Since that day, Seo Mun-Hwarin's demeanor had become strange.

Before, she would take every opportunity to treat me well, urging me to hurry up and become her adoptive disciple.

But now, whenever our eyes met, she would stiffen like a board and scuttle away sideways. Sometimes, she would sit curled up in a corner, clutching her head while mumbling to herself.

What was she saying? I could only catch fragments—"that night," "Tang Sowol," "shh"—but the meaning eluded me.

If I got too close, she would scurry away again, making it difficult to hear clearly.

It was amusing to watch in its own way, but we couldn't go on like this forever.

For now, it wasn’t a problem, but even at this moment, the Murim Alliance's pursuit was slowly closing in.

It was time to discuss our plans. We needed to bring Seo Mun-Hwarin into the Tang Clan, clear my name from the kidnapping incident, and reverse any notoriety that had arisen.

Thus, I approached her guestroom door and made my presence known. We needed to have a proper conversation about what to do next.

"Hik?! Y-you want me to open the door?!"

Crash!

There was a loud clattering sound, followed by a voice cracking in distress.

Even a master at the Flowering Stage was still human, it seemed. She likely hadn’t fallen herself, but it sounded like she had accidentally knocked over something nearby.

After a moment of frantic rustling, the room fell silent, and then, cautiously, the door creaked open—just slightly.

Through the narrow gap, Seo Mun-Hwarin’s small head peeked out.

"What business do you have, seeking this one’s chamber at such a late hour?"

"I wish to discuss our future plans."

"Our… future plans?!"

Seo Mun-Hwarin jolted as if she had stepped on a needle. Her head, which protruded through the gap, bobbed up and down in an odd motion.

"A-absolutely not! That kind of future can only bring disaster! You mustn’t even think of it! More importantly, don’t you feel guilty towards your fiancée?!"

"I’ve already spoken to Tang Sowol about it."

"W-what?! H-Heuk! D-don't tell me... that night… was it meant to imply that...?"

Seo Mun-Hwarin suddenly flailed in a panic.

Something felt off—like our conversation wasn’t quite aligning. She was probably imagining something ridiculous again. It wouldn’t be the first time, even before my regression.

While she was busy overreacting, I took advantage of the half-opened door, pushing it wide open and stepping inside.

"Excuse me for a moment."

“T-this one did not give permission!”

Seo Mun-Hwarin grunted as she struggled to push me out with her small hands.

However, the force behind it was pitiful—clearly, she wasn’t putting any real effort into it.

Ignoring her half-hearted resistance, I locked the door behind me and deployed an energy barrier around the room to prevent our conversation from leaking out.

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s face turned bright red, and she trembled visibly.

“H-h-hah! With this, no one outside will know what happens inside…!”

“Yes? That was the whole point.”

“W-what exactly do you intend to do?! You… you haven’t forgotten that this one is a warrior at the Flowering Stage, have you?!”

“Did I not already say? We need to align our stories regarding what comes next.”

“A-align our st—... Hmm? Wait. Are you seriously just here to talk?”

“What else would I be here for?”

Seo Mun-Hwarin let out a sigh of relief, waving a hand to cover my energy barrier with her own.

Then, she wrapped her long silver hair around her face and spoke in an oddly composed tone.

“This conversation might take a while. This one has just returned from training and is exhausted, so this one shall maintain the energy barrier.”

“…Why are you suddenly covering your face?”

“Enough about that. So? By ‘what comes next,’ are you referring to this absurd kidnapping incident?”

“Why are your words so sharp all of a sudden? Covering your face doesn’t hide your embarrassment, just as lacing your words with thorns doesn’t erase your shame.”

“If you understand, then be silent!”

Seo Mun-Hwarin screeched, letting her hair fall loose again before crossing her arms with an indignant scowl.

“Hmph! You must have thought of something if you came to me first. Speak. After all, this entire situation arose because this one fell for your schemes.”

“Throwing all the blame onto me makes my shoulders heavy… but you’re not wrong, so I suppose I have no choice.”

I shrugged and began to explain the plan I had formulated.

“For starters, we should mix truth and lies appropriately.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean we should reveal some things while concealing others. For example, we could say that you kidnapped me after recognizing Seo Mun Clan's martial arts in my skills. As for why you participated in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, instead of saying it was to toy with young warriors or mock the Murim Alliance, we could claim that you were simply disillusioned with the ways of the Unorthodox Faction.”

“You thought that’s why this one was hiding her identity to attend the gathering?”

“Not me, but that’s how the world will interpret it.”

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s expression darkened, and she fidgeted with her toes in silence.

It seemed the idea had struck a nerve.

I smirked slightly and continued.

“The point is, we need to craft a narrative that people will accept. For now, I believe the best explanation is that you kidnapped me because you couldn’t control your emotions after seeing Seo Mun Clan's techniques in my skills.”

“…It’s not entirely false. And if my identity is already exposed, then the rumors about my time as the White-Haired Rakshasa must have spread as well. That part will be easily believed.”

“Exactly. But what’s important is what comes next—why you joined the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, and what happened while I was kidnapped.”

“N-nothing happened! This one is completely innocent, so there is nothing to explain…!”

“I don’t know what you’re imagining again, but simply saying ‘nothing happened’ isn’t enough. At the very least, we need to show that you’ve changed since your time as the White-Haired Rakshasa.”

“That is no easy task. Even though this one remained in seclusion for some time, the reputation of the White-Haired Rakshasa was built over twenty years. It will not be undone with mere words.”

"So, we must show it through actions rather than words. The most straightforward way would be chivalrous deeds..."

"If I seriously commit to performing chivalrous deeds, simply driving out minor Unorthodox Faction groups won’t suffice. I’ll end up making a lot of enemies."

"Yes. And if things go wrong, there will be significant bloodshed. I doubt that aligns with what you want, senior Seo Mun-Hwarin, so I wouldn’t recommend it."

"This one has no intention of going that far either. Then what do you suggest?"

"I honestly don’t know."

"???"

"I just figured that since your identity was bound to be exposed, instead of being disgracefully chased away, it would be better to cause some kind of commotion and secure another opportunity."

"Ugh... Are you saying that you got yourself kidnapped without a proper plan?"

"Without a plan? Please. I prefer to say I overturned the board before things got worse."

"That’s the same thing! No, wait… Now that I think about it, you’ve kidnapped Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang before, haven’t you?! I should’ve known you’d turn the tables when brute force wasn’t an option… Is kidnapping the only thing in your head?!"

"But isn’t it the most efficient method?"

"Most people would call it the craziest method! Surely there were other ways!"

"There were, but senior Seo Mun-Hwarin, you kicked them away. I did subtly warn you that having the leader of the Murim Alliance participate in the preliminary rounds was too risky."

"Ahem. What’s done is done. Let’s focus on making a plan. Let’s see... The key point is proving change without antagonizing either the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions, correct?"

"Correct. However, it’s difficult to prove change without taking extreme measures."

"Ugh. This one agrees... but finding a suitable method is difficult."

Seo Mun-Hwarin pouted, her eyes drooping.

I had heard in my previous life that one of the side effects of her rejuvenation technique was an inability to fully control her expressions.

Because of that, she sometimes seemed as though her mind had regressed along with her body.

At times, though, I wondered if this was simply how she had always been.

"Actually, after hearing your story the other day, I came up with an idea. Would you like to hear it?"

"Mm? What is it? This one has no clear solution, so speak freely."

"I may not be able to become your adoptive child, but wouldn't it be fine if we framed it as me learning martial arts under you?"

"Huh???"

Seo Mun-Hwarin tilted her head, her mouth slightly open in confusion.

I then proceeded to explain my rather improvised plan.

She originally kidnapped me under the mistaken belief that I was connected to her enemies. However, after realizing it was a misunderstanding, she couldn't just let me go—especially since I had indeed learned Seo Mun Clan’s martial arts, even if I had obtained them legitimately.

Thus, instead of making a show of change, she would simply do nothing at all.

By remaining within the Tang Clan and overseeing my training, she could gradually allow public perception to shift.

"Instead of struggling to prove anything, you just avoid showing anything at all. As you said, people will be watching at first, but the Tang Clan's influence should shield you somewhat."

"So you’re saying that if this one stays within the Tang Clan for a long time, doing nothing, people's wariness will eventually fade?"

"Exactly. Even if you are never fully accepted by the Orthodox faction, it would allow you to live quietly, at peace."

"You’re suggesting using the Tang Clan as a shield to temporarily bury this one’s past. It sounds sweet, but the Poison King (Tang Jincheon) would never allow it.

"To bring a Flowering Stage warrior, one who has actually incited massacres before, into his household? Even if this one were the Tang Clan’s patriarch, this one would never permit it."

Seo Mun-Hwarin let out a bitter chuckle, shaking her head.

But she was overlooking one crucial point.

"Convincing Tang Jincheon isn’t your responsibility. That’s my job."

"...What?"

"I’ll handle it. Tang Sowol, Tang Jincheon, and the elders of the Tang Clan—I’ll persuade them. If necessary, I’ll take responsibility for the consequences."

"Why are you going this far for this one? Just to learn some martial arts? That seems like too steep a price."

"I know it won’t be easy."

"More importantly, your martial arts aren’t lacking. You might have room for improvement, but you’re already progressing toward mastery at an astonishing pace for your age. There isn’t much this one can teach you."

"I know. But in the end, I have to walk my own path, don’t I?"

"Then…!"

"The only reason I was able to escape my past was because of Tang Sowol. And if I was able to change… then so can you, senior Seo Mun-Hwarin."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

A memory surfaced—Tang Sowol reaching out her hand to me, and Seo Mun-Hwarin gazing at the camellia tree with a bitter expression.

I opened my eyes again and looked directly into hers.

"I want to be that person for you, too."

"Ah..."

Seo Mun-Hwarin blinked in a daze, her mouth slightly open.

She didn’t avert her gaze but tilted her head slightly.

"However... If that’s your goal, wouldn’t it be most effective to simply become this one’s adoptive son, as this one originally suggested?"

...Damn it. That was actually a good point.

But I didn't want to admit it, so I kept my mouth shut.

This required more thought. I needed time to consider it properly.

***

Unfortunately, time was not on our side.

Despite all our efforts to evade pursuit, it only took a few days before we were finally tracked down.

But the ones who found us weren’t from the Murim Alliance.