Chapter 152: Sibling Showdown (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Sibling Showdown (1)
Two days later, Eun Wi-ryong visited the villa.
Standing before Seo-jun, he abruptly offered a fist-and-palm salute and bowed his head.
"I apologize for my behavior the other day."
"Oh, what’s this? Have you had a change of heart?"
His expression suggested otherwise—he still looked like death warmed over. It seemed his Inner Demon was as persistent as ever.
Sure enough, Eun Wi-ryong shook his head.
"No. My thoughts haven't changed. Reaching the ultimate pinnacle is something only those destined for it can achieve."
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh.
"Then why the apology?"
"Regardless of my beliefs, rudeness is still rudeness."
Eun Wi-ryong said this and looked up at the sky.
It was high noon, the sun hanging directly overhead.
Squinting against the glare, he asked, "...Do you truly believe it can be reached?"
"You won't know until you try. How are you supposed to know if you're one of the 'destined' ones or not without trying?"
"That is... true, I suppose."
He let out a deep sigh and glanced around.
"Where is Young Hero Namgung?"
"Why are you looking for Myeong-i?"
"I should apologize to him as well. I was quite disrespectful to someone I had barely met."
"You're surprisingly well-mannered, aren't you?"
"I would appreciate it if you viewed it that way."
Seo-jun chuckled and pointed into the distance.
"Myeong-i went to meet his lady."
"His lady...?"
"You know, Hwangbo Hye-ji."
"...Oh, dear."
Eun Wi-ryong squeezed his eyes shut and let out another long sigh.
"What? Do you two not get along?"
"Not particularly. Our personalities clash quite a bit."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Eun Wi-ryong offered another salute.
"Then, I shall take my leave."
"Why? Stay a bit longer."
"No. I should do this while I’ve made up my mind."
"Suit yourself, then."
Seo-jun waved him off.
After Eun Wi-ryong left, Chun-bong, who had been playing a short distance away, trotted over.
"What was that about? What did he say?"
"Nothing much. Aren't you going out to play with your friends?"
"Forget it. We just greet each other when we cross paths, that's all."
Surprisingly, Chun-bong had made a few friends at the banquet.
It wasn't that her personality drove people away; her circumstances simply hadn't allowed her to make any until now.
"Our little Chun-bu-i isn't ditching her friends just to hang out with her big brother, is she?"
"If you know that, you'd better be nice to me."
"What...!"
My filial daughter, Chun-bong...
Seo-jun felt a mock tear well up in his eye.
* * *
Eun Wi-ryong left the Namgung Clan’s villa and headed straight for the Hwangbo Clan’s estate.
He had fully intended to knock on their door to find Namgung Myeong, but as fate would have it, he ran into Namgung Myeong and Hwangbo Hye-ji on the way.
"Eun Wi-ryong..."
Hwangbo Hye-ji furrowed her brows.
Ignoring her, Eun Wi-ryong offered a fist-and-palm salute to Namgung Myeong.
"I was disrespectful the other day. I apologize for ruining the banquet."
"It is fine. More importantly..."
"I have something to say to Young Lady Hwangbo separately. If I may, do you have a moment?"
Eun Wi-ryong gestured toward Hwangbo Hye-ji. She scowled at the request, but Namgung Myeong nodded readily.
"I will wait here."
"Young Hero Namgung... will you be alright?"
"Of course. I'll just look around the area, so please, take your time."
"Thank you..."
Hwangbo Hye-ji bowed her head, her cheeks flushing slightly. Then, she whipped around, shooting a sharp glare at Eun Wi-ryong.
"So, what is it?"
Instead of answering, Eun Wi-ryong simply jerked his chin toward a quieter spot.
Though she looked thoroughly annoyed, Hwangbo Hye-ji followed him into a secluded alleyway.
Once they were out of earshot, Eun Wi-ryong spoke up.
"My words were excessive the other day."
"At least you realize that much."
"However, my thoughts remain unchanged."
"So you're going to continue wasting your life away like that?"
"I don't know. As long as I am part of the Diancang Sect, it will be difficult to give up martial arts entirely, but..."
Hwangbo Hye-ji snorted.
"Spoken like someone who already has everything."
"Perhaps."
"...What is this? You're acting like you've gained some grand enlightenment in just a few days. It's annoying."
"Enlightenment? Hardly. I'm still as lost as ever."
"I can see that."
Eun Wi-ryong closed his eyes and sighed.
"This might be overstepping, but I have one piece of advice."
Hwangbo Hye-ji tilted her head, silently telling him to go ahead.
"Do not seek your own purpose through your mother."
"...That is indeed overstepping."
"I told you it would be."
Hwangbo Hye-ji let out a sigh of her own.
"Young Hero, do you consider yourself unhappy?"
"I wouldn't say that."
"That's a relief. If a Rising Star of the Sixteen Major Sects said such a thing, it really would just be the whining of a spoiled child."
"That's not it," Eun Wi-ryong continued. "Just as one doesn't find happiness by comparing themselves to others, there is no need to compare unhappiness either. If I am struggling, then I am struggling. If my heart feels that way, wouldn't it be ridiculous to deny it?"
That, too, is the Dao.
Eun Wi-ryong swallowed the last sentence.
He felt that speaking of the Dao himself would be foolish; it would be nothing more than mimicking his master's habit.
"...Acting like you've become some sort of Daoist."
"I hate to break it to you, but I am a Daoist. I am of the Diancang Sect."
"Be quiet."
Hwangbo Hye-ji glared at him.
"So, is that all you have to say?"
"Yes. I just wanted to say my piece and feel a bit lighter."
"Good grief."
Hwangbo Hye-ji lamented, but Eun Wi-ryong felt a sense of relief.
Nothing had fundamentally changed, but at the very least, he had stopped things from getting worse.
Brooding alone and taking his frustrations out on those around him was nothing but sheer foolishness.
He supposed he was at least wise enough to recognize his own stupidity.
He had hoped that wisdom might lead him a bit further, but unfortunately, this seemed to be his limit.
In the end, nothing has changed.
His worries remained worries.
* * *
Seo-jun spent his four days of free time quite productively.
He shared drinks with Un-baek of the Mount Hua Sect and finished the sightseeing in Henan that he had missed out on before.
And so, the final day of the break arrived.
Seo-jun sat Namgung Su-ah down and began passing on his know-how for breaking through to the Super Peak Realm in a short period of time.
"First, most of the groundwork is done. Since you've found the direction for your Mental Imagery, all you have to do now is solidify it. If you infuse that into your Qi and manifest a 'star,' that becomes Astral Qi."
Of course, before that, she had to break through the Life-Death Barrier to connect the Governing and Conception vessels into one. However, that part could be handled relatively easily with the Life and Death Breakthrough Art.
Therefore, the focus now was on building a solid foundation before piercing those vessels.
"For now, it'll be hard to use the Life and Death Breakthrough Art immediately. You need to stabilize your current realm first."
"It'll be difficult to do it before the Yongbong Gathering ends, right?"
"Most likely. If things go smoothly, maybe by the finals."
"Aha."
Namgung Su-ah smiled brightly, clutching her longsword to her chest.
She was finally reaping the rewards of her bitter training.
The Super Peak Realm—a stage that countless martial artists, as numerous as the stars in the sky, could only ever dream of reaching. Namgung Su-ah was now standing right on its threshold.
Naturally, Chun-bong grew anxious.
She tugged on Seo-jun's sleeve, practically kidnapping him to a corner, and whispered, "Wh-who's stronger right now? Me or her?"
"Hmm...?"
In terms of pure realm, Namgung Su-ah was slightly ahead.
While Chun-bong had also found the direction for her Mental Imagery, it still felt a bit unrefined.
In the first place, 'realms' were just a broad way of categorizing one's level of Qi manipulation, making the actual criteria quite vague. It varied depending on the person and the martial arts they practiced.
For example, while Sword Qi was considered the representative hallmark of the First-rate realm, it wasn't rare for certain martial arts to bypass Sword Qi entirely.
When it came to actual combat power, it was even harder to distinguish.
There were matters of martial compatibility, and the outcome could change depending on one's physical condition on any given day...
"Right now, I'd say it's bak-bing."
"Bak-bing? I told you to stop using those Western words!"
"...Bak-bing isn't a Western word, Chun-bong."
"...What."
Seo-jun patted the head of the intellectually 'pure' Chun-bong.
Our Chun-bong didn't used to be like this... Has she not been using her brain enough lately?
Well, being pure is a good thing. As long as Chun-bong is happy, that's all that matters.
"You...! Don't look at me with those pitying eyes...!"
He got hit a little.
* * *
The Round of 16 of the Yongbong Gathering began.
Seo-jun didn't sit with the elders of the Sixteen Major Sects; instead, he slipped into the waiting area reserved for the Rising Stars.
If anyone asked if he was allowed to be there, he could answer confidently.
Who's going to stop me?
This level of power abuse was fine. It wasn't like he was doing anything weird.
"Right, right. Everyone, just sit comfortably and watch."
Seo-jun gestured to the wary Rising Stars around him and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
Watching him, Chun-bong made a bizarre face.
"Seriously! What are you doing? People can't even rest because you're here!"
"It's boring over there. It's nothing but old farts."
"You used to say you felt more comfortable around old farts!"
"But our Chun-bu-i is here."
"Ugh...! My blood pressure...!"
Seo-jun knew. This was no different from a CEO crashing a company dinner.
But CEOs were people too.
If they were bored, couldn't they move seats once in a while?
Everyone here was around the same age, anyway.
Since all the Rising Stars were equally uncomfortable, it wasn't like anyone was at a disadvantage by not being able to rest.
"What are you doing here?"
Apparently, the Abbot had a different opinion.
Dragged out of the waiting room, Seo-jun returned to his original seat and rested his chin on his hand, pouting.
"So inflexible. If you're from Shaolin, shouldn't you have the merciful heart of a Buddhist and look the other way?"
True Human Heo-do of the Wudang Sect chuckled.
"Shaolin is merciful, but they are also strict."
"Tsk..."
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and waited for the upcoming duel.
It wasn't like he had barged into the waiting room for no reason.
After all, the duel that would open the Round of 16 was...
– Namgung Myeong of the Namgung Clan!
It was a match between his little brother and Su-ah.
– Namgung Su-ah of the Namgung Clan!
Seriously, who's the bastard who made this bracket?