Are You Looking for Me?
After chewing on Cheongunhwan and absorbing its power, she gained another ten years’ worth of internal energy.
Jinha had scolded her a little for sitting cross-legged with the needles still stuck in her body, but she let it go in one ear and out the other.
“I’m fine moving right now, aren’t I?”
“...As long as you keep it moderate, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good enough.”
Watching Soyeong dress and head out, Jinha let out a long sigh.
She’s going to push herself again.
She was a new master who never listened worth a damn.
Soyeong went straight to Manryeongak.
One of the forge workers there, now familiar with her face, greeted her as she arrived.
“I greet you, young lady. The forge lord is waiting inside.”
Led by the man, Soyeong stepped into the inner workshop, where Jeok Hwa was standing with a sword in her hand.
She knew at once, instinctively.
That sword had been made for her.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Is the sword finished?”
“Of course. It’s a masterpiece.”
Jeok Hwa smiled with complete confidence.
What would a sword forged by an artisan of her caliber feel like?
With slightly trembling hands, Soyeong took the blade.
The snow-white sword body extended in a clean, flawless line, radiating a quiet majesty.
The feel of it in her hand was exquisite as well.
Soyeong drew up her inner energy.
The sword responded to Hyeoncheon Jinwon Shingong, beginning to hum softly.
“Name the blade.”
Jeok Hwa murmured.
Even when the former Sapaelryeon leader had once held her father’s sword, it had made the same sound.
The sword was accepting her inner power, crying out in delight.
Soyeong swung the blade.
Nothing more than the simple strikes of Hyeoncheon Jinwon Shingong—cutting, thrusting, blocking.
And then, one step beyond that, a new realm……
“...... That’s enough.”
……She did not show it off.
Soyeong stopped her sword dance of her own accord.
If she used Cheongseong Pungungwi Sword in her current condition, she’d be right back under treatment.
And then Jinha would probably bind her up from head to toe and make her lie in bed for a month straight.
“Satisfied?”
Jeok Hwa asked.
She hadn’t even waited for an answer, but her expression already looked as if she knew what it would be.
“It’s the best.”
And Soyeong’s answer was exactly the one Jeok Hwa had hoped for.
From the instant she first laid eyes on the sword, she had known Soyeong was bewitched by it.
That brief display had only turned a vague feeling into certainty.
A masterpiece rivaling the Suramyeongwang Sword of her past life.
A divine sword that fully accepted Hyeoncheon Jinwon Shingong.
“Have you decided on a name for it?”
“Hm…….”
Soyeong fell into thought.
People might ask why a weapon needed a name at all, but a famed sword surely did.
Just as a person only truly became a person once they were given a name, a sword was the same.
Without a name, even the Suramyeongwang Sword would be nothing more than a sharp blade.
The name of a sword was what separated an ordinary weapon from a true masterpiece.
“How about Cheonsang Mujeok Divine Sword?”
The problem was that Soyeong was terrible at naming swords.
Even in her past life, she had been the one to name the Suramyeongwang Sword.
She’d just slapped together two cool, powerful-sounding words—how could it possibly not sound impressive?
Of course, back then nobody had dared question her naming sense, what with her peerless martial might and status as the number one figure among the evil sects.
Compared to those days, her current state was pitiful, of course…….
“That sounds like some kid’s toy sword…….”
Jeok Hwa shot the name down immediately.
Soyeong scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
“...... That bad?”
“Not just a little. A lot.”
At Jeok Hwa’s blunt criticism, Soyeong felt a little stung.
Back when she’d said Suramyeongwang Sword, everyone had told her it sounded cool.
……Though they had also kind of avoided looking her in the eye.
“Then how am I supposed to name it? Do you have something in mind, master craftsman?”
Soyeong said with a faintly mocking tone.
Jeok Hwa thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Baekya.”
It was a simple name, fitting for the sword’s pure white blade.
Secretly, Soyeong liked it.
Though her own Cheonsang Mujeok Divine Sword still sounded a little more impressive.
Still, she couldn’t ignore the artisan’s recommendation.
“Baekya. Good name.”
“So that’s what you’re calling it?”
“Yeah. From now on, this sword’s name is Baekya.”
-Wooooong.
As if pleased with its new name, Baekya gave a brief tremor.
Smiles spread across both Soyeong and Jeok Hwa’s faces.
Jeok Hwa handed over a black-dyed scabbard.
“That’s Baekya’s scabbard. Made it from dried birch wood.”
“Nice. I like it.”
The birch scabbard suited Baekya perfectly.
Soyeong smiled.
“Lord of Manryeongak. You’re definitely one of the finest artisans in the world.”
“What’s a brat who’s never even left Tang Clan grounds alive know about the world?”
Jeok Hwa said that, but she seemed pleased, her mouth twitching into a smile.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
To an artisan, the proper tribute to a sword was the name that would spread alongside its master’s fame.
She slipped Baekya into its scabbard and hung it at her waist before leaving Manryeongak.
At the entrance, a man was waiting for her.
A man Soyeong knew well.
“Sunhyeon.”
“I greet you, young lady.”
He was Sunhyeon, one of Tang Cheon-ak’s most trusted aides.
“I feel like I’ve been seeing you a lot lately.”
“I’d be happy to see you even more often.”
“That’s a terrifying thing to say…… If you’re here, then that means…….”
As if confirming her guess, Sunhyeon nodded.
“The clan lord is calling for you.”
“So it’s me again?”
“No. This time, he called everyone.”
“...... Everyone?”
“Yes.”
Reading the meaning beneath Soyeong’s words, Sunhyeon answered her.
“This time, even First Young Master has been summoned.”
***
Tang Cheon-ak’s office.
There were Tang Cheon-ak and Sunhyeon.
And facing them were two men and two women.
Second Young Master, Tang So-gang.
Second Young Lady, Tang Soyeong.
Third Young Lady, Tang So-seol.
And First Young Master, Tang So-hyeok.
“Hng…….”
Soyeong glanced sideways at Tang So-hyeok.
His hair was a complete mess, and his eyes were bleary with exhaustion.
His clothes were disheveled, and the smell of alcohol drifted off him in waves.
...... And I think I smell opium too.
He looked like a man doing every single thing a martial artist should never do.
And yet, paradoxically, he was also the most advanced of Tang Cheon-ak’s children.
Though he had made not the slightest effort, he had clearly surpassed the Peak Realm and touched the Transcendent Realm.
There are always people like that…… pure lumps of talent.
Those who had more than enough of what others lacked by a single hair’s breadth, enough to make the rest of the world weep blood.
The world called such people geniuses.
“Tch!”
Tang So-gang showed his displeasure openly.
His glare was clearly aimed at Tang So-hyeok.
Soyeong could understand why Tang So-gang despised him.
For martial artists like Tang So-gang, Tang So-hyeok would be disgusting just to look at.
At that moment, Tang So-hyeok’s half-lidded gaze drifted to Soyeong.
“Mm…… Soyeong?”
“Yeah.”
Soyeong answered lazily.
What did it matter whether Tang So-hyeok was a wastrel or a genius?
“Hmm…… compared to the last time I saw you, you’ve grown so much…… I’m sure the last time I saw you, you were this…… big.”
Tang So-hyeok was holding his hand around his waist.
No matter how tall he was and how small Soyeong’s frame was, it was nowhere near that bad.
In other words, it was bullshit.
Unable to stand it any longer, Tang So-seol kicked Tang So-hyeok in the shin.
“Stop talking nonsense and look forward……! The clan lord is right there!”
“Mm…… So-seol’s grown a lot too. I’m sure the last time I saw you…….”
This time he pointed a bit below his waist.
Tang So-seol stepped on Tang So-hyeok’s foot with great enthusiasm.
Yet Tang So-hyeok still didn’t seem to feel a thing.
Maybe he’s a little slow?
Soyeong revised her evaluation of Tang So-hyeok inwardly.
From a useless wastrel into a pitiful child born a little short of the mark.
“Ahem!”
Sunhyeon cleared his throat to draw their attention.
His goal was to restore some order to the chaotic atmosphere.
The children’s gazes shifted from Sunhyeon to Tang Cheon-ak.
Only then did Sunhyeon report.
“Clan lord. Your children have all assembled.”
“Mm.”
Soyeong quietly raised a hand.
It was a signal that she had something to say.
Receiving the clan lord’s gaze, Sunhyeon gave a small nod.
Given permission, Soyeong spoke.
“Looks like one of us still isn’t here.”
Then she calmly dropped a bomb on the room.
Silence fell.
Everyone except Tang Cheon-ak and Tang So-hyeok stared at Soyeong in shock.
Tang Cheon-ak, as always, remained expressionless.
Tang So-hyeok looked at Soyeong with faint interest.
Did I say something wrong?
Soyeong thought the atmosphere was strange.
Sunhyeon shot her a slightly resentful look, but if anything, Soyeong was the one who felt wronged.
What? You said everyone was here. But one person isn’t, right? Am I wrong?
Reading her expression, Sunhyeon let out a quiet sigh in his head.
It was true that First Young Lady was not present, so he couldn’t exactly blame Soyeong.
“First Young Lady was not summoned.”
What ended the awkward atmosphere was Tang Cheon-ak’s single sentence.
In other words, don’t bring up the First Young Lady again.
It was, in effect, a warning directed at Soyeong.
Soyeong nodded.
She wasn’t the type to pry into what someone clearly didn’t want to talk about.
Besides, it’s not like the clan lord seems to have done a great job raising his children.
Having one more sore point in the family didn’t seem strange at all.
The fact that Tang So-seol was the most decent in character among the five children said plenty.
“The reason the clan lord gathered all of you is because of a sealed letter from the Murim Alliance.”
Sunhyeon spoke in an official tone.
It was the signal that they were setting aside private matters and beginning an official discussion.
The slightly chaotic mood instantly straightened out.
“At dawn today, a sealed letter arrived from the Murim Alliance. Its contents were a summons for all the lords of the Alliance.”
A summons for every Alliance lord.
There was only one person in the world with the authority to issue such a command.
“Naturally, it came from the Murim Alliance Leader.”
One of the Three Great Honored Ones of the world, and the greatest righteous master alive.
Cheonjon, Jin Cheon-hui.
“It has been a long time since the Murim Alliance summoned every Alliance lord. Since no time limit was given, we cannot know when the summons will be lifted.”
The clan lord’s indefinite absence.
What that meant was obvious.
“Therefore, the clan lord intends to declare an acting clan lord here and now.”
“The acting clan lord will be First Young Master.”
Tang Cheon-ak immediately followed Sunhyeon’s words.
It was the expected result. If the father was absent, it was only natural for the eldest son to take his place.
“I object!”
And of course, for Tang So-gang, who had his eyes on the position of young clan lord, that natural order was unacceptable.
But his feelings never reached Tang Cheon-ak.
“Objection denied.”
“Clan lord!”
“Second Young Master shall assist First Young Master in carrying out the clan’s affairs.”
“...... Understood.”
Tang Cheon-ak ignored Tang So-gang’s opinion outright.
All Tang So-gang could offer was powerless compliance.
“I also…… have an objection.”
Then, in a slow voice, Tang So-hyeok raised his hand.
The whole room was thrown into confusion.
Receiving everyone’s stares, Tang So-hyeok scratched his face as if burdened by the attention.
“I’m against the clan lord’s decision too. So-gang would do better than I would.”
“I said objections will not be accepted.”
Tang Cheon-ak also dismissed First Young Master’s opinion.
What was decided could not be undone.
And more than anything else—
“It seems Second Young Master does not want it.”
Tang So-hyeok’s gaze settled on Tang So-gang.
Tang So-gang ground his teeth and glared at him.
“...... Don’t look at me like that, So-gang.”
“Shut up! I don’t like that side of you!”
At Tang So-gang’s reaction, Tang So-hyeok averted his eyes awkwardly.
Then, all of a sudden, he spoke again.
“Or maybe Soyeong would be fine?”
“...... What did you say?”
This time, Soyeong answered.
It seemed Tang So-hyeok really did dislike the position of acting clan lord.
Passing it off like trash someone didn’t want in the first place.
“Objections are not being accepted. First Young Master will begin carrying out the duties of acting clan lord from this moment on.”
“...... Yes, sir.”
Fortunately, Tang Cheon-ak dismissed Tang So-hyeok’s suggestion as well.
If that was all, then could she go back now?
Soyeong was already thinking about how she should train once she returned.
“And Second Young Lady will prepare to depart.”
“...... Pardon?”
At Tang Cheon-ak’s words, all his children’s gazes converged on him at once.
They all thought, So he’s finally kicking Soyeong out.
They’d assumed it would happen someday, just not that he would announce it with everyone gathered like this.
No matter how much you dislike someone, there were limits.
Of course, it was only a misunderstanding.
Reading the room, Sunhyeon hurriedly added, “...... To clarify, Second Young Lady will be accompanying the clan lord to the Murim Alliance.”
“To the Murim Alliance…… me?”
Why?
She didn’t say the last question out loud, but Sunhyeon seemed to hear it anyway and nodded.
“The Murim Alliance Leader personally mentioned Second Young Lady.”
“The Murim Alliance Leader?”
The Murim Alliance Leader, Jin Cheon-hui.
Why the hell is that bastard looking for me?