Chapter 104: Chun-bong's Return (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: Chun-bong's Return (3)
Seo-jun caught the flying cup with effortless ease.
He felt an incredible surge of excitement. That snappy reaction—this was definitely the Geum Chun-bong he knew.
Words failed him; he had so much he wanted to say that his tongue felt tied. So, instead of speaking, he simply reached out.
Squish, knead—
‘Have these cheeks truly surpassed even the Profound Realm…!’
The ultimate truth of all creation seemed to reside within his palms. As he massaged the soft fat of her cheeks, Seo-jun came to a profound realization.
‘Removing the Fairy Art… was the best decision I ever made.’
He could tell the moment he laid eyes on her. Her body was in perfect balance, yet her cheeks were subtly, exquisitely plump.
By removing the Fairy Art and aligning her cultivation with Chun-bong’s own subconscious desires, he had successfully preserved the sheer volume of those cheeks!
“Oh, my sweet Chun-bong…!”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Seo-jun scooped her up into his arms.
Chun-bong, who had been enduring his touch with a dazed expression, began to flail wildly the moment she was hoisted into the air.
“Hey…! Put me down, you brat…! Cheeks? You see me for the first time in forever and the first thing you talk about is cheek fat? Do you want to die?!”
The men nearby stood with their mouths agape, stunned by the sight of this woman—who had seemed so cold and aloof just moments ago—acting completely out of character.
Regardless of the audience, Seo-jun held her high and started lifting her up and down like a toddler.
“Our little Chun-bu-i is just a baby. She needs lots of hugs.”
“Put me down!”
“Aing.”
“Gyaaaah! You crazy bastard!”
Flop. Chun-bong, who had been struggling with all her might, suddenly went limp. Seizing the perfect opening—relying on his vast mental database of her behavioral patterns—Seo-jun hoisted her onto his shoulders.
It was a bizarre sight: a fully grown woman getting a shoulder ride from a grown man.
However, Chun-bong was already used to this and didn't think much of it, and the surrounding men were so overwhelmed by how natural they made it look that they entirely failed to process the absurdity of the situation.
“Let’s go, Geum Chun-bong!”
Seo-jun paid for the food and walked straight out of the inn.
Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Chang-hwi, and the warriors under their command stared blankly at Seo-jun’s retreating back. Only Jang-geuk, having guessed Chun-bong’s identity, looked on with admiration.
“What… what is that?”
When Pae Jin-gwang finally asked, Seo-jun gave a broad grin.
“The Cutest in the World.”
“What?”
“Our Chun-bong.”
“What the hell are you even talking about?”
“If you don’t know, just memorize it.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Pae Jin-gwang looked at Seo-jun as if he were insane. Seo-jun merely clicked his tongue at the man’s ignorance and proudly showed off Chun-bong on his shoulders.
“Uncle Jang-geuk, look closely. Our Chun-bong is seriously the cutest.”
“My Lord…? Uh, your sister is currently glaring at you like she actually wants to kill you.”
“Our Chun-bong just has naturally fierce eyes.”
“I don’t think that’s it…”
“What do you know about our Chun-bong?!”
At Seo-jun’s bark, Jang-geuk wisely shut his mouth.
The group proceeded toward the Namgung Clan estate. At the very front was Seo-jun, with Chun-bong still perched on his shoulders…
* * *
Chun-bong rode through the streets atop his shoulders. She was more than a little ticked off.
‘This jerk. The moment we meet, it’s cheeks this, cheeks that. All he cares about are my cheeks.’
The reaction Chun-bong had hoped for was a flustered Lee Seo-jun, stunned by how much she had grown. Yet, he didn't seem to care about her matured appearance in the slightest.
She felt a complicated swirl of emotions, and her lips formed a pout.
‘But… is it a relief?’
The anxiety she’d secretly harbored—the fear that his reaction might change because she’d grown up—had vanished without a trace. Fortunately, her "brother" didn't just adore her because she was a child, but simply because she was Geum Chun-bong.
When they arrived at the Namgung Clan, Namgung Jin-cheon was waiting at the main gate.
“You’ve arrived…”
“Family Head!”
Namgung Chang-hwi and his warriors hastily bowed. Jang-geuk did the same.
Pae Jin-gwang, however, looked at him with a whistle of admiration.
“Whoa, look at Namgung Jin-cheon. You’re all grown up, aren’t you? They say a person improves day by day, but I wouldn't have even recognized you.”
“You haven't changed a bit, Senior…”
“You punk, are you insulting me?”
“I had no such intention…”
After a brief greeting with Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Jin-cheon turned his gaze to Seo-jun.
His son-in-law was giving the daughter of the Geum family a shoulder ride. Seeing the two looking like such close siblings caused the corners of Namgung Jin-cheon’s mouth to lift slightly.
“I heard it was dangerous… I was told the Giryeon Sect Leader intervened?”
“Eh, it was nothing. I handled it well enough.”
Jang-geuk let out a hollow laugh at Seo-jun’s nonchalant reply.
“Our Lord says that so easily, even after his head was literally sent flying once.”
“You son of a—!”
Seo-jun spun around in shock, but it was too late. Chun-bong, still on his shoulders, clamped her thighs tightly around his neck.
“…Hey, what? Your head flew off?”
“G-Geum! Wait! I can explain everything!”
“How do you explain that, you son of a bitch?!”
Feeling the murderous intent radiating from Chun-bong, Seo-jun desperately looked at Namgung Jin-cheon. The Family Head’s eyes were also wide with surprise.
“Ahem… It seems we should talk later…”
“Father-in-law…!”
Namgung Jin-cheon subtly averted his gaze.
Chun-bong hopped lightly to the ground, grabbed Seo-jun by the collar, and began dragging him away.
“Come here. We need to talk.”
“Jang-geuk…! I won’t forget this…!”
Watching Seo-jun being dragged away, Jang-geuk let out a hearty laugh.
“Good luck, my Lord.”
“I trusted you…! I trusted youuuuu…!!”
Seo-jun’s voice faded into the distance.
* * *
The moment they entered the room, Chun-bong shoved Seo-jun down.
“Oof…!”
As Seo-jun tumbled onto the floor, Chun-bong climbed on top of him and began frantically patting down his body.
Arms, legs, neck, head. Soon, she was practically tearing his clothes off, inspecting his torso and lower body.
“Kyaaaah…!”
“Will you stay still?!”
“Yes, ma’am…”
As Chun-bong inspected his entire body, her expression turned grim.
There was a scar on his shoulder, looking as if his arm had been severed and reattached. A similar scar marked his neck. On his flank, there were four mysterious scars, looking as if new arms had once sprouted there. There was one on each of his temples as well.
Besides those, there were countless smaller scars, far too many to count.
When Chun-bong glared at him, Seo-jun gave a sheepish smile.
“My, my, our Chun-bong. You’ve certainly gotten heavier.”
Since he was spouting nonsense again, she bounced her weight and slammed her backside down onto his abdomen.
“Gah…! Why is this girl’s tailbone so sharp…!”
“Shut it.”
“Yes.”
Watching her reaction, Seo-jun cautiously reached out and pulled Chun-bong into a hug.
This time, Chun-bong didn't resist. As she settled into his embrace, Seo-jun chuckled.
“You’ve grown a lot. You’re really an adult now, aren’t you?”
“I thought you said I was a baby.”
“That was a joke.”
“…Bullshit.”
“No, really. How did our Chun-bong get so pretty?!”
“…Whatever.”
She snorted, but Seo-jun sat up and placed her down across from him. He stared at her for a moment, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
“It looks like your Severed Meridians are completely healed.”
“…Yeah. I’m fine now.”
“Nothing feels weird?”
“Don’t you think you should be worrying about your own body right now instead of mine?”
“I’m perfectly fine, though?”
Seo-jun spread his arms wide with bravado.
In truth, he wasn't lying. He felt no pain, and all his body parts were functioning normally. He had many scars, but those would disappear soon. More importantly, the largest scars weren't from injuries but were marks left behind from his Demonification.
‘Come to think of it…’
How would Chun-bong react if she saw his Demonification? A literal demon with six arms and horns. Considering that the image of a three-headed, six-armed being appeared whenever he used the Emperor Sword Form, he might eventually turn into a monster with three heads.
As he sat lost in thought, he felt a ticklish sensation on his neck.
“Hehe!”
“Don’t giggle.”
“Yes.”
“…You’re really okay, right?”
Chun-bong let out a deep sigh as she traced the scar on his neck. Her eyes were slightly rimmed with red; she was clearly very worried.
Seo-jun nodded vigorously.
“I’m perfectly fi—”
Bang!
The door slammed open. Namgung Su-ah stood there. Her usually narrow, smiling eyes were wide open, revealing her clear blue irises.
“Oh, my…”
The scene reflected in those blue eyes: a half-naked Seo-jun with Chun-bong leaning against him, intimately touching his neck.
After a moment of hesitation, Namgung Su-ah gave an awkward smile.
“Can I… join in too?”
His sister definitely wasn't normal either.
* * *
“Father told me. Seo-jun, your neck was severed? What does that mean? Father is currently debating whether or not to storm the Giryeon Sect right now.”
“Wait, what? Stop him, quickly!”
The full party had finally gathered after a long time.
After putting his clothes back on, Seo-jun began to recount his adventures, promising to explain everything step by step.
Namgung Su-ah had already heard the earlier parts, but she listened without a hint of boredom, her eyes fixed intently on Seo-jun’s face.
Chun-bong’s reaction became violent when the North Sea Ice Palace was mentioned.
“The North Sea Ice Palace? Their energy was almost identical to the Yin energy inside me?”
“Yeah. But I roughed them up, and it turned out they didn't know anything.”
“Ugh…”
Chun-bong squirmed before her eyes flashed.
“But you, that’s not the important part right now.”
“Then what is?”
“Two against one? Do you think you’re some kind of Transcendent Realm master or something?!”
Slap, slap, slap, slap!
He got smacked repeatedly on the back. The long-awaited "Chun-bong Therapy" made all his fatigue melt away.
“Hey now, I’m telling you, this big brother of yours totally crushed them.”
“I! Told! You! Not! To! Do! Dangerous! Things! How! Many! Times!”
He kept getting hit.
He didn't bother mentioning the Demonification. He wasn't exactly trying to hide it, but he didn't feel the need to bring it up either.
Afterward, Chun-bong wore a complicated expression when she heard he’d learned the Emperor Sword Form, and a look of pure rage when she heard about the fight with the Giryeon Sect Leader.
“The Giryeon Sect Leader? Where is that son of a bitch?!”
Chun-bong stomped her feet, then glared at Seo-jun with a look of pure indignation.
“And Lee Seo-jun! You brat! Why haven't you been practicing the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword?!”
“What?”
“If you had focused on the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword, you could have taken that guy’s head yourself!”
“I mean, I don’t think it’s quite at that level.”
That Giryeon Sect Leader was seriously strong. Honestly, Seo-jun felt he was only alive because the Sect Leader had held back.
“Anyway…!”
Patter, patter!
After drumming her fists against Seo-jun’s forearm, Chun-bong squeezed herself into his arms. Her body had grown, but she still acted like a child.
“There, there, our Chun-bong.”
Seo-jun rested his chin on top of Chun-bong’s head and looked at Namgung Su-ah.
“Noona, what have you been thinking about so hard this whole time?”
“Hmm? Oh. Since such a big event happened, we have to collect everything we can from the Murim Alliance. And the sects that didn't come even after receiving a request for support… yes. Various things.”
Hehe.
Namgung Su-ah’s faint smile felt somewhat chilling. Seo-jun laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, it looks like everyone has grown quite a bit. Shouldn't we do a check-up?”
He had prepared for this moment.
The so-called ‘Fundamentals of the Super Peak (Not) – How to Break Through the Life-Death Barrier.’
He couldn't just snap his fingers and make them Super Peak masters, but he could make the path a little easier. However, if someone unqualified recklessly stepped into the Super Peak Realm, the balance of their Essence, Qi, and Spirit would collapse, leading to self-destruction.
Since it was dangerous, he couldn't teach them unless they met the criteria.
But if they did?
“I shall escort you safely to the Super Peak Realm.”
This was a martial art he had been conceptualizing ever since Chun-bong entered her secluded training. The Life-Death Barrier was a hurdle that even warriors capable of reaching the Super Peak could lose their lives to if they were unlucky.
He had developed a method to break through it without much difficulty.
Probably. Theoretically, at least.