Chapter 108
Soso felt her heart flutter.
The excitement was not unfamiliar—it was similar to the distant thrill she had felt when admiring him within the Cheongseong Sect.
“Are you upset because I doubted you? Your face is red.”
That blush, she thought, was probably because she was nervous around Sohyeop…
Unable to answer honestly, Soso lowered her gaze.
She needed to steady her breathing. Only then could she calm her racing heart and flushed face.
“I want you to be absolutely sure that I wasn’t doubting you.”
“…Yes.”
“And the reason I asked about your past was to understand why thinking of you gives me a headache.”
“A headache?!”
Soso lifted her head sharply, as if to deny she had ever been shy, and stared at Soh.
“When you lost consciousness from the headache, I tried to use my ability to remove it. But the magical energy surrounding your head repelled my power.”
“Magic energy?”
“Yes. I suspect that the magic you’ve cultivated might be the cause of your headaches.”
“….”
Soh nodded slowly, lost in thought.
“But could this headache really be connected to me?”
“At this point, that seems the most likely. It’s a type of pain you wouldn’t feel if it were caused by anything else.”
Yet Soso could not guess the reason. How could some magic she had never seen in her life be related to her?
More than not knowing the reason, she felt regret that she hadn’t been able to cure the headache.
‘If my power had been stronger than the magic choking Sohyeop, I could have absorbed it…’
She wanted to grow stronger.
Was this the same desire that martial artists felt when striving for higher mastery?
Soso wore a resolute expression, as if she had never felt excitement before.
‘To become stronger, I need to seek Wolya Yoseon and understand my own body more clearly.’
Wolya Yoseon was in Sajeon. But her next destination had been decided as the Mudang Sect.
Still, since she had already met Gongja Sir Unwoo, did she really need to go there?
She briefly remembered Mumeong, but she had no strong connection with him. There was no need to visit the Mudang Sect just to ask about him.
Soso cared far more about the Soh she had just reunited with.
“I will make sure to cure that headache for you.”
“Reliable, aren’t you?”
“However, I think I need to go to Sajeon to do it. Is that alright?”
“You mean Sajeon instead of the Mudang Sect? As long as you can cure it, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
“But in Sajeon…”
Soso trailed off. Soh immediately noticed why the confident young woman had suddenly become hesitant.
“Sajeon is where the Cheongseong Sect is, isn’t it?”
“….”
“If you want, I can go with you. But Baeksam…”
“…Yes.”
“Do not expect me to rebuild the Cheongseong Sect.”
She had sensed this the moment she heard that the name Cheong Eonwoo would no longer be used.
Even so, hearing it directly left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Soso had secretly hoped Soh would hang the Cheongseong Sect banner again. Foolishly so.
“How could I ask you for such a thing? That would be absurd. The fact that we’ve met again is enough for me.”
Though she said that, Soso probably couldn’t easily shake off her lingering attachment to the Cheongseong Sect.
It was strange to her that she, so anxious, found Soh so cold.
Everyone around knew how much he had cherished Cheongseong in the past.
‘What could have happened to Sohyeop to make him so cold now?’
Soso sighed. Almost immediately, Soh’s hand approached again and gently stroked her head.
“I want to ask you one last thing.”
“What is it?”
“I told you, I am suffering from a grave illness. It is more serious than a headache.”
“You’re… telling me this now?”
“Yes. I want you to cure this illness. And after confirming the true nature of my condition, I want you to vow to heal it.”
“What kind of illness is it?!”
At that moment, something astonishing happened.
“…!”
Soh’s eyes suddenly turned a vivid red.
Almost at the same time, magic began to flow from him.
The overwhelming force made Soso’s knees tremble. It was a presence that could shake heaven and earth.
Soh withdrew his power as Soso’s face turned pale.
“Haa…”
His eyes returned to normal, but the red glow lingered like an afterimage, making the world appear blood-colored for a moment.
Oddly, Soso recognized the vivid red.
The presence that had once looked out at the world with deep crimson eyes, radiating magic.
“Ma…maniac?”
Yes. It resembled the eyes of one overtaken by madness.
Soh did not deny it, but instead whispered what he wanted to say.
“You liked and served me when you were Baek Soso. Even after being reborn, you sought me out.”
It was undeniable.
The existence of Cheong Eonwoo was the reason he had tried to survive after becoming Manlyeonsulsam.
“So, I will share my secret with you alone.”
Soso swallowed dryly.
“I… suffer from madness.”
“…!”
“Can you cure my madness?”
Back at the Jegal household, everyone appeared busy.
But Soso didn’t care much about that. Her mind was consumed by the last words Soh had spoken.
‘I have mastered the Asura Blood Heaven Sword, a martial art of the Celestial Demon. As a side effect, I suffer from madness. If untreated, I may one day go insane.’
The harsh fate of Gongja Sir was heartbreaking.
Even after barely escaping the demonic sect, he was left with a fragile body.
Soh said he could never tell other sects about his madness.
Soso understood.
There was a vast difference between learning ordinary magic and mastering the Asura Blood Heaven Sword.
If the fact that he had mastered it became public, he would be considered a threat by the martial world.
‘Just seeing how the Zhongnam Sect sealed him is enough to guess the danger.’
The martial impact of the Celestial Demon’s arts was immense.
Yet Soso felt a strong desire to cure Cheong Eonwoo—or rather, Soh’s madness.
To her, he was also an innocent victim of the demonic sect. He had learned the Asura Blood Heaven Sword to survive.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Sam-ah, are you in there? It’s me.”
It was Jegal Haesu, who had struggled to calm Namgung Jin.
“Yes! Come in.”
Jegal Haesu entered, his gaunt face sitting across from Soso at the round table.
“I worked up a sweat calming Namgung, he said he needed a moment of fresh air to collect his thoughts.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“When did Sam return? And Sohyeop?”
“Just now, and Sohyeop returned to my room.”
“I see… Huh. So much has happened in such a short time, it feels like I’m seeing your face after ages.”
Soso offered him some comfort.
“Look at me all you want. Today, I’ll allow it.”
“Our bright and kind Sam… it’s good to see you so cheerful. You don’t know how much I worried. I know all your past stories, after all.”
“Ah…”
Soso nodded.
Jegal Haesu knew better than anyone how much she missed Cheong Eonwoo.
“…Did you talk properly?”
“Yes, though he’s changed a lot, he is still the person I knew.”
Though Soh appeared blunt and emotionless, he was gentle only to her.
When they flew to Yungjung Mountain, he had carefully held her, tenderly brushed her hair, and even when showing signs of madness, he withdrew his power the moment her complexion turned pale.
He was just like the old Gongja Sir, in fact.
“That’s good. I asked them to leave on purpose because I was worried about you. There’s something I need to discuss with you separately.”
“Jegal Sohyeop, thank you for thinking of that.”
“If you wish to thank me, you can hold my hand someday. Ha ha.”
Soso smiled in response.
“By the way, what will you do now? Are you going to the Mudang Sect?”
“Ah, I wanted to tell you! We’re going to Sajeon…”
But at that moment, another member of the Jegal household visited, interrupting Soso’s explanation.
“Gongja Sir, young lady, are you both here? The master urgently wishes to see you.”
