Chapter 9: Nine Dragon Society (3)

The reason the engagement between the Peng family and the Gu family proceeded was simple.

The Gu family was a prestigious family, no less than one of the Four Great Families, and the bloodlines of both families happened to be around the same age.

If nothing unexpected happened, I was to become the family head, and the Peng family had simply judged that a marriage alliance with the Gu family would be acceptable.

For the great families of the Central Plains, it wasn’t unusual to increase their standing through marriage alliances, so it wasn’t that strange.

The problem was that I caused too many incidents.

The engagement made in childhood should have been maintained if nothing happened, but…

As my ill reputation spread throughout the regions near Shanxi, and instead of making efforts as a member of the Mu family bloodline, my dissolute nature only grew, it likely didn’t look good from the Peng family’s perspective.

Of course, the final nail in the coffin was likely my words and actions towards that girl.

“Why…?!”

The girl, Peng Ah-hee, shouted in surprise.

I was more curious. Why was she here?

Although it’s relatively closer than other regions, it’s a place that takes quite a while to travel between Hebei and here by carriage.

But why would the direct bloodline of the Peng family head suddenly be in the Shanxi region, where the Gu family is holding the Nine Dragon Gathering?

“That’s what I want to ask. What are you doing here?”

As I took a step closer, Peng Ah-hee flinched. Soon after, Yeo-bi, who was supposedly Peng Ah-hee’s guard, stepped forward protectively.

It was a posture of shielding her as if from a villain. Am I the villain?

Perhaps gaining stability from her guard’s back, Peng Ah-hee glared at me and spoke.

“I just came because I had business. Shanxi isn’t entirely your territory, do I have to report my every move?”

“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

I ignored Peng Ah-hee and ordered dumplings. I shouldn’t forget my original purpose.

Peng Ah-hee, lightly ignored, was rather flustered, but I didn’t pay it any mind.

Even if she came to Shanxi for tourism, it would be awkward, but if she came for business, I wanted to get involved even less. It would surely be troublesome.

The dumplings I ordered came out quickly. The neatly stacked dumplings looked appetizing.

As I took the dumplings and turned sharply, a hurried voice called out from behind.

“Wait, just a moment.”

At the voice, I stopped walking and turned my head. Peng Ah-hee was looking at me with anxious eyes.

The words that came out of Peng Ah-hee’s mouth were utterly random.

“…I heard the Gu family is selecting their Sword Brigade tomorrow.”

“What?”

It was true that Sword Brigade members would be selected on the second day of the Nine Dragon Gathering tomorrow.

But why was Peng Ah-hee asking about that?

Her expression and tone of asking were strange, so I asked back.

“Why are you asking that? Are you participating too?”

“Why would I participate there! And why are you speaking informally? I’m one year older!”

Was that so?

“Sorry, older sister-nim, I forgot.”

“…Don’t call me that so suddenly, it makes me want to puke.”

What the hell am I supposed to do…

Since it was a messy annulment, there was no way she would have good memories. Talking more would only be bad for Peng Ah-hee, so I intended to leave the place quickly.

“Alright, whether you came for business or leisure, have a good stay.”

I moved to leave, worried the dumplings I received might get cold, but glanced back at Peng Ah-hee again.

When I turned sharply, Peng Ah-hee flinched again. She was still looking at my back even as I started to walk away.

After making eye contact briefly like that, I moved my feet again.

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

Peng Woojin, the Young Master of the Peng family, was described by others as being like the wind. He was evaluated as the greatest talent since the Peng family was established in the Central Plains. However, he didn’t exactly put in much effort.

He spoke of his dreams, saying his dream wasn’t to be the family head. He was a man who always talked about how reality couldn’t be helped.

He graduated top of his class from the Divine Dragon Academy, led by the Martial Arts Alliance, and also became the Young Master at the youngest age in the Peng family’s history.

However, he still seemed somewhat detached, like a man adrift, like a cloud.

Then, one day, before the winter was over, Peng Woojin told Peng Ah-hee that he wanted to leave the family.

Peng Ah-hee, as if it were her usual joke, said, “Then why don’t you just go out for a bit?” Peng Woojin stood blankly at Peng Ah-hee’s playfully thrown words and then laughed heartily.

‘That’s right, that would work.’

he said.

And fifteen days later, Peng Woojin disappeared, leaving behind a short note saying, ‘I’m going out to play for a bit.’

When the Young Master went missing, the Peng family’s search party immediately launched a search, but finding Peng Woojin’s trace was not easy.

Thus, only wasted time passed, until the Beggars’ Sect, whom they had commissioned, managed to find a small trace of Peng Woojin.

It was none other than that Peng Woojin had headed towards Shanxi.

Upon this, the Peng family head made the absurd suggestion that since Peng Ah-hee at least listened somewhat, she should go with them and bring the Young Master back.

From Peng Ah-hee’s perspective, she headed to Shanxi due to the guilt stemming from her own words.

“…I already have a headache dealing with my brother’s issue, and of all people, I had to run into that guy.”

To Peng Ah-hee, Gu Yangcheon was an unpleasant face to see. Not only because of their relationship after the engagement annulment, but because they clashed every time they met, they hadn’t had a particularly good relationship from the start.

Gu Yangcheon was always sharp-edged. He was a rabid dog that would bite anyone, regardless of who they were.

Peng Ah-hee, rather than having a demure personality, possessed the rough disposition characteristic of the Peng family, so she tenaciously retorted to Gu Yangcheon’s personality.

Then, Gu Yangcheon eventually crossed the line.

Hearing that, her uncle annulled the engagement under the pretext of acting as the family head, bringing it to an end.

‘Who do you think you are, you’re just a concubine’s child!’

It was something said in anger, and since she had retaliated just as much with words and actions, she didn’t hold onto it.

As a result, the annulment, due to Gu Yangcheon’s rash words, allowed the Gu family to gain the Peng family’s official apology and significant political advantages.

Peng Ah-hee was simply intrigued by Gu Yangcheon’s appearance, seeming to have quieted down over just a few years.

“His eyes looked like they had changed a lot.”

Should I say he matured? Perhaps he just looked that way because today was a good day.

There was no way that rabid dog would have easily matured.

Rather, his appearance just now seemed less like maturity…

“…I don’t know how to put it.”

For the young Peng Ah-hee, it was difficult to express that appearance in words.

Peng Ah-hee shook her head as if she didn’t understand and asked Yeo-bi.

“Yeo-bi, what’s the status of the search? Have you found anything?”

“…We haven’t been able to find him easily, but it seems correct that the Young Master is in Sinwol County.”

“This crazy brother of mine, why did he have to come all the way here?”

She wanted to ask why he had rushed all the way to Shanxi out of all the regions, but Peng Ah-hee already knew Peng Woojin’s answer. He would surely spout nonsense like, ‘It’s a bit far, yet close, isn’t it?’

While his unique talent was something she had long acknowledged, his personality was something she couldn’t comprehend. He was clearly of the Peng family bloodline, but compared to everyone else who had strong personalities, Peng Woojin was a person far removed from such traits.

“…This is really annoying.”

“It will be late night soon. Let’s return and rest for now, Young Lady-nim.”

At Yeo-bi’s words, Peng Ah-hee sighed deeply, glanced towards the direction Gu Yangcheon had disappeared, and turned her back.

“Just try finding him… I won’t let him get away with it.”

After Peng Ah-hee disappeared, grumbling, at the dumpling shop where they had been…

“Achoo…!”

A man who had been stuffing himself with dumplings sneezed repeatedly.

He then wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“Who’s talking trash about me? Why am I so itchy.”

With a nonchalant expression, he picked up another dumpling.

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

The day dawned, and it was finally the second day of the Nine Dragon Gathering, the day the Nine Dragon Battle (俱龍戰) would be held. Although I wasn’t exactly thrilled, time, as always, doesn’t bend to my will.

The Nine Dragon Battle, set to begin early in the morning, involved numerous sects from Shanxi, as well as collateral branches of the Gu family.

Of course, anyone else could participate if they had a means to prove their identity.

The long lines of people stretching from the morning were all participants of the Nine Dragon Battle.

What is it about the Sword Brigade that makes so many people want to join?

If the Gu family is like this, the Four Great Families and the Nine Sects would likely be even more so.

“The Nine Sects probably only select from their own disciples, so maybe it’s not like this.”

I heard that’s how it is, but I didn’t know for sure.

On the sparring grounds stood the Gu family’s Sword Brigade members, who had been holding the festival yesterday, serving as referees.

Despite drinking so much, they showed no signs of hangover fatigue on their faces; I couldn’t tell if they were enduring it or if it didn’t affect them at all.

When I belatedly asked Mu-yeon, it seemed they had woken up an hour ago and gone through great hardship circulating their internal energy to expel the alcohol.

They should have just drunk moderately.

Perhaps energized from eating dumplings yesterday, Wi Seol-ah arrived with the same red robe as yesterday, taking energetic strides.

I accepted it, letting out a deep sigh.

“..Alright, it’s over after today.”

“Young Master-nim! Today’s the day for that, right? The thing that goes swish-clack!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, could you explain in a bit more detail…?”

“You know, what Mu-yeon oppa always does.”

It seemed she was talking about the sword practice Mu-yeon secretly did in his quarters usually.

Even so, isn’t swish-clack a bit too abbreviated?

“That looked really cool. I really want to try it someday.”

‘…You’ll probably end up doing it until you’re sick of it.’

These might be fateful words for Wi Seol-ah.

While I couldn’t dare to guess what she went through to rise to that position in the future,

I certainly don’t believe talent alone is enough to kill the Heavenly Demon.

Seeing the excited Wi Seol-ah now, I held back my words.

I changed clothes and started walking towards the sparring grounds to observe.

Since I had some time to spare, I was walking slowly when I vaguely heard someone shouting loudly.

“No! Why are you saying it’s not allowed!”

“…P-please calm down first.”

“I told you I don’t have time! If I get caught like this, will you take responsibility?”

He seemed like someone applying for the Nine Dragon Battle, arguing about some issue.

Because identity verification was mandatory, those with issues sometimes caused disturbances like this.

What was peculiar was that the Gu family’s warriors would be stationed to subdue those causing disturbances, but… they weren’t daring to lay hands on him carelessly.

‘Well, they’ll handle it.’

There wouldn’t be just one or two people like that. They would surely handle it properly.

However, the words that followed made me unable to stop.

“What’s wrong with being from the Peng family! You said I could participate if my identity was confirmed!”

“..Even so, uh… we also have our procedures, so we need to verify properly.”

“What more do I need to show you? Or maybe writing ‘I am the Peng family’s Young Master’ on my stomach… Ah, would they believe me if I did that? I’ll write it right now.”

“Aaaah! Please calm down!”

…..Huh?

“What did you just say…? Young Master?”

…I must have misheard?