Chapter 164

How foolish. Foolish old man, Ma Yang.

Killed the master and abandoned the Jeonjin Sect.

Became an elder of the Demon Sect.

Yet still clings to petty, useless stubbornness.

A once-great master of the Jeonjin Sect, now reduced to a young girl.

“It’s okay if you don’t execute the Jeonjin Sword Technique perfectly from the start.”

Ma Nong stepped forward and corrected Sima Mantian’s stance.

“You’ve studied martial arts, so you should know—impatience is no good. A fast sword and a hasty sword are entirely different. It’s okay to be slow.”

Ma Nong’s eyes and hands adjusted Sima Mantian’s shoulders, elbows, waist, knees, and feet, preparing him to swing the sword.

“Slowness accumulates into speed. Now, swing.”

As soon as Ma Nong finished speaking, Sima Mantian swung his sword.

He executed the basic forms.

It was a sword technique similar yet different from what Wang Miaoyang had shown.

Crude, slow, and not sharp.

But it was the Jeonjin Sword Technique that Sima Mantian could currently understand and execute.

The first step toward speed.

A textbook-perfect Jeonjin Sword Technique, free from the habits and quirks of the practitioner.

Ma Nong knew. Wang Miaoyang was a genius.

She had mastered all the martial arts of the Jeonjin Sect quickly. She had never been slow.

As a senior and junior disciple, they had taught and competed with each other, and this fact had become painfully clear.

Wang Miaoyang had always thought of Ma Yang, who walked ahead of her, as a sword genius.

But it was a desperate struggle, a result of arrogance, wanting to show only the best, most relaxed side to the precious child she wanted to protect.

Ironically, this allowed her to provide the right guidance to the self-proclaimed genius, Sima Mantian, who even deceived the heavens.

Well, aside from that, it was a difference in experience as a master.

Wang Miaoyang wasn’t inferior to Ma Yang in martial arts. In fact, she was far superior in the Empty Clarity Fist.

It’s just that the Jeonjin Sect consisted of Master Ma Xuan, senior disciple Ma Yang, and junior disciple Wang Miaoyang.

Naturally, unlike Ma Yang, who had experience teaching while taking care of Wang Miaoyang, Wang Miaoyang had never taught anyone else.

Moreover, Ma Yang currently had seven direct disciples.

She was accustomed to teaching others.

In any case, it was still an inappropriate action for a young girl martial artist who appeared to be around sixteen.

Sima Mantian and Wang Miaoyang looked at Ma Nong with wide eyes, filled with surprise.

Ma Yang, who had been pretending to be a young girl, quickly resumed her act and cursed inwardly.

“…That’s what my former master taught me. …Ahaha.”

‘Damn it! A master who has achieved rejuvenation is acting like a novice, and it looks like I’m just butting in without noticing!’

Fortunately, her identity wasn’t exposed.

After a brief silence, Wang Miaoyang’s eyes sparkled with joy.

“Ge-genius! A true genius has appeared in our Jeonjin Sect!”

“…Huh?”

Ah, come to think of it. Although she had never taught anyone professionally, Wang Miaoyang had also given such advice at this age.

‘Senior Ma Yang, when executing the Empty Clarity Fist, you put too much force into it. Empty your mind.’

‘With senior’s skill, you could thrust faster, move more efficiently—swish swish swish! Why aren’t you doing that?’

Ma Yang understood. Wang Miaoyang was a genius.

Wang Miaoyang’s advice wasn’t as systematic as Ma Nong’s, but it was intuitive.

Since she had done the same, she didn’t suspect anything and judged Ma Nong to be a more talented genius than herself.

‘Phew… Is this a relief…’

Ma Yang sighed in relief inwardly, glad that she had passed without suspicion.

However, one thing bothered her.

“……….”

After executing the Jeonjin Sword Technique, Sima Mantian’s strange gaze silently turned toward her.

‘Did that guy… notice something?’

Sima Mantian’s amber eyes calmly scanned Ma Nong’s small figure with a sticky gaze.

It was the look of a beast that had found a delicious prey.

A greedy beast that had found a new martial arts master.

***

The moon rose in the quiet night.

A small shadow hid in the darkness, moving stealthily through the estate’s garden.

Swish swish—! Shush shush—!

It was Ma Yang, a master of the Demon Sect, now pretending to be the sixteen-year-old girl Ma Nong.

Ma Yang peeked her head out from the bushes, looking around cautiously.

Since it was the accommodation prepared by the Martial Alliance, she had been worried, but there were no guards patrolling. It was quiet.

‘…Hiding is easier.’

One advantage of her younger body was that it was easier to hide in small places.

As a tall woman, Ma Yang had found it uncomfortable to hide like this before.

…Her chest was heavy too.

In any case, Ma Yang carefully hid in the shadows and terrain, moving stealthily.

She was trying to sneak out of the estate.

Originally, she had planned to stay hidden longer and stick close to Wang Miaoyang.

But she had ended up giving unnecessary martial arts advice… and acted impulsively.

Fortunately, Wang Miaoyang didn’t suspect deeply, but if such incidents piled up, she would eventually become suspicious.

Staying here any longer was dangerous.

So, as Ma Yang was passing through the garden to sneak out of the estate.

‘Hmm… Wait, what’s that?’

She accidentally overheard a conversation between a man and a woman.

It was Wang Miaoyang sitting on the estate’s porch and Sima Mantian leaning against a pillar beside her.

“Master, why did you take that girl Ma Nong as your disciple?”

Hearing her fake name from Sima Mantian’s mouth made Ma Yang’s heart skip a beat.

“……!!”

‘Was I exposed?!’

Wang Miaoyang, looking guilty, raised her head cautiously and spoke.

“…Why do you ask?”

“Master, you’re pure, not a fool.”

At her disciple’s blunt words, Wang Miaoyang’s face turned red. She raised a cute fist.

“D-don’t call your master pure!”

Wang Miaoyang glared at Sima Mantian’s smug face, then…

“Sigh…”

She sighed, looked up at the moon, and spoke her true feelings.

“…I do think it’s suspicious.”

Ma Yang, who was secretly listening, felt her pupils tremble.

No, it was obvious. There was no way she could be trusted.

“But, you know. I want to believe her.”

However, Wang Miaoyang’s next words caused even greater ripples in Ma Yang’s eyes.

“I know. That girl Ma Nong is lying for some reason.”

Despite the shadow cast over Wang Miaoyang’s face, her shining golden eyes reflected the sky.

“…But I didn’t sense any malice, and also…”

She looked at the lonely moon hanging in the dark night sky.

“She looked lonely. So, I want to believe her.”

Wang Miaoyang lowered her gaze, smiled weakly, and spoke to Sima Mantian.

“It’s strange. Even though I just met her, she feels familiar, and I want to help her.”

“No. That reason is enough.”

I smiled and answered Master Wang Miaoyang.

Looking back, Master Wang Miaoyang took me, a person of unknown origin, as her disciple, and even after that, she never deeply questioned my use of various martial arts.

She believed in me.

“Master, you’re pure, strong, and cute.”

Wang Miaoyang’s face turned red, flushing deeply.

“D-don’t call your master cute!”

This time, she stood up and approached Sima Mantian, hitting him repeatedly.

“Ow! Ow! Wait! Master, it hurts! It hurts!”

“I’m hitting you to make it hurt! You brat!”

…And so, for a while.

Sima Mantian and Wang Miaoyang, who had been playfully fighting, returned to their rooms.

“…I want to believe her.”

Having overheard their entire conversation, Ma Yang muttered quietly in the darkness.

There was no sign of anyone around.

She looked at the wall she could easily climb over at any time.

Yongyeon, her sword, peeked out slightly from its sheath and spoke to her master.

Kiiing~ Kiiiing~ Kiiing?

(Master, are you not going for a night walk anymore?)

Ma Yang silently looked up at the night sky. She gazed at the twinkling stars.

“Sigh…”

She sighed and turned around.

“Yeah. I’m not going anymore today.”

<Kiiiing-!?>

(No more night walks…!?)

Ignoring Yongyeon, who was in shock, Ma Yang returned to the room prepared for Ma Nong.

How foolish. Foolish old man, Ma Yang.

A bitter smile formed.

No, perhaps a foolish child. Ma Nong.

Since she was now Ma Nong, not Ma Yang.

For Wang Miaoyang’s sake, she would continue to play the role of a disciple for a while.

…And Sima Mantian.

That shameless, annoying guy, but he wasn’t the type to make Wang Miaoyang sad.

“…Lucky guy.”

Since she had to play the role of a junior disciple, it would be okay to be a little, just a little, friendly with him.

Not for his sake. For Wang Miaoyang’s sake.

***

And the next morning.

Ma Yang’s resolve was broken as soon as the day began.

Before breakfast.

Not seeing Wang Miaoyang, Ma Yang rubbed her eyes and went out to the garden.

She found Wang Miaoyang and Sima Mantian doing morning exercises.

The problem was that Wang Miaoyang, who was sweating and her cheeks flushed from moving her body, was begging Sima Mantian for something.

“Disciple, do that~ do that~ for me.”

“That? Got it.”

Sima Mantian grabbed Wang Miaoyang’s outstretched arms and lifted her up.

Stretch~ stretch~.

In that position, Wang Miaoyang bent her knees and dangled.

“Hmm~ I feel like my limbs are getting longer than yesterday.”

“Isn’t that just your imagination?”

Wang Miaoyang was wearing a sleeveless outfit suitable for exercise, so her pure white armpits were fully visible.

At this sight, Ma Yang’s sleepiness completely vanished, and she intervened.

“Mi, Miaoyang! No! Master! What are you-!?”

But Wang Miaoyang, who had finished her exercises, greeted Ma Nong with an innocent, refreshed face.

“Ah, second disciple, you’re awake. That was a stretching exercise.”

She smiled proudly and boasted.

“It’s an exercise this master created. If you do it, your limbs will be stimulated and you might grow taller. Do you want to try it, second disciple?”

“…Huh? What’s that?”

Sparkle sparkle~ sparkle sparkle~!

Ma Yang’s words were cut off by Wang Miaoyang’s sparkling eyes. Those eyes were always a cheat.

“…Ugh.”

Ma Yang was humiliatingly subjected to the stretching exercise by Sima Mantian.

‘I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you! Sima Mantian!!’

She cursed the innocent Sima Mantian inwardly.