Chapter 80: Enemy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Enemy (1)
Hwan Bae-ho decided not to return with Namgung Jin-cheon, opting instead to make his way back at his own pace.
Seo-jun wasn't sure if the man simply felt burdened by treating the Family Head like a literal shuttle, or if he truly just wanted to clean up the aftermath of the monster wave in the city as he claimed.
After a brief moment of thought, Seo-jun decided it didn't really matter. He turned his gaze to the clouds whipping past him, marveling at the sight.
"Ooh..."
He was currently flying through the sky with Namgung Jin-cheon’s assistance. To be precise, he was zooming through the air, suspended by the older man's Void Object Grasping.
Beside him, Namgung Jin-cheon was also flying, seated calmly atop a floating sword.
Lounging in mid-air and fully enjoying the ride, Seo-jun clicked his tongue in admiration.
"No, seriously, this speed is insane."
He wasn't joking. If they went all out, they’d probably outpace a modern airplane.
The landscape blurred beneath his feet. Despite the sheer velocity, he felt absolutely no air resistance, all thanks to Namgung Jin-cheon.
Though he hadn't received a detailed explanation, Seo-jun could sense that the invisible wall of air blocking their path was being sliced away.
Consequently, there was zero drag—he could barely even feel a breeze.
As Seo-jun giggled and flipped his body over like an astronaut in zero gravity, Namgung Jin-cheon nodded slowly.
"Once you reach the Transcendent Realm, the Central Plains won't feel quite so vast anymore... It is still wide, of course... but it feels much smaller than it did before..."
"That sounds nice."
"Does it..."
Namgung Jin-cheon gave a faint smile.
Seo-jun scratched his head at the man's somewhat bittersweet expression.
Watching him, Namgung Jin-cheon spoke up again.
"I heard the story... You're helping out for the sake of spirit herbs and money...?"
"Yes."
"Giving you that much wouldn't have been difficult, you know..."
"I was told it's not good to be too heavily indebted."
"Indebted? Nonsense... I haven't even begun to repay the grace I received from the Sword God senior... If anything, the Namgung Clan is the one in debt..."
Namgung Jin-cheon shifted his gaze to the passing clouds before continuing.
"Is your desire for spirit herbs to treat your sister's Severed Meridians...?"
"You knew?"
Seo-jun had suspected as much. It would be absurd if a martial artist of Namgung Jin-cheon’s caliber had seen Chun-bong in person and peered into her internal energy without noticing her condition.
"Mm... However, it is not a task I can help with... To cut it with my incomplete Heart Sword would be far too dangerous; it is too deeply intertwined with her Mental Imagery. It would put her life at risk..."
"Yes. That's why I plan to let Chun-bong handle the most critical parts herself."
Seo-jun gave Namgung Jin-cheon a brief explanation of his plan.
He would absorb the spirit herbs himself, convert them into Yang Energy, and then pass it to Chun-bong using the Energy Transfer Technique.
The full details were a bit complicated, but that was the gist of it.
After hearing the explanation, Namgung Jin-cheon tilted his head.
"Is that... even possible...?"
"Huh? Is what possible?"
"Hmm... I see..."
"Yup."
Seo-jun wasn't entirely sure what the man meant, but he nodded anyway.
"Oh, by the way, this is a separate matter, but... if I ever get caught using Demonic Qi later, can I use your name, Father-in-law?"
"Do as you wish... Are we not family now...?"
"Aaah...!"
What is this? My father-in-law is so damn cool.
* * *
The performance of the "Transcendent Taxi" was undeniable.
While the journey out had taken several days, the return trip to the Namgung Clan took less than half a day.
"Wow."
Stepping down at the Family Head’s pavilion, Seo-jun bid farewell to Namgung Jin-cheon and headed straight for his quarters.
He was reaching his limit. He was suffering from severe Chun-bong deficiency. At this rate, he’d develop a madness born of nutritional imbalance.
"Geum Chun-bong...!"
He sprinted to the guest house and threw the door open.
"I see you've returned safely."
Namgung Su-ah greeted him with a soft chuckle.
"Huh? Where's Chun-bong? Why are you here, Noona?"
"Geum Mae is..."
Namgung Su-ah seemed to think for a moment before smiling mischievously and spreading her arms wide.
"I'll tell you if you give me a proper 'I'm back' greeting too."
Her intentions were clear. Seo-jun approached her with solemn steps.
"Of course I'm happy to see you too, Noona."
He leaned his body back and stretched his arms out to minimize contact as he went in for the hug, but then—
Grab!
Namgung Su-ah suddenly yanked Seo-jun forward, pulling him into a deep embrace.
"Fufu, Geum Mae is probably near the main gate."
"Uh... yes, ma'am."
It was an overwhelming coziness. With his face buried in Namgung Su-ah’s chest, he could feel the sheer... breadth of her capacity.
The scent of her skin, the warmth, and an indescribable softness.
Seo-jun awkwardly pulled away, surprised by how much bolder Namgung Su-ah’s actions had become in just a few days.
"Oh my... you're quite healthy, aren't you?"
Namgung Su-ah’s gaze suddenly fixed on a very specific area below his waist.
Seo-jun jumped back in a panic.
"P-Pervert...!"
"Isn't the pervert you, Young Hero? I merely gave you a hug as a sign of welcome."
"What...!"
So that's how she's going to play it...! Seo-jun glared at Namgung Su-ah’s twin peaks.
"Urgh...! Just you wait!"
Next time, I'm seriously going to grope them.
Leaving behind a line worthy of a third-rate villain, Seo-jun quickly vanished.
Watching the spot where he had stood, Namgung Su-ah let out a small laugh.
"How cute."
* * *
Is this the composure of an older woman...?
Seo-jun cooled his burning face as he headed toward the clan's main gate.
He had lost this time, but the next result would be different.
Grinding the blade of revenge, he arrived at the gate and spotted Chun-bong.
What is she doing?
Chun-bong was hiding behind a gate pillar, peeking out and staring intently at the entrance.
Whenever the gate opened, she would quickly hide back behind the pillar, then peek out again to check the arrivals' faces before sighing in disappointment.
It was a sight that clearly screamed she was waiting for someone. Seo-jun grinned.
"My Chun-bong...!"
At his booming voice, the surrounding people's gazes snapped toward him. Naturally, Chun-bong also whipped her head around, her eyes widening as she saw him.
"Were you waiting for your Oppa!?"
He rushed over and scooped her up in a hug. She gave a haughty "Hmph!" and turned her nose up.
"Waiting? As if."
"Right, right, my Chun-bong. Oppa knows exactly what's in your heart."
"Bullshit. You don't know a damn thing."
"Oh, really? Shall I guess?"
As he held her and met her eyes, she shrank back slightly.
"W-What? Go ahead and guess then."
"Hmm..."
Seo-jun stared intently into her eyes before breaking into a grin.
"You must be craving Tanghulu right now!"
"...Sigh, you idiot."
Letting out a massive sigh, Chun-bong relaxed her body and let herself be carried comfortably.
Seo-jun chuckled and bounced her slightly in his arms as he walked toward their quarters.
"Miss Geum, shall we go on a date tomorrow?"
"Dait-u? What's that?"
"Oh boy... You must have dozed off during English class."
Chun-bong fell silent. It seemed she really had.
"I'm saying let's go out and have fun tomorrow."
"Doing what?"
"Well, I'll have to think about it. Let's do everything our Chun-bong wants to do!"
At that, Chun-bong let out an excited puff of air through her nose. She smiled to herself as if imagining something, then suddenly asked.
"But why all of a sudden?"
"What do you mean why? It's going to take quite a while to treat your Severed Meridians this time. We won't be able to see each other's faces during that period."
It was truly a horrific prospect.
Qi Deviation wasn't some distant threat. It hid in daily life like this, just waiting for its chance to strike. A truly mean and wicked thing.
"O Heavens...!"
Ignoring the theatrically lamenting Seo-jun as she usually did, Chun-bong furrowed her brows.
"Mmm..."
She pursed her lips for a moment before nodding with a subdued expression.
"Alright."
* * *
After returning to their quarters, Chun-bong stayed in her room, lost in thought.
Treating her Severed Meridians. It was important, of course.
Though she hadn't told Lee Seo-jun, her physical condition wasn't normal.
While she had improved enough to live a normal life, she still hadn't had her monthly period despite being seventeen.
Once the Severed Meridians are healed... it'll be okay, right...?
It was a serious matter. She had a duty to carry on the bloodline of the Divine Sword Geum Family. If she were infertile, it would be a grave problem.
"Haa..."
Pregnancy... Her worries spiraled until her thoughts eventually reached marriage.
Martial artists didn't mind marrying late. It was natural, as their lifespan increased alongside their realm.
Namgung Jin-cheon himself had married very late. From what Chun-bong knew, he had only wed after reaching the Transcendent Realm, meaning he was at least in the triple digits.
There was probably a gap of a few hundred years between him and his wife.
But that was the case for men; for women, the story was a bit different.
Though it wasn't a definitive conclusion, rumors said that even for a martial artist, if a woman was too old, her child wouldn't be healthy.
She had even heard stories of a certain Super Peak martial artist who looked young on the outside but had gone through menopause and couldn't conceive.
Of course, Chun-bong had no intention of waiting that long, but that was just her own thought.
No, the more I think about it, the madder I get.
Suddenly enraged, Chun-bong sprang up, stormed out, and threw herself onto Seo-jun, who was rolling around on the floor nearby.
"Gah...! W-What!"
"Just die!"
"No, why!?"
Seo-jun pouted after being pummeled, but Chun-bong remained defiant.
This jerk deserved a beating.
Since it's come to this, I have no choice.
There was no telling what might happen while she was in Secluded Training to treat her meridians.
That guy's face was unnecessarily handsome, which only made her more anxious. If he were just an ugly loser, she could at least have some peace of mind. But he was incredibly talented too, so she couldn't let her guard down.
This wasn't just her being biased; it was an objective fact. At least, that was what Chun-bong believed.
As I thought... I need to make sure I leave my mark tomorrow.
Thump, thump. Her heart raced. Chun-bong glared at Seo-jun, her trembling hands clenched into fists.
"Just you wait."
"N-No... seriously, what is it...?"
Seo-jun felt truly wronged.
* * *
The next day.
Having received recommendations from Namgung Su-ah for places to visit in Anhui, Chun-bong beamed as they set out.
"Wow, Tanghulu!"
She giggled, sitting on Seo-jun's shoulders and kicking her feet excitedly.
"Hey, giddy up!"
"Neigh!"
With a wide grin, Chun-bong thought to herself.
I can leave my mark in the evening.
For now, shouldn't she just play and not worry?
This moment was far too enjoyable to think about anything else.