Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Translator: Penny
Chapter 42
How to Avoid the Wind (2)
I waited for her in the Guest Hall.
Normally, I would have greeted Song Ugyeong first, but today I skipped the formality.
About fifteen minutes after my arrival, Song Hwarin entered the room with a slightly surprised expression.
"You came to see me?"
She smelled freshly bathed, like spring blossoms when I'd last seen her. Now, she reminded me of the autumn sky.
"Shall we go for a walk?"
After studying me for a moment, she nodded.
We strolled through the Rear Garden together. It was still early, and no one else was around.
"How have you been?" I asked.
"Training, and more training. Just the same routine. What about you?"
"Much the same."
"I heard about the Minor Sword Guard. You defeated the Beast Squad?"
"It was just luck."
"Is that really all it was?"
She stared intently at me, having now fully accepted my transformation.
"Why did you pretend to be a wastrel? Were you trying to break off our engagement?"
I could see how she might think that way.
"I wasn't pretending. I was a wastrel back then."
"And you changed after I beat you?"
"Yes."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"You have to. It's the truth."
Her gaze softened as she let out a soft sigh.
"I don't know what to think anymore."
"There's something I don't understand either."
"What is it?"
"You said before that you had a reason for disliking the Former Alliance Leader."
She chuckled softly.
"Asking again? Are you that curious?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Why? You have nothing to do with the Alliance Leader."
It was difficult to find a rational answer she would understand. I considered saying I'd always admired her, but instead blurted out the first reason that came to mind.
"There's no real reason. You know how it is? Once you're curious about something, you just keep getting more curious. Like suddenly getting fixated on it."
She chuckled again—a rare sight, or perhaps the first time I'd seen her smile.
In any case, it seemed like a better answer than claiming admiration or anything like that.
"Such a trivial reason. I should have just told you sooner."
"Now is fine too," she said, explaining her reason.
"There's someone I hate. That person truly revered the Former Alliance Leader, almost worshiping him like a god. Because someone I hate admired him so much, I ended up disliking him too. It's a pretty ridiculous reason, isn't it?"
"Who was this person you hated?"
A shadow flickered across her face. It seemed she had her own complicated reasons.
"Let's just leave it at that."
"Alright, that's enough. Thank you for telling me."
"Why are you thanking me for something so trivial? But why did you come to find me?"
I was certain she would be genuinely shocked by what I was about to say.
I threw out words that were the complete opposite of the pleasant atmosphere we'd shared so far.
"I'm challenging you to a spar."
"What?"
Song Hwarin's eyes widened in shock. It was the first time I'd seen her so genuinely surprised since we met.
"Let's spar."
Still stunned, she asked with a look of disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"I am."
"Why?"
"Revenge for that day."
Song Hwarin stared at me blankly.
The last words she'd said to me when we parted ways were that she couldn't understand me.
Now, after seeking her out again to challenge her to a spar, her confusion must have been overwhelming.
"You really are..."
She seemed to be struggling to understand me, but it was impossible. If I were her, I wouldn't understand either.
Biting her lip slightly, she agreed to the spar.
"Fine, let's do it."
We faced each other on the training ground. Suran watched anxiously from a distance, worried about this sudden turn of events.
"I don't know what you're planning, but if we're going to spar, let's do it properly."
"That's exactly what I want."
"With real swords?"
I nodded, and she flinched in surprise. She had only asked as a precaution, but I had agreed.
A real-sword spar could result in serious injury or even death if things went wrong. Moreover, this was our first spar, and I had no idea what kind of swordsmanship she used.
Her tension was understandable. If I were still the Wastrel I used to be, she would never have agreed. But now, for some reason, she seemed to feel it was worth trying.
"Alright. But you can't get carried away. Absolutely not!"
I nodded in response to her warning.
"I understand."
She slowly drew her sword.
I drew mine as well and slowly approached her.
Swish!
She leaped forward lightly, thrusting her sword in a probing strike.
Clang!
I parried effortlessly with a flick of my blade.
The two swords clashed again in mid-air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The exchange was light and measured. There was no need to rush into a deadly assault from the start.
As expected, her skill was considerable. Her footwork was nimble, and her forms were sharp. The swordplay style seemed familiar, making me wonder if her master might be someone I knew.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
We gradually increased the pace, alternating between offense and defense.
Unbeknownst to her, she was being subtly drawn into my rhythm. Knowing that a single mistake could lead to serious injury, I meticulously controlled the entire spar from beginning to end.
I pressed her relentlessly, only to be pushed back in turn. A series of precarious attacks transitioned into relaxed defenses, and that ease quickly devolved into suffocating peril.
Under my meticulous calculations, she swung her sword wildly, her movements frantic.
I pushed her to her absolute limit. She wouldn't even have time to wonder if I was this strong. This was likely her first spar of this intensity.
Finally, when I judged she had reached her breaking point,
my sword, which had been evading her attacks, lunged forward, aimed at her neck.
She tried to block, but it was too late.
"Ah!"
If the strike had continued, her head would have been severed. But my sword abruptly changed course.
Thud! The hilt slammed into her shoulder.
"Ugh."
She staggered, desperately swinging her sword to parry the follow-up attack.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
My fists hammered her abdomen and ribs in rapid succession, the final two blows landing squarely on her face.
"Young Lady!"
By the time Suran rushed over in alarm, Song Hwarin had already collapsed to the ground.
Suran frantically checked on Song Hwarin. Fortunately, she was still conscious. Suran snapped angrily,
"Are you insane? How could you do this?!"
"It was a fair spar. You're not expecting me to hold back just because she's a woman, are you?"
Suran's expression hardened at my words, but she couldn't argue.
Knowing how furious Suran was, I added one more remark, a necessary truth I couldn't avoid:
"This is revenge for the beating I took last time."
Suran's face twisted further, her body tense as if she were about to lunge at me.
Just then, Song Hwarin grabbed her arm. Suran turned to see Song Hwarin shaking her head, signaling her not to retaliate.
"...I lost. And..."
She lay on the floor, her eyes half-open as she gazed at me. There was no resentment in her gaze.
"...That final technique...?"
Thank goodness she noticed.
I nodded, a meaningful smile playing on my lips.
My strikes weren't just about winning.
During our fight, I discovered a fatal flaw in her swordsmanship—specifically in her most crucial form. I exploited this weakness with precision, launching my attack at the perfect moment.
If she remained unaware of this critical flaw, she would inevitably fall to an enemy who recognized and exploited it.
Song Hwarin had just experienced this firsthand. She had witnessed her supposedly flawless form crumble helplessly before my attack. It wasn't just bad luck; her technique had been thoroughly exposed.
"Later..."
She couldn't finish her sentence before losing consciousness. Was she trying to say she wanted to spar again? Or something else?
Suran carried her inside, running as fast as she could. The sky might feel like it was about to collapse, but there was no need to worry.
I made sure to hit her just right.
She'd be bedridden for at least ten days, her face swollen and unrecognizable for a while. But she'd recover completely and get back on her feet.
Did I come to spar with her to give her real combat experience and expose the weaknesses in her Forms?
Of course not.
This spar was entirely about Ma Jeongsu.
Judging by his methods, if I'd made up some flimsy excuse to skip the banquet, he might have come to Song Family Manor himself the next day.
Even if he came now, he wouldn't dare try anything seeing me in this state.
If he still tried to pull any tricks with me in this condition, I'd eliminate him without a second thought, consequences be damned. Whether the entire Heavenly Blade Gate swarmed Shandong or not, I'd deal with that when the time came.
My initial plan had been to find Song Ugyeong, tell him the truth, and have him take her far away to safety.
But what if she refused to go? Even if she did, she might end up in greater danger, beyond my reach. The bastard could send people to track her down.
Even if I made up another excuse to avoid the banquet, he'd relentlessly dig until he exposed my lie.
But if I were to suffer a real injury and be bedridden, even he wouldn't be able to force me.
The reason for the spar was also sufficient. Though I had regained some composure now, it was simply revenge for the beating I had given him earlier, a former Wastrel.
In any case, I had bought myself time using the best method available to me.
It was such a desperate measure that I felt guilty toward her and Song Ugyeong. But within the limited time I had, I couldn't devise any better strategy. I wasn't Gal Saryang, after all.
Of course, all these worries might be unfounded.
The man might have no ulterior motives or interest in Song Hwarin.
I was simply preparing for the worst.
When dealing with villains, one must always prepare and prepare again.
The consequences of failing to be cautious beforehand would be far too severe and fatal compared to the effort required for such precautions.
I returned straight home.
There was one more task to handle before attending the banquet.
If my goal had been simply killing Ma Jeongsu, this would have been much easier. No matter how formidable the opponent, it was a task within my area of expertise.
But seizing what he possessed was undoubtedly more challenging. Having always delegated such complex matters to Gal Saryang, I couldn't help but sweat as I attempted to handle this directly.
Still, I would succeed. Since he came to us, stole our money, and flaunted his arrogance, we would repay him in kind.
I was convinced that targeting his wealth would be far more effective than killing one of his three followers.
When the money disappears, they'll panic. Internal divisions and cracks will emerge.
That's the power of money—a demonic force capable of tearing apart even the closest relationships.
The problem is figuring out where the money is stored and who manages it.
Ma Jeongsu? Elder Flower Fan? Si Gon? That mysterious woman?
I immediately ruled out Elder Flower Fan. Not just because of his age, but because he was an outsider. Ma Jeongsu would never entrust such a sum to someone outside the inner circle.
If we exclude the mysterious woman for the same reason, then could it be Si Gon?
Even though it was a friendly competition, he represented the Heavenly Blade Gate. He's the quintessential martial artist—the very image of a warrior. Managing money seems far removed from his nature.
Could Ma Jeongsu be managing this directly?
That seemed like the most likely possibility.
At my summons, Gwangdu rushed into my room.
"You called for me?"
"There's something I need you to investigate."
Seeing my serious expression, Gwangdu tensed up.
"What is it?"
"You've heard, haven't you? The Heavenly Blade Gate Sect Leader's bloodline has descended upon Shandong."
"Of course."
He glanced around nervously and lowered his voice.
"I heard he's been extorting money from the Shandong patriarchs?"
I lowered my voice to match his.
"Why are you whispering? This is my room."
Gwangdu whispered back, "What if that bastard overhears us? He's the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's bloodline, and the Heavenly Blade Gate is one of the Five Great Forces of the Central Plains!"
"Then you're in big trouble."
"Why?"
"Because we need to investigate those bastards immediately."
Gwangdu blinked at me, his expression unreadable. I've always liked his face when he's like this.
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"When it comes to women, the best way to forget is to bury yourself in work."
"You could probably forget a hundred women that way."
I chuckled softly and raised my voice again.
"It's nothing serious. Relax."
Dropping his playful tone, Gwangdu asked earnestly, "What do you need me to do?"
"The bastard's planning to build a martial arts school in Jinan. Go there immediately and find out everything you can about it: where it's being built, who's overseeing the construction, when they're starting—anything you can uncover. Don't rely on what he's told us; there's bound to be more to it."
"There must be more to learn beyond what he's already told us."
I relayed to Gwangdu what Ma Jeongsu had said about establishing the martial arts school during our first meeting. I also gave him two thousand taels separately, telling him to use it if he needed money.
"This much?"
"If you need to spend it, don't hesitate. Just use it."
"Yes."
"And you must return as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
I trusted Gwangdu to blend in with people and uncover information. His natural charm and easygoing demeanor were innate. Moreover, he possessed an instinctive shrewdness for avoiding danger.
Reluctant to let him go, I tossed out a casual joke.
"Should I send Do Sun with you?"
"No."
The resolute refusal, delivered without a moment's hesitation, caught me off guard.
"Why? Have you already moved on?"
"No. My heart still races and aches every time I see her."
"Then why?"
"I can't let the last shred of affection I have for her fade away completely. Even though our love never truly began, I refuse to let it end in bitterness."
I nodded in agreement, acknowledging his wisdom.
"I'll be back soon."
"Ride a horse," Gwangdu said, his eyes sparkling.
"Yes, this time I'll return as a master horseman—no, as a true centaur!"
After seeing Gwangdu off, I left home for the Yang Association banquet.
I dislike banquets for many reasons, but one stands out:
Banquets corrupt people.
Knowing this, I'll make sure this banquet becomes my golden opportunity.
Now, I'm giving it my all. What about you?