007

"At least you know enough to value your own life."

I had slipped into the escort agency's secret vault and picked up the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill. I didn't know exactly how Chu So-gwang, the junior lord of the Chuso Escort Agency, had gotten his hands on a pill from the Divine Doctor—whose price was whatever the doctor named—but from now on, it belonged to me.

'I'll keep this for when it really counts later.'

The Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill was a spirit medicine of such potency that they said even a severed arm could be reattached if the pill was swallowed and the limb held in place within a single moment. It offered no increase in Internal Energy whatsoever, but it was the ultimate restorative, said to be capable of reviving even a shattered Dantian.

'With the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill gone, things are going to get noisy.'

The Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill was the very leverage used to threaten the Hebei Paeng Clan into agreeing to this marriage. Faced with the choice between merging his power with the Hebei Paeng Clan and his own life, Chu So-gwang had chosen his own skin.

'Stirring up the Paeng Clan's fury is none of my concern.'

As far as I could remember, the Chuso Escort Agency was never a notable name. Even if stealing the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill twisted the future I knew, I really couldn't bring myself to care.

If this Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill caused the Great Righteous-Demonic War to erupt sooner, I had absolutely no interest. My only interest was more women. Even if the world ended, I would still grab a woman—

"Ah, hell. What if all the bitches I know end up dead?"

If the Great War accelerated, the death toll would naturally climb. The future was never set in stone, so people who should have lived could also die.

'Should I just toss it?'

Convincing myself the grapes I couldn't reach were sour was one option. Dashing all over the Central Plains to save, raise, and then devour the dying was far too troublesome. If I really wanted to eat them—

"Welcome!"

I pushed into an inn to fill my belly. The waiter, who had been watching me carefully, broke into a smile the moment I produced a silver coin and led me to a seat.

"What would you like to eat?!"

"Plain noodles."

"Yes... one plain noodle...."

"Add a whole chicken, and be generous. Can you do that?"

"Absolutely!"

The waiter vanished into the kitchen like a blur. The power of a single silver coin made even a brat's insolent casual speech something to laugh off. I unhurriedly studied my reflection in the water cup.

'Is this enough to pass myself off as a young master of some standing?'

I'd spent my entire life looking like a beggar, so it wasn't easy to judge an appearance before it had been ruined. In the first place, the simple fact that the gazes around me lacked their usual disgust and fear still felt awkward.

"Mmm."

I took out the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill and rolled it across the table. I pressed and rolled it with my index finger as if teasing a woman's nipple, letting the time pass.

'I got it way sooner than I thought.'

Honestly, I hadn't expected to obtain it in one trip. I'd resolved to let myself be swindled gracefully, prepared for at least two or three wasted trips. But Chu So-gwang pleasantly defied my expectations and showed me the location of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠genuine Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill.

Even though it looked like an ordinary spirit pill, the faint energy sealed inside it let me instantly sense it was authentic. How could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a pill imbued with the Divine Doctor's own energy be anything but the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill?

'Kill him to tighten discipline, then revive him with the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill and drag him around as a body servant? Ridiculous. That would be a waste of the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill.'

My head grew tangled as I considered how best to pursue all the beauties who would rampage unchecked in the future. Whether the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill picked up dust or not, I rolled it around to my heart's content for the sake of my contemplation.

"Here you are!!"

"It's ready?"

"Yes! Right here. Well...."

The waiter set the bowl down and grinned awkwardly. Inside the bowl, a chicken had been cooked through, wisps of steam rising from it, but it was so small there was plenty of room to spare.

"Look here, you...?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Some warriors passed through not long ago, so we only have one young chicken left."

"Young chicken? Are you joking with me right now? A plump full-grown chicken wouldn't be enough, and you bring a half-grown young chicken...?"

Clap.

I unconsciously clapped my hands together.

"I see—so that method existed!"

Why hadn't I realized sooner? Even a green apple is still an apple.

"You have given me insight. Thank you."

"Pardon? Ah, yes. If it helped a young hero like yourself."

"Here, payment for your lesson."

"Hik."

The waiter let out a strangled sound and held his breath at the three silver coins dropped into his hand. After sneaking a glance at the chef, who had poked his head out, he carefully tucked the coins into his own pocket.

"Enjoy your meal."

The waiter smiled and walked away, steps cautious. I watched the chef burst out of the kitchen, grab him by the ear, and drag him inside, then took the two legs of the well-cooked young chicken in my hands and spread them.

"It's possible."

As long as it wasn't a chick, it was perfectly edible. With this new enlightenment, I devoted myself to my meal.

* * *

"Did something happen last night?"

Paeng Yuwol had come out only because she couldn't refuse Chu So-gwang's lunch invitation, and she was momentarily startled. Chu So-gwang, who had turned haggard overnight, had lost all color in his face and radiated a faint anxiety and impatience.

"Haha, nothing at all! Please, have a seat."

"......"

Paeng Yuwol tracked Chu So-gwang's movements warily. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He seemed to be exaggerating his gestures, but an unnatural stiffness was unmistakable.

"It seems as though something did happen."

"...Keheum. Well, the thing is."

Chu So-gwang hemmed and hawed, gauging her reaction, then dropped his head low.

"I apologize! I showed you a shameful sight."

"What?"

At Chu So-gwang's behavior, apologizing as though he were about to kneel, Paeng Yuwol thought to herself—Why is this bastard acting like this all of a sudden?

"I drank far too much yesterday and made an unsightly display. My lady, please forgive my mistake."

"...I am not your lady yet."

"Keheum. Yes, yet... yet...?"

Chu So-gwang tilted his head at Paeng Yuwol's wording. Paeng Yuwol, who had sipped tea to cleanse her palate, stared out at the lake from the pavilion, her face cold.

"I sorted out my own thoughts last night as well. Either way, we are to be joined in matrimony. My conduct toward the man who will be my husband was unbecoming. I apologize."

"Pardon? ...Ah, keheum. That's right! It is so. I shall accept your apology."

What an easy man to read. The moment Paeng Yuwol took a lower stance, he immediately became arrogant, his speech turning casual and his shoulders puffing with importance—

"Tch."

"...Did you hurt your shoulder?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Hahaha."

The reason for his unnatural stiffness became visible. What she had taken for an awkward posture was the classic behavior of someone who'd taken a blade to the shoulder.

"...An assassin?"

"N-No way! There is no way such a figure could have gotten in!"

"If it's not, then it's not. Why are you reacting so violently?"

"Keheum! That's not it!"

Chu So-gwang's sharply dismissive behavior was clearly strange. The more she pressed, the more bizarre his actions became, deepening Paeng Yuwol's suspicion.

This man was hiding something from her right now. What could a man who had been so bold until yesterday possibly have to feel self-conscious about?

'There is one thing, of course.'

He had tried to get drunk by dressing a courtesan who resembled her in similar clothing. The thought of how she had danced the sword dance in a fit of rage before locking herself in her room, swallowing her tears in private, still made her want to chew him up—but in the end she had accepted everything because of the reality that this man was the one with whom she would spend her life.

'If only it weren't for the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill.'

If not for the only pill that could revive Paeng Iwang—the clan head and her uncle, the Evil Slash Sword, the Paeng Clan's greatest martial artist—this marriage could never have taken place. Amidst the jostling for rank among the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Families, a common escort agency, not even a martial family, had wormed its way into the Paeng Clan solely through blackmail using the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill.

- Still, that's too much. You'd refuse the marriage when the Clan Head is in danger?

- First we save the Clan Head. We can worry about the rest later!

- Yuwol.... Please, endure this for your uncle. I beg you.

"Tsk."

Paeng Yuwol clicked her tongue and erased the distracting thoughts. The meal the servants brought out was greasy but palatable, and the Dragon Well tea served as dessert was as clean and clear as what she drank in her own clan.

"Haaah, slurp, kuuuh...."

If only it weren't for the reality that the man before her eyes was to be her husband, she might have at least acknowledged what she could acknowledge. Or perhaps, if he possessed the martial skill of a first-rate warrior she had glimpsed yesterday, even with that appearance....

'That guy is just about the same as any other, though.'

Just as Paeng Yuwol was casually brushing aside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chu So-gwang's flattery and soothing herself with tea, a servant rushed over and bowed deeply.

"Young Master! It's urgent!"

"If it's not urgent, know that you'll die."

Chu So-gwang beckoned the servant closer and turned his head. The servant glanced at Paeng Yuwol and whispered very quietly.

"A rumor has started spreading through the marketplace."

"What? What rumor? You mean yesterday, that...?"

Though the voice was a whisper small as an ant, it reached Paeng Yuwol's ears as clearly as if spoken right beside her.

"No. Not that... it's about the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."

"......!"

Without giving anything away, Paeng Yuwol sipped her tea with a natural motion and pricked up her ears. The servant, apparently unaware of Paeng Yuwol's focus, finished whispering into Chu So-gwang's ear.

"There's a rumor at a pharmacy in the marketplace that someone has gotten their hands on a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill—"

Bang!!

A woman's footprint was deeply stamped into the pavilion floor.

* * *

"Proprietor, is it true?! A Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill has come in!"

"We don't know yet. How would I know whether it's real or fake?"

The old man at the pharmacy waved people away from the medicine cabinet, shooing them with his hands. Had he not strung a Golden Rope and placed the pill inside a glass case for all to see, someone with dark intentions would surely have reached out by now.

"Where did you hear someone got such a precious thing?!"

"If you knew, you'd get hurt. But I have to be able to trust the source—whether that fellow is a true master, whether this is genuinely a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill made by the Divine Doctor. In your eyes, does this look genuine?"

"Please move aside."

A voice like jade beads rang out from behind. The crowd parted to left and right, and down the open path, a beautiful woman stepped up before the Golden Rope.

"Proprietor, is this truly a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill?"

"Ah... who might you be...?"

"I am called Paeng Yuwol of the Hebei Paeng Clan."

Paeng Yuwol even performed a martial salute to show courtesy. At suddenly receiving the respect of a beautiful warrior, the old man awkwardly mimicked the gesture while gauging Paeng Yuwol's reaction.

"Ah, so the daughter of the Paeng Clan has also come to look...?"

"I have come to buy it."

At her confident declaration, the onlookers clicked their tongues and shook their heads. The pharmacy's proprietor, who held the item, also shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I also don't know whether this is genuine or not. My medical skills are too lacking—I have no way to tell if it was crafted by the Divine Doctor."

"If you swallow it and it works, then it is the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill. So, how much is it?"

"Well, you see, no matter how I put it, I can't casually sell something when I don't know whether it's medicine or poison...."

"M-Move!"

A man came charging up from behind, gasping for breath. Chu So-gwang, junior lord of the Chuso Escort Agency, ignored even the Golden Rope and strode right inside.

"W-Wait! Junior Lord!"

"The Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill! ...Why are there seven?"

Inside the glass case were seven Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills. Each was identically shaped and wrapped in gold leaf, like beautiful craftwork.

"Keheum. My apologies. I was startled, thinking they were genuine Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills."

Chu So-gwang rubbed his shoulder and twisted the corner of his lip. At the proprietor's response, the onlookers' expressions turned to "that figures," and they began filtering out of the pharmacy one by one.

"E-Excuse me, are they really fake?"

"What else? Would those be real? The Divine Doctor creates medicine for the benefit of all people. He would never wrap pills in gold leaf just to fleece people on price. Hmph!"

Chu So-gwang snorted and turned away. Paeng Yuwol's expression darkened, and she bit her lip, troubled.

"...Keheum. To be honest, I don't particularly like that old fellow either. He always haggles my medicine prices down, you see."

Clearing his throat, the old pharmacist spoke in a low voice so no one else would hear.

"Though it wasn't made by the Divine Doctor, this is definitely the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."

"Pardon...?"

"Over there."

The old pharmacist pointed toward the compounding room. As if entranced, Paeng Yuwol carefully stepped inside.

"...Hmm? Who's there?"

A cramped space barely large enough for one person to sit. A young man had carelessly strewn medicinal ingredients and compounding tools across a low desk; he stared at Paeng Yuwol, his mouth falling open.

"So pretty...."

"...Ah, perhaps."

Unable to hide her surging hope, Paeng Yuwol pointed at the small pill the young man was in the middle of working on. A hazy qi clung to the tip of the sharp blade he held as he split one pill into several pieces.

"Are you... a disciple of the Divine Doctor?"

"Disciple? Hey now, how could I be a disciple of that old man?"

The young man shook his head vigorously, waving his hands in denial.

"I just picked up a bit from that old woman's techniques—hiik?!"

Before she knew it, Paeng Yuwol had dropped to her knees before the young man.

"Do you mean you know how to make the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill?!"

"Uh, um."

The young man's face flooded with color under Paeng Yuwol's overwhelming presence, and he averted his eyes.

"...Th-They're touching."

"Ah."

Paeng Yuwol lowered her head and released her hands. She covered her own chest with both arms and bowed deeply.

"I am sorry, young master."

"N-No, it's fine."

"......"

At the sight of the youthful pair, the old pharmacist's expression soured.