The disgraceful(?) display of Tang So-wol before the regression was, in many ways, fatal to the current Tang So-wol…
Still, there was no doubt that this had become a turning point.
Tang So-wol, who had always kept a razor-sharp line in private matters—especially in the romantic sense—despite showing respect and goodwill toward a fellow warrior, had begun to slowly, subtly reveal her true feelings.
Even Cheon Hwi, no matter who he was, couldn't help but start to become conscious of Tang So-wol.
The problem was that Cheon Hwi's awareness was catastrophically dull—whether because of the wounds of his past, or simply because it was his nature.
"Hehe. Sword Demon. I've tried on new clothes—how do I look?"
"They fit your body well, so you look comfortable to move in. And yet, the sleeves seem a bit more generous than before… Are you planning to increase the proportion of hidden weapons?"
"Wh-what? Well… of course. With the Sword Demon handling any enemies who get close, I suppose I don't need to cling to the Fist and Leg Art the way I did when I had to do everything alone."
"A wise choice. Don't worry. As long as I draw breath, no one will reach you with all their limbs intact."
"Oh my…"
Tang So-wol's eyes widened, seemingly moved by Cheon Hwi's words. But then she noticed something and tilted her head.
She had gone through the trouble of making new clothes despite the shortage of supplies—and even dared to wear something that showed off her figure more than usual.
And yet, he hadn't reacted to that at all.
Cheon Hwi waved a hand lightly and headed toward his training ground. Watching his retreating back, Tang So-wol clenched her fist and made a vow.
This wasn't bad in its own way, but next time, she would definitely get the answer she wanted.
Well, that was just the way of the world—things never went as one wished. That was precisely why it was called "the way of the world" rather than "the way of me."
Tang So-wol's efforts were admirable.
She would casually brush against his arm or shoulder, or use a pre-applied territorial mark… no, rather, she would use one poison that reacted with another to produce a pleasant fragrance and a faint stirring of excitement.
Beyond that, she deliberately made a show of walking side by side with Cheon Hwi in front of others, and used martial arts or battle talk as an excuse to meet with him alone late into the night.
It was the utmost effort Tang So-wol, who had learned about relations between men and women from books, could muster. Cheon Hwi, of course, hadn't noticed a thing.
Watching this, the current Tang So-wol pouted her lips.
"…I believe this isn't because I'm lacking, but rather a problem on young hero Cheon's part."
"So-wol, So-wol."
"Why are you saying that, Sister Hwa-rin?"
"Hyang-i was won over in a single move."
"…"
Tang So-wol's expression turned black as death.
"Ah! Sister Seomun, why would you say something like that!"
"Hmph! But isn't it the truth! I've been teasing her all this time, so now it's your turn!"
Seomun Hwa-rin, strutting proudly with her shoulders bouncing, and Seol Ri-hyang, shaking her head as she patted Tang So-wol on the back.
It was a blood-soaked era where battles never ceased and someone nearby was constantly dying, yet—
Even so, people could still hold someone else in their hearts. That was likely how they managed to endure such trying times.
Tang So-wol's seduction (though calling it that was a bit of a stretch) had yielded no results whatsoever.
Even so, Cheon Hwi had been gradually accepting Tang So-wol ever since the day they shared each other's wounds.
Regardless, looking at the outcome, the two were drawing closer—slowly, but surely.
…Tang So-wol's tail-wagging had no effect whatsoever, though!
The reason Cheon Hwi considered the opportunity to grow close to Tang So-wol so natural and inevitable was precisely because of that.
Since there truly had been no effect, there was also no particular moment to speak of…!
"Kugh! Why must I watch such a heartbreaking scene from the sidelines?! If only I, too, had learned of it at the very end like everyone else…!"
"Ugh. So you all came at once and made it even worse, sister Tang."
"Hyang-i is right. It's better to get used to it little by little like this."
"But the two of you are teasing me!"
At Tang So-wol's words, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin looked at each other. Then they nodded.
"But… since Cheon Hwi loves swords, how could I bear watching you use a suicide dagger like a hairpin?"
"You even went back to your room and, while sullenly undoing your tied hair, accidentally pulled the dagger out and cut off some of your hair. Fortunately, it wasn't noticeable enough to show."
Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin went on listing all sorts of Tang So-wol's failures from before the regression.
Even so, Tang So-wol's own efforts hadn't achieved much, but the reason the two of them had grown a little closer was simple.
It was because Cheon Hwi had simply started to like Tang So-wol. Though his attempts at seduction hadn't worked, just being by her side while trying had filled the emptiness in his heart with warmth.
And so, the relationship that had been slowly narrowing between them suddenly grew much closer after a certain incident.
"Poison Demon…"
Tang So-wol, who had once been captured and nearly had her Poison Spirit Constitution taken from her before dying, gritted her teeth.
That was only natural—even before the regression, the Poison Demon had targeted her for the same reason.
Perhaps because it was a point much further in the future, the Poison Demon from before the regression had completed a more vicious poison and was stronger than Tang So-wol remembered.
The Central Plains martial world, already shattered from dealing with the Heavenly Demon, had no strength left to withstand the Poison Demon's assault.
In the end, Tang So-wol from before the regression faced the Poison Demon to sever her long-standing enmity…
Cheon Hwi held his ground, fighting off the other martial artists of the Heavenly Poison Sect who had followed the Poison Demon, and even the Sword Demon who was waiting for his chance to pick off the spoils.
An era where those who upheld duty and honor all died, and survival became the greatest value.
Even as his allies began to flee one by one as defeat loomed.
Cheon Hwi held his position. He protected Tang So-wol.
Cheon Hwi himself could not understand why he had made such a choice.
No matter how mad Cheon Hwi was, his vengeance was not aimed at the Demonic Cult.
Yet Cheon Hwi gritted his teeth and endured as if he had met his sworn enemy.
In the end, it was a life-and-death duel with no compromise—one that would have killed him on the spot if Tang So-wol, who had reached the Harmony Realm after defeating the Poison Demon, had not come to his aid.
It was while he was looking at a small camellia tree in a secluded spot he often visited, trying to understand an emotion he himself could not comprehend.
Tang So-wol—now called the Poison Lady—who also favored this place, came to find him.
After conversing for a while, Cheon Hwi's eyes widened as he realized why he had so readily risked his life as if it were only natural.
And the current Tang So-wol, who had been watching him, let out a cheer.
"That's it!"
No, it didn't end with just a cheer. She was hopping around, waving both arms wildly.
It was the very picture of someone unable to contain their excitement.
"Yes! If you're human! If the young hero Cheon still has a human heart left! It's about time you figured it out!"
"Sister Tang likes it so much… is that really okay?"
"Let her enjoy herself."
A short distance away, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin shook their heads.
Their desire to put some distance between themselves and Tang So-wol was plain to see.
Tang So-wol was that enthusiastic about her love story (?) succeeding—but it didn't last long.
Not because the Poison Lady climbed onto Cheon Hwi's lap just as she had before the regression and slammed her lips into his without warning.
It was the thin line that hung between their lips long after they parted. It wasn't mere saliva. She had frozen at the sight of the traces of a special poison meant to heal Cheon Hwi's internal injuries.
"That's…"
How could she not know? If it was Tang So-wol, of all people, she was bound to notice.
Love (Yeonjeong).
A special poison Tang So-wol had created for Cheon Hwi, who had willingly fallen into Qi Deviation to bring down the Poison Demon.
She had risked her entire body melting away from a poison that even the Poison Spirit Constitution could not withstand—a poison made solely for Cheon Hwi.
And now. The poison the Poison Lady had just poured into Cheon Hwi's mouth was none other than that Love.
"…Ah."
The timelines were different. The experiences differed, the memories did not carry over, and the realms they had reached were vastly apart.
But the Tang So-wol before the regression and the Tang So-wol of now had ultimately arrived at the same conclusion.
She loves Cheon Hwi.
She had before, she does now, and she always will.
Even if she died and was reborn, some feelings would never change.
Tang So-wol stared blankly, overlaying her past with the scene before her eyes.
Then, before her, Poison Lady suddenly pressed her index finger against Cheon Hwi's chest. And whispered.
"Sword Demon. You have been poisoned by me."
Though meeting Cheon Hwi had done her good, Poison Lady had always carried the shadow of Clan Extermination and vengeance in one corner of her heart.
It was the first time she had smiled a perfectly clear, unblemished smile.
Tang So-wol could tell at a glance from the look on Cheon Hwi's face as he stared blankly at Poison Lady, at the bright full moon behind her head.
"Ah."
Cheon Hwi would surely never forget this moment.
…And yet she herself had completely forgotten it.
Of course, Cheon Hwi had spoken around it because of the seal, but he had clearly said that he loved the current Tang So-wol too. That he had fallen for her all over again.
She did not doubt that. But.
"Is that so…"
This memory, now. In a world filled with all manner of negativity, a refuge the two of them had barely managed to find for each other while tormented by nightmares every single day.
It was not for the Tang So-wol of now.
The memories did not connect. The ages were different, the time they had accumulated differed, and the power they held was not the same either.
Tang So-wol could not become the Poison Lady. No matter how similar or alike she was, she might never be able to reach the deepest part of Cheon Hwi.
That stirred a small ripple in Tang So-wol's heart.
She knew all too well what to name it.
An emotion she would not have recognized before, but which she had only come to realize after seeing the memories of Seol Ri-hyang and Cheon Hwi from before the regression.
Jealousy.
It was absurd even to herself, but Tang So-wol was jealous of the person she had been before the regression.
Perhaps that was why. Tang So-wol focused on every single move the Poison Lady made, resolving to ask Cheon Hwi to do the exact same things for her later.
The way they exchanged light banter, the way she secretly leaned her head on his shoulder, the way they still fought side by side despite the gap in their martial arts.
…And on the night when there was nowhere left to run, when she shook her head at Cheon Hwi's plea to give up revenge for her sake.
Even the promise to watch the moon together someday once the Tang Clan was rebuilt, though she knew it was an empty word.
Tang So-wol watched all of it.
And she came to understand.
Why Cheon Hwi hated the Heavenly Demon, and regarded the Demonic Cult as his sworn enemy.
"Ah."
A hole was punched through the Poison Lady's chest. Its shape resembled the full moon she had so desperately wanted to see with him.
Blood poured down from the hollow wound.
Cheon Hwi's world came crashing down.