Thrush Episode 290 > They won't be able to chase me. (4)
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Lifting my heavy eyelids, an unfamiliar ceiling greets me.
"...Ugh...
How long has it been since my body was this heavy?
At the very least, it was the first time I'd experienced this since reaching the Peak Realm.
'...I feel like I'm going to throw up.'
Is it because I used too much qi yesterday?
Especially since I detonated it instead of retrieving it.
A stinging sensation arose from my dantian.
Should I call this a type of muscle pain too?
Enduring the severe pain, I raised my creaking body.
Only then did I realize the ceiling I was looking at belonged to the inn we were staying at,
and that it was a little past morning.
"Haa."
Seeing this, it seemed I passed out as soon as I got back yesterday.
.. .. .
Well, I did turn the testing ground into that state.
It wasn't strange to pass out from exhaustion.
'As for the testing ground, well, they probably handled it on their own.'
Right before I detonated it.
The action Geomhu took while radiating qi
was none other than shielding the surrounding rising stars who might be swept up in it.
As expected, just as I thought.
She was the person closest to a righteous martial artist.
'If I had known that, I would have held back a bit.'
In the meantime.
I also calculated extremely carefully to detonate my qi
so that others wouldn't be swept up in the explosion, just in case.
If I hadn't done that crap, my dantian wouldn't be screaming right now.
Though it would have been even better if I hadn't detonated it in the first place.
'I couldn't stand suffering like that.'
I said it then too, but I'm not a broad-minded person.
If I got angry, I had to vent it immediately to feel refreshed.
After that, I stood up and blankly stood there for a moment.
Rather than being blank,
it was to check if my body's qi was moving properly.
'Ugh.'
O •
After drawing up the qi from my dantian and circulating it a few times, I could tell.
'I won't be able to move violently for a while.'
Pain reached my dantian and meridians.
Perhaps they were swollen from suddenly using a secret technique.
I needed rest.
"Tsk."
As expected, should I have held back a bit?
[Rumble...]
On top of that, I could even hear a whining sound complaining of hunger,
making my head naturally ache.
After using up a ton of energy yesterday, the beggar in my stomach seemed to be hungry.
"Don't rush me and stay still. I'll feed you a lot tomorrow anyway."
[Rumble...]
Even without that, if things went as expected, I would have to face monsters tomorrow.
Originally, it was content that should have been wrapped up yesterday, but
'It was postponed because I caused an incident.'
It was because the scheduled test date was pushed back due to me wrecking the surroundings last night.
I didn't particularly feel guilty.
Because if we're placing blame, I thought it was Geomhu's fault.
"Unexpectedly, I have some free time."
Thanks to that, I gained a little bit of leeway with a day's free time.
Honestly, I did slightly anticipate this might happen when I caused the incident.
'I didn't think it would actually happen.'
I mean, it's an event hosted by the Murim Alliance.
I figured they wouldn't postpone the schedule just because one rising star caused an incident.
I didn't know they'd actually postpone it.
Still, thanks to that.
'I can use a day fruitfully.'
Since I was given time to resolve some of the things that had been bothering me,
it was somewhat fortunate for me.
But before that.
'If my memories from last night are correct.'
There was someone I had to see first.
Creak-
Opening the door, I went down the stairs to the lower floor.
The surrounding sounds were the essence of tranquility.
It wasn't early morning,
but it was also too early to call it lunch.
It was a time when there would reasonably be few people.
As I went down the stairs,
people sitting at a table in the corner came into view.
To be exact, it was people.
Perhaps what made this inn so deserted
wasn't just the time, but those women playing a part.
"You're awake."
Perhaps hearing the sound of me coming down the stairs,
the woman who was quietly drinking tea,
Murong Huia, looked this way.
"You must have been very tired."
"...A little?"
"I heard the news. They said you caused a huge incident, Young Master."
"It spread fast. It hasn't even been that long."
"The sound reached where we were staying, after all."
Definitely.
With that kind of explosive sound, it would have been stranger not to hear it.
"How did that happen?"
Murong Huia asked, looking somewhat puzzled.
She also thought it was strange
that someone had caused an incident among so many people.
"Just, there was something that pissed me off."
That wasn't everything, but
I decided to roughly gloss over it like that.
"Still, it was cool, Young Master!"
This was Tang So-yeol's words.
Come to think of it, wasn't she at a different inn?
...What, you saw it?
Group 1 can't arbitrarily come to Group P's testing ground.
Getting caught by the instructor was also a reason for point deduction.
Though it was fine as long as we weren't caught.
Even if the instructor looked weak, they weren't people with low skills either.
Did Tang So-yeol break through that and come to Group P?
When I raised a question about this,
Tang So-yeol answered brightly.
"No, I didn't see it!"
"Then how do you know?"
"I figured it must have been cool."
""
I always think this, but
in my eyes, Tang So-yeol was the weirdest.
Especially her eyes.
"...Right, did everyone see it well?"
At my words, both Murong Huia and Tang So-yeol tilted their heads.
The vibe was as if
they were asking, "Isn't that a given?"
These guys...?
'No, maybe it really is a given.'
It's not just anywhere,
and as they are blood relatives of the Four Great Families, I wondered if I should view them differently.
'Then does that mean I was a retard and a sucker in my past life?'
Yeah.
Retard, idiot, sucker bastard was right.
Why act so surprised about it now.
My gaze moved away from those two
and looked at the woman who had her head planted on the table and was twitching.
Nangong Bia seemed to be dozing off as always.
'There's nothing to ask her either.'
I didn't even entertain the thought that Nangong Bia would fail.
As long as she didn't throw a tantrum and voluntarily quit,
the probability of Nangong Bia failing was close to zero.
"Oh right, Young Master, Ah-hui came and went."
"...Hmm?"
I expressed doubt at Tang So-yeol's sudden remark.
Ah-hui? Is she talking about Peng Ah-hui?
"She came too?"
"Huh? Yes."
It was a story where it would be stranger if she didn't come,
but since I didn't see her yesterday, I didn't know she had visited.
'If that's the case, did all the Four Great Families enter the pavilion?'
This is quite fascinating.
No wonder they babble about the Generation of Shooting Stars and whatnot.
The situation fits perfectly.
Since it was Zhang Xianyan who took first place in this exact situation in my past life,
a lot of talk must have circulated about him.
Not to mention the Four Great Families,
but with the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes of that time, including the Nine Sects and One Clan,
the fact that Zhang Xianyan took first place would have easily drawn the attention of many.
Therefore, I have a question.
The other kids can be excused,
but to take first place when the Sword Dragon and the Hidden Dragon were involved?
'What did he do?'
He definitely did something.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for that bastard to take first place.
So,
this time, I intend to stop him from doing that something.
'Since I'm at it anyway, wouldn't it be nice to do that too?'
If I'm really at it,
it would be good to dispose of him inside the Divine Dragon Pavilion.
That was the plan for it.
"Anyway."
Flinch.
Perhaps sensing that I was finally going to talk about her,
the one sitting quietly in the corner shrank back.
Seeing that, I nodded inwardly.
'It seems it wasn't a dream.'
When I was half-asleep because I had used up all my energy,
I remember Nangong Bia dragging someone in by the hand.
If that memory wasn't my delusion or a dream,
"Have you eaten?"
That was definitely Wi Seol-ah.
I asked the woman who was still covering herself with a pitiful wind robe, seemingly not wanting to show her face,
and after hesitating for a moment,
"N...o."
Thankfully, an answer came.
Seeing that, I let out a chuckle.
Thinking she was still doing that.
Then, suddenly.
an old memory came to mind, and I casually blurted out.
"Do you want to eat a potato or something?"
"?" Wondering why a potato out of nowhere,
-Wanna eat a tato?
Perhaps Wi Seol-ah also recalled the old memory, as I could see her eyes widening beneath her shaded face.
Seeing that, I chuckled and added.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
Wi Seol-ah didn't give any answer to my words, but
it didn't seem like she disliked it.
For reference, unfortunately,
it seemed there were no steamed potatoes at the inn.
What a shame.
After that, we left the inn and walked down the street.
Outside the inn was still crowded with people.
While walking down the street,
I glanced slightly behind. Or rather, I observed the person walking beside me.
A person who would normally cling to me and chatter away, asking what this and that was,
was far too quiet.
She was even keeping her distance and following me.
Watching that quietly,
I threw a question mixed with a sigh.
"How long are you going to stay like that?"
It wasn't for any other reason,
but that was what bothered me the most.
It was a remark directed at Wi Seol-ah, who kept wearing the pitiful wind robe.
I was currently walking outside with Wi Seol-ah.
Since I had a day of free time,
I came out thinking I should take care of some business,
and in the meantime, I told Wi Seol-ah to come with me.
In that gap, Tang So-yeol tried to follow us, but
-No.
Nangong Bia grabbed Tang So-yeol and stopped her.
Murong Huia also seemed to have caught the atmosphere and apparently didn't want to step forward this time.
"...Should I take it off?"
"If you don't want to, you don't have to. Why are you still wearing it even inside the inn?"
"Well...
Outside, it didn't matter since Nangong Bia and Murong Huia also wore veils,
and Wi Seol-ah also had an appearance that attracted attention,
so covering up and walking around like that would actually be better.
But I couldn't understand why she had to do that even in front of me.
"I can't even see your eyes properly, either."
At my words, Wi Seol-ah slightly lifted it to show her eyes.
Unbelievable, seriously.
Seeing her golden-tinted eyes among the shadows, I let out a snort.
Is she doing this on purpose to tease me?
'Golden Eyes at a time like this.'
The fact that her eyes had that color
meant that Wi Seol-ah's mental cultivation had reached a certain level.
I didn't know the details about the Sword Venerable's martial arts,
but considering that the Wi Seol-ah in my past life had blonde hair and golden eyes,
it seemed to change depending on the level, just like me.
Thinking about how her hair had also turned slightly golden when I saw her last time,
'As expected, Wi Seol-ah is Wi Seol-ah, I guess.'
The Wi Seol-ah I faced after a long time had crossed the wall and become a Peak realm martial artist.
Thinking that it hadn't even been three years since she picked up a sword,
'...I'm speechless.'
It was a talent that simply made me give up thinking.
As I always did,
when thinking of someone's talent,
this was the reason I left existences like the Heavenly Demon or Wi Seol-ah out of the equation.
They were originally at a level where they couldn't even be placed on the same line as other humans.
Because of that.
I always had a headache.
Taking on even her karma meant
that I had to take over that role,
and that I had to fill enough power to match the Divine Sword of my past life.
'This is fucking ridiculous, seriously.'
Just imagining it was overwhelmingly daunting.
How much, or what did I have to do?
How would I know that?
The future was just pitch black.
Of course.
'Even so.'
I didn't intend to tell her to bear the burden again just because she picked up the sword now.
At most, if we walked together.
If I planned to let her go alone, I wouldn't have even started.
"Hey."
"Yes...?"
"Do you want to eat that at least?"
Hiding my frustrated feelings.
As I pointed somewhere with my fingertip, Wi Seol-ah's head followed.
There, numerous restaurants were lined up,
and what I pointed at was a common skewer street vendor.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat that at least."
Partly because we came out without eating a proper meal,
and partly because it was a food Wi Seol-ah enjoyed eating.
When I recommended it, Wi Seol-ah hesitated and said.
"I don't really have an appetite..."
"You?"
""
She slightly averted her gaze at my words.
What is it? Could she be feeling embarrassed?
'Embarrassed about eating a lot?'
Her?
In just a few years.
What happened for her to change like this?
While thinking about that,
"If you don't want to, just follow me so I can eat alone."
I grabbed Wi Seol-ah's hand and dragged her.
"Ah."
She seemed surprised to have her wrist suddenly grabbed, but
Wi Seol-ah didn't seem to have any intention of pulling away.
Pushing through the crowd, we entered the stall and I picked up two skewers.
One was for me to eat,
and the other was naturally Wi Seol-ah's.
Munch,,
Wi Seol-ah quietly watched as I offered it.
Eventually, unable to refuse, she accepted it.
"Eat. Don't do that for no reason."
Since she seemed to be hesitating even up to the moment she took it,
I took a bite and added a word.
Only then did Wi Seol-ah carefully bite into the skewer.
'Did she live eating meals by reading the room? Why is she like that?'
Or,
I wondered if her appetite had really disappeared.
Then didn't I force her to eat too much?
'Should I tell her to stop eating even now?'
Just as I thought about changing the subject,
"If you don't want to eat, you don't have to... You already ate it all."
"...Pardon?"
"When did you eat it all...?"
Didn't she just take one bite?
Why was the meat on Wi Seol-ah's skewer already gone?
Did she devour it all in that short amount of time?
Seeing that, it seemed her appetite hadn't diminished, thankfully.
Wi Seol-ah also seemed to realize only then that she had eaten it all,
showing a slightly flustered reaction.
"This...! Why is it gone...?"
"Isn't it because your mouth ate it all?"
"That can't be... I really didn't have an appetite... It's true!"
"Yeah, yeah, you didn't. Want another one?"
"It's really true... really..."
Wi Seol-ah moved her hands and feet as if feeling wronged, but
that didn't mean the eaten skewer was coming back.
"So, are you not going to eat anymore?"
Wi Seol-ah, who had been resisting while moving her hands and feet for a while,
flinched at my words and mumbled her lips.
This time, I wasn't going to recommend it first.
As I picked up another skewer and looked at Wi Seol-ah,
Wi Seol-ah, who had been hesitating while watching, finally spat out her words.
"...I want to eat."
"Good."
Only after hearing the answer I wanted did I hand over the skewer.
Wi Seol-ah still looked like she felt wronged,
but I was satisfied.
Thankfully, it seemed this part hadn't changed.
"Ah, and. No, why did you already eat half..."
"Yes...?"
"Never mind, keep eating and talk. Did something happen yesterday, by any chance?"
""
At my question, Wi Seol-ah, who was chewing on the skewer, stopped her moving lips.
I didn't mean to interfere with her eating.
I was just curious.
That Nangong Bia dragged Wi Seol-ah here yesterday.
That Wi Seol-ah, who had been avoiding me for a long time, had quietly come back like this.
I thought there would be a reason.
Even if it wasn't anything else,
I had to hear at least this much.
Wi Seol-ah swallowed all the food in her mouth and looked at me.
The eyes looking at me were somewhat ambiguous.
"Is it something you can't tell me?"
"...No. I can tell you."
Thank goodness, it would have been a bit bad if I couldn't hear it.
If so, does that mean she needed time to organize her thoughts?
The gentle and slightly slow-looking Wi Seol-ah
was a bit disappointing to have changed like this on one hand, but
fortunately, I thought she was changing in a good way for living in the world.
Thinking like that and waiting a bit,
Wi Seol-ah gave her answer.
-Last night... my sister and Young Master Jang met.
The use of sound transmission was somewhat surprising, but
something else was more surprising.
-...Who met who?
-Young Master Jang and... Bia sister.
It was an unexpected story.
Why would that bastard and Nangong Bia meet out of nowhere?
-Sister said she came looking for me because she couldn't say her greetings.
-And so.
-But of all times, she was in the middle of talking with Young Master Jang.
What kind of conversation could Wi Seol-ah and Zhang Xianyan have been having?
I was full of curiosity.
-So...?
Wi Seol-ah's explanation was, in a way, simple.
Nangong Bia interrupted their conversation,
and when Zhang Xianyan mentioned it,
Nangong Bia didn't even remember Zhang Xianyan.
She just told him not to come near because he smelled bad.
'...'
Telling him not to come near because he smelled.
In a way, it was very like Nangong Bia.
She was also the type who didn't really care about others.
Still.
'Smell?'
This was a level that would have hurt even Zhang Xianyan's pride.
'Nice.'
Well, that's good then.
-And what happened after that?
-And then... Young Master Jang distorted his expression and drew his sword.
Zhang Xianyan broke his expression...?
It must have been quite insulting.
Of course.
Enduring that level of insult would have been more unusual.
If it were me, I would have grabbed him and burned him right there.
Focusing only on his hair.
'But I didn't hear anything about a sword fight.'
I didn't hear it from Nangong Bia,
let alone any rumors.
Even if that Jang bastard drew his sword first,
the one who interrupted during the conversation
was Nangong Bia, and the one who insulted him by saying he smelled was ultimately Nangong Bia, so
if a fight broke out, it was a situation where he had some justification.
-So the two of them fought?
-No.
Wi Seol-ah answered firmly.
The moment Zhang Xianyan took out his sword,
["...If you don't put that back..."]
Nangong Bia, with her usual expressionless face,
["You die..."]
reportedly said to Zhang Xianyan like that.
The lightning qi emanating from Nangong Bia's body,
mixed with fighting spirit and killing intent.
To Wi Seol-ah, who only knew the usual Nangong Bia,
it was a somewhat shocking sight.
'How murderous.'
It could be an exaggerated appearance from an outsider's perspective, but
just hearing it naturally reminded me of her Demonic Sword Empress days.
[...Clack.]
At this, Zhang Xianyan
reportedly put his sword back in its scabbard and left just like that.
'Did he chicken out?'
Looking at Nangong Bia, fighting her head-on wouldn't guarantee a victory anyway,
and causing an incident would disrupt his plans, so
he probably gritted his teeth and endured it.
'So, in the end, he chickened out.'
To me, it was the same thing.
'So after that, Nangong Bia brought Wi Seol-ah along.'
A somewhat questionable point was
that Wi Seol-ah, who had been avoiding me so much,
came quietly just because Nangong Bia appeared and brought her.
99
...
Around the time I recalled my question,
Wi Seol-ah
recalled the time last night when Nangong Bia tried to take her.
["Sister...! Wait...!"]
Saying it wasn't the right time yet,
To Wi Seol-ah, who tried to break away, saying she shouldn't go,
Nangong Bia spoke in a clear voice.
["If you run away now, there won't be a place for you next time."]
Clench.
Recalling that conversation, her fists clenched involuntarily.
With what emotions Nangong Bia said that to Wi Seol-ah
was unknown, but
Wi Seol-ah knew that at least those words back then were sincere.
Around the time she was having such thoughts,
"I feel a bit sad."
"Pardon?"
Wi Seol-ah reacted to the voice she heard.
"You avoided me like your life depended on it, but the moment she brings you, you just come?"
"Ah, no, Young Mas...!"
Wi Seol-ah, who was about to blurt out "Young Master" out of habit, tightly shut her mouth.
It seemed she clearly knew she shouldn't call him that anymore.
"It wasn't like that... I just..."
"I know.
You're getting more and more wrinkled, so I decided to stop teasing you."
"You said you'd protect me and all, but this kid turned into a wet towel."
".... A wet towel?"
"You're damp and drooping."
Munch,,
At the very least, I didn't want to see her looking like this.
At minimum.
I didn't want Wi Seol-ah to end up like she did in my past life.
'Back then, it wasn't just at the level of being wet.'
Not just wet with water. She was frozen.
Completely frozen solid.
That was why I was relieved.
At this level,
it felt like I could still dry her off with some warmth.
I placed another skewer in Wi Seol-ah's hand.
She no longer refused the skewer.
"This is what I really wanted to ask."
Taking another bite, I asked Wi Seol-ah.
It was what I wanted to ask the most.
I had also brought Wi Seol-ah out to ask this.
After briefly organizing my words,
I asked Wi Seol-ah.
"The reason your grandfather took you to the Jang Family. Do you know it?"
"...!"
At my question, Wi Seol-ah flinched and trembled.
It seemed she did know.
"That's..."
"Is this something you can't tell me?"
""
Wi Seol-ah's lips parted.
She looked like she was hesitating.
Even so, I needed to know.
The reason the Sword Venerable took Wi Seol-ah to the Jang Family even in this life.
Only then would I be able to decide more specifically what to do in the future.
"That is..."
Ending the short silence,
the moment Wi Seol-ah was about to open her mouth to me.
Vroom.
I felt a vibration from my left hand, to be exact, from the ring on my finger.
[Grrr...]
Along with it, the guy inside my body also reacted.
"...Tsk."
Feeling that, I clicked my tongue fully.
Of all times, it had to be now.
As I frowned, Wi Seol-ah, who was about to speak, made a surprised face instead.
Young... Master?
Looking at Wi Seol-ah, who seemed to be asking what was wrong, I said.
"Normally, I'd tell you to wait here for a moment and leave you behind. But if I did, I wouldn't know where you'd run off to again."
Grip.
I grabbed Wi Seol-ah's hand tightly.
"Follow me for a bit."
The second errand I came out for today.
It seemed the bait had been bitten.