Yung Pung nodded upon hearing my question as my brows furrowed.
I could understand him being a little disappointed at us not being able to finish our duel earlier, but no matter how I looked at it, he didnât seem to have pure intentions any longer.
Heâs really bad at lying, huh.
Due to how direct he was and how honest he was with his emotions, I felt like I should call him innocent.
「Nah, he just hasnât matured yet.」
I let out a cough at Elder Shinâs words.
It surprised me that he of all people could say those words.
Should a man who used to be the Lord of Mount Hua really talk bad about his own people?
「 Now you treat me as the real Divine Sword?」
Elder Shin laughed at my words.
「Being honest with oneâs emotions doesnât help anyone in this world. You may be young, but I believe that you understand a little about what I mean.」
âA littleâ?
I related to Elder Shinâs words more than anyone possibly could.
Then again, that fact wasnât hard to realize by anyone who has lived in this martial world.
And because of that, I knew Yung Pung had most likely been spoiled from childhood.
「Itâs not always right to hide things from a child. Plus, they shouldâve been stricter with a kid with so much talent.」
It was unexpected, to see Elder Shin feeling so disappointed.
I assumed that he had a much more aggressive outlook on raising children compared to the current generation because heâd been through war himself.
「Of course, with one as beautiful as she is, anyone would be charmed no matter how hard they trained.」
I looked at Namgung Bi-Ah after hearing Elder Shinâs remarks.
Her white hair with blue tints glimmered even more in the moonlight.
And because of the campfire that was in front of her, her face was charmingly illuminated.
She was truly beautiful.
Unlike Wi Seol-ah who still hadnât lost her baby fat, Namgung Bi-Ah had already grown up. She made me wonder if a human could really be this beautiful.
Like Iâd thought in my past life, with her beauty alone, it shouldnât have been strange for her to be famous throughout not just Anhui, but the whole world.
And yet, the opposite was the case; even when one factored in her monstrous talent.
Was this also the Namgung Clanâs doing?
Either way, I could understand Yung Pungâs actions to an extent.
「Iâm more astounded by the fact you feel nothing about the fact that she is your fiancĂŠe.」
I smirked at Elder Shinâs words, after allâŚ
I was no different.
Namgung Bi-Ah was definitely beautiful right now, but her beauty was lacking compared to her days as the âDemon Sword Queen.â
The icy aura surrounding the Demon Sword exuded a dreamy atmosphere.
Even other demonic humans that had lost their sanity would stop when they laid their eyes upon the Demon Sword.
But even then⌠there was a reason why I felt uncomfortable with her.
The Demonic Swor was especially known for being violent even amongst other demonic humans.
Even the Demon Blade who relished in violence avoided the âDemonic Sword Queen.â
When she fought her own clan,
When she fought in many wars,
And when she even fought other demonic humans.
The Demon Sword from my memories had shown to harbor extreme hatred for humankind.
Her way of fighting was extremely violent.
She didnât just aim to kill but tried to deliver death in the most painful way possible.
To give an example, Iâd seen her cutting off oneâs genitals during a battle.
And it wasnât just one time I saw her doing that.
It got to the point that the Heavenly Demon itself told her to tone it down a notch.
Not that she listened to those words anyways.
But, like, what kind of demonic human didnât even bother to listen to the words that came directly from the Heavenly Demon itself?
That lunaticâŚ
What was even scarier was the fact that, no matter what she did, she never, ever showed killing intent.
Was there anything dreadful than that?
I was reminded of how she would cause trouble wherever she went, and the fact that I had to clean up after her always gave me headaches.
「âŚWhat kind of thoughts are you having for me to feel so uncomfortable?」
Nothing much.
However, if I had to point out something, it would be that the Namgung Bi-Ah in this life was a completely different person than the Demon Sword from my memories.
At least, that was what I tried to tell myself.
Namgung Bi-Ah lifted her head up and looked into my eyes after noticing my gaze upon her.
She looked so similar to the Demon Sword and yet had such a completely different aura.
It was almost like they were two different people.
The Namgung Bi-Ah before me looked empty and dull.
I wonder what happened for her to have become so reckless in my past life.
And just like that, I found myself curious about something Iâd been constantly avoiding.
âYoung Master.â
I woke up at Yung Pungâs call.
âYes?â
Why was heâ oh, right; the duel.
I looked at Yung Pung and asked,
âIt looked like you injured your back earlier, will you be fine with it?â
âAn injury like this is nothing to me.â
I understood that he had a firm will, but it looked like heâd let his emotions take control.
The people from Mount Hua who had been watching us from afar started walking towards us upon noticing Yung Pungâs disappointing behavior.
I stared at Yung Pung for a while and then uttered.
âLetâs do it.â
「Huh?」
Not just Elder Shin, everyone around us seemed to be surprised at my answer.
Was it really that shocking?
「You were thinking of denying the duel up until now, what made you change your mind?」
âŚItâs nothing much really.
It wasnât anything big that changed my mind.
Like Elder Shin said, Iâd had no intention of accepting the duel at first, but looking at Yung Pung made me feel a little bad for him.
Then Elder Shin laughed.
「You try your best to hide it, but you really arenât good at lying.」
Can you just let it pass, please?
「I will, since itâs not my place to stop you. Iâm just curious about why a guy like you who seems younger than that kid over there feels so guilty towards Mount Hua.」
I couldnât let Elder Shin know the reason why.
Because I actually accepted Yung Pungâs duel, the Mount Hua crew whoâd been walking towards us with the intent of scolding Yung Pung were forced to come to an awkward stop.
Well, considering the flames burning in Shinhyunâs eyes, Yung Pungâs scolding seemed inevitable.
As I stood up to follow Yung Pung, someone firmly grabbed my wrist.
It was Namgung Bi-Ah.
I tried to escape her grasp, but her grip was deceptively tightâŚ
âLady Namgung, what are you doing?â
âYou are⌠going to duel?â
ââŚYes, as you can see.â
Namgung Bi-Ahâs eyes widened at my response.
It was the first time Iâd seen her eyes widen in shock.
She then spoke.
ââŚWhat about me?â
âOhâŚâ
Namgung Bi-Ahâs voice showed that she felt a bit betrayed.
Was this really a big deal for her?
ââŚDo you want to fight Yung Pung instead?â
I had a goal when I accepted Yung Pungâs duel.
But now that I looked at it, it would be fine too if Namgung Bi-Ah did it instead.
For some reason, Yung Pung looked more excited when I made that offer.
âI wouldnât mind that either!â
âNo.â
Namgung Bi-Ahâs swift response was like a splash of cold water on Yung Pungâs enthusiasm, and the chilly tone she used in her response was surprising to me.
Because of that, Yung Pung turned pale in an instant, as if her rejection had somehow given him an internal wound.
A person that goes crazy over skilled swordsmen rejected a duel with the Dragon Sword�
I donât even use swords.
I felt something strange when Namgung Bi-Ah slightly turned her head away.
Is she sulking?
Is she actually�
Sheâs really sulking because I didnât fight with her?
「You really are a son of a bitch.」
Elder Shin cursed at me as if heâd been waiting for that moment.
It was the second worst thing heâd called me, coming right after âmantisâ.
Can a taoist really use such words�
「Iâm already dead so who cares. You should also get rid of that stereotypical way of thinking.」
So itâs my fault now?
「Yes, Iâll have you know that a certain monk almost got kicked out of the clan because he was secretly stealing meat, so whatâs the problem with a taoist cursing a little?」
I really didnât need to know thatâŚ
The dark past of someone who went down in historyâŚ
It was even more absurd because these words came directly from the ghost of Mount Huaâs former lord.
I didnât want to think about it any further, so I returned my focus to Yung Pung.
âYoung Master, will you be able to fight?â
The lights in Yung Pungâs eyes came back just a little when I asked him.
âYeah, of course I can. I will.â
For some reason, he looked more heated than before. This guy was more of a hassle than I thought.
「Once you are blinded by jealousy, you canât see anything.」
I didnât disagree with Elder Shinâs words.
It was the most relatable thing heâd said in a while.
Crunch.
I heard a crunching sound; Iâd stepped on an old branch.
The weather wasnât the best as we were currently in the midst of summer, but since it was after nightfall, I didnât feel hot thanks to the night breeze.
We stood on opposite sides at a reasonable distance, and in the middle stood Shinhyun. Just as weâd done before.
Shinhyun had his anger towards Yung Pung written all over his face but I wasnât sure Yung Pung could notic-
Oh, never mind, he was aware and was avoiding Shinhyunâs gaze on purpose. I guessed that he knew that once the duel came to an end, Shinhyunâs anger would descend on him in all of its fury.
We looked at each other for a while, and I noticed that Yung Pungâs expressions were now a little different from the one he had earlier.
ââŚI apologize for my actions,â said Yung Pung.
His voice was quiet like a mouse squeaking, much unlike before.
Upon hearing Yung Pungâs words I got curious.
âWhy all of sudden?â
ââŚWell, I was told not to let my emotion control my actions, but Iâve embarrassed myself again.â
Did he wake up thanks to the cold breeze? Even then, it was surprising that he realized it so quickly.
「At least heâs not the worst kind.」
You think so?
「He can see and judge himself objectively, and thatâs something that is necessary for a martial artist.」
He did indeed live up to his roots originating from a taoist clan.
Although I could still see Yung Pung peeking at Namgung Bi-Ah from time to time.
Wait, where did Wi Seol-ah go? I had assumed she would be next to Namgung Bi-Ah, but she wasnât there.
Sheâs probably playing around somewhere else.
Was what I decided to think.
「Itâs understandable he is weak to the charm of a woman considering his young age.」
Youâve started defending him all of sudden, if thatâs the case Iâm younger than Yung Pung.
「Ahem⌠I have to defend my own family. Plus, no matter how I look at it, you may look younger physically, but your mental age doesnât seem to be that of a child.」
I didnât respond to Elder Shin.
I would feel morally wrong if I lied to him about my real age.
After stretching, Shinhyun spoke.
âBegin.â
I was expecting Yung Pung to charge right at me as soon as the duel began, but instead, he was observing me.
「He felt something back then.」
Before he was sent flying by Namgung Bi-Ah, he got to experience my movements as well in that brief instance.
「Great observation by him. If he continues to grow like this, the future of Mount Hua will be in his hands.」
Elder Shin complimented.
I initially thought that maybe he was biased because he was also from Mount Hua, but then I realized that perhaps he was able to clearly detect Yung Pungâs intent because he was from Mount Hua.
â Rustle.
Something fell close to Yung Pung.
The thing that fell and crumbled away as soon as it hit the ground looked like a plum blossom.
And suddenly, plum blossoms rapidly surrounded Yung Pung and began swirling about as if they were caught in a breeze.
To make your sword blossom and to manifest the Qi of plum blossoms.
That was the dream of Mount Huaâs martial artists and the first goal to achieve as a martial artist that hailed from that clan.
The plum blossom sword art.
It was the first time Iâd seen Yung Pung like that.
「âŚTo have such mastery over the art of plum blossoms at that age, such monstrous talent.」
Elder Shin spoke heatedly with a surprised tone.
While I was just looking at Yung Pung, Elder Shin continued.
「Want some tips on how to beat him?」
I almost smirked at his absurd words.
I thought you said you have to support your side earlier?
「At this rate you are just going to get beat up and collapse, and you wonât be able to achieve the reason why you accepted the duel.」
That was his intention huhâŚ
Elder Shin.
「Whatâs up?」
How far can you see?
I asked what he felt when he looked at both myself and Yung Pung.
Elder Shin became quiet for a moment.
Could he see what we were fully capable of?
「I canât really feel much with the current state Iâm in.」
It seemed like he couldnât read that much into it.
I nodded slightly to Elder Shinâs words as that was a good thing;
It would be a little bit of a hassle if he really could see everything.
The plum blossom Qi that Yung Pung was emanating engulfed the whole area around me.
It seemed beautiful and warm on the outside, but the sharp Qi felt like myriad swords were drawn against me.
It was already impressive that he could produce this much Qi, but to put so much of his willpower into it was another impressive feat.
He really lived up to the name of Mount Huaâs best.
âI shall start, Young Master.â
âNot going to give a weaker opponent a chance to attack first?â
âI did not once think that you were a weaker opponent.â
ââŚHuh.â
He was different from those other guys.
I was honestly sorry for comparing him to guys like Gu Jeolyub and Namgung Cheonjun.
âIâll be starti-âŚ?â
Yung Pung stopped his movements when he was about to start.
I felt his emotions as his eyes widened and his breathing roughened.
「W-Whatâs this?」
I heard Elder Shin as well.
He even stuttered because of how shocked he was.
â Blaze-!
My destructive flame arts saw me release a crazy amount of Qi from my body and I didnât try to focus it into one place, instead letting it flow everywhere.
The heat gradually devoured the area around us.
And the raging heat that had no intention of cooling down, swallowed down the plum blossom Qi that was lingering in the air.
The plum flower leaves started to burn away because of my blazing Qi.
Once itâd burnt away all of his Qi, the blazing Qi started swirling around my body.
I can even do stuff like this now that my Qi has increased.
I couldnât dare to even try to do something like this previously because I couldnât afford to.
Yet now I was able to do it so easily.
The âBlazing Wheelâ.
It wasnât necessarily a hard skill to use.
It was a simple skill that let me form a flame wheel around my body.
However, it was a skill that consumed a ton of my Qi, so it wasnât a skill that I used a lot.
I was doing a good job controlling it now, but I wouldnât be able to use it for a long time.
「âŚI failed to realize that a real monster was right in front of my eyes.」
He was overpraising me.
Although Elder Shinâs compliment initially brought me joy, I couldnât help but feel conflicted.
I honestly didnât expect myself to go this far, but I was a bit excited as itâd been a while.
Yung Pung, who was standing before me was visibly shocked at the sight of his plum flowers burning away one by one.
And Shinhyun who was watching from the side showed a similar surprise.
âYoung Master Yung Pung.â
He flinched at my call, it seemed like Iâd woken him from his own thoughts.
âHere I come.â
I didnât wait for his response as I leaped towards him with flames swirling around me,