Chapter 78: Not Ugly. (1)

She’s not ugly (1)

[Oppa…!]

A voice choked with tears, a blurry gaze, and warm sunlight, unlike the cold season.

This was a memory from childhood.

The time spent wandering the forest behind the house.

Taking short, toddling steps.

She was ‘it’.

Because hiding alone was scary, she had said she preferred being the one to find.

Oppa had told her not to worry, saying he was confident in his hiding skills.

[Oppa… where are you?]

She moved forward little by little, tracing her steps along the trees.

Oppa, contrary to his words, wasn’t good at hiding.

He always gave himself away somehow.

This time too, his clothes were slightly visible behind a tree trunk far away.

Her teary eyes brightened instantly.

Her slow steps quickened.

Found you!

She thrust her face forward to surprise him with a ‘Boo!’

[Oh…? ]

But, contrary to her expectations, Oppa wasn’t there.

Only Gu Clan’s outer robe remained.

[Oppa, where did you… ]

[Waaak-!]

[Eugeugyaaaak!]

Startled by the shout from behind, she screamed and sank to the ground.

She was so surprised that tears welled up in her eyes.

Turning around, she saw Oppa laughing.

Oppa had fierce eyes, but his face was kind when he smiled.

[Surprised me?]

[Y-you really surprised me….]

[I thought this would work.]

His proud smile after startling her was annoyingly smug.

He was so irritating that she lightly tapped his shoulder with her hand.

As if it didn’t hurt at all, Oppa just kept laughing.

After laughing for a while, Oppa held out his hand as if inviting her to take it.

Pouting, she took Oppa’s hand and got up.

[Let’s go back now, Mother must be waiting.]

[Already…? ]

[Of course, she might get angry if we’re later.]

That wasn’t likely.

She had never seen their mother get angry.

She simply nodded, accepting Oppa’s word.

Their clasped hands were warm.

The outer robe he had taken off to surprise her was now draped over her shoulders.

His reason was that it was cold.

The season was cold, but they could endure it because they were together.

[…Yeonseo unni bothered me again earlier.]

[Your sister?]

[Yeah…. She glared at me and said Mother is my mother, not yours….]

[I see.]

Oppa patted her head at her words.

The touch of his hand stroking her hair felt like her heart was melting.

[Since unni is also family, maybe she could say that?]

[…Yeah.]

Oppa’s gaze always held warmth.

She liked that.

She disliked Father’s cold gaze, but Oppa’s and Mother’s gazes towards her were warm.

That was enough.

Gu Ryeong-hwa thought so back then.

[What should we eat today?]

[Ryeong-hwa wants to eat fish!]

[Really? Let’s go tell her.]

[Okay!]

As they walked along, chatting amiably, their residence gradually came into view.

Perhaps because night was approaching, lights were on in the residence, and they could see Mother waving from afar.

[Momma!]

Gu Ryeong-hwa waved back with all her might.

She immediately ran and hugged her mother’s warm embrace.

Mother’s hands were cold, perhaps from waiting outside for a long time.

But she still felt happy.

Mother then stroked Oppa’s hair as he approached.

Though the season was cold, Gu Ryeong-hwa could feel the warmth.

This was enough.

If they lived like this, they would surely be happy.

It was a small dream held in her young heart.

But perhaps the heavens didn’t quite like that.

Seven days and nights after this.

Everything fell apart, and Gu Ryeong-hwa’s life plummeted into the abyss.

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

Every year in late summer, Mount Hua gathers its disciples to hold the Jehwajeon (The Flower Battle).

It was a simple martial arts tournament where disciples sparred, but it served as a crucial test that aided in the subsequent selection of the Plum Blossom Sword Master.

Among the second-generation disciples, those who were not the Plum Blossom Sword Master were required to participate, while participation for third-generation disciples was voluntary.

By those standards, Gu Ryeong-hwa, as Sword Empress’s disciple, was a second-generation disciple and thus had to participate mandatorily. However, due to the circumstances known by the first-generation disciples and elders, she was permitted to either skip the event or participate among the third-generation disciples.

Gu Ryeong-hwa refused.

She didn’t want to participate among the third-generation disciples, and felt she couldn’t back down for the sake of the Sword Empress’s honor.

Fwiiik! Fwiiik!

Weight gathered behind the swung wooden sword.

The sword she had swung endlessly since entering Mount Hua.

Although her level wasn’t high enough for the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, Mount Hua’s swordsmanship wasn’t limited to just that.

She felt impatient.

Even she thought she was being too impatient right now.

Conversely, her master told her not to be impatient.

As she was young, there would be many opportunities for her brilliance to shine in the future.

But.

Even if her efforts were recognized and she shone.

Would it hold any meaning if her master wasn’t by her side?

Gu Ryeong-hwa bit her lip.

The year Shin-ui had mentioned wasn’t far off.

It would still take a long time before she could make plum blossoms bloom at the tip of her sword.

Nevertheless, Gu Ryeong-hwa wanted to show her master the sight of plum blossoms blooming from her sword.

‘If only I had talent like that person…’

Someone who was practically the youngest among the third-generation disciples.

And at the same time, the one named among the Plum Blossom Sword Masters, evaluated as Mount Hua’s top prodigy.

The Sword Dragon (劍龍), Yeong-pung.

If she had talent like his, perhaps her master’s worries would have lessened.

Gu Ryeong-hwa unknowingly felt jealousy and envy towards Yeong-pung.

Knowing she couldn’t become like him, her narrow-minded heart refused to broaden.

Perhaps because of that.

It felt like her sword wasn’t swinging well today.

“…Hoo.”

Perhaps from swinging it ceaselessly, her palm throbbed.

Gu Ryeong-hwa intended to keep swinging, enduring even this.

Her master was not in a condition to teach her swordsmanship.

Therefore, she had to fill the gaps herself.

“…Annoying.”

With her mind unsettled by the impatient situation, nothing seemed to go right.

Was it because of what she saw this morning? She felt particularly that way today.

The sight of Gu Yangcheon entangled with some unknown woman.

The relative she met after a long time looked incredibly indolent.

The Oppa Gu Ryeong-hwa remembered was already dead.

From the moment Mother disappeared, Oppa had died.

At least, that’s how it was for Gu Ryeong-hwa.

The boy who held warmth within his fierceness burned to death in the heat of Gu Clan.

And all that remained in the embers was likely a malevolent spirit.

“I had hoped… just a little…”

Gu Yangcheon, whom she met after a long time, was somehow different.

It wasn’t quite his old self, but still, he was vastly different from how she had seen him recently.

At the very least, it felt like he had shed the chilling emotions contained within his eyes.

Perhaps that’s why she unconsciously harbored hope.

That he might return to his old self.

Such a trivial thought.

“It couldn’t have been like that.”

After giving up, fleeing from fear and discomfort, was she still unable to let go of her lingering attachment?

As stray thoughts threatened to take hold, Gu Ryeong-hwa swung her sword once more, eager to shake them off.

Today was a day when the scholars wouldn’t come to the mountain’s training grounds.

It was likely a day scheduled for group training.

Gu Ryeong-hwa thought it was rather more comfortable that way.

Because nothing was easier than holding a sword amidst discomfort.

Just as she was about to execute a move.

Hoo-woong-.

The sound carried on the wind made her stop.

Hook-! Hoo-woong Hook-!

It was the sound of a sword being swung.

But something was different.

Unlike Mount Hua’s sword paths, which strictly required form before blooming plum blossoms, this sound was different from the usual sounds made during consistent movements.

Moreover, what was that tingling energy brushing past her shoulder?

Gu Ryeong-hwa moved towards the direction of the sound. What if it was a scholar?

Such a thought briefly crossed her mind, but she couldn’t stop her feet.

Finally, as her toes reached the area behind.

Hoo-wook–!

A fierce sword wind whipped Gu Ryeong-hwa’s hair.

‘…What is this?’

Her first impression was that it was beautiful.

Her white hair fluttering with the intense movements, and her blue eyes fixed solely on the sword’s tip, were exquisitely graceful.

Though the steps taken for the sword path were light, Gu Ryeong-hwa could sense that the weight supporting them was far from light.

Discipline (節度).

Why did she feel that sense from such irregular sword movements?

Gu Ryeong-hwa couldn’t understand.

Was it something she couldn’t perceive? Was the woman’s martial prowess that outstanding?

Complex thoughts swirled endlessly in her mind, yet her eyes remained fixed on the woman’s sword dance.

How could she move so fluidly?

With what mindset was that person wielding her sword?

Would she ever reach a day when she could wield her sword like that, given enough time?

Gu Ryeong-hwa could hear her heart pounding.

It was a side effect of intense concentration, but she felt as if she could gain something if she watched this sword path until the end.

The moment the woman took half a step forward and drew her sword horizontally.

“…Hoo.”

Without finishing the sequence, the woman stopped her movement.

From the finishing tip of the sword, Gu Ryeong-hwa felt a profound sense of regret and thirst.

If only she had watched a little longer, she felt she could have gained something.

However, behind Gu Ryeong-hwa’s disappointment, there was a significant problem.

The fact that she had watched the training without permission.

Furthermore, the fact that she had tried to gain enlightenment from that training was also an issue.

She had watched, drawn in as if possessed, but there was no excuse for it.

An outsider was wielding a sword in Mount Hua’s training grounds, so couldn’t she use that point to her advantage?

As Gu Ryeong-hwa schemed for her survival, the woman’s gaze fell upon her.

“…Huh?”

As their eyes met, she realized she had seen that face before.

Blue eyes and snow-white skin resembling the color of her hair.

Her sweat-soaked appearance was unbelievably alluring rather than dirty.

Beauty so breathtaking that even another woman felt suffocated…. She was definitely one of the women entangled with Gu Yangcheon.

‘…She was a martial artist?’

While the situation prevented her from seeing clearly, she had merely thought of her as a beautiful woman, but to be a martial artist of this caliber…

As she met the woman’s blue eyes, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

It was impossible to figure out what she was thinking behind her empty, emotionless face.

She tilted her head once while looking at Gu Ryeong-hwa’s face, then nodded once while looking at her wooden sword.

What was this?

Gu Ryeong-hwa tensed up, worried she might be scolded for secretly watching the training.

As if her worries were unfounded, the words that came from the woman’s lips were unexpected.

“…Sparring….”

“What?”

“…Want to?”

Gu Ryeong-hwa couldn’t help but frown, thinking she had misheard.

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

And so, circling back, we arrive at the present.

Fortunately, Gu Ryeong-hwa faced no repercussions or anger for watching the training.

She didn’t seem to care about such matters at all.

It was a strange thing for someone who had become a martial artist.

How could that be…?

Gu Ryeong-hwa couldn’t help but be flustered by the sudden offer of a sparring match in this situation.

She wondered if it was a way to discipline her under the guise of sparring, but it didn’t seem like it.

Seizing such an opportunity, which likely wouldn’t come often, Gu Ryeong-hwa accepted the offer after brief consideration.

And so, the sparring match began.

She clung desperately, fighting for a long time, but Gu Ryeong-hwa’s sword couldn’t even graze Namgung Bi-ah’s collar.

Her body, having rolled on the ground repeatedly, was covered in dirt and dust, and due to the relentless, vigorous movements, her energy was completely depleted, causing her to tremble and groan.

Gu Ryeong-hwa looked up at Namgung Bi-ah with exhausted eyes and thought.

‘…How is it that I can’t even touch her once?’

The distance remained frustratingly close; by now, Gu Ryeong-hwa harbored suspicion that Namgung Bi-ah was deliberately giving her space.

‘…Why?’

Teaching? Could she possibly be trying to teach her?

If so, then why…?

Gu Ryeong-hwa, gasping for breath, finally managed to stand up.

Namgung Bi-ah, waiting patiently, didn’t seem even slightly out of breath, unlike during her sword dance earlier.

Looking closely, her face seemed a bit bored.

At this level, honestly, she seemed capable of fighting even the second-generation disciples Gu Ryeong-hwa had seen without issue.

She didn’t know her exact age, but she was likely around the age of capping or slightly older.

Her age wasn’t much different from Yeong-pung’s. Truly, there were so many talented people in the world.

She felt her underlying inferiority complex deepening.

Having thought that far, Gu Ryeong-hwa spoke to Namgung Bi-ah.

“…You saw us this morning, right.”

“…?”

“What’s your relationship with that man?”

Perhaps Gu Ryeong-hwa’s question was unexpected, as a slight crack appeared in Namgung Bi-ah’s expressionless facade.

Her eyes seemed to widen slightly, and one eyebrow appeared to furrow a little.

Namgung Bi-ah, after a moment’s thought on how to answer, quickly opened her mouth.

“Engaged….”

“…Someone like you isn’t someone who should be associated with him.”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t know the circumstances, but you’re far too good for him…. He’s too indolent, doesn’t put in any effort, has a foul temper, and is frighteningly ugly to be seen with…. Far too much so.”

“…”

“So, even now….”

Gu Ryeong-hwa, mid-sentence, suddenly fell silent.

The atmosphere had changed somehow.

The woman before her still maintained her expressionless state, but something had shifted.

Thump.

As she took a step forward, Gu Ryeong-hwa immediately raised her sword.

‘…What is it?’

Something had changed, but she didn’t know what.

As the woman lowered her sword and met her gaze, Gu Ryeong-hwa saw someone else superimposed.

The Sword Empress (劍后).

Her master.

In the not-too-distant past, during the brief moments when her master was relatively healthy, she had shown Gu Ryeong-hwa a glimpse of her presence.

Gu Ryeong-hwa could feel even the faintest trace of that aura.

A chilling alarm bell rang in her head, coursing down her spine, as Gu Ryeong-hwa channeled her remaining resolve into her sword.

The woman spoke.

“…Not ugly.”

“What…?”

“She’s not ugly.”

Was she angry?

Her tone, usually relaxed and weak, now carried a hint of force.

The subtle aura she had sensed earlier was now palpable.

She knew the woman was looking at her, but she hadn’t expected this…

Sensing something was wrong, she tried to find a way out, but her body grew sluggish under the oppressive aura emanating from all sides.

It must have been fear.

“If you speak so carelessly….”

The woman’s steps quickened. Simultaneously, her figure, which had been in Gu Ryeong-hwa’s sight, vanished in an instant.

“You’ll get scolded….”

With a flash of blue light, the wooden sword appeared before her eyes.

Overwhelmed by the sensation, Gu Ryeong-hwa squeezed her eyes shut.

Was it an illusion?

Just before closing her eyes, she thought she saw flames engulfing her vision.