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Chapter 182: A Winter That Isn’t Cold (3)

I woke up early in the morning, completed my training lightly, and wiped off my sweat.

The muscles that had been tensing up relaxed, and as my energy flowed naturally, I felt far more refreshed than usual.

While I was loosening up my body with a relieved feeling, strange noises came from behind.

“…Grrr…”

“What’s up with you, growling already?”

Amidst it all, Gu Jeolyub was lying on the ground, drooling.

He’s probably a decent-looking guy. But every time training was over, he always ended up like this.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“What’s wrong with these youngsters? Why are they so weak…”

“…I’m… older than the First Prince…”

“Oh, right, you must be older than me. Then just hang in there a bit.”

“Grrr…”

Was it since we returned from the Hwasan Sect?

I had followed Yeongpung’s training there, and now my body had gotten used to that lifestyle.

The Hwasan Sect’s uniquely foolish training methods had stuck with me.

[Calling it foolish…! You rotten brats.]

The stagnant water of Hwasan reacted sharply to my innocent words. It seemed to have stung a little.

[What a good omen!]

‘Good omen…?’

Well, if it was a good omen, then it was indeed a good omen.

After all, more training is good for me.

I glanced over at Muyeon.

Muyeon also looked exhausted like Gu Jeolyub, but unlike him, he wasn’t rolling around on the floor.

If there was a problem, it was that he wasn’t meeting my gaze.

He probably still seemed sulky because of yesterday’s events.

‘Why’s this grown man pouting…’

Even though I said that, it was indeed my fault, so I had no room to speak.

Well, at least I could see him subtly raising the corners of his mouth.

That must be because of the precious sword he was wearing at his waist.

Maybe it was because I had carelessly given him the sword granted to me from the sect.

Muyeon, who was filled with disappointment and sorrow, saw that and:

“Do you not think this Young Master is someone who would easily be swayed by such things?”

spouted a somewhat justified rebuttal, but it seemed too forced.

‘Wow, he really likes it.’

He seemed to be struggling to keep his expression neutral to maintain some dignity, but to me, he looked like he was already grinning ear to ear.

[It’s crucial for a Sword Master to have a good sword, that’s how it is.]

Noya nodded in agreement with me, prompting me to ask.

“Isn’t it said that a master doesn’t choose their tools?”

Noya scoffed at my words.

[Hmph, nonsense. This is why you can’t talk sense with these muscleheads.]

“Why are we suddenly on the topic of muscleheads…?”

I was taken aback by his odd remarks. This was clearly martial arts discrimination, wasn’t it?

[A good sword is just better at holding onto your energy; that’s common sense. Does a master not choose their tools? That’s just nonsense spouted by arrogant fools.]

It felt a bit uncomfortable, but I slightly nodded along to Noya’s words.

I knew what I was saying before I said it. In practice, when it came down to it, one would always prioritize the performance of their weapons over everything else.

[I wielded the best blade of that era.]

The difference between slicing with a dull blade, having to hack it twice instead of once, can be significant.

It was a matter of life and death in those seconds.

[That aside, kid.]

“Yeah?”

[What are you planning to do about that guy…?]

At Noya’s words, I glanced at Gu Jeolyub, squirming on the floor.

Having finished training, he was a complete mess, but his eyes were full of rebellious spirit.

The reason for that defiant look?

It was because he hadn’t received a sword, unlike Muyeon, who did.

From my perspective, it was quite a ridiculous situation.

‘…As if I would hand that over, given the circumstances.’

Even though Muyeon was more of an ally in the Hoi background, he wasn’t completely my person.

“What up, get up.”

I walked over and poked Gu Jeolyub lightly.

“How long are you gonna lie there?”

“…Please don’t mind me.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Whatever I am… I’m… agh!”

He was speaking nonsense, so I stomped on him lightly.

I always felt quite annoyed when skilled guys talked back to me like that.

“Complaining about a sword when you’re a rich kid is ridiculous.”

“I have no money… where is it?!”

“Don’t joke around.”

Right, you probably don’t have any.

But how about Elder Lee?

‘I know how much that man has.’

I knew exactly how much the Gu Clan’s Exemplar Sect was earning and how much Elder Lee accumulated through my past life experiences.

In fact, having seen how Gu Jeolyub usually spent money…

That dude must have spent quite lavishly.

In some ways, he might have had it better than me, his own blood relative.

[So you’re saying he lived more extravagantly than the direct descendants? What the hell has he been doing?!]

Even if I said that, it seemed like he had lived a somewhat lavish life.

If one asked for something, he generally got it.

But he blew through his funds like it was entertainment expenses.

“Seriously, stop whining already.”

“…I have never whined.”

Even if he hadn’t, it sure felt like he had been ever since he started training. I almost considered stomping on him again but held back.

This dude clearly wasn’t the type to get annoyed easily.

Why was he acting like a spoiled brat?

He seemed upset because I had teased him about giving him something but hadn’t followed through.

Seeing him whine like this made me not want to look at him.

“I’ll give you something similar later, so drop the tantrums and get up.”

In the end, unable to stand the annoyance, I added one more thing, and Gu Jeolyub’s eyes lit up again.

Then he sat up.

As if he had been waiting for it.

“What’s with you?”

“Ah… Hmmm.”

When I looked at him in bewilderment, Gu Jeolyub cleared his throat a few times and said:

“…You’re going to continue your training, right?”

“…”

His boldness made me burst out laughing.

This guy really was something.

After finishing training with a light attitude, I returned to my lodging.

Having started in the morning, it must have been past noon by now.

‘My energy doesn’t seem to be an issue.’

I checked my body, moving around here and there, but thankfully, it didn’t seem like there were any significant issues.

Even the energy flowing within me seemed fine—four of them, to be precise.

The fact that this was moving smoothly without conflict in my body was impressive.

[What the hell did you eat while I wasn’t looking?]

Noya spoke as if in disbelief.

I also had no particular response.

[Is that what that guy’s energy is?]

The Blood Demon’s energy forcibly brought into me.

The same energy once wielded by Jang Seonyeon and Nangong Cheonjun.

“How does it feel?”

[…Hmmm.]

If I had to analyze its characteristics, the energy seemed to greatly amplify physical abilities for a short period.

Not only did it enhance martial arts, but the two notable issues were its duration and the fact that the color of the flame changed and became visible.

Also, the backlash that the body would receive afterward was a problem.

Thinking of Jang Seonyeon, this was an issue that could only pertain to me.

It seemed he didn’t feel much backlash compared to me.

‘If possible, I’d like to avoid using it.’

[You’re right; especially since it’s his energy, it would be best to leave it alone.]

I had no idea what his intention was in embedding this within me, but knowing he was a Blood Demon, I certainly didn’t want to whip it out if I could avoid it.

‘Did he say it was a gift?’

This is the worst kind of “gift.”

Just like how the demon energy was branded onto me.

The power the Blood Demon gave me was not different from it.

‘Well, this is also something…’

I pulled an item from within my robes.

It was none other than the ring that this elder had secretly hidden within my belongings.

It was something one would anticipate to be a Pejon’s possession.

If I investigated deeper, it was a treasure belonging to the clan.

Amazingly, it had shed its rusty appearance, returning to its original state over time.

When I first brought it out, it looked like an antique.

For reference, I hadn’t done anything to it.

This was an anomaly I had found in my room last night.

[Did Cheol-Yeong do something to it?]

Noya’s words made me nod in agreement.

[Did anything feel different?]

“Just one thing.”

What I felt was:

That I had been able to recognize the man wearing Hee-young’s mask yesterday.

I thought this incident was due to this ring.

[Why do you think so?]

“It just feels like that.”

[…What a dubious answer.]

Noya sarcastically added to my response, but in reality, that was how I felt.

It seemed as if the ring was providing a subtle sense of awareness.

In the end, it could be said that it was indeed a treasure.

[So what are you going to do? Are you planning to return the ring?]

“Are you out of your mind? How would I return this?”

Whether it was the goodwill of a favor or because it’s a useful artifact—it wasn’t something to simply return.

‘Looks like if I hand it back, that could cause quite a stir.’

The Blood Demon was indeed related to the sect.

I was unsure whether the leader and others were aware of this, but it was still concerning.

[So you plan to keep it for now?]

“Yes. For now, I’ll keep it to myself.”

Fortunately, it seemed that I didn’t need to wear the ring for it to take effect.

There might be a difference between wearing it and not, but if just having it in my possession would suffice, then that was acceptable.

Most importantly, I realized that there aren’t many who can freely use someone else’s face skin.

Also, considering that it was spread out in various places than I thought.

In that regard, it was a very useful artifact for me to detect such changes.

The last item was…

“This book is a problem…”

It was one book I had found on the man wearing the mask at Shaolin yesterday.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like a book detailing Shaolin’s martial arts.

It was even written in such a way that even I, who knew nothing of Shaolin martial arts, could easily understand it.

‘It seems to pen down only the characteristics well, while the movements were clearly described.’

It looked like it didn’t mention anything about the operational use of the martial arts or the Shaolin’s principle, the Hundred Steps Divine Power.

‘Just having this…’

Simply possessing this book could spell disaster if Shaolin caught wind of it.

How absurd would it be for an outsider from a rival clan to possess such detailed notes on Shaolin’s martial arts?

‘I can’t burn it either, so should I throw it away somewhere?’

It would be utterly nonsensical to hand it over to Shaolin.

And it was too dangerous to keep, so that was no option either.

Should I learn it?

That would be tantamount to inviting death by getting my dantian all tangled up, so that was also out of the question.

[How about just selling it to a Beggar or somewhere like that?]

That too was a possibility, but there was no guarantee it wouldn’t come back to bite me later.

“Initially, it would be helpful if I knew why that guy was carrying this around.”

Is this too direct?

If so, then what was the purpose?

It was a martial arts book made with considerable effort.

It may seem casually made, but if they had read even a bit of the contents, they couldn’t have missed noting that down.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t look like something made by Shaolin.

[If you’re going to muddle your head over it, just bury it somewhere in the woods. Don’t overthink it.]

“…”

That might have seemed like common sense, but hearing it from Noya made me quite uncomfortable.

“…Should I really just bury it in the back mountains…?”

As I was speaking, I hastily shoved the book back into my robes.

I felt an ominous presence nearby.

Knock, knock.

– Gu Gongja!

Just as I expected. A voice rang from outside the door.

It was Tang Soyeol’s voice.

“…Just a moment.”

I cleared my throat a few times and opened the door.

As I slightly opened the door to peek outside, Tang Soyeol’s deep green hair caught my eye first.

And there were Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah standing beside her.

The same three who had been glaring at me yesterday were gathered at my doorstep.

Wi Seol-Ah dashed towards me through the barely opened gap in the door.

She jumped into my arms, so I caught her carefully to avoid any impact.

“Why are you suddenly charging at me like that?”

Is she thinking of me as her private space or something?

With her recent weight loss and unexpected growth, holding her was becoming somewhat burdensome.

It was all the more so since she was slowly regaining her old appearance.

“Young Master! It’s almost time to go!”

“…”

At her words, I let out a subtle sigh of relief. The other two looked at me with expectant gazes.

I guess… it’s time to go.

“I haven’t even eaten yet. If we could eat first… right? Seems like that’s not gonna happen, huh? I knew it.”

I could just eat after we come back.

Thinking about how I might accidentally draw eyes like yesterday, I quickly switched topics.

If I had to describe this situation, it was that we all decided to go to Shaolin together—that was the problem.

I had mentioned it, but I never expected today would be the day.

‘Why on earth, with so many wondrous places in Hanam, we still had to go to Shaolin?’

It was the most curious part, but I also knew asking wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Thus, all I could do was nod in agreement.

[You’re really in deep. You say you’re busy, but here you are with three ladies on either side having fun.]

Noya’s words made the corners of my mouths twitch.

Did I really think this looked good? I did have a little bit of conscience.

[If only I had my physical body…]

‘If you had it, what would you do?’

[What’s with the questioning? If I could, I’d make you a patchwork of all kinds of things from blushing hot to Hwasan Sword God status.]

Even now, this guy kept yapping about killing me.

This was definitely because of that woman from Moyong Clan…

[Glah!]

Noya screamed within my head, causing me to grimace.

The three people standing in front of me startled and trembled.

“Young Master….”

“Hmm?”

“Do you… not want to go…?”

Wi Seol-Ah asked with tearful eyes.

What was this about? I wasn’t particularly loathing the idea of going, but it wasn’t something I was looking forward to.

“…You have such a scary face.”

“ ”

Only then did I realize my expression had been grim due to my earlier thoughts.

She seemed worried that I actually didn’t want to go.

For her to say I looked scary, that was really hurtful.

[Of course, how scary do you think you look? Tsk, tsk…]

‘Don’t you be annoying and keep quiet.’

[What’s a guy like me supposed to do? When I’m dead, all I can do is speak?]

Regardless, I was anxious about making them feel this way.

I felt like I needed to get rid of that expression.

[What, they look carefully? Don’t you think you just have a scary countenance?]

I swallowed my words and glanced at the three before me.

I never intended to make faces like that.

Meanwhile, Tang Soyeol looked at me with a bizarre expression as if she was trying to hold her laughter.

“That’s not how it is. I just felt a cough coming on.”

“Really?”

“…Yeah. If we’ve decided to go, then we should go.”

After all, who knows when I’ll get another chance to visit Hanam.

Honestly, I could just go my way.

But I tried not to think about it any further.

I understood to an extent why they were treating me this way.

‘What a burdened blessing indeed.’

Along with a churning feeling deep in my chest, there was an indescribable emotional complexity.

“But Shaolin, we can go today, right?”

Since we needed to contact them in advance, I wanted to clarify.

At that moment, Tang Soyeol, seemingly waiting for that, brightly smiled while pulling Nangong Bi-ah’s arm closer to her.

“That’s all taken care of…!”

As Tang Soyeol made a cheerful gesture with her finger,

Nangong Bi-ah, who had been staring blankly, awkwardly tried to follow her lead.

But her blank expression couldn’t blend in.

Recalling what Tang Soyeol indicated meant, I was reminded of something I had completely forgotten.

‘Right, those three clans of the Four Great Clans.’

Having sat together for meals and chatted every day, I had forgotten about them.

The Tang Clan and the Nangong Clan could easily be considered the pillars of the Four Great Clans.

These two were direct blood relatives as well.

Moyong Hi-ah had easily secured a position at Shaolin thanks to her name making waves yesterday.

There was no way these two couldn’t do anything about it.

Of course, Tang Soyeol would have taken care of all the work, but still.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of how eager they must be to go.

“When are we going?”

“Right now! Hongwa is waiting outside!”

“Right now?”

I was a bit startled, wondering if we were planning to leave at once.

[Whoa, kiddo.]

Noya started speaking to me in a slightly panicked tone.

‘What’s the matter?’

[Are you seriously not thinking of calling that child?]

‘Child? Who?’

[You know, that pretty girl from the Moyong clan.]

“Moyong Hi-ah?”

I tilted my head at Noya’s words. Why would I call her? We just went together yesterday.

[Ah, never mind. I was just asking. Don’t worry about it.]

I was puzzled by what he meant but Noya merely cleared his throat a few times in response to my confusion.

What is it? Why does it make me so anxious?

 

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