Chapter 83
“As far as I know, that physician became famous after the Eightfold Blood Chaos occurred.”
“Ah…”
“And when I got out of bed with nothing but the determination to recover my brother, I thought that if I took various elixirs and trained, my illness would be cured. But that was my arrogance.”
“……”
“And so, only now have I finally found that physician.”
“Sir, that physician isn’t connected to the Demon Sect, is he?”
Sow answered the question.
“No. That Yosan has no ties to the Demon Sect.”
“Lord Sow, how can you be so certain?”
“I was in the process of gathering information on the Demon Sect myself.”
“Could it be that he harbors a grudge against them?”
“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that question.”
Namgung Jin’s gaze sharpened toward Sow.
“What?”
A tense atmosphere filled the space between them.
Since the chaos at his family’s main residence, Namgung Jin seemed to have developed an even greater hostility toward the Demon Sect.
At that moment, the food they had ordered arrived.
Soso tried to ease the tension, placing warm dumplings on each of the three men’s plates.
Fortunately, Namgung Jin didn’t push Sow further, preventing a major conflict.
Soso bit into a steaming dumpling. The burst of meat juice in her mouth was indescribably exquisite.
After finishing the dumpling in an instant, Soso began to share the stories she had heard:
The tale of the death of the disciple and the annihilation of the Hebei Peng family.
Even the speculation that Yosan seemed to be searching for someone.
“The disciple… the elder has passed…”
“Unbelievable… truly tragic.”
The death of the disciple had far-reaching consequences.
Namgung Jin and Jegal Haesu could not hide their astonishment, letting out long, heavy sighs.
Sow, however, remained calm, as if only he knew the full situation.
“Brother, how strong do you think Cheonma is?”
“If he killed the disciple, he must at least have surpassed the Fire Realm.”
“The Fire Realm…”
To Jegal Haesu, it was a realm only dreamed of.
Even his own father, Jegal Cheonjo, had not reached the Fire Realm.
“Perhaps on par with your father,” Namgung Jin said meaningfully.
Soso felt a tightening in her chest and her mouth going dry.
Perhaps Cheonma was a martial artist from the righteous sect.
Perhaps Cheonma was the one seeking the Golden Divine Maiden.
She had a strange feeling of having grown closer to a mysterious, colossal being.
No matter what circumstances arose, no matter what choice she made, she felt they would eventually meet.
‘Will I, like the Golden Divine Maiden fifty years ago, have to cure Cheonma’s madness?’
It was a question she could not answer for now.
At that moment, Sow, who had been silent, spoke.
“Cheonma might even defeat the Sword God Emperor.”
“No matter how strong this young hero is, I cannot forgive him if he insults my father.”
“It’s not an insult; it’s fact. Hasn’t Cheonma already killed one of the Seven World Governors?”
“……”
Namgung Jin bit his lower lip hard.
Oh no, the atmosphere is souring again, Soso thought, quickly trying to mediate between the two men.
“Anyway, aren’t our goals the same? Defeat Cheonma! Defeat the Demon Sect! So don’t fight each other.”
“……”
“If we quarrel among ourselves, it will only cause chaos. Since our opinions and goals are largely aligned, we are traveling together, aren’t we?”
Her words flowed easily, as if she had become a skilled mediator.
Being between a dragon and a tiger, she had somehow grown accustomed to resolving disputes.
Namgung Jin and Jegal Haesu nodded in agreement simultaneously, as if by unspoken accord.
But then…
“…I will not meet Yosan.”
Sow suddenly stood up.
“Young hero? Where are you going?”
“I’ll be waiting at a nearby inn. Come find me when you’re done.”
Without looking back, Sow strode out.
Soso watched Sow’s departing figure, feeling a bitter twinge.
At least to her, Sow had always been kind.
Even knowing how independent-minded he was, she felt a slight sting of disappointment.
It was as if someone she had known for a long time, someone she shared her heart with, had suddenly turned away.
…Though in reality, they weren’t that close. It was strange.
‘Did I say something wrong? Or did he sulk because I didn’t take sides during the argument?’
But in that situation, she couldn’t take Sow’s side.
Even if he was right, his words could be interpreted as an insult to the entire Namgung family.
Moreover, Namgung Jin had saved her life.
“Miss Baek, don’t worry. If he disappears abruptly because he’s upset, it might actually work to our advantage.”
“Yes, I know. He’s an incomprehensible expert after all.”
“Yes. I’d regret not dueling him, but I care more about your safety than anything else.”
Soso nodded.
“Sam-ah, let me tell you the story I started earlier.”
Trying to shift the slightly gloomy mood, Jegal Haesu cheerfully brought up a different topic.
“There’s another reason why I disguised myself as a woman, besides what I told you at the cloth shop.”
Ah, that’s right, she remembered.
“I want to know too!”
“There’s a song among wandering minstrels related to Yosan.”
“A song?”
“Yes, a song about Yosan’s life.”
It was said that Yosan had a younger sister named Hanga.
Originally, he lived a normal life as a physician with Hanga, not as a miraculous doctor as he was now.
However, the two obtained a fateful elixir called the Xian Dan.
Eating this elixir prevented illness and even granted miraculous powers.
They had agreed to share it, but for some reason, Hanga consumed it alone.
As a result, Hanga became a Divine Healer, capable of curing any disease.
Learning this, Yosan was initially furious.
But he could not fully hate his beloved younger sister.
He wished for Hanga’s happiness and continued wandering as a physician.
Yet, after many years, Yosan discovered a shocking truth.
“…That Hanga had died.”
Hanga had died after overusing her innate energy to heal ailments she shouldn’t, ultimately consuming her own life force.
Yosan deeply regretted having neglected Hanga for so long.
Had he been by her side, could he have prevented her death?
“Yosan still longs for his deceased Hanga to this day.”
“A tragic story… but how does this relate to the disguise?”
“Yosan’s Inpimyeon-gu is hard even for experts to grasp. But he always speaks to women who remind him of Hanga. ‘You resemble my sister,’ he says.”
“Ah! I understand now! Jegal So-hyeop, you disguised yourself as the woman known as Hanga?”
“Our Sam is clever,” Soso said with a smile.
“But Hanga’s exact appearance is unknown. Only that she was undoubtedly beautiful, worthy of being called the most beautiful in the world.”
“In that case, So-hyeop passes. Later, when you remove the veil to reveal your beauty, Yosan will surely speak to you immediately.”
“Yes. I plan to remove the veil when the night deepens and the moon rises. So, Namgung brother…”
“Why?”
“To ensure you guard me well. It wouldn’t do if flies are drawn to such beauty, would it?”
“…It’s not for you, but to protect Miss Baek. Those flies might bother her as well.”
“You make it so difficult to say you’ll help.”
“Be grateful that I said I’ll help.”
Soso chuckled at their bickering, thinking about what she had heard from Jegal Haesu.
‘Was Hanga a real person?’
Perhaps wandering minstrels had created the story just from Yosan projecting his sister onto a beautiful woman.
Yet, she had a strange thought.
‘Could the person whose body and soul Yosan seeks, the one who is not yet fully united, be Hanga?’
Perhaps Hanga, already dead, had entered another body.
And perhaps Yosan knew this.
