Why Is the Sword Venerable in My House!
A few days had passed since the thunderous commotion at the training ground. Baek Cheong had been holed up in her quarters, enjoying a life of comfort. ‘I should probably avoid the training ground for a while.’ It was fortunate that her father had let it slide, but she knew better than to underestimate the spiritual sense of a Golden Core cultivator. If she were caught lurking near the training ground and detected the lingering traces of lightning qi, she might not get off so easily next time.
So, she stayed quietly tucked away in her room, indulging only in Mumyungbang. Her days were spent lying comfortably on her bed, scrolling through posts. She would sleep when she got tired of browsing, wake up to browse some more, eat when she was hungry, and then return to browsing. She giggled at replies to her own troll posts and couldn't stop smiling as she watched the threads still popping up in the aftermath of her puppet-alchemy stunt. This wall-facing, room-bound browsing was the very definition of a loafer’s life.
‘Isn’t this the true Dao that a cultivator should pursue?’ At this rate, she felt she could live like this for a month, or even two.
. . . Then, one afternoon.
“Young Miss, there is a message from the Clan Head.”
The maid’s voice drifted in from outside the door. “He says an honored guest has arrived, so please dress neatly and come to the Clan Head Hall.”
‘An honored guest?’ Baek Cheong pulled herself up, logging out of Mumyungbang. Immediately, she recalled the condition her uncle had set when she asked him to make the puppets: she must behave politely toward a special guest who would be visiting soon.
‘Ah, so the special guest has arrived.’ She assumed it was someone who hadn't been able to attend the banquet. Someone at least on par with a major sect or the Manxiang Pavilion. She figured she would just offer a quick greeting and then slip away.
With the maids' swift assistance, she donned a neat robe. She brushed out her tangled hair until she looked polished. As she headed toward the Clan Head Hall, her curiosity about the guest’s identity began to grow.
‘Surely another Nascent Soul great cultivator wouldn’t be visiting, right?’ She had already seen three of them at the banquet. She had been exhausted from acting so demure and cautious back then. ‘Well, whoever it is, I just need to greet them properly.’
She arrived at the Clan Head Hall with a light heart. As she climbed the stairs and reached the door of the inner hall, voices leaked out from within. Her father, her uncle, and one unfamiliar voice. No, for some reason, it sounded strangely familiar.
‘Is it someone I know?’ Baek Cheong felt puzzled but opened the door and stepped inside. Her father and uncle were seated at the table. Opposite them sat the guest, back turned toward her. He wore a shabby robe. The back of an ordinary man, the kind you could run into anywhere.
‘No, it couldn’t be...’ A sense of déjà vu washed over her, and her steps slowed instinctively. All she could see was the plain back of a man in a worn-out robe. But she had definitely seen him somewhere before.
‘The Pacheon Sword Venerable...?’ Baek Cheong realized his identity, and goosebumps erupted across her entire body. She took a step back, as if trying to flee the room. One step, two steps. But her father and uncle spotted her, and the conversation cut off abruptly. The guest in the shabby robe turned his head slowly.
‘It really is the Pacheon Sword Venerable!’ The moment her eyes met his, her legs nearly gave out. The object of her terror, the man who had almost dragged her off as his disciple when they met at Yeonha Seonseong, was sitting in the middle of her family’s hall.
‘UUUUUUNCLE!!!’ Baek Cheong screamed internally, horrified. But on the outside, she didn't show a thing. She maintained the calm, composed demeanor she had honed in her daily life—save for the cold sweat trickling down her spine.
“Baek Cheong greets Father and Uncle. I also offer my respects to the Pacheon Sword Venerable.”
She bowed deeply, squeezing out the most polite voice she could muster. The picture of a demure, well-mannered youngest daughter. Only the heavens knew that her insides were boiling with rage.
However, the Pacheon Sword Venerable did not respond to her greeting. He didn't nod, nor did he open his mouth. He simply stared at her intently. It was only a fleeting moment, but the silence felt like an eternity.
‘Why isn’t he saying anything...’ Even at Baeksang Pavilion, he had scrutinized her for a long time before finally speaking. After a moment of silence,
“Oh.”
A short exclamation escaped the Pacheon Sword Venerable’s lips. It was a dry, yet deeply resonant sound.
‘Huh?’ Baek Cheong managed her expression while carefully gauging his reaction. She had heard a similar exclamation at Baeksang Pavilion last time. But this time, the exclamation was one syllable longer.
‘Why is it “Oh-ho-ra” instead of just “Oh-ho”!’ A sense of unease crept over her, and her back became damp with cold sweat. Whether it was a good sign or a bad one, it was clearly an unusual change.
“Cheong, come here.” Her uncle gestured for her to approach with a benevolent smile. She reflexively looked back at her father. She put all her strength into her eyes, making the most pitiful expression she could. He was the only one who could save her here. But her father turned his gaze away. He didn't say a word, his face filled with regret.
‘They were in on it together!’ Baek Cheong’s vision went dark for a moment. In the end, she was dragged forward step by step. The distance of barely ten paces felt as long as ten thousand miles. When she finally drew near, her uncle wore a satisfied smile.
‘No, it wasn’t Uncle—this person must have orchestrated it.’ Nine times out of ten, her uncle had called the Pacheon Sword Venerable using her as bait. It was clearly to secure protection from the Heavenly Sword Sect. If that happened, the Yeonha Baek Clan would be in a position where even demonic factions wouldn't dare touch them.
‘Just you wait.’ Baek Cheong gnashed her teeth internally at her uncle. She vowed to make him pay for this later. But for now, she had to endure. She swallowed her anger and fixed her expression. With her head slightly bowed, she reached his side.
“Truly a unique child.” The Pacheon Sword Venerable stroked his chin and began.
“To have sword intent transcend the mind and take root in the body as well.”
Baek Cheong tilted her head, confused by his words. Soon, she realized he was talking about how she had broken through the wall using Meteor Strike. Just as she felt anxious about how much he could see through her, her uncle cut in as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Sword Venerable.” Baek Muyeong displayed the practiced ease of a Clan Head. “Cheong’s aptitude and talent are truly extraordinary. Whether it be alchemy, talisman-making, or puppet arts, she enters any craft she touches with ease. She possesses the natural talent to make anything her own the moment she sees it.”
Baek Muyeong rattled off his niece’s talents as if showing them off. It looked like praise, but the hidden meaning was obvious. Will you really leave such a brilliant child as she is, Sword Venerable? It was bait, pushed toward the Sword Venerable who wandered the continent looking for a disciple. Baek Cheong also realized her uncle’s intent.
“I still have so many shortcomings,” she said, bowing her head and uttering words of modesty, while secretly glaring at her uncle.
But Baek Muyeong didn't blink an eye. Instead, he maintained a calm smile, observing the Pacheon Sword Venerable’s reaction. The Sword Venerable didn't respond immediately to her uncle’s words. His gaze remained fixed on Baek Cheong. After a long while,
“Indeed.” The Pacheon Sword Venerable opened his mouth as if savoring the moment.
“Among all the children I have seen thus far, she is a hundred times better.”
‘A hundred times!?’ Baek Cheong was stunned by the change in his assessment of her. Last time, he had said she had too many distracting thoughts, that she couldn't reach the end of the sword, and that she wasn't suited to be a sword cultivator. ‘Am I really going to be taken as a disciple?’
The vision of her browsing life shattering into pieces flashed before her eyes. If she were dragged off to the Heavenly Sword Sect, Mumyungbang would be a pipe dream. A hell where she would have to hold a sword, think about swords, and polish swords all day long.
‘What do I do, what do I do, what do I do.’ Her brain scrambled to find a way out, trying to come up with excuses. That she had too many interests, that she still had too many distracting thoughts, that she had no genuine interest in the sword.
Suddenly, the Pacheon Sword Venerable turned his gaze. He looked back and forth between Baek Mujin and Baek Muyeong.
“I have something I wish to ask this child. Would the Clan Head and the Danju excuse us for a moment?”
“Of course.” Baek Muyeong answered readily and rose from his chair. Then, he gently grabbed the arm of his older brother, who had frozen like a statue.
“Brother, let’s wait outside for a moment.”
Baek Mujin followed his younger brother’s lead, but his heart felt like it was being torn apart. He couldn't even protect his beautiful daughter, and now he was using her for political gain—he couldn't bring himself to walk away. As he was dragged out, he looked back at his daughter once out of guilt. But when he met his daughter’s trembling eyes, he had no choice but to turn away.
In the end, only the Pacheon Sword Venerable and Baek Cheong remained in the inner hall. In the awkward atmosphere, it was the Pacheon Sword Venerable who spoke first.
“Much has changed in a short time.”
Baek Cheong bowed her head slightly and watched him, wondering what the meaning behind his words was. What was it he wanted to ask? But she couldn't read anything from him.
“Even if you have many distracting thoughts, you possess an upright path of cultivation. In that regard, you lack nothing to become a sword cultivator.”