The Perfect Sparring Partner Beside Me
Namgoong Juhee had never formally learned swordsmanship from anyone in her life.
From the start, the martial arts she'd picked up had been against her parents' wishes.
There was no way they'd assigned her a master, and even if they had, given the Namgoong family's standards, it wouldn't have helped much.
It was the same after venturing into the murim.
She'd only ever fought in life-or-death duels nonstop, with all her training done entirely on her own.
Considering she'd mastered the Je Wang Geom Hyeong and achieved great success in Cheok Jeuk Gyeol along the way, it was truly remarkable talent.
"Namgung Sojeo, your sword tip's wobbling again. It's a strength issue."
"Got it. I'll try again."
"Good."
These past three days of guidance from Seok Ilcheong had been incredibly valuable for Namgoong Juhee.
He pointed out all the basic flaws she'd overlooked one by one, and just fixing them made her sword movements noticeably sharper.
But it wasn't like her techniques hadn't improved either.
As she refined her basics, he taught her flashy tricks to deceive the opponent's eyes—fresh stuff she'd never seen.
With solid fundamentals as the base, those techniques felt twice as powerful.
And so, Namgoong Juhee finally grasped the essence of proper swordsmanship.
It meant freely wielding the three core techniques: horizontal slice, thrust, and overhead cut—what was commonly called the Samjae Sword Method.
Others mastered this long before advancing from third-rate to second-rate, but she'd only learned it now.
What a once-in-a-generation martial prodigy.
Still, Seok Ilcheong's evaluation of her was glowing.
The profundity hidden in even the Samjae Sword Method was no joke.
There were plenty of third-rates who never grasped it and stayed stuck there forever.
But Namgoong Juhee had comprehended it in less than an hour.
Her brain was nothing short of phenomenal.
The problem was she didn't use it properly.
Whoosh!
Namgoong Juhee's sword cleaved the air cleanly from above.
A perfect overhead cut.
Seeing it, Seok Ilcheong was convinced. There was nothing more he could teach her.
"That's enough. You've already surpassed my teachings."
"Huh? Already?"
"What I'm saying is... how have you stayed unknown this whole time? I've never seen talent greater than yours in my life."
"Complicated circumstances. I've only been out in the jianghu for about two months now."
Seok Ilcheong nodded.
If there were circumstances, he couldn't pry. Just accept it.
He might be old-school, but he wasn't clueless.
"I see. So you'll be staying with our Yeonhwa Sect for a while?"
"Yeah, looks like it. Oh, about money..."
"No need for money. We're a Taoist sect, after all."
"Hehe, I figured."
Namgoong Juhee grinned broadly, and Seok Ilcheong nearly melted into a doting smile without realizing.
The classic "daddy smile."
Amusingly, it stemmed from her casually rude attitude.
A sect leader like him rarely had people approach him freely anymore.
Few were his age-mates, and taking the leader's time felt burdensome.
Plus, Seok Ilcheong had that old-man vibe, so hardly anyone sought out that hell on purpose.
But Namgoong Juhee? Her attitude was a bit flippant, sure—but that very casualness made people comfortable.
And she absorbed every lesson like a sponge. Irresistible from a sect leader's view.
"Ahem... Your goal is still the Hobuk Branch, right?"
"Yeah, got business at Wudang too, and figured I'd grab a Taecheong Dan while I'm at it."
"Ho, heading in like you'll sweep the tournament?"
"Well, yeah. You saw my skills."
"True enough. Purely on skill, Namgung Sojeo, you're beyond the later-generation disciples."
Namgoong Juhee's eyebrow twitched at his words.
Purely on skill?
So what else was there besides skill?
Exactly that.
Bimu evaluated character too.
A huge disadvantage for her.
No ambushes, no killing blows, no tricks.
Since bimu was for learning, her main weapons were completely sealed.
"Your sword is all about real combat, so it's full of bimu disqualifiers. Like fighting with one arm tied."
"Yeah... fair point."
"Yesterday's bimu too. At the Hobuk Branch, you and Hwangbo Sohyup both would've been disqualified."
"Then how about you keep teaching me, Sect Leader?"
The Yeonhwa Sect Leader's lips twitched again.
Clinging for more lessons? What could be more endearing to an elder?
He burst into laughter.
"Haha! Truth be told, others might call it unseemly for me to personally tutor you like this. But I'd love to stick with you all day."
"Tch, guess no choice then. I'll figure it out solo."
"No need. You have the best teacher right beside you."
"Beside me?"
Namgoong Juhee blinked in confusion.
"The sojeo by Namgung Sojeo's side—the Yi Sojeo of Eonha Merchant Group."
"Yeah, that's her."
"She's swept over a hundred bimu tournaments."
Unexpected.
Namgoong Juhee muttered.
Yi Hayeon's behavior so far had been pathetically unmerchant-heiress-like.
Crying and fumbling her sword at first sight.
Snoozing through her big bathhouse debut.
Then blushing, stammering, and snapping only at Hwangbo Un.
No wonder it surprised her.
"That's it for today. Come to my office anytime with questions. I'll teach you whatever."
"Thanks for today."
"No trouble. I enjoyed it too—been a while. No more bows. I can see you're dying to go to Yi Sojeo."
"Was it obvious?"
"Your type wears emotions on your sleeve. Good to know."
Namgoong Juhee scratched her head sheepishly, bowed, and bolted toward Yi Hayeon.
Even that screamed her feelings.
Yi Hayeon sat lost in thought in her room.
The subject? Naturally, Namgoong Juhee.
"...Lately, the way Heya treats me is too much."
In her eyes, the moment Namgoong Juhee met Hwangbo Un, the air shifted.
Like a lovestruck teen girl.
But cold to her? Clearly ditching her "principal wife" for a guy.
My Namgung Sojeo wouldn't do this.
If Namgoong Juhee heard, she'd be baffled.
Since when are you the principal wife? And when did I fall for that young master?
She'd call her a know-it-all idiot to her face—smart but deluded.
"What should I do... Lock her up for real?"
But humans are irrational by nature.
Especially when blindly obsessed.
Yi Hayeon's dependence had shifted from family to warrior—now to Juhee.
Those feelings ran deeper than even she imagined, so stopping at "deluded smarty" was praise-worthy.
"Right... I have to lock her up. Make her look only at me. Who knows how much more that flirt Hwangbo Un will wag his tail."
If it stopped at deluded, that is.
She'd lost reason long ago, putting Namgoong Juhee at game-over risk unbeknownst to her.
If this were a game, her cause of death would be something like Ending 56: Prison of Love.
Bang!
That's when Namgoong Juhee flung the door open.
"Oh, Yeon-ah. Here you are?"
"Y-Yes? Yes! I've been here."
"Perfect. I need you right now."
"Me? You need me?"
"...Whatever you're thinking, it's not that."
The madness in Yi Hayeon's eyes dimmed a bit at her words.
Impressive crisis aversion.
"Ahem. Got it. I'll scout the houses then. You just pick furniture..."
"What're you on about? Spar with me."
"Spar?"
"Yeah. Bimu's different from life-or-death, right? Wanna practice, and you're the only one around to ask."
The warrior Yi Hayeon nodded.
True—Namgoong Juhee's style suited real fights over bimu.
And the girl Yi Hayeon's face flushed beet red.
So I'm the only one for Heya?
"So, head to the training ground now? Loosen up too."
"Wh-What about Hwangbo Sohyup? He knows bimu well."
"Huh? Oh, the young master? Nah, can't show my face after losing yesterday. Gonna keep distance for a bit."
"Yes! Great! Keep it forever while you're at it!"
Yi Hayeon shouted and dashed to the training ground.
The fastest Namgoong Juhee had ever seen her move.