It doesn't seem like much, given that the drowsiness hasn't fully worn off.
"Does it make sense for you to not eat when you're supposed to be growing!?"
The piercing voice made me rub my sleepy eyes and sit up.
I see a dumpling in front of me.
...Why is there a dumpling here?
Is this a dream? Have I been eating so many dumplings that I'm seeing them even in my dreams?
"...Dumpling, meat dumpling?"
"Brother, are you talking in your sleep?"
The red eyes that woke me up caught my attention.
Only then did my drowsy mind start to clear up.
The blurry figure in front of me gradually came into focus.
The distinct features that caught my eye made it unnecessary to wonder who was in front of me.
"Sister...?"
"Right, the cool and beautiful sister."
I ignored the strange nonsense.
"Why are you here, Sister?"
"Can't I be here?"
"Well, this is my room, so I don't think you should be."
"Then it's my room too."
"...What do you mean, Sister, have you been drinking?"
The habitual retort earned me a slap from Goo Hee-bee.
I quickly moved my head to avoid it.
Seeing this, one of Goo Hee-bee's eyebrows raised.
"Huh... You dodged?"
"No, why would you try to hit me as soon as you see me?"
"Brother, how can you talk to your sister who brought you food because you weren't eating?"
"...Then why don't you send a servant instead of coming here yourself?"
I didn't say the part about how annoying it was.
If I had, I would have been scolded even more.
Goo Hee-bee raised her hand to hit me again but quickly put it down.
Was she in a bad mood? She slowly handed me the plate of dumplings.
"Pick them up on the way, so don't skip dinner and eat them."
"Can you really pick up dumplings on the way...?"
"You talk too much. Do you want to burn black with the dumplings?"
Before she could act on her words, I quickly grabbed and ate a dumpling.
It was still hot, freshly steamed.
"...Thank you."
Though I was a bit reluctant, I knew she had brought them for me.
Goo Hee-bee laughed briefly, finding my gratitude amusing.
"Thank you? Are the dumplings that good, or has it been years since you've been nice to me?"
Did I really act like that?
Actually, it wouldn't be strange if I had said something worse.
At this point, I probably hated not just the family but the entire Goo clan.
"Still, it's nice of you. Thank you."
"Your manners are still the same, but what happened to make you change like this...? Is it because of Namgung's girl?"
Goo Hee-bee's words made me spit out the dumpling I was eating.
It was because of the shock.
"Big... cough..."
"You must really love them to get so choked up while eating."
I could feel her glare.
What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?
"Out of nowhere, why are you talking about Namgung? I thought I was going to die."
"Is she pretty?"
"...I'm going crazy."
Goo Hee-bee wasn't really listening.
She only heard what she wanted to hear.
Pretty...?
Objectively, Namgung Bia's appearance is very beautiful.
Extremely so.
If we were to search the entire Central Plains for someone to compare with Namgung Bia, we would probably only find someone like Wei Xuelan, who was pitifully weak.
In my past life, her appearance, even with blood on her face, sweeping through the battlefield, was hauntingly beautiful.
But from my perspective, after being tormented to the point of exhaustion, it's all meaningless now.
"According to Naryong, she is pretty."
"...Do you know him?"
"I've seen him a few times, but we haven't talked much. He seemed a bit shady."
Indeed, how many people have the nicknames of Dragon and Phoenix? In this vast yet narrow world, it's not surprising we would meet.
What was strange was that Goo Hee-bee said he seemed shady.
Namgung seemed to be putting on an act, but maybe Goo Hee-bee had a good sense.
By the time I finished the dumplings, Goo Hee-bee took something out of her sleeve.
I was speechless when I saw what it was.
"...Sister."
"What?"
"What is that?"
"Can't you see?"
I know, I'm just asking, you idiot.
What Goo Hee-bee took out was none other than white liquor, the kind sold in taverns.
Why did she bring alcohol to someone else's room?
Goo Hee-bee laughed at my expression.
"Brother, how about a drink?"
"...Be honest, did you already drink before coming here?"
You don't seem to be in your right mind...?
Regardless of what I said, Goo Hee-bee took out a cup from her sleeve and started drinking alone.
"Are you going to drink and leave?"
"No, I'm going to lie down and sleep here."
Oh...
That was the most bizarre and crazy thing I've heard recently.
"Then you sleep here, I'll go somewhere else to sleep."
"Unfeeling, it would be so nice to sleep together as siblings after so long."
"Unfeeling my ass, we've never slept together in the first place."
We were never that close of a family.
I said this and observed Goo Hee-bee's reaction.
In case she tried to hit me again, I wanted to avoid it.
But strangely, Goo Hee-bee just smiled slightly, looking at the moon, and didn't say much.
'What is it...? Have we ever slept together?'
I don't have any such memory from my past life, so what is that strange expression?
Did she finally understand what I said? Goo Hee-bee took a sip of alcohol and laughed.
"Right! We've never slept together. You're so unfeeling."
"When are you leaving...?"
"Brother, why do you keep trying to send me away?"
"This is my room, isn't it?"
Isn't this a reasonable claim...?
Goo Hee-bee ignored my words and kept drinking.
Clunk.
Goo Hee-bee drank so quickly that the bottle she brought was already empty.
A few drops fell into the quiet cup.
Goo Hee-bee put the cup down, looking disappointed, and stood up.
Is she finally leaving?
"Brother."
Goo Hee-bee called me.
She seemed slightly tipsy from drinking too quickly.
'Is she drunk?'
I tilted my head in confusion.
If she had reached the 5th level of the Goo Yan Huo Lun Gong, she would have surpassed the level of a first-class martial artist.
She shouldn't be affected by mere alcohol.
Clearly, she had intentionally made herself drunk.
Martial artists who enjoy alcohol often do this, but I don't remember Goo Hee-bee ever drinking.
"Yes."
Goo Hee-bee gestured with her hand.
It seemed to be a signal for me to come over.
The moon, which had been hidden, now illuminated Goo Hee-bee's gesture.
Her hair, which had a faint red glow due to the cultivation technique, seemed to shine even more in the moonlight.
"The moon is beautiful, let's have a match, shall we?"
"Are you really drunk? You drank three bottles, right?"
Are you crazy...?
What does the moon have to do with it, and why are you suddenly suggesting a match?
I was so surprised that I dropped the dumpling I was eating.
Goo Hee-bee just laughed at my reaction.
Her slightly red face, not from alcohol but from her inner energy, was unpleasant to look at.
"Brother."
"Yes."
"Will you be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
Are you asking if I'll be okay even if I don't fight?
I have no interest in fighting.
Honestly, I'm still very tired and want to sleep a bit more.
Just a little more sleep, and then I'll get up...
"Can you not do it?"
"....!"
Goo Hee-bee's sudden words made me put down the dumpling.
I looked at her with a new perspective.
Goo Hee-bee's fingertips were pointing at my dantian.
...How did she know?
Over several days, I had gathered the energy from a giant snake, but the energy that couldn't be integrated remained in my body.
For a martial artist, energy that can't be integrated is toxic.
I couldn't risk the disaster that would come from absorbing it carelessly.
The fear of going mad from the energy was too great.
Even a martial artist, who has transcended ordinary humans, is not immune to the danger of going mad.
'Or, have I been doing things that could lead to madness?'
The reason I kept the energy inside was greed.
I hoped I could absorb this energy too.
That's why my body, which should have been fine, felt tired.
The solution was simple.
Eject the energy that couldn't be integrated from my body.
Whether through practice or a match, it didn't matter.
I looked at Goo Hee-bee with a bewildered expression.
"Are you suggesting a match under the moon because of this?"
"Not necessarily, but I want to teach you some manners."
"What do you mean...?"
A strange thought crossed my mind.
It couldn't be, but I had a nagging doubt.
"Was the reason you picked a fight earlier also because of this?"
The day she threatened me in the room, emitting heat like a mad person.
I had to forcibly extract and use the energy to resist.
Goo Hee-bee flinched at my words but quickly regained her composure.
"Brother, are you too self-centered? Why would I do such a troublesome thing?"
"Are you really not?"
"Your words are always so annoying. Maybe I should burn your hair to make you shut up."
Burn my hair... What a cruel thing to say.
Somehow, Goo Hee-bee had a wooden sword in her hand.
When did she get it?
Could she have come here with the intention of doing this?
"Have you become softer after a few months? You haven't grown taller, but you've become more stubborn."
Goo Hee-bee spat out these words with a playful smile, but they didn't affect me.
Meeting her after a few months for her and a few years for me, it was the same.
I swallowed the dumpling and stood up, walking towards Goo Hee-bee.
Goo Hee-bee looked at me with surprise.
Why is she making that face when she called me?
"...Oh, Brother, you're not running away this time?"
"Since you don't really intend to hit me, don't pretend."
I moved past Goo Hee-bee, heading towards the training ground.
I turned my head slightly and said to her.
"If we fight here, the building will be destroyed."
"You, who would fall with one hit, are worried about the building."
She laughed and said this.
Ignoring her, I slowly walked towards the training ground.
Normally, I would have retorted and argued, but no matter how badly I lived,
I couldn't easily say harsh words to someone who died for me.
******************
What do you think of blood ties?
In the past, I thought they had no meaning.
It was the same with my father and my other siblings.
We just happened to have the same father by chance.
We didn't even share the same mother.
Goo Hee-bee and I were in such a relationship.
Even in that situation, we didn't get along well.
The most talented swordsman in the history of the Goo family and
The most worthless young master in the history of the Goo family.
This huge gap weighed on me.
While I can't attribute all the reasons for my downfall to this,
I can't say that this wasn't a reason for my deviation.
Jealousy is inherently so terrifying, selfish, and worthless.
When I was young, I thought Goo Hee-bee was a monster trying to kill me.
Why was she so desperate to eat me?
At that time, I thought it was because I easily took the position of young master that she couldn't get.
Disgusting.
What could she have wanted from this position?
She might not have realized she was crawling into her own hell.
In the silent training ground, Goo Hee-bee and I faced each other.
The tip of Goo Hee-bee's wooden sword pointed at me.