The head of the Hao Gate Sichuan Branch, Jin Gon, silently watched his returning subordinate while slowly wiping the sweat trickling down his forehead.
No one in the room could find the words to continue.
In the heart of Sichuan, Chengdu, at the luxurious tavern known as Azure Cloud Pavilion.
The Hao Gate executives gathered secretly in its basement struggled to accept the words coming from Wi Chang's mouth.
"What?"
When Jin Gon asked again, Wi Chang, who had been breathing heavily, moistened his lips and repeated the same words.
"...Heart Demon!"
"..."
"The Heart Demon physician... has appeared on Mount Emei."
A Heart Demon physician, of all things.
It was a realm even the Divine Physician dared not aspire to.
A Heart Demon was a affliction born from the poison and madness within a martial artist's inner self, or a severance of enlightenment.
Its forms, symptoms, and methods of overcoming were all vastly different, so claiming someone could cure it was no different from saying a panacea for all diseases had been found.
Jin Gon slowly shook his head in disbelief.
"Wi Chang. You know this isn't the time for jokes—"
"—I heard it with my own ears, Branch Leader! Emei Sect's second-generation disciple Cheongwol personally sought out that man for a Heart Demon issue, and even Tang Clan's Dang Soran, who caught on, clung to the physician begging for help!"
The air in the underground space subtly trembled.
It was hard to believe.
But the one relaying it was none other than Wi Chang, known for his reticence and caution, so confusion spread across the faces of those gathered.
"That massacre on Mount Emei seems to have been Cheongwol's doing as well, driven by her Heart Demon... But after meeting that physician, she appears to have escaped the demon's influence. Surely you haven't heard? Emei Sect's Thousand-Year Flower defeated the Poison Phoenix! Could someone consumed by a Heart Demon achieve such a feat? A martial artist who just passed thirty, surpassing the Tang Clan's signature techniques!"
"...Even the Poison Phoenix was afflicted by a Heart—"
"—And that's why even she sought out that physician!"
Wi Chang interrupted Jin Gon without hesitation, his mouth running nonstop.
Under normal circumstances, Jin Gon would have rebuked Wi Chang's rudeness, but the weight of the information he brought crushed any such notion.
Jin Gon moistened his lips and spoke.
"Tell me everything you know."
Wi Chang shook his head.
"I don't know the details. I judged reporting this information was the top priority, so I left after confirming only the basics. What I did learn: the physician is a young man who just passed twenty, runs a small leather shop near Mount Emei, and seems to have had a relationship with Cheongwol for some time."
"...Just past twenty?"
It was utterly absurd.
A youth barely out of his twenties piercing the essence of Heart Demons and knowing how to resolve them?
...Or perhaps a hidden master who had achieved reversal of aging?
But no such master's disappearance had been reported recently.
If a high expert capable of reversal of aging had vanished from the martial world, it would have reached Hao Gate's ears long ago.
At that moment, another subordinate, Heo Yo, across the meeting table, cautiously spoke up.
"Branch Leader, in my view... it's not very convincing. Asking us to believe such a noble figure is hiding in a corner of Mount Emei... If that young man had truly reached the realm of mastering Heart Demons, he would have traveled the sects, reaping fortunes in gold. Even Shaolin's abbot would do so—yet a leather shop owner just past twenty shows that level of asceticism? This Central Plains has all sorts of people, but I've never seen one who hates money. Whether cultivating the Dao or chanting sutras, humans hate going hungry."
Wi Chang bristled at Heo Yo's point.
"Does the reason matter? What matters is that I found this physician. Questions like 'why' are useless. That noble one is resolving Cheongwol's Heart Demon!"
"And you're sure Cheongwol had a Heart Demon? That's why you went to Mount Emei to confirm, right?"
"If she didn't have one, why would she seek a phys—"
"—Quiet."
Jin Gon cut off Wi Chang and added,
"Wi Chang. How do you know this youth is truly a Heart Demon physician? Heo Yo has a point."
One couldn't just approach the youth and ask, "Are you the Heart Demon physician?"
If Wi Chang was right, the man knew the method to resolve Heart Demons but chose not to step forward, for whatever reason.
It made sense he was hiding on Mount Emei.
Approaching carelessly and asking outright would be like killing the goose that lays golden eggs.
It would only heighten his wariness.
Wi Chang's eyes darted around before he suddenly lifted his head.
"Br-Branch Leader, can't we just watch Dang Soran?"
"..."
"Dang Soran's Heart Demon is public knowledge. And as I said, she met this physician. If he's truly capable of resolving Heart Demons, won't we see hers lift as well?"
Jin Gon stroked his chin.
The Hao Gate members' eyes focused on Jin Gon's decision.
Jin Gon took a deep breath.
Heart Demon physician.
The implications of those words were beyond imagination.
Even Jin Gon, whose emotions rarely fluctuated, felt the hairs on his arms standing on end.
If this information was true, it wasn't mere intel—it was a variable that could upend the entire martial world landscape.
Heart Demons weren't a wall overcome by skill; they were a fatal trap indifferent to righteous or evil sects, good or evil, factions or individuals.
Countless supreme experts had knelt to Heart Demons.
But if someone could control them...?
Even a one-in-a-thousand, one-in-ten-thousand chance meant Hao Gate could not let it slip away.
Jin Gon's eyes gleamed subtly.
"...Wi Chang."
He whispered.
"...You personally get close to that youth."
At those words, Wi Chang's expression changed in an instant.
Ambition flickered in his usually impassive face.
"Yes, sir!"
"Spare no expenses. Wine, wealth—use any means to win his favor. Especially—"
"—Women."
Wi Chang spoke as if he already knew.
Jin Gon nodded.
To sway a man, nothing beats a woman.
"...Men by nature can't refuse women. Whether treating him to them or introducing someone as your acquaintance... use any weapon at your disposal."
"Don't worry. I'll get close somehow."
"But don't overdo it."
"Got it! Naturally. I'll approach naturally."
Jin Gon nodded and muttered.
"Forget that it's a Heart Demon for a moment... He's the man Emei Sect's Thousand-Year Flower approached. That alone makes him worth watching."
Afterward, Jin Gon announced to everyone.
"Everything said in this room stays here. The division leader will decide, but this is likely top-grade intelligence."
Top-grade intelligence.
Wi Chang shuddered at the words. Had he ever dreamed he'd uncover top-grade intel in his lifetime?
Even in Hao Gate, top-grade was exceedingly rare.
Top-grade wasn't sold carelessly to other sects.
And Wi Chang had uncovered it.
Heo Yo eyed Wi Chang sullenly before asking Jin Gon.
"...Branch Leader. If this truly becomes top-grade, how much do you think it'll fetch? Who should we sell to? Wudang?"
Jin Gon let out a hollow laugh.
"Sell?"
"Pardon?"
He said,
"If he's truly a Heart Demon physician, we must shelter him. Keep him secret from everyone. Just possessing him makes us stronger."
Hao Gate not selling intel.
Wi Chang's thrill deepened.
Jin Gon continued.
"We'll investigate. If true, even the Gate Lord might rush here barefoot to serve that noble one."
****
Avoiding Cheongwol was one thing.
But heading to Chengdu to avoid Dang Soran—and the Tang Clan—might seem like a strange choice.
Why crawl into the Tang Clan's home turf instead of another city?
...I don't want to either. If I were a martial artist, maybe.
But I'm not, and this is the Central Plains.
No planes, no cars. Not even a horse for a beggar like me.
I want to go elsewhere, but I can't.
Uncle said even Chengdu, the closest in Sichuan, takes four or five days on foot.
That's walking all day.
Roughly, people walk 5 km/h, and eight hours a day makes it about 40 km daily.
So Chengdu is roughly 160 to 200 km away.
Even that "close" Chengdu is up to 200 km. How am I supposed to get anywhere else?
For someone like me who lives day-to-day off daily sales, extra days on the road are a burden.
I'll probably have to beg like a beggar for those few days following Uncle Gwak Du.
But can I afford not to go?
Lives are at stake. I feel the threat to my life.
Last night, I woke screaming like a girl from a dream of Cheongwol's chilling gaze.
More than anything, avoiding Cheongwol was a big motivator.
Gathering useful info in Chengdu would be a huge gain.
Are there merchant caravans heading to other cities? Can I hitch a ride far away?
Is there a place I can settle?
That's what I'm after.
I have a slight expectation too.
With the Tang Clan dominating Chengdu.
Their craftsmanship is top-notch, so there are all sorts of tools.
...Tools fit for SM play would be nice.
Like locks?
Not for Cheongwol at all—it's purely for my hobby.
Even if SM has brought me endless trouble, if I could quit over that, it wouldn't be a fetish.
Even if SM betrays me, I still love SM...
"Uncles, you promised. To guard my leather shop."
Before departing, I said to the uncles.
Gu Yeong Uncle and Ma-chil-deuk Uncle nodded.
"Hey, kid, how many times you gonna check? We'll guard it fine!"
"We'll sprawl out front day and night. Go worry-free."
Precautions before leaving are solid.
Basement's sealed, upstairs covered with cloth.
Uncles stationed out front. No one'll barge in.
No thieves looting all I've built.
Then, a commotion erupted nearby.
I instinctively crouched and hid.
Sure enough, far off where the noise came from, Tang Clan servants were moving.
If Dang Soran was in that commotion searching for me, I swallowed hard.
Seeing me crouch and hide, Gu Yeong Uncle muttered.
"...You're acting really weird lately. Did you mess up with the Tang Clan or something?"
Yeah, big time.
"Seojin's been weird for days. Now suddenly off to Chengdu—who knows what wind blew this time."
"Anyway, I'm heading out."
"Go on. Brother's waiting. Be careful!"
I slung the journey bundle over my back.
Planning to bring leather goods to sell quietly in Chengdu for money.
I've done leatherwork long enough to have confidence.
Gloves, belts. Bags, water skins. Even some ropes I made.
Should help a bit.
I stretched my neck and quietly stepped off.
Like a petty thief, glancing around warily.
Getting caught fleeing by Dang Soran or Cheongwol helps no one.
They might have no intentions—or some intentions—but I don't want to find out.
Hiding this way and that, I reached the meeting spot with Gwak Du Uncle.
"Seojin! Hurry up! Thought I'd die waiting!"
Uncle, waiting in the clearing outside the village, waved wildly.
"Shh!!"
The moment I saw him, I bolted.
Like encountering a bear on the mountain, backing away stealthily until far enough, then sprinting.
The instant I left Emei Village, it felt like a demon's hand tickling my nape.
Any second, something would grab me with a smack and ask, "Where you going?"
"Wh-whoa? Kid, why the sudden sprint?"
So I grabbed Gwak Du Uncle's arm and ran.
The staff at his waist clinked and swayed.
"Just a bit! Let's bolt a little!"
I urged Gwak Du Uncle.
He scratched his head, then obliged.