Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.\n<b>àŒș Obsidian Insignia àŒ»</b>
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  âI messed upâŠâ
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  Was the first thought Gu Yangcheon had when he returned to his place.
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  âIâm screwed. Royally screwed.â
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   âIâm so retarded. Why did I do that.â
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  I remembered how Gu Yeonseo collapsed to the ground after being slapped. Her nose was bleeding, tooâŠ
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  My body was pretty weak and I didnât put any Qi into it, so it probably didnât do any serious damage.Â
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  âBut even so, I went too far.â
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  I wasnât talking about the slap itself when I said âI went too far.â That was honestly justified on my part.
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  It was just that I destroyed Gu Yeonseoâs reputation.
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  Did I really have to make a Gu blood relative eat dirt so pathetically in front of all that crowd in the middle of our clanâs festival?
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  It was understandable that Gu Yeonseo got so hot-headed because of her young age.
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  But I was almost twice her age if I combined both my current age with my previous lifeâs years, and I still let my emotions get the better of me.
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  âIâm still so immature, even with all this experience.â
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 <b> Wait, wasnât it the Second Elderâs fault that he instigated me into doing all of that at his age?</b>
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<b>  âŠWhy was I even asking, of course it was his fault.</b>
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â SwooshâŠ
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  Breeze passed me by and left behind a sound that tickled my ears.Â
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  The spring breeze was still cold, even though winter had already passed.
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  I could withstand the cold, even in light clothing, thanks to my flame Qi.Â
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  âAh-choo!â
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  I turned to the sound of the sneeze and found Muyeon and Wi Seol-Ah standing there.Â
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  Wi Seol-Ah came over to me while Muyeon gave his greetings. She had a roll of cloth in her hands.Â
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  âWhat are you holding in your hands?â
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  âYoung master⊠your handâŠâ
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  I checked my hand.
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  The skin on my palm was peeling off and there was a bit of blood coming out.Â
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  It was because I had slapped Gu Yeonseo while her body was still swathed in Qi.
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  A person with Qi inside their body had faster regeneration compared to an average person. An injury like this would heal pretty quickly.Â
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  âThis is nothing. Iâm fineââ
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  Before I could finish, Wi Seol-Ah rushed to cover my hand with the cloth. She was clumsy with it, as she didnât quite know what to do.Â
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  I wanted to do it myself, but I couldnât stop her when I saw the tears dripping from her eyes.Â
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  She looked so cheerful while she was watching the Second Elder beat up Peng Woojin, so to see her act like this at such a small injury threw me off a little.Â
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  âWi Seol-Ah wrapping bandagesâŠis pretty cool, I guess.â
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  The future Zenith was bandaging my hand for me. Wouldnât this be considered an honor?
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  She finally stopped bandaging me after my hand had become twice as thick.Â
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  Wi Seol-Ah spoke to me like she was about to start weeping at any second.
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  âYoung master, does it hurt a lotâŠ?â
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  âIt didnât at first, but now I feel like it does after this.â
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  âSo youâre saying it doesnât hurt, right? Thank goodnessâŠâ
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  ââŠYeah.â
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  âAre you only listening to what you want to listen to?â
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  I took a little walk in the night and circled around my place.Â
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  Was Gu Yeonseo alright?
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  âWhatever.â
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  I decided not to worry about it.Â
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  Not like this already ruined family relationship was going to be fixed from now.Â
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  Obviously not for Gu Yeonseo, and obviously not for me, too.
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  When I came back to my place, the lights were already on in my room. I asked one of the nearby servants what was going on.
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  She replied with an astonished expression, saying, âHuhâŠ? They said they already informed youâŠâ
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  I checked to see who was in my room, so I opened the door and there he was.Â
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  âOh! Young Master Gu!â
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  A lunatic⊠No, it was Peng Woojin.
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********
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  âHello, my name is Peng Woojin.â
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  âI know, Sir Peng.â
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  âYou can just call me Bro Peng or Brother Peng.â
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  âI donât think we are close enough for me to address you like thatâŠâ
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<b>Â Â Why is this lunatic here?</b>
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  And why was Peng Ah-Hee covering her face right next to Peng Woojin.Â
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  It looked like she was embarrassed as her ears were all red.
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  Peng Ah-Hee aggressively pulled on her brotherâs clothes and spoke.
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  âBrother⊠Shouldnât we apologize first for something we did?â
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  I was able to hear the embarrassment in her quivering voice.
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  Upon hearing Peng Ah-hee the realization dawned upon Peng Woojin.Â
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  âRight⊠I should have come here alone since you guys broke up. I apologize for not realizing sooner.â
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  âOh my god⊠you moron.â
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  I agreed with Peng Ah-Hee.
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  Peng Ah-Hee had no choice but to speak for her brother.
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  âApologies for coming here so late at night without saying anything beforehand. My lunatic of a⊠My brother really wanted to see you and I couldnât stop him.â
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  âSir Peng? Wanted to see me?â
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  âYou may call me Bro Peng.â
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  âI will pass.â
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  I didnât want to be involved with him.
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  Peng Woojin just sat still with a smile on his face, not saying anything as the tea that the servants brought grew cold.
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  âSo what brings you hereâŠ?â
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  Was he here to complain to me about the incident with the Second Elder? Peng Woojin still had a red swelling on one side of his face.Â
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  That was the spot where heâd gotten hit by the Second Elder.
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  âHe said he controlled his strengthâŠâ
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  <b>How is this him âcontrolling his strength?â Did putting in a bit more strength mean he could make heads explode with his punch? </b>
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  ââŠâ
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<b>  âŠThe mere thought of that scared me. It might actually be possible.</b>
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  âI really have nothing to do with what the Second Elder did to you. I swear I tried to stop him.â
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  âWhat are you talking about?â
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  <b>Huh, is he not here because of that?</b>
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  Peng Woojin started to speak as I expressed my confusion.Â
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  âI just wanted to see you since I heard you were the little brother of the Sword Phoenix.â
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  âYouâre close with my eldest sister?â
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  I had never heard about Peng Woojin being close to Gu Huibi. Well to be honest, I wasnât really close to her either.
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  But if I had to choose, I was probably still closer with Gu Huibi than Gu Yeonseo.
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  âI thought of her as close, but Iâm not sure how she feels.â
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  âThen you probably arenât.â
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  Gu Huibiâs personality was not the type to be friendly with Peng Woojin. It was more likely for her to try initiating a fight instead of a connection with him.Â
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  âThatâs why I came here to see you.â
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  âWhy do you want to see me? Itâs not like Iâm special or anything.â
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<b>Â Â What does he want from a useless guy like me, huh?</b>
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  Plus, our clans in general werenât really on good terms with each other after the engagement was dissolved
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  Peng Woojin spoke.
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  âI thought that the Sword Phoenix was the only fun person in the Gu Clan, but there was one more.â
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  Was he talking about me?
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<b>Â Â Fun? He was going on about âfunâ again. Like the first time I saw him, he was always looking for âfun,â which I didnât really get.</b>
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  âHe definitely is a weirdo.â
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  Although, it wasnât that strange, since there werenât many martial arts masters who were normal anyways.Â
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  Of course, I still didnât want to involve myself with him.
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  It might be beneficial to get into Peng Woojinâs good books since he would become the Sword King in the future, butâŠ
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  âThis guy is hard to read.â
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  He was very hard to understand because of his bizarre personality.
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  âIf you want to meet someone from Gu, it would be better to go see my sister instead. Iâm not all that special.â
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  âI probably wonât be able to see her if I go there right now, though.â
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  ââŠYou donât have to go now. You can go tomorrow.â
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  Hm, I wonder if she is still unconscious.Â
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  âI came to see Young Master Gu. I donât really have interest in the Young Lady Gu anyway.â
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  âBrother, can you please learn to not say some things sometimes?â
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  âHm, sorry. Iâm not very good at that.â
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  âWhat am I going to do with this person?â
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  I felt like I was going to get a headache all over again.
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  Peng Woojin took something out of his pocket.Â
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  âThis is my gift to you.â
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  âA gift?â
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  The item looked like a small black wooden insignia that had âPengâ written in gold on it. It didnât particularly seem all that special, but Peng Ah-Hee was shocked as if he had given me something very important.
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  âBrother, isnât it absurd for you to just give this away?â
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  âWho cares, they gave it to me for me to use. Whoever I give it to is my decision.â
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  âBut stillâŠâ
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  âWhatâs this?â
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  âThis is essentially a guest pass to the Peng Clan. If you come visit with that, you would be treated just like a Peng Clan family member.â
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  âPlease take it backâŠâ
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  Why was he giving me this?
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  If I took it, I really felt like I was going to be inevitably involved with Peng Woojin.Â
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  âBut, I have broken the engagement with your clan, soâŠâ
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  âI donât care about that.â
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  âBrother, I care.â
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  âPlease take it, Young Master Gu.â
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  He ignored Peng Ah-Hee completely.Â
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  It would be good to have the Peng Clanâs favor.
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  But I had no idea why Peng Woojin was treating me like this.Â
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  âHow about you hold onto it and give it to my eldest sister instead? I heard you were very closeââ
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  âI was going to, but Sword Phoenix didnât even bother listening to me. This is quite the precious thing to have⊠Why is she refusing it?â
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  He already got rejected! Damn it.
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  âThen what about my second sister?â
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  âIâm giving it to you because Iâm interested in you.â
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  ââŠI like women, Sir Peng.â
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  âOh, I like women, too, of course. Then again, maybe not? Probably yes.â
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  Why are you questioning that⊠Youâre giving me goosebumps.
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  Peng Woojin took back the Obsidian insignia, seemingly disappointed when I kept refusing it.Â
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  Peng Ah-Hee couldnât raise her head up after her brotherâs insane act.Â
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  Well, at least she was normal.
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  I just wanted to lay down on the bed more as time passed by.Â
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  Because of the duel, I had used my body too much and was really tired.
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  Peng Woojin, who seemed to notice my fatigue, got up to leave, even though he still seemed disappointed.Â
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  I guess that was really all he came here for.
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  Peng Woojin asked me a question as he was about to leave.
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  âAre you going to enroll in Heavenly Dragon Academy?â
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  âHmm, probably.â
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  To live as a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction meant that I would have to get through the Heavenly Dragon Academy set up by the Murim Alliance.
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  Although it was possible to learn enough martial skills within the clan alone, in order to be recognized as a swordsman qualified to close the Gates of Demons, graduation from a martial academy after being taught everything about demons was required.Â
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  Of course, martial academies existed in other places as well, and not just at Heavenly Dragon Academy.Â
But for those of the Orthodox Faction, it was obvious to enter Heavenly Dragon Academy.
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  âThough I should try to think of a way to run away.â
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  The education lasted for a whole year.
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  I didnât have the spare time to just waste an entire year like that.
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  âRight, then you would become my subordinate.â
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  Peng Woojin tapped my shoulders with a smile.Â
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  He was trying to establish ties with me through the academy since his other methods werenât working.Â
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  âWas it because I won against Gu Yeonseo and also slapped her hard afterwards? Why is he so obsessed with me?â
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  It would be weird even for a woman to act like that, so a man expressing so much interest towards me gave me goosebumps.
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  Peng Ah-Hee, while following her brother out, stopped to look at me.
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  âWhat.â
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  âI told you to talk to me formally, Iâm older.â
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  âYou said when I speak formally, it makes you sick, so what do you want me to do?â
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  Peng Ah-Hee finally continued after hesitating for a while.
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  âI apologize.â
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  âWhy are you suddenly apologizing?â
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  ââŠWhen I knocked you over and broke your arm on the day our engagement was annulled.â
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  ââŠYou did?â
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  I went through such a scary thing?
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  âWhat did I do to make you do such a scary thingâŠâ
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  âYou told me I was the child of a concubine or whatever.â
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  âI deserved it, then.â
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  I honestly probably deserved having both of my arms broken for that. So it was a bit weird to see her apologizing instead.Â
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  âYou donât need to apologize. I should be the one to do so instead. I apologize for my conduct back then.â
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  As we were both in the same situation, me saying that to her back then only made me a hypocrite.Â
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  It was just due to my own pride.Â
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  I didnât know if she accepted my apology or not, but at least her expression seemed to soften up.Â
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  âTake care.â
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  âTake care as well. And though you may not like what my brother gave you, he gave it with good intentions, so use it whenever you want.â
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  âGave me what, I thought I returned thatââ
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  I sensed something in my pocket.Â
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  When I searched my pockets, the black wooden insignia came out.
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  âWhen did heâŠ!?â
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  <b>âŠWhen Peng Woojin tapped my shoulders.</b>
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  <b>He put it in then?</b>
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  I let out an empty laugh.Â
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  âWhat a lunatic.â
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  I heaved a sigh and put the black wooden insignia back in my pocket.
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* * * * *
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  On the third day of the Nine Dragons Ceremony.
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  It was the day of celebration and partying, but I got into the carriage to return to the clan as soon as I could.Â
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  I heard that Gu Yeonseo had already set off at midnight.
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  âShe woke up, thankfully.â
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  I was thankful she woke up without any lasting damage, but it was even harder for me to face her now, when it was already quite difficult before.
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  After the preparations were done, the carriage set off.Â
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  I was trying to rest, but then Wi Seol-Ah started to lean towards my shoulder as she fell asleep.Â
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  I quickly passed Wi Seol-Ah to another servant as I also began to doze.
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