Chapter 100. Resolution

“If the Blood Demon learns that a new sorcerer has been chosen, he’ll do whatever it takes to seize them. No matter what scheme he’s devised, you’ll be one of his priorities.”

Above the still quarters, the soft bird calls spread gently.

“Pack your things once you return. I’ll send In-hwi to the Tang Clan Head, so return with the Divine Physician.”

“Alliance Leader.”

As he tried to end the conversation, So-hwa caught the edge of his words.

“Please tell me more about the Blood Demon and the Blood Sect. Where they’re hiding, what their weaknesses are, how they’re structured, and what the standards are for those who consume the Blood Demon’s poison gu.”

So-hwa, unusually desperate, pleaded—but the Alliance Leader shook his head.

“As I said, I no longer intend to involve myself in this matter.”

“Then you’ll stand by and do nothing? You and I both know how this ends.”

“Yes, and that ending won’t change. Only the path to it varies, but the conclusion is always the same.”

“You don’t have to walk it with me. Just help me walk it myself.”

The Alliance Leader raised a wrinkled hand and stroked his beard.

“Do you remember In-hwi’s death?”

So-hwa did not answer.

In her previous life, Zhuge In-hwi was poisoned. The day he met privately with the head of the Anguk Merchant Group, he went to sleep as if nothing had happened—but the next morning, he didn’t wake up.

Traces of arsenic were found in his body, leading to suspicions of poisoning. But the Zhuge Clan defended the merchant group head, saying it was absurd that the Four Seasons Hall Lord would die from mere arsenic.

The Alliance Leader looked at So-hwa quietly.

As if watching her recall those memories.

After some time, he spoke again.

“That was the most peaceful and painless death In-hwi ever had.”

“……”

“And not just In-hwi. The more choices I tried to make differently, the more cruel and painful the paths became.”

He was in a state of complete resignation.

The Alliance Leader looked at So-hwa, who could not accept it, and spoke firmly.

“I know who you are better than you know yourself. And even so, I’ve shown you this much kindness. I told you everything about the sorcerer so you wouldn’t step into this cruel god’s game—and didn’t I say I’d keep you by my side in this life, so the Blood Demon couldn’t take you?”

The Alliance Leader’s voice was icy.

“To be honest, I don’t like you.”

“……”

“But I owe a great debt to the Black Sky Demon, so I can’t simply turn my back on you. Even so, that debt isn’t worth letting those who believed in me suffer painful deaths once more.”

The Alliance Leader drew the line.

“There’s only one piece of advice I can give you. Make that sorcerer take their own life as soon as possible. So that this repetition of time ends and they are freed from the punishment.”

So-hwa realized that the Alliance Leader would never help her. And she understood why.

So there was no need to speak with him any further.

So-hwa soon rose from her seat.

“I’ll gather my things and return.”

“I’ll send In-hwi in a gak (15 mins).”

So-hwa bowed slightly, but there was no light in her eyes.

She left the Alliance Leader’s quarters and returned to the Tang Clan residence.

***

“So-hwa, the Alliance Leader requested that you and the Divine Physician be sent to his residence. Do you know the reason?”

So-hwa responded to the clan head’s question with silence.

The room prepared for the clan head at the headquarters was incomparably smaller than the one at the Tang Clan’s main estate. Because of that, expressions were more visible than usual.

Though her face normally gave little away, the Tang Clan Head could tell that his daughter’s face showed signs of trouble.

At another time, he might have waited until she gathered her thoughts, but not now.

“So-hwa, I asked you why the Alliance Leader summoned you and the Divine Physician together.”

At his prompting, So-hwa opened her mouth.

“I don’t know either. I met with the Alliance Leader during the day, but he simply observed me in silence for a short while and said nothing else.”

“You went to the Alliance Leader’s quarters?”

Tang Ji-ha frowned in surprise.

“Yes.”

The one who had actually visited the Alliance Leader’s quarters appeared completely calm.

Tang Ji-ha let out a dry chuckle.

Observing others in silence was exactly the sort of thing the Alliance Leader would do.

‘Is that old man trying to bring So-hwa to the headquarters permanently?’

Tang Ji-ha had also heard the rumors about So-hwa spreading through the Central Plains.

So-hwa, entangled with the Divine Physician, had been glorified like some kind of divinely chosen physician.

Since the story was favorable, Tang Ji-ha hadn’t corrected it. If it could cover up bizarre rumors about her origins or the scandal with the Namgung brothers, then it was worth spreading—he would have paid to circulate it.

However, the Alliance Leader coveting the Tang Clan’s physician didn’t sit well with him.

For a martial artist, entering the headquarters to build connections and experience was an honorable opportunity—but for a physician, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

The core organizations of the headquarters were the Four Directions Halls and the Four Seasons Hall, which oversaw the fifteen members of the Murim Alliance.

By comparison, the headquarters’s Medical Hall was nothing special compared to the Tang Clan. In fact, considering the Nine Turns Pavilion, the Tang Clan’s Medical Hall had far more to offer. Especially since they had the Divine Physician as well.

Tang Ji-ha’s expression turned bitter, as if he had just bitten into dung.

‘Come to think of it, he asked for the Divine Physician, too. Could this be a ploy to poach talent from the Tang Clan?’

His face darkened.

‘Why would that selfless Taoist eye even the Divine Physician? Is it true that he’s actually sick?’

Tang Ji-ha found it difficult to refuse the Alliance Leader’s request.

The Alliance Leader hadn’t shown himself for a long time, and while many suspected he was faking illness, there were now whispers of genuine concern spreading.

In this situation, rejecting the request to have the Divine Physician diagnose him would seem heartless.

The Alliance Leader had requested that So-hwa and the Divine Physician be sent for about ten days.

There was a high chance it would end up lasting longer—but that was something to worry about later.

In any case, he himself was also staying at the headquarters, so even if something happened, he could respond immediately.

In truth, Tang Ji-ha had already promised the Alliance Leader that he would send them. Still, for some reason, he couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

It felt like something was being taken from him.

Was it because he had gained prestige at the Alliance of Noble Clans thanks to the Divine Physician?

With Clan Heads like Namgung and Peng quietly watching him with envy and offering flattering words, Tang Ji-ha had come to realize just how valuable the physician was.

‘Heh, that was a sight to behold.’

He almost smiled without realizing it, but quickly tightened his lips.

Though he was still conflicted, the headquarters was the headquarters.

Even if So-hwa wouldn’t gain much in terms of connections or experience compared to a martial artist, her reputation would surely benefit.

As for the Divine Physician, his reputation was already unmatched—but if word spread that So-hwa had treated the Alliance Leader alongside the Divine Physician, she would earn great praise.

‘Even with those rumors involving the Namgung brothers, there might be suitors willing to send formal marriage proposals.’

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. There was no reason to refuse… and yet, the uneasiness remained.

An inexplicable sense of foreboding quietly swelled in a corner of his consciousness.

Tang Ji-ha swallowed a sigh and opened his mouth.

“I don’t know what the Alliance Leader is thinking, but for now, this seems like a good opportunity for you.”

So-hwa, who had been silently wearing an unreadable expression, finally responded after a pause.

“Yes, I think so as well.”

“Good. He said to come as soon as you’re ready, so go and get prepared.”

“I’ve already finished preparing. The Divine Physician left ahead of me. I stayed behind to see you, Father.”

“Haha, seems you were eager to go. You’ve already got everything ready.”

As the Clan Head let out a faint laugh, So-hwa slipped her hand into her sleeve.

His eldest daughter, always one with unusual thoughts, then did something odd.

Tak.

She placed a small bottle on the table.

“I’ve created a tracking incense that can be used like a perfume. It doesn’t reach as far as the Ten-Thousand Mile Scent, but on a clear day, it can track up to a thousand li (500 km), and a hundred li (50 km) if it rains.”

“Hm?”

“If anything happens to me, please use this to find me.”

With those words, So-hwa pushed the small bottle toward the Clan Head.

Blinking a few times, Tang Ji-ha eventually spoke again.

“…The Alliance Leader’s residence is within ten li (5 km), and it’s not like you’ve been kidnapped by him—why would you need a tracking scent?”

He had been wondering about the faint fragrance lingering in the room. Apparently, it was the tracking incense So-hwa had created.

She had always been a meticulous child, but this—

‘…Isn’t this a bit much?’

As Tang Ji-ha frowned, So-hwa replied calmly.

“Since we don’t know what lies ahead, I’m simply preparing.”

“The Alliance Leader’s residence is… no, never mind.”

The Alliance Leader’s quarters were not a place just anyone could enter. And if there were someone capable of barging into his quarters, then being cautious would be meaningless anyway.

‘Right. She met the Alliance Leader in private, so maybe she got scared. I shouldn’t make her more anxious.’

Misunderstanding So-hwa’s anxiety, the Tang Clan Head closed his mouth.

Besides, it wasn’t bad that the girl, who always moved without any scent, had used a fragrance this time. A child who had always seemed stone-faced and without desire now felt more like a young girl. Just like the other day, when she insisted on going to Platinum Pavilion, saying she wanted to buy accessories.

A faint smile crept onto Tang Ji-ha’s lips.

“Father.”

At So-hwa’s call, Tang Ji-ha’s gaze, which had been fixed on the tracking incense, lifted. But his eldest daughter, having called for him, said nothing.

“What is it?”

As if swallowing back her words, So-hwa suddenly smiled. Then she placed a wooden token on the table.

“This is a token of gratitude I received from Taoist Master Muso. I wanted to pass it on to Hak—no, to the Young Lord of the Tang Clan—but now doesn’t seem the right time. If, in the future, the Young Lord’s heart becomes steadfast, please give this token from Taoist Master Muso to him on my behalf.”

“…So-hwa, I know the Alliance Leader seems inscrutable and frightening, but his residence is no tiger’s den. You're only leaving for ten days, what is all this for? You’re making me anxious, too.”

Tang Ji-ha furrowed his brows and clicked his tongue.

"There's no other meaning. I just figured I’d say this now, since I might forget after ten days.”

The eldest daughter of the Clan Head spoke calmly and rose from her seat.

But just as she was about to leave the room, So-hwa hesitated and turned back. The Clan Head, who had been watching her the entire time, met her gaze directly.

The Clan Head silently waited, giving So-hwa the space to bring up the words she had swallowed.

But in the end, it seemed she had chosen not to speak. His eldest daughter quietly placed her hands together and bowed, then turned to leave.

After So-hwa left the room, Tang Ji-ha let out a faint laugh.

“They say a woman’s disposition changes when she comes of age…”

Had time already passed so quickly?

Suppressing a sense of bitterness, the Clan Head lowered his gaze. He took in the lingering scent of the tracking incense So-hwa had left behind.

“…She might’ve done well learning perfumery.”

Smiling at the thought, he suddenly heard a fluttering sound by the window.

Mae-hwa, the messenger bird, which freely came and went from its cage, had perched there. Drawn by the curious fragrance, its sharp yellow eyes were fixed on the bottle in Tang Ji-ha’s hand.

Smiling faintly, he held the incense toward the window.

“Want to try it?”

Mae-hwa leaned forward and brought its beak to the bottle’s opening, then suddenly shuddered.

“Cough, cough.”

The scent must have been too strong for the spirit creature—Mae-hwa recoiled and flitted away.

“It smells perfectly fine to me…”

Clicking his tongue, Tang Ji-ha lightly scolded the bird.

Now alone, he tucked the tracking incense and the token of gratitude into the safe, a smile lingering on his face.

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