Chapter 580: Welcoming the Night.

Some time had passed since I arrived in Hanam.

About a month, give or take, had passed, and the season was heading towards the heart of summer.

It was early morning among them.

I was meeting with the physician to receive a check-up.

The physician, who had been concentrating while taking my pulse for quite some time, opened his closed eyes and spoke.

“Hmm. This is truly a strange matter.”

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing the physician’s unusual reaction, I asked, and he replied with a look of wonder.

“To improve this much in just a month. I don’t know what kind of body you have.”

“Isn’t it because you’re treating me so well?”

“Hoho, you speak utter nonsense. What treatment have I even given?”

“…”

He wasn’t wrong.

Although he took my pulse and prescribed medicine, the physician himself said it wouldn’t be of much help.

In reality, even after receiving the medicine, it wasn’t very effective.

“Even giving a generous estimate, I expected it would take half a year… It seems I won’t need to see you for that long.”

“Really?”

Unlike me, who thought it would take about three months.

The physician had initially mentioned half a year.

I had wondered if it would really take that long.

Fortunately, it seemed my prediction was correct.

…Which meant.

‘The physician can’t properly grasp my body’s condition either.’

It wasn’t certainty. However, if the physician didn’t know.

I figured no one else in the world would either.

Anyway.

Since further diagnosis wasn’t necessary, I tidied myself up, preparing to get up from my seat.

Just then.

“Are you getting along well with Hyuk-ie?”

The physician asked. It was a question he hadn’t asked much in the past month.

“Yes, I’m getting along well.”

Yes, he’d likely be getting along very busyly.

“…I see.”

“If you’re worried, shall I send him back?”

Naturally, it was just talk. I had no intention of sending Zhuge Hyuk back to the physician.

Zhuge Hyuk was doing a better job than I expected.

Right now, he was one of the most necessary people, so I couldn’t let him go.

Even if he had asked for him back, I wouldn’t have given him, but he offered anyway.

When I brought this up, the physician looked at me, let out a short laugh, and said.

“It’s fine. Since it’s what that child wishes, interfering further would be pointless.”

“…”

At his words, I looked at the physician.

Setting aside how he doted on raising Zhuge Hyuk, the physician seemed quite easygoing in this regard.

That was rather unexpected.

“Just make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

“…He won’t be doing anything that could get him hurt. He’s just helping out with chores.”

That was a lie.

I intended to keep it that way as much as possible, but I couldn’t be certain.

“And…”

The physician hesitated, about to add something.

Seeing his expression, it was full of hesitation.

Seeing that, I sighed inwardly.

Because I knew what the physician was trying to say.

“If it bothers you, shall I make some arrangements?”

“…”

“If you wish, I can speak to him as well.”

The ‘him’ being referred to here meant Cheol Ji-seon.

He would probably be coming to Hanam soon, and arrangements could be made then.

The reason he said he’d ‘try to speak to him’ rather than ‘bring him here’ was.

Because I wasn’t certain either.

Usually, he’d agree to anything.

But regarding this matter, he was a bit different.

‘He even had a fit.’

Seeing how he got angry at me, telling me to kill him instead, I knew it wouldn’t turn out the way I wanted.

And.

The physician surely knew this as well.

“…Never mind.”

That’s why he spoke as if resigned.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Hearing him, I decided not to bring it up again.

I could push the issue if I wanted to.

‘But why bother.’

If Cheol Ji-seon was avoiding the topic, I had no intention of forcing it out either.

I was merely thinking.

‘There’s definitely something going on.’

That the physician and Cheol Ji-seon were entangled in something.

I was just certain of it.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

After bowing respectfully to the physician, I stood up.

There was nothing more to discuss, so I needed to get going.

‘I need to do some training and also visit the merchant guild.’

Since my body had recovered to a certain extent, I had to start training in the morning.

If I don’t use my body enough, it gets dull.

I needed to warm it up soon.

Later in the afternoon, I have some requests for the Baekhwa Merchant Guild.

‘I need to send some letters.’

It would be fast if I used the Assassin Corps.

But they had their own tasks, and since these were letters that needed to be sent in a more conventional manner, I had to visit the merchant guild.

Recalling my busy schedule, I turned around immediately, about to head out of my quarters.

“A-ya.”

The physician called out to me. Did he have more to say?

“What is it?”

“Is something the matter?”

“Huh?”

“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”

“…Ah.”

At the physician’s words, I touched my cheek.

I wondered what my expression was like.

I didn’t know the specifics of the situation, but if that was the case, I knew the reason.

“…It’s fine.”

Probably.

“I just slept poorly.”

The dream I had last night, the one I couldn’t remember, was likely the cause.

---

Leaving the physician, I headed to the training ground.

Perhaps Mrs. Mi had secured quarters well, as there was a separate training ground within the lodging.

It was just the right size for physical training.

I couldn’t unleash explosive techniques, but that was enough.

Let’s just warm up a bit.

Thinking that, I headed to the training ground, but.

“Huh?”

Someone was already there.

Wondering who it was, I checked, and it was Tang Soyeol.

Tang Soyeol was kneeling in the center of the training ground, sitting still with her eyes closed.

‘Hmm….’

Seeing that, I let out an exclamation of admiration.

At the same time, tension filled my body.

The energy filling the training ground was the issue.

The concentration was suffocating. Moreover, the densely packed energy was utterly chilling.

How should I describe it?

Pure killing intent.

That seemed like the most fitting description.

‘…Wow.’

The killing intent mixed with energy filled the entire space, but.

A clear order could be felt within it.

This meant Tang Soyeol was controlling all this energy herself.

That wasn’t the only surprising thing.

‘There’s so much energy.’

Yet, not a trace of poison could be felt within it.

As Tang Soyeol was born into the Tang Clan, the energy she used surely contained poison, but.

The energy filling the space now had no poison.

My body had reached the state of being impervious to all poisons, so I had immunity to toxins.

Conversely, I could feel poison more distinctly.

The energy now contained absolutely no poison.

This…

‘Means she’s reached the point of controlling the poison.’

It meant her cultivation level had risen enough to extract and use the poison from her energy.

‘In just two years, no less.’

Although she was only at the beginning of the Hwa-gyeong realm, it was astonishing that she had reached this point from a level barely hovering around the peak.

Furthermore, if she hadn’t just raised her cultivation level but also reached the point of controlling her energy so delicately.

‘What kind of training did she undergo?’

I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of hellish trials Tang Soyeol had been through.

I looked at Tang Soyeol with somewhat subdued eyes.

She was still breathing with her eyes closed, seemingly deeply focused, perhaps unaware of my arrival.

Seeing that, I had to smack my lips with a hint of disappointment.

‘Training here is a bust.’

Judging by her appearance, she seemed like she’d be at it for a long time.

I could take up a space over there and train, but I didn’t particularly want to.

I turned my body.

Right, let’s train after we go out and come back.

That was my thought.

I went outside and headed straight for the city.

The Baekhwa Merchant Guild was located in the city center, so it required a bit of a walk from the lodging.

It was early morning now.

It was barely the time when the sun might rise, but the city was bustling as usual.

Perhaps they were just starting to cook, as delicious smells began to waft out.

The streets grew noisy with people preparing goods.

It was the same morning as always for me.

I quietly moved through the crowd.

Why was it?

Usually, I would have walked around, looking at things and paying attention.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to see anything now.

‘Something feels… uncomfortable.’

My stomach feels heavy and stuffy.

That was also the reason I used Tang Soyeol as an excuse to leave without training.

I could train if I wanted to, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it today.

It felt like an unknown irritation was wrapping around my entire body.

‘What is it?’

What on earth could be the problem?

I couldn’t figure it out myself.

Why was that stupid dream bothering me so much?

It should just be a random dream I sometimes have.

‘Am I just getting impatient?’

Three months until the task begins.

No, it’s now about a month away.

I think about it calmly, but maybe my insides aren’t calm, hence this frustration?

It was hard to tell.

One thing I could know from this.

Is that I desperately want to recall that dream.

From the moment I woke up until now.

My entire mind was focused solely on that dream.

‘This isn’t good.’

I have a lot to do ahead.

I feel like I’m wasting time on something trivial.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

“This is all because I haven’t eaten.”

Yes, it must be because I’m hungry.

It must be.

I changed my direction.

My steps, which were heading towards the merchant guild, turned into the dim alleys of Hanam.

I moved with the thought of filling my stomach first.

A slight doubt crossed my mind.

‘Then I should just go to a restaurant.’

I naturally walked into the alley, but why did I come here?

I moved without realizing it.

It was a scene where, by anyone’s standards, a restaurant seemed unlikely to be found.

Where had the crowds that filled the main street gone?

It was sparsely populated, almost deserted.

Yet, I kept walking.

For some reason, my steps were heading that way.

Walking a little further in like that.

An old building came into view deep within the quiet alley.

“…What the…?”

Only after seeing the building could I stop walking.

Smoke billowed out from the gaps in the old building’s windows.

I had to tilt my head at the scent mixed with the smoke.

‘There’s this?’

It smelled like food.

Food smells were coming from a building at the end of this back alley.

Seeing that, I burst into a hollow laugh.

“What kind of crazy person builds a restaurant here?”

This is absurd.

It’s a street where not a soul passes by.

A restaurant in this back alley, ignoring the proper streets.

Even as I thought that, my feet were already walking towards the restaurant.

The inside of the inn was ordinary.

More precisely, it meant there wasn’t much difference from the exterior.

Like the old building, the interior was also worn down.

Cobwebs were visible hanging on the walls.

“Welcome.”

Hearing a voice, I turned my head, and a stooped old woman greeted me.

There didn’t seem to be any servers.

“Since it’s morning, we only have somyeon.”

As she spoke, the old woman went into the kitchen.

…I hadn’t even said I wanted to eat yet.

“…Hmm.”

What should I do?

I came in without realizing it…

For some reason, I felt like I should sit down.

Right, since I’m here anyway, let’s eat.

I looked for a table and moved.

Although there weren’t many seats, there were spots right in front and beside me.

As if I had to sit somewhere, I moved my steps again.

It felt like there was a specific seat I needed to take.

The seat in the farthest corner.

No matter how I looked, it seemed like the oldest spot here.

For some reason, I felt I had to sit there. That’s how it felt.

However.

slurrrp.

Someone else was already sitting there besides me.

They were already eating.

slurrrp.

Holding a bowl as big as her face despite her small frame, she was inhaling her food.

She seemed completely unbothered by her hair falling into the plate.

In fact, there were signs that she had eaten several bowls, not just one.

Seeing that, I had to widen my eyes.

It wasn’t because her eating a lot was surprising.

I was already accustomed to seeing Wi Seol-ah eat, so that wasn’t surprising at all.

The problem was the person currently eating at that seat.

“What…?”

I said, looking at the woman who was eating somyeon without pause.

Then.

“Hmm?”

The hand diligently working the chopsticks stopped, and the owner of the somyeon looked this way.

Our eyes met.

“Oh.”

The woman reacted upon seeing me.

Her black hair shimmered, and her beautiful violet eyes looked at me with a strange expression.

Then, she put down her bowl and beckoned me over.

“Hi.”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything in response to the woman’s greeting.

No, it would be more accurate to say I couldn’t react at all.

That’s because.

Who would have expected to run into the Heavenly Demon (天魔) eating somyeon in this back alley restaurant.

No one could have known.