Chapter 110: Oops. (2)

Oops (2)

The strange event concerning Tang Soyeol happened on a midsummer day.

It was the moment when she was training her dark arts as usual, wiping away sweat, and taking a sip of poison tea.

While it was partly for practicing poison arts, the fundamental reason was that Tang Soyeol simply enjoyed drinking poison tea.

She was enjoying its unique bitterness and the tingling numbness that slightly numbed her tongue.

Tang Juyeok, the young master of the Tang Clan and Tang Soyeol’s older brother, casually blurted out as he passed by.

“Soyeol-ah, did you hear that news?”

“What news?”

“Bi-ah is getting engaged.”

“…What!?”

Tang Soyeol exclaimed in shock. Wait, how long has it even been since she last saw this sister, and now she’s suddenly getting engaged?

“Why is my sister suddenly getting engaged…”

“I was incredibly surprised when I heard the news too, but the information had already spread like wildfire through the Open Sect.”

The Open Sect, which has contracts with various orthodox sects, also passes on important information to each clan and sect periodically.

This major piece of information was a case of bloodline engagement within the Namgung Clan.

Upon hearing the news, Tang Soyeol immediately started to worry.

‘…That naive sister is getting engaged?’

Not only did she possess impossibly beautiful looks, but although it wasn’t widely known, Tang Soyeol knew that Namgung Bi-ah’s martial arts level was quite high, even among the current late-stage masters.

The problem was that Namgung Bi-ah, unlike the Namgung Clan’s characteristic cold appearance, had a very naive personality.

‘I hope she hasn’t fallen for some weirdo, right?’

No matter how you look at it, she’s from the Namgung Clan, so she wouldn’t have gotten engaged to someone strange. Then Tang Soyeol asked.

“Older brother, which family is Bi-ah-unnie getting engaged to, anyway?”

“Well, she hasn’t actually done it yet…”

Tang Soyeol had intended to help if Namgung Bi-ah got involved with some strange guy.

Since she had a track record of successfully throwing tantrums to nullify her engagement talks with Namgung Cheonjun, she felt rather confident in such matters.

In response to Tang Soyeol’s confident question, Tang Juyeok replied.

“They said it’s the Gu Clan of Shanxi.”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Tang Soyeol thought she misheard and asked again.

Oblivious to Tang Soyeol’s expression, which was beginning to melt slightly, Tang Juyeok continued cheerfully.

“You know the face, don’t you, Soyeol-ah? The young hero Gu you met last time is getting engaged to Bi-ah.”

“…?”

Tang Soyeol fell ill from the shock that day.

On the third day, Tang Soyeol could finally pull herself together.

‘Right, we weren’t exactly close for that long anyway, were we?’

Although she had received a huge shock, she was, after all, a blood relative of a prestigious clan! Tang Soyeol tried hard to sort out her dizzying thoughts.

As she did, she recalled the boy she had briefly been infatuated with due to his looks.

She hadn’t even properly conversed with him.

She had truly only been swayed for a moment by his appearance.

Therefore, she thought she could forget him quickly.

Fourth day.

The boy’s eyes haunted her vision all day long.

To be this distraught just from being swayed by his looks, yet Tang Soyeol endured.

‘Time heals all wounds,’ they say.

She would be fine soon.

Fifth day.

She couldn’t sleep a wink.

Sixth day.

She started skipping meals.

She had lost her appetite.

From this point on, Tang Soyeol began to realize that something serious might be happening to her.

Seventh day.

“…She said she didn’t like him..”

She started inwardly resenting her sister, whom she had liked.

Even though she had clearly said no with a blank expression when I asked her last time…

“She looked naive, but she was a sly fox!”

Her sensitive temper made her throw a pillow, and unfortunately, Tang Juyeok, who was passing by, got hit.

Eighth day.

Tang Soyeol realized that if things continued like this, something truly terrible would happen.

Her training wasn’t going well, she wasn’t eating properly, and furthermore, she couldn’t even sleep properly.

Tang Soyeol had to admit that the illness she had contracted was lovesickness.

It was laughable that she had fallen this low just by being swayed by good looks, but if she didn’t admit it, there was no solution.

His sharp eyes still came to mind, making her stumble as if possessed.

She had often thought of him even before hearing the news.

After hearing about the engagement, it became unbearable.

“…What should I do.”

She had to find an answer quickly.

Ninth day.

She found the answer.

It was a surprisingly simple answer. If it was difficult because she missed him, she just needed to go see him.

That was all it took, so why had she been agonizing over it?

Only then could Tang Soyeol finally eat a hearty meal after a long time.

…Her mind had started to become abnormal.

Thus, on the tenth day.

Tang Soyeol went to find her father, the clan head, and brought it up.

She said she needed to go to the Gu Clan, that she wanted to go.

Naturally, the clan head refused, asking what kind of nonsensical talk this was.

Tang Soyeol prided herself on having reached a considerable level in throwing tantrums.

She had no intention of losing.

If she lost here, it would be the end of her.

She couldn’t back down easily.

She presented her reasons and justifications, but the clan head seemed equally unwilling to back down, leading to a prolonged debate.

In the end, Tang Soyeol emerged victorious after a fierce battle.

Five instances of acting cute, three walks by the lake holding her father’s hand, keeping the location of the snake wine hidden from her mother, and so on.

She had to give up a lot, but Tang Soyeol was satisfied.

As long as she could see him, everything was fine.

Honestly, Tang Soyeol didn’t even consider disrupting the engagement.

It was an engagement between two clans.

She realistically knew that an outsider, not a party involved, couldn’t simply break a clan’s oath.

She just wanted to see him.

Even if she had to give up, she wanted to see his face one last time.

Time flowed once more.

Tang Soyeol arrived at the Gu Clan with escorts from the Tang Clan. It was a long journey, but thanks to the clan head’s considerable consideration, it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.

The season had already changed.

Summer had turned into autumn, and during that time, Tang Soyeol had lost a bit of weight in her cheeks.

Upon entering the Gu Clan’s territory, the one who came out to greet them after receiving the Tang Clan’s letter was the First Elder of the Gu Clan.

She wondered why the clan head wasn’t present, but she didn’t think much of it.

Normally, she might have gotten angry, thinking it was a clan rivalry, but for Tang Soyeol now, it wasn’t a particularly important issue.

The First Elder, who was showing her to her room, asked Tang Soyeol.

“Miss Dang, how did you come to know our Jieye, and why have you come seeking him?”

His voice sounded somewhat excited.

‘Our Jieye?’ Was the First Elder very close with Young Master Gu?

‘People from clans can be close, can’t they?’

Even up to this point, she didn’t harbor any particular doubts.

“It was just… by chance…. I got to know him.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say she fell for him the moment she saw his face, so she spoke indirectly.

The First Elder responded with ‘I see… I see!’ showing infinite affirmation.

Soon, she was guided to the guest annex.

“Please rest comfortably here for a moment, the young man will arrive shortly.”

“Yes, yes!”

Hearing that he would arrive soon, Tang Soyeol involuntarily tensed up completely.

What should she say first when she saw his face?

She should greet him first, right?

Should she ask if he’d been well?

How should she bring up the pretext she came with?

As countless worries swirled, she felt a presence outside the door.

Thump-!

Her heart pounded violently at the presence, clearly felt.

She tried to cool her flushed cheeks by grabbing them with her cold hands.

Still, the heat showed no signs of subsiding.

‘Oh… oh… what do I do!’

The situation was nerve-wracking.

Her heart was racing madly at the thought of facing him again.

‘Jieye-nim….’

Creeaak-!

Finally, the door opened.

As initially planned, Tang Soyeol bravely spoke first to greet him.

“Y-Young Master Gu, have you been well….”

Tang Soyeol, who had spoken in a somewhat bright voice, fell silent upon seeing the boy who entered through the door.

The boy, entering with a slightly shy expression, asked Tang Soyeol.

“My name is Gu Jieye. You were looking for me, Miss…?”

“…Who are you?”

“Pardon?”

“Huh?”

“Yes…?”

Tang Soyeol realized.

That something had gone terribly wrong.

---

“Oops.”

Sweat trickled down her face under Tang Soyeol’s somewhat resentful gaze.

Thinking back, she remembered saying something like that.

She had used a different name because she didn’t want to be associated with Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol, and now karma had come back to bite her.

“I didn’t expect you to come all this way.”

Could they have possibly known that Tang Soyeol from Sichuan would come all the way to Shanxi?

Moreover, they must have known she was a direct blood relative, but she had said it out of pointless pride at the time, not wanting to reveal it.

She hadn’t realized it would come back to haunt her like this.

“…I came looking for you, Young Master, do you know how flustered I was when someone I’d never seen before appeared?”

“…Damn.”

It seems she even managed to meet Gu Jieye in the meantime.

If I had known this would happen, maybe I should have used a different name.

Like Gu Jinjin…

[Seeing you think such nonsense, you still haven’t come to your senses.]

“I apologize.”

First, I had to apologize.

After all, she had come to the clan and experienced something strange.

“…So, upon checking, they said you were returning from Mount Hua. And your name was different too.”

Upon hearing the news, Tang Soyeol said she had stayed as a guest at the Gu Clan’s for the long period of ten days.

“…May I ask why you did that?”

Tang Soyeol asked me for the reason, but the only reason I could give was ‘Because you made me uncomfortable.’

Moreover, I couldn’t possibly explain why she made me uncomfortable.

“There were some circumstances back then…”

“Does your sister know?”

Sister? Did Tang Soyeol have a sister… Could it be?

On a hunch, she asked Tang Soyeol.

“If you mean sister, are you perhaps referring to Miss Namgung?”

“Yes, did Bi-ah-unnie know your real name?”

“…Yes.”

She probably told him on the day they returned to the clan from Sichuan.

Tang Soyeol seemed to have been present then, but perhaps she was too far away to have heard it.

At my answer, Tang Soyeol’s eyes drooped.

She looked as if she had suffered a tremendous blow.

“…Miss?”

“Yes…”

“Are you alright?”

Was it really that shocking that Namgung Bi-ah knew my name?

As the situation strangely unfolded, Elder Shin suddenly spoke to me.

[How in the world… can girls from all over the country flock to a wart-like fellow like you? Why don’t you just collect them all by hair color?]

“Stop saying strange things, Elder. I haven’t even seen him for more than a few days.”

Moreover, we barely exchanged any conversation.

In such circumstances, was there any reason for Tang Soyeol to develop feelings for me?

[Who knows, maybe she fell for your looks.]

“…I don’t think that’s something the person who just called me a wart-like fellow should be saying.”

[Right? I thought that too.]

Shit…

That was definitely a veiled insult.

I could sense a subtly sulky tone.

I looked at Tang Soyeol first.

Perhaps due to some achievement in that short time, her eyes were gradually tinged with a green hue.

The most perfectly poison-immune martial artist in the history of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Her martial arts realm was lower than geniuses born in other eras of meteors, but she was a woman who displayed overwhelming power in widespread destruction.

The master who protected Sichuan by poisoning thousands of demons was now sipping tea in her youthful form.

“Miss Dang… uh, first, may I ask why you came looking for me?”

At my question, Tang Soyeol’s gaze, which seemed about to blur, regained focus.

Slap!

Then, she suddenly slapped her own cheeks with both hands.

What the…??

“It’s okay… this situation was unexpected, but it’s actually good. You can do it, Soyeol-ah. This is nothing, right?”

Then she suddenly started muttering to herself.

It felt a bit frightening, making me instinctively shift my rear back slightly.

[This child doesn’t seem to be in her right mind either.]

“…Perhaps you don’t know, but maybe she’s possessed by a ghost like me.”

[A ghost… Would she be pretty?]

“Elder?”

[…It’s a joke, so don’t get so serious.]

No, it definitely didn’t sound like a joke.

After rubbing her cheeks for a while, muttering to herself, Tang Soyeol took something out from her clothes.

It was a letter tied with a sky-blue ribbon.

The moment I saw it, I knew what it was.

It was something that clans and sects belonging to the orthodox faction, let alone late-stage masters, received at least once.

She wouldn’t have come all the way from Sichuan just to show me that.

Tang Soyeol carefully showed the letter she held and asked.

“I came here because I want to go to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering with you, Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

For a moment, I couldn’t quite understand what Tang Soyeol was saying.

“Miss Dang.”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying that the reason you came all the way from Sichuan to Shanxi to find me is just that?”

“Yes.”

“…Just for that?”

The martial arts alliance where the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is held is in Henan.

It wasn’t particularly far from Shanxi, but there was no need to come from Sichuan to Shanxi and then bother going through Henan.

Yet Tang Soyeol had specifically come all the way to the Gu Clan’s in this early season to invite me to go together.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and Tang Soyeol constantly trying to avoid my gaze, I suddenly recalled what Elder Shin had said to me earlier.

“No way…?”

Could she actually have feelings for me?

If so, then why?

No matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t the slightest reason.

Not just in this life, but I thought it was the same in my previous life too.

Finally, unable to contain my frustration from repeated questions, I had no choice but to ask.

“Miss Dang.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Do you… perhaps like me….”

Just as I was about to ask.

Creeaak.

I turned around at the sudden sound of the door opening.

There, Namgung Bi-ah stood unexpectedly.

“…Why are you…?”

I intended to ask why she was here, but Namgung Bi-ah’s subtly chilling expression instinctively shut my mouth.

Namgung Bi-ah looked calmly at Tang Soyeol, then shifted her gaze to me and said.

“…Could you step out for a moment….”

“Step out? I’m still talking.”

“Please.”

Her tone was firm.

Even saying that, this was a situation where Tang Soyeol’s stance should also be considered.

This time, Tang Soyeol looked at Namgung Bi-ah with slightly surprised eyes and said to me.

“Young Master, my business here is concluded, so it’s fine… I also have things to discuss with my sister.”

That was really the end of her business?

That was even more surprising to me.

“My… proposal, please consider it carefully.”

“No… yes, I understand for now.”

The atmosphere felt like a storm was about to break.

They seemed close, so what exactly was going on?

[Kid, when things are like this, shut up and get out quickly if you want to save your life…!]

Following Elder Shin’s advice, I first passed Namgung Bi-ah and closed the door.

And then I immediately patted my shoulder.

It wasn’t yet cold for the season, but somehow I felt a chill in the air.

“What the… why is it so cold?”

Since my practiced martial arts were fire-based, this was even more incomprehensible.