Chapter 161

Hyeonho gave me a strange medicine that makes you younger.

Feeling dizzy, Ma Yang, who had been performing light-footed techniques, fell down and woke up groggily.

“Ugh…”

She felt the touch of arms supporting her thighs and shoulders.

It seemed someone had caught her from below, as there was no feeling of impact.

Ma Yang slowly looked up at the person who had caught her.

“Thanks for catching me, but could you let me down? I’m feeling dizzy…!?”

Then, she froze upon seeing the face of the person who had caught her.

A sharp jawline, a prominent nose, and passionately glowing amber eyes.

And above all, that shameless face! She couldn’t forget it!

‘S, Sima Mantian-!?’

Ma Yang’s eyes widened, and her pupils shook.

But her heart was thrown into even greater turmoil by Mantian’s next words.

“Petals fell from the sky.”

“…Huh?”

Frozen and panicked, Ma Yang stared as Mantian smiled gently and spoke in a soft, low voice.

“Haha~ Just kidding. Are you alright, young lady?”

Ma Yang couldn’t comprehend the situation.

Yo, young lady? What is this shameless guy saying? Is he mocking me?

No, first of all, Mantian and I are enemies.

Yet, he’s teasing me with that flirtatious voice, calling me young lady in front of the Demon Sect elder.

Something was off.

‘Could it be… has he forgotten my face? …That’s infuriating in its own way.’

Just then, Jang Sam-i intervened.

“Enough of this nonsense! Sima Mantian! You shameless bastard!”

Caught off guard by the sudden rebellion of his servant, Mantian’s face stiffened playfully as he retorted.

“What!? You rascal! Jang Sam! Why are you calling me shameless!?”

“You don’t even know why!? Look at you, flirting with a small girl in ill-fitting clothes, completely unaware of your own charm!”

Ma Yang tilted her head in confusion.

What are these guys babbling about? But wait, a small girl…?

Come to think of it, has Sima Mantian always been this big?

I knew he had a good build, but…

I didn’t think he could hold someone as tall as me in his arms.

As Ma Yang felt something was off and turned her gaze, she saw her bare feet, with neatly arranged, pretty toes peeking out from her shoes.

Undoubtedly, they were Ma Yang’s feet.

‘…But why are they so small?’

Not just that. Her hands were small too. Her arms were shorter.

And on top of that-.

‘My, my chest has shrunk!?’

The ample bosom that once weighed heavily on her upper body was nowhere to be seen under the loose clothes.

Ma Yang, trembling at the visible changes in her body, spoke up.

“Uh, hey… could you pass me that hand mirror…?”

“Huh? Here you go.”

Jang Sam took out a hand mirror from his pocket and handed it to her.

In the mirror, a beautiful young girl with large purple eyes and a pouty expression stared back.

However, the girl looked utterly bewildered.

After all, the reflection showed a version of herself from around fifteen or sixteen years old.

“Eh… ehh…?”

Her eyes spun in confusion, and a foolish remark slipped out.

Ma Yang remembered the mysterious pill she had taken earlier, the one that was supposed to make her younger.

Thi, this isn’t a youth pill… it’s a de-aging pill!

No, I guess it still makes you younger, but…! It’s not what I expected!

Calm down! Just stay calm!

But amidst her confusion, Ma Yang recalled a terrifying fact.

If Sima Mantian is here right now…

Ma Yang desperately hoped it wasn’t true and turned her head to look for Wang Miaoyang.

And contrary to her hopes.

A shining golden-haired beauty.

Wang Miaoyang, with a slight frown, was staring intently at the now-younger Ma Yang.

“…Ma Yang, my junior? No, that can’t be.”

Ma Yang fainted on the spot, collapsing into Sima Mantian’s arms.

‧


‧


‧

Formerly of the Jeonjin Sect, now an elder of the Ilwol God Sect.

I am the peerless beauty and martial arts master, forty-two-year-old Ma Yang!

With both stunning looks and exceptional martial arts skills, I was unmatched.

But one day, while on a mission to infiltrate Jeoseokhyeon undercover,

I took a strange pill given by Hyeonho, a fellow Ilwol God Sect elder and a quack medicine seller,

and lost consciousness.

“Young lady, are you alright?”

“…Huh?”

My body had regressed! Waaah~!

And the person who found me was Wang Miaoyang, my precious junior who considers me her master’s enemy!

Cute, soft, pure, and someone I want to protect!

In the end, I had no choice but to hide my identity and age, relying on Wang Miaoyang!

There, I got caught up with the shameless Sima Mantian, his servant Jang Sam, and the self-proclaimed righteous group created by the sentient sword Yongyeon.

And now I have to fight evil demon leaders!

“How can such a cute, soft body wield such powerful martial arts!? Who, who are you!?”

“My name is Ma Yang, a master.”

Even though my body has shrunk, my martial arts remain the same!

What events will unfold before me? What is the goal of the Ilwol God Sect?

Look forward to the adventures of the soft master, Ma Yang.

And then, Ma Yang woke up from her nightmare.

“AAAAAH! Nooooooo-!!”

Screaming, she sat up in bed, her face drenched in cold sweat.

“Haa… haa… What a horrible dream.”

Breathing heavily, she sighed in relief, but then noticed her small chest rising and falling.

She reached into the clothes she had been changed into while asleep and felt her chest.

Unlike before, when her chest couldn’t be held in one hand, now it was small but firm.

“…I really have regressed.”

Ma Yang got up fully to assess her situation, looking around the room.

It was a clean room, and the clothes she had been changed into fit her smaller body well.

…There was a nostalgic, pleasant scent coming from the clothes.

But that wasn’t important right now. She continued to survey her surroundings.

Her original clothes were nowhere to be seen. Yongyeon was also missing.

Thinking back to when she last lost consciousness…

Miaoyang must have recognized Yongyeon and found me suspicious, so she left me in this room to rest.

She probably planned to question me when I woke up.

In that case, staying here was dangerous. I needed to escape.

Yongyeon is uncontrollable unless recognized by its master, so it would find its way out on its own.

Making a quick decision, Ma Yang immediately used her light-footed technique to leap out the window.

…And then.

A group of people who had been secretly watching the room from outside began to follow her.

***

The accommodation provided by a Martial Alliance executive active in Jeoseokhyeon.

Mantian and Wang Miaoyang walked towards the room where the mysterious girl who had fallen from the sky was sleeping.

“It’s a good thing Master’s clothes fit her. We couldn’t leave her naked.”

The girl’s clothes didn’t fit, so they had dressed her in Wang Miaoyang’s spare clothes.

“Hmm… But why did that girl have Yongyeon, which Ma Yang was supposed to have?”

Wang Miaoyang looked down at the Jeonjin Sect’s treasured sword, Yongyeon, which she had inexplicably recovered.

“I’d like to say ‘what’s good is good,’ but it is strange.”

“Could she have run away from Ma Yang of the Ilwol God Sect?”

In the current situation, all they could do was speculate based on the information they had.

As we chatted about this and that, we arrived at the door of the room where the girl was sleeping.

“It’s about time she woke up. Let’s ask her directly.”

And with that, we opened the door forcefully.

Instead of the girl, we saw a messy bed and an open window with a breeze blowing in.

“…Huh?”

Wang Miaoyang blinked a few times, then shouted in shock.

“Fi, find her-!”

“We treated her nicely so she wouldn’t feel like a criminal, and she ran away!”

I immediately leaped out the window and used my light-footed technique to chase after the girl’s trail.

Just as Wang Miaoyang was about to follow,

Taking advantage of the confusion, Yongyeon jumped out of its scabbard.

Ting-!

Kiiing! Ing ing ing~ Kiiing! Ing ing!

(Found a gap! The scabbard is just for show, ing ing!)

Freely flying through the air, it quickly slipped out the window to find its master.

Having inexplicably recovered it, we now inexplicably lost Yongyeon again.

“Thi… this!”

Wang Miaoyang’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger.

She leaped out the window to stuff Yongyeon back into its scabbard.

***

Ma Yang, running away using her light-footed technique, frowned at the presence of pursuers.

Not just one or two… several.

And they were moving in an organized manner.

What’s their purpose in chasing me?

I thought they might be from Mantian or Wang Miaoyang’s group, but something felt different.

In any case, my body had shrunk.

Without a weapon, fighting was out of the question, so Ma Yang decided to shake them off.

She headed towards the crowded village square.

She planned to hide or confuse her pursuers there to escape.

…And shortly after.

As the pursuers kept some distance,

Mantian saw a play being performed in the crowded village square.

At first, he thought it was another play about Jeoseokcheon, but it wasn’t.

This time, it was a different play.

An actor wearing a splendid Peking opera mask laughed heartily.

“Kahahahaha! I am the martial god, Yeon Gaesomun! I will kill you, Emperor Taizong of Tang!!”

Six fake swords tied with strings spun around the actor.

The terrifying scene made the children in the audience cry, while others clenched their fists and shouted.

“Waaah! Yeon Gaesomun is scary!”

“Thi, this monster… is this the end of the Central Plains?”

…The play was about a hero fighting against the monster Yeon Gaesomun from Goguryeo.

As I had noticed before, the people in this village really love plays.

They do all sorts of things.

Anyway, as the Yeon Gaesomun actor beat the Taizong actor,

A new actor appeared, wielding a halberd skillfully and began fighting the Yeon Gaesomun actor.

The audience raised their fists and cheered the name of the character the actor was portraying.

“Seol In-gwi! Seol In-gwi! Seol In-gwi!”

“Go! Don’t lose! Fight back-!!”

“Mom, I want to be Seol In-gwi when I grow up!”

I remember Seol In-gwi (薛仁貴). I remember him because his name was unique.

Not as unique as Taishi Ci from the Three Kingdoms, but still unusual.

In Korea, he’s just a Tang general with a unique name, but back then, he was a famous general, a killer of barbarians.

However, during the war between Silla and Tang,

He participated as a general but was utterly defeated at Gibeolpo and was exiled.

The only reason he wasn’t killed was because Emperor Gaozong of Tang was his godmother.

Anyway, this isn’t the time for that.

I looked around for the girl and, surprisingly, found her!

“…Huh?”

But something was off. A group was chasing the fleeing girl.

Is she being chased? For what reason?

The girl, perhaps to hide, went into the tent behind the stage.

Ing ing ing~!

I don’t know when it arrived, but the floating sword, Yongyeon, was suddenly behind me, crying out fiercely.

“You… Ing ing! How did you get here!?”

Ing ing! Ing ing! Kiiing!

(Friend! Friend! Help the master!)

Yongyeon’s blade pointed towards the tent.

***

Inside the large tent filled with play props.

Ma Yang clicked her tongue as she looked at the group surrounding her.

She hadn’t expected allies in the square.

Cornered from both sides and driven into the tent, Ma Yang glared at the leader-like figure and spoke.

“…What’s your goal?”

“Come with us, and nothing bad will happen.”

As the leader spoke, the group all placed their hands on their sword hilts. If she refused, they would attack together.

A situation where swords could be drawn at any moment.

And in that situation, a shameless voice echoed through the tent.

“One cannot live under the same sky as the enemy of one’s parents.”

An exaggerated voice, like that of a stage actor.

“One must always be prepared to kill the enemy of one’s siblings.”

Thud… thud…

A limping wolf, wearing a splendid Peking opera cloak, moved through the tent.

“One cannot live in the same country as the enemy of one’s friends.”

He held a Peking opera mask in his left hand.

He appeared boldly before the group, smiling like a wolf.

“So, I ask, has this child harmed your parents, siblings, or friends?”

Ma Yang’s eyes widened in surprise.

She stared blankly at the unexpected intruder.

‘…Si, ma, Mantian?’

And the mysterious group drew their swords at the sudden appearance of this strange man.

“Just leave, and nothing will happen.”

At their clichéd response, Mantian’s smile widened.

“I asked for a reason, and you draw your swords.”

It was like a wolf baring its fangs before pouncing.

“You guys are definitely villains.”

At least, that’s how it seemed to Ma Yang.

Mantian was about to say something else.

“Leave now, and-.”

Not wanting to hear more, the group leader signaled his men.

“Attack.”

And with that signal, Mantian put on the mask.

“-Rider transformation.”

Soul Flight and Spirit Scatter Technique (魂飛魄散步)

Mantian’s form blurred as he accelerated.

“Guh-!?”

One of the group members clutched his chest and collapsed. The rest looked on in horror.

“……!!”

No one could react.

Go go go go go-!

The masked wolf stood majestically between Ma Yang and the group, delivering a famous line.

“9.8 seconds, that’s how long it takes for you to fall into despair.”