Handshake with the Blue Sky Sword
The Namgung Clan was one of the most powerful factions in the entire Murim. Their clan head was strong, authoritative, and undeniably formidable. Even a childish description like that wouldn't diminish their reputation in the slightest. Naturally, anyone facing such a figure—especially a young upstart still considered part of the rising generation—was expected to show proper respect. The head of the Namgung Clan was, after all, the leader of the largest military force dominating Anhui.
Ha-yeon now stood before that very person.
"So. You're the child who overcame hardship alongside Ryeon and saved her life. Welcome. I am Namgung Jeong, head of the Namgung Clan."
"So you're the clan head."
"Hmm...?"
"Nice to meet you. My name's Seol Ha-yeon. Let's get along from now on."
And, as expected, Ha-yeon had no idea about any of that. Head of the Namgung Clan? Just some orthodox sect leader, probably. So what? He looked skilled enough—his presence and the sharp aura he couldn't hide were interesting. She wanted to get close. If they could teach each other a few things, that would be ideal. Yeah. Someone worth being friends with. Someone she wanted to be friends with.
"Alright. Let's shake hands, Clan Head."
Ha-yeon casually extended her hand toward Namgung Jeong. His eyes went blank as he stared at that pale, slender hand.
It wasn't exactly rude—her greeting was warm for a first meeting—but it also wasn't proper etiquette. Was this really how a rising junior should greet one of Murim's great elders? Everyone except Ha-yeon froze. Namgung Jeong, who had to decide whether to accept the handshake, his first wife beside him, Yong Cheong looking horrified, and even Namgung Ryeon standing next to her father with an expression that said she hadn't expected things to go this far.
While everyone was briefly wondering whether this counted as having manners or not, Ha-yeon spoke again.
"Ah, don't know what a handshake is? It's when two people clasp hands and shake them like—mmph! Hey!"
"My apologies. My deepest apologies, Blue Sky Sword. The young mistress simply lacks common sense. She meant no disrespect."
Yong Cheong had lunged forward and clamped a hand over Ha-yeon's mouth. He had known she was strange, but he never imagined she would speak so casually and offer a handshake to the head of the Namgung Clan. His mistake came from assuming she would at least use formal speech in front of the head of a great clan, just as she had with the head of the Pyeong Clan. It was a tragedy born of Yong Cheong still not understanding Ha-yeon—her sense of etiquette and formality was decided entirely by her mood that day.
Of course, if someone had saved her life or shown her respect first, she would return it in kind. But the Namgung Clan head had done neither. If anyone tried to lecture her about it, she would probably retort that someone in her position of receiving a favor shouldn't have to bow their head repeatedly. She had smiled warmly, greeted him, and even offered a handshake—what more etiquette was needed? It was a fair point. Just not one that made sense to anyone else watching.
With her mouth covered by her "slave," Ha-yeon angrily smacked Yong Cheong on the head.
Thwack!
"Hey. Can't you see we're greeting each other? Even if you grew up as a young master, you should still show respect in front of elders."
"...Pardon?"
"Are you not paying attention?"
Yong Cheong felt wronged. But arguing or fighting in front of the Namgung Clan head would be disrespectful, so he simply offered another deep bow and stepped back.
"She's... she's just a little lacking in common sense. Her heart is kind."
After leaving that remark, Ha-yeon herself felt a flicker of irritation at how things had turned out, but she held it in. She didn't want to show an even worse side during a first meeting. It was a minor tragedy caused by two people interpreting each other's positions completely differently. So, what could be done? Namgung Jeong, seeing the genuine remorse on the Blue Dragon's face and knowing Ha-yeon was also his daughter's savior, decided to let it pass.
Clearly, her exceptional skill at such a young age had left her short on manners. Namgung Jeong cleared his throat.
"Ahem. It would be good if the junior showed a bit more respect toward her elders. This clan head has no intention of throwing his authority around in front of his daughter's savior, but in Murim, even that much can lead to bloodshed."
"Thanks for the advice. Seeing you reminds me of my drinking buddy. He was a good guy with real skill."
The brief encounter with Cheon Heon-woo came to mind. That friend had tossed her all sorts of things just for sharing a drink. Did their clan head have anything similar? At that thought, Namgung Jeong let out a hollow laugh and pulled a wooden box from his robes. Ha-yeon's eyes lit up. Judging by the size, it could fit a notebook even if not a full book. If it contained a martial arts manual, that would be perfect—especially a sword technique manual from the famous Namgung sword clan that contained teachings Geum Ra-geol hadn't been able to pass on.
"The Namgung repay their debts. In return for saving my daughter, I will specially bestow upon you the Cheongso-dan. I hope you continue to train diligently and become a great tree of Murim and a true hero."
"Huh?"
"...It would be even better if you could learn the minimum etiquette required for social life while you're at it."
Ha-yeon accepted the wooden box from the clan head. When she opened it and looked inside, there was no martial arts manual to be found—only a blue bead. Her expression twisted strangely. She couldn't openly show disappointment since the giver's intentions were sincere, but she couldn't hide her disappointment either.
"A Cheongso-dan, you say! What is the meaning of this!"
"Even if she is Ryeon's savior, the clan head has truly gone to great lengths."
"No. Saving the life of the Namgung Clan's Sword Phoenix and youngest daughter deserves a fitting reward."
Yet the person who had received it looked dazed while everyone around her erupted into chaos. Ha-yeon glanced around and saw various emotions—greed, admiration, envy—all mixed into looks of desire. Was this thing really that valuable? She turned to look at her slave's expression and realized it probably was. But this plain blue bead was really worth that much?
"Slave."
"Yes, young mistress."
"Is this a good thing?"
"Of course. Among the elixirs produced by the Namgung Clan, it is second only to the Changcheon-dan, which is given exclusively to direct bloodline members."
"Really?"
Then she should eat it. She picked up the round bead from the box.
"Young mistress? Young mistress?!"
Ignoring her slave, who seemed to realize what was happening and rushed forward, she swallowed it whole. After chewing a few times, it melted like water in her mouth. The texture was quite novel.
"Munch. Mmm."
"Young mistress! You can't just eat it like that...!"
"Mmm. Food should be eaten while it's warm. That's basic courtesy for a guest."
"Young mistress!"
Yong Cheong wailed. After all, it was the first time he had seen someone devour such a precious elixir on the spot the moment they received it.
"Spit it out! What will you do if you suffer backlash from swallowing it without proper circulation or preparation!"
Namgung Ryeon, her face pale with shock, joined in.
"Hey! What are you doing eating that now! You need to take auxiliary elixirs or learn the proper heart method first! It's not too late—spit it out!"
Why were elixirs called elixirs? Because their medicinal properties were so potent that they could induce immediate, explosive growth. But what did people usually call medicines with such strong effects? Poison. If an elixir had truly powerful properties, one was supposed to circulate qi beforehand to bring the body to peak condition, or prepare the right heart method, supporting herbs, or environment to improve absorption efficiency. Swallowing it raw into the stomach without any of that—who could have imagined it?
"Young mistress!"
"Hey!"
Thanks to that, Yong Cheong and Namgung Ryeon grabbed Ha-yeon's arms from both sides and started pulling. Even Ha-yeon, who had been smiling because it was a good occasion, now wore a sullen expression. It hadn't tasted bad, but was it really worth this much fuss? Even setting aside the things she had consumed back when she was a Swordmaster, this was inferior to the petroleum Geum Ra-geol had given her just recently.
Honestly, the petroleum her drinking buddy had offered as a farewell gift had been more effective. Wasn't she the one who should be offended here? No! She never forgot her debts! What if this was worse than that clear liquid called Gongcheong Petroleum or whatever? A slightly whiter version of that petroleum was far better than the great Namgung Clan's precious elixir? Was the Namgung Clan just all show and no substance?
It would have been interesting to see what reaction the clan head would have had if he had heard that thought. Of course, Ha-yeon had enough patience as a guest not to voice it aloud, so she would never know. If the already-deceased Geum Ra-geol had heard it, he would have slapped his knee and laughed heartily in agreement.
"Ah, seriously. Why are you both like this? Let's not make such a fuss."
"Your body will be ruined, you idiot! You haven't even opened your middle dantian yet—what were you thinking swallowing it like that!"
"Tsk. Is Namgung worried about me?"
"What?! Who said I was worried about you? If you collapse here, what happens to our clan's reputation!"
"Yeah, good girl. Good girl. But let's stop making a fuss. You're going to embarrass the clan head."
Right, Clan Head? When she turned her head, Namgung Jeong was wearing an expression that looked benevolent. It was more like he had given up on understanding, but at least it looked pleasant on the surface, so that was good enough.
Ha-yeon rolled her tongue around her mouth, gathering every last trace, and swallowed. Her assessment was quite extraordinary.
"Hmm. Clan Head."
"What is it?"
"Next time you make these, how about mixing in some honey or sugar? I appreciate the thought, but it's a bit bitter."
"Haha."
The clan head laughed. Ha-yeon smiled back, pleased by his laughing face.
"Hahaha!"
"Hohoho!"
There had been some commotion, but it was a moment when both guest and host could laugh.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ah, since they were talking about elixirs, she couldn't leave this out either. In the annex provided by the Namgung Clan, inside the room where Ha-yeon was staying, the Oh-ryeong and Yuk-ryeong sisters were sitting on her knees. Yong Cheong, who had followed along with nothing better to do, was also seated on a cushion across from them. Now, what they had to do was obvious.
"Time for unboxing. Unboxing."
It was time to open the treasure chest left behind by Geum Ra-geol. She hadn't checked the contents because she had been disappointed after seeing that the martial arts inside only consisted of kicks and punches. She had just tossed the box into a corner of the room since it was something she had received, but after eating the elixir today, she remembered it and gathered everyone. After all, Murim items were best understood by Murim people. Naturally, Namgung Ryeon was also present at the gathering.
Why was she here? She was like a pet. If they were talking about the true mascot of Ha-yeon's party, it would obviously be the cute twins who only knew how to eat. But the little ones... how should she put it? They felt a bit different to treat that way. They were more like nieces she had to protect, or mascots in that sense. Namgung was more like a puppy that barked "woof woof" whenever she was taken along. Yet she herself was so weak that she quickly tucked her tail and whimpered pathetically. That was the feeling.
"Heart pounding. Opening it right now~"
She opened the box. After casually tossing the secret manual from the Demonic Cult that had disappointed her first into a corner, several items that had been hidden beneath the books came into view. The first thing she saw was some elaborately crafted, expensive jewelry.
"Yeah. Trash."
They were probably expensive, but when would she even sell them? They were just pretty crafts with no special abilities. Without hesitation, Ha-yeon grabbed a handful and tossed them to Oh-ryeong and Yuk-ryeong.
"You two take these."
"Yahoo!"
"Husband is the best!"
The sisters giggled as they rubbed the sparkling gold against their cheeks. Their soft, plump cheeks being pressed by the gold reminded her of rice cakes. Geez, these kids were already so materialistic. What if this destroyed their sense of economics and they grew up into spoiled noble young ladies who wouldn't be satisfied unless every man they met gave them expensive gifts? Hmm? Now that she thought about it, wasn't that a good thing? If some wolf cub tried to take her Oh-ryeong and Yuk-ryeong away, he would naturally need that level of wealth, so it wasn't really a flaw, right?
As she was tossing the useless jewelry around, she felt a subtle gaze. The twins were too busy indulging in the jewels and gold to notice, and neither she nor her slave had any particular interest in treasures, so by process of elimination, the source of the gaze was obvious.
"What."
"W-what? Why are you looking at me?"
Namgung Ryeon. The girl who had been grumbling from their first meeting about how if she was going to become a martial artist, she had to abandon her femininity and such. She had spoken in that strange "this one, this one" manner and tied her hair in a ponytail to give off a neutral vibe. Ha-yeon would bet her slave's entire fortune that she was binding her chest with bandages instead of a normal bra.
There had been plenty of female knights like that in her world—ones who treated gender as a trivial classification. And most of those female knights, the moment they found a partner, became the very embodiment of femininity. The ones who had "married their swords" would become delicate the moment they tasted pure love. Ah, there were exceptions, of course.
Since their wives were knights, the husbands would inevitably be nagged by their wives after marriage, and those who weren't pretty enough to endure that became the protagonists of such stories. They claimed to have devoted themselves to chivalry and purity, but in reality, they were simply women who had no men willing to put up with them—truly "steel women" in every sense.
Those types of female knights were usually strong. It was only natural, since they poured the time they would have spent on childcare and family into training instead. And from what Ha-yeon could see, Namgung was the former type, not the latter. Her eyes were completely captivated by a pair of pearl earrings studded with colorful glass and jewels.
Ha-yeon raised the hand holding the earrings high. Namgung Ryeon's head snapped up like a puppy's. Ha-yeon held the earrings in both hands and shook them side to side. Namgung's eyes crossed as she began nodding along with the movement.
This was fun.