Chapter 63

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 63

Chapter Title: Geum Sihyeon of Balance (4)

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Cheon Luri was angry.

Cheon Luri was extremely angry.

Of course, part of it was because she'd been teased.

She had tried to use the illusion of the Mind-Image Sword Debate to enjoy a new perspective, even if just for a moment, despite her body not being permitted further growth.

How could she have committed such a wicked deed!

She wanted to give her a good scolding.

Of course, thanks to that incident, she had clearly recognized the gap between illusion and reality, compensated for it, and continued to achieve great results in the Mind-Image Sword Debate.

So, in that sense, maybe just a little.

She felt the tiniest bit grateful.

Thus, when Cheon Luri learned that Geum Sihyeon was that damned mutt, the Three Star Old Dog, her feelings grew slightly complicated.

There was lingering irritation from being teased.

But she could also think of it as him noticing it was her and playfully pointing out her flaws.

Lightly.

Just one light smack.

Infuse it with inner energy and forgive her after.

So, when she spotted Geum Sihyeon's face within the academy grounds.

"Ah──"

Cheon Luri had tried to call out to him loudly.

But the voice emerging from her throat was quickly swallowed back down.

Because there was someone else beside him.

A familiar face.

Moyong Seol. Instructor at the Hundred Flowers Academy.

An unfamiliar expression.

Not the strict instructor face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she usually showed.

Without realizing it, Cheon Luri activated the Heavenly Moon Valley Observation Art to its limit.

Along with a dull ache in her right eye, her senses expanded widely around her, giving her the feeling that she had become part of the world itself.

And she peered deeply into Moyong Seol.

What she saw within Moyong Seol, looking at Geum Sihyeon.

A faint flicker of affection.

It wasn't incomprehensible.

Objectively speaking, Geum Sihyeon was a pretty ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠decent guy.

Similar to what her friend──Myo Narang harbored.

Well.

It was none of her business...

"Ah..."

For some strange reason.

Cheon Luri felt a slight ache in her chest.

Where were they headed?

Feeling a twinge of unease and immense curiosity, Cheon Luri quietly followed behind them.

Their footsteps led to the interior of the training hall.

She couldn't bring herself to follow them all the way inside, so Cheon Luri's steps halted there.

This had nothing to do with her.

Training was a martial artist's duty, after all.

But.

Swept up in an inexplicable impulse, Cheon Luri waited.

How much time passed?

Geum Sihyeon and Moyong Seol emerged from the training hall together once more.

"……!"

She peered into Moyong Seol again with the Heavenly Moon Valley Observation Art.

The affection had grown ever so slightly larger.

And a faint lust had taken root.

Without noticing her hand trembling slightly.

Cheon Luri also took a quick peek into Geum Sihyeon's inner world, which she had deliberately ignored earlier.

The next moment.

"Eek...!"

Without thinking, she straightened her fingers, aimed at Geum Sihyeon's groin, and fired the Heavenly Demon Bullet Finger Art.

Right after Luri's sneak attack and Moyong Seol's counter.

Geum Sihyeon's movements were incredibly swift.

In case he ran into the wild, snarling Luri rampaging within the academy, he had prepared something in his pocket before leaving home.

He peeled off the wrapper from his mother's special candy, blew cold air to lightly freeze the outside.

Then he dashed to Luri's side, who was ready to erupt in fury again, grabbed her soft cheek, and shoved the candy into her mouth.

"──!"

Cheon Luri's rage, boiling up to the top of her head, began to melt away bit by bit under the cool, sweet sensation.

With their distance naturally closing.

Cheon Luri peered even deeper into Geum Sihyeon.

The overwhelming emotion filling his upright inner world right now was bewilderment.

And she carefully observed the direction of the faint lust lodged in one corner of his heart, which was quite small compared to an average person.

"Heh."

The corner of Cheon Luri's mouth twitched upward slightly.

Zero plus zero was no different, but this was a big difference.

Cheon Luri dispersed the demonic energy swirling around her fist.

"Yeah, good job. That's right, good girl."

Geum Sihyeon's large palm gently stroked Luri's head.

But Geum Sihyeon's actions didn't end there.

"Ah, right. Sister Seol."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Would you mind trying this move once?"

Suddenly turning his back to Cheon Luri, Geum Sihyeon repeated that insolent, arrogant, wicked pose that the Three Star Old Dog had done before.

Just as Cheon Luri, boiling with uncontrollable rage, was about to punch his back with a Heavenly Demon Fist.

Moyong Seol's figure reflected in Luri's eyes.

There was a slight look of reluctance.

But Moyong Seol's arms and elbows touching each other.

"Hee."

Cheon Luri's frozen heart melted away softly.

I let out a deep sigh of relief in my mind.

If a Demonic Cult timed bomb went off in the middle of the academy, it would be hard to handle, and if word got out that I was sparring with this little kid, my social reputation would be ruined.

Mom would probably stab me with a knife.

It was unfortunate for Sister Seol.

Fortunately, Sister Seol wasn't so flat that the action hit her to the bone or chilled her heart.

And she didn't seem to catch the intent.

It was what they call mirror therapy.

It might not be the right usage, but that wasn't my concern.

"Then... Sister Seol. I'll take responsibility for this walking disaster and drag her off for some education."

"Hmm... Cheon Luri, trainee. If something like this happens again, you'll get penalty points. You have to hold back your emotions to be an adult."

Luri nodded slightly.

I had to hold back laughter at the word "adult."

On the way escorting Luri back to the Red Blossom Hall.

"From now on, no matter how mad you get, no death beams. This isn't the Demonic Cult."

"Death beam?"

"Bullet Finger Art."

"Okay."

"Break the promise, no more candy."

"Okay."

I kept freezing candies from my pocket one after another and stuffing them in her mouth to soothe her mood.

And I tossed out a question I'd been vaguely curious about lately.

"By the way, you haven't been hanging out with Narang much these days?"

"Yeah. She's. Busy."

"Something going on?"

Suddenly, Luri stopped walking and stared straight at my face.

She does this sometimes.

Not even mind reading.

"Medical Hall."

"Huh?"

Is Dalami still not doing well?

Last time I saw her, her cheeks were chubby from lack of exercise, looking perfectly healthy.

"And."

"And?"

"Me too. Help. Training."

"Sure, why not."

I'd exaggerated a bit about helping Sister Seol with her circulation earlier, and it piqued her interest.

The first time is the hardest.

Second or third won't be.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I dumped Luri at Red Blossom Hall and headed to the Medical Hall.

No classes were ongoing, and the festival was in a lull, so aside from long-term patients and malingerers, the Medical Hall was unusually quiet.

"Instructor Dang. Long time no see."

"Not quite; we saw each other recently."

Dang Chunsik's expression wasn't bad.

He used to have a somewhat gloomy mad scientist look, but oddly, he seemed a bit more human now.

What?

What did this imply?

"I heard that Narang──er, Myo Narang trainee──has been visiting here often lately."

"Ah..."

Dang Chunsik looked slightly surprised, then led me inside.

And suddenly started brewing tea.

What?

What did this imply?

Stacking up question marks, I watched Dang Chunsik, but he focused intently on brewing tea with a subtle expression.

"Here. West Lake Dragon Well."

Refusing would be rude, so I took a sip.

The tea was decent, and no poison.

"She said she wanted to learn poisons personally. It was a welcome request for me too, without needing to consider your face, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I accepted. I've been passing on knowledge about applying and neutralizing poisons."

Dang Chunsik paused briefly.

The next moment.

His words far exceeded my expectations.

"Myo Narang, that child. She's of the Tang Family bloodline."

"Huh?"

Thinking it was some tasteless joke, I stared straight into Dang Chunsik's eyes.

"There are two reasons not to use the Tang surname. Either one parent was excommunicated, or she's illegitimate. ...I don't know the full details."

"...Why tell me this?"

Dang Chunsik sipped his tea instead of answering.

After savoring the aroma for a long while.

"I had a daughter too."

Dang Chunsik squeezed out the words in a voice laced with regret.

I didn't press with more questions.

Even a man who seemed to chase selfish desires had human blood flowing through him.

After finishing the tea, as I turned to head back to the dorm, Dang Chunsik followed me out.

He pointed to his noticeably slimmer belly compared to when I first saw him.

"Once this issue is resolved, I'll have more I can tell you. Impudent as it is, please put in a good word with the Divine Doctor."

"Got it."

The solitude-induced restriction seemed stronger than expected.

Even during that intimate interview time with Sirang hyung last time, despite his willingness to cooperate, we hadn't extracted much useful info.

Nothing to do but wait for the Divine Doctor's research results.

Anyway.

I'd heard some heavy stuff.

Everyone has their own stories, I suppose.

Two days after all the Group B round of 16 matches concluded.

The quarterfinals began.

Of course, the Group B martial artists advancing to the quarters boasted impressive skills, but people's attention focused mainly on Group A.

The second most talked-about match was the rematch between the Wudang Demon Sword and the Huashan Gale Sword.

There were rumors that the Wudang Demon Sword wasn't actually from Wudang, but once a nickname stuck in people's mouths, it didn't fade easily.

The person himself even remarked, "Better than Three Star Old Dog," and joined in manipulating gallery opinion.

It was inevitable.

In the public footage, the Wudang Demon Sword barely eked out a victory, but the point of interest was how much sharper the Huashan Gale Sword had honed her plum blossom sword after that experience.

The match drawing even more attention.

Was, predictably, One Night Dream versus Squishy Thick Sword.

The reason was simple.

Matches between female martial artists weren't common, and even if they were illusions within the Mind-Image Sword Debate, their appearances were outstanding.

Of course, those who guessed the truth were holding back to avoid incurring the wrath of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or Moyong Family.

The fact that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's young leader had entered the Hundred Flowers Academy, and that her figure wasn't exactly "bouncy," hadn't spread as widely as thought.

Thus, opinion on One Night Dream was overwhelmingly favorable.

The mysterious female expert from the Demonic Cult.

What words could stir the hearts of Central Plains men more romantically?

Fortunately or unfortunately, both women carried smartphones, allowing them to etch that opinion into their minds fully.

And the first match of the quarterfinals.

"Hee."

"Our Sihyeon... so impressive..."

Watching "my man" or "our Sihyeon" claim a hearty victory, the two women──who shared the common point of their elbows touching──quietly curved their lips into smiles.

One Night Dream.

Cheon Luri quietly clenched her small fist.

And.

Squishy Thick Sword.

Moyong Seol also subtly ignited her battle spirit.

The two emotions, not yet fully ripened, crossed paths.

Kindling a small spark that could blaze into a great fire at any moment, they prepared for battle.