No. It’s not your fault.”

Wi Ji-yeon smiled gently as if to reassure her.

“It’s just that I remembered something old for a moment.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Would you call the councilor for me then?”

Xiang Dan nodded and carefully stepped outside.

Wi Ji-yeon watched her disappear into the distance and thought.

“Is this what she meant by giving me a chance to correct my regrets?

Yes, it probably did.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back to this moment.

Today.

The day he met the congressman who created the Kinghadan…

‘Because this is the day I will lose my power.

Wi Ji-yeon’s mouth twisted.

* * *

Wi Ji-yeon was a martial artist who was called the Ming King in Jianghu.

However, he was not always so-called.

He owed his status as a master entirely to his acquisition of the Qi Yan. If he didn’t have the immortal king’s heart and the golden night tea divine qualities, he wouldn’t even be a third-class martial artist.

Why?

“Because I didn’t have the power.

Of course, he didn’t start without one.

He certainly had one, which he had accumulated since childhood.

But it was…

‘It was destroyed.

It was destroyed by a coin-op.

And the reason he got it was because of that elixir called Kinghadan.

Just one day after he took it, he vomited blood and contracted the disease.

“At first, I didn’t even realize it was because of Kinghadan.

His uncle and cousins, who had taken the same elixir, were fine.

But later, he realized it was all a conspiracy: his uncle had set it up to abolish his dynasty.

“To take over the family completely, with no patriarch and no heir.

Wi Ji-yeon laughed coldly.

How many regrets have I had with this thing all my life?

If only I hadn’t taken the elixir back then.

Or, at the very least, if I had handled it better afterward…

‘They were all meaningless regrets.

It was already in the past.

But now is different.

He hadn’t taken the Kinghadan yet.

That means…….

“Regrets can be fixed.

A lifetime of regret.

Wi Ji-yeon silently recited the words of the Fudong Ming King Shen Gong.

Even though he wasn’t chanting, he could feel a sense of peace in his heart.

He waited quietly for the councilor to arrive.

I wonder how long he waited.

“Mr. Confucius. I’ve brought the councilor.”

Xiang Dan’s voice called out.

“Come in.”

With permission, Xiang Dan and two men entered the room.

One was Bai Yul, one of Wi Ji-sega’s maids, and the other was a councilor with a goat’s beard.

The goateed councilor bowed.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Confucius. My name is Yin Guihao, and I’m a councilor here in Shanxi.”

It was the same situation as in her previous life.

Wi Ji-yeon merely nodded and smiled wryly.

Yin Guihao explained how he interpreted the signal.

“Today, I’ve prepared four pills of King Hadan as requested by the Wi Ji Family, and although they are not first-class elixirs, as long as they are taken properly…”

“You said that it can enhance one’s cultivation for over three years. I know.”

Three years’ worth.

Although it seemed small at first glance, it was not a small amount.

To accumulate that much inner strength, he had to train hard.

As far as elixirs that could be obtained without going through the targeted people or the Black City were concerned, it was quite good.

The only problem was that the elixir was only for Wi Ji-yeon.

“Xiang Dan, I assume you paid the right price?”

“Yes. I’ve paid in advance, so all you have to do is take it.”

At Xiang Dan’s words, Bai Yul gave him a slightly envious glance.

As an ordinary martial artist, it would be quite painful for him to be able to obtain the elixir just because he was Confucius of the Wi Ji family.

“If I knew the future, I wouldn’t even think of such a thing.

Well, good.

Wi Ji-Yeon didn’t care.

Instead, he accepted the box from Yin Guihao.

“It’s Kinghadan.”

He opened the box, and a refreshing fragrance emanated from it.

A blue-colored pill that anyone could tell was an elixir.

That was the identity of King Hadan.

When Wi Ji-yeon saw him, she ordered Bai Yul.

“Bai Mu Mu.”

“Yes, Mr. Confucius.”

“I want you to subdue Councilor Yin right now.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear, subdue Senator Yin?”

“Go, Confucius. What’s that…….”

“I can’t use it.”

I didn’t listen to him.

I was suddenly reminded of my situation during this time.

But that’s okay.

If his subordinates didn’t listen to him, he could just make his move.

Pow!

Wi Ji-yeon quickly stepped in front of Yin Guihao.

Yin Guihao’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden movement.

But Wi Ji-yeon didn’t stop; he kicked Yin Guihao’s feet, knocking him over, and was on top of him in an instant.

“Kaaak!”

“Confucius?!”

Xiang Dan and Bai Yul were frightened and tried to stop Wi Ji-yeon.

But Wi Ji-yeon didn’t care; her piercing eyes glared down at Yin Guihao.

He swallowed his breath.

This should have been the time to shout out, “What are you doing? Why are you suddenly doing this?” But under the unspoken pressure, he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.

“Yin Guihao, from now on, answer everything I ask you straight.”

The voice that said that was murderous. Wi Ji-yeon looked Yin Guihao straight in the eyes and asked.

“Who bought it?”

“What do you mean…”

“I asked who bought it. Who told you to hand me a fake elixir?”

“Go away, fake! I’m sorry, Confucius; I don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden, but it’s the real thing.”

“Really? Then you should try it.”

Hmph.

Yin Guihao’s eyes trembled.

Wi Ji-yeon didn’t miss the tumor. He took out the Kinghadan from the box and said,.

“If this is real Kinghadan, you can feel free to take it.”

“Oh, no. That only works for martial artists, so it won’t work for me.”

“Shut up and open your mouth.”

“Ugh!”

Wi Ji-yeon forcibly opened Yin Guihao’s mouth.

He declared with cold eyes.

“The elixir is in.”

King Hadan pushed the elixir into Yin Guihao’s mouth.