So, the Purple Demon God Art versus the Violet Lightning Demon Art.

Isn’t this like asking Na Rin, “Do you want to join the Hwasan Sect or the Demon Cult?”

“Is this what they mean by the wheel of fate?”

Should she make an important decision that will determine Na Rin’s future, like a wheel that can roll in either direction?

“Ugh.”

Hwasan is undoubtedly the one who raised Na Rin as a warrior.

All the martial arts listed in the status window are Hwasan Sect martial arts, and the Seven Joint Plum Blossom Sword she aims for is also a Hwasan Sect martial art. So it’s natural to learn the Purple Demon God Art for consistency.

“But looking at it differently, I’ve only lived one life as a Hwasan Sect warrior.”

And even then, I died betrayed by my sect, so why stick to Hwasan Sect martial arts? Maybe it’s the right decision to change direction to the Demon Cult side to match my identity as the Demon Cult Leader’s daughter.

“There’s no need to choose in a hurry, right?”

Ja Ha, unable to watch Na Rin grabbing her head and groaning, said.

“We have plenty of time, so let’s read both secret manuals and think about it slowly.”

And he handed both papers with the martial arts names written on them to Na Rin.

“Is that so?”

Now that he mentions it, that might be true.

Na Rin has the key to the Celestial Demon Secrets, so there’s plenty of time, and Gong Son Wu never told Na Rin to cultivate a new martial art right away.

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

Na Rin obediently nodded and accepted the two papers.

“As expected of the library fairy. You know the answer to every problem.”

Ah!

Na Rin spoke as if she suddenly remembered something.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to offer tribute!”

“Huh?”

“Wait a moment, Elder Brother.”

Na Rin untied the bundle she had brought and took out a small table and snacks, carefully setting the table.

“You’re going to do that again…?”

“Of course I have to! They say you must show sincerity to avoid misfortune when indebted to a fairy or goblin.”

“Is there such a saying?”

Ja Ha awkwardly scratched his head.

Even though quite some time had passed since they first met, Na Rin still seemed to believe he was a fairy.

“I can’t say I’m not at this point, geez.”

In the meantime, Na Rin, who had finished setting the table, said with a big smile.

“Here’s the tribute, Elder Brother! It’s bean rice cakes today!”

Ja Ha looked down at the beautifully arranged bean rice cakes and green tea brewed with water heated by Three Flavors True Fire on the table and smiled awkwardly.

“Tribute, not a gift.”

The name was a bit uncomfortable, but there was nothing wrong with sharing tea with Na Rin. Ja Ha dutifully played along with Na Rin’s tribute game and reached for the bean rice cake.

“Is it to your liking, Elder Brother?”

“Hmm.”

Ja Ha swallowed the soft bean rice cake in one gulp, then drank the green tea next to it and glanced at Na Rin’s expression.

Eyes mixed with half anticipation and half anxiety.

Even without deliberately reading it, it was easy to know her inner thoughts.

“It’s very delicious.”

“Right!”

Na Rin smiled brightly.

“You know, when I tried it, the chewy rice cake with the savory black beans embedded in it went really well with the green tea. The moment I took a bite, I thought, ‘I must feed this to Elder Brother too!'”

Ja Ha looked at Na Rin chattering excitedly with a warm feeling, then teased her in a playful voice.

“Oh? You thought of me?”

“Yes, I did.”

Ja Ha added one more thing to Na Rin, who readily agreed without knowing what was strange.

“Does Young Lady Na Rin think of me so often?”

“That’s…!”

Na Rin’s eyes widened like bean rice cakes in surprise.

“Elder Brother, you’re teasing me again!”

“When did I tease you? You’re the one thinking of me all the time.”

“Hmph. It’s not all the time.”

“Then shall we check?”

When Ja Ha slightly raised his body, Na Rin pressed her lips tightly.

She had a strong feeling that she shouldn’t let her mind be read right now.

“Ah, no.”

Na Rin quietly stepped back and sat about a step away.

Then Ja Ha narrowed the distance by exactly the amount Na Rin had moved away and asked.

“Why?”

“I said no!”

“So, why.”

“That’s…”

Na Rin avoided his gaze, feeling heat rising to her face. Showing her heart to Ja Ha felt as embarrassing as exposing her bare skin.

“That’s?”

“Be-because I’m thinking of Elder Brother right now…”

Na Rin answered in a low voice, her face turning red like an apple and her head bowed deeply. How could Ja Ha not tease her like this?

“But I…”

“What is it?”

“I think of Young Lady Na Rin all the time.”

Crash!

The snack tray was overturned.

Because Na Rin kicked the table as she abruptly stood up.

“Pla…!”

“Pla?”

“Playboy Elder Brother!”

And then she ran away with a bright red face.

“Pfft…! Hahaha!”

Ja Ha roared with laughter, slapping the floor as he watched Na Rin’s back moving away.

“Playboy!”

Where did she learn such a phrase?

He knew it was ungentlemanly to tease his young sister, but how could he stop when she showed such amusing reactions?

“She’s really cute.”

Ja Ha chuckled, recalling what had just happened. He couldn’t give up the Celestial Demon Secrets for this fun.

“I’ve already memorized all the books in the Bimang Pavilion long ago though.”

Hwa-an-geum-jeong (Fire Eyes Golden Pupils).

The name for Ja Ha’s special golden eyes.

An ability to not only see through people’s innermost thoughts but also instantly memorize any book he reads and fully grasp and understand its hidden true meaning.

Ja Ha had this ability from birth.

And one more thing.

He had another special ability acquired later.

“I should head back too.”

Between bookshelves filled with books.

When a person’s shadow fleetingly shone through the paper and their presence flickered as if there and not there.

Ja Ha could cross worlds in a single step.

“I can tell just by the whiff of bamboo scent.”

That he had returned to his sect, tens of thousands of miles away from the distant Xinjiang land where Mount Sumeru was located.

Creak.

The sound of the old wooden floor twisting was heard.

It was the presence of a person.

“You went to the Bimang Pavilion again.”

“Master.”

Ja Ha quickly bowed to his master, who clicked his tongue and looked at him sideways, as if he had been waiting.

Ja Ha’s master. Hye Gang, the Sect Leader of Seosaeng Sect.

With his gray hair neatly tied up like diluted ink, Hye Gang’s appearance exuded a dignified aura that would make anyone call him a “great man” even if they didn’t know him.

Hye Gang scolded Ja Ha in a stern tone.

“A disciple of Seosaeng Sect can access the libraries of the world like his own home through the Infinite Library. But why do you keep frequenting the same library?”

“…”

“Have you completely given up on studying?”

“No, Master.”

“Then answer me. What on earth is in the Bimang Pavilion that you keep going there for months!”

At Hye Gang’s shout, Ja Ha bit his lips in a troubled manner.

It seemed he couldn’t easily get away this time.

“I knew a day like this would come someday…”

The sect Ja Ha belonged to, Seosaeng Sect, was a somewhat peculiar sect.

It was peculiar in that it was a single-inheritance sect passed down by only one master and one disciple, and even though it was a martial arts sect in name, it only produced scholar-like people.

Most peculiar of all, it was a secretive sect that had not ventured out into the world for hundreds of years.

Ja Ha swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth.

“I… met someone.”

“Someone?”

Hye Gang’s eyebrows wriggled like a snake.

“Are you saying you didn’t go to read books? Even though you know a disciple of Seosaeng Sect must not form ties with people!”

At Hye Gang’s sharp rebuke, Ja Ha nodded his head with a tense face.

“That child did not run away even after knowing about my eyes. So I became curious, and the more I got to know her, the more interesting she was, so I got close to her.”

As he spoke, his emotions seemed to swell, and Ja Ha’s voice gradually grew louder.

“Master, why must I not form ties with people? All the books in the world are written by people, so I don’t understand why I can’t get close to people.”

“If I tell you the reason, will you stop going to the Bimang Pavilion?”

Ja Ha could not answer.

Even if he couldn’t win the argument with his master, he couldn’t help being drawn to her.

Seeing this, Hye Gang let out a deep sigh.

“Ja Ha.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Are you lonely?”

“…”

Ja Ha nodded.

Because of the ability of the Hwa-an-geum-jeong that could read one’s inner thoughts just by making eye contact, Ja Ha was abandoned by his parents at a young age. No relatives, friends, or anyone else took care of Ja Ha.

So Hye Gang had thought.

If it was this child whom everyone had abandoned, he could become the next sect leader of Seosaeng Sect and view the world only through books.

“To think he would meet someone who doesn’t fear the Hwa-an-geum-jeong.”

It was Ja Ha’s first human relationship since he was starved for affection. If he forcibly separated them, it would only strengthen his rebellious spirit.

Hye Gang said.

“Do as you wish.”

Joy filled Ja Ha’s eyes.

He hadn’t expected to be granted permission, so it was even more so.

“Do you really mean it?”

“However, I cannot overlook you neglecting your studies and only frequenting the Bimang Pavilion. You should try to reduce the number of visits to the Bimang Pavilion and devote yourself to studying as before during the remaining time.”

“I understand, Master. Thank you!”

Is it really a good thing?

Hye Gang clicked his tongue, making tsk-tsk sounds.

“You’ll only know fire is hot if you get burned.”

Ja Ha was young now, and the child he met would be young too.

It wasn’t strange that being exposed through the Hwa-an-geum-jeong wasn’t scary because they had lived short lives so far.

“But someday, that child will definitely come to dread Ja Ha’s existence.”

Then Ja Ha would also realize.

That the only way to avoid loneliness is to endure pain.

“You’re building a house?”

The xiaolongbao dangling precariously at the end of Na Rin’s chopsticks fell with a plop. The dumpling skin burst, splattering the soup inside onto the plate in front with a “splat!”

“Ah, hot!”

The maid quickly wiped the splattered soup.

Na Rin waved her hands, saying it was okay, and returned to the conversation.

“Why are you suddenly building a house?”

“Somyeong Palace doesn’t have quarters for you.”

It was an absurd statement.

The Chinese character “gong (宮)” itself originally started from a pictorial representation of multiple buildings gathered together.

“Are you saying there isn’t a single room among the many halls in Somyeong Palace that I can use as my quarters?”

Na Rin asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

“You have another motive, don’t you?”

“It seems you’ve given up on etiquette studies.”

Na Rin pouted her lips.

She couldn’t stand the thought that she wasn’t making progress even though she had been studying etiquette under Yeo Bi Jo’s strict guidance recently.

“Young lady, I am deeply curious about Father’s intentions.”

“Hmm.”

Dokgo Cheon finally nodded.

He was educating her to be careful with her words and actions from early on because she could be picked on for trivial matters once she entered Somyeong Palace.

“Not every young master or young lady of the Demon Cult has their own hall. But it doesn’t look good for a young lady who has received a character to be dependent on another hall.”

“Is that so?”

“There’s also the issue of public opinion.”

Public opinion?

Na Rin tilted her head as if puzzled.

Usually, Dokgo Cheon would provide additional explanations on his own in this case.

“…”

“…?”

Na Rin cautiously opened her mouth at Dokgo Cheon’s unusual silence today.

“What issue are you referring to…?”

“Hmm.”

So this was it.

For some reason, he felt extremely tired.

Na Rin protruded her lips and grumbled.

“I hate talking to Dad.”

“…!”

Dokgo Cheon’s jade-like eyes shook violently.