As much as I wanted to set out right away, Seol Ri-hyang's condition was still too serious, so we decided to rest for a few more days.
…It's absolutely not because the time to face Tang Jincheon again is drawing near.
Instead, Eon Ga-hye sent a letter to the Eon Clan requesting an escort, so we wouldn't be staying long anyway.
"But where did you go to get this banged up?"
Swinging a sword with nothing but pure physical strength, without any internal energy, only lasted so long.
My gaze naturally drifted to Peng Woo-jin, who was quietly stretching off to the side.
His muscles, swollen to an enviable degree, were still the same as ever—but oddly enough, they were now wrapped tightly in bandages.
"Well, not as much as you, but I did run into some Demonic Cultists and got into a fight, so these are just wounds from that."
"Hoh. Maybe they were the sorcery user and his escort that the Blood Flame Fist Demon had waiting in reserve."
"I can't say for sure who they were."
"What do you mean?"
"The one I thought I'd subdued by sealing his meridians suddenly fell into Qi Deviation and went berserk. He went for Ga-hye, who was closest, so I blocked him with my body in a hurry—and this is the result."
"Hoh."
Mapokdan… or maybe it's a martial art in the explosive-burst category.
But what I know for certain is that the moment Eon Ga-hye was in danger, I threw myself in without a moment's hesitation.
As a fellow man, I had no choice but to acknowledge that. Though the words that followed left me a bit dumbfounded as well.
"…After that, the elder went and beat every last one of them to death, information or no information. So to this day, we still don't know who they were."
"…"
Was it because he'd had to let me and Seol Ri-hyang slip away right before his eyes? It seemed Seomun Hwa-rin had built up quite a bit of resentment over that.
"W-well, regardless, I'm glad you're safe. Seeing that you came out moving around with that shoulder, your injury couldn't have been too severe."
"It was severe. If it had been just a little deeper, I might have lost the use of one arm for the rest of my life."
"You look fine now, though?"
"That's thanks to the first aid being more effective than expected. The Tang Clan's medicine truly lives up to its reputation."
The Golden Wound Ointment Tang So-wol always carried with her. Given how much Tang Jincheon cared for and worried about Tang So-wol, it was sure to be an ointment packed with the Tang Clan's secret arts.
Since it was a wound ointment, it wouldn't do anything for internal injuries, but when it came to external wounds, it would be hard to find anything better.
"Of course, the outer wound has only just closed, so I can't properly use my martial arts. No, I'll have to be careful even with vigorous movements for a while."
"If that's the case, why did you even come here? You could have just rested by Eon Ga-hye's side."
"I've been staying so still to keep the wound from reopening that I've been feeling stifled. I came out to move around a bit, avoiding my injured arm."
"Well. If the person in question says she's fine, it would be odd for me to add anything more. I'll say no more."
"…And there's also the fact that I came along because I wanted to thank you separately."
"Hm?"
I stopped the sword I was swinging, wondering what he was talking about out of nowhere, and turned around. There, Peng Woo-jin stood with his head bowed deeply toward me.
"I'm grateful. The process was a bit rough, but thanks to you, Hye and I are alive, and our clan was able to avoid the Demonic Cult's treacherous schemes."
"Well. I was wronged by the Demonic Cult too, so I just poked my nose in a little. …As I said before, the methods were quite rough, so don't think too much of it."
Either way, the result was good, so it was fortunate — though I had, in a sense, kidnapped the successors of the Paeng and Eon Clans and run off with them.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been a serious reprimand, and a stain on the Tang Clan's honor.
So I said it was fine since we'd ended things amicably… but Peng Woo-jin was still bowing his head.
"Even taking all that into account, I'm truly grateful. It's difficult right now, but would you visit the Paeng Clan someday? I'll do my best to repay your favor within my power."
"…Are those words sincere?"
"Of course I'm sincere."
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Hiding it behind one hand, I patted Peng Woo-jin on the shoulder.
"I've sworn brotherhood with my Brother Namgung, so it didn't sit right with me to address his close friend Brother Peng so casually."
"Suddenly…?"
Peng Woo-jin flinched, as if finding it strange that I, who had been speaking casually without a single change in expression, suddenly called him brother.
However, I'm eighteen now, so even if Peng Woo-jin is the same age as Namgung Jong, he's still at least seven years older than me.
Besides, Peng Woo-jin had gained excellent bone structure and muscles thanks to the Paeng Clan's bloodline and training methods… but in return, he had to bear an appearance that aged prematurely.
Honestly, looking at his face alone, it wouldn't be strange to say he'd already passed thirty.
Above all, considering what I'm about to strip from him, calling him "brother" doesn't bother me in the slightest.
"How long do you intend to keep bowing your head before your younger brother? Raise your head."
"You may call me brother, but your words are exactly the same as before."
"Hmph. That's not what matters. What matters is what you said earlier—that you'd reward me with anything I ask for. If that's sincere, would a Spiritual Medicine be possible?"
"Of course it's possible. Seeing that you're asking for a Spiritual Medicine right away, it seems you're struggling with a lack of internal energy?"
"Unfortunately, most of the Tang Clan's medicines are made with poison art in mind, so to me they're no different from poison. But the Paeng Clan should be different."
"Hmph. It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but the Paeng Clan's medicines are versatile. An excellent choice."
Just as the Wudang Sect pursues the Great Ultimate and the Namgung Clan pursues the Azure Sky, what the Hebei Peng Clan pursues is Primordial Chaos.
Everything is said to be something that existed before all things were divided into Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Four Symbols.
I'm not particularly well-versed in such abstract talk, so I don't know the details… but I do know that the Paeng Clan is obsessed with fundamentals.
After all, isn't the secret martial art that only the clan head can learn called the Primordial Chaos Thunder Blade?
Before being a martial artist, one is a person, and the root of a person is the physical body. That's why the Paeng Clan sought ways to pass down excellent bone structure and sinew to future generations, and they researched External Arts that could make the most of it, or so they say.
Anyway, because of that, the Paeng Clan's spiritual medicines, much like Shaolin's, don't discriminate between people.
Of course, the amount of internal energy gained is lower than Shaolin's medicines, but in exchange, they have the effect of making the body sturdier, which, in a way, is what I need more right now.
The reason I know this in such detail is simple. Isn't Hebei Province where I was cornered in my final moments before the regression?
It's the kind of information that everyone in the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance would have familiarized themselves with at least once, hoping to salvage something from the ruins of the fallen Paeng Clan.
Well, all we could find were the undiscovered remains from back then.
Feeling the anticipation of that time resurface, I asked.
"Then, by any chance, could I receive the Primordial Chaos Pill?"
"Th-That… is a bit difficult for me to decide on my own."
"Tch."
"…"
As I clicked my tongue reflexively, Peng Woo-jin sent me an uneasy look. At that, I shook my head and spoke.
"Then what can you give me, Peng Woo-jin."
"Just a moment ago, you called me Brother Peng…"
"The Heavenly Tiger Pill should be within your means, right?"
"…If it's that, I can manage somehow."
Peng Woo-jin nodded with an expression as if he had just seen something bizarre.
How cruel. But if it was the Heavenly Tiger Pill, I could forgive this much.
Apart from what the Peng Clan pursued, it was a major spiritual medicine that incorporated the tiger—the symbol of the Peng Clan—to divide its grades.
The effects were best in the order of Heavenly Tiger Pill, Earth Tiger Pill, and Human Tiger Pill.
The Human Tiger Pill was a low-grade spiritual medicine that would be of use to second-rate or first-rate martial artists. The Earth Tiger Pill was a mid-grade spiritual medicine that was fairly helpful even to Peak Realm martial artists.
The Heavenly Tiger Pill was a high-grade spiritual medicine given only to the Peng Clan's blood relatives or those who had rendered great service.
For reference, the Primordial Chaos Pill was one of the Peng Clan's greatest secret arts, given only to the clan head or the young head. Honestly, I knew I wouldn't receive it, but I brought it up anyway.
Come to think of it, in my previous life I couldn't even find a Human Tiger Pill and could only sigh—but in this life, it's the Heavenly Tiger Pill.
I nodded in satisfaction and added one more remark.
"Since we need to give one to Seol Ri-hyang as well, I'll ask for two."
"What?"
"She fought alongside me to take down the Blood Flame Fist Demon, didn't she? If you're expressing gratitude to me, shouldn't it be the same for her?"
"Still, two pills is…"
"Ah, if possible, I'd like to give one to Tang So-wol as well, so let's make it three pills after all. After all, it was none other than Tang So-wol who was willing to run away from home just to get involved in this matter."
Peng Woo-jin, who had been sweating cold profusely as if his body hadn't fully recovered yet, answered in a voice that sounded like he was crawling.
"Ah, I understand. But I can't give you a definite answer, so I'll have to bring it up with the clan head."
"Mm, mm. That's enough. By the way, Brother Peng. It's about time for a meal, so how about we head in together?"
"…"
Peng Woo-jin shot me a look that said "what kind of nonsense is this," but I had a clear conscience.
After all, I was about to receive a high-grade spiritual medicine from one of the Five Great Families—there was nothing shameful about this at all.
.
.
.
.
"Cheon Hwi! Eon unni said she'd give us each a spiritual medicine once she arrives at the Eon Clan!"
"Oh, I only mentioned it to her—it's not a confirmed promise, so don't get your hopes up too much…"
"I'm really looking forward to it! Aren't you?!"
Even in the midst of her pain, Seol Ri-hyang's bright smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Whoever taught you, they taught you well.
***
Three days had passed. The Eon Clan's martial artists arrived leading a carriage.
Seol Ri-hyang's body had mostly recovered by then, but since we'd brought the carriage anyway, we decided to ride in comfort.
And the Jinzhou Eon Clan we arrived at—how should I put it?
"It's gloomy."
"Shh. He'll hear you, young hero Cheon."
Tang So-wol whispered urgently as I muttered without thinking. I casually shifted only my eyes toward Eon Ga-hye.
"It's fine. I think so too. But once you actually stay here for a while, you'll find it's a fairly decent place, so don't worry."
"I was just surprised that the atmosphere differs from a typical martial family—there was no ill intent."
"I truly mean it when I say it's fine. After all, it's only been a little over a hundred years since our Eon Clan transformed into a martial family. As the Flying Butterfly Poison Peak has said, it's only natural that the atmosphere is different, and if anything, it's a sign of how remarkable our ancestors were—something to be proud of, wouldn't you say?"
"Then I'm even more grateful that you see it that way."
Only then did Tang So-wol seem to relax a little, a faint smile forming on her lips.
Of course, she didn't stop jabbing me in the side from time to time. I'd made a mistake, so I took it quietly.
Well. It might have been rude to say it out loud, but my feeling that the place was gloomy wasn't an illusion.
The Jinzhou Eon Clan was originally a family renowned for its Corpse Puppetry Arts. Just as the Taoist sects lost their practitioners with talent for Taoist arts and the tradition died out, so too did the Eon Clan's Corpse Puppetry Arts become a lost technique when no one born with the talent for it appeared again.
Based on the Corpse Puppetry Arts that once elevated the Eon Clan to a member of the Five Great Families, they have created various martial arts, and while not as strong as before, they still maintain a fairly prosperous household.
In other words, at the root of the Jinzhou Eon Clan lies the Corpse Puppetry Arts, a technique that inevitably gives off gwigi, so it was only natural to feel the place was gloomy.
Of course, what's natural is natural, and the revulsion felt from the gwigi is still revulsion, but…
Except for one person. Seol Ri-hyang alone seemed completely unfazed, and in fact, seemed more lively than usual.
Since gwigi is a type of Yin Energy, this was, in a way, only to be expected for Seol Ri-hyang, who was born with the Pure Yin Constitution.
Eon Ga-hye, who seemed to have sensed that there was something about Seol Ri-hyang even without knowing the details, watched her with interest for a moment before turning her gaze and standing beside Peng Woo-jin, who had a bandage wrapped around one shoulder.
Then, as she lightly leaned her body against an arm as thick as her own waist, looks of shock and disbelief poured in from all around.
Whether the Eon Clan's retainers were surprised or not, Eon Ga-hye opened her mouth with a calm expression.
"I'll explain the details once the clan head arrives, but these are guests who have rendered great service to the Eon Clan. Treat them as honored guests and see that they lack nothing. …Well then, shall we go, Paeng Clan Head?"
"Mm."
Peng Woo-jin nodded with a stiff expression. Judging by his look, it seemed the two had already agreed beforehand to make their relationship public.
As I was inwardly admiring them, this time Tang So-wol clung to my side and linked her arm through mine in the same manner.
A soft sensation pressed against my elbow. My heart instinctively began to soften, but the words that followed were anything but gentle.
"It seems we too should make it obvious that we're betrothed, just like those two…"
"…"
I could say nothing in response.