“No Matter the Weapon, the Danmok Clan Won't Lose!”
Standing quietly at her side until then, Danmok Seong suddenly burst out shouting.
Geum Jongha looked utterly dumbfounded at her cry, as if he'd been slapped across the cheek. But he quickly bristled in response.
“Sure, in Dao swordsmanship, we're the best in Zhejiang Province!”
“No! The Danmok Clan won't lose in any martial art, with any weapon! Never!”
“No, no, no! We're the best! Hmph! Does the Danmok Clan even have Dao swordsmanship?”
“Of course we do! Good grief. Kids who only have Dao arts in their clan must think everyone else is like them. Our Danmok Clan, with its deep history and traditions, naturally has Dao swordsmanship too.”
“You have it? Really? Fine, then let's compete in Dao swordsmanship!”
“Kids, kids? Hold on a moment……”
“Young master, young master!”
The Geum Clan side was just as flustered. But before they could recover from their shock, Danmok Seong yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Fine! Let's do it!”
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Geum Jongha counted on his fingers to pick a date.
“Then, a month from now…… Last time it was at the Danmok estate, so this time at the Geum Clan manor!”
“Hmph, whatever! Suit yourself!”
The Geum retainers fidgeted anxiously before turning on their heels and hurrying after Geum Jongha, who stormed off.
The moment they were out of sight, Danmok Seong—her eyes blazing with blue flames—sneakily glanced at the others.
“Our clan…… does have Dao swordsmanship, right?”
* * *
“……”
“……”
“Wh-what do we do, young master……”
The Geum Clan members who'd hurried back first all stared at Geum Jongha.
“Aaaah……”
But Geum Jongha was crouched down, clutching his head.
“Won't Mother spank my butt?”
“N-no, surely Lady won't…… probably?”
“Uwaaaah! She'll flip out that I still haven't learned my lesson after sparring with Danmok Ryeon!”
“You knew that and still did it……”
“What do we do for real? Mother's bad enough, but Father's too, and what about the spar? Danmok Ryeon probably knows everything……”
His father, Geum Jeokgeol, had copied the notes Danmok Ryeon wrote by hand, storing the original separately, and reread the copies several times a day. Geum Jongha did the same.
Any lingering resentment over the match results had faded with time, and practicing while studying her notes had led to noticeable improvements.
She hadn't just casually pierced through their Dao swordsmanship—she'd analyzed it with razor-sharp precision.
Maybe Danmok Ryeon really is a genius? No, she definitely was.
And she'd probably stick right by that girl's side, coaching her closely……
“Ah, no. No way. I've improved a ton too. Right?”
Geum Jongha shot to his feet and grabbed a servant.
The servant's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded vigorously.
Their young master had always been exceptionally talented, and lately his skills had grown so rapidly day by day that the entire Geum Clan rejoiced.
“Of course! A huge amount!”
But even at that answer, Geum Jongha fidgeted anxiously, rubbing his fingertips together.
“Still, that guy's way better than me at……”
“D-don't call the Danmok young miss that.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, young master……”
The servant said it with half-teary eyes.
Geum Jongha racked his brains desperately while staring at the servant's face.
The challenge was issued; no taking it back.
“No…… it's fine. Actually, this is good.”
“How is this good……?”
They might end up picking a fight with the Danmok Clan now—how could it possibly be good? If they just avoided outright enmity, they'd be lucky. But if they lost the spar too?
They'd already lost once!
“W-well, anyway, Danmok Ryeon…… Ah, fine, don't look at me like that! Ryeon young miss! She'll come to the spar too.”
“Probably?”
“And she'll do match reviews with us.”
“You think…… so?”
“Yeah. Last time we had an extra person and did it as three……”
As he spoke, Geum Jongha flinched without realizing it.
Memories of that spar flooded back.
Even on the way home to the Geum manor, his body twitched involuntarily every time Danmok Ryeon raised her hand……
“So, we just say the same thing this time.”
Geum Jongha had already calculated through to the post-spar review.
Danmok Ryeon's eyes were like an answer key.
His father seemed to think she just memorized and noted down what she observed somewhere, but Geum Jongha believed otherwise.
The second spar, kept secret from everyone, proved it.
Besides, hadn't he and Danmok Ryeon become friends?
So surely, she'd write up another 'answer key' like last time.
If so! If he could get that!
Win or lose the spar itself, he'd gain the most from it.
Probably…… yeah, probably.
It'll be fine, right?
Geum Jongha patted his own butt absentmindedly, then slumped his shoulders and trudged off.
He had to report today's events at home.
* * *
Her daughter returned from her outing in a huff, so Danmok Hyeon-yo was in an uproar.
“Seong, did you fight with Ryeon……?”
“No!”
Danmok Seong shook her head firmly before her worried mother.
Then she calmly explained what happened.
She'd been showing Ryeon the streets when they ran into Geum Jongha of the Geum Clan. He picked a petty fight, so she boldly clashed back and they agreed to a match!
Danmok Hyeon-yo had sent off her daughter—burning with enthusiasm and heading to the library with Ryeon—with her forehead in her hand. She shot a glare at her younger brother standing beside her.
“You saw the Geum Clan bastards and just let them go?”
In truth, Danmok Hyeon-yo was the one in the Danmok Clan who'd grind the Geum Clan to dust if given a millstone.
She'd stake her life believing Geum Jeokgeol had orchestrated her brother's death.
What tragedy in the world was mere coincidence? The Dongjeong Blood Massacre that injured her father and brother, the intrusion on the day Danmok Ryeon was born—they were all deliberate acts by Blood Valley, not chance.
Refine her enmity toward the clan that killed her brother and rose high on that, and it'd burn half the Central Plains martial world to ashes.
“You didn't draw your sword first—what were you doing?!”
“Th-they were kids, sis. Geum Jongha, son of the Geum lord……”
“Born into that family, enjoying every privilege, but dodging their father's blood debt?”
“That kid already got thoroughly thrashed by Ryeon. Twice, last time she came for a spar……”
Geum Jongha hadn't told anyone about the second spar, but the adults knew.
How could they not, when the kid returned from 'match review and discussion' a sniveling, ragged mess? Ryeon had apologized profusely, so they had no choice but to back off.
“W-well, Ryeon handled that right. Best kid in our family. Except Seong.”
“Aigoo, yes, yes.”
“But that kid still picked a fight after all that beating?”
“Kids grow up fighting sometimes.”
“Fine for him, but you—why didn't you stop the kids from causing trouble?”
Danmok Hyeon-u shrugged.
“Like you said, sis, it's kid stuff—what can you do?”
“How long ago was that mess with Ryeon and the Geum kid, and you let this absurdity happen?”
“Nothing bad for us.”
Danmok Hyeon-u wasn't wrong.
They specialized in swordsmanship, so losing a Dao swordsmanship match wouldn't be a major blemish.
Danmok Hyeon-yo raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing bad? Was anything Seong said wrong? We're Zhejiang's top clan because we don't lose to any weapon! If we lose here, people will whisper the Danmok Clan has no choice!”
Danmok Hyeon-u thought the 'Zhejiang top clan' title had lost its shine long ago, but he kept it to himself.
“What did Ryeon say?”
“Huh?”
Danmok Cheon-gi, who had silently watched the siblings' argument, asked softly.
Danmok Hyeon-yo shuddered tensely and echoed him.
“Ryeon was there too, right? What did she say?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo looked baffled by the sudden shift, but Danmok Hyeon-u answered readily, as if he'd been waiting.
“She said learn it and win. So she went to get the manual for our clan's Dao art, Black Wind Heaven-Cleaving Dao.”
“Hmph.”
“Wh-who's learning that Dao art to face them?”
“Naturally……”
Danmok Hyeon-u started to say 'Seong, naturally,' but paused, pondering.
Danmok Ryeon, who crushed Geum Jongha right after her Balsa Sesu and a bit of sword training—her talent was beyond doubt.
She'd master Dao arts in no time too.
“Hm…… Maybe Ryeon?”
“What?”
“Ryeon's only been awake a short while and hasn't properly learned our clan's swordsmanship yet, so maybe she'll learn the Dao this time……”
“What nonsense is that?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo sharpened her brows fiercely.