Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye, subdued by Tang Sowol’s poison and my acupoint strikes.

We carried them into a nearby inn—run-down, but the room was spacious enough. At least, it seemed that way until—

“He’s practically twice the size of a normal person…”

“All Peng Clan members are like this. And they get even bigger as their cultivation deepens.”

“…Even bigger?”

I shook my head as I looked at his hulking frame, which made the room feel cramped even though he was just lying on the floor.

While I dealt with Peng Woojin, Tang Sowol gently laid the much smaller Yeon Ga-hye on the bed before returning to my side.

Looking at the two of them lying still, only their breathing visible, I began to speak.

“You may not be able to move, but your minds are clear, so just listen. I know it’s hard to believe, but neither I nor Tang Sowol intend to harm you. We don’t want anything from this either.”

“Cheon Hwi, even if you say that, I doubt they’ll believe it. You did poison and drag them here by force.”

“I know. But I still have to say it.”

Tang Sowol fidgeted like someone attempting their first kidnapping. To ease her nerves, I explained further.

“Considering the situation they’re in, they’re probably feeling anxious about what’s coming next. But people naturally pay attention when the topic they’re most concerned about comes up. Right now, they can’t move or argue back—they can only listen and reflect. It’s the perfect opportunity to think deeply.”

“That’s… true, I suppose. But why do you look so smug while explaining all this, Cheon Hwi?”

“Well, now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s move on to the real topic.”

“Cheon Hwi? Hello?”

I let Tang Sowol’s exasperated voice drift in one ear and out the other as I continued.

“As I said earlier, we didn’t do this to harm you. But yes, we did have a purpose. If not, we wouldn’t have gone this far—to protect you.”

“What does it matter if you change your wording now?”

Tang Sowol pouted and poked my side, clearly displeased at being ignored.

Honestly, I wanted to tug on those lips of hers… but I held back. Didn’t want to ruin the mood I worked so hard to build.

Definitely not because I was afraid she’d get back at me.

“There are several minor reasons, but the biggest one is this—I wanted to have a real, honest conversation with no secrets or pretenses. If I had approached you normally, tried to get close the usual way, you two would’ve kept up your little act of mutual hostility, wouldn’t you?”

Even Namgung Jong, who said he was an old friend, didn’t know Peng Woojin’s secret. Maybe no matter how long we’d known each other, he wouldn’t have told me.

“So why is a candid conversation necessary? That’s the most important part. You both know, don’t you? That the strange elixirs spreading in Hubei Province are from the Demonic Cult. I think it’s a serious warning sign.”

I crouched in front of Peng Woojin as I spoke.

“My fiancée and I have already been targeted by the Demonic Cult once. We even fought them. Sure, they haven’t caused much visible turmoil in the Central Plains yet, but that doesn’t mean they should be underestimated.”

I placed my fingers on Peng Woojin’s sealed pressure point. At the same time, Tang Sowol moved to place her hand on Yeon Ga-hye’s abdomen.

“Now that we’ve said everything, let’s release you.”

With a brief glance between us, Tang Sowol began extracting the poison from Yeon Ga-hye’s body.

I, too, removed the needle sealing Peng Woojin’s pressure point.

“Ggh! Kill me!”

“I already said I’m not going to…”

He only got his voice back, and that’s the first thing out of his mouth? I couldn’t help but sigh. If I released his movement now, would he just start fighting again?

While I hovered my fingers over his still-sealed vital point, glaring down at him growling like a beast—

A voice came from behind. Flat, mechanical even, but oddly laced with clear embarrassment.

“Peng, that’s enough. Neither of us is hurt. If the Bloodfire Sword Demon had brought this up normally, we would’ve kept pretending not to know. It started off rude, yes, but it’s not completely unreasonable… And he’s not exactly who we expected, either.”

“If Ga-hye says so, then fine.”

“What the—”

Just moments ago, he was yelling “kill me!” like a madman, radiating bloodlust—and now he calmed down in an instant because his lover spoke?

I was dumbfounded—but at the same time, I could understand.

Though reversed in direction, I too had once risked my life for Tang Sowol. The emotion behind it was probably the same.

Once I saw that Yeon Ga-hye’s stiff arm was slowly regaining flexibility after the detoxification, I finally released Peng Woojin’s remaining pressure point.

As soon as his body was free, he rushed straight to Yeon Ga-hye’s side.

“Are you alright? I just had my weapon broken and got pressure pointed. But you were poisoned.”

“Thanks to Miss Tang’s clean detoxification, I’m fine. But… weren’t you also poisoned? Is it really okay to be moving around like this?”

“It wasn’t a deadly poison. It tingles a bit, but I can move.”

“Most people would not call that ‘okay.’”

Eon Ga-hye replied in her usual flat tone, clearly unimpressed.

When she turned to look at us, Tang Sowol took the cue and reached out her hand.

Soon, a thick brown miasma was pulled from Peng Woojin’s body. The pungent-smelling poison was instantly absorbed into Tang Sowol’s palm.

Eon Ga-hye flinched slightly.

“It was strange before too… Instead of giving an antidote, she draws out the poison directly.”

“Poison techniques are my specialty.”

Tang Sowol replied with a relaxed smile… but I knew.

She was a bit flustered right now.

Though she didn’t administer a second dose like with Yeon Ga-hye, she hadn’t expected Peng Woojin to remain so unaffected by a compound paralytic poison that required two toxins to activate.

Still, it didn’t mean her poison was weak—it was just that Peng Woojin’s body was absurdly strong.

The Yeon Clan trained their bodies using medicines derived from techniques used to create undead martial beings. When trained properly, their skin and bones became resilient enough to block even sword qi—but it was purely physical reinforcement, resulting in stiffness of movement.

The Peng Clan, however, had naturally gifted physiques—further refined by external martial arts training.

Not only did they have tough skin and hard bones, but their muscles were massively developed, granting great strength and durability. Even internal injuries were rare, and most poisons had little effect.

I’d fought with a collateral line of the Peng Clan before my regression, so I knew. If that side branch was already like that, Peng Woojin, the main line heir, had to be even more remarkable.

That is, assuming he lives long enough.

I gently tapped Tang Sowol’s back to comfort her sulky mood, then opened my mouth.

“You’ve had time to check on each other. Now talk to me too. I’ve been wondering—why is the conflict between the Peng and Yeon Clans so much more intense than usual lately?”

“It’s probably the Demonic Cult. We’ve suspected it for a while. Me, Ga-hye, and even the elders of both clans.”

“…What?”

I was surprised, not just by how unexpectedly rational and calm Peng Woojin was, but by the fact that they already knew.

“Then why are you still fighting?”

The one who answered wasn’t Peng Woojin, but Yeon Ga-hye, leaning against his shoulder.

“It’s simple. The elixirs worked better than expected. We pretended to argue, but in reality, we were competing to monopolize the supply. The short distance between Shingang and Hebei… and underestimating the Demonic Cult’s power also played a part.”

“Do you know what those elixirs are made of?”

“Humans—at least, that’s what the Murim Alliance’s intelligence suggests.”

So they weren’t disclosing the Ghost Shadow Thief’s (Jang Cheok) involvement. Just attributed it to a Murim Alliance informant. Well, Jang Cheok had technically retired.

And considering his plan to stage a flashy funeral, revealing his identity could be a problem.

Still, that wasn’t the part that bothered me.

“You make it sound like Hebei’s version is different. I heard it was a lower-quality batch.”

As I tilted my head, Peng Woojin continued.

“It is different. According to the Peng Clan’s Medicine Hall, it’s made from animals, not humans. Still brutal—they’re turned into pills alive—but technically, it’s no worse than eating meat.”

“Eon Clan’s Medicine Hall reached the same conclusion. That’s why we’re not accusing each other out of real concern—it’s about who gets to claim the remaining supply. Though yes, our mutual dislike adds fuel to the fire.”

So even though the Demonic Cult’s involvement was exposed, the situation hadn’t changed from my previous life.

Actually, it might be worse.

The Demonic Cult must be on high alert now, ready to flip the table if needed. But the Peng and Yeon Clans—knowing full well what’s going on—are still playing into their hands.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t touch that stuff even if it made me stronger.”

“That’s because you’re an individual, Cheon Hwi. Leading a great clan is different.”

Tang Sowol shook her head with a troubled look. When I gave her a curious glance, she explained with a bashful smile.

“Individuals are limited in how much they can benefit from elixirs. The effect often drops drastically with repeated use, and for those with deep cultivation, minor elixirs aren’t much help. So from a long-term perspective, it’s often better to skip dangerous ones.”

“Right. And you can always make up for lacking inner energy through insight.”

“Who even says stuff like that… Ah.”

Tang Sowol rolled her eyes, then nodded.

“I suppose you could. But it’s something only you could do, Cheon Hwi.”

“Really? I always thought how you use your qi matters more than how much you have.”

Before my regression, I often struggled with a lack of inner energy—but I never lost a fight because of it.

Well… judging by the way even Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye were staring at me like I was an alien, maybe it really was just me.

“Anyway, forget about me. What did you mean when you said it’s different for a clan?”

“To strengthen and maintain a large group, everyone—not just individuals—needs to grow stronger. That’s why family martial arts techniques, even secret ones, sometimes get partially opened to the public as the clan expands. And for the same reason, elixirs—especially mid- to low-grade ones—are useful in bulk. They help build up the backbone of the clan.”

“I see.”

Even after spending a long time in the Tang Clan, I still had trouble understanding that kind of mindset.

But I suppose this was another lesson.

After nodding once, I turned my gaze back to Peng Woojin.

“I get why the clan wants the elixirs. But you speak like you two think differently. Why’s that?”

“It’s nothing special. Our elders had dealt with the Demonic Cult’s problems in the past. Since nothing serious happened to them, they took it lightly.”

“But the real reason is something else. One day, while Peng and I were secretly sharing information and investigating the Cult behind our families’ backs…”

Eon Ga-hye paused, then scowled—her expression twisting in rare visible anger.

“We received a letter. It said they knew about our relationship, and warned us to stop poking around if we didn’t want our secret revealed to our families. Probably from the Demonic Cult.”

Ah…

I think I finally understood why the two of them died before my regression.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep