Back in my quarters, I stood in front of the bronze mirror.

The face staring back at me was youthful, fresh, full of life.
I could’ve stood there all day, just looking.

I admired my rejuvenated reflection for a long while… and then, my mind drifted to Hwa Mugi.

What was that bastard doing right now?

Was he somewhere undergoing hellish training, trying to grow stronger?

If only I could find him and kill him before he became more powerful—this whole thing would be so simple.
But the problem was that Hwa Mugi was nearly impossible to locate.

He had dropped into the martial world like he’d fallen from the sky. After reaching the peak of the Three Pillars, he vanished from Jianghu, retreating from public life.
There was virtually no information about him.

Even spreading people across the entire continent to search for the name "Hwa Mugi" would be risky—it could trigger an unpredictable reaction from him.

In the end, the best course was to become stronger than Hwa Mugi myself.

Fortunately, Heaven had given me time.
And I would make time my ally—and grow.

Maybe it was because I’d been thinking of him—my inner energy stirred faintly in my dantian.

The Scattering Qi Poison had vanished entirely, as if it had never been there to begin with.
After the duel, there hadn’t been a trace left. Gu Pyeongho had gotten his hands on some serious stuff.

No wonder he’d dared to drug the son of the Heavenly Demon.

Still lost in thought, I suddenly spoke the name of the one person I owed more than anyone in this life.

“Ian.”

A warm, familiar voice called from outside the door.

“Yes, young master?”

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a young woman entered.
Her uniform strained against her body—“plump” didn’t cover it. She was large. Large enough that the word “massive” felt more accurate.

Ian, the Bodyguard of the Sect.

At the time, I hadn’t known.
That her size was the result of her martial art.
Or rather—because of me.

Stoneflesh Body Art.

A secret technique passed down only to her—one that temporarily hardened the body like stone.
But its side effect was an uncontrollable expansion of muscle and mass.

I looked at her through the mirror and asked,

“How do I look?”

In the reflection, she gave her answer with a crisp voice.

“You're the most handsome man in Jianghu.”

So her voice really was this nice…

If there were a contest in the martial world for best voice, she’d win without a doubt.

“Boring.”

“The person giving the question is always the one who decides the answer, young master.”

Not just the voice—she was funny too.

We made eye contact through the mirror, and she asked:

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I’d lived because of her.

When Hwa Mugi had launched his sword energy to kill me, she had thrown her body in its path.

The attack pierced through her Stoneflesh Body Art—but deflected slightly in the process.
Just enough to miss my heart by a thread.

Hwa Mugi hadn’t confirmed my death. He had no reason to think his strike had missed.
Her sacrifice—and his arrogance—had saved me.

Thank you, Ian.

She had been ready to die for me.
But back then, I’d only thought of her as just another bodyguard.

I’d taken her presence for granted—like air, unaware of how precious it was until it’s gone.

“You were amazing today, in the duel. Truly incredible.”

I turned to face her—not the reflection. The real her.

And I realized…

She’s… even bigger than I remembered.

I stood there, just looking at her, and recalled the girl she used to be.

Clear eyes. A high nose. A doll-like face that sparkled when she smiled.
People had said she would grow up to be the most beautiful woman in the land.

Then one day, she returned—overweight, and tear-stained.
No one knew how much she had cried. No one saw how swollen her eyes had been.

Even back then, that little girl had looked at me with the same gaze she had now, and said:

“Young master, I’ll protect you.”

What had she been feeling back then?

Her only “crime” was being born into a demonic sect and raised as a bodyguard.
But the price she paid was enormous.

She gave up a face destined to be the most beautiful in the world.

And me? Did I ever comfort her?

Or did I grow colder, bit by bit, as she gained weight?

I couldn't even remember our moments together.

But she had kept her promise.

She had thrown her huge body into the path of death.
And because of that—I lived.

Even if all I did in this second life was save Ian, it would still be worth it.

Ian, I swear—I’ll find a way to cure the side effects of the Stoneflesh Body Art. That’s my promise to you.

Suddenly, I said:

“We shouldn’t get close.”

She blinked, confused.

“Pardon? Why not?”

“Because you’re a bodyguard. If we get close, it’s like I’m asking you to die for me. It’s selfish.”

“What are you talking about? ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) It’s my duty to protect you.”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘duty’ to die.
You should always come first.
Then your family.
Then the person you’re assigned to protect.
I want the kind of person who guards me because they’re logical. Not because they’re blind.”

But Ian didn’t hesitate for a second.

“That’s not possible.
You’re first.
Second is also you.
And… I have no family.”

I couldn't even begin to measure the depth of her loyalty.

“You’re acting strange today.”

“Want to see something even stranger? Come on.”

“Where to?”

I strode to the door.

“We’re flipping a dinner table.”

I walked straight to the kitchen.

There, I summoned every cook and kitchen worker—including the head chef, Master Lim.

Among them, I singled out one man—a kitchen assistant who had worked here for three years.

“Why’d you do it?”

“S-Sir? Do what?”

“Why did you poison my food with Scattering Qi Toxin?”

Gasps all around.

“No, no! I didn’t—”

One of the great things about returning in time was that I didn’t need to read minds anymore.
I already knew.

This guy had buried himself in gambling and debt.
He’d drained his parents, scammed his friends—and now, he’d dared to poison the blood of the Heavenly Demon himself.

That’s what gambling does to people.

“You took the three thousand nyang and ran off to gamble again, didn’t you?”

He flinched—then collapsed to the floor, bowing deeply.

“Spare me! I was wrong!
I lost my way because of money.
Please, forgive me!”

“Did Gu Pyeongho come to you personally? Gave you the money himself?”

“Yes…”

The moment the bastard confessed, I cut off his head in a single stroke.

Shhhk.

My first kill since returning to the past—but it didn’t stir anything inside me.
I had lived a life where those I judged as evil died without mercy.
The clean kill was the last mercy I could offer him.

Even in my past life, he had died today.
The night of the martial tournament, he’d been stabbed to death in a gambling den.
Most likely by an assassin sent by Gu Pyeongho—to tie up loose ends.

Either way, poisoning someone’s food is something that can never be forgiven.
One act of mercy would only lead to another attempt.

“A cook, of all people, putting poison in a meal?”

At my words, Master Lim—head of the kitchen—dropped to his knees with a devastated expression.

“I’m sorry, young master.”

“Why are you doing this? Your knees are bad.”

“All of this happened under my watch. I take full responsibility.”

“How is this your fault? The bastard who poisoned the food is the one to blame.”

“Everything that happens in the kitchen is my responsibility.”

I helped him to his feet.

“Master Lim. If something corrupt happens in this sect, is that my father’s fault?”

“What? No, absolutely not.”

“Then why are you taking the blame for this? Enough nonsense—just make chicken broth noodles for dinner.
Haven’t had them in decades.”

How long had it actually been?

“But… you had them just the other day.”

“Master Lim. I’m still holding a bloody sword here.”

“…I’ll make it delicious.”

As I stepped out of the kitchen, Ian was waiting outside, looking distressed.

“Forgive me. As your bodyguard, this is my failure.”

“Why is everyone so desperate to take the blame? Is responsibility some kind of disease today?”

“It won’t happen again.”

“Forget it. Just spread the word around the sect.
Gu Pyeongho was behind it, and I killed the cook who poisoned my food.”

“The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s side will deny everything.”

“Doesn’t matter. Too many eyes and ears saw what happened.”

All the kitchen staff had witnessed it.
There’d be no burying the truth.

“If you do something filthy, a dirty rumor should follow. Spread it far and wide.
I want the mutts of this sect barking ‘Scattering Qi! Scattering Qi!’ by tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go.”

As Ian followed behind me, she spoke cautiously.

“Um… something about you really has changed today.”

She had served me closer than anyone. Of course she noticed first.

“You’re cracking jokes. Talking differently. Acting differently.”

“I decided I’m living a new life from today on.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah. Just like that.
I don’t believe people change little by little.
They change all at once—because of something.
That’s why it’s rare. And hard.
That’s why people say change isn’t real.”

I didn’t give her time to ask what my turning point was.
I kept walking.

 

****

“Do we really need all of this?”

Ian stared wide-eyed at the pile of supplies I was packing for the hunt with Father.

I nodded, carefully placing everything into a large leather rucksack.

“Yeah. All of it.”

“I had no idea you were so skilled at preparing for outdoor trips, young master.”

Ian… there’s no one in this entire sect who’s camped more than I have.

“It’s my father, so I need to be extra prepared.”

“I hope you have a great time together.”

“We’ll see…”

It wasn’t false modesty.
I could handle everything else—but my relationship with Father… that, I wasn’t sure about.
I had lived longer than him now—and yet, somehow, I felt even less certain.

“You’ll make it work. You will.”

Ian smiled gently.

“Sleep well tonight, okay?”

But I didn’t sleep well at all.

I had a nightmare—wandering endlessly, searching for the ingredients for the Grand Regression Art.
But the ingredients were gone from their usual places.
I ran from mountain to cave, from ocean to desert, and found nothing.

Then I heard Ian’s voice.

“Young master, are you alright?”

I must’ve screamed in my sleep.

“No. I had a filthy dream.”

“What kind of dream?”

“In your case, it’d be like… starting all over from the lowest martial rank.”

“Ugh. Just kill me instead.”

Still sitting on the bed, I turned my gaze to the bronze mirror leaning against the wall.

There I was—young again.

Just seeing that face lifted my mood.

Yeah. If I can wake up to a morning like this again...
I could suffer nightmares every night and still be fine.

“You look tense.”

“I’m about to go hunting with someone scarier than a tiger.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t even be able to breathe.”

“I’m going to wash up. Lay out a fresh uniform.”

“Yes, young master.”

Back in my old life, whenever things got hard, I used to imagine what I’d do if I could regress.

Even the thought of it brought relief—made the suffering bearable.

But not once in those countless daydreams did I imagine going hunting with my father on the second day.

Whether that instinctive choice was the right one—I’d know once the hunt was over.

Once everything was packed, I slung the large leather rucksack over my back and made my way toward the Heavenly Demon’s Hall, where my father would be waiting.

Slowly. Steadily. One step at a time.