"We'll reach the Diancang Sect soon, so let's pick up the pace a little."
"Yeah. We'll have dinner at an inn nearby, and if we visit the next morning, the timing will be perfect."
Perhaps because she knew that the group's travel speed practically depended on her.
Seol Ri-hyang nodded vigorously at my words and unleashed her Lightness Skill at an even faster pace.
Her movements felt natural, beyond merely skilled.
Though she had only recently reached the Peak Realm, she seemed to have already surpassed the intermediate stage and was approaching full mastery.
If I had to judge by her rate of growth alone, she might even be a bit faster than Tang So-wol.
Still, that doesn't mean she's stronger than Tang So-wol would be at the same level.
A martial artist's level is determined by how fully they've united their Essence, Qi, and Spirit. It has no direct connection to how well one fights.
Still, perhaps it's thanks to all the time we've spent traveling together. Seol Ri-hyang, who shows only ordinary talent when it comes to physical movement, is quite something when it comes to Lightness Skill.
Thanks to Seol Ri-hyang's desperate efforts, we managed to run for about another sijin. The sunset had dyed the sky red, but we could still reach our destination without being late.
It was Jihwa County, on the outskirts of Sichuan, where the Diancang Sect had settled after leaving Jeomchang Mountain.
***
Finding a decent inn and taking a seat, a friendly-looking waiter came scurrying over to ask.
"Welcome, young master!"
"What dishes are good here?"
"Our Head Chef is skilled, so everything is delicious, but we just butchered a pig today, so we have some fresh cuts in."
"Sounds good. Noodles with plenty of garnishes, and braised pork belly for everyone. I'd also like to rent a room."
"I'll let the innkeeper know! And what about drinks, young master?"
"Drinks…"
When I glanced at my companions, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin subtly checked Tang So-wol's expression before quietly shaking their heads.
"No drinks needed."
"Yes, sir! Just wait a moment, and I'll bring everything right out!"
I watched the shopkeeper bow at nearly a right angle before turning back toward the kitchen, then I looked away.
And then came the silence. It was awkward enough that calling it "waiting for the food to arrive" felt like a stretch.
The reason was simple. Tang So-wol was still wearing a stiff expression and a dark complexion, letting out heavy sighs one after another.
"Haa…"
Surprisingly, she had been like this ever since the first day, all the way through the second.
Even when Seol Ri-hyang or Seomun Hwa-rin asked what was wrong, she would only shake her head and say it was nothing.
Anyone could see that it was clearly not nothing.
…I had a rough idea. She had been like this ever since she heard about the wedding talk, so that had to be the reason.
I should have asked her the reason right away, but I hadn't even dreamed she would react like this, so I couldn't bring myself to speak up.
Looking back now, I suppose I was quite flustered myself.
But I couldn't just leave things as they were forever. At this point, I had to address it one way or another.
Scrape.
I rose from my seat and spoke toward Tang So-wol.
"Before the food comes out, would you mind talking for a moment?"
"Huh?"
"It will only take a moment."
"…Very well."
Perhaps she already guessed what I wanted to discuss. Tang So-wol nodded with a somewhat serious expression.
I headed with her to the back of the inn, where few people lingered.
If I simply wanted to keep others from overhearing, spreading a Qi Barrier right where we sat would have sufficed—but this time, it seemed the matter was something even Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin couldn't hear.
Only after confirming that no presence could be felt nearby did I unfold a narrow Qi Barrier.
Then, looking straight into Tang So-wol's dark green eyes, I continued.
"I'll ask you directly. Do you dislike the idea of formally holding a wedding ceremony with me?"
"Ye—yes?!"
Tang So-wol answered reflexively, then started and flipped her voice, her carefully arranged hair shaking as she violently shook her head.
"No! That's absolutely not the reason! It's true that it's because of the wedding, but it's not that I dislike it!"
"Then what reason could make you slump like this the moment you hear talk of the wedding?"
"That is…"
Tang So-wol's lips moved soundlessly, unable to push the words out. Before long, her eyes took on a resolute gleam.
"It connects to what we spoke of the other day."
"Hm?"
"I'm talking about the side effects of the Poison Spirit Constitution."
"Of course I remember. But as I recall, that matter was already settled."
After absorbing the purple poison-nurturing herb, a significant difference had arisen between the current Tang So-wol's constitution and the one she had before her regression.
Since any poison she absorbed had its effects amplified, the existing Oral Formulas could no longer exert their full power.
But that didn't mean she was absolutely infertile, and even if she were, the conversation had ended with her saying she would raise another woman's child as her own if it came from someone she permitted.
Wondering why she was suddenly bringing this up again, I merely blinked, and Tang So-wol answered in a cautious tone.
"This time, as I also ascended to Transcendent Peak, there is something I came to know during the process of gathering my Enlightenment."
"What is it?"
"Though I managed to break through the wall in one go by absorbing the Poison Demon's poison, being exposed to the Grand Ritual that had been cut off midway left me with some aftereffects."
"Is it dangerous?"
"I'm fine. After all, I can't be poisoned by my own poison. However, if I were to hold a child, it would become a problem for that child."
Whether it was because most of her poison had been forcibly extracted during the Poison Demon's Grand Ritual, or because she had absorbed an excessive amount of poison, it was unclear.
What was certain was that the poison was surging through her entire body.
For Tang So-wol, who possessed a resistance equal to the poison itself, it posed no problem, and it wasn't enough to leak outward, so on the surface there was no issue… but a child just beginning to grow would not be able to avoid the poisoning.
It was practically the same as being confirmed infertile.
"I understand what you mean. However, if it's an aftereffect, there must be a way to cure it."
"That's true. Seeing young hero Cheon did remind me of one thing. My current state is, in the end, similar to my injury having left permanent damage or a scar remaining—so it is a problem that could be solved by reconstructing the body. …Bone-Exchange Rebirth, that is."
"If that's the concern, there's no need to worry. I have no doubt that you, Tang So-wol, will reach the Harmony Realm."
Even before the regression, when she was growing at a slower pace, Tang So-wol had eventually reached the Harmony Realm and earned the title of Poison Lady.
Now that she had accumulated more experience and, with my help, even partaken of several Fortuitous Encounters, she would surely ascend much more easily.
However, it seemed Tang So-wol was focused on a slightly different point.
"The Harmony Realm is not something I can readily promise. Even if I do reach it, I won't be young by then. Unless I achieve Rejuvenation, isn't it impossible to regain youth even through Bone-Exchange Rebirth? And as I mentioned before, I don't know what will happen even after completing Bone-Exchange Rebirth."
"That, too, I fail to see the problem with. It only delays the timing a little; in the end, it returns to the same discussion as before."
At my words, Tang So-wol fell silent for a moment. She glanced toward me.
"…Actually, there is one more thing that weighs on my mind."
"Go on, then."
"While I have been observing you, young hero Cheon, I have noticed something. Is there perhaps a greater purpose you have not shared with anyone?"
"…"
This time, it was my turn to fall silent. A true purpose I could not reveal to anyone. She must be referring to the matter of the Heavenly Demon.
"For a martial artist, the Harmony Realm is a point of arrival. Yet since you reached the Harmony Realm, young hero Cheon, you have been pleased and excited, true, but you still train with even greater fervor, as if being chased by something. No doubt it is for the sake of something that even the Harmony Realm cannot achieve."
She was right.
If the day ever came when I could rest at ease, it would be only after I had brought down the Heavenly Demon.
But the Heavenly Demon was the greatest master of all time.
In the entire history of the martial world, no martial artist of that caliber had ever existed, and none seemed likely to ever exist.
Since I first took up the sword, I had never feared an enemy, but if there was one person I should fear, it was surely the Heavenly Demon.
To me, he was the highest mountain, a being like a final nightmare.
The Harmony Realm was merely the minimum condition for standing before the Heavenly Demon.
The time for focusing solely on raising one's personal martial level had passed; somehow uniting the Central Plains martial world into one was the plan going forward.
The problem was that I couldn't tell anyone about it because of the seal.
Tang So-wol would have no choice but to think that I was hiding something I couldn't even tell her.
"I don't know what young hero Cheon is looking at, but I doubt that I, who has just reached Transcendent Peak, would be of any help with that matter."
"Huh?"
"And now that you've even reached the Harmony Realm, the Tang Clan's power must have lost its meaning to young hero Cheon."
That wasn't entirely wrong.
If we actually fought, I'd probably lose… but either way, I was now standing at the same level as Tang Jincheon, the clan head of the Tang Clan.
That was also why, after I reached the Harmony Realm, Tang Jincheon treated me with the respect due to an equal martial artist, apart from the fondness he showed me.
"But if you formally marry me, you'll become part of the Tang Clan either way, and the master of the Tang Clan is my father."
"I have no intention of swallowing up the Tang Clan."
"Then the things you can do will diminish. At least compared to building your own organization as young hero Cheon, or roaming the martial world alone."
I understand what you're trying to say.
Most Harmony Realm martial artists can receive the finest treatment wherever they go, so they'd rather be the head than be subordinate to someone else.
That's also why the Murim Alliance took the form of a loose confederation, and why the only Harmony Realm martial artist formally affiliated with the Black Alliance is its Lord.
That's why it's practically common knowledge in the martial world that an absolute master of the Harmony Realm would rather walk alone than serve under anyone.
"It worries me that my marriage to you might become a shackle, young hero Cheon. …And so I fear you might come to regret marrying me."
"Ah."
Now I could finally understand what Tang So-wol was thinking.
With her anxiety compounded by the aftereffects I'd mentioned earlier, she must have been sinking into despair, digging herself deeper and deeper into the ground.
Of course, from my perspective, it was absurd.
I took a moment to choose my words, then slowly opened my mouth.
"I'm sorry I can't tell you everything. There are circumstances on my end that I truly cannot do anything about. …But I can tell you that the part you think is a problem is nothing to worry about."
My ultimate goal. The only destination I could call it was peaceful days where we all eat well and live well together.
The only reason I want to bring down the Heavenly Demon is because the Heavenly Demon is trying to kill us all.
I carefully phrased it as best I could to avoid triggering the seal, and only then did Tang So-wol's face, which had been dark the whole time, begin to brighten.
"Young hero Cheon…!"
No, she outright embraced me, burying her head in my chest.
A reaction mixed with relief and a hint of embarrassment. As I patted Tang So-wol, who was stomping her feet and calling only my name, she finally lifted her head cautiously.
"Are you alright now?"
"…Yes. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions on my own."
"Then it's settled. However, quite some time has passed, so it would be best to head back soon. If we stay too long, everyone will only worry, and the food we ordered will go cold, won't it?"
Tang So-wol nodded slightly. Together with her, I headed back to the inn.
***
"Ah! All you bastards who want to die, come out one by one!"
"Well done, Hyang-i! Freeze them all just like that!"
There stood Seol Ri-hyang, breathing heavily after having knocked down several martial artists who looked like they belonged to the dark path, and Seomun Hwa-rin, clapping her hands in delight.
"…?"
What was this now?