The day I first went to the underground. I asked my father.
What are all of them, and were they even human to begin with?
To my question of what it was all for, why such a place existed beneath the family estate, my father told me.
- They are all sacrifices.
- And we are vessels.
If vessels, then to hold what?
I did not know. Even when I was led by my father's hand, opening another door and facing the true reality properly.
Even then, I did not know.
It was only later, after facing the Heavenly Demon, reaching the Demonic Realm, and living a different time than others, that I could understand a little.
I could dare to say it.
That my father was wrong.
We were not vessels.
I cannot hold anything. To be called a vessel, I was too broken here and there, not in any shape to hold something.
I should have realized sooner, and given up.
It was not something one could escape from to begin with.
- If you wish, I will take it out for you.
So I shouldn't have fallen for those words.
- Are your shackles heavy? If you wish, I will sever them; it is not a particularly difficult task for This Seat.
I shouldn't have taken his hand. But at that time, I didn't know that.
I wasn't in my right mind enough to think of anything else, so it was a natural result.
Looking at it now, it would be more accurate to say the Heavenly Demon took it upon himself rather than severing it.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this might also be related to the reason I was able to travel back in time.
Such a doubt crossed my mind.
The thought that since I escaped without being able to bear the shackles, he might be trying to make me pay for my sins.
"...Ugh..."
I woke from a long sleep.
I barely lifted my heavy eyelids and opened my eyes. My head throbbed as if I had nightmares all night.
Moreover, as if pressed down by sleep paralysis, I couldn't move my body easily.
"Uhm..."
Fortunately, it seemed my voice came out.
Sleep paralysis could be dealt with by surrounding myself with inner qi and forcefully waking up, but the subtly clinging sensation on my body left me confused.
Something reached my hand, and it was soft.
I shook my head at the sensation tickling my nose. It was a somewhat familiar scent.
As I gradually came to my senses, I realized it wasn't sleep paralysis, but that my body was being hugged tightly from both sides.
"...Hah."
What was tickling my nose was hair.
Blue-white hair...? Looking closely, there was also hair with a light brown tint mixed in.
There was no need to ponder. I had already thought of the people who would be doing this beside me.
I tried to move my fingertips somehow, but they were holding me so tight that even a slight movement gave me the sensation of killing intent.
Where...? Where is touching?
"Uung..."
Was it because I tried to move? They moved in their sleep from both sides and tightened their bodies closer to me.
'...I'm screwed.'
How did it end up like this? I hurriedly tried to recall my memories from before going to bed yesterday.
I remembered that Nangong Bi-a and Wi Seol-ah were there when I entered the room.
I think Nangong Bi-a said something as soon as she saw me.
'Ah...'
I remembered.
- ...That, um, father... told me to come here...
She definitely said she came because Nangong Jin told her to. No, why would a father send his daughter to my room in the middle of the night, that crazy bastard...?
Of course, it was also my fault for just passing out despite being tired.
'How do I get out?'
I was held tight as if they were wrapping around my body, so it wasn't easy to slip out.
[...Why are you trying to get out, just stay like that.]
I answered, half-rejoicing, at Noya's gruff voice.
'You were awake.'
[There's no such thing as being awake or not for me, I don't sleep.]
Certainly, he had said before that he didn't sleep.
[You're enjoying it so nicely and softly, why are you trying so hard to get out?]
This time too, Noya's voice was not good, as if he was angry.
It's unfair; I'm not doing this because I like it.
[Unfair...!? Unfaaaair!?]
The old man has sharp ears...
'Now that you mention it, I'm not like this because I want to...'
[Then do you dislike it?]
'...'
[Y-You, you rotten bastard? Look, you can't even answer this time! When you're enjoying it yourself!]
'En-Enjoy? What kind of vulgar words are you spouting as a Daoist!?'
[Vulgar my ass, your face is more vulgar!]
'You old man...!'
In the end, he lands a critical hit on my face.
I mean, how good-looking is he supposed to be that he makes a fuss about my face every day?
As I frowned, Noya confidently brought up the story.
[Hmph, when I was young, it wasn't just my sword, they said a sharp sword aura rested on my nose bridge, i-i-it was incredibly sharp! To see that, women in Xuan robes lined up from the foot of the mountain to the main gate of the sect, you brat!]
'Then why couldn't you get into a relationship?'
[You son of a bitch...]
'...What?'
At my half-innocent question, Elder Noya spat out a curse and disappeared.
I called out several times after that, but whether he was sulking, Noya gave no answer.
It seems like Noya's mouth has been getting rougher these days, is it my imagination?
'What should I really do.'
In the meantime, maybe they were talking in their sleep, their breaths started to get closer and closer.
Feeling like I shouldn't show this sight to anyone, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force my body up.
Creak.
"Young Master Gu, I'm sorry for suddenly coming..."
"Ah."
"Uh."
The one who abruptly opened the door and came in was Dang So-yeol. Seeing the situation unfolding, Dang So-yeol's face quickly turned red, and she urgently covered her face with her hands.
"Dang So...!"
"I, I'll be going out, I'm sorry..."
Without even a moment to make an excuse, Dang So-yeol closed the door and disappeared.
Only bewildered silence remained.
[Hehehe...!]
Only the sinister laughter of Elder Noya could be heard quietly near my ears.
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To cut to the chase, when I hurriedly got up and went outside, Dang So-yeol had already left the quarters.
When I asked the attendant, they said she came because she had some business, but it must not have been a very important matter.
She must have come for a reason, but right now, there was something I had to do first.
Still half-asleep and staggering groggily, I flicked the foreheads of Wi Seol-ah and Nangong Bi-a, scolding them first.
At the sight of the two avoiding my gaze at my words to talk later, I almost smiled slightly, but held it in.
[They should be bowing in gratitude, why are you scolding them...! You ugly bastard.]
I let Noya's words go in one ear and out the other.
Leaving the quarters, the place I headed to from the morning was the medical hall within the Gu family estate.
To be exact, it was the place where the Nangong family's martial artists were receiving treatment.
The martial artists I had wrecked naturally didn't have good expressions when I appeared.
And among them, the one glaring the most was none other than the Divine Physician who was treating them.
"What kind of deeds are you going around doing. Why is a young brat going around beating up full-grown adults... Tsk tsk."
"I'm sorry..."
It felt like the words were very strange, but since I had caused the accident, I had nothing to add.
"And you beat them up terrifyingly neatly in the meantime. Could this be a coincidence?"
With nothing particular to say to the Divine Physician's words, I had no choice but to choose silence.
"Even seasoned torturers can't do something like this. Thanks to that, it was easy to treat, but..."
"Are there any who will suffer aftereffects?"
"The ones who lost their teeth will suffer for about a month, but there won't be a big problem. Since your father spent some money."
That's a relief, at least.
The compensation my father mentioned yesterday must be for that part.
Probably, besides that, there would be spirit pills and various other alternatives.
"Thanks to you, this old man stayed up all night."
"...Thank you."
"The gratitude is enough. I don't know what the circumstances were, but you wouldn't have beaten them without thought, and besides, I didn't like them eating and sleeping for free anyway, so I suppose they've paid for their keep with this."
Leaving the Divine Physician behind, I headed to the ones lying on the sickbeds.
They couldn't bring themselves to swear at their blood relative, and although they gave me disapproving looks, the atmosphere softened when I bowed my head, apologized, and talked about compensation.
Rather, I could even see them twitching as the corners of their mouths tried to go up upon hearing the compensation.
It was a part I had given out rather generously even from my perspective.
It was rewarding to have visited the general manager from the morning to find out about the compensation to give to the victims.
Nangong decided to take external responsibility, and the Gu family implicitly agreed to compensate the victims accordingly.
I couldn't find out about the bastard who caused this mess, but since both the Nangong and Gu families put in a request to the intelligence agency at the same time, I had to wait for now.
From my perspective, I didn't think they would be able to catch him.
If the culprit possessed the same power as that guy, even more so.
Swish! Swish!
The sound of the sword blade cutting the air rang out clearly.
After meeting the Nangong family's martial artists, I arrived at the training ground in the annex as if being half-dragged. The one training with the sword was Nangong Jin.
"You seemed quite busy yesterday."
Nangong Jin asks me.
"Some urgent matters came up."
I had cut him off while he was giving me information and ran to the Patriarch's office, so it was enough to make Nangong Jin angry.
However, there was no particular sign of anger.
[Doesn't it look like he's holding it in? It seems that way to my eyes.]
"...By the way, I heard you sent your daughter to my room?"
"That is correct."
"Why did you do that?"
"Hmm...?"
At my question, Nangong Jin made an expression as if it was strange.
"Wasn't the bet made because you desired such a thing?"
"What kind of crazy nonsense is..."
I was about to say that, but I recalled saying to Nangong Jin, 'I want to have your daughter a bit,' and shut my mouth.
"I said I would accept this."
I was going to say that she's still his daughter, how could he do that, but thinking about what Nangong Bi-a did to the Nangong family in her past life, it seemed like they didn't have a great father-daughter relationship, so I didn't want to bring it up.
Nangong Jin himself wasn't that great of a person anyway.
"The engagement is already half-settled, and don't you like my daughter, Young Master?"
" "
I could have said no to this part, but I didn't.
Because I already knew it to some extent myself.
"Seeing that you don't deny it, it must be true."
Spitting out the words as if it didn't particularly matter, Nangong Jin moved his body without resting.
From the sound of cutting through the air, Nangong Jin's martial prowess felt a bit real.
It was just that the opponent was who he was; Nangong Jin was an outstanding martial artist worthy of the moniker Sword King.
Sensing my gaze, Nangong Jin speaks.
"Does it look insignificant? To the Young Master's eyes right now, it must certainly look that way."
That wasn't the meaning I had in mind. I was rather surprised.
The sword unfolding without any inner qi was the Nangong family's pride, the Changgung Mu-ae Sword.
Incidentally, it was also the sword technique Nangong Jin was trying to unfold before it was shattered by Elder Noya's single strike.
[With all those openings so visible, how could he not get struck?]
Looking at Nangong Jin's sword, I asked.
"Is it alright to show this to me?"
Nangong Bi-a is an eccentric woman to begin with, so she doesn't seem to care about showing or not showing martial arts, but Nangong Jin was different.
Moreover, if it's a prestigious family, they are even more reluctant to show others their martial arts training.
When I asked that, Nangong Jin, who was moving quickly, stopped his movements and looked this way.
"You are not just anyone, is there a reason to hide it from you, Young Master? Even now, I am trying to obtain the Young Master's sword."
Certainly, Nangong Jin's sword that he was unfolding just a moment ago looked a little different from last time.
It seemed like he was trying to obtain those minute movements that Elder Noya had unfolded.
It didn't seem to be going well, though.
"Is that why you dragged me here?"
"Drag? You say things that would cause misunderstandings if anyone heard."
...Misunderstandings? When you were waiting at the entrance as soon as I came out of the medical hall?
Seeing my expression, Nangong Jin snorts through his nose. It seemed like a second choice since he couldn't bear to sigh.
"I told you last time too, if it's to obtain that sword, I can even kneel to you, Young Master."
Nangong Jin's eyes were resolute. Naturally, that's why he put down his arrogant nature and pride and was doing this to me.
[The signpost of enlightenment is originally precious, but that child is dyed with an unusual impatience.]
It meant that he wasn't doing this just because he wanted to reach the realm.
"So please, I beg you to tell me... If you wish, I will truly call you master and follow you."
"I'd like you to stop that."
Imagining someone my father's age calling me master and clinging to me wasn't a very good sight.
Nangong Jin kept begging me to teach him the sword, but there was no way I could know.
'What are you really going to do.'
[Seeing you flustered makes me so happy.]
'Noya, did you really just act blindly? Without thinking?'
[What does it seem like?]
This old man seems to know something.
His playful voice was giving me the answer.
[I don't know everything about the techniques. Because I am not of that lineage. However, I do know enough to open a path for it.]
'Are you going to tell me that?'
[The jokes are enough up to here, and since I said I'd tell you, I must keep my word. Or, are you having second thoughts now?]
It wasn't just a matter of having some hesitation; I had way too much, which was the problem.
But it was a relief at least that there was something I could tell him.
"Uh..."
Nangong Jin's expression feigned calmness, but it was mixed with earnestness.
It seemed partly because I had disappeared due to yesterday's incident.
Was there any good in teaching the sword to Nangong Jin? If I had to narrow it down, that was the problem.
I neither knew nor cared about Nangong Jin's circumstances. I had worries about cleaning up the aftermath, but the biggest reason was undoubtedly Nangong Bi-a.
'If only that wasn't the case.'
I might have been able to create various methods using the not-so-small inner demon Nangong Jin possessed.
But recalling the face of the woman who sought sleep in my arms in the morning, going that far was out of the question.
In the past, she annihilated all her blood relatives with her own hands. Would it really lead to such a future even now?
I hoped it wouldn't.
If possible, I also wanted to make it so it wouldn't happen.
"Patriarch."
I said, looking at Nangong Jin.
"Let's write a contract first."
I said, smiling as brightly as possible. Seeing my smile, Nangong Jin frowned as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
...Why?
While Gu Yang-cheon was having a harmonious atmosphere with Nangong Jin, Nangong Bi-a took the time to find someone.
Wi Seol-ah was also with her. Wi Seol-ah, who usually clung to Nangong Bi-a and chattered about this and that.
This time, as if tense, she only sipped the tea placed in front of her.
While spending time drinking tea, creak, the door opened and someone came in.
It was none other than Dang So-yeol.
Dang So-yeol, who carefully entered the room, flinched as she saw Nangong Bi-a.
"Sister... Did you put on makeup?"
She was so surprised that her voice trembled.
Today's Nangong Bi-a looked slightly powdered, unlike last time.
Adding color to an already pretty face made her shine.
"...A little."
Nangong Bi-a answered, avoiding her gaze as if embarrassed.
"What's the occasion...? You said it was annoying even when I told you to dress up."
At Dang So-yeol's words, Nangong Bi-a avoided her gaze once more and answered.
"...He said I was pretty..."
Perhaps she was embarrassed saying it, her ears gradually turned hot and became bright red.
No one asked who said it. Because the person that came to all three of their minds was only one.
"Y-Yeah. Pretty... Truly."
It wasn't a half-hearted reaction. Dang So-yeol genuinely thought Nangong Bi-a was pretty.
She's more than just the number one beauty of Anhui. Wouldn't it be fine to actually call someone like Nangong Bi-a the number one beauty under heaven?
'Still, the attendant next to her is also pretty...'
Did she say she was Gu Yang-cheon's attendant? The girl glancing cautiously beside Nangong Bi-a was also exceptionally pretty.
Even considering she was still young, she had a beauty that would make one's eyes pop.
Was that why Gu Yang-cheon kept her by his side? Attendant and master, it didn't seem like merely that kind of relationship.
Because that girl was also in the scene she saw this morning.
The embarrassing scene came to mind for no reason, and Dang So-yeol slightly cooled her cheeks with her hands.
Dang So-yeol had done her own studying regarding 'that side' of things, but it was her first time seeing it with her own eyes, so her rational judgment failed her.
Hiding her burning insides, Dang So-yeol asked.
"A-Anyway. What's the matter...?"
At Dang So-yeol's question, Nangong Bi-a gathered her gaze. It seemed her flushed ears had also cooled down.
"...There's something I need to talk about."
At the somewhat serious look in her eyes, Dang So-yeol also slightly bit her lip and sat demurely across from her.
Dang So-yeol's throat kept feeling dry, so she drank some cooled tea.
"...I slept with that man yesterday."
Pfft-!
Just as she was about to take a sip, at the shocking declaration, Dang So-yeol immediately spat out what was in her mouth.
"Ugh... It splashed...!"
"Ah...!, I, I'm sorry."
Wi Seol-ah made a noise of displeasure as if a few drops of tea hit her.
"Sister... What did you just say?"
Even at Dang So-yeol's reaction, Nangong Bi-a continued speaking calmly.
"...We held hands and slept."
"Wait a minute..."
From Dang So-yeol's perspective, it was a story she didn't really want to hear. The emotion crawling up from beyond her embarrassment was definitely not a warm feeling.
Cold and chilly. Dang So-yeol didn't want to feel this kind of emotion toward Nangong Bi-a.
"Sister, I don't want to hear that kind of story..."
"I might have gotten pregnant now..."
"...What?"
...What did you say?