Seop Mugwang’s energy faltered for a brief mont.
“Seolhwa?”
Ilhwa had chosen the na she’d heard just before dying—the na her real father, Namgoong Cheongun, had called her in his final monts.
If Seop Mugwang was searching for a child of the Namgoong Clan, then even the smallest hint of doubt might be enough to keep him from killing her outright.
And her guess had been right.
Seop Mugwang retracted his killing intent.
“Hmph. What a strange little brat. Why would I be your senior? I’ve never had a junior with such an unpleasant aura.”
Though he still grumbled, the hostility in his voice had faded noticeably.
There was a strange look in his eyes as he stared at Ilhwa.
“How old are you?”
“I was told I’m thirteen.”
“Told? You don’t even know your own age?”
“I lost my mories before the age of five due to an accident. So I can only go by what I’ve been told.”
Seop Mugwang’s face grew cold.
Even the hint of playful sarcasm from before had vanished without a trace.
“Let see the back of your neck.”
“....”
Ilhwa slowly turned around and lowered her head.
Beneath her tightly bound hair was a horrifying scar—a deep sword wound across the back of her neck.
Seop Mugwang’s expression stiffened the mont he saw it.
“How did you get that scar?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who taught you martial arts?”
“Until now, I’ve served the master of the Fire Crow Tower in Yunnan as my teacher.”
“You say that like he’s no longer your teacher.”
“He tried to kill .”
Seop Mugwang frowned. His eyes dropped to the pouch that held the Great Return Pill.
“That thing could end up being poison for you. You aware of that?”
The energy within the Great Return Pill was pure—cultivated through the internal techniques of Shaolin. But Ilhwa’s inner energy was chaotic and volatile by nature.
No matter how miraculous the pill might be, taking it while possessing a conflicting internal energy could result in deadly backlash—madness, or worse.
Assuming Ilhwa was planning to ingest it, Seop Mugwang had issued a warning.
Ilhwa nodded calmly.
“I’m planning to use it to purge the internal energy I currently have.”
“...What?”
Seop Mugwang stared at her in shock.
He didn’t speak for a mont, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Do you even understand what happens when you purge your inner energy?”
“I’ve already accepted it.”
To purge one’s inner energy ant giving up every level of cultivation attained. It wasn’t just going back to square one—it ant returning to the body of an ordinary person with no martial power at all.
Even for a child, it was an incredibly difficult decision—to throw away sothing gained through years of effort, pain, and struggle.
And yet, her eyes held no hesitation.
“...Hah!”
Seop Mugwang scoffed in disbelief.
“Why? Why are you trying to purge your inner energy?”
“Because I want to go ho.”
If she returned to the Namgoong Clan without first getting rid of her demonic energy, she might be rejected all over again.
“If I go back with this power still inside ... my family might not accept .”
Seop Mugwang’s expression stiffened.
His gaze deepened as he stared into her eyes.
“Do you know where your hotown is?”
“So fragnts of mory ca back... I think it’s Hefei, in Anhui Province.”
“....”
In the last eight years, Seop Mugwang had t hundreds of girls with the sa na as the Clan Leader’s granddaughter.
So when this girl said her na was Seolhwa, he hadn’t thought much of it.
But when he saw the scar on the back of her neck, sothing had felt off.
And now, of all places... she said her hotown was Hefei?
The sa Hefei where the Namgoong Clan’s main household was located?
Staring at Seop Mugwang’s startled face, Ilhwa realized she’d just survived a major crisis—and quietly let out a breath of relief.
If he even suspected that she might be a child of the Namgoong Clan, then the imdiate threat to her life was gone.
And sure enough, the intense pressure that had surrounded him earlier had completely disappeared.
Ilhwa finally unclenched the fists she hadn’t realized she’d been squeezing.
“Ahem, hmm!”
Realizing his own face had gone blank with surprise, Seop Mugwang quickly composed himself.
“...Fine.”
Ilhwa tilted her head slightly.
“...Fine?”
He pointed at her with a broad grin.
“I, Seop Mugwang, will personally help you.”
He gave a confident smirk and jabbed his thumb against his shoulder.
“You’ll need a guardian if you’re planning to circulate your energy and start over, right? Well, I’ll stand watch over you. I’ll make sure your rehabilitation is a success.”
Ilhwa was quietly surprised.
Standing watch ant guarding her while she purged her internal energy—when she would be completely defenseless.
It ant protecting her from any assassins or enemies that might approach.
Considering that assassins from the Fire Crow Tower—sent by the Blood Demon—could be chasing her, having the protection of the Wind Thunder God was practically a miracle.
However...
“May I ask why?”
“...What?”
Seop Mugwang looked genuinely startled—he clearly hadn’t expected her to refuse his offer.
But the reason Ilhwa gave was fairly sound.
“I °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° have no way to protect myself, so I’m in no position to turn down your kindness, sir. But I don’t understand why you’re willing to help a girl you just t today.”
“...Hmph.”
Seop Mugwang let out a quiet sigh, stroking his chin.
Of course, the real reason was that he suspected she might be the Clan Leader’s granddaughter. But that wasn’t sothing he could say out loud.
“There’s no reason. I’m just the kind of man who does what he wants. But... if you need a reason, I can give you one.”
He let out a low chuckle and pointed at Ilhwa.
“First of all, I hate people with filthy energy like yours.”
His eyes narrowed.
The overwhelming energy he’d radiated when they first t now blazed from his gaze instead.
“You said you’re purging that nasty internal energy? That’s admirable. And you want to go ho—there’s sothing kind of pitiful about that.”
She never said it was her wish to go ho—only that she planned to return.
“But hey, that’s enough of a reason, isn’t it?”
With that, Seop Mugwang folded his arms, looking satisfied.
His last comnt was a little strange, but she had no reason to reject his offer anymore.
“Thank you for your generous kindness, sir.”
“There you go. That’s more like it.”
Seop Mugwang chuckled softly.
****
anwhile...
“Ghk...!”
The leader of the Black Cloud Gang looked down at the sharp blade now resting against his throat, eyes filled with terror.
“Wh-What is the aning of this?! This wasn’t part of the agreent!”
A crimson crow was embroidered across the forehead of the attacker’s mask.
The symbol of Fire Crow Tower.
“Where did you hide the item?”
“H-Hide it? One of Fire Crow Tower’s agents picked it up not even two hours ago!”
The edge of the blade pressed deeper into his neck.
The chilling sensation sent a shiver down his spine. Trembling, he looked up at the masked figure who held him at swordpoint.
“What did the agent look like?”
“S-She looked like a girl... maybe ten years old...!”
The eyes peeking out from behind the mask stared at him in silence for a mont.
Then the sword was withdrawn, and the figure turned away.
“Let’s go.”
In an instant, the masked assassin vanished.
The rest of the masked figures, scattered throughout the area, silently followed.
The gang leader collapsed to the ground, watching the black silhouettes leap over the walls and disappear into the distance.
She was right...!
He recalled the words the girl from Fire Crow Tower had said before she left:
“Once I’m gone, tell your n to flee as far as they can. The assassins from Fire Crow Tower will be coming soon.”
“But we handed over the item! Why would they co after us? Aren’t you a high-ranking mber of Fire Crow Tower?”
“I am... for now. But the mont I walk out that door, I won’t be anymore.”
“What...?”
“If they co, just tell them the agent from Fire Crow Tower already took the item. There’s no need to hide it.”
“Then they’ll go after you!”
“That’s fine. And...”
The girl had gone on to say that before long, both the Mount Hua Sect and the Shaolin Temple would move to destroy the Black Cloud Gang—and when that happened, Fire Crow Tower would offer its support in exchange for allegiance.
In other words, the real reason Fire Crow Tower ordered the gang to steal the Great Return Pill was to eventually absorb their entire organization.
“If you surrender to Fire Crow Tower, they may seem friendly at first—but eventually, they’ll kill you and take over the Black Cloud Gang from within. I’ve already cleaned up your internal factions for you today, so start preparing your strength for that ti.”
Looking back, the people the girl had killed were all elders and subordinates who had ford rival factions within the gang.
They’d been causing headaches and division for months—and the girl had wiped them all out in one stroke.
The gang leader reached into his robe and pulled out a black pouch.
It was the last thing the girl had handed him before she left.
“One week from now, follow the instructions written inside this pouch. It will help you protect the Black Cloud Gang from Mount Hua and Shaolin.”
He couldn’t help but marvel at her insight—how she had solved every internal threat with just a few words.
How far ahead is that child seeing...?!
There was no doubt about it now.
She had to be an old master reborn in a young body.
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