The Empire's Blind Spot
The imperial family. It was definitely a blind spot. She had never considered that any organization besides the Demonic Cult could satisfy all the conditions she had in mind. Under the banner of non-interference between the government and the murim, the nation's military and the martial world had avoided meddling in each other's affairs for hundreds of years. In what might be called an exchange, after the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, the imperial court established the Murim Alliance in the strategically vital city of Chang'an and entrusted the orthodox factions with defending against foreign invasions in place of the regular army. That was the current Ming imperial family.
Yet it turned out that Wiji Cheon, the leader of the Murim Alliance, was a spy the imperial court had planted? That he had been secretly raiding various clans and sects to amass secret manuals? If she voiced this theory to anyone else, it would be dismissed as a ridiculous conspiracy. But every piece of circumstantial evidence fit far too perfectly.
Come to think of it, Wiji Cheon appeared at far too convenient a moment. Thirty years ago, when the righteous factions were on the verge of collapse during the Great Righteous-Evil War, he had burst onto the scene like a comet and slain the Iron Blood Demon Venerable, the central pillar of the evil factions. People had bestowed upon him the title of Absolute Spear after witnessing his ghostly spear arts. But when she really thought about it, the spear was the weapon the imperial army wielded most proficiently.
In other words, the Ming imperial court had already installed their spy Wiji Cheon as Murim Alliance Leader thirty years ago. While they loudly proclaimed non-interference on the surface, they were secretly undermining the murim from within?
When her thoughts reached that point, goosebumps crawled across her skin. She couldn't even begin to guess how many years they had spent orchestrating this scheme.
My brother told me not to try to find out who the enemy was.
But she had her own pride. Being beaten one-sidedly and simply enduring it did not suit her temperament. Therefore—
She would chase them to the ends of the earth and kill the mastermind behind this. She would destroy everything to protect what mattered.
"Ugh..."
"Sister! Are you awake?!"
How long had it been since he removed the arrow from her back, applied the golden wound salve, and stopped the bleeding? Gyeong-a, who had fainted, finally cracked her eyes open.
"...Where are we?"
"It's a secret training ground beneath the main building of the Dokgo Clan. The second young master hid us here."
"What? The young master did?! Ow, ow, ow!"
Startled, Gyeong-a tried to sit up, only to grimace in pain from the wound on her back. I gave her a bitter smile and said, "You're a patient right now, sister. You shouldn't move so violently."
She carefully leaned her back against the wall and asked, "What on earth is happening? Why was I shot with an arrow, and why are we hiding in here?"
"It's a long story. Honestly, you might be better off not knowing."
"I may not look it, but I've been through everything under the sun. I'm confident I won't be shocked by ordinary matters, so spit it out already."
She pressed me urgently, and since there was no point in hiding it anymore, I told her the truth.
"Unknown assassins attacked the Dokgo Clan. Most of the people are trapped in the ancestral shrine, but I have no idea what's happened to them. The second young master hid us and then immediately headed for the shrine himself."
"What? Then we have to go help!"
The one who answered wasn't me, but Dokgo Rin. Her eyes were still puffy from crying in the corner for so long.
"How are the three of us supposed to help?"
"But...!"
Gyeong-a's words caught in her throat. Even though Rin and I had begun learning martial arts, we had no idea how many enemies there were. Moreover, the fact that they had openly assaulted the Dokgo Clan—home to Dokgo Jin, one of the Ten Great Masters—suggested the opposing side possessed at least one expert of comparable strength.
"If we go out now, we'll just throw our lives away for nothing. So stay put."
Having said her piece, Dokgo Rin sat down beside me. I asked her carefully, "Have you finished crying?"
"Yeah."
"Then... what do you plan to do now?"
She gazed at the ceiling. "First, we'll head to the Sichuan Tang Clan. My maternal grandfather is there, so we can take refuge for the time being. After that, we'll enter the Heavenly Martial Academy in the spring as originally planned. It's the perfect place to train in martial arts while staying safe from all kinds of danger—two birds with one stone."
And then—
Dokgo Rin's face was twisted with pure venom as she spoke. Then she turned to look at me.
"So if you want to leave, you can. I won't drag you into danger for my revenge."
I stared at her for a long moment before letting out a small laugh. "Do I look like the kind of person who would run away just to save my own skin?"
"......"
"At this point, you and I are already in the same boat, miss. Besides, the second young master asked me to protect you."
I grinned at her.
"I have no intention of breaking that promise. And right now, the person I care about most in this world is you, Miss Rin. How could I just stand by while that person throws herself into a den of monsters?"
"Chilbok..."
She gazed at me with eyes glistening with emotion. Honestly, I felt embarrassed saying something so cringeworthy out loud, but if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to stop the darkening aura already rising from her.
Suddenly, I wondered if my role in this world was to stay by her side and keep her from going astray. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for me to possess the body of an extra in The Heavenly Poison Witch.
At that moment, Gyeong-a, who had been silently listening, spoke up. "Miss, can't I join you in that revenge?"
"What?"
"I've received so much kindness from Young Master Seok. I can't just sit still."
Her eyes burned with determination. I understood how she felt. The person she had served for half her life—someone who had been like a real brother to her—was gone. Of course she wanted revenge.
But before Dokgo Rin could answer, I cut in. "That won't work, sister."
Gyeong-a's face flushed with anger. "Why are both you and the miss saying no? I have the right to get revenge too!"
Dokgo Rin asked in a voice cold enough to freeze blood, "What exactly can an ordinary person like you do?"
"W-well, I could handle the laundry, cooking, and chores..."
"We can hire people for that. Or just do it ourselves. In the first place, my brother hid you here because he wanted you to survive and find happiness. If you follow us for revenge, do you really think you'll be able to live happily?"
"But I'm furious! I want to rip the bastards who killed the young master apart with my own hands!"
Gyeong-a finally let out the grief and rage she had been holding back. She looked like someone desperately grasping at straws, painfully aware of her own powerlessness.
"Sister..."
I was watching her with sorrowful eyes when Dokgo Rin spoke again.
"This is what my brother left for you."
What she pulled from her robes was the necklace Dokgo Seok had entrusted to her before leaving the secret training ground.
"He said to use it as a wedding gift later, but what you do with it is up to you. I'll say it one more time. My brother didn't save your life because he wanted you to avenge him. He saved you because he wanted you to have a happy future."
Can you still insist on revenge after hearing that?
Gyeong-a had no answer. Or more accurately, she couldn't find one.
Dokgo Rin looked at her with pity and continued in a calm, steady voice, "So go back to your hometown and live well. If possible, look after my brother's wife too. I'll carry out the revenge in your place."
Gyeong-a lowered her head slightly, as if she had finally accepted it.
"Ha... what the hell is all this?"
Dokgo Rin muttered, running a hand through her hair in frustration. Then she told me to get some sleep while I had the chance.
"What about you, miss?"
"I'm going to read through this Nine Heavens Mysterious Sword manual properly. I want to understand exactly why they were after it."
She waved the book, then added as if remembering something, "Oh, and if you get hungry while sleeping, open that jar over there. It's full of fasting pills."
I glanced at the jar she indicated. It was the same fasting pill jar mentioned in the novel. By the look of it, there was easily enough to last several months. It would make perfect emergency rations if needed.
I told her I understood, then looked at Gyeong-a beside me. "You should sleep while you can too, sister."
"...Alright."
She said it, but she didn't look like she'd be falling asleep anytime soon. I gave a bitter smile and lit a fire in the nearby brazier with a flint. It wasn't particularly bright, but it gave off just enough warmth to keep our body temperatures stable. Since cold air kept rising from the stone floor, I had no choice but to lean against the wall. Using my exhaustion as a pillow, I closed my eyes.