Chapter 84
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: ‘Are We Friends?’ Is a Question That Only Comes Up If There’s No Problem on the Friendship Frontline
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The Wudang Sect's senior martial brother flinched, his eyebrow twitching after getting cursed at right in his face before even a proper greeting.
"What the hell are you punks?"
"Are your ears blocked or something? Scammers lol—mmph!"
"Hahaha, sorry about that. This guy's mouth is a bit too loose..."
Bihwan hurriedly clamped Bihun's mouth shut and tried to smooth things over with a laugh.
"Yeah, Bihun. There are senior brothers here older than you, so you can't be throwing around words like 'punks.'"
But my words turned that attempt at damage control into a complete flop.
"And what you just said rubs me the wrong way too? Should I keep 'scammers lol' in there?"
"Ask the guy next to you. Why we're acting like this."
"Baek Yun, what the hell did you do this time?"
Shrug. As the Wudang Sect senior martial brother's gaze swept toward me, Baek Yun shrugged his shoulders.
"Beats me. I have no idea, senior brother. Maybe they took my half-hearted spar, where I held back just enough not to make it obvious I was acting, as a real fight? Sucks that the skill gap was that wide."
"Hey."
A voice chilled to the bone called out to Baek Yun. The one who'd called—Biryung—stepped forward, gripping her sword hilt like she was about to draw it any second. Veins bulged on her pale hand clenched around it.
"Let's have it out right here. Try beating me. If you win, I'll admit I was wrong."
Biryung's sword-sharp blue eyes flashed murderously. She snarled at Baek Yun, who was pretending not to notice.
"Come on."
The standoff between the two was downright deadly. Realizing this was no joke, the Wudang Sect senior martial brother grabbed the back of Baek Yun's head and forced it down. Then he bowed his own head in proxy apology.
It was pitiful seeing the senior suffering because of his rotten juniors.
"Sorry. I'll apologize on his behalf. Don't take his reckless actions the wrong way. Any others you went all out against?"
At that question, Baek Geon and my eyes met. Two pairs of eyes sharing the same secret.
I let out a small chuckle, and Baek Geon's eyes curved mischievously as he snickered softly.
Baek Yun, spotting where my gaze had gone, clicked his tongue and sniped at Baek Geon.
"You just can't stop grinning whenever you see that thug punk?"
"Apologize to Biyeon for calling him a thug and shut your mouth, senior brother."
As Baek Yun fumed like he wanted to tell him to get out of Wudang and fuck off to Mount Hua if he was gonna keep it up, I picked up a stone from underfoot.
Baek Yun flinched and stepped back, like he thought I might smash it into my own head.
I snorted once, turned around, and flung the stone I'd been holding toward the tree behind me.
"There's a rat."
The stone thudded into a thick branch. Rustling followed, and then a familiar face poked out from between the leaves. Namgung Seheon, clinging tightly to the shaking branch with both hands, fumed.
"Hey! Isn't that a bit harsh? A rat?!"
"Got it, hoe spawn."
"...Yeah, better than rat spawn."
He grudgingly accepted the upgraded animal classification.
I looked up at Namgung Seheon, still dangling from the shaking branch.
"How much did you see? And why are you lurking around like a hoe spawn eavesdropping on other people's conversations?"
"Caught the full show starting from when you locked eyes with that guy and smiled?"
His gaze, staring straight down at Baek Geon, held some inexplicable irritation.
"What the hell is that to you? That."
Ignoring my scolding, he dug in his ear openly, so I sighed loud enough for him to hear and apologized to Baek Geon on his behalf. A glance showed Namgung Seheon's face even more crumpled.
"And the reason I came..."
Deploying his lightness skill, Namgung Seheon slid down the trunk and landed lightly on the ground, striding straight toward me.
"I'm curious, duh. A standoff between the two great sword sects vying for the title of world's best sword school."
He bent at the waist, shoving his face right in mine, grinning through gritted teeth as he looked down at me. Our height difference, which had been similar last time we met, had clearly widened.
"That's what I really wanna know—why you blew off a friend. You. Haven't. Seen. In. Ages without so much as a hello."
I stared blankly at the guy emphasizing "friend" before tossing out a line.
"Isn't meeting once every three years not that long ago?"
Last time was three years back at the Murim Alliance conference, when I'd acknowledged him as a friend. At that, the sulky expression twisted into one of utter disbelief.
"What the hell is wrong with your sense of time? Were you holed up in some time-space chamber for closed-door training?"
"Has to be about five years to count as 'ages.' And we've been exchanging letters the whole time."
"Hey, you think letters are the same as seeing each other's faces?"
"So, what're you popping out for all sudden-like? Wanna go a round?"
"Me popping out? You threw a rock and made me pop out! And every time you see my face, that's all you think—wanna fight?"
"Hah, fine, then let's go all out and I'll let you lose once. Then I bet your face won't spark a single thought for the rest of my life."
"You're on. I'll beat you for life."
"Cut the bullshit. Last time was a draw too. With your 1 win, 0 losses, 2 draws record, why you acting like you've been winning nonstop?"
I was in the thick of bickering with Namgung Seheon when snippets of conversation drifted over from behind—the Wudang Sect senior martial brother and Bihwan.
"Aren't you the youngest by age? He does look pretty young up close."
"He's got the title of senior disciple, but the kid doesn't need to force himself to act grown-up early, right? Haha."
"Sigh. As senior martial brother, having good juniors under you is a blessing, a real blessing."
Muttering like a lament as he kneaded Baek Yun's head, the Wudang Sect senior martial brother dragged him along and turned to leave.
"Then we'll head out first."
His group followed, the Wudang white-robed disciples filing out one by one.
"See you later, Biyeon."
"Yeah."
I paused the argument to turn to Baek Geon and wave goodbye. He smiled, eyes crinkling like a crescent moon, and raised his hand slightly in return.
"What the hell's that? Acting all buddy-buddy?"
Namgung Seheon, standing in front of me, glared at Baek Geon with irritated eyes and said it loud enough to hear.
Anyone would think Baek Geon had borrowed money from Namgung Seheon and stiffed him.
But Baek Geon showed the leisure of an elder, smoothly brushing off the bratty provocation from Namgung Seheon with a grin before going on his way.
Crunch. The sound of teeth grinding rang out clearly.
"Keep that up and you'll chip a tooth."
"Is my teeth the issue right now? You close with that guy?"
I'd given him some well-meaning advice for his dental health, but Namgung Seheon's focus was solely on my friendship with Baek Geon.
"More than close. He's the senior disciple's 'that person'—wait, why does this punk look so familiar and annoying?"
Biwon, who had sidled up grinning and mimicking his "that person" bit, paused upon seeing Namgung Seheon's face, then scrutinized him closely.
Finally realizing the source of that familiarity, Biwon pointed and yelled.
"That's where I knew him from! It's that bastard who totally dissed Mount Hua's swordsmanship!"
But Namgung Seheon ignored him completely, staring only at me as he grilled me about my relationship with Baek Geon.
"And who's 'that person'? What the hell are you two?"
"You know, friends who exchange pointers every four years...?"
My half-hearted reply only deepened the furrow between Namgung Seheon's brows.
"Same friend status, but you lock eyes and smile at him, while with me you're all bored or scowling? Are we even friends?"
A line that would never come up if there were no issues on the friendship front slipped from Namgung Seheon's mouth.
Did this guy think you had to treat all friends exactly the same? What a ridiculously strict standard for friendship. Annoying—maybe I should just say we're not friends and cut ties.
"He dissed Mount Hua's sword like it was nothing, and you expect me to smile at that mug? Senior disciple, pick your friends more carefully!"
I was seriously mulling cutting ties when Biwon helpfully poured oil on the fire.
I made a slightly tempted face, and Namgung Seheon whipped around to glare at Biwon, growling low.
"Pointing fingers since earlier, dredging up old shit, now meddling in friendships. Who the hell are you?"
His already sharp eyes narrowed further, a chilling gaze stabbing at Biwon.
But Biwon, who'd rolled around in the brutal Selection Hell and the cutthroat rankings among Mount Hua's Bi disciples for a full nine years, didn't blink at the intimidating glare from some pampered clan young master.
"What else? I'm martial brothers with your friend. Friendships end with a breakup, but martial brotherhood lasts till death."
"Bullshit. If you or he get excommunicated, that brotherhood ends too."
...Fair point.
But Biwon flipped out like, what kind of rude asshole is this?, drawing his sword and jumping around. His martial brothers rushed in to grab his arms and waist, holding him back. I watched the spectacle impassively before turning to Namgung Seheon with one piece of advice to defuse the situation.
"You've seriously pissed him off. Try saying 'Mount Hua's sword is the strongest' in front of him again."
"Hah, I bent over backwards that much, and the guy's at fault for not hearing it."
He smirked crookedly and shrugged at my words. Gut feeling said this punk would never bend in front of Biwon, so I gestured for someone to hurry up and drag him away.
Of course, it was Biwon who got dragged off, leaving just me and Namgung Seheon alone in the corner behind the rear garden.
Namgung Seheon crossed his arms, looking down at me with a sulky glare like something was eating at him, then blurted out.
"Hey, smile at me too."