“Ah. That’s the thing. Um. Bi Cha is not doing well.”

Na Rin recalled Bi Cha’s appearance that she had glimpsed near Chilseong-ga.

It certainly wasn’t the face of someone doing well.

“I saw him too. He looked like a zombie.”

“Right? But no matter how much I ask what happened, he won’t say a word. I thought I had no choice but to bring a doctor… but it seems he’s busy.”

“I think I can solve that problem.”

Gong Son Wu smoothly interjected.

Ma Jung then cautiously gave Na Rin a look that said ‘Who is this person…?’

It would be better not to hear.

“I am Gong Son Wu, a Guardian Spirit.”

And that’s exactly what the man called Gong Son Wu said unnecessarily.

“Gu-Gu-Guar-Guardian Spi-Spirit…?!”

Na Rin patted the back of Ma Jung, who looked like he might fall over backwards any moment, and said:

“Calm down. He’s a person… probably, and won’t harm… you. Probably.”

“I’m hurt. When have I ever harmed you?”

“Today.”

Na Rin looked at Gong Son Wu seriously and said emphatically.

“Today.”

“Ahem.”

Gong Son Wu cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze.

“Anyway, I’ll help with the doctor. I owe you for today, so let me repay a little.”

“You’re really repaying just a little.”

“They say many a little makes a mickle, don’t they?”

That’s not really how you use that phrase.

Gong Son Wu hummed happily to himself as he entered the doctor’s office alone.

As soon as Gong Son Wu left, Ma Jung grabbed Na Rin’s shoulders and bombarded her with questions.

“Na Rin. What’s all this about? A Guardian Spirit?! Weren’t you supposed to enter a school? How did you end up connected to a Guardian Spirit? And owing? Him? To you?”

Na Rin made a slightly troubled expression at Ma Jung’s very reasonable questions, then smiled brightly.

“It’s better not to know.”

“…”

“Really.”

Ma Jung just nodded, thinking that might actually be true.

“It’s done!”

Gong Son Wu came out of the doctor’s office with a pale-faced doctor following behind, having received confirmation for a house call almost immediately after entering.

“I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be going now, but if the doctor is careless with the examination, come and tell me.”

“I understand.”

Gong Son Wu spoke loudly enough for the doctor to hear, then sauntered off.

While Na Rin couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the unlucky doctor who had been singled out, she thought it was just desserts for turning Ma Jung away at the door.

[This is the timeline separator]

Crash!

“Get back, you demons!”

“Bi Cha! Why are you like this, really! Come to your senses!”

“Don’t yell at him. He’s having a fit of delirium.”

“Don’t come near me!”

A room in shambles. Disheveled hair. Bloodshot eyes.

Trembling hands holding a piece of porcelain.

If one were to draw a picture of an insane person, it would look exactly like Bi Cha right now.

‘Hmm. This doesn’t seem like an ordinary situation.’

Na Rin asked the doctor.

“Would it be dangerous to press his acupoints?”

“In this situation, not pressing them would be more dangerous. Hey, could you press his acupoints for me?”

Ma Jung nodded and pressed Bi Cha’s acupoints.

As Bi Cha collapsed like a puppet with cut strings and fell asleep, the doctor examined various parts of his body.

“His qi and blood are weak and unstable. How long has he been like this?”

“Not long. About two or three days, I think.”

“Did he eat anything unusual?”

“Well…”

Ma Jung thought for a moment, then spoke up as if something came to mind.

“Come to think of it, I heard he ate something he doesn’t usually eat.”

“What was it?”

“He bragged about sharing some Western snacks he bought from a caravan with his sweetheart.”

Na Rin’s ears caught a phrase she couldn’t possibly ignore.

“Sweetheart?”

Na Rin’s mood changed completely.

It felt like a chilly North Sea wind had settled on her shoulders.

“…Bi Cha has a sweetheart?”

“Y-yes. Someone he’s known for a long time, and they’re about to get married…”

“Married?!”

Na Rin’s eyes rolled wildly.

While some people are dedicating their entire lives to prevent an upcoming war, struggling desperately!

Others are happily laughing and eating snacks with their sweethearts! Drinking tea!

Honey, where should we have our newlywed home? How many children should we have?

Is that what they’re saying?!

“Who said they could get married! I’ll kill them!”

“Calm down, calm down! He’s a patient!”

“Aaaargh! Break up!”

Ma Jung couldn’t understand why Na Rin was throwing such a fit.

Could she actually be Bi Cha’s hidden daughter?

Otherwise, why on earth would she be so angry?

“A-Anyway, we need to examine those snacks. Even if they’re not poisoned, since they’re from a caravan, they might have gone bad on the long journey.”

“Then we should go to the caravan and ask around about what kind of snacks Bi Cha bought…”

“No!”

Na Rin’s eyes flashed.

“Let’s go meet this sweetheart person.”

“…”

“Now!”

Ma Jung felt unnecessarily sorry for Bi Cha.

“You said you had business with me?”

A woman with her hair neatly tied back and no makeup blinked curiously.

Though not excessively adorned, her clean attire gave off a neat impression of a beautiful woman.

‘She’s pure. Pretty.’

No matter how he looked at it, she seemed too good for Bi Cha.

“Are you Bi Cha’s sweetheart?”

When Na Rin asked, the woman’s face turned slightly red as she lowered her voice.

“I am. But who are you?”

“I’m Bi Cha’s hidden daugh-”

“She’s a new member Bi Cha brought to the church. Jung Hee.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Tch.”

Na Rin glared at Ma Jung as if to say ‘why are you interfering?’, but Ma Jung pretended not to notice.

There’s no reason to break up a well-matched couple, after all.

“The thing is, Bi Cha’s health hasn’t been good lately. We were wondering if you knew anything about it.”

Jung Hee’s eyes changed.

“Oh, what’s wrong? How bad is it?”

“Jung Hee, please calm down. The doctor is here too, and his life isn’t in danger. Right?”

The doctor nodded, and only then did Jung Hee seem to relax, stroking her chest.

“It seems you didn’t know his condition had worsened. When did you last see him?”

“Three days ago. He came to my house to give me a gift he bought from the caravan.”

“Can we go there too?”

Jung Hee seemed a bit flustered but soon nodded.

She seemed to think that finding out why Bi Cha had fallen ill was more important than showing her private space.

“Come this way. I’ll bring the snacks that Bi gave me.”

“Bi~ darling?”

Na Rin widened her eyes at the affectionate term between lovers that she had never uttered in her life.

Bi Cha, of all people! Bi Cha, of all people! To be called darling!

“…? Is there, a problem?”

“No. No problem.”

Ma Jung held Na Rin back and gestured to Jung Hee to go ahead.

“What’s really wrong with you? Did you perhaps have feelings for Bi Cha?”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“That’s why I’m asking. Because you seem crazy!”

Na Rin snorted.

‘No one can understand this feeling. Living through 11 cycles, worrying about my life instead of dating, what’s wrong with feeling a bit jealous of others’ peaceful romance.’

Na Rin knows Bi Cha is not at fault.

But what can she do about feeling upset?

I want to call someone ‘darling’ at least once too.

Sadly, Na Rin wasn’t very popular.

Not only in her previous lives, but even in the Murim Alliance Search Party where she gathered young men and women under the name of Hugi Jisu, she couldn’t even have a single romantic conversation.

‘Why wasn’t I popular? Aren’t I pretty enough? I’m good at sword fighting too.’

That’s because Na Rin always came back covered in blood whenever she went out.

The person in question doesn’t even understand why that’s a problem.

“I brought the snacks.”

Oh?

Na Rin’s eyes widened at the snacks Jung Hee brought.

This snack is definitely…

“It’s lokum!”

“You know this snack?”

Na Rin nodded.

The Western snack that the Sun Moon Goddess had let Na Rin taste.

Lokum, chewy like rice cake, sticky like taffy, melting softly like noodles, and overwhelmingly sweet.

‘The Sun Moon Goddess said it was extremely expensive.’

Bi Cha had given that lokum to Jung Hee as a gift.

So sweet. Really.

“Lokum is different from other snacks. It doesn’t spoil easily even after several months.”

At Na Rin’s words, the doctor tasted a small piece of lokum and nodded.

“Indeed, it seems to have high sugar content, which would increase its preservation. The chance of it spoiling is low.”

“Jung Hee, did Bi Cha perhaps bring any other food items?”

“Other food?”

When Jung Hee shook her head, Ma Jung’s face visibly darkened.

Seeing this, Jung Hee seemed to think she should say something and quickly stood up.

“I’m not sure if this will help, but…”

What Jung Hee brought was a teapot made in the Central Plains style.

The blue and white porcelain, with its white background densely painted with blue flowers and butterflies, looked precious at a glance.

“He said he bought this teapot from the caravan too. The tea leaves were bought from the church, so they probably don’t mean much.”

“It’s a Central Plains item?”

“Caravans don’t just move in one direction.”

True, if there are people going from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, there must be people going from the Central Plains to the Western Regions too.

Even so, it’s strange that they would transport heavy and fragile porcelain instead of light and easy-to-sell silk or tea leaves.

“It must be from the Golden Moon Trading Company.”

Jung Hee said.

“Bi has been trading with the Golden Moon Trading Company for quite a while now, for my sake since I’m from the Central Plains. He specially ordered this teapot for me…”

Clack.

Na Rin opened the lid of the teapot.

A fragrant flower scent wafted up from the dried tea leaves that hadn’t been washed. Na Rin pinched some tea leaves with her fingertips and put them in her mouth.

“Ugh, bitter!”

“Of course it’s bitter if you eat the tea leaves directly.”

“Sister, is this jasmine tea?”

“Yes. It’s Bi’s favorite tea. He says the scent reminds him of me.”

Jung Hee blushed slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“Did you drink it together?”

“No. I only ate the snacks.”

“Why is that?”

At Ma Jung’s question, Jung Hee couldn’t hide her flustered expression and averted her gaze.

“That’s…”

“It’s fine if you didn’t eat it.”

Na Rin said as she closed the lid of the teapot.

“I’ll borrow this for a bit.”

“…? Alright.”

“Na Rin. What are you planning to do?”

To Ma Jung’s question, Na Rin replied with a face that seemed to say ‘isn’t it obvious?’

“I’m going to catch the person who poisoned Bi Cha.”

Ma Jung was startled.

“Are you saying someone poisoned Bi Cha? And you know who it is?”

“I don’t know who it is.”

“Then how do you plan to catch them…”

“I can catch them even if I don’t know who it is.”

What does she mean she can catch them even if she doesn’t know who it is?

While Ma Jung was confused, Jung Hee washed the teapot, wrapped it in a cloth, and handed it to Na Rin.

Na Rin carefully cradled the teapot to prevent it from breaking and said:

“Sister, you should rest here. Don’t go to Bi Cha’s place for now since he’s a bit strange right now.”

“…Alright.”

“Everything will be fine.”

At Na Rin’s words, Jung Hee nodded with a sheepish smile, as if her thoughts had been seen through.

“Good. Let’s depart now.”

Na Rin stepped out of Bi Cha’s house with light steps.

But Ma Jung and the doctor just stood still, staring blankly at Na Rin.

“What are you doing? We need to go!”

“Where are we going?”

Na Rin’s eyes blinked, blinked.

“…Didn’t I tell you?”

“You didn’t.”

“You didn’t.”

Oh, did I not mention that?

Na Rin cleared her throat a bit embarrassedly and said:

“To the Golden Moon Trading Company!”