The courtyard of Mount Hua, which Seolhwa stepped into after hearing the words of the Black Dragon Commander, was nothing short of a cauldron of shock.

At the center of the courtyard lay a coarse mat draped over something.

Its protruding shape was not very large.

‘A child.’

It was a child.

Smaller than Seolhwa herself.

The faces of Mount Hua’s second-generation disciples flickered through her mind.

Was it one of them?

Seolhwa unconsciously clenched her fist.

“What has happened here?”

As Namgoong Mucheon appeared, the elders of Mount Hua—who had been speaking gravely by the dead child—turned around in unison.

Nobaek, head of the Martial Hall, stepped forward.

“Clan Head Namgoong.”

Namgoong Mucheon glanced at the mat and asked,

“Is it a child of Mount Hua?”

“Yes. A disciple who had gone to the village at the base of the mountain for an errand was found in the forest. Though not officially initiated yet, he had been living here at Mount Hua for quite some time.”

At that moment, a name surfaced in Seolhwa’s mind.

‘Myeong.’

It was that child.

The one whom Yu Gang had cherished so unusually—whose name she had never heard in her previous life. The child she had once suspected of being an agent of the Blood Cult.

‘That child is dead?’

Why?

Who killed him?

Was it the work of the Blood Cult? Or merely an accident?

“What was the cause of death?”

Nobaek hesitated briefly before answering with a short sigh.

“It appears to be poison.”

“Poison?”

“May I take a look?”

Nobaek looked down at Seolhwa, who had stepped out from behind Namgoong Mucheon. His gaze held a mix of surprise and puzzlement.

He had known since the Namgoong Clan’s arrival that the Clan Head’s granddaughter had come with them, but it was his first time seeing her in person.

He had heard through the disciples about the overwhelming martial display she had shown during the daytime spar, but the child standing before him now was even smaller and younger-looking than expected—too small for such talk to be believable.

“You wish to examine the body yourself?”

“Yes. And if it is permissible, I would also like to show it to the physician from our clan.”

Nobaek cast a troubled look at Namgoong Mucheon, silently asking whether it was all right to show a corpse to a child.

Namgoong Mucheon nodded.

“I feel the same. May we have a look?”

“...Very well. This way.”

Nobaek led the two of them to the mat.

A short distance away, the elders who had already checked the state of the child let out a heavy sigh.

“Does all of Mount Hua know of this?”

“We have not yet explained it in detail to the disciples. They have been ordered to remain in their lodgings. We will inform them gradually, once the body has been moved.”

“I see.”

When Nobaek, seated opposite Namgoong Mucheon and Seolhwa, lifted the mat, the body was revealed.

As expected, the dead child was Myeong.

His lips were a ghastly blue, and his skin was blackened as though scorched by fire.

“May I touch him?”

“Go ahead.”

Seolhwa pressed down firmly on the corpse.

The skin was as hard as stone.

What stood out as strange was the posture of the body—his hands were clasped at his solar plexus, as if he had been holding something tightly.

As if reading her thoughts, Nobaek pointed to the folded hands and explained,

“When he was first discovered, he was holding a single flower—as if it were precious. It must have fallen during the transport after it wilted from the poison.”

“May I ask what kind of flower it was?”

“A peony. A white peony.”

“....”

Seolhwa’s expression froze for a moment.

Seeing the change in his granddaughter’s face, Namgoong Mucheon rose to his feet.

“I have seen enough. Move the body. I shall inform the family physician myself.”

“Thank you.”

The elders of Mount Hua then moved the body to the main hall.

Though not an official disciple, a child of Mount Hua had been poisoned to death within Mount Hua. The matter demanded thorough investigation.

Once the corpse and the elders were gone, the courtyard once again became hollow and empty. Standing there, the night air felt all the more bitterly cold.

“Seolhwa.”

Namgoong Mucheon called to her.

Seolhwa turned toward him, her gaze having lingered vacantly on the receding elders.

“Your expression does not bode well. Do you have a guess as to what this is?”

“...Yes.”

In truth, the moment Seolhwa saw the condition of the body, she had known it was the work of the Blood Cult.

Blue lips, blackened skin, a body turned stiff like stone.

“It is a poison called Go Hyeoldok—Solidified Blood Poison. It is used in Hwaoru. As you saw, it causes the bloodstream and entire body to gradually harden before death.”

“Such vile creatures...”

Namgoong Mucheon trembled with revulsion at the cruelty of the Blood Cult.

They were more vicious and cunning than any dark faction he had ever encountered.

It was as though their purpose was not merely to kill, but to make their victims suffer to the utmost degree before death—so brutal it made his skin crawl.

“The name they gave me there was Ilhwa.”

Seolhwa spoke, her head bowed.

“One Flower. It means a white peony.”

The white peony blooming atop a cliff carries a heavy scent.

Some call it noble, the way it flowers alone on a desolate precipice and releases such a dense fragrance.

But the peony’s heavy scent is the scent of desperation.

It carries the desperate hope that a passing bee or butterfly might catch its fragrance and come near.

The scent of the peony is the stench of a life struggling to survive.

That was what the Blood Demon had said.

‘Look at that peony, straining to release its scent just to stay alive. Is it not beautiful?’

‘The stench of desperation is thick and persistent.’

‘You resemble that peony, do you know that?’

Looking back, she could understand now.

The self from her previous life had been a flower on the edge of a cliff.

Cast away from the forest full of grasses and flowers, forced to survive alone atop a barren crag.

And in the end, Ilhwa—One Flower—had withered and crumbled to dust.

“Seolhwa.”

At the heavy pressure on her shoulder, Seolhwa lifted her gaze. Namgoong Mucheon was now kneeling before her, meeting her eyes at her level.

“You once said this—no matter where you were raised, no matter what clothes you wore, no matter what kind of life you lived. You are a child of Namgoong.”

It was what Seolhwa had declared in front of everyone during the Heavenly Martial Festival.

“I believe that as well.”

“....”

“You are Namgoong Seolhwa. No matter what you were once called, the fact that you are the eldest granddaughter of Namgoong Mucheon will never ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ change.”

With a soft smile, Namgoong Mucheon stroked Seolhwa’s hair.

“Do not forget that.”

That gentle smile was so warm.

A reassuring smile that reminded her she was no longer alone on that cold and desolate cliff, but now among a cluster where she could bloom and live together.

****

Namgoong Mucheon, Seolhwa, Mount Hua’s Sect Leader No Un, and Martial Hall Head Nobaek encircled Myeong’s corpse.

Choryeon and the head of Mount Hua’s Medicine King Pavilion examined Myeong’s body, with disciples of the pavilion assisting them.

Choryeon and the Pavilion Lord conducted a thorough inspection of the body.

Though it was hardened like stone and difficult to examine, once Namgoong Mucheon applied pressure to the energy point Seolhwa had indicated, the rigid body began to loosen.

While examining the inside of the mouth, Choryeon spoke.

“It was not poison that killed him.”

“What do you mean? Not poison?”

“This child... swallowed the poison himself.”

Choryeon pried open the corpse’s mouth and showed everyone inside.

The very back molar was especially blackened.

“May I extract the tooth?”

At Choryeon’s request, the Sect Leader gave a nod.

The Pavilion Lord brought over a pair of forceps, and Choryeon extracted the indicated molar.

There was a narrow groove cut through the center of the tooth, and a fine thread was tied within it.

“A clear sign that poison was hidden here. This child was a planted agent. I do not know who sent him, but...”

Choryeon’s gaze briefly flicked to Seolhwa.

“Who brought him here, did you say?”

“I did.”

Nobaek pointed to himself as he spoke.

“A child wandering the streets. He said he was hungry, so I gave him food, and he followed me. I brought him here after confirming he had no parents or relatives...”

Nobaek clenched his fist.

“Who could ever imagine someone would use a child like this? It never crossed my mind.”

He had simply wanted to feed a starving child.

To give a place to rest to one who had slept on cold streets.

To offer companionship to a boy who used to stare longingly at children playing together.

He had brought the boy to Mount Hua, but he had never hoped for martial prowess or great talent from him.

He had only wanted to let him live a normal, peaceful life.

Who could have guessed that such a child was a spy?

Turning toward the Sect Leader, Nobaek bowed his head deeply.

“It was my mistake, Sect Leader. I will step down from my position as elder and withdraw from the front lines.”

No Un’s expression turned troubled.

Though Myeong had not been an official disciple, the fact that the Martial Hall Head had brought a spy into Mount Hua was no light matter. He could not avoid taking responsibility.

With a long sigh, No Un placed a hand on Nobaek’s shoulder.

“For now, return to your quarters. We shall discuss how to handle this matter after consulting with the other elders.”

Nobaek bowed again to the Sect Leader, then turned and offered a martial salute to Namgoong Mucheon.

“To think that the Namgoong Clan would witness such a disgraceful sight... I am truly sorry. I shall take my leave.”

“Rest well.”

Once Nobaek departed, the Sect Leader instructed the Pavilion Lord and the assisting disciples to step out for a moment.

And so, only Namgoong Mucheon, Seolhwa, Choryeon, and No Un remained in the room.

Now that the child named Myeong had been revealed to be an agent of the Blood Cult, they had to revise their plan.

Once Namgoong Mucheon deployed a sound-sealing barrier around the room, Choryeon spoke immediately, as though she had been waiting for the moment.

“The poison samples are ready.”