RHDWK 5

Chapter 5

What on earth happened to Sima Jin?

In the past, Sima Jin was frail and wasn’t even the Young Cult Leader, let alone the Heavenly Demon. He was merely a young master of a family subordinate to the Heavenly Demon Cult, so there could be a gap between him and the mastermind villain I knew.

Even so, could a person really change this much? Is it really because he lost his memories?

Although I gained a handy worker, I felt utterly uneasy.

“From now on, I’ll leave cooking, cleaning, organizing the herb drawers, inventory, and greeting customers to you.”

“Just leave it to me.”

“You also have to gather medicinal herbs.”

“Of course, Master.”

Wanting to see a troubled face, I dumped all the tasks I used to handle alone while running the medicine shop onto him.

However, Sima Jin was even humming as if doing chores made him happy.

“No, Master. I will do that!”

Feeling awkward just sitting around, I reached out to clear the dishes, but Sima Jin came running breathlessly from the kitchen.

Then, he snatched the dishes away from me.

“Huh? No, this much is…”

“I will handle all the chores, Master. Please rest comfortably.”

“……”

It was comfortable. To an annoying degree, Sima Jin was obedient and comfortable to be around.

After placing the empty dishes in the kitchen, Sima Jin wiped the dining table until it sparkled.

Just what kind of life did you live to be this good at housework?

I blankly watched Sima Jin cleaning before heading out to the medicine shop area.

“Let’s see…”

Leaving Sima Jin behind as he cheerfully did house chores, I opened the lid of the herb drawer and checked the cheonma [heavenly hemp] inside.

After confirming that the cheonma was flawless, I wrapped it in thin paper and placed it in a cool spot.

“Um, Master.”

As I was brushing off the dirt that had fallen onto the counter, Sima Jin approached me.

“I have one request.”

“A request? What is it?”

I felt nervous when he, who used to say yes to whatever task I threw at him, suddenly spoke like that.

Is he going to ask for one of my hands so he can boil and consume it…?

“As someone who receives room and board while learning under your guidance, it is hard for me to dare speak of this, but…”

Sima Jin fidgeted with his hands and hesitated.

I didn’t know what request he was trying to make, but seeing him act bashfully like that was genuinely infuriating.

“H-Ha, hand…”

“What? What is it?”

Eek! Was acting foolish a performance after all?

“M-May I hold your hand?”

At Sima Jin’s unexpected request, I took half a step backward.

His gaze flicked toward my hands in an uncomfortable way, so I cupped my hands together and hid them behind my back.

“W-Why my hand?”

“Ah, well…”

At my question, Sima Jin began to act awkwardly shy, which didn’t suit him at all.

What is this? This is creepy. Why is he being like this?

I clearly saw with my own two eyes how he used to look at me as if he were just squishing a bug.

Perhaps because of that, every time I saw this unfamiliar side of him, I felt terrified.

“Perhaps because I am not used to a human body, there are times when I feel short of breath and find it difficult.”

“Ah, i-is that so?”

It’s not that you’re unused to a human body; it’s because of your chronic illness.

“When I held your hand, Master, the coldness of your hand felt extraordinarily refreshing and comforting.”

“My hand?”

“Yes. It felt as if something stuck inside me was cleared out.”

I fidgeted with my hands hidden behind my back and looked down at them.

It was true that my body was strangely cold.

‘Could it be because I am a spiritual medicine?’

I only knew the fact that I was a White Snake, but I didn’t know the exact effects.

Since Sima Jin had cured his chronic illness by consuming me, I wondered if the clearing sensation he mentioned was related to that healing process.

‘No, absolutely not.’

I gave a subtle shake of my head.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch the guy who would kill me heal himself using me.

“No.”

When I refused firmly, he drooped his shoulders with gloomy eyes.

Having no intention to persist, Sima Jin gave up and went back inside the house to clean.

Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that if holding hands alone could cure him, maybe I wouldn’t have to die after all. However, I quickly discarded the thought.

After all, I had no desire to do anything nice for the guy who killed me.

“…Master, Master! Are you alright?”

“Uh, huh? What, is it morning?”

“Did you fall asleep while reading a book?”

At Sima Jin’s words, I looked around.

No wonder my shoulders felt stiff; it seemed I had fallen asleep right at the desk after zoning out all night.

Before going to bed, I couldn’t sleep, so I spent time reading a book, only to pass out as soon as I opened it.

Snapping out of it, I gathered the scattered books into one pile.

“You are sweating profusely.”

Sima Jin reached out his hand and wiped away the drops of sweat formed on my forehead.

“Ah…”

Was it because of the fear that the guy right in front of me was my killer? For the first time in two years, I dreamed of my mother.

I dreamed of that day I parted ways with my mother, when our house burned down.

I thought I had finally forgotten it, but recalling it made my mind snap fully awake.

Thanks to the dream, I remembered the masked men who set the house on fire and took my mother away.

‘Who were they?’

Since they targeted me as well, it was more likely that they targeted the White Snake rather than just my mother alone.

I stole a glance at Sima Jin.

‘Was it the Heavenly Demon Cult?’

The possibility was strong.

Before my regression, Sima Jin, a person from the Heavenly Demon Cult, came looking for me.

They might have found me by looking through the records of the Heavenly Demon Cult after previously kidnapping my mother and learning about the effects of the White Snake.

Well, whether the Heavenly Demon Cult moved as a group or Sima Jin acted alone was something I couldn’t know.

I wanted to grab Sima Jin by the collar and ask him about it, but realizing he couldn’t possibly know right now, I gave up.

Even if weak little me took the risk of grabbing his collar, there was no way I could beat him anyway.

“A customer stopped by this morning.”

“A customer?”

When I brushed away Sima Jin’s hand that was touching my forehead, he lowered his arm and spoke.

Sima Jin reached inside his clothes, rummaged around, and handed me a crumpled piece of paper.

On the paper he handed over, names of medicines were written in elegant calligraphy.

‘No matter how much he claims to be a vegetable, he can’t hide the noble blood ingrained in his body… Look at how neat that handwriting is.’

“They asked to have it delivered to their mansion tomorrow.”

After listening to Sima Jin’s added explanation, I looked at him closely.

It wasn’t even that late right now—just how early did he get up?

His real identity was a terrifying villain to me, but having him around was definitely convenient. If he hadn’t been here, I might have missed a precious regular customer.

‘Looks like it was ordered by the Baek Clan.’

The medicines written on the paper were items the Baek Clan ordered periodically.

“Let’s see… Huh? There are no herbs left.”

I rummaged through the herb drawers, but except for a few dried leaf fragments scattered at the bottom, they were completely empty.

I belatedly remembered that I had disposed of all the herbs a while ago because insects got to them.

“Do I need to visit the market?”

As I wondered how much the herbal merchant uncle would overcharge me this time, Sima Jin sweeping the yard caught my eye.

After handing me the order list from the Baek Clan member who visited this morning, he was sweeping the yard without even being asked.

‘Right, I can just make him do it.’

Since I took in a dangerous person, I should work him as hard as I possibly can.

Thanks to Sima Jin being good at cooking, we saved on food expenses and had extra money, but well, the more money, the better.

Since he was skilled enough with a sword that an escort agency took him in upon first sight, he was also perfect for climbing mountains where bandits might appear.

“Cheon-dol.”

At my call, Sima Jin set down the broom he was holding and came rushing into the medicine shop.

My eyes twitched as if I could see an invisible tail wagging rapidly behind him.

“Did you call, Master?”

“I’m going to assign you a job that is perfect for a former vegetable like you.”

At my words, Sima Jin’s eyes sparkled.

I got up from my seat, picked up an herb basket and a small hand hoe that had been tucked away in a corner, and handed them to Sima Jin.

“From now on, we are going up the mountain to pick medicinal herbs. I’ll accompany you today, but you’ll go alone from next time.”

“Yes, yes…!”