Chapter 289: They Won’t Be Able to Follow. (4)

It’s an unfamiliar ceiling.

Lifting my heavy eyelids, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.

“…Kkeueung….”

How long has it been since my body felt this heavy?

At least, it was the first time I’d experienced this after reaching my peak.

‘…I feel like I’m going to throw up.’

Is it because I used too much internal energy yesterday?

Especially since I blew it all out instead of recovering it.

A tingling sensation spread from my dantian.

Should I call this a form of muscle soreness?

Enduring the sharp pain, I pushed my creaking body up.

Only then did I realize the ceiling I was looking at was the inn where we were staying.

I could tell it was a little past morning.

“Haa.”

Seeing this, it seems I collapsed as soon as I got back yesterday.

Well, considering I turned the examination hall into that state.

It wasn’t strange at all that I collapsed from exhaustion.

‘The examination hall… well, they probably handled it themselves.’

Right before I blew it out.

The action the Sword Elder Sister took while spewing out her internal energy was…

It was none other than shielding the late-stage disciples who were likely to be swept away.

As expected, in my opinion.

She was the closest person to being righteous.

‘If I had known that, I should have held back a little.’

Meanwhile.

I, too, worried that others might get swept away.

I blew out my internal energy with extreme calculation to avoid getting caught in the explosion.

If I hadn’t done that damn thing, my dantian wouldn’t be screaming right now.

Although, it would have been better if I hadn’t blown it out in the first place.

‘I couldn’t stand being treated like that.’

As I said back then, I’m not exactly a magnanimous person.

If I got angry, I felt better releasing it promptly.

After that, I stood blankly for a moment after getting up.

Rather than being blank…

It was to check if the internal energy in my body was moving properly.

‘Hmm.’

I could tell after drawing up the internal energy from my dantian and circulating it a few times.

‘I won’t be able to move violently for a while.’

Pain is reaching my dantian and acupoints.

Is it swollen from the sudden use of a secret technique?

Rest was needed.

“Tsk.”

‘As expected, maybe I should have endured it a bit.’

[Kkeureung….]

On top of that, hearing the whining sound of hunger…

My head started aching involuntarily.

I used up so much energy yesterday, it seems the beggar inside my stomach is hungry.

“Don’t rush me, just stay still. I’ll feed you plenty tomorrow anyway.”

[Kkeureung….]

As it is, according to predictions, I should be facing monsters tomorrow.

Originally, I should have finished it yesterday, but…

‘It got postponed because I caused trouble.’

It was because I smashed up the surroundings last night, causing the scheduled exam date to be pushed back.

I don’t particularly feel guilty.

If I were to blame someone, I think the Sword Elder Sister was at fault.

“Unexpectedly, I have free time.”

Thanks to that, I gained a little breathing room of a day.

Honestly, I had a slight expectation that something like this might happen while causing trouble.

‘I really didn’t think it would actually happen.’

After all, it’s an event hosted by the Martial Alliance.

I thought they wouldn’t postpone the schedule just because one late-stage disciple caused trouble, but…

‘I really didn’t expect them to actually postpone it.’

Still, thanks to that.

‘I can use this day effectively.’

It’s time given to resolve some lingering issues.

For me, it was rather fortunate.

But before that.

‘If my memory from last night is correct.’

There was someone I needed to see first.

Creeeak-

I opened the door and went down the stairs.

The surrounding sounds were the very definition of quiet.

It wasn’t early morning.

It was too early to call it lunch.

It was a time when there wouldn’t be many people.

As I went down the stairs.

A person sitting at a corner table caught my eye.

More accurately, it was people.

Perhaps what makes this inn so quiet…

…isn’t just the time, but those women are also playing a part.

“You’re awake.”

Perhaps she heard me coming down the stairs.

The woman quietly drinking tea.

Moyong Hi-ah cast her gaze this way.

“You must have been very tired.”

“…A little?”

“I heard the news. They say Young Master-nim caused quite a stir.”

“The news spreads fast. How long has it been?”

“Because the sound reached even where we are.”

Indeed.

It would have been strange if they hadn’t heard such a loud explosion.

“What happened?”

Moyong Hi-ah asked with a hint of bewilderment.

She too, amidst so many people…

…must have found it strange that I caused trouble.

“I just had something that pissed me off.”

That wasn’t the whole story, but…

I decided to just leave it at that.

“But it was still cool, Young Master-nim!”

This was Tang Soyeol speaking.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this kid staying at a different inn?

“…What, you saw it?”

Team 1 cannot carelessly come to Team 2’s examination site.

It was also grounds for point deduction if caught by the instructor.

It’s something that can be managed if you don’t get caught, but…

Even if the instructors seemed weak, they weren’t entirely incompetent.

Did Tang Soyeol break through that to come to Team 2?

As I pondered this question…

Tang Soyeol answered brightly.

“No, I didn’t see it!”

“Then how do you know?”

“I just figured you must have been cool, naturally.”

“…”

“I always think this,”

“but in my opinion, Tang Soyeol was the strangest.”

“Especially his eyes.”

“…So, did everyone see it well?”

At my words, both Moyong Hi-ah and Tang Soyeol tilted their heads.

It felt as if…

…they were thinking, ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

“These guys…?”

“Or maybe… is it really that obvious?”

“It’s not just anywhere.”

“As they are blood relatives of the Four Great Families, I wondered if I should see it differently.”

‘Does that mean I, who fell in the previous life, am a total idiot pushover?’

Right.

‘I really am an idiot, moronic, pushover bastard.’

‘What’s the point of dwelling on it now?’

My gaze shifted away from those two.

And landed on the woman wriggling with her head buried in the table.

Namgung Bi-ah seemed to be dozing off, as usual.

‘There’s nothing to ask her, is there.’

I didn’t even consider the possibility of Namgung Bi-ah failing.

Unless she threw a tantrum saying she wouldn’t participate voluntarily.

The probability of Namgung Bi-ah failing was close to zero.

“By the way, Young Master-nim, Ah-hee came by.”

“…Hm?”

I questioned Tang Soyeol’s abrupt statement.

“Ah-hee? Are you talking about Peng Ah-hee?”

“She came too?”

“Huh? Yes.”

It wouldn’t have been strange if she didn’t come, but…

Maybe because I couldn’t see yesterday, I didn’t even know she had come.

‘If that’s the case, are all of the Four Great Families participating?’

This is quite interesting.

“This is why they talk all that crap about the ‘generation of shooting stars’ and whatnot.”

The situation fits perfectly.

In my previous life, Jang Seon-yeon was the one who took the top spot in a similar situation.

There must have been many discussions seeing him.

Not to mention the Four Great Families,

and considering the Five Dragons and Three Peaks of that time, including the Nine Sects.

Since Jang Seon-yeon took the top spot, he would have garnered much attention.

So, I have a question.

“I can understand it for the others,”

“but how did he take the top spot when even the Sword Dragon and Hidden Dragon were involved?”

‘What did he do?’

“He must have done something.”

“Otherwise, there’s no way that guy could have secured the top position.”

Therefore.

“This time, I intend to stop him from doing that ‘something’.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if I could do that too while I’m at it?”

“If possible, really.”

“It would be good to deal with him inside the Dragon Hall.”

“That was the plan for it.”

“Speaking of which.”

Jerk.

“Perhaps sensing that I was finally about to talk about him.”

“The guy sitting quietly in the corner flinched.”

Seeing that, I nodded inwardly.

‘It seems it wasn’t a dream.’

Around the time I was half-asleep due to using up all my strength.

I remember Namgung Bi-ah dragging someone over.

If my memory from that time isn’t a mistake or a dream.

“Have you eaten?”

“…Hm?”

I asked the woman who was still hiding her face, wrapped in a hooded cloak.

She hesitated for a moment.

“Ah… No.”

Fortunately, I heard a reply.

Seeing that, I chuckled.

‘Wondering if she was still acting like that.’

Then, suddenly.

A memory from the past surfaced, and I casually blurted out.

“Want some potato?”

“…?”

She seemed to wonder why potatoes out of the blue,

“-Want some pota-to?”

Wi Seol-ah’s eyes widened through her shadowed face, perhaps recalling the past too.

Seeing that, I chuckled and added,

“If not, then whatever.”

Wi Seol-ah didn’t give any answer to my words,

but she didn’t seem displeased.

Incidentally, unfortunately.

It seemed there were no steamed potatoes at the inn.

“What a shame.”

---

Afterwards, I left the inn and walked the streets.

Outside the inn was still bustling with people.

As I walked the street,

my gaze slightly shifted behind me. More accurately, I observed the person walking beside me.

Normally, the person who would have stuck close, chattering about ‘what is this’ and ‘what is that’,

…was being so quiet.

In fact, they were even keeping their distance while following.

Watching that calmly,

I posed a question laced with a sigh.

“How long are you going to keep this up?”

It wasn’t anything else,

but that was the most bothersome thing.

These were words directed at Wi Seol-ah, who continued to wear her hooded cloak.

I was currently strolling outside with Wi Seol-ah.

Since I had a day of leeway,

I came out thinking I might handle some business.

And it was because I had asked Wi Seol-ah to come along.

In that moment, Tang Soyeol tried to follow,

“-No.”

but Namgung Bi-ah grabbed Tang Soyeol and stopped him.

Moyong Hi-ah also seemed to sense the mood and appeared unwilling to intervene this time.

“…Should I take it off?”

“It’s fine if you don’t feel like it. But why were you wearing it even inside the inn?”

“Well…”

Outside, it’s understandable since Namgung Bi-ah and Moyong Hi-ah also wear veils,

and Wi Seol-ah also has a striking appearance,

so it might be better for her to cover up like that,

but I couldn’t understand why she was doing it even in front of me.

“You can barely see with it on.”

At my words, Wi Seol-ah lifted it slightly, revealing her eyes.

“This is ridiculous, really.”

Seeing her golden eyes shimmering through the shadows, I snorted.

“Is she deliberately teasing me?”

“And golden eyes (金眼) at that.”

Her pupils having that color…

…meant Wi Seol-ah’s internal cultivation had reached a certain level.

I don’t know the specifics of the Sword Saint’s martial arts,

but recalling that Wi Seol-ah in my past life had blonde hair and golden eyes,

it seems her appearance changes according to her cultivation level, just like mine.

Thinking back to when I saw her last time, her hair had also turned slightly golden.

“As expected, Wi Seol-ah is Wi Seol-ah, huh?”

Wi Seol-ah, whom I met after a long time, had become a peak martial artist, surpassing all limits.

Considering she’d barely been wielding a sword for less than three years.

“…I have nothing to say.”

It was talent that simply made me give up thinking.

As I always do,

when I think about someone’s talent.

This is why I exclude beings like the Heavenly Demon or Wi Seol-ah.

They were on a level that couldn’t even be considered human.

Therefore.

“I always have a headache because of them.”

Taking on her karma as well means…

…I have to fulfill that role.

And it means I have to achieve the same level of power as the Divine Sword of my past life.

“What bullshit, really.”

Just imagining it was overwhelmingly burdensome.

“How much, or what should I do?”

“How could I possibly know that?”

My future just seemed bleak.

Of course.

“Even so.”

“I had no intention of asking her to shoulder the burden again now that she’d picked up a sword.”

“If we were walking together, maybe.”

“If I intended to let her go alone, I wouldn’t have started this.”

“Hey.”

“Yes…?”

“Want to eat that?”

Hiding my frustrated feelings.

I pointed somewhere with my fingertip, and Wi Seol-ah’s head followed.

There, numerous restaurants were lined up,

and what I pointed to was a common street vendor selling skewers.

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat that.”

It was partly because I hadn’t eaten properly before coming out,

and partly because it was a food Wi Seol-ah used to enjoy.

When I suggested it, Wi Seol-ah mumbled hesitantly.

“I don’t really have an appetite…”

“You?”

“…”

She averted her gaze at my words.

“What is it? Is she perhaps embarrassed?”

“Embarrassed about eating a lot?”

“Her?”

“In just a few years,”

“what happened to make her change so much?”

As I thought about that,

“If you don’t want to, just follow me while I eat.”

I grabbed Wi Seol-ah’s hand and pulled her along.

“Ah!”

She seemed surprised to suddenly have her wrist grabbed,

but Wi Seol-ah didn’t seem inclined to pull away.

Pushing through the crowd, I went to the stall and grabbed two skewers.

One was for me,

and the other was naturally for Wi Seol-ah.

“…”

Wi Seol-ah watched silently as I handed it over,

and eventually accepted it without refusal.

“Eat it. Don’t hesitate like that.”

Because she seemed to be contemplating even as she took it,

I took a bite and added a word.

Only then did Wi Seol-ah cautiously take a bite of the skewer.

‘Did she live by reading the room? Why is she acting like this?’

Or perhaps.

‘I wondered if her appetite had truly disappeared.’

‘If so, maybe I shouldn’t have forced her to eat.’

‘Should I tell her to stop eating now?’

Just as I was about to change my words,

“If you don’t want to eat… You’ve already finished it.”

“…What?”

“When did I finish it…?”

“Didn’t she just take a bite?”

“Why was the meat already gone from Wi Seol-ah’s skewer?”

“Did she devour it all in that short amount of time?”

Seeing that, it seemed her appetite hadn’t disappeared after all.

Wi Seol-ah also seemed to realize she’d finished it, perhaps noticing it then.

She reacted with slight fluster.

“This…! Why isn’t it here…?”

“Isn’t it because your mouth devoured it?”

“That can’t be… I really didn’t have an appetite… Really!”

“Yes, yes, you must not have. Want another one?”

“It’s true… really…”

Wi Seol-ah moved her hands and feet as if wronged,

but the finished skewer wasn’t coming back.

“So, are you not going to eat more?”

Wi Seol-ah, who had been resisting by moving her hands and feet for a while,

paused at my words and bit her lip.

This time, I had no intention of offering first.

As I picked up another skewer and looked at Wi Seol-ah,

Wi Seol-ah, hesitating while looking at it, finally spoke.

“…I want to eat it.”

“Good job.”

Only after hearing the answer I wanted did I hand her the skewer.

Wi Seol-ah looked wronged at that,

but I was satisfied.

Fortunately, it seemed this part hadn’t changed.

“Ah, and also. Hey, why did you already eat half…”

“Yes…?”

“No, keep eating and tell me. Did something happen yesterday?”

“…”

At my question, Wi Seol-ah, chewing the skewer, stopped her moving lips.

I didn’t intend to interrupt her meal, though.

I was just curious.

Namgung Bi-ah dragging Wi Seol-ah yesterday.

And the fact that Wi Seol-ah, who had been avoiding me for so long, was now calmly back here.

I thought there must be a reason.

If nothing else,

I had to hear this.

Wi Seol-ah swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at me.

Her gaze towards me was somewhat ambiguous.

“Is it something you can’t tell me?”

“…No. I can tell you.”

That’s fortunate; it would have been awkward if I couldn’t hear it.

Does that mean she needs time to organize her thoughts?

Wi Seol-ah, who used to seem gentle and slightly lacking,

had changed like this, which was somewhat disappointing,

but fortunately, I thought she seemed to be changing for the better in navigating the world.

As I thought that and waited a bit,

Wi Seol-ah gave her answer.

“-Last night… Elder Sister and Young Master Jang met.”

It was somewhat surprising that it was telepathic communication,

but something else was more surprising.

“…Who met whom?”

“Young Master Jang… and Sister Bi-ah.”

It was an unexpected story.

“Why on earth did that bastard and Namgung Bi-ah meet?”

“She said Elder Sister came looking for me because she couldn’t greet him.”

“So.”

“But it happened to be while he was talking with Young Master Jang.”

Meanwhile, I wondered what Wi Seol-ah and Jang Seon-yeon were talking about.

It was full of questions.

“So…?”

Wi Seol-ah’s explanation was, in a way, simple.

Namgung Bi-ah interrupted their conversation,

and when Jang Seon-yeon spoke about it,

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t even remember Jang Seon-yeon.

And she just blurted out that he smelled bad and told him not to come.

“Telling him not to come because he stinks.”

“In a way, it was typical of Namgung Bi-ah.”

She wasn’t the type to care much about others anyway.

Even so.

“Stinks, though.”

“That’s the kind of insult that would hurt Jang Seon-yeon.”

“Good.”

“Then it’s good, I guess.”

“And what happened after that?”

“And then… Young Master Jang’s expression contorted, and he drew his sword.”

“Jang Seon-yeon lost his composure…?”

“It must have been quite insulting.”

“Of course.”

“It would be stranger if he didn’t react after being insulted to that extent.”

“If it were me, I would have grabbed him and burned him to a crisp.”

“Focusing only on his hair.”

“But I didn’t hear about any sword fighting.”

“I didn’t hear it from Namgung Bi-ah,”

“nor was there any mention of it.”

“Even if the Jang family brat drew his sword first,”

“the one who interrupted the conversation,”

“and the one who insulted him by saying he smelled was ultimately Namgung Bi-ah,”

“so even if a fight broke out, there would have been some justification.”

“So, did the two of them fight?”

“No.”

Wi Seol-ah answered firmly.

“The moment Jang Seon-yeon drew his sword.”

“…If you don’t put that back…”

Namgung Bi-ah, with her usual expressionless face,

“You’ll die…”

reportedly said that to Jang Seon-yeon.

The aura emanating from Namgung Bi-ah’s body,

mixed with her fighting spirit and killing intent.

To Wi Seol-ah, who only knew the usual Namgung Bi-ah,

it was a somewhat shocking sight.

“Fierce.”

“It might be an exaggeration from another’s perspective, but…”

“Just hearing about it brought back memories of the Demon Sword Elder Sister era.”

“…Kkeudeuk.”

In response, Jang Seon-yeon…

…reportedly put his sword back into its sheath and left.

“Did he chicken out?”

“Seeing Namgung Bi-ah, he probably realized the outcome of a fight was uncertain,”

“and causing trouble might disrupt his plans.”

“He must have endured it through gritted teeth.”

“So, in the end, it means he chickened out.”

“To me, it was the same thing.”

“So, after that, Namgung Bi-ah brought Wi Seol-ah along?”

The somewhat puzzling point is…

“Why Wi Seol-ah, who had been avoiding me so much,”

“…came obediently just because Namgung Bi-ah showed up and brought her.”

“…”

As I pondered this question,

Wi Seol-ah…

recalled the previous night when Namgung Bi-ah tried to take her away.

“Sister…! Wait…!”

“She said it wasn’t time yet.”

To Wi Seol-ah, who tried to break free, saying she shouldn’t go,

Namgung Bi-ah said in a clear voice.

“‘If you run away now, there won’t be a place for you next time.'”

Squeeze.

Recalling that conversation, my fist clenched involuntarily.

“What kind of emotion Namgung Bi-ah had when she said that to Wi Seol-ah,”

“…is unknown,”

“but Wi Seol-ah knew at least that her words were sincere then.”

As she was thinking that,

“That’s disappointing.”

“What?”

Wi Seol-ah reacted to the voice she heard.

“You avoided me like death, but you came right away when she dragged you here?”

“Ah, no, Young Master-nim…!”

Wi Seol-ah, who habitually almost blurted out ‘Young Master’, shut her mouth tightly.

She seemed to know for sure that she shouldn’t call me that anymore.

“It wasn’t like that… I just…”

“I know.”

She was becoming more and more crumpled, so I decided to stop teasing her.

“‘You said you’d protect me,’ and all that. This kid has become like a wet towel.”

“…A wet towel?”

“Soaked wet and hanging limply.”

“…”

At least, this wasn’t the state I wanted to see.

“At the very least.”

“I didn’t want to see Wi Seol-ah like she was in my past life.”

“Back then, she wasn’t just wet.”

“She was frozen solid, not just wet.”

“Completely frozen.”

“So, it was fortunate.”

“If it’s only to this extent,”

“I felt like I could still dry her out with my warmth.”

I put another skewer into Wi Seol-ah’s hand.

Now, she didn’t refuse the skewer.

“This is what I really wanted to ask.”

Taking another bite, I asked Wi Seol-ah.

It was the most important question.

I had also brought Wi Seol-ah out specifically to ask this.

After briefly organizing my thoughts,

I asked Wi Seol-ah.

“Do you know why your grandfather took you to the Jang family?”

“…!”

At my question, Wi Seol-ah flinched.

It seemed she knew.

“That is…”

“Is this something you can’t tell me?”

“….”

Wi Seol-ah’s lips moved.

She looked like she was contemplating.

Nevertheless, I had to know.

“The reason the Sword Saint took Wi Seol-ah to the Jang family, even in this life.”

“Because only then could I plan more concretely what to do moving forward.”

“That is…”

After a brief silence,

just as Wi Seol-ah was about to speak to me,

Woong.

A vibration was felt from my left hand, specifically from the ring on my finger.

[Kurreureung….]

Additionally, the thing inside my body also reacted.

“…Tsk.”

Feeling that, I clicked my tongue.

“Why now of all times?”

As I frowned, Wi Seol-ah, who was about to speak, looked surprised instead.

“Young Master-nim?”

Seeing Wi Seol-ah ask what was wrong, I said,

“Normally, I would have told you to wait here for a moment and left.”

“But then, I wouldn’t know where you might run off to again.”

Grasp.

I clenched Wi Seol-ah’s hand.

“Come with me for a moment.”

“The second errand I went out for today…”

“…seems to have taken the bait.”