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Chapter 138: Long Time No See, Brother-in-law.

“Long time no see, brother-in-law.”

Nangong Cheonjun, who had been scattering his energy around the inn, quickly gathered it up and walked this way.

If he could so easily hide his energy, did that mean he was intentionally showcasing it while coming in?

‘Looks like he enjoys being the center of attention.’

I didn’t mind that at all. After all, such types of people weren’t rare, especially in the Nangong Clan.

[He looks just like that jerk from before.]

‘Are you talking about the Thunder Dragon Sword?’

[Yeah, when he was a kid, he used to do stupid things like this, and I had to break it in half….]

‘…Break it in half?’

Was that old man reminiscing about his violent past in such an endearing way?

And considering that Thunder Dragon Sword was like that, it seemed that having a annoying personality might just be a trait of the Nangong Clan.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Moyong Hi-ah was also looking towards Nangong Cheonjun.

That wasn’t surprising at all.

In their previous lives, the two were engaged, after all.

[What? So does that mean you were mixing bodies with someone who’s already taken? That’s just trashy!]

‘Why does this conversation keep drifting to that?!’

It felt like I was the only one interested in their past entanglements; was that just me being delusional?

To clarify, back in the day, Moyong Hi-ah wasn’t even engaged.

Their engagement happened after they escaped the Demonic Gate.

If Moyong Hi-ah had memories from the Demonic Gate, would she still have gotten engaged?

‘She probably would.’

She was that kind of woman, someone who could easily feign emotions as needed.

-What are you on about? It’s not about being genuine; it’s all just manipulation!

-…You dumb fool wouldn’t understand. What’s in your head, rocks instead of brains?

—This crazy girl… why are you picking a fight after initiating a conversation? Do you want me to kill you?

-Last time, you crawled on the floor after being a jerk, yet now your words are as fiery as ever.

—Hey, you little…!

-Wow, here we go again with the fighting! Hey! Someone stop them!

-Are you not letting go? This time I’m really going to burn that crazy girl!

-Where’s the Sword Demoness? Hurry and break it up!

‘…’

Thinking back to those days really made my head throb.

Why did it even happen?

Such silly memories and embarrassing recollections.

Still, I had come to possess those memories alone.

For a long, long time.

No one else could remember anything from the Demonic Gate.

Except for me.

What transpired, what we experienced over the years, what we had to endure.

How far we had pushed our relationship, and how someone shed tears for someone else.

Nobody remembered.

That was the contract.

“Sister.”

“…Hello.”

As soon as Nangong Cheonjun arrived, he spoke to Nangong Bi-ah.

Nangong Bi-ah merely waved her hand in greeting, as usual.

Yet that only amplified the buzzing around us.

“Sister, didn’t he just call you Thunder Dragon?”

“Then that lady is of the Nangong blood… Oh, wow…”

“What’s up with you?”

Thanks to this, all eyes turned to us. Oh, this is not a good situation.

‘…Well, it was all for show, and now it’s backfiring.’

A sigh escaped me.

I hadn’t set out to create a big scene.

If someone like me tried to make one, it’d only draw more attention.

What I had set around was merely an energy concealment technique to reduce my presence.

I just wanted to draw a bit less attention to myself.

Given how much attention I was already getting because of my looks, I had to do something.

‘This just lost all meaning.’

Once attention was drawn, it was all pointless.

True to that, I could feel countless glares from different directions.

Most of them brushed over me, focusing on the others instead.

The vile desires embedded within those creepy gazes were all too clear.

Usually, inexperienced newcomers flaunting themselves would attract attention, and it was no surprise.

One couldn’t really fault them.

I’d have likely been the same.

Nangong Bi-ah inched closer to me.

While Tang Soyeol and Moyong Hi-ah seemed familiar, it didn’t seem the same for Weiser and Nangong Bi-ah.

I raised my energy in preparation.

I didn’t want to stand out yet; I didn’t want to let this slide.

Huff—!

The energy released in a wave around the inn.

The buzzing crowd let out coughs and turned their gaze away.

They realized it was a clear warning.

The slightly mixed heat added more power to my aura.

The problem, however, was that this wasn’t something I had done.

I cast a sidelong glance at Gu Jeolyub, who was sitting across from me.

Noticing me, Gu Jeolyub stopped mumbling for a moment and finally spoke.

“…Is this going to be a problem?”

The recent display of pressure had been directed at Gu Jeolyub.

Given the intensity of the energy, I must have used a significant amount.

I responded to Gu Jeolyub, who seemed to be looking for cues.

“No, well done.”

If it hadn’t been Gu Jeolyub, I wouldn’t have offered such praise.

After receiving an unexpected compliment, Gu Jeolyub awkwardly averted his gaze.

[Looks like you don’t bend your beliefs even after hearing curses.]

Just as Shin Noya had said, my perspective of Gu Jeolyub shifted slightly.

‘It seems you’re not completely untrustworthy.’

I felt the need to dig a bit deeper beyond the shadows of Elder Lee.

“Ah, Tang Soyeol, you’re here too.”

“Hello…”

“You seem to have become even prettier; it’s good to see.”

Nangong Cheonjun smiled warmly. Anyone could tell he was easy on the eyes saying those words.

But Tang Soyeol’s lips trembled slightly.

She was trying her hardest to maintain a neutral expression.

“Thank… you.”

Her quivering voice seemed difficult to hide.

To others, it would look as if she was enchanted by Nangong Cheonjun’s charm.

“This is….”

“Gu Jeolyub, at your service.”

Gu Jeolyub stood up promptly to greet Nangong Cheonjun.

Nangong Cheonjun briefly paused when he heard Gu Jeolyub’s surname, but quickly masked his expression.

“Nice to meet you.”

As if intrigued by meeting the Thunder Dragon, Gu Jeolyub seemed rather delighted.

‘What’s up with that guy?’

Representing an average Late-Stage Talent, it was impressive that he would receive any notoriety from a figure like him.

Still, I was curious whether Gu Jeolyub could maintain his composure, knowing Nangong Cheonjun’s personality.

After a while, Nangong Cheonjun’s gaze shifted to me.

He was still smiling.

“It’s been a while.”

While Nangong Cheonjun spoke, my eyes fell on Moyong Hi-ah.

The fact that he skipped straight over her to talk to me seemed deliberate.

It wouldn’t be just a matter of sequence; it felt like he was intentionally ignoring Moyong Hi-ah.

‘Is he intentionally snubbing her?’

Moyong Hi-ah didn’t seem particularly annoyed though; she looked rather composed.

At this time, they shouldn’t have been engaged. Was there a connection before?

After all, it didn’t seem like the major clans had many opportunities to meet.

Especially given the peculiar circumstances surrounding Nangong Bi-ah.

“…I heard you’re engaged. Congratulations.”

Though it was a great sentiment, I couldn’t help but feel it was insincere.

It showed on Nangong Cheonjun’s slightly trembling corners of his mouth.

Gladly, it seemed his true nature remained intact.

If that’s the case, is he trying to mend ties?

‘No way, that can’t be it.’

I couldn’t believe that at all.

I too smiled back at him, trying to reciprocate the friendly exchange.

“Yeah.”

My brief reply seemed to make Nangong Cheonjun’s eyebrows furrow slightly.

But what could I do? I had no intention of slowing down here.

“Long time no see, brother-in-law.”

My joking tone made Nangong Cheonjun’s mask slip for a moment.

“Ah, or should I say sister-in-law?”

His reaction struck me as amusing; I could almost see his twisted expression recalling some bad deeds from the past.

But just as quickly, he restored his earlier demeanor.

That was quite unexpected.

In the past, he would have retaliated somehow.

Yet, now he simply held back a smile.

“Indeed. We shall soon be family.”

‘What’s with this guy?’

It seemed he was desperately holding his composure, though I couldn’t tell why.

It was quite fortunate for me that no issues arose…

Did Nangong Jin say something? Timing-wise, that wouldn’t align. Nangong Cheonjun must have been away when Nangong Jin circled back to the clan.

“Let’s forget the past and move on.”

A very nice sentiment, but could it really be as easy as just saying it?

I couldn’t get it right myself.

Not to say I was deliberately ignoring him, but… it did feel like I was.

The gaze I sensed through those smiling eyes told me that Nangong Cheonjun hadn’t changed at all.

I was hoping he could bear with those sinister emotions for a while longer.

‘Seems like I can’t let him see me twice.’

Therefore, I wished he would just hold on here.

The meal time quickly came to an end.

Initially, when Moyong Hi-ah had requested a seat, we were almost done eating.

I was wondering if Nangong Cheonjun would join us, but surprisingly, he merely glanced at Nangong Bi-ah before heading straight up to his room.

Following him, Moyong Hi-ah had also composed herself and left.

‘So it was all for Nangong Cheonjun after all.’

I became curious about Moyong Hi-ah’s motives.

Considering it was all for Nangong Cheonjun, she didn’t show that much reaction.

That felt ambiguous to me.

To be more precise, she seemed unwilling to engage.

It could have just been my delusion.

She looked younger now than when I first encountered her.

Back then, she seemed like a woman devoid of any emotions, but now—she seemed to have matured considerably.

Yet even this uncertainty lingered due to how much she had affected me in the past.

She was capable of making one weep with just a flick of the hand.

Although she showed a cynical disposition in her voice and tone, she was particularly adept at evoking the anguish of a fallen woman.

If there was one issue, it’d be due to her physical condition.

Cold Pulse Syndrome.

It was a major contributing factor that would lead to Moyong Hi-ah’s demise in the future.

I didn’t have precise knowledge of her condition.

‘She mentioned it was not Cold Pulse Syndrome, but…’

Cold Pulse Syndrome is the most prominent manifestation of Cold Pulse syndrome.

An ailment where one’s energy is so dense that it fails to circulate properly, causing problems. It was a catastrophic illness from the past.

Now, however, it’s something that could potentially be solved with materials like the beak of a top-tier Demon Beast, the Flame-Wrought Bird.

Although the price of such resources is considerable, the Moyong Clan was not a small clan, so they wouldn’t be broke.

Thus, the problem must lie elsewhere.

[That’s unexpected.]

Lost in thought, Noya initiated a conversation.

“What do you mean?”

[From what you’ve said, it looks like the relationship was a mess, but why do you care so much? Is there perhaps an unspoken bond here??]

“…That can’t be.”

Noya’s words did hold some truth; the relationship had been a disaster. It might have even been worse.

I was assuming there was only a minor debt remaining.

-Your flame was necessary for me. Reflecting on it now, I see it was meaningless…

The words Moyong Hi-ah uttered that night were devoid of lies.

-This is not sacrifice. Even if it were… you don’t have to carry it all alone!

Even that fervent moment when she shouted at me last would never be false.

However, whether I’d held onto that in my heart was another story entirely.

Since returning from the Demonic Gate, too much had happened for me to remember that.

“Helping or not doesn’t matter at this point.”

For me, it was already exhausting just trying to protect those around me.

I wished for Moyong Hi-ah to ally with me, but that wasn’t originally the objective of this visit.

Separating allies from foes was perhaps still far beyond me.

‘Why did I even bother to think about that.’

I shook it off and stood up.

There was no point in overthinking it now.

First, I needed to fulfill my obligations.

“Shall we go train instead?”

I said to Muyeon, who had been waiting by the door.

Muyeon looked as if he hadn’t expected to see me show up.

Seeing that surprised expression, I said jokingly.

“Hey, I told you I didn’t need guarding outside.”

…Young Master, guards are supposed to…

“Cut the long explanations. Look around, where’s the guard at the door?”

To prove my point, there were no guards stationed at the doorway.

This was a hallmark pride of the Late-Stage Talents.

I was showing that I wasn’t weak enough to be needing guards around me.

In my opinion, it was an utterly pointless contest of egos.

While I was in a better position, it provided me with the perfect excuse to let Muyeon fall off.

“Unless you want to be nagging, let’s go train together.”

“…Understood.”

Eventually, Muyeon stopped arguing and fell in step beside me.

As Bachunmaru served as lodging for Late-Stage Talents, there was a training area set up in the back.

Using martial arts was out of the question, but some practice should be fine.

Whenever I felt troubled, moving my body always seemed the quickest solution.

As Muyeon and I walked toward the training area, I also brought along Gu Jeolyub, who seemed to be sprawled inside.

“Why am I…?”

Gu Jeolyub looked confused as he asked me.

“Joining for training would be great, don’t you think?”

In truth, I was mostly peeved by his love-struck gaze directed at Moyong Hi-ah earlier.

Surprisingly, Gu Jeolyub, dedicated to his training, silently followed without any fuss.

Before long, as we approached the training ground.

“Ah, Young Master.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s some news from earlier….”

“Gu Gongjaaaa!”

Muyeon was trying to say something when a loud voice erupted, shaking the surroundings.

Were they calling for me?

Just to be sure, I turned to Gu Jeolyub.

Since there were two of us with the same surname, I wanted to confirm.

However, Gu Jeolyub’s expression was equally perplexed.

“Who could that be….”

Turning around to check, someone was already standing right in front of us.

Before Muyeon even had time to draw his sword.

I was forced to react without warning.

“Yay! I’ve missed you so much! It’s been forever!”

The young man had a bright smile, gripping my shoulder eagerly as if he’d shake me apart.

His overly vigorous greeting left me flabbergasted.

“Ah, wait….”

That familiar vibe, it struck a chord.

It didn’t take long to recognize who this was.

Why on earth was he here? He shouldn’t have even been depicted as a Late-Stage Talent anymore.

The young man standing in front of me, whom I hadn’t seen in months, displayed a rather slender physique that contrasted with his family’s traits.

Donning a black martial robe, the ring on his hand represented his lineage.

The former Thunder Dragon, destined to become the Blade Emperor.

And currently, the Lesser Clan Leader of the Peng Clan.

“Peng Gongja… just let go… don’t shake me so much!”

It was Peng Woo-jin.

 

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