The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

The Jinhua Pavilion was quiet.

Due to yesterday’s incident, most people had gone to the martial arts arena, making the Jinhua Pavilion feel empty.

As I was passing through the first floor, someone tugged at my clothes. When I lowered my head, Harang was looking up at me, tilting his head.

I stared quietly at the shining golden eyes, then lowered my body and picked up Harang in my arms.

I brought my finger to Harang’s mouth. In the past, Harang would have bitten my finger readily, but today he just shook his head and nuzzled his face against my chest.

The soft feeling of hair like fur felt as if he was comforting me. I quietly stroked Harang’s head and entered the room where Nam Sojeong was sleeping.

-The Qi-Dispersing Powder causes more extreme pain the purer the inner energy is. A family that handles poisons would never do such a foolish thing as trying to deal with a Demon Cult master using precious Qi-Dispersing Powder.

Harang looked at Nam Sojeong, then raised his gaze to me. I smiled faintly at Harang, then turned my head back to Nam Sojeong.

-So, that poison wasn’t aimed at that woman, but at the only person in the Demon Cult who trained martial arts based on purity… Moyong Sowol, it was aimed at you.

My heart ached. In the end, was it my fault?

The sweets I had given to Nam Sojeong and Beon Yang.

That must have been the problem. Joo Hwarin checks my food first, but the sweets I gave to Nam Sojeong and Beon Yang hadn’t been checked yet.

-Aren’t there too many people who want you dead?

Jeok Biwol’s voice echoed in my head.

How did it come to this? I turned my head to forcibly avert my gaze from Nam Sojeong.

As I was biting my lip, caught up in complicated emotions, Eun Do’s voice transmission arrived.

[Young Madam.]

[How did it go?]

[Beon Yang didn’t eat the sweets, so we recovered them.]

[Please check if the Qi-Dispersing Powder is in them, and if it is, investigate the person who brought those sweets and trace the route.]

[Understood. However, you told me not to inform the Young Cult Leader about this… Are you planning to hide it?]

[I’ll tell him when the time comes. Please keep it hidden until then.]

[As you command.]

I let out a small sigh after finishing the voice transmission with Eun Do.

A life where everyone wishes for my death…

Was it wrong to forcibly escape death? If fate exists and there is a natural order, did I disrupt that order? Is that why everyone wishes for my death?

[Moyong Sowol, whom everyone wishes dead.]

It was quite ironic. When I was struggling to live, no one helped me, but now they pray for my death.

I lowered my head at the warm feeling touching my cheek.

Harang was looking at me with a worried face.

“Uung…?”

I covered his small hand with mine and smiled slowly.

“Are you worried about me?”

As if understanding my words, Harang nodded. Then he caressed my other cheek with his opposite hand.

Though it was a small child’s hand, its warmth spread faintly as if healing me.

I lightly kissed Harang’s cheek, then smiled slightly, and Harang finally brightened his expression.

“Kyaha!”

I wonder when he will become an adult.

As I was stroking Harang’s head and imagining what Harang would look like as a tiger, I saw Joo Hwarin coming down the stairs.

“You’re back?”

“Yes. The Jinhua Pavilion is quiet today.”

“It’s probably because both the Vice Cult Leader and the Blood Flow Thousand Wolves Corps Leader went to the main tournament arena. The atmosphere is unsettled due to yesterday’s incident.”

Understandably so. It was bound to be sensitive when none other than a daughter of the Ink Stained Nam clan had collapsed from poison.

Joo Hwarin skillfully took Harang, who was clinging tightly to me, into her arms.

I think I’ll go out for a bit too.

“Are you going to the martial arts arena?”

“I’m thinking about it. There’s nothing to do here anyway. And I feel a bit bad for dumping all the work on Dojin.”

“The Young Cult Leader said he wanted you not to come to the arena even if you got better. He said you should be careful even if your cold gets better.”

“I’ll just go and take a quick look.”

I didn’t particularly want to worry Hyuk Dojin. I put on a bamboo hat and stroked Harang’s head.

I answered Harang’s bright smile with a smile of my own, then turned my body.

* * *

The huge martial arts arena located outside the Murim Alliance was still bustling with people.

I carefully avoided the chaotic path where overflowing people were coming and going and bumping into each other, and sat down in the middle to look down at the martial arts arena.

Out of the original 64 martial arts arenas, only 6 were being used now. Is it because there are fewer people?

“Oh! Is that the Red Dragon Eighteen Saber of the Diancang Sect?! It’s amazing!”

“He split a sword wrapped in inner energy in two. What tremendous strength!”

“They say a thousand days of sword, ten thousand days of saber. How long has it been since the Diancang Sect produced a saber master?!”

I turned my head in the direction people were pointing. A man holding a huge saber was standing solemnly, looking down at someone staring blankly at their sword that had just been split in two.

“As expected, the Demon Cult bastards are no match for the Righteous Sect!”

“Of course! How strong could those who insist that might makes right be? Ignorant bastards who only have blood and slaughter in their heads don’t make sense to compare to the Righteous Sect!”

I let out a small laugh at the voices of the spectators. I was like that at first too, but as expected.

In the Murim Alliance, the gathering place and center of the Righteous Sect, the Demon Cult was the villain.

While I was watching other people’s martial arts matches with my chin propped up, when the match ended and people changed, a tremendous cheer was heard.

“Mount Hua’s First Beauty!”

I turned my head to where all the spectators’ attention was focused. There stood a woman wearing light apricot-colored martial arts clothes.

Hair tied back. Her white skin and small eyes, clearly visible even from afar, caught the eye.

‘Mount Hua’s First Beauty, Cha Yeonhwa.’

People evaluate the best among the late-blooming talents as the Four Dragons and Four Flowers, but Mount Hua’s First Beauty Cha Yeonhwa was in a league of her own.

Cha Yeonhwa, called the world’s greatest beauty, not only had her looks but her skills themselves surpassed the Four Flowers from the beginning.

A noble, solitary phoenix. That was the evaluation of Cha Yeonhwa.

‘…She’s strong.’

Unlike her delicate appearance, considerable inner energy was surging inside her body.

At that level, she was incomparable to the late-blooming talents I had met so far.

The man who stood as her opponent was quite strong too, but unfortunately, he was no match.

The man grinned and yielded the first move to Cha Yeonhwa.

Cha Yeonhwa didn’t refuse the first move given to her and immediately rushed in, exchanging swords less than ten times before making her opponent surrender.

“Huh… Did you see that? That amazing speed. She must have mastered the Fourteen Plum Blossom Sword Technique to the extreme.”

“They say she’s a noble phoenix. Not a wrong word. I heard she’ll soon enter the Plum Blossom Sword Master… Mount Hua has truly discovered a gem.”

I stared blankly at Cha Yeonhwa going down from the martial arts arena after giving the final courtesy, then turned my gaze away.

‘…Is my brother not coming out?’

In fact, one of the many reasons I came here was to see Moyong Do.

I thought my brother would already be here since the main tournament started yesterday.

But I couldn’t look for him because I caught a cold, and my brother didn’t look for me either. Or maybe he couldn’t find me.

I smiled bitterly and continued watching the rest of the main tournament matches, then got up from my seat when the sound announcing the end of all matches was heard.

The spectators also left their seats, leaving their regrets behind.

As I was heading towards the exit to return to the Jinhua Pavilion, people were stopped as if blocked by something and blocking the way.

What’s going on?

While I was wondering, noise was heard from the front.

“Filthy Demon Cult bastards! Do you think it makes sense that you defeated a disciple of Zhongnan? You must have used some dirty sorcery!”

“What nonsense about sorcery. Was the guy who lost to us in the first place really a Zhongnan disciple? Seems like you disguised some stray dog-bone bastard. A pale fellow who’s never held a sword in his life…”

“What did you say, you bastard!? Do you know how much money I lost because of you bastards? You should be crawling on your dirty feet on Righteous Sect land, what are you so happy about? Should I rip that mouth?”

“A weakling like you talks too much. You’ll rip my mouth? I’ll stab a knife in your belly and flay your intestines.”

I sighed at the voices I heard.

I had heard something about people gambling on the match results.

It wasn’t just a small amount, they said. Is he picking a fight because he lost money gambling?

As I was shaking my head thinking how pathetic it was, a huge voice rang out from the front.

“Trash Demon Cult bastards!”

“Demon Cult bastards worse than passing dogs!”

The Righteous Sect people poured out all kinds of curses and criticisms in vivid language. The voices of hundreds of people rang out. It felt like collective madness.

Fortunately, the commotion was settled for now with the intervention of Murim Alliance warriors, but when the people dispersed and the Demon Cult members who had been cursed at appeared, I couldn’t say anything.

‘…Just three people.’

Three people were surrounded by hundreds, cursed at and threatened. I sighed as I followed with my eyes those leaving the martial arts arena with pale faces.

It’s still early in the tournament, so everyone listens to the warnings of the Alliance Leader and Young Cult Leader, but will it be like this later too?

I still felt like the curses were ringing in my head.

* * *

It had been about a week since the main tournament started.

Fortunately, the detoxification method Jeok Biwol told me wasn’t wrong, as Nam Sojeong was able to regain consciousness on the third day.

She didn’t even realize that she had been poisoned by the Qi-Dispersing Powder. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw me, the first thing she said was:

“I’m sorry. You cheered for me, but I couldn’t achieve good results. Please forgive me.”

She apologized to me. But it was I who had put her in a dangerous situation.

Knowing that, yet receiving an apology from Nam Sojeong and not being able to say anything… It left a bad taste.

Time passed, and after a week of matches, a total of 32 people remained.

In the meantime, Beon Yang had also advanced, and of course Moyong Do was included too. Although I didn’t like it, Jeok Biwol was also one of the 32.

The remaining matches were planned to be held slowly after a one-week rest period.

As I was wondering what to do during this rare break, a voice was heard.

“Sowol.”

I slightly twisted my waist to turn around.

Hyuk Dojin approached and lightly hugged me from behind, speaking gently.

“Do you have any plans for today?”

“No. I was just going to play with Harang a bit and then train. Why?”

“That’s good. We’ve been so busy lately that we’ve hardly eaten together, so shall we go sightseeing in Luoyang and have a meal today? I know a good place.”

I met eyes with Hyuk Dojin looking down at me as I raised my head.

I stared quietly at the corners of his mouth raised smoothly, then slowly smiled as well.

“Alright.”

At my answer, Hyuk Dojin’s expression brightened and he stepped back with a very pleased face. I chuckled softly at the sight of Hyuk Dojin retreating flutteringly like a child who received a gift.

Is he that happy? As I tilted my head and put on clothes, Harang rushed over as if he had been waiting when I went down the stairs.

“Aah!!”

Joo Hwarin, who had been looking after Harang, mixed in a lament as she saw Harang rushing into my arms. He was quite agile, moving quickly this way and that to avoid Joo Hwarin.

“Kyah!”

I flicked Harang’s nose as he smiled brightly and put strength in my eyes.

Harang pressed his nose firmly with both hands, then pulled my finger and bit it lightly. Ungathered energy flowed out of my body.

“You still eat a lot.”

Harang nodded as if it was obvious. I chuckled at how cute he looked.

While I was feeding Harang, Hyuk Dojin came down. He quietly looked at me holding Harang, then slowly approached my side.

Harang, who had been sucking my finger, opened his eyes wide and bared its teeth at Hyuk Dojin.

“Kyaah!!”

“This guy gets angry every time it sees me.”

“It’s a spiritual beast, so it shows a rejection response the stronger the demonic energy is. It can’t be helped.”

“He doesn’t do that to Martial Uncle. Does it discriminate against people?”

Hyuk Dojin made a subtle expression and stretched out his finger towards Harang.

Harang hissed.

Hyuk Dojin waved his finger back and forth in front of Harang as if saying ‘bite it if you can’.

Harang glared at Hyuk Dojin, furrowing his fine brows fully, and finally-

“Aagh!!”

“Oh my?”

He bit Hyuk Dojin’s finger.