We were on our way to the Black Lotus Sect.
“Boring. Can’t some bandits show up or something?”
“Weren’t you the very one who annihilated the Green Forest bandits, Brother Cheon?”
Tang Sowol shook her head like she couldn’t believe me. Watching the arc drawn by her deep-green hair swaying with her movements made me laugh without meaning to.
“But truly, what am I supposed to do if I’m bored?”
“If that was the case, you shouldn’t have sent away the others who wanted to accompany us.”
“You mean Seol Lihyang or Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin?”
“Nope. Those two said they had something else to discuss. And they pushed me toward you, saying I should use this chance for us to spend some cozy time together… But how are we supposed to be cozy in something like… a tyrannical expedition—no, a martial expedition?”
“Tyrannical expedition? I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s a martial expedition, a martial expedition.”
“In what world does a martial expedition involve poisoning the loser? And if you lose, I’m sure it won’t end with just poison.”
“In the Unorthodox faction, anything that doesn’t kill you counts as a martial contest. And there’s no chance I lose, so stop worrying.”
“But Brother Cheon, aren’t you an Orthodox martial artist?”
I briefly lifted my head toward the sky. The weather was beautiful.
“…Did you know Brother Cheon has a habit of staring blankly elsewhere whenever he has nothing to say?”
“…Anyway, since the road is dull, how about telling me something interesting?”
“I see you’re changing the subject right away. Interesting story… ah, do you know what happened recently? I went out for a walk and people recognized my face, and they all crowded around me.”
“What? Even though they know you have a fiancé, they still approached you? They must’ve been shameless.”
“They were merchants.”
“Merchants with good eyes, then. If they catch your interest, getting their goods supplied to the Tang Clan must be simple.”
“Oh, please. Final decisions are up to the Chief Steward and my father. I just recommend places that look decent.”
Tang Sowol shrugged with a grin, but soon returned to her usual expression and continued.
“Anyway, when the merchants swarmed me, I thought, ‘Oh, so the Tang Clan is really becoming the greatest family under heaven. I’m becoming famous too. But lots of people are kind of annoying…’ Something like that.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“Yes. Once they checked who was accompanying me, they paled and ran away.”
“Oh dear. Must’ve been quite an awful-looking individual.”
“Isn’t it hilarious? They rushed in thinking they could profit, but the moment they realized they might get stabbed for approaching the wrong person, they scattered.”
She continued, amused.
“At times like that, I wonder whether my fame comes from myself or my clan’s prestige… Or maybe the companion who scared them just by making eye contact is the impressive one. What do you think, Brother Cheon?”
“It doesn’t sound like an interesting story at all.”
Of course—this happened shortly after we departed from the Tang Clan.
“Oh my, listen to the rest. The truly funny part is this: after chasing away every person who approached, and refusing to use the Tang Clan’s carriage or join any merchant convoy, someone is insisting on walking, claiming he’s bored and hoping the bandits he already dismantled will show up again.”
Tang Sowol giggled as if genuinely entertained, watching me who had barely spoken for a while.
I sighed deeply.
“Haaah. Didn’t I say I did all that because it was necessary?”
“Necessary… as in, you didn’t want anyone interrupting our alone time?”
She prodded her own chest with her index finger while smiling mischievously.
My eyes were involuntarily drawn to where her finger pressed into her skin, but I forced myself to look away and shook my head.
“This matter shouldn’t be made too public, nor too secretive. It needs to spread naturally. That’s why I intentionally leaked some of my aura to drive people away. If a crowd follows us everywhere, we’ll stand out too much.”
“That makes sense, but wouldn’t spreading rumors be better handled by the Beggar’s Sect or the Hao Clan? This matter began with the Murim Alliance’s request and the Black Lotus Sect’s silent approval.”
“The Beggar’s Sect can be trusted. The Murim Alliance Leader himself came from their ranks—they’ll handle things well. But the Hao Clan… I’m not so sure.”
“Pardon? Isn’t the Hao Clan part of the Black Lotus Sect now? Well, they weren’t particularly close before, but I clearly remember the Sect Lord saying he’d bring them fully under his control.”
“Yes, and by now they should be at least pretending to submit. But pretending isn’t the same as trustworthy.”
“Um… So they’re completely unreliable?”
“Exactly. The Hao Clan is one of the last groups you should trust. I guarantee they’re an even more frustrating den of troublemakers than the Black Lotus Sect itself.”
Even before my regression, the Hao Clan had been a nuisance until the very end.
After the Black Lotus Sect Lord’s death, they tried to declare independence and break away from the Orthodox–Unorthodox alliance.
Naturally, their end came at the hands of the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cultists—who tore them apart mercilessly.
But in a way, it was inevitable.
From Seol Lihyang’s past, I knew this well: the Hao Clan existed purely to survive.
Pride, honor, competitiveness—emotions any martial artist might have—were sins among them.
Their only goal was survival.
They had no righteousness or wickedness.
In a sense, they were the most purely dark of the dark factions.
“The Hao Clan cannot be tamed. The best approach is to keep them at arm’s length—like business partners. But the Black Lotus Sect Lord hates people he can’t control. So even if the Black Lotus Sect is helping us, don’t expect help from the Hao Clan.”
“Hm. I think this often, but Brother Cheon knows the Unorthodox world too well.”
“Well, I’m from Zhejiang Province, so…”
“Even with that, you know too well.”
“Ufufu, if you make that troubled face, it makes me want to tease you more, you know?”
“…What a personality.”
While I forced a dry smile, Tang Sowol slipped closer, naturally linking arms with me and resting her head on my shoulder.
Her soft touch wrapped around my arm, and her distinctive scent filled my senses.
Just as I froze for a moment, she went up on tiptoe and whispered into my ear—
“So even if you’re bored, you’ll have to be content with me, all right?”
This time, I was speechless for a very different reason. But after a moment of thought, I finally replied.
“Then don’t drift away. That way, the trip won’t be boring.”
“Yes. If that’s what Brother Cheon wants.”
She nodded with a soft smile.
Before I knew it, the boredom had vanished.
***
“Kahahaha! How long has it been since Shaolin, and yet your aura has changed again, White Moon Sword Lord!”
“Oh, it’s been a while, both of you. Lord Sangwan Geuk was eagerly waiting for your arrival… To the point it made me a little jealous.”
As always, the Black Lotus Sect Lord greeted us with boisterous laughter while Sama Yuryeon shrugged as if helpless to stop him.
Seeing familiar faces the moment we arrived at the Black Lotus Sect Headquarters brought a smile to my face as I saluted them.
“It’s good to see both of you again. Did you perhaps come out to greet me personally?”
“My, was it that obvious? I’ve recently been testing a few Hao Clan tracking methods and personnel. They’re proving quite effective, you know?”
So he’d been tracking my location since the moment I entered Zhejiang.
He could’ve said it plainly, but phrased it vaguely like that, avoiding a direct conclusion—typical Sama Yuryeon speech.
Before my regression, I’d grumbled that smart people tended to talk weirdly—always assuming others could follow their thought process.
But hearing it in this life felt strangely nostalgic, like being back in the old Black Lotus Sect.
Perhaps my thoughts had been dwelling more on the past since the Great Law Trial.
After accepting Tang Sowol’s polite greeting, the Sect Lord, still grinning, spoke again.
“Still, I never expected you to actually take on this job.”
“I’m the one who first suggested this method.”
“Anyone can say things. But only a few actually take responsibility.”
“I try to keep the promises I make.”
“Hoho! I’m similar. That’s why seeing you here is quite reassuring, White Moon Sword Lord.”
He nodded with satisfaction, staring at me warmly.
Even before my regression and after, I still didn’t understand why he liked me so much.
But it was hard to dislike someone who liked me.
Especially someone reliable.
And I trusted that whatever mess I caused inside the Black Lotus Sect, the Sect Lord would find a way to smooth it over so both sides benefited.
“Let’s head inside. There’s a limit to what we can say out here.”
“As long as it’s not enough to get me drunk, I enjoy drinking.”
“Oh? So you like alcohol?”
“If you mean drinking until a Flowering Stage master gets drunk, then I suppose we could drink all night.”
“At that rate, my fiancée would scold me, so please go easy on me.”
“Hahaha! I’m just saying. My wife’s nagging is scary too, so don’t worry.”
At our casual exchange, Sama Yuryeon shut her eyes tight.
“Master…! If someone hears you, they’ll think I’m some tyrant controlling you.”
“Oh dear! You see? It’s already starting. Come, let’s go in.”
“Master!”
Despite their bickering words, both were smiling. I followed the pair to the Sect Lord’s office.
I assumed we’d go to a dining hall since alcohol had been mentioned… but surprisingly, the office already had a drinking table prepared.
Odd as it was, it fit the Black Lotus Sect’s style—if the Sect Lord wanted it, that was how it would be.
Tang Sowol blinked in confusion, rubbing her eyes, but this was nothing worth fussing over.
We enjoyed some light food and drinks while catching up for a while.
Once the bottle we’d brought was nearly empty, the Sect Lord’s cheerful atmosphere gradually shifted into something heavier.
Tang Sowol and I straightened our posture.
The Sect Lord gestured lightly, pulling a document from his desk into his hand using Object-Grasping Through Empty Air, then handed it to me.
“Give it a read. These are the ones my wife and I have sorted out.”
“Hmm.”
There were three names listed.
I read them one by one—they were all familiar.
All of them had surrendered to the Heavenly Demon or betrayed the Black Lotus Sect in the previous timeline.
But one name was missing.
“Is One-Blade Asura, Im Cheongang, not included?”
“Hm? That brat is annoying, constantly grumbling, always trying to take my position whenever he gets a chance… but isn’t that normal? He follows orders when pressured, so while he deserves a beating or two, I didn’t think he needed to be removed.”
“Huh.”
So in the previous timeline, he’d been one who behaved normally until his life was threatened, then turned traitor.
Having witnessed the Heavenly Demon’s strength, he would certainly have tried to survive however he could.
Meaning, until that turning point, he hadn’t caused any major problems—just minor annoyances—so the Sect Lord and Sama Yuryeon didn’t consider him worth eliminating.
But if he was someone who would betray at the most critical moment, then this was the perfect chance to remove him.
So how should I convince the two?
All sorts of long, logical arguments formed in my mind—
But the words that came out were extremely simple.
“I just never liked him. I’ll take care of him along with the others.”
The three of them stared at me, mouths half open.
It seemed my flawless and fully justified reasoning had left them speechless.
