Namgung Cheonjun clutched his groin and trembled violently.
He couldn't even scream; saliva and blood dripped from his mouth and nose.
The once dignified young master was now a complete mess.
The Namgung Clan.
The center of the Four Great Clans and the largest pillar of the righteous faction.
Namgung Cheonjun was a man destined to be the head of such a massive clan.
And yet, here he was, crawling on the ground in a pitiful state.
"Don't whine, it didn't break."
Moderate control.
Pain that feels like it's about to break but never does, or just enough to be fixable.
I've done this countless times in my past life.
Even with a different body, it wasn't particularly difficult.
'If I had kicked a bit harder, it would have been over.'
...It almost did break.
But it didn't, so what's the problem?
"Y-You... damn... bastard..."
"Wow, you can still talk even in this state."
I thought he would roll around for a few more minutes, but he was tougher than I expected.
I approached him and twisted one of his arms.
Snap!
"Ugh...!!"
He tried to turn the momentum to his advantage, so I twisted and grabbed his arm first.
Even in this situation, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
As he slowly tapped my head with his murderous aura, I curled my lips.
"Why did you cross the line? If you hadn't shown that murderous intent, I would have let it slide."
Namgung Cheonjun was sincere.
The amount of qi in the wooden sword and the subtle murderous aura he emitted.
He genuinely wanted to kill me.
A momentary mistake driven by emotion? His current eyes and aura left no room for excuses.
I asked him confidently.
"How many people have you killed?"
At my question, Namgung Cheonjun's aura wavered.
"Can't be less than a few dozen, right?"
"What... nonsense are you spouting!"
Panic mixed with Namgung Cheonjun's voice.
It didn't matter if he denied it; I was already certain.
Did he kill other villains or evildoers? It didn't seem like it to me.
It's quite intense.
An intensity of murderous intent that's hard to come by at his age. I wouldn't miss it, even if others might.
Why does Namgung Cheonjun, a member of the representative noble family of the righteous faction, have such strong murderous intent?
Thinking of the Namgung Clan Head from my past life, it wasn't particularly shocking.
-Crunch
"Ugh..."
I applied more force to his twisted arm. He let out a groan.
'What should I do?'
I could break it or dislocate his shoulder.
But I can't cripple him permanently; that would be too difficult to clean up.
Still, the option to let him off was never on the table.
With him showing such murderous intent, letting it slide would be foolish.
"Junior Swordsman...!"
As I was pondering, Dang Zhuyue hurried over.
"Perhaps it's best to stop here. The sparring is already over..."
How ridiculous.
His words were so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
My laughter made Dang Zhuyue pause.
I immediately asked him.
"Didn't you feel the murderous intent this guy was emitting? I don't think you could have missed it."
Dang Zhuyue, at his level, would have felt it.
The murderous intent he directed at me.
The fact that Dang Zhuyue couldn't give a straight answer was proof.
"I put qi into the wooden sword and showed murderous intent, but should I have let it slide?"
A martial artist shouldn't do that.
Ignoring the teeth bared at me is unacceptable.
Even if I can't take his life, I need to pull out all his teeth.
"Or do you think he made a mistake due to immaturity? This guy is older than me."
Actually, I'm probably twice his age, but that's not the point right now. I slowly applied more force to his arm.
Namgung Cheonjun's groans mixed with screams grew louder.
Dang Zhuyue added urgently.
"...Cheonjun is from the Namgung Clan. If this goes any further, it could lead to trouble for you, Junior Swordsman."
"Yes, he's from the Namgung Clan. But did you know?"
Crunch.
"Ughh!!"
"Namgung is the reason he's still alive. Namgung is the reason I'm holding back. If the positions were reversed, what do you think would have happened?"
The Gou Clan is a prestigious family, but compared to the Namgung Clan, it's far behind. But if the positions were reversed?
He might still be alive, but would he have ended up intact?
Even if I brought any of the junior disciples here, who are watching with anxious eyes, and put them in his position, the outcome would be the same.
The answer is simple.
"I've held back a lot. Clan Head Dang, I'm not asking for your understanding."
While talking to Dang Zhuyue, I made up my mind.
I drew qi from my dantian and channeled it into my arm, similar to what Namgung Cheonjun did with the wooden sword.
I then broke Namgung Cheonjun's arm.
Crack.
"!!!"
Namgung Cheonjun trembled.
A belated scream echoed through the training ground.
His screams were so loud that I knocked him out by hitting the back of his neck.
Dang Zhuyue's face fell at the sight.
Given that I borrowed the training ground and an incident occurred, it was a headache for him.
But that wasn't a reason for me to let this guy off.
'Did I cause an incident?'
Suddenly, I remembered Elder Li's warning not to cause trouble.
What would he say if I told him I turned the Namgung Clan's son into a bloody mess?
'I let him live, though.'
If I explained the situation, he would probably say that.
With witnesses and the fact that Namgung Cheonjun initiated the conflict, I doubt the Namgung Clan will make a fuss.
'Especially with the current Clan Head.'
I stood up, leaving the unconscious Namgung Cheonjun behind.
For some reason, Dang Xiaoyue was sitting on the ground, her face flushed, looking at me, while Namgung Bia remained expressionless.
It's strange that she can maintain this expression even with her brother in such a state.
Her eyes are calm, like a still river, without any trace of resentment or anger.
"Over here...!"
People from the Dang Clan appeared in the distance.
They were likely coming to take Namgung Cheonjun to a doctor.
Then, people from the Namgung Clan also appeared. Were they guards? Given that they are one of the Four Great Clans, the people who showed up were all strong.
One of them approached me.
"My name is Machel, a guard for the young master."
The man bowed slightly.
He was a very strong martial artist.
"The sparring is over, so we will take the young master with us."
"From your silence, it seems you saw everything, didn't you?"
Machel didn't answer my question.
Indeed.
The strange feeling I had was because of this.
"Take him or leave him, it's up to you."
His arm will take a few days to heal, but the external injuries will be fine in a day.
The area I kicked... I might have been a bit too harsh, but it shouldn't be a problem.
...Or will it?
Namgung Cheonjun was carried away, leaving bloodstains on the training ground.
Dang Zhuyue looked troubled, as if he was repeatedly thinking about something.
He might be the one who suffered the most from this incident.
'Who asked for it?'
I decided to leave boldly.
After all, it's all Namgung's fault, why should I take the blame?
"Since this isn't a place to stay long, I'll leave first."
Can I use this as an excuse to skip the Dang Clan's meeting tomorrow? That would give me more time to find Biao.
'I might get a scolding from the clan, but Biao is more important.'
Father won't care, and if it comes to it, the Chief Steward or Elder Li might say something.
Elder Li, after hearing the details, would probably say I did well for not killing him, so I'll just get a scolding from the Chief Steward.
Just as I was about to slip away subtly,
"Hmm...?"
Someone grabbed my sleeve.
It was Namgung Bia.
"What is it?"
The Namgung Clan's people had already left with Namgung Cheonjun, so why was she still here?
Did she have something to say about Namgung Cheonjun?
After staring at me for a while, Namgung Bia spoke.
"Name..."
"...What?"
"Tell me your name."
"I already told you."
I clearly said 'Gou Jieye' in three characters. Did she forget?
Namgung Bia answered with unwavering eyes.
"That's a lie."
"..."
"Lie, tell me your real name."
How does she know?
Namgung Bia's eyes were filled with the belief that my name was fake, without a hint of doubt.
This girl, like in the past, can sometimes be sharp in unexpected ways.
"...Before that, I have one question."
"Okay."
It was an important question. I looked into her eyes and asked.
"Why do you keep speaking informally?"
"..."
Namgung Bia avoided my gaze, as if she couldn't answer.
Is she really trying to pick a fight...?
Namgung Bia looked at me carefully and said, as if she had no choice.
"If you don't tell me, I'll keep following you... okay?"
...Is she crazy?
I almost fell over, grabbing the back of my neck.
Putting aside the fact that she noticed the lie, did she know I found it awkward?
'Is this crazy girl always like this?'
"I know I made your brother a bloody mess, okay?"
"That's because Cheonjun was wrong."
"But why are you approaching someone who beat up your brother?"
No matter how I pushed her away, Namgung Bia refused to let go of my sleeve.
If she's this stubborn, she won't back down easily.
'...Is she really going to follow me?'
It gave me chills.
It was hard to deny, as I remembered her causing trouble in my past life.
"Why are you so curious about my name?"
Namgung Bia didn't answer.
She just stared at me intently.
The intense gaze made me frown and wipe my face.
How did I end up here?
"...If I tell you, will you stop being a nuisance?"
"Okay."
"Speaking informally too?"
"Okay. Yes."
Sigh... I sighed deeply at Namgung Bia's answer.
I've been sighing a lot lately. After a moment's hesitation, I spoke.
"...Qian."
"Okay...?"
"Gou Qian."
I spat out the name briefly.
After spitting out the three characters, I clicked my tongue.
"Got it? I'm leaving. Don't be a nuisance anymore."
I turned and quickly walked away from Namgung Bia.
Namgung Bia repeated the name.
"Gou Qian."
Watching from a distance, Dang Xiaoyue was surprised by Namgung Bia's expression.
Namgung Bia whispered quietly.
"Gou Jieye is a lie."
"This... is the real one."
Saying this, Namgung Bia was smiling.
So brightly that it seemed to light up the surroundings.
******************
After the sparring, I returned to my quarters.
Weixiaoa didn't seem particularly upset that I was gone.
She even said she had fun playing with the servants, which made me a bit jealous, so I gave her a light tap on the head.
Night had fallen, and I was eating dumplings with Weixiaoa, who was eating sweets.
'...I caused an incident.'
I should have let it go. More accurately, I shouldn't have gone to the meal at all. Of course, I don't regret beating up Namgung, but I should have made him a cripple.
I felt proud of myself for holding back so much.
'It was a bit risky.'
Namgung Cheonjun is an excellent swordsman.
Despite his terrible personality, his trained body had the dignity of a prestigious family.
The problem was that it was the Namgung Clan's sword technique.
The Namgung sword technique, which I had seen countless times.
The chronic problems in sword techniques, which the crazy Guangnian tried to eliminate by meeting every swordsman.
I had no choice but to become familiar with the sword dance.
The reason I reluctantly told Namgung Bia my name was partly due to a tiny bit of conscience.
...But mostly because I thought she would be a nuisance.
Still, I had an excuse.
I would say I couldn't attend the Dang Clan's meeting because I felt bad about causing an incident.
What could they say if I insisted I couldn't stay because I felt bad, even if the Dang Clan tried to stop me?
The problem would be when I returned to the clan, but I would just get a scolding... Ah, the Chief Steward's anger is scary.
While I was lost in thought, Weixiaoa offered me something.
It was a sweet.
"Master."
"Uh?"
"Would you like a sweet?"
"...You're offering to give it to me?"
What is this, the end of the world!
I must have looked overly surprised, as Weixiaoa looked offended.
Seeing her expression, I laughed out loud.
"...Ah, that's funny. So why are you suddenly offering it?"
"Master's face looked so complicated..."
Did I?
With trembling hands, Weixiaoa offered me the sweet.
I took it without refusing.
Weixiaoa's expression, as if to say "I offered it, and you really took it...!" was cute... funny.
When I dramatically put the sweet in my mouth, Weixiaoa's expression turned to despair.
Watching her, I felt a bit relieved and couldn't help but laugh.
"Right, what was I thinking? A simple-minded guy like me trying to think."
"Hey... one bite of the sweet..."
Leaving the despairing Weixiaoa behind, I urged her to go to bed and entered my room.
I shouldn't think too much about this.
'First, Jin Chuanlian.'
Starting tomorrow, I really needed to move quickly.