"You dare steal from the Golden Flower Merchant Guild?!"

"I-It’s a misunderstanding! I swear, I would never—!"

Despite the inn being fairly large, the enraged voice echoed loudly throughout the hall, drawing my attention immediately.

And there, I saw a familiar figure.

I hadn’t expected to run into her so soon.

Of course, since I hadn’t seen her face yet, I couldn’t be certain.

"I’ll go check out the situation."

"Brother Cheon??"

"Cheon Hwi? You’re not seriously—"

"You just want to save a pretty lady and get closer to her, don’t you?! You can’t do that right in front of Sister Tang and me!"

Despite her words, the sly grin tugging at the corners of Seol Lihyang’s lips showed that she was clearly teasing.

At this, Tang Sowol blinked in confusion.

"Lady Seol? I understand why I should be upset as his fiancée, but why are you—?"

"I mean, you can’t do that in front of Sister Tang!"

Seeing her shamelessly revise her statement without a hint of guilt, I couldn’t help but flick her forehead.

Smack!

"Oww!"

As Seol Lihyang clutched her reddened forehead and trembled in protest, I chuckled and said,

"Don’t overthink it. Just wait here. Or come along if you really want to."

"I’m too hurt to move...!"

"Hmm. For now, I’ll leave it to Brother Cheon. If it looks like he needs help, I’ll step in."

Seol Lihyang glared at me, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, while Tang Sowol simply waved her hand with a laugh.

Leaving them behind—Tang Sowol gently rubbing Seol Lihyang’s forehead—I approached the source of the commotion.

"You dare lie so shamelessly?! This won’t do. I’ll recover my stolen gold no matter what it takes!"

"I have no intention of fighting… Just listen to me for a moment—"

"In Murim, words are spoken with the sword!"

Clang!

With a furious expression, the massive man unsheathed his sword.

His movements were slow, and the excess fat shaking on his body made the whole scene look somewhat comical.

Srrng.

But the subordinates who drew their swords in unison were anything but laughable.

They weren’t just bodyguards.

Since this was a merchant guild, they must be escorts—hired martial artists to protect their goods.

One at the peak of first-class, two barely at first-class, five at second-class.

No third-rate warriors.

For a merchant guild, that was an impressive lineup. A force to be reckoned with.

No wonder the leader was so confident.

Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong opponent.

As I got closer, I caught a clearer glimpse of the side of her face, confirming my suspicions.

A girl—more than a woman—with delicate, youthful features.

Even for someone with a naturally petite frame, she was incredibly small and frail-looking.

Her long, flowing hair reached down to her hips, pure white as if it had always been that way.

Her skin was flawless, smooth like a child’s, untouched by any blemish.

Even from a distance, I could tell—if I got closer, she would undoubtedly carry a soft, pleasant scent.

One of the many side effects of Reversing Age.

I had expected to meet her at the Yongbong Gathering, perhaps just before the main tournament started if I was unlucky.

Though we were getting closer to Wuhan City, I never imagined I’d run into her this soon.

Suppressing the involuntary smile creeping up, I forced my expression into something more solemn and composed.

Then, as Seo Mun-Hwarin—despite pretending to be frightened—was clearly calculating the best way to subdue her opponents without revealing too much strength, I stepped in front of her.

"Hold for a moment. A sword may be an excellent tool for dialogue among martial artists, but that doesn’t mean it should be drawn so recklessly."

"Who the hell are you to interfere with the Golden Flower Merchant Guild?!"

"I am Cheon Hwi of the Tang Clan. From what I’ve overheard, both of you seem to have grievances. I only wish to listen and mediate—will that be acceptable?"

"The Tang Clan?! You mean the Sichuan Tang Clan?"

The stocky man’s aggressive demeanor wavered for a moment, his tone shifting to something more polite.

But after a brief hesitation, his expression grew uncertain as he scrutinized me.

"If you’re from the Tang Clan, then why is your surname different?"

"Because I was not born into the Tang Clan—I entered as a son-in-law."

I gestured toward the table where my companions sat, specifically toward Tang Sowol.

Recognition flickered across his face as he nodded in understanding.

"I see… The hair and eyes confirm it. You must have attained a high level in poison arts. Apologies for my suspicion. I did not mean to offend, but I’ve been on edge and reacted sharply."

"It’s fine. While those who falsely claim to be from the Sichuan Tang Clan don’t last long, the Central Plains is vast. It’s not unthinkable that someone might try to deceive others in the short term. Your caution was warranted."

"Much appreciated."

Despite his words, I could see the pity in his eyes.

It took me a moment to understand why.

Hair and eyes turning green was a transformation that only occurred when someone mastered a Tang Clan poison technique to the Transcendence level or beyond.

And reaching Transcendence was something that, even for prodigies, typically didn’t happen before thirty.

Which meant…

He probably thought I was just a young man who had been married off to an older woman obsessed with martial arts, one who had remained single until old age due to her extreme dedication.

After all, if a woman ten or more years older than me had married me, the reason was self-explanatory.

It was all a complete misunderstanding.

But since he hadn’t voiced it out loud and I found it amusing, I decided not to correct him.

Tang Sowol always teased me, saying people mistook me for an old man obsessed with martial arts.

Now, the tables had turned.

Of course, there was an actual old monster present here.

I glanced at Seo Mun-Hwarin.

With a deep sigh, she brushed down the front of her robes, looking as if she had narrowly escaped trouble.

But I knew better.

To others, she might seem like a mere first-class martial artist barely standing her ground against trained escorts.

But in reality, she was a Flowering Stage master, more than capable of taking them down effortlessly.

The only reason she was relieved was that she wouldn’t have to go overboard.

With the Yongbong Gathering approaching, people were eager to size each other up.

If a supposed first-class martial artist single-handedly took down a squad of elite escorts, it would draw unnecessary attention.

For Seo Mun-Hwarin, who wished to blend into the orthodox world, perform decently, and lose at the right moment to solidify her place as a proper Murim figure, that kind of attention was the last thing she wanted.

For now, I needed to establish some rapport through this situation and then figure out how to help her.

As I nodded to myself in thought, the stocky man performed a respectful fist-and-palm salute and introduced himself.

"My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Chu Jeongsan, eldest son of the Golden Flower Merchant Guild’s leader."

Despite his hefty frame, his greeting was both courteous and confident.

You never know with people, but in my experience, men like him rarely turned out to be con artists.

I returned his salute, and Seo Mun-Hwarin, who had been standing idly, hastily clasped her small fist in her other hand and spoke.

"I—this one—I am Seo-rin. I am grateful for your intervention."

...Does Seo Mun-Hwarin even try to stay inconspicuous?

It was good that she avoided her usual self-referential term, ‘this one’, which was an old-fashioned way of saying this lady—it would have given her away immediately.

But calling herself "this one" was just as unnatural.

And what was with that awkwardly altered name and that aged speech pattern?

I wasn’t the only one who found it odd—Chu Jeongsan’s gaze sharpened every time she spoke.

He had every right to be suspicious. If I were in his position, I’d be wary too.

However, I knew Seo Mun-Hwarin.

If she wanted something, she’d take it by force—she wouldn’t sneak around stealing from people.

"From what I overheard, a valuable item has gone missing, and you suspect this young la—ahem, this person here to be the culprit. Do I have that right?"

I hesitated slightly on young lady, remembering her real age.

Still, she seemed to understand, nodding with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"That’s right! If you're from the Tang Clan, you must be knowledgeable about poisons! Please, help us resolve this issue, and I promise you’ll be well rewarded!"

"I swear on my honor, I am innocent! Since you are of the Tang Clan, I trust that you will see the truth! However, ah... I must admit, I don’t have much to offer in return..."

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s firm declaration gradually trailed off into a defeated mumble.

Right.

She had recovered the Seo Clan’s martial arts, but not their wealth.

While she had succeeded in annihilating the Black Sky Sword Sect, its leader, when cornered, had ordered his disciples to flee with all their riches.

A truly unorthodox display of loyalty.

Unless they were family or sworn disciples, people in Murim weren’t exactly known for sticking around in life-or-death situations.

That was how the Black Sky Sword Sect Leader’s son managed to escape, eventually returning for vengeance—only to perish alongside her.

This time, though, I wouldn’t let things play out the same way.

With a sigh, I spoke up.

"Let’s not just argue—tell me exactly what happened first."

"Ah! Forgive me, I’ve been too flustered. Let me explain from the beginning."

After clearing his throat, Chu Jeongsan calmly recounted the events.

The Case of the Missing Golden Toad

Recently, the Northern Ice Palace had sent word that they were purchasing anything heavily imbued with yin energy.

So, the Golden Flower Merchant Guild had set out to sell a Golden Toad they had recently acquired.

The Golden Toad was a rare spiritual beast, its body shimmering gold like the sun.

While it contained immense yang energy, it couldn't handle it, constantly releasing highly toxic yin-infused venom from its body.

And since it was still alive, it would continue excreting that poisonous yin energy.

"A creature that valuable must have fetched quite the price. You must have taken every precaution on your journey."

"Exactly! We exercised extreme caution in our travels!"

"But something went wrong."

"Indeed! The Golden Toad vanished overnight! And no matter how I think about it, that young lady is the most suspicious!"

"And why do you think that?"

"We rented the entire third floor of this inn. I told the innkeeper not to allow any other guests up there, and my escorts stood watch all night. Yet somehow, come morning, there was a stranger wandering around the third floor!"

"And that stranger was Lady Seo."

"Precisely. I don’t know how she avoided my men’s detection, but she’s undoubtedly the most suspicious person here."

"That’s a fair assumption. Lady Seo, do you have any defense?"

"I did not steal anything…! I merely found it odd that they wouldn’t let anyone upstairs, so I went up to take a look out of curiosity! I had no intention of stealing anything, and I did not take the Golden Toad!"

...She might actually be telling the truth.

After years spent pursuing vengeance, this was her first time freely wandering the world.

It wasn’t unreasonable to think she had been curious about her surroundings.

But even if that were the case, no one was going to believe her.

Who would buy the excuse that someone snuck past armed guards just because they were curious?

And more importantly—how did she even manage to do it?

To the others, she was nothing more than a first-class martial artist, a slightly odd but harmless young woman.

But I knew better.

If I wanted to support her, I needed more than just words.

Perhaps in my past life, she had no choice but to fight her way out, escaping to Wuhan City under pursuit.

I sighed.

Luckily, though Golden Toads were rare, their venom still classified them as toxic creatures.

And among us was an expert on poisons.

I turned toward Tang Sowol, who had been watching with great amusement from behind.

"Can you help me out here?"

"Oh my~? And for free?"

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, her eyes narrowing like a crescent moon.

That look was far from reassuring.