What, who do I blame?
The more I heard the news Gu Yeong Uncle brought, the more resignation settled in alongside those thoughts.
Who do I blame?
In the end, in this worldview of *Blood Path*, if anything's changed, it's gotta be my fault.
The story that would've flowed as it originally did without me—it's changing because of my influence.
Without Cheongwol, Yeongcheon's group started moving early, and those who were supposed to become the future Seven Heavens ended up as the Six Heavens instead. Whether that's thanks to me or not, who knows.
But the Namgung Family getting attacked? That's on me.
And I didn't think these changes were positive ones.
Whether the Demonic Cult becomes Seven Heavens, Eight Heavens, or Ten Heavens, Namgung Yeon needs to grow.
The reason I vowed to live quietly in this world was mostly because I believed she'd handle everything.
But now the Namgung Family's collapsing.
On top of Clan Leader Namgung Cheon's illness, the family was already on the decline.
In the original story too, they weren't poor, but not as wealthy as Dang Soran growing up to be.
Hiding her gender meant a lot of expenses... and above all, there was the money she had to pay to Muryong for playing the role of her master.
The Namgung Family collapses at a time like this.
“...Haa.”
In the *Blood Path* worldview, sects and clans live off the support of Central Plains folk.
Among them, the only ones building separate warehouses through business would be the Tang Clan of Sichuan selling their poisons.
The rest are like idol agencies, if I had to compare.
Propping up their later-generation disciples or masters with all sorts of fancy titles, living off the adoration that brings.
By those standards, the Namgung Family got screwed this time.
No matter how I think about it.
The foremost of the Five Great Clans, the Namgung Family unmatched with the sword—they fall to six outsiders?
Sure, those six outsiders will gain infamy as time goes on, but right now, it just looks like they got beaten by a bunch of street thugs.
Everyone will know it's Yeongcheon's doing, but he's still just a promising later-generation disciple, isn't he?
People will be baffled.
Instead of thinking, “The Namgung Family's so pitiful, I should support them more,” Central Plains folk will definitely feel betrayed: “What? I was supporting a family that got wrecked by those ragtag losers?”
People are colder than you think.
When a big disaster strikes, the blame pours more on those who failed to stop it than on the ones who caused it.
A ton of people died in Anhui Castle, they say.
All those the Namgung Family couldn't protect became corpses.
Just like in the *Blood Path* worldview I knew.
All that blame will rain down on the Namgung Family.
I'm no Gungye, but their funding will probably dry up bit by bit.
The trust that they'd protect everyone, the Namgung Family's prestige, the admiration and expectations people held—all shattered this time around.
And the Namgung Family will probably need to spend a ton of money from now on.
To rebuild even a little of their crumbled home, the savings they had will flow out like water... Naturally, Namgung Yeon will have to tighten her belt too. Or compression bandages, in her case.
In that situation, can Namgung Yeon still grow like before?
She has to hide her gender, and growing means shelling out money left and right.
Expenses popping up whenever. Can she endure it?
“...Ehew.”
By my calculations, no.
Not enough.
And that's definitely the result of my influence.
It won't change with just one box of silver taels... but that doesn't mean I can sit idly by while my hope, Namgung Yeon, is in peril.
Damn it, silver box or whatever—if Namgung Yeon doesn't grow, how the hell do I deal with the Demonic Cult bastards?
Without her, all this money's just gonna get taken by those Demonic Cult fuckers someday anyway.
Five out of the Seven Heavens.
She's the one who kills five of those seven enemies no one else would even dream of touching.
The future greatest under heaven, the unparalleled master of *Blood Path*.
I gotta give it. Yeah, damn it.
Gotta give it—what else can I do?
I thought my life was finally turning around, but of course.
Like how medicine with effects has side effects.
Like how some lose when they eat coins.
I ate this money, but in exchange, Namgung Yeon's suffering.
In this goddamn depressing novel where things are already tough, it's even worse because of me.
The guilt ran deep.
I didn't destroy the Namgung Family myself, but I feel a certain responsibility.
I don't want to, but this bitter aftertaste keeps lingering in my mouth.
Just shitty.
Namgung Cheon, the Namgung Clan Leader, wasn't supposed to die like that.
Even while wheezing away, he was the right stimulus to help Namgung Yeon sort out her identity on her own—the perfect necessary evil for her growth.
But according to Gu Yeong Uncle, even that Namgung Clan Leader's dead... Is Namgung Yeon gonna be okay...?
Money aside, whether she can grow as originally is the issue.
I let out a big sigh as I wandered the village.
The village atmosphere was pretty chaotic.
The Namgung Family got hit that bad—how could it not be?
Even without needing to lower their voices, everyone was whispering about the Namgung Family.
The Emei Sect seemed busy too.
So there weren't any Emei Sect disciples in the village at all, and naturally no Cheongwol.
But that only lasted about a day.
Someone else's house fire doesn't burn long.
In the end, I was the only one still reeling from the shockwaves.
Because I'm the only one who knows what results this will bring.
I feel like the only one bearing this weight alone.
But that doesn't mean I can just sit still either.
“Eutcha.”
“Seojin, what the hell's gotten into you?”
Gwak Du Uncle's face was full of questions as he reloaded all my wealth onto the cart.
“Huh? When you wanted success so bad, and now this?”
“I'm crying tears of blood here too, so cut it out, Uncle.”
That wasn't empty talk.
This feeling of handing it over, getting it taken.
Tears well up in the corners of my eyes.
If it's gonna be like this, might as well not give it at all.
I know I have to, but why test a weak human like me with this temptation?
How long do I have to suffer?
Farewell, my home. My new SM room. My wife, my kids...
...There goes any hope of getting married.
I might keep earning money, but this is just the start.
Until Namgung Yeon finishes everything, I might have to keep pouring water into this bottomless jar.
...As long as I don't get swayed by temptation and act like an idiot again.
It'll be fine. Right?
The first time's the hardest; later it'll be natural.
Yeah, a beggar like me never suited wealth anyway.
I set down the last silver box on the cart and thought.
...Namgung Yeon will protect countless people, right?
“Whew.”
At least that final thought settled my mind.
I'm not one to get overly sentimental about others' pain, but I'm not heartless enough to ignore tens of thousands of lives.
For Gwak Du Uncle who raised me, I had to make sure of that.
Otherwise, it'd be like smearing shit on his face.
Raised under a man who lived by justice and chivalry—even if I hated that path and went independent, I can't walk the complete opposite.
At least I don't want to sleep with a guilty conscience.
“...Uncle, you should really be proud of me.”
“What're you on about?”
“Never mind.”
I stepped down from the cart and eyed the coachmen facing me.
They looked shocked.
“Th-this... Young Master, is something wrong? Do you not need this wealth anymore?”
“I need it.”
“Then why...”
“Seems like it might be needed elsewhere. Take it all to the Namgung Family.”
The gathered uncles and coachmen all looked stunned.
“Seojin...! No matter what, this isn't your concern. Worry about your own well-being! You're still starving...”
“It's fine. I've decided. For the first time, I'm gonna sponsor somewhere.”
Then I turned to the coachmen and said.
Don't I look a bit cool?
“Please keep the fact that I'm sponsoring this a secret. I beg you.”
One coachman looked up at me with trembling eyes and replied.
“...Us? This? All the way to Anhui Castle?”
“...Yes?”
Huh?
“Young Master Han. We have families in the capital too. It's been a whole month since we saw them—how could we take this all the way to Anhui Castle... Heh.”
“...Uh...”
“Our job was to transport goods to Mount Emei, rest a bit, then head home. Extra work like this is a problem. Besides, who's heading to Anhui Castle right now? Who knows what'll happen there. The Namgung Family collapsed, and the local thugs around Anhui Castle won't stay quiet. It's total lawless territory now. Even escort agencies won't touch Anhui Castle for now—no, not for a while. If the agencies aren't going, how could we...”
...Then who the hell's gonna move this?
...Namgung Yeon starves to death?
.
.
.
Ten days passed.
I asked around, but just like the coachmen said, no escort agency would take my commission.
They'd consider it if I gave them half of what's in the silver box.
...Then it'd cost more than it's worth.
There weren't even agencies on Mount Emei, so I scouted all the way to Chengdu, and this was it.
Even demanding half might've just been a polite refusal.
Fine. I tried everything.
I put in the effort, right? What can I do if no one's willing to deliver?
...Saying I tried everything isn't quite true—two options remained.
One was Cheongwol.
But Cheongwol couldn't leave Mount Emei right now.
Because of Yeongcheon's group, security was tightened everywhere.
They probably won't strike again soon, but I get why from the sect's perspective.
Then the next...
I turned my head.
Put an old pot on a small brazier to boil porridge, and like a trap snapping shut, one girl appears.
Lost in thought for a moment today, and here she is.
Dang Soran.
She's squatting in front of my old pot, brushing her hair behind her ear, drooling clear saliva right into the food.
“...Ngh.”
She flinches when our eyes meet but soon flashes a mischievous smile.
“...Enjoy your meal today too, Young Master.”
Then she even stirs the porridge.