‘Where did it all go wrong?’
Was it the fact that I had knowledge of the original story but chose not to intervene?
Did I think everything would be fine just because Weijichun was dead?
There could be countless reasons for how things turned out like this.
But one thing was clear: even with Weijichun, the mastermind behind all these events, dead, the original story was still trying to unfold.
“Ugh…”
With a grimace from the sharp pain in my back, I slightly lifted my head.
‘That was close.’
If I hadn’t been wearing my training lead armor, I would have been completely incapacitated.
I glanced sideways at the arrow that had fallen to the ground instead of embedding itself in my back and carefully surveyed my surroundings.
‘The bastard who shot that bow must be nearby.’
First and foremost, I had to find a place to hide where he wouldn’t see me.
And there was only one such place I could recall.
‘The secret training ground of the Dokgo family.’
I could treat Kyungah unnie once I had secured my safety.
Having made my decision, I slowly slipped out of my lead armor while still on the ground, wrapped it around the fallen Kyungah unnie, and quickly lifted her onto my back.
Then, using the light-footed techniques I learned from Dokgorin, I dashed forward.
Wham!
Even carrying someone, my movements were as light as a feather.
Having focused on learning the evasive skills under the martial arts master Muryeongsa for nearly two years, I was confident in my ability to escape.
Perhaps the guy who got shot didn’t expect to get back up and chase us, as I could feel someone hurrying up from behind.
But this was the Dokgo household—my home ground.
Unless they had pre-researched the structure of the estate, it was nearly impossible for them to pursue me through this vast complex.
Leaping over a wall twice my height, I dashed between rooftops; glancing back, I noticed two men clad in black were in hot pursuit.
‘Looks like it’s not going to be easy to shake them off.’
They were probably much more skilled than I was.
However, just because there was a skill gap didn’t mean I couldn’t win.
I leapt from the roof into a narrow alley while setting up traps using the enhanced threads of the Gyeongja.
Simple yet effective, these traps could easily go unnoticed if one was not careful.
Setting the traps and fleeing at the same time.
While running without looking back, I felt a sudden impact on one of the threads I’d set.
Probably someone was chasing us recklessly and didn’t notice the trap, rushing straight into it.
I quickly yanked on the thread connected to my fingers.
In an instant, it tightened and then loosened.
The guy caught in my trap had probably become unrecognizable mush by now.
‘…I had no choice.’
The martial world fundamentally operates on the law of the jungle.
If I didn’t kill my opponent, I’d be the one to die.
This neighborhood didn’t abide by modern common sense.
Having shaken off the initial hesitation of my first kill, I severed the thread and resumed running frantically.
With a comrade dead due to my complacency, the remaining one would surely come after us with all his might.
*
Finally, the long and winding adulthood ceremony came to an end.
Fiddling with the hairpin that my mother, Tang Miryeong, had stuck in my hair during the last ritual, I noticed that Chilbok was nowhere to be found.
‘Where did he go?’
I had seen him among the servants watching the ceremony until just earlier.
But now, he was nowhere in sight within the shrine.
Just as I was about to step out to look for him, my oldest brother, Dokgohyeok, approached me.
“Happy birthday, Rin.”
Beside him stood his wife, Chae Yoonseol.
“Miss, I congratulate you too.”
“Thank you, big brother, sister-in-law.”
To be honest, interacting with them was a bit bothersome, but I knew my mother would scold me if I didn’t greet them properly.
So, against my will, I engaged in formal conversation with Dokgohyeok and his wife, when suddenly my second brother, Dokgoseok, fluttered over with his fan as usual.
“I can’t believe our little Rin has already come of age. I remember when she was just a little acorn.”
“…Just stick to congratulating or teasing, please.”
“Hmm, I feel like doing both.”
Saying so, Dokgoseok chuckled.
“…….”
I shot a disgruntled glare at Dokgoseok standing before me.
At first, I thought he had betrayed me, so I didn’t trust his outward kindness, but after observing him closely for two years, I concluded he wasn’t the sort of trash who’d sell me out.
In reality, there wasn’t any clear evidence to support that suspicion.
It could’ve just been something Weijichun said to provoke me.
Having sorted my thoughts, I let out a small sigh and spoke.
“Anyway, thank you for the congratulations, brother.”
Dokgoseok looked startled and turned to Dokgohyeok.
“Brother, did the sun rise in the west today?”
“That can’t be the case.”
“But Rin thanked me, you know?”
With that remark, he looked back at me with a serious expression.
“Did she perhaps finish her rebellious phase as a coming-of-age gift?”
“…May I punch you just once, brother?”
“I’ll kindly decline. Your punch seems like it might sting.”
Raising both hands, Dokgoseok smiled, as if he were in a good mood, and continued to grin.
Apparently, he was quite happy to have received my gratitude.
‘Such simplicity.’
Seeing him in that state softened my heart a bit, but I then said I’d go change since my clothes were uncomfortable before making my exit from the shrine ahead of the others.
‘Where on earth did Chilbok go?’
He likely hadn’t wandered far, but since he wasn’t in sight, I felt a bit anxious.
Chilbok underestimated himself, yet he was incredibly popular.
I had witnessed the strange glances other maids cast at him more than once.
If I could, I’d want him by my side at all times, but he deserved freedom too, so I wouldn’t intervene excessively.
If I ended up pushing him away and he chose to leave, I wouldn’t be able to handle the heartache.
Ultimately, giving up on finding Chilbok first, I decided to change my clothes in my room in the annex.
*
Dressed in a black martial robe adorned with a silver dragon and a white overcoat, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror.
Originally black, but now reflecting a pale green hue in the light, my hair and eyes gleamed like a predator’s even in the dark.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say uranium flowed through the veins in my body instead of blood.
Thanks to the psychic abilities bestowed by my grandfather, the Poison King, Tang Hochang, I had been able to build resistance against the uranium I had continuously consumed without falling victim to poisoning.
‘In about a year more of training, I should be able to complete my foundation.’
By then, I wouldn’t have to worry about Chilbok being exposed to radiation anymore.
It would even be fine to engage in a physical relationship.
Pregnancy would also become a possibility.
Before leaving the room, I took one last look in the mirror to adjust my clothing, then opened the door to step out.
And that’s when I noticed.
The light that had been illuminating the annex moments ago was not from lanterns but from a blazing red fire.
In the absurdly unreal scene, I found myself momentarily stunned.
‘…Why?’
And it dawned on me.
I remembered the fortune teller I had encountered while passing through the village not long ago.
[It seems the girl will face a great trial in the near future. Even if she prepares on her own, it won’t hold much significance. A predetermined future is not something that can be easily changed.]
‘Was the great trial the fortune teller mentioned happening right now?’
In my memories before the regression, the ones who attacked the Dokgo household were the black-clad minions of Weijichun.
Yet now, Weijichun was dead, and yet the same events were occurring all over again.
If that were the case, could it be that the one leading the assault on the Dokgo household was not Weijichun, but a third party?
Who could it be? And why?
But now was not the time to ponder such questions.
While I hesitated, the servants inside were being slaughtered by the black-cloaked assailants.
‘I have my father, mother, and two brothers in the shrine.’
Especially considering my father, Dokgojin—one of the top ten martial artists in the world—he wouldn’t fall easily.
Since Weijichun, the expert of the enemies, was out of the picture.
Thus, what I needed to do was find Chilbok and protect him wherever he was in the Dokgo estate.
‘Please, don’t die. Hang in there, Chilbok.’
Praying earnestly, I leaped atop the highest building nearby to secure a better line of sight.
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