Jin Haryeong’s sword continuously triggered unexpected moves.

Unable to defend against her dazzling sword techniques, the opponent finally conceded defeat.

“I yield.”

As the sword aimed at his throat was withdrawn, Jin Haryeong raised her hand to everyone.

A thunderous roar of cheers erupted.

“Jin Haryeong is the best!”

“Magnificent, Jin Haryeong!”

“The champion is Jin Haryeong!”

“Hubei’s Finest, Jin Haryeong!”

But today, the words she had been waiting for were missing. She scanned the crowd of warlords, but Geomyeon’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

“Could he be badly injured?”

She had heard that the young master whom Geomyeon served was hurt in the top eight matches. Although she understood that was probably why he hadn’t come, she still felt a bit disappointed. She had wished he would come even just for a moment during her match.

“The young master is hurt, so that can’t be helped.”

As she reluctantly stepped down from the fighting platform, an unexpected person was waiting for her.

“Congratulations on your victory.”

It was Josin. Normally, he would have greeted her with a stern expression, but today he treated her gently for some reason.

“Thank you.”

“If Jin Sojeo wins, I will hold a separate celebration.”

“Just hearing that makes me grateful. But I must prepare for the next match now.”

Jin Haryeong gave a light bow and left the fighting platform.

Josin sensed she was treating him more softly than usual.

‘Was that guy right?’

He claimed to know women well, and just a simple congratulation had changed her attitude toward him.

‘This bastard’s more useful than I thought.’

But that was just his misconception.

Jin Haryeong’s ease came from the clear assurance she received during her walk with her grandfather yesterday that there would be no political marriage.

Now she no longer needed to be at odds with Josin or feel uncomfortable around him. After the So-ryong-jeon ended, she wouldn’t need to see his face anyway. She was about to join the Martial Alliance’s elite organization and begin a new chapter.

“Friend, I hope the young master recovers quickly.”

Only then would she hear that familiar voice among the cheers of encouragement.

At that moment, Geommugeuk was escorting the young master somewhere.

“Waaah! Too fast!”

Geommugeuk sprinted using lightness skill, carrying Seo Daeryong on his back. The man on his back was screaming.

It was unbelievably fast. Even using lightness skill, it was shocking that a person could run that fast—especially while carrying someone.

Seo Daeryong couldn’t even open his eyes. When he barely did, everything rushed by so fast he felt dizzy. What could Geommugeuk be seeing to run this way? The anxiety of crashing into a tree or rock made him feel like passing out.

More astonishingly, his body was incredibly comfortable despite the psychological fear and anxiety. Geommugeuk’s energy surrounded and stabilized his injured body, preventing it from shaking.

‘Is this possible? Running this fast while protecting me?’

Without experiencing it firsthand, he wouldn’t believe it. Seo Daeryong had been surprised many times by Geommugeuk but was amazed that there was still more to come. Notably, Geommugeuk didn’t even pause while running. How much internal energy did he have?

‘Maybe it’s a dream. Maybe I fainted on the fighting platform and am dreaming? Gasp! Am I dead?’

Carried on Geommugeuk’s back, lost in wild imaginations, they finally arrived at their destination—a remote village far from the Martial Alliance.

“Wow! Is this paradise?”

Seo Daeryong staggered off Geommugeuk’s back and collapsed. He felt so dizzy he thought he would die. Taking a deep breath, he said,

“Ah! I think I’m alive again. This is paradise. People should live on the ground.”

He brushed back his disheveled hair and looked around. He was secretly nervous. They had set out for hellish training, but Geommugeuk said they were going to paradise—and now had brought him to such a remote village.

“Let’s rest here for a while.”

There was a bench at the village entrance, and a child lay on it reading a book.

Seo Daeryong felt something strange. Why would they rest here after rushing so fast? And why here, where a child was reading?

Then something stranger happened. Geommugeuk spoke to the child on the bench.

“Child, go fetch a bottle of wine brewed with insects.”

The child, who had been lying down reading, yawned and asked,

“Who sent you?”

From this exchange, Seo Daeryong realized Geommugeuk’s previous words were some kind of code.

“From the Shin Sect.”

When Geommugeuk revealed their affiliation with the demon cult, Seo Daeryong was shocked. He had never revealed his identity since the matter began.

The child, however, acted as if they had no idea what the Shin Sect was and showed no surprise.

“This is a private matter, so handle it as usual.”

“Yes. Please wait.”

The child disappeared somewhere. Seo Daeryong finally asked Geommugeuk,

“Where are we?”

“The entrance to paradise.”

“This doesn’t look like paradise at all.”

“What kind of place do you imagine paradise to be?”

“Hmm.”

“You just pictured a room full of beauties enjoying lavish feasts and wine, didn’t you?”

Seo Daeryong flinched in surprise.

“No, I didn’t.”

His face reddened as he hastily denied it. He must have imagined something more risqué.

“Listen up, sentient beings! Most places that look like paradise are really hell. Ha ha ha.”

“Great master, please stop entering, and call our lord here. Oh! Where is this place?”

“You’ll know when you see.”

Soon the child returned.

“She says to bring you. Follow her.”

Geommugeuk and Seo Daeryong followed the child.

The winding path was lined with formation arrays. Without knowing the exact location of the life gate, one would wander endlessly and be led elsewhere.

Passing the formation, they arrived at a huge manor.

A plaque read: “Geungnakwon (極樂願).”

The character used was the ‘wish’ (願) from the phrase ‘wish for paradise after death,’ not the ‘garden’ (苑).

“Is this really paradise?”

“I told you we were going to paradise.”

Inside stood an old woman.

Despite her age, she held a remarkable aura, a presence so upright that ‘old woman’ didn’t seem to fit. However, bandages covered parts of her head and arms.

“You’re from the Shin Sect?”

“Yes.”

“Proof?”

Geommugeuk emitted demonic energy of a strength enough to convince her.

“Stop! Why are you emitting such bad energy? Tch! Tch!”

The old woman sprinkled salt on herself, showing no fear of the demon cult.

“Your cultivation is surprisingly deep for your age.”

“Thank you.”

“Why reveal your identity?”

“No matter how much you hide it, you’ll find out anyway.”

“You know enough about me? Then this will be easy. What do you want?”

Geommugeuk looked at Seo Daeryong.

“Please help this friend win the So-ryong-jeon.”

Seo Daeryong stared at Geommugeuk in surprise.

“Can you win just by asking?”

“Perhaps?”

The old woman approached Seo Daeryong with wide eyes. She seemed to limp, probably due to an injury.

She extended her hand.

“Hand!”

Since her right arm was injured, she offered her left.

“Oh, I injured my left arm.”

“Then should this old lady offer her painful arm?”

“No. I mean, can’t I refuse the handshake?”

But the old woman kept her hand extended. Seo Daeryong reluctantly took it, and the woman suddenly lifted his injured arm.

“Aaaah!”

Despite his screams, she twisted his arm this way and that.

“The arm is well attached.”

“Aaaaah! I’m dying!”

“Stop exaggerating!”

“You look like the kind to exaggerate pain.”

Seo Daeryong pouted at Geommugeuk, asking with his expression who this damn old woman was. Geommugeuk just smiled.

“Try swinging your ‘Do’ once.”

“I don’t want to.”

The old woman came close again and flailed Seo Daeryong’s arm rapidly and uncontrollably. Seo Daeryong couldn’t block her swift movements.

“Still don’t want to? How about now?”

“Aaaah! No, I like it! Save me! I’ll do it!”

Finally, she released his arm.

Seo Daeryong wiped tears streaming from the pain and summoned his ‘Do’ technique.

The old woman watched silently and shook her head.

“This is hard. You can’t beat Jin Haryeong like this.”

She knew exactly the current state of the So-ryong-jeon. She understood the skill level of favorite Jin Haryeong, and from the ‘Do’ technique he wielded, she could assess Seo Daeryong’s skill.

“That’s why I came. Aren’t you the one who makes the impossible possible?”

“That depends on how much money you pay. How much can you afford?”

Geommugeuk didn’t haggle.

He handed over 500,000 nyang.

“Five hundred thousand nyang.”

Seo Daeryong was stunned.

“Wait! Don’t tell me you found that money to spend on me?”

“Yes.”

“No, you can’t! No!”

Seo Daeryong had assumed the money was for him when Geommugeuk withdrew it, but he never expected all of it to be spent.

“It’s my money. Why can’t I spend it?”

“No means no. The path you wanted to take is off. It was all nonsense. I’m happier this way. Five hundred thousand nyang?”

Seo Daeryong sent a secret message.

—That old woman’s weird, right? Totally a quack pretending to be mysterious. How can she heal anyone when she’s so injured herself? Look! She’s eating bugs right now!

The old woman sat on a rock, massaging her limbs while chewing something.

“Investigator Seo, money can always be earned, but chances like this don’t come again.”

“I don’t want it. Don’t waste such a fortune on °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° me. Even five hundred thousand nyang is too much.”

“That money is worth it. It’s the cost for a man to become a true martial artist.”

“A man needs will and courage to become a martial artist, not five hundred thousand nyang.”

“Don’t worry. Just work hard as an investigator. If the main sect faces danger, help out sometimes. That’s enough.”

“That’s a lot of pressure!”

“Thinking too much makes life hard. Just live as you feel. You want to win, right? I want you to win. Our minds are aligned.”

At that moment, the old woman snatched the receipt from Geommugeuk’s hand.

“Accept treatment.”

“No!”

Seo Daeryong tried to take back the receipt but stopped abruptly.

The old woman simply stared at him, and he froze under her gaze.

“How many days until your next match?”

“Seven days left.”

“Seven days. Time is tight. Start immediately.”

The old woman limped into the building.

Left alone, Seo Daeryong quickly asked,

“Who is that woman? Please tell her to take care of herself!”

“How’s your arm?”

“How do you mean? It hurts worse. Huh?”

Seo Daeryong moved his injured arm. It was moving better than when they first arrived. The old woman hadn’t been carelessly twisting it.

“Oh? It hurts less.”

Then Geommugeuk uttered a surprising name.

“She is the Bug Doctor (Chung-ui).”

Seo Daeryong was startled. He had heard the name before.

“Was she a real person?”

“Yes.”

There was a legendary rumor circulating in the martial world. A divine doctor who could expertly handle insects to cure all kinds of illnesses and even revive the dead, with medical skills said to surpass those of the demon cult’s medicine masters or the Martial Alliance’s doctors.

Though unconfirmed, one thing was sure: the Bug Doctor was herself a supreme master and knew the martial body better than anyone else.

“But isn’t she called the Money Bug because she charges so much?”

“If not for her, you couldn’t recover in such a short time.”

“How do you even know about her? Ah, whatever. It’s too expensive.”

“Strictly speaking, that money isn’t all yours, so don’t feel burdened.”

“What? What do you mean?”

At that moment, the building door opened, and the Bug Doctor shouted,

“What are you waiting for? Time is money!”

Geommugeuk and Seo Daeryong hurried inside.

Seo Daeryong’s expression immediately soured. The room was filled with jars containing all sorts of insects, and all kinds of preserved bugs hung on the walls. The smell was so pungent he had to cover his nose.

Seo Daeryong had to drink whatever medicine was given, regardless of what ingredients it contained.

“What if it’s poison? No, this must be poison!”

He desperately refused to drink.

“Then you’ll die in the most expensive way, the most luxurious death in martial history.”

The Bug Doctor washed off the previous ointment and applied a new one, likely made from various extracted insects.

She wrapped new bandages in a completely different style than before.

Then she laid Seo Daeryong on a hot stone bed.

“Get a good, deep sleep.”

Whether because of the medicine or the hot bed, Seo Daeryong could not hold back the pouring sweat.

“Ah, this isn’t right... this isn’t right... Lord, we’ve been tricked...”

Seo Daeryong fell asleep as if mesmerized.

While treatment was underway, Geommugeuk examined the countless insects raised in the backyard. Hundreds of jars contained strange varieties.

The Bug Doctor came to Geommugeuk and said, looking at a bug,

“That one looks insignificant, but if it bites you, you’ll die within half a ‘Do’ cycle. I’m used to the poison, so I’m fine, but you’d be in danger.”

Warning him, she opened a box and pulled out a poisonous insect. The insect flapped its wings rapidly, eager to escape. Holding the venomous bug near Geommugeuk’s face, she asked coldly,

“You came knowing about me, so you probably knew the cost. Why did you pay so generously?”