Chapter 666

There was a time when her refined and elegant demeanor wasn’t as apparent.

"—Hey."

Back when she was called Seolbong (Snow Phoenix) instead of her given name.

A time long forgotten, a distant memory.

Back then, we tried to avoid each other as much as possible, our interactions brimming with sharp tension.

If we happened to meet, it never ended with kind words. Yet, there was a peculiar period when she would often come looking for me.

When I saw Seolbong approach, I frowned deeply. She mirrored my expression but still spoke curtly.

"Eat."

"I’m not hungry."

She came out of nowhere, demanding I eat. It was ridiculous, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The only times Seolbong came looking for me were to talk about meals or to hurl insults.

"Eat. Everyone else has started eating already."

"Do you call that food?"

It wasn’t proper sustenance.

We were barely surviving, cooking monster meat just enough to stave off hunger. Especially in those times, food was so scarce that most people endured starvation.

Hearing my response, she gave me a scornful look and retorted.

"Are you really going to be picky about food here? Just eat what you’re given."

"I said I’m not eating. Are your ears clogged? Why do you keep making me repeat myself?"

"Then what? Are you planning to starve to death?"

"Living like this, starving to death might not be so bad—"

Smack!

"Ugh!"

Pain shot through me as my head jerked forward.

She had slapped the back of my head, hard.

For a moment, I thought I might pass out.

"You crazy woman…!"

I turned to her, seething with anger, but she cut me off.

"Don’t spout nonsense while everyone else is fighting tooth and nail to survive."

Her eyes burned with an intensity that made me hesitate.

"I know you’re a fool. I know you’re someone who might drop dead any day, and it wouldn’t be surprising."

"Then stop bothering me and leave me alone. Why do you care? You hate me."

"Yes, I do. I hate people like you, who don’t value their own lives."

"Then why—"

"Because I still can’t stand to watch you die like this."

"What…?"

She hated me but couldn’t let me die? What kind of twisted logic was that?

Before I could vent my frustration, she continued.

"One more mouth to feed won’t make a difference. So stop overthinking it and just eat."

Her words left me speechless.

"Don’t you get it? Everyone knows why you’re doing this. So stop being an idiot and eat. You’re too weak to stand guard or stop monsters from attacking, anyway."

"You’re talking nonsense. I’m out here because I don’t want to see your faces, not because I care."

I tried to argue, but she clearly didn’t believe me.

"I don’t know why you’re acting like this, and I don’t care. That’s why I won’t thank you."

"Why are you even saying that to me? I’m here because I don’t care if I die. Just leave me alone!"

I finally shouted, and only then did she turn and leave without another word.

Looking back, I think I now understand why Seolbong was so obsessed with preserving life.

It must have been because of her own illness.

Among everyone there, she was the one who struggled the most to live. To her, I must have been insufferable—a man with no desire to live, indifferent to whether I survived another day.

Even now, thinking about it, I can’t blame her. I was an infuriating fool back then.

In fact, if I were to meet my younger self, I’d probably want to beat him to death.

No, I’m sure I would.

That’s how stupid I was.

And yet, even knowing this, there’s still something I can’t understand.

Not long after that argument, she came to me again.

"I told you to leave me alone. Why are you back?"

I scowled at her, noticing her hands full of supplies.

"Eat."

It was monster meat—a pile of food she had painstakingly gathered.

"Wow, you’re seriously insane, aren’t you?"

"Yes, I am. Now eat."

I was at my wit’s end. Why would she bring all this to me?

It wasn’t like I was sitting out here because I enjoyed it.

And there was so much food. There was no way everyone else would have enough if she was giving this much to me.

"What do you expect me to do with this?"

"If you don’t eat, I’ll bring more. If you still don’t eat, I’ll throw it all on the ground so no one can have it."

"What…?"

She meant it. Her eyes were filled with determination.

Why?

Why go to such lengths for me? I stared at her, utterly baffled.

"Just eat," she repeated.

"And live. If there’s no other choice, fine. But if you can live, then live."

"You…"

Her fixation on life was almost pathological.

She seemed unbreakable on the surface, but something inside her was clearly broken.

Why was she so obsessed?

Back then, I didn’t have the capacity to understand. I was too young, too foolish.

But one thing I did realize was this:

Seolbong was as twisted as I was.

And in that, I found a faint sense of kinship.

Perhaps that’s why—

"…Tsk."

Why I begrudgingly took the food she offered.

And why, years later, when she asked me to sacrifice myself for her, I agreed without much resistance.

It was all because of this memory.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Moyong Hee-ah tilted her head, puzzled by my gaze.

Right, she’s not Seolbong anymore. She’s Moyong Hee-ah.

"Nothing. I just remembered something from the past."

"The past? When? When we first met?"

"Something like that."

"Now that you mention it, it’s been years, hasn’t it? You looked so much prettier back then."

Her words carried a hint of regret, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

"Why are you laughing? Was I really that much prettier back then?"

"Who knows," I said with a smirk, pausing briefly before adding,

"I didn’t notice back then, but now... you are beautiful."

"…What?"

There was a time when I couldn’t afford to pay attention to Moyong Hee-ah’s face, let alone try to read her expressions.

Things were so different back then.

‘You don’t glare at me like you used to.’

Well, occasionally you still do, but the emotions behind your eyes don’t feel as harsh anymore. These days, I even make an effort to look at your face.

And, well… you’re quite beautiful.

“What… what are you saying all of a sudden?”

Moyong Hee-ah’s face flushed a deep red at my comment. With her pale skin, it was impossible to miss.

“Maybe something was wrong with the skewers… No, that doesn’t make sense… How strange…”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

“Young Master, are you feeling unwell? The Divine Doctor didn’t mention anything concerning…”

“Unwell? Who said I’m unwell—wait a second.”

Something about what she said caught my attention.

“Why are you bringing up the Divine Doctor?”

“Ah.”

Her face betrayed a moment of panic as she realized her slip.

“Don’t tell me… have you been asking the Divine Doctor about my health?”

“No, of course not!”

“…”

I stared at her skeptically.

The Divine Doctor wasn’t the type to casually discuss a patient’s condition with anyone.

I decided to let it go.

“I’m so hot. Aren’t you hot, Young Master? Let’s go get something refreshing to eat.”

She quickly changed the subject, walking ahead as if eager to escape the conversation.

I watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Unbelievable.”

For someone who rarely made mistakes, Moyong Hee-ah became surprisingly flustered when she did.

It was… a little cute.

‘…Huh?’

I froze mid-thought.

Cute? Did I just think Moyong Hee-ah was cute?

‘I must be exhausted.’

I shook my head, convinced that my mind was playing tricks on me.

But as I followed her, I couldn’t resist calling out.

“Wait up. We should go together.”

Despite my call, Moyong Hee-ah, her ears now as red as her face, refused to slow down.

We visited a few more inns after that.

Thankfully, unlike the first inn, there were no suspicious findings at the others.

By the time we finished, it was well into the afternoon.

“That concludes the business with the trading houses,” Moyong Hee-ah announced, holding a thick stack of letters.

Hearing that, I frowned.

“‘The business with the trading houses’? Does that mean there’s more work left?”

She smiled, an expression that immediately put me on edge.

“Don’t worry. What’s left won’t take as long.”

So, there is more work.

“Do you always work this much?”

“Not usually. But today’s the bi-monthly accounting day. A sudden inspection like this makes it easier to clean house.”

“Clean house, huh… You mean replacing people.”

“Exactly.”

I sighed. “Why did I have to get dragged into this on a day like today?”

“It wasn’t a coincidence. I brought you along on purpose.”

“What?”

“It’s easier to keep you around with a solid excuse, isn’t it?”

Her playful tone, paired with that signature sly smile, made me groan internally.

Even as she explained, she didn’t let go of my arm, holding on as we strolled along a forest path.

Unlike earlier, we were now far from the bustling town.

“Where are we going now?”

This didn’t seem like the kind of place you’d find another trading house.

The summer heat was oppressive, and the air was thick and humid, buzzing with insects.

Knowing how much Moyong Hee-ah despised bugs, I used my aura to keep them at bay for her.

“Our leader is working on a new project nearby,” she explained.

“A project?”

“Yes. They purchased some land in this forest to construct a building.”

I vaguely remembered hearing about this before.

‘Oh, right. Bumdong mentioned something like that. It was because Dol-Dol landed there.’

As the thought crossed my mind, I realized something.

“Wait… This is where—”

“Yes, it’s the land where you first arrived, Young Master.”

The very spot where Dol-Dol had descended.

“To secure control over the area, we’ve also been tightening our grip on our trading houses and inns.”

“And what are you building here?”

“A pyo-guk (armed escort bureau).”

“…What?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“A pyo-guk? The Baekhwa Trading Company is setting one up?”

“Yes.”

Her answer didn’t make much sense.

It wasn’t unusual for a trading company to establish a pyo-guk, especially during times like these when monsters were rampant. Many companies had begun forming their own escort bureaus to avoid relying on mercenaries.

But the Baekhwa Trading Company already had one.

“Isn’t the Baekhwa Escort Bureau still operational?”

“Yes, it’s still active.”

“So why build another one, and here of all places? In Henan?”

Henan, home to the Martial Alliance and Shaolin, was the last place anyone would think of establishing an escort bureau.

“Did the Alliance approve this?”

“To operate here, you’d need official permission from the Alliance, and I haven’t heard of them granting it to anyone.”

“It’s not approved yet… but our leader has a plan.”

If Moyong Hee-ah’s mother said there was a plan, then there probably was one.

“So, you’re building first and asking for approval later?”

“Exactly. Construction started today, and we’re heading there to take a look.”

It wasn’t long before the sound of construction reached my ears.

Thud! Thud!

“Careful with that timber!”

“Jang! The frame doesn’t align properly!”

It seemed like master carpenters were hard at work.

I turned to head toward the noise, but Moyong Hee-ah pulled my arm.

“Not that way, Young Master.”

“Huh?”

She started leading me in a different direction.

“Where are we going? The construction’s happening over there.”

“We don’t need to see the building just yet. What you need to see is not the structure but the people.”

“The people?”

Her cryptic statement left me puzzled.

Soon, we arrived at a clearing.

It didn’t seem natural—it had clearly been prepared in advance.

The air was heavy with a palpable energy.

‘What is this?’

The people gathered in the clearing were the source of this intense atmosphere.

There were dozens of them, and their presence alone was overwhelming.

‘All of them are at least first-rate martial artists.’

Each one exuded an impressive level of skill.

“What’s with these people?” I asked.

“They’re candidates for the escort bureau.”

“…What?”

She nodded. “They’re all potential escorts.”

“But… their level is too high.”

First-rate martial artists would typically be leaders of escort teams, not candidates.

“These are extraordinary times, and our leader has extraordinary plans for this bureau,” Moyong Hee-ah explained with a knowing smile.

“And you want me to do what exactly?”

“Choose seven of them. You’ll help select the most capable candidates.”

“…”

So, I was supposed to act as a judge?

I let out a dry laugh, looking over the gathered individuals.

Each of them looked annoyed.

Understandable. Being gathered here under the blazing sun for an evaluation wouldn’t sit well with anyone, especially martial artists of this caliber.

I glanced around, assessing their skills.

‘Fifteen first-rate martial artists, nine at the peak, and even one fully matured master-level martial artist.’

How did they manage to gather so many high-level fighters for an escort bureau?

As I scanned the group, my gaze landed on one person in the back.

“…What?”

Among the irritated faces, one stood out.

It was expressionless, and yet, something about it froze me in place.

‘Why…?’

Not only was the face familiar, but it was also someone who shouldn’t be here.

Our eyes met.

The person, having already noticed me, gave a light wave as if in greeting.

It seemed friendly enough, but I couldn’t respond.

Because I couldn’t understand why—

‘Why is he here?’

Why was Heavenly Demon standing among them?