Episode 41. Junior Sister Hong Escapes Crisis

Hong Sin quickly executed her qinggong, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Heukmyo Bang. She feared that madman might change his mind and issue an order to capture her again. Since she could not predict what was going on inside her fake senior brother's head, her fear of him only grew as she fled.

Naturally, her steps led toward a place she believed to be beyond the reach of Heukmyo Bang.

After running fiercely for quite some time, Hong Sin suddenly furrowed her brows and gradually slowed her qinggong. At that moment, a single word sprang to mind.

‘Diarrhea?’

Following diarrhea, another word came to mind.

‘Could it be?’

They say "could it be" kills people. Just as diarrhea and "could it be" formed an unpleasant alliance, her stomach churned, and a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead.

‘Why here of all places? Is it because I took the Gu poison?’

Hong Sin walked for a moment with her hand on her stomach.

There are many types of Gu poison (蠱, parasitic worm), but most refer to a parasite developing inside the consumer's body after a certain period of time. The principle is that if an antidote cannot kill the worm, the consumer dies.

The reason such a terrifying poison is not widely used is simple: it is quite difficult to manufacture. However, since Hong Sin did not know the true identity of her fake senior brother, she could not constantly doubt whether the Gu poison was real or fake.

Because her life was on the line.

That was why the sudden abdominal pain was even more bewildering. She had never taken Gu poison before, so she did not know it was accompanied by diarrhea. But since she had essentially taken poison on an empty stomach, it seemed only natural that her stomach would hurt this much.

Hong Sin gulped down saliva as she looked around, twisting her body this way and that.

‘Please… please… I'll live a good life. Please….’

She couldn't see a restroom.

Hong Sin, who had been about to burst into tears from frustration, hurriedly reined in her emotions. For some reason, she felt that if she started crying, she would lose control even faster. Struggling to maintain her consciousness, which occasionally seemed on the verge of fading, she desperately searched for a restroom or a secluded patch of grass.

Each time, one or two merchants would pass by like ghosts, giving Hong Sin strange looks. Each time, Hong Sin would turn bright red and execute qinggong to flee the scene.

‘Please… someone help me.’

She stopped performing qinggong when she reached a sparsely populated area.

Because she might lose control while running.

On a quiet road, Hong Sin took deep breaths while simultaneously exerting tremendous force on her sphincter. If she hadn't trained in martial arts, she would have already lost it. In any case, thanks to the resistance of her harshly trained body, she barely managed to avert this misfortune.

At that moment, Hong Sin witnessed someone running down the path she had come from, kicking up a cloud of dust at an incredible speed.

Truly, a speed as fast as a gale.

Hong Sin thought that even though her own qinggong was quite outstanding, she probably couldn't beat this speed even on a day when she was in top condition.

A man dressed neatly in white robes top to bottom glanced at her as he passed by in an instant.

Hong Sin involuntarily swallowed as the man passed by.

‘A master.’

Then, at a slight distance, the White-Clad Young Master, who had instantly stopped his qinggong, asked Hong Sin.

"Young lady, is something the matter? Your complexion is extremely pale."

Having heard a truly deep, resonant voice, Hong Sin hesitated before replying in an exhausted voice.

"I've been… poisoned."

The moment the words left her mouth, Hong Sin was startled.

‘Ah, what am I doing?’

The other person was a martial artist; how could she carelessly mention that she had been poisoned? But regardless, Hong Sin was in such bad shape that she had spoken with a resigned attitude.

"I'm looking for… a restroom."

The man strode over and spoke with an extremely serious expression.

"To summarize, you've been poisoned and are urgently looking for a restroom? Quickly, get on my back. I'm on my way to a regular haunt of mine, and unless you plan to go into the mountains to relieve yourself, I'll take you there quickly. Your complexion is too pale. Hurry…."

The man showed her his back with an attitude of not suspecting her at all. He was truly a man of great magnanimity.

Hong Sin wondered what she would do if she were planning a sneak attack, and asked.

"Is it close?"

"I'll run at full speed."

"Please."

Hong Sin climbed onto the man's back and clenched her sphincter. If she had slacked off in her usual training, she would have lost control the moment she got on his back.

The man ran as fast as a wild horse and said.

"Hold on tight."

While Hong Sin frowned and barely managed to reply, the surrounding scenery flew by rapidly.

"Thank you."

It was truly an incredible speed, yet the man's voice remained calm throughout.

"If you remain calm, you can overcome any crisis."

Shortly after, he entered a neighborhood with sporadic small shops, broke through a construction site in an instant, and the moment he arrived at the restroom behind the shop of his regular haunt, he set Hong Sin down as if tossing her.

"Hurry inside. I'll be at the shop, so take your time…."

Hong Sin entered at last with a pale face. The moment the man disappeared, Hong Sin lowered her pants and resolved the crisis, inevitably having to admire the man's consideration once more. Perhaps because it was diarrhea, the noise was tremendous.

It was, without a doubt, a moment that could be called a crisis of life.

Hong Sin pinched her nose and thought.

‘I'm grateful, but I don't think I can ever look him in the face.’

Hong Sin unknowingly shed a tear. She didn't know why tears were coming. The sound of splashing from below continued to be loud. Afraid she might burst into sobbing from these inexplicable emotions, Hong Sin put her fist in her mouth and barely held back her tears.

Still, she thought it was a relief.

Around the time the splashing sounds subsided, Hong Sin wore an expression of enlightenment.

"Life, it's nothing."

* * *

Having perfectly escaped the crisis, Hong Sin strolled around the neighborhood, sightseeing until the lingering smell on her body dissipated, occasionally exhaling long breaths to steady herself.

Perhaps she was now beginning to regain her senses.

Having deliberately kept her distance while looking around the neighborhood, Hong Sin hovered near the shop where she had used the restroom and assessed the inside.

The White-Clad Young Master had his back turned and was eating something, occasionally lifting his head to chat with the shop owner.

After agonizing for a while, Hong Sin, having attained the enlightenment that life was nothing, opened the shop door and entered.

The handsome White-Clad Young Master turned his head and asked in a flat tone.

"Are you alright?"

The shop owner bowed his head.

"Welcome."

Hong Sin replied.

"Yes, I'm fine thanks to you. Thank you so much."

Suddenly, Hong Sin reached for the pouch at her chest with the thought of offering repayment, but belatedly realized it had been taken from her at Heukmyo Bang.

‘Ack….’

Seeing that, the White-Clad Young Master said.

"That's fine. If you're alright, have a warm bowl of noodles before you go. The broth is quite clear, so it should settle your stomach."

"I'm fine. I don't feel like eating right now."

"I won't force you."

Hong Sin felt the strength drain from her legs, so she sat in a chair for a moment. As the White-Clad Young Master slurped his noodles again, the owner spoke.

"Were you starving? You eat well. Wait."

The White-Clad Young Master replied.

"Oh, can I look forward to it?"

The owner came out of the kitchen with a warm expression and placed a large chunk of glistening meat on the White-Clad Young Master's table.

The White-Clad Young Master rubbed his palms together and said.

"What a windfall. There's no finer delicacy than eating this with broth."

"Eat lots. If you hadn't come today, I would have used it for gukbap. You sure have a fortune for food."

"I do have a life of misfortune, so I should at least have a fortune for food."

Hong Sin looked at the glistening meat and swallowed involuntarily before asking.

"What is that? I'll have to try it next time I come."

The owner said to Hong Sin.

"It's pork backbone."

The White-Clad Young Master tore off a piece of meat with his bare hands, looked at Hong Sin, and spoke as if telling her to remember.

"Pork backbone."

"I see."

The owner spoke as if being generous.

"Don't be like that. Try one as a sample."

Hong Sin waved her hand.

"No, I'm currently…."

"Oh, it's fine. You have to taste it to come back next time."

The owner brought out a pork backbone from the kitchen, placed it in a small bowl, and set it on Hong Sin's table.

"Eat it with your bare hands. Don't use chopsticks. It's already seasoned, so don't dip it in anything. Grab both ends of the bone and tear into it."

Hong Sin felt saliva pooling in her mouth as she replied.

"Oh my, you didn't have to."

Was this really the same woman who had thoroughly relieved herself in the restroom moments ago? Hong Sin began tearing into the pork backbone. The owner and the White-Clad Young Master turned their gazes away as if not wanting to burden her, chatting amongst themselves.

"Has nothing happened?"

"What could happen? It's suddenly so quiet that I'm bored."

"Boredom is a good thing."

"That's true. How about you?"

"Ah, there's no place like home. Food doesn't taste good there. People are so calculating, young and old alike. There are many cunning serpents."

"But I suppose it suits your constitution."

In the midst of this, Hong Sin had finished tearing off and eating all the meat from the pork backbone and was now sucking on the small bits of meat stuck to the bone. Having emptied her stomach completely, it seemed she had actually been hungry.

The owner finally spoke up.

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

Hong Sin couldn't express it in words and gave a thumbs-up.

The owner smiled.

"Come by often. However, pork backbone isn't available every day. On days we don't have it, try the noodles. Gukbap is good too."

Hong Sin nodded with her lips covered in grease as she looked around the humble shop interior.

"This is truly a hidden gem."

"If you come too late, the shop might be gone, so keep that in mind."

Hong Sin asked.

"Ah, are you moving?"

The owner pointed outside and asked.

"Didn't you see the construction site on your way here?"

"I saw it."

"When that's completed, I'll move over there."

"Aha, something enormous was being built. What is it?"

The owner replied with a sly grin.

"A large inn is being built. It will become this neighborhood's main attraction."

Hong Sin replied with wide eyes.

"Wow, an inn that big? That's amazing. Is this a wealthy neighborhood?"

The White-Clad Young Master took out a pouch from his chest, pulled out three silver coins, and handed them to the owner. The simple-looking owner's expression instantly brightened.

"Wow, a person really should succeed in life."

"Will this cover all the old tabs too?"

"And then some. Hahaha."

Hong Sin thought the White-Clad Young Master was generous, yet like the thief she was, she didn't miss the shape of the pouch returning to his chest.

At that moment, Hong Sin's expression stiffened.

"……."

In the midst of the silence, the sound of Hong Sin swallowing her saliva rang out with a gulp—

At that gulp, the White-Clad Young Master slowly turned his head and looked at Hong Sin in silence.

"……."

Only then did Hong Sin confirm the White-Clad Young Master's gaze once more.

"Could it be?"

They say "could it be" kills people. Jang Deoksu, who understood nothing of the situation, looked back and forth between the two and asked.

"By the way, what is your relationship?"

The White-Clad Young Master, with an indifferent expression and a composed voice, called out to Hong Sin.

"Junior Sister."

The moment Hong Sin heard the word "Junior Sister," she experienced Gu poison, her fake senior brother, diarrhea, the restroom, splashing sounds, pork backbone, and the pouch all overlapping in her mind in an instant, and fainted on the spot. A momentary state of qi deviation.

Even then, a very faint consciousness remained, minuscule as a mouse dropping. At that moment, the fake senior brother's voice was heard whispering from nearby.

"…Ten days remain."

Immediately after, Hong Sin completely lost consciousness.