Rumors Spread Like Water
Rumors are like water. They spread far and wide. You can't stop them even if you try. They slip through your fingers when you grasp at them.
It wasn't my intention. I simply did what was right in front of me. Caught a few thieves. Saved a granary from flames. Destroyed the dantian of the magi leader who commanded them and buried it deep underground.
I'd never drawn blood. Let alone taken a life. With the magi leader, I hesitated a little, but the conclusion was the same. Living without ever using martial arts again—that was the heavier punishment.
So I thought. And since I judged it right, that was that.
In the process, the rumor of a celestial maiden attached itself to me. The celestial maiden of Hobak Mountain, the young girl who commands divine beasts. A story from who-knows-where... it had already circulated through several villages.
I felt nothing special about it. Whatever name they called me by, I was just keeping my promise. What my mother had hoped for from me. One by one, bit by bit.
Don't rush. You'd be in big trouble if you fell.
Today, I decided to rest. I sat side by side with the white tiger under a massive hackberry tree. A breeze rustled the leaves. The air, thick with the scent of grass and earth, tickled my nose.
The white tiger laid its massive head on my lap. The beast that was once stiff with tension now leaned in on its own. It used to whine in protest at first, but now it was like a cat. I slowly scratched its white fur with my fingers. A low, contented rumble vibrated from deep in its throat. Its eyes half-closed. Sunlight filtering through the branches glowed faintly through my eyelids.
It was about time to find my way to the Hwasan Sect. But before that, there was a place I had to visit at least once. The Tang family. Sacheon Dangga, where my master awaited.
The one who taught me every combat skill I needed to survive. A second mother to me.
At this point in time... nothing had happened yet. Master's left eye would still be fine. The her before she lost anything. I wondered what she would look like.
Memories surfaced of sharing drinks with her. She'd stroke the end of her eyepatch with her fingertip, then remove it wordlessly. That touch lingered in my recollections.
I have to visit her at least once.
The thought circled endlessly in my mind when something sliced through the air. Several things at once.
My eyes reacted first. My hands followed. I swatted away the incoming objects with the backs of my hands. A heavy impact thudded into my palms, then dispersed. I looked down at what had fallen to the ground. Silver needles, half-buried in the dirt.
Hidden weapons. Not ordinary ones. They were coated in poison. I could tell from the scent alone. The toxicity wasn't mild, and the blend was exquisite. Not something just anyone could make.
The white tiger let out a low growl.
"Grrrrrr..."
I slowly raised my head. Beyond the tree's shade, a figure stood.
The person I'd longed to see so desperately. My master.
There she was. Dang So-ya of Sacheon Dangga. The world's deadliest flower.
At first, no words came. I didn't know how to open my mouth.
Her purple hair, symbolic of the Tang family, was dark and deep, shimmering black under the light. One side flowed down, the other tied up. Violet eyes with vertical slit pupils gazed down at me, sizing me up, probing for weaknesses. Eyes that calculated gains and losses, crunching numbers in her head.
But none of that mattered. Both eyes were there. Left and right. Both perfectly intact. That single fact held me longer than it should have. My gaze wouldn't budge.
Behind her, two snakes. Black scales gleaming with absorbed light. Divine beasts passed down through the Tang family generations, she'd once mentioned briefly.
It was different. So very different. The master I knew wasn't like this. She covered one eye, her back slightly hunched. Even her smiles carried a shadow.
But the woman standing before me now... she was clearly my master, yet not the one I remembered.
Is this... her true form?
Flawless white skin like fine jade, without a single scar. Pupils slit vertically like a snake's. Power dwelled in those eyes. A short dagger and countless shurikens at her waist. Her stance exuded leisure. Faint purple energy rippled from her fingertips. A subtle smile played on her lips.
Nothing servile about her. A dignified, beautiful woman. I lost myself in that sight for a moment.
So this is what Master looked like before. Her boast of being the world's greatest beauty... now I understood.
Something stirred quietly deep in my chest. I'd think later what to call it.
Dang So-ya spoke.
"Your face passes."
A flat voice. Neither high nor low. That curt tone was welcome. It was the speech I remembered from my master. Just that eased the tension in my shoulders a little.
Some things hadn't changed. The time I remembered wasn't a lie.
Still, "passes"? The word caught in my ear. I tilted my head slightly.
"I'll watch a bit more."
A normal person wouldn't understand. But I had a vague sense of it. Endure. Overcome. Then you'd hear the rest. That clumsy way of speaking... unchanged from back then. Nothing different at all. It almost made me laugh.
A chuckle leaked out inwardly. This is so like Master.
"Don't worry. I'll stop if it's dangerous."
The energy thickened. I sensed it before she moved. It gathered at her fingertips. A technique compressing poison qi with inner energy and expelling it. A hit would seal movement temporarily. Ma qi would handle it easily. Surely a convenient, simple method.
Of course, I couldn't use it. I'd vowed not to in front of people. It was a resolution, and getting caught would be trouble. If the Cheonha Magic Art spread, living quietly in this era would be hard.
I still had much to do. Things to accomplish. Things to protect. All with these hands. I'd change fate. Mother. Master. This time, without fail.
Then. Counter with the same method as Dang So-ya.
I hadn't forgotten poison arts. She'd taught me basics, intermediates, even some advanced ones. My body would remember.
Dang So-ya's energy lashed out. The air trembled as if pressed down. Silently, I gathered power at my fingertips. Drew up poison qi in a texture similar to her purple hue.
An old memory brushed my fingers. A sensation I'd thought forgotten. I aimed precisely at the same point. I could see it. Right there.
I channeled the poison qi toward it. The two energies clashed head-on. A brief vibration rang through the air. Then, they quietly devoured each other and vanished.
Neutralized. Suppressing poison with poison. The method future Dang So-ya had taught me.
Dang So-ya's body shifted back half a step. A minute movement. Yet her eyes widened greatly. As if grasping what just happened, she froze for an instant.
Silence fell. Dang So-ya stared at me. Emotions flashed rapidly in her eyes. Surprise. Wariness. Finally, calculation. Her pupils narrowed.
"...Who taught you that?"
"......"
"...Let me check. Stay still."
Moments later, she raised her hand. Different from before. Not an attack. Palm upward. She slowly spread her energy. All the poison qi released at once. The air grew thick with it. Enough to fell an ordinary person on the spot, but meaningless to me.
The poison couldn't penetrate. It simply flowed past. Like a breeze.
Dang So-ya saw it. She stared at me wordlessly for a long time. Finally, the purple energy subsided. Her hand lowered slowly. The two snakes quieted too.
Was that the end? She showed no will to fight more.
Dang So-ya took a step closer. Closing the distance. But no killing intent. More like verification.
"Parents around?"
The sudden question gave me pause. Why ask that? What to answer?
After brief thought, I spoke.
"Not right now."
Right now. I said it deliberately. Not a lie. In this era, my mother didn't know me yet. Our bond hadn't begun.
Dang So-ya mulled the words. Then she leaned down. About to do something? As wariness rose...
She scooped me up in her arms. My body. Hoisted high. My eye level shot up. Strength flowed through her. Firm, unwavering. Lifting me felt utterly natural, almost forgetting it happened.
Dang So-ya's eyes met mine from close range. Too cautious for warmth. Too serious for mere curiosity. Her gaze sparkled strangely.
She looked me over once, then scanned every inch. Head, arms, legs, cheeks. Checked it all. Only then did she speak.
"For an orphan."
A pause.
"You're too clean."
Silence flowed for a moment. Dang So-ya stared straight into my eyes. I met her gaze without a word. Our eyes held firm.
"Then I can take you."
She caught her breath, then added.
"Wanna be my daughter starting today?"
My breath caught. My hands froze. Meanwhile, Dang So-ya hugged me tight. A nostalgic scent. Warm and cozy. I'd thought such a day would never come again.
...Or so I'd believed.
Master had said something like this before. On a night with a bit of drink in her. If she found a good child, she'd take one in and raise them. Said it like a joke, but her eyes weren't smiling.
After Ma Cheon-hu, my mother, adopted me, she said it often. Her ideal type: a small, dark-haired girl. Big eyes, exceptional martial talent. Where in the world was such a child? I'd taken it as a joke then.
No way... No way... No way.
Realization hit late. What I looked like now. I was exactly Dang So-ya's ideal. Exceptional martial arts, small dark-haired girl. It all matched perfectly.
"I'll raise you most preciously."
Words failed me. Dang So-ya kept looking at me. No urging. Just holding me.
Her violet eyes still watched me. No impatience, no anxiety. Whatever my answer, she wasn't leaving.
She pressed close, rubbing her cheek lightly against mine. What to say? Where to start? I tried sorting my thoughts, but they wouldn't settle. In the end, I stayed silent.
In Dang So-ya's embrace... I couldn't utter a word.
That embrace... it had been far too long.