Chapter 207: Negotiation (3)
“Cheon Hwi, are you asleep?”
“…”
I hadn’t expected Seol Lihyang to come.
Her voice was soft, a little hesitant, almost expectant—like she was nervous yet hoping for something.
The moment I heard it, a cold sweat started to form.
Seol Lihyang suddenly showing up in the middle of the night, not directly asking for anything, but speaking as if she wanted me to do something for her... I knew all too well what that usually signaled.
Before my regression, there was a kind of secret code between me and Seol Lihyang: a single pear.
But how could one fruit convey all our intentions?
There were times—especially during seasons when pears were hard to come by, or when it was unbearable to wait until the next day—that she would quietly slip in and ask, “Are you asleep?”
Of course, the current Seol Lihyang is different from the one before regression. Her personality, her martial arts, our relationship—they’ve all changed.
Surely, she didn’t come for that kind of reason. Right? Right...?
Either way, no need to overreact. I just had to calmly say I wasn’t asleep and ask what brought her here.
With that mindset, I opened my eyes.
“Ah.”
“Eek—!”
We locked eyes at a distance close enough that she might’ve kissed me.
Dark eyes, yet sparkling even in the shadows. That startled, slightly wistful look in them made me freeze.
Seol Lihyang also froze, eyes wide, seemingly caught in the same moment.
A heavy silence fell—so thick it was as if time had stopped. And in that instant, I instinctively knew:
This is dangerous.
I’ve never thought of myself as weak-willed. But there are always exceptions.
Tang Sowol’s the same—if Seol Lihyang really made up her mind and pushed, I might be able to reject her once, maybe twice. But could I resist to the end?
...No. Not likely.
Still, I had to hold firm tonight. Even if Tang Sowol was willing to yield on everything else, she made it clear the order mattered—and I had to honor at least that much.
I forced myself to stay alert, even circulating my internal energy to my head so I wouldn’t lose focus.
Then Seol Lihyang, in an awkward tone, abruptly sat up.
“A-Ah, so you weren’t asleep!”
“I just woke up.”
In truth, I’d been awake the whole time—but there’s no way I could admit that.
How could I tell her I’d been lying there tense, worried she might jump me?
And now that I see her, she probably had no such intentions in the first place.
I was too wrapped up in memories of the pre-regression Seol Lihyang. This version... this is more like her now. It is. But...
A faint sigh slipped from my lips, tinged with subtle disappointment.
“Hoo... So? Sneaking into a man’s room in the middle of the night without a sound—what brings you here?”
“...Hey. Cheon Hwi, why are you leaning away from me?”
“Basic defense against an intruder.”
“And covering yourself with the blanket?”
“That’s standard protocol for shameless intruders, isn’t it?”
“Why am I suddenly shameless?!”
She shrieked and scrambled onto the bed to yank the blanket away from me.
It was the usual playful banter—a silent agreement from her to pretend that odd tension a moment ago never happened.
As we tugged back and forth on the blanket in a mock struggle...
Thud.
“Ah—”
Seol Lihyang stumbled and fell forward with a short gasp.
Honestly, at her level, it’s not easy to misstep. Peak Stage martial artists have trained balance and reflexes that are near-infallible.
But lately, Seol Lihyang has been training like mad in the North Sea Ice Palace, practically draining herself as she tried to absorb everything she could.
She probably just lost focus for a second due to accumulated fatigue.
I reflexively reached out and caught her.
Poof.
And so, she naturally fell into my arms.
The blanket that had been tossed aside draped over her shoulders a beat later.
Only after confirming she was safe did I sigh deeply and pat her back gently.
“Did you overdo it again? Just because it’s internal energy cultivation doesn’t mean it won’t strain your body.”
“Fatigue in the muscles or the mind—either way, it dulls movement and focus.”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Come on, give me a response.”
I shrugged and looked down at her—and immediately understood why she was silent.
Her face was flushed to the tips of her ears, her eyes wide, and she was breathing a bit roughly, whether from surprise or something else.
Currently, Seol Lihyang was immersed in a freezing environment, taking potent yin-based elixirs and undergoing relentless training.
In short, her body was filled with cold energy, or yin qi.
And yin qi has side effects—especially for those with yin-heavy physiques like hers. Women with strong yin are, by nature, drawn to yang energy.
It’s not as bad as having Extreme Yin Pulse, but it’s enough.
“Let’s get some distance.”
“No.”
Seol Lihyang shook her head and wrapped her arms around my waist.
I felt her cheek press against my chest, her body leaning in closer, her chest pressing against my lower abdomen—probably due to her posture, propped up on her arms.
Soft warmth through every point of contact. A slightly chilly body temperature.
Seol Lihyang had been getting bolder since receiving Tang Sowol’s permission, but never quite like this.
I was frozen, unsure of what to do—until her soft voice whispered up.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to break my promise to Sister Tang. I just want to talk. Like this.”
“Talk, like this?”
“Yeah. Sometimes I see Sister Tang clinging to your back, hugging you for a long time. I think I finally get why now.”
“I still don’t.”
“It makes me feel... safe, I guess. Like the fatigue of the day melts away. It reminds me why I’m trying so hard.”
“That’s nice, but you know... you should be doing it for yourself. That lasts longer.”
“And what about you, Cheon Hwi? Are you living for yourself?”
Oof. Got me there.
Honestly, I’m no different. If I just wanted to live well, I could’ve joined the Demonic Cult and had my fill of pleasure.
Then when the cult made their move, I could’ve grabbed what I wanted and left the Central Plains.
But I didn’t. Because I couldn’t.
Seol Lihyang, still in my arms, leaned her full weight into me as she spoke again.
“Watching Bing Yerin and the others here... I’ve been having a lot of thoughts these past few days.”
“What kind of thoughts?”
“That they’re all so earnest about protecting their place.”
True. The Ice Palace’s issues could be solved by simply abandoning the North Sea and their yin-based martial arts.
They’d struggle at first, but their deep foundation would let them shine again eventually.
But they didn’t. Even while sacrificing their own elites, even knowing past grudges were waiting to strike, even if it meant placing an outsider on the throne.
They were doing their best to protect their home, their martial arts.
“I understand Bing Yerin’s position, but I didn’t really get why she accepted it all or came up with such a reckless plan. Maybe it’s because I don’t have roots like they do.”
“Roots, huh.”
“Yeah. Roots.”
Neither of us—me nor Seol Lihyang—has any real origin to speak of.
No respectable parents. No hometown ties. No fellow disciples to bond with over shared martial arts. No master to guide us. No juniors to lift up.
We had nothing. Just floating alone in this vast world.
Back in my previous life, when I was known as Blood Wolf, I had decent skills but wandered like a drifting weed.
I didn’t know where to put down roots, so I never knew where to stop walking.
It was only by chance that I ended up at the Black Lotus Sect, and there I met Seol Lihyang and Seorin.
As I was drifting into these memories, Seol Lihyang curled up slightly and spoke.
“My mother died when I was too young to remember. My father... sold me because he was addicted to gambling.”
“I know.”
“You once said you helped me because your father got something from mine.”
“I did say that.”
“That... was a lie, wasn’t it?”
Honestly, she never fully believed my story. She just accepted it because it seemed I truly wanted to help her.
There was a short silence before she forced a casual tone and continued.
“It’s fine. I gave up expecting my father might’ve been a good man a long time ago. So I don’t really care anymore.”
“Thanks for saying that. And sorry for lying.”
She slowly lifted her head, resting her chin on my chest and looking up. Her gaze was hazy, yet filled with longing.
“I don’t care that my dad was garbage. I already knew. But I’m curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“Most parents love their children. Most children love their parents. Sister Tang and the Tang Clan Head are a perfect example.”
“They really do seem like the ideal warm family.”
“Yeah. I wonder if that’s what the Ice Palace people feel about their roots too. I don’t really get it, but... maybe.”
She said it lightly, but her emptiness was even more obvious because of it.
I had felt the same when I was her age.
I gently stroked her back, and she relaxed into my touch with a satisfied sigh.
After a long moment, she spoke quietly again.
“You know, Cheon Hwi... Maybe it’s because of my father, but I always told myself: I’ll never be like that. If I ever get married, if I ever have a child, I’ll be good to them.”
“That makes sense. I understand.”
“Really?”
“My parents passed away early, but they were good people. So I only half understand.”
“Mhm. I like how honest you are.”
Seol Lihyang giggled softly and sat up—still clinging to me, so it felt like she was crawling up my body.
Her hands explored slightly, then clasped behind my neck. Our chests were now pressed together.
Looking into each other’s eyes at that close distance, she whispered:
“Anyway, what I wanted to say is... I want to be a really good parent. A good wife too.”
“I see. But why bring that up all of a sudden—”
“Cheon Hwi.”
Her breath tickled my nose as she cut me off.
“How far have you gone with Sister Tang?”
“…What?”
“If it’s that far… well, I have permission. So... yeah.”
In that moment, the current Seol Lihyang overlapped with the one before regression.
Most of those memories… were from our time together in bed.