Chapter 87
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The next day, just as the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night had predicted, a perfect full moon rose.
Soso and her companions visited the Dragon Gate once again, sitting in the same spots as the day before to wait for the Healer to appear.
“Ugh, Sami. I’m so nervous. What kind of illusion will I see?”
“Who knows… but I don’t think just anyone gets to see an illusion, do you? There were never any rumors that the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night was an illusionist.”
“Is that so?”
Soso took a long sip of tea and glanced at Sau, who was firmly holding his usual spot.
Come to think of it, Sau had also mentioned suffering from a serious illness.
He was so strong and rarely showed any signs of pain that she often forgot he was even ill.
“But, Young Master, don’t you intend to be examined by the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night?”
“I don’t think that person is capable of curing my condition.”
Jegal Haesu interjected into their conversation.
“What on earth is this illness you’re suffering from? Just how much do you intend to use Sami!”
“I have no obligation to tell you.”
Just as Jegal Haesu was about to retort to that cold reply, the bustling surroundings fell strangely silent.
An unfathomable, pitch-black darkness surged forward, swallowing the diverse crowd of people.
“It’s an illusion.”
With Sau’s voice as the final sound, everyone around Soso vanished.
Soon, Soso found herself facing a pitch-black void.
She wasn’t as afraid of the darkness as she had been the day before. She knew that all of this was fake.
Instead of fear, curiosity stirred within her. She wondered what she would see here today.
‘Are the others trapped in the illusion as well?’
She couldn’t worry about the others any longer.
The surroundings suddenly brightened, and the scenery shifted entirely.
Soso was now surrounded by lush greenery. The source of the verdant landscape was a grove of towering trees.
The sunlight filtering through the branches was brilliant.
Although she couldn’t feel the warmth because it was an illusion, it felt as if she had truly stepped into a forest.
‘This is completely different from the pitch-black room I saw yesterday.’
That was when she heard footsteps.
Soso whipped her head around.
What she saw were a handsome man and a beautiful woman walking in step.
The man, his hair tied up high, had a face of classic, refined beauty.
Looking at his straight nose, strong jawline, and steady gait, she could tell just how upright he was.
Seeing him dressed in neat martial robes, he looked like a warrior of the Orthodox Factions.
Beside him stood a familiar woman.
‘The Golden Divine Healer… no, Hanga.’
A happy smile graced the Golden Divine Healer’s face.
The two glanced at each other from time to time as they spoke, looking every bit like lovers.
As she leaned in slightly, she could even hear their voices.
“……I know I shouldn’t say this, but I dislike you treating others. Especially, be wary of Namgung Seogwang. The way he looks at you is not normal.”
That was the man’s voice.
“But how can I turn away those who are injured? I must treat people while carrying the weight of atonement in my heart.”
That was the Golden Divine Healer’s reply.
“And as long as I am staying at the Namgung Clan, I cannot ignore the Young Master of the Namgung.”
The Namgung Clan?
Now that she thought about it, the magnificent hall visible beyond the forest looked strangely familiar. It reminded her of the Namgung Clan where she had stayed.
Soso committed the name ‘Namgung Seogwang’ to memory.
At that moment, their conversation continued.
“Can’t you become a healer for me alone, rather than a healer for everyone?”
“Young Master Cheon, I……”
Young Master Cheon?
Soso naturally recalled the name.
‘Soul-Chasing Sword Cheon Yujin…!’
The name of the man who was a close friend of the Heavenly Demon Wi Jagang and the one who had slain him.
Yesterday, the Golden Divine Healer and the Heavenly Demon; today, the Golden Divine Healer and Cheon Yujin.
It seemed she truly had a deep connection with the Golden Divine Healer who had appeared fifty years ago.
Otherwise, why would she see the Golden Divine Healer twice within an ‘illusion that shows only what one must see’?
Soso wanted to hear more of their conversation, but at that moment, everything stopped.
The two people who had been walking, the trees swaying in the fake wind—everything froze.
*Swoosh!*
A powerful Sword Aura tore through the fake space in one stroke.
Stepping out from the space that had split in two was Sau.
He was wearing his black hat pulled low, just as he had been when she last saw him.
“A-Are you the real Sau?”
Sau approached in a single bound and took Soso’s hand. It was as cold as it always was.
“I am real.”
“Did you see the illusion as well?”
He left her with a question instead of an answer.
“Baek Sam, what did you see?”
“I saw the Soul-Chasing Sword and the Golden Divine Healer.”
“Let’s leave. There is no reason to be swayed by phantoms.”
“……Yes.”
“Never trust the phantoms.”
“……!”
*Never trust the phantoms.*
Surprisingly, it was a familiar phrase.
That was exactly what Young Master Eon-u had once told her.
‘Why does Sau say the exact same thing as Young Master Eon-u?’
Startled, Soso was lost in her own thoughts and couldn’t say a word to Sau. She simply followed his lead as best she could.
Sau walked straight through the blackened space.
He seemed to know exactly where the ‘Gate of Life’ was to exit the illusion.
Before long, Sau came to a sudden halt.
To Soso, it looked like any other spot.
But when Sau swung his sword in a wide arc again, the space split cleanly in two.
Through the gap, she could see the hallway of the inn.
It was the same place where Soso had fallen into the illusion the day before.
As soon as Soso and Sau stepped into the inn’s hallway, the pitch-black illusion vanished without a trace.
“A foul illusion. It was enough to make me want to kill the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night.”
“Did you… see a foul phantom?”
“Yes. I saw something I never want to see again.”
What on earth had Sau seen?
And was it a coincidence that he had told her not to look at phantoms?
Soso was utterly confused.
“What about the others?”
“We have to wait for them to find their own way out. At least the Healer isn’t one to kill people, so don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
Because Sau had said such cryptic things, Soso couldn’t even bring up the fact that they needed to meet the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night before they had exited the illusion.
Soso looked back at the spot where she had emerged from the illusion with lingering regret.
* * *
Meanwhile, Jegal Haesu, who had been looking forward to the visions the illusion would show, saw absolutely nothing.
As soon as he was absorbed into the illusion, he found himself face-to-face with a mysterious man sitting in a pavilion.
“What is that Hanga disguise? Our Hanga is far more beautiful.”
“Are you the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night?”
“Yes. I am the very healer you were looking for.”
For some reason, the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night didn’t seem to think highly of him.
But that didn’t matter to Jegal Haesu.
This was the golden opportunity to cure his illness. He would even kneel if the Healer demanded it.
“Sir Healer, please, I beg you to cure my illness. I have brought enough payment, and I am prepared to consume Godok if necessary.”
“Godok? I wouldn’t bother feeding Godok to a mediocre warrior like you. It would be a waste of Godok.”
“…….”
To be looked down upon even by the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night.
Jegal Haesu looked up at the Healer with wounded eyes.
“Come up to the pavilion. For the sake of that young lady, I will willingly check your pulse.”
As Jegal Haesu walked toward the pavilion, he asked a question.
“That young lady? Are you perhaps referring to Sami?”
“Yes.”
“Have you met Sami today as well?”
“No. That young lady is… *sigh*.”
The Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night’s face turned remarkably serious.
“Jegal Haesu, I have something to ask you. If you answer my questions well, I promise to do my utmost to treat you.”
Finally, face-to-face with the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night, Jegal Haesu spoke in a tone uncharacteristically polite.
“Please, ask away.”
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