Chapter 13: Obsidian Insignia
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Obsidian Insignia
“I really messed up…”
That was my first thought upon returning to my quarters.
I’m screwed. Royally screwed.
“I’m such an idiot. Why did I do that?”
I recalled the way Gu Yeonseo had crumpled to the ground from the slap. Her nose had been bleeding, too…
My body was fairly weak, and I hadn’t channeled any Qi into the strike, so it probably hadn’t caused any serious injury.
“But even so, I went too far.”
When I said ‘I went too far,’ I wasn’t referring to the slap itself. That was honestly justified, from my perspective.
No, the problem was that I had utterly destroyed Gu Yeonseo’s reputation.
Did I really have to make a scion of the Gu bloodline eat dirt so pathetically in front of that entire crowd, right in the middle of our clan’s festival?
It was understandable that Gu Yeonseo lost her temper, given her youth.
But if I combined my current age with the years from my previous life, I was almost twice her age. And yet, I’d still let my emotions get the better of me.
“I’m still so immature, even with all my experience.”
Wait, wasn’t it the Second Elder who instigated the whole thing? He’s the one who should know better at his age.
…Why am I even asking? Of course it was his fault.
- Swoosh…
A breeze swept past, its sound a faint whisper in my ears.
The spring air still carried a chill, even though winter had passed. I could withstand the cold in light clothing, thanks to the flame Qi circulating within me.
“Ah-choo!”
I turned toward the sound of the sneeze to find Muyeon and Wi Seol-Ah standing there.
Wi Seol-Ah hurried over to me while Muyeon offered a formal greeting. She was clutching a roll of cloth.
“What have you got there?”
“Young Master… your hand…”
I looked down at my hand.
The skin on my palm was peeling, and a little blood was welling up.
This was because I’d slapped Gu Yeonseo while her body was still sheathed in protective Qi.
A person with cultivated Qi naturally regenerated faster than an ordinary person. An injury like this would heal quite quickly.
“This is nothing. I’m fine—”
Before I could finish, Wi Seol-Ah rushed to wrap my hand with the cloth. She was clumsy, unsure of what to do.
I wanted to take over, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop her when I saw the tears glistening in her eyes.
She had seemed so cheerful while watching the Second Elder pummel Peng Woojin. To see her so distraught over such a minor injury threw me off balance.
Wi Seol-Ah wrapping bandages… is pretty cool, I guess.
The future Zenith Heaven Sword was bandaging my hand. Could this be considered an honor?
She finally finished, leaving my hand swathed in a bandage twice its normal size.
Wi Seol-Ah spoke, her voice trembling as if she might burst into tears at any moment. “Young Master, does it hurt terribly…?”
“It didn’t at first, but now it’s starting to throb a bit.”
“So you’re saying it doesn’t hurt that much, right? Thank goodness…”
“…Yeah.”
Are you only hearing what you want to hear?
I took a short walk in the night air before finally heading back to my quarters.
Was Gu Yeonseo alright?
Whatever.
I decided not to dwell on it.
It wasn’t as if this already-shattered family relationship was going to be mended now.
Certainly not for Gu Yeonseo, and definitely not for me, either.
When I arrived, the lights in my room were already on. I asked a servant nearby what was happening.
She replied with a astonished expression, “Huh…? I was told you had been informed…”
I checked to see who was in my room, then opened the door. And there he was.
“Oh! Young Master Gu!”
A lunatic… No, it was Peng Woojin.
* * *
“Hello, my name is Peng Woojin.”
“I know, Sir Peng.”
“You can just call me Bro Peng or Brother Peng.”
“I don’t believe we are on familiar enough terms for that…”
Why is this lunatic here?
And why was Peng Ah-hee standing right next to Peng Woojin, covering her face? Her ears were bright red, a clear sign of embarrassment.
Peng Ah-hee tugged aggressively on her brother’s sleeve. “Brother… Shouldn’t we apologize first for barging in like this?”
I could hear the embarrassment quivering in her voice.
Peng Woojin seemed to have a realization upon hearing his sister. “Right… I should have come alone, since you two broke off the engagement. I apologize for not realizing it sooner.”
“Oh my god… you moron.”
I found myself agreeing with Peng Ah-hee.
Seeing her brother’s lack of tact, Peng Ah-hee had no choice but to speak for him. “Apologies for visiting so late without any prior notice. My… my brother was insistent on seeing you, and I couldn’t stop him.”
“Sir Peng? Wanted to see me?”
“You may call me Bro Peng.”
“No, thank you.”
I had no desire to get involved with him.
Peng Woojin simply sat there with a smile on his face, not saying a word, as the tea brought by the servants grew cold.
“So, what brings you here…?”
Was he here to complain about the incident with the Second Elder? A red swelling still marked one side of Peng Woojin’s face—the spot where the Second Elder had struck him.
He said he controlled his strength…
If that was ‘controlling his strength,’ what would happen if he put a bit more power into a punch? Could he make someone’s head explode?
“…”
…The mere thought sent a chill down my spine. It might actually be possible.
“I truly had nothing to do with what the Second Elder did to you. I swear I tried to stop him.”
“What are you talking about?”
Huh? So he’s not here because of that?
As I stood confused, Peng Woojin began to speak. “I simply wanted to see you. I heard you were the younger brother of the Sword Phoenix.”
“You’re close with my eldest sister?”
I’d never heard about Peng Woojin being close to Gu Huibi. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly close to her myself. But if I had to choose, I was probably still closer to Gu Huibi than to Gu Yeonseo.
“I considered us close, but I’m not sure how she feels.”
Then you probably aren’t.
Gu Huibi’s personality wasn’t the type to be friendly with someone like Peng Woojin. It was more likely she’d try to pick a fight with him than form a connection.
“That is why I came to see you.”
“Why would you want to see me? I’m not special in any way.”
What could he possibly want from a supposedly useless guy like me?
Furthermore, our clans generally weren’t on good terms after the engagement was dissolved.
Peng Woojin continued, “I thought the Sword Phoenix was the only interesting person in the Gu Clan, but it seems there is one more.”
Was he talking about me?
Interesting? He’s going on about ‘interesting’ again. Just like the first time I saw him, he’s always seeking ‘fun,’ a concept I don’t really understand.
He’s definitely a weirdo.
Then again, it wasn’t that strange; few true martial arts masters could be considered normal.
Of course, I still had no intention of getting involved with him.
While it might be beneficial to get on Peng Woojin’s good side—after all, he would become the Sword King in the future—this guy was hard to read.
He was incredibly difficult to understand due to his bizarre personality.
“If you wish to meet someone from the Gu Clan, you should seek out my sister. I’m really not that special.”
“I probably wouldn’t be able to see her if I went now.”
“…You don’t have to go right now. You could go tomorrow.”
Hmm, I wonder if she’s still unconscious.
“I came to see Young Master Gu. I don’t have much interest in Young Lady Gu anyway.”
“Brother, could you please learn to think before you speak sometimes?”
“Hm, sorry. I’m not very good at that.”
What am I going to do with this person?
I felt a headache coming on.
Peng Woojin retrieved something from his pocket. “This is a gift for you.”
“A gift?”
It was a small, black wooden insignia with the character “Peng” etched in gold. It didn’t look particularly remarkable, but Peng Ah-hee was visibly shocked, as if he had given me something immensely important.
“Brother, isn’t it absurd for you to just give that away?”
“Who cares? They gave it to me for my use. Who I give it to is my decision.”
“But still…”
“What is this?” I asked.
“This is essentially a guest pass to the Peng Clan. If you visit us with this, you will be treated as an honored guest of the clan.”
“Please, take it back…”
Why was he giving this to me? If I accepted, I felt I would be inevitably tied to Peng Woojin.
“But, given the broken engagement between our clans…”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Brother, I care about that.”
“Please accept it, Young Master Gu.”
He completely ignored Peng Ah-hee.
Having the Peng Clan’s favor could be advantageous. But I had no idea why Peng Woojin was treating me this way.
“How about you hold onto it and give it to my eldest sister instead? I heard you were quite close—”
“I intended to, but the Sword Phoenix wouldn’t even hear me out. This is a precious item… Why is she refusing it?”
So he’d already been rejected! Damn it.
“Then what about my second sister?”
“I’m giving it to you because I’m interested in you.”
“…I like women, Sir Peng.”
“Oh, I like women too, of course. Then again, maybe not? Probably yes.”
Why are you questioning that…? You’re giving me goosebumps.
Seeing my continued refusal, Peng Woojin took back the Obsidian Insignia, a hint of disappointment on his face. Peng Ah-hee hung her head in shame after her brother’s insane behavior. Well, at least she was normal.
As time passed, I just wanted to lie down on my bed. The duel had taken a lot out of me, and I was utterly exhausted.
Peng Woojin, seeming to notice my fatigue, stood up to leave, though he still seemed disappointed. I guessed that was really all he had come for.
As he was about to leave, Peng Woojin asked me one final question. “Are you planning to enroll in the Heavenly Dragon Academy?”
“Hmm, probably.”
To live as a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction, one typically had to graduate from the Heavenly Dragon Academy, established by the Murim Alliance. While it was possible to learn martial skills within one’s own clan, graduating from a recognized martial academy—where one was taught everything about demons—was required to be acknowledged as a swordsman qualified to seal the Gates of Demons.
Of course, other martial academies existed besides the Heavenly Dragon Academy. But for those of the Orthodox Faction, entering the Heavenly Dragon Academy was the obvious choice.
Though I should really try to find a way to get out of it.
The program lasted a full year. I didn’t have the luxury of wasting an entire year like that.
“Right, then you would become my junior.”
Peng Woojin tapped me on the shoulder with a smile. He was trying to establish a connection with me through the academy, since his other methods hadn’t worked.
Is it because I defeated Gu Yeonseo and slapped her afterward? Why is he so fixated on me?
It would be weird even for a woman to act so intensely interested; a man behaving this way was downright unnerving.
Peng Ah-hee, following her brother out, paused to look back at me.
“What?”
“I told you to speak to me formally; I am older than you.”
“When I use formal speech, you say it makes you uncomfortable, so what do you want me to do?”
Peng Ah-hee hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I apologize.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“…For when I knocked you down and broke your arm on the day our engagement was annulled.”
“…You did that?”
I went through something that terrifying?
“What did I say to deserve such a thing…”
“You told me I was ‘just a child of a concubine’ or something like that.”
“Then I deserved it.”
I honestly probably deserved having both arms broken for a remark like that. So it felt strange that she was the one apologizing.
“You don’t need to apologize. I should be the one to do so. I apologize for my conduct back then.”
As fellow children of concubines, my saying that to her had made me a hypocrite. It had stemmed from nothing but my own wounded pride.
I couldn’t tell if she accepted my apology, but her expression seemed to soften slightly.
“Take care.”
“You take care as well. And even if you dislike what my brother gave you, he meant well. You can use it whenever you wish.”
“Gave me what? I thought I returned that—”
I felt something in my pocket. When I searched inside, the black wooden insignia was there.
“When did he…!?”
…When Peng Woojin tapped my shoulder.
He slipped it in then?
I let out a hollow laugh. “What a lunatic.”
With a sigh, I tucked the Obsidian Insignia back into my pocket.
* * *
On the third day of the Nine Dragons Festival—a day meant for celebration and feasting—I boarded a carriage to return to the clan as soon as possible.
I heard that Gu Yeonseo had already departed at midnight.
She woke up, thankfully.
I was relieved she had recovered without any lasting damage, but the incident made it even harder to face her, and our relationship had been difficult enough already.
Once the preparations were complete, the carriage set off.
I tried to rest, but Wi Seol-Ah began to lean against my shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.
I gently shifted Wi Seol-Ah to lean against another servant and soon found myself dozing off as well.