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Chapter 82: The Grand Extermination Demon

“I figured there wouldn’t be just one place selling demon beast byproducts, but after searching for businesses that might exist in Hwaeum-hyeon, I realized…”

Getting a demon stone now feels like trying to pluck a star from the heavens.

Everywhere I asked had the same answer.

They whispered that the number of captured demon beasts had significantly decreased.

Consequently, they also mentioned that they were no longer dealing with demon stones.

In the end, I had no choice but to return to the Hwasan Sect without obtaining a single stone.

“All I managed to get was chicken skewers…”

“They were delicious, right?”

“Yeah, they weren’t bad.”

Just to clarify, Muyeon handed me the cost for the skewers as soon as we arrived at the residence.

Seeing his puzzled expression when I gave him money, I briefly pondered whether to give it to him at all.

How did I end up being treated like this…

I really have to stop doing this from next time.

‘…I guess I can’t check about the demon stone right now.’

While searching the mountains of Seomseo someday, there might be at least one demon beast that was missed along the way.

Should I try to look for that?

If I really have no way to confirm, then that’d be my only option.

I quickly scanned the residence and noticed something seemed off, so I asked.

“Has Nangong Bi-ah still not come back?”

I was referring to Nangong Bi-ah.

When I asked someone nearby, they said she hadn’t returned yet.

I heard she left early in the morning, and soon it would be time for dinner.

I knew she practiced a lot, but it felt unusually late today.

[Are you worried about her?]

‘…Of course not.’

Who would dare worry about whom…

[Isn’t trying to see if she’s late and wondering if she’s eaten considered worrying?]

‘…Ahem.’

I let out a cough, feeling somewhat guilty. It was funny that I couldn’t deny Shin Noya’s remark.

Leaning against the wooden floor for a bit, Wi Seol-Ah approached me.

Since her clothes looked a little different, it seemed she had been making dinner for some time.

“What’s up?”

“Hongwa unni asked me what I wanted to eat later!”

“…What do you want to eat?”

Although what first came to mind was dumplings, I mentioned it wouldn’t magically appear just because I ordered it, so I said it could be whatever as usual.

“She also said there’s fish!”

“Ah, then let’s go with that.”

Ding!

Having heard all that, Wi Seol-Ah skipped away happily.

Watching her, I lightly stretched myself.

[Where are you going?]

There was a hint of malice in Shin Noya’s subtly inquiring voice.

I only thought about eating to sustain myself, but it wasn’t like I could ignore that.

[So, you’re saying you don’t want to skip meals after all.]

‘…’

Is that true? Why is it so hard to admit?

Could it be because of what Shin Noya said?

I shook off those thoughts and started heading toward the back mountain.

I was going to find Nangong Bi-ah.

The sun still had a bit of time before setting.

Considering that meal prep wouldn’t take long, it was best to fetch her as soon as possible.

‘Now I’m even worried about these things.’

I thought she could just figure it out and survive on her own, yet I couldn’t shake off this nagging concern.

If I dared to seek reasoning, it didn’t help that, in my previous life, someone had to feed me before I starved to death.

While it could be seen as a good excuse, I was aware it wasn’t completely accurate.

As the sunset colors bathed the mountain path, I arrived at the clearing where Nangong Bi-ah practiced.

Huff—! Huff!

Just as expected, I heard the sound of someone swinging a sword.

There was no mistaking the presence, and indeed I had picked up another familiar one aside from Nangong Bi-ah.

For some reason, those two seemed to be frequently together.

Huff!

– Ugh…!

A voice of frustration followed the sound of a wooden sword slicing through the air.

– My… my steps were too long…

– Aah… could you please help me just one more time?

– Sure.

Hearing their voices, I pushed through the bushes and stepped out.

Somehow, it seemed like a scene I had witnessed yesterday.

There, amidst the dust, was Gu Ryeonghwa, who was covered in dirt.

And then there was the relatively unscathed appearance of Nangong Bi-ah.

Gu Ryeonghwa’s head turned toward me at the sound of my presence.

As soon as she saw my face, her expression contorted.

“…What’s that?”

What’s with that question the moment you see me?

“Well, I just happen to be passing by.”

“Then you could just keep walking.”

“I saw someone I recognized, so I just stopped for a moment.”

I looked at Nangong Bi-ah, asking for an explanation with my gaze.

Why the heck were they here at this hour?

“…”

Nangong Bi-ah quickly avoided eye contact.

What’s going on?

Seeing that she seemed oblivious, I decided to press with words this time.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be eating?”

As I tried to meet her gaze, she kept looking away.

“You…”

“Don’t say anything about me to unni.”

“What?”

I shot a glare at Gu Ryeonghwa, who interrupted just then.

But it was really what Gu Ryeonghwa said that was the bigger source of my confusion.

Unni…? Unni?!

What made her think she could call her that?

Noticing my questioning gaze, Gu Ryeonghwa seemed a little flustered, her face turning a shade of red.

“…I just, you know, she came to find me this morning, and I asked her to teach me, that’s all.”

“This morning…? You went to find my sister this morning?”

Nangong Bi-ah gradually nodded her head.

Whether it was because my words didn’t sit well with her or not, Gu Ryeonghwa intervened once more.

“Who are you calling sister?”

“Of course it’s sister, aren’t you the older one?”

“”

What nonsense is this?

Nangong Bi-ah was awkwardly fidgeting, glancing around as she kept her mouth shut.

“Have you been doing this since this morning?”

This time, she slightly nodded her head.

Both of them essentially spent the whole morning together, hanging around like this.

Letting out a small sigh at that sight, I said, “The sun’s about to set soon, so let’s wrap it up and head back down.”

“…Okay.”

Nangong Bi-ah agreed and started tidying up the wooden sword.

Gu Ryeonghwa looked a bit dissatisfied, but ended up going along with it since Nangong Bi-ah had nodded first.

Once everything was sorted, Gu Ryeonghwa bowed her head toward Nangong Bi-ah.

“Unni… thank you for today.”

“No problem! I had fun too.”

Once Gu Ryeonghwa wrapped up her words, she dusted herself off and started to leave the practice area when I grabbed her.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You must be hungry too. Let’s eat…”

I was about to suggest we eat together, but I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Gu Ryeonghwa’s shoulders were trembling as I held onto her.

Thud!

She fiercely shook off my hand from her shoulder.

“D-Don’t touch me…!”

With a terrified expression in her eyes, she darted into the bushes.

I could only watch her go, utterly speechless.

‘…Did I approach her too abruptly?’

Gu Ryeonghwa’s sense of time was different from mine, so it seemed I couldn’t gauge the appropriate distance.

Letting out a sigh, I turned to Nangong Bi-ah.

“Let’s head down.”

Nangong Bi-ah looked toward the direction Gu Ryeonghwa ran off but didn’t say anything and simply nodded in agreement.

When we returned to the residence after descending the mountain, dinner preparations were already done, and Wi Seol-Ah wore a proud expression as she praised her culinary skills.

She mentioned that she had grilled some fish or something.

“So that’s why this is so dark…”

“They say that part is the most delicious.”

I wasn’t so sure… it looked unappetizing no matter how I saw it.

Feeling uneasy, I picked at the fish flesh and ate a little bit.

Surprisingly, despite looking like a demon in form, it tasted surprisingly decent.

Noticing my astonished expression, Wi Seol-Ah puffed out her chest proudly. It was quite the annoying sight.

After eating for a bit, I turned to Nangong Bi-ah to ask what had happened earlier.

“Just…”

99

Nangong Bi-ah’s explanation was straightforward.

She said she felt sorry for what happened yesterday, so she went to visit.

Then, when Gu Ryeonghwa asked her to spar, she simply kept matching her requests.

It had been like that since morning.

While Gu Ryeonghwa could do that, to think Nangong Bi-ah continued to play along like a disciple was quite fascinating from my perspective.

In my previous life, she was someone I hadn’t bothered to pay much attention to aside from her formidable sword mastery.

“…Can I come again tomorrow?”

“Hmm?”

99

99

“Can I come again tomorrow?”

Nangong Bi-ah was asking if she could visit Gu Ryeonghwa once more.

What could be the reason?

It surely wasn’t because sparring made her happy.

Gu Ryeonghwa couldn’t possibly reach a level at which she could provide any fun for Nangong Bi-ah.

For them to match skill levels, it would have to be someone like Yeongpung or Muyeon.

Still wanting to go might mean she wanted to finish what she started today.

“…Do whatever you want.”

“Okay!”

Hearing those words, Nangong Bi-ah seemed relieved as she took a sip of water.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but whisper softly.

“Please help her out a bit.”

Whether she heard that or not, Nangong Bi-ah’s eyes widened.

It was just a casual remark as I intended to convey that she could help where I couldn’t, but it seemed the thought was quite amazing to her, causing her to stare at me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

“Help…?”

99

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been asked… by you.”

“Just, while you’re at it…”

“I’ll work hard!”

“What are you going to work hard for?”

Caught off guard by the embarrassing moment, I halted my chopsticks.

There was no other choice; she was smiling.

Though I had seen that smile once before, it felt overwhelmingly strong this time.

Ugh…!

I choked slightly from the sudden surprise.

Quickly grabbing a cup of water sitting on the table, I gulped it down.

A chill crawled down my spine as I sensed danger.

Nangong Bi-ah’s smile was indeed perilous.

‘Just when I thought I was getting used to Wi Seol-Ah’s smile…’

This one was going to take a while to adjust to.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Gu Ryeonghwa was still wielding her sword without returning to the residence.

Swish—! Whoosh!

As the evening wind brushed against her, she swung the wooden sword with fervor.

“Ugh…”

Gu Ryeonghwa let out a short groan, letting the wooden sword slip from her grasp.

Thud!

The sword dropped, and she inspected her palm.

The part where she held the wooden sword was chafed and torn, blood trickling down.

“…It hurts…”

Perhaps all those nights with diminished sleep had taken a toll.

It seemed her hands had reached their limit.

Despite this, Gu Ryeonghwa picked up the sword again after only a brief pause.

Wrapping her palm with the cloth she had prepared in advance made it feel somewhat better.

She recalled what Nangong Bi-ah had taught her just moments prior.

Keep the steps moderate.

Don’t exert excessive force from the body.

And yet, continue applying strength.

In a way, it was the fundamental base-level advice.

Having experienced that through actual sparring, she felt she was starting to gain some understanding.

When Gu Ryeonghwa caught sight of Nangong Bi-ah this morning, she wondered what was going on with that restless expression.

But after accepting her inconvenient requests and time, she realized one clear thing.

Nangong Bi-ah seemed to want to make a good impression on her.

‘Why on earth…?’

For someone with such strength and beauty, why would she feel that way?

If I tried to dig for a reason, Gu Yangcheong’s face naturally floated to the forefront.

Gu Ryeonghwa couldn’t grasp it, but it appeared that Nangong Bi-ah harbored feelings for Gu Yangcheong.

It seemed she wanted to impress him by going out of her way for Gu Ryeonghwa.

It was hard to swallow that someone as cool, pretty, and talented would choose someone like Gu Yangcheong…

‘I can’t understand it at all.’

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If it were the past Gu Yangcheong, I might have understood it a bit better.

However, at this point, Gu Ryeonghwa found it impossible to comprehend.

– Don’t you dare walk around with that face, it annoys me just to see it.

– Didn’t I tell you not to call me brother?

– Just shut up and live quietly… and avoid attracting people’s attention.

“…Hah…”

Even after several years, the words and gazes stuck in her chest like a dagger still choked Gu Ryeonghwa’s breath.

Just recalling them made her body tremble.

Barely holding back tears, she swung the sword once more.

‘And now, here you are…’

– Did you visit my younger sibling this morning?

– Of course, it’s a younger sibling, aren’t you the older one?

Ignoring the painful throbbing in her palm, she swung the sword again.

She battled to erase Gu Yangcheong’s voice, echoing faintly in her ears.

Annoying.

Even after being exhausted and wanting to run away, her heart was shaken by the word “younger sibling.”

In that brief moment, she chanced to hope perhaps she could return to how things once were and despised herself for it.

‘Don’t forget, Ryeonghwa… you must bloom like a plum blossom.’

For the master who had once become her home.

Even if it became the last path she walked down, may your disciple’s plum blossom find peace at last.

Gu Ryeonghwa continued to wield her sword beneath the light of the moon, recalling her vow.

 

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