Chapter 69
Soso lay back down on the bed and secretly glanced at Sau.
A moment ago, she had suggested that he try to get some more sleep. Dawn wasn’t far off, but she thought it would be better if he rested even just a little longer.
However, Sau didn’t go to another room. Instead, he insisted he would just sit here in the chair.
She couldn’t tell whether he was sleeping or simply keeping his eyes closed — he didn’t make the slightest movement.
‘At least he doesn’t seem to be in pain right now… that’s a relief.’
Soso recalled the moment she first discovered him sleeping.
When she came to after fainting while treating Namgoong Jin, she realized two things immediately:
First, that she had returned to her human body.
Second, that Sau was sleeping under her bed.
Zhuge Haesu was lying farther away, so she didn’t notice him right away.
Soso quietly climbed down from her bed and examined Sau’s face.
It didn’t take long for her to be startled.
Sau’s face was violently contorted.
He was someone who normally wore no expression, and even when he did, it was barely noticeable.
Yet now, he looked like someone who had been pierced straight through — suffering agonizing pain.
A faint groan escaped through his tightly clenched teeth. It was the kind of sound that made even the listener feel as if they were in pain.
The cold sweat pouring down his body like rain made him look even more miserable than Namgoong Jin, who had been critically wounded.
Was he having a nightmare?
Soso forgot all about the fact that she had said she disliked him and gently took his hand.
He looked so terribly tormented that she couldn’t simply ignore it.
His hand felt as cold as a corpse.
Soso willingly shared her warmth.
Once her heat began to flow into him, Sau’s hand slowly turned warm, and his expression gradually relaxed.
Only then did Soso release his hand and quietly took her time to observe his face.
That strange, captivating face that always drew her gaze whenever they were together.
Had she stared too long?
Because the Sau who showed not even the slightest sign of waking suddenly opened his eyes wide — catching her staring directly at him.
And after exchanging a bit of conversation with him earlier, she felt even more relieved now.
‘Thank goodness we cleared things up with Sau Sohyeop.’
Thanks to that conversation, it seemed unlikely that he would continue behaving aggressively toward her party.
The mystery surrounding his identity still remained, but there was one thing she finally felt certain of:
‘He won’t harm me or my companions without cause.’
Soso trusted her intuition.
After her sensitivity sharpened, she had developed a sense for reading others.
Soso stopped observing Sau and closed her eyes. Then she prayed that he wouldn’t have any nightmares and that Namgoong Jin would wake up safely in the next room.
As she pondered different thoughts, sleep gently washed over her.
…It felt like she should be worrying for one more person.
But the sudden drowsiness was impossible to resist. Her consciousness slowly faded away.
It was a deep sleep, without dreams.
When Baeksam’s breathing changed to a steady rhythm, as if she was truly asleep, Sau opened his eyes.
This time, he was the one observing her face.
Her small face was delicately balanced with fine, harmonious features — a level of beauty no one could possibly ignore.
Perhaps that explained the necessity of the face veil.
His silent, private moment of appreciation was broken by Zhuge Haesu.
The man who had been sprawled on the floor in a messy heap suddenly lifted his head and scanned his surroundings, then rose to approach Sau.
“Could we talk for a moment?”
“…….”
Honestly, it was bothersome.
If it were Namgoong Jin — the next heir of the Namgoong Clan and a martial artist worth acknowledging — he might have considered it. But Zhuge Haesu, the man even his own family rejected? There was no reason to entertain him.
Who did he think he was?
Soon, a sword would be placed into the sixth arm of Asura — and when that happened, the world would be beneath his feet.
And he was expected to politely entertain the words of such an insignificant young master?
Sau decided he needed to ensure Zhuge Haesu would never dare speak to him again.
However, since Baeksam had just fallen asleep in this room, it seemed better to change locations.
“Follow me.”
Sau led Zhuge Haesu behind the inn.
“Thank you for accepting my request at such a late— guh!”
But before he could finish, Sau released killing intent.
Vmmmmmm―
The razor–sharp aura felt like it could slice flesh. Zhuge Haesu’s face instantly twisted.
He clutched his chest, stumbling as if he might collapse.
“Ugh…! S-stop that! You’re going to kill someone…!”
“How feeble. You can’t even endure this level of killing intent? Yet you dared hope for a conversation on equal footing?”
Sau had brought him here simply to give a warning: speak to me casually again, and you won’t live.
He could have killed him outright — but there was a problem named Baeksam.
He had promised her he wouldn’t harm her companions.
A promise that was nothing but a troublesome burden.
“E-even if I’m weak… I still have the right to speak!”
Zhuge Haesu could no longer withstand the pressure and dropped to his knees.
Though his body yielded, strangely enough, his spirit did not.
His clear eyes continued to look straight up at Sau.
‘I thought he was the opposite of Namgoong Jin… but this part is oddly similar.’
That unwavering will sparked the slightest bit of interest.
He wondered what someone like this wanted to say. Why would such a useless, indolent man burn with determination?
“Fine. I’ll listen this once. What do you want to ask?”
Barely able to open his eyes, Zhuge Haesu moved his lips slowly.
“W-we… what… is your true reason… for staying with us…?”
As soon as he managed to finish, he spat thick, dark-red blood onto the ground.
The killing aura had twisted his meridians, causing blood to backflow up to his throat.
If this continued, blood might soon begin spilling from every orifice.
Yet retreat was impossible for him.
‘Namgoong Jin risked his life trying to uncover this man’s identity. I can’t just do nothing.’
But unfortunately, it seemed Namgoong Jin had failed. Which meant it was even more necessary for him to step up.
Zhuge Haesu glanced again at Sau.
A perfectly straight posture and an unreadable expression.
The more one faced him, the harder it was to grasp a single thought from him. It felt like facing a mask, not a person.
And he was strong enough to reduce Namgoong Jin — the Third–Eyed Dragon — to rags.
How could such an expert remain unheard of?
Could he be hiding his real face through skin–masking arts or a bone–shifting technique?
“D-don’t tell me… you intend to use Samyi’s ability…?”
“And if I did?”
“Th–at’s n—”
Just as Zhuge Haesu tried to say no, Sau cut in sharply.
“You’re also sticking to Baeksam because of your illness, aren’t you? Seems we’re no different.”
“…….”
Though not shocked, Zhuge Haesu remained silent.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that the lazy son of the Zhuge Clan suffered from blocked meridians.
“No. I am not with her because of that disease.”
“Then why?”
“If you won’t help, then leave my illness out of your mouth.”
Sau narrowed his eyes.
Seeing him speak so boldly even while blood dripped through his teeth was ridiculous.
A powerless man who refused to bend.
A type of person Sau despised more than anyone.
One who held stubborn convictions despite lacking the strength to support them…
Perhaps it was hatred born from seeing a reflection of his own former self.
A murderous urge surged. Zhuge Haesu looked like he could die from a single strike — and yet Sau wanted to kill him even more.
But Baeksam’s promise clung to his mind like a chain.
“Fine. I promise I will no longer handle your group harshly.”
No matter what monster he had become, he was not someone who broke promises lightly.
He rarely made them — but once he did, he had to keep them.
So he would not break Baeksam’s request.
‘If I can’t kill Zhuge Haesu… perhaps it would be better to use him, as I did Namgoong Jin.’
