Unseen Protection
"Sister...?"
Cheon Hye-in had appeared out of nowhere. Staring at her, Cheon Ui-jin swallowed hard.
"Hello."
Cheon Hye-in waved at him. Her gentle smile and graceful gesture would have struck anyone else as beautiful.
Unfortunately, to Cheon Ui-jin, even that was pure terror.
"Shall we talk?"
"..."
Thump! His heart hammered violently against his ribs.
Cold sweat drenched his back, soaking through his clothes.
"Huff... huff..."
His breathing grew ragged, and a wave of dizziness washed over him, making his head spin.
He felt sick to his stomach. Suppressing the urge to vomit, Cheon Ui-jin forced himself to look at his sister.
Blue.
The proof and testament that one had completely mastered the cultivation method of Cheongwol Gate.
The internal energy did not just circulate through the body; it seeped into the eyes, turning the irises a brilliant blue.
Cheon Hye-in possessed the Moon Eye, and Cheon Ui-jin dared not look directly into them.
She was like the deep ocean.
Just looking at her gave him the suffocating sensation of drowning, of being trapped with no hope of escape.
Feeling that familiar dread, Cheon Ui-jin bit his lip.
"...What brings you here?"
He squeezed the words out, suppressing his emotions. Even he was surprised by his own voice.
In the past, he wouldn't have been able to meet her gaze, let alone speak without trembling. But things were different now.
Am I... getting better?
His breathing was still shallow and his mind was in turmoil, but it was better than before.
Had he grown? Had he finally made some progress? Just as the thought crossed his mind—
"Oh?"
"...!"
Cheon Hye-in tilted her head, and his stomach instantly churned again.
Without realizing it, Cheon Ui-jin averted his eyes.
Seeing this, a smirk played on Cheon Hye-in's lips.
"What do you mean, 'what brings me here'? Is it so strange for a sister to visit her brother?"
She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Cheon Ui-jin could only bite his inner lip in silence.
Don't make me laugh.
Sister and brother? It was a joke.
She had never once thought of him as a brother.
She was utterly shameless.
Whether she noticed his inner turmoil or not, Cheon Hye-in stepped closer and stopped right in front of him.
"Little brother."
"...Yes."
"By the way, I heard something interesting happened in Anhui."
"..."
Cheon Ui-jin swallowed hard at her words.
"I heard someone targeted you."
Goosebumps broke out across his skin.
How can a human being be so...!
How could she be so shameless and detestable?
Cheon Ui-jin clenched his teeth as he stared at her.
He had heard that Cheon Hye-in was the one who instigated his guard, Pung Yeon, to betray him.
Yet here she was, speaking without a single change in her expression.
Cheon Ui-jin was terrified of her.
"You look terrified."
"..."
"Were you that scared? I told you before, didn't I?"
Cheon Hye-in slowly closed the distance between them.
"My dear brother."
Her blue eyes swept over him.
"Do not trust anyone."
Her smile squeezed his heart.
"I clearly warned you."
"..."
"I wonder why you didn't listen to your sister... I'm truly curious."
Clench! Cheon Ui-jin squeezed his fists tight.
"Hmm?"
Cheon Hye-in tilted her head at his question.
She acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
"The reason I didn't report you to the sect wasn't simply because I was afraid of you."
"..."
At those words, Cheon Hye-in's brow furrowed deeply. Cheon Ui-jin flinched slightly at her reaction, but he did not stop speaking.
"...It's because I will defeat you without relying on such methods. That is why I chose not to write it in the report."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Cheon Hye-in narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.
"So, what my little brother is saying... is that I was the one who instigated that pathetic guard?"
"Stop playing innocent."
Cheon Ui-jin's face contorted. Deep, bitter resentment bled into his expression.
"You disgust me."
"..."
Hearing this, Cheon Hye-in smiled once more.
"Brother. It's fine for you to think that, but do you have any proof?"
"Are you testing me?"
"Take it however you like. It doesn't matter, since no such thing exists anyway."
"..."
She was right. Just as she said, there was no evidence linking her to Pung Yeon's betrayal.
Pung Yeon was dead, and as far as Cheon Ui-jin knew, Cheon Hye-in was not the type to leave behind loose ends.
There was no proof. Realizing this, Cheon Ui-jin ground his teeth again.
"You haven't changed at all."
Cheon Hye-in smiled nonchalantly at him.
"Still as incompetent as ever. No different from back then."
"...!"
At the mention of "back then," Cheon Ui-jin's expression shifted drastically.
"Years have passed, and yet you still haven't escaped from—"
"Shut up...!"
Cheon Ui-jin screamed.
"At least... if you have even a shred of humanity... you shouldn't be the one to speak of that time."
"..."
His voice cracked as he shouted. It was the strained, awkward shout of someone who had rarely raised his voice in his entire life.
To Cheon Hye-in, he looked utterly pathetic.
"You, who are still drowning in the past, think you can defeat me?"
It was truly laughable.
"As if you could."
"...What do you know that gives you the right to speak so carelessly?"
"How could I not know?"
Cheon Hye-in spoke with a sigh.
"The reason you went all the way to Anhui, and why you kept the information to yourself without telling the Moonmaster or anyone else, was for that very reason."
Cheon Ui-jin clamped his mouth shut.
"I was quite curious about what you managed to obtain there."
Slide.
Cheon Hye-in reached out and straightened Cheon Ui-jin's collar.
"To my surprise, it was the old master's Man-wol."
"..."
Cheon Hye-in spoke as if she already knew everything. The more she spoke, the more terror gripped Cheon Ui-jin.
"I wonder who it could be..."
Cheon Hye-in murmured thoughtfully.
"Who could have given such information only to you, keeping both Father and me in the dark?"
"..."
"Hmm... I really couldn't understand it."
Slowly, the moon rose into the night sky.
Climbing higher and higher, the moonlight cast its pale glow over Cheon Ui-jin and Cheon Hye-in.
"You are the most hopeless and pathetic of us all. Who could be foolish enough to hand such valuable information to you?"
"...Ugh..."
"Well, whatever."
Her attitude suggested it didn't really matter.
It was a display of absolute confidence, as if she could handle whoever it was with ease.
"Brother, did you say you wanted to defeat me?"
Cheon Ui-jin did not answer.
But she already knew his response.
"Is that why you brought him here?"
"..."
Him.
There was only one person she could be referring to.
Bang Seong-yeon.
At the mention of Bang Seong-yeon, Cheon Ui-jin's entire body tensed.
"To make him the Moonmaster of Cheongwol Gate in your stead?"
She had hit the nail on the head.
"I truly hope that isn't the case."
Cheon Ui-jin's face contorted as he asked,
"Because if that's true, I would be deeply disappointed in you. Though, of course, I didn't have any expectations left to begin with."
"..."
"He is an extraordinary man. Bringing him here might be one of the few things you've actually done right. But..."
Cheon Hye-in leaned in close, her face inches from his.
"If your grand plan is merely to find someone to fight your battles for you, could anything be more pathetic and miserable?"
Her words became sharp blades, piercing deep into Cheon Ui-jin's chest.
"Brother. You are not him. Even if you want to be like him, you never will be."
He knew.
He knew all too well that someone like him and Bang Seong-yeon belonged to entirely different worlds.
"If you're dreaming, I suggest you wake up quickly. You'll only make yourself look more miserable."
"...I have never thought that way. And I have no intention of listening to anything you say."
"Is that so?"
At his reply, she smiled brightly.
"I'm glad to hear that, then."
With those words, Cheon Hye-in turned her back on him.
"Well, struggle all you want. Try your best to reach me. After all..."
Without looking back, she continued,
"...Mother would be so pleased up in heaven."
Having said her piece, Cheon Hye-in walked away and vanished into the darkness.
"..."
Cheon Ui-jin stared blankly at the spot where she had disappeared.
"Ugh—!"
Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees and began to retch.
"Cough... blegh..."
His deathly pale face and violently trembling body laid bare his fragile state.
"Ugh... ah..."
He was in agony. Yet even in his pain, his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the path Cheon Hye-in had taken.
You are not him. Even if you want to be like him, you never will be.
Cheon Hye-in's words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
"Damn it..."
Thud!
He slammed his fist into the ground. Blood seeped from his torn knuckles, but Cheon Ui-jin didn't care.
"Damn it... Damn it..."
More than pain, a crushing sense of misery washed over him.
It was self-loathing for his inability to do anything until she had walked away.
"...What on earth should I do..."
How could he escape this wretched feeling?
Cheon Ui-jin searched desperately for an answer.
But nothing came to mind.
As Cheon Ui-jin sat there, swallowing his misery and trying to suppress his emotions—
"..."
Cheon Hye-in, who was leaning against a nearby tree, shifted her gaze.
She looked away from her brother and stared into the empty air.
Staring quietly into the darkness, Cheon Hye-in spoke.
"Senior Uncle."
-Yes.
Surprisingly, a voice answered from the shadows, though she had already known someone was there.
"I heard that boy's guard sold me out..."
As she spoke,
"...could you find out what exactly happened?"
Her expression was chillingly cold.
Not long after morning broke.
I woke up, washed up quickly, and stepped out of my quarters.
As soon as I stepped outside, I looked back at the place I had been staying.
Is today the last day?
The guest quarters provided by Cheongwol Gate. Tonight would be my last night sleeping here.
It couldn't be helped.
Now that I've joined the Sowol Squad, I have to move.
Since I was officially part of Cheongwol Gate now, I could no longer stay in the guest quarters.
Consequently, I had to relocate to the barracks where the Sowol Squad gathered.
I didn't have much luggage anyway, so moving itself would be easy, but...
What a waste...
Even so, I wasn't thrilled about leaving such nice quarters.
It was a private residence just for me. How beautiful and luxurious was that?
"Damn it."
I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay longer.
No matter how much I wished for it, there was no way around it.
[Tsk... You're dripping with regret over a mere house.]
Yoo Chun-gil, floating behind me, spoke in a pitying tone.
"You don't understand, old man... the sorrow of the younger generation trying to own their own home."
[It wasn't even your house to begin with.]
"Who knows? If things went well, it might have become mine."
[...Just how well did you expect things to go?]
"Forget it. You don't understand my heart anyway, old man."
[I have no desire to understand it either.]
I waved my hand dismissively and kept walking.
Though I was losing my quarters by joining the Sowol Squad, I had at least heard some good news when I visited Sowol Road the other day.
Fortunately, even though I've officially joined the sect, training attendance is voluntary.
While others were probably sweating through grueling training right now...
...I was free. I had worried about that, but according to the explanation I received later, the Sowol Squad didn't have group training. The higher-ups probably figured the members could manage their own training.
Thanks to that, it didn't matter if I ran around all day or slept in.
[They probably had no idea... that a crazy bastard like you would end up in the Sowol Squad.]
"I didn't want to join in the first place. I was forced into this, so they should at least give me this much slack."
[...Hmph.]
The old man clearly didn't approve of me slacking off on my training.
But I had my own grievances.
"Who said I'm not training at all? I'm going because I have business to attend to."
[...Which is why I am staying quiet, am I not?]
"Don't just keep your mouth shut, keep your eyes shut too. That's the real problem."
[Tsk.]
Yoo Chun-gil clicked his tongue in annoyance.
I ignored him and kept walking.
As I told the old man, I had a destination in mind.
Since we were scheduled to leave for Sichuan in a few days, there was something I needed to finalize.
I've secured Cheon Ui-jin. Now there's only one person left.
The remaining person who would accompany us to Sichuan besides Cheon Ui-jin.
I had briefly spoken with him before, but I hadn't been able to wrap up the conversation because I was too busy.
So, I was on my way to finish our talk.
Just then.
[No matter how much I think about it, I simply cannot understand.]
Yoo Chun-gil spoke.
"Understand what?"
[Why him, of all people? Surely there are far more capable candidates.]
"Ah."
Why was he the one I chose to bring along?
It seemed Yoo Chun-gil couldn't wrap his head around it.
To be fair, the companions for this trip were chosen entirely based on my personal criteria.
Normally, the Moonmaster, Wolseongeom, would have designated the members.
But we had a bet.
The reward I won from my duel with Seom Seong-gyeong.
I had used that leverage for this very task.
I had demanded that I choose my own companions for the journey to Sichuan.
Wolseongeom had agreed, on the condition that I include at least one member of the Sowol Squad.
Which worked out perfectly.
It was a win-win for me.
The other person I wanted to bring along, besides Cheon Ui-jin, just happened to be in the Sowol Squad.
"I don't need anyone else. It has to be him."
[...But why?]
"Because I don't want to die, and I want only good things to happen to me on this trip."
[What kind of nonsense is...]
"Oh, there he is."
Yoo Chun-gil still looked utterly baffled, but I ignored him and kept walking.
Finally, I reached my destination.
"Senior. Good morning."
At my greeting, a man who had been swinging his sword since early morning turned to look at me.
"..."
He was a young man with an expressionless face and brown hair.
He wasn't exceptionally handsome like Cheon Ui-jin or me, but he had a rugged, masculine look.
He was tall, with well-defined muscles.
And he wore the martial uniform that symbolized the Sowol Squad.
This was Do-hyeong, who had been the youngest member of the Sowol Squad until I joined.
"I came to finish the conversation we started yesterday. Do you have a moment?"
I smiled as I spoke to Do-hyeong.
He was the second person, after Cheon Ui-jin, who would accompany me to Sichuan.
Or, to be more precise...
It's the thing attached to him.
Hiding my true thoughts behind a smile, I glanced behind Do-hyeong.
Floating behind him was something that was quietly staring back at me.
It was a spirit, but calling it a mere ghost felt inaccurate.
And it was certainly not an evil spirit.
It was incomparable to such lowly entities.
An immense existence that brought luck, wealth, honor, and even good health just by being near.
A so-called...
...Guardian Spirit.