At the dinner table that followed the abandonment of the kidnapping plan.
Whether it was because they had spent the time steeling themselves, Seomgeomja and Jang Inam's faces showed a grim yet firm resolve.
Heo Soye, on the other hand, had tidied herself into a composed demeanor—the beast-like figure from our last encounter nowhere to be seen—and wore only an expression of apology.
She knew she would either die or spend the rest of her life in prison, but more than that, she seemed to worry about the fallout her loss of reason would bring upon the sect.
Each of them seemed to have prepared for tomorrow in their own way… but I suspected their expectations, or rather their hopes, would be somewhat misplaced.
"Was the room satisfactory?"
"Yes. You said the management was lacking, but I couldn't feel anything of the sort at all."
"Then I am relieved. I have prepared little, but I hope it meets your satisfaction."
"Before that, there is something I wish to discuss with you, Sect Leader."
"…I shall listen attentively."
At my words, Seomgeomja flinched for a moment before nodding and straightening his posture.
I relayed to him the conversation I had just shared with the others.
"The reason we wish to take Lady Heo with us right away is that the Diancang Sect cannot withstand the rapidly growing Heavenly Killing Star."
"That is so. I am aware."
"But while we remain here, the story is different. Two Harmony Realm martial artists, plus one Transcendent Peak and one Peak Realm each. No matter how formidable the Heavenly Killing Star is, we should be able to hold them in check for the time being."
"Surely not?"
"Yes. We will remain here for a while and postpone taking Lady Heo with us."
"…"
At those words, Seomgeomja and Jang Inam drew in deep breaths. Their hard-won resolve seemed to waver.
It was Heo Soye, who had remained silent until now, who stepped forward.
"No. Please take me with you at dawn tomorrow. My father and the Jang family are all people of deep affection, so in the end, only lingering attachments will grow. So…"
"You seem to be misunderstanding something. I am not saying we should increase the danger without any promise. It is simply that there remains one last thing I wish to try."
"A try, you say."
Heo Soye let out a hollow laugh, her voice sharpening slightly.
"Do you think we simply sat back and waited for my madness to worsen? We tried everything we could."
"Everything."
"Yes, everything. I never told my father, but the very first thing I attempted once I learned of my constitution was to destroy my Dantian. In the end, it failed, of course."
"Soye. What are you saying…?"
She bowed her head once to the startled Seomgeomja before continuing.
Unlike the other two, Heo Soye herself had been quick to face reality. Perhaps that was because it was her own problem.
Realizing that no amount of training could suppress the impulses that her own will could not control, she had tried to destroy her Dantian then and there.
The problem was that every time she tried, the Heavenly Killing Star's instincts would burst forth and rage even more violently, causing all her attempts to fail.
Concluding that she couldn't do it herself, she went to the elder who insisted that Heo Soye should be dealt with according to the unspoken rules of the martial world… but even when threatened by others, the Heavenly Killing Star would act up on its own.
If it reacted that strongly to simply trying to destroy her Dantian, it would resist even more fiercely against any attempt on her life.
That was precisely why no one dared to touch her directly while the Diancang Sect was split nearly in half and fighting amongst themselves.
It wasn't simply because she was the Sect Leader's daughter—it was because, aside from the Sect Leader himself, no one could handle a rampaging Heo Soye.
"And so, aside from this simple method, I have tried everything else that seemed worth attempting."
She had even invited a master from the Beast Palace of the southern wilds—the very ones who were practically the main culprits in driving the Diancang Sect off Jeomchang Mountain—and asked them to perform a Grand Ritual upon her to suppress the beastly aggression within.
There were also times when she took mind-numbing drugs and, in a state where she couldn't properly perceive anything, tried once more to destroy her Dantian.
She had tried following the methods written in unknown ancient texts, and had even attempted to vent her impulses by killing animals rather than people.
In the truest sense, she had tried everything that could be done, and as you can see, everything had ended in failure.
Having spoken all of that without pause, Heo Soye caught her breath for a moment before continuing.
"I got too excited. I apologize. But truly, there is no other way. It would be better to place my neck in your hands—you who can subdue me no matter how I rage."
"So you're asking to be killed rather than continue making futile attempts."
"Yes. At the very least, it would be far better than living to cause trouble for my father, my sect, and my beloved."
"That sounds like something out of a play."
"…You had reached the Harmony Realm before the age of twenty, hadn't you? In my eyes, you are no pushover either. At the very least, I doubt you can understand what it's like to face something that cannot be resolved by willpower alone."
"Huh?"
An involuntary laugh escaped me before I could stop it. At the same time, a scolding voice rang out from beside me.
"You brat! Soye! Regardless of anything else, he's a guest of the Diancang Sect! What kind of way is that to speak! Is that how I taught you!"
"I'm sorry, Cheon Hwi. It's just that I've been mentally worn down, so please, for my sake, be generous and overlook it."
Seomgeomja, and even Jang Inam, were both doing their best to smooth over the situation.
Right. I understood.
Normally, no matter how young I was, one wouldn't speak so carelessly in front of a martial artist of the Harmony Realm.
Even if they were of the Orthodox Sects, they were still martial artists, people who lived and breathed the martial world.
In the end, when it comes down to the final, ultimate moment, there's no way he doesn't know that the logic of power prevails.
However, someone like Heo Soye right now, who is filled with the desire to die and even wishes someone would kill her, has nothing to fear.
Perhaps she even hoped that what just happened would make me lose my temper and draw my sword.
So I understand. I do understand… but the reason I let out a hollow laugh was something else entirely.
"One thing. You're mistaken about something."
I set down my chopsticks and looked straight at Heo Soye. Then, for the first time in a long while, I released the killing intent I had no reason to keep hidden.
A killing intent that seemed to press down on space itself. Since I had realized what I truly wanted when I reached the Harmony Realm, I no longer needed to cling to killing intent as I once did.
But that didn't mean I had lost the ability to unleash it. After all, killing intent is something any martial artist who has reached a certain level can emit. It's only a matter of degree.
"…!"
"How could this be…"
"Heo Eop!"
My companions had already seen this several times before, and since it wasn't directed at them, they took it in stride. But the three from the Diancang Sect were not so composed.
Heo Soye in particular stared with wide eyes, as if she had been struck on the back of the head.
The killing intent of the Heavenly Killing Star was certainly a strange, alien killing intent that seemed to carry no reason at all. It was even quite persistent.
But surely, even the Heavenly Killing Star hadn't fully awakened yet.
It might be different later, but at least for now, it wasn't enough to surpass the killing intent I had built up through countless battlefields.
Heo Soye stood frozen stiff. I narrowed my eyes and watched her for a moment before speaking.
"They say instinct surfaces when your life is in danger, yet even with killing intent this thick bearing down on you, you remain calm. Well, I suppose that makes sense. If survival instinct is the trigger, then this is exactly right."
When facing an opponent worth fighting, one bares their fangs. But when facing an opponent that cannot be overcome no matter what one does, desperately hiding one's fangs and tucking one's tail is actually quite common.
Because that is the far more advantageous way to survive.
Heo Soye, who had been staring at me blankly, finally spoke.
"How… how can you carry this much killing intent and still be perfectly fine?"
"Regardless, I am the master of this killing intent. The reason is that what I truly wish for is not someone's death."
"C-can I do the same?"
"I don't know. That's why I want to try it."
I withdrew my killing intent first. Then, with a faint smile, I continued speaking to Heo Soye, who was now filled with determination rather than fear.
"If you're willing, I'll send a letter to the Shaolin Temple. There's a man there called Great Master Gakjeong… He's the one who raised the previous Heavenly Killing Star as his disciple, so he should know a great deal about the Heavenly Killing Star. Of course, I'll also offer whatever help I can within my means."
"…Of course, that's fine. But why are you helping me so much? I heard you had some connection with Jang Inam in the past."
"It's because Jang's image left a deep impression on me."
Zhejiang Province, a place filled with nothing but unorthodox scoundrels when it came to martial artists. Yet in that place, Jang Inam, who dreamed of being a chivalrous hero, ultimately failed—but he still gave me, a young boy, much to think about.
"Above all, I owe him more than a meal or two."
Though he was only at the Third-Rate level, he generously taught me his martial arts without reservation. When I was too weak to eat properly, he shared his leftover food with me, and in winter, he gave me firewood and clothes.
Of course, this was only possible because his family had enough means at the time. Perhaps there was another reason.
But whether it was to recover his confidence after being broken by the Jeoksa Faction, or because he truly was Mugol Hoin, either way, I received Jang Inam's help.
The reason I, who had defeated the entire Jeoksa Faction, did not stay in my hometown village and rule in their place—the reason I did not, like other martial artists of the Unorthodox Sects, reach a suitable level, join a suitable organization, indulge in suitable pleasures, and end a suitable life—
Part of it was my nature, but it was also because the image of Jang Inam, staggering with one arm severed, remained in a corner of my mind.
At my words, Jang Inam's face filled with deep emotion. I shrugged my shoulder toward him.
"Don't be too pleased, brother-nim Jang. Even by your own reckoning, isn't this not too much for repaying the favor of that time?"
"That is… true."
"Then, don't forget this—if anything ever happens to me, step forward with all your might. That will be enough."
"Of course I will."
"Then I will stand with you as well."
Jang Inam, patting his chest with his one remaining arm, and Seomgeomja, nodding with a solemn expression.
Good. Even if things go wrong and I have no choice but to kill Heo Soye, that resentment won't be directed at me.
And Great Master Gakjeong has gained the chance to face his lifelong wish once more, so his lingering attachment will meet its end in some form or another.
The current abbot, who had been concerned about Great Master Gakjeong's lingering attachment, will also hold goodwill toward me.
Something occurred to me belatedly, and I opened my mouth.
"Ah, there is something I would like to ask of the Sect Leader directly."
"Just say it. What is it?"
"Would you be willing to spar with me?"
"???"
"At full strength, if possible. Ah, but it won't reach you anyway, so there's no need to worry."
"…"
Seomgeomja blinked, his expression dumbfounded.
But I had to do what I had to do. I couldn't come all this way and return without even seeing the swordsmanship of the Diancang Sect.
As I nodded to myself, I felt a faint resistance from beside me.
When I turned my head, Tang So-wol was there, tugging at my sleeve.
"Young hero Cheon. Young hero Cheon."
"Hm?"
"You were really insufferable just now."
"…"
"But I like that side of you too, young hero Cheon."
Something about Tang So-wol's smile left me feeling complicated.