Chapter 128
Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Reminiscences and a Challenge
The atmosphere at the drinking party was pleasantly lively.
It was all thanks to the two women's nonstop chatter.
'I knew Hee-ah was talkative, but Nangong Sua's pretty chatty too?'
She looked every bit the cold beauty on the outside, but surprisingly, she smiled easily and loved to talk.
But whenever Paeng Deokjo tried to butt in,
"Ah, yes."
her expression vanished as if the smile had never been there.
Because of that, it was hard to tell if this side of her showed because she was close to Moyong Hui, or if she was just especially icy toward Paeng Deokjo.
As Nangong Sua reminisced with Moyong Hui, she slyly turned her attention my way.
"By the way, Sis, how about introducing Mok So-hyeop?"
"Huh? Gaga...?"
Moyong Hui hesitated for a moment.
At that, Nangong Sua grinned mischievously and topped off Moyong Hui's glass, claiming she needed to wet her throat.
"How you met, where it happened. Tell us that story."
Moyong Hui glanced at me, as if asking if it was okay to share.
I nodded with a smile, curious myself what she would say.
'How far will she go?'
We hadn't coordinated on this part.
I'd only told her to keep the Blissful Creation Art a secret.
But that didn't make it easy to be fully honest about everything else.
'So many things that have to stay secret.'
Saying I'd beaten her father would never be believed anyway, and it would tarnish the Moyong family's reputation.
The whole Saga Gate mess before that would smear her clan too.
But could she explain it without those parts?
I leaned in expectantly, wondering how adeptly our innocent Hee-ah would lie.
Yet she opened her mouth casually, as if it were nothing.
"Well, first off, Gaga introduced himself from the Mok Family Clan earlier, right? Sua, do you know where the Mok Family Clan is?"
"Hmm... Sorry, Mok So-hyeop, but no clue."
Moyong Hui seemed intent on laying it out properly as she made eye contact with Nangong Chan and Paeng Deokjo too.
The two men listening intently shook their heads, equally clueless.
'This is the Mok Family Clan's reality.'
The fact that those Shandong Eoga guys recognized us last time was the real surprise.
Moyong Hui nodded as if she'd expected as much, then turned back to Nangong Sua.
"It's a righteous clan in the Shanxi region."
"Shanxi?"
Nangong Sua tilted her head again.
It made sense. In truth, the Shanxi region was practically shunned by the Central Plains martial world.
Distance-wise, it was much closer than Sichuan or Liaoning, but there wasn't a single major power there.
'The Mok Family Clan barely holding down the fort as local lords says it all.'
Moyong Hui gave a shy smile.
"Yeah. But Gaga came all the way to Shenyang to meet me."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well..."
The story Moyong Hui unfolded was about our first meeting.
A total stranger with no prior acquaintance suddenly traveled that far to see her.
She'd been cooped up in her clan feeling bored, so she'd made time to meet him...
"You know that feeling where you click right from the first meeting?"
"Ah! I think I get it!"
"Yeah, we talked about swords from the start, and our thoughts matched perfectly... I think..."
Moyong Hui trailed off mid-sentence.
She glanced at me and tilted her head slightly.
Now that she thought about it, something felt off.
And rightly so—back then, I'd just been going along with what she said.
'What was that talk again? Something about conviction being key in swordsmanship?'
More or less.
And yet, traveling with me, Moyong Hui had contradicted that conviction several times.
'Feuds with the Shadow Gate and those Shandong Eoga guys aside, she even watched at Yanghwa Jeong while we shared cloud-and-rain joys.'
Moyong Hui was gradually being dyed in my colors, knowingly or not.
She seemed to reach that realization herself—her face flushed, and she downed the drink in front of her in one go.
"...Anyway, we talked, and later we shared sword discussions and got close like that."
It felt abruptly cut short, but Nangong Sua didn't notice and turned to me with a question.
"So Mok So-hyeop really came all the way to Shenyang just to see Sis? Without even knowing her face?"
"That's right."
"How long did it take from Shanxi to Shenyang?"
"A little over a month, I think."
To be precise, it was closer to three months, but I subtracted the time spent in Beijing.
I answered matter-of-factly, and Nangong Sua's eyes lit up instead.
"What if you couldn't meet her? You didn't even have an appointment. Hee-ah Sis said she only met you because she was bored at the time..."
"I planned to wait in Shenyang until I did. Luckily, I had plenty of funds, so I could've waited as long as needed."
This was sincere.
I'd braced for several months, in fact.
Nangong Sua looked impressed.
"Wow, so romantic...!"
Apparently, whatever came after didn't matter.
'Well, it's not exactly commonplace.'
Heading off to meet a total stranger with no ties?
And over that kind of distance?
A few days' travel, maybe—but a month? Not many would be that crazy.
At that moment, Paeng Deokjo tried to score points with Nangong Sua.
"Ahem, if you went far away, Sua, I'd follow you anywhere."
But she shot him a displeased glare.
"That's possible for Paeng So-hyeop because we're already close."
"Even without that, I'd..."
"Then why didn't you come find me before the Murim Alliance?"
"..."
It was their longest exchange of the night, but Paeng Deokjo's expression soured.
Without regression like me, the past couldn't be undone.
'Of course, even if he had gone, not sure Nangong Sua would've been thrilled.'
Looks mattered—a lot, not just to women but to men too.
Honestly, even I wondered if things would've worked out with Moyong Hui if I'd had that scarred face from my past life.
'Gotta admit what I gotta admit.'
Being handsome was the best.
And fortunately, I was very handsome.
As Paeng Deokjo moped, Nangong Chan, who'd been quietly listening, spoke up.
"By the way, Sua mentioned sword discussions earlier... Is Mok So-hyeop good at them?"
What a random pivot.
I quickly realized why.
'This guy's supposed to be great at sword discussions?'
Moyong Hui had said she'd never beaten him.
And I'd never beaten Moyong Hui properly either.
'Sure, I won once via sexual harassment, but that didn't count as a real sword discussion.'
Basically, with his strong suit on the table, he was fishing to bring it up.
He wanted to spar naturally and show off...
"Not really."
I had no intention of falling for the obvious ploy.
My ready refusal made Nangong Chan's brow twitch.
"Still, discussing swords with Hee-ah means you're pretty skilled, no?"
He really wanted to humiliate me.
Fine, I'd play along a bit.
"What's the point of being skilled at sword discussions? It's just a game in the end. Nothing uglier than a man fighting with his mouth."
Maybe the harsh words?
Paeng Deokjo and Nangong Sua looked mildly shocked.
But Moyong Hui, who'd reached the Flower Realm and realized sword discussions were mere play, nodded lightly in agreement.
"I agree with Gaga. Sword discussions can never become true skill."
Nangong Chan, who'd been scowling and about to retort, froze like a statue at her words.
He stared at Moyong Hui in disbelief.
"Hee-ah, what do you mean by that? Sword discussions aren't just swinging real blades—it's the path to elevating your techniques and becoming a true master. Don't tell me you don't know."
His expression was deadly serious.
Even the other two nodded as if it were obvious.
"Hmm, Sword Phoenix, weren't you obsessed with sword discussions not long ago?"
"Sis, are you just defending Mok So-hyeop so he doesn't feel bad?"
Hearing Nangong Sua, Nangong Chan belatedly realized that's what she meant, his face twisting.
But it was a complete misunderstanding.
'Is this how all righteous sect youngsters think?'
Come to think of it, even Moyong Hui had wanted sword discussions over real spars when we first met.
I'd chalked it up to her hating injuries, but apparently not.
'Tch, what the hell does the Murim Alliance even teach?'
Sword discussions were just a game, ultimately.
No amount of practice helped in real fights against true masters.
Sure, at their level—the pinnacle realm—it might help...
'But once you hit the Flower Realm, it's all worthless.'
Moyong Hui herself had been thrown off by her discussion-honed habits when we sparred after she broke through.
She adapted quickly, but in a real fight, it could've cost her life.
Yet Nangong Chan, convinced by Nangong Sua's words, skipped Moyong Hui and addressed me directly.
"Mok So-hyeop, you seem to have a huge misunderstanding. Sword discussions aren't something to dismiss so lightly."
With Sword Phoenix and Spear Peak backing him, his attitude grew smugger.
He pressed silently, as if demanding I take it back.
I held up a hand to stop Moyong Hui from jumping in.
Then I replied to Nangong Chan in a calm tone.
"Tricky situation. I'm saying sword discussions are useless, while Nangong So-hyeop claims they're useful..."
A pouty smirk crept onto my face unbidden.
But I kept my tone as polite as possible.
"If that's the case, why not settle it with a real spar?"
If you're pissed, let's throw down.