Cheongwol watched Han Seojin as he washed his face with warm water.
Observing one person like this felt strangely peculiar.
A person's thoughts couldn't be read, but watching their actions gave the faint impression of glimpsing into them just a little.
Han Seojin was clearly enjoying the warm water right then.
Cheongwol quietly took in the sight from her hiding spot behind a tree some distance away.
It had been a night of deep contemplation.
About the Emei Sect. About the Five Precepts and restrictions.
About the future ahead.
That shady, intimate act that Han Seojin wouldn't know about.
The warning she'd sent to Gayeong-i.
...Would she understand it?
Just then, Gayeong-i approached Han Seojin, who was washing his face.
Her hesitant steps were filled with reluctance. From them alone, Cheongwol could guess what she was there to do.
Cheongwol's expression darkened in that moment.
Han Seojin lifted his head, sensing Gayeong-i's presence.
He greeted her in a bright voice.
“Did you sleep well? You look a bit tired.”
Cheongwol felt her insides twist at that voice.
Was this saying Gayeong-i would live feeling that warmth her whole life?
That comfortable daily life that would never be directed at her.
Gayeong-i would feel that daily life every day, while she had to remain at the Emei Sect among her senior brothers and sisters?
For what reason, exactly?
Gayeong-i, of course, gave no reply.
Han Seojin looked at her curiously, snorted, and approached her.
“What's wrong?”
“...Well...”
“Something with Uncle?”
Gayeong-i shook her head.
Han Seojin's hand rested on Gayeong-i's plump shoulder.
“Come on. Tell me.”
“So, Seojin... I don't know if I should say it... um, you see...”
After hemming and hawing for a while, Gayeong-i looked around.
“Eek!”
And then her eyes met Cheongwol's.
Rather than hide, Cheongwol continued glaring at Gayeong-i.
If there was one person Cheongwol least wanted to see right now, it was Gayeong-i.
The one who had suddenly appeared and so easily taken Han Seojin's side.
She had no justification for it, but that's how it made her act.
Cheongwol pressed her index finger to her lips.
It was a sign to be quiet.
A warning that she wouldn't let it slide if yesterday's events were carelessly spilled.
For a moment, she shed the mask she'd worn in front of everyone, revealing her true self.
“N-No!”
Understanding the warning, Gayeong-i quickly moved away from Han Seojin.
“What?”
Bewildered by the incomprehensible situation, Han Seojin looked around.
Cheongwol hid her body in that instant as well.
She had shown everything of herself to Han Seojin, but this was one sight she wanted to keep hidden.
****
Time passed, and we arrived near Song Mountain in Henan Province.
Unfamiliar air filled my chest.
We should have been tired from the long journey, but the air in Henan felt strangely heated.
Perhaps it was due to the fervor of the crowds gathering here.
The entrance to the village at the foot of Song Mountain in Henan Province was already packed with people.
Heavily laden wagons creaked as they entered, while porters' shouts and hawkers' calls mingled to heighten the bustle.
As we entered the village, elegant flags fluttered overhead, bearing the names of the Nine Great Righteous Sects and Five Great Families participating in this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
“Ah, I'm hungry.”
The scents of food, incense, and fried pancakes mingled on the wind, brushing past my nose.
Gu Yeong Uncle muttered upon catching the aroma.
A festive atmosphere hung thick in the air.
This time, only Gu Yeong Uncle and Childuk Uncle had come with us.
Gwak Du Uncle, as the Emei sub-branch leader, couldn't leave Mount Emei once Gu Yeong and Childuk Uncle departed.
“There's a ton of people.”
Ignoring Uncle's words, I muttered my own impressions.
Daoist sect warriors in robes, armored escorts, merchants with heavy pouches—people stretched on endlessly.
“Oh, Shaolin monks.”
Childuk Uncle pointed somewhere and spoke.
As he said, monks in orange robes were approaching us.
Wow. As expected of Shaolin. Their exposed bodies looked incredibly sturdy.
They didn't look like monks so much as jacked bodybuilders walking our way.
The monk at the front happened to run into Soun nearby.
“Soun. It's been a while. I trust you've been well.”
“It's been a long time. Yes, I've been well.”
Soun seemed to know the other monk.
Gu Yeong Uncle picked his nose and informed me.
“That one's Hye-gwang, the Inspector of Shaolin.”
"What's an Inspector?"
“You don't know? Shaolin has the Eight Great Guardians who protect the Abbot, and the Inspector is their leader. Rumor has it he's mastered the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.”
Ah~ I remember now.
...He's gonna die to Cheongwol too. Along with the Abbot.
If you're ever wondering about the future of this world's powerhouses and don't know, just assume Cheongwol kills them. You'll hit at least eight out of ten.
“He looks pretty young.”
“Young, yeah. Around forty, past the age of no doubts.”
“That's some serious baby face.”
While Soun and Hye-gwang conversed, people's gazes naturally turned to the later-generation talents participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
‘That's the Thousand-Year Flower!’
‘You can tell at a glance. So pure and beautiful.’
‘Her face shows not a trace of the Central Plains' dust.’
Cheongwol gazed silently ahead.
Her expressionless face always made me uneasy.
Especially since I had no idea what she was thinking.
I alternated glances between Cheongwol and Hye-gwang, the Inspector.
Seeing killer and victim side by side always felt weird.
Hye-gwang's gaze shifted to Cheongwol as well.
“Amitabha. First time meeting. I'm Hye-gwang, same generation as your master from the branch division. You must be tired from the journey. I hear you've met the Abbot before? The Abbot himself has high expectations this time...”
I watched their meeting for a bit, then turned my head.
I lightly tapped the shoulder of Gayeong-i, who was gawking at them.
“Gayeong-i. Let's go.”
“Oh. Okay.”
First things first. Uncle's worrying me.
The long journey had been a burden on more than just us.
Even Uncle, who'd lain in the wagon the whole time, must have found it grueling on his ailing body.
All I wanted was to find a physician quickly.
“Where are we meeting?”
“Well... I got this note...”
Gayeong-i pulled out the note from Hao Gate and checked it.
In the meantime, I'd left the wagon with Gu Yeong Uncle's group and carried the dumpling shop uncle on my back to get here.
“Uncle. Hang in there a bit. We're almost there.”
“Cough! Hack...!”
Uncle nodded weakly amid coughs.
Still, meeting with Hao Gate required some caution.
Fortunately, with attention split between Shaolin and Emei, that part was easy.
Before moving, I took one last look at the commotion.
“...Huh.”
Cheongwol's head faced Hye-gwang, but her eyes had slyly turned my way, fixed on me.
I nearly froze in surprise.
As if making excuses, I pointed at Uncle and gestured that I was off to find a doctor.
Instead of replying, Cheongwol blinked once and quietly averted her gaze.
“...Phew.”
I let out a sigh. Why did I bother explaining?
Whatever, good is good.
I said to Gayeong-i.
“Let's go, Gayeong-i.”
.
.
.
We found the place as depicted in the note and met a white-haired elder.
“Are you there?”
“...”
He didn't look particularly special or impressive.
Just like any old grandpa you'd see on Mount Emei.
Was this the Divine Physician? The one said to save even those on the brink of death?
Having met him so easily made his gravitas hard to feel.
Just as I was wondering, the old man spoke.
“So you're the esteemed guest of Hao Gate.”
I was slightly surprised.
“Esteemed guest might be too much... but yes, Hao Gate sent me. How did you know?”
“Plump girl, sick patient, burly man. Just as described. And you found me.”
Gayeong-i looked a bit embarrassed at being called plump.
The Divine Physician nodded toward the prepared bed.
“Lay him there. It'll take time, but I'll examine him thoroughly. For an old friend's request.”
“Old friend?”
“...”
No clue at all.
How had Hao Gate managed to request the Divine Physician?
Was it a tough ask? Overreaching for Hao Gate, or just feasible?
Not getting a sense of how much I owed Hao Gate for this made me curious.
“Young Master Seojin.”
Instead of answering, the Divine Physician called me.
He even knew my name.
“I'll check the patient first, then we'll talk. This old man is curious about you too.”
“Ah... yes. No problem.”
“Good. You two wait outside. Go eat if you like.”
Gayeong-i's tension eased, her eyes reddening.
She sniffled back tears, then carefully clasped her hands and bowed to the elder.
“Please... take care of him.”
The Divine Physician waved off her bow.
We stepped out of the room one slow step at a time.
.
.
.
Stomach growling, I took Gayeong-i to an inn.
Gayeong-i had been bawling nonstop since earlier.
Even while eating noodles, she kept crying, so I let out a hollow laugh.
Knowing it was from gratitude and relief made it okay to watch.
“Thanks, Seojin... Waaah...!”
“Stop crying. People are staring at me weird. And pick one—eat or cry. What's with crying while eating?”
“Waaah... Why say such mean things?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Slipped out from habit.
Good thing this was a cheap inn.
I'd scolded her for people watching, but truthfully, few were.
The inn itself had hardly any patrons.
It really felt like a place for eating just to stay alive.
The noodles were basically just plain water with rolled dough.
Practically for poor folks like past me.
Fortunately, Gayeong-i ate it well anyway.
Seeing her eat what I ordered made it satisfying.
“Haha, young hero. A man doesn't make a girl cry like that.”
Then, someone who'd just set down his hat at the next table spoke to us.
“Little miss, don't cry with food in front of you. Not my place to step in, but good food should be savored, right?”
As I looked to check him out, my thoughts froze.
...Huh?
Face covered in black grime.
Tattered, filthy clothes.
Yet that pretty, handsome face asserted it owned the world.
It was Namgung Yeon.
Sitting in the corner of the same shop, slurping down the same cheap noodles as me.
After downing a big slurp of broth, Namgung Yeon wiped his mouth and said to me.
“A real man gently embraces a woman. Don't you think?”