Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Somyoung, What Do You Mean by That?
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“Die! You bastard—!!”
Yu Somyoung let out a shout as she raised her sword and leaped toward me.
In midair, she began unfolding her swordsmanship.
Naturally, the technique she unleashed was the Flowing Flower Sword Art of the Shanxi Yu Clan, but….
“Hm?”
I noticed something a bit off.
The Flowing Flower Sword Art infused with the principle of swiftness. That was the version she used before meeting me. It followed a different trajectory from the one infused with the principle of seizing.
‘I taught her something new, and she’s going back to the old one?’
Feeling a twinge of disappointment, I threw out my fist. Regardless of the details, I couldn’t just sit there without counterattacking in this situation.
But…
Spin—.
“Oh?”
The moment my fist was about to connect with her sword…. Instead of clashing head-on, her blade shifted its path. At the same time, she spun her body, slipping right into my guard in an instant. I was left completely exposed.
‘The principle of seizing?’
She had struck first with the swiftness principle, but switched to seizing when the counter came.
‘She’s adjusting the pace based on the situation?’
The Flowing Flower Sword Art, originally created by the founder of the Shanxi Yu Clan, embodied the principle of seizing. Later generations refined it for combat into the swiftness-infused version.
If one had to pick where the essence of the Shanxi Yu Clan lay, it was the former, but the latter had its advantages too.
In fact, because it incorporated swiftness, it was better suited for sudden situations or ambushes.
Yu Somyoung recognized this and was blending the two principles adeptly.
‘That’s more like it.’
This was the kind of adaptability I wanted from Adeun.
Somyoung really did have talent.
But….
Thud.
“Ugh—!”
…It still didn’t change the fact that she was no match for me.
I grabbed the collar of the girl who had burrowed into my space and slammed her to the ground, then pinned her arms behind her back.
“Let go! You jerk!”
“Haa…, Somyoung. What’s gotten into you? I thought we’d parted on good terms.”
“You shameless bastard! Let go right now and give back our clan’s manuals and elixirs!”
So that’s what it was about.
The manuals and elixirs. They were the clan’s greatest assets and treasures containing their history.
That’s why I’d anticipated that the Shanxi Yu Clan would try to track them down somehow.
I was just a little surprised that Yu Somyoung had come in person. And all by herself, no less.
Well…, since Somyoung came alone, it made things easier for me.
I tightened my grip on the hand holding her down and whispered in her ear.
“Hey, Somyoung. Why should I give them back? We had a deal. I’d help your clan, and in return, you’d pay me protection money.”
“If you were just going to take protection money, you could’ve taken it properly instead of stealing it! And what you asked for as ‘protection money’ was just some weird nonsense…!”
Oh? That “double trouble”?
Since I’d said it in modern slang back then, it was no wonder she didn’t understand. Of course, I’d planned it that way.
“You might not know, Somyoung, but ‘double trouble’ means ‘I’ll take everything you have’ in the Western tongue.”
“W-What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Nonsense or not, you should’ve called me out on it then if it bothered you.”
“You…! You’re lying about it being Western talk too, aren’t you? Let go—! I’ll take our clan’s stuff back myself! Let go—!”
“Haa…, this won’t do.”
Even if I explained it perfectly, convincing Somyoung was never easy. And I couldn’t just leave her thrashing around like this….
The only option left was a bit rough.
“Somyoung, remember the old days?”
“You don’t mean… sleep….”
Before Yu Somyoung could finish, I brought the side of my hand down on the back of her neck.
Crack—!
“Guh—!”
She let out a dying scream and convulsed violently, clearly in a lot of pain.
But….
“Ugh…, you bastard….”
“Hm…, she’s not out.”
…It only hurt; her consciousness didn’t fade as she kept wriggling.
This worked fine in movies back in the day, but in reality, it kept failing.
“…Sorry, Somyoung. Just one more time.”
Crack—!
“Urghhh….”
“Hm….”
…Failed again.
I hadn’t knocked her out, but it hurt enough that Somyoung drooled from her mouth in agony.
‘This is seriously sorry…?’
No joke, one more chop and Yu Somyoung might hold a grudge and come stab me in the night.
Instead of hitting again, I channeled qi into my fingers.
“Sorry, Somyoung. I’ll just use acupoint sealing.”
“…….”
I found the right spot and struck.
Pfft—!
“…….”
…Yu Somyoung passed out cold.
“Phew.”
It had been ages since I last used acupoint sealing for real. I checked to make sure I hadn’t botched it; she was just asleep.
As I stood, leaving the unconscious Somyoung behind, Bangsam stared at me blankly and asked.
“…Boss. You know acupoint sealing too?”
“Just a bit? Honestly, this is basic stuff.”
“Then why didn’t you use it sooner….”
“…….”
Bangsam glanced down, where Somyoung’s swollen red neck was visible.
“…Believe me if I say I forgot?”
“…Could be. So, what now?”
Bangsam’s question was obvious. What to do with Yu Somyoung, who’d tracked us here.
“No idea, me either. For now, lay her down comfortably.”
I hoisted the fainted Yu Somyoung onto my back and clicked my tongue.
“Sigh, didn’t she know she’d end up like this if she came back? Why’d she come all the way here herself?”
“…….”
Naturally, there was no answer from the already unconscious Yu Somyoung.
**
“Mm….”
“You’re awake?”
Yu Somyoung stirred around dawn the next day.
Her bleary eyes showed no reaction, so I waved my hand in front of her face. She jolted in surprise and bolted upright in bed.
“W-Where…!”
With wide eyes, Yu Somyoung looked around frantically, trying to figure out where she was.
I told her right away.
“My room.”
“…….”
“You slept well.”
“…You pervert, again…. W-Where’s my sword—!”
“Agh—, why are you like this again…!”
Sure, waking up after spending the night in a strange man’s bed would be shocking. But could I have left a fainted girl on the cold ground?
And for a prestigious clan’s young lady like Yu Somyoung, my room was the only suitable place to lay her.
I’d even given up my bed for her—why was she making a fuss again?
‘And I didn’t even pull any pranks this time.’
Fed up with her outburst(?), I rubbed my forehead and asked.
“Haa…, Somyoung. You came all this way for the manuals and elixirs, right?”
“Yeah…! Hand them over right now, or….”
“You sure? You personally came here just for the manuals and elixirs? Or… maybe there’s another reason?”
“…….”
As I pressed, Yu Somyoung’s expression sobered, and she fell silent.
“Did you come because you wanted to see me? Got something to say?”
“…….”
Retrieving the manuals and elixirs was important, of course. But if she were serious about it, she’d have acted more ‘efficiently.’
Sending clan warriors to scour the land would’ve been more effective than wandering alone.
Yet Yu Somyoung chose the latter.
No telling how long she’d been searching, but her gaunt face and pallor told the tale. She’d been looking for us for quite a while.
What was her reason?
I waited quietly for her to speak. But….
“…I don’t know.”
“…….”
“I don’t really know myself.”
…She couldn’t give the answer I wanted.
Her face said she didn’t understand herself either as she stammered on.
“There were so many things I wanted to ask you, but you won’t answer anyway. Like how you knew about the lost Flowing Flower Sword Art, and….”
That sword strike that cleaved the air.
“…….”
Of course, I wouldn’t answer any of it. I was just about to voice that thought.
“Truth is…, I don’t even understand my own feelings for you. I hate you—you’re a pervert, a lecher, a scoundrel who stole our manuals and elixirs….”
“No, I’m a scoundrel, sure, but not a pervert or lecher….”
“…But whenever I see you, my heart races strangely, and when I close my eyes, your image shimmers before me.”
“…Huh?”
What did she just say…? The wording felt off….
“…I still don’t understand anything. So….”
“…….”
“…I want to figure it out by your side. My feelings. And you.”
“…Haha.”
My heart races when I see you.
Your image shimmers when I close my eyes.
I want to get to know you.
Damn…, even a random loner or romance virgin could see this was a confession….
I was utterly flustered, but Yu Somyoung, the party in question, looked innocently oblivious.
Raised like a flower in a greenhouse, Somyoung was even denser than some passing loner.
No, seriously, what about me made her fall for this…?
No matter how I thought about it, I’d tormented her more than anything else….
Amid the confusion, I still had to respond quickly. If I didn’t, she might decide on her own to stick around and whine.
And my answer was, naturally….
“No.”
“…….”
“Rejected. Totally rejected.”
…A flat-out refusal.
“…Why?”
There were many reasons, but first….
“I don’t feel anything for you.”
…Yu Somyoung didn’t feel like a woman to me. No way I’d feel desire for someone who could pass as a high schooler in a uniform.
“And….”
“And…?”
…You’re a character from a novel.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it. That her tagging along might mess up the story’s progression.
“Haa….”
Feeling a tightness in my chest, I turned my back to her. Watching the morning sun rise, I murmured softly.
“…I’ll help you find the manuals and elixirs.”
“…What?”
“But you’ll have to bear the financial cost. Might eat up a few years of your clan’s budget…? Anyway, think of it as payback for helping you before.”
Damn it.
If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I should’ve taken less money and collected protection fees openly instead of stealing the Shanxi Yu Clan’s stuff.
Who could’ve predicted this mess?
“…Helping find the manuals and elixirs means you don’t have them now? How do you plan to help?”
“How else.”
To recover sold goods, go to the buyer.
Conveniently, I’d gotten a message via carrier pigeon not long ago. They’d settled in and invited me to visit.
I’d been planning to go anyway to discuss things with them.
Still sitting on my bed, I turned to Yu Somyoung and said.
“Let’s head to Haomen once it’s light out.”