Chapter 355 – Changing Times (5)

-Taeyang: Brother, come in.

After spending time outside, I received a call from Taeyang and returned to his apartment.

Inside the drab studio, Taeyang held a bundle of banknotes in his hand, moistening his thumb as he counted the money.

“There really was a prostitute here.”
“If you can satisfy your lust and pay 400,000 won, isn’t it worth it for one time? And I give great massages. Would you like to try one?”
“No, thanks.”

Having witnessed the earlier scene, I couldn’t bring myself to sit on the bed. I sat on the floor, pushing aside clumps of tissues with my foot.

“What about Aori?”
“How should I know? She’s a woman whose thoughts I can never read.”
“…Are you two living together?”
“We live together, but it’s Aori who’s clinging to me. I’ve never received rent from her. Damn it.”

After sharing some trivial chatter, Tae-yang brought over tea and refreshments. I hadn’t expected any lavish treatment. The flower tea was served in a disposable paper cup, but it’s the thought that counts. I took an immediate sip of the tea.

Tae-yang then smirked, his fingers interlocked.

“So, what are you planning to do this time? Stir up more trouble?”

The subtle floral scent in my mouth had a calming effect.

I explained my situation to Tae-yang: the downfall of the Cornus family, the future set before Sansuyu, and the actions I needed to take in between.

I was seeking his opinion, but this also served as a notification.

“…So, you’re saying you’re looking for someone to become your brother’s wife, right?”
“Not a wife, actually.”
“Come on, be honest. What other reason would a man have for seeking a woman?”

If my attempt to repay my debt is interpreted as the ploy of a man trying to seduce a woman by any means necessary, what expression should I wear?

Taeyang hurriedly changed the topic of conversation, sensing my expression hardening.

“You mean you want to save the Cornus family, targeted by both the Flower and the World Tree at the same time, right?”
“Only Sansuyu.”
“Yes, yes. Only Sister Sansuyu. The important thing is that my older brother, who had only been roughly checked, has now decided to confront the two forces, isn’t it?”

Taeyang tilted his head as he summed up the situation.

It’s a reckless endeavor. At this point, with everything tangled up and my growth having been achieved, it’s hard to guarantee my future if I continue to stray.

– Tak, tak.

Taeyang tapped the floor with his hand. His face, now entirely serious, looked at me.

“First of all, I’m against it.”

As soon as the words were spoken, astonishingly, the surrounding noise disappeared.

“There are many women in the world… Not that I’m trying to say something like that. Don’t I know very well that my brother cherishes Sister Sansuyu from watching at their side?”

Taeyang drew out his words, as if not wanting to face a backlash.

I had a vague inkling of Tae-yang’s opinion.

He always considers my path to becoming king, no matter where I am. As long as it doesn’t obstruct my journey, he doesn’t concern himself too much with my actions.

However, in situations like this, he becomes extremely sensitive when it comes to choices that could put my life or future in jeopardy.

“Your potential is still boundless. What do you think is the reason you’re alive now? The World Tree, the Flower – aren’t they too busy fighting one another whenever they meet? It’s all thanks to that.”
“And then?”
“If we were to help Lady Cornus, wouldn’t there be a 70% chance you’d be screwed?”

His judgment was rational. Tae-yang emphasized his opinion multiple times.

“Even so, you’re going to do what you want, right?”
“… “
“I have a keen eye for people, and I know you aren’t the type to back down here.”

He’s perceptive.

It seemed that Tae-yang had secretly consumed a bottle of some mind-reader’s elixir.

“However, what I can be certain of is this.”

Tae-yang raised a finger and lifted the corner of his mouth with a hint of arrogance.

“Your mentor, those around you, and the majority of us, including myself, will attempt to stop what you are committing right now.”
“Why?”
“You may wonder. Well, it’s because you haven’t been here for long.”

Being labeled a heretic by the Woodman Cult carried significant consequences, rooted in deep reasons and sins.

“In this world, starting from our education, we are indoctrinated about the nature and power of the World Tree. Heretics are considered lowlifes who can be beaten to death… Even the purest and most innocent saint, once branded a heretic, would instantly become a notorious scoundrel. Understand? Even without any evidence.”
“I suppose so.”
“Imagine defending someone like that, trying to protect them.”

No matter how close they may be, they are still strangers in the end.

I’m prepared to ruin my life for someone like that.

If only my life gets ruined, I’d be grateful. It’s not like it would look good in other people’s eyes anyway.
What if Se-Young or Azalea were to know the entire situation and even how I would act?

Even in my own thoughts, those two would tear me apart.

Rather, I can’t dismiss the possibility of falling into a trap while trying to help me.

‘…I’m getting caught.’

The relationships I’ve built so far feel burdensome.

It’s not that I dislike them or anything. Quite the contrary, I like them. I just hope they don’t get swept away with me in my wretched future.

“As always, the decision is yours. I will follow it. If you tell me to die, I’ll die.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the reason I live so tenaciously.”

I won’t change my methods.
If only I can somehow secure Cornus without getting caught. There should be a way, whether it’s to forge a new identity or to completely conceal my own.

Tae-yang, reading my expression, shrugged.

“I’ll be prepared to fight at any moment. I’ll inform Aori.”

“It is a servant’s duty to take on daring tasks,” Tae-yang added.

“…Already a person whose life has been forcefully ruined by being swayed by trees. If one cannot do as they please, wouldn’t that be unjust once more?”

Tae-yang, who has lost as much as he has achieved in the past, appeared to reflect on something as he looked at me. Contrasting the smile on his lips, his eyes seemed incredibly empty.

“Brother, do as you wish.”

* * * * * * * *

Find a way.

It wasn’t as if they were searching for Dragon Balls that grant wishes upon collecting seven, yet barely any useful information came their way.

Tae-yang scoured every known residence of the Cornus, but found no significant trace. This, despite enlisting the aid of spirits to seek out any remnants of magical energy.

As if to demonstrate that their family wasn’t among the world’s most prominent for no reason, I faced challenges in both the clandestine investigation of the World Tree and my own actions.

— Cornus, who concealed their whereabouts, where could they be? [HOT]

Their financial power surpasses that of the World Tree Foundation. Despite searching high and low through the companies and guilds they cooperate with, I could find no trace of them.

Considering that the majority of their vast wealth is dedicated to research, it’s unlikely that they’ve amassed an excessive amount of power.

‘I can’t find them.’

After all, this is a family with a thousand-year history. Even the relatively new Flower and the World Tree struggle to compete with them in terms of influence.

“… Disciple…”

My thoughts deepen. Have I truly exhausted all my options? Jung Si-woo once received a location tracker from the World Tree. If that’s the case, perhaps I could obtain one as well if I’m fortunate enough. The points I’ve accumulated from the past, entwined with numerous trees and bodies in the previous cradle, should suffice. There’s nothing I can’t accomplish.

But if that were the case, it wouldn’t make sense for the World Tree to be unaware of Cornus’s location. Perhaps the Cornus family had established themselves in a place where even the World Tree could not easily reach.

“Third-rank disciple.”

I hadn’t slept for over a week. My body was gradually healing, but there was still something weighing heavily on me, keeping me from finding relief.

‘…Should I take a more aggressive approach?’

Should I employ force? As I was contemplating this option…

“Third-rank disciple!!!”

White Peach’s booming voice shook my eardrums.

“…Yes, yes?”
“What are you doing, leaving your master waiting?”

-Thud, thud!

White Peach extended the wooden club in her hand and knocked on the entrance. The Peach Sisters had just arrived to see me.

It seemed White Peach had also faced many hardships lately, as she had even ended up drinking.

“Follow me quickly.”
“Am I a can opener?”

“Oh! There’s an old saying, ‘Saumdojon,’ which means turning a creature no better than an animal into a human being. Shouldn’t I be treated accordingly?”
“What has the teacher done for me?”

If I had learned anything, I would have learned it from Cheondo.

“Off you go!”

My eardrums feel like they’re about to burst. How has this person, Baekdo, not changed at all since childhood?

“Alright, fine. Give it to me.”

*Click.*

That wretched brat. She’s just asking for discipline.

As the world grows more chaotic, they have much to say to me, and now is their only chance to rest. So, the three of us take a three-day break.

Baekdo happily drinks the offered beer. Her carefree demeanor makes me laugh, and I take a sip too. Beer flows from the corner of Baekdo’s mouth, drips down her chin, and splashes below her sternum.

The glistening skin. Her underwear is black. Inside the Heukryongpo, dolphin shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt revealing her navel make people question their eyes.

Compared to full-body stockings, they seemed ordinary. They didn’t look like martial artists at all.

“Lee Si-heon, why are you so pathetic?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t like anything you do. I came all the way here, finishing my work just to see you. Instead of welcoming me… you’re just lost in other thoughts.”

Feeling disheartened, she drank and sulked. It made one wonder if this was really an age gap, but for some reason, White Peach’s petulance seemed endearing after her journey to the past.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he had to admit that she was beautiful.

“You imbecile.”
“…”

Yet, today she was more demanding than usual. There was a reason for this.

When he picked her up at the airport and went to the hotel, Zodiac took out various trophies using spatial magic, claiming she had something interesting to show him.

“Do you want to see something truly amazing?”
“Yes?”

A solid gold trophy. It was a trophy one couldn’t forget once seen, due to its elaborate decorations.

Above all, the ten-character sentence at the center.

[Miss Tree Contest Winner]

And the name inscribed below it.

[White Peach]

Despite White Peach’s hurried attempt to hide the evidence from Zodiac’s sudden discovery, it was too late to undo what had been seen. Consequently, I now find myself attending to White Peach’s needs.

Indeed, one could say she was ensnared by the malice of the wicked peach tree.

*Sigh*

Considering the Miss Tree Contest as a disgrace, she must be quite displeased with herself.

“Water.”

Her face flushed red, she furiously smacked my back with all her might. The handprints on my backstand as proof.

I poured cool ice water into White Peach’s cup and said,

“Winning an award is a good thing. Why are you acting like this? Are you really upset with me? Is that it?”

“I’m not upset…”

“Don’t pout your lips, and please wipe up what you’ve spilled.”

A true warrior wouldn’t partake in contests that judge one’s beauty. White Peach seems to have her own philosophy on the matter.

“…It was because Hwangdo applied on her own accord. What can we do about it…!”
“What the hell did I say? Besides, it seems she won the grand prize four times in a row. At this point, isn’t she enjoying it?”
“No…”

White Peach denies it, even as she nods her head sleepily.

“Ugh, seriously.”

It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.
Who would think a tree like that is beautiful?
Assuming a smooth face, large breasts, soft thighs, and a slender waist is all there is to it.
A woman should have a good personality. It’s difficult to find a woman like coal, so dark inside that it can’t be erased no matter how much you try to clean it.

‘She is pretty though.’

Still, she never expected it to be so successful worldwide.
The Miss Tree Contest.
Could it be that she confidently secured first place, surpassing all the beautiful national trees and tree people?
And for four consecutive years, no less.
Surely, there must be trees that didn’t participate due to lack of interest, but regardless, her achievements were impressive.

So what’s the point?
She looks utterly unattractive in my eyes.

“…Mmm.”
“Wake up.”

With a sigh, he rose from his seat, embracing White Peach and lifting her up. The potent scent of peach filled his nostrils. He hugged her slim waist, pulling her close, and allowed her to lean against him. As White Peach draped her arm around his neck for support, her body naturally pressed against his.

– So soft.

He removed her black dragon robe and laid her down on the bed. How could human skin be even whiter than the hotel sheets?

‘Maybe I should just sleep too.’

He had spent too many sleepless nights. Though he wanted to leave at this very moment, his eyelids felt heavy.

“…Mmm.”

White Peach turned over and scratched her stomach. The sight of her lower body, obscured by her full thighs, took his breath away. Every time he looked at her, her appearance was close to his ideal type.

Yet, why did her personality have to be this way? Annoyed, he slapped her thigh with one hand.

– Slap!

“Ah!”

A brief cry. It’s done. All that remains is for White Peach to strangle me upon seeing the lingering handprints tomorrow.
I settled into a corner of the bed just enough.

I was so drowsy that I could fall asleep at any moment.

“…Frozen statue.”

It was then that I heard Zodiac’s sultry voice.