I stared blankly at Namgung Yeon.
The shock I was feeling right now was beyond words.
I had expected it.
That Namgung Yeon's life would be even harsher than in the original story.
I had worried for a long time whether she could truly rise as the world's greatest, like in the novel.
That worry was what turned me into her patron.
In the hope that I could help her, even just a little.
The money I sent wasn't a small amount either, so it was true that I'd been happily deluding myself.
But the Namgung Yeon sitting in front of me looked no different from a beggar.
She, who should have grown up without want even if not in abundance, looked utterly wretched.
Where did all the servants go?
Why are you here all alone like this?
Why are you eating alone in this cheap shack?
This kind of food is for someone like me who's handed over his fortune to you—you're not supposed to be eating this.
Where did all my money go for you to end up here?
And you're the Namgung Clan Leader now, besides.
Is it okay for the clan leader to live like a penniless vagrant...?
You weren't kicked out. I haven't heard anything like that.
So you're doing this on your own? Why?
As I sat there dazed, Ga Yeong stepped in to make excuses for her instead.
"It's not like that. She's been good to me. It's just that something really grateful happened..."
"Oh, if that's the case, then I apologize for my rudeness. Forgive me, young hero. Accept it with your broad magnanimity."
"...Ah, sure."
...What was with that way of speaking?
Was it just me, or was Namgung Yeon trying way too hard to act like a man right now?
She shouldn't be doing that...?
*Blood Path* could be called a novel about Namgung Yeon finding her true identity.
Born the only daughter of the Namgung Family, she had to act like the eldest son.
She gradually casts off the chains of repression and finally accepts her own gender.
Only from that moment does Namgung Yeon truly blossom.
She reinterprets the Namgung Family's swordsmanship, which demanded only rigidity, with the delicacy and flexibility of a woman, creating her own unyielding path of the sword.
She becomes strong only when she truly accepts herself as a woman.
She was someone whose effort outshone anyone else's, so all she needed was the right direction.
Namgung Yeon lifted her water cup and gulped it down.
The sight was utterly awkward.
As I stared at her strangely, Namgung Yeon grinned and said,
"Water tastes best when you drink it heartily, doesn't it?"
...What the hell is this?
What the fuck is this?
You, who wants to be a woman more than anyone, why are you trying so hard to act like a man?
Seeing a pretty girl put on this ridiculous act of pretending to be a man just made her pitiable.
"...Seojin."
Ga Yeong kicked my leg under the table.
She was signaling that I'd been staring at the woman too rudely for too long.
I blinked and buried my head in my noodle bowl.
My mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
It was always the same thought.
Every change summoned to this world was because of me.
The butterfly effect I'd caused was shaking everyone.
That realization left me with no choice but to feel an even greater sense of responsibility.
But Namgung Yeon wouldn't leave me alone.
She suddenly dragged her table over next to us and sat down.
"Young hero. Let me apologize once more. I'm truly sorry."
"...No need to apologize over something this trivial."
Namgung Yeon nodded, then looked me up and down.
Her gaze, like a small, wary animal, was unbearably burdensome.
"By the way, how are you so robust? Ah, no. So robust?"
As if entranced, she placed her hand on my arm.
"...Muscles..."
I subtly pulled my arm away.
Only then did Namgung Yeon startle slightly and let out a nervous laugh.
"Ha... haha! What of it between men."
...We're not both men, you idiot.
Why the sudden grab of my arm?
Namgung Yeon patted her own arm as if reading my bewilderment and continued,
"I don't slack on training either, but my muscles just won't build... That's why I asked."
"...You need to eat properly. Eating nothing but noodles like this won't build them. You need meat."
"Meat... haha. I prefer vegetables and noodles over meat."
...Is she one of those girls who loves spicy rice cakes or something?
In the end, her femininity pops out in moments like this.
Noticing my expression, Namgung Yeon added,
"Ah, no. I like meat too, of course. As a man should."
Damn, this is heartbreaking.
...Maybe the pressure of becoming clan leader and having to live as a man has gotten worse.
It feels like she's developed some kind of obsession.
For one thing, compared to when I'd seen her in the last holy city, Namgung Yeon had definitely thinned out.
The grime on her face and her shabby clothes probably made her look even more pitiful.
In the end, I couldn't stop my babbling mouth and gave her some advice.
"Whatever the case, take good care of yourself. Forget building your body—you look like you'd collapse if poked."
You have to get strong for me to survive...!
Please, that's why I gave you the money—what are you doing?
"Haha, young hero. Don't underestimate me. I look like this, but as a male, I'd be above you."
Male? What male?
Namgung Yeon was grinning as if it were a joke, making it hard to respond.
Should a martial artist like you lose to someone like me?
I spoke again.
"Health comes first. Look at Ga Yeong here. Doesn't she look healthy?"
"Seojin!"
"For women, health is the best. I'm not just saying empty words—remember that."
Namgung Yeon looked flustered for a moment, then schooled her expression and tilted her head.
"...Words for a woman? To me?"
"I'm just saying take care of your health."
I looked at Namgung Yeon again.
"...?"
There were bandages wrapped haphazardly around the forearm peeking from her sleeve.
Had she gotten injured during training?
Before my curiosity could deepen, the conversation wrapped up, and Namgung Yeon stood.
"Then I should be off. It was a pleasant talk. Ah, are you planning to watch the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly?"
"That's the plan."
Namgung Yeon grinned and said to us,
"Then watch closely."
I could guess what she was thinking.
She'd show up at the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly soon, so prepare to be shocked.
But honestly, the surprise was already spoiled.
From the moment she appeared in that ragged state, my heart had been pounding wildly.
"Guest, your bill."
"Two iron coins."
"Here, let me see... Huh?"
Namgung Yeon's face gradually hardened as she confidently rummaged through her pouch.
Her fumbling fingers, groping her waist and chest, lost their way.
"Uh... uhh?"
Her face began to twist pitifully.
The manly air she'd maintained until now crumbled in an instant.
The owner looked at Namgung Yeon and asked,
"You're not about to say you have no money, are you?"
"N-No... It's just that... It was definitely here..."
Namgung Yeon pulled out a single iron coin.
I let out a sigh.
That must have been her entire fortune.
So where the hell did the money I gave her go for her to scrape by like this...?
I took two iron coins from my pouch and handed them to the owner.
I gestured toward Namgung Yeon, and the owner nodded.
Namgung Yeon looked at me, but I avoided her eyes.
Feeling like her current life was my fault pricked my conscience too sharply.
"...Thank you, truly, thank you."
Her voice softened slightly, betraying her desperation.
"It's fine. Take care."
"It's just... I arrived here yesterday... I was supposed to just head to the temple, but I thought I'd train a bit more... Truth is, I still feel uneasy about meeting people... Oh! I have money left at the inn—I'll go get it right now and—"
"-Stop interrupting my meal with my wife and leave. I can spot you a bowl of noodles."
Namgung Yeon froze at my words, then whispered her reply.
"Yes, under, understood. Thank you so much."
Namgung Yeon pulled her hat low and stepped outside.
I let out a long sigh.
Ga Yeong, who had finally stopped crying, ate her noodles and said,
"That was a weird person, huh?"
"That's Namgung Yeon."
Ga Yeong dropped her chopsticks.
"N-Namgung? As in... the current Namgung Clan Leader? That person?"
The way Ga Yeong said "that person?" carried a lot of meaning.
Just like me, she was probably holding back a "that beggar?"
I nodded.
"You... how do you know that?"
"She's someone I sponsor, so I know her face. And actually, I saw her back in the holy city. When the Hidden Dragon Society was formed."
I kept staring in the direction Namgung Yeon had gone.
...This is disturbing. So disturbing.
Ga Yeong and I finished our food, paid, and headed outside.
"Shall we head back now... Huh."
A figure in a hat blocked our path.
But focusing a bit, I recognized the person.
It was definitely Cheongwol, who should have followed Hye-gwang into Shaolin Temple.
...How does she keep following me everywhere like this?
I was experiencing the Life-Pursuing Ghost's tracking skills with my whole body.
No wonder, in the original story, Dang Soran must have been terrified when Cheongwol chased her.
I was starting to feel it myself.
Cheongwol slightly lifted her head and said to me,
"Boss. You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's eat together. I got some money from Master—"
"-We... already ate."
I couldn't hold back the burp rising inside, covered my mouth with my fist, and let out a small belch.
Cheongwol's eyes flicked between me and Ga Yeong.
"...Then Ga Yeong, you go ahead. Boss, stay with me a bit longer. You probably didn't eat your fill. At least some dumplings—"
"-Cheongwol. We have somewhere to be. Because of Uncle."
Cheongwol's hardened expression. The choker still around her neck.
I gave it to her, but it made her look even scarier.
More decadent, perhaps.
"...So I eat alone, Boss?"
"Weren't you supposed to eat at the temple? With the Shaolin monks."
Cheongwol closed her eyes, then clenched her fist.
Feeling uneasy for no reason, I grabbed her wrist.
"No! Then at least one dumpling—"
Cheongwol shook off my hand.
And said coldly,
"...Three. Choose wisely, Boss."
And with that, she vanished again.
"..."
The distance between us seemed to be growing steadily, but that countdown was unbearably ominous.
...How do I even manage that?
What the hell is she going to do when it ends?
****
"Ah, we've arrived."
Dang Soran peered through the carriage curtain at the scenery of the village at the foot of Mount Song in Henan Province.
After the grueling journey and training, she had lost even more weight, looking gaunt.
During that time, she had focused on one thing only.
Obtaining a favor from her father.
She had trained so fiercely for it that her servants, who initially admired her, later grew worried.
Day and night, dawn and morning—she immersed herself solely in training.
When enlightenment came even at mealtimes, she would close her eyes and circulate her qi, and everyone witnessed her obsession.
Even Dang Jeokcheon grew tense.
Wondering what she wanted so badly to go this far.
A little over a month was short if short, but if devoted entirely to one thing, it could feel long.
Dang Soran had never been so fixated before, so her mind was wholly consumed by that single goal.
But that focus cracked slightly upon arriving at Mount Song.
The sharpness in her eyes softened just a bit.
She asked,
"...That person is here too, right?"
Mu-gyeol replied,
"Yes. We've confirmed Young Master Seojin is in the village."
Dang Soran said to Mu-gyeol,
"...Don't get any weird ideas. I was just curious if he's here..."
"Yes, no weird ideas here. Don't worry, miss."
"...Sigh."
Dang Soran let out a deep breath.
Knowing he was here made her heart flutter for no reason.