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Chapter 130: The Master of the West (2)

The Master of the West, Pejon Bi Ju.

He is one of the Three Eminent Beings, known as the sky of countless martial artists in the Central Plains, a figure of absolute authority.

The reason he is called “Pejon” (Master of the Martial World) is simple.

He is someone who has experienced hundreds of defeats, just like his nickname suggests.

Many people say that Pejon is merely lucky.

He himself acknowledged it.

He said he was lucky.

How else could he have survived so many defeats, not only keeping his life but also having all his limbs intact?

In the future, when he would be recognized for his achievements and referred to as “Pejon” (the Greatest Master), he hoped to be called “Pejon” (the One Who is Defeated).

Because he is here today as a result of countless defeats.

He wanted to express that he would not forget that mindset.

In the end, according to his wishes, his title was changed, but the fact that he was strong enough to rise among the Three Eminent Beings remained unchanged.

He was a powerful martial artist known for single-handedly annihilating the Demonic Faction without the Sword Sovereign.

The story of him erasing an entire mountain from the map during a battle against the Heavenly Lord became famous.

‘…But why?’

I was shocked not just because Pejon wrote a recommendation letter for me, but because he had, like the Sword Sovereign, disappeared without a trace for years.

In fact, even in the last life, he wouldn’t have shown up if not for the emergence of the Heavenly Demon.

Why does this Elder hold a recommendation letter from such a person?

“Elder, where did you get this?”

“What do you mean where? I received it directly.”

“From Pejon…?”

“Yes.”

There was no choice but to be surprised.

I didn’t know why the Sword Sovereign had been hiding, but I understood why Pejon had to.

He must have had a good reason for it, and I thought he would certainly avoid contact with others at this point.

“How do you know each other?”

“Is it strange for martial artists to know each other?”

It’s not too strange; after all, this Elder had time when he operated under the alias Yeom A-gwon.

“No… No matter what, Pejon is…”

I tried to speak but bit my tongue. This was something I already knew was beyond strange.

After a moment of silence, I changed the subject.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“What to do with a recommendation letter? Aren’t you supposed to show it?”

“…Pejon’s recommendation letter?”

Not just anything; I was suddenly carrying a recommendation from the unknown Gu Family’s Bloodline for the completely missing Pejon to the Dragon Meeting?

Oh… My goodness.

“What are you pondering over? Since you’ve decided to cause trouble, I gave you something really good.”

“Yes… You’ve certainly provided something very good in that regard.”

This would surely draw a lot of attention. I would have to think about how to make use of it.

“Thank you.”

Regardless of how it came to be, I was grateful for it. I tucked the letter into my robe.

As I stroked Wi Seol-Ah’s hair while I thought, I pondered how to use this.

It was just about the time the sun was rising.

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Nangong Bi-ah opened her eyes.

At the same time, she slowly rose from bed.

Morning comes quickly. For Nangong Bi-ah, who was used to sleeping a lot, this was an utterly early hour, but she made an effort to get up.

She knew that there was no way she could fall back asleep.

She shifted her gaze towards the window.

The white young flower she had brought last time was basking in the sunlight on the window sill.

The fresh flower had a surprisingly long lifespan; it still looked lively.

She tidied up the bedding at the same time.

Originally, that was something the maid should have done.

But Nangong Bi-ah wanted to do it herself. It was because of the source of the bedding she had been hugging and sniffing all night.

‘…It doesn’t smell anymore.’

What she was using was the bedding she had taken from Gu Yangcheong’s room.

The moment things were whisked away, it became even harder; as soon as she distanced herself from Gu Yangcheong, the stench that had returned plummeted her quality of life.

She was already wallowing in regret.

For what reason had she distanced herself?

‘…How embarrassing.’

After gaining knowledge from Tang Soyeol about the new world, Nangong Bi-ah suddenly felt shy about seeing Gu Yangcheong’s face.

The close breaths that approached her, the gaze he directed at her.

From her fingertips to her lips.

Every moment felt embarrassing.

It was ridiculous.

She had thought that holding his hand and sleeping together might lead to having a child.

And now she was thinking that maybe having a child wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

She had resolved to escape the stench through training as a Sword Master, yet as soon as another breakthrough appeared, she found herself easily changing her thoughts.

Nangong Bi-ah was more embarrassed with herself than with anyone else.

She recalled her father, who had knelt alone in the night.

That father, whom she had found so indifferent and hateful, was still the same even after days passed.

Her mother, who had left this world alone due to illness, never cursed her father until her dying breath.

How could anyone do that?

If that is what people call love, then it’s truly a terrifying thing.

Left alone in the world, Nangong Bi-ah fell into the stench, but still, she endured.

—“Please live happily, our daughter.”

Nangong Bi-ah never forgot her mother’s words. She wished for happiness, so she would endure until she was happy.

Though she didn’t know when it would come, she had endured her solitary, hellish time.

Now she sensed that perhaps that time was not in vain.

Nangong Bi-ah recalled how her frightening and heavy father had kneeled before the boy.

How could that be?

What was she supposed to think, seeing her father in such a broken state?

Relief? Not quite; it felt too heavy.

Fear? Not really; it wasn’t suffocating either.

Human emotions are indeed that difficult.

Nangong Bi-ah was slowly beginning to understand this.

She stepped outside the detached house and wandered down a path as if taking a walk.

“…I’m sleepy.”

Since she had hardly slept, the drowsiness still lingered.

Having become accustomed to sleeping amid the stench during her previous life, only a few months of peace had changed her so.

Nangong Bi-ah enjoyed wandering. It was something she realized after the stench had disappeared.

She liked wandering around more than she had ever thought.

While walking, she could feel the direction of less stench.

Going that way meant he was there.

“…!”

Nangong Bi-ah found herself wanting to head that way on her own.

“Not yet…”

She tried hard to turn back. There were still things left to do before she went.

Where she was headed was the training grounds.

It wasn’t to wield a sword.

—Swish, swish!

The sharp sounds echoing from the training grounds were Nangong Jin wielding the sword.

Recently, he had suddenly become intense in his training.

She knew she had seen him training a few times at the family home, but to see him so engrossed was quite peculiar.

“What’s going on?”

Nangong Bi-ah approached, and sensing her presence, Nangong Jin asked.

His cold gaze remained unchanged.

“…I wanted to ask you something.”

“…You’re asking me?”

Nangong Jin gave a look of surprise at her question.

It was rare for Nangong Bi-ah to speak first.

“If it’s about the schedule ahead, feel free to…”

“Did father love mother?”

Nangong Jin, who was about to respond casually, froze at his daughter’s question.

He stared at Nangong Bi-ah, eyes slightly widened.

“You’re suddenly asking such a trivial question.”

“Didn’t he love her?”

What did this mean? Nangong Jin couldn’t grasp his daughter’s intent.

A woman’s face flashed through his mind with Nangong Bi-ah’s question.

It was a woman resembling her, the youngest daughter of the largest trading house in Anhui City.

She was a beautiful woman with a gentle disposition for a merchant’s daughter.

Though she was lovely, she couldn’t fill the void in Nangong Jin’s heart.

That is why he found himself at a loss for words after hearing his daughter’s inquiry for the first time in over a decade.

There hadn’t been a deep relationship nor had he been affectionate as a husband.

Nangong Jin had been too busy establishing his position as the Clan Leader to think of her, leaving only a small sense of guilt.

Nangong Jin never took a concubine.

It wasn’t out of guilt for his dead wife.

There simply hadn’t been a reason for it, nor had there been any efficient circumstances to allow for it.

That was all.

Nangong Jin’s remaining feelings were exactly that much.

“…”

In certain situations, silence becomes the greatest answer.

Such was the case for Nangong Bi-ah at this moment.

“…I’ll take my leave first.”

Though she didn’t hear an answer, Nangong Bi-ah bowed slightly to Nangong Jin and turned to leave.

She could read everything from his expression and breathing, she understood his gaze held all the answers.

It had been years. How long had it been since she felt like crying like this?

Why had she forced herself to ask what she had feared the answer to now?

She knew.

It was because a futile expectation had sprung up.

The feeling of something she thought she had let go was once again embraced within her heart.

“…I’m exhausted…”

She sensed an exhaustion that was hard to understand. She didn’t want to feel this way.

Losing sight of her purpose for training aimed at wielding the sword, she moved along.

The stench of the world was still present.

The flowers bloomed yet appeared ugly; the birds chirped sweetly but it sounded like screaming.

Life at present was hell.

Nangong Bi-ah’s life had always been that way.

The more she moved, the fainter the stench became. The tears that had almost burst forth were once again swallowed down.

Nangong Bi-ah knew where she was going, so she tried to hide her expression.

She didn’t want to show this expression in front of him.

She walked on slowly.

As expected, she soon felt the heat coming from afar.

Was it because of the cold weather? It felt unusually warm.

He was carrying flames, but for Nangong Bi-ah, it was nothing but full warmth.

When she reached near the training grounds, someone hurriedly approached her direction.

“Hello, Miss!”

Thinking it might be Wi Seol-Ah, she saw it was just another woman wearing the same maid outfit.

Who could this be?

“Thank you for last time…!”

“Ah…”

That’s when she remembered.

It was the woman who had made a sad face when Nangong Bi-ah had casually taken the bedding.

Nangong Bi-ah had soon felt regretful and offered to give her double the price for the bedding.

The maid had bowed repeatedly, saying she wouldn’t say a word, and the memory of that had made her fluster.

“…Hello.”

Nangong Bi-ah slightly nodded her head in greeting.

The maid, startled, was surprised that a member of the Nangong Bloodline had greeted her.

Was this really such a surprising thing?

Shaking off such pointless thoughts, Nangong Bi-ah moved on.

“Did you come to see the Young Master?”

Nangong Bi-ah nodded.

“Ah, the Young Master is probably training right now; he always trains on the dot.”

The maid cheerfully informed her of his location, but Nangong Bi-ah already knew where he was.

Once separating from the maid, she moved slowly.

One step, then two steps.

Upon taking the third step, the stench that had been tightening from all directions suddenly vanished.

‘It’s much broader than before…’

When they first met, even a slight distance would make her sense the stench.

Now, even from a good distance, it was tolerable.

What could be the difference?

Was it because he was getting stronger?

If that was the case, it was hopeful.

If her realm increased, perhaps the stench would vanish.

Breathing in the scent she had just regained, Nangong Bi-ah headed toward his presence.

The closer she got, the stronger the heat became.

Had it strengthened more than before?

Thud.

While she was thinking this, her steps came to a halt.

The heat emanating from the training grounds had ceased.

The door swung open, and a sweat-drenched Gu Yangcheong appeared.

He didn’t look surprised even when meeting Nangong Bi-ah’s gaze, as if he had foreseen she would be outside.

“What’s up? What are you doing here so early… Why do you look like that?”

Gu Yangcheong asked with a shocked face.

As always.

He was able to notice such minor changes in her expression which others wouldn’t even grasp.

And that attention felt uniquely significant to Nangong Bi-ah.

“Did you not sleep at all?”

She nodded slightly at his question.

What are you doing here, don’t come too close.

The boy who once pushed her away with such blunt remarks showed none of that now.

“Well then you should sleep some more; why did you come so early?”

Still a bit brusque, but it was okay.

The gaze he directed at her was a world apart from how her father treated her mother.

Knowing that more than anyone, Nangong Bi-ah couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“…I missed you.”

“Yeah…?”

“…I just missed you…”

She conveyed her heart purely, with nothing mixed in.

She simply wanted to see him.

“ ”

Gu Yangcheong stood there, frozen like a statue in silence.

Though it resembled the silence she had shared with Nangong Jin just prior, she sensed that this stillness was not all there was to it.

After a brief silence, Gu Yangcheong opened his mouth.

“…Let’s eat.”

“Eh…?”

“…Did you eat?”

“No.”

“Then let’s eat.”

With that, he passed by Nangong Bi-ah.

Without realizing it, she let out a light laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

Though Gu Yangcheong questioned her with a hint of discontent, she continued to chuckle lightly.

“…It’s bland.”

She hadn’t heard any response.

Yet it felt like she already had the answer.

Compared to Gu Yangcheong’s blunt expression, his ear was turning bright red.

He took a few steps ahead but then seemed to slow down his pace, waiting for her.

That was enough.

At this moment, even that was sufficient.

Feeling her previously tense heart calming down in an instant, Nangong Bi-ah followed Gu Yangcheong.

 

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