Seolhwa knit her brows.

“What do you mean, what kind of relationship?”

“It just feels like the Division Lord treats you a bit differently from other people. The Division Lord... it’s like there’s a wall there, you know?”

“The Division Lord?”

Yu Gang?

“He’s kind, but getting closer than that feels a little hard. Ah, when he greeted the Mount Hua disciples it seemed a little less so, though.”

Is it because of his bearing.

Or because he rose to the seat of Martial Alliance Lord.

Or else because he still hasn’t completely shaken off the past of leaving Mount Hua.

The Yu Gang Seolhwa remembers from four years ago was a boy who approached anyone easily and got along well with everyone.

And the Yu Gang from her previous life was no different.

A man who was friendly even to an enemy like her.

So why is it.

Ouyang Do, Golden Lotus Rain. The Peng siblings as well.

All of them say there’s a wall around him.

As if he were someone hard to approach, someone who pushes away those who come close.

What on earth is imprisoning him.

And why hadn’t she noticed it.

‘It must be because I’m dull with feelings.’

Even Golden Lotus Rain, who has barely known him a few days, sensed it—while she alone did not.

“But somehow with you, that wall felt thinner. That’s why I asked. I’d heard you knew each other from before, but I wondered if you might be... something more.”

“That’s not it.”

“I thought so.”

Seolhwa nodded.

Yu Gang and herself.

It was true they weren’t anything particularly special—just two people who had known each other a little longer than most.

And the Mount Hua disciples had known him longer than she had.

“I want to get along well with the Division Lord.”

Golden Lotus Rain sounded a touch crestfallen.

“You already seem to be getting along.”

“Do I? It feels like the Division Lord is only interested in my archery.”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see that myself.”

“I can’t remember talking with him about anything else.”

Golden Lotus Rain laughed and lifted her shoulders.

A clear smile that made even the onlooker feel good.

That bright, sparkling kind of smile was something Seolhwa could never even imitate. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“You’ll become close soon enough. The Division Lord I know is a person of deep affection.”

“Will I?”

Golden Lotus Rain giggled, heh-heh.

For some reason, that look resembled the old Yu Gang a little.

Before long, Yu Gang and Tang Hojin arrived at the inn.

The four ate, then went to the room Golden Lotus Rain had arranged and took their rest.

****

Late at night.

The cloth left by the long-scar bamboo-hatted man lay spread on the table.

Seolhwa sat in a chair, chin in hand, and tapped the cloth’s sigil with her fingertip. Tok, tok.

At some point, Seolhwa’s finger stopped.

She faintly frowned, rose from her seat, and moved toward the door.

Without ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) hesitation she flung it open—and there stood Yu Gang, surprised.

“You weren’t asleep. How did you know I was here?”

“Wasn’t that presence something you let me notice?”

“If you’re still awake... I thought maybe we could talk.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“If so... may I come in?”

“...”

“I’ll just talk with you for a bit and go.”

It was late for him to come to a grown woman’s room, but the way he asked if he could enter was like a pitiful puppy, and she couldn’t bring herself to drive him off.

In the end, Seolhwa opened the door.

Yu Gang smiled faintly, came inside, and sat at the table.

“Tea?”

“I’m fine.”

His gaze went to the cloth of the bamboo-hatted man on the table.

Tak.

Instead of tea, Seolhwa set a cup of water in front of him and took the seat opposite.

“So, what do you want to say?”

A muffling qi veil settled around them.

Yu Gang had raised it.

“Sado Union Lord. Shadowless Demon God. That’s you, isn’t it?”

Seolhwa nodded.

“Mm.”

Since he had witnessed the Imoogi’s power, she had no intention of hiding it from him.

“I thought so. What happened today? Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine. I handed them to the authorities. It’s true I founded the Sado Union to prevent things like that, but we can’t control everything.”

She had never expected the Unorthodox to follow the Sado Union’s control perfectly.

Some had no choice but to live as underworld martial artists, but there were also those who delighted in tormenting others and stealing their money.

She hadn’t imagined anyone would invoke the Sado Union’s name and abuse its reputation like this, but today’s incident wasn’t all that shocking.

“I’ve felt this for a while, but you’re incredible. Sometimes it feels like you’ve lived far longer than I have.”

Seolhwa’s fingers twitched.

She lowered her hand beneath the table and said,

“You’re not ordinary either.”

To stand, at that age, with a bearing on par with the elders of the Martial Alliance.

“Compared to you, I’m nothing.”

“We’ll see.”

Sado Union Lord or Ouyang Do’s disciple—

If you’re counting difficulty, isn’t the latter the harder to achieve?

While she was thinking that through, Yu Gang hesitated, as if gauging her mood.

When Seolhwa looked at him, he avoided her eyes and asked,

“When we left the Alliance... what did you talk about with Young Master Jegal? You two were whispering...”

It hadn’t been a whisper.

Jegal Hwi had covered his mouth with his fan and come close to speak, but—

“You.”

At that moment, the hand Yu Gang had resting on the table twitched, trembling.

After a short silence, he asked, a little tense,

“What about me?”

“He said you were interested in Golden Lotus Rain.”

“What?!”

Yu Gang slammed the table. Tang-!

“What are you talking about? Me, interested in Golden Lotus Rain? You don’t mean it like that, right?”

“She seemed like a good person.”

Seolhwa propped her chin and turned her gaze aside.

“Bright, positive. Nothing rough about her. She seemed similar to you.”

“I’m— that is... but then?”

“With good people, your interest naturally goes to them.”

“I—!”

The veins stood out on the back of Yu Gang’s hand upon the table.

He shifted his eyes with a grave expression.

It was obvious he was seriously struggling over how to answer.

What is he mulling over so hard.

It was only a tease.

Just as Seolhwa, bored with teasing him, was about to change the subject—

“The one I’m interested in is you.”

“...?”

Seolhwa looked back at Yu Gang.

He, too, was staring straight at her.

“Namgoong Seolhwa. You.”

“...”

His earlobes were so red they looked ready to burst, completely at odds with the resolute gaze fixed on her, and Seolhwa swallowed dryly without meaning to.

“I’ll go.”

Yu Gang fled the room.

[...I’ll... go take a look around.]

Soon after, for some reason, the Imoogi slipped out of the room with a wan voice.

Zzr-rr— zzr-rr—

The chirring of insects drifted in through the window.

Even after he left, Seolhwa sat there for a long time, blankly.

****

After the small commotion, the party set out again.

Tang Hojin guided the road even more cautiously than before, and the others did not drop their guard.

Thus the journey continued without major trouble.

After several days crossing Henan, they finally reached Hebei, and before going on to Tianjin, they stayed at an inn in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan.

“Starting tomorrow we’ll travel to Tianjin without using horses, so please take your last good rest.”

It was possible someone who found them suspicious had tailed them.

To shake the Beggar’s Union’s eyes and increase their speed, they chose to move with light-footwork qi techniques.

Once they arrived in Tianjin, the real investigation would begin, so this was literally their last rest.

“We’ll meet on the first floor at exactly 6–7 a.m.”

As the party, following Yu Gang’s instructions, were about to scatter to their rooms—

Grab—

Yu Gang caught Seolhwa by the wrist as she turned to go.

“Namgoong Seolhwa.”

“...What is it?”

“Could you spare me a moment?”

Seolhwa looked straight at him.

Since that night, the two had not spoken outside of official situations.

Partly because they mostly slept rough and had no time alone—but mostly because Seolhwa had been avoiding him.

“Just a moment will do.”

Seolhwa looked down at Yu Gang’s hand holding her wrist.

He let go and stepped back.

“Alright.”

The two went up to Seolhwa’s room.

She entered first; Yu Gang followed her in and closed the door.

The moment it shut, a muffling veil wrapped the room.

Confirming Yu Gang’s qi screen, Seolhwa turned to him.

“What is it?”

Yu Gang’s lips moved, his face saying he had a lot to say.

Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Back then, things were hectic and I couldn’t ask.”

Seolhwa swallowed dry without meaning to.

“What is it? Ask now.”

“That night.”

“...”

Yu Gang looked at her with a firm gaze.

“The scrap of cloth on the table. Can I ask where you got it?”

“!”

Seolhwa asked back, startled.

“...Why that cloth?”

“The truth is, I’ve been looking for the source of the same sigil.”

Yu Gang drew a necklace from his nape and showed it to her.

A ring of gold and red gemstone hung from the cord.

“!”

Seolhwa hurried to him and examined the ring.

On its surface was engraved the very sigil she had been pursuing.

“Where... did you get this?”

“I’ve had it from the beginning. For as long as I can remember as a child. I don’t know where it came from.”

“...What?”

“I think it might be something left behind by the parents who abandoned me...”

He trailed off.

The hand holding the ring trembled finely.

“I don’t particularly want to meet the parents who abandoned me... but just in case... I kept it.”