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EP.43 So Sword Peak (3)

Of all the times to show up, Wi Seol-Ah appears right now….

And why is she holding dumplings?

“Young Master! I brought dumplings!”

Ah, it’s because of me.

Did she hear me quietly mumbling on the carriage ride, “Ah… I really want to eat dumplings”?

If that’s the case, I appreciate the sentiment, but the situation isn’t great right now.

I had a fire-breathing wild boar to deal with first.

“Young Master…? Why are you just sitting there?”

Wi Seol-Ah asked me.

Yeah, I’m curious about that too. Why am I just sitting here…

As I tried to discreetly get up, I shifted my knee.

“Young Master.”

Just then, Gu Huibi’s voice echoed as if she had been waiting.

Thanks to her, I could only stop halfway through in an awkward position.

“What’s that?”

Gu Huibi’s sharp gaze was fixated on Wi Seol-Ah.

I couldn’t predict what this fiery woman might do.

Gu Huibi stepped closer to Wi Seol-Ah.

Whoosh!

I immediately activated the Technique of the Flame Wheel to wrap my inner strength around me.

I didn’t think she would do anything rash.

Even looking into my previous life, she was someone who wouldn’t act recklessly.

But still, you never know. That “what if” was extremely important.

Gu Huibi’s eyes flashed.

It looked like she was about to do something wild. First, I needed to protect Wi Seol-Ah…

“Ugh!”

‘Crazy.’

That was too fast.

Gu Huibi’s movements were much quicker than I anticipated.

With incredible speed, she reached for both of Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks.

Wi Seol-Ah squeaked in an odd way as she grabbed her cheeks, but Gu Huibi seemed enchanted as she mercilessly squished Wi Seol-Ah’s soft cheeks.

“…Her cheeks look this soft. And they actually feel as soft as they look…?”

“Ugh… I-I need help…!”

“…Mmm.”

I didn’t really have any words for the sudden turn of events. Should I be thankful…?

Should I step in?

The only good thing was that Gu Huibi didn’t seem intent on doing something inappropriate to Wi Seol-Ah.

‘…If that’s what we’re calling improper, then I guess she has a point.’

Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks were stretching under Gu Huibi’s grip.

I ignored Wi Seol-Ah’s sorrowful cries and moved my body.

Satisfied from poking and squeezing, Gu Huibi quickly released Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks.

“Hey, is this your little sibling?”

“Yes.”

“Can I have her?”

“No.”

I answered her sharply without even thinking.

Gu Huibi looked somewhat surprised by my decisive response.

Then she raised the corners of her mouth.

With a face so like our father’s, her smile looked utterly terrifying.

“Interesting.”

As Gu Huibi spoke, she had also wrapped her inner strength around herself.

It was hot.

It was definitely a different level of heat compared to Gu Yeonseo or Gu Jeolyub.

The heat brushing against my skin made me frown involuntarily.

‘The gap of 5 stars really is considerable.’

If training accompanied it, I would soon reach the 4th star of the Technique of the Flame Wheel.

By then, I wouldn’t be easily beaten wherever I went.

The problem would come after that when it was time to begin training to reach the 5th star.

The 5th star is the starting point to unleash the true potential of the Technique of the Flame Wheel.

Training is one thing, but at this stage, it required a lot of enlightenment.

It was the time when I could properly manifest red inner strength on my physical body.

And when the mental law penetrates into my body properly, visible changes would occur.

Gu Huibi was exactly at that juncture.

Her hair was gradually starting to take on a reddish hue.

And her eyes had also turned red.

She had managed so far with techniques that didn’t match her level, but it was impossible against a truly 5-star Gu Huibi.

“Why does it fascinate me that my little sibling says no to me?”

Gu Huibi’s hair fluttered in the scorching heat.

I felt like I might melt in the rising energy, but rolling my inner strength allowed me to endure.

Gu Huibi was staring at me silently.

What was she thinking?

I first quietly pulled Wi Seol-Ah aside.

“This one is off-limits.”

Apparently, my words didn’t sit well with Gu Huibi, as one of her eyebrows twitched.

As Gu Huibi drew more energy, the pressure intensified.

I too operated my inner strength without yielding.

What was strange was that, under such circumstances, I should be suffocating and unable to breathe, yet I was pushing back with surprising ease.

‘…Rather than pushing back, is it a sensation of gently flowing over?’

How could this be?

The energy of the Gu Clan is supposed to be violent and destructive.

Yet now, what I’m doing isn’t breaking or blocking the energy, but merely letting it slip through.

This felt eerily similar to Wudang’s martial arts.

It seemed I wasn’t alone in this sensation, as Gu Huibi’s eyes showed intrigue.

Soon, the heat that had been enveloping us cooled down.

That happened because Gu Huibi withdrew her inner strength back into herself.

“…Did Elder Lee do this?”

Gu Huibi pointed at me and asked.

Referring to a person like that was a bit much.

Elder Lee merely shrugged in response to Gu Huibi’s question.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“…So you’re saying this change happened in just a few months?”

With a curious look, Gu Huibi stared at me, and I felt strangely pressured.

Indeed, it was surprising that I had reached the 3rd star of my mental law in less than a year.

‘…I never imagined I’d get to this level myself.’

Initially, my goal was to reach the 3rd star by the end of this year.

At least, going to Sichuan had hastened my progress by half a year.

Gu Huibi snorted and then said to me,

“The Clan Leader is looking for you, so hurry.”

“…Is the business concluded?”

Did she just come to growl at me? Like she’s some kind of wild animal…? Or is she, in fact?

“Originally, I intended to offer some guidance since it had been a while, but my interest has completely waned.”

Gu Huibi waved her arms in front of her, signaling me to hurry.

Come to think of it, this is my residence, isn’t it? I debated whether to test the waters here, but if I crossed this mad boar, I felt like I would truly be done for, so I decided to quietly move my feet.

“Ah, little sibling.”

At Gu Huibi’s call, I turned around.

Gu Huibi tossed something at me.

Having caught it, I realized it was a small lucky pouch.

“This is a gift for your journey.”

“What is this?”

“Wear it prettily around your waist; otherwise, I’ll scold you.”

When I opened the lucky pouch Gu Huibi had thrown, I found a yellow orb inside.

What’s this? A demon stone…?

It doesn’t seem to be a demon stone.

I didn’t feel anything particular from the orb.

While I examined the lucky pouch, Gu Huibi commented,

“I bought it because a street vendor claimed it was a talisman, so don’t complain and wear it well.”

Translating that means she bought some junk.

As I was making a face, Gu Huibi threatened that she would punish me again if I didn’t.

…Gradually, I attached it to my waist.

There wasn’t any malicious intent behind it.

I knew well that Gu Huibi wasn’t that kind of person.

“Ah, if you lose it, I’ll fold your body in half, so keep that in mind.”

“…”

…Or maybe not?

Right after Gu Yangcheong left to head for the Head House in distress.

Gu Huibi started to speak again to Elder Lee, who remained.

“Didn’t you actually intervene, Elder Lee?”

“I told you I didn’t, did I?”

Elder Lee was not someone who casually lied.

The Elder I had observed was that kind of man.

Gu Huibi could generally trust what wasn’t said without Elder Lee’s insistence.

But…

“The last time I saw him, last winter, he was just at the 1st star.”

The 1st star is a mere entry point for the Technique of the Flame Wheel. Gu Yangcheong had stuck exclusively to that level.

Even after several years since entering the bloodline martial arts.

That was true, even around the time Gu Huibi, who had long-standing tasks, left.

He struggled just to move his body, let alone emit heat through his mental law.

Compared to the younger and older siblings, there was a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

But now?

‘How did he reach such lofty heights so quickly?’

I had thought it strange from the moment I heard he had beaten Gu Yeonseo.

At first, I simply thought it was a coincidence.

Maybe Gu Yeonseo had been feeling unwell that day.

Perhaps it was just one miracle after another, woven together by chance.

But then I heard that Gu Yeonseo didn’t even come out of closed training despite knowing I had returned.

At this point, it clearly indicated something was off.

Judging by appearance, Gu Yangcheong was now at the 3rd star; even if not at the 4th star, he had practically reached a proficient level.

That meant reaching the 4th star was just around the corner.

Though I had reached the 3rd star at Gu Yangcheong’s age and hadn’t taken long to reach the 4th, it was a matter of growth rate.

Neither Gu Yeonseo nor I had such a rapid growth rate.

Yet that kid managed it in just a few months…

“Isn’t it astonishing?”

The question came from Elder Lee.

“How could I not be astonished?”

“I’m astonished as well. I didn’t expect that kid’s potential to be this exceptional.”

When Elder Lee had informed me of the engagement news for Gu Yangcheong, he had to work hard to hide his surprised feelings.

‘The energy he harbors has grown far too strong.’

What on earth happened in Sichuan for him to change so dramatically?

Even the recent developments had been shocking enough, but what about if he had downed some hidden elixir?

Though the amount of inner strength had certainly increased, it wasn’t an overwhelming amount.

The initial amount of inner strength he possessed was low, so it seemed more significant than it was.

Yet, beyond quantity, the quality of his inner strength had noticeably changed.

That was something I could feel directly from Gu Huibi’s emanating heat flowing off Gu Yangcheong’s energy.

‘What exactly occurred?’

I wanted nothing more than to shadow Elder Lee’s clan and follow him to Sichuan, but I had so many responsibilities on my shoulders.

Including the engagement with Nangong.

And matters related to Shin Yi as well.

“I feel like I’m missing something crucial, and it’s unsettling.”

“And then, about that kid…”

Gu Huibi searched for Wi Seol-Ah, who had been beside her.

“Where did she go?”

She had just been right next to her!

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no, it’s just the attendant who was here a moment ago.”

“She’s just a kid who became a new attendant a few months back. Don’t worry too much; she lacks worldliness.”

“Yes… but something feels off.”

Gu Huibi hadn’t been one to concern herself much with how others behaved.

Still, she thought Wi Seol-Ah felt slightly strange.

There was a strange sensation she couldn’t quite put into words. Despite checking on her multiple times, she found nothing peculiar.

“Was it an illusion…?”

This was odd.

Having swung a sword against demon beasts at the front lines for months with the Sword Team, I would’ve thought my senses were still sharp.

Yet I hadn’t even noticed the little attendant disappearing, and now I sensed something strange about her?

‘…Maybe I’m overly sensitive and mistook it.’

It could be that I placed too much meaning in small happenings due to being always on edge.

In contrast, Elder Lee couldn’t help but be surprised again.

‘To feel that…’

Gu Huibi’s cultivation level wouldn’t allow her to truly grasp the nature of Wi Seol-Ah’s strangeness.

Yet in that situation, Gu Huibi’s heightened sensitivity had at least faintly detected something was off.

“What an eerie talent, both you and Yangcheong.”

“What did you say?”

“Never mind. But you, Gu Huibi, you’re quite the zealous one, searching for Yangcheong the moment you arrive.”

“It’s not something I should say to you, Elder Lee, but…”

Gu Huibi scratched her cheek awkwardly.

At a time when nearly everyone from the clan had turned their back on Gu Yangcheong.

The Clan Leader Ho Hyup hadn’t shown much interest, and her second sister, Gu Yeonseo, had already turned her back.

As for the youngest…

‘Let’s deal with that later.’

Only Gu Huibi and Elder Lee did their best to seek and discipline Gu Yangcheong.

“Shouldn’t you be a bit kinder?”

“He’s not the kind of kid that listens to gentle words. You know that well.”

“…Hmm.”

True, it seemed different lately, but it was an undeniable point Elder Lee couldn’t easily refute.

Even if it felt momentarily steered in a new direction, Gu Yangcheong’s unique restlessness hadn’t vanished.

Gu Huibi’s behavior did feel excessive, though.

Elder Lee cleared his throat a few times before continuing.

“No matter how you look at it, scolding him outright about his engagement was a bit overboard, don’t you think?”

“….”

“Of course, for you, it may have seemed like acting out…”

“….”

“…Gu Huibi?”

“Yes, yes! Of course, it was all an act.”

The smile as she answered bore a quiver near her eyes.

Elder Lee couldn’t help but think that she was simply tired.

Surely, she wouldn’t come all the way here just to genuinely scold him over the engagement news.

She couldn’t be that petty.

‘Surely not…’

Elder Lee tried to ignore the slight shudder emanating from Gu Huibi.

And at that moment, in the Head House.

“I heard you shattered the Thunder Dragon’s arm.”

“No, I didn’t shatter it; I just grazed it a bit…”

Gu Yangcheong felt that he was very much in deep trouble.

 

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