novelraw Chapter 166 : Newly Written Anew (1)
Chapter 166 : Newly Written Anew (1)
Chapter 166: Newly Written Anew (1)
The moment he heard Geum Hwa Sa-tae’s words, Sewoon quickly began tracing back through his memories from before his regression.
There were many physicians in the Imperial Palace, yet if they needed to seek treatment from the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician, it meant that the patient had fallen ill with something extremely severe.
And if even the Admiral of the Eastern Depot stepped forward to move the patient in absolute secrecy, it meant the person was a figure within the palace whose condition must never be made public.
However…
‘But I really have no idea who it is?’
No matter how deeply he rummaged through his mind, it remained utterly foggy.
He couldn’t recall even a single memory of anyone within the palace causing such an incident at this point in time.
But that, too, made sense.
Around this period in his previous life, Sewoon had lived through such harsh upheavals that anything unrelated to himself had barely remained in his memory.
As previously mentioned, there was no way Sewoon—who had never had any ties to the palace—could have known about something the Eastern Depot moved in secret.
‘And if even the Blood Cult didn’t have internal information on this, then this was truly just an individual’s illness….’
He couldn’t guess the situation at all, so should he simply move on?
Sewoon was thinking just that when—
Sssrrr.
‘……!’
Something unusual was detected by Sewoon’s Eye of Spectral Perception.
He had accidentally caught sight of a faint remnant of a certain type of qi clinging to the tip of Geum Hwa Sa-tae’s fingers.
It was such a small fragment of qi that even Geum Hwa Sa-tae herself likely hadn’t realized it was on her.
‘So that’s it. The illness afflicting the palace’s figure was that one.’
Memories from before his regression surfaced in Sewoon’s mind.
Though unrelated to the palace, a horrific plague had soon spread across the martial world, shaking it to its core.
Among the victims of that rampant disease had been members of the Tang Clan.
Who would have thought the Imperial Palace had been the origin of that very illness?
Sewoon’s mind began moving rapidly.
‘This might give me an even better chance to strike Namgung Myeong again.’
Ideas on how to make full use of this situation began to surface one after another.
“Hm, is the time perhaps very urgent?”
‘Ah.’
With a heavy expression, Geum Hwa Sa-tae cautiously asked.
Because he had been lost in thought and delayed his reply, she seemed to have interpreted it differently.
Sewoon quickly smiled and answered her.
“Not at all. If a physician wishes to tend to a patient, how could I possibly stop that? I came with plenty of time precisely to meet the two of you, so please don’t worry. Just let me know once the treatment is finished.”
Only then did Geum Hwa Sa-tae show a bright smile.
“Thank you for saying so. I shall do everything I can so that the wait won’t be too difficult.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Geum Hwa Sa-tae then spoke to Hayeong, who stood beside her.
“Hayeong.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Guide the Tang Clan Head and the clan members to their lodgings.”
“Understood.”
After a respectful bow to her master, Hayeong turned to Sewoon.
“Let us go, Clan Head.”
“?!”
Though Hayeong wore a pleasant and kind smile, Sewoon flinched for some reason.
Step, step.
Footsteps echoed eerily down the corridor.
Inside Mount Emei Sect—a women-only sect—one young man and one young woman walked side by side.
Tang Serin and the other members of the Tang Clan had already been guided to their respective rooms, and only Sewoon, Clan Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, was being led to a separate place prepared just for him.
‘…Why is the air so cold?’
At that moment, Sewoon felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.
It was as if the frigid, cutting winds of the North Sea were blowing straight through the hallway.
And the source of this strange phenomenon was only one person.
“Ahem. Um… Lady Do?”
“……”
Despite how many times he had spoken to her now, Do Ha-yeong still hadn’t answered even once.
‘Ugh, why is she like this?’
She hadn’t been quite this severe when others were around, but once the rest disappeared, she wore an utterly blank expression that showed no emotion whatsoever.
The atmosphere was so intense that Sewoon momentarily overlapped her with the Sword Queen who had once swung her killing sword at him in his previous life, viewing him as her sworn enemy.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t guess why Do Ha-yeong was acting this way, leaving him frustrated.
“If I have somehow offended Lady Do in any way…”
“Are you going to keep calling me that?”
“Pardon?”
Stop.
Do Ha-yeong suddenly halted in place.
Then she quickly turned her head to look at Sewoon.
“‘Lady Do.’ I’m talking about that.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you going to keep calling me that?”
“…Pardon?”
Sewoon could only repeat the same single word like a fool.
Watching his bewildered blinking, she let out a short sigh and continued.
“Hoo… When we met during the previous gathering, you had no trouble calling me by my name, didn’t you?”
‘Ah.’
Only then did Sewoon realize the reason behind her behavior.
Though she seemed reluctant to bring it up herself, her expression—normally emotionless—was slightly cracked.
Her expression clearly held thick traces of disappointment.
There was only one reason.
‘She figured it out.’
She had realized that the leader of the Jecheon Unit—the person she belonged to—was actually Sewoon.
When Sewoon still remained silent like a dumb mute, Hayeong spoke.
“When the things that bothered me kept piling up, I wondered how I could have possibly missed it all this time.”
“…Lady Do—no. I truly apologize to you, Miss Hayeong.”
She narrowed her eyes sharply at the words “Lady Do,” but the moment “Miss” followed, the strength left her gaze.
Sewoon scratched the back of his head awkwardly and repeatedly.
Seeing that, Do Ha-yeong unknowingly let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s alright. I knew Young Master Tang must have had his reasons. That’s why I didn’t tell the others, either.”
“I’m truly grateful.”
“I was just a little disappointed, that’s all.”
At her words that it had been regrettable, Sewoon gazed at her quietly.
Do Ha-yeong began to spill the parts that had made her upset.
“Th-that, compared to the other members of the Jecheon Unit, I at least have deeper ties with Young Master Tang, don’t I? So I thought you would at least give me a secret heads-up…”
“……!”
“N-no! I mean—when I say deeper ties, it’s because we’ve known each other longer since that incident with the Poison Demon! N-not in any other weird sense…”
Do Ha-yeong suddenly realized what she was saying and began stammering all over the place.
Her flustered face reddened as if it would burst.
‘She had a face like this?’
In his memories before regression, this had never existed.
Without realizing it, a faint smile surfaced on Sewoon’s face as he witnessed an expression he had never known she could make.
With a voice full of mischief, Sewoon spoke.
“Hehe, indeed. We do share deep ties.”
“?!”
“So about that, Miss Do.”
“Yes?”
And then Sewoon spoke his next line.
“Would you spare some time for me?”
“……Yes?”
This time, Do Ha-yeong was the one repeating “Yes” like a fool.
**
A short while later.
Two human figures raced up the steep night-covered mountain path of Mount Emei at a streaking speed.
“We’re almost there. Stay strong.”
“…Yes.”
Following behind Sewoon, Do Ha-yeong answered.
The two had secretly slipped past the Emei Sect’s gates and were now traveling through the night.
Watching Sewoon’s back as she hurried after him, Do Ha-yeong quietly let out a small sigh.
‘Good grief… What was I even expecting?’
…Wait.
Expecting? Expecting what?
But the thought lasted only a moment before she grew flustered at her own sudden realization.
“Y-Young Master Tang. Is there truly a cure for ‘that person’ somewhere around here?”
“There is.”
Trying to hide her embarrassment, Hayeong spoke first, and Sewoon nodded.
Yes. The reason the two had left the Emei Sect was because Sewoon had said they needed to obtain an ingredient to cure the person currently being treated by the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician and Geum Hwa Sa-tae.
Having lived her whole life on Mount Emei, she knew that there was no “special place” at the end of the path Sewoon was guiding her along.
But she didn’t try to stop him.
She simply followed, believing in him.
Because she knew.
Since Sewoon himself said so, something unknown to even her must indeed exist on this mountain.
‘…He truly is a man full of secrets.’
How did he know the identity of the person secretly brought to Emei by the power of the Eastern Depot?
How did he know the illness of a person known only to the Sect Founder and her master?
How did he know a secret of Mount Emei that even the sect itself didn’t know?
As Sewoon once again created countless new mysteries, she felt her strength subtly leave her.
“I am追ing the organization known as the Blood Cult.”
“……!”
Suddenly, Sewoon began dropping bombshells.
“Their master is the unmatched demonic being known as the Blood Demon.”
“And I wield the same type of power as that creature.”
Before she could even react, Sewoon delivered shock after shock without giving her a chance to breathe.
“The only reason I survived despite using Innate True Qi so many times is because I have learned his demonic arts.”
“With the power left behind by the New Monk, I am barely maintaining balance, yet I am constantly at risk of being swallowed by demonic qi.”
“If something goes wrong, just as you’ve seen before, I could go berserk and become a full-fledged demonic being.”
Sewoon confessed the truth about the Reverse Heaven Qi he had mastered—something he had never told anyone before.
The content was so shocking that Hayeong had stopped walking before she noticed.
Moonlight fell upon both of them.
Do Ha-yeong looked at Sewoon with trembling eyes.
“Why… why would you reveal all of this to me?”
At her question—
Sewoon answered without a moment of hesitation.
“Because I can trust you.”
“……!”
A cold silence fell over the surroundings.
What Sewoon said was so shocking that if it spread elsewhere, the entire martial world would be shaken.
Even without going far—if Do Ha-yeong turned back to the Emei Sect right now and reported that he practiced demonic arts, Sewoon would instantly become a public enemy of the martial world.
‘But why would you…’
Why was he gently handing her the very blade that could take his life?
Yet right now, Sewoon’s eyes told her plainly:
It’s fine, even so.
How strange.
He could make her angry over nothing—
And then make it impossible for her to stay angry at all.
Truly, a strange person.
‘…No, perhaps I am the strange one.’
That was what Do Ha-yeong was thinking.
It really was strange.
Everything he said earlier—those earth-shattering revelations—had already vanished from her mind.
There must be some story behind it.
All the other words dispersed like smoke.
—Because I can trust you.
Only one sentence remained in her mind.
Do Ha-yeong shook her head lightly and spoke.
“Hoo… Lord Leader, you’re really unfair.”
“If you’ve realized it just now, then I truly apologize.”
Fwsh!
The two quickly resumed moving toward their destination.