Heaven Does Not Flatter
The banquet last night came to a swift end. This was because the Hwangro Merchant Group was still in the middle of their journey. However, Yoo Jeong did not find it disappointing. First of all, the liquor he had been treated to was magnificent.
Gujinggong liquor. Had they said it was a drink reserved only for the closest of acquaintances or the most important of guests? It certainly deserved that reputation. Such was Yoo Jeong's impression after draining his first cup.
Having cleared his life-and-death pass through a secret technique and opened his Governor and Conception Vessels, Yoo Jeong had even achieved the unity of essence, qi, and spirit during his battle with the Sword Demon. Consequently, his internal energy flowed endlessly and seamlessly through his body without any conscious effort. Most poisons could not affect him, and the same went for the toxicity of alcohol. Unless he intentionally suppressed his internal energy, he could not feel the effects of intoxication, making it difficult for him to truly appreciate the value of alcohol—yet the liquor from the previous night had been truly magnificent nonetheless.
Sua had said so as well.
“It’s truly amazing. I must tell Master Goegelgae about this.”
“Tell him what?”
“That I got to taste both Nu'er Hong and Gujinggong liquor on this trip.”
Namgung Sua had looked thoroughly delighted at the prospect of teasing Goegelgae. Apparently, the old beggar's mischievous streaks had caused her quite a bit of trouble in the past. Seeing her so giddy over finally finding something to tease him back with felt a little unfamiliar to Yoo Jeong.
She holds a grudge longer than I thought.
Come to think of it, Namgung Sua's master, Hwahwa-nachal, was exactly the same. After their brief clash on the first day, which had left her slightly embarrassed, she had stubbornly insisted on sparring with Yoo Jeong right up until the moment they left Hangzhou. Her persistence had been so relentless that even Namgung Sua had grown sick of it. Looking at Sua now, it seemed the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
As Yoo Jeong stared at her while lost in these thoughts, Namgung Sua turned her head toward him.
"Is something on my face?"
"No, it's nothing."
Yoo Jeong shook his head lightly. At his response, Namgung Sua immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"You were thinking of something strange again, weren't you?"
"I wasn't. Sua, don't you think you've been a bit too harsh on me lately?"
"Sigh. You've only gotten slipperier."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Turning away once more, Namgung Sua walked ahead. Yoo Jeong, holding his horse's reins, quickened his pace to catch up and ride alongside her.
"I heard you drop the honorifics just now."
“Is that any way to treat your senior brother?”
The last remark was sent via sound transmission. Instantly, a look of sheer disbelief shot toward him. Then, her gaze drifted downward, staring intently at a specific part of Yoo Jeong's body.
“You mean senior sister, right?”
“So you finally admit that I'm your senior?”
"..."
Her lips pressed into a tight, straight line. Yoo Jeong instinctively realized that if he teased her any further, her grudge would catch up to him.
"Traveling with the merchant group seems quite nice."
"...They even provided us with horses and are accommodating us in every way possible."
"I wonder why they're going to such lengths for us."
Yoo Jeong secretly found it suspicious. Even if they were their saviors, they had already been treated to the Gujinggong liquor.
“In that case, you must be taking the Yangtze River to Wuhan. We also need to head toward Hefei, so why not travel together until we reach the river basin?”
Yet, just this morning, the merchant leader had proposed that they travel together. It happened right after he heard that Yoo Jeong and Namgung Sua's destination was the Wulin Alliance Headquarters. He had grandly promised to provide every convenience. And indeed, from horses to meals and even snacks, he had kept his word.
"To be honest, at first, I even wondered if they were human traffickers."
"Lady Yoo. What on earth do you take my family's merchant group for?"
"No, it's just a figure of speech. Their hospitality is just a bit too overwhelming."
"Not at all. From their perspective, it's only natural," Namgung Sua said firmly.
"Why? Because you're a young lady of their noble clan?"
"No. From the moment I picked up the saber instead of the sword, my family essentially cast me aside. I receive almost no support from them."
"Then how have you been paying for your travel expenses all this time?"
"With the salary I receive from the Wulin Alliance."
"Ah."
Yoo Jeong's face instantly fell into an awkward expression. It had been barely a day since he had felt relieved, thinking she was a wealthy young lady.
I'll have to recalculate the weight of my debt to her.
Namgung Sua continued.
"In trade, the presence of a strong martial artist is incredibly important. It's not just about safety; it also directly affects the morale of the entire caravan."
"So they're treating us as a sort of guest escorts?"
"Exactly."
Just as he thought. Merchants would do anything for profit. He had wondered why they were treating them so excessively well, going so far as to bring up a life-saving debt just because they had lent a hand during the clash with the bandits.
They wanted to buy our goodwill, that's it.
And as a bonus, they secured free martial protection. It was impressive how quickly they had run the numbers and put their plan into action.
A line from a heroic tale he had read came to mind: Merchants carry an abacus in their chests instead of a conscience. It was a remark made by the protagonist, an escort, about a merchant in one of those stories.
Still, it didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth. Whatever their underlying motives, the merchant group was treating them with genuine hospitality. He figured it wouldn't hurt to play along with their tune.
"Sigh."
"Pfft."
However, it didn't take very long for Yoo Jeong's attitude to shift.
"Why is everyone looking at me with those eyes?"
"Pfft, haha. Well, that's your own fault, Lady Yoo."
"What did I even do?"
The people around them were gazing at him with warm, affectionate eyes, as if looking at a younger sister or a daughter. Irritated by their stares, Yoo Jeong swept his hair back with a sharp, annoyed gesture. He didn't even realize that to them, even this reaction made him look like a pouting young girl, causing them to smile even more warmly.
The root of the problem had started on the very first day.
The escort Du-cheol was a second-class martial artist. Since his childhood at a martial arts academy, he had diligently practiced a third-class cultivation method. Then, at the age of thirty, he finally succeeded in circulating his internal energy and immediately applied to become an escort.
The treatment of a porter and an escort was night and day. Just looking at the pay, a rookie escort earned more than a porter who had worked for ten years, so his choice was only natural.
Having become a late-blooming escort, he dedicated every spare moment during their journeys to training.
You never know when you might die.
While working as a porter, he had witnessed the deaths of countless escorts. And most of them had been negligent. They were the ones who grew complacent with their current skills, reaching for a liquor bottle instead of their blade whenever they had a moment to rest.
Because of this, Du-cheol made sure to train, even if only for a brief moment. There was no dramatic improvement in his skills. However, it certainly helped him maintain his edge and keep his senses sharp. His diligence played a major role in why he, an older rookie escort, was respected by his peers.
Today, as usual, Du-cheol had gone out to an open space near the campsite to swing his blade. But as he finished his practice and wiped the sweat from his forehead, he suddenly gasped in surprise. He had only just noticed the young girl watching him.
Remembering who she was, Du-cheol's expression stiffened. The bandits, who possessed martial strength similar to his own, had been slaughtered like children by this very girl. Such a master was now intently observing his swordsmanship.
She's like a ghost.
He hadn't even been in a state of deep concentration, yet he hadn't sensed her presence at all. Why on earth was she watching his blade? Was she trying to mock him? Just as all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind...
The girl's dainty, peach-blossom lips parted.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy on you."
The girl sat on a tree stump, bathed in the moonlight. Her beauty, looking as if she had just stepped out of a portrait of a fair maiden, combined with her strangely glowing blue eyes to create a mystical aura. Moreover, her voice was incredibly clear and melodious. As if possessed by a spirit, Du-cheol shook his head.
"No, no, not at all."
Pat, pat. Dusting off his rear as he stood up, the girl slowly approached Du-cheol. Du-cheol instinctively held his breath, his eyes widening in surprise for an entirely different reason.
"Take your stance."
Even though the command came from a girl who barely reached his chest, Du-cheol felt no offense whatsoever. She was a master of martial arts. A strange dignity lingered in her calm words, prompting Du-cheol to naturally raise his broadsword once more.
The Great Bear Saber Technique. It was a martial art Du-cheol had received after becoming an escort, whereas before he had simply swung his blade blindly. As the basic technique of his escort agency, it contained no complex principles, focusing solely on how to swing the saber with maximum force. Like a bear swinging its forepaw from top to bottom, Du-cheol swung his blade with fierce momentum, the wind whistling with each strike.
"Stop."
But before he could get very far, Yoo Jeong stopped him. Drenched in sweat from his previous exertion, Du-cheol looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Take the stance you used right before executing that form."
"Like this? *Huff.*"
True to its name, the Great Bear Saber Technique was modeled after the movements of a bear. Naturally, the practitioner had to adopt a posture similar to one. With his legs spread wide and knees bent low, the basic stance of the technique made him look exactly like a bear preparing to spring on all fours. As Du-cheol held this stance and looked at the girl, he gasped yet again. He couldn't help it. The girl had suddenly touched his body.
To be precise, she was correcting his posture. Though Du-cheol was drenched in sweat, Yoo Jeong paid it no mind as he adjusted the angle of his arms and the distance between his legs. Hands that were incredibly small and delicate compared to Du-cheol's massive, lid-like hands brushed against various parts of his body, causing Du-cheol to flinch involuntarily. Unaware of—or perhaps simply ignoring—his inner turmoil, Yoo Jeong stepped back to examine his posture once more.
"Did you use to lift heavy things often?"
"Pardon? Yes, yes. I used to be a porter."
"From what I can see, this saber technique is meant to generate power by utilizing instantaneous recoil. However, your posture is suited for lifting heavy objects. Your exertion of force is fragmented, and it doesn't transition smoothly into the next stance."
At her critique, Du-cheol found himself nodding in agreement.
"Keep this posture in mind, and when you transition to the next movement, do not push up with your thighs and glutes."
Root your legs like the roots of a tree. Snap your upper body upright like a drawing bowstring. And use that momentum to bring down your raised blade.
Whoosh! The blade sliced through the air. Du-cheol's eyes widened at the sound and power, which were incomparably different from before. He hurriedly looked at Yoo Jeong, who merely nodded with a calm expression.
"And you don't always have to stick to just one direction. Let me show you."
With a light tap, Yoo Jeong took the broadsword from Du-cheol's hand as if by magic. He slowly demonstrated the movements. It was a posture similar to Du-cheol's, but the angle of his feet was different. Sometimes his left foot was forward, sometimes his right. Accordingly, the trajectory of the downward strike shifted slightly.
"Even if your feet are positioned differently, you can generate the same power by utilizing your elbows, shoulders, and waist."
This was the application of variations. Handing the broadsword back to Du-cheol, Yoo Jeong explained a few ways to apply it and adjusted his posture accordingly. When Du-cheol's form finally stabilized, Yoo Jeong stepped back with a faint smile. Du-cheol was deeply moved. Even as a mere second-class martial artist, he could tell just how incredibly valuable this lesson was. Thus, as Yoo Jeong turned his back and clasped his hands behind him, Du-cheol clasped his fists and shouted toward his retreating figure.
"Thank you, Great Hero!"
"...I merely paid the price for spying on your practice."
Though he spoke indifferently, he seemed to be in a good mood. Du-cheol clearly saw those small shoulders shrug slightly. Only then did he realize that the girl's back looked no different from his own younger sibling, who had not even reached adulthood yet. Watching her figure slowly walk back toward the campsite, a warm, affectionate smile spread across Du-cheol's lips.
And such occurrences happened all over the place during their journey.
Sometimes, masking his overflowing curiosity behind a calm expression, Yoo Jeong would listen intently to the merchants' tales of experience.
Sometimes, he would kindly teach the rookie porters how to dress wild game they had hunted.
And sometimes, when he tried to act like a man, he would get teased and scowl in frustration.
At first, having displayed such overwhelming martial prowess, Yoo Jeong had been a figure of awe and fear, like some celestial maiden. Yet, before anyone knew it, everyone had come to treat him like a prickly younger sister.
His exceptional beauty, combined with the kindness that naturally seeped through his actions, accelerated this change. By the time Yoo Jeong finally noticed the shift in the atmosphere, Mount Hwang was already looming before their eyes.