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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Namgung Sega Granddaughter's Return
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Seop Mugwang left, leaving only Ilhwa and the Head of the Medical Hall in the room.
Having nearly died by the child's hand before, the Head of the Medical Hall showed a hint of tension, but she tried to maintain a clear smile.
"You must be training very hard—but it would be good to be a little more careful. Shall I take a look at your injury?"
Ilhwa extended her arm to her.
As the Head of the Medical Hall looked at her with surprised eyes, Ilhwa spoke.
"I think I have internal injuries. Can you examine me?"
"I can examine you, but... I'll need to use my internal energy. Is that alright?"
Ilhwa nodded readily.
"Oh my, I didn't expect you to allow it so easily? Does this mean I've earned a little trust?"
Despite the incident where she almost died during their first meeting, the Head of the Medical Hall still wore a bright smile.
She took Ilhwa's slender arm. Then, she quickly closed her eyes and focused on taking her pulse.
A thin, thread-like energy permeated Ilhwa's meridians, exploring every part of her body.
'Among the key positions in the Namgung, someone who isn't a Namgung person.'
In truth, her influence within the Namgung was minimal, despite her title as Hall Head, making it ambiguous to call it a key position.
However, as the master of the Medical Hall, she also held the lives of the family members in her hands.
If she truly put her mind to it, the Namgung people could be instantly poisoned and annihilated.
'Just like when I was in the Hyeolgyo.'
As the Head of the Medical Hall's energy passed near her Dantian, Ilhwa felt it hesitate for a moment.
Her brow furrowed.
The moment the energy, which had lingered there briefly, began to move again.
— Is there anyone you wish to kill?
A calm voice seeped into the mind of the Head of the Medical Hall, who was exploring the meridians.
The Head of the Medical Hall slowly opened her eyes.
Her energy was also rapidly withdrawn.
For a moment, Ilhwa and the Head of the Medical Hall's gazes locked.
The Head of the Medical Hall tilted her head, a smile gracing her lips.
— What do you mean by that?
Even to Ilhwa's unexceptional telepathic query, the Head of the Medical Hall responded telepathically.
It meant she was willing to engage in conversation.
Ilhwa smiled back and said,
— Just as the question implies.
— Hmm...
The Head of the Medical Hall released Ilhwa's hand and leaned back in her chair.
Her gaze, fixed on Ilhwa, held both bewilderment and curiosity.
— I have had such thoughts before, haven't I? Why do you ask, my cute little cat?
— Do you still?
— Fortunately, not anymore. That person died.
An unknown chill emanated from her bright smile.
It was the same expression Ilhwa had seen from Dokwol in her previous life.
An aura filled with venom, making it seem not at all strange if someone were to be poisoned and die right then.
Indeed, in her previous life, whenever she showed such an expression, within half a month, members of the Hyeolgyo would die in the Medical Hall.
Though the causes of death were all different, Ilhwa knew. They had all died from poison.
— Then when do you think you'll want to kill again?
— Hmm?
The Head of the Medical Hall stroked her chin and tilted her head.
Her expression seemed to ask why Ilhwa was curious about such a thing, but she still answered sincerely.
— If someone were to harm those I love, wouldn't I want to kill them?
— Do you have anyone you love?
— Hmm... Was this what my cute little cat was truly curious about?
— In the Namgung?
The Head of the Medical Hall's eyebrow arched crookedly.
She stared blankly at the moxibustion ingredients on the table, then shrugged with a smile.
— Well? That's a bit difficult to answer, isn't it? I could say yes, or I could say no.
Ilhwa slowly nodded.
— Oh, was that an answer?
— Yes.
Through this conversation, Ilhwa could at least confirm one thing.
She was not 'Dokwol'. Not yet, at least.
For now, that was enough.
Ilhwa's gaze drifted away blankly.
— Hyeolwangdok.
*Crack*, went the sound as the moxibustion tube held by the Head of the Medical Hall shattered.
— Choryeon.
When Ilhwa's gaze returned to her, the Head of the Medical Hall was no longer smiling.
Ilhwa's lips curved into a cool smile.
— You'll have to help me.
***
Hyeolwangdok was Choryeon's hidden, old notoriety.
Choryeon was originally an assistant under the imperial physician who attended to the Emperor in the palace, but one day, an incident occurred where the Second Prince of the imperial palace was poisoned.
The one identified as the culprit in that incident was none other than Choryeon.
However, when the Imperial Guard was dispatched to apprehend her, she had already vanished without a trace.
After that, she was given the alias Hyeolwangdok.
Why such a person was in the Namgung, Ilhwa didn't know.
Ultimately, Choryeon was indeed the murderer of the Second Prince.
The story went that when the Second Prince was out for pleasure, he stayed in the village where Choryeon lived, and when her elder sister from next door refused to serve the prince, he had all the villagers killed.
The only survivor, Choryeon, worked frantically for revenge, entered the imperial palace, and eventually killed the Second Prince—a tale that couldn't be heard without tears.
'The stories I heard from Dokwol are proving so useful.'
In her previous life, Ilhwa merely liked the Medical Hall; she didn't particularly like Dokwol.
No, to be more precise, she had no interest in Dokwol.
However, Dokwol liked to cling to Ilhwa and chatter whenever she visited. This too was a piece of her past Ilhwa had heard in passing.
'By the way, to think I had an Amsi placed on me—how meticulous.'
Amsi is a dark art that controls another's mind.
It's a wicked dark art where one doesn't even know they're under an Amsi until the caster makes a specific sound or takes an action, at which point it activates and takes control of the mind.
Ilhwa had thought she was free because Hyeolma hadn't bound her with a blood pact, but it seemed Hyeolma had no intention of letting her go easily after all.
'He likely didn't bind me so I could be killed by his own hand, but still wanted to maintain minimal control.'
She didn't even know when the Amsi had been placed.
Given that she couldn't remember, it seemed likely to have been before the age of five, when she lost her memories.
'There are two ways to break an Amsi. One is to kill the caster, and the other is to be completely dominated by the Amsi and then rampage until it breaks.'
Either eliminate the source, or be manipulated until the Amsi's power is completely exhausted.
It meant one of the two.
'The reason I was able to break free from the Amsi on my own today was likely because its master wasn't nearby. The connection was weak, so it could be easily severed.'
This meant that Hyeolma could come at any time and manipulate her as he pleased. Before that happened, she had to find a way to break the Amsi by any means necessary.
'His attempt to control me last night must have been a warning.'
A threat for trying to escape his grasp. A warning that no matter how much she struggled or tried, she wouldn't be able to break free from his control.
If she ignored that warning, he would surely come for her.
Certainly within a day or two, at the latest.
'If possible, I'd like to be recognized as a child of the Namgung before then.'
The moment she was recognized as a child of the Namgung, she would belong within the Namgung's protective fence.
The Hyeolgyo had not yet accumulated enough power to reveal themselves in Jungwon. They were currently busy with covert groundwork, infiltrating various parts of Jungwon to swallow the martial arts world.
In such a situation, it was unlikely they would provoke a fight with the Namgung and reveal their existence just to take her.
'Once I'm recognized as a child of the Namgung, I'll find a way to break the Amsi somehow.'
She had asked the Head of the Medical Hall to find a way to break the Amsi. If that wasn't possible, she would have no choice but to return after destroying the Amsi.
'Before that...'
"Hah! Hyaah!"
Ilhwa, who had come to the training ground early in the morning, stopped her steps at the vigorous shouts emanating from within.
'There are limits to what I can accomplish with a child's body.'
She had learned that clearly from last night's events.
A child's body had many inconveniences for moving freely.
Simply because she was a child, people tried to protect her, monitor her, and control her.
Therefore, to intervene more actively in the Namgung's growth, she needed an adult, or rather, a force that could act as her shield.
A force that could sometimes be her shield and sometimes blind others. Someone who could do what a child's body couldn't.
'It would be good to have at least one trustworthy subordinate.'
Ilhwa stepped into the training ground.
"Hyaah! Hah!"
On the sparring platform of the training ground, a person was practicing with a sword.
It was the squad leader of the Jeokryong 11th Squad, the one Ilhwa had sparred with the day before.
His presence in the training ground, practicing since before the sun had even risen, was the answer to the question Ilhwa had sought.
'Change begins with a small resolve. Even if that resolve stems from despair.'
Sweat beaded on his face, and his martial robe was already thoroughly soaked.
It meant he had been training for a long time already.
'In that sense...'
Ilhwa's lips curved faintly at the sight of the Jeokryong squad leader, who was diligently training, unaware of her presence.
'Change has already begun.'
