Chapter 51. Misunderstanding (1)
A thick layer of poison dust piled up above me as if snow had fallen.
My body was slowly going numb, and in the distance, Tang Sowol was looking this way with teary eyes, filled with worry. At the same time, I became acutely aware of the dense, oppressive killing intent surrounding me.
This... To an outsider, it would look like a perfect case of deviation into demonic cultivation.
So, to reassure Tang Sowol, I opened my mouth to speak.
"Oh...!?"
I was going to say, "This is a misunderstanding. This isn't deviation, just a side effect of my martial arts. It'll settle on its own after a while."
However, due to the unnecessarily potent paralytic poison, I only managed to get out the first syllable before my body froze completely.
In the end, I stood still in an awkward posture—one hand loosely holding my sword, the other stretched out toward Tang Sowol.
Had I neglected lower body training even slightly, I would have toppled over right then and there.
As I sighed inwardly, Tang Sowol started stomping her feet in panic.
"W-What should we do?! Brother Cheon has fallen into deviation...!"
"Calm yourself, young lady. It is true that Brother has succumbed to deviation, but it doesn't seem to be at a severe level."
"What do you mean it's not severe?! Can you really say that after seeing that thick killing intent, Vice Commander?! That's not just mere presence—it's killing intent! He's practically pouring out his will to kill! Does that look sane to you?!"
That's a bit much.
I understood the point she was making. After all, this killing intent was indeed a result of the deviation I had swallowed whole without overcoming.
But still, that doesn't mean I wasn't hurt by those words. Not in my right mind? That's going too far.
Just as I was inwardly grumbling, Ghost Shadow Thief let out an exhausted sigh and sided with the vice commander of the Blood Venom Unit.
"The vice commander is correct. That child may be radiating a monstrous killing intent, but it's not too late. Do you remember the last thing he tried to say?"
"He was going to say, Don't come near. Right?"
"Correct. And he raised an empty hand instead of his sword, as if to stop us. Even while being consumed by that overwhelming killing intent, there's still something precious to him that he refuses to forget."
"...Ah!"
Tang Sowol's eyes widened as if she had been struck by a realization.
But really, there was no reason for her to be so moved.
That outstretched hand wasn't meant to tell her not to come closer. It was telling her to stop spreading poison.
Even with an antidote pill in my mouth and my inner energy actively working to counteract the effects, the poison was still strong enough to paralyze me. Just how potent was this poison, anyway?
As I sighed repeatedly, the Soul-Chasing Flying Butterflies finally stopped scattering poison—whether because they had exhausted their supply or because they decided it was enough.
Tang Sowol retrieved them and looked at me with a distant expression before slowly stepping closer.
Even as she grew pale from coming into contact with the rampant killing intent, she didn't give up and stubbornly approached one step at a time.
It was oddly admirable.
Even though she was choosing to suffer unnecessarily…
I had long since suppressed my intent deep within myself. The killing intent spilling out now was merely residual emotion.
It was the same as someone shouting when frustrated—loud and disruptive for a moment, but ultimately cathartic and soothing once it passed.
Once I had let out enough, it would settle naturally.
Yet, Tang Sowol insisted on pushing through.
With careful hands, she reached out and gently caressed my face.
"It's alright, Brother Cheon. I will definitely bring you back to your old self."
"No matter how many years it takes."
With those words, she slowly pulled me into an embrace.
The lingering tension of battle left my body hypersensitive, making her warmth even more pronounced.
The softness pressing against me through her robes, her unique scent enveloping me, and the heat radiating from her skin—all of it dulled the sharp edge of my aura.
Right.
If my personal hell was created when I lost Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin…
Then the one who pulled me out of that hell was none other than Tang Sowol.
This outcome was only natural.
My emotions calmed faster than expected. Whether she knew this or not, Tang Sowol rested her forehead against my shoulder and whispered.
"I've told you before, haven't I? That you seem like a sword without a sheath—always on edge, never at rest."
Her soft hair tickled my cheek, and her faint breath brushed against my ear as she continued.
"Then I will be your sheath. I will be the place you can return to. So, for now, rest in my arms."
After saying this, she slowly pulled away.
Then, she raised her hand, gathering inner energy into her fingertips as if preparing to perform acupuncture for energy circulation.
But by then, I had already been neutralizing the poison myself.
With my strengthened Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art, I could efficiently burn away the toxins within me.
The high-grade antidote pill hidden under my tongue was still diligently absorbing the remaining poison.
And when combined with my precise inner energy control, even the poisons enhanced with Purple Flower Poison Enhancing Grass weren't enough to keep me from moving.
It wasn't as if I had actually fallen into deviation and lost control over my inner energy.
With a determined motion, I bent the arm I had previously extended.
Poof.
"...Huh?"
Despite only using one arm, it resulted in an embrace.
Caught off guard by the unexpected movement, Tang Sowol fumbled in confusion, but I simply pulled her closer.
"D-Deviation... No."
"Ack—Hyaa!?"
She let out a strange hiccuping noise.
"Hurry up. Antidote."
"Y-Yes!"
Still dazed, she hurriedly reversed the effects of the paralytic poison she had injected into me.
I could finally breathe again.
"Whew."
"Hiiik!"
As I let out a sigh of relief, Tang Sowol trembled for some reason. Her eyes spun dizzily as she asked in a flustered voice.
"Brother Cheon, could you please explain what just happened?"
"There's nothing to explain. I was never in deviation to begin with."
"...What?"
"The killing intent was just a side effect of my martial arts. I may have overexerted myself, causing it to run rampant, but I was always in full control."
"T-Then, everything I just did…"
"Mm. I can only say that I appreciate your concern."
Tang Sowol's face turned red as she realized her mistake.
I chuckled at her embarrassment and teased, "Didn't you say you'd be my sheath?"
"Kyaah!"
Flustered, she lightly pounded my back with her fists.
When she tried to pull away, I tightened my hold and pulled her back in.
"Where do you think you're going? Didn't you promise to be the place I return to?"
"F-Forget that! Please, just forget it!"
"No can do. You dramatically declared it and even told me to rest in your arms. How could I possibly forget such a devoted fiancée?"
"Kkyyaaaaaaa!"
Tang Sowol let out a near scream, trembling with sheer embarrassment.
I smirked.
"I see. So if I ever really fall into deviation, this is how you'd react. Seems like I must never let myself be consumed by it."
"Enough! And it's not just me who misunderstood! Even the vice commander and Ghost Shadow Thief—!"
"True, they were mistaken too. But unlike you, they didn't recklessly charge into my killing intent just to hug me."
"Eeek! Eeeiit!"
Tang Sowol let out a sound—not just from embarrassment but mixed with a bit of frustration as well.
No, she wasn't just making noises. She had buried her face against my neck and was now biting it.
Not hard enough to draw blood, but firm enough to sting as she gnawed at my skin.
With an exasperated chuckle, I lightly patted her back.
"Alright, enough with the bite marks. Let go. The fight is over—we need to wrap things up."
"I won't forget this, Brother. One day, I will get my revenge."
"Oh, how terrifying. But don't forget—I'm part of the Tang Clan now too. You think I'll forget the grudge of having paralytic poison dumped on my head? I'll remember this forever. Every time I'm feeling down, I'll think about it and laugh."
"Can't you just lose once? Just once?! I am five years older than you, you know?!"
"If I did, I wouldn't have a reason to be holding you like this now, would I?" I smirked. "Besides, even though it was a misunderstanding, the way you stepped up for me was quite… impressive."
"Ugh!"
Tang Sowol swallowed hard, her face reddening for an entirely different reason now.
I found myself unable to look away.
But, of course, we couldn't stay like this forever.
The oppressive killing intent I had been exuding had completely faded by now, and at some point, the vice commander of the Blood Venom Unit had approached.
Her expression was as calm as ever, but the slight upward curve of her lips gave away a mix of relief and satisfaction.
"I'm glad you're safe. While you rest with the young lady, I'll finish searching the bodies."
"That would be helpful, thanks. You're not injured, are you?"
"I used up most of the poison I brought, but I have no serious wounds. I appreciate your concern, Brother."
She bowed slightly before stepping away to inspect the corpses of the assassins.
Tang Sowol, perhaps still too embarrassed to meet my eyes, had lowered her head.
I reached out and lightly tapped the back of her head with my fingertips.
"I told you to rest. You're actually exhausted, so sit down for a bit."
Without a word, Tang Sowol nodded and stepped back.
This time, I let her go.
She wasn't the only one who needed to take a break. I finally sheathed my sword and let myself sink to the ground.
A little farther away, Ghost Shadow Thief had completely sprawled out, lying flat on his back.
He was covered in bloodstains here and there, but none of it seemed to be his own. Still, given how weakened he was, I couldn't help but be a little concerned.
I pulled out a bundle of jerky from my robe and tossed it toward him.
Whiiik—Thup.
Without getting up, he reached out and snatched it from the air, glanced at me briefly, then nodded in thanks.
I nodded back before shifting my attention to Tang Sowol, who was sitting beside me, sighing heavily.
"I worked up an appetite."
"Would you like some pork jerky?"
"If you're offering, I won't refuse."
Tang Sowol pulled out another portion of jerky and handed it to me. She also set aside a share for the vice commander.
As we quietly chewed, she spoke first.
"Well, we managed to put out the immediate fire, but… things are getting complicated."
"Yeah. It would be nice if this was the end of it, but Sal Valley isn't the kind of group to just back off."
"I heard that even among them, Soul Reapers are considered valuable assets."
"Which means they'll be even more determined to hunt us down. There's a huge difference between losing five Soul Reapers and failing a mission, versus sacrificing five Soul Reapers but still succeeding in their mission."
"If we're unlucky, the King of Assassins might come after us himself."
"'A mission must always be completed'—that's the pride of Sal Valley, after all."
And those Soul Reapers had swallowed Demonic Explosive Pills at the end. That was a secret technique of the Demonic Cult.
That meant there was a chance they weren't just working for the cult on a hired mission.
Thinking back, just a few months before the Demonic Cult's invasion, several renowned experts from the Murim Alliance had been assassinated by the King of Assassins himself.
The final victim managed to kill the assassin in a mutual death blow, bringing an end to the incident—but the event had caused an uproar big enough that even in distant Guangdong Province, the news had spread.
At the time, I had thought, Ah, so Assassin King must have taken on a mission that was too much for him and died in the process.
But now I wondered…
What if the Demonic Cult had been the one who issued that mission?
Or worse—what if Sal Valley had already sworn allegiance to them?
Either way, it was an extremely bad situation.
But at least this time, I knew about it in advance.
In my past life, I had been ignorant and caught completely off guard. And that was what led to… well, that ending.
But this time is different.
Ghost Shadow Thief could serve as a witness, and the Soul Reapers we killed were solid proof.
Things were about to get busy.
"We'll have to move quickly."
"Yes. We need to act before they send another wave of assassins."
Though I had meant something different, she wasn't wrong. If we were constantly on the run, unable to rest properly, we would gradually wear down.
And if things got any worse, we might end up unintentionally contributing to Sal Valley's infamy.
After a brief moment of thought, I spoke.
"We'll stick to the plan. We're heading to Zhongnan Mountain."
It was the closest place with the power to protect us from Sal Valley—and the only group that might be willing to help us. The Wudang Sect.