“My sister really never listens. I thought I told you to buy some sweets and play.”

It was Yeon Ryang.

One side of his brow was creased, and he looked slightly displeased. I gave him an awkward smile and waved my hand.

“Ahaha, well, the thing is.”

“I swear, I can’t take my eyes off you for a second. Sister, go back to the inn.”

“But...”

“Go.”

Yeon Ryang’s voice turned stern in a way I rarely heard. I wilted at once and tucked my tail between my legs.

When I rolled my eyes around and carefully gauged his mood, Yeon Ryang let out a sigh and set me down.

“I’ll be back soon. Is it because you’re scared to be alone?”

“A little.”

“You should have said so. I’ll take you back to the inn. Come on.”

Yeon Ryang patted my head and pushed lightly at my back, as if telling me to hurry along.

He looked like he would really get angry if I said no, so I had no choice but to return to the inn without putting up the slightest resistance.

Was it because he was so big? He was scary when he got angry.

Thoroughly cowed, I shut myself inside the room and kneaded Cane in my hands.

“Cane. Do you want to follow him?”

“Kii.”

Cane shook its head as if it disliked the idea.

Tch. I thought Cane might be able to go and come back without getting caught.

Clicking my tongue, I rolled around on the bed.

When I thought about it, it was surprising that the Hao Gate had a contact point in an inn and a pleasure house right in front of the Martial Alliance’s headquarters.

Gathering information in a place that was practically the heart of the orthodox martial world. Did they not have nerves of steel?

Those unorthodox bastards had guts.

Then again, the Demonic Sect using that unorthodox faction to control its members might be even more impressive.

The Hao Gate’s influence might be far greater than I had imagined.

Yeon Ryang, who had said he would return in two shichen, did not come back until late evening.

Just when I was starting to worry that something had happened, he returned, staggering as if he were thoroughly drunk.

“Sorry, Sister. Did you wait long?”

A strong smell of liquor and powder wafted from him, but I could tell he was not drunk.

It seemed he had poured liquor over his clothes to hide the purpose of his visit to the pleasure house.

“What on earth? How much did you drink?”

“Haha, it’s been so long since I drank that one bottle didn’t even touch the sides...”

Playing along as if I knew nothing, I supported him, and his sweat-soaked nape came into view. He was trembling faintly.

...Does the antidote have side effects? What the hell are those madmen in the Demonic Sect feeding people?

Flustered, I dragged him over and laid him down on the bed. The man who had been perfectly fine that morning was suffering from a high fever.

I wanted to ask what he had been doing, but he had gone this far to pretend he had been fooling around at a pleasure house. It felt wrong to trample over that effort.

So I grumbled at him as if I were dealing with an actual drunkard.

“Ugh, I don’t need a drunkard for a brother.”

“Let me off for today, Sister. There are adult circumstances involved.”

“You should be grateful you have such a good sister. What, is getting drunk something to be proud of? Wipe yourself ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ down.”

When I threw him a wet towel in an irritated tone, Yeon Ryang wiped away the sweat and chuckled.

“Thanks, Sister. A lowly stray from the unorthodox faction like me getting to enjoy luxury like this... I’m rather moved.”

“If you know that, sleep. That’s how the liquor will wear off.”

“...Mm.”

Yeon Ryang gave a small nod and closed his eyes. His breathing was rough, as if even drawing breath was difficult.

Should I brew him a medicinal decoction? No. I had no idea what he had taken. If I carelessly made him drink medicine, the pain might get even worse. Should I use needles to ease the tension?

I considered burning anesthesia incense, but Yeon Ryang probably would not want to fall asleep defenseless in an inn.

“Kkyuuuu...”

Cane, too, cried worriedly as it looked at Yeon Ryang.

“Brother is sleeping. Don’t touch him. Come here.”

“Kkyuu. Kkuuu.”

I beckoned to Cane, but it did not follow me. As if saying I must not leave, it curled up beneath his bed and called to me.

It seemed to have sensed something.

After a moment of hesitation, I sat down beside Cane and curled up as well. The only thing I could do for him was stay by his side.

Had this man lived through pain like this every three months?

I had known the Demonic Sect was a villainous force, but seeing its reality with my own eyes only left me heartsick.

They killed people without a second thought, cut them down, tortured them, threatened them...

This was truly a world so cruel it beggared belief.

Swallowing a sigh, I looked out the dark window. All I could do was resent how endlessly small and weak I was.

*****

The next day, Yeon Ryang opened his eyes with a perfectly fine face, as if he had never groaned in pain at all.

“What is this, Sister? Why are you here? And why is the furball here?”

Yeon Ryang looked puzzled as he lifted Cane, which had curled up asleep on his stomach.

I glared at him and pushed myself up. After spending the whole night curled into a ball, my back was stiff.

“I was worried some drunkard might stop breathing. Who drinks like that? Did you fall into a liquor jar and crawl back out?”

“Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. I overdid it yesterday. Were you worried?”

Yeon Ryang scratched his head sheepishly and studied my expression. Looking at his face, soaked in the smell of liquor and covered in stubbly whiskers, made a sigh come out on its own.

“Go wash. You need hangover soup. And shave. Don’t even think about coming downstairs unless you shave.”

When I shook my head and left the room, Yeon Ryang laughed weakly.

“...Thanks, Sister. I didn’t have nightmares, thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

After answering, I returned to my own room and got ready to go out. My head was a mess.

Could I get rid of Yeon Ryang’s parasite?

I did not know when Yeon Ryang had been sent into the Central Plains, but considering his age, at least ten years had likely passed since he had swallowed the Blood Yin Parasite.

That was more than enough time for even a fingernail-sized worm to grow over a span long.

If I forced it out, it would damage his organs, so I could not remove it physically.

It was not a type of poison Cane could purify either, so the only method was to melt and kill it while the parasite lay dormant.

There had to be an antidote that killed the parasite...

Damn it. I should have studied when Tang Juyeop talked about parasites. Grandfather would know.

I could only regret that I had not asked him earlier.

...Wait. Come to think of it, that prescription Grandfather sent to the Martial Alliance Lord. Wasn’t that an antidote prescription? Could it have been for a parasite?

The thought flashed through my mind, and I tried to recall the prescription Tang Jung had been writing, but my memory was nothing but a blur.

This damn memory of mine. Truly useless.

I slowly chewed over my memory of that day.

Grandfather had been writing the prescription when he told me to bring him castor seeds. Castor was highly toxic when raw, but once heated, almost all of its toxicity disappeared.

Like suppressing toxicity to use it as medicine—if it were possible to kill the parasite with poison and then have Cane purify the poison...

“Sister. Are you ready?”

I had been worrying my lower lip between my teeth when Yeon Ryang’s voice snapped me back to myself.

“Oh, I’m coming.”

When I opened the door, Yeon Ryang was there, clean-shaven and neat. As if telling me to look quickly, he lowered himself and turned his chin this way and that.

“Look. I shaved clean, didn’t I?”

“Yes. You look much better shaved. Please shave every day. You look far more handsome without the beard.”

“Of course, of course. They say if you listen to your sister, rice cakes appear even in your sleep.”

This man really did listen better than he seemed.

I gave a small laugh and descended the stairs with him.

“Sister. Do you know how to use a sword?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Really? Hmm... Knowing nothing at all is a problem.”

“What would I ever need a sword for? I’m already busy enough throwing hidden weapons.”

“I know. I know. But sects that use hidden weapons are uncommon, so I’m worried. Just seeing you habitually put your hand into your sleeve makes it obvious you’re from the Tang Clan. How about carrying a sword at your waist, even just as a decoy?”

Yeon Ryang suggested it. Hearing him say it, he had a point.

“Should I? I think I can carry around a light sword, at least.”

“Well, that part’s no problem. You’re strong, Sister.”

He chuckled as he teased me.

After finishing breakfast, we went straight to an iron workshop and bought a suitable iron sword.

It was not made from high-quality metal, but since it was only for decoration anyway, I did not care.

Yeon Ryang, however, seemed to think differently.

He took me to a quiet lake and tried to teach me the sword.

“Still, if you’re carrying a sword, you should know how to swing it, Sister. Let’s at least learn some roadside martial arts.”

“Mm... I don’t know what that means, but can I do it?”

“It isn’t hard, Sister. I’ll show you the Three Powers Sword Method, so watch and copy me.”

SHING!

Yeon Ryang drew his sword handsomely and moved his body slowly.

“Cut vertically. Cut horizontally. Thrust.”

He swung the sword slowly so I could see it clearly.

The blade gleamed sharply as it drew lines through the air.

I stood there blankly, then tilted my head and asked, “Is that all?”

“Yes. That’s all. It’s a sword method containing the principles of heaven, earth, and humanity.”

“Show me again.”

With a small laugh, Yeon Ryang swung the sword again. It was a simple, honest sequence.

“You know this too, Sister. Even with the same technique, it changes depending on who performs it. Wandering martial artists like us never know when we might have to pick up a sword rolling on the ground and swing it. There’s nothing bad about learning it.”

“You’re right.”

Just as Yeon Ryang said, knowing how to handle a sword would be useful.

I swung the sword the way Yeon Ryang taught me.

The problem was...

“Gyeonga. A sword is meant to be swung. Not thrown.”

“No, I know that, but my body keeps throwing the sword on its own.”

“I nearly died just now.”

“Haha. You didn’t die, so it’s fine.”

My body, accustomed to throwing knives and hidden-weapon techniques, kept throwing the sword as if it were a hidden weapon.

It was the same no matter how many times I tried. Swinging the sword itself simply would not work.

I stared at the sword dangling from the rock Yeon Ryang had been sitting on.

It seemed learning the sword would not be easy.