If you’re going to do this, at least finish speaking!
“I am Jo Yun.”
While Seokyeom merely clenched his fists, Namgung Yun revealed his name. It seemed he was using an alias since he was concealing his true identity. It was a common surname, yet strangely suited Yun’s name.
“Hero… Jo Yun…”
“Jo hyung will do.”
As Seokyeom repeated his alias, Namgung Yun settled how he should be addressed. Though his tone was indifferent, it felt like drawing a line, which made Seokyeom feel impatient. At this rate, they would end up parting ways after sharing just a single breakfast.
“Jo hyung!”
“Yes, Young Master Tang.”
“Jo hyung, you came from the jianghu, right?”
And so, Seokyeom just blurted out whatever came to mind first. Since the strange option he had seen earlier told him to ask about his achievements, he only hoped it wasn’t the wrong answer.
“The jianghu… It is nothing that grand. I am merely traveling around because there is something I am looking for.”
Namgung Yun, who softly murmured the word jianghu, replied casually. Had it been anyone else, they would have taken it as a sign that he wanted to end the conversation, but Seokyeom was a hardcore veteran player of .
Namgung Yun, who looked several steps ahead of others, never uttered a word in vain. Dropping the hint that he was looking for something was bound to be a clue in itself.
If it was something Namgung Yun would come all the way to the Tang Clan to look for…
As expected, it’s gotta be poison.
Having deduced the answer, Seokyeom looked at Namgung Yun with sorrowful eyes. In his heart, he wanted to tell him everything—who ordered the poisoning and what forces were involved behind the scenes. However, this body belonged to a tragic youngest young master.
If only I were Tang Mujin, or at least Tang Yu.
The two brothers had been wandering the jianghu for a long time searching for a cure for their youngest brother. Even if they held the secret of the poison and demanded medicinal herbs, there would be nothing strange about it at all. They could travel the jianghu together and build a friendship, too. It would be a grueling and difficult journey, but at the end of it stood Namgung Yun, who would become the world’s number one martial artist.
But Tang Seokyeom is different.
Recalling the ending he had achieved after all sorts of hardships made his heart ache even more. Seokyeom gazed endlessly at his favorite character before carefully starting the conversation.
“…Is it about poison or medicine?”
Since it was a fact known to everyone in the world that the Tang Clan was famous for poison and medicine, wouldn’t it be fine to ask at least this much? Namgung Yun also nodded without any particular suspicion.
“I am indeed inquiring about a certain poison. It appears to be a type of Formless Poison, but with my knowledge, I simply cannot figure it out.”
There was no mention of whether Seokyeom had learned poison arts. A expert of Namgung Yun’s caliber would have recognized at a single glance that Seokyeom was an ordinary person who had not learned martial arts. Even so, the reason he dropped the information was likely because he had guessed his status.
“If it’s something like that, my brothers might know. Especially my second brother, who is skilled not only in poison but also in medicine. …Though that’s all because of me, too.”
Thinking this is it, Seokyeom took over the conversation while pretending to be bitter. Right before he could add, ‘If it isn’t impolite, shall I ask on your behalf?’, a system window popped up in front of Namgung Yun.
<Chapter 4: Dan Hwa-yeong> Main Story Progress: 10%
You have discovered the reason for the Tang Clan’s isolation. Find the medicinal herb that can cure the Third Young Master and deliver it to the Tang Clan.
- Success Reward: The Tang Clan’s Trust
- Failure Penalty: Complete Isolation of the Tang Clan
Tip: Try finding the hidden piece to complete the quest. Perhaps you might receive an even greater reward?
He hadn’t even offered to introduce them and had merely brought up the other young masters, yet the progress jumped by 10%.
Then again, when playing as other characters, just approaching Namgung Yun in the first place was hard.
Although the progress increased abruptly, Seokyeom was not surprised. Even in the game, Namgung Yun was cautious in everything. He never showed an opening to martial artists or even ordinary people, so one had to complete all sorts of quests first just to build trust.
Though he’s probably only being kind because this body is a sick person.
The single exception was when he dealt with the weak, such as children or the sick. Thinking that residing in the body of the Third Young Master had its perks, Seokyeom concluded his question.
“Shall I ask on your behalf?”
“It is fine.”
Though he had assumed Namgung Yun would naturally accept, a firm refusal came out. As the smoothly flowing conversation abruptly stopped, Seokyeom’s heart surged as well.
“Why… why?”
“Are you not frail, Young Master? There is no need to overexert yourself for my sake.”
No, that’s not it. Seokyeom wanted to beat his chest out of frustration. It seemed he had caused a useless misunderstanding because he fainted as soon as he touched Tang Yu.
As long as I don’t touch him, it’s fine…!
Although he wasn’t entirely certain, the message stating that the condition had been satisfied appeared shortly after he held Tang Yu’s hand. In the end, didn’t that mean it was fine as long as they didn’t touch?
“I am the type to collapse all the time anyway, so collapsing a few more times won’t make it any worse. Delivering a message is something I can do with my eyes closed. I must, MUST repay your favor, Hero!”
Since he couldn’t confess about the system or whatever, Seokyeom decided to put on a thick face. Even if Namgung Yun refused, he could just bring up the rules of the Tang Clan and forcibly repay the favor anyway.
“Do you like me that much to go to such lengths?”
Seokyeom’s mouth, which had been open in desperation, clamped shut into a straight line. Wondering if he had misheard, Seokyeom snapped open his tightly closed eyes. The moment their eyes met, Namgung Yun flinched imperceptibly. Seeing his ‘oh no’ expression, it seemed he hadn’t said it intentionally either.
Is it a side effect of regression?
Seokyeom deduced the reason in his own way. Come to think of it, Namgung Yun was truly a pitiful guy. Repeating deaths and an unkind world. Perhaps it was the first goodwill he had encountered while being exhausted.
Yeah, he must be really exhausted too.
Recalling the tragic background of his favorite character, Seokyeom composed himself. Whether Namgung Yun wanted it or not, he had to make him the world’s number one martial artist.
Even though he was trapped in an NPC body plastered with status conditions, Seokyeom possessed memories of hundreds of playthroughs. Just the secret manuals or spiritual elixirs that came to mind right now easily exceeded double digits.
“Of course. I like you very much. I’ve never met an expert like Hero Jo—no, Jo hyung before. I’m also curious about what the jianghu is like.”
Once he resolved to see the ending, the words flowed out smoothly. The stiffened Namgung Yun had also returned to normal before he knew it. Listening quietly, he asked Seokyeom’s intention.
“Are you asking me… to tell you stories? That is not difficult, but I do not think the other young masters will readily listen to me.”
The Tang Clan was indeed somewhat closed off. Gosh, so that was what you were worried about. Seokyeom laughed heartily and thumped his chest.
“You don’t need to worry about my brothers. I have a way for everything.”
Whether it was Tang Mujin or Tang Yu, they were only cold-blooded martial artists on the outside, but endlessly soft toward Tang Seokyeom. When playing , he had considered it a very annoying setting, but now that he had possessed Tang Seokyeom’s body, it was a stroke of absolute luck.
“Just have your stories ready, Jo hyung. When I come back, I’ll need to hear about your exploits.”
“My speech is not eloquent, so I am worried I might fall short of your expectations, Young Master.”
“Anything is fine! Anything about the world outside that wall.”
When he declared with confidence that he must hear the stories as payment, Namgung Yun’s face relaxed. Seokyeom had thought it was because he didn’t trust Tang Seokyeom, but it seemed leaning on a sick person had weighed on his mind. It was truly a mindset fitting for a noble young master of the orthodox sects.
Seokyeom laughed haha while frantically tapping away at the calculator in his head. Though he had brought it up to clear the quest quickly, now that he had said it, it was a remarkably good strategy. After all, he could naturally gain information about the quests Namgung Yun had done so far or details regarding players.
“Then I’ll be back quickly!”
Seokyeom, who had visited saying they should share breakfast, scurried away as if being chased by something. Because his presence was so faint, Namgung Yun had to raise his martial sensory awareness to follow behind him.
After confirming that the Third Young Master had distanced himself, Namgung Yun wiped away the subtle smile he had been wearing. Then, he brushed his hand over the spot where Seokyeom had been sitting.
Perhaps because he had been sitting there for quite a while, a slight warmth could be felt. Even though he looked as if he would crumble if grasped in one hand, it seemed the Third Young Master indeed possessed vitality as well.
“The Snow Lotus of Mount Tianshan, huh…”
Quietly savoring the warmth, Namgung Yun uttered the name of the medicinal herb that existed only in legends. While the Third Young Master was chatting away happily, all sorts of unfamiliar information violently crashed into Namgung Yun’s mind.
This, too, was a familiar occurrence for Namgung Yun. Throughout his repeated samsara, fragments of his previous lives would visit him at unexpected moments.
According to what Namgung Yun recalled, he had already opened the doors of the Tang Clan several times. There was only one key: to bring back the medicinal herb that could cure the illness of the Third Young Master, whom the Tang Clan doted on.
He had brought and offered all sorts of medicinal herbs capable of neutralizing poison qi and yin qi. From hundred-year-old snow ginseng to spiritual pills brimming with yang qi. Yet, the only medicinal herb most suitable for the Third Young Master was indeed the single Snow Lotus of Mount Tianshan.
A medicinal herb called the Snow Lotus of Mount Tianshan because it bloomed on Mount Tianshan, or because it bloomed once every thousand years. Though it was more precious than any spiritual pill, Namgung Yun had a record of obtaining it in the past.
He also knew full well where and how to obtain it.
However, even if he brought back the Snow Lotus of Mount Tianshan, the Third Young Master’s end was always the same.
A motionless face as if asleep, and a body grown ice-cold.
He did not know what kind of bond he and the Third Young Master had formed, but the sensation when facing his spiritless form remained vivid.
The Third Young Master had never once overcome his illness.
