“Missed him.”

Amidst the countless people in the crowd, the man quietly muttered to himself.

He had an ordinary face, not particularly distinct or memorable. It was the kind of face you’d forget after passing by.

‘Did he notice something?’

It shouldn’t be possible.

Even a martial artist of the Hwagyeong (Flower Realm) wouldn’t be able to detect our presence.

No matter how exceptional the True Dragon might be, it’s still impossible.

‘But I was the one who missed it.’

It was strange.

I had concealed my presence from the moment the True Dragon arrived in Hanam, but at some point, the trace disappeared.

‘How did it happen?’

It was like a scent that couldn’t simply be erased. Despite the calm expression on the man's face, he had to suppress the cold sweat running down his back.

Something felt off.

‘I should report this to headquarters.’

From the start, the mission had seemed odd.

If it was just surveillance, there wouldn’t have been much issue.

But this task felt more like something the Open Faction or Hao Clan would do.

Why headquarters had assigned such a task was beyond him.

Moreover,

‘Orders are orders, but...’

Since the members of the Black Night Palace had merged with the Taeju faction, something had changed.

It felt like they were gradually getting entangled with external forces.

Although they claimed it was still for the liberation of their kind, the man couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

Ever since they lost a few members a few years ago, their activities had been nearly dormant.

‘I’ll head back first.’

The man started packing up the goods he had spread out earlier under a worn cloth.

Cheap trinkets were strewn about the ground in front of him.

It was a setup he had prepared to disguise himself as a street vendor.

As he was gathering his belongings,

“Is your shop closed?”

A voice interrupted him, and the man adopted a cheerful tone in response.

Of all times, a customer now?

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry… something urgent came up at ho…me...”

The man froze mid-sentence, his head lifting to look at the person who had spoken to him.

It was none other than Gu Yangcheon.

“Well, perfect timing. Since your shop’s closed, how about we have a little chat?”

Before the man could think of a way to respond,

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The man’s face was grabbed by Gu Yangcheon, who dragged him into the shadowy alley behind them.

The grip on his throat tightened.

“Ugh… cough!”

The man let out pained, choking coughs as I stared at him.

He seemed to be a middle-aged man by appearance, but age wasn’t something you could easily determine.

‘So, they’ve resumed their activities?’

He must be the same as the ones I encountered before.

That’s why the ring on my finger was reacting.

After the fall of the Black Night Palace, they had vanished without a trace, leading me to think they’d gone into hiding.

‘I thought they were unrelated to the Black Night Palace.’

Like most groups that operate in the shadows, they may have had some connection, but I didn’t think they were directly part of the Black Night Palace.

Perhaps they went into hiding because a major faction had fallen.

But here they were, crawling out again.

And, of course, they were involved with me.

“It’s you, isn’t it? You bastard.”

“Ugh…”

“The one who caused trouble in the streets last time.”

The man who had shouted, “This is the True Dragon!” in the streets.

And,

“What did you put on me?”

The scent that had somehow stuck to me.

No matter how much I tried to wash it off, it wouldn’t go away, which had been incredibly irritating.

‘At least the beast inside me consumed it before it could do much damage.’

Normally, a tracking scent like Cheonli-hyang (Heavenly Scent) wouldn’t be something you could easily wash away.

But that didn’t seem to be the case here.

He hadn’t come close enough to me for me to remember him.

‘So he did it from a distance?’

I couldn’t be sure, but the important thing was that this guy was the source of my recent annoyance.

“Why are you causing trouble again? You’ve been quiet for a while.”

“P-please… why… are you… doing this… sir… please spare me!”

“Always the same excuse with you lot.”

I guess it made sense. From the outside, there was no way of knowing who they were.

I tightened my grip a bit more and activated Ma Dohheop Cheon Gong (Demonic Absorption Technique).

At that moment,

“Ugh…!”

The man’s eyes widened.

Interesting.

The first guy I encountered didn’t feel any pain, and he healed as if he had an immortal body, like a monster.

But the ones I met afterward,

They seemed to feel pain, and their regeneration wasn’t as rapid.

“You feel pain, unlike the other guy?”

Crack.

“Gahhh!”

I snapped his arm to test the theory.

His scream could have been an act, but judging by the tension in his muscles and his breathing, it seemed genuine.

“What is… what are you…?”

It seemed like he sensed the flow of energy in his body.

The shift in his demeanor was clear.

He wasn’t just reacting to the pain.

“Feel pain differently…?”

“The other guy didn’t seem to feel pain and healed quickly. You can’t do that?”

“Y-you… you killed Samho…?”

Samho?

Was that guy’s name Samho?

What a strange name.

He was the one running around in Shaolin, disguised as a young monk, stirring up trouble.

So his name was Samho.

Or maybe it wasn’t.

“How could… Samho is supposed to be immortal…”

“How did I do it, you ask? Like this.”

Squeeze.

As I pulled in more energy, the man’s eyes widened further.

“W-wait!”

“I’ll ask you slowly.”

I grinned as I watched his reaction.

No need for bloody torture, and no noisy screams either.

Fighting him was convenient in many ways.

His ability to change faces and bodies was annoying, but with the Meng’s artifact, I could track him just fine.

‘It would’ve been easier if I’d caught him earlier.’

The ring’s vibration had been faint, and I hadn’t felt it for a while.

I wasn’t sure at first, but seeing him wandering around confirmed it.

“What’s your purpose?”

“Ugh…”

I could feel his muscles and energy channels tensing up.

Was it due to a restriction? Or was this another act?

“You don’t want to answer, huh? Next question.”

I wasn’t one to drag out unnecessary conversations.

It was an inefficient waste of time.

“Which faction do you belong to? Black Night Palace?”

“...Haa… haa…”

No answer.

Just like Samho, his lips were likely sealed.

I was about to apply a bit more force when,

“I-I’m not… from the Black Night Palace.”

The man spoke.

“Oh.”

I wasn’t expecting him to say that.

Interesting.

He could at least say “no,” which meant there was some flexibility.

‘So, is he lying or telling the truth?’

I could sift through that on my own.

“Alright, so you’re not from Black Night Palace. Any connections?”

“...”

No answer.

The difference in quality between these restrictions and the Heavenly Demon’s was clear.

With the Heavenly Demon’s technique, they couldn’t even deny anything.

It occurred to me that if I were to turn Namgung Cheon-jun into a demon and have him follow my orders, I could probably use a stronger form of restriction.

Not that I planned on trying that anytime soon.

“Oh, this will be my last question.”

It was already time for the final question.

There was much more I wanted to ask,

But in truth, there was only one thing I truly needed to confirm.

“Is the son of Nakgeom (Falling Sword) involved in this?”

“…!”

“Good reaction. That’s enough.”

His denial wasn’t strong.

But his reaction told me everything I needed to know.

Even if it was an act, it was enough confirmation for me.

It had been a long shot, but it seemed I was right.

As I smiled, the man, still trapped by my grip, spoke urgently.

“Spare… spare me. I was only following orders. I had no intention of harming you… ugh…!”

“Whose orders?”

“...”

“It’s fine. I knew you couldn’t say anyway. Besides,”

The man was begging for his life,

But the Ma Dohheop Cheon Gong I had activated showed no signs of stopping.

As the man had said, they were simply tracking and plotting, but they hadn’t done anything to threaten my life.

“If I was going to spare you, I wouldn’t have wasted my time asking.”

“Th-this is absurd… I even gave you information… ughhhh!”

“You didn’t give me anything. I can’t be sure if it’s true or not.”

As I continued to absorb his energy, he let out a scream, but I had already set up a soundproof barrier.

No one would be coming.

I had also made sure there weren’t any of his allies nearby.

[Grumble…]

The beast inside me, having finished its meal, let out a satisfied snort.

At the same time, the man in my grip dissolved, leaving only his clothes behind.

Had he melted away?

Was his body made of energy?

Every time I encountered these guys, I got the same feeling.

I was curious about what exactly they were, but

I had no desire to track down their base or their true identity.

I hated the thought of going “underground.”

Their base… well.

With things getting as tangled as they were, I’d have to find it eventually, whether I wanted to or not.

Dust off.

With the job done, I dusted off my hands and turned to the side.

“...”

Wi Seol-Ah, whom I had brought along earlier, was looking at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked.

Her expression seemed to ask what on earth had just happened.

“Just wondering.”

I asked as I looked at her.

“Are you disgusted?”

“Huh…?”

It was a strange question to ask in this situation, but

I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Wouldn’t be surprising if you were.”

Unlike me, she had never seen this side of me before.

And unlike the state I’d been in back then,

There was no reason to hide it now.

This was who I was.

Wi Seol-Ah hesitated, her lips trembling slightly before she finally responded.

“I… I’m not disgusted.”

She answered with a curious tone.

Surprising.

I had expected her to say something about how hurting people was wrong.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Wi Seol-Ah still seemed a bit flustered, but she smiled faintly and whispered her next words.

“Something like this wouldn’t be enough to disgust me.”

“‘Something like this,’ huh? You’ve gotten bold.”

Her stomach was always big, after all.

Interestingly, Wi Seol-Ah didn’t seem as disturbed as I’d expected.

Even after seeing someone melt away before her eyes, she seemed more focused on something else.

“Was what you said earlier true?”

“What?”

“About Jang Seon-Yeon… and you…”

“I don’t know, but I think it’s true.”

If it was him, it was definitely possible.

The real question was what connection there was.

‘Was he involved with them from the start?’

It was possible, but I wasn’t sure.

At the very least, while Jang Seon-Yeon might be corrupt,

I hoped Nakgeom wasn’t.

There’s a saying that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,

But looking at my father and me, that didn’t seem to be true.

“Young Master…”

“Yeah?”

That title still felt strange.

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep your distance from Jang Seon-Yeon?”

“We’ve already kept our distance. We’ve never been close.”

I had no intention of getting close to him either.

The fortunate thing was,

‘It seems like Wi Seol-Ah doesn’t like the Jang Clan much.’

I had been a bit uneasy about the possibility of her getting engaged to him like in the previous life.

But in this life, Wi Seol-Ah seemed wary of Jang Seon-Yeon.

“Jang Seon-Yeon… he’s a dangerous man.”

“I know. You can tell just by looking at him.”

Anyone who always smiles like that isn’t right in the head.

Just look at Peng Woo-jin.

Always smiling like that made it clear he wasn’t sane.

Of course, that bastard was a madman,

And Jang Seon-Yeon was just a bad guy. There was a difference.

 

"One way or another, it feels like Jang Seon-Yeon is determined to catch up to you, no matter what he has to do."

Wi Seol-Ah spoke with a lowered tone, her voice carrying a note of concern. From what I remembered of my previous life, Wi Seol-Ah wasn’t wrong.

The way Jang Seon-Yeon had relentlessly pursued the Dormant Dragon, constantly seething with jealousy, came to mind.

If he couldn’t catch up, he would tear off the wings of those who soared ahead of him.

And then, he would try to surpass them.

That was the kind of person he was.

In my past life, Wi Seol-Ah had been close to Jang Seon-Yeon. Had she known what kind of person he was back then?

I thought of this as I turned to her and asked, "If you knew he was like that, why did you stay by his side?"

"…"

Wi Seol-Ah avoided my gaze, her eyes shifting elsewhere.

That didn’t sit well with me, so I grabbed her chin and turned her face back toward me.

"Don’t look away."

“Uh…”

When had she started avoiding my gaze like that?

Was it because she’d grown taller, or maybe because she was going through some kind of emotional shift?

Her cheeks flushed a little as I held her chin and locked eyes with her.

"If we leave him to his own devices, who knows what kind of trouble he’ll cause," she muttered.

"I know."

"That’s why I thought it would be better if I…"

Before she could finish her sentence, I flicked her on the forehead with my finger.

Flick!

“Ouch…!"

Wi Seol-Ah, surprised, instinctively clutched her head, her eyes widening in shock.

It had been a while since I’d seen that indignant expression.

"Thanks for worrying about me, but don’t do anything unnecessary. I’ll handle it."

"But, Young Master, that’s not what I meant…"

"I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now, but if you’re doing it because of me, you should stop."

I was certain there was some other reason she was staying with the Jang Clan. Just as it had been in the previous life with the Sword Master.

I’d planned to ask her about it soon enough, but there was something I had to address first.

"If that bastard tries to chase after me, just let him."

"Huh…?"

"He won’t catch up anyway."

"What do you mean by that…?"

Looking back on my past life, Jang Seon-Yeon had always been consumed by feelings of inferiority toward the Dormant Dragon.

But before I could worry about him, I had to think about the Dormant Dragon himself.

That guy was too kind for his own good. Aside from his slippery, lazy demeanor, he was truly soft-hearted.

Not only did he take care of people like me, who constantly glared at him, but he also sacrificed his own body to save others, losing his life in the process.

Every true hero of the righteous faction I’ve ever known had a tragically short life.

The ones who valued righteousness and justice over their own lives never seemed to live long.

There’s a reason why people say, "Heroes die young."

And heroes always have those who seek to use them.

Nothing is easier to manipulate than someone driven by righteousness and loyalty.

That’s why I never trust the so-called righteous martial artists who hold power in the current martial world.

I saw how they acted the moment the Bloodshed began. I couldn’t trust them after witnessing that.

But as for me, I’d abandoned any notions of righteousness and loyalty a long time ago.

I was the kind of person who valued my own survival above all else, and I had no qualms about sacrificing others if it meant saving my own skin.

So, if Jang Seon-Yeon came after me…

I’d break his legs before he even got close.

If he spouted any nonsense, I’d knock out all his teeth.

‘You can’t pull out the tongue; he might die.’

He couldn’t die yet.

If he died too easily, there’d be no point.

So,

"Just leave him be."

I was waiting for Jang Seon-Yeon to make his move against me.

He was already scheming something, but this was only the beginning.

If my predictions were correct, Jang Seon-Yeon would make his move inside the Sacred Dragon Pavilion.

What I needed was the moment when he made his move. That was what I was waiting for.

I had to bide my time.

"So, don’t worry about it. I’ve already taken it into account."

"Even so… I…"

"That’s enough. Just answer the question I asked earlier."

I interrupted Wi Seol-Ah before she could continue.

Whatever was making her look at me with those worried eyes, I didn’t want her to live her life filled with such thoughts.

I wanted her to live carefree and comfortably.

And if she couldn’t, at the very least, I wanted her to be able to smile again.

Not with this downcast demeanor but as her usual cheerful self.

"Let me ask again."

"…"

"Why did your grandfather bring you to the Jang Clan? Can you tell me?"

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes trembled as I asked.

She stared at me with uncertain eyes, hesitating for a moment before slowly lifting her hands and removing the veil she had been wearing.

Rustle.

The veil slipped off, revealing her hair.

I had seen it before, but this time I noticed something more.

Her hair, which had once been a deep brown, had started to lighten in color.

Strands of gold were visible, scattered throughout her hair.

Gradually,

She was beginning to resemble the Wi Seol-Ah from my previous life.

‘Why is she showing me her hair all of a sudden?’

I had thought she had been hiding it from me on purpose because she didn’t want me to see it.

But now, as Wi Seol-Ah stood before me, revealing her hair, she hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Grandfather…"

Her lips quivered slightly as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I think he wanted to make me human."