Chapter v11c6: Reciting Poetry!

Lately, Bi Ryu Yeon had shown a remarkable change, indicating that he too was capable of delicate and thoughtful contemplation.

Originally, Bi Ryu Yeon didn’t know what it meant to worry. He had never learned to live life seriously. However, even he had recently acquired a concern. It was also a mystery.

‘Again!’

Bi Ryu Yeon was bewildered by the fact that he couldn’t even count how many times this situation had occurred. Why was she acting like this? He pondered but couldn’t come up with a clear answer. After all, is there ever a worry in this world that has a straightforward solution? Worry is a mental byproduct that arises during the process of solving problems. When a solution is found, the worry naturally dissipates.

Since leaving Cheonmu Academy, Na Yerin had been constantly avoiding eye contact with him on their journey to Mount Hua. If it had happened once or twice, he could have dismissed it as a coincidence, but it seemed to have happened dozens of times. It was clearly intentional.

What troubled Bi Ryu Yeon was the question of ‘why?’ Why was Na Yerin trying to distance herself from him? Why was she making an effort to avoid him? Her behavior was far from the cold demeanor she had when they first met. Yet, it was also different from the gentle demeanor she had in the Phantom Demon Cave. However, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Bi Ryu Yeon wasn’t the type to employ roundabout tactics to find answers. But a direct approach was hindered by too many obstacles and distractions. Since escaping the Phantom Demon Cave, Dok Go Ryeong’s gaze had become even more wary of him, as if treating him like a plague-spreading ghost.

But Bi Ryu Yeon wasn’t one to be deterred by such obstacles. Perhaps he even thought that a few obstacles might make the romance more dramatic. Of course, a romance with this many diverse obstacles was rare in the world.

Many men were shouting, ‘Lady Na Yerin of Bingbaek Peak is the idol of all men! The idea of her becoming another man’s woman is absurd! It’s against the natural order!’ Essentially, half the men in the world were his enemies. This calculation excluded the men of the dark sect and a few rare men with same-sex preferences.

It was a perilous and tumultuous romantic environment.

Bi Ryu Yeon was skilled at calculating gains and losses, but he didn’t know how to write long, beautiful poems to captivate a woman’s heart with words and rhythm. It was an area he neither wanted to touch nor get involved in.

Therefore, he couldn’t help but worry about how to approach Na Yerin, who had suddenly become as cold as a winter wind.

“I’d rather fight ten thousand enemies… Damn, this is really impossible!”

Bi Ryu Yeon pouted and genuinely cursed the heavens. Na Yerin was less than three chapters away, but the emotional distance felt like a thousand chapters. It was likely after he had been called for a one-on-one meeting with her father.

Did she realize this? Bi Ryu Yeon was very curious but decided not to find out. It was undoubtedly the wise choice and beneficial for his mental health.

“…I still don’t get it.”

Bi Ryu Yeon decided to give up lightly. Trying to find an answer to something unsolvable, without a prepared solution, answer, or universal remedy, was a waste of time and, therefore, a waste of money.

“Namgung Sang!”

Bi Ryu Yeon quietly called Namgung Sang. The group was currently crossing Gungung Mountain, located on the border between Jiangxi Province, where Cheonmu Academy was located, and Hubei Province, where Wudang Mountain was situated.

“Yes, senior brother!”

“What do you think is the best way to capture a woman’s heart?”

Namgung Sang was taken aback by Bi Ryu Yeon’s sudden question. It was an unexplored territory for him as well.

“Well, I think the best way is to capture a woman’s heart with the melody of beautiful words.”

“Words?”

Bi Ryu Yeon had never thought of himself as someone who would lose a verbal battle. ‘He who loses in logic cannot achieve complete victory! Therefore, one must be strong in words!’ It was a teaching he had heard countless times from his master since childhood. His master believed that if you lost a verbal battle, you handed the advantageous position to your opponent. This would result in a consistently disadvantageous fight. If you couldn’t convince your opponent with logic, it was hard to claim a true victory. However, winning a verbal battle didn’t mean having the loudest voice.

Of course, there were many in the world who didn’t respond to logic and only responded to fists. When words failed, and one felt disadvantaged in a verbal battle, humans sometimes resorted to violence. In such cases, one had no choice but to respond with fists. But the area Namgung Sang was referring to was obviously not that.

“Um, I mean poetry.”

“Poetry?”

Bi Ryu Yeon’s expression changed strangely. Namgung Sang’s heart sank for a moment.

“You must have read too many romance novels!”

Even if Namgung Sang had said, ‘Capturing a woman’s heart is all about looks and money,’ Bi Ryu Yeon wouldn’t have made such a strange expression. He suddenly wanted to pat Namgung Sang’s head.

‘Innocent fool!’

In truth, Bi Ryu Yeon didn’t know why he should call him innocent. He was merely mimicking what he had seen his master, Cheol Hwa Jang Go No Dae, do when he was young.

“You seem to know a lot about poetry. Then why don’t you write a poem?”

Bi Ryu Yeon commanded Namgung Sang. It was a powerful command akin to military discipline, where disobedience was not tolerated.

“M-Me?”

This was an unexpected turn of events. Namgung Sang was momentarily flustered. Of course, he had learned it. As a member of the Namgung family, one of the Eight Great Martial Families, he had received education in poetry, calligraphy, arts, and painting, in addition to martial arts. However, poetry required breaking down, arranging, and combining words to match rhythm and rhyme, so it wasn’t something that could be done just by learning a bit.

And Namgung Sang, by his own admission, wasn’t a particularly good student in the poetry department.

“Yes! You even have a proper lover! Why are you so surprised?”

“Well, my lover… We haven’t formally exchanged vows yet…”

Namgung Sang blushed and replied in a voice as small as a mosquito’s.

“Well, if someone else takes her, I won’t be responsible.”

“That’s… That’s so harsh…”

Namgung Sang’s face quickly turned into a frown. Despite his growing martial strength, his timidity remained unchanged.

“Anyway, you said the best way to capture a woman’s heart is to write beautiful poetry, right?”

“Yes…”

Namgung Sang’s voice grew even smaller.

“Then write one.”

“So, you mean… me?”

Namgung Sang pointed to his own face with his finger. The complexly titled senior brother and master nodded.

“There’s no one else here but you, right?”

It seemed there was no escape. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Namgung Sang recited a poem. It took great courage for him to do so. However, courage alone doesn’t guarantee good results.

“You are my sun!

Ah, a world without you

Is an eternal night

Where morning never comes!”

Namgung Sang closed his eyes, struck a pose, and recited the poem, trying to capture the mood and emotion. However, because his eyes were closed, he didn’t notice Bi Ryu Yeon’s face contorting in a strange way. After spending quite some time reciting the poem, Namgung Sang peeked open his eyes to gauge Bi Ryu Yeon’s reaction. Bi Ryu Yeon simply gave him a sly smile.

Despite sensing the ominous undertone in that smile, Namgung Sang couldn’t help but smile back.

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

“What? Me? How could I possibly recite a poem to Lady Na Yerin… I’d get beaten to death by her! Please, senior brother, spare me!”

Namgung Sang’s face quickly turned into a plea of desperation. He was genuinely terrified.

‘Tsk, tsk, your future is clear as day. Clear as day!’

Bi Ryu Yeon could vividly imagine Namgung Sang’s future as a henpecked husband. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t envision any other future for Namgung Sang.

Smack!

“Ouch!”

Namgung Sang winced and clutched his head.

“Tsk, tsk, you fool! Who said to recite the poem to Yerin? You should recite it to your own lover! Why are you coveting someone else’s?”

Bi Ryu Yeon clicked his tongue and raised his fist threateningly.

“To… to Ryeongmae?”

Bi Ryu Yeon nodded vigorously. Namgung Sang stood there as if rooted to the spot.

“What, are you not confident?”

“No… it’s not that…”

“Then go and do it! Now!”

Under Bi Ryu Yeon’s firm command, Namgung Sang reluctantly took hesitant steps forward. Bi Ryu Yeon watched his awkward movements like a spectator. Namgung Sang’s steps were as heavy as if his feet were made of lead. It seemed uncertain when he would finally reach his beloved.

Sweating profusely, Namgung Sang approached Jin Ryeong, who was standing in the distance. He looked somewhat pitiful. However, there was no room for mercy now. Namgung Sang’s slow progress in romance was his own fault.

Finally, Namgung Sang and Jin Ryeong met. Bi Ryu Yeon saw him say something to her. Jin Ryeong nodded. It seemed like a sign of approval.

The moment of truth!

Namgung Sang finally recited the words he had written, though he felt embarrassed. His psychological discomfort was evident even from a distance. Jin Ryeong, who had been quietly enjoying the poem with a serene smile, suddenly had her face turn cold. The gentle smile vanished, and her eyebrows furrowed.

Thud!

In an instant, Jin Ryeong’s elbow struck Namgung Sang’s abdomen with blinding speed. The speed was so fast that the onlookers couldn’t understand why Namgung Sang suddenly clutched his stomach and bent over.

“Oh dear!”

Bi Ryu Yeon exclaimed.

“In situations like this, you should have hit him on the head.”

Bi Ryu Yeon had been eagerly anticipating the outcome, but unfortunately, there was no further confrontation. The bond hadn’t completely broken yet. The only thought that crossed his mind was:

‘Karma!’

Bi Ryu Yeon’s attention shifted away from Namgung Sang and Jin Ryeong. He retreated back into his own thoughts.

“Tsk, tsk, Namgung Sang, Namgung Sang! Instead of insincere, flowery words, a single heartfelt sentence would be more effective.”

Bi Ryu Yeon had a knack for hitting the nail on the head. Namgung Sang’s fate was already sealed. Bi Ryu Yeon, having learned music, knew that rhythm and poetry were interconnected. Even if he couldn’t write proper poetry, he could understand and feel it.

Such clumsy words wouldn’t move a woman’s heart. Thinking otherwise was underestimating women. However, there were still many men who clung to this belief and tried. Occasionally, there were reports of success, which was unfortunate.

His gaze turned back to Na Yerin. By coincidence, their eyes met. Once again, without any apparent reason, Na Yerin quickly turned her head away.

‘Is this what people call being ignored? Hmm…’

Why did she get so flustered every time their eyes met? Bi Ryu Yeon felt a headache coming on. Since that day, the distance between them hadn’t closed. It was clear that she was avoiding him.

Why? That was the only question on Bi Ryu Yeon’s mind. But the reason remained elusive. All he knew was that her behavior was sudden and unexpected.

‘Well, it’s not like things were ever great…’

If he were to be discouraged by this, he wouldn’t be Bi Ryu Yeon.

“Ryeongmae…!”

In the distance, Namgung Sang, clutching his stomach, was desperately chasing after Jin Ryeong, who was walking away quickly. Despite Namgung Sang’s desperate calls, Jin Ryeong didn’t stop. In fact, she only walked faster, not looking back even once.