Chapter 269

Sam Chun-bong reflected on the engaging rivalry of brilliance with his intriguing rivals.

“Sure, let’s settle this once and for all.”

First up, looks.

Hmm. Beauty comes in many shapes, it’s hard to judge the stunningly glamorous beauty of a haughty lady against one that resembles a prized sword that’s been casually discarded.

So, it’s a tie! A draw!

But, our dear Cheonhwa-geom is just too tall for a woman, so the victory goes to the relatively taller lady.

In terms of assets, well, she’s got the edge with her sizeable chest, but hmm, in terms of the genius’ qualities, our lady wins again.

Accomplishments include taking down the Blood Sect and winning the Zhengpai Martial Arts Tournament, alongside the pitying enlightenment of poor beasts, but still, it’s a win for her as a diligent official in the Martial Alliance, tirelessly helping the common folks.

And in terms of brains, she takes the cake again.

Of course, as a martial artist, she’s at a loss.

However, as a future commander, her leadership skill absolutely tops her individual strength.

“Heehee, a smashing victory for me! Cheonhwa-geom, you better step it up if you want to keep up with me.”

While she’s quite impressive compared to the likes of Sam-ryang, she’s nowhere near as dull as the commoners, making her definitely worthy of my company.

That was one satisfying conclusion.

If Qing heard this, she would likely unleash her Seomun Sulin-style nuclear bomb on me, since being powerful means you don’t have to use your brain, right?

—-

“Is that what you’re going to say to me? Bringing some other woman here to sleep with, just like that?”

“Sorry about that. But take a look at Young Lady Mo Yong. She’s a complete mess! She says she hasn’t slept at all. You saw her pouting around the training grounds, right? Just feeling relieved to hear my voice and falling asleep like that.”

Tang Nan-ah is one of the few who knows about Mo Yong Joo-hee’s abduction.

“Tch. What can I do? Qing is too nice for her own good. Falling for such an obvious trap.”

Now, there’s already enough trouble with Qing, who is a healer by nature, and there’s nothing to be done.

“Just so you know, I don’t like you. But I’m sticking around to keep an eye on you so that you don’t hurt Qing again. Don’t even think of this as some kind of friendship.”

Tang Nan-ah growled in response.

However, Mo Yong Joo-hee wasn’t the type to sit quietly either.

“Hmm. Who’s saying what? Who’s the psycho here that let their poison loose and didn’t even say sorry? Who would be friends with someone like you?”

“Tsk, Young Lady Mo Yong, such harsh words.”

“But she started it first!”

“If Nan-ah dies, will Mo Yong Joo-hee die too? Are you going to act childish like that?”

She’s basically treating her like a child.

But honestly, Mo Yong Joo-hee was acting childish too, so perhaps the situation called for it. Mo Yong Joo-hee sulked.

“But, but……!”

“Tsk. You’ll get scolded. And Nan-ah didn’t say anything bad, did she? Apologize to her.”

“Ah, but, that’s, um, Tang-sojeo, I, I…”

Mo Yong Joo-hee stammered, her lips quivering, trying to find the words.

“You crazy girl! You were the one who messed up first, ugh.”

Finally, after a thorough pinching, Mo Yong Joo-hee grudgingly apologized.

The look on Tang Nan-ah’s face was sour.

“What’s this? Something feels off. Why do I feel like this?”

“She’s saying sorry. Just accept it.”

“No, isn’t she acting weird? This looks like some weirdly satisfied expression.”

“Normally, the one who apologizes feels relieved. Young Lady Mo Yong, you did a good job. But before you face punishment, can’t you at least behave?”

“That, um, my arm seems to be getting used to it somewhat, but the other parts…!”

“See, I told you she’s weird.”

“It’s because it hurts. She’ll get better. Right, Young Lady Mo Yong?”

“Yes. Thanks to you. I’m always grateful.”

Tang Nan-ah narrowed her eyes, not knowing what else to do. Then again, Tang Nan-ah wasn’t engaging in any kind of real action either.

In any case, Mo Yong Joo-hee, laying down with Qing at her back while Tang Nan-ah nestled close, ended up fainting in barely four breaths.

Unlike Qing, who couldn’t sleep even after inhaling and exhaling four times, it was rather pitiful thinking about how exhausted she must have been.

Consequently, Qing scolded Tang Nan-ah.

“See? Look how little sleep she got? Why do you keep saying she’s acting weird? Yeah, she might be a bit messed up but you should still treat her nicely. You know, memories from when you’re sick tend to stick around longer.”

“Ugh. I thought this one had gone through some major psychological trauma. I was worried there was something deeper going on….”

—-

A newly hastily built grand stage had been erected quite a distance from the Martial Alliance, thanks to someone properly laying the groundwork for the tournament.

That someone was already on their way to the closing ceremony.

Qing tilted her head.

“What’s this? Suddenly a mass sighting of Myeonsanya?”

Lo and behold, women clad in veils were everywhere.

With Pang Dae-san in the group, the density of women was so high it formed walls as they surged toward the closing ceremony.

So, when she looked around the center, one in every five had their faces covered.

Qing let out a snicker.

“Oh no, looks like they’ve started a fashion trend in the Central Plain. Can’t say I’m surprised. After all, who wouldn’t want to follow the Supreme Martial Artist?”

“Ha. That’s just ridiculous. You’re overestimating yourself.”

“What’s the problem? Did I say something wrong? Aren’t they copying my style?”

“They might have copied you, but ultimately it’s just a ploy to draw my attention.”

“Geez, you really have a big head. Like every woman in the world is trying to impress you.”

While Qing elbowed Pang Dae-san, suddenly she changed the subject, focusing sharply on one particular veil’s wide brim.

The urgency of the romantic intention to cover herself was palpable.

Qing shot a piercing glare capable of piercing through the veil.

“Didn’t you hear? Why are the women still building walls and following us?”

“Oh, it’s not that uh… rumor has it that women who wear veils and just have a big butt and chest are actually beggars, but even then they’ll dive in headfirst.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee quickly chimed in.

The crowd of the Dragon and Phoenix Association, namely her group, came pouring in to check. Among the ruckus, one out of three discussions revolved around Oki-rin.

“Is that true?”

“I thought the rumors hadn’t spread because nothing had changed, but it seems they have caught on after all. And yet, look at this!”

Pang Dae-san said incredulously.

Qing was equally baffled.

Word had spread that someone was associating with beggars, and now they’re dressed like that. Seriously, they’ve now paired the beggar look with veils.

We’re witnessing the mass production of flower beggars…..

Seems like they’re seriously dedicated members of a very active community as well, with Oki-rin’s affection lingering on.

“Hey, San. What if…”

“What is it?”

“What if we spread a rumor that I like girls who expose their chests?”

“Why would we do that?”

“Aren’t you curious how far it could go? Sure, my selfish motives are strong, but doesn’t it seem fun? If we’re looking at scenery, it should involve more skin, right?”

“Hmm. If I get treated like some lustful scoundrel then so be it, but how are you thinking of spreading this rumor? You expect me to just casually stroll around while you awkwardly flaunt?”

Pang Dae-san trailed off.

Then, his expression stiffened, and Qing could read his face.

What’s going on? Why does he look offended?

Still, it was inescapably thought-provoking.

“Not me. Let’s see. Oh, look at that ugly young lady over there? Red outfit on Qing. Wow, if she even hops a little, everything’s coming out. Now, just keep your eyes locked there.”

“What?”

“Just keep staring at the one with the most exposed skin! Then everyone will notice where your gaze heads, and when they see, ‘oh my, even Lord Pang is looking at her chest,’ everyone will start doing it too.”

Qing had a knack for scheming when it came to pranks.

“Hmm, not a bad plan.”

Pang Dae-san was also curious about just how strange the fashion would get.

One in five was already dressed like a beggar while one in four wore veils. Even occasionally, one could spot a woman whose chest and rear were suspiciously unnatural, leaving one to question how to hide them.

Entering the closing ceremony, a man and woman boldly flaunted their scandalous attire, causing the women in attendance to quietly depart, unable to hide their disappointment.

The members of the Banjukmo Association were initially all high-ranking participants in the orthodox Martial World, being the future leaders of the ruling class.

The ruling class does not dine with the common folk.

They sat in the special seating area arranged on the high platform, looking down at their realm.

The moment they settled into their seats, a thought crossed Qing’s mind—how long will this go on? Even before it started, she was already bored.

They had claimed there would be important announcements at the closing ceremony, but she already knew all the details.

First up would be the news about the Blood Sect’s demise.

“…And we’re very pleased to announce that through a secret operation, we’ve successfully eradicated the evil entities of the Blood Sect! A joyous proclamation for the good citizens of the Jianghu!”

“Woohooo!!”

“The Martial Alliance is the best!”

The cheers were like waves upon waves.

Also followed by an announcement about how they would eliminate the blackspots.

However, this didn’t mean they would help the demonic sects, nor would they follow them. Absolutely not.

They merely postponed any action against the evil blackspots due to the secret operation against the Blood Sect and made it clear that they had no intentions of ignoring the corrupt blackspot group.

Following this announcement, several pale faces hurriedly filtered out of the venue.

This was the agreement of the orthodox Martial World.

Blackspots were half martial artists and half common folk.

It was a clear warning to clear out before they get their act together.

Following that would be the introduction of the new Tenth Family.

“In the past, we mourned the loss of a great pillar within our orthodox sect. Yet we cannot allow ourselves to neglect bolstering our structure simply because we’ve lost a pillar. So now, we propose to introduce a new pillar to the Jianghu community.”

Qing looked at Gongson Yo-ye and her family standing on the stage.

The new Tenth Family was the Gongson Family.

According to Sam Chun-bong, the Sam Family had a tradition of not stepping forward.

It’s not very persuasive when someone who has fallen from grace says that.

Gongson Yo-ye probably wouldn’t have come here otherwise.

Despite it being a significant announcement, the members of the old Tenth Family and other notable masters had either heard the news before or were actually involved in the decisions.

So, genuinely, not many high-ranking figures had joined the closing ceremony.

Filling the special seats were figures moderately high in rank, quietly watching from an ambiguous position, showing their boredom.

Seomun Sulin even completely abandoned her sect for a while and left, showing her cheer as someone who had already seen everything.

Having boasted enough already and garnered enough envy for her outstanding disciple, Seomun Sulin surprisingly smiled, as if to say, ‘I didn’t know she could laugh that much.’

The reason Qing didn’t leave was due to an order to look around the Shaolin Temple and the Jeolgeumbyeok while accompanying the monks.

And also because a friend was celebrating, so she had to at least extend her congratulations.

Qing clapped hard, cheering and shouting with enthusiasm.

It seemed Gongson Yo-ye was scanning the guest seats, and she managed to make eye contact with Qing.

And then, a bright, very cheerful smile from the woman, her unusually white teeth shining brightly…

It was late June, summer had settled in.

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