Friendly Martial Arts Tournament. (1)
There are three officially recognized martial arts tournaments encompassing the orthodox factions.
The first was the friendly martial arts tournament of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, held by the Martial Alliance to determine the most outstanding rising star.
The second was the Divine Dragon Tournament, likewise held by the Martial Alliance.
It was the most representative martial arts tournament of the orthodox factions.
Unlike the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, which was held every year, it had no fixed schedule, making it an event many martial artists eagerly awaited.
The third was…
‘That one won’t be held anyway, so I’ll skip it.’
The Heavenly Demon would appear around the time it was due to be held and turn everything into chaos, so it was not something worth worrying about.
The Divine Dragon Tournament would probably be held within the next few years, but…
‘That one’s a little questionable too.’
In the end, neither was particularly important.
What mattered now was that I had to participate in the martial arts tournament.
A tournament for the rising generation, by the rising generation.
To reveal which star was the brightest.
And to announce the appearance of any new stars.
That was the justification on the surface.
In truth, it was unlikely to be such a clean affair.
The era in which the orthodox factions were clean had already passed.
“Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Gu Clan. Group Three.”
I roughly checked the slip of paper drawn from the box and crumpled it into my robes.
‘Group Three… That’s going to take a while.’
Of all things, I had ended up in the last group.
That meant I couldn’t finish quickly and take a rest.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and stepped outside. It seemed the others had already drawn their lots and come out some time ago.
The moment I emerged, Dang Sohyeol approached me as though she had been waiting.
“Did you draw yours, Young Master Gu?”
“Yes.”
“Which group are you in? I got Group Two!”
Group Two meant we probably wouldn’t run into each other anytime soon.
“I’m in Group Thre—why is she doing that again?”
As I was talking to Dang Sohyeol, I noticed someone crouching in the corner by the wall, radiating gloom.
Namgung Bia was repeatedly banging the back of her head against the wall, completely unconcerned by the people sneaking glances at her.
What was wrong with her this time?
Dang Sohyeol gave me an awkward smile and answered.
“She got Group One…”
“And what’s the problem with that?”
Wouldn’t it be good if we were all separated into different groups?
“She says it won’t be fun because she’ll have to fight us later…”
“…”
That crazy—no. I shouldn’t say anything too harsh.
Things had been quiet for a while, but had some ghost, resentful that it could no longer fight, possessed her?
Why was she so dejected over something like that?
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it and approached Namgung Bia.
“…Which group…?”
Perhaps sensing my presence, Namgung Bia asked without lifting her head.
Thanks to that, I had to answer while staring at the crown of her head.
“Group Three.”
“…Ugh…”
“Do you hate it that much?”
She was groaning as though she were sick, so I walked over and stroked her hair.
The instant my hand touched her, her body flinched.
Namgung Bia remained still for a while before belatedly nodding.
Seeing that, I asked Gu Jeolyeop, who had been standing beside her and staring blankly.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Which group are you in?”
“G-Group One.”
“She got Group One too.”
“…Not fun.”
I had said it to comfort her, since at least one of us was in the same group.
But at Namgung Bia’s firm reply, Gu Jeolyeop, who had been standing there quietly, staggered.
“…Sorry.”
Gu Jeolyeop’s face was so utterly stricken that I had no choice but to apologize this time.
After remaining in a gloomy mood for quite some time, Namgung Bia slowly rose to her feet.
‘Did she get over it already?’
Wasn’t that a little too fast?
“You okay?”
Namgung Bia nodded.
“…I thought about it.”
The quiet words she tossed out were rather astonishing.
She had thought about it?
Perhaps she sensed the intent behind my gaze, because Namgung Bia’s brows drew together slightly.
‘She’s awfully perceptive when it comes to things like this…’
She always looked vacant, yet she was strangely quick to pick up on things like that.
“Go on, then. You said you thought about it.”
“…Wouldn’t it be okay if we win?”
“What?”
“…If we beat everyone, can’t we meet?”
Namgung Bia was saying that if we kept winning the tournament, wouldn’t we eventually be able to meet.
Of course, that was true.
“Have you never considered that you might lose?”
“…Who?”
Me, you, or anyone else.
Namgung Bia appeared not to have the slightest thought that either she or we might lose.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t she only chase after swordsmen?’
I remembered her obsessively pursuing only martial artists who wielded swords.
Yet at some point, she seemed to have shifted from “swordsmen” to simply powerful martial artists.
Had some change taken place that I didn’t know about?
I said to Namgung Bia,
“I could lose before I get to meet you.”
There were always unexpected variables, after all.
Of course, as far as this particular matter was concerned, I doubted that would happen.
Namgung Bia met my eyes in silence before speaking.
“There’s… no way you’ll lose.”
Her voice was calm yet resolute.
Though she spoke lightly, her words were filled with conviction.
“Or are you going to lose?”
Those eyes were putting an awful lot of pressure on me.
I had no idea what I had done to earn such faith from her.
Unable to meet Namgung Bia’s gaze, I turned my eyes aside and answered.
For some reason, it was difficult to look directly at her.
“No.”
Perhaps satisfied with my answer, Namgung Bia gave me a slight smile with her eyes.
******************
For the time being, we returned to the tent.
It would take some time for the preliminary brackets to be announced. And since the tournament was about to begin, there was no need to spend our strength training.
Of course, that applied to the others, not me.
From my perspective, having skipped training yesterday and today had left my body itching for exercise.
I was constantly circulating internal energy within my body and tempering my inner cultivation technique.
But even that was not the same as sitting cross-legged and focusing, so its effects were relatively minor.
It was strange—and somewhat bitter—to realize that I, who had hated training more than anything in the world, had gone this crazy over it.
“Should I train?”
“Where are you planning to do so?”
That was Muyeon’s voice. He had been waiting outside the tent.
“Wouldn’t there be somewhere?”
“Young Master, aren’t you going up on the tournament stage today?”
“Probably.”
I hadn’t been paying much attention to the tournament schedule, so I didn’t know the details.
I just had to go and fight whenever they called me.
There was no chance I would ruin things through pointless carelessness.
But neither was this a situation that called for excessive tension before a battle.
“Want to go up in my place, Muyeon?”
“Haha… I’m grateful for the offer, at least.”
What? I hadn’t said it to make him grateful.
I meant that he should go up and fight in my place because I couldn’t be bothered, but Muyeon seemed to have taken it another way.
‘Or does he want to go up on the tournament stage?’
Muyeon was still young, and among the participants in the tournament, there were rising talents older than him.
It was only natural that a martial artist might feel some ambition.
‘I should ask him about it later.’
This was something I needed to ask the clan about, rather than Muyeon.
We had sent Gu Jeolyeop, too, so what problem would there be with Muyeon?
‘Though it probably won’t work since he isn’t of the bloodline.’
I knew that the Gu Clan placed great expectations on Muyeon.
They had been subtly trying to take him back to the Sword Corps, and I had been blocking them from behind the scenes.
‘As if I’d let them take him.’
He had originally been something like a temporary bodyguard, but I couldn’t bear to return someone like him.
Great talent and a decent disposition.
The greatest variable was that he was someone from the future whom I knew nothing about.
Muyeon seemed to want to return to the Sword Corps, but…
Not yet.
His desire to return to the Sword Corps also seemed to stem from some lingering attachment, at least from what I had seen.
He needed to go there, settle that attachment, and establish something definite that would bring him back to me.
‘Should I ransack the storage at home?’
I was half serious.
There were things at home that might help Muyeon, but they were not quite enough to entice him with.
At least, that was what I thought, knowing the Muyeon I had seen.
“Muyeon.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Is there anything you want?”
“What…?”
Perhaps the question had been too abrupt. Muyeon, who had been staring straight ahead outside the tent, turned around.
“No, I was wondering if there was anything you needed.”
“Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t think that’s something one normally says to someone of the same sex… Could it be…”
“You little—”
A hint of mischief glimmered in Muyeon’s eyes.
Had he become comfortable enough to joke around like this already?
For some reason, I remembered what I had said to Paeng Woojin before and found myself sympathizing a little with him.
Though Paeng Woojin was still a lunatic.
“I don’t know why you’re asking, but I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Right now, it’s already difficult enough just to make proper use of what I have.”
I nodded at Muyeon’s words.
As expected, this sort of enticement didn’t seem to work on him.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“Hm?”
“Would you like some dumplings?”
“…When did you get those?”
I had been feeling hungry, as it happened.
As though she had been waiting for the moment, Wi Seol-ah brought me some food.
“I went into town with Sister Hong Wa this morning.”
“Ah… You mean when you said you were going to look at fabric?”
“Yes! I bought them then!”
I accepted the dumplings, split one in half, and handed a piece to Wi Seol-ah.
Seeing that, Wi Seol-ah hesitated before finally taking it.
Last time, I had scolded her because she seemed to be deliberately avoiding food I gave her.
“Young Master!”
“Hm?”
“May I go out later?”
“Where are you going?”
“To run an errand with Sister Hong Wa!”
An errand. It didn’t sound like one I had given her.
‘Did we run out of something?’
It was possible we were short on ingredients, but there were still several days left. Why go out of her way for it now?
I stared into Wi Seol-ah’s eyes.
As always, they were simply bright and clear.
“Go ahead. Just make sure you follow what I told you to do.”
“Yes! Wear your veil! Listen to Sister Hong Wa!”
“And the last one?”
“If you don’t have an escort, take Big Brother Muyeon with you!”
“Yes…!?”
Muyeon cut in as though he had no idea what she was talking about, but I ignored him with ease.
“Have a safe trip.”
By now, stroking her hair had become a habit. Wi Seol-ah beamed and shouted,
“Yes! I’ll work hard! Young Master, you have to beat everyone too, okay? I’ll be cheering for you!”
What did she mean by working hard?
It already seemed as though she was doing more than enough.
‘Just this much.’
Wi Seol-ah would never be able to grow up normally anyway.
Even if we stretched out this sort of life as long as possible, there were only a few years left.
Moreover, this was closer to a selfish situation I had created for my own sake than memories made for Wi Seol-ah.
‘Will you resent me someday?’
Contrary to my worries, Wi Seol-ah would never have reason to resent me.
I alone was the one who remembered the story of my previous life.
Even if she did come to resent me, it wouldn’t matter. Nothing would change, even if that happened.
“All right. I’ll work hard too.”
After finishing my words, I rose to my feet as well.
Murmuring could be heard outside the tent.
It seemed what we had been waiting for was finally being posted.
I immediately pinched the cheek of Namgung Bia, who was dozing off again behind me, woke her, and dragged her outside.
When we came out and approached the gathering crowd, several people’s names had been written on a large wooden board.
“Young Master Gu.”
As before, Dang Sohyeol spotted me and approached. She must have come out ahead of us.
“The bracket was posted sooner than I expected.”
I nodded at Dang Sohyeol’s words, but my gaze was elsewhere.
‘Group Three… Biyeonseom of the Biui Sect.’
He appeared to be my opponent, but I didn’t recognize the name.
Judging by the fact that I didn’t remember either the sect or the name, he probably wasn’t anyone particularly remarkable.
‘…Hmm.’
That wasn’t what mattered.
I shifted my gaze to check the brackets of the others as well.
It seemed there was no need to worry about any of them.
Going by what was written there, we should all be able to meet in the main tournament without much trouble.
‘It would be difficult for them to avoid overlapping this thoroughly. Did the Alliance manipulate the draw?’
Not only had all the blood descendants of the Four Great Families been separated from one another.
Those with backgrounds of some renown had also been spread neatly across the brackets.
‘The people involved don’t seem interested, though.’
This wasn’t the first time the Alliance had pulled something like this, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
Any expectations I might once have had for the orthodox factions of the Central Plains had long since been burned away, leaving not even a trace of ash.
However.
There was one thing that made me frown despite myself.
Group Two.
—Dang Sohyeol of the Sichuan Tang Clan versus Jang Seonyeon of the Taeryeong Jang Clan.
The moment I saw the words written plainly on the board,
My expression twisted into something frightening.