Morning Gifts and the Purple Steps
At the Dang Family residence, Seomun Cheong opened her eyes and muttered, “……I’m hungry. Grandpa, got anything to eat?” Only then did she look around. Sunlight already streamed across the bed. The Central Plains beds were designed so cleverly that light reached the face right around mid-morning. Outside, the sounds of busy work echoed—scraping was sawing, thudding was hammering, and there was the shuffle of people walking and dragging things.
Cheong roughly straightened her robes and tied her hair before stepping out of the room. Choe-ri-ong, who had been sitting on the porch watching the yard, naturally fell in behind her. Cheong offered her morning greeting. “Grandpa? Got anything to eat? I’m starving. Ahh.”
It was a morning greeting that sounded as if she had already entrusted him with feeding her, yet something was promptly popped into her mouth. Cheong’s eyes widened, then narrowed into pretty crescents. It was sticky, chewy, savory, and sweet. Some kind of confection studded with nuts, it seemed. While stuffing the treat into her empty stomach, Cheong watched the Dang Family bustling about with construction work. Choe-ri-ong gazed at the sight with satisfaction.
“Anything happen last night?”
“Nothing much. The imperial soldiers withdrew.”
“What, how boring. They acted like they were going to charge in.”
In truth, it had not been boring at all. The Golden Army had been annihilated, the Imperial Censor and the Eastern Depot eunuch had been captured, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been split roughly half and half between annihilation and capture.
“Ah! Young Miss! Are you not the young lady of the Seomun Clan?”
“Oh? Who are you? Do you know me?”
“This humble one is called Changnan Geumho. You may simply call me Fox. Hehe, it is late, but allow me to offer my morning greeting.”
With that, he prostrated himself flat on the ground and kowtowed. Cheong looked at the fox’s face and asked, “Are you all right?”
She could not recall his original face, but it looked as though it had swollen two or three times its size. Bruises and lumps had turned it a deep blue, resembling a hornet’s nest that had been disturbed.
“Aigoo, to think the young miss would even worry about this lowly beast. How can your heart be so kind? But please, speak more casually. Hehe, this humble one’s eyes are already dazzled before the young miss; if you speak formally as well, my bean-sized courage cannot endure it.”
“Uh. Yeah, okay……”
Cheong obediently did as told. She assumed he was some servant of the Dang Family or another. After all, Cheong was not one to refuse anything.
“Hey, you fox bastard. Where do you think you’re going first thing in the morning—ah, that person! Young miss, it is the young miss! Heavens above, how beautiful you are! This humble one offers his morning greeting.”
Another servant rushed over and dropped straight to his knees. “What’s with everyone? Oh my!” “It is that person!” “Such noble bearing!”
Then a crowd of lackeys appeared one after another, each kowtowing as if paying respects to an elder brother, and the number steadily grew.
“She is truly a noble guest. Judging by this humble one’s spiritual eye, her soul’s rank is lofty and a refined spiritual pressure flows from her.”
“You fraud, is that even real? A guy who cannot even find a single water vein calls himself a spiritual eye? In Sichuan, where water gushes out no matter where you dig, you failed seven times in a row. What kind of master are you?”
A group of people gathered in the front yard, seating themselves respectfully while bickering and competing to see who could flatter her better.
“Last night I dreamed I was walking and picked up a piece of jade, when suddenly a brilliant vermilion bird soared upward amid five-colored radiance. That must be a dream of meeting the most noble person in the world. The moment I saw the young miss, I knew it was her!”
“This bastard only ever talks about vermilion birds. What did you do with the azure dragon, black tortoise, and white tiger?”
“Over here. It is but a trifle……”
A servant whose face was hidden by his hair sidled up and offered a small box. Inside was a jade ring thicker than a finger hole. Gifts were one thing, but Cheong made a sour face and quietly pushed it back.
“It looks really expensive.”
“I found it on the roadside, so please do not concern yourself……”
“No, where exactly do things like this just fall? Tell me too. Go pick some up.”
“That Gakda-gwi bastard is bribing her!”
“Boo! You petty bastard! When did you prepare that?”
“Hmm. It cannot be helped. Madam, do you perhaps enjoy calligraphy and painting? This writing brush is made from the tail fur of a white sable from Mount Bei. When it comes to writing brushes, nothing surpasses the finest. It has been used once, but only for testing; it would suit someone nobler than I……”
After that, they swarmed forward, laying out their cherished possessions like tribute. Before Cheong could even refuse, Choe-ri-ong snatched them up one by one and stacked them behind her.
Just then—
“What are you lot doing first thing in the morning? Do you have nothing better to do? If not, help with the construction! Get lost, all of you!”
A stern-faced old woman appeared and barked the order. Everyone scattered in panic, not daring to show their fear.
“Oh, who are you?”
“Hmph. I have not acknowledged anything yet. Still, thanks to you, that man has conceived a grand ambition, so gratitude is gratitude.”
Yeon Pa clicked her tongue inwardly. The hidden dragon that had wished for a quiet life was now aiming for ascension; if his goal was merely a single woman, the world would laugh. Yet gratitude was still gratitude. Thanks to her, three thousand Golden Army soldiers had been eliminated—the emperor’s most elite troops, three thousand of them erased. On top of that, thirty Embroidered Uniform Guards and their commander. The Imperial Censor’s household had been wiped out, and the Eastern Depot eunuch had been removed as a bonus. All were blades the emperor could wield directly, so one of his four limbs had effectively been severed. The emperor’s power had collapsed. With this, he could sufficiently aim for a great undertaking.
“However, when one’s seat changes, so does the height of one’s gaze. If things go well, he will return; even if they do not, there should be no need to feel disappointed.”
Yeon Pa tossed something over with a chilly air. It was a book without a title. When Cheong touched it, the martial arts window immediately flashed, announcing the registration of a new item. It meant she had touched a complete manual, so this book was a martial arts manual.
“This is……?”
“It is something that once stirred up a bloody storm in the martial world. You had best keep it hidden from others.”
Yeon Pa gazed at the book with an oddly regretful look. It was a gaze filled with long-buried resentment, as much sorrow and self-reproach. But it lasted only a moment before she turned away with a snort and strode off haughtily. Cheong tilted her head. So, who exactly were they, and who was she……?
Anyway, when Cheong checked the martial arts window, a newly registered entry appeared. Heavens! Purple—why was it suddenly purple? And it was a purple divine art called Wave-Treading Micro-Steps! Hmm, she had never heard of it before. That was because Cheong’s knowledge was far too shallow.
Then the quest window lit up. What now? Why was everything going crazy in succession?
Yellow Dragon Struggle — First Chapter. Unknown Crisis
📍 You have been caught in the imperial family’s secret struggle.
🎁 Decide your course of action.
This choice may influence the entire world.
Without even telling her what to do, it simply demanded she choose a faction. If it was going to be like this all of a sudden, what was she supposed to do? Cheong simply closed the quest window and pushed it out of her mind as well.
Afterward, a joint funeral was held at the Dang Family. It was a funeral personally overseen by a prince. The Dang Family had stood against rebels impersonating imperial troops to protect the prince, and it was a joint memorial for the forty-two loyal Dang Family warriors who fell to cannon fire and the one hundred seven soldiers who lost their lives during the suppression of the traitors.
When the funeral ended, a massive stone monument was erected at the entrance of the Dang Family’s main gate, and their names were carved into it. Among them were faces Dang Nan-a recognized, and afterward she looked quite downcast. It was a pitiful sight. So when she clung to Cheong with unusual persistence, Cheong let her be, thinking it was understandable that she would feel gloomy after losing someone she knew.
“Hey.”
Dang Nan-a immediately dropped to her knees, pressing the backs of her feet, forehead, and forearms to the ground. It was a grand kowtow executed with perfect form and force, as always. Cheong’s eyes narrowed as she looked down at the back of her head.
“No, why are you groping someone else’s chest?”
Tails get caught if they are too long. Caught red-handed, Dang Nan-a performed a grand kowtow of apology in the middle of the night and pressed her forehead to the floor.
“No, I just…… it felt nice because it was soft. It is not like I can do this to my mom at this age either. Besides, my mom is not that big……”
Dang Nan-a did not have any particularly ulterior motives. At first it had simply been “How does something this big not sag and stay so perfectly attached? It is incredibly soft,” but somehow the texture never left her mind, whether awake or asleep.
“Miss, yours are big too. Why are you messing with mine instead of your own?”
“But the feeling is completely different. How should I put it, there is no sinking-in sensation. And, well, it does not wear out either. Do not be so stingy. Friends can touch each other a little.”
Dang Nan-a actually took a bold stance. Cheong had seen plenty at the Goddess Sect. She knew that women, too, liked large breasts just as much as men did. Disciples with peculiar tastes tended to be more reserved, while the normal ones were far more persistent in coveting others’ chests. Disciples with large chests were pestered so much that scenes of them finally snapping and telling others to stop happened at least once a day without fail. There had even been about four disciples bold enough to ask if they could touch the great elder of the sect’s chest just once. (Of course, since Cheong was an outer disciple and a comfortable peer, she did not receive any special elder treatment beyond her title.)
Cheong’s eyes narrowed. “Even so, you cannot grope people secretly.”
“Ugh. But if I asked, you would say no.”
“Of course I would. Do you know how ticklish it is?”
“Hing.”
“What ‘hing’? You are really asking for trouble. Kneel down and raise your hands.”
Anyway, Dang Nan-a, who had something to feel guilty about, obediently followed the order. She knew from countless experiences that it was advantageous to listen quietly at times like this. Forgiveness was easier than permission! It was a vicious mindset Dang Nan-a had learned through her long history of misdeeds and the apologies that followed.
Thus, under the pretext of “attaching split chests,” Cheong’s days of idling about continued for about a month.
Then a woman came looking for Cheong. It was not the private residence complainant whom Cheong had been eagerly awaiting and had not even thought of. She was still in the middle of crossing the continent. The Demonic Cult was too far away. Moreover, it was a journey with no need to hurry. So, while spending the generous travel funds given by the Divine Cult extravagantly and enjoying her first leisurely tour of the Central Plains with Seolgajik as a guide, she was taking her time.
The woman who came looking for Cheong was someone else. The woman’s gaze as she looked at the memorial stone erected beside the Dang Family’s massive main gate was somehow unkind. Then she naturally addressed the Dang Family warrior guarding the main gate in a condescending tone.
“I heard my disciple is staying at the Dang Family. Is there perchance a girl named Cheong who goes by the surname Seomun here?”
The Dang Family warrior stiffened. “The young lady Seomun is indeed staying here. If you are her master, then perhaps you are……”
“Yes. Who is the current head of the Dang Family? Was it that boy Dang Tu-juk whose mouth was all he had? Go tell him that Seomun Su-rin has come to find her disciple.”
The foremost woman in the world had personally come to retrieve her wayward disciple who had run away from home and not returned.