Chapter 46: Sword Phoenix (6)

Childhood memories, like anything else, tend to fade with time.

That’s just how it is for people, and even Gu Huibi, a martial artist with internal energy, was no different.

However, even if they were blurry, there were stories from distant memories that she held onto, unable to forget.

[Please take good care of Yangcheon.]

This was Gu Huibi’s warmest memory.

The memory that naturally surfaced whenever she faced hardship was both a boon and a bane to her.

In Gu Huibi’s memory, she was a beautiful and graceful person.

Unlike the fierce people of Gu Family, she was someone who shone like a white night amidst the heat.

In a way, she was someone who loved us more than our own mother.

Resting her son’s head on her lap.

A person who never lost her smile, even when her adopted daughter played mischievous pranks.

Someone whose face was filled with worry, as if she felt our pain more than we did whenever we got even slightly hurt.

Mother.

She was someone who more than deserved to be called that by us.

Now that she, who embraced us with her heart rather than strength, was gone.

Gu Huibi felt she had to keep the promise she made to her.

Unlike her, who was endlessly kind, Gu Huibi couldn’t do so.

She tried to make an effort, but it was fundamentally impossible from the start.

Therefore, she had to find another way.

First, thinking she needed strength, she learned the sword.

Fortunately, she had talent.

Being of Gu Family bloodline, everything she saw and heard was violent.

After she left, her own temperament became infused with fiery energy.

Gu Huibi hadn’t forgotten what she learned.

Because she loved, she embraced; and if one can embrace, one can also protect.

Gu Huibi hadn’t forgotten what she showed with all her might.

She would live her life just like that too.

The price for her life, received at the end, would be used for this.

“Brother.”

She called out to her younger brother.

Her brother, whom she met after a long time, seemed a bit taller.

Before, he ate well, even seeking out sweets, so she thought he might have gained some weight, but now, his gaunt cheeks were noticeable, presumably from training.

Seeing that, she felt sorry for him and went out of her way to bring him dumplings.

It was nice to see him eat them well when she gave them to him.

“Yes.”

It was a dry voice devoid of any affection.

Gu Huibi grinned.

It seemed cute, like a kitten showing its claws.

Her brother seemed to have eaten something wrong in Sichuan, as a lot of energy was gathered within his body.

She had looked away for a moment due to work, and he had already caused trouble.

Anyway, ever since entering his rebellious phase, he’d become increasingly disobedient.

‘Two engagements I don’t like?’

It was the same with the engagement to the Peng family, and the same with the engagement to the Namgung family.

Trouble always happened only when she wasn’t around.

At this point, she couldn’t help but resent her father for pushing forward with her brother’s engagements.

Was he deliberately proceeding only when she was leaving for long-term missions?

What was strange amidst all this was that he had changed like a different person in just a few months.

He’s still her brother.

There was no way she could be mistaken.

It was just that he had started to exude the scent of a martial artist, little by little.

Look at him now.

Faced with this situation, her brother, who should have run away and hidden in a corner long ago, showed no fear in his eyes even while watching her overflowing internal energy.

He was even looking for an opening.

An opening for him to slip into.

What should I call this feeling?

Should I call it ecstasy? Ah, that sounds too perverted.

Fighting a strong opponent is always enjoyable.

Because there’s no backing down.

That’s why she never expected to feel this way about her own younger brother.

When he first started acting out and wandering, she worried about what to do…

To grow this much in just a few months felt both fulfilling and a little disappointing.

If he were still growling like a beast, she had even considered dragging him into her sword squad and putting him through rigorous training.

Fortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

‘Could this also be because of that Namgung girl?’

Hwa-reuk-!

Perhaps due to being caught up in her emotions, her internal energy became unstable, surging wildly for a moment.

The Tang Bing Battle Assembly? Or somewhere like that, she heard him say they met.

She thought he’d make some excuse and skip it again this time, but why did he have to do something so pointless?

‘I think he said Elder Yi forced him.’

That’s what she heard.

Elder Yi, of all people, someone he couldn’t even get angry at… Tsk.

A daughter of the Namgung family… Would she be pretty?

Judging by the handsome face of that Thunder Dragon brat, she probably wasn’t ugly.

It would have been better if she had met her at least once.

She had hidden herself so well that Gu Huibi couldn’t even get proper information.

‘…And the only thing I could find was…’

The saying that she was the most beautiful in Anhui.

All she could find as information was this trivial nonsense.

“Noonim.”

Amidst her swirling thoughts, her brother’s voice made her stop thinking.

Gu Yangcheon had already taken a stance.

“Why are you calling me?”

“I called because you seemed lost in thought before the sparring match.”

“What? Are you worried I’ll get hurt? How kind of you.”

Gu Yangcheon didn’t answer, twisting his head back and forth as he warmed up his body.

The sound of bones cracking with each movement seemed to set the mood naturally.

Though Gu Huibi found it rather cute.

Just as he seemed to be getting into position, she couldn’t feel the characteristic heat of a 3-star level.

Why could that be?

Does he have something else to prepare? Or perhaps, is he nervous?

“Brother, aren’t you using your sword?”

“I don’t use a sword anymore.”

Gu Huibi froze for a moment at Gu Yangcheon’s words.

Not using a sword…?

She had seen him carrying a wooden sword just a few months ago.

Did he perhaps think the sword wasn’t right for him and give it up?

But then again, Gu Yangcheon hadn’t trained with the sword for that long.

If he simply gave up the sword because he didn’t like it…

‘Shouldn’t I give him a piece of my mind?’

She thought about it, then shook her head.

‘…He’ll figure it out himself.’

She couldn’t argue about things like that.

She wasn’t her brother’s mother, after all.

“…Yeah, well, maybe he doesn’t use it.”

Gu Huibi pointed the tip of her wooden sword at Gu Yangcheon and said.

“Brother.”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

“No, I’m coming.”

At Gu Yangcheon’s reply, Gu Huibi also adjusted her stance.

Honestly, she hadn’t intended to fight seriously.

Since there were matters related to his engagement, she had considered going a bit harder…

But she didn’t want to go that far against someone who was already hurting.

‘Just enough to drain some of his energy.’

The purpose was to drain the excess energy accumulated in Gu Yangcheon’s body.

She had to keep the objective clear.

It was a sparring match with her brother after a long time.

Unlike Gu Yeonseo, who clung to her almost desperately, Gu Yangcheon extremely disliked clashing swords with her.

In that sense, it felt quite novel.

‘Let’s take it easy.’

She wanted to continue feeling this novelty.

If she accidentally used too much force, the match would end quickly.

She wouldn’t be able to achieve her objective properly.

Gu Huibi was someone confident in her own talent.

She believed she was far superior to the so-called Five Dragons or Three Peaks she had seen so far.

It might seem arrogant at first glance, but…

She had enough talent to back up her words.

‘That Peng family bastard…’

That lunatic.

Or rather, the Young Master now, wasn’t it?

Despite his seemingly deranged hair, he was a dedicated martial artist.

His swordsmanship was completely different from other late-stage disciples.

Still, he wasn’t beyond catching up to.

It wouldn’t take long, Gu Huibi judged.

“Noonim.”

Gu Yangcheon’s voice could be heard.

Gu Huibi realized she had drifted off into thought again.

No matter who the opponent was, this was clearly a mistake.

She considered offering an apology, but there was something strange.

The fact that Gu Yangcheon’s voice sounded much closer than expected.

“Wh-“

Before she could even finish speaking, her body moved first.

Her body, having grown sensitive from months spent as a swordswoman killing monsters, moved according to instinct.

She swung her wooden sword through the air.

A streak of red internal energy shot out, drawing a crescent moon in front of her, but…

There was nothing there.

Kku-uuk-!

It wasn’t the front.

Gu Huibi quickly twisted her body from the sensation she felt in her side.

Pang-!

She barely dodged it.

Immediately after dodging, she heard the sound of internal energy exploding where she had just been.

It was a split-second moment.

Gu Huibi took a few steps back and looked at Gu Yangcheon with trembling eyes.

Gu Yangcheon was standing where she had been.

His fist, which seemed to have been thrown lightly, was emitting a faint red haze.

Very faintly, indeed.

As she moved away, darkness fell upon the training ground once more.

In the center, she felt Gu Yangcheon’s gaze.

Gu Yangcheon’s pupils were faintly glowing red.

‘How…?’

Being able to envelop his body in red internal energy.

The timing of his physical changes.

These were changes one could only experience upon reaching her own level.

‘How?’

She repeated the same question.

Using the same martial art, she could understand better.

That was definitely Gu Yan Hwa Ryun Gong (Crimson Flame Wheel Technique), but something was different.

If she had to compare, he resembled the Family Head.

His stance, his gaze.

The internal energy being circulated.

Gu Yangcheon showed the demeanor of a chivalrous hero.

It wasn’t just because he was her son.

It was strange to see the appearance of his father, who was nearing the peak of Man-seong (Peak level), in Gu Yangcheon, who was only at 3-seong (Level 3).

Brushing his hands lightly, Gu Yangcheon spoke.

“Noonim.”

She felt pressured.

It was a sensation she hadn’t even felt from monsters.

It wasn’t the pressure from his internal energy.

She was being crushed solely by the aura Gu Yangcheon exuded.

The foremost late-stage disciple.

Sword Phoenix Gu Huibi, that was her.

‘…Creepy.’

What could have happened for that child to change like this?

She intensely resented the months she was away from the family.

Because she hadn’t witnessed his transformation during that time.

She regretted that deeply.

Gu Yangcheon looked at her and spoke.

“Is your carelessness over now?”

“…Yeah, I guess I got careless?”

What if Gu Yangcheon hadn’t called out to her?

What if he had aimed for her chin instead of her side?

Could she still have stood unharmed?

Gu Huibi wasn’t sure.

Suppressing the rising thrill, Gu Huibi asked.

“Brother, what happened?”

“A lot of things happened.”

He answered with a rather displeased expression.

Could it be that it wasn’t something pleasant?

“This isn’t good… like this.”

Gu Huibi lightly licked her lips.

Her brother’s growth is wonderful.

On one hand, she felt relieved that her brother, whom she thought was going astray, seemed to have found his proper path.

Separate from that, her desire as a martial artist began to stir.

Urging her to make the opponent before her kneel.

She shouldn’t forget the original purpose, but Gu Huibi found the rising desire bothersome.

‘Should I just taste it a little?’

Just a tiny bit, maybe her brother could handle that much?

As her thoughts reached that point…

Hwa-reuk-!

Gu Huibi immediately put it into action.

******************

‘…Has he finally come to his senses?’

She let out a deep sigh at the energy, which felt much hotter than before.

Ever since earlier, she seemed to have so many stray thoughts, frowning then smiling, smiling then frowning.

Gu Huibi’s expression kept fluctuating.

If she had aimed for the chin, it would have been a simple end, but the original purpose was to drain his body’s energy.

Gu Huibi likely had that intention too, so she gave him a little stimulation to snap him out of it.

Her initial intention was simply to let him know, ‘Snap out of it, I’m capable of sparring too.’

Was it too much?

‘Crazy… How much has he been hiding?’

The heat brushing against her face made her involuntarily flinch.

It was certain.

That wasn’t the heat of a 5-star level.

If anything, it was higher than that.

“…Noonim, you’ve really snapped out of it, right?”

She asked with unease, but Gu Huibi, engulfed in flames, smiled gently.

“Of course! It’s okay, it’s okay.”

You don’t look okay.

Seeing her slightly unhinged appearance, she suddenly recalled the nickname that crazy woman would likely receive.

Hong Hwa Gwang Geom (Red Fire Mad Sword) Gu Huibi.

‘…Let’s be blunt, it means ‘Red Flame Crazy Bitch’, doesn’t it?’

No matter how she looked at it, it was a nickname that couldn’t be spun positively. Conversely, it was also a fitting nickname.

Did she provoke her too much?

Since she had reached 3-seong, using her secret techniques was much easier.

Thanks to that, she managed to find an opening and land a blow, but…

“…I think I might have done it for nothing.”

It seemed she had provoked that fiery boar too much.

This would be difficult to stop.

“Here I come, brother…!”

“…No, I don’t think you need to… Ah, screw it.”

Without listening to her, Gu Huibi suddenly charged forward.

That night, the training ground within her quarters collapsed due to Gu Huibi’s rampage.

******************

Around the time Gu Yangcheon’s quarters were disappearing.

The Family Head’s office in the Namgung Family.

“….This.”

Family Head Namgung Jin, unable to hide his trembling eyes, asked again.

“What did you say this was?”

The guard who handed over the letter couldn’t bring himself to speak and knelt on both knees.

“…It is my oversight. I apologize, Family Head.”

The guard’s words didn’t register.

What was important was the letter held in his hand in the dead of night.

Namgung Jin, with trembling hands, unfolded the letter his daughter had left behind.

A few lines of text came into view.

The handwriting was so careless it was hard to read.

Nevertheless, Namgung Jin could be certain that this was left by his daughter.

“…You don’t even know when she disappeared?”

“That is correct…”

The guard answered Namgung Jin’s question.

Finally, Namgung Jin’s brow furrowed.

Should he view it positively that his daughter was skilled enough to evade the family’s guards?

If not for the reason, he might have been truly delighted.

Namgung Jin, unable to contain his anger, crumpled the letter.

“…Bring her back.”

A fierce voice echoed through the room.

The guard couldn’t even answer properly due to the swirling energy.

He merely nodded, suppressing a scream.

Inside the crumpled letter, in Namgung Bi-ah’s clumsy handwriting.

-I’m going to meet my fiancé.

The words were written.

In other words.

Namgung Bi-ah had run away from home.