Chapter 201

청 burst into a soft laugh.

“Looks like you’re venting to your little sibling, huh?”

“What’s going on?”

“Some woman suddenly started a commotion and embarrassed him in front of everyone. Apparently, she even hit him! Ouch!”

“Wait, she hit him? Where?”

“Um, I don’t know.”

Tang Nan-ah let out a frustrated sound.

With a look of disbelief, she added,

“Is your little sibling really telling lies now? Hey, starting fights and embarrassing people is totally something your sister does! She’s notorious for picking fights with anyone who catches her eye, even if that’s not the precise truth.”

“My sister?”

“Yep. Everyone just feels sorry for her and brushes it off like, ‘Ah, that poor girl.’ So she thinks she can do whatever she wants. But eventually, she’s gonna mess with the wrong person and get a taste of her own medicine.”

Mo Yong-jun’s eyes widened with shock.

“Really? Really? Qing sis, is what Tang sis said true? My sister…?”

“Hmm. Well, I’ve seen her act like that.”

“Oh, by the way, what about Sansan? Do you know him?”

“No. I don’t care. I just thought she was an annoying woman.”

“Is she really going to slink away without a trace?”

Qing poked Pang Dae-san in the side and wrapped her arms around the bewildered Mo Yong-jun, still recovering from the revelation about his sister.

“No matter how much your sister might act like that, she’s still family! You should back her up, not wear that ‘how could you’ expression!”

“Ah! Right!”

“Qing, your heart is so pure. I’m moved!”

Tang Nan-ah chimed in, and Pang Dae-san clicked his tongue.

“You’re teaching the kid some great lessons. Shouldn’t you be tougher on her since she’s family?”

“That’s only for when someone does something terrible. If she just made a small mistake, comforting her is the right move, right?”

“True. Qing’s got a point.”

“Those little things pile up and become habits, you know?”

“Hmph, yeah.”

“It’s the little things that build up and create resentment. An aggrieved person won’t hear the truth anyway, right? If you get embarrassed after a simple argument, and even your family piles on, it just makes you feel worse.”

“True, true! Qing is always right!”

“…And that’s the end result of being babied, right next to you?”

“What!? Are you challenging me?”

Tang Nan-ah flared up, sticking her hand into her pocket.

Qing shook her head.

“Nan-ah, chill. No need for poison. Use your words. Just words.”

“Aw, but that’s so boring…”

“Watch out for that one. She really does use poison.”

“Hmph. You talk like our dog is going to bite.”

Then Tang Nan-ah growled.

“Oh, you think I can’t bite? You better prepare yourself to be bitten before it’s too late! Just wait for the right chance!”

Qing thought to herself,

Hmm. She definitely gives off a bit of a dog-like, pet-like vibe.

You see, each martial arts family tends to have distinctive physical traits.

It could even be considered genetic.

By training martial arts from a young age, an ideal body to match is formed.

And in ancient martial arts families, that body gets passed down over time, solidifying its characteristics.

For instance, in the Je-gal family, a rugged physique is rare. Je-gal Lee-hyun is quite the exception; he has little muscle, and his skin is sickly pale.

The Ha-buk Pang family is tall but not bulky, yet their muscles are densely packed and well-defined.

The Huang Bo Clan tends toward a large, robust physique in martial arts, while the Black Dragon Clan members typically sport healthy brown skin due to their foreign origins.

Meanwhile, the Mo Yong family is characterized by a small stature, a slender upper body, and robust lower limbs.

This suits their dual sword style, which emphasizes speed.

Mo Yong Joo-hee inherited those traits very strongly, excessively so, like extremely strong genes.

Thus, Mo Yong Joo-hee had given up entirely on her chest.

Sure, there are some heavenly maidens who could help them grow a fuller figure, but they also possess blends of undesirable traits.

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s training in sword techniques is the complete opposite, as she must scatter her inner strength to master it.

However, she couldn’t abandon her family’s martial arts either, so her only hope remained one thing:

Achieving transformation through supreme martial artist status.

That’s partly why Mo Yong Joo-hee is surprisingly serious about her swordplay.

She had two things she desperately longed for in life: one was a fuller—no, at least a modest—chest.

The other was the heart of the world’s most beautiful man, Oki-rin, like all martial world daughters desire.

And then, on hearing that Pang Dae-san appeared at the Dragon and Phoenix Association, Mo Yong Joo-hee rushed over.

She promptly received news that struck her like a bolt from the blue:

She had lost both things she craved the most in this world.

“No way! This has to be a lie!”

“Oki-rin has been completely taken! Like, totally swamped, I swear, he acts like a machine with that Empress! It’s so sad to even look at… really…”

It seems her eyes were teary from being extremely rattled.

“That can’t be! No way! Why would Young Master Pang choose to be with some ugly woman hiding her face behind a veil!? Ugh, I just don’t believe it.”

She hurriedly dashed up the stairs, nearly jumping two steps at a time.

The instant she reached the top, the low, magnificent voice of Oki-rin hit her ears like a heavenly melody.

Mo Yong Joo-hee raged upon seeing—

Qing sitting next to Pang Dae-san, with her younger brother resting on her knees.

“Ah, no…! Jun is…!”

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s voice trembled.

Just how much more did that woman plan to take from her?

To her right was Oki-rin, and to her left—uh, who’s that? With her younger brother perched on her lap, it felt like four of them were chattering happily together.

Mo Yong Joo-hee slumped down in despair.

“Ah! Sister!”

Her younger brother, Mo Yong-jun, leaped down and dashed over.

As he went to hug her, his eyes met Mo Yong Joo-hee’s glistening ones, and he froze in mid-step.

“You, Jun! How could you be with that woman!? What the heck!? Who said it was okay for you to hang out with such a person?”

“Um, Dad said she’s a nice sister and we should be friends from now on…”

“What!? Say that again! What did you just say?”

“Uh, Dad said…”

“What the! Why would Dad… with someone like her!”

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s heart shattered.

Qing, true to her nature, responded.

“If you meant the great martial artist Mo Yong Seong-ik, he met Jun while playing and wanted to say hi. I suppose he thought nicely of you.”

“How could this happen…”

Mo Yong Joo-hee muttered before suddenly glancing at Pang Dae-san with desperation.

“Young Master Pang, how could you do this? If it was anyone else, fine, a Tang girl at least! Then…”

“What!? I can’t stand someone just sleek on the outside! Who’s to say who should be with whom? Gosh!”

Tang Nan-ah exploded in rage, leaving Mo Yong Joo-hee stunned with wide eyes.

What’s going on? This woman who spread poison about me is now furious?

“Uh, anyway, why are you choosing to be with such an ugly woman who can’t even show her face? Is it… about the chest? Do you, Young Master Pang, like women with ample chests?”

Pang Dae-san sighed heavily.

Truthfully, any way this ended up, whether revealing Qing’s face or not, it would turn into a scandal.

Despite being rumored to cavort with beggars, women in ragged clothing still fluttered around him.

Any semblance of romance would only shift some of the attention towards Qing and share the hatred heading her way.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I’m just befriending Seomun So-ja. Please refrain from speaking ill of her.”

And the room instantly filled with a collective sigh of relief.

Whispers of relief washed over the crowd.

So they aren’t dating. Thank goodness.

Sure, before today, there was no romantic vibe between them. It was just playful banter.

I mean, it was never realistic for Oki-rin to be with someone like her.

Mo Yong Joo-hee seized the opportunity and pressed on.

“Is that really true? Can you honestly say you have no other feelings for her, not even the tiniest bit?”

Pang Dae-san’s eyebrows twitched.

However, that was indeed the perfect question to put an end to this scandal.

“Yes. It’s pure friendship.”

Pang Dae-san continued.

“But tell me, does So-ja have some sort of qualification as my mother? I’m hearing all sorts of nonsense in my lifetime. I can’t even fathom why you’re asking me that.”

“Uh. I, that is, um, I was just worried about Young Master Pang…”

“Worried? What are you worried about?”

“Uh, um, if people hear about you hanging with someone like her…”

“What does it matter who I associate with? And don’t I just say that Seomun So-ja is a friend? Are you in the habit of slandering other people’s friends right in front of them? I thought gossiping was something one did in private?”

Mo Yong Joo-hee turned pale.

“That’s not… I just…”

But there was no excuse left.

Moisture began to pool in her eyes, a mix of hurt and helplessness hitting hard.

That was when Mo Yong-jun stepped in, blocking her from view and cried out,

“Don’t pick on my sister!”

Qing sighed deeply.

She couldn’t just watch as her brother or the father was mowed down by a bully.

“Stop it. Mo Yong So-ja and I just have a bit of banter, so don’t accuse me. Nan-ah can say whatever to you without being nasty, right?”

“No! That’s just being rude. Spoiling her will only ruin her!”

“What!? Are you challenging me?”

“See? You’re also rude to Nan-ah! Mo Yong So-ja and I just have playful banter. Mo Yong So-ja might not be a bad person after all?”

“Weren’t you unsure of that just now?”

“So that’s the kind of relationship we’re in. Right, Mo Yong So-ja?”

“Y-Yes. We’ve been exchanging a few barbs.”

At that, Pang Dae-san’s skepticism surfaced, which he quickly replaced with a sigh.

“Seems I stumbled into a misunderstanding. Mo Yong So-ja, I apologize.”

“Oh, no. I also carelessly misled things. Ha, haha…”

Mo Yong Joo-hee forced a smile, feeling awkward.

Qing opened her mouth again.

“I need to share some unfinished playful banter with Mo Yong So-ja. Can you wait here for a moment, Dae-san? Mo Yong So-ja, could we talk on the seventh floor for a brief chat?”