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Freckled cheeks.

He was on the shorter side compared to me, and around the age of adulthood.

At first glance, he appeared to be just an ordinary servant, but I could tell.

‘He’s the King of Demons.’

That man’s true identity was the King of Demons.

Until I heard his voice, I had felt uncertain, but as soon as I caught the tone, I became sure.

Furthermore.

‘There’s a feeling of strangeness all around.’

With that realization, I could feel the peculiar discomfort creeping in.

The vibrations from my arms felt similar.

‘…What the hell is going on now?’

Was there a heart beating in that scaled part? It was pounding like crazy.

Why is this happening?

Ignoring the vibrations, I stared at the King of Demons.

He seemed flustered under my gaze, beads of cold sweat trickling down.

No, he was just pretending to act that way.

‘Why are these people such good actors?’

The Master of the Martial World as well as the King of Demons. Their acting skills were utterly beyond my understanding.

As I stared at the King of Demons, my eyes inevitably shifted toward the Master of the Martial World.

It was as if asking, how could this even be happening.

Could it be that even the Master of the Martial World was unaware of this?

‘This old man….’

The moment I saw the Master of the Martial World sneer at me, I understood it instantly.

This man surely knew something.

‘Did the King of Demons have ties with the Master of the Martial World?’

What kind of ties, I wasn’t sure, but at the very least, things didn’t seem normal.

Furthermore, I had no idea why the King of Demons was mixed in with these folks.

Avoiding the King of Demons’ gaze as best I could, I asked the Master of the Martial World.

-What’s going on…?

-What do you mean?

-I’m asking why that person is over there.

-Don’t concern yourself with it. He’s just one of the servants.

-What the…? Do you have a headache or something?

Knowing he was the King of Demons, yet telling me to dismiss him as just a servant? What kind of insane joke was this?

I asked in disbelief, and the Master of the Martial World simply replied with a nonchalant expression.

-Actually, I have a favor to ask, so that’s how it is.

-A favor…?

His statement made my mind race.

A favor from the King of Demons?

-What exactly do you plan to kill?

This was the only thought that entered my mind.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything else to ask him for.

Upon hearing my words, the Master of the Martial World slightly grimaced before staring at me.

-What are you thinking…? Hmm…

It seemed he was about to say something outrageous but then tilted his head in thought.

What was with that?

-…Maybe it’s somewhat similar?

-…Huh?

-Hmm, it might be close enough. Just think of it that way.

What on earth does that mean?

So, anyway, are they saying the King of Demons is indeed going to kill someone?

It felt somewhat strange to think that the Master of the Martial World would ask something like this from the King of Demons.

But I didn’t pry further.

Everyone has their own circumstances. For me, it was enough just to learn martial arts from the Master of the Martial World.

The Master of the Martial World only wanted me to master his skills, so that was the extent of our relationship.

One could say our relationship was a bit ambiguous, almost awkward.

At least, that’s how I perceived it.

A master-disciple relationship formed out of necessity.

It sounded like something I’d never heard before.

So, the fact that the King of Demons was mingling with the Bi Clan folks and setting off for Sichuan struck me as odd.

If it weren’t related to me, it would have been just fine.

Just.

‘Is it really unrelated?’

That thought lingered slightly.

‘The King of Demons’ original family was the Yeon Clan after all.’

I had realized that it wasn’t just any random person; the King of Demons was indeed a descendant of Yeon Ilcheon, and Sichuan was a place where remnants of the Yeon Clan still remained.

Knowing the King of Demons was heading there, I had to feel the strangeness more than once.

‘But… is this right?’

As I contemplated a few individuals, I started sensing something odd about the group setting off for Sichuan.

Among them were the Poison King, the Clan Leader of the Tang Clan, and the King of Assassins, along with the Master of the Martial World, who was one of the three eminent beings of the martial artists.

All those departing for Sichuan resembled a bunch of clowns who could let out a fart anywhere, which made me think.

‘At least, we won’t get ambushed.’

It provided a certain level of reassurance regarding safety.

If things went south here, it would likely only be the King of Demons suddenly wanting to eliminate everyone.

I could hardly imagine any crazy person trying to attack the Tang Clan’s supply carriage.

Even if they did, I didn’t think I’d have too much to worry about.

It seemed the Poison King had brought significant force to transport criminals to Sichuan.

Would he have brought such a force if he knew the Master of the Martial World and the King of Demons were in this mix?

Probably not, right?

As I started to create some distance from the King of Demons, someone approached me and suddenly wrapped an arm around my neck.

“…?”

Instead of hugging, it might be better to say they were clinging onto me.

Before I could even pull away from the grasp, the familiar scent wafting from behind stopped me short.

“Little brother, are you really leaving?”

It was the scent of Gu Huibi.

“…What are you doing, sis?”

“Are you really going that far? You’re not coming home with me?”

“I have to go.”

“Home?”

“No, to Sichuan.”

At my reply, Gu Huibi tightened her grip around my arms.

“What on earth… are you doing?”

“Just wandering outside the house all the time. Your teenage phase came in wrong. You used to be so cute back then.”

Hearing Gu Huibi’s words left me speechless.

“What do you mean ‘came in wrong’?”

I was of an age that was certainly not experiencing teenage angst.

Moreover, regarding the past, if something was off, that might have made sense, but how could she say that I used to be cuter?

Trying to shake off Gu Huibi’s arms while looking at her, I found her frowning hard as though discontented.

Seeing Gu Huibi like that made me feel a bit nauseous as if she was trying to act cute.

Has she forgotten her age?

What was a grown woman doing acting that way?

“I’m really not happy…”

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you getting married? Isn’t the age already quite overdue?”

“…”

The question slipped out of my mouth out of curiosity about Gu Huibi’s age.

However, upon hearing my question, her expression changed dramatically.

At that moment, her face resembled that of an evil spirit.

Immediately after confirming her expression, I took a small step back and said.

“…No, I was just… curious…”

“Little brother, do you want your hair all burnt off? Say it, sister is quite skilled at that.”

“I’m sorry.”

She seemed seriously enraged; her eyes were certainly fierce.

All I had intended was to pose a benign question out of curiosity. She clearly wasn’t in a good mood.

‘Well, I guess it’s not the age but rather her crazy personality that no one would want to marry.’

Although she had already passed the prime age for marriage, Gu Huibi hadn’t found a fiancé nor could she marry.

Remembering how she had avoided marriage in my previous life, I wondered if she meant to live out her life as an old maid.

It seems such a figure had become widespread among martial artists, so it might not be a matter of concern.

Yet, judging by her response, it was clear she was somewhat troubled by it.

“I’ll consider letting you go back home.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Wow, so decisive. Infuriating.”

Gu Huibi shrugged her tongue at my response and turned away.

Adding no further comments for me, she walked toward the rest of the Gu Clan members.

“Do as you please, whether you come or not.”

As she walked away, she suddenly threw a parting remark.

When was she going to soften up on her personality?

That was probably too much to ask.

‘Must be a tall order.’

Being born with this temperament was bound to make it difficult for her to change.

Just after Gu Huibi left, the next person to come forward was Elder Lee.

Why do they keep coming one after another? Wouldn’t it be easier if they all came at once?

I frowned at Elder Lee as he approached me, and he raised an eyebrow at my expression.

“…Seeing my face like that, what kind of manners are you showing, young man?”

“What is it this time? I’m not accepting anything.”

“Ha! Do you think I’m giving you a gift?”

“It’s not the matter of whether it’s a gift or not that’s the problem.”

Every item I’ve gotten from Elder Lee in our past meetings inevitably led to an incident or accident.

It was abundantly clear that he’d done so again, which was why I resolutely resolved not to accept this time.

As I glared at Elder Lee, of course, he nonchalantly pulled something out of his pocket.

Seeing that, I immediately shouted at Elder Lee.

“Oh, I’m not taking it! Hey, hey! What are you trying to give me now?”

“Who do you think wants to give this to you!?”

“Well, then just don’t give it to me!”

I began an absurd squabble with Elder Lee.

Whatever that item was, I was not going to accept it.

Why does he keep trying to make me tackle these accidents?

Just when I was about to escape without accepting the item, Elder Lee uttered a follow-up remark.

“This is not from me, but your father has sent this to you.”

“…What?”

“Two scoundrels in the family. How dare they make an old man do their errands?”

Slandering my father, Elder Lee muttered, but at that point, my mind was focused on the item he was holding.

‘Father?’

My father was sending me something?

Thinking about it, I turned my gaze toward my father, who was indeed looking this way. Our eyes met briefly, and he quickly averted his gaze.

At that moment, it seemed Elder Lee’s words were accurate.

‘What could this be?’

Having confirmed that, I took the item from him. If it wasn’t Elder Lee giving it to me, then it should be fine.

…It looked like an ordinary metallic plate.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know. The Clan Leader just asked me to pass it along.”

“Then just give it to him directly. There’s no need for me to get involved…”

“That’s what I said! If you’re really that curious, just go ask him yourself.”

“No, that’s a bit….”

“Haha… Both of you are clearly being a handful.”

Elder Lee shook his head as if tired.

Although things had improved, I still found it quite awkward to ask my father about such things.

‘…It’s probably something he needs me to have.’

That thought crossed my mind as I carelessly slipped the plate into my pocket.

I couldn’t imagine he would give me something strange.

“What will you do after returning, Elder Lee?”

“What would I do? I’ll just lounge around and sleep.”

“…Ah, okay.”

Saying that, if you were to pick out the busiest person in the Gu Clan, it would be my father first.

Elder Lee would come in second.

In his old age, Elder Lee was surprisingly active, seeming to always be out and about.

Gazing at Elder Lee with a hint of suspicion, I pointed someone out with my fingertip. It was a personal inquiry.

“Well… will you really be taking that guy with you?”

Elder Lee’s gaze followed my finger.

The direction I pointed was none other than Gu Jeolyub, who stood with a dark expression somewhere.

His expression slightly twitched when Elder Lee saw Gu Jeolyub.

The reason I asked about Gu Jeolyub was simple.

Because he had stated he wouldn’t be participating in this journey to Sichuan.

 

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