Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Wine Table
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The plain where So-hyang and the clan lord had clashed wasn't private Zhuge Clan land restricted from entry.
Their duel, boisterous from the start, drew the attention of nearby martial artists, but none dared approach, fearing entanglement in a clash of masters.
That said, the duel wasn't entirely shrouded in secrecy.
Using sensory arts specialized in information gathering—like the Hawkeyes' Sound Listening Skill or the Beggar Clan's Eye Methods—one could observe the proceedings from a great distance.
As a result...
Rumors spread far and wide that the Zhuge Clan lord had been utterly defeated by the sword of some rising star who appeared out of nowhere.
-----
The clan lord sat in his wrecked office, letting out a deep sigh.
"Haa... I shouldn't have used my ultimate technique...!"
The damage from the storm unleashed by the Lying Dragon wasn't catastrophic. The epicenter was far from the county seat, after all.
Still, it wasn't negligible. Minor buildings collapsed, and the mere disturbance within the county was a definite loss.
To make matters worse, he'd won nothing for his pride. Even drawing on the earth's ley lines for his true ultimate technique, he'd been pierced clean through.
"But still... wasn't the duel enjoyable?"
As a martial artist himself, he welcomed the insights and gains from such an intense exchange.
Especially since he'd been holed up in the clan to hide his signature secret art—this was a rare opportunity indeed.
"You say that!?"
"B-But I helped you keep your signature secret art hidden, didn't I?"
So-hyang had sensed the distant gazes from the moment the duel began.
Knowing the clan lord's intent to conceal his ultimate technique, she'd cleverly angled her body during their ability-probing talk to shield her lip movements from view.
Unless they were peak transcendent masters, even seasoned pinnacle experts couldn't deduce the technique's nature just from watching the duel.
Tracking the exchanges visually would be impossible to begin with—their base speeds were on entirely different levels.
"A girl who shows such consideration... why pull this insane stunt!?"
The clan lord's insides burned. She had an oddly sound sense of common courtesy, yet ignored it to do exactly as she pleased.
His throat parched with the dread of Qi Deviation.
"I need a drink."
"Sh-Shall I pour you one?"
So-hyang's eyes sparkled as if she'd been waiting for those words. She pulled a gourd-shaped bottle from the travel pack she'd grabbed on the way back to the clan.
"...?"
The clan lord eyed the calabash-like flask in her hand with bewilderment.
She carried that around with her?
"Ahaha."
So-hyang blushed faintly, offering a shy little smile.
Pouring out full power in a clash of martial arts, then sharing drinks to wash away any lingering grudges.
It was the kind of romance So-hyang had dreamed of since her past life.
"Hand it over."
The clan lord had no energy left to complain. He just wanted to pour liquor into his gut.
"I've got cups too."
He took the proffered cup listlessly, raised it roughly, and downed it in one gulp.
"Ah, a toast...?"
He ignored the awkward, somewhat crestfallen girl holding out her cup.
The aroma rising from his throat and the lingering taste made the clan lord's eyes widen.
"What is this?"
Why is it so good?
A rich grain scent at first, laced with the deep flavor of staple tubers, wrapped in subtle fruit notes and a smooth finish.
Even for a clan lord well-versed in fine liquors and rare vintages, this was exceptionally fine.
He regretted not savoring the first cup properly before gulping it down.
"Fine liquor indeed."
An involuntary murmur of admiration escaped him. So-hyang's lips curved into a small smile.
"I brewed it myself for a moment like this. Glad it suits your taste."
"What?"
A brew worthy of a lifelong master vintner... made by this madwoman?
As the clan lord vented his bewildered lament, So-hyang poured the next cup with a bright smile.
"A toast this time, right?"
Dazed by the absurdity, he clinked cups almost reflexively.
"Uh, uh... sure."
"Oh, and we never properly introduced ourselves. Call me So-hyang."
With toast and intro done, So-hyang sipped leisurely, beaming.
"...Whatever."
The clan lord sighed deeply, then drank as if to say screw it.
This time, he held it in his mouth, rolling it gently to savor.
"Damn good stuff."
Maybe life's bitterness makes it taste better.
He felt like even cheap rotgut would go down smooth right now.
"Oh, right."
So-hyang rummaged in her pack as if remembering something, placing an item on the table.
"Gold Yuan Bao?"
The clan lord blinked in disbelief.
An imperial seal, dragon-embossed gold ingot shaped like a horse's hoof.
High-value currency: one hundred standard gold taels compressed via alchemy.
Its worth exceeded the gold used, reserved for state-to-state trade...
"Why do you have one?"
Under his shocked gaze, So-hyang scratched her cheek bashfully.
"Seems I've caused quite the nuisance to your clan. For material and personnel losses, emotional distress... compensation?"
The clan lord was speechless.
So it wasn't some impulsive gate-crash from the guards' rebuff—she'd planned the rampage from the start.
And brought ample payoff gold so as not to leave empty-handed?
"R-Right..."
Compared to the typical mad intruder who wrecks the place and vanishes, she at least had some sense.
But if she had that much sense—
"Don't attack in the first place!"
Unable to contain his grievance, the clan lord finally bellowed.
"Haha... I just couldn't help myself."
Help what?
The clan lord screamed silently.
-----
Though he'd yielded victory to an unheard-of rising master, the public's assessment of the Zhuge Clan lord's prowess didn't diminish.
To those unaware So-hyang had dragged out the fight to fully enjoy his skills, it seemed a fierce, even match.
Above all, the massive scar etched plainly on the plains beyond Yangyang County proved his power undeniable.
A single ultimate technique strike rivaling the Fusion Realm in might.
Folks might see the victor as a monster, but the clan lord's martial reputation only rose higher.
In the martial world, a leader's fame was influence itself.
Boosting his martial rep without revealing his signature secret art was pure gain for the clan.
"It's a win."
With mixed feelings, the clan lord rose briefly to gaze at the training grounds outside.
"In my view, overreacting to every enemy move wastes the formation's computational power. Lowering precision in some arrays to allow autonomous judgment..."
"Ah! Indeed...!"
Since the duel, the weirdo who'd named herself So-hyang lingered briefly, offering all sorts of aid.
Like giving apt advice to the clan's martial artists.
Pointing out formation flaws from personal experience for fixes, sharing unheard-of advanced math that left the formation masters dazed.
"Y-You solved this conundrum? Euclidean geometry? What in the...!"
"Here, let me explain. Shall we start with high school math?"
She even hand-cooked for the retainers.
"Oh my, oh my! No fancy ingredients, yet this flavor...?"
"Fire control is key to that taste. Want the mass-cooking method too?"
Her ethereal beauty seemed to glow naturally, her gentle demeanor and modest poise the picture of womanly grace.
"Miss So-hyang! I-I admire you! Please, date me with marriage in mind—"
Though mere days since she'd stormed the clan and trounced the lord, suitors emerged as if forgetting.
"What to do? I'm grateful, but I can't accept."
"Ah, aah...!"
Her lack of arrogance and smooth interactions made folks forget she was a transcendent master, showering her with affection.
"It's fine. The world's not short on women. You'll find someone great."
She even patted the shoulder of her latest confessor encouragingly—a true paragon.
Thus, So-hyang's reputation within the clan soared sky-high.
Even with the clan lord himself.
"Clan Lord, Clan Lord. I've pondered the principles and uses of the Rigid Brain Formation—care to hear?"
Peeking in timidly with a bright smile, her every insight born of profound reflection granting enlightenment.
Excluding battle gains, her few days' wisdom matched a decade's prior achievements.
Finally, the clan lord couldn't suppress his inexplicable frustration and roared.
"Why be so helpful!"
An uninvited gate-smasher who'd turned the house upside down, yet the benefits far outweighed grudges.
Unable to rejoice or rage purely, he clutched his throbbing head and sighed deeply.
"Oh dear, a headache? Shall I give you a quick massage?"
Oblivious to his turmoil, So-hyang reached out slender fingers worriedly, pressing his scalp gently.
"...! Are you mad? I'm a married man!"
What kind of outsider gropes a wedded husband so casually?
"Huh? No, I just worried..."
So-hyang clarified it was purely to ease his pain, no indecent intent.
The clan lord knew it too. Those serene milky-white eyes held not a speck of ulterior motive.
Less ogling a man, more concern for a child by the water.
"The act itself is the problem...!"
And absurdly, his headache vanished where her fingers touched, reigniting the ache from sheer ridiculousness.
Harmless as a kitten without her sword.
"By the way, on my way here a few days ago, something happened..."
The girl tasked with leading Wudang Sect's merchant caravan to the Zhuge Clan.
A secular disciple of Wudang, freshly promoted to pinnacle realm—a talented martial artist.
Songwol Merchant Group's heir, Song Seolryeong.
She steadied her trembling breath, forcing her fading focus back.
The peerless beauty who'd introduced herself as So-hyang—a sixteen-year-old transcendent master unprecedented in the jianghu.
The benefactor who'd saved the caravan from bandit raiders and escort betrayers.
Also the living calamity who'd assaulted the Zhuge Clan and thrashed its lord.
"This is Song of the Song Merchant Group, who guided me to Yangyang County."
"Th-That's not...!"
She'd only traveled together briefly en route, secured lodging but shared no deep ties—or so she meant to stress when—
"...Is that so."
A grave voice laced with transcendent aura, the clan lord's gaze sharpening as if to say you're the disaster-bringer.
"Gulp."
Song Seolryeong foamed at the mouth and fainted dead away.