Hae-rak listened more intently than ever, but it was hard to understand what Sohwa was saying.“Sohwa, I don’t know what you’re talking about right now.”Hae-rak also knew that the Blood Demon’s body was peculiar. He was always boasting that thanks to his special blood he enjoyed constant good fortune.But Sohwa said the Blood Demon’s body was a powder magazine.She even said it was a body that could not accumulate inner energy in the dantian.He didn’t know what she had seen, but it didn’t seem like she was lying to him. She wasn’t the sort to make a frivolous joke.Hae-rak pressed her, as if urging her on.“What do you mean he’s carrying a powder magazine?”“The Blood Demon’s body closes back up before he can even run the Small Heavenly Circuit, even if he forces open the qi-blood points. He actually uses that. He rams the plundered inner energy in right before the points close and hides it.”“Then he forces open the qi-blood points each time he needs it and uses it?”“Right. But because the points close again quickly, he can’t even use it properly. And every time he opens the qi-blood points once, a great amount of inner energy gets lost.”Sohwa recalled the Blood Demon’s obsession with the Blood Jade.“The Blood Demon seems intent on creating a blood path, fusing into a single lump the inner energy contained in the body’s qi-blood points all over, and then hiding that force. So he can bring out the greatest power at any time. That must be the wall he wants to cross. He sought me out to make a medicine that would keep the qi-blood points open as long as possible.”She spoke as if pitying him, but her voice was dry.“If his inner energy snarls while all the qi-blood points are open, the Blood Demon won’t endure it. He’s eaten a heap of inner energies with opposite attributes, so even a slight snarl will make them clash and explode. Before he can regain balance, his blood vessels, not to mention his organs, will all be shattered to pieces.”Watching the silent Hae-rak, Sohwa said,“He’ll self-destruct painfully, in proportion to his greed.”Hae-rak was a martial artist.He would have more or less grasped the Blood Demon’s body.So there were bound to be many things he wanted to ask.“You…”But Min Hae-rak asked something strange.“Did you provoke the old man on purpose to check the Blood Demon’s insides?”Hae-rak’s face remained the same as ever.The way he held the basket looked peaceful, and the scent of herbs filling all around was nothing but tranquil.And yet, strangely, an uncomfortable silence stretched on.“Don’t do that, will you.”Min Hae-rak let out a sigh and opened his mouth.“If you need it done, make me do it. I’m a hundred times better at getting the Blood Demon worked up than this kind of herb-drying job.”Sohwa’s gaze dropped. The medicinal herbs in the basket were all dried. As if they had been laid out in the sun for three days.She looked at the basket and, without answering, turned to walk.If there were no questions, she had nothing more to say.She had already told him everything she had to say.“You don’t need to help anymore. I’m going to gather herbs to use raw.”But the footsteps following her stayed as they were.Before she knew it, Hae-rak had come up beside her and asked,“Let me ask just one more.”“As many as you like.”“Didn’t you say you’d make that medicine for the Blood Demon within two days? Then is the Blood Demon going to die in two days?”“No. Not now. I’m still thinking about how to snarl his inner energy. For now, it’s enough to show the Blood Demon that I’m someone he needs.”She had to prove she could paralyze him in order to gain his trust.The medicine merely paralyzed recovery; it could not kill the Blood Demon. When the Blood Demon tried to combine all the inner energy inside himself—that was when he could be killed.If the Blood Demon trusted her and ordered a Blood Jade whose effects would last a long time, then she would have to use a method to snarl the Blood Demon’s inner energy.“Then when are you going to kill him?”“First I plan to watch the internal reaction of the Blood Demon two days from now and find a method. In the meantime I have to gain the Blood Demon’s trust and take the branches of the Northern Sea and the Great Desert—so I can return them to the masters of the palaces.”Hae-rak frowned.“Do you by any chance have no intention of going back to the Central Plains at all?”“The Blood Demon brought my avatar to the Alliance Leader’s quarters. He said he’d soon stage it as if I died and erase me from the Central Plains.”Sohwa recalled the Alliance Leader.The Alliance Leader would willingly turn a blind eye to the Blood Demon’s plan.He wanted to confine her so she couldn’t change the future.Whether that was in his own quarters or in the dungeon of Headquarters.“Then doesn’t that make you think you should hurry back before that?”“Well. If I miss the timing, the Alliance Leader might use the Blood Cult’s avatar to tie me to the Blood Cult.”“No way. If he ties you to the Blood Cult, do you think the Tang Clan would sit still?”Exactly.If the Alliance Leader tried to confine her in the dungeon, the Tang Clan would never sit still.Tang Sohwa did not have the confidence to fight the master of the Martial Alliance who knew the future.Especially, she did not have the confidence to fight while protecting the Tang Clan.Alliance members had deep trust in the Alliance Leader.Unless the Alliance Leader destroyed that trust himself, the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Tang Clan saw no way to defeat him.When Sohwa fell silent, Hae-rak subtly pressed for an answer.“Even if you don’t go back, if they notice you’re missing, the Martial Alliance might come looking for you.”Sohwa gave a bitter smile.“Well, the Martial Alliance probably won’t even know I’ve disappeared.”“This is driving me crazy.”Hae-rak let out a sigh.“If I’m going to do anything in the Central Plains, I have to go out, but if I go out, those people look like they’ll jump straight at my dokgo antidote.”“If you have things to do, go. I’m not as weak as you think.”Sohwa answered without much attachment, but until she returned to the pavilion, the sound of footsteps trailing behind her did not fade.***The sun set over Martial Alliance Headquarters.Even though the duel tournament ended without a major incident, Zhuge Inhwi’s face was dark.The victory, beyond any doubt, went to the Taeguk Sword Sovereign’s disciple of the Wudang Sect.Tomorrow, if they present Han Cheol to the winner, a closing banquet will be held. With that, the events at Martial Alliance Headquarters would end.Leaving the Alliance Leader’s quarters, Zhuge Inhwi unconsciously lifted his head. The clear night sky was filled with stars.Even though things were proceeding smoothly, he felt strange.“Why am I this uneasy when the Alliance Leader said he would personally present the award tomorrow.”Chewing over an incomprehensible anxiety, he quietly set off.For some reason, Headquarters was especially quiet today.Because it was the last night of the duel tournament, most people had gone out.They wanted to talk about the final result without watching what they said, and since who knew when they would next come to Hubei, everyone had gone out to the streets to look around Wuhan.Zhuge Inhwi, who had been seconded to Headquarters from an early age, had never experienced such a thing, but most later-generation experts spent the last night of the duel tournament in deep exchange.Suddenly Zhuge Inhwi became curious.Why the Alliance Leader had called him to Headquarters at such a young age.“Time passes, yet that question is never resolved.”Zhuge Inhwi recalled the Alliance Leader who always teased him with evasive answers. He would joke that because he had eyes that saw the future, he brought talent to Headquarters early.With a faint smile, Zhuge Inhwi lowered his head.Just then, as he was about to leave the Alliance Leader’s bedchamber—which was especially quiet even within the quiet Headquarters—Crunch.Zhuge Inhwi turned his body back toward the Alliance Leader’s bedchamber.The Divine Physician was approaching him. Facing the Administrator, the Divine Physician brought his hands together.“I greet you, Administrator.”Zhuge Inhwi returned the greeting along with the Divine Physician, then raised his head.The Divine Physician asked in an uneasy voice,“Administrator, by any chance, could we know when we might receive the medicinal ingredients?”Zhuge Inhwi’s eyebrow rose slowly.“Medicinal ingredients?”“Yes. We asked through the Alliance Leader two days ago—did you perhaps not receive it?”Zhuge Inhwi fell silent for a moment.It was something he had never heard of.However, the Divine Physician was not lying.Not knowing the circumstances, instead of saying yes, Zhuge Inhwi covered for the Alliance Leader as if he had mistaken it himself.“Ah, I’m sorry. I forgot because I’ve been out of my mind preparing for the finals.”“Ahh. I see.”The Divine Physician nodded.Watching him, Zhuge Inhwi asked,“My apologies, but I’ve forgotten what medicinal ingredients the Alliance Leader told you. Could you tell me again?”“Of course. Ah, Administrator, could you wait just a moment? I’ll jot it down quickly and bring it to you. They’re all materials in the Tang Clan’s pavilion, so if you deliver them now, we should be able to receive them in time.”With the corners of his mouth drawn, Zhuge Inhwi nodded.“Yes, take your time. The duel tournament is over, so I am free now.”“Thank you.”The Divine Physician bowed and promptly returned to a small pavilion. He hurriedly wrote and handed the paper to Zhuge Inhwi.“It hasn’t dried yet, so you’ll likely have to carry it as is.”“Yes, I’ll deliver it well.”Leaving the Alliance Leader’s quarters, Zhuge Inhwi placed his hand behind the paper. The still-damp spots touched his fingertips.Quietly reading the writing, he closed his eyes.There was nothing special about it.There was no hesitation in the brushwork, and it was as light as if it were simply a list of items.For a moment he wondered if it was a secret letter to be passed to the Tang Clan, but it didn’t seem so.“Then why did he not tell me?”Because the Alliance Leader’s behavior had been strange lately, Zhuge Inhwi could not easily let go of the fact that the Alliance Leader had hidden the Divine Physician’s request.About to return to his own quarters, Zhuge Inhwi turned toward the Tang Clan’s quarters.***It was a leisurely night.Those excited by the final result could not help themselves and poured out onto the streets of Wuhan. The Tang Clan was no different.If one had any sense as a martial artist, it was wise not to talk about the Martial Alliance in the marketplace today. There were many ears listening, and trouble might break out.“Of course there’ll be lots of trouble.”Han-won, who was guarding the pavilion, gave a faint snort.The duel itself between Plum Blossom Sword Master Wu So’s disciple and the Taeguk Sword Sovereign’s disciple was thrilling, and on top of that, that Namgung Jin’s half-brother advanced to the finals. Where would you find a better topic to drink over.Han-won looked up at the silent Tang Clan pavilion.Even the Little Clan Head, who had been gloomy all day, and Tang Hae-han of the Medical Division had gone out together tonight.Even the Clan Head had gone out with the Heukcheon Amgui, saying he had someone to meet.So in the pavilion only the two maidservants sent from Headquarters and Han-won remained.Between the cool night air, the sound of insects spread softly.“Peaceful.”Without thinking, Han-won muttered to himself.Seeing how it was this quiet even though fifteen sects had gathered, Headquarters seemed to be quite an uncomfortable place for martial artists.“I wonder if other martial alliances are like this too.”Thinking it fortunate he hadn’t been dispatched to Headquarters, Han-won gradually let his guard down.At that moment—Without him even sensing a presence, a black figure approached the front gate.“Who goes there?”At Han-won’s question, the man stopped.The man lifted his head and looked up at the pavilion.With that slight movement, his short hair, long enough to brush his shoulders, swayed.“The Divine Physician asked me to deliver a letter to the Medical Division, but it seems there is no one inside.”Han-won lit the front with a torch stuck in the pillar. And immediately straightened his posture.“I greet the Administrator of the Four Seasons Hall.”Zhuge Inhwi slowly lowered his head.

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