Chapter 157: The Thing I Wanted to Show You. (1)

The night of the martial arts tournament passed, and the Eight Strongest matches concluded smoothly.

No, was it really right to call it smooth?

Considering that, the subsequent gales that swept through were stronger than expected.

Especially since this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly’s martial arts tournament was filled with unexpected aspects.

First off, Tang Shaoye’s defeat was the beginning.

Because no one expected Poison Peak to be defeated in the first match.

Many likely thought that, not to mention Sword Peak, but with Dragon Sword and Hidden Dragon not appearing, Thunder Dragon, Poison Peak, and Snow Phoenix would dominate this tournament.

But.

Poison Peak was eliminated in the first round.

Thunder Dragon couldn’t even brush the opponent’s collar once, spitting blood as he lost.

Snow Phoenix was performing as expected, but wasn’t showing any particularly noticeable presence.

The defeat of geniuses who were confirmed to be the protagonists of this era.

And the emergence of a new star (新星).

Novelty always tends to heat people up.

-I heard the son of Falling Sword beat Poison Peak? They say it was even overwhelming.

-Poison Peak isn’t exactly weak… The Sect Leader’s son, huh? Is this really a case of ‘like father, like son’?

-So it’s not ‘like father, like dog’!

Jang Seonyeon’s rumors spread particularly fast.

There were a few more matches after that, but even then, Jang Seonyeon showed a level of perfection that was almost excessive.

Swordsmanship at a level unseen for someone his age.

The same went for his skillful use of Falling Sword’s unique martial arts.

Hearing this, many people said that the birth of a new Dragon was not far off.

That was just one day.

It had only been a day since Jang Seonyeon started showing prominence.

A bigger storm burst forth, riding the flames. Enough to overshadow most of the rumors about Jang Seonyeon.

Namgung’s Thunder Dragon, who was expected to win, was defeated.

And by a boy whose name hadn’t even been heard before.

-They say Thunder Dragon spat blood? That he couldn’t even touch him.

-Is it really that Thunder Dragon? I heard he was still a boy who hadn’t shed his childish ways.

-That’s right! Ah, this is something even the Beggars’ Sect kept secret, you know.

-If you know something the Beggars’ Sect declared secret, isn’t it already not a secret?

-Seems like you don’t want to hear it.

-J-just kidding, hurry up and tell me.

The man who had been talking for a while took a breath and continued.

-I hear whispers that the boy has ‘crossed the wall’.

-The wall? Is he a thief… Why would he cross a wall?

-Hey, don’t you dare think about saying that anywhere else… I can’t stand to be seen with you, you’re embarrassing me.

-…Can’t I just not know? Why are you freaking out?

-For someone living in the Central Plains not to know that? It’s absurd…! ‘Crossing the wall’ means reaching the ‘peak’ realm!

As the man exclaimed in frustration, those around him let out hollow laughs.

-You’re talking nonsense. Hey! You! You need to bring some proper rumors!

-Last time, I heard someone bragging that their kid who joined the Thousand Mountain Sect or Heavenly Truth Sect or whatever reached third-rate level, calling them a genius. This guy thinks ‘peak’ is just some dog’s name.

-No, you damn people…! I’m telling the truth!

The man grew desperate as the unbelievers laughed harder, but the listeners only laughed more.

It was understandable, after all, there was no way a boy not even past his twenties had reached the ‘peak’ realm.

-Even the current Three Venerables, let alone the Golden Sky Golden King of the past, would find that difficult.

-No… I’m telling you, it’s true?

-This is quite amusing today. Alright, I believe you. Stop getting angry and just tell me, who is that boy?

Though their faces showed complete disbelief, making him feel like his insides were boiling, the man himself had to admit the story was absurd.

Reaching the peak. It was an achievement that not even the Four Great Families, let alone the Nine Orthodox Sects, had produced.

The man sighed deeply and added.

-He’s apparently kin to the Shanxi Gu family.

-Hmm? That sounds familiar.

-Of course you’ve heard of it, it’s the family of the renowned chivalrous hero and Sword Peak.

-Ah, right! I’ve heard the name.

-Did they have a son? Why didn’t I know?

-It’s natural you didn’t know; this is the first time they’ve shown themselves.

-Let’s dismiss the ‘peak’ as pure rumor, but still, like the Sect Leader’s son, they don’t seem to be ‘like father, like dog’.

-Look here. If the rumors are true and he’s a martial artist at the ‘peak’ level, then it’s not ‘like father, like dog’, it’s ‘like father, like dragon’, my friend.

-That’s right, that’s right! Hahaha!

Laughter instantly filled the cheap inn.

The man who brought up the story looked like he was dying of frustration due to the roaring laughter.

Thus, rumors about Gu Yangcheon were slowly, yet rapidly, spreading like wildfire.

And the subject of the rumors, who wasn’t particularly interested.

“Aren’t you just the best.”

“…”

“You went down in one hit, didn’t you? How can you even call yourself a Gu? Why don’t you just change your surname? I can’t even show my face in public out of shame.”

“…Grrrk.”

I was in the middle of berating someone.

---

Because he was crouching, his crown was clearly visible.

Perhaps because he had thick hair, a sense of gloom emanated from the dense black strands.

Of course, how could he not feel that way?

“Hey, are you crying? Are you weeping?”

“N-no.”

“Wipe the snot from your nose before you speak, punk.”

“Keeung….”

Gu Jilyeop’s whimpering voice was truly unpleasant to hear.

Why is this guy blubbering like a baby?

“What are you crying about, acting like you did something right?”

As I clicked my tongue and spoke, Gu Jilyeop shouted from his crouched position.

“I’m crying because I did wrong…!”

Ppak!

“Gulp!”

“Why are you shouting? What did you do right to be shouting like that!”

After coming all this way, Gu Jilyeop was sulking in a corner since morning.

I could understand why.

Gu Jilyeop had lost to Namgung Bi-ah in yesterday’s match.

He must be embarrassed, having fallen in a single blow.

‘That’s that, but…’

Anyone seeing this might say, ‘He’s already sad about losing, why are you nagging him?’, but I had my reasons.

“Did you misstep?”

At my words, Gu Jilyeop’s shoulders trembled.

I was so dumbfounded hearing about last night’s match.

Gu Jilyeop’s defeat was expected.

It wouldn’t be strange even if Namgung Bi-ah won easily.

The problem was, she won too easily.

Even if Namgung Bi-ah was on a higher level than Gu Jilyeop.

It wasn’t a difference in skill level that would end it in one blow.

If he had concentrated, he could have at least lasted a few exchanges.

Flimsy excuses like ‘I let my guard down’ wouldn’t fly.

It wasn’t like Gu Jilyeop hadn’t fought Namgung Bi-ah before; rather, knowing her skills, he should have been extra tense.

‘So, he misstepped because of that?’

Perhaps due to being overly tense, Gu Jilyeop’s movements were stiff from the start.

He said his footwork got tangled.

This was something I heard from Namgung Bi-ah.

“Do you think I can even show my face in public out of embarrassment?”

“…It’s been me doing the work since last time, why do you keep bringing up First Young Master nim’s face….”

“You punk, I told you last time it’s because we share the same surname! Is our family that vast? Like the Mount Hua Sect, with hundreds of affiliated martial artists?”

“…Don’t we?”

“Then how many people among them have the surname Gu, are they all Gu?”

“No…”

“And you know that, yet you misstep and lose?!”

“Ugh…!”

In a martial artist’s battle, a clean defeat is humiliation.

It meant a defeat where one couldn’t even struggle, having competed in martial arts.

For Gu Jilyeop, it was even more so because it was due to his own mistake.

“It’s not like I wanted to do that…”

“Are you trying to make excuses?”

“…”

“Do you even have anything to excuse?”

With my pointed words piercing him, Gu Jilyeop clamped his lips shut.

How could he have anything to say?

It was all his fault.

His hesitant lips stopped moving.

Gu Jilyeop lowered his head again between his knees.

I snorted watching him.

‘Good thing he’s not adding anything else.’

If he had spouted nonsense like ‘It was a fight I was going to lose anyway,’ I would have destroyed him.

Gu Jilyeop wasn’t making excuses or blaming others; he was just self-deprecating.

‘Looking at him, he’s not bad at all.’

Excluding the fact that his grandfather was Elder Il, he was truly at a decent level.

I was curious enough to want to know what happened to Gu Jilyeop after Elder Il met his end in my previous life.

His talent isn’t bad, and his disposition is also quite decent.

‘Maybe I should train him.’

If I had the leeway, I thought it might be okay to properly take him around.

Of course, I had no such time or mental capacity.

“Hey.”

“…Yes.”

It was a tear-filled reply. Hearing that, I cleared my throat slightly and spoke.

“She asked me to pass on a message.”

“Huh?”

” ‘I want to do properly next time.’ “

At my words, Gu Jilyeop snapped his head up and met my eyes.

Gu Jilyeop’s eyes were swollen, and snot dripped down, stuck to his knees.

“…Wow, you look really pathetic right now.”

“…”

There was no need to explicitly state who delivered such words.

Gu Jilyeop must have known it was Namgung Bi-ah based on the circumstances.

“Instead of whining, swing your sword one more time. That way, you won’t end up like this next time.”

“…”

It wouldn’t be comforting. But even that wasn’t bad.

The fact that he felt wronged himself didn’t mean he had already given up, convinced he would lose.

“Answer me.”

“Under…stood.”

“If something like this happens again, I’ll burn your legs off, okay?”

“…Yes, yes!”

Even after saying that, still feeling unsatisfied, I hit the sniveling guy on the head one more time before leaving.

As I stepped out of the tent, Namgung Bi-ah was waiting.

She hadn’t come with me, perhaps she arrived late and was waiting?

Meanwhile, her gaze towards me was peculiar.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

When I asked, displeased, Namgung Bi-ah’s lips curved slightly as she spoke to me.

“…I never said that…?”

“…”

She heard that.

It was a mistake to think it would be okay and not put up a barrier. In reality, Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t said anything to Gu Jilyeop about wanting to fight properly next time.

I had just made it up.

‘Of all people, she had to hear this.’

I was embarrassed. My unnecessary meddling had been exposed.

“…I didn’t say you said it.”

In the end, my chosen tactic was a petty escape.

It was the truth, wasn’t it? I never claimed Namgung Bi-ah had said it.

Of course, it was a statement that wouldn’t work.

At my pathetic words, Namgung Bi-ah just smiled a little more.

“…It’s okay.”

“What is.”

“…It’s not entirely a lie…”

She said it with a smile, like a blooming flower.

‘Wasn’t she here to find me?’

It was incredibly embarrassing to assume so, but I naturally thought Namgung Bi-ah had come looking for me.

In reality, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have come to see Gu Jilyeop as well.

“Are you going in now?”

When I asked Namgung Bi-ah if she was going to Gu Jilyeop, she shook her head.

“…No, there’s no need now, so it’s fine.”

Her blank expression returned, as if her interest had waned, which was quite monotonous.

Since my business was done, I was about to return to the tent too.

Namgung Bi-ah, who was following as if it were natural, suddenly spoke to me.

“…It’s unexpected.”

“What is.”

“…I thought you wouldn’t care about things like that…”

“That’s what I wanted to say.”

That was exactly what I wanted to say.

The very fact that Namgung Bi-ah had come looking for someone else was unthinkable.

But for Namgung Bi-ah, who usually wakes around noon, to come looking for Gu Jilyeop this early in the morning.

That was even more surprising to me.

Hearing my words, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“Is it strange?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange?”

“…Why?”

It was funnier that she didn’t know herself.

Well, she was always like this.

She had changed a lot, a whole lot, by now, but…

As we walked slowly together, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have more to say.

“You know.”

I listened to Namgung Bi-ah’s voice. It was a clear tone I hadn’t heard in a while.

“Did you… promise to do something for Shaoye…?”

“…Huh?”

I frowned slightly, not understanding what she meant.

Promise to do something? What had I promised to do?

“You said if you met during the martial arts tournament, you’d grant a request.”

“Ah.”

Only then could I recall. She was probably referring to the promise to speak casually.

Did Tang Shaoye tell Namgung Bi-ah?

“It was just something like asking me to speak casually.”

Should that even be called a request?

From my perspective, it was closer to a pretext.

Meanwhile, Namgung Bi-ah had an expression that suggested she wasn’t pleased.

The corners of her mouth, which had been slightly upturned earlier, had now drooped.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

It was definitely not an expression of ‘nothing’.

“Do you want to do something too?”

I asked just in case. Wondering if Namgung Bi-ah, like Tang Shaoye, wanted to do something based on this.

Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case, as Namgung Bi-ah shook her head.

“That… I won’t do it, because it’s petty.”

First Tang Shaoye, and now her, why do they keep calling things petty?

It seemed like they were deciding things amongst themselves without my opinion.

It was partly my fault for not saying anything and just going along with it.

“Still… I do want to receive something.”

At her trailing words, I replied incredulously.

“Just ask for it… That would be better.”

Pretending otherwise, but ultimately asking for something to be done.

Namgung Bi-ah also seemed to realize she was being a bit petty, blushing with embarrassment.

Then, as if recalling something, she looked at me sullenly and grumbled.

“…You don’t even… spar with me properly…”

“…”

On that point, I had nothing to say.

I had promised to do it, but rarely did. There wasn’t a specific reason.

It felt… slightly awkward to spar with Namgung Bi-ah.

‘…Is it because of memories from my past life, or my current feelings?’

Or perhaps the dissonance felt there was the issue.

Regardless, from Namgung Bi-ah’s perspective, it was something to feel disappointed about.

That’s probably why she brought it up with that expression.

“I’m s…”

“It doesn’t matter…”

I tried to apologize belatedly, but Namgung Bi-ah cut me off.

“Whether it’s a request… or sparring…”

Namgung Bi-ah’s gaze towards me was clearer than usual.

Her jewel-like blue eyes sparkled. It was a look that made me feel burdened.

Because the gaze resembled that time she was held in my arms.

It wasn’t a gaze I particularly wanted to look at for long.

Whether she knew it or not, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t avert her gaze and continued speaking clearly.

“You won’t be able to avoid it this time.”

Her words, filled with a certain firmness, made my breath falter.

I felt like I finally understood the reason why Namgung Bi-ah, who had seemed reluctant to step forward, had attended the martial arts tournament.

As if my answer wasn’t important, Namgung Bi-ah, who had stopped after speaking, walked ahead.

After a few steps, she suddenly turned back and looked at me again.

“…!”

I, who had been spacing out, gasped upon seeing Namgung Bi-ah.

Namgung Bi-ah was smiling smugly, as if she had landed a blow.

Can she make such playful expressions now?

Perhaps it was because so many changes were felt at once. My heart pounded.

“…Let’s go.”

Namgung Bi-ah, quickly wiping away her smile, whispered in a small voice.

Extending her hand towards me was a bonus.

A pale, delicate hand.

I calmly looked at Namgung Bi-ah’s hand, then slowly walked over and took it.

“…Huh?”

Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected me to actually take her hand.

Seeing that, my stiff expression finally relaxed slightly.

The reason for holding her hand was none other than…

Thinking she might be cold.

Just that.

I decided to think of it that way.

After returning to the tent and some time passing, around noon.

As if expected, the match list for the Four Strongest battles was posted.

When I went outside to look at the posted text, Tang Shaoye was already there, looking at it, as expected.

However, Tang Shaoye’s expression was stiff.

I already seemed to know the situation just from that expression.

As expected.

-Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Gu family versus Moyong Hi-ah of the Moyong family.

-Namgung Bi-ah of the Namgung family versus Jang Seonyeon of the Taeryeong Jang family.

What I had half-expected was written exactly as it was.