Chapter 148: Friendly Martial Arts Tournament. (1)

Friendly Martial Arts Tournament. (1)

Across the orthodox sects, there are three main formalized martial arts tournaments.

The first was the Friendly Martial Arts Tournament of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, held by the Murim Alliance to identify the most outstanding stars.

The second was the Dragon God Festival, also held by the Murim Alliance.

This was the most representative martial arts tournament for the orthodox sects.

Unlike the annual Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, its schedule wasn’t fixed, making it an event many martial artists eagerly awaited.

The third was….

‘This one won’t happen anyway, so let’s skip it.’

It was an event I didn’t particularly care about, as the Heavenly Demon would likely show up during its potential timeframe and turn everything into a mess.

The Dragon God Festival would probably happen within the next few years, but….

‘This one’s a bit iffy too.’

Ultimately, neither of them were important matters.

What’s important right now is that I have to participate in the martial arts tournament.

A martial arts tournament for the later generation disciples, for the later generation disciples.

To showcase which stars shone brighter.

And to announce which new stars had emerged.

Those were the stated justifications on the surface.

The reality was likely not so clean.

The era when the orthodox sects were clean had long passed.

“Sanseo District, Gu Yangcheon. Third group.”

I casually checked the paper that came out of the box and crumpled it into my pocket.

‘Third group… that’s going to take a while.’

Of all the groups, I had to get the last one.

This meant I couldn’t finish early and rest.

Tsk-

As I came out, licking my lips, it seemed the others had already drawn their lots and left.

As soon as I stepped out, Tang Soyeol approached as if he had been waiting.

“Did you draw your lot, Young Master Gu?”

“Yes.”

“Which group are you in? I got Group Two!”

If he was in Group Two, it seemed I wouldn’t meet him anytime soon, thankfully.

“I’m in Group Th… Why is she acting like that again?”

As I tried to talk with Tang Soyeol, I saw someone huddled in the corner by the wall, expressing their gloom.

It was Namgung Bi-ah, banging the back of her head against the wall, completely ignoring the furtive glances from others.

Why is she acting like that again?

Tang Soyeol replied with an awkward smile at my words.

“My sister got Group One…”

“What’s the problem with that?”

Isn’t it good that the groups are all different?

“She said it’ll be less fun if we fight later…”

“…”

That crazy… No, I shouldn’t say harsh words.

She was quiet for a while, but does she have a vengeful spirit attached to her for not being able to fight?

Why is she sulking over something like that?

Dumbfounded, I let out a hollow laugh and approached Namgung Bi-ah.

“…Which group…?”

Namgung Bi-ah, perhaps sensing my presence, asked without lifting her head.

Thanks to that, I had to answer while looking at the top of her head.

“Third group.”

“…Ugh…”

“Do you hate it that much?”

As she groaned as if she were sick, I approached and stroked her hair.

She flinched when my hand touched her.

Namgung Bi-ah, who had been still, nodded belatedly.

Seeing that, I asked Gu Jeolyub, who was blankly watching nearby.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Which group are you in?”

“Group, Group One.”

“She got Group One too.”

“…Boring.”

I said that to comfort him, thinking at least one person was grouped with her.

At Namgung Bi-ah’s decisive words, Gu Jeolyub, who had been standing still, staggered.

“…Sorry.”

Gu Jeolyub’s face showed such shock that I couldn’t help but apologize this time.

Namgung Bi-ah, who had been in a gloomy mood for a long time, slowly started to get up.

‘Did she already change her mood?’

Isn’t that too fast to be a mood change?

“Are you okay?”

Namgung Bi-ah nodded.

“…I’ve been thinking.”

The words she quietly uttered were quite surprising.

She thought about it?

Perhaps sensing the intention in my gaze, Namgung Bi-ah’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

‘She’s so quick-witted…’

Despite looking naive, she was strangely quick-witted about things like this.

“Continue what you were saying, you said you thought about it.”

“…Wouldn’t it be okay if we win?”

“What?”

“…If we win everything, can’t we meet?”

Namgung Bi-ah was currently saying that if we win the tournament, we might be able to meet.

Of course, that would be the case.

“Don’t you think you might lose?”

“…Who?”

Whether it’s you, me, or anyone else.

Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have no intention of thinking that she or we would lose.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t she only chasing sword masters?’

I remembered her obsessively chasing only sword-wielding martial artists.

For some reason, at some point, the focus shifted from ‘sword masters’ to just strong martial artists.

Could there have been a change I wasn’t aware of?

I said to Namgung Bi-ah.

“I could lose before I even meet you.”

Because there are always variables.

Although, for this particular event, it seemed unlikely.

Namgung Bi-ah met my gaze steadily and said.

“You… can’t possibly lose.”

It was a calm yet resolute statement.

It sounded casual, yet her words were full of conviction.

“Or, will you lose?”

Those were truly burdensome eyes.

I didn’t know what I had done to earn such faith.

I couldn’t help but avert my gaze slightly at Namgung Bi-ah’s question.

For some reason, it was hard to meet her eyes.

“No.”

Perhaps pleased with the answer, Namgung Bi-ah gave a slight, knowing smile.

---

First, I returned to the tent.

The preliminary match pairings would take a while anyway, and since the matches would start soon, there was no need to conserve energy for training.

Not for me, of course, but for the others.

From my perspective, having skipped training yesterday and today, my body felt a bit restless.

Although I was constantly circulating internal energy within my body to train my 심공 (internal energy cultivation),

this wasn’t done while sitting in a proper meditative posture, so the effect was relatively minimal.

It was strange and somewhat bittersweet that I, who hated training the most in the world, had gone crazy for it like this.

“Should I train?”

“Where were you thinking of training?”

It was Mu-yeon’s voice, waiting outside the tent.

“Wouldn’t it be anywhere?”

“Young Master, aren’t you going onto the martial arts stage today?”

“Probably.”

I wasn’t paying much attention to the tournament schedule, so I didn’t know the details.

I just had to show up and fight when called.

While there wouldn’t be a situation where I ruin things through needless complacency,

it also wasn’t a situation that required excessive tension before a battle.

“Do you want to go up in my place, Mu-yeon?”

“Haha… Thank you even just for the thought.”

What? I didn’t say that to be thanked.

I meant it as ‘fight in my place because it’s bothersome,’ but Mu-yeon seemed to have taken it in a different sense.

‘Or perhaps, does he want to go onto the martial arts stage?’

Mu-yeon is also young, and there are later generation disciples participating in the tournament who are older than him.

It’s natural for a martial artist to feel ambitious.

‘I should probably ask him later.’

This was something I should ask the clan about, rather than Mu-yeon himself.

Gu Jeolyub was sent, so what’s the problem with Mu-yeon?

‘He’s not of the bloodline, so it probably wouldn’t work, but.’

I knew the Gu family had high expectations for Mu-yeon.

I was also subtly blocking attempts to bring him back to the Sword Pavilion.

‘Trying to snatch him away.’

Although he was initially like a temporary guard, I felt a pang of regret at the thought of returning such a person.

High talent and a decent disposition.

The biggest variable was that he was someone unknown to me in the future.

Mu-yeon seemed subtly inclined to return to the Sword Pavilion, but.

Not yet.

His desire to return to the Sword Pavilion seemed to stem from some lingering attachment, from what I could see.

I needed to resolve that attachment and create something concrete for him to return to me with.

‘Should I raid the house storage?’

This was half-joking.

There were quite a few things in my household that could be useful to Mu-yeon.

But they were slightly insufficient to entice Mu-yeon.

Based on the Mu-yeon I knew, that seemed likely.

“Mu-yeon.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Is there anything you want?”

“Yes…?”

Perhaps because the question was so out of the blue, Mu-yeon, who had been looking straight ahead in front of the tent, turned around.

“No, I was just wondering if you needed anything.”

“Young Master.”

“Hm?”

“That kind of question isn’t usually directed at someone of the same gender… Perhaps.”

“This punk…?”

A hint of mischief flickered in Mu-yeon’s eyes.

Had we become comfortable enough for him to joke like this?

For some reason, I remembered what I said to Peng Yu-jin last time, and I could slightly empathize with his feelings.

Still, Peng Yu-jin is indeed a crazy bastard.

“I don’t know why you’re asking that, but I’m fine.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Right now, just using what I have properly is overwhelming enough.”

I nodded at Mu-yeon’s words.

As expected, this kind of enticement didn’t work.

“Young Master, Young Master!”

“Hm?”

“Want some dumplings?”

“…When did you pack those?”

I was actually feeling a bit hungry.

Wi Seol-ah, as if knowing this, brought me food as if she had been waiting.

“I went to Hyeon with Hong-hwa unni this morning.”

“Ah… the thing about going to look at fabrics?”

“Yes! I bought them then!”

I took the dumplings, split them in half, and handed one piece to Wi Seol-ah.

Seeing that, Wi Seol-ah hesitated for a moment before finally taking and eating it.

It was because I had scolded her last time for seeming to deliberately avoid food I offered.

“Young Master!”

“Hm?”

“Can I go out later?”

“Where are you going?”

“On an errand with Hong-hwa unni!”

An errand, it didn’t seem like something I had ordered.

‘Did something run out?’

Maybe they ran out of ingredients, but with several days left, why bother?

I stared intently at Wi Seol-ah’s eyes, but.

She was just as bright-eyed as always.

“Go ahead. Just make sure you follow what I told you to do.”

“Okay! Wear the veil! Listen well to Hong-hwa unni!”

“And the last one?”

“If there’s no escort, drag Mu-yeon oppa along!”

“Yes…?!”

“That’s right. You remember well.”

Mu-yeon interjected midway, sounding like ‘What are you talking about?’, but I easily ignored him.

“Have a good trip.”

As I ruffled her hair, like it was a habit now, Wi Seol-ah grinned and shouted.

“Yes! I’ll work hard! You have to win everything too, Young Master? I’ll cheer for you!”

What is she going to work hard on?

She seems to be working hard enough already.

‘Just this much.’

Wi Seol-ah wouldn’t grow up normally anyway.

This kind of life, even stretching it, probably only had a few more years left.

Even more so than memories for Wi Seol-ah.

It was closer to a selfish situation created for my own sake.

‘Will you resent me later?’

Contrary to my worry, Wi Seol-ah wouldn’t resent me.

Because I am the only one who remembers the story about my past life.

Even if she did resent me, it wouldn’t matter. Nothing would change even if that happened.

“Yeah, I’ll work hard too.”

After finishing my words, I also got up.

Murmuring sounds could be heard from outside the tent.

It seemed what we were waiting for was finally up.

I immediately pinched Namgung Bi-ah’s cheek to wake her up, as she was dozing off again behind me, and dragged her out.

Coming outside and approaching the gathering crowd, I saw a large wooden board with many names written on it.

“Young Master Gu.”

Just like before, Tang Soyeol spotted me and approached. He must have come out earlier.

“The match pairings came out sooner than I thought.”

I nodded at Tang Soyeol’s words while looking elsewhere.

‘Group Three… Bi-ui Gate’s Bi Yeonseom.’

It seemed to be my opponent, but it was an unfamiliar name.

Seeing that I didn’t remember the sect or the name, they didn’t seem to be a particularly notable figure.

‘Hmm.’

That wasn’t the important thing.

I shifted my gaze sideways to check the pairings for the rest of our group.

It seemed unnecessary to worry about the others.

According to what was written there, it seemed we could all meet in the main tournament without any major issues.

‘It’s difficult for it to not overlap this much, did the Alliance play a trick?’

Also, the fact that all the blood relatives of the Four Great Families were split up without overlapping.

Those with notable backgrounds were also neatly separated.

‘Though the parties involved don’t seem interested.’

It wasn’t surprising, as the Alliance had pulled stunts like this countless times before.

Any expectations I had for the Central Plains’ orthodox sects had long since burned away, leaving not even embers.

However.

There was one thing that made me frown unintentionally.

Group Two.

-Tang Soyeol of the Sichuan Tang Clan versus Jang Seon-yeon of the Taeryeong Jang Family.

The moment I saw the clearly written words.

My expression contorted frighteningly.