Vengeful Heart
"But where are we going?"
The carriage slowed down a little.
Judging by the scenery around us, we had more or less left Qinghai Province behind…
"We are heading to Sichuan, to the Tang Family, young master."
The answer came from Muyoung.
"The Tang Family? Why there?"
"Your condition looked critical, so I sent word immediately to request help. I never imagined you would wake up this quickly."
Only then did I finally examine my own body.
'I see.'
Just as Muyoung said, my body had returned to normal.
I had clearly executed the White Dragon Sword Scripture and poured out the Jade Heaven Descending Dragon Qi. The process had expelled an enormous amount of internal energy, placing a tremendous burden on my body. Above all, my internal injuries had been severe.
Yet every trace of that damage had been wiped clean.
'Demonic energy.'
In the end, every question about my physical state came down to a single answer: the demonic energy.
There was no other way to explain it. The demonic energy possessed an abnormal regenerative power.
"Still… the Tang Family, huh."
The thought stirred an unexpected wave of emotion.
I knew several people within the Tang Family.
Before the Demonic Cult rose in force and the Tang Family collapsed, I had witnessed their unyielding spirit and absorbed their poisonous resolve.
Masters of poison arts and hidden weapons.
They were also born artisans.
With such skillful hands, they crafted their own hidden weapons and armaments, operated trading companies, and spread the weapons they produced across the Central Plains.
From what I remembered, the quality of those weapons lived up to their reputation.
"This works out well."
Seeing Muyoung’s empty scabbard had left me feeling guilty.
To a martial artist, a sword was another lifeline.
I had borrowed his and broken it. This seemed like the perfect chance to provide him with a proper blade.
Before long the carriage entered the capital of Sichuan.
Unlike the sparse roads of Qinghai, the streets here teemed with people at every corner. Only then did the realization truly sink in that we had left Qinghai behind.
The carriage headed straight for the Tang Family estate, where their warriors were already waiting.
"Welcome, Young Master Ju. I am Tang Weihan, captain of the Golden Sword Unit."
A man offered a crisp, disciplined fist salute.
He possessed a powerful frame and an impressive bearing. The spirit radiating from him was equally formidable.
'Golden Sword Unit.'
The golden sword emblem engraved on the chest of his uniform marked him as a member of the elite Golden Sword Unit, the strongest among the Tang Family’s Three Sword Units.
"It is an honor to meet you, Captain. I am Ju Woo-jin of the Ju Family."
"I came out personally after hearing your life was in danger… Are you truly all right?"
Tang Weihan studied me with visible concern.
"Yes. I rested comfortably on the way here… I apologize for imposing on you so suddenly."
"Not at all. Please greet the Family Head first. I will escort you from here onward."
"Then I will be in your care."
Despite this being our first meeting, he left a favorable impression.
His serious demeanor was admirable, and the prominently bulging sun point on his forehead revealed just how high his cultivation had reached.
"Long time no see?"
"……"
Ju Yu-ran appeared quite close with Tang Weihan. The way she playfully thumped his chest made that obvious.
With the Golden Sword Unit’s escort, our group entered the Tang Family estate without issue.
"Welcome."
The man who greeted us looked to be in his early thirties.
His youthful face could easily pass for someone in their forties. This was Tang Hwa-pyeong, head of the Tang Family.
"I greet the Family Head of the Tang Family. I am Ju Woo-jin, fifth young master of the Ju Family."
"Hehe, yes. I saw you when you were no bigger than a bean, and now you’ve grown so tall. How cruel time can be."
"Thank you for receiving me so warmly. Though it is shameless of me, may I impose on your hospitality for a short stay?"
"Of course. Stay as many days as you wish. The Tang Family is not so heartless as to drive away guests who have come seeking shelter."
The Tang Family members greeted me with genuine kindness.
We were promptly assigned guest quarters in the rear garden reserved for honored visitors.
Physicians visited several times a day to examine my condition.
In that way, a rather hectic day passed.
When night fell, I left my room to enjoy the cool breeze.
The Tang Family’s rear garden.
Unlike the Ju Family grounds, this place featured private training fields reserved exclusively for direct descendants, and strict security patrols maintained a heavy presence everywhere.
Recalling memories from my previous life, I walked through the garden.
'Clean and orderly. Now I understand what people mean when they say it’s exactly like the Tang Family.'
The pathways were designed to imprint themselves clearly in the mind at a single glance.
The neatly arranged pavilions appeared to have been built according to a precise formation diagram.
'A place like this was destroyed so miserably.'
The moment those memories resurfaced, my expression hardened and my body tensed.
The Tang Family warriors had fought with desperate fury.
They had taken in a fugitive like me and stood against the Demonic Cult.
Even they had eventually…
'Blood Hand Poison Emperor.'
In the end, the family had been utterly crushed by his hand.
His pride in poison.
Determined to surpass the Tang Family, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor had trampled them mercilessly, tormenting them at every turn.
He poisoned key figures one by one and used that poison to manipulate others.
Killing the Blood Hand Poison Emperor first had been one of the best decisions I ever made.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
Someone called out to me.
A young man who appeared three or four years older than me.
'Tang Jin.'
I recognized the face.
The fourth son of the Tang Family and the youngest among the male siblings.
'Unlike most Tang Family members, he was calm and thoughtful.'
He had been the only one who insisted they should swallow their pride and flee when the family began to collapse.
"It is good to meet you. I am Ju Woo-jin."
"I heard. I’m Tang Jin. Since I look older, would it be all right if I speak casually?"
He was already doing so.
"Yes, of course."
"What brings you out here so late at night?"
"I was taking a walk."
"You had a rather serious expression for someone simply taking a walk."
With a bright smile, Tang Jin plopped down beside me and gestured for me to join him.
"When my mind won’t clear, I come here. That’s why I came tonight and happened to see you."
"Ah, I see."
I had little choice but to sit beside him.
Forming personal connections… had always been difficult for me.
In my previous life, I had never allowed any relationships except with the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
To hold someone dear and then experience the crushing sense of loss and powerlessness when they were gone…
That was something I never wanted to feel again.
"I heard the rumors about you. That you’re…"
"I know. The shame of the Ju Family, the mad dog of Gangseo… things like that, right?"
"Umm, yes."
Tang Jin looked at me with an apologetic face.
"I don’t mind. Those rumors are true, after all."
"Really? Hmm. I don’t think so."
Tang Jin gave a meaningful smile.
"We’ve only exchanged a few words, yet I can already tell the rumors aren’t worth believing."
"What do you mean?"
"It’s hard to explain exactly… but I just have that feeling."
He spoke rather vaguely.
Well, it didn’t matter.
If that was how he felt, then so be it.
"Ah, may I ask you for one favor?"
"A favor? From me? We’ve only just met, haven’t we?"
"That’s true, but I don’t believe I have the standing to request a private audience with the Family Head."
In other words, he wanted me to ask Tang Jin instead.
Tang Jin understood the implication and his expression grew serious.
"What is it?"
"I would like you to make a sword for me."
"A sword…? Why ask me…?"
His face visibly stiffened.
Asking a martial artist to forge a weapon could be taken as an insult.
After all, the other party was a scion of a prestigious family.
But for Tang Jin, it was different.
He was far more blacksmith than martial artist.
"You know how, don’t you? And you’re already skilled enough to stand among true masters."
"……"
At those words, Tang Jin shot to his feet.
His face flushed a deep red.
"I don’t know where you heard that, but the truth is…"
"There’s no need to feel ashamed. A talent like that… is something I would dearly love to possess myself."
"That isn’t a talent. Being born into a martial family and only handling iron…"
"Only?"
I frowned and looked him directly in the eyes.
His pupils trembled. The restless, anxious way he shifted in place was very different from the man I remembered.
'He hasn’t made his decision yet. Not at this point in time.'
A martial artist must carve out their own path.
Once chosen, the responsibility falls entirely on their own shoulders.
In the end, Tang Jin would overcome countless objections and walk the path of a blacksmith.
'If he’s going to become one anyway… wouldn’t it be better to give him a small push now, while he’s still young?'
If it was inevitable, facing it even one year sooner was preferable.
"Handling iron is not a lowly pursuit. Isn’t it the work of creating and forging swords that serve as the very lifeblood of martial artists?"
"……"
"Martial artists take pride in their arts. Disciples show respect and courtesy to their sect. An artisan must stake everything on their own skill."
Tang Jin bit his lip hard.
It looked as though something long suppressed was about to burst free.
"This… is quite surprising for a first meeting."
"Ah, I’m sorry. Did I speak out of turn?"
I stepped back.
At the very least, I thought it would be too great a waste to let his talent remain hidden.
"You said you needed one sword, correct?"
"Ah, yes. My guard’s sword was destroyed, so…"
"Your guard’s sword? I see."
Tang Jin smiled faintly and nodded.
"Two days. Wait just two days."
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
I bowed deeply.
Tang Jin accepted the greeting somewhat distractedly and staggered out of the garden.
It seemed my words had struck him deeply.
"If the Demonic Cult had never risen, he would have used that skill to place the Tang Family on an unshakable foundation."
That was my assessment of Tang Jin.
His weapon-casting and forging techniques were that extraordinary.
* * *
The next day.
Ju Yu-ran came looking for me.
"The Red Dragon Unit has arrived. The entire clan is in an uproar."
"…Ugh."
I frowned and nodded.
Once I informed the Tang Family of my injury, I had expected word would reach the clan. Still, if things kept happening this way, I might end up forbidden from leaving the estate.
That was the last thing I wanted.
"I sent a separate message. I told them not to worry too much. That I was only lightly injured during training."
"What about Mother?"
"I asked them to keep it from the matriarch’s ears. The Family Head will likely be cautious as well."
The matriarch—Yu Ha-rin.
Everyone knew her body was frail.
Just as everyone knew she lived with her gaze fixed solely on me.
"Shouldn’t you be returning now?"
"Mm. I think I’ll stay one more day. Tell the Red Dragon Unit to wait separately."
"One more day? Why? The clan is in chaos right now…"
"I have something to receive."
"You know we don’t have much time, right? The Ju Family’s World Under Heaven Festival will begin soon."
"I know."
The Ju Family’s World Under Heaven Festival.
It was a grand celebration that announced the Ju Family’s prestige to the world. Held only once a year, it was also famous as the largest festival in the Gangseo region.
This was also the period when personnel shifts occurred among the Ju Family warriors. Because promotion tests were included, it was an extremely important time for them as well.
"One day is enough."
"Then I’ll let them know…"
Before Ju Yu-ran could finish speaking—
In that instant, my eyes met Ju Yu-ran’s in midair.
Do-gon.
It seemed he had finally caught up to my trail.