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Chapter 23
Seeing me come back looking all grimy must have been quite a shock, because everyone at Cheonwolru was worried about my well-being.
“Miss, if you need anything, please call us. Promise you will!”
Some of the courtesans said things like that.
“……”
And whenever I stepped outside the Cheonwolru building, at least one martial arts guard followed behind me like a shadow.
It was a bit annoying, but since it was all out of genuine concern for my safety, I decided to let it go.
“…In that sense, you really don’t have to stick this close.”
“It is my duty to attend to Lady Hyeryeong.”
Even as she said that, Sehwa’s expression was far from good. I suppose my sudden disappearance had frightened her quite a lot.
Not that she would’ve been any help even if she’d been there.
A regular human—an especially frail female—couldn’t do anything in a place crawling with men.
It was admirable of her, but what can’t be done simply can’t be done.
So I lightly tugged Sehwa’s skirt.
As she reflexively bent her knees to meet my eyes, I reached out and gently patted her head.
“Good job. Staying put was the best help you could’ve given me.”
Startled, her pupils trembled faintly.
“I only went to punish the bad men who tried to harm you.”
“Lady Hyeryeong…”
“I got dirty, sure, but I’m not hurt. What’s there to worry about?”
When I reassured her not to take it too hard, she finally nodded.
Good grief. Humans are not easy to console.
I was thinking how difficult it was to understand a human heart while watching koi swim in the pond when—
“Sehwa. Bring Hyeryeong here.”
It was the fox.
I turned my head toward him, and his voice transmission came.
【Mountain Lord. The investigation’s done.】
【I’ll come right away.】
I stretched my arms toward Sehwa, and she gently lifted me into her arms.
My size was small, so being carried was faster—but I was getting too used to this.
Next time I’ll just gather energy in my legs and walk fast myself.
With that resolution, we headed to a room deep inside Cheonwolru, a place others could not enter.
“I’ll explain the Amhonhoe first. The first thing you should know is this—groups with the word hoe (association) at the end aren’t sects but organizations.”
With that, the fox began his explanation.
Groups in the martial world whose name ends in hoe appear frequently, then disappear just as quickly.
Amhonhoe was created by wandering fighters, a place where they solve anything as long as you pay.
A group formed just to make money, huh.
They’ve never killed anyone yet, but because they use violent methods, they’re classified as a dark faction. And then—
【The problem is, one of their members has a pill from the Blood Sect.】
When I conveyed that through sound transmission so Sehwa wouldn’t hear, the fox frowned.
【Yeah. That’s the problem.】
He looked seriously troubled.
“That big guy didn’t spill anything useful either. It seems only the leader of Amhonhoe might have meaningful information.”
“Oh, by the way, I know the effect of that pill.”
“What?”
“I heard it from that idiot Ma Baek.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“It was coming from an idiot, so I didn’t trust it.”
“…Fair. It is hard to trust that good-for-nothing.”
“According to him, ‘just one dose and I can do whatever I want with Sehwa.’”
Sehwa’s face twisted in disgust. Understandable—that wasn’t pleasant to hear.
“Then it’s a drug that affects the mind. Tsk, the effort he put into being vile.”
I nodded at the sharp assessment. If he had trained instead of doing this nonsense, who knows how far he’d have gotten.
“If we know the general effect, it won’t take long to deduce what herbs were used.”
“Amhonhoe is…”
“It’s too early for us to intervene. Cheonwolru is still a pleasure house—and reputation is everything here.”
And since it was still only suspicion, we had to move carefully.
We had discovered traces of the Blood Sect, yet couldn’t act on it.
Is that… actually fortunate?
Considering the situation, maybe it was. It meant the Blood Sect hadn’t fully stepped in yet.
But part of me felt regret. If I had already rewound time this far, it would be nice to disrupt their schemes in advance.
“Don’t rush.”
A hand pressed firmly on my head. I rolled my eyes upward to look at the fox.
“I was already planning to warn you about this matter.”
“A warning?”
“Yes. Mountain Lord, how did you feel while fighting that big guy?”
Fighting that oaf? Well…
“It was easy.”
“No, it wasn’t easy. Multiple coincidences just happened to work in your favor.”
The fox’s gaze darkened. I looked at him, unsure what he meant.
“Your body is that of a seven-year-old girl. It’s smaller than an adult human.”
“That’s true.”
“That’s why he let his guard down. Normally, children are weak and slow. Any martial artist can subdue or kill one with little effort.”
Well… that was true.
“And he had never fought someone this small, so he was even more vulnerable to a surprise attack. A child cannot normally reach such a level.”
“So… I just took advantage of the opening he gave me?”
“Yes. It was luck—this wasn’t your actual skill. And on top of that—”
The fox spread his fingers.
“Humans learn martial arts. They refine combat techniques. Their inner-energy usage is different.”
“…”
“And more importantly, Mountain Lord, you haven’t fought much while in a human body.”
“That’s true. This body wasn’t made for combat in the first place.”
“Knowing that, you still rushed in just because Sehwa was in danger?!”
His voice rose. Ah, he was mad.
“A child’s body isn’t suited for combat, and your internal energy hasn’t fully recovered!”
“Uh…”
“Do you know how alarmed I was when you came back all grimy? Instead of playing hero, you should’ve asked for help. The Cheonwolru guards aren’t weak—I didn’t hire them for nothing!”
I didn’t have time to ask for help…
But seeing his stern face, I just nodded vaguely.
“Don’t nod vaguely.”
“Wow, you’re picky.”
“Just realize you aren’t who you used to be, Mountain Lord. You troublemaker.”
“Who are you calling a troublemaker?”
“You! Yes, you, you damned Mountain Lord!”
His yelling made me cover my ears.
“I still found the pill.”
“Is that what matters right now?!”
“It’s important! At least we found a trace.”
“Found it and then what?! Can you even do anything in your current state?!”
“I came to the human realm for a reason. It’s better to know what’s going on!”
“Even if you know, will you stay put? The moment something happens, you’ll jump out again!”
We glared and huffed at each other.
I mean—I knew all that, but wasn’t our recovery too slow to just sit around without following clues?
“What’s so wrong about punishing the bastards threatening a place and people you care about? I did it because I could, and I came back unharmed. Isn’t that enough?”
A wild animal needs the ability to judge its opponent.
If you can’t gauge the enemy’s strength, you get eaten or driven out.
The big guy and the idiot were manageable. The risk was worth taking. I found a clue about the Blood Sect, and Sehwa was safe.
So I truly couldn’t understand why the fox was acting like this. It wasn’t something to scold me this harshly for.
Honestly, I expected a thank-you or an apology.
Instead he came at me like this, and it made me pout without realizing it.
But the fox’s expression only hardened further, as if he were angrier.
“Do you think that’s something you can brag about?! What are the guards of Cheonwolru—decorations?! They’re paid to handle this sort of thing!”
“So—”
“So nothing! Is there any room for excuse here?!”
He shouted.
“And what did you say? You did it to protect someone? Who here is the one that needs protection?!”
I closed my mouth. There was no refuting that painfully true statement.
He didn’t have to say it like that, though…
The feeling of being misunderstood made my chest feel tight.
