Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Travel Companions
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The pursuers were gradually getting farther away.
Wi Sowol just kept staring at the woman disguised as a man who was still holding her quietly.
'Her clothes, accessories, makeup... not a single feminine thing about her.'
In truth, Wi Sowol wasn't all that different herself.
Aside from the apron Jang Rok had given her as a gift, Wi Sowol wore pants instead of the undergarments and skirts typical for women, along with a vest of armored cloth.
Of course, she didn't bother with makeup either. No jewelry.
Because of that, when she was treating the courtesans at the Falling Flower Pavilion, she'd gotten a nagging earful about why she didn't wear any makeup—but she'd ignored it.
She'd received plenty of jewelry as gifts, too.
Of course, it was all just sitting in storage.
So Wi Sowol tutting over this mysterious woman in male garb was truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but Wi Sowol felt perfectly justified.
'I used to be a man.'
Even though she was now trapped in a woman's body, Wi Sowol saw it as her own form of punishment.
Magnolia Honored One's mother, Lady Blue Emperor, had committed such grave sins that she was reborn as a dog to pay for them. Surely living in a woman's body was punishment enough for atonement.
In any case, Wi Sowol calmly addressed the person who had suddenly taken shelter under her umbrella.
"What?"
"Ah, sorry about that, little one. My situation was pretty desperate just now. Did I happen to jostle anything uncomfortable?"
"No."
"It might be a bit uncomfortable, but could you lend me your shoulder just a little longer? Just until we leave Nanju."
Her opponent flashed a bright, refreshing smile.
Man or woman, anyone would let their guard down at that clear smile and find themselves nodding along without thinking.
Unfortunately, Wi Sowol was now a being on the borderline—neither fully man nor woman.
"Why should I?"
"Huh?"
Was rejection that unexpected?
A dazed exclamation slipped from her mouth.
She had a face that clearly spoke of a life of pampered luxury, so it made sense she'd be unaccustomed to refusal.
But Wi Sowol didn't care about that.
If she'd fretted over status, background, or martial prowess, she wouldn't have earned the title of Murim's Public Enemy in her past life. She'd have just joined some unorthodox sect and lived it up.
"Hm... Is there something you want?"
Her opponent stammered before cautiously asking.
Wi Sowol replied lightly.
"I'll let it slide."
If she played this right, it ought to wipe the slate clean on that debt she owed Bang Old Man.
Wi Sowol smirked inwardly.
The reckless lone general who acted solely on whims without a care in her past life was gone.
Now Wi Sowol understood society a bit better and acted accordingly.
§
Even with pursuers on her tail, Wi Sowol slipped out of Nanju with surprising ease—thanks to some pull from the Hao Clan.
Unusually for Nanju, the city was under strict movement controls led not just by the Huangbo Clan but by the local authorities themselves, all due to the medical crisis.
With such massive population flux amid the chaos, the officials waved people through after a cursory identity check.
If trouble brewed inside? The Huangbo Clan would handle it.
It was a perfect snapshot of how the authorities treated the martial world.
"Ahem."
The moment they exited Nanju, her companion cleared his throat to steady his voice, then pitched it low in a deliberate baritone.
"I owe you my thanks, little one. You said you'd let it slide, but if you tell me your esteemed name, I won't forget it."
"...That way of speaking."
Wi Sowol made a slight face of distaste.
Of course, the face veil hid it, but her companion had the eye to read the subtle twitch of her facial muscles peeking beyond it, so it didn't matter.
"It's grating. Speak casually."
"Oh, does it? Then I will."
She switched to casual speech like she'd been waiting for it.
Frankly, it was more comfortable for Wi Sowol this way.
In both her past and present lives, etiquette had always been a distant stranger to her.
"Wi Sowol."
"Ah, I'm Hwang... Yun."
Obviously a fake name.
Wi Sowol eyed the woman calling herself Hwang Yun.
It was plain as day she was from the Huangbo Clan—did she really think she could hide it?
She transcended mere "tall for a woman"—a full five-and-a-half chi stature at 176 cm.
Even in male disguise, her build shouldn't suit a woman's frame, yet it came together in a sturdy, well-proportioned form.
A woman with such a robust physique?
East side: the Wicked Family. West side: the Huangbo Clan.
Nothing else fit.
"I'm not chalking up a debt to a fake name."
Even alias deals could go south—what made her think a pseudonym would fly?
Hwang Yun (presumed Huangbo Clan) gave an innocent smile as she countered.
"Hm... Busted?"
"You thought you could hide it?"
That part baffled her even more.
In her defense, Hwang Yun tugged at her clothes and flapped them.
"I wore shabby threads."
Fine-woven thin silk of top quality, patternless though it was.
"No makeup or jewelry."
She apparently didn't know that flawless skin was a hallmark of nobility in this era.
"Kept my qi well-contained, too."
She seemed to have forgotten the ripple of aura when she ducked under the umbrella.
"How'd you know?"
"...Good instincts."
"...Impressive!"
Simpleton.
Since the cat was out of the bag, Hwang Yun spoke freely.
"Huangbo Yun. Eighteen."
"Wi Sowol. Twelve."
"Twelve? You're young! Call me big brother if you want."
Huangbo Yun thumped—er, patted—her chest proudly.
Did she really not know?
No matter how well bound, those breasts would bounce inevitably.
Wi Sowol stared silently, and Huangbo Yun added in a voice tinged with the slightest dip in confidence.
"Er, brother, then?"
"Pass."
If she wanted to live as a man, more power to her.
Wi Sowol respected that.
Anyway, now she had a name. Good enough.
As Wi Sowol turned to go her own way, Huangbo Yun stuck close and bumped shoulders.
"So, where's little Sowol headed?"
She was a clingy one.
Whether it was cheeky nonchalance or bold familiarity, Huangbo Yun asked chummily right away. Wi Sowol answered curtly.
"Baek Eun County."
"Baek Eun County... South, right?"
"North."
"Got it! What about Xi'an?"
Was Xi'an her destination?
"To reach Xi'an, head east. Most merchant caravans leaving from Gansu go there anyway, so hitch a ride with any. With your skills, they'll beg you to join."
Eighteen and peak expert?
Talent worthy of the genius label.
No doubt a prized asset under special care in the Huangbo Clan.
'Ran away?'
Talent that surely lived large there.
And before using Wi Sowol as a shield to escape Nanju, she'd been chased by Huangbo Clan folk...
'Definitely a runaway.'
Kids fleeing clans or sects out of curiosity for the jianghu? Common as dirt—not even gossip fodder.
Though for one of the Eight Great Clans like Huangbo, it might warrant a murmur or two.
"...Why are you following me?"
"Huh? Why what?"
Huangbo Yun widened her eyes like it'd been an odd question.
"I heard Baek Eun County's dangerous."
"So?"
"You think I'd let little Sowol go there alone? I owe you one—am I the type to ignore that and abandon a delicate girl in peril?"
Huangbo Yun's grin was so refreshing it cleared the mind just looking at it—a radiant beauty.
If Wi Sowol had met her in her past life, she might've been a tad more susceptible.
Unfortunately, Wi Sowol saw her own face every morning.
'Hm, well, having Huangbo Clan ties could make things smoother.'
Worst case, dump her on their people in Baek Eun County.
And so, their temporary companionship was set.
§
Splash-splash-
Thud-thud-
A small, cautious footfall was joined by lively, upbeat steps.
Suddenly, Huangbo Yun noticed something odd, belatedly.
"Huh? Little Sowol, you practice martial arts?"
Not full lightness skill, but Wi Sowol was keeping pace effortlessly with her own much swifter stride than any ordinary person's.
With legs far shorter than hers, no less!
"Adequately."
Wi Sowol, who'd been holding it in, finally pointed out what had been bugging her.
"And quit calling me 'little' brother."
"Huh? Why? I'm older."
"In the martial world, brother-sister rank is by martial skill, no?"
Ho-?
Huangbo Yun grinned.
Fun.
Back home, she'd been pampered beyond measure—a forbidden flower in jade.
The Huangbo Clan's greatest martial prodigy in nearly a century, bearer of the Heavenly King Body.
Sturdy muscles and bones, brilliant intellect.
Astonishing recovery paired with iron resistance to poisons and ills.
Her standout traits might be subtler, but the Heavenly King Body boasted flawless perfection, no deficiencies.
That was Huangbo Yun.
Peak expert at a mere sixteen, shocking the elders and cementing her as heir apparent—the Huangbo Clan's golden child.
The pillar to elevate the mid-to-lower ranked Eight Great Clan to the top.
No one in the Huangbo Clan dared treat her so.
Everyone was kind, vied to impress her, considered it an honor to call her little sister.
Even in spars, defeat was expected. Elders old enough to be grandparents watched her mood.
Heavenly King Body talents plus the clan lord's direct daughter bloodline.
For Huangbo Yun, blessed by gods and buddhas, the clan had grown unbearably dull.
But look now.
Not even out of Gansu yet, and already such amusements.
'Good call leaving.'
Huangbo Yun felt utter satisfaction with her decision.
"Fine. Let's see it."
She assumed a stance.
Knees bent, weight sinking low and heavy, fists clenched forward.
Crackle-
Her inner energy from the Sumeru Heavenly King Divine Art merged with the Thunderbolt Divine Fist's imagery, birthing thunderous power.
"I'll yield the first move. Come at me full force."