After I and Seol Ri-hyang absorbed the Spiritual Medicine, we exchanged brief greetings and left the Eon Clan.
Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye exchanged final farewells, declaring with solemn resolve that they would definitely offer their help next time…
Honestly, I don't expect that much from them. Even if those two grow by leaps and bounds, by the time the Demonic Cult invades, they'll only be at the edge of the Peak Realm, maybe just reaching Transcendent Peak.
After all, Tang So-wol, who reached the Harmony Realm before even turning forty—even after the Tang Clan's extermination—is an exceptional case.
For that reason, I don't hold high hopes for Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye. It's enough that they serve as symbols of the alliance between the Paeng and Eon Clans, just as they are now.
During the Demonic Cult's invasion, Hebei Province was the last bastion.
Before the regression, the Paeng and Eon Clans were annihilated in the blink of an eye, leaving more than half the province breached in vain… but in this life, that won't happen.
All that remained was to report what I had learned to the Murim Alliance and make sure they could no longer laugh off the Demonic Cult's threat…
"So, young hero Cheon. You're still doing it tonight, right? Please let me join you."
Come to think of it, I did still have my nightly routine with Tang So-wol.
"…What are you talking about? And whatever it is, stop using that tone that invites misunderstanding."
Tang Jincheon's gaze is terrifying.
Whether she had planned this from the start or not, Tang So-wol giggled at the sight of me stealing glances at her. She rose on her tiptoes and brought her lips to my ear. Her lukewarm breath tickled.
"My, my. Whatever were you thinking? I merely asked how you planned to handle tonight's secret training."
"It's not much of a secret anymore, is it…"
This was the daily routine with Tang So-wol. It referred to the secret training I had promised her the other day when she was feeling hurt.
However, it was extremely difficult to keep it a secret that the two of us would slip away at night to train while everyone was traveling together.
Now it had become an open secret that you knew, I knew, and everyone knew.
Knowing this full well, Tang So-wol, who seemed to find it amusing and kept grinning, lowered her face slightly.
I let out a wistful sigh at the loss of her warmth for a moment. Then, as if to make up for it, Tang So-wol clung to my side, linked her arm through mine, and continued speaking.
"Regardless, isn't this a rare, cozy time with young hero Cheon? It's only natural to look forward to it."
"A cozy time, you say… For something like that, you sure come at me pretty fiercely."
The only kind of training Tang So-wol and I could do together was sparring, and there was a considerable gap between us.
In other words, most of the sparring bouts I'd had over the past few days on the road from Hebei Province to Muhan City had taken the form of instructional bouts.
Usually, it was a cycle of me blocking and dismantling Tang So-wol's techniques, and each time she'd grit her teeth and charge at me, trying to land a hit on me in some other way.
Part of it was that I had finally reached a complete Transcendent Peak, even if only at the entry level, but it was also unavoidable given how well I knew Tang So-wol's martial arts.
Still, the fact that Tang So-wol attacked me with genuine intent even while knowing she couldn't bring me down meant that calling her fierce was no empty word.
…Though it seemed that Tang So-wol herself perceived it as a cozy, private rendezvous.
"My goodness! A beautiful betrothed like me is clinging to you, and you're not pleased?"
"Aren't you embarrassed saying that about yourself?"
"Hmm."
Tang So-wol tilted her head and stretched her neck, thrusting her face close to mine.
So close that my flustered expression was reflected in her eyes, which were gradually turning green.
Her breath mingled with mine, and I could almost hear her heartbeat. Tang So-wol's eyes curved into crescent-moon arcs.
"So? Does young hero Cheon think I'm pretty, or not?"
Long, sweeping lashes. A playful smile. And the affection for me that radiated from her in waves.
For a moment, my mind stuttered as if a corner of it had broken down before I finally managed to speak.
"…You don't have to lean in that close. I can see you fine, so don't worry."
"Hmm. So you won't say I'm pretty even now. You're just too shy."
Tang So-wol giggled openly, as if she had just seen something adorable.
At that, Tang Jincheon's gaze turned even more murderous… but Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin's stares were no less intense.
There was one difference, though… Tang Jincheon's eyes held a complicated mix of pride and hostility, while Seol Ri-hyang's held envy, and Seomun Hwa-rin's held admiration and longing.
Noticing the reactions of the two, Tang So-wol smiled with a meaningful expression.
I wondered briefly if this was some sort of ranking exercise.
Having apparently gotten all the smugness she wanted out of her system, Tang So-wol pushed me by the back toward Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin.
With a bright smile, she brought up a different topic.
"By the way, it's amazing how much stronger young hero Cheon has become from just one Spiritual Medicine. Sister Hwa-rin, did you know this would happen? You two spar so often, after all."
"Well, I had a rough idea. Your enlightenment has already reached the Transcendent Peak, but your internal energy was lacking, was it not? I dare say that even if everyone in our party except this old woman and the Poison King attacked at once, they could not so much as nick Cheon's sleeve."
"Wow…"
Tang So-wol's mouth hung open in a daze, as if she hadn't expected it to be to that degree.
In truth, the entire party consisted of no more than Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang, and the three Peak Realm martial artists and three first-rate martial artists who had consumed the Blood Essence Pill sent by the Eon Clan.
Even if it weren't me but the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate or the Blood Flame Fist Demon—both of whom I had defeated before—came instead, they would be more than enough to handle them.
The higher the realm, the more a slight difference produces a great result—that is the gap between the Peak Realm and the Transcendent Peak.
Tang So-wol, who had been thinking about something, scurried over and this time asked Tang Jincheon.
"Father, Father. Could you spar with young hero Cheon sometime?"
"Hoh? Why the sudden talk of this?"
"Yes. Perhaps because we've sparred so much, or perhaps because of all I've seen and heard while living with the Tang Clan, but he handles poison arts and hidden weapons so well that I can't even begin to grasp how to bring him down."
"That is indeed somewhat of a problem. …However, I think it best to simply consider your betrothed an exception and let it be."
"Pardon? Surely not even Father…"
Seeing Tang So-wol's doubtful expression, Tang Jincheon put on a serious face.
"How could that be? Of course I can show you a sight of your betrothed being brought down by the Tang Clan's martial arts. It's just that I can only show it once."
"I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'only once'…"
At Tang So-wol's tilted head, Tang Jincheon calmly continued his explanation.
"Hasn't So-wol been feeding her son-in-law not only Crane Spirit Grass but all sorts of poisons and medicines to build up his resistance all this time?"
"That's true, isn't it?"
"By now, mediocre poisons won't even work on him. Even if they did, they'd hardly be enough to bring down your son-in-law."
"Then what did you mean by being able to show it only once…?"
"If I used a true Extreme Poison, it would work on your son-in-law too. Though I can't guarantee his safety."
"…Forbidden! Father, you're forbidden from sparring with young hero Cheon!"
Tang So-wol shook her head vigorously, crossing her arms in a large X above her head.
Tang Jincheon let out a hollow laugh at the sight but stubbornly continued with his next words.
"Hidden weapons are the same. Surprisingly, at that age, my son-in-law wields sword arts that rank among the finest I've ever seen. If my alias weren't the Shadow King, I wouldn't be confident of taking him down for certain unless I unleashed a fatal technique like Ten Thousand Flowers Rain."
"Who gave you permission to turn young hero Cheon into a pincushion…!"
"No, I'm saying it's possible, not that I'd do it. …But you've never once raised your voice to your father, yet you do so now. As they say, raising a daughter is utterly useless."
Tang Jincheon, slightly wounded, began to grumble, but even so, his feet never stopped moving.
And so, absorbing the remaining energy of the Spiritual Medicine, training, and sometimes soothing a sulking Tang Jincheon, we traveled for several more days.
At last, we were able to return to Muhan City, to the Murim Alliance.
***
"…Is this true, Poison King?"
"If you're truly suspicious, have the handwriting on that letter examined. The Murim Alliance must have some sort of background file on a Demonic Head like the Blood Flame Fist Demon. I've brought plenty of Blood Essence Pills, so you're welcome to study those as well."
"It's not quite to the level of suspicion. It's just that this was so far beyond anything I imagined that I was taken aback."
The Murim Alliance Leader begins reading the letter from the beginning again, over and over. Each time he does, his expression hardens further.
These days he's more commonly known by the title of Murim Alliance Leader, but in the past he was a martial artist famous for his righteous spirit, earning the alias Uicheon-singae.
For a man like him, the schemes the Blood Flame Fist Demon… the Demonic Cult had been plotting in Hebei Province would be impossible to tolerate.
As if he has reached a decision, the Murim Alliance Leader nods.
"This matter warrants a thorough investigation. Perhaps we've been underestimating the Demonic Cult all along."
Finally.
Finally, those words came from the Murim Alliance Leader's mouth—and no one else's.
Before the regression, those words hadn't come out until half of the orthodox martial world had been wiped out.
For a moment, I struggled to suppress the overwhelming sense of achievement. But upon reflection, it was still too early to rejoice.
He was merely indignant at the Demonic Cult's vicious schemes and trying to uphold his duty as an orthodox martial artist—he wouldn't truly consider his life threatened by the Demonic Cult.
He wouldn't go so far as to immediately form an Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance and strike the Demonic Cult first, or even think about preparing for an invasion.
…Still, he would certainly be more vigilant.
"Beyond simply keeping an eye on their movements, I will send someone skilled in stealth to investigate the Demonic Cult's current state."
Just like now.
"If the Demonic Cult's situation is worse than we think… then the Murim Alliance will have one more matter to handle."
His eyes were sharp. His tone was resolute. The Murim Alliance Leader was declaring that he would take corresponding measures if the situation called for it.
How much hardship had it taken to get this far?
Of course, considering the Demonic Cult's meticulous preparations and the Heavenly Demon's overwhelming martial power, this was still only the starting line… but isn't the first step always the most important?
As he nodded to himself in satisfaction, the Murim Alliance Leader's stiff expression softened.
"By the way, you all have done a great thing. Baekbal Nachal… no, Clan Head Seomun, you as well."
"What?"
"To be honest, I understood that Clan Head Seomun's sincerity in wanting to leave the life of the Unorthodox Sects, but I thought it would at most remain as a neutral relationship or a slightly friendly one."
"Hmph. The fact that you only half-believed my words is a bit grating… but it's also true that I stepped forward so actively only because Hwi asked me to. If there's merit to be had, give it to Hwi, not me."
"Heh heh. Then young hero Cheon Hwi must surely be a blessing to the martial world."
"You flatter me."
As I bowed my head lightly, the Murim Alliance Leader chuckled and patted my shoulder.
"Flattery, nothing. It was you who saw through the Demonic Cult's insidious scheme and crushed it, who struck down the infamous Demonic Head known as the Blood Flame Fist Demon, and who brought Clan Head Seomun into the fold."
"It wasn't I who first noticed the Demonic Cult's plan, but Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye, and I was only able to defeat the Blood Flame Fist Demon thanks to Seol Ri-hyang's help. Senior Seomun Hwa-rin's nature is also good at heart. All I did was set the stage."
"Hmm. Is that so? Then I suppose this time's reward is off the table…"
"But if an elder offers a reward, isn't it only proper to accept? For the record, I'd like to receive a martial art from the Murim Alliance's library."
"Heh heh. It was a joke, so don't worry. But what martial art is it that you want?"
Honestly, I had been expecting a little something.
After all, I had led the entire martial world in a better direction through righteous deeds. Considering the founding principles of the Murim Alliance, I'd thought that with a bit of luck, I might receive something.
And I already had something in mind.
"Do you happen to have any Yin Arts?"
If Seol Ri-hyang was going to learn a Yin Art like in her previous life, wouldn't it be better for her to learn it properly?
***
As I'd told Tang Jincheon the other day, after receiving the Yin Art to give to Seol Ri-hyang, I headed straight for Anhui Province.
And right in front of the Namgung Clan, I came face to face with a familiar face.
Though familiar didn't necessarily mean welcome.
"What was your name again? Hwangbo something, I think."