Chapter 43: Sword Phoenix (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Sword Phoenix (3)
Why does Wi Seol-Ah always have to show up at the worst possible moment…?
To make matters worse, she was carrying a plate of dumplings.
“Young Master! I brought you some dumplings!”
Ah. So she’d brought them for me.
Had she overheard me mumbling about craving dumplings on our way back? If so, I felt a flicker of pride, though it did little to improve my current predicament. I still had a raging boar to deal with.
“Young Master…? Why are you kneeling like that?” Wi Seol-Ah asked.
Yeah… I was wondering the same thing.
Just as I started to push myself up—
“Little brother.”
Gu Huibi spoke, as if she’d been waiting for the exact moment I moved. Thanks to that, I froze mid-rise, stuck in an awkward half-crouch.
“That girl over there,” Gu Huibi said, her gaze locked onto Wi Seol-Ah. “Who is she?”
I have no idea what this fiery woman might do to her…
Gu Huibi took a step closer to Wi Seol-Ah.
Swoosh!
I instantly channeled my destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art, readying my qi.
Based on my memories from my previous life, I knew Gu Huibi wasn’t one to resort to violence immediately. But even so, it was always better to prepare for the worst.
Suddenly, Gu Huibi’s eyes flickered.
It looked like she was about to make a move. My first priority was to protect Wi—
“Kya!”
“What the hell?”
She was too fast. Far faster than I had anticipated.
In a flash, Gu Huibi closed the distance to Wi Seol-Ah and… grabbed her cheeks.
Wi Seol-Ah let out a strange, muffled scream, but Gu Huibi just kept kneading her cheeks as if mesmerized.
“…How can someone’s cheeks be this soft? They’re even softer than they look…”
“Ahh… Ahhh! Help me, Young Mas—!”
“…”
I was at a complete loss for words. Should I be relieved?
Or should I stop her…?
Thankfully, Gu Huibi didn’t seem to have any intention of harming Wi Seol-Ah.
…Unless this is her idea of harm.
As Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks were being stretched by Gu Huibi’s hands, I decided to ignore her pleas and finally stood up.
Once Gu Huibi seemed satisfied, she released Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks.
“This girl. Is she your servant?”
“Yes.”
“Want to give her to me?”
“No.”
The refusal snapped out of me before I could think.
Gu Huibi seemed momentarily taken aback by my blunt, decisive answer. Then, a slight smile touched her lips.
It was a frightening sight. She looked far too much like our father in that moment.
“How strange.”
I didn’t notice when she did it, but I suddenly felt the blistering heat that always accompanied Gu Huibi wash over me. The difference between her aura and that of Gu Yeonseo or Gu Jeolyub was unmistakable. The sheer intensity of the heat made it difficult to keep my eyes open.
Her being in the 5th realm makes the gap between us painfully clear.
If I trained my body a bit more and reached the Fourth Star of the destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art, I could at least venture to certain places without fear of a beating.
The real problem was the training required to reach the 5th realm. That realm was where one truly proved their worth as a martial artist. It demanded not only intensive training but also profound enlightenment. It was the point where visible red qi could truly sheath the body, where one’s eyes and hair began to turn red as they became one with the art.
Gu Huibi was already there. Her hair had a reddish tint, and her eyes were brightly dyed crimson.
I could somehow hold my own against others with my paltry qi, but facing Gu Huibi, a bona fide 5th-rank practitioner, would be asking for a death wish.
“It’s really strange,” Gu Huibi said, her hair flowing as if blown by an unseen wind generated by her own heat. “For my little brother to decline my request so outright.”
The heat was so intense it felt like I might melt. I withstood it by enveloping myself in my own qi.
Gu Huibi fell silent, her eyes fixed on me. I wondered what she was thinking, but I quickly rerouted my thoughts to my immediate priority: quietly retrieving Wi Seol-Ah.
“I said no. Not her.”
Gu Huibi’s eyebrow twitched at my words, a visible sign of her displeasure. She released more qi, intensifying the pressure exponentially.
Yet, I didn’t buckle. I continued to withstand the heat. The weird thing was, while I should have been struggling to even breathe, let alone stand, I found I could push the pressure away with relative ease.
…Actually, it’s more like I’m redirecting the heat’s flow rather than pushing against it.
But how was that possible? The Gu Clan’s qi was notoriously violent and fierce. What I was doing wasn’t shattering it, but parting it, guiding its flow in a different direction. It was reminiscent of the techniques of the Wudang Sect.
It seemed Gu Huibi noticed this too, because shortly after, the superheated air suddenly cooled. She had withdrawn all her qi back into her body.
“…Second Elder,” Gu Huibi said, pointing at me. “Is this your doing?”
How cruel, to refer to me as ‘this’…
The Second Elder shrugged. “This old man didn’t do anything.”
“…And you’re telling me he changed this much in just a few months?”
Gu Huibi’s expression, a mix of amusement and scrutiny, only increased the pressure I felt. To be fair, even I was shocked that I’d reached the Third Star in such a short time.
I didn’t see this coming either…
If my original goal had been to reach the Third Star by the end of the year, my trip to Sichuan had effectively given me a six-month head start.
“The Lord is summoning you,” Gu Huibi said to me. “Go quickly.”
“…Is your business here finished?”
Did she really come here just to roar at me? Does she think she’s some kind of fighting machine?
Not that she’d be entirely wrong…
“I wanted to give you a lesson since it’s been so long, but I’ve lost the urge,” Gu Huibi said, beckoning me away with a wave of her hand.
Come to think of it, this was my residence. I wanted to complain about her kicking me out of my own place, but arguing with a crazy fire boar seemed like a good way to get myself killed. I decided to just leave quietly.
“Oh, little brother.”
I turned at her call.
Gu Huibi tossed something at me. I caught it—a small, embroidered lucky pouch.
“A gift.”
“…What is it?”
“Make sure you wear it on your waist. Or else I’ll punish you.”
I peeked inside the pouch. A yellow marble rested within.
What is this? Some kind of demonic stone…?
It didn’t feel like one. I sensed no energy from it whatsoever.
“Some peddler was selling it as a charm,” Gu Huibi explained as I examined it. “So no backtalk. Just do as you’re told.”
In short, she’d bought some junk and was threatening me with punishment if I didn’t obey.
…I attached the pouch to my belt.
I knew she meant no real harm. Gu Huibi wasn’t the type for that kind of underhanded trickery.
“Oh, and if you lose it,” she added, “know that I’ll bend you in half.”
“…”
…Sigh.
* * *
After Gu Yangcheon left for the Lord’s chambers, Gu Huibi spoke to the Second Elder again.
“Are you absolutely sure you didn’t do anything?”
“I told you, this old man did nothing.”
The Second Elder wasn’t one to lie about most things. Gu Huibi was certain of that. She would usually believe anything he told her. However…
“The last time I saw him was in winter. He was still a child who had only reached the First Star of the Gu Flame Wheel Art.”
The First Star was achievable by simply learning the basics. Gu Yangcheon had remained at that level for years, even after Gu Huibi had left on a mission. His movements had been pathetic to watch, his attempts to manipulate qi even more so. The difference between him and Yeonseo had been like the sky and the ground.
But now?
How did he advance so quickly?
It was strange enough to hear he’d beaten Yeonseo in a duel. When Gu Huibi first heard the news, she’d written it off as a coincidence. ‘Yeonseo must have been off her game that day,’ she’d thought. A series of coincidences culminating in a miracle—that was her explanation.
But when she heard that Gu Yeonseo hadn’t come to greet her despite likely knowing of her return, Gu Huibi began to suspect things weren’t so simple. And after a brief assessment of Gu Yangcheon, she saw he was solidly in the Third Star, pushing the boundaries of the 4th. He hadn’t quite broken through yet, but he was practically there. It wouldn’t be long.
Gu Huibi herself hadn’t taken long to progress from the 3rd to the Fourth Star. The problem was Gu Yangcheon’s rate of progression. Not even she had advanced at such a startling pace, let alone Gu Yeonseo. But that kid… in just a few months…
“Isn’t it shocking?” the Second Elder asked.
“How could it not be?”
“This old man is shocked as well. I never knew that child had such potential hidden within him.”
When the Second Elder had spoken to Gu Yangcheon about the marriage arrangement, he’d had to conceal his astonishment.
The quality of his qi is immensely stronger now.
What could have happened in Sichuan to cause such a dramatic change?
The change in Gu Yangcheon before had been shocking enough, but now he was a completely different person, as if he’d single-handedly cleared some profound trial. The quantity of his qi had increased, but not by a massive amount—it just seemed like a lot because he’d started with so little. However, the quality of his qi was a different matter entirely. The Second Elder had realized this when he saw Gu Yangcheon alter the flow of Gu Huibi’s heat.
Just what exactly happened?
The Second Elder had wanted to follow Gu Yangcheon to Sichuan, but he couldn’t neglect his duties—such as the marriage arrangement, and other clan business.
“It feels like I’ve missed something monumental.”
“Also, this kid…”
Gu Huibi looked beside her, searching for Wi Seol-Ah, who should have been standing there.
“Where did she go?”
Wasn’t she right here a moment ago?
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I was looking for that servant girl.”
“She’s new and doesn’t know much about how things work. Don’t be too harsh on her.”
“Yes… but that child.”
Gu Huibi wasn’t usually one to pay attention to servants. Yet, she’d felt something strange about Wi Seol-Ah—an indescribable sensation that had made her want to keep touching her. In the end, Gu Huibi had failed to pinpoint the cause.
“Maybe I’m mistaken…”
It was truly strange. Gu Huibi had spent the last few months constantly wielding her sword, honing her senses to a razor’s edge. And yet, she had not only failed to detect the servant slipping away, but also couldn’t identify the oddity she’d sensed within her.
…Perhaps I’m just being overly sensitive.
Maybe she was overreacting, her guard perpetually up from constant vigilance.
The Second Elder, meanwhile, tried to hide his own shock.
She noticed…?
There was no way Gu Huibi, at her current level, should have been able to detect anything unusual about Wi Seol-Ah. And yet, her sharpened senses had somehow brushed against the strangeness lurking within the girl.
“Such monstrous talent, both you and Yangcheon.”
“Did you say something?”
“No… You’re still the same as ever, seeking out Yangcheon the moment you return.”
“I don’t think I should be hearing that from you…”
Gu Huibi scratched her cheek absently.
By now, almost everyone in the clan had turned their backs on Gu Yangcheon. The Lord of the clan, the Tiger Warrior, had never seemed to care for him to begin with. His second sister, Gu Yeonseo, had abandoned him long ago. As for the youngest…
That’s a matter for another time.
The only ones in the clan who had ever tried to steer Gu Yangcheon right were Gu Huibi and the Second Elder.
“Would it hurt you to be a little gentler with him?”
“You know better than I do that gentleness never got through to him.”
“…Hm.”
He was different lately, but the Second Elder couldn’t deny that truth. Gu Yangcheon may have matured, but a core of that wretched personality remained. Still, the Second Elder felt Gu Huibi sometimes went too far.
He let out a light cough before continuing. “But even so, isn’t it a bit much to punish your little brother over a marriage arrangement?”
“…”
“Of course, to you, it was probably just an act…”
“…”
“…Huibi?”
“Yes, yes! Of course it was all an act.”
Gu Huibi responded with a smile, though her eyelids gave a slight twitch.
Seeing this, the Second Elder decided to chalk it up to fatigue. There was no way she would actually punish her own little brother over a marriage agreement.
No way is she that narrow-minded.
Yeah, absolutely no way…
The Second Elder chose to ignore Gu Huibi’s oddly shaken demeanor.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Lord’s room.
“I heard you destroyed the Lightning Dragon’s arm.”
“No, I didn’t destroy it. I simply broke it—”
Gu Yangcheon felt utterly screwed.