Yeah, It Won't Work
Paeng Gang-hwi ground his teeth.
That sword he'd offered up so confidently—what an utter humiliation this was!
The Yunryonggeom gleamed with a mysteriously dark crimson hue, and his eyes trembled faintly as he stared at it.
'Made by the Iron Blood Manor Lord himself? Using twenty-one geun of Xuan-iron... or whatever ridiculous amount it was?'
Jeong Gwang wasn't the type to spout useless lies. Even a glance at the blade confirmed it was no ordinary weapon—a true masterpiece.
If he had to nitpick...
"...Look at this. The elegant sheen of the sword I offered you. Isn't your blade's dark crimson glow a bit ominous?"
Jeong Gwang said nothing, simply channeling his inner energy.
Whoosh—
A brilliant golden light surged from the Yunryonggeom, and Paeng Gang-hwi's jaw dropped.
'H-how is the sword glowing gold?!'
This wasn't an opponent he could beat by calling it elegant or whatever!
Paeng Gang-hwi raised the white flag.
"I yield. I'll give you something else."
"Like what?"
"Hmm. Money feels off between us..."
"Sounds fine to me."
"...Pardon?"
"How much can you offer?"
Paeng Gang-hwi stared blankly at Jeong Gwang before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! You've gotten better at joking. Hmm. What would be good..."
Jeong Gwang was about to demand cash but decided to wait and see.
Who knew? Something good might come up.
'If not, I'll just take the money.'
Meanwhile, Paeng Gang-hwi was deep in thought.
He couldn't think of anything fitting to give Jeong Gwang.
'The Jade Jade Dragon. Does the main house even have anything worthy of him?'
As one of the Seven Great Clans and a major power in Hebei, the Paeng Clan still found this no simple matter.
'Can't give away family secret arts...'
No, Jeong Gwang was a disciple of Kunlun, one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang. A warrior of unfathomable depths. Even if they could offer it, he wouldn't care.
Weapons were the same issue.
What could you give someone who wielded a divine sword like the Yunryonggeom?
'Damn. The main house feels so small all of a sudden...'
Even if they had something worthy, it was a problem.
Paeng Gang-hwi couldn't decide alone.
With his father, the clan leader, away, he needed the input of the one holding the family's authority.
Fortunately, there was a pretext.
'Father did say to hold onto the Jade Jade Dragon if he ever came to the main house.'
Paeng Gang-hwi made his choice.
"Jade Jade Dragon, wait here a moment. I'll be right back."
"Ah. Could you call me Hyul-ryeon-hu for the time being, instead of that nickname?"
"Oh! So that's your secular name?"
Jeong Gwang was an orphan— he couldn't have some random secular name.
But he couldn't exactly say it was his name from his past life.
Jeong Gwang brushed it off vaguely.
"Something like that."
"Whoa. News to me."
Paeng Gang-hwi repeated "Hyul-ryeon-hu" to himself and rose from his seat.
"I'll be off, then."
"What about your little sister, Young Master Paeng?"
"Ah."
Paeng Gang-hwi placed a hand on Pang Su-bin's body.
He channeled his inner energy, and her eyes fluttered open.
"...Brother?"
"Yeah. You okay, Su-bin?"
Any ordinary girl would have burst into tears, but she was different.
She sat up immediately, crossed her legs, and began circulating her qi to check her condition.
Once she'd assessed herself, she opened her eyes.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Haha. Good to hear."
Paeng Gang-hwi ruffled her hair with a smile, but her attention was elsewhere.
On Jeong Gwang and his group.
'...So he's not the enemy.'
They'd just watched over her and her brother without harm. That confirmed it.
Then another question arose.
"Who are they?"
"Hm? My dear friend Hyul-ryeon and his friends."
Pang Su-bin knew that much.
What she really wondered was...
"They say Hyul-ryeon beat you in a duel alone. Is that true?"
"Haha. It is."
"...!"
Pang Su-bin's eyes widened further.
Paeng Gang-hwi bent down to meet his little sister's gaze.
"What's with that look? Did you think your invincible big brother was unbeatable?"
"...Not that, but..."
A warm yet firm voice flowed from Paeng Gang-hwi's lips.
"I've told you about that Taoist named Jeong Gwang before, right?"
"...Yes."
"What did I say I realized after losing to him?"
"...There's always someone above you..."
"Right. And?"
Pang Su-bin's eyes sparkled.
Not with shock or disappointment this time, but with rock-solid resolve.
"If you lose, just climb higher."
"Exactly."
Paeng Gang-hwi's eyes burned hot as well.
As he straightened up, an aura like Mount Tai emanated from him.
His voice matched it.
"That's why I climbed. And I lost again today, but I'll climb higher still."
"...Brother..."
The siblings locked eyes, brimming with determination.
Jeong Gwang watched with an exasperated expression.
'Righteous faction kids and their flowery bullshit.'
So he cut in.
"Young Master Paeng. Whatever it is, hurry up and give it already?"
"Ah! Just wait a bit."
Paeng Gang-hwi paused as he turned to leave the room.
He glanced at Pang Su-bin and sent her a transmission.
—Hyul-ryeon is an incredible man. It'd be great if you could connect with him too.
Pang Su-bin lacked the skill for transmissions yet.
She couldn't ask what he meant, but she was sharp enough not to need to.
'Make a connection myself, huh.'
For straightforward Paeng Gang-hwi to phrase it that way...
'Means it's really tough—hard to succeed.'
Her eyes gleamed.
The harder the challenge, the more she wanted to conquer it—that was her.
Paeng Gang-hwi knew just how to stoke his sister's competitive fire.
As he left, she turned to Jeong Gwang.
He sat at the table, shaking a liquor bottle.
"Plenty left. Little brother Jao, sit. Let's finish it off."
"Yes, senior brother."
"Understood, Jin... I mean, Young Master Hyul-ryeon."
The three men raised their cups.
Pang Su-bin's brow furrowed as she kept eyeing Jeong Gwang.
She couldn't think of anything to say to that prickly-looking—no, genuinely grumpy—young man.
'Gotta talk properly to build a connection...'
Fortunately, Jeong Gwang spoke first.
He offered her a full cup.
"Want a drink?"
"Senior brother! How can you offer liquor to such a young girl...!"
"I started earlier."
"That's 'cause you're you!"
Baek Seung-mu tried to intervene at Jeong Gwang's outrageous words, but...
Pang Su-bin, trained in swift saber arts, was quicker.
"Thank you!"
She snatched the cup and downed it in one go.
Too young to have drunk before, but desperate to forge that connection, it was a bold move.
Jeong Gwang praised her.
"Bold one, aren't you."
She forced down the cough building in her throat and tried to reply quickly.
But the burning in her throat and stomach forced out something else.
"Hic!"
* * *
Jeong Gwang regretted it a little.
One cup, and Pang Su-bin was drunk—acting her age at last.
'Still pretty mature for her age, though...'
She got chatty.
"What sect are you from?"
"Your speech doesn't sound like you're from the Central Plains. Where are you from?"
"If I may ask... how old are you?"
So many questions.
He answered vaguely.
But hilariously, she nodded eagerly, committing it all to memory.
'Doesn't pry twice on the same thing. Pretty smart kid.'
Even drunk, she knew how to endear herself.
Not forced—naturally.
That must come from her father.
Jeong Gwang thought of the Murim Alliance leader.
'Good job raising his kids. Except the eldest.'
Paeng Gang-hwi, the second son, had been arrogant and hot-tempered due to blocked meridians.
Once cleared, he'd turned confident and straightforward.
With his talent and work ethic, he'd make a fine warrior.
'But this little one's even better.'
No outstanding talents in aptitude, temperament, or will—but nothing lacking either.
If anything, her low tolerance for liquor?
'Wearing clothes that don't fit is a big issue, though.'
That was for the Paeng Clan to handle—not his problem.
But then.
Pang Su-bin got even chattier.
And of all people, she turned to Jao.
"Great hero Jao, what sect are you with?"
"Great hero? Just call me Jao. Hard to say my affiliation, but I'll tell you other stories instead. To keep it brief, I'm..."
Jao's tongue danced like a fish in water.
His eloquence was solid, and the tales suited Pang Su-bin's tastes perfectly.
Stories of the jianghu!
Embellished tales of espionage and ambushes from his experiences—thrilling wonders to a girl who idolized the martial world.
"R-really? Things like that happen?"
"Of course. And that's the toned-down version. The real story is..."
Jeong Gwang considered kicking Jao out but changed his mind.
Couldn't beat up a promising talent he'd been grooming just for talking too much.
Past-life Jeong Gwang might've done worse, but not now.
He took the easy route.
"Hey, Miss Pang."
She snapped out of Jao's endless tales.
"Yes, Young Master Hyul-ryeon."
"Sober now?"
"...Ah!"
She was.
Jao's rapid-fire stories had distracted her enough to burn off the buzz.
Jeong Gwang nodded toward the saber at her waist.
"Draw it."
"...Pardon? Why?"
"Doesn't your saber try to veer off when you use your saber arts?"
"H-how did you know?!"
Stunned, she recalled his words from before she fainted.
'Whoa. Your saber's trying to run off somewhere. Better fix it before it's too late.'
She realized.
It hadn't been empty words.
Her brother's advice came to mind too.
'Forge a connection.'
Pang Su-bin jumped up and drew her saber.
She shifted her weight and moved fluidly to assume the formidable starting stance of the Five Tigers Breaking Door Saber...
"Slash from up to down. Full power."
"...Yes? But we'd need to go outside for that."
"No need. This room's big enough."
Pang Su-bin glanced around with just her eyes.
Fit for the clan leader's second son, but still too cramped for saber forms.
'Gotta do it anyway.'
Pang Su-bin drew qi from her dantian.
Not much, but pure energy swirled through her body into the saber.
Moments later.
She focused and slashed at the air.
Shiiik—
A sharp whoosh echoed through the room!
The blade, aimed at the ceiling, halted just before hitting the floor.
Jeong Gwang nodded and spoke.
"Now left to right. Full power again."
"...Yes."
Pang Su-bin followed faithfully.
Left to right, right to left, diagonal from upper left to lower right, lower right to upper left—countless slashes continued.
Each one powerful.
Jeong Gwang, watching it all, gave a complex command.
"Good. Now do them all in order, one after another."
"...Yes!"
Pang Su-bin figured he was testing her.
'I can do this.'
Many moves, but she remembered them all.
Linking independent forms smoothly was the trick, but her comprehension was no joke.
'Naturally!'
Her saber moved.
The powerful individual strikes flowed seamlessly.
Chained together, the power softened, but the motions gained precision.
Jeong Gwang watched halfway, then muttered calmly.
"Yeah, it won't work."
"...!"
Pang Su-bin's movements froze.
She stared at him, eyes full of questions.
"...What won't work?"
As Jeong Gwang shook his head, her face twisted.
"Miss Pang just doesn't match with martial arts."