The Auction
Poyang Lake was renowned as one of the largest and most beautiful lakes in the Central Plains, alongside Dongting Lake.
Unlike the turbulent currents of Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake held a calm and serene atmosphere. It had become a sanctuary for idle scholars and those who enjoyed leisurely pursuits.
“……”
I gazed at the gentle ripples of Poyang Lake.
Countless people, laughter echoing from every direction.
If only this peace could last forever……
Demonic Cult.
The moment that name surfaced in my mind, the scenery of Poyang Lake transformed in an instant.
The lake, once a deep, clear blue where the bottom was visible, became a battlefield drenched in crimson blood and the stench of death.
A place where no footsteps remained, only abandoned weapons and mountains of corpses.
That was the final image of Poyang Lake etched in my memory.
“It’s nice here.”
I couldn’t protect everyone.
I knew that was impossible.
A sense of duty to save the world? A responsibility to protect them all?
I had none of that.
All that remained within me was one thing.
To destroy every last trace of the Demonic Cult that would one day bring down my family.
That was the sole reason I still drew breath.
* * *
The Eastern Hall of the Ju Family Residence.
“Huff, huff.”
Seung-gyeong’s entire body was drenched in sweat.
Harsh, ragged breaths escaped her lips, and her arms and legs trembled faintly.
She looked down at her own hands.
……
They were covered in scars and calluses—too rough to belong to a woman. Fresh wounds from recent training stretched across her palms as well.
“Not yet.”
Seung-gyeong wrapped a white cloth around the hilt of her wooden sword and gritted her teeth.
Ever since losing to Woo-jin, she had thrown herself into training without rest, day or night.
Being defeated by him was something she had never imagined possible.
“Seung-gyeong.”
Someone approached her.
It was Ju Seung-hyeok, the eldest son of the Ju family, who had been watching from a distance.
“Brother.”
“You’re training hard.”
At his words, Seung-gyeong gave a half-hearted nod and collapsed to the ground. Her legs had lost all strength.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to swing a sword with such dedication.”
Seung-hyeok smiled gently, his voice carrying a warmth that eased the heart just by listening.
“Brother, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Hm? Me?”
“Yes.”
Seung-gyeong steadied her breathing before speaking again.
“How many moves would it take you to defeat me?”
“You? I can’t say for certain……”
“I’m asking seriously, Brother. It’s something I need to know.”
This was a side of Seung-gyeong he had never seen before. Gone was her usual boisterous, playful demeanor. Seung-hyeok straightened his expression, pondered for a moment, then answered.
“If we fought properly, I could bring you down in three moves.”
“Three moves?”
Seung-gyeong nodded. She had expected as much. The gap between her and Seung-hyeok wasn’t so vast that they couldn’t gauge each other’s limits.
But……
Woo-jin.
Strangely, the thought of facing that boy again made her head throb.
How am I supposed to deal with that hand-to-hand technique……?
It wasn’t the Ju family’s martial arts. His stance had been full of openings, completely defenseless. Yet she had been defeated before she even understood what happened.
In a single exchange.
No, even that description felt generous.
Woo-jin had gone easy on her.
What shocked her even more was this:
He read my movements in advance. That’s only possible if he memorized every pattern and counter of my sword technique.
His movements were half a breath faster. He predicted where she would strike and seized the initiative, turning her attacks against her.
“Haa.”
Seung-gyeong’s sigh deepened.
She had never felt this way because of Woo-jin before.
“Why are you in such a hurry? What’s troubling you so much?”
……
Seung-gyeong looked up at the sound of Seung-hyeok’s voice.
Could Brother win against him?
She couldn’t be sure. Somehow, she felt Woo-jin would read even Seung-hyeok’s movements completely.
Those eyes.
They hadn’t been like Woo-jin at all—deep, indifferent, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Eyes of cold steel.
“It’s nothing, Brother.”
Seung-gyeong rose to her feet once more, wooden sword in hand.
Seung-hyeok realized that no words of his could stop her now.
What happened to her……?
He didn’t understand why she was pushing herself so desperately, but what did it matter? Born into a martial family, training in martial arts was no bad thing.
“If you ever have worries, come to me anytime. I’m not so heartless that I’d turn away my little sister’s troubles.”
With those words, Seung-hyeok left.
Even after he was gone, Seung-gyeong continued swinging her wooden sword with renewed vigor.
She knew that simply swinging a sword like this wouldn’t bring sudden enlightenment. Still, she couldn’t stop. More than the humiliation of losing to Woo-jin, she hated her own powerlessness at being unable to read his movements at all.
“Sister.”
I approached her.
“What? Your brother was just here, and now it’s you?”
Brother?
Ah, she meant Brother Seung-hyeok.
“I didn’t see him leave.”
“Whatever. Why are you here?”
Her tone was frosty. I had expected her to be alone and restless. I’d experienced her temper more than once or twice.
“I need some money.”
……
Seung-gyeong’s expression twisted into a scowl.
“Lend me some, would you?”
“Unbelievable.”
She set down her wooden sword and walked toward me, her presence imposing.
Why? Had I said something wrong?
“You beat me up, and now you’re trying to extort money too?”
“Huh? When did I beat you up……?”
“You did.”
“You’re the one who came at me first, Sister.”
Seung-gyeong paused, then nodded.
“Fine. I accept that.”
……?
What was this?
“But you already have plenty of money.”
“I’m a bit short……”
Her face hardened at my words.
“So that’s why you’ve been holed up in the house all this time? What, did your maternal family cut off your allowance?”
“What? No, I do have money……”
“You went to your maternal family a few days ago, didn’t you? Did they stop sending you money?”
Ah, this was getting complicated.
“I can guess what you’re thinking, but it’s not that.”
“Not that? Then what is it?”
“You think I’m going to waste it on brothels, alcohol, or gambling, don’t you?”
“You know yourself well.”
“Of course I do.”
“And I know I’m not giving you any money.”
At that, my face twisted in frustration.
To buy the Great Return Pill at the auction hosted by the Golden Tiger Hall, I needed a lot of money. I already had enough on hand, and if necessary, I could contact my maternal grandfather for more. But the problem was that reaching out to them might get back to Father.
If I really can’t get the money, I’ll have no choice but to ask my maternal family……
At least for now, I had come to Seung-gyeong because she was the easiest person among my siblings to ask.
“If you need money, I can lend it to you. It’s not like I have any use for it anyway.”
Perfect. I cheered inwardly.
“But there’s a condition.”
……
“Spar with me properly.”
Hm?
This wasn’t what I expected.
“Spar? You mean a proper duel?”
“Yeah. We both go all out.”
I understood her intent. She still couldn’t comprehend the movements I used against her last time.
“Fine. Will that satisfy you?”
There was no downside. If Sister grew stronger, it would only benefit the family.
“Good. If I’m satisfied with the result.”
I nodded at her words.
Seung-gyeong immediately went to fetch her real sword from the side of the training ground.
“What are you doing? Come on.”
“Huh? What? Right now?”
“Yeah. Right now.”
I sighed. It seemed I would be her training partner for the foreseeable future.
* * *
“Huff, huff.”
Using her sword as a cane, Sister barely managed to stand. Her legs were shaking so badly it looked like she could collapse at any moment.
“Are you all right?”
She answered with a weak nod.
Well, the outcome of our spar was obvious. I already knew her martial arts and their counters. Of course, memorizing them and applying them in real combat were two different things—but even so, this body had once fought the Heavenly Demon until the very end in my previous life. That experience didn’t change just because I had returned to the body of a young boy.
“How did you do it?”
Sister finally lowered her sword and crouched down, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Do what?”
“Those movements. You keep stealing my breath. How is that possible? You’re just……”
“Just what?”
“Honestly. You never trained seriously in martial arts.”
She was right. I had no intention of denying it.
“You’re not going to tell me you were secretly training all this time, are you?”
“Haha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while.”
She was openly mocking me. That stung a little.
“Anyway, tell me. How could I lose so helplessly?”
Sister’s expression had turned serious. For her to lower herself this much, she must have set aside a great deal of pride. I had no choice but to answer sincerely as well.
“The answer is…… your martial arts don’t suit you.”
……What?
“The Flying Heaven Flame Sword Art you’ve learned has more side effects for a woman.”
“Even so, I can’t just switch to another technique now. You know that.”
“I understand.”
The Flying Heaven Flame Sword Art lived up to its name—its forms resembled soaring through the sky. It featured fluid, continuous strikes that bloomed like flames. While its offense and defense harmonized beautifully, it demanded exceptional stamina and strength to maintain long breathing sequences.
Of course, stamina and strength were essential for any sword art. But the Flying Heaven Flame Sword Art had one more fatal weakness.
“The upper body.”
“Upper body……?”
“Its techniques are designed to target the opponent’s upper body. That means the sword paths are already within the enemy’s line of sight.”
In other words, its trajectories were straightforward. If Brother Seung-hyeok had used it instead of Sister, the result would have been different. The same technique could produce countless variations depending on one’s physical strength and stamina.
“How do you know all this?”
“I told you. I trained in secret.”
I smiled and dodged her question. I couldn’t exactly say, “I experienced a past life.”
“Cut the nonsense. So, is there a way to fix this?”
“Of course there is.”
“Tell me.”
At that, I grinned and held out my hand.
Seung-gyeong stared at it blankly for a moment before realizing what I meant and letting out a long sigh.
“Fine. I’ll give you the money.”
“Good. Then……”
I stood up, and Sister followed.
“Before that.”
She smirked.
“You’ve been speaking casually to me this whole time, haven’t you?”
……Ah.
Had I? In my previous life, I had been older, so informal speech felt more natural.
“It’s easier to listen to, actually. Feels like we’re a bit closer too, doesn’t it?”
I gave a vague nod.
Sister stood facing me.
“From now on, I’m going to change a few of the forms.”
This was a sword art I had refined countless times in my past life. I had already corrected the weaknesses of the Flying Heaven Flame Sword Art and created forms that could be applied immediately. I would pass them on to her.
Though it was earlier than I had planned, this had always been my intention.