In the middle of the night, the room was drenched in darkness.

A small flame flickered, barely illuminating the space.

Trickle.

There were two teacups placed in front of me. With the elderly man’s careful touch, the empty cup was filled with a fragrant tea.

What kind of tea was it? I had never smelled this aroma before.

The scent was sweeter than the plum tea that Maehwasun used to brew in Hwasan.

As I inhaled the tea’s aroma, a voice whispered in my ear.

—Living as long as I have, that's the most cowardly thing I've ever seen.

It was Jamryong’s voice, filled with dissatisfaction.

—What? —Being that shameless, isn’t that going too far?

It seemed he was still upset about me throwing him under the bus earlier. I simply snorted without a hint of guilt.

—If you were in my shoes, you’d have done the same. —You barely know me, and yet you say such terrifying things. I’m not that kind of person.

Yeah, right.

‘How many times did I suffer at his hands in my previous life, and he claims he’s not that type?’

This “ultimate technique” of throwing friends under the bus was something I had learned from Jamryong himself.

We’d been caught by Moyong Hee-ah several times while scheming together, and every time, Jamryong would sell me out and run off.

And how many times had he used me as bait when Sokumseong was angry, running off on his own?

That bastard was definitely that kind of person.

—It didn’t work anyway, so what’s the problem? You’re such a narrow-minded guy. —...You’re definitely insane. —Oh, you’re reflecting that back at me. —...

Grind.

I could hear Jamryong grinding his teeth.

Just when I thought he might actually lose his temper at my mocking words, despite his usual composure, a voice interrupted us.

“You two seem to have a lot to talk about.”

Cheonghae Ilgeom, who was seated in front of us, had noticed our telepathic conversation, forcing us to stop.

He took a sip of his tea, sighed softly, and spoke.

“Hah... I’m not sure whether I should be amazed that a mere disciple is using telepathy, or if I should scold you for it.”

Telepathy, relying on both qi and sound manipulation, required a high degree of control and was firmly within the realm of mastery.

And here I was, a mere disciple, using it casually in conversation. I suppose it was something to be impressed by.

Although, for me, it was hardly something to marvel at anymore.

“The tea in front of you was made from yuseol leaves. It’s something I grow personally,” Cheonghae Ilgeom explained.

So, it was one of his personal hobbies.

“Try it. You’ll find it quite pleasing.”

Slurp.

At his suggestion, I took a sip.

It was hot, but...

’This is nothing.’

Being someone who could summon fire in my hands, this heat was nothing to me. The flavor on my tongue was quite pleasant.

It had a slightly tart yet sweet taste, reminiscent of plum tea but sweeter.

As I warmed my body with the tea against the cold wind, I heard the sound of Cheonghae Ilgeom setting down his cup.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

Just when I had started to relax, tension crept back in.

“What were you doing there?”

"..."

He really was getting straight to the point. No small talk, no preamble—he went right for the main issue.

As expected of one of the Five Great Swordmasters. His approach was sharp and direct.

’Damn it.’

I hadn’t expected things to get this complicated. If that fragment hadn’t pulled its stunt, I could’ve escaped without any issue.

Sigh.

My head was spinning. Nothing ever went smoothly when I tried to accomplish something.

If Shin Noya hadn’t shown up to save me, who knows what would’ve happened?

Probably nothing good.

I wasn’t sure exactly what that entity had intended, but with the space warping around us and the force I had sensed at the time, I was sure that without Noya’s help, something terrible would’ve occurred.

And yet, why is this old man so quiet?

From the moment I was dragged into the hall by Cheonghae Ilgeom, I had tried calling out to Noya several times, but there was no response.

Had he gone back to sleep? Was he just sleep-talking earlier?

And Cheonghae Ilgeom...

Click.

I glanced over at Cheonghae Ilgeom. He was staring at me with his characteristic pale eyes.

It didn’t seem like he planned to let this go. Then again, considering the circumstances, how could he?

After taking a deep breath, I looked at Cheonghae Ilgeom and spoke.

“I was searching for the bigo.”

I decided to skip unnecessary excuses. Nothing I said would make any difference anyway.

At this point, lying would only make things worse. It was better to tackle this head-on.

“Bigo?”

“Yes.”

Cheonghae Ilgeom’s expression shifted slightly. Of course, he’d be surprised—learning that a bigo existed beneath Sinryong Hall from a mere disciple like me.

‘This much was within my calculations.’

Although I had asked Geomhu for help, I had prepared a backup plan in case things went south.

As I discreetly scanned the room, Cheonghae Ilgeom asked again.

“If there really was a bigo down there, how did you know about it?”

I expected this question.

Carefully, I pulled out a token from my sleeve.

“This...?”

Seeing the token, Cheonghae Ilgeom’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was none other than an ilgeolpae, a symbol of the Beggars’ Sect.

It was the same token I had received from Sinuige, the leader of the sect, which I had previously shown to the Beggars’ Sect’s king.

I had been carrying it around, waiting for the right moment to use it.

‘...Will this work?’

Showing it to Cheonghae Ilgeom wasn’t meant to convey anything complicated.

It was a simple message.

The information that there was a bigo under Sinryong Hall had come from the Beggars’ Sect.

Of course, that wasn’t exactly the truth. And even if Cheonghae Ilgeom had a way of contacting the Beggars’ Sect’s leader, and they denied giving me the information, I could always say I heard it from someone else within the sect.

If this doesn’t work?

Well, then I’m screwed.

If I had been that afraid of the worst-case scenario, I wouldn’t have even thought of going after the bigo in the first place.

“...An ilgeolpae.”

“That’s right.”

“Did the sect leader give it to you personally?”

“I cannot say.”

“You understand this isn’t a matter that can be brushed off with ‘I can’t say,’ don’t you?”

“I do, but I still cannot say.”

"...."

It was a stubborn response.

To be honest, I was scared he might actually kill me for it, but if I explained any further, I’d be the one digging my own grave.

“Very well. I’ll let that slide for now, but what did you find in this bigo you claim to have discovered?”

“There was nothing.”

“Hah... nothing?”

Of course, that was a lie.

After all that had happened, there was no way there was “nothing.”

In fact, I hadn’t even had the chance to properly check all the items inside, let alone bring anything with me, which frustrated me to no end.

But I couldn’t show that on the outside.

‘The bigo is sealed.’

After checking again, the entrance that Jamryong and I had entered was now gone.

Even the formation I had sensed before had vanished as if it had never existed.

Was it the power of the fragment?

The fragment had tried to crush the entire space. Could it have erased the room I had thought was the bigo?

If that were true...

It’s possible the entire bigo was created space.

The entrance had been real, and Jamryong had confirmed what I remembered, so it wasn’t an illusion.

Creating a space and warping time within it, freezing it from the outside world... Was this something that could even be considered a martial art?

Shin Noya said it was Yeon Ilcheon’s power.

Whether it was when I met Huangabulyeong or just now, everything I had experienced seemed to be Yeon Ilcheon’s doing.

If that was the level of his power...

That wasn’t human anymore.

And how did we even escape?

According to Jamryong, after I disappeared, he had been sitting at the entrance yawning, and in the blink of an eye, we were suddenly outside.

I was already lying behind him.

At most, no more than ten seconds had passed.

Considering how long I had spent talking to that fragment, it couldn’t have been just ten seconds.

There was clearly a difference in the passage of time between the space inside and the outside world.

Assuming what I experienced wasn’t a hallucination.

Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that I had proof it wasn’t all an illusion, even if Cheonghae Ilgeom couldn’t see it hidden beneath my sleeve.

“As Jamryong may have told you, we didn’t have time to search or retrieve anything.”

I decided to use this to my advantage.

The time discrepancy was something only I had experienced, so I could use it as a plausible excuse.

Of course, whether or not Cheonghae Ilgeom believed me was entirely up to him.

If it were me, I wouldn’t have believed it.

I probably would’ve beaten the truth out of myself.

But then again, I have a terrible personality.

“So, you’re saying you lost consciousness as soon as you entered the room?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t a believable story. Who would buy that?

“You entered Sinryong Hall knowing there was a bigo underneath?”

“Yes.”

Since I had already brought up the bigo and shown the ilgeolpae, I couldn’t turn back now.

Cheonghae Ilgeom remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.

“...Since this involves an undisclosed bigo, I’ll report it to the sect.”

He finally spoke, with a sigh of resignation in his voice.

“And we’ll discuss how to handle your case after I’ve consulted with the sect.”

Was he suggesting I might be expelled?

Not only that, but I could also be investigated by the sect.

‘I doubt it will go that far.’

Considering that there was indeed a bigo under Sinryong Hall, the Murim Alliance wouldn’t want this blown out of proportion.

What mattered was what was inside, and even if they investigated, they wouldn’t find anything.

Since I hadn’t taken anything from the bigo, and since the entrance itself had vanished, there wouldn’t be much for them to find.

“I’ll also be sending a letter to the Gu family.”

‘...Damn it.’

Now that was a problem.

If my father found out I caused trouble at Sinryong Hall...

‘I’m screwed.’

He wouldn’t let it go easily.

Given how much trouble I had caused in the past, I was bound to get a major scolding this time.

Getting chewed out by my father was a serious issue. A very serious issue.

Because when my father got angry, he was terrifying.

“...Since it’s late, I’ll call you both separately to confirm the details later.”

Cheonghae Ilgeom seemed to be letting us go for now, given that it was already nearing dawn.

He also instructed us not to speak of the bigo.

He made it clear that he planned to call Jamryong and me again later, which meant he wasn’t planning to let this slide.

Will I get expelled?

There was a good chance of that.

Honestly, from my perspective, getting expelled wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Even if the bigo incident was over, I still had one important matter to attend to.

I had to finish what I started with Jang Seonyeon and Cheoljiseon, no matter what.

At that moment...

My hand feels strange.

There was something odd about Cheonghae Ilgeom’s hand. Though I couldn’t see it clearly because it was hidden by his sleeve, I could sense something off.

“Leave now.”

As I was examining his hand, he dismissed us.

I had expected him to question me further, so I had more excuses prepared, but it seemed like I’d gotten off easier than expected.

He doesn’t seem well.

His tired voice and slightly worn expression suggested as much.

Though his qi was steady, something about him felt different.

I rose, leaving Cheonghae Ilgeom behind.

For now, I’d take the small victory of having escaped without further incident.

Jamryong and I bowed before exiting the building.

“You’re here.”

The moment I stepped out, I was greeted by Geomhu.

She had likely been waiting outside the whole time.

Jamryong seemed a bit startled by her presence but quickly shot me a knowing look.

“I’ll be going now.”

He addressed Geomhu with a quick farewell, apparently realizing that she had business with me.

He seemed to want to avoid getting involved, and though he could have stuck around, he didn’t.

Geomhu made no attempt to stop him from leaving. What was she thinking, letting him go like that?

Once Jamryong had left, Geomhu quietly started walking, and I followed her lead.

Her pace seemed unusually hurried.

We arrived at the same path we had walked on the last time we met.

“Um...”

“We still have unfinished business, don’t we?”

“It’s late. Can’t we talk about it later?”

At my request, Geomhu stared at me with a blank expression.

Her silence conveyed that there would be no postponing this conversation.

She had asked me to bring her the Plum Blossom Stone from the bigo in exchange for her help with Cheonghae Ilgeom.

And while I had agreed, saying I would bring her the relic if I found it...

“As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have time to retrieve anything from the bigo.”

There was no Plum Blossom Stone.

I had nearly died when the whole space vanished.

“I’m sorry, Geomhu, but...”

“Your arm.”

Her terse words startled me.

“Roll up your sleeve.”

Damn it.

Her voice was filled with certainty, leaving me no choice but to curse internally. It seemed I had been caught.

“Geomhu.”

“You may have fooled Cheonghae Ilgeom, but you cannot fool me. And no one, not even someone who has awakened the plum blossom, could miss that scent.”

The intense scent of plum blossoms emanating from my arm had given me away.

I had tried to hide it as best I could, but...

It was no use, it seemed.

“...This isn’t the Plum Blossom Stone.”

“Show me.”

At her insistent tone, I sighed and rolled up my sleeve.

Revealing the object bound to my arm.

"..."

For a moment, Geomhu was speechless.

As I had said, this was not the Plum Blossom Stone.

It didn’t have the texture or shape of a stone.

The object wrapped around my arm was a light red hue, resembling a thin cloth that had been wound tightly around me.

It didn’t feel like this before.

The object I had picked up in the bigo after being drawn to it by Noya’s power had definitely been this, but...

The sensation I’d felt when grabbing it had been of something solid, round, like a gemstone fitting perfectly in my hand.

By the time I came to my senses, it had transformed into a bandage-like object wrapped around my left arm.

I’m right-handed, so why my left arm? For some reason, that thought annoyed me.