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Chapter 489 – Need Something?

A messenger from the Gu Clan had arrived.

I swallowed hard at Nahi’s words.

‘What to do…?’

Cold sweat began to trickle down, as this was an unexpected development.

The Poison King’s response, in a way, was the most normal thing for a clan leader of the Tang Clan to do.

A member of the Tang Clan had come as a guest, and harm had befallen them from their own clan.

So it was only natural that he would promptly inform the family about this incident.

‘He really is protecting this.’

Most would be quick to cover up such matters.

It was problematic for clans to harbor ill feelings toward one another, and an issue could arise regarding the standing of the Tang Clan.

One would expect it to be quietly handled.

But the Poison King effectively revealed it, leaving me flustered.

‘Is he really the kind of person to protect something like this?’

I doubted it.

To be honest, I still thought he wasn’t.

I knew the Poison King was much cleaner than expected, but it was hard to see him as a clan leader unsullied by mortal affairs.

This could mean…

‘Does he have some ulterior motive?’

I still had no idea.

And I hoped that, if at all possible, this wouldn’t turn into a problem.

‘… Surely nothing will happen.’

He probably included the news that he had been poisoned but was still fine. That had to be it.

Let alone.

‘If my father sees this, it shouldn’t cause too much trouble.’

It had to be that way.

It would be troublesome if things got out of hand.

There had already been far too many accidents since my return; if this incident piled on top of that, who knows what would happen?

So… I fervently hoped nothing would happen, but…

I would soon realize that there was no god to hear such prayers in this world, just days later.

In Sichuan, while there are several districts, the most representative street ultimately depends on how close it is to the Tang Clan.

Even if it’s not the Tang Clan, the Pa Clan can be counted as a prominent family in Sichuan.

Furthermore, there are many esteemed clans and sects surrounding them.

In a world dominated by the Demonic Gate, being close to a notable family brings a considerable advantage.

By providing sponsorship, one can be protected under their rights.

Especially since the Tang Clan manages the business sector as well as the Moyong Clan.

The districts of Sichuan were as vast and well-organized as Hanam, where the Meng was located.

“Brother!”

Just as I had arrived in the district, a burly man greeted me as soon as I entered the street.

It was Paewoocheol, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hahaha! How have you been?”

With a horrific face breaking into a bright smile, Paewoocheol tried to pull me into a hug.

I slightly shifted to throw Cheol Jiseon aside.

“Ugh!? Wait…!”

Caught off guard by my sudden throw, Cheol Jiseon found himself in Paewoocheol’s embrace.

Sorry, but I’m not into hugging guys.

The funny part was that Paewoocheol didn’t seem to care and just hugged Cheol Jiseon tightly.

“How has hyung been too?”

“Ah…! Wait a second…!”

Cheol Jiseon was shouting as if he was in distress, but it seemed Paewoocheol didn’t hear him.

“Is it okay to just leave him like that?”

Woo Hyeok, who had returned after wandering for two days, commented on the scene.

“Leave him; he looks happy.”

“He looks happy, huh…?”

Cheol Jiseon, nearly fainting under Paewoocheol’s pressure, was possibly in a different state of happiness.

I thought that could be considered one form of happiness.

Or not.

As I was sniffing, Woo Hyeok looked at me with a strange expression.

Feeling his gaze, I asked, “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?”

“You said you were poisoned.”

“Oh.”

How did he know?

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Woo Hyeok’s words, wondering how he had found out.

“I was just a little hungry.”

“Hungry, so you ate more poison?”

“It was tasty.”

“…”

Woo Hyeok stared at me as if I were insane.

To be honest, it wasn’t that bad-tasting.

‘Ah, this is not good.’

I remembered how Tang Soyeol used to give me poison and always claimed it tasted good.

Maybe I had developed a tolerance for poison.

For now, I should just pretend.

“Did you talk well?”

“Um….”

I asked if he had had a good talk with Gwaeseon, but Woo Hyeok seemed to hesitate a bit.

“Why?”

“Nothing, nothing happened.”

He had a face that seemed like something had happened, yet suddenly claimed nothing at all.

I wanted to pry into it but decided against it.

“But hey.”

“Um?”

“That guy who said he would leave after meeting the master; why is he still here?”

“…”

My words caused Woo Hyeok to flinch.

Did he think I had forgotten? Not a chance.

Upon hearing me, Woo Hyeok immediately walked ahead and began whistling.

“Ah… I’m hungry; what should I eat? Should I get some meat?”

What a ridiculous plan.

In the midst of everything, that guy was thinking about stuffing his face again…

I let out a slight sigh at his silly attitude and followed his lead.

I didn’t particularly want to chase him away; the sight just irritated me.

As I was pretending to walk away, Woo Hyeok suddenly said, “Oh, right! The master said to bring you back once more.”

“Uh?”

I tilted my head in confusion at Woo Hyeok’s words.

Gwaeseon wanted to bring me back?

I recalled the last time Nangong Ming had kicked me out and wondered.

‘It surely wasn’t something Nangong Ming said… So Gwaeseon must have called me on his own accord.’

Who knew why Gwaeseon had called for me again?

But it didn’t matter.

‘I was planning to go back anyway. What a lucky excuse.’

I had intended to visit soon, so this was even better.

“When should we go?”

“… He didn’t say, but considering our master’s personality, it should be around seven tonight.”

“… Taking it easy there.”

“Haha!”

I wondered where that laid-back personality came from, but after seeing Gwaeseon, it started to make sense.

As I looked at Woo Hyeok, who was smiling, I recalled a question I had long wondered about.

“By the way, how did you become that guy’s disciple?”

The lazy prodigy of Wudang, Woo Hyeok — how did he end up as Gwaeseon’s disciple?

I had been curious about that without knowing it.

“… Hmm.”

Upon hearing my question, Woo Hyeok seemed to ponder for a moment, then replied with a slight smile.

“Nothing special happened…. Just.”

His smiling expression appeared somewhat refreshing, yet fleetingly nostalgic.

“We were all just abandoned humans trying to get along… something like that.”

“What are you talking about?”

This guy was speaking as if he didn’t even understand. It seemed he didn’t intend to clarify, so he just walked ahead.

Leaving Woo Hyeok behind, I headed towards where the women were gathering.

As I approached, someone flinched.

It was Tang Soyeol.

She had promised to go to the district with us, so Tang Soyeol was part of the group, but since the last incident, she had seemed a bit avoidant when seeing me.

Why was that…?

I disregarded the hesitating Tang Soyeol for now and spoke to someone else who was exploring the district.

“Is it fun?”

“Ah, yes!”

At my question, Wi Seol-Ah smiled brightly.

She had matured significantly since I first saw her, but it seemed that some aspects remained unchanged.

‘She seems to be growing colder in appearance.’

Wi Seol-Ah’s looks kept becoming more sophisticated over the days, yet her distinctly cold aura lingered.

Like the Divine Sword from my previous life.

But with her frequent smiles, her eyes retained a slight curve.

This created a considerable difference.

As I gently patted Wi Seol-Ah’s blonde hair, someone next to me spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

It was Moyong Hi-ah.

Strangely, she looked somewhat happy to see me after what felt like a long time.

Hiding my emotions, I asked Moyong Hi-ah, “What?”

“That over there.”

At her gesture, I glanced around.

“Ah.”

Then I understood what Moyong Hi-ah meant.

She was referring to the hidden martial artists surrounding us.

They were concealed on rooftops and nestled between ordinary people.

Stealthily hidden warriors filled the space around us.

They all appeared to be members of the Tang Clan.

Probably the martial artists set free by the Poison King.

I considered the implications behind their presence.

‘Is it meant to protect me? Or are they here to keep watch?’

Most likely, both.

Having suffered an incident within the Tang Clan, there must be an intention to protect me, and having previously spoken, they also likely aimed to monitor my actions.

I shifted my gaze back to Moyong Hi-ah, as lingering too long might be problematic.

“You don’t have to worry.”

“What on earth are you up to….”

As Moyong Hi-ah rubbed her temples, I felt a hint of indignation wash over me.

“Well, he said I was poisoned. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about that?”

At that time, Nanggong Bi-ah, Wi Seol-Ah, and even Moyong Hi-ah were present, yet none of them seemed particularly worried.

That slightly hurt my feelings, and I expressed it, but Moyong Hi-ah replied with an indifferent expression.

“… Prince, how can I believe that after seeing your act?”

“…”

Bitch.

Moyong Hi-ah’s words rendered me speechless.

“You’re planning to start some trouble again, aren’t you?”

“It’s nothing that big….”

“Then it must be a huge deal.”

“Are you actually listening to me?”

“Yes.”

As Moyong Hi-ah brushed back her hair, she said, “From the way you can’t properly explain things to us, I gather it’s something dangerous.”

“…”

“You probably won’t answer any questions either. I know that well.”

Cold sweat dripped down. Each word was piercingly sharp.

As always, I knew I should avoid prolonged conversations with Moyong Hi-ah.

I understood whatever I said would be a loss.

Thus, I had no choice but to adopt the method Woo Hyeok once used on me.

“By the way, where has the Baek Cheon-gyeom gone?”

“I know you’re trying to change the subject. I’ll let it slide just this once. My aunt went out to meet someone.”

“… Oh, okay. Thanks.”

After finally clearing my throat once, I scratched the back of my head.

This was absolutely ineffective, damn it…

As I continued to awkwardly walk, Moyong Hi-ah, who had been subtly fanning me, asked, “So Prince, where are we going now?”

It had been a little while since we entered the district, and the reason for our continual walking must have been on everyone’s mind.

Not just Moyong Hi-ah, everyone was likely curious.

Feeling their gazes on me, I pointed forward with my hand.

“We’re almost there. It’s just ahead.”

“What’s just ahead…. Ah?”

As I gestured, Moyong Hi-ah lifted her head and uttered a short sound.

Instantly, she seemed to understand where I intended to go.

Right ahead was a large building, likely the second-largest structure in this district.

The largest one was probably the upper house closely tied to the Tang Clan.

The second biggest was…

“Baekhwa Sect…?”

It was none other than Lady Mi’s Baekhwa Sect’s Sichuan branch.

“You have some business there… so it’s… Mother’s… No, Lady Mi’s sect you’re visiting?”

“Eh? What did you say?”

That title felt oddly off, but perhaps it was just a misunderstanding?

It wasn’t a pressing matter, so I decided to move on.

“I wasn’t planning to have dinner there. Just have some arrangements to make.”

The reason I had to come all the way to this district to visit the Baekhwa Sect.

As I mentioned before, it was to sell off the well-kept items nestled in my possession.

‘Just throwing them out would be a bother.’

Given their value, they were pretty rare items; selling them anywhere without caution could lead to problems.

If rumors spread, it could turn complicated.

‘So Yeomra was seen parading around with Night Bright Wine…’

If such rumors circulated, annoying groups could start pursuing me.

I didn’t see them as serious threats though.

‘It was just bothersome to deal with.’

Dealing with all of that individually was simply cumbersome.

Besides, since I had previously used Lady Mi’s name, selling the Night Bright Wine to the Baekhwa Sect would alleviate some of my moral burdens.

Where I would leave my moral qualms behind.

[Kid, do you really think you felt moral qualms?]

‘Of course. I’m human too.’

[You no longer are.]

‘…’

Damn.

The dagger just struck right through.

After a silent sigh, I headed for the entrance of the sect.

“I’ll be back soon. Everyone, wait on the first floor. It shouldn’t take long.”

As soon as I left those words, just as I reached for the door of the sect…

Creeeak.

“Huh?”

Before I could grasp the doorknob, someone opened it from the inside.

“Um?”

“Ah?”

We both reacted upon locking eyes with the person who stepped out.

It was someone I knew.

An intimidating elderly man and a skinny boy.

Looking at them, I spoke in surprise.

“Shin Yi?”

The individuals were none other than Shin Yi and Jiegal Hyeok.

As I pondered why they were suddenly appearing from the Baekhwa Sect, I couldn’t help but question.

‘What’s going on?’

I saw that Shin Yi, who seemed surprised to see me, was now staring, not at me, but at someone else.

Following his gaze, I turned around.

‘Huh?’

There stood Cheol Jiseon, looking displeased as he glared at Shin Yi.

 

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