The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

Luoyang in Henan, Hefei in Anhui, Suzhou and Shanghai in Jiangsu, and the capital Hangzhou stretching below.

The road stretching from Luoyang, which holds thousands of years of Chinese history, to Hangzhou was the most visited place by people.

Needless to say about the capital Hangzhou, the former capital Luoyang held the flow of thousands of years as it was. Naturally, Hefei in Anhui, sandwiched between the two, inherited the advantages of both.

Especially with the Jegal clan of Hubei to the west, Luoyang where the Murim Alliance resided to the north, and the imperial family to the east, Anhui in between was truly a safe zone.

Naturally, the Namgoong clan that had settled there had risen to the First Clan for 400 years now based on the countless population and resources that flocked in.

A land where even traces of the Demon Cult or evil sects were hard to find. As many people gathered, prices were naturally fierce.

Of course, there were still rich people with money, so circulation was happening to some extent.

“Good morning!”

People coming down from the upper floor nodded their heads at the lively waiter’s greeting.

Even at a glance, high-quality fabric was spread on the floor, and ink paintings and celadon imported from distant Goryeo were prominently placed on the walls.

There were over 50 tables and a matching number of chairs on the floor used as a dining room.

The people staying here were high-ranking merchants from merchant groups, or sons of famous clans or sects, or arrogant officials.

It wasn’t a place you could enter just because you had money. That’s why even when rooting out hidden evil sects in Hefei, this place alone was left untouched. Knowing this, secret trades often took place inside.

“Ah! Did you have a comfortable evening? You must be tired since you arrived last evening, were you satisfied with your sleep?”

At the energetic waiter’s words, the scholarly-looking man standing next to the woman wearing a veil smiled brightly and nodded.

The waiter was bothered by the woman wearing a veil indoors, but that much wasn’t considered strange here. There were people wearing strange masks and people burying their faces in their clothes.

It was common to hide faces when people who shouldn’t be seen together publicly were present. Although it might be considered strange and searched elsewhere, here it was tacitly overlooked.

The waiter led the way to guide the two people to a table to provide breakfast.

While guiding the two people to an empty table, several people who looked like martial artists entered through the open door and approached the innkeeper.

The waiter forgot what he was guiding and turned his head.

The two people behind the waiter also stopped and turned around. The martial artist who passed by the two people and approached the innkeeper probed into something thoroughly.

The waiter, who had been staring blankly at that sight, realized he had forgotten his job and hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Oh my, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

The scholarly-looking man shook his head with a smile after looking back as well. As soon as the two people sat at the table the waiter guided them to, the man opened his mouth.

“By the way, it seems something is happening. It’s not common for martial artists to come and go from the morning.”

“Ah- They’ve started searching recently, so I don’t know the details either. I heard suspicions have been continuing for days that the Demon Cult’s Young Cult Leader flowed into Anhui and naturally hid in Hefei. But in fact, everyone thinks it’s a joke. It doesn’t seem like the Demon Cult’s Young Cult Leader, of all people, would have a reason to hide here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes. I don’t know about other places because I haven’t been there, but this Anhui is under the influence of the Namgoong clan that produced the Murim Alliance Leader, so the Demon Cult and evil sects are extremely reluctant to set foot on this land.”

The waiter jerked his chin to point at the martial artists leaving after finishing their business.

“Those people are also martial artists of the Namgoong clan, and they’ve been coming to ask if there are any suspicious people for four days straight without missing a day.”

Hyuk Dojin, the scholarly-looking man, looked at that sight quietly and then chuckled.

“For suspicions that the Demon Cult’s Young Cult Leader has snuck in, they seem to be withdrawing quite readily.”

“Well, that’s probably because most people who can come and go here have confirmed identities. They’re just stopping by here briefly on orders and asking as a formality. Ah! More importantly, how about a simple breakfast?”

“That’s fine.”

As Hyuk Dojin nodded, the waiter smiled brightly as if understanding and withdrew.

Hyuk Dojin quietly looked at his receding back, then turned his gaze towards Moyong Sowol wearing a veil. Moyong Sowol, who had been listening to the conversation under the shade made by the veil, sent a voice transmission as the gaze came to her.

[It’s the same here too. I believed the saying ‘it’s dark under the lamp’, but as expected, it’s the Namgoong clan. They’re saying they won’t act rashly, is that it?]

[We’re not going to stay here long anyway. After replenishing the medicine by procuring medicinal ingredients here that we couldn’t get in Boyang, we’ll go straight to Boyang, so we just need to stay until then.]

The two people’s mouths were tightly closed, so much that if others saw, they would think they were conversing with their eyes.

Hyuk Dojin stared intently at Moyong Sowol, then took out a small identity tag from his bosom and placed it on the table. It was Shaolin’s identity tag.

It proved the identity of the holder and could receive Shaolin’s protection anywhere. It was an identity tag Ji Seok had handed over saying it could help with their movements.

It was certainly helpful, but the problem was that most people except Hyuk Dojin and Moyong Sowol emitted thick demonic energy.

In other places, it wouldn’t matter if they emitted or burst out demonic energy, but in Anhui, doing so would be perfect for getting stabbed to death immediately.

Therefore, even with the identity tag, only Hyuk Dojin who could conceal demonic energy and Moyong Sowol who hadn’t learned demonic arts could enter the city.

Yoo Doha and the others were hiding and waiting in the mountains near the Huai River. Ji Seok was staying at Shaolin’s branch in Hefei while gathering medicinal ingredients.

While the two people were staring intently at each other and conversing through voice transmission, the waiter approached again, set down the food, and disappeared.

Hyuk Dojin tilted his noodle soup as always. Moyong Sowol quietly watched him eat.

Hyuk Dojin tilted his head at her gaze while moving his chopsticks.

“What’s wrong?”

“No… I’m just curious.”

Moyong Sowol smiled and stirred the noodle soup placed in front of her with chopsticks.

“It seems you always eat noodle soup wherever we go. Do you like it that much?”

At her question, Hyuk Dojin slightly rolled his eyes and looked down at the noodle soup. It was just noodles in broth with an egg on top.

If asked if it was particularly delicious, most would answer they were just eating it to fill their stomachs because they were hungry.

“Hmm…”

Moyong Sowol smiled slightly as Hyuk Dojin seriously pondered her casual question.

His pondering seemed to end as Hyuk Dojin stopped his moan and nodded his head.

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“How much?”

“To the extent that I would choose noodle soup first even if the emperor’s table was in front of me?”

“Really?”

Hyuk Dojin shrugged his shoulders. Moyong Sowol looked at him with curious eyes, then slightly rolled her eyes thinking of something, and soon spoke lightly.

“When we return, I’ll make noodle soup for you.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t seem like a particularly difficult dish to make, so I’ll make it for you. It’s enjoyable to eat dishes made by the cook every time, but it’s not bad to personally make and give the dish my man likes best, right? Don’t you agree?”

Hyuk Dojin looked at her with a blank face at Moyong Sowol’s nonchalant question.

Moyong Sowol stared blankly at Hyuk Dojin’s face showing no reaction. His reaction was more rigid than expected, so worry filled Moyong Sowol’s eyes. She slightly pushed her veil and brought her pupils out of the shade, then asked quietly.

“…You don’t like it?”

At Moyong Sowol’s voice, life returned to Hyuk Dojin’s hazy eyes. He blinked a few times. He met Moyong Sowol’s eyes looking at him worriedly, then lowered his gaze to examine the noodle soup. The ripples in the clear broth erased Hyuk Dojin’s face.

“Dojin?”

“…I like it.”

With his answer, his gaze rose. Hyuk Dojin smiled gently. As his smile was drawn, a smile of relief was also drawn on Moyong Sowol’s lips.

“I thought you didn’t like it. I was about to accept that you meant I shouldn’t do it because the food I make probably wouldn’t taste good.”

“How could that be? Even if there was poison in the food Sowol makes, I would eat it.”

“Does that mean the food I’ll make is at the level of having poison in it without even mixing in poison?”

Hyuk Dojin hurriedly waved his hands. At his answer saying how could that be, Moyong Sowol’s eyes narrowed. They say vehement denial is affirmation.

As Moyong Sowol’s gaze was still stinging, Hyuk Dojin finally let out a small sigh and continued speaking.

“Actually, I was a bit surprised.”

“Why? That I’m thinking of cooking?”

Hyuk Dojin shook his head with an awkward smile. He quietly spoke while looking down at the bowl of noodle soup in his hand.

“There was someone who said the same thing to me before. I didn’t think I would hear those exact words again.”

“…Is that so?”

At Hyuk Dojin’s words, Moyong Sowol’s eyes returned to normal. Her eyes calmly gazed at his expression that somehow seemed nostalgic yet lonely.

Hyuk Dojin lightly brushed the white noodles with his chopsticks and chuckled.

“That person couldn’t make other dishes either, but boasted she could make only that dish well. In the end, she did make it, but as expected, it was a mess. The noodles were all dissolved and even the broth she made herself was tasteless. The flour taste was so strong it was hard to eat.”

Moyong Sowol observed his reaction. Occasionally he would show this kind of reaction or atmosphere, and it was mostly when he brought up stories from his childhood.

And Hyuk Dojin’s childhood always shared memories with his mother. Knowing this, Moyong Sowol spoke in a gentle voice.

“But did you eat it all?”

“No? Why would I eat that?”

“…”

Moyong Sowol had thought he would tell some touching story, so his blunt response was surprising. As Moyong Sowol’s mouth opened slightly, Hyuk Dojin grinned.

“I told her right away it wasn’t good. It should be moderately not good, but it tasted like chewing raw flour, so I couldn’t even eat half and threw it away.”

“Ha… Haha.”

Moyong Sowol laughed awkwardly. Hyuk Dojin stirred the noodle soup, popped it into his mouth, chewed thoroughly and swallowed, then grinned.

“Compared to the noodle soup from that time, this is a delicacy. That’s why I can eat it easily.”

“…That was mean.”

Hyuk Dojin leisurely shrugged his shoulders, then moved his chopsticks again. He put the noodles caught on his chopsticks into his mouth again, chewed while mumbling, then put down the empty bowl and quietly looked at the clear broth.

“Still, I miss it.”

“…”

He can’t hate it. Moyong Sowol sighed deeply at Hyuk Dojin’s reaction and was about to eat the noodle soup again.

At that moment, Moyong Sowol’s expression slightly twisted, then she hurriedly took out a black cloth from her bosom and covered her mouth.

Cough!

A small cough burst out. It looked like she was trying to prevent food from getting dirty because of the cough, but that wasn’t it.

Hyuk Dojin hurriedly stood up from his seat. Moyong Sowol shook her head at his appearance of standing up and lowered her palm as if telling him to sit.

Moyong Sowol carefully removed the cloth covering her mouth, then folded it in half and wiped her mouth. Nothing was stained on the black cloth, but it wasn’t that nothing was stained. It just wasn’t visible.

Moyong Sowol received the glass of water Hyuk Dojin held out, rinsed her mouth, then spat into the empty bowl.

The water she held in her mouth was clearly transparent, but what she spat out was dark red.

“Sowol.”

“I’m fine.”

Moyong Sowol lowered the cloth and forced a bright smile with a normal face.

“There’s no problem.”

It had been about four days since she couldn’t take her medicine.