Ji Cheon Wu tilted his head at my words.

“You’re going alone? It looks like you’re going to do something suspicious.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You didn’t refuse Nam Gung Lin’s company. If Nam Gung Lin is close to where you’re headed, you probably thought it wouldn’t be bad.”

Indeed, this guy was too quick-witted.

“If Nam Gung Lin needs to be nearby, it means there might be a situation where you need a doctor.”

I let out a sigh.

There was no point in hiding it from Ji Cheon Wu any longer.

“Yes, I’m going to do something suspicious and dangerous, so don’t follow me.”

“Then all the more reason to follow you. How can I let you go alone when you’re doing something dangerous?”

I frowned and looked at him.

“I really warned you. I’m telling you it’s really dangerous.”

Ji Cheon Wu stood beside me.

He looked like he didn’t even care about my words that it was dangerous.

“I told you too. I’m following you knowing it will be dangerous from the start.”

I looked up at Ji Cheon Wu.

It newly hit me that Ji Cheon Wu had grown up. In the past, he was a much smaller boy than me.

‘He’s really grown a lot.’

Ji Cheon Wu carefully held my hand. Just like how he and I often held hands when we were young.

Yes, there was a time like that.

Ji Cheon Wu always wanted to follow me. But if I said that place was in the middle of fire, should I take this guy with me?

“And… because it’s dangerous, I’m coming with you. I can’t let you go alone. I’ve also become strong enough now to take that level of risk.”

I whispered softly while looking at Ji Cheon Wu’s hand. Yes, Ji Cheon Wu should be fine.

[It won’t be bad. At least he’s not someone who will be a burden.]

But I felt the need to do this right away. Ji Cheon Wu was too careless.

He often did things that could be misunderstood if I wasn’t a young lady but someone else.

‘We’re not little kids anymore. Other young ladies would have gotten the wrong idea.’

I spoke to Ji Cheon Wu firmly.

“We’re not little kids anymore.”

“……”

“You can’t just casually hold hands?”

“You really……”

Ji Cheon Wu pretended not to hear me and led me along.

The tips of his ears were red.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ji Cheon Wu and I arrived at Jae-un Mountain.

[It was out in the open. He seemed to have followed your location.]

There was no need to look for Hyeol Shin-ui.

Because he showed up on his own. From the entrance of Jae-un Mountain, Hyeol Shin-ui was accompanied by numerous warriors.

‘As if he was waiting for me to move.’

Hyeol Shin-ui exclaimed as if surprised.

“You really came? Are you stupid or bold? You rushed here upon hearing the news that Nam Gung Hyun was wandering around Jae-un Mountain.”

Hyeol Shin-ui was a peculiar looking old man. There were no wrinkles on his face, but his neck and hands were full of wrinkles.

[He’s an unpleasant guy. The smell of blood is vibrating from his whole body.]

“Did you think you could find your father here if you came? At least you know the basics. That you moved alone.”

Saying that, Hyeol Shin-ui gave a vicious smile.

“Yes, if Nam Gung Jin Cheon had moved, Nam Gung Hyun would not have been here. Maybe he was disposed of when Nam Gung Jin Cheon came here.”

That’s why it was a trap.

My father who was discovered at Jae-un Mountain. And the existence of Hyeol Shin-ui.

If there was any sign of other warriors moving, Hyeol Shin-ui would have immediately fled. I glared at him and shouted.

“Do you have my father?”

“I’ve had him for a very long time. Until he lost his mind.”

I deliberately stiffened my expression, pretending to be scared. Hyeol Shin-ui narrowed his eyes as if trying to read my intentions and muttered.

“Who’s that guy behind you?”

Hyeol Shin-ui’s snake-like gaze turned to Ji Cheon Wu.

‘Fortunately, Ji Cheon Wu’s face is not as well known as Ak Wi Cheon’s.’

That was the only fortunate thing.

Hyeol Shin-ui did not recognize Ji Cheon Wu. I surveyed the warriors around Hyeol Shin-ui.

Hyeol Shin-ui had brought numerous warriors with him.

[There are two guys to be careful of in the Blood Sect. That old woman and the big guy.]

Next to Hyeol Shin-ui were an old woman and a middle-aged man of large stature.

‘If Dagger Ajussi says to be careful of them, they must be really strong.’

The old woman seemed to use unique techniques, with long and sharp fingernails, and the middle-aged man looked like he possessed great strength with his huge build.

“I heard the granddaughter of Nam Gung Jin Cheon fearlessly wandered the martial world, did you not learn from seeing what happened to your father?”

“……”

“What happens when you carelessly walk the paths, that is.”

I took a step back, pretending to be tense.

I acted as a daughter who had come to find out the truth about her father. I didn’t forget to make a scared expression.

Then the old woman and the big guy blocked the way behind me and Ji Cheon Wu.

They prevented a situation where we could escape.

“It’s too late to run away. If you had stayed put in the Nam Gung Clan, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Hyeol Shin-ui laughed as if he found it amusing while looking at me.

His yellowed teeth were particularly noticeable.

“Well, it’s not bad. To have this father-daughter reunion.”

Giggling with a creepy laugh, Hyeol Shin-ui gave an order.

“Bring them!”

Warriors appeared at his command and began to tie me and Ji Cheon Wu up.

In that state, Ji Cheon Wu and I were dragged away. Of course, our swords were taken away, and Dagger Ajussi was also taken.

The dagger I had carefully kept in my bosom was dangling at Hyeol Shin-ui’s waist.

[This is the timeline separator]

Hyeol Shin-ui started dragging me and Ji Cheon Wu towards a cave.

[That guy is looking at Ji Cheon Wu eagerly.]

As Dagger Ajussi said, Hyeol Shin-ui seemed very interested in Ji Cheon Wu.

He began examining Ji Cheon Wu’s body, touching here and there.

“Oho, you have an excellent physique?”

Ji Cheon Wu made a disgusted expression. While looking at me, it seemed like he was barely holding back his desire to hit Hyeol Shin-ui.

‘Ugh, that must be awful.’

I communicated with my eyes to Ji Cheon Wu.

‘Endure it, endure it!’

Ji Cheon Wu seemed to be exercising tremendous patience while looking at me.

Hyeol Shin-ui’s creepy gaze only ended when we reached the cave.

The moment Ji Cheon Wu and I entered the cave, we couldn’t manage our expressions.

‘It’s similar to the village we stopped by before going to Hwa-hap.’

A quite horrific sight was unfolding in the cave.

“Surprised?”

Hyeol Shin-ui said with a snicker. His eyes seemed full of pride.

“I have created many bases like this. All for the development of our main sect.”

How many terrible experiments had taken place?

My eyes turned grim.

I thought it was fortunate to discover this place, even if it wasn’t for my father.

No, it was fortunate to have found Hyeol Shin-ui quickly.

[The place we discovered in Sacheon was probably also Hyeol Shin-ui’s doing.]

The big guy tying me and Ji Cheon Wu asked Hyeol Shin-ui.

“What should we do with these guys? Should we just roughly tie them up?”

“No, we shouldn’t underestimate them like that. Watch them carefully while I prepare the Godok.”

Saying that, Hyeol Shin-ui moved to another spot.

Ji Cheon Wu and I were kept under brutal surveillance while kneeling.

The one tying up me and Ji Cheon Wu was the big guy that Dagger Ajussi had warned us to be careful of.

The big guy muttered as if he couldn’t understand.

“What’s so scary about these guys that Hyeol Shin-ui is being so cautious?”

The old woman beside the big guy answered his question.

“He said that child is so uncanny.”

“Uncanny?”

“Yes, the main sect attempted to assassinate her a few times. But she was unusually lucky, shall we say?”

The old woman said that and brought her face close to mine.

“No matter how outstanding, she’s still just a green young thing, isn’t she? But how did she survive?”

“Hmph, I heard some suspect this girl is the Ghost Blade. But those are all just groundless rumors, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that rumor is too absurd. When the Ghost Blade first appeared, that child was only 8 years old.”

Listening to their words, I could tell. They were suspicious of me, but not certain.

The old woman approached me and began examining me.

“Really, it doesn’t make sense. She’s a bit unusually outstanding, but still just a child.”

It was when I started feeling burdened by the old woman’s gaze.

Hyeol Shin-ui, who had briefly disappeared, reappeared. He was carrying a jar in his arms.

He sat in front of me and tilted his head, asking.

“Do you know what this is?”

The jar he held out contained the corpses of horrifying insects piled up.

[It’s unbelievably disgusting.]

I heard the angry voice of Dagger Ajussi. Dagger Ajussi despised Hyeol Shin-ui more than anyone.

An ominous energy was emanating from the jar.

Hyeol Shin-ui put his finger in the jar and took out an insect that was in there.

“This is Godok.”

It was what I had wanted.

I looked at Hyeol Shin-ui, hiding that fact.

[That guy is the one who created Godok. The starting point of all this misfortune is the insect in his hand.]

‘……’

[I suffered for decades because of that disgusting insect.]

Hyeol Shin-ui giggled while looking at that insect.

“Ah, right. There’s someone I want to introduce.”

Saying that, Hyeol Shin-ui snapped his fingers.

“Come in.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a person walked in.