Drool leaked from the corner of my open mouth. Physiological tears spilled down my face, blurring my vision white.

A metallic taste rose in my throat, as if blood were coming up.

“Seol-yak! Stop!”

“Seol-yak, calm down. She’s a Tang child.”

Okhwan’s and Tang Jung’s urgent voices sounded faint and distant.

“A Tang child?”

“She said she’s my fifth-generation descendant. Don’t kill her.”

At Tang Jung’s attempt to stop him, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist frowned and slowly withdrew the tiger-rattle staff.

The lump of metal pressing down on my throat disappeared, and I broke into violent coughs. Curling in on myself, I clutched at my burning throat.

“No wonder her energy felt familiar... You. Are you the Poison King’s disciple?”

“Cough, cough! Yes, yes...!”

“...How troublesome. If that senile old man finds out I laid a hand on his disciple, he’ll fly into a raging fit.”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist muttered with a sour look, flicking his hand as if wiping something off.

His mutter sounded less like he was talking to himself and more like a threat telling me not to tell my master. I answered in a hurry.

“Cough, nothing, cough! Nothing happened.”

“You’re rather clever, unlike your master.”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist gave a thin, bloodless smile and turned away.

Okhwan, who had been watching us anxiously, went over and gently took Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist’s hand.

“Seol-yak. Why has it been so long since you came? I was worried something had happened.”

“What would have happened? Nothing happened.”

“You finally came, so at least have some tea before you go. I missed you.”

“...All right.”

Only then did a faint smile touch Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist’s lips.

Tang Jung glared at Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist with a sullen face, then came over to me and held out his hand.

“Can you stand?”

“Can you stand?”

For a moment, the Grandpa from some other day overlapped with him. Remembering how clumsily he had tried to soothe me, something hot surged up in my chest.

“...Ah.”

This time I really almost cried.

“...Yes. I can stand.”

Forcing my expression under control, I took Tang Jung’s hand and rose.

*****

The tea Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist served carried the bitter scent of medicinal herbs.

As I fidgeted under his gaze, he said coldly, “It was brewed from spiritual herbs imbued with spiritual energy. Drink all of it before you leave.”

“What?”

“I heard from your master that you have an unusual constitution. I cannot send you away with internal injury left behind.”

As he said it, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist’s gaze was fixed on my throat. The bruise seemed to bother him.

“...Thank you.”

I bowed my head and picked up the teacup. Tang Jung asked, “What kind of constitution is it?”

“The rare talent your clan wants so badly. Myriad-Poison-Immune.”

“Ah, so medicine doesn’t work on her.”

“Correct. Poison and medicine differ by only a hair.”

“Myriad-Poison-Immune? Then isn’t this Tang descendant stronger than you, Brother?”

Peng Rak’s eyes sparkled as he looked back and forth between Tang Jung and me. Okhwan looked interested as well.

“Then are you learning poison arts, Young Lady?”

“Yes. I’ve learned a little.”

“Oh my. Did you hear that, Thousand-Thousand? Hwayeon would be so jealous if she heard.”

“...Hwayeon cannot.”

“Thousand-Thousand can be so rigid. With Hwayeon’s talent, she could easily pass the Martial Alliance entrance exam. Isn’t it a waste? Just teach her.”

“That child has to go to Hubei. And what man in this world would want to take a wife who handles poison? If I teach her for no reason, her husband’s family will hate her.”

“That is exactly what I mean by rigid, Thousand-Thousand. Does a woman have to live only for a man? Is Hwayeon the sort of child who would want that?”

Okhwan shook her head.

Even so, she smiled and lightly stroked Tang Jung’s cheek.

Her eyes were full of affection, as if even the stubborn set of his mouth was lovable.

“Ugh, I’m getting goosebumps. Brother, just send the betrothal letter already. You two go up in flames every time your eyes meet, so why haven’t you married?”

Peng Rak rubbed his arms and moved away from the two of them.

Okhwan burst into laughter and flicked Peng Rak on the forehead.

“Rak, you’re so little and yet there’s nothing you won’t say. Do you even know what going up in flames means?”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist watched the three of them talk with a face as soft as spring sunlight.

But as someone who knew what result Tang Jung’s choice had led to, I could only feel uncomfortable in this place.

Swallowing hard, I hid my face behind my teacup.

What is Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist thinking?

Has he repeated conversations like this with thought-forms endlessly? Why did he create these illusions in his secret cave?

Judging by how he tried to silence me by killing me, saying I had seen something I should not have seen, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist knew this art was not normal either.

The uneasy atmosphere made my toes curl. When I broke into a cold sweat, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist asked in a languid voice, “Does the tea not suit your palate?”

The question sounded kind at first glance, but his eyes were icy. It was a warning not to act strange.

“Ah, no! It’s delicious!”

I forced the corners of my stiff mouth up and gulped down the tea.

Perhaps worried about me, Tang Jung looked between me and Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist before speaking.

“Who is your master?”

“My master is...”

“The Poison King.”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist cut me off and answered in my place. Tang Jung frowned and asked back.

“That old man you hate most?”

“Yes. That wicked old man. How annoying to get entangled with the disciple of that irritating old monster.”

“Cough, cough!” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

At Tang Jung’s words, I hurriedly covered my mouth.

...That’s you, Grandpa.

When I could not stop coughing, Tang Jung patted my back and said calmly, “I understand how you feel, but don’t curse her master in front of his disciple. You’re startling my fifth-generation descendant. She’s still young.”

“Precisely because she is young, I should make it clear. Her master’s infamy could trip her up one day.”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist glared at me as he answered. His eyes were as intense as a predator’s, and my body shrank back on its own.

“You would do well not to carelessly tell people you are the Poison King’s disciple. Your master earned a great many grudges. It would be unfair to die because of your master, would it not? Most of them may have died after all these years, but one never knows how human affairs may turn.”

The warning clearly meant, I also hold ill will toward your master, so I quickly bobbed my head.

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist did not seem to like Grandpa.

But if that was the case, why had he made the Tang Jung from his memories into a thought-form?

When my expression turned poor, Tang Jung grew irritated.

“I told you not to scare the child. Why are you frightening her?”

“When did I frighten her? I merely stated the facts.”

“Thousand-Thousand, Seol-yak. Why are you fighting? We have a guest today, and that makes it a good day. Don’t do that. Let’s drink tea happily, all right?”

At Okhwan’s mediation, the two men, who had been raising their voices, huffed and swallowed their anger.

“Fine. Your clan always came first for you. Even a child you’ve never seen before, you protect without thinking twice the moment she says she is Tang blood.”

“Hah? How did the conversation jump there? Seol-yak, you always get angry at me whenever the Poison King comes up. It is not my fault someone from my clan has a bad personality.”

It is Grandpa’s fault. That person is Grandpa...

Whether I thought that or not, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist ignored him and sipped his tea.

Apparently, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist had not revealed that Tang Jung was the Poison King.

...So he’s been insulting him in front of the person himself all this time. This man has a nasty personality too.

I had eaten nothing, but my stomach felt heavy, as if I had indigestion. When my complexion paled, Peng Rak stared at me.

“Young Lady. Are you all right? You look like your stomach feels bad.”

“I’m fine. I think I drank the tea too quickly.”

“Brother and Sister Seol-yak startled you, didn’t they? Those two are always like that. They act like irreconcilable enemies, but the moment a fight starts, their teamwork is perfect.”

“Oh... Their teamwork is good?”

That made me a little curious.

I had never once seen Grandpa coordinate with another martial artist.

When I showed interest, Peng Rak seemed excited and continued with gestures.

“Sister Seol-yak’s sword techniques are on the flashy side, you see. While the opponent is entranced by her sword, Brother goes swish-swish with his hidden weapons! Then the enemies fall like leaves in an autumn gale. It’s spectacular to watch from the side.”

Peng Rak lowered his voice and whispered.

“This is a secret, but Brother still hasn’t beaten Sister Seol-yak even once...”

“Who has not beaten whom? If I had used poison, I would have won long ago!”

Tang Jung shouted. At his intense reaction, I had a sudden thought.

Could the reason Grandpa loathed swordsmen be...

“Beautiful? Of course it is. Naturally. It is nothing like the brute displays of ignorant sword-wielders.”

“Every bastard who uses a sword is unlucky.”

It was because of Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist. He hated them because of this person.

“Haha, Sister and Brother are...”

Just as Peng Rak was about to grin and tell me more about the two of them, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist flicked his finger.

Snap!

At the same moment, the three people who had been laughing and talking froze in place. The surroundings went silent, as if time and space had stopped.

Just as the three figures seemed to warp, I found myself standing inside a dark cave.

In the heavy silence, only Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist and I moved.

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist looked down at me with cold eyes.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself. So, how does it feel to have seen my shameful secret, Poison King’s disciple?”

At his voice, [N O V E L I G H T] cold as a sheet of ice, I hurriedly lowered my head.

“I did not mean to pry. I apologize for my rudeness.”

“The Tang family being rude is hardly anything new, so there is no need to apologize. I am only curious what your master meant by sending you.”

“...What? Ah, no! Grandpa did not send me! I came here by chance...!”

“I do not like lies. Why did the Poison King send you? Is this a protest because I ignored his letter?”

Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist smiled crookedly.

Grandpa sent a letter? But he should be in closed-door training.

Before hearing my answer, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist seemed to reach his own conclusion and muttered, “Well, I suppose the reason does not matter. I need only run to Sichuan this instant and grab that old monster by the collar. ...Taking each other down at this point would not be so bad. We have both lived far too long.”

Taking each other down was not something one said unless they were enemies. I asked cautiously, “Um... were you not Grandpa’s friend, Divine Therapist?”

At that, Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist’s expression turned terrifying. Exuding a vicious aura, he growled,

“What nonsense. After that detestable master of yours ended Okhwan’s life, I have not considered him a friend for even a single day.”

I stared up at Ghost-Hand Divine Therapist, my face draining white.

What is he talking about now?

Didn’t Okhwan die because of the Demonic Sect?