Seop Mu-gwang stepped outside, leaving only Ilhwa and the Medical Division Head in the room.

Although the Medical Division Head was a bit tense—given that she had nearly been killed by the child before—she tried to maintain a bright smile.

“You must be training very hard—but you should still be a little more careful. Now, let’s take a look at your wound, shall we?”

Ilhwa extended her arm to her.

As the Medical Division Head looked at her with surprised eyes, Ilhwa spoke.

“I think I’ve suffered internal injuries. Could you examine them?”

“I can, but… I’d need to use internal energy. Is that all right?”

Ilhwa nodded without hesitation.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to agree so easily. Does that mean I’ve earned a bit of trust?”

Despite nearly dying in their first encounter, the Medical Division Head still maintained a cheerful demeanor.

She gently grasped Ilhwa’s slender arm, then quickly closed her eyes and focused on taking her pulse.

A faint, thread-like energy began to flow into Ilhwa’s meridians, exploring various parts of her body.

‘A person in a key position within Namgoong, yet not of Namgoong lineage.’

Although her title was Division Head, her influence within Namgoong was minimal, making it questionable to call her role significant.

However, as the head of the Medical Division, she held the lives of Namgoong’s people in her hands.

If she wished, she could easily poison and annihilate Namgoong’s people in an instant.

‘Just like back in the Blood Sect.’

As the Medical Division Head’s energy approached the vicinity of Ilhwa’s dantian, it hesitated for a moment.

Her brows furrowed.

The energy lingered in that spot briefly before moving again.

― Do you have someone you want to kill?

A calm voice slipped into the Medical Division Head’s mind as she explored Ilhwa’s meridians.

The Medical Division Head slowly opened her eyes.

Her energy was quickly withdrawn as well.

For a brief moment, their gazes met.

The Medical Division Head tilted her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips.

― What do you mean by that?

Though her question seemed unremarkable, the Medical Division Head responded to Ilhwa’s internal voice with her own, signaling her willingness to engage in the conversation.

Ilhwa mirrored her smile and said:

― Exactly what I asked.

― Hmm…

The Medical Division Head released Ilhwa’s hand and leaned back in her chair.

Her gaze, fixed on Ilhwa, held a mix of puzzlement and curiosity.

― I suppose there were times like that. Why do you ask? And what about you, my dear little cat?

― Do you still feel that way now?

― Fortunately, no. That person is already dead.

Her smiling expression carried a subtle, chilling aura.

It was the same expression Ilhwa had seen from Dokwol in her past life.

The air became heavy with latent malice, as if someone might drop dead from poison at any moment.

Indeed, in her past life, whenever the Medical Division Head showed such an expression, members of the Blood Sect would mysteriously die within two weeks.

Though their causes of death varied, Ilhwa knew the truth: they had all been poisoned.

― Then when do you think you might feel like killing someone again?

― Hmm?

The Medical Division Head tilted her head, stroking her chin.

Her expression seemed to question why Ilhwa was so curious, but she still gave a thoughtful answer.

― If someone were to harm the people I love, I might feel that way.

― Do you have people you love?

― Hmm… Is that what my little cat really wants to know?

― Are they in Namgoong?

The Medical Division Head’s eyebrows arched slightly.

She stared blankly at the moxa cautery materials on the table before shrugging with a faint smile.

― Well… That’s a tough question. I could say yes, but also no.

Ilhwa nodded slowly.

― Oh my, did that answer anything for you?

― Yes.

From this conversation, Ilhwa could confirm at least one thing.

She was not yet Dokwol—not yet, at least.

For now, that was enough.

Ilhwa turned her gaze away, deep in thought.

― The Blood King’s Poison.

With a loud crack, the moxa container in the Medical Division Head’s hand shattered.

― Choryeon.

When Ilhwa looked back at her, the Medical Division Head was no longer smiling.

Ilhwa’s lips curved into a cool smile.

― I’m going to need your help.

---

The Blood King’s Poison was one of Choryeon’s hidden, infamous names.

Originally, Choryeon was an assistant in a palace department responsible for the emperor. One day, an incident occurred where the second prince of the imperial palace was poisoned to death.

The person identified as the culprit of the incident was none other than Choryeon.

However, when the royal guards were dispatched to capture her, she had already disappeared without a trace.

From then on, she was given the moniker Blood King’s Poison.

Why she was in Namgoong was still a mystery.

In any case, Choryeon was indeed the murderer of the second prince.

The story went that when the prince went out for leisure, he stayed in the village where Choryeon lived. When her neighbor, an older sister figure, refused to serve the prince, the villagers were all slaughtered.

Choryeon, the sole survivor, dedicated herself to revenge, worked her way into the imperial palace, and ultimately killed the second prince—a heartbreaking tale.

‘Who would have thought something I heard from Dokwol would come in handy like this.’

In her previous life, Ilhwa liked the Medical Division, but not Dokwol.

To be more precise, she had no interest in Dokwol.

However, Dokwol enjoyed following Ilhwa around and chattering away whenever she visited. This piece of Choryeon’s past was something she had overheard during one of those moments.

‘And to think I had a suggestion spell placed on me. As expected, meticulous as ever.’

A suggestion spell was a sinister technique that controlled another’s mind.

Usually, the victim wouldn’t even realize they were under a spell until the caster triggered it with a specific sound or action, seizing their mind.

Ilhwa had thought herself free, believing the Blood Lord hadn’t imposed a blood enslavement on her, but clearly, the Blood Lord had no intention of letting her go so easily.

‘He must’ve decided not to bind me outright, so I could kill with my own hands, but wanted to maintain at least minimal control.’

She had no idea when the spell had been placed on her.

Judging by her lack of memory, it must have been before she lost her memories at the age of five.

‘There are two ways to break a suggestion spell. One is to kill the caster. The other is to succumb to the spell completely and let it run its course until it wears off.’

In other words, she either had to eliminate the source or be manipulated until the spell’s power was entirely exhausted.

‘The reason I could break free on my own last night was because the caster wasn’t nearby. The connection was weak, so it could be severed more easily.’

This also meant the Blood Lord could appear at any time and manipulate her at will. She had to find a way to break the spell before that happened.

‘Last night’s attempt to control me must’ve been a warning.’

A threat against her for attempting to escape his grasp. A warning that no matter how much she struggled, she wouldn’t be able to slip away from him.

If she ignored that warning, he would surely come looking for her.

Likely within a day or two.

‘If possible, I want to be acknowledged as one of Namgoong’s children before then.’

Being recognized as a child of Namgoong would place her within the protective boundaries of the Namgoong family.

The Blood Sect had yet to amass enough power to openly reveal themselves in Zhongyuan. They were still quietly infiltrating its various regions, preparing to seize the martial world from the shadows.

In such circumstances, they wouldn’t risk exposing their existence by starting a conflict with Namgoong just to take her.

‘Once I’m acknowledged as a child of Namgoong, I can work on finding a way to break the spell.’

She had asked the Medical Division Head for help in breaking the suggestion spell. If that didn’t work, she would have no choice but to leave and return after breaking free.

‘Before that….’

“Haht! Haah!”

Early in the morning, Ilhwa stopped in her tracks as she heard the sound of powerful shouts echoing from the training grounds.

‘This child’s body is too limiting for what I need to do.’

Last night’s events had made that painfully clear.

A child’s body was inconvenient in many ways, restricting her freedom to act.

Because she was a child, people wanted to protect, monitor, and control her.

If she wanted to be more involved in Namgoong’s growth, she needed an adult figure—a force that could act as her shield and support.

Someone who could sometimes shield her and other times divert attention. Someone who could handle the tasks she couldn’t accomplish as a child.

‘It would be good to have at least one trustworthy subordinate.’

Ilhwa stepped into the training grounds.

“Haah! Hah!”

On the martial platform in the training grounds, someone was practicing with a sword.

It was the leader of the Red Dragon 11th Unit, the one she had crossed swords with the day before.

The sight of him training so early, even before sunrise, was the answer to the question Ilhwa had been pondering.

‘Change begins with a small resolution. Even if that resolution stems from despair.’

Sweat glistened on his face, and his training uniform was already soaked through.

It meant he had been at it for quite some time.

‘In that sense….’

Ilhwa’s lips curved faintly as she observed the Red Dragon leader engrossed in his training, unaware of her presence.

‘The change has already begun.’

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