Chapter 128

“Huhu~ Sima Mantian! Hello~ Hello~ It’s Hamtori Hamtori!!”

Wolhwa greeted Mantian with a bright smile, while Sososo made a puzzled expression at the incomprehensible greeting.

“Wolhwa, what kind of greeting is that?”

“I don’t know! It’s a greeting Sima Mantian taught me! It’s cute pronunciation!”

“Huh… He never taught me that…”

Sososo’s face darkened rapidly. Her mouth smiled, but her eyes did not.

It’s not that she was genuinely jealous of her cousin.

With a slightly pouty expression, she puffed her cheeks and looked at Mantian.

“Sometimes it feels like Sima Gongja is closer to Wolhwa than to me.”

That’s cute. I playfully replied.

“It’s disappointing to hear that. Namgung-hyung and I also do a lot of things Wolhwa doesn’t know about.”

A confession under the moonlight, a warm embrace, the sensation of hot lips.

Sososo’s face instantly turned as red as a beet.

“Sima Gongja! What is that-?!”

“Huh? What kind of game did you two play? I want to play too!”

With an innocent face, Wolhwa’s eyes sparkled, causing Sososo to panic and cut her off.

“Ah, no! I mean… I’ll go prepare some tea and snacks!”

Sososo hurriedly grabbed Wolhwa’s hand and fled the scene.

She bowed her head to hide her reddened face, but her reddened earlobes were visible, making her look adorable.

As Sososo and Wolhwa left.

Only Mantian and Modan remained in the training ground.

“………”

An awkward silence flowed between the two.

Nominally, they were brothers under the same master.

But there was a bad history between them—one who poisoned his relative for ambition, and the other who beat him up in anger.

It would have been better if Modan had openly declared hostility.

‘How dare you ruin my ambition! I’ll kill you, Sima Mantian!’

If he had charged at me like that, I could have just beaten him like a dog with the Dog Chasing Stick Technique.

But Modan stood silently, keeping his mouth shut.

I’m not sure if he’s sincere.

But after regaining his senses, he properly apologized to Sososo.

Seeing him quietly reflect like a nobleman.

I wasn’t sure how to handle him.

“Wolhwa seems to follow you well.”

Modan was the first to speak. It seems he wanted to talk.

“We get along well after playing together. She’s a good kid.”

“She’s good and pure like snow. She easily gets influenced by those close to her.”

“Why? Are you worried because she’s hanging out with a scoundrel like me?”

I threw a playful joke to lighten the mood. Modan’s expression twitched, and he apologized.

“…Did it sound that way? I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. You’re the man Master acknowledged and who defeated me.”

Modan, who had been deliberately looking elsewhere, turned his head and looked at me.

The annoying thing about a handsome man, often called a ‘parasite brother,’ is that he looks like a painting when he sets the mood.

Jang Sam-i told me that no matter how much I try to set the mood, I still look like a villain from the Evil Faction.

“I just thought you’d be fine.”

“…Yeah. Thanks for thinking well of me.”

I was flustered by the sudden acknowledgment of my relationship with Wolhwa.

‘We’re close friends. It’s natural for my brother to acknowledge it…’

Well, Modan’s words probably meant that he wanted me to stay close to Wolhwa.

Though the two were still awkward.

The awkward atmosphere felt lighter than before.

“So, it seems you came to see me for something. What is it?”

“It’s a task from Master.”

“What?!”

At that unexpected statement, my mind snapped to attention.

“Take it. It’s the martial arts secret manual Master wanted to give you before leaving the North Sea Ice Palace.”

Modan handed me a book with no title on the cover, likely for security reasons.

“He said to give it to you if he thought you were worthy.”

Given his strong respect for Master, he wouldn’t joke about something like this.

Modan’s expression was solemn as he handed over the book.

“At first, I didn’t want to give it to you. I disliked you.”

A trembling voice, like ice melting, was heard.

“Because I was jealous of you.”

In a world where he was only valued for his looks, like a scentless peony.

The first adult who truly saw him and taught him martial arts.

He disliked Mantian, the cripple whom Master praised so happily.

Master didn’t discriminate and praised him equally. He taught him many things with sincerity, yet he was jealous of Mantian.

He wished Master would only praise him.

But seeing him now, he couldn’t help but acknowledge him.

When King Hui of Wei met Mencius during the Warring States period and asked how to make the country prosperous and strong.

Mencius reportedly replied to the king’s face.

“Why does Your Majesty seek profit first? Seek righteousness first.”

It meant that a petty person who only seeks profit should not sit on the throne.

Gaining the name of the True Dragon, using it as a stepping stone to become the Martial Alliance Leader.

He said it was for Master’s sake…

But he only sought profit, while Mantian sought righteousness first.

What profit did Mantian gain from fighting him?

What profit did Mantian gain from causing a disturbance at the Dragon and Phoenix Association?

Why didn’t he spread the word that he fought for Sososo?

Because he didn’t want to make Sososo a subject of gossip. Because he didn’t want to hurt her.

He didn’t even mention that he had fed Sososo the Cold Ice Poison.

Because it would trouble Sososo and Wolhwa, who were related to Modan.

The image of Mantian, who shouldered everything alone and smiled confidently on the martial stage, came to mind.

‘Hey, you’re so good at fighting. Let’s have a match.’

He could have easily justified this fight. He could have sought profit.

But he didn’t.

Both the fight on the martial stage and the attitude of practicing Master’s teachings were his losses.

“After all, no matter how good the teachings are, butterflies won’t land on a scentless peony.”

A self-deprecating smile formed on Modan’s lips.

‘Why is he suddenly like this?’

I said what I had wanted to say to Modan, who was muttering something strange while handing over the secret manual.

“Peonies have a scent.”

“…What?”

Though peonies are known as scentless flowers, they actually have a scent.

“Some varieties of peonies are scentless, but some have a scent. The peonies in our garden bloom every year, and they definitely have a scent.”

“…But the painting stored in the North Sea Ice Palace didn’t have any butterflies.”

“That’s just a painting of peonies.”

People often think peonies are scentless because butterflies aren’t depicted in paintings of them.

This is due to a painting tradition from the Tang Dynasty.

In the Central Plains during that time, there was a tradition of painting peonies with cats and butterflies.

Peonies symbolize the king of flowers and wealth.

Cats symbolize longevity at 70 years, and butterflies symbolize longevity at 80 years.

In other words, it means ‘May you live long and enjoy wealth.’

So, if space was limited.

Or if the peonies needed to be depicted in detail, leaving no room for cats, butterflies were also omitted.

“And what parent would name their child after a scentless flower?”

At my blunt remark, Modan’s eyes widened.

“Because they’re pretty, so lovely and precious that you could put them in your eye without it hurting.”

The North Sea Ice Palace is cold. Flowers don’t bloom well there. That’s why they’re precious.

“They named you Modan after the peony.”

Honestly, my father named me more carelessly.

On the day I was born, it was daytime, but the sky was dark.

‘Wow~ Look at how dark the sky is. From today, your name is Mantian.’

‘Ugh-!? Give me a more serious name!!’

Well, now I think it’s a name that suits me, a genius who even deceives the heavens.

Thinking this, I looked at Modan.

Modan’s face turned as red as a peony, looking embarrassed.

“…Do you always talk like that?”

“Huh? About what?”

“Never mind. I think I understand a little why Sososo fell for you.”

With that, Modan turned away as if his business was done.

“I’ll be going now. Take care.”

“Take care. See you again.”

At the natural farewell of ‘See you again,’ Modan’s back twitched.

“…Yeah.”

He quietly replied and walked away.

Now, only Mantian remained in the training ground.

But there was no time to stand still. Without hesitation, I opened the book Master had sent.

Though the name of the martial art wasn’t written for security reasons.

It was so meticulously explained that I could roughly grasp what kind of ‘martial art’ it was.

Though I couldn’t receive the teachings fully due to the Martial Alliance’s pursuit.

I could see how Master had planned my skill route.

I laughed.

“Keke… Damn old man… People aren’t sponges.”

Just because you pour water, just because you teach.

You can’t absorb everything.

“How much do you overestimate me?”

…But I’m happy.

Though I’m not yet at a level to perform this ‘martial art.’

By adding the principles and usage methods of this ‘martial art,’ I can compensate for my weaknesses.

I can further evolve the movement technique I envisioned.

I can grow more.

I hear Master’s characteristic kind laughter.

‘Hoho~ Aren’t you the genius who deceives even the heavens? Learn this easily.’

My hand gripping the martial arts manual tightened.

I accept the arrogant challenge thrown at me, the genius who dares to deceive even the heavens.

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Ding~ Clang~!

Sososo’s trembling hands dropped the tray with tea and snacks, scattering them on the floor.

“Si, Sima Gongja?”

Sososo’s voice trembled as she called Mantian.

“Mantian is rolling!”

Well, it’s because Mantian was rolling around the training ground floor, performing the Falling Roll Technique.

“Serious forward roll! Backward roll!”

Roll~ Roll~!

“Genius serious side roll!!”

Roll~ Roll~!

“Pfft! He’s rolling like a chubby seal! Sima Mantian is funny!!”

Wolhwa burst into laughter at the sight.

“Sima Gongja… I… I…”

Sososo couldn’t laugh. Tears welled up in her pretty eyes.

“I didn’t praise you properly…”

I should have praised Mantian more when he was training the Thunder Step.

Because I didn’t, he got hurt.

Sososo thought so.