The Heavenly Demon had not only reached the realm of the Ultimate Demon but had become the Demonic Cult Leader, preparing for invasion.
I had suspected as much, but hearing it directly was still a shock.
A man of such talent had been planning the destruction of the martial world for fifteen years… no, perhaps even longer than that.
Thinking back on it now, before the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance was formed, when more than half of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families had been shattered, the Heavenly Demon had trampled the Central Plains with an unstoppable momentum, never once stopping or hesitating.
No matter how overwhelmingly powerful the Heavenly Demon was, he couldn't have simply ignored the accumulated strength of those who had ruled the Central Plains for so long.
Until now, I had thought it was the result of the Heavenly Demon's absurd martial level and the complacency of the prestigious Orthodox Sects… but perhaps there had been a meticulous plan behind it all.
I let out a deep sigh, but only for a moment. A large hand—yet one too elegant for a man's—rested on my shoulder.
"You there. The interrogation is over now, so you must have something to discuss with me, right?"
"Nothing happened last night, Father-in-law."
"…That is important too, but what I wish to speak of is something else."
Tang Jincheon applied a subtle pressure with the hand resting on my shoulder.
"How did you come to know about the Demonic Cult's seal? No—while we're at it, why don't you speak your mind about the other things as well? If it were just one or two matters, I might have been willing to let them slide, but with this many, that's hardly possible."
"Surely you can't refuse the plea of a prospective son-in-law."
"That is indeed my intention. Even now, I am not trying to force you."
"Then…"
"But I want to know. If I understand your circumstances, perhaps I can be of some help. Just as you helped me and So-wol, I wish to do the same."
"…"
As I hesitated, pondering what to do—
Wooong—
Tang Jincheon spread his Qi Barrier, enveloping the entire room.
"Now, no one will be able to hear our conversation from outside. I swear that unless it harms the Tang Clan or So-wol, I will not reveal your secret to anyone."
"If you insist that much… Very well."
I never thought I could hide it forever. And there was no particular reason to, either.
It was only because I feared being treated as a madman if I wasn't believed.
If he truly believed me, and if I could willingly accept his help, then what reason would I have to stay silent?
I steeled my resolve and opened my mouth. And then.
"…!"
I couldn't say a word.
It wasn't that I hesitated at the very last moment. My will was clear, and the words I needed to say were already arranged in my head.
It was simply that the words wouldn't come out, regardless of my will.
My tongue was frozen stiff. My lips were awkwardly rigid. My throat only churned, and I could barely even let out a breath.
Had he noticed my strange behavior? Tang Jincheon asked in a worried tone.
"Young friend. Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
This time the words came easily. I steeled myself once more, ready to reveal the truth about my regression.
"…"
But once again, my body froze without fail. A strange phenomenon that occurred regardless of my will.
It was awkward and unnatural. Only the sensation that someone was blocking what I wanted to say came through clearly.
No matter how many times I tried, the result never changed. Even when I tried to convey it in writing instead of speech, it was the same.
With my body frozen as if a vital point had been pressed, I couldn't convey the truth to Tang Jincheon.
Perhaps it was because, no matter how long he waited, I only hesitated awkwardly without managing to say a word.
Tang Jincheon patted my shoulder with a warm gaze.
"…As I said before, I'm not trying to force you. There's no need to push yourself."
"I'm sorry. It seems my tongue won't loosen easily. However, I can promise you this one thing. I will never do anything that harms the Tang Clan or Tang So-wol."
"Is that so. Understood. If it's something hard to speak of, it might be best to keep it buried. Then you remember this as well. The Tang Clan's ears are always open. I'll be waiting for when you're ready."
Tang Jincheon nodded and withdrew his Qi Barrier. His consideration was a grateful thing, but right now, I couldn't purely appreciate it.
Someone had placed a seal on me. Because I had realized that fact.
After parting ways with Tang Jincheon, instead of returning to my room, I leaned against a tree in the clearing for a while, sorting through my thoughts.
There was a seal on me.
No matter how calmly I examined my inner self, no matter how thoroughly I scoured my entire body with internal energy, I could feel no sense of dissonance. But it was certain.
A seal had been placed on me to prevent me from telling anyone about my regression.
But who, when, and why?
"Ah."
If I thought about it a little deeper, it was obvious.
Is it even possible to bring the dead back to life and send them back to the past in the first place?
Compared to such an absurd phenomenon, a seal is a cute little thing.
Above all, everything that defies the natural order always comes with a price.
Just as the mind and body of a martial artist who practices demonic arts become corrupted, how much more so for me, who has undergone the regression that defies heaven?
However, I cannot reveal the fact of my regression to anyone. How does that serve as a price?
What suddenly came to mind was Tang So-wol from last night, as if she were looking at someone other than herself.
No matter how much she is the same person and resembles the one in my memories, the Tang So-wol of my previous life and the Tang So-wol of now are clearly different beings.
Their pasts are different, and since she has no memories built with me, there's no way she could be the same.
The Tang So-wol I love is dead. I can never see her again. But what stands before me is another Tang So-wol, one who resembles her endlessly.
"…Is that so."
A small gap that never closes. A heart that festers because it can be told to no one. A life that goes unacknowledged must certainly be a painful thing.
But if you asked me whether it was enough to break me, the answer would be no. It no longer is.
The night before, Tang So-wol had said she already knew that I was seeing not her, but someone who merely resembled her.
And yet she boldly declared she didn't care, that she would make me fall for her.
What more could I ask for? This is enough.
What bothers me more is the fact that a seal had been placed on me without my knowledge.
Until now, I had dismissed regression as an inexplicable phenomenon—something that happened by sheer luck.
But perhaps that wasn't the case. Perhaps someone had a purpose, and that someone might be a being beyond my imagination.
The moment I thought that, a chill ran down my spine. The thought that some distant figure was watching me filled me with a rising sense of helplessness.
Yet that feeling didn't last long.
After all, wasn't this a life that should have ended in death, now extended? It had also given me the chance to correct my past mistakes.
If anything, I should be grateful, not afraid.
As I stared blankly at the sky, a familiar voice came from beside me.
"Young hero Cheon? Why are you standing out here instead of going inside?"
"I was thinking of you, Tang So-wol."
"Wh-what are you saying all of a sudden? How embarrassing."
"You asked, so I answered honestly."
"But you said it knowing I'd react this way, didn't you?"
"Well. I won't deny that part."
At my unhesitating answer, Tang So-wol pouted for a moment, then giggled and leaned her back against the wall beside me.
"I heard from Father. Thanks to you, young hero Cheon, the interrogation that was expected to drag on ended quickly, didn't it?"
"It just so happened there was something I could do."
"Ordinary people would call that remarkable."
Tang So-wol kicked at a pebble by her feet. Then she quietly grabbed hold of my sleeve.
No—she didn't stop there. She moved a little closer.
A slender touch wound around my little finger. Tang So-wol, having firmly hooked her own pinky around mine, spoke up.
"Next time, I'll be the one to help young hero Cheon."
"Hm? What's this all of a sudden?"
"Just what I said. When I think about it, I've only ever received help from you. I thought it would be nice if I could do something for you next time."
"There's no need to trouble yourself over it. In the end, I did it because I wanted to."
"Hmhm. You deliberately made it ambiguous whether you meant you like me or that you did it because you wanted to, didn't you? I saw through it all, so I won't be surprised as you'd like!"
"…I only meant that I did it because I wanted to. There was no other meaning."
"Huh?"
"They say people only see what they want to see. I see. So you wanted to hear something like that from me."
"Th-this is…! It's not like that?!"
Tang So-wol stomped her feet and sputtered. Watching her like that, I couldn't help but chuckle, and the lingering unease washed away completely.
Yes. What does it matter, this way or that? What matters is that Tang So-wol is by my side, and that I've been given one more chance.
Resolving never to let go this time, I pulled her fingers and clasped our hands together fully. When I interlocked our fingers firmly, Tang So-wol flinched.
She had been wiggling her fingers this way and that, but in the end, unable to bear it, she slipped her hand out with a soft rustle.
It seemed she was fine when she was the one holding on, but being held was a bit embarrassing.
"I-I'll be going now. The day is getting dark, so young hero, you should wrap things up and turn in as well."
"Are you coming to my room again tonight? If so, I'll leave the door open."
"O-oh, there's no need for that tonight, so just get some good rest! The interrogation is over, and they said we'll leave as soon as you've recovered, young hero."
With those words, Tang So-wol hurried away with quick, short steps. Watching her retreating figure, I let out a dry chuckle.
What I needed to do had become clear.
First, finish healing my internal injuries. And then.
I must grow stronger.
Stronger than in my previous life. No—stronger than even that monstrous Heavenly Demon.
***
A few days later.
My external wounds had all healed, and most of the Demonic Qi lingering in my Meridians had been burned away. It was around the time people started suggesting we head back.
In my previous life, I had come to Guangdong Province so often, yet this time I had been holed up in an inn the whole while. Feeling a pang of regret, I stepped outside for a while.
We'd be heading back tomorrow, so shouldn't I take at least one look around? It would be a long while before I'd set foot in Unorthodox Sect territory again.
"I never thought I'd miss this place," I muttered.
The sky was dim. Street lamps flickered on one by one. Some people carried the day's fatigue home with them, while others, clutching their weariness of the day, began their work.
In a way, it was a night market opening just like the ones I'd often seen in Sichuan Province, yet there was a peculiar atmosphere hanging over the scene before me.
The unique night air common in Unorthodox Sect territory.
Of course, even within the same Unorthodox Sect territory, there was a big difference between Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province.
I suppose it was because Zhejiang Province was the home base of the Black Alliance, so to speak, that a fear of swordsmen lay at the foundation of everything there.
Overall, it was a bit grim. Fights with blades actually broke out often there.
Guangdong Province, on the other hand, was far more heavily influenced by Haomun, so the mood was different.
Flashy, decadent… and shabby.
Still, it didn't feel all that bad. Because they weren't alone. They were all licking the bottom of life together.
In Haomun's territory, there was a certain comfort to be felt.
Lost in a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time, I blankly looked around the night streets, but that was as far as it went.
After all, I was the Tang Clan's prospective live-in son-in-law—I couldn't get too lost in the night streets. It was just then that I was about to head back to the inn.
"You goddamn bitch! I told you I'd break your legs if you ran away again!"
"Kyaaaah! Go ahead! Break them, you bastard! If you can!"
A familiar scream and string of curses reached my ears.
Turning my head, there was indeed a familiar face.
Why is that bastard here…?