The Bewitching Sworn Sister Descends on the Goddess Sect
A woman elegantly clad in silk garments ascended the mountain path of Wushan. The outfit was hardly appropriate for the season. True high-grade winter clothing, woven from varieties of silk known as dan or ju, was stuffed thick with cotton yet still managed to avoid any bulk or wrinkles. Among silks, however, the highest grade was called geum. It was thin, fluttering, and supple, so even a small clump of cotton would cause it to puff up and form neat pleats. The result was something one could only wear in spring or autumn. The woman’s attire was precisely this geum-woven garment.
She had spared no effort on her adornments either. Her hair was twisted up and studded with every kind of golden ornament, her skin powdered to a pale white, her eyelids shaded with a soft lavender pigment, and her lips painted a vivid crimson with cinnabar. Yet her natural features were already so seductively beautiful that the added makeup only made her radiate an even more bewitching, almost demonic allure.
The moment the woman appeared before the Sinnyeo Sect’s signboard, the second-generation disciples standing guard at the main gate swallowed hard. Her outfit was clearly not that of someone visiting a Taoist temple. What’s more, arriving precisely at lunchtime without the slightest trace of apology or urgency for such rudeness only made it stranger. The two disciples exchanged glances.
Senior Sister, a world-class vixen has shown up. What do we do?
How should I know? Go find out yourself.
So the junior sister stepped forward to inquire. After all, the sect had its own hierarchy.
“Halt. Beyond this point lies the sacred ground of Sinnyeo Sect. Are you here to visit?”
“Ah. So I’m in the right place. Yes, I am.”
Suddenly the disciples’ wariness evaporated. Living among women day and night had given them a keen eye for personality, and that single answer revealed everything. She might have put on a bold front, but her voice and tone were pure airhead. Face of a vixen, heart of a total pushover.
Sinnyeo Sect was a sanctuary forbidden to men. For women, however, its gates stood wide open. They occasionally hosted female pilgrims who were not disciples, earning a bit of extra income in the process.
“Welcome. Have you come to offer prayers? Or to stay at the temple for a while? Perhaps you wish to join us?”
“No, none of that. I heard my sworn sister is here, so…”
“Ah. You’ve come to see your little sister.”
The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties, so any “little sister” of hers would have to be a third-generation disciple. The second-generation disciples knew one another’s family circumstances well, and none of them had a sworn sister.
The disciple’s attitude grew even more relaxed.
“What is your sister’s name?”
“Seomun Cheong…”
“Pardon?”
“Yes?”
“Wait. Is this not the place? I was told Sinnyeo Sect. She’s this tall, and her chest is about this big.”
The woman drew a large circle in front of her own chest with both hands. The disciples understood immediately.
Ah. Then it really is Senior Aunt.
When Cheong ate lunch, she attacked the meal as if it were her parents’ mortal enemy. She looked ready to erase it from existence simply because they could not share the same sky, chewing and swallowing with ferocious determination. The same applied to breakfast and dinner, for that matter.
It was right in the middle of Cheong inhaling the boiled and stir-fried ingredients the world had so cruelly named “lunch” that the voice called out.
“Sworn sister~”
“Huh?”
Cheong’s eyes widened at the familiar voice.
“Sworn sister, you can’t dress so thinly. You’ll catch a cold. The weather is already chilly; you need to be more careful.”
“Ah. Right.”
Only then did Cheong, who had been feeling a vague sense of familiarity, recognize the sworn-sister caller. Who else would ignore the outrageous outfit and simply worry about her catching a cold?
You’ve gotten prettier? Must be all that makeup.
Of course it was the makeup. She had consumed the spiritual medicine provided by the Demonic Cult and raised her cultivation somewhat, but makeup had always been a woman’s greatest weapon.
“Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. I got a little lost on the way up. Mm. I’m hungry. Hehe.”
“Then you should eat. Our food is really good.”
“Okay!”
She happily trotted off to receive her meal.
“Who’s that?”
“What the hell is that? And who shows up to eat wearing that much makeup?”
Jin Jangmyeong on the left and Dang Nan-a on the right asked at the same time.
“Um… roughly a sworn sister?”
If it was a sworn sister, it was a sworn sister. What did “roughly” even mean? The two girls made identical expressions of utter confusion. Since Cheong herself didn’t fully understand the situation, she offered no further explanation.
Soon the sworn sister with the impressive appetite returned carrying a tray piled mountain-high with food.
“Ah. That’s right. I decided to go back to using Gyeon Po-hui.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They said it was weird for sworn sisters to share the same surname. Plus it’s ‘Hui-seong’ or something, so people would find it even stranger. And no matter how little our parents did for us, it’s wrong to just throw the name away like that.”
“Did Seolgajik say that?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it must be right.”
If the greatest intellect in their circle had said so, it was obviously correct. Among all the connections Cheong had made in the Central Plains, Seolgajik was the most trustworthy person aside from her master.
Come to think of it, even Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had different surnames. They hadn’t tried to unify everything under Liu. That would have created two Liu Bei anyway.
“Ah. How do I look? Pretty, right?”
“Did you do the makeup yourself?”
“Yep. I learned how. Want me to do yours later, sworn sister? Or right now?”
“No thanks. Too annoying to remove.”
“True. That’s fair.”
“But why the sudden makeup?”
“Seol… I mean, Uncle told me to. He said it’s never good to look like an easy target no matter where you go.”
“You call Seolgajik ‘Uncle’?”
“Yeah. But it feels weird. I keep thinking I should call him Seol-noona. Sometimes it just slips out.”
“Wait, has Seolgajik gotten even prettier over there?”
“I’m not kidding. He’s got this really strong big-sister vibe now.”
“What even is a big-sister vibe? I’m genuinely curious…”
Jin Jangmyeong, poking Cheong in the side, and Dang Nan-a both thought the same thing.
What is going on? Normally wouldn’t she ask for introductions by now? Is her field of vision so narrow she can’t see the people right beside her?
“Ah. This is the flavor you like, sworn sister. Want more? I can get you some.”
“No, I’ve eaten plenty.”
“Sister, who is she?”
Listening to this exchange, it seemed she might have to endure it for the rest of her life. Jin Jangmyeong finally cut in.
“This is Gyeon Po-hui. Um, I did a good deed. She’s basically my sworn sister. She used to attend me back in the gangho.”
“Mm. Mm.”
Gyeon Po-hui nodded proudly.
“This tiny kid here is our sect’s complete newbie, Jin Jangmyeong, and this is Dang Nan-a. My friend. One of the Five Great Beauties of the Central Plains.”
“Yeah. But on the way here I realized I was totally fooled. That. Um, Uncle Seol told me not to say any more, so I can’t tell you the rest.”
“I get the idea, so it’s fine. I asked Seolgajik to teach her some common sense, and it looks like he did a good job.”
“Ugh. But she nags so much.”
“You have to think of it as all becoming blood and flesh. Do you think it’s easy to find a teacher of Seolgajik’s caliber?”
“Yeah…”
The women on either side of Cheong narrowed their eyes.
What is this? Isn’t it usually time for self-introductions? Is that really all she’s going to say?
They thought as one: This bitch. She’s not to be underestimated.
Had Cheong known, she would have simply snorted. As if the easiest person in the world needed underestimating.
Gyeon Po-hui’s admission into Sinnyeo Sect never came to pass. Her background was one issue, but the martial arts she practiced were bedroom techniques that employed both yang-harvesting and yin-harvesting.
“What would such a child even do in Sinnyeo Sect? We can’t exactly disperse all her internal energy and start over from the beginning. If you wish, I could write a recommendation letter for the Heavenly Flower Hall, but it doesn’t seem that’s what you desire.”
Besides, Gyeon Po-hui herself lacked any real desire to join. After the meal, she had been eyeing Cheong’s dishes when she learned that everyone in Sinnyeo Sect had to do everything for themselves. Only then did she realize there was no need to become a disciple. She declared she would simply help Seolgajik with his work in the city below and follow Cheong whenever she set out into the gangho.
“Still, for someone from the Demonic Cult’s evil faction, her heart is surprisingly pure. So pure, in fact, that the child is a bit…”
“A bit slow, right?”
Thwack.
A light chestnut flicked against Cheong’s head. It wasn’t meant to hurt, so it didn’t.
“No matter how true it may be, one should not casually speak of another’s shortcomings.”
“Yeees.”
“It would be good to take her with you when you venture into the gangho. Even if that old demonic bastard cherishes his disciple, a woman’s attendance should still be handled by a woman, should it not?”
“Definitely. She does make things more comfortable.”
“Think of it as raising one person. Such a mindset will all accumulate as good karma, will it not?”
Cheong tilted her head. Isn’t the treatment of my sworn sister a little harsh? Of course, that Gyeon Po-hui did deserve it.
“It has worked out well. My disciple will be traveling to Kaifeng next month, and I could not possibly send that old demonic bastard along with her.”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“The Murim Alliance is holding a Grand Murim Tournament. There are more than a few people who know that old bastard’s face. How could the dignity of a great elder from the Taoist faction remain intact if she were seen leading a demonic head around?”
The purpose of the Grand Murim Tournament was to strengthen unity before the Demonic Cult’s entry into the Central Plains through a different, more open method. Showing up with a great demonic head from the cult at such a time would earn one the label of tactless fool, or worse.
For reference, when Seomun Su-rin called him an old bastard, she was technically older than Choe-ri-ong. Though she appeared to be a beautiful woman in her forties, she was a living legend, a great senior of the Murim world.
“But what is the Murim Tournament? Are they holding something like the World’s Strongest Martial Arts Championship?”
“They will likely host all sorts of grand events. This master’s personal wish is for you to participate in the Hidden Dragon Tournament.”
“Then I’ll participate. Simple.”
It was an immediate answer without the slightest hesitation. Seomun Su-rin smiled softly.
She truly could not help adoring this disciple.
“Since there will be no opponent capable of lasting even ten moves against you, simply consider it a matter of raising our sect’s honor. All you need to do is look beautiful and elegant.”
“Ten moves” referred to an opponent one could defeat within ten techniques. In cruder terms, it meant they were trash. The number of times Cheong had sparred with her master had already reached the point where they measured it in days rather than bouts.
If one classified her disciple’s realm, she sat at late-stage Peak. Yet she already held the upper hand against Super Peak opponents in terms of victory or defeat. Moreover, she had reached the level of sharing senses with her sword as if it were an extension of her body. It seemed she would soon achieve the Unity of Sword and Self.
That was an enlightenment normally obtained only in late-stage Super Peak, after one could freely wield sword gang. So even if the order was completely jumbled, she was steadily accumulating accomplishments.
At this point, one had to wonder if there was some other reason she could not break into Super Peak. It was as if something were deliberately interfering, firmly blocking the way. With the internal energy she possessed, she was already equal to a Harmonious Realm master. Her external arts made one question whether she was even human. Yet she could not cross that supposedly easy, paper-thin wall of Super Peak (in the opinion of a Profound Realm expert).
“So I just need to go there and win?”
“Mingle with the youths of the Hidden Dragon Assembly as well. Shouldn’t you become acquainted with the future leaders who will guide the Righteous Faction of the Murim?”
In other words, she was being told to go socialize. Although Cheong’s generation placed her at the level of a sect leader, she did not belong to the same era as the current ones. Besides, personal connections held special importance to the people of the Central Plains.
While Sinnyeo Sect might fall short in prestige compared to the Nine Great Schools and Five Great Families, an overwhelming display of martial prowess at the Hidden Dragon Tournament would naturally resolve the matter.
“If that’s the case, then it’s my specialty.”
Cheong’s eyes sparkled brightly. If someone told her to go have fun, how could her eyes not shine?