Chapter 392: Great Expert Gu?

There was something strange about the lady’s demeanor.

Her outfit, adorned with the Moyong Clan’s emblem, along with the decorations and sword at her waist, indicated her high status within the clan.

Furthermore, her posture made it clear that she was no ordinary martial artist.

She was a strikingly beautiful woman with a youthful aura, appearing to be just past thirty.

Yet, despite all this, something about her felt off.

“What a way for a grown man to speak to a child, don’t you think?”

“…”

“If you are going to age, at least do it properly. Did you mature in reverse?”

Despite her beauty and noble background, her rough tone felt completely out of place.

Moreover, she had her legs crossed and even seemed to be chewing on something…

…What is this sticky feeling I’m getting?

It felt like I had just run into a street thug.

Her unfitting behavior made me instinctively take a step back.

Even the mighty Dao King was left speechless in front of this woman.

Judging by his reddening face, he was clearly angry, yet for some reason, he did not yell back at her.

His reaction suggested that he knew exactly who this woman was.

Who is it I wonder…

A female master martial artist from Moyong Clan? It shouldn’t be hard for me to know who it was since there were only so many options.

Yet, for some reason, my mind felt hazy, and I could not pinpoint who she was.

While I was still trying to figure out her identity, the Lord of Peng finally spoke.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. Just what do you think you’re doing right now?”

She parroted his words back at him.

She was blatantly mocking him.

As a result, the Lord of Peng’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.

“White Ripple Sword…! Why did you suddenly appear out of nowhere to mock me like this?”

“…!”

Upon hearing the Lord of Peng’s words, I finally realized who she was.

She is the White Ripple Sword?

I stared at her in shock. How did I not recognize her sooner?

She was the only female master martial artist from Moyong Clan.

The White Ripple Sword, Moyong Biyeon.

She was the direct blood relative of Moyong Clan and she was relatively famous in the Central Plains.

Her fame was largely due to the Sword Queen.

In the Central Plains, some titles are passed down through generations, forming an unwritten tradition.

A prime example of this is the title of Sword King.

The current Sword King title belonged to Namgung Jin.

That is why he is currently called the Azure Heavenly Sword King.

No one else was allowed to use the Sword King title while he held it.

This was one of the unwritten rules of the Central Plains.

Once someone held the Sword King title, no one else could claim it.

Of course, it was not impossible to take the title from its holder.

One way was for Namgung Jin to voluntarily relinquish his title upon retirement, while another was for someone to challenge him in combat for it.

However, there wasn’t anyone who bothered to do such a thing anyway.

Once the titleholder surpassed their prime due to age, they were expected to step down.

Similarly, several titles in the Central Plains were passed down to the next generation, and the title of Sword Queen was one of them.

It was a title that signified the strongest swordswoman in the Central Plains.

Because of that, female martial artists who used swords couldn’t help but desire the title for themselves.

The White Ripple Sword Moyong Biyeon was one of the candidates who was fit for the Sword Queen title.

After the previous Sword Queen died in an accident, leaving the position vacant, speculation arose over who would inherit the title.

Moyong Biyeon was one of the candidates.

She ultimately didn’t get to become the Sword Queen, but her being a candidate alone meant that she was an extremely talented martial artist.

There was a reason I failed to recognize her at first.

‘Was she… always like this?’

She looked completely different from the rumors I had heard.

“Mock you? Do you think I’m mocking you right now?”

“If not… then what are you doing?”

“You should be thanking me, yet here you are talking nonsense.”

“Pardon?”

Moyong Biyeon was tall for a woman, but she was way too small when compared to the Lord of Peng.

Despite the size difference, Moyong Biyeon even poked at the Lord of Peng’s chest as if she didn’t fear him one bit.

“I’m saving you from embarrassing your clan, so you should be grateful.”

“…You…!”

“Are you seriously enjoying picking on a girl who’s barely lived a quarter of your life? I really wonder when you’ll grow up. I thought you’d improve after becoming the Lord. Tsk, tsk.”

“White Ripple Sword!”

“Why do you keep yelling!”

Moyong Biyeon’s voice completely drowned out the Lord of Peng’s.

She had a very impressive voice.

I instinctively took a step back when I saw the anger burning in Moyong Biyeon’s eyes.

Even Gu Yeonseo’s shoulders trembled from it.

No wonder I failed to recognize her as the White Ripple Sword.

The rumors about the White Ripple Sword weren’t too different from those of the current Sword Queen of Mount Hua.

A virtuous person.

She was one of the few heroes in the world who helped others in danger.

Just as the Sword Queen made her name fighting the True Gate of Demons alone, the White Ripple Sword earned her fame by risking her life against the Demons.

The White Ripple Sword saved a small nameless village while risking her life.

When asked why she risked her life, she simply answered:

– The food that child made me was delicious.

She said she was grateful to the villagers for treating her kindly when she was just a passing outsider.

That much was enough for her to risk her own life to save them.

That was the White Ripple Sword I knew, or at least how I remembered her.

What was she like in my past life?

My memories were faint. I wondered why, and it turned out that the White Ripple Sword was barely active at the time.

In my past life, the Moyong Clan had not participated in the war.

Because of that, I had close to no memory of them.

After the Snow Phoenix’s death, the Lord of Moyong Clan, consumed by fury, went on a rampage slaughtering Demons. However, he was said to have taken Moyong Hi-ah’s body and departed for the Ice Palace afterward.

Did Moyong Biyeon leave with them? Maybe that’s why I barely knew about her.

…I’m not sure.

I had never thought deeply about this before, so I could not recall much.

Meanwhile, Moyong Biyeon continued grinding her teeth and hurling sharp words at the Lord of Peng.

“You bastard. You were the one crawling on the ground, calling me big sis and begging for mercy back then. Do I look like a joke to you just because I put on a hat?!”

“…Huh?”

It was I who became shocked after hearing Moyong Biyeon.

Big sis?

…Does that mean that Moyong Biyeon is older than the Lord of Peng?

That’s pretty surprising.

Moyong Biyeon barely looked over thirty, while the Lord of Peng appeared to be around sixty.

Did the Lord of Peng go through the aging process alone or something?

“You must have forgotten our past just because you became a Lord. Maybe I should beat you up like the old days.”

As Moyong Biyeon spoke with a smile, the Lord of Peng’s expression darkened.

“White Ripple Sword, you are the one failing to realize that I’m holding back because of our past relationship.”

“Holding back? Just don’t. Draw your sword already, Peng. I’ll cut you down along with that rotten tongue of yours today.”

Even facing the Dao King, the Lord of Peng Clan himself, she didn’t back down an inch.

The Combat Qi and killing intent intertwined, spreading throughout the surroundings.

These crazy people… Do they even realize they’re in the middle of a crowded street?

The Lord of Peng smirked, looking down at Moyong Biyeon.

“Don’t you think this behavior will cause trouble for the Lord of Moyong?”

The White Ripple Sword mocking the Lord of Peng in the middle of the streets had the potential to affect Moyong and Peng Clan’s relationship.

The Lord of Peng Clan threatened Moyong Biyeon using politics, but her expression didn’t change one bit.

Instead, her smile widened as she raised her hand toward the Lord of Peng.

She clenched her fist, then casually extended her thin, white middle finger.

“Fuck off.”

“…!”

“Do you think our Lord is afraid of someone like you? We wouldn’t have let him become Lord if he was going to be scared by something this trivial. What a load of horseshit you’re spewing as a threat.”

Even I felt nervous just watching her.

At first, she reminded me of Gu Huibi, but I quickly realized that this lady was something else entirely.

Is this lady really the White Ripple Sword I know of…?

Ignoring the stares of those around her, Moyong Biyeon addressed the Lord of Peng, who was grinding his teeth in frustration.

“What are you doing? Draw your sword. You were the one who asked for this.”

Two noble clan members clashing in the middle of the street, yet Moyong Biyeon seemed completely unconcerned with the people watching.

It was the Lord of Peng who kept glancing nervously at the onlookers.

Moyong Biyeon rested her hand on her sword hilt, ready to draw it at any moment.

Her Combat Qi thickened with each passing moment.

In response, the Lord of Peng’s body began to swell.

The situation felt like it could explode at any second.

Should I just sneak out?

Nothing good will come from getting involved in this mess.

Just as I was scanning for escape routes, the Lord of Peng withdrew his Qi first and spoke to Moyong Biyeon.

“I won’t forget this mockery, White Ripple Sword…!”

He was retreating first.

“Forget it, my ass. How about we settle this right now?”

Moyong Biyeon taunted him, but the Lord of Peng simply turned and walked away. He was conceding first.

Other members of Peng Clan followed after him, and Moyong Biyeon loosened her tension after seeing them leave.

For now, everything had ended peacefully.

As she watched the Lord of Peng leave, Moyong Biyeon muttered quietly.

“Ugh, that dumb bastard. How can someone so big be so childish?”

I found myself nodding unconsciously at her words.

He feels different.

My opinion on the Dao King changed after this.

Peng Woojin and Peng Ah-hee didn’t feel the same way as him. For some reason, the Lord of Peng Clan felt like he was being held captive by something.

Could it be his Inner Demons?

It seemed as if the Lord of Peng was held captive by his Inner Demons.

I was reminded of when the First Elder met Peng Woojin in the past, he said that the Lord of Peng Clan had good luck when it came to his children.

I wondered if that was meant as an insult.

While I was lost in thought, Moyong Biyeon turned her head and looked in my direction.

More specifically, she looked at Gu Yeonseo.

“Are you okay?”

Gu Yeonseo flinched and straightened up immediately at Moyong Biyeon’s question.

It was clear she was nervous in front of Moyong Biyeon.

Gu Yeonseo greeted Moyong Biyeon nervously, showing her respect.

“Thank you for helping me, Senior… I-I am Gu Yeonseon from the Gu Clan.”

Moyong Biyeon smiled gently, a stark contrast to before, as if she found Gu Yeonseo adorable.

“No need to call me a Senior. Just call me sis.”

“H-How could I dare to…! I-I can’t do such a thing…!”

As Gu Yeonseo spoke, her face turned red, and Moyong Biyeon simply smiled and patted her head.

During this, Moyong Biyeon’s gaze lingered on Gu Yeonseo’s chest, where the Gu Clan’s symbol was displayed. There was something wistful in her eyes.

But why?

Why was she looking at it that way?

After a moment, Moyong Biyeon returned to her usual expression and continued speaking to Gu Yeonseo.

“You were scared because of that bear of a man, right?”

“N-No…”

“No need to lie, just think of it as if you got unlucky and stepped on shit.”

Gu Yeonseo was too embarrassed to even meet Moyong Biyeon’s gaze.

For some reason, watching a sibling get embarrassed like this was hard for me to watch.

Seeing Gu Yeonseo’s reaction, Moyong Biyeon withdrew her hand from her shoulder.

Just as I debated whether or not to greet her, Moyong Biyeon’s gaze shifted to me.

I hurriedly raised my fist in greeting, wondering if she expected me to greet her formally,

“I didn’t interrupt you, right?”

But to my surprise, she addressed me formally.

“Huh…?”

“I stepped in because I got angry, but it looked like you were about to handle it yourself.”

It seemed she had noticed that I was about to step in.

But why was she speaking to me in a formal way?

“Not at all.”

“No need to lie. Thanks for that, it must have been a hassle for you too.”

I gave a bitter smile at Moyong Biyeon’s words.

So she noticed the barrier I had set up.

I had placed a sound barrier to prevent their conversation from being overheard, but she had noticed it.

I smiled awkwardly and responded to her.

“I should be the one thanking you for the help. Senior.”

“Hmm?”

Hearing my response, Moyong Biyeon tilted her head, as if she found something odd.

Did she notice something strange about me?

But I didn’t do anything special.

Moyong Biyeon’s expression grew more doubtful before she suddenly started walking toward me.

Without warning, she reached for my face cover.

“…!”

I reached out in shock to grab her arm, but she was faster than I anticipated.

With a swift motion, she lifted my face cover, revealing my face to her.

“What are you…!”

I stared at her, feeling insulted and confused by her sudden rudeness, but what I saw stunned me—Moyong Biyeon’s pupils were trembling violently.

I should be the one shocked here, so why was she making that face?

Oblivious to my speechlessness, Moyong Biyeon spoke, her voice filled with shock.

“…Great Expert… Gu?”

“Pardon?”

There was an odd wistfulness in her voice as she called my name.