Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: What's Your Name? ♬
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“Hey, why are you crying?”
I was so flustered by the sudden tears that my grip on his collar loosened on its own.
We were standing smack in the middle of a busy street, blocking the way, and more and more people were shooting us sidelong glances. I hurriedly grabbed Namgung Seheon’s wrist and dragged him over to lean against the wall.
I propped him up against the wall and fussed over him, and Namgung Seheon looked up at me with eyes brimming with tears, asking in a trembling voice.
“Was life in the mountains that tough?”
“Huh?”
He reached out both hands, and I obediently bent down at the waist. Namgung Seheon cupped my cheeks in his palms.
“Why... why’d you end up like this...”
The pitying tone in his voice made me want to punch him so bad. Boundless mercy, boundless mercy!
Namgung Seheon kneaded my cheeks roughly as he sniffled.
“How rough must it have been for your personality and face to change this much...”
I couldn’t hold back and smacked him on the head.
He clutched the spot with his hand and glared at me with teary eyes, yelping.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me!”
“Don’t confuse your warped memories with who I am, okay? I haven’t changed a bit in the last four years, except for getting taller.”
I met his disbelieving gaze and smirked.
“If you don’t believe me, go ask your dad.”
His stare bored into my face like he was trying to drill a hole through it. I scowled and slumped against the adjacent wall.
“Why are you staring like that? Still don’t believe me?”
“Just... I’m glad I didn’t take you back to Anhui back then.”
“Why? Because I’m not the pretty, kind, fragile, sweet kid from your memories, and you think you’d have regretted it?”
“That’s part of it, yeah...”
He wasn’t denying it. Damn him.
“You said it yourself back then. That being an orphan isn’t a problem at Mount Hua, but if you took me with you, it would be.”
“I did. And you didn’t get it.”
“I didn’t understand back then, but now I kinda do.”
Oh, so in four years, he’d grown not just taller and more clueless, but his reading comprehension had improved too.
“I’ve got playmates back home. Mostly collateral relatives or kids from allied families, but even when we played, they were always super careful around me.”
Namgung Seheon launched into an unrelated tangent.
His gaze grew distant as he stared into space.
“There was this one time I sparred pretty intensely with a guy... He got hurt worse than me, but just because I had a scratch on my face, his parents forced him to apologize to me.”
Wow, I felt indignant just hearing it.
Remembering how the Namgung family head had marched straight to the Mount Hua Sect Leader over his own son coming home with a few bruises? Yeah, totally plausible.
“After that, they all made a point to lose on purpose. Of course, none of them were good enough to beat me anyway.”
Namgung Seheon snorted, but a hint of bitterness seeped through that he couldn’t hide. He used to complain they were annoying.
Like me, he drew up his knees and buried his face in them.
Then, without lifting his head, he snuck a glance my way.
“If you’d come to the Namgung family, you would’ve ended up just like them.”
I shrugged at his gruff tone.
At least they had parents. I had none, so it would’ve been even worse. And besides,
“Staying at Mount Hua was my choice, you know? You kept wanting to take me, but what exactly do you even remember right?”
“No.”
He snapped his head up at my grumbling and shot back immediately.
“I let you go. I ignored your so-called choice and could’ve taken you by force.”
Namgung Seheon looked me straight in the eye and smirked arrogantly, curling up one corner of his mouth.
Yeah, he was just as arrogant back then. What a punk.
I mirrored him with a wicked grin of my own.
“Hey, young master. I get that you’ve lived in a world where you can have anything you want...”
I snatched a leaf teetering precariously on a branch out of the air.
I pretended to offer it to Namgung Seheon, but when he reached for it, I yanked it away teasingly.
“But there are things in this world even your tantrums can’t get you.”
The shredded remnants of the leaf fluttered down from my hand.
I propped my chin crookedly on my raised knee and shot a sidelong glance at Namgung Seheon, who looked a bit pissed.
“Even back then, I was a child of Mount Hua, raised by Mount Hua. You think Mount Hua would’ve just handed me over to some four-year-old brat’s stubborn whims?”
Back then, the Supreme Sect Leader who doted on me was still in charge as Sect Leader.
Four years ago, I’d called myself an orphan with no ties to him. But aside from that brief time abandoned in front of Mount Hua, I’d never once been a rootless orphan.
My family had always been Mount Hua Sect, then and now.
“And even if you threw a fit now, no way in hell would they let you take me. I’m an official Mount Hua disciple with the plum blossom insignia now! Five petals, even! Ahaha!”
I pointed at the embroidered plum blossom on my uniform’s chest and laughed mockingly.
Namgung Seheon glanced at it with a deflated expression and asked flatly.
“What’s so special about five petals? You’re awfully proud of it.”
“Of course! Only Core Disciples get five petals. Outer Disciples and Secular Disciples only get four.”
He shook his head at my proud explanation, brimming with self-importance.
“Childish...”
“What’d you say? It’s less childish than your direct vs. collateral nonsense. Here, it’s nine parts skill, not birth lottery.”
“Shut up! Five petals is more childish!”
“Yeah, next bloodline flex. Can’t argue with that, huh?”
The peaceful vibe we’d had moments ago turned into a powder keg of ‘Sect vs. Clan’ tension.
We glared at each other, growling, and grabbed each other’s collars at the same time when—thwack! A sharp knuckle-rap hit our heads in succession.
“Ow!”
“Ow, who was that?!”
Namgung Seheon and I yelped in unison, annoyed.
We rubbed the sore spots, eyes watering, and glared up at the shadowy figure above.
“Hey, kids. Didn’t you get called to the Sect Leader after your little brawl? Gonna fight again already?”
A familiar face grinned down at us playfully. Damn it all. Of all people, my defeat had reached this guy’s ears too.
Fine, before Namgung Seheon could tease me, maybe I’d just bash my head against the wall.
“Back when you were younger, you two even used to kis— ngh...”
“Uwaaaah! I can’t hear youuu!”
I bellowed to desperately drown out Uiseong’s words.
It was a contact accident, an accident! Not a kiss!
“Uhahahaha! Look at your faces!”
“Give me the right to be forgotten! Don’t dig up my dark history!”
I jumped up and down, frantically trying to cover Uiseong’s mouth, while he cackled and pinned my head down. Namgung Seheon watched us alternate and muttered.
“...You talk alike.”
“What?”
My eyes went wide in shock.
Me? Talking like this jerk? Using that snarky tone?
Mouth agape, I creakily turned to glare at Uiseong, who had frozen with a shocked look as he stared down at me.
“...So that’s where the brat picked up his thug speech patterns from. Me?”
Talk about mirror therapy, cautionary tale, growth route.
Uihyeon warning me I was turning into Uiseong wasn’t just about slacking off—it included the speech too.
Uiseong snapped out of his shock, scratched his head vigorously, and extended a hand to me.
“Let’s go grab dinner, kid. Too many guests around—get there late, and there won’t be any food left. You too, Namgung family kid—hurry to Ox Pavilion for your meal.”
“He’s got no sense of direction, so you’ll have to walk him there.”
I pointed at Namgung Seheon, whose ears turned beet red as he yelled.
“I’m not lost!”
“He says he’s not, so let him go alone.”
Namgung Seheon’s face twisted into a ‘Wait, that’s not right?’ at Uiseong’s nonchalant words.
I sidled toward Uiseong, and now he shot me pleading ‘You’re really gonna leave me?’ eyes.
Still, ditching him empty-handed felt a tad harsh...
“Shout ‘Mount Hua’s sword is the strongest’ three times, and I’ll walk you there.”
I grinned, and Namgung Seheon plastered on a crooked smirk.
“Hey, you think I will?”
“FYI, the way to Ox Pavilion from here is kinda complicated. If you don’t wanna, figure it out yourself or grab any Mount Hua disciple to guide you. Uncle, let’s go eat.”
I tugged Uiseong’s hand, and Namgung Seheon squeezed his eyes shut, shouting.
“Mount Hua’s sword is the strongest! Mount Hua’s sword is the strongest! Mount Hua’s sword is the strongest! Happy now?!”
His face flushed crimson, Uiseong turned away fighting back laughter. I couldn’t help but crack up at the sight.
Namgung Seheon shook my collar to make me stop laughing, then growled once I’d calmed down.
“You gotta come to the Namgung family someday.”
“Why? To make you yell ‘Namgung’s sword is the strongest’? Sorry, but I’m not directionally challenged like some people.”
I wiped the tears from laughing so hard and swatted his hand off my collar.
He let go grudgingly and grumbled.
“Not ’cause I can’t find my way. I said it ’cause I felt bad for trash-talking you.”
“Wow, really.”
I picked at my ear and replied indifferently, and he fussed at me to put more effort into it.
That’s when someone blocked the path of the three of us heading to Ox Pavilion.
The burly, muscle-bound giant towered a full head over Uiseong, who was pretty tall himself.
“Found you at last.”
I recognized the rough-looking face wiping sweat from his brow. How could I forget the romance-fantasy meathead brother—the wuxia version of a doting brocon—who’d glared at innocent me just yesterday?
Pang Haran’s older brother looked down at me and asked in a serious tone.
“What’s your name?”