Monk Jeongun stared blankly at the box spread out on the table and then closed the lid. His gaze sharpened and landed on me. As I calmly looked at him, his mouth quickly opened.

“Who gave it to you?”

I smiled without answering his question. He didn’t give any explanation about himself. Not his name, nor his age. So it was natural for me not to know his name. And who gave it to me, what does that matter? What was in front of my eyes right now was more important.

Monk Jeongun narrowed his brow at my smile and turned his head to Man Do, who was watching the situation from the side. Man Do nodded his head at Monk Jeongun’s gaze and spoke softly.

“That’s right. It’s the ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower root.”

“…Oh my.”

“If someone gave this, there’s only one person I know.”

Man Do quickly scanned the surroundings and spoke softly to the air.

“Eun Do.”

“Yes, Vice Cult Leader.”

At his call, Eun Do appeared from the empty space and prostrated. Monk Jeongun flinched at his sudden appearance. Man Do looked down at Eun Do’s head and narrowed his eyes.

“From now on, be careful not to let the Young Cult Leader hear the conversation we have here.”

“But…”

“I will talk to him separately later, so for his sake, it’s better to keep your mouth shut.”

“…I understand.”

Eun Do bowed his head deeply and disappeared back into the darkness. I followed the empty spot with my eyes and then raised my head.

Man Do looked down at me with a slightly heavy expression. He opened the closed lid again and let out a low groan.

“Monk Jeongun. If we use this medicine, will Miss Moyong’s physical condition improve?”

“It will definitely be much better than now. The ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower root is a spiritual medicine filled with yang energy. Although it’s just a root attached to the body, if she eats this, it will solve the imbalance of yin and yang in Miss Moyong’s body.”

“Is that so?”

Man Do clicked his tongue lowly and closed the lid, then turned his gaze towards me. His calm eyes seemed to stare at me for a moment, then he smiled faintly.

“Use this medicine. It’s definitely the ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower root. Don’t worry about it being poisoned or anything.”

“I understand.”

Monk Jeongun wrapped the box in a cloth and carefully picked it up and stood up. After following him with my eyes as he left the room, I turned my gaze back to Man Do.

Man Do was rubbing his chin and organizing his thoughts. I averted my gaze from his face, which was keeping silent, and stared at the empty table. Time passed in silence, and soon, it was Man Do’s voice that broke the silence.

“Do you know why I told to hide this fact from the Young Cult Leader?”

I quietly shook my head. Man Do continued speaking calmly as if he had expected it.

“Currently, the relationship between the Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader is not very smooth. They’re the only remaining blood relatives and have a father-son relationship, so you might think they should be close, but as long as there’s a person named Geum Soso between them, that gap won’t be filled. And, the Young Cult Leader has never bowed his head to the Cult Leader since that incident.”

“Then if Dojin thinks that I might have received this from the Cult Leader, he would forcibly try to take it away… Is that why you hid it?”

“It’s the opposite.”

Man Do looked up at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes as if recalling a distant place. The memories that flowed from his head as he organized his thoughts quietly flowed through his mouth.

“Since he left without saying a word, I should refrain from speaking carelessly. But from what I know, the Cult Leader is not someone who gives such precious things to just anyone. He is a cold and frigid person. If someone is not helpful to him, he won’t even give a single coin. For him to give that root, it won’t be a simple whim.”

“What does it mean?”

Man Do smiled bitterly and rubbed his cheeks, lips, and chin several times with his hands that were resting on the table as if they had lost their place, then slowly shook his head.

“If Sowol resents and hates someone, in other words, if you have an enemy… Can you bend your knees to that person?”

“Well… It depends on the situation, but unless it’s something serious…”

“Right. Everyone would be like that. But bending your knees and abandoning your beliefs is not something to be taken lightly.”

I tilted my head, wondering what Man Do meant by suddenly bringing it up, and then narrowed my brow at the thought that suddenly came to mind.

Man Do smiled bitterly at the change in my expression. He unclasped his hands that were neatly folded on the table, wiped his face as if washing it, and quietly muttered.

“It’s Dojin.”

“The Young Cult Leader has made up his mind. He has made up his mind to bend his knees as much as necessary if there is something to gain from the object of his resentment.”

Even if I tried not to, a long sigh flowed out through my throat. The voices that had expressed emotions to him seemed to echo back and resound.

“Why would he go that far…”

“It’s worth it.”

“Worth it?”

Man Do smiled faintly.

“It means he has obtained something worth throwing away everything he has, even if it means abandoning everything about himself.”

“…”

“You don’t have to feel too sad. Everyone lives like that and becomes an adult like that. And the Young Cult Leader has finally found it.”

Man Do turned his head and looked beyond the slightly open window, speaking slowly.

“Something precious enough to allow him to abandon his young past self and be reborn as an adult.”

* * *

The decoction of the ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower root that Monk Jeongun boiled definitely had an effect. Even before, I felt the vitality circulating in my body, but after drinking the decoction in the morning and evening for about a week, I could feel most of the discomfort I had felt until then disappear.

In particular, the most noticeable change was that the sunlight was no longer as hot as before. Previously, seeing the sunlight was painful, and even just touching my back felt like I would collapse from the heat, but now, moderate sunlight made me feel good. In the morning, even if I pulled back the blackout curtain, there was no problem.

Surprisingly, the one who was most pleased with my reaction was Geum Baek-cheon.

As my body’s balance was restored, the digestive functions that had been making my body uncomfortable also settled down to some extent.

Considering that I had been eating with the help of Geum Baek-cheon all this time, it was a remarkable progress. Geum Baek-cheon had been more distressed than me about the fact that I couldn’t eat.

So when he saw that I could now finish not just two or three dumplings, but a whole plate without any problem, he nodded his head as if he was deeply moved.

“Thanks to the Young Madam, cooking is enjoyable. When I was learning cooking from my teacher, I wondered why we had to consider the constitution and balance of food, but now I think I understand the meaning. Congratulations.”

For three days after Geum Baek-cheon said those words, the dishes that were placed on the table were all splendid. Not only the quantity but also the dishes that weren’t easily seen anywhere.

The amazing thing was how they could slice sashimi in Guangxi, which was far from the sea.

Moreover, it was quite fresh sashimi. I didn’t know how they obtained it, but his skills were undeniable. Every mealtime was enjoyable with the dishes and appetizing aromas that I had never seen before.

It was to the point where Hyuk Dojin complained that even he had never eaten such dishes.

Anyway, as time passed, my physical condition improved considerably. When it had been ten days since I started taking the medicine, I could even swing a sword under the sunlight without any problem. However, Monk Jeongun kept clicking his tongue as if he was dissatisfied with my appearance.

“I know it’s good, but be a little careful, okay? Just because I’m boiling medicine and feeding it to you doesn’t mean you’re completely cured. You’re just temporarily in good condition thanks to the power of the medicine, it’s not like you’ll stay like this for a hundred or a thousand years. So don’t do anything absurd and please be careful!”

I understood that he was saying it out of concern, but still, the joy of being freed from the pain that had been tormenting me for decades wasn’t something I could suppress.

I took walks in the garden with Hyuk Dojin and basked in the sunlight. Being able to see each other under the sunlight was quite a great joy and happiness. It might be nothing to others, but my past life had been filled with nothing but pain.

And now, it was coming to an end.

“Block it.”

I focused my mind at Hyuk Dojin’s words. Hyuk Dojin, who was holding a small dagger in his hand, swung his arm. The dagger flying towards me was so dangerous that it seemed like it would pierce my body and get stuck in my shoulder at any moment, but the dagger never pierced my shoulder.

The flying dagger made a clanging sound as if it had hit a wall and bounced off, falling to the ground. My eyes, which had been watching the situation with tension, followed the dagger that fell to the ground. Hyuk Dojin, who approached closer, picked up the dagger, came to me, and smiled brightly.

“Excellent. You’ve already become able to use the self-defense technique stably.”

“Is that so?”

I let out a long breath. I smiled slightly as I relaxed my tense expression. Hyuk Dojin wiped the sweat flowing down my cheek with his sleeve and nodded.

“Your internal energy is also increasing at an unimaginable speed, and I heard from Yoo Doha that you’re steadily building up your swordsmanship as well. He said you’ve already reached the level of five stars.”

I smiled awkwardly at his congratulations. As he said, maybe it was because my physical condition had improved recently, but my body felt a bit lighter.

To borrow Man Do’s words, just one ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower root could cause an increase in internal energy equivalent to swallowing four or five Body Refining Pills at once.

Moreover, since I was currently learning breathing techniques, swordsmanship, and even self-defense techniques and walking techniques, I could feel the effects of the medicine in my body.

“At this level, you would be able to easily win against a decent warrior in a spar. Since the internal energy supports the externally weak parts, you won’t be overpowered in terms of strength.”

I opened and closed my palm, showing it, and tilted my head.

Have I really become strong? I felt that practicing martial arts had become familiar and comfortable, but I couldn’t tell if I had become strong. That was because the people around me were all formidable.

From the Vice Cult Leader to the Young Cult Leader, Yoo Doha, and other masters of the Demon Cult, they were all around me. No matter how much stronger I became in such a place, it was still difficult to feel it.

“You don’t have to worry too much. At Sowol’s current level… I see.”

Hyuk Dojin smiled brightly as if pondering for a moment.

“Eun Do.”

At his words, Eun Do appeared, tearing through the space.

“Give me your command.”

Along with a heavy and forceful answer, Hyuk Dojin’s mouth opened lightly as he looked down at Eun Do prostrating.

“Have a spar with Sowol.”

“…Yes?”

Unlike the heavy and solemn voice he had when he appeared, his eyes shook quickly like a frightened puppy.