Underground of Blood Demon Palace.

After passing through a secret entrance and walking down a dark passage for a while, they reached a small room.

Inside the room was a circular altar in the middle of an artificial waterfall and waterway fed by underground water. On the altar sat a large bronze water bowl, almost like a fountain.

“Did you bring the blood?”

Gong Son Wu rummaged in his robes and pulled out a small ceramic bottle with a narrow neck, about the size of his palm.

“Here.”

The Blood Demon took the bottle and poured the blood into the blood mirror while chanting some incantations.

Even though only a small bottle’s worth of blood was added, the liquid in the blood mirror had turned a deep red color.

“I will now summon the memories of the dead.”

“…”

The Blood Demon removed the finger ornaments decorating his fingertips and continued speaking.

“The three most intense memories recalled before death. If we cannot find clues within them, I too will have no other way to help.”

“I understand.”

“Then let us begin.”

With those words, the Blood Demon skimmed the water’s surface with his bare hand.

Like skimming off the white film that forms when boiling milk, a layer peeled away from the bloody water, revealing a dark image underneath.

‘That’s…!’

Na Rin saw it.

The sight of countless people crowding beneath a signboard that read “Great Blue City Sect”.

“The deceased was a martial artist of the Blue City Sect.”

Na Rin was startled by the Blood Demon’s words.

The fact that the corpse was a Blue City Sect martial artist was a conclusion Na Rin had drawn from a lifetime of experience living as a martial artist, her keen eye, and the knowledge gained from the Murim Alliance search party.

‘He figured that out so easily?’

This blood mirror must be no ordinary object.

As Na Rin was thinking this, the Blood Demon continued speaking.

“I see countless people filling the space in front of the Blue City Sect signboard. It seems to be a situation where martial artists’ help is needed… I suspect bandits may have appeared.”

‘Huh?’

Something seemed a bit off.

The Blood Demon then skimmed his hand once more, revealing another scene.

“Someone is offering noodles. I sense an attitude of shyly declining at first, then accepting and eating.”

Finally, he slapped the water’s surface with his palm.

The red liquid filling the blood mirror bubbled and frothed, and the Blood Demon’s body trembled.

“…Red.”

“…!”

“The world reflected in the eyes is all red like blood, heaven and earth mixed in chaos. Amidst it all, a person swings a sword, scattering and destroying all forms. Empty, heavy, torn apart. Ah! Ahhh!”

“That’s enough.”

The Blood Demon’s body, which had been shaking and convulsing as if possessed, suddenly stopped.

Collapsing to the ground, the Blood Demon panted heavily like someone who had run at full speed, clutching near his heart.

“Mister. Are you okay?”

As Na Rin leaned in with concern, the Blood Demon squeezed his eyes shut then opened them, giving a small nod.

“…Judging by the chaotic mental images of the deceased, it seems he fell into a state of qi deviation.”

“I see. Understood. Good work.”

Na Rin recalled that Gong Son Wu had previously said “it doesn’t seem to be qi deviation”, but didn’t voice this aloud. It seemed unlikely the Blood Demon could use the blood mirror again anyway.

And…

‘This is not an object that should be used.’

Na Rin clicked her tongue softly as she watched the Blood Demon break out in a cold sweat.

The price to pay for drawing out a dead person’s memories must not be small.

“Na Rin. Did you learn anything?”

Gong Son Wu asked.

The Blood Demon was quite surprised to see Gong Son Wu asking Na Rin.

He had thought there must be a good reason for stubbornly showing the blood mirror to a child, but…

‘Was it just to borrow the wisdom of a mere child?’

As anger welled up in the Blood Demon and he was about to say something,

“Something seems strange.”

Na Rin opened her mouth.

“Something strange?”

Na Rin rolled her eyes around.

‘Should I say this?’

She wasn’t sure. But it was probably better than saying she knew nothing after coming all this way.

“The Blue City Sect is a very weak sect.”

“What?”

“It’s true.”

While the Blue City Sect would grab one’s neck upon hearing this, it was the cruel truth without any exaggeration from Na Rin’s perspective, who had once dominated the Central Plains.

“People from the Demon Sect might think all the Orthodox Sects are similar… But that’s not really the case, you know? The Blue City Sect is reaaally weak in martial arts.”

“So what’s strange about that?”

“Aish! What I’m saying is, if I were a civilian, I wouldn’t go flocking to the Blue City Sect asking them to catch bandits when Mount Zhongnan or Shaolin are nearby!”

The eyes of the Blood Demon and Gong Son Wu widened simultaneously.

Is that how it works?

The Blood Demon didn’t hide his confusion as he pressed Na Rin.

“Unbelievable. If Blue City is such a weak sect, how could they occupy a place among the Orthodox Sects?”

“Ah, that’s another long story.”

Na Rin glanced briefly at Gong Son Wu as if seeking permission.

When Gong Son Wu nodded easily as if to say “why are you asking about that now?”, Na Rin opened her mouth.

“It’s because Blue City Sect is the ancestral sect of Taoism.”

Na Rin swallowed hard and continued speaking as clearly as she could with her clumsy tongue.

“Mount Blue City is where Zhang Daoling, the founder of Celestial Masters sect which greatly influenced Taoism, created his teachings and taught people. For the Taoist sects among the Orthodox Sects to claim orthodoxy, Blue City Sect needs to occupy a place. Even if they’re a weak sect without a single absolute master.”

“…”

The Blood Demon was speechless, blinking his eyes.

Who would have expected such insight to come from the mouth of a young child?

“T-then how do you explain what was shown in the blood mirror? Clearly many people were seeking help from the Blue City Sect.”

That’s true.

Na Rin made a “hmm” sound as she briefly rolled her eyes upward, then looked straight at the Blood Demon again and said:

“Well.”

“W-well?!”

“Aish. How should I know? Maybe ghosts appeared or something.”

“Ghosts?”

Na Rin nodded at the Blood Demon’s question.

“That’s usually when people go to Blue City Sect or Kunlun Sect. To catch ghosts.”

“Nonsense! How could such things exist in this world?”

Really now. He’s stealing memories from blood but saying ghosts don’t exist.

Na Rin retorted grumpily:

“I wouldn’t know. Anyway, something that looked similar must have appeared to the people, right?”

“Something similar…”

“It could be jiangshi.”

“Jiangshi?!”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the Blood Demon to be surprised.

Jiangshi arts were the most ominous among evil arts.

It was said that when one jiangshi rises, a thousand people lose their lives – that’s how terrible a disaster it was.

“If jiangshi really appeared, this is not a matter we can ignore!”

“Well, that’s true. Thank you for your cooperation. I’ll tell the Sect Leader you followed orders faithfully.”

“What do you plan to do now?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

“Heavenly King!”

Gong Son Wu left the Blood Demon stomping his feet and exited the Blood King Hall with Na Rin.

“If you were just ten years older, I would have made you my deputy.”

Gong Son Wu said with a grinning face as if he found Na Rin utterly adorable.

‘Even if I were ten years older, I’d only be fourteen.’

But Na Rin didn’t bother pointing that out. No need to spoil his good mood.

‘Anyway, it seems I’ve lived up to expectations.’

With this, the initial goal of putting the Dharma Protector in her debt seemed to have been achieved.

Just as Na Rin’s shoulders were about to feel lighter from resolving the issue,

“But how do you know so much about Murim affairs?”

Flinch.

“Come to think of it, you have many mysterious aspects. Even if you came from the Central Plains, you’re just a young child. Do you perhaps have some special background?”

With each word Gong Son Wu spoke with a smiling face, cold sweat ran down Na Rin’s spine.

“Ah, that’s… Cough! Cough, cough!”

“Na Rin! Are you alright?”

“Yes, ack! Cough! Wheeze! Oof! Did the bathwater get cold? Achoo!”

Na Rin started coughing hard.

Ah. What should I do?

She needed to come up with a plausible excuse.

‘I carelessly said everything I actually knew.’

Should she say she’s from the direct lineage of a fallen sect?

Or claim to be from the Beggar Sect?

Either way could save face momentarily, but the more closely examined, the more obvious the lie would become.

Logically, how could a baby like me know about the political circumstances of the Orthodox Sects?

“Na Rin. Are you alright?”

Gong Son Wu asked with a worried face as he examined Na Rin.

“I was thoughtless. Just seeing the blood mirror must have drained the energy of a young child like you. Come, get on my back. Let’s go to the Medical King Hall.”

“Huh? There’s no need to go that far…”

“There should be some elixir left.”

Elixir?

Na Rin’s eyes lit up.

“Cough! Cough! I think I need to replenish my energy after all. Cough!”

“I thought as much. Let’s hurry!”

Well. Why.

Tell any martial artist who doesn’t like elixirs to come forward.

“You little brat!”

Na Rin’s pouting face as she walked with her mouth stretched out resembled an angry duck.

“Now, little one. We need to check your pulse to prescribe medicine. How can we just give you elixir without reason? Medicine can become poison depending on how it’s used… Hey! Don’t be stubborn! When I say no, it’s no!”

Tch. Old-fashioned fool.

It made sense to say you can’t give elixir without checking the pulse, but for Na Rin who had to hide her 120-year-old internal energy, it was like a bolt from the blue.

‘Oh no, my elixir! What a waste!’

It was unclear when exactly that elixir had become Na Rin’s possession.

“Isn’t it enough that your fake illness is cured?”

To make matters worse, Gong Son Wu was convinced Na Rin had been faking illness because she refused to have her pulse checked.

It’s unfair. Of course, it was a fake illness, but that’s not why she refused the pulse check!

Na Rin glared at Gong Son Wu and said:

“Don’t you have any medicine for growing a conscience?”

The hidden meaning was “If you had any conscience, shouldn’t you have managed to get me some elixir?”

Although it was the Medical King Hall Master’s decision not to give out elixir, it didn’t change the fact that Gong Son Wu, who had used Na Rin, hadn’t given any compensation.

Perhaps knowing this, Gong Son Wu cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

“If you really want it, there’s a way to get you elixir without going through the Medical King Hall.”

“Yes. Yes. How thoughtful of you. …Huh?”

Just then, Na Rin spotted a familiar face.

“No, really, I’m sick. Look at me, I’m like a walking corpse! Sir! Sir!”

‘It’s Ma Jung!’

The tall, kind-hearted man among the three guides.

Na Rin ran over excitedly, calling out:

“Uncle!”

“Huh? Well, if it isn’t Na Rin! You look much healthier!”

Ma Jung also seemed quite pleased to see Na Rin, smiling brightly.

“How have you been?”

“My, my. You’re asking what I was about to ask. Are you getting along well at the school?”

“So-so.”

“Haha! Is that so? Just so-so?”

After briefly exchanging greetings, Na Rin asked Ma Jung:

“But why are you at the Medical King Hall?”