Encountering the unexpected is, in itself, hardly surprising.
After all, how often in life do things go exactly as planned?
Even the simplest things—what to eat for dinner, when to train, where to go for a walk—often go awry.
Suddenly craving a different dish, having to use another training ground because of rain, or Tang So-wol pouting and insisting on walking somewhere else.
Even when it comes to one's own affairs, exercising complete control over them is extremely difficult. If anyone claims they can, they must be the most arrogant of souls.
That's because most of what we consider "our own business" isn't truly ours alone—it's entangled with others as well.
Yes. I thought it would be fine to sleep holding Seol Ri-hyang for just one day, and yet, as if on cue, the companions I'd been separated from found our room the very next day.
Thunk!
The door burst open, half-shattered.
"Young hero Cheon! You're safe—huh?"
Tang So-wol, who had rushed in with a voice full of worry and urgency, stopped short.
No, it wasn't just Tang So-wol.
Seomun Hwa-rin, who seemed to be barely holding back her anger, Peng Woo-jin, whose Aura had grown heavier as if he'd advanced, and even Eon Ga-hye with a resolute look in her eyes.
All of the companions who had traveled to Hebei Province together had been radiating a serious atmosphere, but now they all wore dumbfounded expressions.
And it didn't take long for that bewilderment to turn into contempt.
"…Wait. Hear me out. I can explain everything."
"Yes, well. When Uncle came running back to the main house after causing trouble outside, he said the same thing to Aunt. I suppose you two share some common ground."
"…"
If he was referring to an uncle, that would be Tang Yujin, one of Tang Jincheon's Personal Guard.
I was fairly certain he had three or four wives…
Cold sweat trickled down his spine. Perhaps it was because of the sudden commotion—Seol Ri-hyang, who had been sleeping soundly, rubbed her eyes and sat up.
"Ugh… What's going on? Is it morning already? I was tired yesterday, so I'd like to sleep a little more… Huh?"
Seol Ri-hyang's hazy eyes gradually sharpened. And then, the moment she was fully awake, she gaped and slowly turned her head back and forth.
Once toward Tang So-wol and the others. Once toward himself and Seol Ri-hyang.
There was really no room for deep thought.
The group wore expressions of a loyal subject who had lost his country—or of people staring at human garbage.
And what about this side?
A man and woman sharing one blanket in the middle of summer, clinging tightly to each other (to raise the body temperature of Seol Ri-hyang, whose Yin Energy had run rampant).
The green Tang Clan robes I wore were nearly rags, as if they had been torn off with relentless effort (they had been burned during the fight with the Blood Flame Fist Demon).
Seol Ri-hyang's clothes had slipped down, revealing the soft curve of her shoulder (because she had shivered in her sleep and pulled her own sleeve down).
And to top it all off, the suggestive remark about being tired yesterday and wanting to sleep more (because she was exhausted from fighting the Blood Flame Fist Demon).
Anyone looking at this would think it was a scene of impropriety…!
Realizing the situation, Seol Ri-hyang's face turned pale. Her Yin Energy surge should have subsided by now, yet her shoulders trembled as if she felt a chill.
"T-Tang unni?"
"Yes. So you still call me unni?"
With a smile curling at the corners of her lips, yet her eyes utterly still, that eerie smile made Seol Ri-hyang's breath catch in an instant.
As she stood frozen as if she had forgotten even how to breathe, I was about to speak on her behalf.
"Young hero Cheon. I believe I said it was fine as long as I gave permission. Yes. Permission."
"Let me say this first—I have no intention of spouting nonsense about forgiveness being easier than permission."
"You're always kidnapping people, and this time you even ran away from home with me, haven't you?"
"…"
When she put it that way, I had nothing to say.
At a loss for words, my eyes rolled around involuntarily. Seeing this, Tang So-wol let out a deep sigh.
"Haa. There's no helping it."
"! You're actually willing to listen…"
"Since things have come to this, the only option left is to kill young hero Cheon and then die myself."
Tang So-wol tucked her hands into her sleeves. As her eyes took on an even deeper shade of green, I was startled and rushed toward her.
"First, take your hands out of your sleeves and let's talk!"
Fortunately, the surprise attack was a success.
…To be precise, Tang So-wol simply allowed herself to be subdued.
***
Holding Tang So-wol's hand firmly, I led her to the bed and sat her down.
Seol Ri-hyang had also tidied her clothes and gotten up to make room for us in the meantime.
Tang So-wol, who had allowed herself to be caught despite knowing what was happening, given the seamless coordination. This time, she grabbed hold of me.
I brushed aside the thought that it seemed she was trying to keep me from running away, and slowly explained what had happened over the past few days.
How I had barely managed to find a foothold while being swept along and escape to shore, how I had moved cautiously along the river only to eventually run into the Blood Flame Fist Demon, and how Seol Ri-hyang and I had joined forces to bring him down.
And how Seol Ri-hyang's body, unable to withstand the backlash, had frozen over cold.
"That's everything that happened up until yesterday. Sharing a blanket and sleeping pressed close together—it was all for the sake of a speedy recovery."
"…Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, ask Seol Ri-hyang."
"It's true. Nothing happened between us! Sister Tang was so good to me—how could I ever do something like… But what did you mean by the permission you mentioned a moment ago…?"
Seol Ri-hyang waved her hands to reassure Tang So-wol, then tilted her head in confusion.
At that, Tang So-wol let go of my hand, covered Seol Ri-hyang's ear with her hand, and whispered something to her.
Whisper, whisper.
"Uh…? Huh?"
"Let's talk about the details later, Hyang-ah. What I asked you about a moment ago—whether it was real—was for a different reason."
"A different reason?"
Instead of answering, Tang So-wol held out one hand to me and one to Seol Ri-hyang.
As if possessed by something, I instinctively grabbed her hand, and Seol Ri-hyang placed hers on top, following my lead.
Tang So-wol gently wrapped our hands in hers and let out a deep sigh.
"I meant to ask whether it was true that you fought the Blood Flame Fist Demon. Isn't he a fully matured martial artist who reached Transcendent Peak long ago? Are you hurt anywhere serious?"
"Aside from the burns I got here and there, I'm fine. I did push my internal energy a bit too hard, but it only resulted in a light internal injury. However, Seol Ri-hyang…"
"Eung. I'm fine too, Tang unni. I'm still a bit cold, but I'm definitely better than yesterday. I'll probably recover if I rest for a few days. Actually, don't you think I'll become even stronger than before? I felt like I was on the verge of grasping something this time."
"Then that's a relief."
Tang So-wol smiled faintly. She seemed to ponder something for a moment, then pulled the hand that was holding Seol Ri-hyang's.
"Eop? Unni?"
Seol Ri-hyang was flustered but obediently let herself be pulled along. Tang So-wol seated her on her own lap and embraced her from behind.
Just as I had done last night.
"If you haven't fully recovered, someone needs to share their warmth with you. It doesn't have to be young hero Cheon—I'll do. Isn't that fine, Hyang-ah?"
"W-Well, of course…!"
Seol Ri-hyang stiffened her body and answered awkwardly. Tang So-wol giggled at her appearance and whispered something quietly.
Then, this time, it was Seol Ri-hyang who went limp and wriggled in response. Seeing her become Tang So-wol's cuddle toy in an instant, I shook my head and spoke.
"Anyway, if the misunderstanding is cleared up, I'd like to move on to the next topic."
"The next topic? Is there something else? Didn't I just explain everything?"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been watching quietly from behind, blinked her eyes.
Eon Ga-hye, who had returned to a calm expression, and Peng Woo-jin, who was covering Eon Ga-hye's eyes with his hand—who knew since when—both wore similarly puzzled looks.
Was it because her appearance was a bit disheveled when she got up that he covered her eyes right away? Thorough indeed…
I sent a look of gratitude toward Eon Ga-hye, and she curled the corners of her mouth in a calm expression, as if it was nothing.
Since the greetings were done, I untied the cloth bundle I had tucked away in the corner. Inside was the head of the Blood Flame Fist Demon, dead with his eyes wide open.
"Wh-what a gruesome thing to suddenly pull out. I was wondering what it was, but it's definitely the Blood Flame Fist Demon's face. He was a martial artist clearly a rank above the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, and I was worried since he used the tricky Blazing Yang Art… I'm relieved you managed to pull it off."
"I couldn't have done it alone. As I said earlier, I was only able to win thanks to Seol Ri-hyang's help. Her internal energy might be lacking in quantity, but the cold aura itself didn't lose much to the Blood Flame Fist Demon's heat."
"Oh?"
The party's admiring gazes turned toward Seol Ri-hyang. But Seol Ri-hyang, in a state of complete exhaustion, was being held by Tang So-wol and didn't notice any of it.
I shrugged at her utterly detached appearance and continued.
"Anyway, that's what happened after we defeated the Blood Flame Fist Demon. Neither Seol Ri-hyang nor I were in great shape, so we searched the dead demon's robes just in case. There was no Spiritual Medicine, but we did find a letter like this."
"A letter? Surely it doesn't contain orders from the Demonic Cult?"
"It's something like that. It was a sort of interim report meant to be sent to the Demonic Cult."
I pulled out the letter I had read yesterday and tucked back into my robes.
"Inside, it says everything — what the Demonic Cult was trying to do by capturing the successors of the Paeng and Eon Clans, and the reason they spread Spiritual Medicine across Hebei Province."
"Oh! That's a relief!"
"But the contents are rather serious. This isn't something we can handle on our own. I think we need to inform the clan heads of the Paeng and Eon Clans, and of course, the Murim Alliance Leader as well."
With that, I took out the letter and handed it to Seomun Hwa-rin.
Seomun Hwa-rin accepted it quietly and was about to read it when she suddenly paused, glancing around at her surroundings.
Peng Woo-jin, who had just regained the freedom of his eyes, and Eon Ga-hye, who was quietly watching her. And a little further away, Tang So-wol, tilting her head as she held Seol Ri-hyang in her arms on the bed.
Had she sensed some kind of pressure? After a moment's hesitation, Seomun Hwa-rin began reading the contents of the letter aloud, enunciating each word clearly.
"If you capture the children of the Paeng and Eon Clans, using the help of the Sorcery User you sent this time…"
And so Seomun Hwa-rin's voice echoed through the room.
It had the clumsy feel of a child's recitation, but the contents were anything but cute.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Starting with Seomun Hwa-rin, who had read to the very last sentence, everyone in the room fell silent.
At first, there were gasps and outbursts of anger, but in the end, all they could do was remain silent.
"So… you're saying they planned to use sorcery to control me and kill Ga-hye in agony?"
"And they also intended to use me, who died at the hands of the Paeng Clan, to make our two families fight each other."
"…The thought that they planned to grind up those who had become human Godok in the process to make Spiritual Medicine is simply horrifying. Even the Unorthodox Sects have a code they must uphold."
The three of them let out heavy sighs. Tang So-wol, on the other hand, remained silent until the very end, then spoke in a low voice after a moment.
"I understand that the situation is more serious than we thought. I also agree that we should inform the young hero Cheon and everyone else. So, what do you plan to do now?"
"Didn't you say the nearest place was the Eon Clan? We'll head to the Eon Clan first. We need to send word to the two clan heads, who are probably stirring up trouble elsewhere by now."
"And to my father as well."
"…Right. My father-in-law should come too."
Hiding behind Tang So-wol, or stepping forward and dropping to my knees first.
From now on, I needed to think about which would be better.