Chapter : 85
When Gu Heeryang grew noisy, Gwaksso, clutching her forehead in agony from her chronic headache, finally spoke.
“From an informational standpoint, what you say isn’t wrong. But Lord Danju’s cat isn’t exactly pleasant either. Even if Mureong had tried to take it, it wouldn’t have gone along willingly.”
“That’s true. Just as proud as it looks… tsk.”
After a moment of thought, Gu Heeryang reached a conclusion.
“They must have taken it when it was distracted. That’s why it couldn’t even say it didn’t want to go.”
“…Could that really be the case? Even so, Mureong is a pillar of the Martial Alliance. Surely he wouldn’t have absconded with a cat…?”
Even though the cat already had a fiancé.
“Oh, my Soya, my dear Soya. That’s the fear of love. If my little cat has regained its senses by now, it’s probably hissing at everyone around.”
“Shouldn’t we inform the Martial Alliance?”
“Inform them of what? Do you think Munryeong doesn’t already know what I know?”
Gwaksso only pursed her lips in agreement; it was true.
“If this continues, the clash between the Martial Alliance and the Demon Sect could escalate into an all-out war that threatens both sides. At a time like this, the authorities won’t just stand by either.”
Gu Heeryang, chewing on dried meat, muttered, “Is the world doomed?”
The weight of the words made Gwaksso uneasy. Yet she could not entirely disagree.
“We must return it quickly.”
Gwaksso exhaled deeply. She no longer wished for comfort or leisure. All she wanted now was to live quietly, out of sight of the Martial Alliance members who were all out of their minds.
When Yeonhwa opened her eyes, it was bright daylight.
‘Where am I?’
She looked around, bewildered, seeing unfamiliar furniture and decorations in a strange room.
She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn’t obey.
As she wondered why, memories of what had happened earlier slowly surfaced.
Hambyeoksan.
The sensation of dancing with the sword along the mountain.
And then briefly dreaming, waking up, and grasping her sword again—just before the moment of ambush!
“Who… brought me here?”
If her memory was correct, the person who ambushed her must have brought her here and was now taking care of her.
Yeonhwa felt uneasy.
Forcing her feet to the floor beneath the bed, she gripped the wall and slowly rose.
The sensation as she moved was strange.
Her meridians were loose, her muscles cramped painfully, yet deep inside, from her dantian, her internal energy surged clearly and nobly.
Feeling the vast energy spreading through her body, Yeonhwa abandoned further movement and sat down, beginning her meditation and energy circulation exercises.
Observing internally, she tried to consolidate the insights she had gained.
But she had not yet fully mastered them.
No matter how much she retraced the situation and recalled the images, she could not recreate the exact state.
‘Take it slow. At my age, only Brother Museong has shown results like this. If I rush and ruin what I’ve built, it would be foolish.’
Yeonhwa exhaled slowly, comforting herself.
When she tried to stand again, her strength faltered, and she swayed. The person waiting across the room quickly approached and supported her.
“Brother?”
Yeonhwa’s eyes widened as she saw Tak Museong.
It had been a long time since she had shown such an expression, and for a moment, warmth flickered in his ash-colored eyes.
But as soon as she spoke, his expression hardened as if nothing had happened.
“Why are you here? Are you heading to the Martial Alliance?”
“You think of going the moment you get up?”
“Ah…”
Yeonhwa bit her lip.
As soon as she saw him, she realized why he had knocked her out.
If not for Brother Museong, no one could have stopped her from losing control.
A warrior of his caliber was rare; she might have truly been in danger.
Yet, seeing him first, she spoke as if he were somewhere he shouldn’t be instead of greeting him, which might have upset him slightly.
Though she doubted Brother Museong would care about such things.
After a brief hesitation, Yeonhwa spoke.
“You saved me. Thank you.”
“That’s enough.”
Tak Museong said brusquely, softening his tone as he helped her sit on the bed.
He then brought the medicine bowl from the table.
It seemed he had come to give her medicine but had waited silently, watching her meditate.
As Yeonhwa tried to take the medicine, his gaze followed the spoon.
When she had been unconscious, he had fed her slowly with it; now, letting go so soon made him slightly regretful.
He held the bowl, then checked it with his other hand.
“It’s cooled.”
“That’s fine.”
“Medicine should be taken warm. I’ll prepare some anew.”
Before Yeonhwa could stop him, he reached out, lightly tapping her face.
“Rest. I’ll bring it right back.”
Leaving the room, Yeonhwa sighed and lay down diagonally on the bed.
From that day, Yeonhwa learned much from Tak Museong.
Her martial arts grew at a pace that even sometimes amazed him.
Curiously, he asked,
“Why couldn’t you do this in the past?”
Sensing his genuine interest, Yeonhwa chuckled.
Their relationship had changed slightly.
He no longer tried to oppress her but generously taught the principles of rare martial arts, which any martial artist would risk their life to learn.
Moreover, she no longer felt stifled just being near him and could now have extended conversations.
She discovered he listened well and answered questions properly.
So she could respond openly.
“When I was very young, my body couldn’t keep up. When I grew a little, I was burdened and restrained in everything I did. Could my sword go further? Would someone get hurt because of me? If I didn’t obey well, would the head of the Namgung family prevent me from learning martial arts?”
As Yeonhwa spoke, Tak Museong’s expression darkened.
Yet he considered her reasoning justified and believed it was not wrong even now.
If there was a fault, it was that he had not expanded her world as she grew.
The problem was realizing it too late.
That, however, could now be corrected.
Separately, as she heard more about the head of the Namgung family, she wondered if he was truly worth sparing.
“The head of the Namgung family won’t change, right?”
“Probably not. But it doesn’t matter anymore. I have no expectations of him; I only need to focus on what I must do.”
Tak Museong lightly tapped her shoulder in acknowledgment—a sign of encouragement.
She was slightly surprised that he would do such a thing.
“Has there been any word from the Alliance today?”
He explained that because her condition was close to entering a dangerous state, she could not move or meet anyone, so he let her rest secretly at his residence.
Yeonhwa understood and asked him to at least inform those at the Martial Alliance that she was safe.
She suspected he would not have thought to inform anyone if there was no problem.
As expected, even after more than four days since she collapsed, he had not contacted the Martial Alliance.
When she heard this, the first person who came to mind was Yu Geonmyeong.
Thinking of him panicking made her anxious.
When she requested it seriously, Tak Museong agreed, but she suspected he might not have been in a hurry because he didn’t see it as important.
So she asked again, but his expression remained unchanged, though his gaze darkened slightly.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten to contact them yet?”
“…Hmm.”
“Did you really forget? Yesterday, when I asked, you were clear…”
“Alright.”
“What do you mean by ‘alright’? Have you already done it, or not yet?”
“I just meant alright.”
Only then did Yeonhwa realize his meaning.
He had heard her, but he had no intention of doing as she asked.
“Brother!”
Yeonhwa raised her voice.
