〈Chapter 220〉Omen. (6)
Omen. (6)
After parting ways with Gu Jeol-yeop and Elder Yi.
I immediately took Wi Seol-a and came out to the city.
Because staying at the estate felt somehow suffocating.
‘The Chief Manager’s gaze was rather uncomfortable, but it should be fine.’
Since I was scheduled for seclusion, I had thought I wouldn’t be permitted to leave the estate, yet permission fell through surprisingly smoothly, leaving me no choice but to be surprised.
I’d even prepared another method sure they would tell me not to go, but it became pointless.
“Young Master! Over there, over there!”
“Hold on… no, loosen the strength in your arm!”
Practically dragged along, I was pulled around the city by Wi Seol-a.
Perhaps because it had been a while since we came out together.
Wi Seol-a was so excited that she dragged me around like an angry bull.
I should have gone to Muyeondo originally, but they said I had already laid the foundation for enlightenment.
They said wandering around the city was fine, so I even ordered my escort not to follow and shook them off.
‘I’m not in a state that needs guards right now.’
Moreover, if I had grasped enlightenment at all.
That was more important.
“Chicken skewers!”
“Yeah, yeah….”
Even though I came out to the city, all I ended up doing was dining about.
…As always.
‘What are the others doing?’
Before leaving, I looked for Namgung Bia and Dang So-yeol, but
Namgung Bia was away as always to train, and
Dang So-yeol had gone out, saying he was busy.
‘Come to think of it, is Dang So-yeol not going back?’
Namgung Bia was practically staying at the Gu Estate,
but Dang So-yeol was in a situation where he had to return to Sichuan now that the Yongbong Assembly had ended.
‘…From what I hear, it seems many letters are arriving too.’
The letters sent from the Tang Clan to Dang So-yeol had piled up considerably.
Of course, it seemed Dang So-yeol wasn’t reading them, but that was that.
While being dragged around by Wi Seol-a, I looked at an alley in the middle.
It was the alley that led to the Hao Gate.
‘I should go, but.’
It had been a while, and I needed to visit regarding the gate leader as well, but
right now, the situation wasn’t very favorable.
So for now, it was better to wander around with Wi Seol-a.
[How dare you slack off even from training.]
‘Soon enough I’ll be doing it to the point of sickness whether I like it or not, so I’m going to play hooky for about a day.’
[How impressive.]
‘Thank you for the compliment.’
I let Noya’s words flow in one ear and out the other.
As always.
“The dumpling shop is closed….”
“Young Master…. You look the saddest I’ve seen you in a while.”
“This is a really big deal, you know?”
“The dumpling shop closing?”
“Yeah. It’s the same as if your favorite chicken skewer shop closed.”
At my words, Wi Seol-a put on a shocked expression.
“Th-that’s a really big deal…. It’s delicious there.”
“Right. That’s how I feel.”
“…It’s an incredibly sad thing.”
“Right?”
The dumpling shop I often bought from had closed.
This was quite a shocking event among those I had experienced since the regression.
[Just a dumpling shop…?]
‘A Daoist who only plucks grass to eat wouldn’t understand.’
[You rotten brat? Mount Hua eats meat too.]
‘The Daoist eats meat…? As expected, you weren’t a proper Daoist.’
[You…!]
I vented my spite on Noya as if blowing off steam.
Though Noya screamed as if piercing my ears, by now it was like a small, familiar noise.
‘Then there’s nothing worth buying to take back.’
I used to buy snacks every time I went in,
but this time I couldn’t.
Because there were no dumplings.
“This time I can’t buy anything to take—”
As I tried to speak while looking at Wi Seol-a, she was staring somewhere.
Wondering what she was looking at, I glanced over.
“Hm? What did you say, Young Master?”
“No, nothing.”
!
….
“Where should we go next!”
Wi Seol-a came trotting over, wrapped her arms around mine, and immediately dragged me off again.
At that moment, for a brief instant, I committed to memory the spot Wi Seol-a had been looking at.
“…Hey, what’s the point of asking if you’re just going to drag me away?”
“Hehe!”
“Are you brushing it off with a laugh?”
At Wi Seol-a’s sly antics, I laughed out loud without realizing it.
By the time we returned to the estate, night had fallen quickly.
Immediately after returning, I was summoned by the Chief Manager and informed of the schedule that lay ahead.
Seclusion would be in roughly four days.
They said they would put me in the Gu Clan’s Hwaryun Cave. Up to that point, it was fine.
‘I needed to sort things out soon anyway.’
The various energies in my body, and the Middle Dantian I had opened while reaching the pinnacle, etc.
I planned to organize those aspects through this seclusion.
It was over the top, but since I was going to do it anyway, I ought to make it useful.
They said that after arranging matters during my seclusion, I would be drafted to the Sword Corps and put through the wringer on the front lines for a year.
The one in charge of the front lines was, well, Gu Hui-bi, the Great Leader of the Ogeomdae, who was currently lying on a sickbed.
When I asked what would happen if she did not recover,
they said that if it wasn’t Gu Hui-bi, the Vice Commander of the First Sword Corps would take me there.
‘…So they won’t give me a hole to escape through.’
One way or another, it seemed I would be dragged to the front lines.
‘What a mess.’
It wasn’t that I was suddenly afraid of the front lines,
or afraid of Gu Hui-bi’s command.
‘…Though the latter is a bit scary.’
In my past life while being pushed around by Gu Hui-bi, I had been far from first-rate, wondering if I had even reached the third-rate level.
It was because I had hardly trained and possessed a wretched body.
At least now, I wasn’t in a situation to be exhausted by such things.
‘It’s just that my instincts reject being under Gu Hui-bi.’
This was like an instinct embedded in my body from bygone days.
‘A year, huh…’
A year on the front lines.
This consumed so much time that I had to check what I needed to do going forward.
‘Regarding the Heavenly Demon. Regarding the Heukya Palace.’
Besides, there were other unfolding situations I absolutely could not miss,
yet I was throwing away a whole year in the midst of it.
‘Should I really run away?’
In any case, this seemed like the best option.
I had planned to leave the estate eventually, anyway.
But.
“Tch….”
I couldn’t leave right now.
There were clearly things I had to do inside first.
‘That’s just my life, what can you do.’
In a life where nothing went properly, it would be strange if things suddenly worked out.
Tap.
Spreading my internal qi around the surroundings, I moved my body carefully.
I had waited for darkness to fall as much as possible for this.
‘To think I’d have to escape from my own home, and now even secretly sneak in.’
My actions were truly endlessly splendid.
The place I carefully sneaked into was none other than Gu Hui-bi’s quarters.
Ogeomdae personnel were standing guard around it.
Only the Gu Clan’s blood relatives and the Divine Physician could come and go, but
I nevertheless had to sneak into Gu Hui-bi’s quarters.
This was in order to purify the demonic qi bound to Gu Hui-bi.
As a blood relative, it was a situation where I could enter boldly even during the day,
but I did not want to show that I could purify demonic qi.
‘The Divine Physician might know, but.’
Even the Divine Physician himself does not know for sure about demonic qi.
They say the Black Night Palace Lord’s internal qi is the most similar to the demon’s demonic qi, but
it was somewhat different in quality from the ‘demonic qi’ the Sword Empress had possessed, so he would not notice properly.
Thus, I wanted to handle the matter secretly.
‘It just so happened I needed to gather demonic qi before entering seclusion. Was this good timing?’
Since there was a two-month seclusion,
it was a situation where I had to store demonic qi in my body so the energies in my body wouldn’t run rampant again.
It just so happened that Gu Hui-bi was poisoned by demonic qi, so this was a rather good situation if it was good.
‘…So far, so smooth.’
Fortunately, I succeeded in entering Gu Hui-bi’s room.
Gu Hui-bi was sleeping like the dead in her bedchamber.
Judging by her breathing, she was in a deep sleep.
Because her body had weakened due to demonic qi, and she could not use internal qi,
she could not even notice me approaching close.
‘Just in case, should I put her to sleep more?’
It would be troublesome if she woke midway, so I struck an acupoint to put her to sleep once more.
‘Hm?’
An illusion?
Taking her pulse, somehow it seemed Gu Hui-bi had not been sleeping.
‘It must be an illusion; if she were awake, she would have noticed and exploded in fury immediately.’
Surely Gu Hui-bi wouldn’t be pretending to sleep.
I dismissed it as a wild thought and erased it from my head immediately.
I extended my hand toward Gu Hui-bi’s dantian.
‘There’s less than I expected.’
Unlike the demonic qi that had destroyed the Sword Empress’s body, the amount was far less, but
to think that even this much was destroying the body of a martial artist of Gu Hui-bi’s caliber—
one could tell how vicious an energy demonic qi was.
‘Come to think of it, where did the Sword Empress go?’
I was suddenly curious about the whereabouts of the Sword Empress, who had moved with them to confirm Gu Hui-bi’s survival and help rescue her.
I heard from Gu Ryeong-hwa that letters were steadily arriving.
‘Didn’t they say she went to Hanam out of the blue?’
As soon as she heard the news that Gu Hui-bi had been properly found and rescued,
I heard she headed to Hanam rather than returning.
‘I heard she regained some health, but she’s already traveling the entire country.’
Thanks to that, Gu Ryeong-hwa’s stay at the estate was growing longer.
She must be rushing along the Maehwaseon line.
‘Thanks to that, she seems to have gotten closer to Jegal Hyeok.’
Creak.
Recently, a physician from the medical hall told me the two were often together.
Even if kids stuck together, what would come of it?
‘They’ll end up causing something.’
I felt I would need to have a serious talk with Jegal Hyeok soon.
Vroom.
Fixing my body, I activated the Demonic Heavenly Absorption Art.
Immediately, the demonic qi blocking Gu Hui-bi’s dantian was sucked in through my palm.
‘So this is the Heavenly Demon’s power.’
I had merely thought it was demonic art bestowed upon me.
Having learned that the changed Demonic Heavenly Absorption Art in this life was actually one of the complete powers of the Heavenly Demon,
my way of looking at it had changed somewhat.
‘The power to interfere with others’ energies.’
Even if it is not internal qi, the fact that, as long as it is a special energy, it can be stored in the body without conflict—
it is truly a fearsome power.
It did not take very long to absorb all of Gu Hui-bi’s demonic qi.
It was only when it was the amount the Sword Empress possessed that I endured the pain through the night.
‘The Palace Lord’s demonic qi was not small in amount, but at this level…’
So I was even more curious.
Where on earth did the Sword Empress get poisoned by that level of demonic qi?
‘The Heavenly Demon Army?’
There were many dubious points if that were the case,
and there were also many insufficient parts to be certain.
I judged the probability that it happened elsewhere was higher.
‘If so?’
For an instant, scenes from the Demonic Realm I encountered in my past life floated in my mind, but
I erased them immediately. Because I did not think that would be the case.
After absorbing all the demonic qi from Gu Hui-bi’s body,
I quickly got up.
Gu Hui-bi would wake around sunrise.
I had to get out before then.
Before leaving, I looked at Gu Hui-bi and thought.
‘If I hadn’t saved her, I wouldn’t have to suffer on the front lines.’
If I hadn’t purified the demonic qi,
Gu Hui-bi probably wouldn’t have gone to the front lines, and I would have gone with the Vice Commander as scheduled.
That might have been more comfortable mentally.
‘But I couldn’t do that.’
Damn bloodline, but no matter what, I couldn’t do that to Gu Hui-bi.
Even if her personality was foul, a sister was a sister.
‘If I think about it, I should go see Gu Yeon-seo too.’
Gu Yeon-seo, the second daughter and little sister of the Gu Clan.
I hadn’t properly seen Gu Yeon-seo since the Nine Dragons Assembly.
I had run into her a few times from afar, but she had been avoiding me, so I had never gone out of my way to speak with her.
‘I should clear things up sometime.’
It was not something that could go on like this forever.
I looked at Gu Hui-bi, who had fallen into a sound sleep, then turned around and immediately left the quarters.
Sneaking in had been difficult,
but getting out was relatively easy.
Suppressing my presence thoroughly, I returned to my quarters with quick steps.
If I went to bed quickly now, it would have been a perfect plan, but.
“Hm…?”
Someone was sitting on the porch in front of my room.
At this hour of the night.
After checking who it was, I immediately spoke.
Because it was someone strange to be sitting there at this time.
“What are you doing there?”
The person sitting on the porch looking at the moonlight was none other than Wi Seol-a.
“Why aren’t you asleep….”
I stopped mid-sentence for a moment.
Was it because of the moonlight?
Wi Seol-a’s pupils, turning this way, had for an instant looked golden.
Of course, perhaps it was truly a fleeting illusion.
When I looked again, they were her usual black pupils.
‘Am I that tired?’
Perhaps because I hadn’t rested properly, I kept seeing things.
“You should be sleeping at this hour; what are you doing there?”
“What about you, Young Master?”
“Me? I had some business.”
“I… have business too.”
“What business.”
“The business of watching the sun.”
“Where is the sun shining at this hour of the night?”
It was a night where a crescent moon was floating bright, illuminating all directions.
There was no way the sun would be visible in this dark night.
When I asked what on earth she was talking about,
Wi Seol-a smiled slightly and answered me.
“It will rise tomorrow.”
“Then watch it tomorrow; why are you watching it now?”
“I wonder why.”
What is she saying?
Is she tired too?
It seemed Wi Seol-a wasn’t in her right mind either, from running around the city to her heart’s content today.
“Play around in moderation and go to sleep, or Noya will scold you tomorrow.”
“…Mmm, I wouldn’t like that.”
“Hongwa will scold you too.”
“Ugh, I really hate that…!”
Wi Seol-a expressed her disgust and sprang up at my words.
She looked like she was about to return to her room to sleep immediately.
Seeing that, I stopped Wi Seol-a.
“Wait a minute.”
“Deong?,”
Wi Seol-a looked at me as if asking what was going on.
I placed the object I had kept in my bosom into Wi Seol-a’s hand.
“Huh…?”
Wi Seol-a’s eyes widened brightly at the object in her hand.
It was a curious sight; Wi Seol-a, whose eyes were already large, opened them even wider, making me think eyes could get that big.
“This…?”
“You were looking at it earlier, so I wondered if you needed it.”
“Ah, no… it’s not like that….”
“If not, forget it. I already bought it, so use it.”
What I gave her was an ornament-like thing to hang on a sword hilt.
It was also something Wi Seol-a had stared at intently for a moment, back in the city.
Originally, swordsmen tended not to wear them because they were cumbersome,
but it should be fine for Wi Seol-a.
“Whether it’s the sword or whatever, if you’re going to do it, do it earnestly. If you get sick of it midway, you can quit.”
“ ”
If she had made up her mind to take up the sword after all,
I wanted to dissuade her, but I thought I should let her for the sake of the future.
To the extent of being able to protect her own body.
Even that much, if she possessed it, would help Wi Seol-a maintain a peaceful life.
Looking at Wi Seol-a’s eyes that had grown as large as possible, I spoke.
“I’m going to sleep. You too, hurry up and go to bed.”
I roughly patted her hair and went into my room.
After the door closed with a thud.
Wi Seol-a, who remained alone looking at the ornament in her hand,
looked at the quarters Gu Yang-cheon had entered and whispered quietly.
“…I was wrong after all. Because the sun is still perfectly shining.”
Hugging the ornament tightly to her chest,
Wi Seol-a whispered like that.