It was the same story from Tang So-wol, repeated over and over. I was only half-listening, focused on the feel of her shoulder against mine, but for Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin, her drunken rambling seemed to be a bit much to handle.
"Hey! Cheon Hwi! Do something about Tang unni!"
"I believe I've already heard the story about being kidnapped at least seven times…"
"Well, I suppose it's about time she stopped anyway."
I nodded and gave Tang So-wol, who was leaning half her body against me, a gentle shake.
"So then, young hero Cheon said to me… Hm? What's the matter all of a sudden?"
"Tang So-wol. Don't you think it's time to stop drinking? No—stop drinking now."
"What? This is exactly the moment when I'm feeling good. Don't be so stingy."
"I'm saying this because you seem to have passed that level already."
"Then that means I haven't passed it yet, right? Just one glass! I'll drink just one more glass!"
"I suppose there's no helping it. Then just one glass, and that's it."
Shaking my head, I brought the bottle—who knew how many we'd gone through by now—to Tang So-wol's glass. And then.
Gulp.
I pressed her vital point and paralyzed her. It wasn't as easy as it used to be, now that Tang So-wol's level had risen, but…
She had been clinging to my side, and she hadn't expected me to attack her, so she was completely defenseless. And her reactions were dulled by the alcohol. That was what made it possible.
I hadn't pressed hard, so she'd come to soon enough. Before that, I brought my hand to her back, intending to draw the alcohol toxin out of Tang So-wol's body.
Wooong—
As I poured in my internal energy, a thick smell of liquor soon mixed into Tang So-wol's breath.
I hadn't drawn it all out, but this much should be enough to sober her up. In fact, when I glanced at her face, it was visibly flushing red at a speed I could see with my own eyes.
She still couldn't move her body, but… no, precisely because of that, she would be able to reflect on what she had done all the more.
I let out a snicker. Instead of releasing her vital point, I lifted her up, supporting her neck and the backs of her knees.
"Unfortunately, tonight's drinking ends here."
"Mmm. I didn't think you'd have the nerve to strike my vital point without hesitation, but… well, you managed somehow."
"Well, as expected of someone with experience, it was very natural…!"
Seol Ri-hyang shook her head with a subtle expression, while Seomun Hwa-rin forced out a compliment.
It was probably because the drunk Tang So-wol had been endlessly talking about the time she was kidnapped.
"Seol Ri-hyang, you handle the bill. I'll take Tang So-wol to her room and lay her down in the meantime."
"I don't have a money pouch on me."
"I have one, so just take it."
"Huh?!"
When I waited quietly in front of Seol Ri-hyang, her voice rose in a flustered tone.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly approached. Then, with a look of resolve, she stretched out her hand and slipped it inside my collar.
Fumble, fumble.
Seol Ri-hyang's fingers tickled the inside of my robes. Her oddly timid movements left me dumbfounded, and I asked again.
"What are you doing now?"
"You said to take the money pouch myself."
"Then why are you searching my chest?"
"Because I have to find the money pouch."
"You mean the money pouch that's hanging from my waist, with no need to search for it at all?"
"…Huh?"
Seol Ri-hyang tilted her head with a blank expression and glanced toward my waist. Then, naturally, she withdrew her hand from inside my collar and let out a dry cough.
"Ahem. The money pouch was here after all."
As if nothing had happened, Seol Ri-hyang reached for my waist. Just as she bent over to grab the money pouch, I whispered softly toward her suddenly close crown.
"You know, you're quite the sly one. Don't forget that I have a betrothed."
"…!"
Seol Ri-hyang jumped in place and frantically shook her head.
"That's not it at all?!"
"Well, I can't say I'd believe it from someone who was flirting with me—her betrothed—right in front of Tang So-wol, who can't move but certainly isn't asleep or unconscious."
"Hey! When you put it that way, it sounds so weird!"
"Didn't you actually do something weird?"
I chuckled and then tilted my chin toward Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been rolling her eyes this way and that, unable to find anything to say since a moment ago.
"I'm joking. Go settle the bill now. We have to move diligently tomorrow, so it won't do to sleep too late."
"Ah."
Seomun Hwa-rin was thoroughly concealing her realm, appearing to be at about mid-first-rate. In other words, a level similar to Seol Ri-hyang's current state.
Having reached the extremely simple conclusion that if she herself should be getting some rest, then it was also time for Seomun Hwa-rin to rest, Seol Ri-hyang let out a deep sigh.
"Haah. Fine, I'll go, I'll go. …But before that, just a moment."
Seol Ri-hyang grabbed the hand of Tang So-wol, who was standing stiff and frozen, and gave it a light shake.
"Sister Dang. It's absolutely not what you think, so don't misunderstand, alright?"
"…"
Seeing Tang So-wol remain silent, Seol Ri-hyang nodded and led Seorin over to where the innkeeper was.
After watching their retreating backs for a moment, I headed upstairs.
I entered one of the rooms we had rented and carefully laid Tang So-wol down on the bed. Then I sat down beside her and spoke.
"So? How much longer are you going to keep this up? It seems your vital point was unsealed quite a while ago."
"Ugh. I'd rather you pretend you didn't see any of that."
Tang So-wol's eyelids fluttered with a brief twitch. Through the gap, her green-tinted eyes stared at me with displeasure.
"If you're going to be that embarrassed, then drink in moderation from now on. Or periodically purge the alcohol toxin."
"…Yes. I'm aware I got too carried away. I must have looked like a strange person to Lady Seo, right?"
"People with strange drinking habits are strange, but you weren't seen as just a strange person, so rest easy."
"Then I'm relieved."
I lightly brushed her forehead as she let out a deep sigh, then rose from my seat.
"Get rid of the rest of the alcohol toxin and get a good night's sleep."
"That was my intention even without you saying so."
Tang So-wol closed her eyes as she lay there. She was born with the Poison Spirit Constitution. If she set her mind to it, she could absorb or disperse the alcohol toxin without even needing Qi Circulation Cultivation.
I was a bit curious what it felt like to be unable to get drunk unless you deliberately tried to, like she did today.
As I watched her lying there for a moment, she suddenly opened one eye and asked.
"If you plan to stay, why not lie down beside me instead of standing there so stiffly?"
"…It's a bit hard, since I'm still afraid of your father-in-law."
"Coward."
"…"
"Heh heh. I was just joking."
In that brief moment, Tang So-wol had completely cleared away her intoxication, and as if she had never been drunk at all, she waved her hand lightly with her usual gentle expression.
I let out a small laugh and waved back at her before returning to my room.
I wasn't as drunk as Tang So-wol, but I had still drunk quite a bit, so a slight buzz was rising in me. Thus, in order to purge the alcohol toxin and also get in some training, I had been focusing on Qi Circulation Cultivation before bed.
Knock, knock.
A knocking sound came from outside, and along with the familiar presence, I had no choice but to get up right away.
"Wait a moment."
After briefly straightening my clothes, I opened the unlocked door—and there stood Seol Ri-hyang, glancing around as if she were up to no good.
"What business do you have at this hour?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just brought back the money pouch I forgot to return earlier."
"You could have returned it tomorrow morning."
"Still, it's been bothering me. I'm, after all, a retainer of the Tang Clan. My position is different from yours—you're practically a child of the Tang Clan, and her betrothed at that."
"If it were in front of others, maybe, but between us, there's no need to worry so much."
"Sure, sure. But no matter how close we are, keeping your money pouch overnight would've kept me up. It's not like there's just a coin or two in here, right? What if I lost it?"
"Then Tang So-wol would simply track its location by following the scent of the special poison she planted on it beforehand."
"Isn't that the same thing you planted on Cheon Hwi's body before? You planted it on the money pouch too?"
"As Seol Ri-hyang said, it's not like there's just a coin or two in there."
I'd asked for a generous amount, but it seemed my standard of generosity and Tang Jincheon's differed, because I ended up receiving far more travel money than I'd imagined. That much, I had to be careful with.
Seol Ri-hyang quietly nodded her head in agreement. After nodding for a while, she spoke up in a cautious tone.
"Well… actually, there's one thing I'd like to ask of you, Cheon Hwi."
"I figured as much. What is it? Go ahead and say it."
"It's nothing big. It's not like I've been neglecting my External Arts all this time, but I've been prioritizing my internal energy training more, right?"
"That's true."
Given the nature of Glacier True Energy, which requires handling massive amounts of energy, it's inevitable that one would neglect the External Arts when trying to raise one's realm quickly.
Over the three years, Seol Ri-hyang's martial level had grown quickly, but given the absolute lack of time, her External Arts were a bit lacking.
"I think I've built up a bit of fatigue getting here? Even after Qi Circulation Cultivation and a full night's sleep, it doesn't completely go away. So, well…
After hesitating for a long while, Seol Ri-hyang covered her mouth as if sharing a secret and whispered softly.
"The meridian cleansing you used to do for me. Could you do that again, for the first time in a while?"
"So this is why you were taking your time. Since we need to wake up early tomorrow, we should finish quickly—come on in."
"…Okay!"
Seol Ri-hyang came into my room, closing the door behind her. As if she were nervous, she lay face down on my bed with a slightly stiff movement.
Was it because the location had changed? Or, as Seol Ri-hyang said, was it because this was the first meridian cleansing since leaving the Tang Clan?
I began to notice things that were different from before.
Her hips, which rose up nicely. Her chest, which was slightly pushed to the side from being pressed down as she lay on her stomach. And her black hair, which had regained its luster, with skin so pale it looked almost white peeking out from between the strands.
She hadn't grown much in height, but aside from that, many things had changed compared to three years ago.
She would probably change even more in the future. After all, she had been born with the Pure Yin Constitution, and she had even mastered a yin-type martial art, achieving considerable success.
It was only natural that Yin Energy several times that of an ordinary person would maximize Seol Ri-hyang's femininity. It had been the same in her previous life.
Whether she was aware of it or not, Seol Ri-hyang, who was giving off a subtle Seductive Aura, lay face down and turned only her head toward me as she asked.
"Aren't you going to do it?"
"I was about to start even without you rushing me."
Shaking my head, I sat down near Seol Ri-hyang's lower body. Fortunately or unfortunately, we had already seen each other at our worst before the regression, so I wouldn't be swayed by her.
With an emotion closer to longing than excitement, I placed my hand on Seol Ri-hyang's back.
"Huh?!"
Whether she still had alcohol in her system or not, a faint smell of liquor wafted from Seol Ri-hyang.
***
Seomun Hwa-rin honestly couldn't have been more satisfied with this moment.
"Mmm. Though a bit strange, they're all good people."
Tang So-wol had a slightly annoying drinking habit, but in every other way, she was exactly the Orthodox Sect martial artist Seomun Hwa-rin had always imagined.
Seol Ri-hyang treated Seomun Hwa-rin like a close friend her own age, fussing over her with this and that.
Whenever Cheon Hwi said something, his expression would twist or he'd burst into laughter, but it was clear he was trying to be considerate of her.
On top of that, every one of them was remarkably skilled in martial arts. She felt a strange sense of déjà vu from Cheon Hwi's aura, and the fact that he was a fully mature Peak Realm expert at his age was a bit troubling, but…
Wasn't that just how geniuses were? Seomun Hwa-rin, herself a genius, knew this well.
She felt a slight pang of guilt at being the only one among these rising talents whose appearance was that of a child, but the joy outweighed it.
She'd catch herself grinning unconsciously when alone, thinking that she'd reclaimed at least a small piece of the life she'd devoted to revenge.
There had been a few minor issues, but perhaps it was because the afterglow of her first drinking session with other people still lingered.
Seomun Hwa-rin, who could rarely fall asleep, finally rose from her bed.
"I should get some fresh air for a while."
Though her body had grown younger through Rejuvenation, that didn't mean the martial arts she'd built up over the years had vanished somewhere.
Her body, sturdy and not easily fatigued despite its youthful appearance, could easily handle a night without sleep.
For that reason, she was carefully slipping out of the room, suppressing her presence, when—
"Ugh?!"
A strange sound came from somewhere. But the owner of that voice was familiar.
"Surely not…?"
Seomun Hwa-rin dimmed her Aura even further and headed toward the source of the sound.
The door to Cheon Hwi's room, where he'd said he was going up to rest first, was slightly ajar — as if someone had shut it in a hurry and made a mistake.
Gulp.
Seomun Hwa-rin swallowed hard and carefully pressed her eye to the gap in the door. And then she saw it.
On the same bed, Cheon Hwi was kneading the body of Seol Ri-hyang, who lay sprawled beneath him…!
At the sight of Cheon Hwi — a man not her betrothed — fondling the body of another woman, and Seol Ri-hyang accepting it without resistance, Seomun Hwa-rin's body went rigid.
She didn't know what to do in such a situation.
'…This is wrong, after all.'
But just as she came to that conclusion and was about to open the door to stop them—
"Shh."
It was Tang So-wol's voice, coming from behind.
It wasn't a problem that I hadn't noticed her approach—I'd been too flustered by the situation in front of me, and I'd deliberately limited my martial level to match a first-rate's.
The real problem was that Tang So-wol had caught sight of this very scene.
Seomun Hwa-rin, sensing the discord among companions who had seemed odd but good-natured, trembled all over.
But Tang So-wol, as if nothing were amiss, peered inside through the gap in the door and nodded.
Even with a rather satisfied expression on her face.
"???"
Seomun Hwa-rin, utterly unable to keep up with the situation, could only blink blankly as Tang So-wol carefully began pulling her back.
As if to keep her from disturbing Cheon Hwi and Seol Ri-hyang.
Then came a small whisper that tickled her ear.
"She has her reasons for acting this way, so it's fine. Rest assured and go inside to rest."
"…?!"
'She knew everything… and let it be?'
Seomun Hwa-rin, having returned obediently to her room, lay blankly on the bed and adjusted her assessment of the group.
A little strange, but not a bad person.
Good people, but very strange ones.