Chapter 6

The translucent scroll remained in place for quite some time, long enough for Seogyeom to finally recover from his shock.

Until now, he had only been able to see Tang Seogyeom’s settings, so he had never realized that the character window also displayed whether someone had a player.

“I greet the Second Young Master.”

Unlike Seogyeom, who was still standing there in a daze, Namgung Yun calmly clasped his hands in greeting.

Tang Yu stopped about half a jang away. He briefly glanced at Seogyeom before turning toward Namgung Yun with a glare.

“Seeing how recklessly you run about without a shred of sense, I suppose you never even learned basic etiquette.”

Seogyeom’s eyes widened at the insult that rolled so casually off Tang Yu’s tongue.

Tang Yu had probably said it without any particular meaning, since he didn’t know Namgung Yun’s identity—but Namgung Yun had lost his entire family when he was young.

As if being accused of kidnapping wasn’t enough, he was now being insulted over his family.

No matter the era or country, dragging someone’s family into an insult was about as low as one could go.

Seogyeom’s eyes darted nervously.

What if Namgung Yun suddenly charges at him, saying he has to repay the insult?

“They attacked first.”

Fortunately, Namgung Yun possessed the composure expected of a protagonist.

He merely gestured toward the fallen guards with his eyes, dismissing the provocation of a supporting character as nothing worth getting upset over.

“Wasn’t it you who tried to take Gyeom away first?”

Even after Namgung Yun’s straightforward response, Tang Yu only furrowed his brow more deeply.

After glaring at him as though he wanted to kill him, he pulled a concealed weapon from his sleeve.

It was small enough not to look particularly threatening, but getting so much as grazed by it would undoubtedly cause serious trouble.

“No.”

Unable to watch any longer, Seogyeom hurriedly stepped forward.

As he waved both arms and intervened, Tang Yu—who had looked ready to throw the concealed weapon at any moment—hesitated.

In fact, he even stepped back as much as Seogyeom stepped forward.

Perhaps he had assumed that his youngest brother was afraid of him.

“It wasn’t a kidnapping… Big Brother.”

As proof, Tang Yu’s shoulders visibly jolted at the single word Big Brother.

His lips, which had been moving as though he were about to say something, immediately closed.

It seemed the setting that made him a doting older brother was still intact.

“The Great Hero merely saved me.”

Relieved, Seogyeom moved right up to Tang Yu.

Then, taking the hand that wasn’t holding the concealed weapon, he grasped it.

Tang Yu’s body instantly stiffened like stone.

“My ankle was swollen, and I couldn’t move at all. He helped me.”

Thanks to him, I was saved. As a member of the Tang Clan, isn’t it only right that we repay such kindness?

Seogyeom casually invoked the clan’s principles, intending to drive the point home—

An unbearable poison technique has been detected.

The status ailment ‘Poison Aura Rejection’ will activate.

The status ailment ‘Weak Vital Energy’ will activate.

Time remaining until activation: 00:15

A pale yellow system window appeared with astonishing confidence.

It even had a timer attached to it.

Seogyeom blinked in disbelief.

Tang Yu hadn’t been overreacting.

And the system hadn’t forgotten anything, either.

He simply hadn’t met the conditions necessary to trigger it before.

Seriously….

Time remaining until activation: 00:14

While Seogyeom stood there feeling utterly deflated, another second disappeared from the timer.

Realizing he had no time to think, he hurriedly opened his mouth.

“So you absolutely can’t treat him poorly. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been forced to sleep right there on the roadside. Does it make any sense for someone with my body to sleep out on the street? It’s practically the same as owing him my life.”

This was probably the first time Tang Seogyeom, who had been frail since birth, had ever spoken so quickly.

The torrent of words left Tang Yu, who had already been stiff, completely at a loss. His fingers merely twitched helplessly.

Seogyeom tightened his grip on his hand to make sure he couldn’t escape.

“Y-Yes. You’re right.”

Perhaps sensing the silent pressure, Tang Yu finally gave him the answer he wanted.

Having gotten what he wanted, Seogyeom beamed.

“The Tang Clan repays kindness even if it means following someone to the ends of hell, right?”

When it came to grudges, perhaps.

But kindness? They could choose not to repay that if they wanted.

The Tang Clan was practical and profit-minded. Even if one of its members acted according to their own convenience, the clan generally wouldn’t condemn them for it—and would often simply turn a blind eye.

Tang Yu, being a direct descendant himself, knew that perfectly well.

Still, he wisely swallowed whatever he had been about to say.

“Then you have to treat him well!”

The moment Seogyeom achieved his objective, the timer reached zero.

Status ailments will now activate.

Immediately afterward, the system burst into golden light as though it were handing out some sort of reward.

It had to be his imagination, but Seogyeom could almost hear the faint sound of triumphant fanfare.

Are you trying to make fun of me?

Seogyeom clicked his tongue internally and closed his eyes.

He wanted to curse the system out properly, but his body was growing heavier and heavier, leaving him unable to do anything.

Well, at least it doesn’t hurt.

The notification announcing the activation of his status ailments had made him tense, but before any pain could arrive, his consciousness began slipping away.

That self-deprecating thought was the last thing that crossed his mind before his slender body collapsed.

Namgung Yun, who had been watching Seogyeom, instinctively reached out.

Smack!

But before his hand could reach Seogyeom, Tang Yu forcefully slapped it away.

“Take your filthy hands off him.”

There was no trace of the awkwardness or affection from earlier in his sharp gaze.

Namgung Yun paused briefly before speaking in an even tone.

“Didn’t he faint because of you, Second Young Master?”

Namgung Yun hadn’t come all the way to Sichuan without preparation.

He had investigated the Tang Clan long ago.

Unlike the other direct descendants, hadn’t the Third Young Master been said to be weak against poison aura?

Perhaps because the remark struck directly at the truth, Tang Yu’s brow twitched slightly.

“The longer the Third Young Master remains exposed to poison aura, the more his body will suffer.”

When Namgung Yun had first heard the reports, he had wondered how such a thing could be possible for a direct descendant of the Tang Clan.

But judging by the Second Young Master’s reaction, it appeared to be true.

Grinding his teeth as he glared at Namgung Yun, Tang Yu reluctantly handed Seogyeom over to him.

“Don’t even think about trying anything. If you show even the slightest suspicious behavior, I won’t let you live peacefully.”

“I’m not weak enough to take a sick person hostage.”

“Hah! Your tongue certainly works well. You’re the one sneaking around and digging into other people’s family affairs.”

Namgung Yun had attempted, in his own way, to prove that he meant no harm, but it had absolutely no effect.

Instead, Tang Yu became even more suspicious and unleashed another barrage of insults.

“If you so much as touch the tip of Gyeom’s finger, I’ll rip both your arms out.”

But he’s already in my arms, isn’t he?

A threat that would have sent chills down anyone else’s spine was nothing more than insignificant noise to Namgung Yun.

Turning his back on Tang Yu, he lowered his gaze and carefully examined Seogyeom’s features.

A round, smooth forehead and pale cheeks.

Considering he had supposedly been sick since birth, he was remarkably full of life and beauty.

Had he been a woman rather than a man, he would undoubtedly have been counted among the most beautiful people in the world.

Perhaps Tang Yu’s frantic protectiveness wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

But Namgung Yun’s interest in Seogyeom wasn’t because of his appearance alone.

From their absurd first meeting, Seogyeom had been someone Namgung Yun strangely couldn’t take his eyes off.

No—in truth, even wandering around the walls of the Tang Clan had been unlike him.

If they refused to grant him entry, he could simply find another way.

Yet strangely, from the moment he set foot in the provincial capital, his heart had been restless.

His feet kept carrying him toward the Tang Clan, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had left something behind.

Rather than waste his mental energy wondering why, Namgung Yun decided to trust his instincts.

It was a sensation rooted far more deeply in instinct than a martial artist’s spiritual perception.

A fortunate opportunity gained through the countless lives he had lived.

He had never told anyone, but Namgung Yun’s life had begun repeating itself at some point.

Thanks to that, he had learned martial arts faster than anyone else and survived death more times than he could count.

The unfortunate part was that he didn’t remember every moment of the lives he had returned from.

Whenever things he had never learned became inexplicably easy to understand.

Whenever he could accurately predict what would happen after events he had never experienced.

And whenever connections he had never encountered before passed by, yet felt strangely familiar.

Each time, Namgung Yun felt an indescribable emptiness.

Hadn’t they said that forgetting was the greatest gift granted to humanity?

Whether it was heaven’s mercy or something else, Namgung Yun, too, had only been able to endure his endless lives because of that gift of forgetfulness.

Yet whenever his heart stirred at the sight of an unfamiliar face like this, he sometimes found himself wishing he could remember—even if doing so meant enduring the pain that came with it.

Perhaps the Third Young Master was also someone connected to one of the past lives Namgung Yun had forgotten.

I should keep him close and observe him.

Until he knew the truth, that was the best course of action.

Namgung Yun tightened his arms around Seogyeom.

Jingle, jingle.

Seogyeom woke at dawn and lightly shook the bell beside his bed.

The clear ringing echoed through the room, followed shortly by the sound of someone rushing about noisily from a distance.

“Why are you awake so early? Is something uncomfortable?”

The person who rushed in was the old servant.

“You’re here?”

Seogyeom greeted him brightly.

After catching his breath, the old servant strode over and grabbed Seogyeom’s face.

With outrageous audacity, he inspected him thoroughly—even checking the mole beneath his eye—before finally letting go.

“Cough. You said you’d take me there today.”

Nearly choking, Seogyeom coughed several times before getting to the point.

“Ah, you mean the outsider.”

The belated reply was still rather disrespectful.

Well, perhaps he should be grateful that scoundrel had at least become outsider.

Pretending not to notice the servant’s hostility, Seogyeom asked again.

“Is the Great Hero still at the guest quarters?”

“He is…. Though he probably hasn’t even had breakfast yet.”

Since his master kept referring to Namgung Yun as the Great Hero, the old servant’s tone had softened somewhat.

Seogyeom grinned and clapped his hands together.

“Breakfast? Perfect. Then we can eat together.”

After ordering his own meal to be brought to the guest quarters as well, Seogyeom hurried out of his residence.

Only the old servant, who had been preparing breakfast specifically for Seogyeom since early morning, was left feeling miserable.