Chapter 11

Once the bet was settled, all that remained was to determine the winner.

As I lifted the sword I had been holding, Chuk-baek drew the sword from her back. Slightly bending her body and extending her arm, her stance was as elegant as a dancer summoned for a sword dance.

“Was she a dancer?”

Without any discussion of who would strike first, Chuk-baek, having fully drawn her sword, immediately charged at me. Her steps were light, but the sword she swung was heavy.

Clang!

Steel clashed against steel. Both swords were sharp, real blades. This wasn’t a practice match with dulled edges. A duel with real swords, capable of cutting flesh and bone, was closer to actual combat.

Despite the pressure of a real sword duel, Chuk-baek didn’t falter. She probably hadn’t experienced real combat before. Maybe she even used real swords when sparring with the maids.

Chuk-baek took the offensive. Like the swordsmen in Chinese martial arts movies I’d seen, she unleashed a series of short, rapid strikes.

Her concise, relentless swordplay seemed flashy but lacked practicality. Yet, once you were on the defensive, it was surprisingly hard to break free.

It’s like laughing at the relentless attacks of the Shinkage-ryu school in Japanese swordsmanship, only to have your pot shattered when you actually face it.

But my assessment only applies when facing opponents of similar skill. It’s not something that works against someone stronger.

I’ll show that now.

Clang!

The sound of steel was different. As I focused on defending, I suddenly exerted more force, pushing back hard. Chuk-baek’s balance wavered.

I could have finished her with a Zwerchhau (a diagonal slash), but I let her regain her stance and retreat.

Unaware that I had spared her, Chuk-baek charged again, thinking it was her mistake.

Clang!!

A straight downward slash, the Scheitelhau, came down on Chuk-baek from above.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped Chuk-baek’s lips as she blocked the vertical strike.

It’s true that women mature faster than men.

And my body grows following my father, Zhang Fei. That’s also true.

But Zhang Fei is no ordinary man. That’s also true.

She had already been defeated by my technique, and now she was completely overpowered in a contest of pure strength.

Chuk-baek’s trembling arm couldn’t hold the sword any longer, and it fell to the ground.

Clang.

The pitiful sound of the sword hitting the ground echoed through the silent courtyard.

As my sword touched her neck, Chuk-baek bowed her head deeply. I turned my gaze away from her and met Lady Son’s eyes.

“Take care on your way.”

Swish.

I spun the sword and sheathed it. Yeon-yi, who had been anxiously watching, ran over and hugged my waist.

“Sis! That was so cool!”

“Of course. Were you worried?”

“Uh-uh! I knew you’d win!”

Despite saying she wasn’t worried, Yeon-yi’s eyes were red. No tears, but her claim was a lie.

She was just hiding her concern to not burden me. Despite her young age, my sister was deeply considerate.

Lady Son, who had been quietly watching our conversation, spoke.

“Indeed…”

Lady Son closed her eyes for a moment, then bowed her head to me. It wasn’t a full bow, but even that was enough to shock the maids.

Really, how arrogant must she have been for such a small gesture to astonish them?

“I now understand why Lord Zhou wanted you as his daughter-in-law. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”

“I gladly accept your apology, Lady.”

Even though Lady Son would soon depart, it was best to end things amicably for the sake of the alliance.

I returned the gesture, accepting her apology. Lady Son then raised her head and asked.

“I have a question. When you blocked Chuk-baek’s first attack, was it to gauge her skill?”

“Yes. I rarely get to spar with peers, so I wanted to see how I measured up against someone my age, as you praised Chuk-baek.”

“Then why didn’t you finish her with your first counterattack?”

Lady Son had seen through my act of sparing Chuk-baek. Chuk-baek, unaware, stared at me in disbelief.

I answered honestly.

“It was pride.”

“Pride? Yours?”

“Pride as Zhang Fei’s daughter.”

Perhaps it was because I felt her comment about Zhang Fei’s level was a jab. I crushed her with sheer strength.

“You still have some childishness. Would you follow me if I called?”

My silence was affirmation. Lady Son nodded.

“Of course. Even Lord Zhou couldn’t sway you. Let’s go.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Then, my lady, what about me…?”

Chuk-baek called out pitifully, but Lady Son was cold.

“Have you forgotten? From now on, you serve her, not me.”

“…Yes, my lady.”

Leaving a sullen Chuk-baek behind, Lady Son departed without hesitation, leaving behind a promise to not violate Xiang Province’s laws and Chuk-baek.

‘How will we handle the aftermath of this…’

The events between Lady Son and me would soon spread among the people.

With over a hundred servants and maids, even if we silenced them, Lady Son’s actions would raise suspicions, and the truth would come out.

It’s inevitable that rumors will spread, so we’ll have to quash the false ones.

‘We’ll weed out the fake news.’

In this era, verifying facts is difficult. A mere rumor won’t break the alliance, but there’s no need to stir up trouble.

“Now, Chuk-baek, was it?”

I called, and Chuk-baek, though dejected, answered earnestly.

“Yes, Lady Chang-ran.”

“I’ll introduce you to my parents when they return. If they don’t accept you, I’ll send you back to Lady Son. She won’t refuse if my father speaks.”

“No, my lady. Lady Son has entrusted me to you. From now on, I serve you, not her.”

“Really? Then let’s start with how you address me. And cheer up. It feels like I stole you from Lady Son.”

Chuk-baek flinched and waved her hands.

“That’s not it! I’ve never lost to someone my age before… That’s why. It’s not that I don’t want to serve you, Lady Chang-ran…”

“You can just call me Ran for now.”

“I don’t dislike serving you, Lady Ran. Please don’t say such things.”

Chuk-baek, sullen from her first defeat, finally seemed like a child her age.

“Alright. Then you’ll have to greet my parents properly later. They probably won’t send you away.”

“Yes, Lady Ran.”

“Yeon-yi, should you greet her too? You’ll be living together from now on.”

I didn’t have any maids following me. I wasn’t like the noble ladies who dressed up and had attendants. I was too busy training in martial arts or following Zhang Fei to the military camps.

‘But Chuk-baek could be a good sparring partner. Not bad.’

I watched as Yeon-yi and Chuk-baek exchanged greetings.

I’ll be busy again from now on.

§

“My lady, are you really alright?”

A maid asked Lady Son as they left Zhang Family Manor.

The implication was clear: she was worried this incident would become a shameful story for Lady Son.

Lady Son, Sun Lin, snorted, aware of the maid’s concern.

“Hmph. Are you saying I should lie?”

“N-no, that’s not…”

“Enough. Wasn’t that child interesting?”

“Pardon?”

“That girl, Chang-ran. How did she come up with such an idea?”

Sun Lin’s voice was distant, filled with regret. Her eyes reflected the past, and her ears echoed with her father’s voice from her childhood.

“A woman entering the military. I gave up on that long ago. I never beat my brothers.”

“My lady…”

The maid, who had been by Sun Lin’s side since childhood, sensed the regret in her words.

“If my brothers had been weaker, would I have gone to the battlefield like that girl?”

The physical differences between men and women are significant. But that doesn’t mean Sun Lin couldn’t beat men.

Weapons can overcome gender limitations, and her physical abilities, nurtured with proper nutrition and training, far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers who relied solely on their gender.

Yet, Sun Lin had given up the path of a warrior because…

“I lacked courage. I feared the scorn. I quit because I was afraid of being criticized for being a woman.”

But Chang-ran was different. Sun Lin saw herself in Chang-ran.

Both were daughters of legendary warriors: Zhang Fei, the unparalleled martial god, and Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong.

Both had brothers who overshadowed them, and both, despite being women, aspired to martial prowess.

The difference was that Sun Lin’s brothers were too strong, inheriting their father’s legacy, while Chang-ran’s brothers were not.

But ultimately, it was Chang-ran’s resolve to endure the scorn of wielding a sword as a woman.

“I want to see.”

She said it was pride. The pride of being Zhang Fei’s daughter.

“How she’ll be as an adult.”

As time passes, the girl will fall behind. With good lineage, nutrition, and education, she could surpass ordinary soldiers. But what about men raised under the same conditions? Could she still win as an adult?

With the ugly scorn urging her to give up and conform to a woman’s life, Sun Lin hoped.

That Chang-ran, unlike her, would proudly make a name for herself as a heroine, astonishing the Central Plains.

Holding onto this contradictory hope, Sun Lin looked back at Zhang Family Manor.

“I’ll be watching.”

Chang-ran.