Except for the occasional flashes of cunning he had clearly inherited from his brother, the relatively mature Moyong Dan could only offer a polite apology in return. Yet Cho Yoon knew Dan’s insides had to be churning: his own kin had almost had his neck snapped, and Dan had been powerless to stop it. Cho Yoon bit his lower lip and dropped his gaze, overwhelmed by a deep, dragging misery. Beside them stood Moyong Seo, his body rigid, his eyes averted, his expression so tangled it was impossible to read.

Cho Yoon cherished the three children he had raised, deeply and truly. And among them, he felt an especially immense attachment to Cheon-oh, the one he had poured his heart into for the longest time.

But he had never wanted to protect Cheon-oh like this.

Regardless of who had started it, Cheon-oh was the one who had resorted to excessive force, and it was Cho Yoon who had failed to instill a proper sense of right and wrong in him. Tracing it back, the fault was undeniably his own, and he loathed the current dynamic, in which the victims were forced to retreat politely simply because “Immortal Healer Cho Yoon” was a renowned powerhouse in the martial world.

He would never give up on Cheon-oh, but his faith that things could be resolved through dialogue alone was beginning to waver. Can I really handle this child? he wondered, only for the thought to be pushed aside by the frantic realization that now was not the time for such existential brooding.

One thing was certain: even if he forced Cheon-oh to apologize right now, there would not be a shred of sincerity in it.

“Listening to a verbal apology won’t make anything better.”

Only then did Cho Yoon turn to the Cheon-oh standing beside him and let go of his hand. His heart ached at the sight of the boy frozen stiff in shock, yet he couldn’t bring himself to meet Cheon-oh’s eyes. He feared that if he looked into those pitch-black, hollow depths, dark as the floor of the deep sea, he would end up taking his frustration out on him again. He feared he would lash out at the innocent child, demanding to know why Cheon-oh could not hold on to the lessons he had poured into him.

One thing at a time, he told himself. When I lack the strength to control myself, stepping away is a valid tactic. His mind, crushed under the weight of pressure, guilt, and responsibility, suddenly turned cold and analytical, as if doused in ice water. Cho Yoon brushed the back of his hand against Cheon-oh’s arm and pointed toward where he sensed Sa-yeong’s presence. He felt he could find a moment of peace if he left Cheon-oh with the reliable Sa-yeong.

“I will seek you out once the conversation is over, so go to Sa-yeong.”

Even to Cho Yoon’s own ears, his voice sounded frosted over.

Having told him where to go, Cho Yoon turned his back and hurried away. Cheon-oh remained frozen in place as if nailed to the earth until Cho Yoon crossed the threshold of Sea Fog Hall, and only then did he begin to move with slow, heavy steps. Every time Cheon-oh’s trudging footsteps grew more distant, it felt as though muddy prints were being stamped across Cho Yoon’s heart. He truly could not gauge what had gone wrong or where it had all started.

Unable to bring himself to enter the room that still smelled of abalone porridge, Cho Yoon stopped in the inner courtyard. Moyong Dan and Moyong Seo slowed their pace behind him. Overwhelmed by a heavy heart, Cho Yoon could not find the words and simply covered his eyes with a dry hand. Moyong Seo, staring at Cho Yoon’s back, tilted his head at a sharp angle and spoke abruptly.

“You said you intended to take responsibility for your actions. Do you plan to spend the rest of your life at Joo Cheon-oh’s side, preventing his slaughters?”

“…”

“I understand Joo Cheon-oh turned nineteen this year. I nearly died just now at the hands of a man who has no memories of his past, has trained for a mere twelve years, and has no real combat experience.”

“Brother.”

“The Great Hero Immortal Healer must know better than anyone what kind of monster Joo Cheon-oh became in the previous timeline. For now, you may be able to handle and restrain him, but how long do you think such suppression will be possible? Do you still see Joo Cheon-oh as nothing more than a disciple in need of care?”

“Brother, that is enough.”

So, am I supposed to charge at the kid to kill him the way you would?

A surge of resentment rose in Cho Yoon’s chest. He lowered the hand that had been shielding his face and curled his fingers into a loose fist inside his sleeve. Unlike a few days ago, when Moyong Seo had bluntly confessed his faults, the boy now sneering at him despite his brother’s restraint looked every bit like the “mad dog” described in the original work. Faced with such a reaction, just as he had been about to offer another sincere apology, a natural feeling of defiance rose within Cho Yoon.

However, he smothered the impulse with a short sigh. Regaining his composure, he turned to see Moyong Dan gripping his wayward brother’s shoulder firmly.

“I will say it again. I am sorry. I am teaching that child how to live among others, but it seems my efforts have fallen far short. If necessary, I intend to restrain him even if it means dying by his hand.”

“…No. I apologize for acting emotionally.”

“Please accept our apologies, Great Hero. My brother is simply out of sorts…”

“If we were to weigh my faults, I am in no position to accept an apology for a few impertinent words, so let it be.”

The two brothers stared in silent shock when Cho Yoon met the unspoken sneer of See, I told you so. He’s a lost cause with a calm declaration that he would prevent Cheon-oh from straying even if it cost him his life. He waved his hand and added evenly,

“Furthermore, Seomun Cheon-oh is not the same as Joo Cheon-oh. There is no need to conclude already that my disciple will eventually degrade into that form.”

“…A person’s essence does not change.”

“But one can build a tower of a new shape upon the old foundation.”

Cho Yoon fell silent for a moment. Though he had spoken those words out of a defensive impulse laced with anger, the more he arranged them into speech, the more his own heart seemed to settle. He could hardly tell if he was exhorting the Moyong brothers or making a vow to himself.

“The Seomun Cheon-oh I raised… though he may not yet easily empathize with the emotions of others, nor can he easily give his affection to others, and has yet to realize the preciousness of living things…”

“…”

“At the very least, he is a child who follows my lead when I tell him to stop and pull his hand back, even if he doesn’t understand why. He is a child who then asks me for the reason and chews over my words for a long time to comprehend them.”

Cho Yoon was certain of one thing: Cheon-oh held him in the highest regard. Even when he tried to make an objective judgment stripped of affection, he knew it instinctively whenever he met Cheon-oh’s eyes. It felt like the imprinting of a newborn beast, perhaps a brand even deeper than that.

I pulled him out of such a horrific scene, so it makes sense for him to rely on me entirely.

Every time that instinctive anxiety rose in him, he tried to avoid it, but either way, the fact remained that Cheon-oh placed immense meaning on Cho Yoon.

Seeing this, Cho Yoon realized Cheon-oh was not a child completely incapable of attachment or consideration. He shook his head slightly and continued.

“Do you think making a human out of a dark-haired beast is an easy task? There are many who live thirty, fifty, even eighty years and still cannot act like a proper human by the time they die. I, too, have lived for many years, but if asked if I have become a complete person, I could only give a shameful answer. It is too early to say my responsibility is fulfilled with a mere ten years of care.”

In essence, he was begging someone who was demanding, How on earth did you raise this kid? to bear with him a little longer while he continued to try. Through Cho Yoon’s mouth, however, it came out sounding almost profoundly philosophical, making the subsequent awkward silence and embarrassment difficult to endure.

Ultimately, Cho Yoon changed the subject quickly without so much as clearing his throat. There were matters already scattered about that were far more important than his own self-reflection and resolve.

“You mentioned an artifact from Medicine King Mountain. If it is the concealment artifact created by the formation masters of the Zhuge Clan, then I am aware of it. You certainly know your way around a secret treasure that has been kept classified with only one remaining.”

“I heard of it from Zhuge Yeong-hwan, the younger brother of the Sect Leader, during our frequent exchanges while I was learning mechanical formations. Of course, I only picked it up because he was wandering about, drunkenly blabbing in private…”

Moyong Dan, who valued proper conduct, frowned slightly. Cho Yoon tried to recall if such a character existed in The Returned Hero before giving up. If he was the Sect Leader’s brother, he was Seol-rin’s uncle, a role unlikely to appear in a male-oriented harem martial arts novel.

“Guangdong is a city with relatively free entry and constant bustle, but that also means there are many eyes watching. It is nearly impossible to leave the provincial capital while completely shaking off the surveillance of the Hao Sect, which has permeated both the surface and the underworld. Furthermore, even if the legendary Hidden Shadow Dark Emperor himself were to come, it would be difficult for him to vanish without a trace while avoiding the sensory aura network the Great Hero Immortal Healer has so painstakingly expanded.”

“And so, you concluded it was an artifact?”

“I pride myself on knowing the mysteries of artifacts and divine treasures better than anyone. To act as if one does not exist within the Great Hero Immortal Healer’s grasp, one would at least need the treasure strictly enshrined at Medicine King Mountain.”

“…”

As he fished a single memory from his mind, related experiences rose up like a chain: the group that had secretly roamed Mount Dumang, where the Estate of Deep Mists was located; the venomous Zhenniao bird lying dead beneath Yeonpa River; his disciple and the people at the foot of the mountain who had nearly been in danger because of it; the human traces he had found upon his return.

Perhaps the reason they were able to avoid the Great Hero Immortal Healer’s eyes was because of a concealment artifact or the nature of their martial arts. If there is a Purification Stone that neutralizes poison regardless of its type, there is no reason there shouldn’t be an artifact that hides a person’s presence.

That girl back then didn’t seem to know about the concealment artifact, but has that changed now?

It was nothing more than a hypothesis built on suspicion and speculation, but it was the only clue he held.

Even though he knew it was strange how everything was falling into place as if orchestrated, he had no choice but to step deeper into the web of his own accord.