Chapter 45
The old man’s face turned pale as he thumped his own chest in despair.
“Aigoo… I never hoped to die gracefully in peace, but why, of all things, did I have to pick up something like that? My cursed life just keeps getting worse…”
Ignoring the old man who was busy lamenting his fate, Ye-il approached the man people called the Young Lord.
Behind her, the old man shouted in fury —
“You’ll freeze to death, you fool!”
“At least pretend to cover yourself up, you brat!”
But Ye-il stood before the man without so much as glancing back.
As she drew near, the man pulled his black hat (흑립) lower to obscure his face even more. His sharp, tightly set jaw betrayed no emotion.
Well, that made sense.
If he truly was a young lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect, he was likely surrounded day and night by peerless beauties. A woman exposing a bit of her under-robe wouldn’t faze him — unlike the old man, who was practically having a fit.
“Hey, Young Lord.”
“……”
“My name’s Ye-il. I’ve been indebted to the old man here for about a year.”
“You’re a disciple of Gwangbyeok?”
The moment the Young Lord spoke, his guards drew their swords. Ye-il didn’t even look at them. She frowned slightly and asked back,
“Who’s Gwangbyeok supposed to be?”
A heavy silence fell.
Then—
“Ha.”
The Young Lord let out a hollow laugh that soon broke into open laughter. Despite his light and playful tone, there was an undeniable chill of authority beneath it.
Yet when he laughed, shoulders shaking freely, he looked like nothing more than a bright, mischievous youth.
“Lady, are you saying you’ve been freeloading in the home of your benefactor without even knowing his name? Remarkable! You call Gwangbyeok as if he were some household mutt.”
“……”
“You’re not from Shingang, are you?”
That phrase — Shingang’s people — immediately told Ye-il what he meant.
‘Between that and the word “apostate”… So, this is the Heavenly Demon Sect.’
There were only a handful of people in that sect who could be called Young Lord.
That his status was higher than expected wasn’t the issue — what was troubling was that someone of such standing had come here personally to see the old man. Especially concerning for Ye-il, who was living with him.
“Does where I’m from really matter?”
“In this land, it can, Lady.”
“Not to me.”
“Then what does matter to you?”
“If you’re after Gwangbyeok’s head, you’ll have to go through me first.”
“You insolent brat!”
The old man glared at her as if to say, What nonsense are you spouting now? and shouted,
“Stop your foolish talk and cover yourself up! This isn’t a place for you to meddle. Get inside, now!”
Had he been holding a stick, he surely would have swung it at her.
But the Young Lord didn’t take her warning lightly.
“Don’t be so cold, Gwangbyeok. It’s not often someone is willing to stake their life purely out of loyalty — and not blind devotion.”
“Then, Young Lord, are you saying you intend to duel this child?”
“Why not? If she offers her life as the wager.”
The Young Lord turned to Ye-il, his expression calm and teasing — but there was no arrogance or carelessness in his gaze.
He wasn’t mocking her.
He was simply… enjoying the moment.
This unexpected encounter amused him.
“Tiring type of person.”
She’d met all sorts in her life, but the kind who had nothing to lose — they were the ones to avoid most.
Now she could vaguely see why the Young Lord’s so-called “brother” had fallen out with him.
Perhaps it wasn’t a joke after all, because the Young Lord’s guards slowly stepped aside, clearing space. The old man clicked his tongue repeatedly but could do nothing to stop it.
In an instant, the shabby yard became an arena.
“She’s just a young lady, so don’t hit too hard,” the Young Lord said with an easy smile.
“Should I just take off all my clothes then?”
“You seem good at twisting meanings. Or perhaps you just enjoy teasing me…”
Even as he made jokes, there wasn’t a single gap in his defense.
He clearly knew Ye-il wasn’t an opponent to underestimate.
“Name.”
He tilted his head, scanning her sharply. Ye-il’s tone stayed firm.
“Before a duel, both sides announce their name and affiliation. You don’t even know that much?”
“Ah.”
His grin widened — boyish again, as if even her scolding amused him.
“Ah, you’re right. I forgot the basics in all this excitement. I am—”
Naïve one.
Before he could finish, Ye-il’s sword flashed like the wind.
That was the first meeting between Ye-il and Jin Cheong-ak, the Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Ye-il regained consciousness a day and a half later — around midnight — after being poisoned by the deadly toxin Hong-yu.
At her bedside, Chang-ah, who had been dozing off, startled awake and burst into tears.
“Uwaaaah! I thought you’d died, my lady! I was sure I’d have to deal with your corpse all by myself!”
Her body was drenched in cold sweat, showing how rough her recovery had been. Chang-ah must have tended to her continuously, wiping her down and caring for her.
After swallowing a few sips of water, Ye-il cleared her dry throat and murmured,
“I’m fine.”
“Please, stop doing dangerous things! You always say nothing will go wrong, but it always does! One little mistake and you’ll end up a corpse, I swear! Of course, I’m just a humble servant and can’t understand your grand plans, but still—uwaaaah!”
Seol-yeong, who had been patrolling nearby, entered just in time to hear Chang-ah’s wailing and scowled.
“You might as well have died from the poison. There are at least two people here who would mourn you.”
“To fool the enemy, sometimes you must fool your allies too.”
“Aah, enough! I don’t care anymore. I won’t be listening to your orders for a while, so do as you please! If you don’t like it, go ahead and poison me.”
Ye-il gently patted Seol-yeong’s head with a small smile before asking casually,
“Where’s Jin Cheong-ak?”
“How should I know? He left you with us yesterday and hasn’t returned since. That’s just how Brother Jin is.”
Judging by his usual unpredictability, Ye-il figured it would take him quite some time to come back.
Sure enough, Jin Cheong-ak didn’t reappear until late the next night.
He said nothing about where he’d been or what he’d done, only grinned lazily as he spoke.
“Didn’t I tell you, Lady Namgung? You’re surely immune to all poisons — no antidote needed.”
Ye-il hadn’t forgotten — he had never said that.
‘It’s true I’ve built resistance to most toxins, but I’m far from completely immune. Without an antidote, I’d have been bedridden for at least a week.’
But she didn’t correct him. One day, that misconception could become a weapon against him.
“And Namgung Chumyeong?”
“Hmm… There was a brief chase, maybe an hour or so? He killed himself the moment he was caught. Nothing useful gained.”
He tilted his chin toward the window.
“They peeled off his human mask and hung it at the main gate. The Namgung clan’s declared they’ll find the culprit no matter what — all of Anhui Province is in an uproar.”
Seol-yeong whistled softly.
“Well, that figures. Who in their right mind would dare pull something that crazy against a noble house — especially the Namgung family? People must be dying to know who did it.”
“And what about Namgung Hoe?”
Seol-yeong replied instead.
“That’s been disbanded. Though he’s basically under house arrest now. They’re using your poisoning as an excuse to delay his release.”
“……”
“The incident’s too big — everyone’s keeping their heads down. Plus, the young master went berserk hacking up the fake corpse, so…”
No wonder Ye-il had sensed so many unfamiliar presences nearby — relatives from the Namgung clan were still staying at the estate.
She decided to focus first on restoring herself to full strength.
They kept her recovery a secret within the household, while Jin Cheong-ak remained by her side as she concentrated on meditation and energy circulation.
But daytime proved troublesome for a different reason.
“……She’s still not awake?”
“No, Young Master.”
“Not even showing signs of waking?”
“No, Young Master.”
That was because Namgung Hee-myeong came by every single day, staying for at least an hour each time.
