CHAPTER 11

When Dang Gujin stepped out of the pavilion, Dang Yuchang was waiting outside with a vicious expression.

Having been tormented by Unhui all day, he was in quite an unpleasant mood.

"Sister, do you realize that being too kind is also a flaw? Please reconsider Mother's words carefully."

"What?"

"That's all I have to say."

Watching Dang Yuchang coldly turn away, Dang Gujin was certain—

There's something I don't know!

She immediately headed toward Baeksaekjeon, where Unhui resided.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard of the pavilion—

Whoosh!

"!!"

A chilling sensation suddenly ran down her spine.

It felt as though she had been thrown naked into a tiger's den.

Scorching heat, humidity, and an underlying madness filled the air.

'What on earth is going on?'

Hurriedly, Dang Gujin turned to Hyeongsan, who had brought her here.

"Is this really Unhui's residence?"

"Y-yes. H-how c-could I l-lie about s-something l-like that?"

Even though he was trembling, he wasn't lying.

'Wait. Trembling?'

It was only then that Dang Gujin realized the source of the discomfort she had felt ever since arriving at Baeksaekjeon.

The servants of this pavilion, who usually treated Unhui worse than common household staff, were acting extremely cautiously.

As if a beast that must not be provoked resided within.

Now aware of this, the marks left in the training yard appeared entirely different.

The footprints imprinted in the ground, the scars cutting across the walls, all of it.

'Training… was done here.'

There were people like this in Cheongseong Sect as well—

Martial artists who trained like madmen, consumed by the sword.

Unhui must have been entirely devoted to training, just like them.

The more recent the marks, the more refined and sharp they had become.

'Unhui has changed!'

A tingling sensation ran through her fingertips.

And deep inside her chest, something stirred.

Thump. Thump!

It was competitiveness.

For someone like herself, who struggled to find a worthy opponent even among the first-generation disciples of Cheongseong Sect, to feel challenged…

The Unhui she remembered had been soft-hearted, terrified of hurting others.

But people could change in an instant.

And given that it had been five long years since they last met, it wouldn't be surprising if Unhui had developed a steely resolve.

'So this is why Mother…!'

Now, it was clear why Namgung Sanyeong had recently started regarding Unhui with such caution.

'But Mother is wrong. If Unhui has changed, she should embrace him, not push him away!'

However, as she stood in that room, doubt crept into her mind.

She was a cultivator of the Dao.

She possessed a unique ailment that required her to enter Cheongseong Sect to control it.

Her refined senses kept picking up something unsettling in the air.

Ghostly energy. Evil aura.

If Unhui had resorted to the forbidden arts for revenge—

Clang!

Suddenly, Dang Gujin spun around, drawing her sword.

A crisp metallic ring echoed in the air.

Her eyes widened in shock—

"Unhui?"

Unhui had stopped her sword with his bare hands, narrowing his eyes.

"What exactly are you doing here, Sister?"

Sensing a disturbance outside, I came out, only to find an exceptionally troublesome visitor.

As I mentioned before, Dang Gujin's letters had continued arriving even while I was imprisoned.

But I had never once properly responded.

Because I doubted her true intentions.

But now, it seemed I could set aside that suspicion.

The way she looked at me—

That gaze was too familiar.

The same one my master had given me.

However.

A new inconvenience arose. She must have noticed the traces I hadn't had time to erase.

"That's what I should be asking. What were you doing here?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Don't try to feign ignorance. The Heaven and Earth One Qi Technique I've mastered is one of the most powerful in Cheongseong Sect for repelling evil. You can't hide from my eyes."

I had felt uneasy ever since I heard she had joined Cheongseong Sect.

I never expected Dang Gujin to be an owner of a spiritual root.

I had heard about them from my master.

'What is a spiritual root?'

'Ahaha! That won't be in ordinary books, will it?'

'Why not?'

'Because spiritual roots are one of the greatest secrets of the martial world.'

'What do you mean…?'

'A seed that can become a transcendent being. That is a spiritual root.'

A spiritual root is the foundation of a soul's potential, allowing it to evolve through spiritual growth—first as a spiritual sprout, then a spiritual flower, and finally, a spiritual fruit.

Those born with one possessed sharper perception, deeper insights, and an innate ability to reach higher realms of cultivation.

But because of that, their path was different from ordinary people's.

Their talents sometimes consumed them.

'And only those who refine their spiritual root properly will have the right to ascend the "Tower."'

This must have been why Dang Gujin, despite her extraordinary talent, had been entrusted to Cheongseong Sect instead of staying within the Tang Clan.

Cheongseong Sect was one of the great sects where cultivators sought ascension, enlightenment, or transcendence.

It wasn't surprising that she was highly attuned to the lingering ghostly and sinister energy in the air.

I had made a mistake in assuming that no one from a branch family would possess a spiritual root.

Of course, that didn't mean there were no ways to handle this situation.

"Were you scheming something here? If you've touched the forbidden path just for the sake of revenge—"

"Yes. And if I have?"

"...What?"

"I asked, what will you do about it?"

I smiled.

Smirk!

And then—

Whoooosh!

A tremendous force erupted from my body.

Screeeeech!

A violent windstorm howled through the room, scraping the walls and floor, while a ghostly wail pierced the air like nails on glass.

"You—"

Dang Gujin opened her mouth to speak but couldn't continue.

She would recognize this sensation.

The unmistakable presence beneath the raging energy.

Poison.

Even within the Tang Clan, poison came in countless forms—biological and mineral, further divided into blood toxins and nerve toxins. Over thirty types were classified by the main family alone.

I had intended to keep my secrets hidden.

But now that I had to reveal them, I wouldn't hold back.

As long as I bore the Tang surname and remained under the Shadow Lord's watch, I could never completely conceal my power.

Especially my sorcery, which made up a significant portion of my current strength.

It couldn't be entirely hidden.

So I needed a cover—something to obscure the truth.

To conceal the most crucial secret beneath nine lesser truths.

Thus, I devised an explanation—

A new kind of poison, cultivated in a unique way.

A poison infused with ghostly and sinister energy.

Or something very similar.

"Curse Poison…! You've mastered it?"

Curse Poison was known as an elusive poison, only wielded by a select few in the Tang Clan—requiring one to first master sorcery.

To my surprise, Dang Gujin laughed.

"Unhui… You've really grown. You even know how to provoke my competitive spirit."

Her expression, filled with eerie joy, resembled that of a battle-crazed specter eager to unleash her blade.

…Wait, what?

No one told me she had a split personality!