Chapter 51

“…Are you serious?”

Jangdal asked cautiously, looking at the lunatic with a face full of doubt. Hyeonho quietly burst into laughter, sounding like the cry of a fox mocking someone.

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But the important thing is, there’s no good in getting involved any further.”

Hyeonho, now struggling to stand, staggered and whispered advice to Jangdal.

“Also, that Namgung Sososo? Girl? Boy? Confusing. Anyway, someone who was supposed to die today met a noble person and survived. A person born with a strong fate.”

Hyeonho’s half-closed eyes slowly opened, revealing pitch-black pupils.

“…Stay out of this matter. That’s the best advice I can give to a customer who bought my goods.”

Jangdal wanted to shout to stop the nonsense, but he was too intimidated by Hyeonho’s boldness, even as he coughed up blood, to say anything.

“……”

“What to believe, what to choose, is a person’s right and freedom.”

Hyeonho gave a bitter smile and bid farewell to Jangdal, who remained silent and stopped talking.

“…Then I’ll take my leave first. I’ll be laying low for a while, so even if you look for me, you won’t be able to find me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hyeonho’s body was sucked into the shadows and disappeared.

“What?!”

In an instant, the unbelievable event left Jangdal blinking his one remaining eye, but nothing changed.

Wondering if he had been tricked by an illusion, he bit his tongue slightly, but still, nothing changed.

An eerie and unpleasant sensation crawled up his spine.

…It felt like he had been bewitched by some supernatural force.

***

Mantian watched Sososo, who was regulating her energy through breathing exercises, and a question arose in his mind.

‘…Her body is filled with Yin energy. Is it her constitution?’

He couldn’t tell which of the Namgung Family’s signature internal energy techniques, the Cangqiong Dayan Divine Art or the Tianlei Emperor Divine Art, she had learned, but neither of them was of a Yin nature.

Cang (蒼) and Tian (天). With Taoist terms like “Cangtian” (蒼天) in their martial arts, the Namgung Family was clearly influenced by Taoism.

Taoist internal energy techniques are fundamentally of a Yang nature or seek the harmony of Yin and Yang. They don’t fill the body with Yin energy like that.

…But come to think of it, even I have learned two internal energy techniques: the Xuanwu True Sect Internal Art and the Immovable Heart Art. Sososo might have learned another internal energy technique that suits her.

He admired Sososo’s serious yet cute face as she quietly exhaled with her eyes closed.

A pitiful girl who, despite her small frame, forcibly wields the Emperor’s Sword and calls herself a man, but no matter how you look at it, she appears as a beautiful woman.

A delicate face burdened with much.

As I stood guard, lost in such thoughts, Sososo slowly opened her eyes, revealing calm gray pupils.

“…Thank you for guarding me despite your injuries.”

“You overexerted yourself to save me, unleashing the Emperor’s Sword Form despite your injuries. It’s only right that I guard you.”

“To care for others in their time of need without showing off your own skills. You are truly a chivalrous hero, Lord Sima.”

Her childlike admiration for heroes made my heart ache. It’s burdensome.

I appreciate the kind words, but honestly, it’s an overestimation.

I don’t know what Sososo thinks, but terms like “chivalrous hero” or “righteous person” don’t suit me.

I’m just someone who acts as I please.

If I want to learn something, I learn it. If I want to laugh, I laugh. If I want to cry, I cry. If I want to save someone, I save them. That’s how I’ve lived.

And it just so happened that living like that led to good outcomes.

…But explaining all these inner thoughts would be uncool, so I casually changed the subject.

“Thank you for the praise. But since we’ve saved each other’s lives, let’s not be so formal with titles like ‘Lord’ or ‘Young Hero.’ How about we call each other brothers?”

Changing the subject was one thing, but suggesting we call each other brothers wasn’t just a random idea. I’ve grown interested in Sososo, and naturally, I’ve become curious about the Namgung Family’s martial arts.

In the future, I’ll need to learn the Cangqiong Wuyai Sword Technique, the Emperor’s Sword Form, and the Tianlei Qi—secret martial arts of the Namgung Family.

Being formal with titles like “Lord” or “Young Hero” is stiff and uncomfortable.

Being close, eating together, going to the sauna, teaching each other martial arts, and honing our skills together.

That’s the ideal martial arts friendship. Plus, being brothers in name means there’s no issue learning the family’s secret techniques.

…Or not.

Anyway, in response to my sly suggestion of calling each other brothers, Sososo sighed with a deep expression. Not because she disliked it, but because she was worried about me.

“You’ve already incurred unnecessary grudges by helping me. There’s no good in getting involved with me any further.”

Her advice stemmed from a desire to prevent someone unrelated from getting hurt in her complicated family matters. But it was unnecessary advice.

“That’s not something you need to worry about, Namgung Brother.”

I calmly broke down the wall, closing the distance between us.

“It’s only natural for debts and grudges to accumulate between people. If you don’t want grudges, you should retreat to the mountains and never come out.”

As long as you stay in the world, grudges will naturally pile up. Sososo looked up at me, her expression a mix of admiration and exasperation at my carefree yet arrogant remark.

For some reason, a cool breeze brushed past her cheeks.

Sososo suddenly realized why she had stared so intently at Mantian when they first met. It was because a refreshing breeze had blown into the stuffy inn the moment Mantian entered.

“So stop worrying unnecessarily and call me ‘Brother Sima’ from now on.”

He was truly a straightforward man without any pretenses. A faint smile appeared on Sososo’s worried face.

Starry amber eyes met calm gray eyes reflecting the moon. Mantian extended his hand first, and now it was Sososo’s turn to step forward.

“Um… Lord Sima, there’s something I need to tell you.”

So, for the first time, Sososo whispered a fact to someone she could call a friend.

‧


‧


‧

To cut to the chase, Sososo was nineteen, older than me.

Not Namgung Brother, but Namgung Elder Brother. Or should I say, Namgung Elder Sister?

As I thought this, I watched Sososo searching for fever reducers for the Houqizhi in Tang Mirang’s room.

Feeling my gaze, Sososo tilted her head in confusion. Though unintentional, her every action reminded me of a small animal, making her adorable.

***

As the moon completely disappeared and the sun began to rise in the blue dawn.

Guhae, who had been playing morning Go with Jiegal Yang, was now training in the mental world to control the dragon’s power—a battle for dominance over her body.

In a strange space filled with a starry night sky and an endless expanse of clear blue sea.

There, a giant serpent and a blue-eyed girl glared at each other.

[■■■■■-!!!]

The serpent, close to a dragon, roared, shaking the world. My body trembled. But Guhae did not run.

…Because Mantian, who had been consumed by the dragon’s power and gone berserk, had fought this monster to protect her when she was just thirteen.

Blue eyes reminiscent of the sea shone, scattering light.

If she couldn’t control the dragon’s power, she couldn’t meet Mantian. She would hurt him again.

So she didn’t look away. She didn’t give up.

To meet Mantian, she crossed the sea and approached the half-dragon.

To regain the warmth she had lost, to reunite with her other half, she had grown stronger.

She would never be separated again. Because Guhae was Mantian, and Mantian was Guhae.

Mantian Guhae (瞞天過海).

[■■■■■■-!!!]

Sensing danger, the half-dragon swung its massive tail, striking the sea to restrain Guhae, but Guhae did not restrain it.

Half-dragon and human. Dragging it out would do no good. She went all out from the start.

She stepped forward with her left foot, slightly bent, and drew circles with both hands, gathering internal energy. Two dragons coiled around her arms.

Double Hands Fighting (雙手互搏)

Left and Right (左右) – Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms (降龍十八掌) – Regretful Dragon (亢龍有悔)

Two dragons made of energy roared loudly, charging towards the half-dragon.

It was an overwhelming force, a massive mass of energy, a wave beyond palms.

Dragon-Subduing Twin Waves (降龍雙波)

The resonating energy waves tore the half-dragon to pieces.

The battle ended there.

‧


‧


‧

At just sixteen, not yet an adult, a young master who had broken through the barrier of the first-rate and reached the pinnacle slowly opened her eyes.

Blue eyes reminiscent of the morning sea illuminated the world. And Jiegal Yang, in shock, dropped the Go stone he was holding.

“…I should tell that brat Mantian not to mess around.”

Even Jiegal Yang, who rarely acknowledges talent, had no choice but to admit it.

“I, the self-proclaimed strongest of the Ten Great Masters, Zhuge Guailong, acknowledge you, Guhae. You are—”

The self-proclaimed current number one in the world praised the future number one.

“A genius among geniuses who deceives the heavens and subdues the seas.”