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Chapter 8: A Surprise Encounter

“Um, I—I like you.”

“……”

Out of nowhere, a woman drops a confession on me.

I was left dumbfounded, not knowing who she was or even her name.

You like me?

Why me?

‘…… Why on earth?’

It was something I had never heard in my whole life, especially from someone approaching me like this.

Doubt surged within me.

“I don’t believe in gods or anything like that.”

“…… Huh?”

“I have no intention of hearing strange things. I’m broke.”

“…… What?”

Is that not it? The more I spoke, the stranger her reactions got.

This can’t be right. If it’s not this, then it doesn’t make sense.

It’s impossible.

I mean, I don’t think I’m ugly… not really, but…

I at least knew I didn’t have the looks to attract this kind of attention.

The only person who has ever told me I was good-looking is Tang Soyeol.

‘Wait…’

Tang Soyeol?

My gaze narrowed further as I looked at the woman. Tang Soyeol… Tang Soyeol, huh.

Then, I casually glanced at the clothes she was wearing.

“Young Lady.”

“Y-Yes?”

I asked the woman.

“…… What is your name?”

“Ah….”

She hesitated at my question and then suddenly took off her veil. I was taken aback by her sudden action, but—

Once she removed it, her face became unmistakably clearer.

I had thought it before, and now I saw it even better.

She looked way too much like Tang Soyeol. The green hair and the outfit she wore were all too familiar.

In other words…

This woman is also connected to the Tang family.

“…… My name is Tang Seon.”

“……”

Her introduction confirmed my suspicions.

“If you’re Tang Seon… could it be that…?”

“That’s right… I am from the Sichuan Tang clan.”

I got it right.

No wonder things felt strange.

‘Tang Seon.’

Who exactly is she? Is there someone of her age in the Tang bloodline?

As far as I knew, the Poison King was the only one.

As I stared at her with a puzzled expression, she said,

“Yes, I’m Poison Phoenix.”

The familiar title rolled off her tongue.

‘So she’s from the previous generation of Poison Phoenix.’

Then…

“Um, what’s your relation to the current Poison Dragon…?”

“Huh?”

Thinking that since the current Poison Dragon existed, she must have some relation, I asked.

Tang Seon gave me a baffled look and said,

“She’s my sister.”

“……”

I nodded.

‘So there was an older sister.’

If we’re talking about Tang Soyeol, that would make her like an aunt.

I didn’t know Tang Soyeol had an older sister. I had never heard of her.

“Um, ah, yes.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed as I grasped the situation, I awkwardly replied.

“You said your name was Young Lady, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Um, thank you for your kind words, but…”

I understood that her confession was sincere, but…

“I already have a fiancée.”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing about my fiancée, Tang Seon’s eyes widened briefly before quickly softening into a sad expression.

“Ah… I see. What a pity… truly.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

Where else would I hear something like this?

The one saying it was, after all, an incredibly eccentric lady from the Tang clan.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. I hope you have a wonderful day.”

With that, Tang Seon gave me a bow and promptly left.

Even her disappearing back resembled Tang Soyeol’s, leaving me with a strange sensation.

‘I wonder if she’s doing well.’

Given the timeline, not much time had passed since Shin Noya’s words, but for me, quite a bit of time seemed to have flown by, and she popped into my head.

Ah, right.

‘I miss them.’

I really wanted to see those kids.

A whole lot.

*

A day passed.

Even with the dawn, I still found myself in this world.

Since I hadn’t really expected anything, it didn’t feel like much of a problem.

I simply turned my dazed head and stepped outside the inn, holding back my irritation.

‘Ah, the weather is annoyingly nice. Is this a joke?’

Whether the world knew of my mood or not, it was blissfully bright and sunny.

I let out a sigh as I gazed at the pouring sunlight.

“Ugh…”

Life is just so ridiculous.

I’ve tried reincarnating and jumping to other worlds.

And now, of all things, I’ve ended up back in my father’s childhood.

“Life…”

Oh, now that I think about it, I’m not even human anymore, am I?

“Damn it.”

I continued to walk, lost in thought, passing by the gates when I finally spotted the Main Sect.

As I approached, I casually called out to the entrance.

“Excuse me.”

“Are you a successful candidate?”

“Ah, yes, that’s me.”

“Show your acceptance document.”

As if he had experienced a lot, the gatekeeper demanded my certificate.

I pulled out the acceptance document I had prepared and showed it to him.

He checked it thoroughly before finally letting me in.

“Come in. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

There was no genuine congratulatory expression there—just an unspoken kind of greeting.

Knowing their feelings, I was perfectly fine with it.

‘…Poor souls.’

As a gatekeeper… I had done that once in my previous life.

It was a tough job indeed.

‘They used to complain about how scary the gatekeepers looked.’

That memory floated up, like an old piece of candy.

Maybe that’s why I felt just as rotten.

Gripping my teeth, I walked into the Main Sect.

Inside, there were many people, but fewer than the day before.

It seemed everyone who had come to take the test had left, leaving only the successful candidates gathered.

As I arrived, they were lined up in neat rows, and I quietly stood at the back.

While I was waiting patiently, suddenly—

Tap, tap.

Someone tapped my shoulder from behind. Curious, I turned around to see a young man I’d never met before standing there.

“…… What do you want?”

“When did you pass?”

“Excuse me?”

It was such a sudden question.

“Yesterday, right?”

“Ah, so we took it at different times. Hahaha! Was the test hard? I found it really difficult.”

“……”

Ah, just a chatterbox. I assessed the situation.

“Um, it was moderately challenging.”

“Moderate? Are you kidding? Don’t you know? This test has been declared the hardest in ten years.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Absolutely. The exam question concerning demon beasts included three on the Red Demon Beast. Come on, the Red Demon Beast hasn’t even appeared yet for us to study! How could they give us three questions on it?”

“Wow….”

That’s true; I solved those questions without thinking. In hindsight, it was indeed a useless topic since Red Demon Beasts weren’t something we’d encountered.

“Because of that, the pass rate dropped to rock-bottom.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s true. Only one person scored full marks, you know?”

“Ah, I see.”

“Whoever they are, they must have come prepared; they must be someone great.”

The young man shook his head in disbelief.

Just when I thought his chatter was finally wrapping up—

“Oh, and by the way…”

“……”

It looked like he still had more to say.

A sense of annoyance began to creep in.

“Didn’t you notice? The Master of the Martial World came yesterday.”

“Uh… I saw him.”

“Ahhhhh! How I envy you… I should have applied yesterday too… Haaaaaa… I can’t believe someone met the great Three Eminent Beings… so jealous.”

“Ah, yeah, well…”

I’d just seen him in passing.

If he knew I had worked for the Three Eminent Beings as a servant and gatekeeper, he might just pass out from shock.

“They say he didn’t just appear out of nowhere; he specifically came to pick his disciple. Did you witness that too?”

“……”

As my story slipped out, I couldn’t help but close my mouth.

“I didn’t see it, though… so anyway, what about you?”

I didn’t see but did experience it. That wasn’t a lie.

“What? You didn’t see? Ah, that’s a pity. I was so curious about the individual who received that invitation…”

He kept licking his lips, clearly intrigued.

“Rumor has it that he’s an absolute monster of unmatched prowess. He looks very masculine, and they say he’s bound to charm the hearts of women!”

“……”

What is this nonsense?

It had barely been a day, and this ridiculous rumor was already circulating.

What kind of madness is this?

“Then again, that must be why the legendary Master of the Martial World took an interest. Moreover…”

As he spoke, the young man stretched out his index finger.

“Don’t be surprised.”

“…… Okay.”

“The person who received that invitation is, they say, the only one who scored full marks in that demon beast exam.”

“……”

My face soured as I listened to him.

Seeing my expression, he seemed to realize something and gave my shoulder a friendly pat.

“Hey, don’t make that face. I think it’s irrational too, but life is just like that, isn’t it?”

He probably thinks I’m jealous of those higher-ups.

“Just look at the dragons and the phoenixes of today. Life is not the same for us. If you envy them, it’ll never end. There will always be others like that individual who appeared yesterday.”

Ah, he thinks I’m envious or something.

“Ah, by the way, we’ve been talking, and I haven’t even introduced myself.”

When did we even have a conversation? It felt like I’d only been listening to him ramble.

“I am Do-yun from the Mountain West Island. What’s your name, young lady?”

“…… Ah, I—”

I felt I should at least share my name, but just as I was about to speak—

“Baek—.”

“Baek Yangcheon! Baek Yangcheon of the Hundred Families!”

“Huh?”

I turned my head. From far away, someone was looking for me with great enthusiasm.

Then,

“Baek Yangcheon? Ah, that friend! The one who received the invitation from the Master of the Martial World and scored full marks! His name has already spread!”

The young man looked at me with curiosity.

“I was wondering what kind of person he was, and this is perfect timing. Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

“That’s me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean that.”

I pointed at the podium.

“Baek Yangcheon!!”

I had to form a somewhat awkward expression as I indicated the person calling my name.

“…… Huh?”

The young man’s expression shattered.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Let’s talk again later. I guess I should go now since they’ve called for me.”

I gave a friendly pat on Do-yun’s shoulder and made my way to the podium.

Immediately, all eyes were on me.

“Wait, what!?!”

Amidst it all, I could even hear Do-yun gasping in surprise.

In that moment, I nearly burst into laughter.

 

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