"Young hero Cheon. I have a favor to ask of you."
"Speak."
Several days had passed waiting for the Great Master Jeonghyeon's preparations. After finishing my usual training, I still had time to spare, so I even completed a simple sparring bout with Tang So-wol.
Tang So-wol, sprawled on the ground and completely exhausted, lifted the corners of her mouth playfully and continued speaking.
"The sunlight is harsh, but I don't have the strength to lift a single finger. Could the young hero Cheon perhaps become my shade?"
"Surely you don't mean for me to just stand idly by your side? I'm not a tree."
"You're sturdier than most trees, at any rate. Looking up from below, you seem bigger than usual—I think a slender woman like me could be lifted up in a single go…Ah, dear. Please pretend you didn't hear that."
"…"
Tang So-wol corrected herself with a start, but I knew better. I knew she had deliberately let that slip, pretending it was a mistake.
"Mischievous as ever. You can just say it plainly."
"Then, would you kindly hold me?"
The moment my words ended, Tang So-wol replied as if she had been waiting for them. I let out a soft chuckle and crouched down beside her head.
"Lying sprawled out like that, yet you still manage to be this brazen."
"Oh my? Surely you're not thinking of doing something terrible to me, who can't even move? You're planning to cover my mouth with that big hand of yours so I can't even scream! Just like in the books Hyang-i pulls out from her bundle…!"
"Has Seol Ri-hyang been looking for books like that these days?"
"You seemed completely absorbed in it, didn't you? Coming all the way to Shaolin Temple just to read it in secret."
"Well. She's at that age, I suppose."
"Hmm. Wasn't the young hero Cheon the same age as Hyang-i?"
"I'm at that age too, I suppose."
Just as Seomun Hwa-rin was affected by the youthful body she gained through Rejuvenation, I too was being affected by the body that had grown younger through my regression.
A body at this age… is overflowing with energy in more ways than one.
I nodded and, for no particular reason, pinched the cheek of Tang So-wol, who couldn't move.
Her skin didn't stretch as much as Seomun Hwa-rin's, but it was even softer to the touch.
What was more, seeing the face of Tang So-wol, who was always so composed, twist in discomfort was a little amusing.
After I had been poking and prodding at her for a while, Tang So-wol grinned and spoke up.
"Surely you've had enough fun by now. I think that's more than sufficient as an advance payment."
"It's a bit of a shame, but I can't very well leave my betrothed rolling on the floor all day."
With that, I slipped my arms under her neck and the backs of her knees, and lifted her up.
The feel of Tang So-wol pressing naturally against my torso. However, the sensation was a little different from usual.
"You're damp."
"I was sweating, so there's nothing I can do about it."
"Well, that's true, but…"
"The young hero Cheon knows very well that he likes me even when I'm damp."
"That phrasing sounds a bit strange."
Tang So-wol, damp as she was, let out a soft giggle. I shook my head at that, then set her down on the floorboards a short distance away. I sat down right beside her.
Then Tang So-wol, claiming she didn't have the strength to lift a single finger, wriggled her whole body and crawled over to me.
Only after she finally rested her head on my lap did she let out a comfortable sigh.
"Phew. If Hyang-i were here at a time like this, it would've been nice and cool."
"Seol Ri-hyang isn't a walking icehouse."
"That's only because young hero Cheon has never held Hyang-i while sleeping in the summer."
"…"
Tang So-wol sends me a gaze full of pity, as if she were looking at a child who had been starved of food.
But in truth, I already know very well how useful Seol Ri-hyang is in the summer.
Ever since she learned Yin-Cold Energy Cultivation, whenever summer came around, I would often seek her out to make a cool breeze or produce cold water.
Above all, before the regression, I had held her in my arms and fallen asleep more than once or twice, just as Tang So-wol said.
…For some reason, she always complained, asking if I was really sleeping.
I shrugged my shoulders and fanned Tang So-wol with my hand. It couldn't be as cool as Seol Ri-hyang, but I had wrapped the surrounding air with a bit of internal energy, so it should be somewhat refreshing.
Tang So-wol, who had been enjoying the breeze I created with her eyes closed, suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to her.
"Ah, now that you mention it, lately there have been more and more people subtly probing me, asking if I have any thoughts of becoming the clan head."
"…That sounds troublesome."
The Sichuan Tang Clan was currently on par with the Namgung Clan for the top spot, but given a little more time, it would become an undisputed, unshakeable number-one clan in the world.
That meant the clan would grow that much larger in size, which in turn meant that bugs drawn by the scent of scraps would come swarming in.
"Let me ask first—is this talk coming from within the Tang Clan itself?"
"Fortunately, it's not that. As the Tang Clan's power grows, whether it's merchant associations or small and medium-sized sects, new external forces have been making contact more and more often, haven't they?"
"Indeed. So they're trying to blow empty wind from the outside."
That's true. At this point, anyone trying to make Tang So-wol the clan head would have to be an outsider.
Unlike Tang So-wol, who has been traveling with me and getting involved in one weighty matter after another, her older brother Tang Cheong, the current successor, has had no such news to speak of.
To an outsider, it might look as if Tang Cheong is a lesser figure than Tang So-wol.
But from the inside, it's a completely different story.
Because of the age gap between them, Tang Cheong has been receiving successor training since long ago, and now he's formally taking over various duties one by one.
With his focus on internal clan affairs, it's only natural that his external activities have decreased.
It's not as if Tang Cheong lacks martial skill either. He reached the Transcendent Peak realm long ago, and word has it that if he continues as he is, he'll smoothly ascend to the Harmony Realm by middle age.
He may not possess talent equal to Tang So-wol's, but he is more than sufficient to become the head of the Tang Clan.
Above all, Tang So-wol had consistently made clear that she had no interest in the position of successor, and she acted as though she truly didn't care, so no one would doubt it.
Even so, if someone were to support Tang So-wol in hopes of landing a big score, it could have turned into a complicated family matter…
But if they were merely making tentative contact from outside, the solution was simple.
"Take what you can take, then wash your mouth and pretend you know nothing."
"Isn't that a bit too thuggish…?"
"The real thugs are the ones who stir up trouble in a household that's running perfectly fine. Besides, those bastards won't be able to complain to anyone about it."
After all, how many people would openly admit to having secretly bribed the youngest son who was left out of the succession race, and egged him on to start a fight?
Even if someone did say such a thing, it wouldn't matter.
"These are people who can do nothing but grumble anyway. If they're so upset, they should just reach the Harmony Realm."
"Hmm? I'm still far from becoming an absolute master, though?"
"My strength is your strength, Tang So-wol."
"Oh my. You're saying I can just waltz right in like this…?"
Tang So-wol spoke as if she couldn't believe it, but the corners of her mouth twitched with a smile.
She patted my thigh with a slightly raised voice. It seemed she had recovered enough to move her body by now.
"Oh, well. If the young hero Cheon insists so much, I suppose I have no choice. I'll just take a moderate bite and pretend not to know anything."
"Make sure you tell your father-in-law and your brother beforehand so there's no misunderstanding."
"Of course that was my intention. Hehe. Somehow it feels like we're doing something secretly naughty, and my heart is racing."
"…Is that something to get excited about?"
"Well, isn't it because I feel a little closer to the young hero Cheon?"
"I'm an Orthodox Sect martial artist, after all…"
No one seems to believe it, but that's the truth nonetheless.
As I grumbled quietly, Tang So-wol's fingers carefully crept up.
Her long, slender index finger pressed firmly against my lips.
"Don't pout so much. My handsome face will turn ugly, won't it?"
"It sounds as if you're saying my face belongs to you, Tang So-wol."
"Oh my. Didn't you just say it yourself? That what belongs to the young hero Cheon will soon be mine."
"That wasn't quite what I meant."
"Of course, the reverse holds true as well. Am I not also yours, young hero Cheon? …This time I won't storm off midway, so would you set aside some time for me?"
"I can spare as much time as you'd like… but at the Shaolin Temple? And with your father-in-law right in the next room?"
"Ah. Then let's do it after we return to the Tang Clan."
"Didn't we agree to head straight to the Murim Alliance after this is over to prepare against the Demonic Cult's schemes?"
"Ugh! Then I'll go to the Murim Alliance with you! I'm a Transcendent Peak martial artist, so I'll surely be of help!"
"I heard my father-in-law will be going to the Murim Alliance as well."
"…I've begun to resent the world just a little."
Tang So-wol slumped over, her entire body radiating gloom and sulkiness. Chuckling at her obvious display, I carefully stroked her dark green hair.
"What's there to worry about. There will be a good time soon enough. And as you said before, Tang So-wol, we're betrothed no matter what, so there's no need to rush."
"I have more than enough need to rush."
"Hm?"
"Do you remember that I'm five years older than young hero Cheon?"
"Of course I do… Ah."
Though martial artists marry later than common folk, by twenty-five, people around you start holding wedding ceremonies one by one.
"Above all, Hyang-i and Sister Hwa-rin keep sending me pitiful looks whenever they have time…"
"Those are the conditions you set, Tang So-wol. Accept them gladly."
"No, you're at the prime age for it, so why are you so lacking in enthusiasm?! Could it be that young hero Cheon was also born with some kind of constitution that made him crippled in exchange for talent?!"
"Hey. I'm perfectly fine. Didn't I prove it directly last time…"
"Eish!"
Tang So-wol grabs my face and pulls at it with a sulky expression. Her hands are relentless, as if she's trying to return the exact same treatment she received.
And so, the two of us bicker for a long while—but only for a moment.
In the distance, a young novice monk came scurrying over.
His face was familiar. He was the boy who had been running all sorts of errands for us while we stayed in the guest quarters.
The novice, panting as he ran, rolled his eyes back and forth between me and Tang So-wol before speaking in a cautious voice.
"Um. The abbot said everything is ready, and he asked you to come see him after dinner."
"Finally!"
It wasn't as if I was going to attempt to undo the seal right away. First, I needed to find out what kind of seal was placed on me—that was the preparation, as he'd said.
For me, who didn't even know what kind of being had placed the seal, this would be valuable information.
After the meal. I arrived at the Great Hero Hall only after I'd gone through the motions of bathing and purifying myself.
Unlike during the day, the Great Hero Hall at night had a strangely desolate atmosphere. Perhaps it was because of the unknown ritual implements laid out before Great Master Jeonghyeon.
Once I, Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang, Seomun Hwa-rin, and even Tang Jincheon had all gathered, Great Master Jeonghyeon, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, finally spoke.
"I'll say this just in case—don't expect too much. Compared to my master, I'm still clumsy with Vajrayana techniques."
"The fact that you'd go to such lengths for my sake is already more than enough gratitude."
As I stepped forward with a bow of my head, he averted his gaze with an apologetic expression.
"It will hurt a little."
"Pardon?"
While I was still flustered and asking back, the staff swung without warning was already falling toward my head.
So I reflexively drew my sword and deflected it.
Clang!
"…You must not block it."
"Ugh… My apologies?"
I held back the retort that it was the fault of the one who hadn't warned me beforehand.