Chapter 108
Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: A Letter from Big Brother
Ever since the day I sparred with Moyong Hui in the garden, Cheon Woojin had changed.
He must have been deeply inspired by her ascension to the Flower Realm, because he was throwing himself into training with renewed vigor.
'I wonder how long that'll last.'
We've known each other for quite a while now, but the Cheon Woojin I knew had always been far from diligent.
He never trained—instead, he pestered me every day to hit up the brothels.
'...Did I rub off on him or something?'
Either way, it was a pleasure to see one of my subordinates training so earnestly.
In the end, it all benefited me, didn't it?
Amid all that, the real surprise was Baek Rihyeon.
With Cheon Woojin busy, the surveillance on Baek Rihyeon had eased up, but the kid was still handling the same grueling workload all on his own.
Sweat pouring down his face, in a state where he could collapse at any moment, yet he kept swinging his sword without pause.
'Whew, what a stubborn little guy.'
Hard to believe he was only eight years old. How did he even manage that?
Was it because he'd built that habit from the start?
Meanwhile, Moyong Hui and I were enjoying some leisurely time.
We'd spar once in the morning, then spend the rest of the day wandering Beijing, having fun.
Maybe she was trying to squeeze out the rewards from her closed-door training, because she refused to leave my side even for a moment.
Thanks to that, I had no time to meet other women, but it wasn't a big deal.
Eun Garyeon was too swamped to even run into anyway, and I'd had my fill at the Silver Flower House lately.
The only regret was not getting some alone time with Yang Hajeong.
'Eh, plenty of time for that later.'
Yang Hajeong was staying here for the foreseeable future anyway.
No reason for her to run off with Baek Rihyeon in tow, so I could always carve out time later.
We were spending our days so fulfillingly when the person I'd been waiting for finally arrived at the Eun Merchant Group.
"Long time no see?"
It was the Jang guy, back from his business trip to the Sichuan Tang Family.
He'd finally shown up after all this time, but I wasn't in a good mood at all.
It meant my sweet vacation was coming to an end.
'Tch, couldn't you have come a little later? What's the rush?'
Of course, I could stick around a few more days if I wanted, but the problem was that delaying even once would make it harder to leave.
Much as I'd love to hole up in Beijing forever, I had too much to do.
Maybe he read my displeasure, because he looked flustered.
"Did I do something wrong to you?"
"Yeah. A massive screw-up."
Being pointlessly diligent was his huge mistake.
Instead of explaining to the guy who still didn't get it, I changed the subject.
"Anyway, how's the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique I taught you coming along?"
"Of course. Want to test it out?"
He put on a confident face at my words.
Seeing that made it even harder to bring up my business.
"Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about..."
I trailed off meaningfully.
It felt pretty embarrassing to tell him not to use something I'd gone out of my way to teach him.
'But I can't just not say it.'
If things went south, the fallout could hit me too.
And considering the source was the Martial Emperor, I might even have to kill the Jang guy right now to eliminate any future risks.
'Not that I'd actually kill him...'
That was how serious this was.
As I pondered how to break it to him, the Jang guy gave me a puzzled look.
"Why stop mid-sentence?"
'Wait, thinking about it, why am I even stressing over this?'
I hadn't gotten any compensation for teaching him martial arts in the first place.
And besides,
'I didn't just teach him the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique.'
I'd also passed on the Formless Finger Art, Chu Munrak's signature poison technique.
That should be more than enough, right?
With my thoughts sorted, I declared boldly.
"Hey, from now on, don't practice the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique. And don't use it."
"What do you mean?"
The Jang guy furrowed his brow, not understanding.
I explained kindly to the dimwit.
"Exactly what I said. Get caught using it, and you're dead."
Better him than me, obviously.
I drove the point home to the guy who still wasn't getting it.
"Got it? Forget the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique exists."
"...Understood."
"Ah, come on! Just don't use it... Huh? Understood?"
I was all geared up for him to complain so I could chew him out, but he accepted it without a fuss.
I ended up halting mid-rant in annoyance.
The Jang guy gave me a serious look.
"I don't know the reason, but it's a martial art you taught me, so I'll follow your lead."
"...Yeah. Don't use it for real."
Wasn't that a bit too easy?
He'd just been bragging about training hard a second ago.
'Is he planning to use it behind my back?'
A nagging doubt crept in, but I shook it off.
He wasn't the type.
'He's an idiot, but straightforward because of it.'
Recalling the Jang guy's past behavior put my mind at ease.
When I declared I'd cut off his arm if he drew his sword in front of me, he fought solely with the scabbard.
'Even held his own against Chu Munrak.'
If he'd given his word like this, he wouldn't use it even on the brink of death.
Unless I was a terrible judge of character.
Anyway, with the nagging issue resolved so easily, I threw in an extra line.
"In exchange, I'll teach you another martial art later. No time right now."
A promise with no set date.
But the Jang guy nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"Understood."
Did he really mean it, or was he just saying it?
Not that I cared.
With business done, as I started to rise, he grabbed me this time.
"Wait, I have something to pass on to you."
"Huh? Pass on?"
Maybe some reward for the martial arts I taught him?
I felt a flicker of anticipation, but what he pulled from his bosom was a sealed letter.
"What's this?"
I snatched it from his hand before he could offer it.
There was a familiar seal on it.
'Huh? It's from the Mok Family?'
I'd heard from Eun Garyeon that he'd stopped by the Mok Family Clan on his way back, but I hadn't expected a letter.
Curiosity piqued, I opened it right away.
To Myeong-i.
Myeong-ah, not a single letter since you left home—your big bro feels neglected.
Still, glad to hear you're doing well. That's a relief.
It was a letter from my eldest brother, Mok Jicheon.
His complaint about the lack of contact gave me a novel feeling.
'Come to think of it, I can contact the family, huh.'
It had been so long since I'd cut ties in my past life that the thought hadn't even crossed my mind.
Even now that I realized it, I had no intention of reaching out.
'Too much hassle.'
Unaware that the corner of my mouth had quirked up, I kept reading.
...(excerpt)...
Yeon-i visited the clan not long ago.
She must've trained hard at Mount Hua Sect—her skills had improved so much it shocked me.
But her personality hasn't changed a bit.
Even during her short break, she worried endlessly about you, Myeong...
I couldn't tell her anything back then since I didn't know, but now I'm thinking of sending a letter to Mount Hua Sect.
Maybe you could send one too, if you have time.
'Yeon-i was worried about me?'
That was pretty unexpected.
Thinking back to my past life, when Yeon-i returned from Mount Hua Sect, she only looked at me with pity.
'...Or did she worry at first?'
She did try to stop me from going to the brothels every day.
We even made a separate promise that I wouldn't go anymore.
'And the day she left, I probably went right back.'
After that repeated a few times, her attitude toward me shifted.
I buried the bitter memory and read on.
...(excerpt)...
And there's huge good news for the clan.
Eun-i recently broke through the wall.
You know she's not one to boast, so I didn't notice at first. But then during a spar with Father, sword qi appeared.
You should've seen how shocked we were.
Eun-i was already better than me, but this time...
'Huh? Second sis reached the pinnacle realm?'
Mok Jieun does reach the pinnacle realm in the original timeline.
That's why she inherited the title of Sword Phoenix after Moyong Hui.
But the timing was much earlier than I remembered.
'Wasn't it around late next year or early the year after?'
I didn't recall the exact date, but it was definitely during the Orthodox-Heterodox Great War.
Which hasn't even started yet...
'Don't tell me it's because of me?'
The only change was my regression.
After mulling it over, the only thing that came to mind was our spar.
'That alone shaved off a whole year?'
Truly monstrous talent.
In terms of pure talent, she might even surpass Moyong Hui, who'd just entered the Flower Realm.
Admiring my second sister inwardly, I finished the letter.
Nothing much followed below.
But the closing line jumped out immediately.
...(excerpt)...
So I'll stop here.
P.S. Keep in touch sometimes, little bro.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the phrasing so unlike my brother.
That must mean it's from the heart.
It really hit home that I'd regressed.
The biggest change since then was probably my relationships with my family.
'Still no contact from me, though.'
Way too much hassle.
Instead, a better idea occurred to me.
'I'll just build enough fame that word of me reaches the clan on its own.'
Perfect timing to get moving in earnest.