Jin Cheon-hee grumbled as he poured everyone another round.

Prince Han-bing watched Jin Cheon-hee and Gongsun Yeong with quiet satisfaction. “I’m envious. This must be the camaraderie of the Gangho.”

“Don’t you get along with your younger brothers?” Jin Cheon-hee asked.

“When we were young, they followed me around just fine,” the Prince said, then let out a thin laugh. “But once they grew up, they started saying they couldn’t come because my room was cold. That’s how we ended up drifting apart.”

Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes narrowed.

That’s not because the room is cold, but…

Just then, Gongsun Yeong cut in. “Wow. How rude. Saying that right to your older brother’s face. Like your older brother wanted to have a disease in the first place.”

“Uaaah, Sister!”

She’d said it so bluntly, without a hint of hesitation. Gongsun Yeong blinked, as if genuinely confused about what the problem was.

“I know because I’m a younger sibling too,” she said, voice rising. “There were plenty of times I thought it was hard to play with my sister when her health was bad. But thinking it is one thing. Saying it to her face is another. And saying it without apologizing, without even looking at her properly, is another thing entirely!”

She slammed her palm down.

Bang!

Maybe she was tipsy; her sense of control was a little off.

“I’m speaking as a fellow younger sibling, Prince-nim,” she said, leaning forward. “Your younger brothers are unlucky bastards.”

“Hahaha. Indeed.” The Prince sighed and sipped his tea. “They weren’t like that when they were young…”

After a moment, he went on, quieter. “Because I was sick, Royal Father and Queen Mother cared only about me. I suppose that became a deep wound for them.”

“…”

“Somehow,” he added, “the Young Divine Physician seems to see it differently.”

Jin Cheon-hee’s brow furrowed. “Uh… in an ordinary family, maybe you could let something like that slide. But this is a Prince of a kingdom. With so many people around you, how lonely could they really have been?”

“One could see it that way,” the Prince allowed.

“Yeah. And love isn’t something you only get from parents,” Jin Cheon-hee said, unable to keep the edge out of his voice. “They’d have had tutors, attendants, people falling over themselves to cater to them.”

“Cold-hearted.”

“That may be,” Jin Cheon-hee said, “but…”

Knowing what happened with the Blood Immortal Cult, it was hard to take their side.

When Yeo Ha-ryoon came to Ayesha, His Highness was already dead.

And the two sons who inherited the throne? The way they’d ruined everything—

Unfortunate circumstances, loneliness, family tragedy… If they weren’t the crown princes of a country, maybe those would count as extenuating circumstances.

But after they’d already annihilated the seeds of the people, what kind of shield were you even trying to offer them?

He couldn’t view it favorably. Not even a little.

They passed the night like that.

The next day, as the three of them ate breakfast, people from the Northern Sea Ice Palace arrived to visit.

The warriors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace carried themselves with dignified restraint. They’d come to escort Jin Cheon-hee, who was also a disciple of the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord.

“We came to escort you,” their leader said, “upon hearing that His Highness has arrived.”

When they entered the Northern Sea Ice Palace, they unpacked in the distinguished guests quarters at once, then headed straight for the Great Hall to meet the Palace Lord.

The saying that it was no different from a small nation hadn’t been an exaggeration. The Palace Lord sat upon a magnificent chair, as imposing as any throne, set high above the hall.

At his side stood a veiled woman, distinct from the martial artists of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. Her clothes were too ornate to be called a scholar’s robes; she looked more like a priestess who read fortunes.

The Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord’s Ayesha-style name was Vladimir Ivan, but within the Palace he bore a separate name: Gun Baek-ju (also known as Monarch of White Lord).

“Welcome,” he said. “My disciple. Is the King healthy?”

“Royal Father is hale and hearty.”

“A good thing.” The Palace Lord’s gaze shifted, cool and assessing. “And disciple of the Blood Qilin who brought the Ice Clarity Sword. Originally, I would neither welcome nor reject… but welcome to you as well.”

Everyone exhaled at once.

There was no one who didn’t know the grudge between the Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer and the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord.

The Palace Lord continued, his voice unhurried. “The master killed my son, and the descendant saved my disciple, so one more kindness, eun, is engraved with this.”

Even if the son had died in a duel, emotions didn’t settle so easily. Still, by nature, the Palace Lord hadn’t chased the Blood Qilin down to pursue vengeance. He’d simply left the Blood Qilin’s life or death to the heavens.

Time had passed. Feelings had cooled, slowly, against his will. The Ice Clarity Sword had been sent. And now, with the Blood Qilin’s disciple wielding that very sword and saving his own disciple, it seemed something complicated had taken root in him.

Jin Cheon-hee bowed deeply.

The Palace Lord’s eyes moved over Jin Cheon-hee from head to toe, lingering as if weighing the marrow beneath the flesh. Then he spoke.

“I heard you brought a return gift for the Ice Clarity Sword I sent previously. But that won’t be your true purpose. Unlike the Central Plains people, I dislike beating around the bush. What did you come for?”

He was a man who treated time like gold. If he came out like this, there was no point hesitating.

Jin Cheon-hee met his gaze. “I’d like you to reconsider your alliance with the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“Why?” The Palace Lord’s voice stayed level, but the temperature dropped. “That great cause you Central Plains people speak of, dae-ui, is ultimately a vain delusion. Allying with the Unorthodox Alliance will bring great profit to the Northern Sea Ice Palace in the future. Is there any reason for this Palace to reject the Unorthodox Alliance’s hand?”

He rose slightly, posture straightening, eyes sharpening to ice.

“What can the Martial Righteous Alliance give?” he demanded. “The kindness of treating a disciple is insufficient to break an alliance already concluded with the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“…”

He really did speak plainly.

Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes blinked once.

The Martial Righteous Alliance sent me to persuade him, but they never mentioned offering anything specific, not once.

At the time, I tried to think maybe it was an emotional matter, not a transactional one.

But somewhere in my gut, I also wondered if they’d sent me because they wanted this to fail from the start.

Uncle Ak Jin isn’t that clever. It’s more likely the clans blocked information beforehand… or they didn’t bother to find out at all.

Troublesome.

So many people want the Great Orthodox and Unorthodox War.

A dove of peace isn’t much use in a place like this.

When you dedicate your life to the sword, not using it can feel like denying your own existence. Martial artists fear their blades rusting.

Jin Cheon-hee drew in a slow breath.

If a dove won’t work, then maybe I have to send a crow with a few tricks in its beak.

If it means fewer people die, then fine. I’ll do it.

“Hahaha,” Jin Cheon-hee said aloud, letting a small laugh escape as if this were merely amusing. “I came worried about loss, not profit.”

“They say the Zhuge Clan plays with people using a three-inch tongue.” The Palace Lord’s mouth curved, not quite a smile. “Your master didn’t have that side when he was young, but the disciple has an oily tongue.”

Jin Cheon-hee’s expression didn’t change.

Me too.

Back on Earth, in my twenties, I was probably like that.

The sharp parts, the tender parts, all ground down until only the hard parts remained.

Rolling and rolling… what does a rough stone become, in the end?

“The Unorthodox Alliance has collapsed to half its original power,” Jin Cheon-hee said evenly. “That’s why they’ve been rushing to form alliances lately. If they wage war with the Martial Righteous Alliance as they are now, the Northern Sea Ice Palace will suffer damage too.”

“Oho?”

“If the loss will outweigh the profit,” Jin Cheon-hee said, holding the Palace Lord’s gaze, “then shouldn’t you reconsider?”

“The one who inflicted massive damage on the Unorthodox Alliance speaks well indeed.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jin Cheon-hee replied without blinking. “This physician has never killed anyone. Most of the blood was spilled by the Gongsun Clan here, or the Namgung Clan.”

He continued in the same nonchalant tone, lips barely moving between words.

“Rather, the White Qilin Medical Pavilion has traded with the Northern Sea Ice Palace through the Putuo Merchant Guild all this time, and I’m concerned that trade might be cut off due to the Great War.”

“Are you threatening this Palace Lord?”

Jin Cheon-hee deliberately widened his eyes and waved both hands. “Impossible. If trade with the Northern Sea Ice Palace is cut off, the White Qilin Medical Pavilion takes an immediate loss too. And since I received a title from the Ayesha Kingdom this time, even if only in name, I intended to expand the trade list further.”

Prince Han-bing, standing beside him, stepped in smoothly. “Master. The developer of ondol is precisely this One Light under the Heavens, the Young Divine Physician Jin Cheon-hee.”

At that, the Palace Lord rubbed his chin and let out a low hum. “I heard rumors, but it seems they were true. I was skeptical because he was too young at the time to make such a thing.”

“Rather than making it,” Jin Cheon-hee said, “I brought in a method used in distant places and adapted it to suit the Central Plains.”

“Master,” Prince Han-bing said quickly, “the Young Divine Physician is trustworthy. He’s humble, easy-going.”

“…”

The Palace Lord fell into thought. Then he said, “First, I will consider your proposal, Jin Cheon-hee. Withdraw for now.”

It was an expulsion order.

Even shifting him this much could move a great deal.

Jin Cheon-hee offered a polite salute and left.

***

The moment they returned to the distinguished guests quarters, His Highness asked, “He killed a son… what does that mean?”

Was it darkest under the lamp?

The Prince, the one Jin Cheon-hee had assumed would know best, was the only person in that room who hadn’t known the details at all.

Even so, he’d played along perfectly.

Jin Cheon-hee briefly explained what had happened back when his master was the Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer.

After hearing the story, His Highness fell silent for a long time before he finally spoke. “That was before I was born. I knew of it because it exists in the records. It was written, ‘An epidemic was rampant, and a physician of the Hwa Empire resolved it,’ but the historians didn’t record the detailed circumstances at all.”

“And what about Gongsun Yeong?” Jin Cheon-hee asked.

“I already heard it from Sister before we came,” His Highness said, scratching the back of his neck. “She told me to grab you under my arm and run if things went south. I was ready to smack the back of your head and drag you out if you didn’t listen, but… seeing it now, the atmosphere was fine.”

Indeed. Gongsun Yeong never held back, and she never hid.

Jin Cheon-hee’s expression didn’t brighten.

Gongsun Yeong tilted her head. “Why are you like that?”

Prince Han-bing spoke quietly. “It’ll probably be difficult. I don’t believe human emotions can truly be erased through calculation, and more than that… it’s parent and child. Even if I’m called a disciple, I’m not his only disciple.”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee fell into thought.

Living through my past life and this one, haven’t I learned it thoroughly? What you perceive isn’t the complete picture of a person.

I can’t be certain if he’ll truly move in accordance with my calculations.

In the novel, he’s a character with a fixed essence.

However, here, everyone possesses their own past and truth.

Furthermore, none of them are aware of the novel.

They draw conclusions based on what’s visible, just as I do.

“His Highness thinks so,” Jin Cheon-hee said at last.

“Wouldn’t it be so?” Prince Han-bing replied. “No matter how much the White Qilin Divine Physician saved Baekho City, the death of a successor is still enormous. Ah, is that why… is that why Noonim was designated as the successor?”

“Older Sister?” Jin Cheon-hee asked, glancing up.

“The one attending the Palace Lord’s right side,” the Prince explained. “She’s also the Saintess of the Guardian Cult.”

Jin Cheon-hee’s gaze sharpened.

Then I need more information.

It was frustrating.

There was no Beggars’ Sect here, no Hao Sect. Getting even a scrap of intel wouldn’t be easy.