The first thing I did after deciding to get rid of Yeon Ryang’s Blood Yin Parasite was search for a place where I could handle poison.

It had to be far enough not to affect the hermitage, but easy enough to travel back and forth with lightness skill. After wandering around for four days, I found a cave hidden in the cliff of the peak opposite the hermitage.

The entrance was covered by brush, but the ceiling inside was high and the ventilation was good, so it was perfect for using fire.

When I set Cane down at the entrance, it sucked in the poison fumes on its own, so I did not have to worry about poison energy leaking outside.

“Is it tasty?”

“Kii!”

Over the past few days, the creature had been fed so much poison energy that its fur practically gleamed.

I chopped a poisonous mushroom into small pieces and asked, “Want one of these too?”

“Kkuruk!”

Excited, Cane accepted the piece of poisonous mushroom and ate it.

I watched it chew, then patted my lower back and sank to the ground.

I had boldly declared that I would get rid of the Blood Yin Parasite, but actually making poison was no easy matter.

I could not freely use poisonous substances the way I had in the Tang Clan, and I had no sense for how I needed to combine them to produce the effect I wanted.

What I needed was “a poison strong enough to kill the parasite instantly, but not so strong that it left permanent damage in the body.”

...Where does a poison like that even exist? Damn it.

“Cane. Can’t you gather poison energy and pour it out? Can’t you just somehow go whoosh and kill only the parasite in Yeon Ryang’s body?”

“Kik.”

At my words, Cane thumped its tail as if telling me to say something that made sense.

Somehow, that thing’s expressions were getting clearer and clearer.

I smacked my lips and held out my hand to Cane.

“Let’s go for today. I need to think about how much poison to use.”

“Kii.”

After shaking off the poison energy left on my body, I trudged back to the hermitage.

As I climbed the stone steps one by one, I saw Yeon Ryang surrounded by piles of straw.

Sensing my presence, Yeon Ryang waved a hand behind himself.

“You’re back, little sister?”

“Brother. What are you doing?”

“The baskets they use in the kitchen were badly worn. I was bored lying around, so I thought I’d weave a new one.”

“Ooh. Brother. You know how to do this too?”

“Who do you think wove that sack you carry around?”

“Is there anything you can’t do? Brother, all you need now is to get married.”

“I’d be a first-rate husband anywhere.”

“Rejected. Demonic Sect bastard.”

“......”

I patted the dispirited Yeon Ryang on the back and crouched beside him.

There was something fascinating about the sight of him delicately weaving straw with hands as big as pot lids.

It looked as if straw would crumble the moment those thick fingers gripped it, but somehow, it was taking shape.

As he wove the basket, Yeon Ryang asked, “Any progress?”

“No. None at all. I can’t get a feel for it.”

“Just give up, little sister.”

“I can’t give up. I told you, we have to kill it while your body is weak. If not now, we might never get another chance.”

At my firm answer, he gave a soft laugh.

“You have a rebellious streak.”

I sighed silently.

How could I give up when I knew exactly how he would wither if we left the Blood Yin Parasite alone?

I absolutely did not want to see this broad-built man become skin and bones, barely enduring each day.

Just then, I sensed someone approaching. We quickly shut our mouths and slowly turned around.

“You two were here?”

It was the deposed consort.

I rose from my seat and greeted her.

“Your Grace. Are you feeling a little better?”

“Thanks to you, Young Lady Yeon, I’m much improved. Thank you, Young Lady.”

The deposed consort approached with light steps, her cheeks filled out and rosy.

Her health was visibly recovering.

She came outside more often now, and she had grown more talkative. Perhaps she found stories of the martial world entertaining, because she often sought conversation with me.

“I wanted to drink tea with you, Young Lady Yeon. Would you join me for some lotus-fragrance tea?”

So that was what it was today.

I nodded without refusing.

“Of course, Your Grace. Let’s drink together. Brother?”

“I still have work left. Go on.”

Yeon Ryang shook his head and held up the half-woven basket. I waved to show I understood and followed the deposed consort.

As the deposed consort descended the blue moss-covered stone steps, her footsteps were as light as down.

She chased after butterflies fluttering like little girls, and she hummed while savoring the fragrance of summer flowers.

Then, as if she had tired herself out, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked me, “Shall we rest a little?”

“Please do, Your Grace.”

The deposed consort plopped down on the stone floor and looked up at the sky.

“I like this place.”

“Haha. I do too.”

“The sky seen from the Imperial Palace is always nothing more than a square trapped inside walls. But the sky seen from here is...”

The deposed consort trailed off and smiled brightly. I followed her and lifted my head.

The sky was so blue it looked as if someone had poured blue paint across it, and it seemed close enough to touch. The sunlight pouring down carried the unmistakable scent of summer.

As we tilted our heads back and stared at the sky, Nun Seoljae quietly approached, set down a tray holding a teapot and teacups, then left.

“Ah, thank you, Nun Seoljae.”

While I saw her off with my palms pressed together, the deposed consort poured tea with elegant hands.

“Please drink, Young Lady Yeon.”

Then she filled her own cup and tilted it to her lips.

Perhaps the habits soaked into her body could not be hidden even beneath simple monastic robes, because even the sight of her sitting on the stone floor drinking tea looked dignified.

For no reason, I straightened my back too and brought the teacup to my lips.

The tea leaves, which had been placed inside white lotus buds and left overnight, gave off a sweet floral fragrance.

“What is Great Hero Yeon doing?”

“Ah, he was weaving a basket for the kitchen. If there is anything you need, please tell me. My brother is good with his hands.”

“His cooking is remarkable, and it seems cooking is not the only thing he does well. Your brother is truly a man of many talents, Young Lady. Are all people of the martial world like that?”

“Oh, that’s too much praise. Does the food suit your tastes? If your stomach ever feels heavy, please tell me at once. I’ll place needles for you.”

“I will. Thanks to you two siblings, mealtimes have been pleasant lately. Thank you, Young Lady.”

The deposed consort covered her mouth as she laughed, then continued.

“It is lovely to see the two of you relying on each other. I never had siblings, so I always envied friends who had older brothers.”

“Haha. I see.”

“And the two of you look so alike, don’t you? I wonder what it feels like to have someone with a face like yours become a source of strength.”

“Oh my. We look alike?”

“Of course. Anyone would see you as siblings.”

The deposed consort tilted her head as if wondering how I could have missed it. I opened my eyes wide in horror.

I look like that doorframe of a man who intimidates everyone he meets? What kind of terrifying statement is this?

Had we been together for so many months that our expressions had started to resemble each other?

When I touched my face with a shocked expression, the deposed consort burst out laughing.

“Ahaha, I don’t mean you look frightening, Young Lady. The way your eyes curve when you smile and the corners of your mouths are similar. His face has scars, but Great Hero Yeon is quite handsome.”

Yeon Ryang is handsome...? Handsome... is he? He is good-looking, I suppose. I think that was what I thought when I first saw Yeon Ryang too... but now I’m not sure at all.

At her excessive praise, I fell into deep concern over whether the men of the Imperial Palace had been so damn ugly that the deposed consort’s standard of beauty had been damaged.

I wanted to bring Tang Un here and show her, This is a handsome man! He was perfectly suited to be held up as the standard of a man who possessed both refined looks and intelligence.

The moment I thought of Tang Un, the pale face I had last seen shimmered before my eyes.

Brother Un, I wonder if your body is all right. I hope you don’t fall severely ill this summer.

When my expression darkened, the flustered deposed consort took my hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Young Lady Yeon. I didn’t know you hated being told you looked alike so much.”

“What? Ah, no, Your Grace. I was thinking about something else for a moment...”

“I’m truly sorry. You don’t look anything like your brother, Young Lady. Truly.”

The deposed consort, who was frantically taking back her words, looked almost desperate.

“Haha, it’s all right, Your Grace. I wasn’t offended, so you don’t need to worry.”

As I awkwardly played along with her desperate attempt to fix things, a phrase once spoken to me by an old man I had met flashed through my mind.

“Are you two siblings? You look alike.”

...Huh. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that, is it?

Do I really look like Yeon Ryang?

*****

Once the question occurred to me, it did not easily settle down.

I stared holes into Yeon Ryang’s face as he closed his eyes and focused on circulating energy.

No matter how I picked him apart, I could not tell what part of him looked like me.

His eyes weren’t especially sharp, and his bone structure was thick. No matter how I looked at him, he did not seem like Tang Clan blood.

“Sohae.”

“Hm?”

“How long do you plan to stare like that? It’s distracting me so much I can’t concentrate.”

“Uh, don’t mind me. Just circulate your energy.”

“I’m telling you I do mind. Your gaze is so intense my skin is starting to sting. Are you standing guard for me, or trying to assassinate me?”

Grumbling, Yeon Ryang opened his eyes.

I watched the red energy fade from his eyes, then spoke.

“Brother.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you happen to have some secret to your birth?”

“What kind of nonsense is that now?”

“Never mind, then.”

“How bland.”

Yeon Ryang scratched the back of his neck as if I were saying all sorts of strange things.

True. If the Demonic Sect had any brains, they would not make the bad move of kidnapping a child from a martial family with a clear bloodline.

This was a world full of orphans and children sold for a few coins.

Most importantly, Yeon Ryang’s face was not a face that could come from the Tang Clan.

Even Tang Un, who took after his mother from head to toe, showed the Tang family’s distinctive fierce eyes whenever he frowned, but Yeon Ryang did not.

I thought about it seriously for nothing. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I shook off the useless thought and asked him, “Are you gathering any internal energy?”

“It’s better than at first, but my energy channels are damaged, so there are parts I can’t feel. It should gradually improve.”

“You can’t feel them? That’s bad news. I guess softshell turtle ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) soup wasn’t enough to restore your body. Isn’t there some weeping human-shaped ginseng out in the forest somewhere?”

“As if a fortuitous encounter like that would show up easily.”

Yeon Ryang chuckled, then his expression grew serious. He met my eyes and said gravely, “But there is one problem, little sister.”