“My lady…”
Hyangah had been hovering around me restlessly for over an hour now. Anyone else would’ve given up by now, but her persistence was honestly impressive.
Like master, like servant, I guess. I’m no slouch when it comes to stubbornness, but even I had to admit I was a little impressed by her.
…Actually, scratch that. Maybe Hyangah had me beat. At this point, I was too tired to care about persistence or whatever the hell else.
Dang Iheon’s voice kept echoing in my head.
‘While neutralizing the poison… your internal energy… I mean, your energy center was heavily damaged. And since you hadn’t been training that long… so, I mean…’
After repeating “so” about five or six times—very uncharacteristic of him—he finally got to the point.
The poison had completely wrecked the internal energy I’d painstakingly built up bit by bit.
And just to make matters worse, he added that my energy center had been damaged as well. So even if I bled myself dry trying, it’d be nearly impossible to rebuild a proper reserve of internal energy ever again.
Basically, if my energy center were a jar, then all the water I’d carefully filled it with had evaporated—and the damn jar had a crack in it now, too.
“Hyangah. How many days has it been since I collapsed?”
I asked suddenly, and she answered with a troubled face that it had been about nine days. Nine days, huh? The sun had already set, so it was practically ten at this point.
Even now, time was ticking on, bringing us closer to the Moyong Clan’s annihilation.
At this rate, the only thing left was to run… right before the day of the massacre.
I was spacing out, following the thought down its miserable little trail, when a sudden wave of guilt crept in and made me sigh.
‘Ahwa, just focus on getting back on your feet for now. I’ll find a way to restore your energy. Even if I have to search every corner of the Central Plains.’
‘Yes. And honestly, just the fact that you woke up without major injury—that’s a blessing. Don’t let it weigh too heavy on your heart.’
That was what my brothers had said.
Everyone else had gone on and on about how dwelling on your energy damage in a state like this could cause energy deviation, so I should leave the worrying to them and just focus on complete rest.
‘Ahwa. I contacted Sichuan. The poison damaged you, so the Dang Clan might have a remedy. Even if they don’t… your physical techniques alone are enough to keep your body safe, so try not to worry too much.’
That one was from Dang Iheon.
‘And… if you’re ever in danger, I’ll risk my life to save you.’
He’d said that, too.
I didn’t respond. None of them knew what was coming, which is probably why they could say things like that so easily.
And to be completely honest… I wasn’t nearly as angry, sad, or devastated as they thought I’d be. It all just felt kind of pointless.
“My lady, should I bring you some fruit? Oh, or maybe I could run and buy some of your favorite sweets right now—”
“Hyangah.”
“Yes, my lady! Just say the word.”
“You don’t have to walk on eggshells. Go rest.”
Her eyes widened. Then tears welled up almost instantly. Normally I would’ve panicked and tried to comfort her or something—but weirdly, I didn’t feel the urge.
“My lady… do you want to be alone?”
She asked, clearly trying not to cry. I didn’t even know if I wanted to be alone, but watching her trying so hard not to bother me just made me feel bad, so I gave a small nod.
“Then I’ll be in the room next door. Just call if you need anything, I won’t sleep.”
“There’s no need for that. Just get some good rest. Eating and sleeping—those are what count.”
Who knows how much longer life’s going to last, anyway.
I flopped forward onto the table like a sack of laundry. Even when I heard Hyangah gently closing the door, I just stayed there—dead weight, barely existing.
“…Should I go see my master? Nah, what’s that old bastard going to do. Even the physicians and the Sichuan Dang Clan couldn’t figure anything out.”
I’d barely escaped dying in the Heavenly Demon’s grip, and now here I was again—alive, and in a rich household, no less. At the time, I’d thought maybe I’d just gotten lucky. Now, it was clear I hadn’t.
Of course. Like I’d ever have luck on my side.
I was lying there, just listening to my own breath, when a cool breeze brushed the back of my neck.
I never opened the damn window.
Goosebumps broke out across my skin. The nightmare from before I woke up flashed through my mind.
Even that unsettling, smooth voice—so calm and creepy—echoed in my ears again, as clear as if he were standing right behind me.
I’d had zero motivation just seconds ago, but now my body was in full fight mode. I jumped up and grabbed the nearest blade.
Sure enough, the window was open.
“…Heard you woke up. You look fine enough now.”
The midnight intruder was Sahyeon.
I let out a shaky breath and slowly lowered my weapon. I really must’ve been on edge.
Sahyeon didn’t move until I’d calmed down. He stood exactly three steps away, just watching me quietly. That careful distance helped me settle faster.
Once I came to my senses, I felt kind of embarrassed. And annoyed. Everyone else had already taken turns comforting me—what now, round two?
“You here to console me, too?”
I found myself chuckling mid-sentence. Never had so many people tried to cheer me up—and of course, it had to be for this.
As usual, Sahyeon didn’t miss a beat.
“I just dropped by. Your tea’s the best in this whole house.”
“…….”
“Oh, wait. Do you need comforting? I can do that too. I’m great at it.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Then I shook my head.
“Don’t need it. You’re insane. If you want tea, go to the tea house.”
“But this one’s free. Gotta be frugal while you’re young.”
Sahyeon spouted his nonsense and sat down across from me like he owned the place. He even gestured for me to sit back down, all casual.
I was a little thrown. He was acting so normal it made me wonder if everything I’d gone through really had just been a dream.
He sipped his tea slowly, like some laid-back loafer, then finally set the cup down. After a pause, he said,
“You’ve got some elixirs, don’t you?”
“Elixirs? Uh, yeah. The ones Young Lady Dang gave me, and another I got from the Sharp-Crane King.”
“Hand them over.”
“Oh, now you’re a robber too?”
“C’mon, just let me see them. My lady.”
He held out his hand.
Why the hell was he suddenly asking for my elixirs? And it’s not like he ever explains anything. Mysterious bastard.
“If you’re planning to make me take them, forget it. It’s pointless. Guess you haven’t heard—my energy center’s busted. No elixir’s gonna do shit right now. It’ll just leak out.”
“Hm.”
“Better to sell them later for a good price than to crap them out wasted.”
The more I talked, the more frustrated I felt. I let out a long sigh.
Sahyeon didn’t blink. Still had his hand out. Even gave me a little chin-nod like, what are you waiting for?
It felt a hell of a lot like being robbed… but whatever. They were useless to me now. I could just pretend this was payback for what I owed him from the banquet.
Reluctantly, I got up, fetched the two carefully hidden boxes, and dropped them into his hand.
“There. Happy? Knock yourself out, bast—”
“You’re the one taking them, right now.”
“You seriously didn’t listen to a word I just said. It won’t work.”
Now I was really getting irritated. I thought—maybe not, but nope. He really did come here to mess with me. I said I didn’t want comforting, but mockery? That was a whole other level.
I clenched my fist, ready to punch him, but Sahyeon just set the boxes on the table and pulled out a worn little case from his robes.
“With this. You take all three at once.”
That’s insane. Even weak elixirs shouldn’t be taken together. If the energies clash, your meridians could get wrecked even worse.
Elixirs are basically concentrated energy—you need time to absorb just one, and right after you take it, you have to start circulating your energy immediately. You also need someone guiding the flow to help settle and circulate the energy safely.
And me? My internal energy was shot. I couldn’t circulate it alone.
The person guiding me would have to be skilled enough to control my energy—and trustworthy enough to bet my life on.
In short: Sahyeon was talking out of his ass.
I shoved the boxes away.
“Damn, even your bullshit is thorough. If you wanna kill me, don’t waste the good medicine. Just stab me.”
Sahyeon looked down at the three boxes without a word. Then he lined them up neatly and slid them back toward me.
His eyes met mine—and they looked dead serious for once.
“You really think I want to kill you?”
“……”
“Answer me.”
Something caught in my throat. I couldn’t speak.
“Wait—hold on. Are you serious? You actually meant that?”
“Yeah.”
“You know how to restore my internal energy?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“…Seriously?”
I didn’t think I was that upset. My life had always felt like a messy scribble anyway—something I had to deal with alone. That was normal.
But then this guy just waltzed in and said he had a fix.
“Can I… trust you?”
“That’s up to you. I can’t guarantee results, to be honest. I’ve only worked out the theory—I’ve never actually done it.”
Weirdly, I hesitated. Maybe because my mind was fragile right now. Or maybe… this bastard was always like this. Always shaking me.
I looked between Sahyeon and the boxes. I wavered. He waited patiently.
Night deepened around us.
“Why are you helping me?”
“…Hm. Good question.”
He smiled like even he didn’t know the answer. Then he glanced out the window. We were short on time, clearly.
I thought I was standing at yet another cliff—but suddenly there was a bridge in front of me. Could I cross it? Would it hold? Was it just an illusion?
I thought of all the times Sahyeon had helped me. He’d wanted to know my identity—but never actually demanded anything.
He could’ve killed me easily. Called it an accident. There’d been chances.
And yet now he was offering this convoluted option instead.
Most of all…
“What do you say, my lady? Do you trust me?”
I wanted to.
I just… did.
Even if something went wrong during the process—even if I suffered energy deviation or ended up dead—this was my choice. My fate.
I already died once. What’s one more?
I didn’t have anything left to lose.
“…Yes. I trust you.”
I decided to trust the man in front of me.
And once I’d decided, I didn’t hesitate.
I opened all three boxes. Unwrapped the three pills and swallowed them in one go.
The moment they slid down my throat, our eyes met.
In the dark, I thought I saw something flicker behind his gaze.
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