Chapter 27

Seomun Qing, let’s roll out!

…or at least I tried, but Jin Jangmyung clung on like glue.

Hold that thought for a sec.

“Sis, don’t go.”

“I’m not leaving forever, you know? If you keep acting like that, it feels like I’m not coming back at all.”

“What do you mean? Am I supposed to stay here?”

“I’m just going to waffle back and forth. Where would I go leaving my first-ever home behind?”

Qing pictured her tiny shabby house—a single room, a bare floor, and an old fireplace outside.

But it was *her* house.

The resonance of that thought pierced right through the heart of a modern-day person.

“You’re coming back, right? For real?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you really really?”

“Seriously, stop with the repetitive questioning. Just because you’ve become slightly cute now doesn’t mean you can act cute!”

“Tch.”

“I’ll think about it during winter, you know? It’s kind of not ideal to wander around when it’s freezing out. Anyway, keep practicing hard.”

“By then, I’ll be a supreme martial artist.”

“Sure, my next top-tier nobody.”

Hearing Qing’s promise to return, Jin Jangmyung finally let go of her hand.

“Seongmyeong, you *have* to come back!”

“Seongmyeong, take care on your trip!”

“Seongmyeong, bring back tasty snacks!”

“Me too!”

“Me too!”

The disciples who came to see her off were chirping like a bunch of excited birds.

Seomun Sulin didn’t come out.

But it had been after Qing had sobbed and bowed down deeply.

Looking back, it probably wasn’t necessary, but she got swept up in the vibe.

It just felt that way, like a classic K-drama scene cueing a tear-jerking moment!

Anyway, she received a new sword as a consolation prize for her tears.

The Moonlight Sword (8th level), welcome back!

So, Seomun Qing set off!

With confidence, she stepped out of the gate.

Then she promptly opened her rewards.

While the feelings of belonging and longing still lingered, there were urgent matters to tackle.

Her arrangement to take Jin Jangmyung had given her a hefty boost in achievements, and now she had well over a thousand points.

And with that thousand, she could exchange for something more.

Thanks to her exceptional medical skills derived from traditional practices, she couldn’t add a new martial arts technique yet, so now was the perfect opportunity.

Qing still remembered the dread of facing a top-tier swordsman without a sword.

So, she definitely needed a martial art that didn’t require weapons.

A *very* powerful one.

Luckily, she had already picked up something.

Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

Apparently, it made one’s wrist unbreakable below the elbow, they say.

A rocket punch that could block even the sword aura!

The shimmering purple rim would guarantee its strength.

Qing immediately collected her rewards.

The secret technique of the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat burrowed into her brain.

It was that pesky memory retention technique that clung to your mind no matter how many times you encountered it.

But now, there were no remaining training points to master the purple technique.

Qing raised her mastery of the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat to level 6.

What a wise investment that was!

Strangely, martial arts tended to see significant boosts at level 6.

Anyway, using martial arts would generate training points, thus moving her to the next level.

There was no need to overly invest in rare free training points.

She had some leftover individual training points.

She raised the Buddha’s Physical Body from level 2 to level 6.

Now where to spend the rest?

Character builds were truly a joy—

Character builds?

“Stop being a gaming addict! Reality is awesome! Reality!!”

Qing shouted in haste.

She got distracted for just a moment and ended up like this.

Qing’s hands were shaking slightly.

She had just wrapped up what was a somewhat moving and human farewell.

But out here, it was back to the grind. Again.

Qing immediately attempted her mental safeguarding technique.

Folks, playing video games is detrimental to your health.

She switched everything off briefly.

That’s merely from the standpoint of those familiar with the original story.

It was a choice made by the individuals, and she didn’t see it as a loss.

Loss is tolerable; what matters is an unyielding spirit.

That’s right!

What was important was that unyielding spirit!

Thank you, Teacher Deft!

But you never actually said that in real life, did you?

“Uh…”

Qing let out a long sigh.

There was no way around it.

A drastic measure was required.

It was the only method she could resort to right now.

Qing turned around.

Well, it can’t be helped then.

I’ll have to crash at home for another night.

—-

Jin Jangmyung’s childhood had been fortunate.

Now, reflecting on it only brings forth bitter laughs.

Word was, it had come from stolen money from the clan.

Regardless, her parents had hired a teacher, a learned man supposedly sidelined for his weakness in health.

The teacher always emphasized the importance of words.

Words are more valuable than gold; they can sustain lives on their own, he would say.

Jin Jangmyung disagreed.

“If words alone could save lives, then why am I in this state? Not understanding others’ plights while spouting refined nonsense.”

At that point, she was already aware of her condition’s severity.

The teacher was dismissed not long after, and she later learned the reason through her parents’ conversations.

He had gotten so drunk he couldn’t recognize the inspector and hurled curses at him.

That’s why he lost his position.

What the teacher said wasn’t just empty rhetoric.

It had come from a place of sincerity.

A single word could save a life.

A single word could lead to death.

The teacher must have spoken with such sentiments.

This was a long time ago. Nothing worth remembering.

Yet suddenly, those memories resurfaced in the cold, dark tunnels.

You have no fault.

How could you help being born that way?

Just chalk it up to bad luck.

Did you ever ask to be saved? No, right?

So just deal with it!

At that moment, Jin Jangmyung fervently agreed with her teacher’s words.

The burden of her childhood life was so heavy it made breathing difficult, suffocating her chest.

That was the weight she wanted to shed.

So, she decided to not dwell too much on her parents’ actions.

She still loved them, but honestly, she didn’t want to see them anymore.

On the flip side, living as a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect meant spending her entire life surrounded by women.

Perhaps that was why Jin Jangmyung found herself in the strangest situations.

Entwined fingers, treading about, their eyes solely focused on one another—her fellow disciples giggling away with no care in the world.

Having been a sickly child, Jin Jangmyung was quick to catch on.

That wasn’t just some simple display of friendship.

Friendship is cute and perhaps involves playful hugs or the occasional elbow linking.

But their intertwined fingers were an awkward, grotesque display.

Every time, her mind wandered back to that dark and dreary tunnel.

That quaint little darkness.

The warmth that would warm her body.

The tiny frame that would embrace her tightly, over and over, and again, with pounding hearts, all snug and soft, bodies closely touching…

It was then.

“Hey, Myung. I decided to stay another day.”

“…?”

—-

Qing was heavily sent off, returning from the Divine Maiden Sect within half an hour.

The awkwardness of our gazes was absurd, no doubt.

But mental health was a priority.

The way Jin Jangmyung’s eyes became fixed on her was… strange.

*What exactly is this person up to?*

Qing felt a tinge of hurt.

Yet the fact that she suggested staying over that night before leaving tomorrow was a thoughtful gesture that healed her wounds.

That said, the very idea that she would share a bed with a schoolgirl was utterly shocking for Qing, who turned her down.

And again, Seomun Qing, re-embarking!

Revitalized by the energy of securing a home, Qing set off on her path once more.

She had already decided where to go that night.

A seasoned martial artist always has a plan in place.

And now Qing was a seasoned martial artist.

First stop, the city.

Any post will do, just come join and be treated well.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a perfect plan.

Where she was going didn’t matter.

What mattered was the hospitality.

And there was a city near Musan.

Jagi. A harbor city nestled along the Yangtze River.

Seomun Qing had visited it a few times already.

The Divine Maiden Sect is not a self-sufficient feminist commune.

Just like any sect, they would rent out their lands and accept donations exclusively from women.

However, one downside was that they didn’t receive the protection tax, making them less advantageous than secular sects.

Still, the Divine Maiden Sect was relatively well-off.

How?

By selling specialty products.

The Divine Maiden Sect was a mystical sect serving the Sun God and his third daughter, the Divine Maiden.

In modern terms, the Sun God is not only the deity of the sun but also the patron of agriculture and crafts.

Supported by farmers and artisans, he became the most cherished god in the Central Plain!

Naturally, the Divine Maiden Sect’s specialties would be renowned.

Talismans, sacred scripts, handicrafts like lucky charms, and cloth scraps inscribed with teachings, among other things…

They used the money earned to buy necessities.

Less necessary items were purchased too.

How could one survive on rice alone?

Every fortnight, when the disciples’ requested list came out, esteemed elders would take turns fetching the goods.

Seomun Qing, being one such esteemed elder, got bored sometimes and followed along a couple of times.

During private outings, they had to wear face coverings.

Due to this rule in the Divine Maiden Sect, she didn’t have much fun.

On a hot day, wearing a mask over her face wasn’t exactly thrilling.

Spending all day wandering around buying goods based on a list was definitely not fun.

As Qing made her way towards the city, she swung her hands around cheerfully.

Swish, swoosh, the sound of slicing the air was sharp.

Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

One of the five deadliest martial arts in the world decorated the air.

So much so that those who bore the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat were dubbed Supreme Demons or Demonesses.

The elders from the martial world would instruct to kill anyone with the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat at all costs.

Of course, Qing had no way of knowing this.

Neither would her teacher, Seomun Sulin, have anticipated it.

Thinking that a girl with several high-level techniques would suddenly learn demonic arts was completely unfathomable.

Even a lunatic would be flabbergasted by the imaginative turn of events!

Yet, it was precisely what Qing succeeded in doing.

Amazed by the sinister strength of the demonic arts, Qing remarked.

“Oh wow. What a powerful smack. Hmm. Can I light my hand on fire or something? Is that a thing?”

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