Chapter 198

“A straight line connecting heaven to earth.”

“Taishan Pressure.” Heavy as if the mountain is crushing down.

A sweeping slash tracing the shape of the earth.

“Crossing the Thousand Troops.” Like slicing through a thousand soldiers.

A point extending straight out to stab.

“One penetrates all.” One unifying everything.

No matter how grand the packaging, in the end, it comes down to downward cuts, horizontal slashes, and thrusts.

Yet, Qing’s initial moves were fierce enough to send a chilling sound slicing through the air.

It wasn’t some grand realization, just me gritting my teeth and swinging with all my might.

When the body is tired, stray thoughts don’t have a chance to emerge.

So, the body really ought to feel a bit tired.

Superhuman strength and stamina definitely don’t tire out easily.

So, harder, faster, stronger.

The sound of the sword tearing through the air was deafening, creating a wind blast that swept away dry dust from the training hall floor.

Still, with energy left over, stray thoughts creeped in.

What exactly is “inner strength”? If Qi exists, then why is the Martial World gone over there, and martial arts too? If there were such superhumans, would martial artists really get shot down like ducks?

No. Enough with the stray thoughts. Right. Let’s count.

When needing to focus, counting is often the best method.

So, with each swing of the sword, count one by one. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, one.

Group nine together, one, two, three, and so on, until bundling ten’s adds up to nine and one more.

It wasn’t like I wanted to know how many times I swung, I just wanted to clear my head.

So, it was actually better this way.

Now, what number am I on for two digits?

Two hundred? Three hundred? Didn’t I count three hundred earlier?

As I counted, simple moves naturally got stronger.

Repeating the strength began to take its toll, even a superhuman physique started to tire out slowly.

Then, inner strength rises naturally.

Qing shyly tried to close the door on my thought processes.

Picking up on the hint? I guess I must look a bit worn out.

How much time has passed like this?

“Huff, ha, I’m a bit out of breath.”

Sure enough, I had come to Muchen Pavilion’s training room to swing my sword before sunset, and suddenly it was dark, with only a campfire blazing brightly around.

Finally, my heart was racing, and my limbs felt like they were about to break, and I thought, “Wow, I actually did some exercise.”

If someone heard this, they would definitely be shocked.

This was coming from someone who swung a sword for over an hour without a breath, running on inner strength.

Just then, Qing started wiping off her sweat.

“Is it the Three Treasures Sword? If the method of the righteous is stabbing, then it must be the southern style Three Treasures Sword.”

Qing smiled and welcomed Gongson Yo-ye.

“Yes! You’re awake! I thought you’d never wake up. Do you know how long it’s been? Are you okay?”

“I… how long have I been unconscious? Three days? Four?”

Gongson Yo-ye asked, surprised.

“Joking! It’s only been half a day. Does your head hurt?”

“How do you… Was I making a pained expression?”

“No, since you drank that much, it’s only natural your head would hurt.”

“Ah… It feels like I’ve been pierced with a needle. Of course! Is it supposed to be like this?”

“Everyone is different, but if you drink hard liquor for the first time like that, of course it’d hurt. That’s called a hangover.”

“Oh. So this is what a hangover is…”

It seemed I was deliberately hiding my pain in front of Qing. Now that I think about it, my right eye was twitching, and it seemed like I was getting a migraine.

“If it hurts, just say it hurts. Don’t pretend to be fine.”

“But, you’d worry, Qing.”

“Worrying is better. What if there really is a problem and you faint later? Not realizing while being next to you would be so upsetting and infuriating.”

This came from someone who always pretended to be fine in front of others.

But it’s almost impossible for anyone to view themselves objectively, so it’s hard to blame Qing.

Then, Gongson Yo-ye listened carefully.

“Ugh, it hurts quite a bit… What can I do?”

“Drink lots of water. Oh, tea is no good. Unless it’s fruit tea. And eat something sweet. Sweet things solve both problems, so should I ask for some fruit tea?”

“My stomach is not good…”

“Then you need to have a hangover stew. I should ask for a clear broth with lots of fruit tea.”

“Do I need to eat something right now?”

“You need to eat to feel better. Come on, let’s go.”

Qing gripped Gongson Yo-ye’s hand tightly and dragged her along.

Gongson Yo-ye, relenting, glanced down at her own held hand thoughtfully.

Once Qing asked the Muchen Pavilion staff, it didn’t take long before a table was set up.

The characteristic of Chinese cuisine is usually to quickly fry or boil prepared ingredients.

In Chinese cooking, stir-frying isn’t too different from frying, as they pour a lot of oil into the wok to quickly fry things.

Gongson Yo-ye slurped down a clear soup that had lots of dried seafood tossed in and, staring wide-eyed, made a melting sound.

“Whoa, wow, this is really good. My stomach feels so much better.”

“See? After drinking, getting up, clear soup is the best. Or spicy broth is good too. As long as it’s not greasy, hmm. Come to think of it, that sounds great too.”

Before entering the expeditions, Qing used to have a habit of buying cheeseburgers from a famous chain after drinking and throwing them on her desk before falling asleep.

When she woke up to a hangover, she’d whip that up and it’d be amazing.

Now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem too difficult to make, so I should ask for them to make me some later.

As Qing thought about it, reaching to serve the soup to her mouth, she hesitated.

“Ah, I need to take this off. It’s stifling.”

Qing threw off her thin cover and let her hair down, and her hair, wet, hung limply like seaweed.

The action froze Gongson Yo-ye, holding the bowl awkwardly.

Seeing this, Qing couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hmm? Why? Am I pretty?”

Gongson Yo-ye, still holding the bowl, nodded her head.

And then, she stared at Qing’s face for quite a while.

With sweat pouring down from earlier, her hair sticking like that made her indescribably enchanting.

After being mesmerized like that, she slyly asked, “U-Um, when you have a hangover, does your face feel a bit flushed? Like you’ve dipped your body in broth, and your heart is racing?”

Then Qing’s expression turned serious.

Wait, is she serious…?

High blood pressure? Or angina?

“Let’s have Nan look at you once.”

“But why are you hiding your face? You’re so pretty. What a waste.”

“Well, if men cling on, it’s annoying, you know? Well, looking at things today, it seemed like it drew attention anyway. Oh, I’m not slandering you, sis.”

Since they were looking for attention calling her out for winning a drunk duel, there were a few with captivating leering eyes looking her up and down.

Many were outright throwing their gazes at her thinking that, since her face was covered, those sinister eyes weren’t visible to her.

They should cover their faces too, but here the one with the cover can still see everything.

“Ah. I get it. But still, it feels like such a waste.”

Gongson Yo-ye instantly understood.

It must be a beauty with such destructive power.

“It’s not like I’ll be hiding forever. And now, it feels a bit strange to show my face, since I’m no special chef or anything; it feels a bit childish and ridiculous to do.”

I never really thought like this, but now showing my face seemed like I was putting gold paint on my original beauty.

It felt even harder to show my face now.

“I thought maybe we’d eat and then have a spar, but if you shake your head, it might be really hard because of the headache, right?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s something I’ve always done…”

“You’re fine? Who has a hangover and feels fine? Maybe when super drunk, but, um, I saw a lantern floating down the canal or something a little while ago; do you want to go see that?”

Gongson Yo-ye’s face lit up.

“Ah! Yes. Thank you! Thank you so much. How can you be this kind…”

Meanwhile, she thought that maybe she had unintentionally let slip her blushing thoughts.

Benevolent and patient, warm-hearted and caring, now even pretty, and a friend so precious with gratitude, yet still somehow felt a lot closer than before.

—-

Meanwhile, Mo Yong Joo-hee had collapsed into drunkenness after being dragged out.

Some drinkers forget their shameful antics completely due to a convenient brain structure.

But a warrior’s brain isn’t that weak, so while they might lose their mind and act crazy, they wake up fully retaining those memories.

Thus, Mo Yong Joo-hee’s heart awoke again.

The patchwork heart seared with vengeful thoughts shattered more than ever before—no, it was completely crumbled to powder.

“UAAAH! AAAH! AAAAAH! AAH! AAH! AAAAH!”

Only the pillow suffered as it swallowed her sad howls.

Last time, it was sadness, but this time, it was more of a despairing wail.

And the sound of Mo Yong Joo-hee was known to her brother, Mo Yongjun.

“Sis! Sis, what’s wrong now? Sis!”

“Ugh, what do I do! How can I ever show my face again like this!”

She had thrown her fake chest in front of so many people, revealing her identity to the whole world.

Plus, she had even certified her own downfall, screaming loud that it wasn’t true.

A single drop of dew rolled down from Mo Yong Joo-hee’s unusually large eyes.

“W-What do I do? Isn’t it all over for marriage? Juna, what if I have to live alone for the rest of my life? Where on earth is there a man who likes a girl without a chest?”

“It’s okay! Then I can just be with you, sis! We’re family!”

“J-Junaa!”

Mo Yong Joo-hee grabbed her brother fiercely.

Mo Yongjun thought his sister’s ribcage pressed against his temple hurt a bit, but he could decide that he must endure for his sad sister.

All thanks to dearest sister, or rather, A-Qing’s teachings.

Think just a moment if what you’re going to say is bad for the other when you open your mouth.

If I say it hurts because of her small chest while comforting a sad sister, that would sound like an extremely bad thing.

The warm comforting words of her cute little brother helped Mo Yong Joo-hee overcome some despair.

Moreover, Mo Yong Joo-hee was used to despair.

All the chests she could see were a stream of despair for her.

“Yeah, family, I have family. And I have friends too.”

Luckily, she didn’t say something too reckless, thanks to her ever-grateful friends blocking her from saying the wrong things earlier.

Although it felt a bit annoying that those who had just a little bit understood started saying pitying things, still, friends who shared similar pain, albeit with lesser depth, were there.

Of course, if Mo Yong Joo-hee’s pain was one hundred points, then her friends were around one or three points, making it so that no one could ever understand her sorrow.

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s eyes ignited with fury.

“I can’t forgive. I will never forgive.”

“Sis?”

“That b*tch, I will NEVER forgive. To dig into another’s deepest hurt, how could she do such a horrible thing? Juna, right?”

This came from Mo Yong Joo-hee, who had performed a grand self-harm show.

“Exactly! That’s horrifying!”

“That b*tch. Call her horrible. Hurry up.”

“Horrible b*tch!”

“Yes, a horrible b*tch. And it’s an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. She touched my weakness, and I will expose her weaknesses to the world.”

She who hid her face to avoid being seen by others, now exposed openly in front of the Dragon and Phoenix Association would be a complete act of revenge.

I didn’t want to go that far.

I thought I’d let it slide, just aiming to bring them low after getting hammered in front of everyone.

Then, Mo Yongjun shouted.

“I’ll help! What should I do?”

“No. Juna, you don’t have to get involved in this dirty business. Just stay beside me, okay? Even if people point fingers, you’ll stand by me, right?”

Despite pulling off an act that could be deemed almost a mutual demise, pulling the mask from the face of the one who was concealing her face was a terribly malicious crime.

However, when thinking like that, I couldn’t forgive her even more.

Why was that b*tch pulling off a higher-than-thou act while having done the same, while I ended up being the fake breast idiot instead?

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s insides flared with anger.

At least she hadn’t burst out into complete screams, thanks to her comforting younger brother.

“Yes! I’m definitely on your side!”

“Yeah, our Juna. Now there’s really no one but you.”

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