Chapter 409: What are you doing?

Silence surrounds them.

As if trying to grasp what had just happened, everyone held their breath, watching the situation unfold.

A few seconds pass like that.

Even though it was merely a flow of a few seconds, the silence felt unusually long, likely because those watching had so much running through their minds.

The moment the silence everyone had been quietly observing was broken…

…was marked by someone’s utterance.

“Unbelievable.”

Along with that brief shock, words that had been barely held back burst forth ceaselessly, as if pouring out.

“What was that just now? Did you see it…?”

“The White Lotus Sword being pushed back…!”

The fight of martial artists.

And not just any fight, but a fierce martial arts exhibition where inner energy and sword aura clashed.

While it was called an exhibition match, it lacked killing intent, but it was a battle no one could carelessly interfere with.

They could only watch, nervously anticipating something going wrong.

Yet, no one could intervene.

“How could this be….”

“They said he was amazing, truly amazing, and the rumors were true after all.”

Everyone had to widen their eyes watching the young man casually intervene amidst the swordplay.

The young man, clutching his brow with a look of intense scrutiny, surveyed his surroundings.

He was known in the world as the most promising martial artist in the current Central Plains.

“Little Yama (小閻羅)….”

Little Yama, Gu Yangcheon.

The martial artist who subdued the mastermind behind the Dragon Gate Temple raid orchestrated by the prisoner currently being transported, and…

…the young hero who defended the honor of the righteous path by mercilessly executing the demonic cultivators.

Using these achievements, he shed his status as a rising talent and began establishing himself as a master, a true comet.

“…Rumor has it he’s entered the Flower Realm (化境). Could that truly be true?”

“Ah, come on, even so, the Flower Realm at an age not even past twenty? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“If that’s not the case, how else can we explain that situation….”

“…Well…”

The one who tried to deny it out of jealousy for talent possessed by a fellow martial artist shut his mouth tightly.

Being a martial artist himself, he couldn’t fail to recognize how incredible the martial prowess Little Yama had briefly displayed was.

Furthermore, it was at a level where it was difficult even to comprehend how he acted to cause the situation that just occurred.

“But still, the Flower Realm…”

Even reaching the pinnacle at that age would be astonishing, but…

The Flower Realm, even higher? The man couldn’t easily accept it.

It was likely due to the foolish jealousy that humans inevitably possess.

And there were quite many others harboring the same feelings as that man.

This was proof of just how outstanding Little Yama’s talent was.

Talent so exceptional it could provoke jealousy even in those who had trained diligently for a long time.

However, even so…

‘To push back that White Lotus Sword…’

No matter how exceptional Little Yama’s talent was, his display just now was beyond excessive; it had crossed the line.

Not only piercing the White Lotus Sword’s aura, but pushing her back?

Who is the White Lotus Sword?

She was one of the formidable women mentioned as a candidate for the new Sword Empress immediately after the previous one’s death, possessing both influence and skill.

If you were to pick idols among female sword practitioners, she was a master ranked within the top five.

Although her reputation might have diminished since she ceased activities a few years ago…

…no one could deny that the White Lotus Sword was a renowned master.

That was certainly the case…

‘Just who is that young man….’

What could this young man be, to have stopped such a White Lotus Sword?

The man watching couldn’t comprehend it no matter how much he thought about it, and it wasn’t just him; everyone else felt the same.

And then.

Little Yama, receiving all those gazes…

‘…Ah, fuck. This idiot, really.’

He was cursing himself heavily for not controlling his temper and causing trouble.

******************

He glanced around. There were more than just a few onlookers.

‘Damn it.’

Seeing them, he had to sigh inwardly.

Several families were departing for Sichuan, and since the main objective was transport, the number of people was already high, but it felt like the majority of them were here.

Judging by their wide eyes and murmuring voices, it wasn’t a good situation at all.

-It’s Little Yama….

-Little Yam…

The whispers of his moniker reaching his ears only fueled his irritation.

Along with it, regret began to well up as well.

Those feelings soon turned into resentment, directed towards the main culprits who created this mess.

‘What the hell is this, first thing in the morning.’

He looked at the people sprawled on the ground with a deeply furrowed brow. As three women who were slowly getting up met his gaze, he saw them flinch.

Seeing that, he mouthed his words instead of speaking them aloud.

You three.

I’ll deal with you later.

He formed the words clearly with his lips, and whether they understood or not, all three avoided his gaze.

Next, leaving the three troublemakers behind, he looked towards the woman on the opposite side with a dazed expression.

The woman, sitting slumped on the ground, staring this way with a vacant look, as if her soul had left her body.

The White Lotus Sword, Moyong Biyeon.

Looking at her, his brow furrowed involuntarily, despite trying not to.

‘What on earth is that old lady doing.’

She’s quite old and has a considerable history of activity, so it’s baffling why she’d cause such trouble.

This wasn’t about the exhibition match itself.

Exhibition matches are something martial artists can do anytime if they agree.

Conversely, they can do even more if they don’t agree.

For those cultivating martial arts, engaging in exhibition matches was, in other words, something they could do anytime.

What about a master teaching a novice?

From the novice’s perspective, it could be called an unparalleled fortuitous encounter, but…

‘That was close.’

The situation just now was highly problematic.

Sword aura, far too fierce to be called an exhibition match, was rampant.

Even if one could somehow overlook that…

…the energy the White Lotus Sword unleashed at the end was the real issue.

‘Was she planning to destroy everything?’

The intensity was excessive, far beyond mere intimidation.

It was clearly the power that would have been unleashed from the sword’s tip if he hadn’t intervened.

If that had happened…

‘He wouldn’t have died, but…’

Given their level, he knew they would have definitely seen bloodshed.

Throb.

As he recalled that, an inexplicable pain shot through his arm.

It seemed he had suffered some minor damage from the incident.

Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, nor was it caused by a sword.

Examining it, he could breathe a sigh of relief inwardly.

‘That was close.’

Others might have seen him as intervening and blowing everyone away, but in reality, it wasn’t such a glorious situation.

He aimed for the moment both sides hesitated due to his intervention, and using the incoming force in that gap, he reversed it and sent them flying.

It might sound like an impressive technique, but it was merely a method to block, and it only resulted in him taking damage.

“Hah.”

I’m already tired, and now this?

He tried to hide his throbbing arm, spread his ki around the area, and then addressed the White Lotus Sword.

“…What exactly is going on here?”

Hearing his question, the White Lotus Sword finally erased her dazed expression, her eyes sharpening.

She seemed out of it, but has she finally come to her senses?

“Ah…”

Perhaps realizing the situation belatedly, the White Lotus Sword uttered a short word and stood up. Meeting her gaze, I continued speaking.

“Senior.”

“Hm?”

“I question whether protecting me includes dealing with incidents like this.”

The White Lotus Sword’s eyebrow twitched at the slightly sarcastic remark.

He wondered if she was getting angry, but that didn’t stop his words.

“Well… this is…”

“If you’re a guard, you should protect me like a guard. Why are you engaging in swordplay with my people? I truly don’t understand.”

“…”

“Or perhaps, you wished for the children to get hurt?”

Considering the difference in seniority between us, my words could be seen as disrespectful.

But no matter what, with my damn personality, I had to say what I felt needed saying.

The White Lotus Sword bit her lip and frowned at my harsh words.

Although he was slightly worried the sword might turn towards him, he knew he was in the right.

“What exactly were you thinking? Is there a specific reason you acted like this in front of so many people?”

At my question, the White Lotus Sword hesitated for a moment before spitting out her answer.

Her response was quite something.

“…I saw the children, so I thought I’d play around a bit….”

Seeing the White Lotus Sword avoid his gaze as if embarrassed while saying that, I let out a hollow laugh.

If she had claimed she was doing a teaching match to impart a lesson, it might have been a passable excuse.

But saying she just did it because she was bored? I don’t know what to make of that.

“You’re far past the age where you see children and decide to play with them, aren’t you?”

“…Ugh.”

Perhaps hit where it hurt, the White Lotus Sword flinched.

No matter how young she looked, she was a woman around his father’s age.

She wasn’t the age to be sword-fighting with kids barely past their teens just because she was bored.

What was puzzling was that the White Lotus Sword seemed more embarrassed than angry at his taunts.

‘Well, that’s only natural.’

In a way, it was indeed natural.

Humans who have surpassed that level at her age usually have nothing left but pride, so they typically get angry when I act like this.

But the White Lotus Sword genuinely looked embarrassed.

‘Then again.’

She had almost caused a major incident during the match, so it was understandable she’d be embarrassed.

If I were the White Lotus Sword, I would have spent days with my nose buried in the ground.

Even so, the White Lotus Sword’s reaction was somewhat unexpected, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

Whatever her intentions, whoever the White Lotus Sword was, I didn’t care.

The only important thing was that she had nearly injured those three.

Recalling that, suppressing his emotions, he spoke to her.

“Even if Madam Mi approved, if the White Lotus Sword is going to act so recklessly, I’d prefer we consider the bodyguard arrangement null and void.”

“What…?”

At my words, the White Lotus Sword’s expression changed instantly.

Was my statement that difficult to understand?

Simply put, if she was going to do as she pleased, she should just leave and not be a bodyguard.

She wasn’t needed in the first place, and he hadn’t wanted her as a bodyguard.

It was already a hassle, so this worked out well.

“I will speak with Madam Mi later, so White Lotus Sword, please just enjoy your travels comfortably.”

“Ah, no, wait a minute…!”

After delivering his message, he turned his back on the White Lotus Sword.

He didn’t want to talk for long with someone whose thoughts he couldn’t fathom.

The White Lotus Sword reacted with apparent bewilderment, but I simply untied the ki barriers I had set up around the area and started walking away.

With so many eyes on him, he didn’t want to linger.

Ah, and he didn’t forget to address the three who seemed to be sighing in relief, as if things had passed smoothly.

“You three, see me later.”

“…”

Confirming the crestfallen expressions of the three, he quickly left the scene.

He wasn’t necessarily planning to scold them.

He just wanted to hear why things had escalated to this point.

Of course, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t get angry.

******************

Some time passed, leaving the morning’s incident behind, as it moved past noon.

I was training, moving heavy rocks back and forth.

Since we were told we absolutely had to move in the afternoon, I planned to continue training until then.

Of course, I couldn’t focus too intensely, so I was only doing simple physical training.

“Hoo…”

Taking a deep breath, I lifted a rock that seemed several times my size.

Because this was training using only my body, without employing inner energy.

As time went on, I gradually started to sweat, feeling a sense of vitality.

‘Feeling vitality just from sweating… What is this.’

In the past, I would have called myself crazy.

Especially when training with Yeongpung, I used to curse them inwardly as lunatics.

And now, here I was, doing the same thing without batting an eye.

As I was training, moving rocks here and there…

Kuuung-! Woohyeok, who was training beside me, threw a rock and called out to me.

“I heard something big happened this morning. What happened?”

Woohyeok asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Ah, this guy wasn’t there?

“…They say every martial artist saw it, so why didn’t you?”

“I generally don’t like noisy places.”

He dislikes noisy places, huh.

He definitely had that vibe even in his past life.

I considered giving him a brief explanation, but I didn’t want to recall it, so I decided to let it slide.

“It was nothing major.”

I answered vaguely and focused back on my training.

Woohyeok seemed like he wanted to ask more, but perhaps realizing I had no intention of answering, he pouted and lifted his rock again.

Why is this brat pouting so annoyingly?

Maybe I should punch that pout right back into him.

Just as I was about to growl and curse at Woohyeok…

Paeu-cheol spoke to me.

“It’s hard to say it was nothing major, you looked quite cool, Hyungnim.”

“You were watching too…?”

“It’s your path, Hyungnim. How could I not watch?”

“…”

This guy is creepy in his own way.

I don’t know why all the guys who gather around me are so strange.

…No, maybe everyone, regardless of gender, is strange.

Feeling that, I became even more certain.

‘As expected, I’m the most normal.’

Mhm, absolutely.

As I nodded repeatedly, facing the situation…

“…I… I can’t do it anymore….”

Cheol Ji-seon, who had been training while trembling, suddenly collapsed.

Paeu-cheol, watching him, snorted and said to Cheol Ji-seon.

“Ji-seon Hyungnim… You can still do two more, can’t you?”

“No way…! Two more! That’s impossible!”

At Paeu-cheol’s words, Cheol Ji-seon exclaimed in shock, causing Paeu-cheol to smirk.

“I see. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“Right? As I thought, it’s impossible…”

“You still have enough strength to shout that loudly. It seems you can manage three more. Get back to it.”

“Aaaargh!”

What on earth are those guys doing?

Whatever it was, I didn’t feel like getting involved.

Just as I tried to avert my gaze and continue training…

I sensed someone approaching from a distance.

I immediately turned my head in the direction of the sensed presence.

“This is…”

Not long after, Woohyeok seemed to sense it too and shifted his gaze. At that moment, we saw a woman with black hair land gracefully.

Seeing her, I involuntarily frowned.

“…White Lotus Sword.”

The person who appeared out of nowhere was none other than the White Lotus Sword.

Seeing her…

‘Does she have business with me?’

It was highly likely she came looking for me because of the morning’s incident.

Perhaps she came to get angry about the disrespect I showed her earlier?

‘This is problematic.’

Then again, it would have been strange if she didn’t get angry then.

Whether I was right or wrong, hearing such sarcasm to her face was the law of this damn Central Plains.

I sighed and organized my thoughts.

‘Maybe if I apologize casually, she’ll let it go.’

I was just angry then. Sorry for acting disrespectfully. I couldn’t help it at the time.

I figured bowing my head like this might smooth things over.

Just as I was thinking that…

The White Lotus Sword’s expression as she approached was unusual.

Was she angry, or did she seem urgent?

Seeing that, I recalled…

‘No way.’

Just like this morning, was she perhaps intending to draw her sword on me?

Ah, that would be quite inconvenient.

Worried that might happen, I swallowed dryly and watched the White Lotus Sword.

As she drew closer, the tension grew.

I hadn’t seen much of the White Lotus Sword, but I knew she had a strange personality and could do anything.

Just as I was about to show respect towards the approaching White Lotus Sword, worrying about that…

She reached my vicinity and quickly bent down.

‘Whoa!’

Is this a surprise attack?

Seeing that, I raised my ki, preparing to counter the surprise attack, when something unexpected happened.

The White Lotus Sword suddenly grabbed my pant leg.

“What…!”

As I looked at her urgently, wondering what on earth she was doing, the White Lotus Sword looked at me and shouted with all her might.

“I’m sorrryyyy! Forgive meeee…!”

“…Wait…!”

The White Lotus Sword began wailing while clutching my pant leg.

In the midst of this bewildering situation, Woohyeok, Paeu-cheol, and even Cheol Ji-seon, who were watching, looked at me strangely.

Amidst it all, Cheol Ji-seon whispered quietly.

“…Now even the White Lotus Sword… No, isn’t the age gap a bit too much for that…?”

Damn it, that remark registered with particular clarity.

The fucked up part was that the guys around nodded slightly at Cheol Ji-seon’s words.

It seemed a ridiculous misunderstanding had occurred.

“Hey! It’s not like that…! Ah, let go! Why is this old lady acting like this!”

“I’m sorrryyyy!”

I shouted urgently, but…

…no one believed me.