Chapter 191

Crack! The sound of wooden swords colliding was sharp as half of it spun into the air.

Namgoong Shin-jae stared at the remaining half of the wooden sword in disbelief and then flung it aside.

That was the fifth wooden sword.

Qing scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward.

“Is the wooden sword too weak?”

“It’s carved from ebony, but hmmm. This won’t do. Swordmaster, relying on pure strength won’t improve your sword skills.”

“What can I do if I’m strong? Should I pull out a steel sword for dueling?”

“We’re using wooden swords on purpose. Since people are weak, we rely on tools, right? Of course, if it were a Life and Death Match, I would have lost immediately, but this isn’t just about determining a winner.”

Namgoong Shin-jae could be likened to the Han Xin of sword dueling. In battles where only swords are used, his understanding far surpassed that of anyone else.

With the Sword King’s evaluation, if he had some finesse and was a little more agile, he would reach the peak of martial arts immediately. Martial arts are a skill of the body; swordsmanship is just a small part of it.

It wasn’t that he held his son in high regard; it was a cold evaluation made by the Sword King among the world’s top masters.

But here he was, holding onto a sword and struggling, making the Sword King’s wrinkles grow deeper.

“By the way, Gongson Young Lady’s sword skills are quite sharp too. Did you call it the Heavenly Emperor’s Sword? Truly a skill worthy of an emperor’s sword.”

“You flatter me. I also gained much enlightenment from encountering Confucius’s sword. Indeed, it’s a superb sword skill befitting the renown of the world’s number one swordsman… But is ‘sword skill’ a term that actually existed?”

“What does it matter if it existed or not? If you’re a swordsman, you should be able to understand. It’s swordspeak, the language of swordsmen.”

Qing chuckled and cracked a joke.

“Well, if you eat, it’s a sword meal. If you rest, it’s a sword break, and if you sleep, it’s a sword sleep, right?”

“Hmm? I’m not eating a sword, so it’s not a sword meal, and since the sword doesn’t sleep, ‘sword sleep’ might be a stretch. Uh, ‘sword break’ makes sense for when you rest during a duel. Swordmaster, do you have more?”

“Well, the Miss was said to have ‘married’ the Half-sword, so it’s ‘Half-swording.’ They say she’s a cutting tool?”

“Half-sword! Oof, isn’t it plagiarism to use ‘Half-sword’ now? It’s shameful, but I must admit Lady Pang’s victory! And as someone to carry on the family legacy, I can’t neglect my duties.”

“Wait, were you planning on getting married?”

“Honestly, not really. I have a longing to dedicate my life to the sword, but as Namgoong’s heir, I need to continue the family line. First, I’ll get to a decent level in martial arts and then think about marriage.”

“Well, we have one supreme peak here and one who transcends the peak, you know?”

“Haha, the journey in swordsmanship is long, and enlightenment comes quickly. If you get caught up in the achievement of the moment, you’ll only grow impatient.”

Coming from someone trapped in the world of swords, that was hardly convincing. Still, one thing was clear: he felt no pressure regarding achievements. Where on earth did that confidence and ease come from?

Gongson Yo-ye was a master in her own right!

After all, she picked up a sword at the age of five and swung it around like it was her job. This wasn’t a mere cliché of hard training.

She never stepped a foot outside the wall since picking up the sword at five years old. Her daily routine consisted of morning training, breakfast, then training, lunch, more training, dinner, and yet more training, followed by a two-hour nap—repeat indefinitely.

Hearing this, Qing felt himself nearly suffocate.

“Originally, I planned to reach the peak and become a heroic figure to elevate our family name. However, when a spot opened in the Ten Great Families, thanks to that, I ended up meeting you.”

“Something feels… something’s off.”

Qing frowned as he listened. No matter how much one talked about family restoration, it doesn’t justify taking away someone’s most joyful moments.

If only Gangson Yo-ye had expressed that she found it tough even once in her words, Qing would’ve empathized a thousand times over and really supported her.

But this was so deeply ingrained in her mind that she didn’t see it as anything wrong.

Hmm, this felt like complete child abuse! Well, she’s grown now and is a respectable woman, but still.

Even Namgoong Shin-jae seemed exasperated.

Shin-jae was simply enchanted by the sword, enjoying training as a profession, specialty, and hobby—he did it for fun, not out of obligation.

His nature was carefree and generous; he’d often roam around enjoying himself outside of training.

Real swordplay was a separate entity; he’d gladly yield that to her, he thought.

—-

Mo Yong Joo-hee felt shattered. No, she had already shattered from the seventh floor of the Dragon and Phoenix Association.

“Aaaah! Aaaaaah! Aaaaah, aaaaah, aaaaah! Cough, aaaaaah, aaaaaah…”

This was not just crying; it was a scream born from her enraged heart.

A drunk shouting in frustration at the world, emitting those strange sounds.

Where on earth do you find someone who only cries out like that from simple sadness?

At least she buried her face into the pillow, muffling the noise.

But sound travels at night; the mouse hears at night, and the birds hear during the day, and Mo Yongjun hears the sounds of the Mo Yong family.

Hearing his sister’s crying, Mo Yongjun flung the guest room door open and rushed in.

“Sister! What’s wrong? Are you okay? Why are you crying!?”

Seeing her younger brother rush over with a face full of concern, her tears burst forth.

“J-Jun-ya! Sniff, sniff…”

Once, he had hammered her heart with sharp words, but now knowing he meant no harm and Mo Yongjun had no heart to hold a grudge, Joo-hee forgave him.

After all, as a boy, he certainly wouldn’t have a heart, but even those boys with hearts sometimes do not get forgiven, which is why Joo-hee’s cruelty spread among the late-twenties warriors.

“What’s wrong! Did someone bother you!? Who made my sister upset?”

“Sniff, Jun-ya… that nasty girl, sniff, she…!”

One of Mo Yongjun’s traits that Joo-hee found charming was his perfect hug size. The ugly sister pulled her brother in and sobbed.

Meanwhile, Mo Yongjun gently patted her back with his little hands.

“Who made you cry, sister? Who is it!? I’ll teach them a lesson. Huh? Don’t cry!”

“Sniff, yeah. You’re my Jun-ya, I can’t count on anyone else. My good little brother…”

“Are you feeling okay now? Why is this happening? Did someone really bother you? Tell me everything. I’ll make sure to punish them.”

Joo-hee’s face grew a shade more determined.

“Right, that girl, no, that woman. You know, Jun-ya, do you have any idea what humiliation I faced today? Oh, do you even know what humiliation means?”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

“It’s when you feel incredibly sad, angry, embarrassed, and even wronged all at once. And today, that’s exactly what I experienced because of that nasty girl.”

“You shouldn’t say bad words…”

“I can say bad words for nasty people. Plus, when comforting a woman, you must always take her side. So if you want to support me, you should say it too. That nasty girl, that wretched girl.”

“That nasty girl! That wretched girl!”

Surprisingly, that was a genuinely faithful piece of advice a sister should be offering her brother.

When comforting a woman, you must always side with her, even if she’s the world’s worst villain; that’s just how a good man should behave.

Any man who brings up, “you might have done something wrong too,” usually ends up single for life.

However, you should offer empathy and array support, but never believe what the woman says. Because nine out of ten times, they’re spinning stories to their own advantage.

Occasionally, if you hear, “well, I may have made a mistake too,” then you understand she’s done something deserving of a good beating and is now coming to vent her grievances at you. Just support her at that point.

“Yes, right! That nasty girl! How could she do that to me? Jun-ya, listen, today when I visited the Dragon and Phoenix Association, some crazy woman suddenly started hurling nasty words at me.”

“Suddenly? But you didn’t do anything?”

“Exactly. I was just trying to be friendly and say hello, but she suddenly began berating me. Talking about how I, the girl without a chest, shouldn’t be pretending to be a woman; that I was some kind of freak who wasn’t a man or a woman and should just disappear while she kicked and splashed water at me… Sniff, argh.”

If Qing had been there, he would’ve witnessed a moment where Joo-hee’s virtuous reputation dipped a tad.

But Mo Yongjun couldn’t see it.

“Don’t cry, okay? I’ll, I’ll take revenge for you.”

“No, Jun-ya, it’s none of your business.”

“Why is it none of my business? Your business is my business. Leave it to me. I’ll make sure she gets what’s coming to her. Humiliation? Right? Yeah! I’ll get her back.”

“You saying that makes me happy. But it’s okay. My business is something I need to solve. Wow, our Jun-ya has grown so dependable! Thank you for comforting me. Hey, how about we take a bath together for the first time in a while?”

This is the charm of family.

In no time, Joo-hee’s rage subsided as she looked at her lovely little brother and smiled.

“I’ve grown up now too.”

“Oh wow, look at you, very manly now. Then shall we sleep together?”

“Um, is that okay? Isn’t that something only married women do?”

“It’s fine among family. Married women are family too, right?”

“Yeah! Then let’s sleep together!”

“How is my little brother so adorable?”

Mo Yong Joo-hee pulled her brother into a tight embrace.

Right, I haven’t lost yet. This is my last stand; I’ll pay them back properly. Who cares about reputation? I have my loving family by my side.

—-

Pang Dae-san was sitting in a spot with a view of the sunset over the bustling streets.

In Dae-san’s eyes, there were always women bustling about along the city walls, making the busy streets, where people hardly noticed him, fascinating to watch.

Did they live like this every day?

Then he spotted a woman in a headscarf. A woman walking confidently down the center of the street, taking wide strides like a man.

Suddenly, she seemed to turn her head this way, waving her hand high and merrily, showing her excitement.

Dae-san’s lips curled into an unintended smile.

The smile was so striking that if she had seen it, she would have fainted from joy.

“Hmm, did you have fun?”

“Of course! I ate something delicious, and then some more. Mmm, so good! Aren’t you going to the mountains? They are so tasty!”

“I wouldn’t know. Uttering words without meaning. Even if it’s called the Dragon and Phoenix Association, in the end, it’s just a gathering of acquaintances.”

“Hmph. That sounds like something someone without friends would say.”

Qing chuckled as he took a seat.

“Honestly, I’m not sure either. Everyone’s too busy buttering each other up, and there’s hardly any interesting conversation. Plus, my master said something before, so I had to drop the pretenses, making it really uncomfortable.”

“Pretenses?”

“Is that what it is? Right? Disguise? Transformation?”

“It’s somewhat close to transformation, but if it was so boring, why did you stay so late?”

“I just practiced with the Swordmaster and Ye-rang. It was a reward to finally practice after a long time. Nan-ah went to see her family since the Tang Family arrived.”

“Hmm.”

“Oh! By the way, I saw Kim Yang-geomhwa? Didn’t Pang family say they were coming with the Mo Yong family? Then the Pang family arrived too?”

“They said they arrived last night. I’m thinking of heading to the guest hall soon. I reserved a spacious guest room, so feel free to use it.”

“What? Can’t I go see Yang-geomhwa?”

At this, Pang Dae-san shook his head.

“Thinking about it, I guess Tang Nan-ah’s words weren’t too off the mark. Plus, if she came representing the Divine Maiden Sect, she should be treated to her own guest quarters. I’ll stop by in the morning to greet the leader together.”

“Is that so?”

Then Dae-san stood up from his seat.

“You’re leaving?”

“What good would it do to hang around? Oh! If you’re feeling peckish, I reserved some soup dumplings and dumplings under your name in the kitchen, so go ahead and help yourself.”

“Ohhh, Dae! Thanks! I’ll enjoy it.”

“It’s no big deal. Then, see you tomorrow!”

And with that, he left without looking back.

Left alone, Qing leaned back in his chair, gazing at Dae-san’s retreating figure for a moment before abruptly standing up and shouting.

“Jeomsoi! Please bring out the dishes reserved under Seomun Qing’s name!”