Chapter 374

“Y, y, you idiot…!”

In the Salt Workshop of Yoga, the current head of Yoga, Yo Hwan-cheol, raised his fist high.

“Eek.”

The youngest son, Yo Min, hastily raised his arms to shield his face.

From Yo Min’s immediate reaction, it was clear that Yo Hwan-cheol frequently slapped him around.

But no matter how much he tried to hide, his face was already swollen on both sides, turning dark with bruises.

“Rice bug, worthless brat, idiot, foolish little punk!”

Yo Hwan-cheol didn’t actually hit him. He couldn’t bring himself to hit a son he absolutely could not claim as his own. After all, with those cheeks already on the verge of bursting, one good smack might really end it all.

If word got out that he had killed his son with his own hands, there would be no benefit in that.

He had an utterly useless kid; he had to use him frugally and toss him aside. So, wouldn’t it be a loss to outright kill him just because he was angry?

Filled with saltiness from the heart of the Salt Workshop, Yo Hwan-cheol was at his wits’ end.

But what truly stunned him was the ridiculous state of Yo Min’s face. How could someone look like that after being slapped?

Sure, one could get puffy after a good hit, but to have the flesh turn black as if poisoned—it made one wonder if some sort of toxin had been applied.

That’s because he was hit by the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

The Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat itself was a woman’s foul venom, and once it seeped into the body, it would wreck blood vessels and qi meridians.

And not just that; it would freeze everything solid before shattering them completely.

“You! Hah, right. What did I expect from you? I don’t even want to see your face, so get out of my sight, now!”

Yo Hwan-cheol waved his hand in disgust.

It was truly puzzling how such a thick-headed fool ended up being born.

If only he had some talent in martial arts or was making money somehow, that would be one thing.

But alas, as far as physical prowess went, he was a laughing stock, so much so that it would be a miracle if he could survive a lifetime as anything other than a mediocre life.

He was utterly dim-witted, thoughtless, and could only indulge in extravagance while draining his family’s finances like a parasite.

Having such a thing dubbed his son made him want to explode every time he laid eyes on him.

“Y-yes…?”

Yo Min answered with a quivering voice, which was only natural given the circumstances.

What had he done wrong?

He had gone every day to the dojo, in what was bound to be a proper beatdown that he had fully expected. Of course, he was mortified to find himself licking dirt in front of his peers, but still, he couldn’t just toss his life away, could he?

That was exactly what his father had wanted, but Yo Min had never considered that his father would actually cherish a wish for him to die.

And so, he felt sorrowful.

In that light, his oldest brother was as useless as he was, stumbling through life, so both were at the same level of incompetence.

Ultimately, it was the mother who ran off with a ronin that was to blame for it all.

So, he simply resented them all. He hated his heartless father, the mother who abandoned her children to leave, and the warriors and servants of the Salt Workshop who treated him like a castaway.

His cheeks burned with pain as hot tears streamed down, and with both body and heart in agony, there was nothing left to do but head to the medicine shop.

That was when it happened.

“You there, the third one?”

Yo Min quickly wiped away his tears.

But it was already too late.

“A man crying like a little boy. Tsk, tsk. This is why you’re out of your father’s favor.”

Yo Min felt a surge of anger. But what could he do?

The person speaking was a physician and a master of Poison Arts, known for mixing the snake character for ‘sneaky’ with that of a scholar, both a practitioner of the arts and a top-notch healer of the Sado Sect.

“So, why’s your face looking like that? Was the Salt Merchant so harsh? I mean, even if he was unsatisfied, would he go so far as to beat his own child like this? Hm? What in the world happened?”

Bo Yeol stepped forward, grabbing Yo Min by the chin, twisting it left, then right, raising his hand to reveal a snake suddenly popping out from his sleeve, flicking its tongue.

“Eek, eek!”

Yo Min froze, too scared to breathe.

He was on the verge of soiling himself if this continued for even a moment longer.

“No need to tremble. I’m just here to take a look at your wounds.”

“Y-yes, but what about that snake…?”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if it bites, I have an antidote, so there’s nothing to fear.”

That did not comfort him at all.

An antidote for a bite? That was the very definition of danger!

With glaring red eyes and a sharp triangular head, the white snake was obviously venomous.

The snake cautiously poked its head out, getting closer, and then suddenly, **whoosh**, it disappeared back into the sleeve.

For a brief moment, Yo Min breathed a sigh of relief, but Bo Yeol’s serious expression cut through the air.

“Who hit you? Yo Hwan-cheol didn’t do this, did he?”

“Um, it was that woman, Cheonhwa-geom…”

“Cheonhwa? The Divine Dragon? The one who won the competition at the Rising Dragon Martial Arts Meet? No way, that can’t be right?”

“I’m telling you, there are plenty of people who saw it.”

Yo Min struggled to continue. It was way too humiliating to get into details.

Bo Yeol’s eyes lit up with intrigue.

“Really, is that so…?”

—-

The Qing was oblivious to just how high the nobility held their status in the Central Plain.

It was because of her background.

In the kingdom where Qing lived, there was no king, and overall, it had practically become a symbolic remnant of its former glory.

Of course, even in Qing’s homeland, the Central Plain functioned under a regime where the divine was combined with monarchy.

The Emperor and Jiao Zhu, a title combining both powers, ruled over countless billions in the empire.

But back then, since Qing was not one of the Chinese people, she had no way of understanding the true might of the Chinese Emperor.

She simply couldn’t grasp the existential dread that would rain down upon her if she irked someone with the kind of power capable of overwhelming an army with a mere command.

So, when she was called a princess, it didn’t mean much to her.

But seeing Sect Leader Kang Su-yang bow deeply in her presence made her experience a small hint of what nobility might entail.

Of course, Kang Su-yang was being overly dramatic.

It was a wonderful sight to see a leader giving such reverence, and for the leader of the finest sect in the city to bow before a prince was indeed a heartwarming sight.

So, Kang Su-yang had no reason to decline.

Qing’s interest in him inevitably fell to the wayside.

After setting her things down in the Guest Hall, it was still far from dinner and she found herself with nothing to do.

Originally, she was meant to have tea with the Sect Leader, receive some well-wishes, and introduce her disciples, but with a prince’s presence, what could she really do?

And thus, she ended up idly lying on her bed.

Of course, that was just fine by her.

As she lounged around, feeling pleased that nobody bothered her since she was with the prince, she heard a knock.

“Ah, is Grandmaster Cheonhwa in?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m Woo Na-ram, disciple of the first tier. If it’s not too much trouble, I would love to offer my greetings. May I?”

“What trouble? Please come in.”

With that, the door creaked open, and in walked Woo Na-ram.

Wow! Brown skin! A picture of health! An athletic beauty!

In Qing’s hometown, to find someone with such beautifully tanned skin, you’d have to pay a hefty price. Hmm, she seems beautiful enough?

My eyesight has improved a lot, but I still see multiple versions of her at once.

But still, much better than the dozens of images I used to see before.

Woo Na-ram, who entered the room cautiously, took a respectful stance and, for some reason, stood stiffly at attention as she exclaimed,

“Um, hello! I’m Woo Na-ram, a first disciple! It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m the one who serves as the Grandmaster’s main disciple!”

Her voice was very loud but full of energy.

“I’m Seomun Qing. Nice to meet you. And there’s no need to shout, my ears are just fine!”

“Ah! What an honor! What an honor!”

Woo Na-ram’s eyes shone with such excitement that it would have made Qing feel quite burdened if she had noticed.

“There’s no need to call it an honor—”

“No! The Grandmaster is truly beautiful, powerful, graceful, and also a disciple of the Best Female Martial Artist! Moreover, you’re even a heavy drinker and quite carefree, aren’t you? Plus, your heart is wide enough to care for others, making you a true hero!”

“Oh, you were with the Dragon and Phoenix Association? Why didn’t you at least say hello?”

“Not just the Dragon and Phoenix Association! I’ve watched the Grandmaster in every moment during all your competitions! The marvelous realm where you decisively took down all those men with a single blow! That final move, I heard it’s called the changeable blade technique learned from Great Master Mucheondae’s teachings! The flower rain of that beautiful Sword Aura that filled the entire world is still vivid in my memory! And when you fought against Shaolin’s Wolbong, it wasn’t Yu; it was Kang! That was…”

Woo Na-ram kept reliving Qing’s martial arts battles in vivid detail, clearly not someone who had done this once or twice before.

“…and so I wish to follow the Grandmaster! You are truly the brilliant star of female martial artists, no, a shining sun! I have eagerly awaited the day I could see you for a year, and now that I have! My heart is pounding! This emotion! It cannot be expressed in words!”

She seemed eager to express what could not be put into words through sheer volume, as her voice escalated to a near yell.

“Uh, wait a moment, calm down a bit…”

“Grandmaster! Therefore, as an insignificant man of the Martial World, I have one wish! May I dare call you ‘Older Brother’?”

The title of “Older Brother” could be used among women as well.

Just as older siblings were older brothers, older sisters would be treated like older brothers, although it was a somewhat rare usage of the term.

This made Qing’s expression a bit complex.

“Um, Miss Woo? If it’s not too much trouble, what’s your age…”

As the main disciple, one should be at least in their mid-twenties, no matter how young they appeared. The Sect Leader looked somewhat youthful, but it shouldn’t be that long since the previous master passed down his legacy.

“I, Woo Na-ram, will turn thirty the day after tomorrow! However! When it comes to serving an esteemed figure, age doesn’t matter at all! What’s important is respect! Character! Skill! How could I express the respect I have for the Grandmaster without calling you Older Brother? That’s how deeply I wish to do so!”

Qing thought for a moment.

What? If age doesn’t matter, how can it be that way?

But she understood it somewhat. It was basically the same principle as older female fans calling their favorite male singers “Oppa.”

Of course, Woo Na-ram’s soon-to-be-thirty status didn’t matter much to Qing.

If she was older, she could speak as a leader; if younger, she could adapt accordingly. That’s how Qing operated!

“Just call me Qing. Miss Woo? You are Miss Woo, right? Not “Woo Na” or something, right?”

“If that’s what the Grandmaster desires, I shall call you “Woo Na.” And how could I possibly dare to utter the Grandmaster’s name lightly…?”

“Come on, let’s just get comfortable with each other? How does that sound? Na-ram?”

“Hah, what an honor!”

“Come on, let’s keep it relaxed! Friends? We’re friends now, starting today? Let’s drop the formalities—Qing is Qing, Na-ram is Na-ram! Deal? Do we have a deal?”

The declaration of friendship flowed out seamlessly, yet Na-ram wasn’t letting that slide.

“Um, that won’t do! The Grandmaster is my idol! My ideal! How can a firefly and the sun possibly stand side by side? My goal is simply to serve you as Older Sister! If I can do that, then that will fulfill my lifelong wish, my glorious destiny!”

Qing briefly pondered.

Isn’t calling me ‘Older Sister’ better than ‘Grandmaster’?

There’s no need for such grandiosity with “Grandmaster.”

“How about calling me Seomun or Seomun Younger Sister?”

“That wouldn’t enable me to express my burning respect!”

“…?”

Isn’t burning respect supposed to eventually extinguish? When it burns, shouldn’t it leave just ashes?

Qing cautiously asked again.

“Umm, you’re not suggesting we become sworn sisters, are you?”

After all, I had ended up being the older sister due to sneaky Gyeon Pohee’s manipulations earlier.

She asked if it was okay to share a surname, and now she suddenly called me big sister, leading to that ridiculous conclusion.

“How could I even entertain such impudent and audacious thoughts?”

“I mean, if you insist, I can’t help it…?”

But if she’s insisting, what can I say?

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