“…Goddamn it.”
“Huh? What did you say, Ahwa?”
“Nothing… it’s nothing.”
I swallowed yet another sigh—who knows how many that makes. I wanted to smack Moyong Ha, grinning cluelessly at me, and Moyong Cheon, who was distracted welcoming guests, right in their dumb faces.
And the lanterns lighting the estate so beautifully? Rip them all down and stomp them to dust. Honestly, I wanted to sweep this entire crowd out of here with a broom and toss them straight off a cliff.
And the worst part? Every last one of these bastards is from the orthodox clans.
‘Oh wow, I get to see that smug bastard here? He used to fight like a damn unorthodox thug, and now look at him pretending to be all noble. Disgusting.’
‘That one wrecked my house last life trying to kill me. Should’ve smashed his skull, not just his front door.’
‘Wait a second—that bastard? He’s the one who said he’d personally kill Seol Danhae, blabbing about it at that tavern in Zhu Lu. I knocked his front teeth out. Should I just finish the job now? I’m in a bad mood anyway.’
The longer I looked, the tighter my fists clenched. And of course, those assholes actually came up to greet me.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. They say Moyong Clan’s treasured daughter could make a whole city fall with just one glance—turns out it’s true. Hahaha.”
“Ah… thaaank youu forrr thaat chaarminnn—”
“Pardon?”
It was a parade of faces I wanted to punch, spouting off the most nauseating flattery. Forget that ‘Moyong Hell’ nonsense—this is actual hell.
It’s not a wedding. Not a funeral. Just a fucking birthday. A day that comes every damn year—after, year after, year. And yet, people have swarmed here from all over the central plains like it’s the second coming.
Sure, there’s no guarantee Moyong Muhyeok will still be alive next year… but they don’t know that. And still they came, like flies to rotting meat.
“…Was it this crowded last year too?”
I was already running on fumes when I asked, and Moyong Ha answered gently.
“Not quite. But this year’s different. It’s the day we formally announce Brother Muhyeok’s engagement to Young Lady Soan.”
Soan—as in Paeng Soan, the eldest daughter of the Paeng Clan of Hebei.
I already knew they were formalizing the wedding agreement. I’d heard all about it on the day I first woke up in the Moyong Clan. Everyone had been too busy fussing over Moyong Muhyeok’s betrothal to go fishing with Moyong Yeonhwa, and she ended up drowning.
Anyway, thanks to that engagement, there were too many people for the usual banquet hall. They had to host the entire thing at the training ground—the only place big enough.
Moyong Wi, Lady Eon, and the Young Master Moyong Muhyeok were seated on the raised dais. The other relatives and guests sat in two long rows below, facing each other.
The tables were packed with rare dishes, fine teas, and high-end liquor. In one corner, the pile of gifts from the guests was still growing by the minute.
“Phew. If we throw another engagement party, the entire storeroom might burst.”
It wasn’t just the guests filling the place up—their so-called “gifts” took up just as much space.
Turns out the gifts that arrived before the banquet started were from those who hadn’t been invited in person. The invited guests brought theirs along as they came.
Honestly, it was overwhelming. It made me feel weirdly exhausted.
“Ahwa. If you’re tired, you can just go rest. Your brothers can handle the greetings. Go have some tea with that Dang Clan girl.”
“Yeah. You’ll catch a cold if you stand too long.”
“I want to be with Big Brother, but he’s so busy running arou—ugh, I mean, he’s so busy I can’t even find him.”
I ignored the twins’ fussing. As usual, they deflated immediately.
“He’s probably showing Young Lady Soan around the estate after speaking with Clan Master Paeng earlier. Are we not good enough for you, Ahwa?”
“That’s not it… I just haven’t congratulated him yet. And I need to make sure nothing bad happens to him…”
“Big Brother would be touched just knowing how much you care.”
Moyong Cheon patted my shoulder. He even raised his hand to ruffle my hair, then stopped himself when he noticed the weight of the jewelry piled on it.
I was trying to prevent a disaster, not warm hearts—and there was no way to explain that without sounding insane.
To top it off, someone else came over with a sunny smile. The twins seemed to recognize him and bowed in greeting, so I spun around to avoid getting roped into another conversation.
“My legs hurt. I’ll go sit with Young Lady Choye.”
“Good thinking.”
The twins let me go without a fuss. I could hear them chatting with the guest behind me. From the sound of it, he was a close friend of Moyong Muhyeok.
Curious, I glanced back—but all I could see was his back. The clothes screamed old money—clearly someone who’s never known a hungry day in his life.
As soon as I got away from the twins, Dang Iheon naturally appeared beside me—like he’d been waiting.
“You okay?”
“Of course not. I’m completely drained.”
“Looks like it. You used to enjoy big crowds, didn’t you?”
And once again, it hit me how different Seol Danhae and Moyong Yeonhwa really are. Danhae hated crowds. The only times she was surrounded by people were when she was being ambushed—or leading her squad into a bloodbath.
“…I just don’t like it anymore. Comes with age, I guess.”
He looked a little thrown but didn’t argue.
I glanced around—nothing suspicious so far. And yet, that made everyone look suspicious.
I looked for Sahyeon too. Unexpectedly, he was hard at work, moving between stations. Since he wasn’t at the banquet hall, he was probably in the storage area, hauling things or helping with the guests’ horses.
“…Who the hell is it, then?”
I muttered without realizing. Iheon turned to me, expression sharpening.
“You’re still worried? Is it about what you asked me?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry. I checked all the tea and liquor being used tonight.”
“…Wait, seriously?”
I was honestly shocked. I was already grateful he took my questions seriously, but this? I hadn’t expected this.
To be honest, I didn’t think anyone would actually listen. To them, I’m just the youngest daughter blurting out nonsense. Only I know I’ve lived through this once already.
I stared at him, stunned. He rubbed his cheek, looking a little embarrassed.
“You looked so worried. Honestly, I admired how careful you were. I learned a lot from it.”
“…No need to go that far…”
“You never know what could sneak into a crowd like this. I bet even our Clan Head would be impressed if he heard about it.”
I had no idea what to say. What would I even do with the Clan Head’s praise?
Still… it didn’t feel bad. Knowing someone actually listened. That someone cared enough to act.
“Thanks. I feel a bit more at ease thanks to you.”
“Don’t mention it. But just in case, I’ll keep an eye on things during the banquet. So don’t worry too much.”
“Right. Where’s Young Lady Choye?”
“She’s been waiting for you, actually. Let’s go.”
Dang Iheon led me there naturally. I’d already told him about the other herbs Moyong Muhyeok regularly took, besides motherwort. If he double-checked everything, there shouldn’t be any poison in the food or drink.
Now we just needed to watch out for a physical attack.
But that much, honestly? With this many martial artists here, and me sticking close to Moyong Muhyeok, we could probably handle it.
It was just… draining. Too many people. But overall, things were going smoothly.
So then why—
“…Why am I still nervous?”
I mumbled it too quietly for Iheon to hear. But the second I said it, my heart started pounding even faster.
Come to think of it—on the day I died, my heart was thundering like this from morning till night.
I headed toward Young Lady Choye, hoping—praying—nothing would happen.
Originally, this birthday banquet for Moyong Muhyeok was meant to last from midday to midnight.
But since he insisted on donating half the banquet’s budget to the poor in Liaoning, they scaled things down to just the evening.
“Thank God for that. If this shitshow had started any earlier, someone would be dead by now. Me or them.”
I muttered, and Dang Choye let out a big, brash laugh. Her booming voice drew glances, but she clearly didn’t give a damn.
“With this many people, you know there’ll be something fun.”
“And dangerous.”
“Well, sure, but without risk, there’s no fun, right?”
…Hard to argue with that. Some exceptions flickered through my mind, though.
“Like the monks of Shaolin and Emei. No fun and full of danger.”
“Oh my! So true!”
We laughed thinking of the humorless monks of the Martial World. And with each laugh, I felt some tension drain from my body.
I was only trying to save Moyong Muhyeok so I could escape clean. But clearly, I was more on edge than I realized.
I glanced across the courtyard and spotted Moyong Muhyeok walking back with Young Lady Paeng. Their cheeks were practically glowing. Still no signs of anything amiss.
I breathed a little easier and said to Choye,
“By the way, thanks to a certain excellent teacher, I recently won a glorious victory.”
“Wait, am I that excellent teacher? Tell me everything. I have to know.”
Choye’s eyes lit up. Even Dang Iheon looked curious—he hadn’t heard this story either.
I gave them the short version of what happened with Sohae. The two of them listened so intently I felt like some wandering storyteller at a tea house. Give me a fan and I’d have nailed the role.
As I wrapped up the story, I sensed someone approaching.
I turned, uneasy—and sure enough, my gut was dead-on. It was Moyong Pae, Moyong Gyeom, and, as always dressed like a single fucking orchid in bloom, Moyong Sohae.
Gyeom had clearly made an effort today, but standing next to Sohae’s flawless face, he looked like a pig in silk.
Moyong Pae muttered something to his siblings and wandered off without a single word to us. Probably off to kiss up to some big-name guests.
“Please don’t come over here.”
I meant to think it, but it slipped out of my mouth. Choye and Iheon stayed silent, seemingly in agreement.
But of course, I’m not lucky. I never am. The moment they spotted us, the pair walked over like they had blinders on.
“Iheon, Choye—so good to see you again. I’m so glad you could attend such a lovely occasion.”
Cool. So I’m invisible again.
I sighed. And then my eyes met Gyeom’s. He must’ve forgotten the ass-kicking I gave him, because today he looked smug as hell.
He gave me that slimy grin, then turned toward the Dang siblings and bowed with exaggerated formality.
“Young Lord Dang, Young Lady Dang. What a pleasure. You two look just as close as ever.”
“Yes, it’s been a while. I heard you were injured, but you seem to be in good health.”
Choye just sipped her tea, clearly uninterested in chatting. Iheon returned the greeting stone-faced.
The moment “injured” came up, a flicker of anger crossed Gyeom’s face. But maybe Moyong Pae warned him, because he quickly smoothed it over.
“…It’s embarrassing that you heard I was bitten by a mad dog.”
Who’s the mad dog, huh? One of these days I’m gonna show him what a real mad dog looks like.
No one invited them to sit, so thankfully they took spots a little ways off.
They were still in my line of sight, though—which worked out. Easier to keep an eye on them.
After all, if Moyong Muhyeok vanished, the one who’d benefit most was Moyong Pae. Which meant those grandkids of his were also prime suspects.
Once most of the guests had arrived, the sun finally set and lanterns bathed the courtyard in gold.
Moyong Wi, Lady Eon, and the star of the show—Moyong Muhyeok—stepped forward to center stage.
“Thank you all for gathering to celebrate the birthday of Moyong Muhyeok, first son and Young Master of the Moyong Clan. This year is particularly special…”
As everyone turned toward Moyong Wi, I scanned the crowd, checking faces. Whenever I didn’t recognize someone, I nudged Dang Iheon for the name.
The speeches wrapped up, and wine was poured for the toast. Bottles were being set down at each table.
Then suddenly, Dang Iheon’s face hardened.
“The Young Master’s wine… looks like it’s been switched.”
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