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Chapter 28




EP.28 Stench. (1)
Stench (1)
After spending the night at the inn, morning had arrived.
To be precise, it was still dawn, but we had to get up around this time for an early departure.
Stretching my stiff body, I stepped outside just as Wixia was coming out of the servants' room next door.
She was rubbing her eyes and still half-asleep, so I approached and lightly flicked her.
“Ouch…!”
“Wake up, hurry down and wash your face.”
“It hurts….”
“Stop whining. Where in the world is a servant who wakes up later than me?”
“My sisters didn’t wake me up….”
“You should wake up on your own.”
“Sniff, I’m sorry….”
Wixia nervously made her way downstairs.
How long will it take to prepare for departure? Probably around two hours.
Creak.
The sound of a door opening nearby caught my attention, and it was Namgung Cheonjun who emerged.
He seemed to have finished his preparations early, looking neat and tidy.
When our eyes met, he slightly furrowed his eyebrows.
Should I greet him? I briefly considered it. Given what happened yesterday, it didn’t seem necessary.
Instead, he glared at me and was about to say something.
Suddenly, Namgung Bia, who had been waiting in the next room, burst out.
Upon seeing her, Namgung Cheonjun immediately changed his expression, reverting to the gentle and refined young master we met yesterday.
“You woke up early. Joo Xiaoxie, did you have a good night’s rest?”
“...Wow.”
All I could do was exclaim. What kind of crazy guy is this?
Thinking of Pang Wujin, whom I had been calling crazy, I felt a bit guilty. Even though he was crazy, he seemed kind.
This guy, however, was not only crazy but also definitely a bad seed.
Namgung Bia tilted her head, looking at us with a puzzled expression, wondering why we were together.
“I happened to meet Joo Xiaoxie on my way out. It seems you just woke up, too, Miss.”
“Ah… Yes….”
“We need to leave soon, so you should get ready, Miss. I’ll send a servant to your room.”
“...Okay.”
Namgung Cheonjun was particularly good at cutting off any chance of me saying something. He had plenty of practice.
Namgung Bia yawned briefly and then went back into her room. As soon as she did, Namgung Cheonjun glared at me again.
He added, “Remember the warning I gave you yesterday.”
With that, he walked past me and went downstairs.
Was Namgung Cheonjun, who would later become the Brain Sword, always like this? At least until Namgung Bia had a change of heart and decided to erase the Namgung family with her own hands.
He was once highly regarded as the next head of the Namgung family, known for upholding justice and righteousness.
In any case, the Namgung family is insane, from the head to the elders, and even the children.
At the very least, based on what I've seen, that's the case.
‘To be at the center of the Four Great Families in such a state, it’s the end of the world…’
I turned and went downstairs.
The servants of the Joo family were already gathered downstairs.
Wu Lian approached as I came down.
“Master, would you like to have breakfast?”
“Hmm… Not really.”
“The dumplings are delicious.”
“In that case, I’ll have some.”
As soon as I said that, the dumplings were brought out.
Wixia, still half-asleep, was having her hair done by the other servants.
“Xia’s hair is so nice.”
“Maybe it’s because she’s young? My hair was nice when I was young, too….”
“What, you were a complete dog’s hair. Gae Dong said your hair was so bad he could use it as a broom.”
“Don’t bring that up. Last time, when they mentioned it, I scratched someone’s face.”
“...I see, that’s why I asked why you had a scar on your face, and you said a cat scratched you. It was you?”
“Hongwa, you have dog’s hair?”
“Tsk, Xia, you shouldn’t say such things.”
It was just idle chatter. Despite this, Wixia was half-asleep.
...But she naturally had a dumpling in her hand? Is she eating while sleeping?
I also picked up a dumpling and ate it.
The freshly steamed dumplings were indeed delicious.
Creak.
While eating the dumplings, I heard the sound of a chair being moved and turned to see Namgung Bia sitting down next to me.
Why are you sitting here…?
“...Miss, shouldn’t you sit over there?”
Directly opposite, the Namgung family members were gathered.
But why didn’t she go there and sit next to me instead?
Because of this, the crazy Namgung son is glaring at me with burning eyes.
Namgung Bia, seemingly unaware, picked up a dumpling, so I immediately blocked her with my chopsticks.
“Miss, this dumpling is mine. But that aside, why are you sitting here?”
“...I just sat down nearby….”
“The gaze of your brother is really intense, you know?”
“...?”
Namgung Bia looked at Namgung Cheonjun, who, in the meantime, had composed his expression and was now wearing a faint smile.
‘...Really a creepy guy.’
If he’s going to act, why only in front of me? Did I do something to deserve it?
Namgung Bia looked at me as if I was the problem and left me alone.
But don’t touch the dumplings, you brat….
I stuffed the last dumpling into my mouth and got up.
Namgung Bia’s gaze seemed fixed on the dumpling I had just put in my mouth, but what could I do?
She must have looked pretty pitiful, because Wixia, who had appeared with a dumpling, handed it to Namgung Bia.
It was always surprising to see the chubby eater pass food to someone else. She barely had enough for herself.
Namgung Bia, finally getting the dumpling, gently patted Wixia’s head.
Wixia smiled brightly and came over to sit near me.
She even pushed her head towards me, wanting me to pat her head as well, so I tapped her lightly.
“Ouch!”
“What did you do that deserves praise?”
“My grandfather said giving food to a hungry person is a good deed….”
“There are plenty of people to give it to besides you! Go eat more dumplings.”
“Okay….”
She walked back, looking dejected, and ate dumplings among the servants.
Seeing this, I sighed deeply, and Wu Lian approached.
“Master, we plan to depart around mid-morning.”
“We’re leaving earlier than expected. Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes, once we finish eating, we can load the supplies and go.”
We should arrive in the late afternoon.
That would be just as expected.
“Then let’s get ready to go….”
As I was speaking, I noticed Wu Lian turning his head in a strange direction.
Wondering why, I saw Namgung Bia persistently staring at Wu Lian’s sword.
She was really obsessed.
“...Miss Namgung, I already said I won’t give it to you. Stop staring. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Thinking it might get worse, I told Wu Lian to go quickly.
Wu Lian bowed to me and disappeared, walking a bit faster than usual.
“Why are you so fixated on Wu Lian?”
“He’s a strong swordsman… I think I could learn a lot from sparring with him….”
“Then why not spar with your brother, who’s staring at you like a madman?”
“Cheonjun….”
Namgung Bia started to speak but then closed her mouth.
I was puzzled by her stopping mid-sentence.
Is Brain Dragon not strong enough? Even a brief glance would show he’s at least a couple of levels above Joo Lianxu and Joo Jieye. I’m not sure how he compares to Wu Lian.
At least, Namgung Cheonjun wouldn’t be able to win against me using forced techniques, like when I sparred with Joo Jieye.
A thought suddenly came to me.
It was about Namgung Bia.
‘Now that I think about it, why is she unknown?’
The Demon Sword is a legendary swordsman.
Before becoming a demon, his sword skills were so formidable that even the Sword Demon would have conceded.
There’s no way someone with such talent wouldn’t have flourished at her age.
Even if she’s not fully visible, she seems at least as good as Namgung Cheonjun, who looks like he wants to kill me.
Her first and only nickname is the Demon Sword.
She started making a name for herself much later.
...What’s going on? Even among the late bloomers, she seems too good to be left out of the Five Dragons and Three Peaks.
Is there something I don’t know?
“Then don’t be curious.”
“...Pardon?”
“Nothing. Miss, finish your dumplings, and I’ll go get ready.”
I stood up and walked out of the inn. Wixia followed, holding two dumplings.
“Two? You might get indigestion if you eat while moving.”
“One is for Master!”
“That’s a good idea.”
We headed to the carriage, eating dumplings together.
Following Wixia, I’ve been eating more, and I feel like I’m gaining weight.
I need to increase my training.
******************
Namgung Bia continued to watch Joo Yangqian and Wixia as they walked out.
Her gaze couldn’t be torn away.
Why? She wondered, but she already knew the answer.
Suddenly, Namgung Bia sensed a stench.
She wanted to cover her nose, but she knew it wouldn’t make the smell go away.
“Sister.”
Namgung Bia slowly turned her head to look at her brother.
It was strong. All she could smell was the stench. Why did her brother emit such an unbearable stench?
She didn’t know.
Her father, the elders, and even her brother were people she didn’t want to be close to.
Her brother treated her well and didn’t mistreat her, but Namgung Bia couldn’t define the growing feeling inside her.
Was it guilt for being related to them, or was it pure disgust?
‘...I want to run away.’
She wanted to run away to a place without the stench.
“Why are you sitting here when everyone else is over there?”
Namgung Cheonjun asked.
The smell was stronger where everyone was gathered.
Namgung Bia couldn’t bring herself to give a straightforward reason.
“...It’s just closer here.”
“This could inconvenience others. Please sit properly next time.”
“Okay… I’m sorry.”
Namgung Cheonjun’s smiling face was visible, but something inside her felt blocked.
She wanted to run away.
‘Where to?’
Namgung Bia asked herself. Suddenly, Joo Yangqian came to mind.
When she met him by chance, there was no stench around him.
He didn’t smell of anything. It was a sensation she had never experienced before.
Even Wu Lian and the Joo family people had a slight stench, but it disappeared when she was near Joo Yangqian.
She didn’t understand the annoyance and distance she felt from him, but even that felt comfortable.
Namgung Bia found it increasingly difficult to bear the disgust she felt whenever she moved away from him.
She stood up and started walking.
“Sister… Where are you going?”
“To the carriage… I’ll go rest first.”
Leaving her brother behind, Namgung Bia quickly followed Joo Yangqian.
Namgung Cheonjun, left alone, watched Namgung Bia leave and his expression changed.
The kind and gentle face he had been showing his brother turned into a cold, expressionless one.
“What’s the problem?”
Click-click.
The sound of his fingers cracking, a habit of Namgung Cheonjun.
Something was wrong. This had never happened before. Where did it go wrong?
“I hate meddlers.”
The sound stopped, and Namgung Cheonjun slowly turned around.
In his cold eyes, there was a clear intent to kill.