The atmosphere at the Jin Family house hadn’t changed much.

It was hard to believe that people who were just living their normal lives a few days ago were now gone. Everything was so calm and quiet, as if nothing had happened.

What had happened was now trapped, like a bird in a giant cage, unable to leave the Jin Family estate.

As time passed, the servants seemed to get used to the situation. They smiled and chatted again, just like before. On the surface, things looked peaceful—even cheerful.

But that was just the surface.

The warriors didn’t relax like the servants. Their eyes were filled with determination and fire. Whether they were standing guard or training in the martial yard, they gave their all, as if their lives depended on it.

Maybe they were thinking: “If I had been just a little stronger… maybe my friends wouldn’t have died.”

They had never experienced anything like this before. Normally, their enemies were weak bandits or low-level criminals. The Jin warriors had always crushed such opponents without trouble.

But this time was different.

They had been completely defeated. Their pride was wounded. Every true warrior among them was angry at their own weakness.

I smiled as I heard the warriors shouting and training with intensity.

It had come at a great cost, but it was a good thing for the Jin Family. If they continued training like this, the gap between them and the elite warriors of the family would start to close.

This would make the Jin Family even stronger.

And, it was perfect preparation for what was coming.

Rustle.

I stood up from my seat.

As I washed up and prepared to change clothes, I sensed someone outside.

Creak.

Before I gave permission, the door opened slightly, and someone wrapped in bandages peeked in.

It was Jang Chuhyung.

I frowned without meaning to.

“I told you to rest. What are you doing here?”

“Well… I was just worried about you, Young Master. You can’t do anything without me.”

“Did you just wake up? Can’t tell dreams from reality?”

He scratched his head awkwardly. With his whole body covered in bandages, he looked quite pitiful. Maybe he really was worried about me.

“Where are you going?”

“Not your business. Go back and rest. It must be hard to even move.”

“Take me with you! I’m so bored lying around in the infirmary!”

He slumped down into a corner of the room like it was his own, then started unwrapping his bandages.

“What are you doing?”

“You have no idea how loud the snoring is in there! I can’t sleep at all.”

“So?”

“I was going to return to my room, but the head manager stopped me. So I came to serve you, Young Master. Just give me a spot in this room—I’ll take care of everything!”

He looked around the big room and gave a thumbs-up.

It was obvious he just wanted to move into my room. But I couldn’t be mad—it was probably his way of showing concern.

And to be fair, this room was huge. It wasn’t even a room; I had an entire guest house to myself.

Still, I couldn’t let him stay here.

“If you want to sleep, do it outside the door.”

“It’s cold out there! And I’m a patient, you know.”

“You’re the only one saying it’s cold in this weather. And if you could come all the way here, you must be fine.”

“Uh…”

He glanced at me nervously, then got up slowly. I could see the bandages had been wrapped too tightly, probably on purpose by the doctor. Blood was still seeping from some of his wounds.

He’d have scars for sure.

This kind of thing didn’t happen before.

I sighed and said, “Take a room in the guest house. There are plenty. Pick whichever you like.”

“Really? You mean it?!”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Shake shake.

He quickly shook his head. But his expression tightened in pain as he moved. He tried to act fine, but I could tell he wasn’t.

“But you have to get proper treatment.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll go straight to the infirmary! Hahaha!”

He stood up with a big smile and ran off, forgetting his half-unwrapped bandages.

I could already imagine the doctor getting annoyed.

Then, for some reason, Jang Chuhyung stopped at the door and turned to look at me.

“But Young Master.”

“What now?”

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business.”

“I’m your loyal servant! I must go with you!”

“If you don’t want a room, that’s fine. I don’t care.”

“Goodbye then—safe journey!”

He instantly changed his attitude and waved me off. His sudden switch made me shake my head in disbelief.

I walked out of the room.

I knew exactly where I had to go.

My body wasn’t in good shape.

The poison was spreading through my bones.

If I waited until she came to me, I might not even be able to move by then.

There was no time to waste.

I headed to the stables.

There were many good horses there. But my eyes had been fixed on one horse since I arrived.

It was a gift from my father on my birthday when I became an adult. Like my sword, it had a deep black coat, strong muscles, and was much larger than the others.

Despite its size, it was the fastest horse in the whole stable.

I was sure—only a few horses in all of the Central Plains could match it. And they were probably in the royal stables. No one else could compete with this horse.

I walked up and patted its head.

Whinny!

It neighed happily, like it was greeting me.

I smiled and climbed on.

The world seemed to change from up here.

I patted its head again and whispered, “Let’s go.”

Clop-clop.

As if it understood, the horse began walking gracefully, catching everyone’s attention as we passed.

I held the reins and looked west.

By now, she would’ve left the mountain village and headed toward Luoyang.

If I thought about the distance and the path she’d take, there was only one route.

A small, unused path through the mountains—an area full of bandits.

That would explain her terrible condition when she first arrived.

Then there was no time to hesitate.

Hyah!

I sped toward the city gates.

Meanwhile…

“Thank you so much, healer!”

“You saved us—thank you!”

The people of the village bowed deeply to a young woman.

Just a few days ago, they had all been on the verge of death.

But now, none of them looked sick at all.

It was all thanks to her.

She had appeared out of nowhere and healed everyone with incredible skill.

She didn’t even ask for much in return.

Though no one had seen her face under her veil, her gentle voice made everyone believe she must be beautiful.

“It’s okay. I wanted to help. You don’t need to thank me.”

“How can you say that? You saved our lives! If we had more to give, we’d give it all to you!”

An old man handed her a basket of crops—potatoes and other vegetables.

She stared at the basket. His hands were shaking.

It was probably the village’s food for the next few days.

She let out a soft sigh and smiled behind her veil. No one could see her face, so they wouldn’t know how she really felt.

“I’m fine. You all need to eat and stay healthy.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The old man quickly took the basket back, smiling quietly.

She had seen this kind of thing many times before.

She always ended up like this when helping the sick—people offering too much, hiding their own hunger.

She didn’t argue. She understood they were hungrier than she was.

Soon, she would leave for another town, where things might be better.

Just then—

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind blew.

Her veil flew off.

Everyone froze in shock.

“Ugh—!”

“Oh no…”

Her face was badly scarred, covered in burns and boils.

Even though the villagers were used to hard lives, her face was horrifying to them.

Some children started crying.

The people who were just smiling now looked terrified. Some even picked up farming tools.

The woman quickly covered her face and turned away.

Without saying a word, she walked faster—used to this kind of reaction.

Then came the whispers.

“She’s a demon!”

“What are you saying?!”

“I’m serious! She’s the reason we got sick!”

“Yeah! Did you see her face? That’s not normal!”

Their voices echoed behind her.

She gritted her teeth and ran.

As she ran, she told herself:

“It’s okay. This isn’t the first time.”

This was nothing new.