I stayed up all night with my eyes wide open.
Stolen? The Detoxification Immortal Root?
Then what about Namgung Yeon?
I tossed and turned in bed.
No. Let's think positively.
It'll be fine even without it. She's the protagonist, right? She'll overcome it.
Maybe this greater ordeal will make her grow even stronger.
But as I flipped over to the other side, another thought began to gnaw at me.
...What if she doesn't grow? What if she succumbs to the poison and dies one day?
Just encountering Cheongwol on Mount Emei had altered the world so much... How much more would Namgung Yeon without the Detoxification Immortal Root twist the tale?
What if this means a happy ending is out of reach? What if because of me, countless innocent commoners in the Central Plains meet their deaths?
"...Haa."
My heart pounded, my stomach churned. Breathing felt uncomfortable.
When millions die in a story, it's easy to shrug it off... but if those deaths in reality were because of me, it feels entirely different.
It's like the difference between reading about SM and actually doing it.
There are realms imagination and rational thought can't touch.
You have to experience it directly for the reality to sink in.
Wi Chang said he'd get it back somehow and was whipping the Hao Gate folks into action.
...But honestly, I couldn't quite believe it. Since when were the Hao Gate a martial force?
I had hopes, but I couldn't pin everything on that.
If only I hadn't known!!
If only I hadn't known it was the root Namgung Yeon needed to eat, how great would that have been!
The curse of knowledge. Knowing what role that root plays, I had no choice but to suffer like this.
Fine. It's not my fault.
Why did that Poison King uncle give it to me, anyway?
I wash my hands of it.
I've done enough.
"..."
But no matter how much I tried to let go.
The many neighbors staying on Mount Emei.
The countless lives I'd seen protected in the Holy City flickered before my eyes.
If all of them... if they all die because of this...
I ended up getting out of bed without sleeping.
Just the possibility kept me from sleeping.
"...Fuck."
...Shouldn't I try to fix this somehow?
Knowing how crucial the Detoxification Immortal Root is and doing nothing— isn't that a crime?
It's like knowing the granary's on fire but staying put because you're scared to put it out.
If Namgung Yeon doesn't grow, my life is ruined too. The Demonic Cult will dominate the Central Plains— no way I'd survive.
The dim-witted Namgung Yeon kills five of the Demonic Cult's Seven Heavens.
Five out of seven.
Namgung Yeon has to grow just as in the novel.
It had been hard to face the decision, but a firm resolve steadied my heart.
I have to go. I must. Can't leave it to the Hao Gate.
Better to act and suffer than anxiously wait.
As Uncle always said, if you shit, clean it up yourself.
...Above all, it wasn't like I had no one to lean on... There was someone who could help, waving from the corner of my mind.
.
.
.
"...Ahem."
I glanced at Dang Soran, who was loitering in front of the Leather Room again today.
Maybe because I'd ignored her so much, she'd started killing time on her own lately.
"Soran Miss."
"Yes?"
"...A moment."
Pretending to be casual, I stepped inside the Leather Room.
Dang Soran's playful expression turned serious at my call.
She glanced around tensely for a second, then hurried inside.
I closed the door.
Instantly, the space held only the two of us.
Dang Soran blinked, then gave an awkward smile as she asked.
"Have you finally decided to play?"
"..."
...Is it right to drag Dang Soran into this?
But I can't do it alone.
Taking Uncle to face the bandits would be awkward too.
The Tang Clan of Sichuan were the ones specialized in one-versus-many battles, after all.
When I didn't even know how many bandit strongholds I'd have to check, no one was better than Dang Soran.
I wouldn't have considered this otherwise, but ignoring her when she was right here would be stupid.
Cheongwol? It'd turn into a bloodbath for sure.
I could ask her. But it didn't sit right.
If Dang Soran weren't here, maybe. But she wouldn't be as efficient as the Tang Clan specialized in group fights. And right now, their skills were about equal anyway.
Plus, Cheongwol was under confinement.
And if I told her I was looking for the Detoxification Immortal Root, what would Cheongwol say?
'Detoxification Immortal Root? What's that.'
'A gift from the Poison King. He said to take good care of you, Soran Miss—'
'—The Poison King... why give it to you, for Senior Dang?'
No good. It'd feel shitty. She'd tell me not to.
"Yes? Young Master. Sh-should we... go to the basement?"
Dang Soran extended a finger, lightly brushing my chest.
I swallowed and asked.
"...Do you really want it?"
"Yes?"
"I mean, do you really want to play? Not just curiosity... do you truly want to?"
"...Some curiosity, but... more than that, yes. I just really want to. Maybe it'll help with my heart demon. But what's with the sudden change? You've been like a stone, no reaction at all."
"It's not a whim. I still don't want to."
Disappointment clearly crossed Dang Soran's face.
"What, I thought..."
"But."
I hesitated, then forced out the rest. No idea why it felt embarrassing.
"...I-I need your help. If you help me... I'll help you too, Soran Miss."
"Yes?"
A spark lit in Dang Soran's eyes.
In the awkward silence, her expression grew more playful by the second.
Her eyes and lips curved upward.
...Knew it.
"Oh, I seeee. The Young Master needs my help."
Her attitude shifted the moment she gained the upper hand.
She let out a short laugh and began circling me slowly.
"Looks like it's something only I can do. Oh, but what to do? My price is high; I don't come cheap."
"Soran Miss... I mean..."
"And it's annoying too. Ignoring me all this time, then changing when you need something? Hmm... maybe I won't."
Infuriating, but she had a point.
I had no choice but to play along.
"Miss, please don't..."
"Ah, I'm so happy. Why is the Young Master squirming so cute? Beg a little more intensely. Like that energy you showed in my room. Though I might ignore you anyway."
"..."
Her face flushed with excitement, Dang Soran giggled and asked.
"But what is it? I need to hear the request first."
****
"But what is it? I need to hear the request first."
Dang Soran felt like she was venting all her recent frustrations with Cheongwol.
Lately, her days had been nothing but stifling.
After a long journey, Han Seojin ignored her, and at the Revival Temple on Mount Emei, Cheongwol treated her like a ghost.
She'd come to Mount Emei thinking she'd claim Han Seojin, but the process was slower and more boring than expected.
The colors she'd seen in Han Seojin and Cheongwol felt like illusions; her world turned bland and empty again.
A colorless world.
That was still the reality Dang Soran lived in.
She'd relentlessly teased Han Seojin, but in a way, it was a desperate act.
Perhaps to fill her empty heart, she'd dropped her mask and forced out more of her true self.
Maybe she wanted to confirm her existence through his reactions.
That night with Han Seojin remained a massive shock even now.
If they played again, could this colorless world regain its hues? Could her heart demon-twisted emotions draw closer to normal?
Foolish hopes lingered somewhere in her heart.
But every time Han Seojin acted oblivious, her efforts felt foolish.
Just as she thought she might have to return to the Holy City, this happened.
Colors bloomed on Han Seojin's flustered face.
Black hair. Apricot skin. Black eyes. Red ears from embarrassment.
She couldn't tear her eyes from those simple colors, and it was hard to suppress her smile.
Being with Han Seojin sometimes made her feel normal like this.
The stimulation wasn't as intense as that night, but it was just as addictive as certain poisonous herbs.
"Yes? Young Master. What is it? Need money? That feels weird. Like I'm buying you."
Dang Soran dropped all masks, revealing honest playfulness.
Then Han Seojin clenched his jaw and smiled.
It was like his inner domineering side peeked out, making Dang Soran's heart race.
"It's a tougher request than that. See, I sent something to an acquaintance, but bandits stole it."
The request's scale surprised her, and she blinked.
"I absolutely must get it back. So... you know..."
"...Want me to wipe out the bandits?"
"That sums it up."
"...You're a scary one, Young Master. Asking me to kill people."
"No, not kill... I just need that item back. It's really important."
Honestly, Dang Soran had no second thoughts. Dealing with bandits was routine for the Tang Clan of Sichuan.
Not a big deal. But a non-martial artist asking? That was fresh.
"Where's the bandit stronghold? Mountains are crawling with them once you cross a ridge."
Seventy-Two Bandit Strongholds.
Bandits were everywhere, like cockroaches. Crush one nest, another pops up.
So many that pinpointing the stronghold was key.
Han Seojin looked ambiguous again.
"Well... They were ambushed somewhere around Zhongjing..."
"You know how big Zhongjing is? Can't do it in days. Even rushing, it'd take a month."
"...Yes."
Using the Poison Phoenix, bearer of that title, for a whole month.
No price a poor Leather Room owner could afford.
Did this man far from wealth even realize?
She opened her mouth to tease him again...
...Wait. A month?
"..."
That timeframe flashed in her mind.
"...Will you come along too, Young Master?"
"O-of course, Miss. Least I can do is cook for you."
"...Hmm."
A chance to stick with Han Seojin for a month?
She looked up at him cautiously.
Han Seojin had a tendency to gaze only at Cheongwol subtly.
He denied it, wanted distance from martial artists... but couldn't detach from Cheongwol, prioritizing her.
Even confined lately—out of Mount Emei by day, even the temple by night—Cheongwol's occasional dazed smiles probably came from that.
Han Seojin took good care of her.
Their bond was obvious. Probably only Dang Soran noticed.
Her heart demon writhed in her chest.
Damp sensations shook and teased her.
...I want a friend like that too. Makes Cheongwol even more desirable since she cherishes her.
A month.
...With Han Seojin, a month.
Han Seojin only thought of retrieving the item, but Dang Soran saw the time differently.
She pushed away the impure thoughts and said.
"...It'll take too long, so I'll just buy a new one for you. That work?"
Fortunately, Han Seojin frowned like it was a problem.
"Not something you can easily buy."
"What is it?"
"..."
Han Seojin couldn't answer. Dang Soran pressed.
"Tell me so I can look too. Young Master, what?"
"Well... uh... the Detoxification Immortal Root."
"...?"
Question marks filled Dang Soran's head.
She knew only one: the Tang Clan's.
Was there another?
"What... some liquor name?"
"No... it's the Tang Clan of Sichuan's Detoxification Immortal Root."
Still dubious, she frowned.
"Why... did you have it?"
"The Poison King... he... gave it as a gift, said to take good care of you—"
"—What??"
The real Detoxification Immortal Root? The Tang Clan treasure?
Realization dawned, and she shouted unwittingly.
"Are you insane?! You let them steal THAT?!"
Now Dang Soran was on edge too.
Han Seojin whispered.
"...Will you help?"
"Do I have to say it?!"
Dang Soran yelled.
"Get ready! As fast as possible!"