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Her head felt like it was about to split open.

Only after drinking several bowls of cold water mixed with honey brought by Su-ran did she finally come to her senses.

“Ah, how much did I drink?”

Just then, a voice came from the door.

“You drank like there was no tomorrow.”

She turned to see Byeok Ri-dan standing there. Su-ran, who had guided him in, made a gesture of hitting Byeok Ri-dan once before disappearing.

“Are you alright?”

“No. My head feels like it’s going to burst. I can’t remember anything from yesterday.”

“Then you probably don’t remember biting me either?”

“What?”

Song Hwa-rin’s eyes widened.

“Bite? Me? You?”

Byeok Ri-dan nodded firmly.

“Why on earth would I do that?”

Her voice trembled from the shock. Biting someone? She never knew she had such a drinking habit.

“Want me to tell you everything?”

As Byeok Ri-dan grinned triumphantly, she shook her head.

“No, just forget it all.”

After saying that, she chuckled. Her head was pounding, and her stomach was churning, but she felt relieved. Truly relieved. She had told him everything she had been holding in her heart. Words she had never spoken to anyone before. Even though she had said them in a burst of emotion, she didn’t regret it.

Byeok Ri-dan asked carefully.

“Are you going to meet your master?”

“No. I don’t want to.”

At her firm answer, Byeok Ri-dan spoke again.

“I think you should meet him.”

“What?”

“Otherwise, you’ll never be free from that incident.”

“But…”

“I’ll go with you.”

Song Hwa-rin raised her head and looked at him quietly.

Byeok Ri-dan asked with clear, deep eyes.

“Do you think that old man is so great?”

Song Hwa-rin was silent for a long time. Finally, her conclusion came out.

“No. My master is… a pathetic person.”

Once he had the intention to violate his disciple, even if he didn’t actually carry it out, he was a pitiful and pathetic person.

The branches of fate don’t always bloom with beautiful flowers. Sometimes, rotten fruit can also hang from them.

Byeok Ri-dan looked at her and spoke calmly.

“Wounds that aren’t worth keeping should be shaken off when the opportunity comes.”

Song Hwa-rin, who had been staring intently at Byeok Ri-dan, said,

“Can we do something else first?”

“What is it?”

She clutched her stomach and said,

“Please, let’s have some hangover soup first. I feel like I’m dying from this upset stomach.”

“Hahaha.”

Byeok Ri-dan laughed loudly. Song Hwa-rin laughed along. It was the moment she smiled the most brightly since they had met.

***

When Ho Yeon-tak returned to the Gu Clan Manor, his master Ho Yeon-nam was polishing his sword in the room.

He was in his late fifties, with gray hair at his temples. His overall impression was angular, with stubbornness evident in various parts of his face. The somewhat empty look in his eyes as he gazed at the sword gave off a somewhat dark feeling.

“Master, I’m back.”

“How did it go?”

Ho Yeon-nam asked without taking his eyes off the sword.

“The Slaughterer Yeom Hwa is currently staying at the Myeongsu Mansion[1]. He came down with five subordinates, known as the Five Friends of the Heavenly Blade[2]. It’s said that their martial arts skills are not to be underestimated.”

Ho Yeon-tak looked a bit worried. The disciples who had come down with the master this time totaled fifteen. Although they had the numerical advantage, some of the disciples still lacked experience. On the other hand, the skills of the Slaughterer and the Five Friends of the Heavenly Blade were already well-established.

Even if the master took on Yeom Hwa, he wasn’t confident whether they could handle the Five Friends of the Heavenly Blade.

“I think we should receive support from the Night Merchants.”

The hand polishing the sword stopped abruptly with a nervous twitch.

“Are you afraid?”

Ho Yeon-nam’s cold question was full of disapproval.

“No, sir.”

Ho Yeon-tak answered quickly. He was truly terrified when his master became serious like this.

“I meant we should prepare in case they call for other experts.”

“That won’t happen. The Slaughterer is not one to rely on others’ strength. He thinks he’s the best.”

“I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry, Master.”

With that, the frost-like aura dissipated, and Ho Yeon-nam asked quietly.

“Do you know why I volunteered for this task?”

“Why is that?”

“Someone like Ma Bong-gi should never have become the Alliance Leader. To think that the likes of the Heavenly Blade Sect would try to manipulate the martial arts world at will! It’s absolutely unforgivable.”

Ho Yeon-tak knew well how much his master respected the previous Alliance Leader. He almost deified Cheon Hajin as a martial artist.

But with Cheon Hajin’s death and Ma Bong-gi becoming the Alliance Leader, his antipathy towards the Heavenly Blade Sect had reached its peak.

When the Night Merchants requested help this time, everyone was reluctant to step forward, but Ho Yeon-nam volunteered.

“I will eliminate Yeom Hwa with my own hands.”

Ho Yeon-tak was shocked by those words.

The word “eliminate” should never have been uttered. The original reason they came here was to mediate between the Heavenly Blade Sect and the Shandong Night Merchants.

The plan was to persuade Yeom Hwa and resolve the issue with money. That was also the order from Ho Yeon-se, the head of the Ho Yeon Clan.

In this situation, to eliminate Yeom Hwa? It was unthinkable.

His master was a person with great pride in his martial arts.

But the reason he was so worried was that he knew his master’s skills didn’t match up to that pride.

The reason his master liked Cheon Hajin so much wasn’t because he knew Cheon Hajin as a person. He didn’t know much about him.

The reason his master respected him was because he was the “World’s Greatest.”

What his master had so desperately wanted to achieve, but never even came close to – that one position in the martial arts world. What his master loved was ultimately that title.

Perhaps his master had been living vicariously through Cheon Hajin his entire life.

After Cheon Hajin’s death, his master became even sharper and more sensitive. He was never a bright person to begin with, but he became even darker.

“Master, I’m worried. Of course, you can eliminate Yeom Hwa, but the ones behind him are the Heavenly Blade Sect. I’m concerned about how we’ll deal with the aftermath.”

Even though the Ho Yeon Clan was one of the Four Great Families of the martial arts world, it would be difficult to go against the Heavenly Blade Sect, which had produced the Alliance Leader.

Killing Yeom Hwa would become a big problem.

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

When his master responded like this, he couldn’t bring up the topic any further.

“I’ll take my leave then.”

As Ho Yeon-tak was about to leave, he turned back and said,

“Oh, I happened to see Sister Hwa-rin.”

For a moment, Ho Yeon-nam flinched and stopped polishing his sword again.

“Is she doing well?”

“Yes, she was with the Young Master Byeok, to whom she’s engaged through prenatal agreement.”

For an instant, Ho Yeon-nam’s eyes intensified, but then he resumed polishing his sword as if nothing had happened.

Ho Yeon-tak felt the air around him become even more stifling as he quietly left the place.

***

I ate steaming hot rice soup with Song Hwa-rin.

We could have eaten at home, but we deliberately came out to eat at a nearby inn.

After finishing her soup, she looked happy, as if she owned the world.

“Ah, now I feel like I can live.”

I felt relieved along with her.

“It really is good.”

During my time as the Alliance Leader, I used my inner energy to expel alcohol at almost every drinking session.

But these days, I often get drunk. Whether drinking with Gwang-du, Baek Pyo, or her.

“So you carried me on your back when we went home?”

“Yes.”

Her cheeks turned slightly red.

“But you drank a lot too, didn’t you? It must have been difficult.”

“I didn’t get too drunk because I was tense while drinking.”

“Why were you tense?”

“You were drinking so recklessly, I thought at least one of us should keep their wits about them.”

A slight smile appeared on her lips.

“Thank you for yesterday.”

She lowered her head and couldn’t meet my eyes. Now that she thought about it, she seemed to feel embarrassed for various reasons. Plus, she had even cried.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve cried since the day my mother passed away.”

“Do you feel better?”

She nodded slightly while keeping her head down.

“You asked me before, right? Why I dislike the Alliance Leader?”

“Because someone you dislike likes the Alliance Leader… Oh, could it be?”

“That’s right. My master liked the Alliance Leader.”

“I see.”

Damn that old bastard. The fact that such a person liked him made me feel even worse.

Regardless of my feelings, I felt it again. How Byeok Ri-dan’s life was once again connected to my past life.

She asked with a still fearful and worried face,

“What should I do when I meet my master?”

“You should receive an apology for that day. Formally, properly.”

“Will that have any meaning?”

I nodded firmly.

“It will.”

Whether to speak or not, whether to receive an apology or not. It might seem trivial, but there’s a big difference.

“Will my master really apologize?”

“We’ll know when we meet him.”

Of course, the purpose of getting an apology is to heal her wounds.

I plan to investigate him on my own. If, apart from what he tried to do to Hwa-rin, he’s a person who deserves to die for other evil deeds, I’ll kill him after making him apologize to her.

If not, and he’s just a pathetic old man, then he’s someone who will fade away one way or another.

“I’ll set the time to meet your master. Is that okay?”

She nodded.

“There’s one thing we need to do before that.”

“What?”

“Shall we go out for a bit?”

I took her out of the inn. We walked as if taking a stroll and entered the forest behind the inn.

After confirming that there was no one around, I drew my sword.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s have a match.”

“What?”

She looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Gasp! Don’t tell me you want to beat me up again?”

“Hahaha.”

“I don’t think this is something to laugh about.”

“Sorry. I’m really sorry about that time.”

Only then did a hint of mischief that she had been hiding flash across her expression. I could feel that one of the boundaries in our relationship had crumbled. I’m starting to see new sides of her beyond that wall.

“Why do you want to have a martial arts match?”

“Because we need to perfect the counter-technique before meeting your master.”

She looked at me with an expression that couldn’t understand why we needed to do that.

But a moment later, she was shocked.

“You don’t mean…?”

“Yes, you’ll defeat him using the martial arts you learned from him.”

“That’s impossible!”

“It’s possible!”

“How?”

“Have you forgotten? That there’s a critical weakness in the moves of the martial arts you learned? I’m saying let’s have a match using that martial art.”

“Ah!”

I don’t think her master will apologize properly, and I don’t believe that just receiving an apology will allow her to completely break free from the past.

To truly break free, she needs to overpower him with martial arts. In other words, she needs to beat him herself. Only then will she truly be able to break free from her master.

“What I’m about to say might hurt your feelings. But I hope you’ll listen.”

She nodded slightly with a tense expression at my words.

“After the match with your master is over, discard the martial arts you learned.”

“What?”

She was shocked by this unexpected statement.

“How could a martial art with an existing counter-technique be perfect in the first place?”

“But!”

“You’re thinking, ‘How can I throw away something I’ve learned for five years?’ Still, throw it away!”

My tone was firm.

“During those five years you were learning, the Song Clan probably sent a lot of money.”

This was also a way for famous sects to make money.

The renowned experts of the sect raise several secular disciples. They can call upon them later when needed, and they can also make money. It’s truly killing two birds with one stone.

“The martial art you learned, it’s not the Ho Yeon Clan’s exclusive martial art, right?”

She nodded again.

“Your martial art isn’t worth dedicating your life to. They probably brought in some decent-looking martial art from somewhere and taught it to you. Of course, if you’re only going to face nameless second-rate martial artists in Shandong, you can keep learning it.”

Of course, this was by my standards. From your father’s or Song Woo-gyeong’s perspective, her martial art might be considered quite good. It’s good enough for them to teach under the name of the Ho Yeon Clan.

But since I’ve intervened, I want her to discard that martial art.

Song Hwa-rin’s expression had hardened. She must feel like her past life is being denied. Finally, she spoke with difficulty.

“When I think about my master, I feel so upset and angry. Yes, I want to throw away the martial arts I learned from him. But if I discard the martial arts too… I will have wasted the past five years.”

“That’s why if you can’t give it up, those five years will become ten years, twenty years… and eventually your whole life.”

Because it was a painful truth, it must feel like a sword piercing her heart.

“Okay, let’s say I throw it away. What do I do from now on?”

“Are you going to throw it away or not? Be clear.”

After a brief pause, she said.

“Fine, I’ll throw it away.”

Now she was trusting me completely. If so, I should repay that trust.

“I think there’s something new you can gain when you truly let go. And what you gain anew will be much more magnificent than what you had before.”

Among the martial arts I know, there’s one suitable for a woman to learn. Of course, it was a much better martial art than the one she had learned.

She still wasn’t fully convinced. That’s natural. No matter how much I’ve changed recently and given her trust, she probably doesn’t think my martial arts are superior to her master’s.

“Rin.”

“Yes?”

I thought there was no need for many words. So I said just one thing.

“Trust me.”

Her head, which had been staring at me silently, nodded vigorously.

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”