Chapter 218

I was lying quietly atop a pile of hay in the stable.

With the Blood Path's true Demonic War kicking off in full, devastating fashion, the Tang Clan of Sichuan had been swept up in unprecedented bustle.

Dang Soran had no time to call for me amid attending family meetings, and given how my head was a tangled mess, that was probably for the best.

Originally, around this point, I had planned to hole up even more quietly.

Living like a ghost that didn't exist in this world, tucked away somewhere deep in Mount Emei where the Demonic Cult's reach wouldn't extend, keeping my head down in silence.

I figured I'd gauge the war's progress from the occasional news of deaths among allies like Jo or Juyeon.

The deaths of old masters. The downfall of sects and clans, the revival and counterattack of the Hidden Dragon Society.

And atop their sacrifices, the rise of the world's greatest martial artist... Namgung Yeon.

The process by which she, once a dullard and a burden, the one no one expected anything from, became the brightest star and fulfilled everyone's hopes.

That was the conclusion of this world, *Blood Path*.

With Namgung Yeon ascending as the supreme martial artist, the chaos would subside, and peace would return.

That was the happy ending I had been waiting for.

"...Haa."

But in the end, Silent Dragon died.

I had clung to the hope he might come back alive somehow, but no—he was really gone.

I heard it straight from Dang Soran. She seemed pretty shaken by Silent Dragon's death too.

"Shit..."

A curse slipped out on its own.

The more I mulled over Silent Dragon's death, the heavier and stranger the weight pressing on my chest felt.

Deeper shock came not from the initial blow, but as time passed and I reflected on it.

Realizing that everything Silent Dragon was meant to achieve was now gone forever made that void feel terrifyingly empty.

I pulled out the book I had written myself, densely packed with this world's event structures and character arcs.

Among it, I pored over the sections detailing Silent Dragon's role and influence.

The more I read, the more tears pricked at my eyes over the death of a man I wasn't even that close to.

Because things were truly fucked.

He had turned out to be far more influential than I'd thought.

Silent Dragon, the eldest in the Hidden Dragon Society, who acted as its leader and big brother figure.

"..."

Who the hell was going to hold the center of the Hidden Dragon Society now?

The Murim Alliance was on the verge of collapse.

It hadn't happened yet, but the outcome of the Songshan Conference was clear.

The Murim Alliance could no longer be trusted.

Above all, as the Demonic Cult spread its dominance so widely, there was no consensus on "which place to defend first."

Kunlun Sect masters would cry out to defend Kunlun, Wudang masters to defend Wudang, Emei masters to defend Emei, Mount Hua masters to defend Mount Hua.

I got it.

Who would go put out someone else's house fire when their own home was burning?

Those masters hadn't trained for that. In the end, everyone just guarded their own homes.

Amid that chaos, the only group moving like an independent strike force was the Hidden Dragon Society.

Silent Dragon was a wanderer with no sect or headquarters. A master who had grown strong after encountering a hidden expert.

With no hometown to protect from the start, he had always been free.

Such a Silent Dragon convinced Namgung Yeon and breathed the will to right the turbid world into her.

That led him to seek out the former members who had once banded together under the Hidden Dragon Society banner.

Instead of half-baked nobodies who hadn't even reached master level or stubborn old experts fixated on defending only their hometowns, he gathered passionate later-generation talents and stirred up trouble for the Demonic Cult here and there.

That was the Hidden Dragon Society.

But that Silent Dragon was dead.

I couldn't say he was the strongest or most important in the Hidden Dragon Society despite being the oldest... but no one could deny he was the one who started it all.

Above all, he had been Namgung Yeon's master.

And now he was gone.

"..."

Could things fall apart this badly from the very start? What happens now?

Silent Dragon really died—what do we do?

No, before that, who the hell is going to teach Namgung Yeon?

...What state is Namgung Yeon in right now?

The Namgung Family already looked on the brink of collapse.

How was she handling that shock, and who would she learn martial arts from going forward?

Could Namgung Yeon really become the world's greatest?

Could this world still reach its happy ending? Or was it fucked?

It felt like a side effect from pulling Cheongwol out of the Demonic Cult.

Like whenever this side gained an advantage, that side crumbled.

"...So you're here."

I closed the book at the sound of the voice.

Too drained to even lift my head, I just rolled my eyes.

Dang Soran stood at the stable entrance.

She walked slowly toward me with weary eyes too.

The moment Dang Soran saw me, she let out a long sigh.

In my eyes, it looked like her shedding the mask that had burdened her.

With a far more relaxed expression, Dang Soran trudged over and flopped down onto the adjacent haystack.

Plop!

I chuckled.

"Your clothes are getting dirty."

"It's fine."

"I'm the one who washes them. Not fine for me."

Dang Soran smiled back.

"That's why I'm saying I'm fine."

Dang Soran stretched languidly and rolled over. Strands of hay stuck incongruously in her hair here and there.

"Feels good slacking off, huh? Why aren't you in the meeting room?"

"You expect me to wait around all day not knowing when the meeting ends?"

"...I was suffering alone. Suffer with me."

I didn't reply. I just kept staring at the stable ceiling, mulling over Silent Dragon and Namgung Yeon's situations.

Dang Soran wormed toward me like a caterpillar on the haystack.

Then she leaned her head on my shoulder.

I pushed her head away, but she whined in annoyance and leaned back in.

She said,

"Stop acting all high and mighty. I bought you, Young Master."

"...Pardon?"

"Ah, not that... I mean, I sent a whole chest of gold to the Namgung Clan Leader. Earn your keep."

"..."

The mood was oddly intimate. I had touched her before, and she had taken me in her mouth.

Normally, that should breed tension or a ticklish vibe... but surprisingly, we both felt at ease.

Was it because we'd seen so much of each other lately? Or was the current shitshow too dire for any tension to arise?

Dang Soran lay beside me for a good while.

I let her have my shoulder and stayed still for just as long.

To savor that comfort, I closed my eyes.

How long had we been like that when Dang Soran started rustling?

Just as I thought she might be heading back to the meeting,

Poke. Squeeze.

"Ah...! H-Hey, what are you doing!!"

"Pfft!"

Dang Soran had poked my crotch with her finger and given it a squeeze.

I yelped in shock like some shy virgin. It was more embarrassing I reacted that way than the touch itself.

Her bold yet awkward touch—like an old married couple, or maybe a pervert.

Who gave her permission to grope me like that?

After all that crying and begging forgiveness, now she poked away so casually. Unbelievable.

No matter what, did she not find me scary at all? Even after tormenting me like that? How?

"What innocent act is this now? And you're my personal servant—can't I even do this much?"

Dang Soran shot back cheekily. But her face was already flushing beet red.

You can't control your complexion with acting alone.

She must have intended to touch me coolly, but with her face that red, she just looked like a pervert throwing a tantrum to cop a feel.

"I'm your servant, not your sex toy."

"You're too harsh—it's just playing."

A surge of revenge made me glance between her legs without thinking.

Dang Soran caught the look, shot up, and clasped her hands in front.

"...Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't."

Dang Soran had her right hand covering between her legs. It was the same hand that had groped me.

As I watched her, she awkwardly switched hands.

Left hand down to cover between her legs.

She backed away as if her goal accomplished.

"I just poked you 'cause you looked so down. Cheer up—nice weather and all."

"..."

It didn't sound like a lie. Knowing her intent eased my exasperation. She continued.

"If you wanna rest all day, do it. Tell me if you want anything to eat. I'll humor you today."

Scratching my head, I asked what I'd truly been wondering.

"What will the Tang Clan of Sichuan do?"

"Father and Jiun are heading to Songshan. I'll stay here."

After saying that, Dang Soran stiffened a bit, then whispered to me.

"...If Father and Jiun leave Chengdu empty... then..."

She trailed off so long I prompted her.

"Then?"

"Then, uh, wanna share a drink in my room? To lift your spirits."

"..."

"I kinda wanna get really drunk..."

"Not if you're already suggesting playtime."

Dang Soran turned icy for a moment.

"...Hah. Fine, you're clueless. Just play...? Anyway, when the hell are you giving me my gift! I haven't gotten payback for that gold chest to the Namgung Clan Leader!"

"I'd get a gift if I could do something... Stuck here, what can I do?"

"Whatever. You look down, so I'm worried—get better soon. Tell me if you need anything."

Her words made me sense an opportunity to check on something that had worried me.

"Alright then, miss."

"Yes?"

"...Can I go out for a bit?"

"..."

"They say Chengdu's safe for now. Demonic Cult took some hits too..."

I got permission for a walk and stepped out. Truth be told, I didn't need permission—I do what I want, not some slave.

Just didn't get pocket money like before. A bit disappointing.

But since drinking or whoring wasn't my goal, I hurried along.

I made my way familiarly to the inn where Namgung Yeon had worked as a waiter.

The inn was bustling as ever. Talk of the Demonic Cult drifted from everywhere.

"Welcome! Alone?"

A waiter approached me. I just scanned the inn.

Not seeing her, I asked.

"Is... that Namgung—no, Yeon-gung here?"

"Yeon-gung? She quit."

"...Pardon?"

"She quit, Yeon-gung."

I sighed and left the inn. I had half-expected this.

Even Namgung Yeon wouldn't keep waitering after Silent Dragon died.

"...Hah."

I scratched my head vigorously.

The more I thought, the more it felt like this world was screwing over Namgung Yeon.

...But did I really need to worry this much?

Maybe she'd overcome all these obstacles and become the world's greatest.

Maybe I was overthinking it.

She's the protagonist of this world. Things would work out on their own, right?

In the original story, she endured all sorts of suffering but shone in the end.

"..."

I wanted to comfort myself like that, but I wasn't an idiot.

Just as Cheongwol had gone from Life-Pursuing Ghost to ordinary Haga, if I left Namgung Yeon like this, her future as the supreme wouldn't come.

She was fucked, Namgung Yeon. It was obvious even to me.

Clan collapsed, master dead, mentality shattered.

No way a girl hiding her gender could function normally under that pressure.

Namgung Yeon was breaking down.

This world's one hope crumbling away.

And I was the only one who knew.

I couldn't just sit back expecting someone else to act.

I scoured Chengdu high and low. Searched forever for likely spots for Namgung Yeon.

Checked the lodgings I'd dropped her at before, thinking she might be crying alone in her room.

Raided inns thinking she might be drowning in booze. Visited open lots figuring she might be training to steady her mind, pretty scenic spots thinking she might be gazing at views.

Still no sign.

"Haaaah..."

Maybe back to the Namgung Family? Frustrated, I rubbed my eyes hard on a small bridge when someone familiar approached.

I spoke first.

"...Brother Wi Chang."

"Noble one."

It had been a while since seeing Wi Chang, deputy leader of the Hao Gate's Sichuan branch. He eyed my expression and asked.

"Your face doesn't look good."

"Not a great situation."

"Were you looking for the Namgung Clan Leader by any chance?"

No point hiding it. The Hao Gate already knew I sponsored Namgung Yeon.

They probably knew about our recent meeting in Chengdu too.

I nodded without hiding.

"Yes."

"I know where she is. Shall I guide you?"

"Yes."

Wi Chang nodded. Then, with a hesitant air, he whispered.

"...Don't be too shocked."

"...Pardon?"

"...What the fuck is this."

The words burst out the moment I saw Namgung Yeon.

Never imagined she'd be here.

The last place I thought I'd find her.

"..."

Wi Chang beside me fidgeted, at a loss.

I just stared blankly at Namgung Yeon from afar.

"Ahahaha!"

Her face full of smiles. Various liquors and snacks before her.

She laughed long and hard, but to me, it looked different.

Like desperate flailing to hold onto her crumbling sanity.

Like thrashing to keep from losing her reason.

Still, it was too absurd no matter what.

"Ahaha, pour more!"

...This was a brothel.

In broad daylight under red lanterns, despite her male disguise, flanked by uglier courtesans, playing the total loser.

As if overcompensating for a nonexistent manhood, there she sat bold as brass.

Did she think acting like a man—living as one past and future—would let her revive the Namgung Family as clan leader?

Being a man wouldn't solve her problems, yet Namgung Yeon seemed to see her womanhood as the issue. The deeper the problems, the more she clung to it.

Maybe the shackles left by Namgung Cheon bound her tighter.

The more she tried to escape, the deeper they dug in.

I wasn't certain. But that's how it looked.

Either way, her antics were a spectacle.

How the hell was that idiot supposed to become the world's greatest? She deserved every insult as a dullard.

Maybe no one correcting her made it worse. No one telling her it was fine as a woman.

Anyway, with her "stock" on the verge of delisting, no one could stay sane.

Without time to stop myself, I sat before Namgung Yeon.

She startled upon seeing my face.

"...Seojin?"

"Hey."

I said straight out.

"...What the hell are you doing here?"