Chapter 580: Nightfall (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 580: Nightfall (2)
Some time had passed since I arrived in Henan.
About a month had gone by, and the season was rapidly shifting toward the sweltering peak of summer.
It was early one morning.
I was with the Immortal Healer for a check-up. After concentrating on my pulse for a long while, the Immortal Healer finally opened his eyes and spoke.
“Hmm. How very strange.”
“Is something wrong?” I asked, prompted by his unusual reaction.
He looked at me with an expression of pure wonder. “To think you’ve recovered this much in just a month. I truly don't understand your constitution.”
“Isn't it because your treatment is just that good?”
“Haha, what utter nonsense. What treatment have I even given you?”
“...”
He had a point. He had checked my pulse and prescribed medicine, but he’d admitted himself that it wouldn't be of much help. In truth, the medicine hadn’t had much of an effect at all.
“I estimated it would take half a year, even by a generous estimate... It seems I won't have to see your face for that long after all.”
“Is that so?”
Unlike my own guess of about three months, the Immortal Healer had initially predicted six. I had wondered if it would really take that long, but fortunately, it seemed my intuition was closer to the mark.
Which meant…
‘The Immortal Healer can't fully grasp the state of my body, either.’
In the end, I was the only one who could truly understand my own condition. I wasn't certain, but it occurred to me that if the Immortal Healer couldn't figure it out, then no one in the world could.
The pulse diagnosis was over, so I straightened my clothes and prepared to leave. Just then, the Immortal Healer spoke up.
“Are you and Hyuk getting along?”
It was a question he had barely asked over the past month.
“Yes, we're getting along fine.”
Yes, and we’ve been very busy.
“…I see.”
“If you're worried, shall I send him back?”
I was just being polite, of course. I had no intention of sending Zhuge Hyuk back to the Immortal Healer. He was doing a better job than I had expected, and right now, he was one of the most essential people I had. I couldn't let him go. I wouldn't have given him back even if he’d asked, but it was the right thing to say.
At my offer, the Immortal Healer gave a dry laugh. “There's no need. It's what the boy wants. It would be pointless for me to interfere.”
“...”
I looked at the Immortal Healer. Despite how preciously he had raised Zhuge Hyuk, he seemed surprisingly easygoing about this. It was a little unexpected.
“Just make sure he doesn't get hurt.”
“…He won't be doing anything dangerous. He's just helping with some minor tasks.”
That was a lie. I planned to keep him out of harm's way as much as possible, but in this life, nothing was certain.
“And…”
The Immortal Healer started to add something else but hesitated, his expression full of reluctance. Seeing that, I sighed inwardly. I knew exactly what he wanted to say.
“If it's on your mind, shall I arrange a meeting?”
“...”
“If you wish, I can try talking to that bastard.”
The 'bastard' I was referring to was Cheol Jiseon. He would likely be arriving in Henan soon, and I could arrange something then. The reason I said I would try talking to him, rather than promising to bring him, was because I wasn't sure of the outcome myself.
Normally, Cheol Jiseon was the type to agree to anything I said. But on this matter, he was different.
‘He even threw a tantrum.’
Considering he had gotten angry and told me to just kill him instead of making him meet the healer, I knew it wouldn't go smoothly. And the Immortal Healer likely knew this as well.
“…There's no need.”
That must be why he spoke with such resignation.
“…Yes. Understood.”
Hearing his words, I decided not to bring it up again. I could have pushed the issue, but why bother? If it was a topic Cheol Jiseon was avoiding, I had no intention of forcing it.
I simply noted to myself: ‘There's definitely something between them.’
The Immortal Healer and Cheol Jiseon were connected in some way. That was the only thing I was sure of.
“Then I'll be on my way.”
I bowed respectfully to the Immortal Healer and stood up. There was nothing more to discuss.
‘I should train a bit, then stop by the merchant association.’
My body had recovered enough that I needed to start training in the mornings again. If you don't use your body, it grows dull. It was time to warm up. Then, in the afternoon, I had a favor to ask of the White Flower Merchant Association.
‘I need to send some letters.’
Using the assassination squad would be faster, but they had their own tasks. These were letters that needed to be sent through more conventional means, which was why I had to visit the merchant association.
Thinking of my busy schedule, I turned to leave.
“Child.”
The Immortal Healer called out to me again.
“What is it?”
“Is something the matter?”
“Pardon?”
“Your expression doesn't look very good.”
“…Ah.”
At his words, I touched my cheek. I wondered what I looked like right now. I wasn't sure what he was seeing, but if it was true, I knew the reason.
“...I'm fine.” Probably. “I just slept poorly.”
The dream I had last night—the one I couldn't remember—was likely the cause.
* * *
After leaving the Immortal Healer, I headed to the training ground. Lady Mi had found us excellent accommodations; there was a private training ground within the residence. It was the perfect size for physical training. I wouldn't be able to unleash my flame arts here, but this was more than enough.
I'll just warm up a little.
With that thought, I entered the training ground, but I stopped short.
“Hm?”
Someone was already there: Tang Soyeol. She was kneeling silently in the center of the training ground, her eyes closed.
‘Hmm….’
The sight made me let out a soft sound of admiration. At the same time, my body tensed. The problem was the Qi filling the training ground. It was so dense it was suffocating—and incredibly chilling.
How should I describe it? A pure, refined killing intent. That seemed the most fitting description.
‘...Wow.’
The killing intent mixed with her Qi saturated the entire space, yet I could feel a clear sense of order within it. This meant Tang Soyeol was in absolute control of every strand. That wasn't the only surprising thing.
‘There's so much Qi, yet...’
I couldn't sense a single trace of Poison Qi. As a member of the Tang Clan, her Qi should have been steeped in toxins. But the air now was perfectly clean. My body had achieved Ten Thousand Poison Immunity, making me immune to poisons, but it also meant I could sense them more clearly than anyone. There was definitely no Poison Qi here.
This meant… she had reached a level where she could separate the poison from her Qi at will.
‘And in just two years.’
She might only be at the entry level of the Fusion Realm, but to have come this far from being barely on the cusp of the Peak Realm was simply astonishing. If she hadn't just raised her realm, but had also reached a level where she could control her Qi with such precision…
‘What kind of training did she go through?’
I couldn't even begin to imagine the hell she had endured. I watched Tang Soyeol with somber eyes. She was still regulating her breathing, seemingly so focused that she hadn't noticed my arrival.
Seeing her, I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
‘So much for training.’
From the looks of it, she would be at this for a while. I could have taken a spot on the other side, but I didn't feel like it. I turned around.
Right, I'll train after I get back from my errand.
I left the residence and headed straight for the town. The White Flower Merchant Association was in the center of the city, a bit of a walk from our lodging. It was still early morning. The sun had barely risen, but the streets were already bustling. The delicious aroma of cooking food began to fill the air as vendors prepared their wares.
It was a morning like any other. I walked quietly among the crowds.
Normally, I would have looked around and taken in the sights. But right now, I didn't feel like looking at anything.
‘Something feels... off.’
I felt heavy and stifled. That was the real reason I’d used Tang Soyeol as an excuse to skip training. I could have stayed if I’d wanted to, but an inexplicable irritation was wrapped around my entire body.
‘What is it?’
What on earth was the problem? I couldn't figure it out. Why was some stupid dream irritating me so much? It was probably just a nonsensical dream, the kind I had from time to time.
‘Is it because I'm getting impatient?’
Three months until the plan begins. No, now it was only about a month away. Was I acting calm on the outside while feeling anxious inside? I really didn't know.
The one thing I did know was this: I desperately wanted to remember that dream. From the moment I woke up until now, my entire mind had been fixated on it.
‘This isn't good.’
I had so much to do. It felt like I was wasting time on something trivial. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
“This is all because I haven't eaten.”
Right, it must be because I'm hungry. That had to be it.
I changed direction. Instead of heading to the merchant association, I turned into a dark alley. I had moved with the thought of filling my stomach first, but a question crossed my mind.
‘Then I should have just gone to a restaurant.’
I had entered the alley so naturally, but why here? I had moved without realizing it. Anyone could tell there wouldn't be a restaurant in a place like this. The crowds from the main street were gone. The alley was not just quiet; it was practically deserted.
And yet, I kept walking. For some reason, my feet led the way. After walking a little further, a rundown building came into view.
“…What the…?”
Only after seeing the building did I stop. Smoke was billowing from a crack in the old building's window. An aroma mixed with the smoke made me tilt my head.
‘There's something here?’
It smelled like food. A building at the very end of a back alley like this was giving off the scent of a kitchen. I let out a dry laugh.
“What kind of crazy person would build a restaurant here?”
It was absurd. This was a street where practically no one passed by. A restaurant in a back alley instead of a proper thoroughfare? Even as I thought this, my feet were already carrying me toward it.
The inside of the eatery was ordinary. To be precise, it wasn't much different from the outside. Just like the rundown building, the interior was ancient. I could even see cobwebs on the walls.
“Welcome.”
I turned my head at the sound and saw a stooped old woman greeting me. There didn't seem to be any other staff.
“It's morning, so we only have noodles,” the old woman said as she shuffled into the kitchen.
…I haven't even said I'm eating yet.
“…Hmm.”
What should I do? I had come in without thinking, but for some reason, I felt like I had to sit down. Right, I'm already here, might as well eat.
I looked for a table. There weren't many seats, but there were empty ones right in front of me. Yet, as if I had to sit somewhere specific, I started walking again. It was as if there was a designated seat for me: the table in the farthest corner. The one that looked the most worn-out in the entire place.
For some reason, I felt I had to sit there.
However…
Slurrrp.
Someone else was already sitting there. They were already eating.
Slurp.
A small figure was practically inhaling noodles from a bowl as big as their head. They didn't seem to care whether their hair fell into the dish or not. Moreover, there was a stack of empty bowls—evidence that they had eaten several portions already.
My eyes widened. It wasn't because I was surprised by how much they were eating; I was used to that from watching Wi Seol-Ah. The problem was the person sitting at that table.
“What…?” I muttered, staring at the woman who was eating without pause.
At that, the chopsticks stopped. The noodle-eater looked my way. Our eyes met.
“Oh.”
The woman reacted upon seeing me. Her black hair swayed, and her beautiful violet eyes held a strange expression as they locked onto mine. Then, she put down her bowl and gestured toward me.
“Hello.”
“...”
I couldn't say anything in response. No, it would be more accurate to say I couldn't react at all.
And for good reason. After all, who in their right mind would ever expect to run into the Heavenly Demon slurping noodles in a back-alley eatery?