Before leaving the Blood Night Palace, I visited Elder Heo’s quarters alone and met with him quietly.

When I appeared, Heo Gyeom, who was sitting at the low table, said,

“Are you leaving? Without staying a few more days?”

I sat across from him and replied,

“Thanks to you, I rested well. But if I keep loitering around here, the people of the Blood Night Palace will grow tired of me. Elder, how was the physician we met yesterday?”

In truth, I had introduced a divine doctor one couldn’t find anywhere in the world, but who knows if Heo Gyeom could properly evaluate him.

Heo Gyeom answered in a relaxed tone.

“Strangely, I feel a bit better. The anxiety is gone, so I’m breathing easier. I should probably stay here quietly and sip on plum tea for a while. What about you?”

“I’ll organize my thoughts as I return. At the very least, the Cult Leader won’t show up here for the next three years. Before that, I’ll either join forces with Alliance Leader Im or create some variable to strike the cult, so you needn’t worry too much.”

Heo Gyeom nodded.

“How can I not worry? But I’ll endure.”

“Thanks to you, I saw the Cult Leader with my own eyes this time and realized the gap. He’s now cultivating martial arts that combine extreme yang and extreme yin, just like I am. But it won’t be easy for him to accumulate the energy of extreme yin either. Since his level is so high, the amount of extreme yin he needs must be beyond imagination. Elder, do you know what I mean by this?”

Heo Gyeom looked at me quietly before answering.

“The Cult Leader plans to wait until you’re fully grown before killing you.”

“You saw it too—he treats me like an insect. That’s actually my lifeline.”

Right now, I’m Yi Zaha, the insect. That’s who I am.

Because of that, the brief encounter with the Cult Leader was filled with psychological warfare.

I looked at Heo Gyeom and grinned.

“No matter how much havoc I wreak in Jianghu, the Cult Leader has no choice but to leave me alone. It’ll just seem like I’m flailing before death. What I’m really worried about… is that you’ll miss the fun later on. That’s the problem.”

Heo Gyeom nodded deeply and laughed.

“I’ll keep fighting with my body, too. Help me up.”

I helped him to his feet, and we embraced lightly, like a grandfather and grandson.

“Elder, stay well.”

Heo Gyeom patted my back.

“Send word to the palace from time to time. Give us something to laugh about, even if it’s news of you wrecking everything.”

I gripped his bony arms and spoke from the heart.

“I will. Elder, we live in Jianghu—every moment could be our last. Let’s survive and meet again. If I’m ever in real danger, I plan to throw away my pride and run.”

Heo Gyeom nodded.

“Do whatever it takes. Let’s survive and meet again.”

***

After saying my farewells to Elder Heo and the others in the Blood Night Palace, I stopped at a junction.

As I stood in the middle of the path, Moyong Baek asked,

“Master?”

I had been at this crossroads before. Heading north from here leads to the Martial Alliance. I could take Moyong Baek there right now and introduce him to Im Sobaek.

On the other hand, if we moved westward and then south, we could return directly to the Black Cat Pavilion.

I also gazed silently toward the east.

……

Going back the way we came would lead us back to the Blood Night Palace. I was standing there blankly, lost in thought, because it no longer mattered which direction I took.

Why did I feel this way?

Maybe it was because I had set my mind on something.

I had resolved deep within to live a righteous life—for the purpose of killing the Cult Leader, who lived unrighteously.

So now, whether I went north or south, it made no difference.

Whether I went to the Martial Alliance or returned to the Black Cat Pavilion, as long as I didn’t forget my purpose, they were all the same path.

I even thought I could just head east to the end of the land and gaze at the sea of Zhejiang.

What mattered wasn’t the sea of Zhejiang itself, but the state of mind I held until I arrived there.

Whether I saw a fish the size of a roc or not didn’t matter. Like when Gwangseung dragged me to the sea of Zhejiang, beating to death all the crazy bastards who got in the way.

I suddenly remembered Gwangseung.

Why did he drag me along like that?

The answer had always been with me. Probably because I was useless.

Only then did I look at Moyong Baek.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

As I walked with Moyong Baek, I thought to myself,

‘Why do I always realize things so late? I’m truly dense.’

Looking back, I had to train my light footwork as if I were going through hell just to keep up with Gwangseung. The reason I’m most confident in my light footwork now is probably because I chased after Gwangseung with all I had just to avoid getting beaten to death.

It’s the same with Giseongja, whom I only met through books…

In the end, Gwangseung is one of my masters, too.

I just didn’t realize it in my previous life.

Otherwise…

Why would he drag me all the way to the sea of Zhejiang just to sightsee? If I collapsed, he beat me to make me get up. If I said I was hungry, we had to eat. If I was sleepy and couldn’t walk, he made me sleep.

Flipping it around, it was all annoying chores.

With his skills, it would’ve been much faster for Gwangseung to go alone and enjoy the view.

As I sighed, Moyong Baek asked,

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

How could I tell him about my past life? In the end, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ I replied like this.

“In the sea of Zhejiang…”

“Yes?”

“They say there are fish as big as rocs.”

Moyong Baek responded with a confused look.

“Really?”

“Just something that came to mind.”

“You were hesitating at the crossroads earlier—where are we going?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Do we have a choice?”

I smiled as I spoke.

“No. We can go anywhere. Actually, I was going to take you to Alliance Leader Im Sobaek.”

Moyong Baek looked shocked.

“Really?”

I nodded seriously.

“Im Sobaek is sicker than Elder Heo. He carries the deepest fire sickness at the pinnacle of Jianghu. That man is incredible, but his condition is beyond what anyone can easily treat. As for Elder Heo…”

“Yes?”

“He took such good care of his body that this caught him off guard. He was so healthy that he didn’t even have minor illnesses. The symptoms were pretty mild compared to how shocked he was. Your prescription hit the mark perfectly.”

“Is that… praise?”

“It is. But Im Sobaek is different. He’s the leader of the Martial Alliance, after all.”

“I see.”

I pointed to my shoulder.

“The burden on this shoulder must be the heaviest in all of Jianghu. That kind of fire sickness isn’t something you can resolve easily. It’s not a problem you can fix alone either. That’s why I think there’s no need to meet him right now.”

Moyong Baek nodded.

“I think I understand. What could be weighing on the Alliance Leader’s shoulders. If he rose to that position, he must be an extraordinary man—and if he’s suffering from fire sickness, it must not be simple.”

“Think about it. His fire sickness over the Cult Leader is no less than Elder Heo’s. But on top of that, Im Sobaek suffers from dealing with internal matters of the Martial Alliance, and the clan leaders and sect masters who subtly challenge his authority. His subordinates probably stress him out too.”

“Sounds like a headache of a position.”

“Im Sobaek was originally the commander of the Sixth Combat Division of the Martial Alliance, but the entire unit was wiped out by the Demonic Cult—except for him. You’ll need to improve even more if you want to treat the Martial Alliance Leader.”

“Me?”

I stared quietly at Moyong Baek.

“Your skills are great, and helping people in a village has meaning and value, sure. But if you stay holed up in some village, who’s going to treat the Alliance Leader?”

“Me? Suddenly? Me, Moyong Baek? Don’t they have any doctors over there?”

I clicked my tongue.

“Tsk tsk… If they had a proper physician, would the Alliance Leader’s fire sickness have gotten that bad? Say something that makes sense.”

“Master.”

“What?”

“I think I’m getting fire sickness now.”

I suddenly burst into laughter, clutching my stomach as I laughed for a long time.

“Sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, why are you so happy?”

“Hey, Doctor Moyong.”

“Yes.”

"Have you never heard the saying, 'Share blessings, and carry fire sickness together'?"

“Yes.”

“Then if you haven’t heard it, don’t talk. Honestly, this time I came back with ten thousand nyang from Haomun’s funds. If Elder Heo had actually collapsed, I would’ve handed the full amount to the Blood Night Palace and urged them to destroy the palace and relocate quickly. But Elder Heo held on, and I didn’t know spies were already moving inside. So the ten thousand nyang was spared. I guess you could call it officially sanctioned embezzlement.”

“……”

“With that money, let’s eat the best food and drink the finest liquor before heading back. You need to eat and drink well to deal with the Demonic Cult properly. Honestly, it’s more than we’ll be able to spend before returning.”

“Your eloquence is as dazzling and confusing as ever.”

“You, too—stop locking yourself up at the Moyong Medical House eating bland, unseasoned food from the lady doctors. Think of this as a chance to try foods that are bad for your health. Spicy, salty, sweet things.”

With a sigh, Moyong Baek echoed my words.

“Spicy, salty, sweet. Let’s go.”

As we walked around searching for good food, I spoke absentmindedly.

“Did I tell you I met the Cult Leader at the Blood Night Palace a few days before you arrived?”

“What?”

Startled, Moyong Baek raised his voice, and the people walking by flinched and moved away.

“The Cult Leader came to check on Elder Heo and left shortly after.”

“Ah, so that’s why the elder’s composure collapsed like that. I thought you were referring to some past connection when you mentioned the Cult Leader. What was it like seeing him in person?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“He’s no longer human. And he’s stronger than I imagined. I tried every kind of mental scenario—combining the entire Blood Night Palace’s forces and the palace lord to strike him down—but it was all useless.”

As I spoke, a savory smell wafted by, and I sniffed the air while scanning the tavern street.

“Where is that smell coming from? Let’s talk while we eat.”

“Let’s.”

We wandered past a row of taverns until I stormed into the source of the smell and ordered noodles, dumplings, sweet-and-sour pork, and liquor. As soon as I placed the order, Moyong Baek looked at me, clearly baffled.

“When are we going home?”

“After a solid meal.”

“I get the feeling we’re not going to get back quickly. Is that just me being paranoid?”

I tilted my head.

“What could possibly happen? Who’s dumb enough to cause trouble for someone eating at a tavern these days? Only some rude Jianghu idiots or deranged dark-path bastards try things like that… ah, no way.”

“……”

Moyong Baek fell silent after hearing that and looked around the tavern. I followed his gaze and glanced at the other customers. The nearby patrons, who had been watching us, quickly turned their heads away.

“See? Peaceful place.”

“Your expression and current armament don’t exactly say ‘peaceful.’”

“Really?”

I had the Fang of the Black Rabbit strapped to my waist, and on the table, I had placed a wooden sword while waiting for our food.

A moment later, the tavern boy brought out the noodles first and placed them in front of us. Rubbing my chopsticks together, I asked Moyong Baek,

“No poison, right?”

“Of course not.”

With three quick bites, I inhaled all the noodles and gulped down the broth. That’s when the dumplings, sweet-and-sour pork, and liquor arrived.

I looked at Moyong Baek and, on a whim, unstrapped the Fang of the Black Rabbit from my waist and handed it to him.

“Use this for a while.”

By now, Moyong Baek had clearly realized that ordinary refusals had no effect on me, so he rose wordlessly mid-bite and strapped the sword to his waist.

I watched Moyong Baek wearing the sword.

‘Now you look the part of a poison doctor.’

“Keep it on you for protection. It’s a good blade. I took it from the previous Black Cat Pavilion Lord after hurling him into a wall. It’s called the Fang of the Black Rabbit—pretty sturdy and sharp.”

Suddenly, coughs echoed from various corners of the tavern, and a few frightened customers slipped out.

Moyong Baek asked me,

“Are you okay with just a wooden sword?”

I looked at the wooden sword on the table and replied,

“This isn’t a wooden sword.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s the real blade I’ll shove into the Cult Leader bastard’s throat.”

The moment I finished speaking, there was a loud clatter, and all the remaining customers scrambled to flee outside.

Instant silence filled the room.

I looked around, and the tavern boy, nostrils twitching, stood there on the verge of tears as he stared at us.

I met his gaze and, in a composed tone, offered an apology.

“Sorry.”

The boy brought his hands together politely and replied in a conflicted voice.

“……It’s fine. Please enjoy your meal.”

I looked at Moyong Baek.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes.”

As I chewed on a piece of sweet-and-sour pork, I muttered,

“This tavern sure is nice and quiet.”

Moyong Baek, perhaps having given up on a few things, glanced around the place halfheartedly and replied,

“Indeed. It’s nice and quiet.”