Training...? (3)
“That’s… well, I actually had a plan. My uncle is the leader of the White Tiger Unit at the Murim Alliance. I was going to get a recommendation token from him and head to the Yongbong Tournament.”
Hong Yeonhwa and I just stared at each other in silence.
…The White Tiger Unit leader’s recommendation token? Isn’t that the one we have?
I’d ended up taking down Cheok An Geum Gwi myself, but originally, hunting him was one of the Murim Alliance’s ongoing tasks. Paeng Cheoljin, the White Tiger leader who arrived late to the party, must’ve liked that we’d handled his job for him—on top of the regular reward, he’d gifted us that token.
“Oh, that one…”
“Ahem!”
The moment I started to spill the truth, Hong Yeonhwa pinched the back of my hand under the table to shut me up. She cleared her throat and jumped in to dissuade Paeng Soso.
“That might not be the best idea. Didn’t you say you wanted to leave your clan and make a name for yourself on your own merits? If you borrow your uncle’s influence, even winning the Yongbong Tournament would bring glory to the clan, not you personally-ni-ra.”
Paeng Soso’s eyes widened as she nodded at Hong Yeonhwa’s words.
“Thank you for thinking it through so seriously. Truth is…I just came from seeing my uncle, and he said he’d already given the token to someone else a few days ago.”
“Ah, uh…”
Paeng Soso sipped her tea with a dejected pout, a stark contrast to Hong Yeonhwa’s flustered flailing.
“W-well, it can’t be helped, right? It wasn’t a prior promise, and blaming your uncle feels a bit off-target, don’t you think-ni-ra? That’s this lady’s take. Hm!”
Hong Yeonhwa flapped her free hand around, now defending Paeng Cheoljin instead. Was it just that cute? Paeng Soso giggled softly and nodded along.
“You’re right, benefactress. I was a little shocked at first, but I’m not blaming my uncle for it. What hurt was…what came after.”
“Phew… Ah, what came after? What happened-ni-ra?”
Relief dripped from Hong Yeonhwa’s voice.
…Is this really something worth hiding that badly?
I was puzzled for a second, but thinking it over, Hong Yeonhwa actually seemed to like Paeng Soso quite a bit. I had no idea why. Sure, no matter how you slice it, you don’t go around hyping someone up like that without reason. If that’s what she wanted, she could’ve just flexed her skills on some common folk.
Something about Paeng Soso must’ve clicked with her that I didn’t know. Anyway, Hong Yeonhwa wasn’t the type to fret over getting hated for this—she was probably just worried Paeng Soso might get hurt.
I tried putting myself in Paeng Soso’s shoes for a moment. Logically, you know it’s out of anyone’s control, but seeing the token right in front of your eyes… Yeah. That stings.
I nodded inwardly, and Paeng Soso continued.
“My uncle…he’s the guy who joined the Murim Alliance to escape the clan pressures, just like me. He’s climbed all the way to unit leader, so he’s basically independent. I figured he’d understand my situation and help out…”
Instead of help, he’d told her to pick one: get tied up and dragged home, or walk back on her own two feet.
“Isn’t that too much? I never expected my uncle—who’s been through the same thing—to say the exact same stuff as my dad. Telling me I’m not cut out for the martial world and I’d be happier living normally…”
Paeng Soso pouted, sticking out her lower lip.
“You can’t know unless you try, right? And I love martial arts. Swinging a saber is when I’m happiest… Um. Yeah. Swinging a saber makes me the happiest.”
Her face flushed mid-sentence as she glanced my way, stumbling over her words. That was one heck of a loaded look.
Hangover… right? Must be.
Maybe it was because I’d only seen her starving and broke, or getting into scrapes. I knew she was a peak expert stronger than me, but she still made me uneasy somehow. Maybe that’s why Paengga’s head and Paeng Cheoljin thought she wasn’t suited for the martial world?
Hong Yeonhwa seemed to think the same; her expression turned serious as she spoke up after hearing the story.
“This lady understands your situation-ni-ra. So, what’s your plan from here?”
“…Even without my uncle’s token or travel funds, my goal hasn’t changed. I’ll go to the Yongbong Tournament, make a name for myself, and earn my father’s recognition.”
“Your resolve is admirable. But do you have a concrete plan? Don’t forget—your current struggles stem from letting your body move before your head-ni-ra.”
“Well…”
Paeng Soso’s face fell as she aimlessly scratched at the table.
No way she hadn’t thought of anything, right?
Come to think of it, the Hebei Paeng Family was famous for their saber skills and innate divine strength, but also for their short-sightedness. More precisely, for acting before thinking. Paeng Soso seemed to have that trait dialed up even higher.
She was dead set on proving herself at the Yongbong Tournament but hadn’t planned how to get there. Bizarrely, every direct descendant—even collaterals aside—shared that exact quirk without exception. Physical changes from martial arts were common, but something genetically inherited like this… Maybe Paengga’s arts messed with their genes or something.
Anyway, Paeng Soso grunted like she was pondering a solution right then, then slapped her thigh with an Aha! and spoke up.
“Instead of going alone, I can tag along with a merchant caravan as an escort, right? I’m peak realm—I won’t get mistreated anywhere!”
No getting lost, and she’d even earn some coin. Paeng Soso beamed at the idea. It was pathetic she’d only thought of it now, but it was solid. As long as she didn’t get backstabbed by some shady caravan boss or run into bandits who recognized her like last time, she’d make it fine.
But there was an even better option.
Thud! I pulled the recommendation token from my bosom and set it on the table.
“This is…”
“Ahh!”
Paeng Soso’s eyes went wide, while Hong Yeonhwa yelped in shock and frantically tried to cover it with her sleeve.
“No-ni-ra! This is… well… anyway, no-ni-ra!”
With my arm stretched out, Hong Yeonhwa ended up plopping her chest right on the table as she yanked the sleeve to snatch it back. She shoved it under the table to me, then furrowed her brows.
I could practically hear her thoughts without her saying it.
Why show the token on purpose?! I handled it somehow, so play along with this lady’s rhythm!
??? Handled it my foot?
Paeng Soso wasn’t an idiot, just impulsive. She was nodding now, finally piecing it together upon seeing we had it. But Hong Yeonhwa—dead serious—kept poking my side with the token, giving me the eye.
No choice. I took it from her once more and placed it back on the table. With the “White Tiger” characters front and center.
“Kwaaang!”
Hong Yeonhwa let out a scream like she’d been poisoned by the unique toxin on a male platypus’s claw. She glared at my hand like she wanted to bite it, so I quickly wrapped my arm around her shoulders and turned her away.
Shoulder-to-shoulder, back turned to Paeng Soso. In that position, I gently tickled under Hong Yeonhwa’s chin as she kept growling. Each flick of my fingers visibly softened her gaze.
Adorable.
“You just said you’re over not getting the White Tiger token. And I’ve got my reasons too.”
“What… hmng… reasons did you have for that-nyaang…?”
I could feel a thin veil of qi spreading around Hong Yeonhwa like a membrane. A sound barrier? Perfect—we could talk freely without Paeng Soso hearing.
“Think about it. What’s our ultimate goal?”
“Well… ahng… returning to the murim this lady came from… eung… right-nyang?”
“Exactly. That’s why we planned to get help from the Mosan Sect, experts in spells. The Yongbong Tournament is just a stepping stone to connect with them.”
Showing up at Mosanpa out of the blue demanding dimensional magic? No way they’d bite. But if you meet their sect leader with the Murim Alliance leader’s recommendation and make the request then? They’d at least consider it for the Alliance leader’s face.
That’s why we aimed to use the winner’s privilege of requesting one favor from the Alliance leader to build that bridge…
“We don’t need the Alliance leader specifically, right? Any renowned murim figure Mosanpa can’t ignore would do.”
“Gorong… you mean the head of the Hebei Paeng Family-nyang…”
I stroked Hong Yeonhwa’s head as she purred approvingly. Spot on.
“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, he dotes on Paeng Soso hardcore. A guy like that won’t easily turn down the guy who saved her from bandits and looked after her runaway ass this whole time.”
“Excellent. This lady was a bit worried about that girl anyway, so no reason to object-ni-ra.”
That settled it with Hong Yeonhwa. Was she rubbing her chin on my shoulder because my hand stopped petting? …A cat?
I wanted to plop her in my lap and stroke her all day, but we weren’t in a private room—and Paeng Soso was right behind us. I gave her wiggling nose a light kiss and turned back around.
“……”
“……”
Our eyes met Paeng Soso’s, who’d been staring at us with sparkling fascination.
Did she… hear everything? Nah, impossible. Then she must’ve seen it. Even from behind, she could tell we were getting cozy.
That gleaming stare made me uncomfortable, so I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“Ahem! As you can see, we have the recommendation token from White Tiger Unit Leader Paeng Cheoljin. Which means… our destination is the Yongbong Tournament too.”
“R… right?”
Her dazed look screamed, Did you really need to say that again? She hadn’t caught on yet.
“Since we’re headed the same way, how about traveling together, Lady Paeng? If you’re okay with it.”
“Y-yes?!?!”
Paeng Soso’s eyes darted side to side in panic, her voice tiny like ants marching.
“B-but I’m broke right now? And I’m still a runaway, so no clan perks or anything…”
“We’ll cover all expenses, so don’t worry. In return, would you spar with my husband when you have time-ni-ra?”
Hong Yeonhwa cut in before I could respond—with something we’d never discussed.
“Hold up. What’s that about all of a sudden?”
“What else? Even if this lady trains you perfectly, there are limits to me handling you solo-ni-ra. And do you think chances to spar with a peak expert come cheap as ‘just meals’?”
…Fair points. No matter how creatively Hong Yeonhwa pushed me, it was still just getting used to her—not actual growth. And peak-level sparring sessions weren’t exactly commonplace.
All true, so I nodded blankly. Hong Yeonhwa smiled smugly and pressed Paeng Soso for an answer.
“So, what’ll it be? Not every day—just occasionally when there’s time. That’s plenty-ni-ra.”
“Uh… please take care of me?”
One more travel companion.