'How did it come to this?'

Hyejin carefully recalled the past days.

He had come down from Mount Song with the beggars.

Until then, he had thought it was fine and would be fine.

Although they were beggars, they were not just beggars.

Until then, Hyejin's thoughts were so.

Until a certain old beggar had gambled away all his travel expenses as soon as he came down.

A poor journey that had begun as soon as he came down.

At that time, Hyejin had felt a slight sense of crisis, but it was still fine.

Since the original teachings of Buddhism were based on 'coming empty-handed and going empty-handed'.

Hyejin, who had composed himself, became fine.

Until he witnessed Hong Yungae fighting with a dog over food.

It also looked like a dog with an owner, not a wild dog, and he was fighting after snatching the dog's food.

From this point on, Hyejin's mind began to go slightly blank.

After that, the dog's owner appeared.

Fortunately, although Hong Yungae had snatched the dog's food, he did not rob the owner.

There, Hyejin felt a slight sense of relief, but after that, Hong Yungae, in return for the grace of the dog food, helped the dog owner who was being robbed by some ruffians.

If it had ended with just helping, Hyejin would not be in this state.

That help had soon grown and had degenerated into a brawl between the group of ruffians and the group of beggars.

In terms of fighting power, the ruffians were naturally stronger, but the beggars were numerous, and among those beggars, Hong Yungae was particularly strong, so the fight had ended in the beggars' victory.

-Magistrate! It's that guy!!

It turned out that the ruffians were just good citizens who had come to collect the money they had lent to the dog owner, and Hong Yungae had been taken to the county office.

Thanks to that, Hyejin was unable to go anywhere and had ended up staying near the county office with a young beggar who called himself Hong Yungae's confidant.

Since there were also numerous beggars following Hong Yungae around, the area around the county office looked as if it had been occupied by beggars.

No matter how much Hyejin wore a monk's robe, it was an environment where he could not help but be mistaken for a beggar.

But Hyejin was not a beggar.

Therefore, he did not beg, did not snatch dog food, and did not rummage through trash.

He went around for alms like a monk, but he did not have much income.

He had tried to eat the grass around, but the beggars had already swept it clean, and perhaps because of a famine, the plants themselves were not very visible, and the ground was dry and cracked.

'I'm hungry...'

For that reason, Hyejin was unintentionally on a fasting training.

'The village is so poor. Since there is no way to help, I should leave. If only Benefactor Hong is released quickly, I can leave the village...'

Near such a Hyejin, the beggars were butchering and roasting a skinny wild boar that they had caught from somewhere.

Although it was hard to bear the smell of meat that occasionally wafted from the inn, the smell of meat being roasted right next to him continued to tempt Hyejin.

Drip.

Saliva trickled down from the corner of Hyejin's mouth.

But as a monk, he could not eat meat.

Although when he was a novice monk, the people around him had given him a little meat for the reason that he needed nutrition, the current Hyejin was a body walking the path of a Buddhist practitioner who had passed the age of learning, so he could not eat meat.

"Mister, the wild boar tastes amazing, won't you have some?"

"As a body that has entered the Buddhist gate, I cannot eat meat. Amitabha."

"Hey, whether it's a plant or meat, it's all the same once it's in your stomach! A monk is really picky!"

Hyejin was momentarily tempted by the words of the young beggar who was offering him meat, but.

"Namu Amitabha, Namu Amitabha."

He endured with superhuman patience.

"Younger brother Hyejin is having a hard time."

"This is nothing..."

Hyejin turned his head at the familiar voice and then froze.

A handsome, well-built, and noble-looking young man he had never seen before was looking at him and smiling refreshingly.

"Who...?"

"You don't recognize me, younger brother Hyejin?"

Although his clothes themselves did not look very expensive, the man's atmosphere exuded nobility, and no matter how he thought about it, he had no memory of him.

But his tone and voice were familiar.

A voice as if he had just heard it.

Hyejin, with a look as if his mind were going blank, asked without confidence.

"Could it be... Benefactor Hong?"

"What's with the 'benefactor' between us? I told you to call me comfortably."

Hyejin's prediction was correct.

The handsome-looking man in front of him was Hong Yungae, who had had the impression of 'I am a beggar' written on him until just before he was caught.

"R-really, Benefactor Hong... no, Brother Hong?! No, what on earth...?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Hyejin was at a loss for words.

Hyejin, who was stuttering and spitting out words, not matching his large build.

"W-w-w-w, could it be that you have used a sorcery that takes over a person's body?!"

"No, what's with the sorcery... I was caught earlier, right? But there, they said I was dirty, so they gave me a bath, trimmed my hair, and gave me some clothes..."

Hong Yungae scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed and had an awkward face.

Looking at him like this, his actions themselves were indeed Hong Yungae's.

But his face, no matter how he looked at it, was not Hong Yungae's.

Hyejin, with his mouth open, was frozen for a while and then spat out the question that was strongly rising in his head.

"No! Why are you a beggar with that face?!"

"No, people keep telling me that my very name sounds like a beggar... isn't being a beggar my destiny?"

"Have you not checked your face?!"

"What beggar looks in a mirror? The price of a bronze mirror is expensive."

"No, even if it's not a bronze mirror, don't you see your face in things like water!"

"When a beggar sees water, he has to check if there are fish, where is the time to look at his face?"

Hyejin was frustrated.

He was so frustrated that he felt his insides would burst.

Wondering if this human was deceiving him, he carefully observed his impression, but no matter how he looked, it did not look like he was telling a lie.

'Namu Amitabha. Brother Hong has been a beggar since he was young, so he might not be aware. Therefore...'

Hyejin calmed his mind by chanting a Buddhist scripture in his heart.

"M-may I ask for your name, young master?"

"Namu Ami... shit!"

He had tried to calm down.

Seeing several women blushing and carefully talking to Hong Yungae, Hyejin's Buddhist faith was extinguished for a very short moment.

In place of the Buddhist scripture, the Fudo Myoo, which was burning like fire, took its place.

"Young master, I'm a beggar."

"Oh my, young master, you are also good at joking."

At Hong Yungae's truthful words, the woman giggled and blushed, and Hyejin almost bit his tongue.

"I'm really a beggar..."

"Then would you like some candy? Since you say you're a beggar, you won't refuse, right?"

"I will eat it with gratitude!!"

Receiving the candy that the woman had bought, he smiled brightly like a child and bowed, and Hyejin almost lost his mind.

Although that was what a beggar was, Hong Yungae's current appearance could by no means be called a beggar, so he was even more furious.

'This humble monk is a body that has entered the path of Buddhism. I am not jealous because a woman is blushing. It's just that Brother Hong's appearance is unsightly, so I have lost my composure for a moment. Namu Amitabha, Namu Amitabha.'

Hyejin continued to chant a Buddhist scripture and calmed his mind.

'Damn it, come to think of it, I've grown up in Shaolin since I was born, and the only woman I've properly met and talked to is about Senior Sister Su Yeohyang of Emei. I haven't even held a hand...'

Just before Hyejin's Buddhist faith was completely shattered, fortunately, the woman retreated at Hong Yungae's repeated emphasis on being a beggar.

Even as she retreated, she kept glancing at Hong Yungae, and Hyejin's anger rose again, but he somehow endured it.

Knowing that or not, Hong Yungae smiled brightly and approached Hyejin.

"Come to think of it, a monk can't eat meat, right? You can eat candy, right?"

He held out the candy.

Rumble.

Seeing the food, his stomach, which he had forgotten for a moment because of his anger, began to churn as if chanting a Buddhist scripture.

Hyejin reluctantly accepted the candy that Hong Yungae held out.

Then he carefully brought it to his mouth and took a bite.

Crunch.

The crispy texture of the candy and the sweetness of the malt syrup that coated it wrapped around his tongue, and then the refreshing and sour taste of the hawthorn gently washed away the sweetness.

Drip.

A single tear flowed from Hyejin's eyes.

At the sweet fruit obtained at the end of a long hunger, he became ashamed of the feelings he had held for Hong Yungae until now.

"Huh? Younger brother Hyejin? Were you that hungry? Why are you crying?"

"No. This is a tear that comes from being moved by Brother Hong's mercy."

"Making a fuss over a piece of candy... well, candy is a luxury food for a beggar to eat."

Regardless of whether Hong Yungae looked at him with disbelief, Hyejin shed tears and chewed the candy.

'Ah, the fruit at the end of ascetic practice is sweet.'

Although it seemed something was a little off, the Buddhist faith in his heart also became firm.

And so, after a short time.

Hong Yungae, who had confirmed that Hyejin had finished eating the candy, opened his mouth.

"Come to think of it, I haven't heard about Senior Zhang's whereabouts, but I heard a rather serious story."

"What is it?"

To Hyejin, who had completely regained his composure with a piece of candy, Hong Yungae continued to speak with a slightly serious look.

"I heard that the Namgung family has suffered a disaster close to annihilation due to an attack by an unknown faction."

"The Martial Alliance?"

At Hong Yungae's serious look, Hyejin also asked seriously.

"No, it doesn't seem to be that."

At the question, Hong Yungae shook his head.

"They say it's literally an unknown faction... well, what's bothering me is that its leader called himself the Heavenly Demon?"

"A demon who calls himself heaven, that's strange."

Although Hyejin reacted as if it were strange, Hong Yungae was quite serious inside.

'The word 'Heavenly Demon'... did the first senior sister I saw then say that she called herself that?'

Hong Yungae recalled the information about Baek Sowol that he had heard from Tang Yuhwa.

'Violent, calls herself the Heavenly Demon, and is leading some kind of faction?'

He had a memory of her appearance because he had seen her at the time of the Shaolin tragedy.

Recalling the sight of Baek Sowol rushing at Namgung Jehyun, Hong Yungae shivered.

'She certainly looked fierce.'

For now, it was a rumor, so he didn't know whether it was true or not.

But.

Hong Yungae decided that if he were to meet the first senior sister, he would quickly crawl on the floor on his own.

---

Although the rumor rode the wind and swept through the Central Plains, the source of that wind was already vibrating with only the smell of cold blood.

A few days before the tragedy of the Namgung family.

After the Shaolin tragedy, Baek Sowol headed for Mount Tian.

'To annihilate the Namgung family with my own hands...'

In Baek Sowol's head, Zhuge Hyun's words continued to echo.

-No matter what, the Namgung family will be annihilated. Not even a single blade of grass will be left. I still don't know if the Martial Alliance or the one behind it will do it.

Zhuge Hyun was convinced of the annihilation of the Namgung family.

Since Baek Sowol had also watched Namgung Jehyun's end, she had expected it to some extent, so she could accept those words without difficulty.

-However, if you take a hand in it, you can avoid a complete annihilation.

-Are you saying I should pretend to annihilate them and evacuate them?

-No.

Zhuge Hyun smiled crookedly.

That appearance looked like a heinous villain, and it also looked like a sad man who had lost his blood relatives.

-It can't be half-assed. At least half... no. Two-thirds must be killed. And cruelly at that.

At Zhuge Hyun's words, Baek Sowol could not answer.

An act close to the annihilation of a family.

Could she do that act?

Even if it was the family of her enemy...

Seeing the hesitating Baek Sowol, Zhuge Hyun turned his back.

-Whether you do it or not is up to you. I will also move according to your actions, so I hope you will decide as soon as possible.

With those words, Zhuge Hyun left without looking back, throwing a bundle to Baek Sowol.

Baek Sowol stood there blankly for a while, unable to say anything, and then was finally able to move her feet.

And so, as time passed.

Baek Sowol arrived at Mount Tian after a long journey.

The path that had taken her years to walk when she had first come to Mount Tian, because she did not know the way.

Although she knew all the way now, since Mount Tian was quite a long distance, it had taken quite a few days.

During the journey, Baek Sowol had been constantly worrying.

She had also gotten a lot of blood on her hands during the journey.

Although that blood was the blood of villains like mountain bandits.

At the sight of herself easily committing slaughter, Baek Sowol was able to come to an answer to her worries to some extent.

"I will strike the Namgung."

Her enemy, Namgung Jehyun.

In the end, he had regretted his past, had passed on his internal energy to Baek Sowol, and had walked into the imperial palace alone with a single sword.

The noble back of the king could not be seen after that.

Although he was an enemy, she had received his grace, and in the end, he was a being who had told her who the real enemy was.

Therefore, Baek Sowol decided to repay his grace.

Even if it meant half-annihilating the Namgung family...