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Chapter 95: Preparation (3)

As the Hwasan Sect was busy preparing for my return, I returned to my lodging after finishing my afternoon training.

Under normal circumstances, I should have been getting ready to go back to the Three Families by now—

‘Things took a slight turn.’

Since Gu Ryeonghwa had expressed her intention to return to the Three Families, I needed to delay my timing a bit.

Especially since the Sword Demoness had decided to join as well.

‘Does this mean she wants to go together?’

If she planned to head to the Gu Clan, then it seemed implied that she wanted to go with me. She later mentioned she would come find me to talk, so I could simply wait until then.

I seemed to recall that Shin Yi also stated he would join…

It was about time I wrapped up various tasks.

‘First, I should go see Maehwa Seon.’

Probably, even if I didn’t go, there would still be a need for Maehwa Seon to come over, but as her junior, it felt more appropriate for me to visit her first.

I had some requests to make, after all.

‘To do that, I need to meet the Sword Demoness first.’

When I eventually went to ask Maehwa Seon for something, I wanted to get the Sword Demoness’s help.

To this end, I had mentioned it to her beforehand.

As I organized my thoughts and made my way back to my lodging, I spotted Wi Seol-Ah hanging laundry from a distance and she approached me.

“Young Master!”

“What brings you here? I haven’t seen you much lately.”

I had only glimpsed her face during mealtimes for the past few days, so it felt a bit surreal to see her up close.

‘Has she been busy? She looks tired.’

I couldn’t help but notice Wi Seol-Ah’s somewhat haggard appearance. Given her exceptional physicality, it was hard to believe she was worn out just from a lot of work.

“What’s the matter?”

“Eh?”

“You look really tired.”

Seeing her face light up with a smile at my inquiry was heartwarming.

“I’m fine! Nothing’s wrong!”

She placed her hands on her waist and puffed out her chest, as if to prove that she was healthy and perfectly fine.

In response, I chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“Hey now!”

There was a time when I wouldn’t have dared to touch her like that, but now I was able to do it without a second thought.

It was a sign of how much things had changed.

After playing around with her hair for a while, I said, “Should we go out to check things out today?”

“Y-Yes!?”

Wi Seol-Ah was taken aback by my suggestion.

Was it really that surprising?

Even if we excluded various matters, we hadn’t gone out together much before…

She seemed genuinely shocked, her eyes widening.

“When… right now?”

“Are you busy? If you have more work to finish…”

“No, no! I’m all done! Not a single thing left!”

“Okay, okay, that’s a relief.”

She called out in a hurry, worried I might change my mind.

I stifled my chuckle at her overzealous reaction and said to Wi Seol-Ah, “I’ll wash up quickly, so wake the others and bring them along.”

“Y-Yes… huh? Bring them along?”

“Yeah?”

“Wha—?”

Wi Seol-Ah looked at me as if confused by what I was saying. But she quickly realized I was talking about Nangong Bi-ah and began to glare at me.

“It feels a bit… wrong to just leave her behind, right?”

I tried to justify my reasoning, though I knew it wouldn’t work. Naturally, Wi Seol-Ah had her own personality and simply narrowed her eyes at me without saying anything further.

With a sigh resembling a defeated huff, she went off to wake Nangong Bi-ah.

I felt slightly guilty, but I figured there was no other way around it.

‘How did I start worrying about these things?’

I was astonished at my own thoughts.

It was challenging to think about someone else for a change.

I quickly washed away the light sweat from training and changed into clean clothes. When I stepped back outside, I found Nangong Bi-ah resting in Wi Seol-Ah’s arms.

“…Ugh… Sis, you’re heavy!”

“Hmmm….”

“What are you all doing?”

Nangong Bi-ah had a dreamy expression, still half-asleep as she leaned onto Wi Seol-Ah.

Of course, given their size difference, it looked as if Wi Seol-Ah was entirely supporting her.

Nangong Bi-ah had seemed to have started sleeping a lot more recently. I wondered if something was troubling her.

“If you’re tired, you can go back to sleep. We can just go without you.”

Upon hearing my words, Nangong Bi-ah suddenly straightened up.

Though it seemed like her fatigue lingered, she was determined to show that going out wouldn’t be an issue.

She rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out something.

“A veil…?”

To my surprise, it was a veil.

Had she been carrying that around just for looks?

Though she wore it well, attention still fell on her, but it might help reduce some of it.

Doubtlessly, she must have felt reassured about it once she decided to wear it.

“You’re quite thorough with your preparations.”

“This… is comfortable.”

“Hey Young Master! Should we call Muyeon oppa?”

“Hmm?”

I had thought he would already be waiting outside, given that I had mentioned he might.

‘What could be the reason Muyeon isn’t out yet?’

Honestly, it would’ve been fine to leave without him, but if I did, he was sure to scold me for it later.

Just the other day, he had been quite loud about the last incident when I’d gotten injured.

He had indeed asked why I kept wandering off without any of the guards.

‘That time was an emergency; I had no choice.’

Still, I wasn’t sure if it was feasible for Muyeon to leave right after the treatment was done, or if he still had business with the Hwasan Sect.

The surprise came when Nangong Bi-ah answered my unspoken question.

“He went for a spar.”

“He went for a spar?”

“With a Hwasan Sect disciple.”

“A disciple? Who?”

Given she mentioned a disciple from the Hwasan Sect… It probably wasn’t Gu Ryeonghwa, so it had to be just one person.

“Are you talking about Yeongpung?”

“Y-Yes!”

Muyeon went off to spar with Yeongpung?

That was quite an unexpected turn of events.

He had been adamantly rejecting any sparring invitations from others during his time as a guard.

“He sparred with me as well.”

“What…?”

I couldn’t help but ask back, surprised by Nangong Bi-ah’s statement.

He sparred with Nangong Bi-ah? That was news to me.

I wasn’t sure how she read my reaction, but she quietly added, “…He lost.”

I refrained from asking who lost.

Her subtly shadowed expression suggested to me I already knew the outcome.

‘If Muyeon was to contend with anyone…’

Even considering the various circumstances, it was evident that Muyeon was still ahead of me regarding martial arts expertise.

I recalled the time when the personnel from each sword team asked him to return to the clan.

‘In terms of standing, he wouldn’t simply be an outstanding talent.’

Although he wouldn’t be able to match Yeongpung, he certainly wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

He was a young man just barely past his twenties, not someone to take lightly.

“A spar… I wonder what prompted that.”

At my words, Nangong Bi-ah stared at me closely, her gaze making me uneasy.

“What’s wrong?”

“My heart… I have a slight understanding now.”

After mumbling that, she promptly returned to her usual expression.

Wi Seol-Ah was leaning onto Nangong Bi-ah and silently asking when we could leave.

Since I had suddenly brought up this topic, it was clear they hadn’t heard anything about Muyeon being absent.

That meant it was alright to leave without him, right?

If necessary, other guards were also around…

As I began to prepare to head out, Nangong Bi-ah said to me, “When we return… let’s spar together…”

“…”

I paused at her words.

Oh right…

Thinking back, it had been a while since we discussed it previously.

I had already sparred with Yeongpung, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

‘Even if it makes me feel a bit uneasy, considering my past life.’

After all, I couldn’t indefinitely avoid this kind of thing; I had to accept it sooner or later.

“Upon our return, if we have time, let’s do it.”

“…!”

Surprised by my affirmative answer, it seemed rare to see her expression shift.

Especially her lips, which were attempting to curl into a smile.

Seeing those corners of her mouth lift made me chuckle as we moved along.

Wasn’t this exceedingly pleasant?

Although there would be some time before we returned—by nightfall at the latest—

If there was no pressing matter then, taking a moment to spar would be fine.

‘As there was no problem the last time with Yeongpung, it should be alright.’

As long as I didn’t recklessly incorporate any stakes like when I fought Ya Hyeoljeok, I assumed it couldn’t go wrong.

I had just wrapped up looking around and eating a simple meal when—

The anticipated spar with Nangong Bi-ah fell through.

Something had come up.

“Finally showing up, are we?”

Upon surveying the current scene, I noticed Shin Yi sitting in my room.

It felt like I had been increasingly hosting more guests in my room lately.

From Yeongpung, to the Sword Demoness, to Gu Ryeonghwa, and now, Shin Yi.

‘Did I hear that he was coming?’

I vaguely recalled the Sword Demoness mentioning it. Yet, the Sword Demoness who had said she would join was missing, leaving only Shin Yi.

“What brings you here…?”

“I came to check on your condition. Why are you so surprised?”

“No, I was just caught off guard.”

Nangong Bi-ah’s piercing gaze from behind me was unbearable, but what could I do? He was just here to check up on my health.

Finally signaling to end future discussions, Nangong Bi-ah left the conversation with a feigned huff.

“Oh… did I come at a bad time?”

Noticing this, Shin Yi cleared his throat.

“It’s fine. After all, you’ve taken the time to come and see me.”

“How thoughtful of you to say so, now take a seat.”

The check-up didn’t take very long.

There wasn’t much left regarding my physical condition other than the Demon Energy.

“Hmm… Truly a curious body you have. What changes occurred to make your energy stabilizing like this…?”

Though he claimed it was an examination, it felt closer to a research inquiry on his part.

The meaning reflected in Shin Yi’s eyes clearly indicated that.

‘What if he actually tries to look deeper…?’

I figured his previous comment had to be a joke.

It should’ve been…

I answered his number of inquiries vaguely.

Despite Shin Yi showing immense interest in the Gu Clan’s martial arts for expelling impurity, he didn’t seem to be a martial artist himself… So explaining in detail was difficult.

No method of making sense of it existed, anyway.

“That’s just how our martial arts works! I’m not so sure! Wouldn’t that be sufficient?”

Of course, it would be a nuisance if he burst in asking about it in front of the other clans.

‘Surely, he wouldn’t come looking for me at the Three Families.’

Shin Yi was a well-known figure throughout the Central Plains.

The Gu Clan wouldn’t come seeking him for help, surely.

Most likely.

In the end, it seemed he found nothing significant, and Shin Yi let out a breath of disappointment.

“Well… it seems your health is good.”

“…Why do you sound so disappointed?”

If the fact that I was healthy bothered him, that was strange.

“Surely that can’t be the case.”

“Right? Must’ve been my misunderstanding?”

Shin Yi casually gave a vague answer as he quietly took out a wooden token from his robe and handed it to me.

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s a neck token.”

“I know it’s a neck token, but what is it for?”

“As a physician, there’s not much I can provide you.”

Shin Yi seemed to be looking to gift me something. I thought treatment was enough—what else could he offer?

“Nothing significant, just something I had in reserve, it might get you good treatment when you visit the Beggar Clan later.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

I could sense it was no ordinary item.

If it were connected to the Beggar Clan…

Images of the black token Peng Woojin had given me surfaced in my mind, invoking a strange feeling.

“I intended to give it to someone else but couldn’t, and now it’s meant for you as a form of payment rather than a reward.”

“Payment… for what?”

“Yes, I have something I would like to ask of you.”

So it was more than just an ordinary gift…

‘Surely, it’s not asking me to expose my heart or something absurd like that?’

If that was the case, I was ready to flee in an instant.

“I heard the Sword Demoness would accompany you as you leave.”

“Ah, I did hear that was the case… but I’m still not entirely sure about it.”

For now, as the overall commander of our party, my permission would be required for any movement.

Additionally, I wasn’t even clear if the Sword Demoness could depart from the Hwasan Sect yet.

The problem lay in the unanticipated words Shin Yi hinted at.

“I also have some business with the Gu Clan, so I might need to accompany you.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve already informed that rascal Dohwa, and I’m sure no one would reject me in other places.”

Shin Yi seemed to assume I would grant permission, stating he had already mentioned it to Maehwa Seon.

“…Why?”

“Eh?”

I blurted it out before realizing how incredulous it sounded.

Why was everyone attempting to gather at my place, leaving their comfortable homes behind…?

‘Is there honey smeared on my house or something?’

It was so absurd that the thought even crossed my mind.

– Although I understood what the clan leader desired, do you truly believe I can make that happen for you?

– As for that girl, I’ve seen her, but based on Dohwa’s words, there’s no need for verification.

I didn’t say it, but I wasn’t exactly a divine being, despite being called Shin Yi.

After Shin Yi’s relentless assertions, the Sword Sovereign fell silent for a moment before finally asking.

– Therefore, are you saying it’s impossible for you…?

•••

Shin Yi never lied when it came to treatment.

This was the only thing the Sword Sovereign believed for sure.

Thus, from the expression and silence that Shin Yi wore, I could discern the clear answer.

Realizing he had caught onto the Sword Sovereign’s acknowledgment, Shin Yi let out a deep sigh.

-Human, meddling with a being who is not a martial artist is no easy task.

-The required time, and considering just the materials needed, could very well uproot the Three Families.

•••Those are things I….

Clan Leader.

The Sword Sovereign interjected Shin Yi’s words.

– Before asking for those, I wish you to fulfill the request I’ve made first. That should be your priority.

•••

– Until then, I will not give any answer.

That was a firm stance, bordering on absurdity.

If I refused, it would simply end there.

However, the Sword Sovereign was not in a position to voice such terms.

In the pitch-black darkness, it was a slender ray of light that emerged.

His granddaughter’s smiling face flickered in his memory, and the Sword Sovereign steeled himself once more.

Quietly relying on a single flicker of light, he wrote on the letter.

| | …

.

.

Finely inscribed words were dried and carefully folded.

On the first page, the word “Alliance” (盟) was written.

The letter was none other than the one meant to be sent to the current Martial World Clan Leader, Nakgyeom Jang Cheon.

 

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