“...What are you two doing?”

At my words, the two outside the door flinched.

They looked similar, but if I had to split hairs, I’d say one looked icy and the other looked cold.

Yeah.

They were basically the same—I was just using different words.

‘...That’s not the point.’

What mattered right now was—

“This is my place, you know?”

The problem was that they were fighting on the floor of my house.

“...At the crack of dawn, what the hell are you two doing here?”

I rubbed at my sleepy eyes as I spoke, and the first one to stand up was Cheon Hyein.

“Long time no see?”

“...Yeah. Long time no see.”

Cheon Hyein looked the same as ever. Pretty, sure, but more than that—haughty, lofty, and wearing that particular arrogant poise like it belonged on her.

Moon Dancer. It’d been months since I’d seen one of the top martial artists among the Seven Prodigies.

“Hm.”

Cheon Hyein greeted me, then let her gaze slide over me. Those vivid blue eyes checked me up and down, and then—

“Something’s different, isn’t it?”

She reached a conclusion instantly.

I had to crease my brow a little.

‘Sharp.’

Did she notice my realm had changed?

Moon-Thread Sword was one of the absolute masters, so I could accept that, but—

‘...Even Cheon Hyein notices?’

If even Cheon Hyein could tell, that meant she was seriously perceptive.

No matter how much she was one of the Seven Prodigies, wasn’t this a bit much?

‘...I’ll admit she looks strong, though.’

Now that I’d reached the pinnacle, the difference was obvious the moment I looked at her.

‘She’s insane.’

My eyes narrowed.

I already knew she was an exceptional martial artist, but—

‘Why does she have no openings at all?’

Even standing still, she didn’t show a single gap.

The way she breathed. The slight movements of her fingertips.

Even the way she looked at me.

‘Jesus...’

Her eyes were on me, but they weren’t only on me.

Cheon Hyein’s eyes were watching every movement I made.

I could tell that instinctively.

Then—

[Heh heh heh.]

At some point, Yoo Cheongil had appeared, laughing low.

[How is it? Can’t you see countless things in that thin body?]

“...”

I had to admit it.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Cheon Hyein’s vast potential was enough for Yoo Cheongil to call her a true monster.

No—at this point, I wasn’t even sure “monster” did her justice.

Which meant—

‘So it was natural she noticed my change?’

If she carried that much, then maybe it was possible.

As that thought brushed past—

“Definitely...”

Cheon Hyein stepped closer to me. Then—

“Compared to before, you’re a little more...”

She lifted her fingertips toward my hair.

“Handsome—”

CLAMP—!

Murong Yeongsun, who’d been in front of me, seized Cheon Hyein’s wrist with a murderous glare.

“...Oh my.”

Cheon Hyein narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Murong Yeongsun.

“What do you think you’re doing, Miss Murong?”

“Who knows?”

Murong Yeongsun smiled.

“I think you know better than I do, Miss Cheon.”

KWWWAAAHK—!!

“...Mm.”

Cheon Hyein’s hand trembled in Murong Yeongsun’s grip.

Which meant she was squeezing hard.

“A grown woman shouldn’t touch a man like that without permission. It’s uncouth.”

Murong Yeongsun’s words made Cheon Hyein’s brow twitch slightly.

“That’s a fair point. I’m sorry, Bang, Unit Member?”

“...No...”

“Apology accepted—now leave, please? It’s ruder for an uninvited guest to linger.”

Murong Yeongsun cut me off before I could say anything.

But Cheon Hyein let out a small laugh.

“Are you saying that to yourself too, Miss Murong? I don’t think your position is any different. Besides—if we’re being precise.”

Cheon Hyein spoke while pointing at her own clothing—right where the insignia proving she was Small Moon Unit was stitched.

“I’m officially part of the same unit. And Miss Murong, from what I hear, you’re a guest visiting because you have business with the Blue Moon Sect. So if we’re measuring rudeness... I wonder who the uninvited guest really is.”

“...”

GRRRT—!

‘Damn... she bit hard.’

A harsh sound escaped Murong Yeongsun’s mouth.

“Maybe you don’t know, but Young Master Bang and I aren’t exactly ordinary.”

“Oh my. Is that so? Ah—right. You’re the ones who broke your engagement. That does make it special.”

“...Haha...”

Murong Yeongsun let out a quiet laugh.

Uh. This is bad.

‘She’s... really pissed, isn’t she?’

Sure enough, Murong Yeongsun’s eyes trembled.

“This—”

She was about to unleash what she’d been holding back—

“...Young Master. You coughed—”

Someone stepped into my quarters behind them and spoke.

It was Poison Dragon Tang Cheonil.

He showed up with a tired expression, then froze as he took in the scene.

“...What...?”

What the hell was this situation?

Tang Cheonil rolled his eyes, trying to understand.

Watching him, I let out a sigh.

‘Fast enough now, aren’t you.’

I’d told him to wake me in the morning, so it looked like he came to do that.

But if he woke up after me, what was the point?

‘Tsk.’

Normally, I would’ve said something—

“Good timing.”

“Yes...?”

Right now, it was actually a relief.

“As you can see, I understand the two of you came because you have business with me, but unfortunately, I already have a prior appointment.”

When I gestured at Tang Cheonil, both of their eyes turned to him.

“Wait— I—”

Tang Cheonil looked like he was about to ask what the hell I meant by “prior appointment,” so I shot him a look like I wanted him dead.

“...”

Tang Cheonil shut his mouth tight.

At least he was quick on the uptake.

“So. You can come back later.”

I pointed at Cheon Hyein.

“Later?”

Cheon Hyein narrowed her eyes.

“Yes. Later.”

“What about Miss Murong?”

“That one... I have something I need to handle.”

“...!”

Leave Murong Yeongsun. You go.

Cheon [N O V E L I G H T] Hyein’s brow finally twisted.

“Ha... We finally see each other after so long, and you’re cold.”

“We’re not exactly the kind of relationship where we coddle each other.”

Cold my ass.

“You said you have business with me. We’ll meet separately later. Right now I just woke up, so I’m not in any state for this.”

“...”

I wrapped up “leave already” in polite words, and Cheon Hyein stared at me like she was glaring.

‘Wow.’

Her eyes were sharp. Normally she smiled and kept things light, so it wasn’t like this—

‘So she really is Moon-Thread Sword’s daughter.’

When she actually glared, it was vicious.

Only for a split second, though.

“That’s a shame.”

As she spoke, Cheon Hyein’s face returned to normal in an instant, like the glare had been a hallucination.

“It was something important, too... but it can’t be helped.”

She turned away like she had no regrets.

The moment she disappeared from my quarters, I could finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

“Haa...”

What the hell did she even come for?

‘Even after months, she’s still uncomfortable to deal with.’

I saw her before I left for Sichuan too, and even then she’d been difficult—

and she hadn’t changed at all.

Still, thank god I managed to send her away.

So—

“What do you want?”

I asked Murong Yeongsun, who’d stayed behind.

But Murong Yeongsun was looking at me with an expression that was... unexpectedly surprised.

“...What’s with that look?”

“...Why did you tell me to stay?”

“Huh?”

“You sent that bi— No, you sent Miss Cheon away, so why did you tell me to stay?”

“Why? I told you. I’ve got business with you.”

“...”

Murong Yeongsun frowned.

“That was real?”

“You think I was lying?”

If anything, I wanted to kick both of them out. The reason I left Murong Yeongsun was exactly what I said.

“I’ve got something to ask.”

I had something I needed from her.

Or rather—

“It doesn’t matter which of you I ask, but if I’m choosing, you’re the better option.”

Cheon Hyein or Murong Yeongsun.

Either one could answer, but if I had to pick, Murong Yeongsun seemed better than that terrifying woman, Cheon Hyein.

“That means...”

Murong Yeongsun spoke while looking at me.

“You’re saying I’m much better than Miss Cheon?”

“...That’s not what I—”

“Fine. I’ll let it slide. So what are you asking?”

“No—what do you mean, ‘let it slide’...?”

Who the hell was she to “let it slide”?

What was she even “letting slide”?

It was ridiculous, but I decided to move on.

“Before I ask, I asked first. What did you come here for?”

“I forgot.”

“What?”

“I forgot.”

“What are you talking about? You came here to ask something and you forgot?”

“I can forget. Do you think everyone in the world is like you?”

“No, but...”

Not everyone was like me, sure.

But Murong Yeongsun wasn’t just anyone.

She was smart and slippery—was she really going to forget?

I wanted to press her hard, but my mood was already sour, so I didn’t feel like getting into it.

‘Maybe it’s because of the dream. My stomach feels twisted.’

I didn’t even know what I’d dreamed.

I couldn’t remember, but as usual, that just meant it was probably a nightmare.

So I gave up on arguing and asked what I needed to ask.

“...Miss Murong.”

“Yes, ask any—”

“Do you know anything about the Mount Hua Sect?”

“...”

“...Miss Murong?”

She’d just told me to ask anything, and now Murong Yeongsun froze like a stone.

Not just her, either.

“...What’s wrong—”

CLAMP—!

A sudden yelp came from beside me. When I looked, Tang Cheonil was crouched down clutching his little toe.

“Ggh... ngh...!”

“What’s wrong with him now?”

What kind of random clown act was that?

As I stared at him, puzzled—

[He got startled by what you said and smashed his foot into the corner.]

Yoo Cheongil explained.

‘Startled by what I said?’

What did I say that was so shocking?

I didn’t say anything that should’ve done that.

Even thinking back, I hadn’t.

Then—

“...The Mount Hua Sect?”

Murong Yeongsun spoke with an obviously uneasy expression.

“...Why?”

“It’s not that important. I just have something to look into, so I wanted to see if you knew anything.”

“...”

“Why?”

Was it really because I asked about the Mount Hua Sect?

Murong Yeongsun’s reaction was strange, and Tang Cheonil looked even worse.

“Would you hold still already?”

He kept twitching beside me, so I snapped at him. Only then did Tang Cheonil barely stop moving.

What the hell was wrong with this bastard?

Tsk. I clicked my tongue and looked back at Murong Yeongsun—

“Monsters.”

Murong Yeongsun said it to me.

“Huh?”

Monsters?

What did that mean?

“...The Mount Hua Sect.”

Her voice—

“It’s a den of monsters.”

For some reason, she looked like she was forcing herself not to be afraid.

*****

CHIRP—! CHIRP-CHIRP—!

Sunlight slipping through the window cracks, and birdsong mixed into the quiet, made the space feel even more comfortable.

WHIRRRR—!

TUK—!

As if to amplify that peaceful mood, a waterwheel outside kept turning without pause.

In that scene—comforting just to look at—

inside a well-kept residence, on a quilt spread neatly out—

an old man opened his eyes.

“...Hmmm...”

The deeply wrinkled old man opened his eyes and sat up.

Somehow, there was a hint of nostalgia in his expression.

“Heh heh heh...”

Letting out an aged chuckle, the old man spoke.

“It’s been a long time since I dreamed that dream...”

Whose dream was it? 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The old man recalled it and laughed quietly.

“Heh heh... Could that dead bastard have stopped by for a moment? With his personality, he wouldn’t have... but still.”

There was certainty in the old man’s eyes.

“What a nasty bastard. If he was going to die like that, he should’ve left behind what he owed me.”

As he kept speaking, the old man suddenly raised a hand to cover his mouth.

“COUGH—! COUGH—!”

Then he coughed harshly.

After coughing for a while, the old man looked at the hand that had covered his mouth.

Thick blood stained his wrinkled palm.

Seeing it, the old man glanced to the side and said—

“It’s fine. You don’t have to move.”

He said it—

and surprisingly, the figure beside him stopped mid-motion.

“Don’t tell the elders. They’ll cause a scene, obviously.”

“...”

The figure didn’t answer.

Even with that silence, the old man didn’t seem to care.

Instead of speaking, the figure handed the old man a letter.

The old man accepted it, read it, and his eyes creased with a smile.

“I see. I figured it was about time. Heh heh heh...”

A pale blue seal had been stamped onto the letter.

A seal that proved it was from the Martial Alliance.

“...The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Do you want to go out?”

At the old man’s question, the person in front of him shook their head.

“You don’t want to go? Why? Last time you went out and came back having fun, didn’t you?”

“...”

“If you’re worried about this old man, don’t. The more you do, the sadder it gets, isn’t that right?”

“...”

“Don’t worry. Go and come back. Especially...”

Rustle.

The old man folded the letter he’d been holding and handed it back.

Just as the figure was about to take it—

“This time, at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering... that child might appear.”

“...”

That child.

At that word, the figure’s fingertips stiffened.

Watching that, the old man added—

“Divine Spear—if it’s that friend, he definitely would’ve played a hand. He looks rigid, but when it comes to things like this, he’s sly.”

“...”

“So you’ll definitely get to see him. Weren’t you curious too?”

The figure’s gaze left the letter and turned to the old man’s face.

“Little Sword Saint.”

“...”

“That child they say is Yoo’s successor. Aren’t you curious?”

“...”

“If you’re curious, go and see. And also.”

The old man smiled wide.

Then—

“Go and make it undeniable that you are Mount Hua’s future— and the one who will become the strongest under heaven in the generations to come.”

At that smile, the figure—

the monster of Mount Hua—

let his eyes flash.