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“Are you all right, sajae?”
Wi So-rang walked toward me and asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Don’t force yourself to sit up just because your sajeo is here, you can lie down.”
“It’s not because I’m nervous or anything.”
“Then you’re really not hurt?”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
“I guess I bought this medicine for nothing. I should take it back.”
Wi So-rang tried to hand the medicine bundle to her guard.
I stretched out my arm, snatched it quickly, and lay down on the bed.
“Ow, suddenly my back hurts.”
“You should’ve laid down from the start.”
Wi So-rang smiled as if pleased.
Her guard brought a chair and placed it in front of the bed. The kid grunted as she sat down.
Her legs dangled in the air as the heights didn’t match.
“I was shocked when I heard you were seriously injured. The other sahyungs probably wouldn’t care, so I came to visit you instead. Grateful, right?”
“Yeah. There’s really only you, sajeo.”
I answered sincerely.
In this life, the only sahyung and sajeo I’d met in person were Yuk Ja-heung and Wi So-rang.
But even if I’d met all of them, the only one who would visit me like this would be Wi So-rang.
And she even brought an expensive gift, of course I was grateful.
“But what happened, sajae?”
“I must’ve pushed too hard on the first day of training.”
“You were doing physical training with Master, right?”
“Yeah.”
Wi So-rang tilted her head.
“That’s strange. Master doesn’t push someone too hard. When I get tired, he immediately tells me to stop.”
‘That’s because you’re a kid.’
I swallowed the words that tried to escape my mouth.
If I said that and made her sulk, she might take the medicine back.
In my past life, training under the Heavenly Demon felt like dying every day. He pushed me relentlessly without a shred of mercy.
I could handle it better now, but this life wouldn’t be all that different either.
My situation wasn’t the same as Wi So-rang’s.
“But still, keep at it, sajae. If you just do what Master says, you’ll get used to it quickly. I used to be awful at the horse stance, you know? But I practiced just the way Master taught me every day, and now I can last a whole quarter-hour easily!”
Wi So-rang looked at me with sparkling eyes.
She seemed to be expecting praise, so I gave her one.
“That’s impressive, sajeo.”
“Hehe.”
Wi So-rang grinned proudly.
In my past life, she had been annoyingly persistent and a nuisance.
But unlike back then, I found her rather cute now.
Like a young aunt wanting praise from her much older nephew.
“By the way, when are we sparring?”
“Sparring?”
“You said we’d spar often at the True Demon Market, remember?”
Ah, right.
I recalled belatedly.
I’d forgotten because things had been hectic.
“I’ll come by to spar in a few days.”
“Really? Great! You know I live in So-Bong Hall, right?”
I nodded lightly.
Wi So-rang continued chattering for quite a while.
“Sajae, I’ll get going now. Rest well so you can recover quickly and we can spar.”
“Yeah. Thanks, sajeo.”
Wi So-rang smiled brightly and waved.
Once she left, the once noisy room fell quiet again.
I liked the silence.
‘Hoo… she drained my energy.’
I slowly got up and sat at the edge of the bed.
Somehow, the body that had fully recovered now felt tired again.
“Oh, right.”
I unwrapped the silk bundle Wi So-rang brought.
Inside was a small box engraved with ‘Energy Boosting Pill’.
It wasn’t the kind that boosted internal energy, but it did slightly enhance natural recovery.
She must have picked it thoughtfully because she heard I was injured.
Feeling grateful, I stored it safely in one corner.
I’d take it later when I had time.
‘Is the door still intact?’
She kicked it so hard I thought it would be destroyed.
Checking roughly, it seemed fine aside from the hinge making a squeak when opening and closing.
And the tiny footprint embedded on it.
‘Shall I go grab a bite to eat now?’
I was just about to step out.
“Young Lord, the Fifth Young Lord has come to visit!”
…What now?
The Fifth Young Lord was Yuk Ja-heung. Why won’t they let me eat?
Dash—
Kwang!
I took two quick steps back from the door.
“Your sahyung has arrived! You weak little sajae!”
The door burst open as Yuk Ja-heung appeared.
He looked around the bed, then blinked when he saw me near the door.
“Why are you standing? I heard you were on your deathbed.”
What kinds of rumors are spreading?
I was about to snap but instead calmly looked him up and down.
He frowned and asked:
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Checking if you brought anything.”
“What should I have brought?”
“So you brought nothing?”
“W-what?”
Yuk Ja-heung stiffened at my aura.
“How can you just kick someone’s door open? Should I kick you too?”
“W-what’s wrong with you? I’m your sahyung!”
“Sahyung my ass. Pay up.”
“Pay what?”
“The door repair fee!”
“The door looks fine?”
“Fine? Don’t you hear this?”
The hinge squeaked even worse this time.
“What? Just from kicking it once?”
Yuk Ja-heung looked genuinely wronged.
Seeing that, I thought:
‘That’s what you get for coming barehanded as a sahyung.’
After Yuk Ja-heung left, I finally had a simple meal.
Only after that did I head to Ink-Needle Hall.
Im Yeon asked if it would be better to rest in my room today, but I shook my head firmly.
News of my recovery surely reached the Heavenly Demon.
Training would resume tomorrow for sure.
So I had to take care of things while I could.
After traveling for about forty-five minutes, the carriage arrived at its destination.
Physicians of the Demon Cult used not silver needles but dark-black ones, infused with a special poison during refinement.
Ink-Needle Hall took its name from this.
“Ugh.”
As soon as we stepped into the grounds of Ink-Needle Hall, Im Yeon covered her nose and mouth. She seemed to be fighting nausea.
That was understandable.
This place cultivated all kinds of poisonous substances for poison-based medicine. The stench was overwhelming.
“S-sorry, Young Lord.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, but this isn’t good. The deeper we go, the worse it gets.”
Ink-Needle Hall was divided into two sections, the Outer Hall and the Inner Hall.
The closer one got to the Inner Hall, the more poison there was, and the worse the smell.
Im Yeon’s face went pale.
It was hard for her even to think about it.
“Do you want to wait here?”
“N-no. I’ll adapt somehow.”
“All right then.”
We passed the Outer Hall and approached the entrance of the Inner Hall.
I told the guard stationed there that the Seventh Young Lord had come to meet the Ink-Needle Hall Lord.
The guard saluted politely and asked:
“Have you made an appointment with the Hall Lord?”
“No.”
“My apologies. Without an appointment, it will be difficult to meet her.”
Polite, but stiff.
I had expected this and prepared a method to get through in one go.
I spoke calmly.
“I actually received treatment from the Hall Lord last night. But a serious problem has arisen. She must see it herself.”
Beside me, Im Yeon, still fighting her nausea, tilted her head.
She looked at me as if saying ‘You’re perfectly fine though?’
I gave her a subtle signal.
A sign to stay quiet.
“Are you saying the Hall Lord’s treatment had an issue?”
The guard’s tone shifted slightly.
This involved the reputation of a physician with absolute authority in the Demon Cult.
It wasn’t something he could brush off casually.
“Yes. It’s urgent, so please inform her immediately.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The guard hurried toward the Inner Hall.
I watched his back quietly.
Now all that remained was to wait for the Hall Lord’s reaction.
“Young Lord, why are you suddenly trying to meet the Hall Lord?”
Im Yeon whispered beside me.
I only smiled in response.
I had two reasons for coming to see the Ink-Needle Hall Lord.
First, to shut her mouth.
If word got out that I had True Blood Severed Meridians, troubles would begin.
My position in the cult would become unstable, and countless challenges would follow.
The Elder Council Lord, my great sahyung, and the other sahyungs would keep pressuring me nonstop.
Given my limitations in internal energy, responding to all that would be nearly impossible.
Before that happens, I must seal the Hall Lord’s lips.
The second reason was the original purpose for visiting Ink-Needle Hall.
To refine the Demon-Gathering Stone.
For that, I needed to meet Ju Ok-hwa’s disciple.
The problem was that he locked himself in his room all day, so meeting him wasn’t easy.
I had a method prepared, but it was troublesome.
But if I used the Hall Lord, the process would shorten greatly.
“Thank you for waiting. The Hall Lord will see you.”
Perfect.
I followed the returning guard into the Inner Hall.
The stench worsened as we went, but I didn’t mind.
I was used to it.
I’d grown numb to it.
In my past life, while being used for human experiments by the Hall Lord’s disciple, I had entered the Inner Hall countless times.
“Here.”
The guard led me to a garden filled with ominous poisonous plants.
A woman of mystical appearance crouched there, sniffing the poisonous herbs.
She was Ju Ok-hwa, the Myriad Poison Immortal, the Lord of Ink-Needle Hall.
“Thank you for seeing me when you’re busy.”
I cupped my fists politely to leave a good first impression.
Ju Ok-hwa turned her head.
Her vivid violet eyes immediately caught my gaze.
Perhaps due to years of contact with poison, she had an unusual appearance.
Her violet eyes were the most distinct.
I’d seen them many times in my past life, so they didn’t feel unfamiliar.
“Oh my, what a surprise. We had seen each other earlier and now again? Then again, only I saw you. Hohoho.”
Ju Ok-hwa laughed brightly.
Her smile looked harmless, but I steadied myself internally.
Ju Ok-hwa was the greatest master in poison across Murim, her cultivation was extremely high, and she had unsettling eyes…
…But none of these were what made her frightening.
Her friendliness.
That was her greatest weapon.
People were disarmed by the contrast between her mysterious looks and friendly demeanor, revealed their secrets… and got stabbed in the back later.
Because Ju Ok-hwa was calculating and greedy to the core.
If it benefited her, she’d spill anyone’s secrets.
‘But that’s exactly why she can be reasoned with.’
If there was mutual benefit, she could be the easiest person to deal with.
But first, I needed to create the right environment for that conversation.
“All your signs of illness are gone. When I treated you, I thought you were a corpse! Your skeletal muscles were damaged enough that if left alone, you would’ve had an interview with the King of the Underworld.”
“…”
“You’re really lucky, you know, I happened to be staying in the cult. Do you know the Blood Hall Master? Maybe not? Anyway, he got gravely injured exactly while my disciple and I were away and crossed the River of Three Crossings. Want to hear something funny? Ten women showed up at his funeral. His wife got so angry she threw his memorial tablet. Oh, and even funnier, he had twenty illegitimate children!”
For a moment, my mind nearly went blank.
Too much information flooded out in such a short time.
At this point in time, the Blood Hall Master I knew was alive, so she must be talking about his predecessor.
But was there really a need to expose the dirty laundry of a dead man? Just to reinforce her identity as a chatterbox?
And not only that…
“You’re different from others, you know. I wonder if you yourself know ‘how’ you’re different?”
Seeing her subtly probe me, I thought:
Good thing I came here.
If I didn’t take action, someday my most dangerous secrets would reach the wrong ears.
“So, um, what I mean is—”
Suddenly, Ju Ok-hwa’s chatter stopped.
“You’re surprisingly quiet for someone who looks like you.”
“…”
“Isn’t it okay to respond with at least a few words?”
“…”
When I ignored her again, her friendly expression froze over like the glaciers of North Sea Ice Palace.
“You little brat. What are you trying to pull?”
She dropped me from “‘Young Lord’ to ‘you,’ but that was fine.
Removing her mask was exactly what I wanted.
I deliberately lowered my voice.
“Looks like you’re finally ready.”
“Ready?”
“Ready to have a ‘real’ conversation with me.”
Ju Ok-hwa said nothing and stared at me.
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