Chapter 25

Tang Seogyeom (唐曙謙)

…

Dispelling Status Effects

• Mysterious Yin Heart Meridians: 2%
• Qi and Blood Frailty: 1.7%
• Poison Qi Rejection: 0.023%

So I have to go through that ninety-eight more times…

Seogyeom stared at the translucent system window, his brow furrowing as he calculated just how many treatments remained.

Meanwhile, the room around him was a flurry of activity.

He dismissed the status window with a blink and turned around.

Every wardrobe in the room stood open, and clothes were being pulled out by the armful. The servant had his arms crossed as he stood there, apparently deep in thought. The moment he noticed Seogyeom watching him, he lifted a blue robe and held it out.

“How about this one, Young Master?”

“How about what?”

The question had come so naturally that Seogyeom only realized a moment later what the servant meant.

He glanced at the clothes spread across the table.

They were all the same cut and design, differing only in color.

What’s there to compare?

Unless the clothes came with some kind of stat bonus, they were all identical as far as Seogyeom was concerned.

“They all look the same to me. Just pack whatever you want.”

His reply was utterly indifferent.

The servant, despite his broad and imposing build, puffed out his cheeks in exaggerated dismay and twisted his body in protest.

“Aigoo, we can’t do that! This is your very first trip into the Jianghu, Young Master! How could I possibly pack just anything?”

He laughed good-naturedly and went straight back to packing, apparently having realized that Seogyeom was hopelessly useless when it came to choosing clothes.

One bundle after another was folded and stacked neatly.

The servant hummed to himself as he moved around the room, looking happier than Seogyeom had seen him in a long time.

“Are you really that happy to see me leave?”

Seogyeom watched him for a moment before teasing him.

The servant’s hands stopped.

“Of course I am.”

His answer came without hesitation.

“How could I not be happy that our young master is finally going to recover his health? You should have stepped into the Jianghu long ago.”

The bright smile on his face gradually faded.

“It does make me sad to see you leave, Young Master. But I can’t keep you here simply because I’ll feel lonely without you.”

He forced the corners of his mouth upward, trying to hide the melancholy in his eyes.

The sudden shift in atmosphere left Seogyeom feeling strangely heavy as well.

Come to think of it… wasn’t he the one who raised Tang Seogyeom?

Tang Seogyeom had kept his distance from not only the martial artists of the clan but the servants as well. If there was one person he had remained close to, it was probably this man.

Their bond must have been stronger than anything else in his world.

I can’t even promise I’ll come back.

Seogyeom lowered his gaze.

He couldn’t make a promise he had no intention of keeping.

His goal was simple: survive, find a way out, and escape The Chronicles of the Wandering Hero alive.

“…Why are you packing so much stuff anyway?”

Unable to bring himself to say anything sentimental, Seogyeom deliberately changed the subject.

“I thought you wanted me to take my time and enjoy myself out there.”

The servant immediately caught the teasing tone.

“Too much? What are you talking about? I’ve already cut it down to the absolute essentials! I barely packed any accessories at all!”

“Accessories?”

That word immediately caught Seogyeom’s attention.

He jumped to his feet and hurried over.

It wasn’t that the man who had just told him to pack whatever had suddenly become interested in fashion.

Travel expenses.

Since arriving at the Tang Clan, Seogyeom hadn’t seen a single copper coin.

His life here had been absurdly comfortable. The servant even brought him water to wash his face every morning without being asked.

But things would be different once he entered the Jianghu.

He was already relying on Namgung Yun for too much. There was no way he could expect Namgung to keep paying for everything he needed.

I should take some jewelry with me.

As the possessions of a young master of the Tang Clan, even a single piece should be worth a considerable amount of money if sold.

The servant looked over the things he’d packed and sighed.

“Does it look a little sparse to you too, Young Master? I tried to select only the most valuable pieces, but somehow it still doesn’t feel like enough.”

“Sparse? Aren’t all of those expensive?”

Seogyeom immediately objected.

He nodded toward the jade pendant in the servant’s hand.

A smaller piece of jade in a different shade had been set into the center of a much larger one. Even without knowing anything about jade, Seogyeom could tell it was extraordinarily expensive.

“Expensive? Of course! Something like this alone could buy you an entire estate!”

“Really?”

The servant tapped the red jade proudly.

Seogyeom nearly flinched at the way sunlight flashed across its surface, but instead, he stared at it with renewed interest.

The servant seemed delighted by his sudden enthusiasm and eagerly opened another carefully wrapped bundle.

“This is a ruyi carved from white jade. Do you remember? The Young Clan Head gave it to you for your birthday last year.”

He picked up another item.

“And I packed this hairpin separately because it was your favorite.”

Right. Right. Sure.

Seogyeom nodded along, pretending to listen while his eyes remained fixed on the jewelry.

His mind was already doing calculations.

Namgung Yun will probably like these if I give them to him, right?

Vengeance was expensive.

And judging by Namgung’s circumstances when they first met, the man didn’t exactly seem to be swimming in money.

If Seogyeom was going to travel with him, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure he remained on Namgung’s good side.

Money should help with that.

“Don’t you have anything more expensive? Weren’t there rings or something?”

“You said rings were inconvenient, so I left them behind. Shall I pack them too?”

Only a few days ago, Seogyeom had tossed away the rings that had been placed on all ten of his fingers.

The servant tilted his head, then walked over to an ornate chest.

He opened a smaller box inside.

Inside lay rings of every color and design.

The servant was just about to pack the entire box when Seogyeom hurriedly reached out.

“No, no. Give those to me separately.”

“These?”

They belonged to Seogyeom in the first place, so there was no reason for the servant to refuse.

Seogyeom snatched the box from his hands and hugged it against his chest as tightly as if it contained some priceless martial arts manual.

“I have a use for them. I’m taking them as emergency funds. You never know what might happen out there. A man needs something valuable to fall back on.”

The servant stared at him.

A strange tremor passed through his eyes.

“Young Master…”

Seogyeom immediately felt uncomfortable.

Why is he looking at me like that?

He subtly backed away.

Then the servant smiled.

“Of course. Traveling through the Jianghu is bound to cost a great deal of money. I can’t believe you’ve grown enough to think about things like that… When did you become so mature?”

His voice was filled with wistful pride.

He reached back toward the chest.

“In that case, you should take this too—”

“May I come in?”

A low, composed voice came from outside the room.

“That must be Great Hero Jo.”

The servant’s expression brightened instantly.

Still clutching the silk pouch into which he’d been stuffing accessories with complete disregard for Seogyeom’s opinion, he hurried toward the door.

“You came at just the right time!”

Namgung Yun paused at the unusually enthusiastic welcome.

His gaze shifted toward Seogyeom.

The servant usually called him Great Hero Jo while grumbling under his breath whenever he wasn’t looking. Yet today, he was practically rolling out a red carpet.

Seogyeom gave Namgung a helpless shake of his head.

Don’t look at me. I have no idea either.

“I’ve almost finished packing everything already. These two bundles here are the young master’s clothes.”

The servant pointed them out one by one.

“This fabric is much softer, so please make sure he wears these whenever his skin becomes flushed.”

Seogyeom’s eyes widened.

“And over here, I’ve prepared his accessories. Blue suits our young master best, you see, so—”

“Stop. Stop right there!”

Seogyeom finally snapped.

The servant had launched into an increasingly detailed list of instructions, his expression completely serious.

Namgung simply stood there listening.

Seogyeom’s face burned bright red.

“I’m already imposing on him enough as it is! What kind of ridiculous things are you telling him?”

He turned toward Namgung and stared at him earnestly.

“Please pretend you didn’t hear any of that. I can take care of my own body perfectly well.”

“Young Master, please—”

“I said that’s enough!”

Seogyeom ended up shouting.

Namgung’s expression, which had remained perfectly composed throughout the servant’s excessive hospitality, shifted slightly.

His eyes widened.

Then he let out a quiet laugh.

“I’ve already committed it to memory. Don’t worry.”

That’s not what I meant!

Seogyeom’s mouth fell open.

Namgung wasn’t even trying to hide his amusement as he turned back to the servant.

“By the way, where is the medicine?”

“Oh!”

The servant slapped his hands together.

“Aigoo! That’s why something felt wrong! I completely forgot to stop by the medicine hall!”

Seogyeom stared at him in disbelief.

He forgot the medicine?

The most important thing of all.

And instead of getting it, he’d spent all this time going on about clothes and accessories.

Seogyeom’s jaw dropped.

“Aigo, aigo!”

The servant hurriedly clapped his hands together before rushing out.

“I’ll be right back!”

He didn’t even bother closing the door behind him.

Seogyeom watched his retreating figure disappear down the corridor, a cloud of dust rising behind him as he ran.

“Ahem.”

Seogyeom cleared his throat for no particular reason.

The room suddenly felt unbearably awkward.

After all, it had only been a day since that had happened.

It was supposed to be a treatment.

But in Seogyeom’s mind, there was no way around the fact that they’d kissed.

Namgung, however, seemed completely unaffected.

“I know you dislike medicine,” he said, his expression turning deliberately stern. “But you must take it if you want your body to recover.”

I’m not a child, you know…

Seogyeom stared at Namgung’s shamelessly composed face.

There wasn’t a trace of embarrassment on it.

Not even the slightest crease in his expression suggested that yesterday had meant anything to him.

Did it really mean nothing to him?

“Hmph. I take my medicine just fine.”

Seogyeom folded his arms.

There was no way he was going to throw a childish tantrum now and make himself look like the only one bothered by what had happened.

After a brief hesitation, he spoke again.

“By the way… about that treatment method.”

His voice dropped.

“Did you tell my brother about it?”

“I did not.”

The answer came immediately.

Seogyeom let out a quiet breath of relief.

His hands, which had been clenched at his sides, slowly relaxed.

“Then… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him in the future either.”

He lowered his gaze.

“Because I think it’s better if it stays between the two of us…”