This Time, to Mount Hua (3)
At those shocking words, I stood there blankly, holding the bundle of heavenly treasures.
Perhaps the Second Elder found our reaction awkward, because he explained the situation in a slightly quieter voice than his usual booming one.
“...No, I won it in a drinking wager a long time ago. I meant to return it once I sobered up, but I forgot...”
“....You’re saying you wagered one of your sect’s Four Great Treasures?”
What the hell was he talking about?
I might have believed it if he said he’d stolen it, but was he seriously asking us to believe this? What kind of insane sect leader would wager his own sect’s treasure on such an absurd bet!?
The Second Elder cleared his throat before adding,
“...This old man wagered an item of equivalent value, so do not feel too slighted.”
“...Slighted? Why would I feel slighted...?”
“Hm? Wasn’t that why you were upset? They wagered one of the Four Great Treasures, while it seemed this old man had wagered nothing?”
“What kind of crazy thing are you saying...?”
He’d actually wagered something comparable to one of the Four Great Treasures? Did the Second Elder even have anything like that...?
At this point, I began to suspect he was only saying this to tease me.
‘Right. There’s no way it’s really one of the Four Great Treasures, is there?’
Convinced that the Second Elder was joking, I gave a short laugh.
“Come now, even if I look a little foolish, how could you make such a joke? That’s too much.”
Determined not to be fooled by something like this, I pulled away the cloth covering the item the Second Elder had handed me...
At once, the scent of plum blossoms spread in every direction.
It was a soft, fragrant scent.
A strange energy I had never felt before stirred in the hand holding it. When I lowered my gaze, I saw light shining from the round stone.
The moment I saw that, I quickly covered it with the cloth again.
‘...I’m screwed. This really is the genuine article.’
If a stone that emitted light and fragrance wasn’t a treasure, then what was it supposed to be?
“How can you wrap a treasure in this cheap cloth and hand it over to me like this!”
“Hey now! The sect leader wrapped it that way when he gave it to me too, so why are you taking it out on this old man!”
“No, what kind of person carries a treasure around wrapped in a rag like this...?”
This was driving me insane.
How was I supposed to deal with this...? I had suddenly found myself in a situation where I had to load a treasure into the carriage and take it all the way to Mount Hua.
I never would have imagined, even on pain of death, that a treasure of Mount Hua would emerge from the Gu Clan.
“...Why are you entrusting something like this to me? You should contact a security escort agency and send it safely.”
“There is nowhere in the world safer than where it is now, so do not worry and go.”
Safer? What was he talking about? I thought about it for a moment, and then...
I remembered the Sword Venerable stroking a horse behind us.
If the Second Elder knew of the Sword Venerable’s existence, just as Father did, then his words made a certain amount of sense.
‘...But why are you entrusting it to me?’
My heart had nearly dropped out of my chest the moment I saw it.
As I held the treasure with trembling hands, the Second Elder spoke with a laugh.
“Ah, I have already spoken with the family head, so there is no need to worry. Just go.”
“You’ve already discussed everything without me...”
Why was I always excluded from these discussions?
The way they treated their only son was truly appalling.
Not that it had ever been particularly good in the first place....
Since matters had already progressed this far, I could not refuse any longer.
I carefully put the stone inside my robes. It was not as though I could walk up to the Sword Venerable and ask him to hold it for me.
Fortunately, it was small enough that it did not seem noticeable.
Just as I finished securing the outrageous treasure, Muyeon approached me.
“Young Master, they say everything is ready for departure.”
“I’ll be there.”
As I headed toward the carriage, the Second Elder stopped me for a moment.
“Just like when you went to Sichuan last time...”
“Yes, I’ll come back safely without causing any trouble.”
“And yet, didn’t you go there last time and pulverize the Thunder Dragon...?”
“.....”
Ahem.
“By the way, where is Big Sister? I don’t see her.”
Gu Huibi, who had been standing beside him earlier, had vanished without a trace.
When I asked, the Second Elder burst into hearty laughter.
“She must have gone somewhere to cry again, since she cannot bear to see you leave.”
“What?”
“She must be heartbroken that you are going so far away again, so she is probably hiding behind a tree and crying. Do not worry about her. Just go.”
I laughed dumbfoundedly at the Second Elder’s words.
They were even less believable than his claim that the little stone was one of Mount Hua’s Four Great Treasures.
She was crying because she was worried about me? What nonsense.
I could believe it if she were standing in front of me, teasing me for leaving so far away.
Despite myself, I imagined Gu Huibi wiping away her tears, and a small laugh escaped me.
It was a sight that suited her not at all.
“Yes, in any case, I’ll be back.”
I had to leave first, so I bowed to the Second Elder and climbed into the carriage.
“Very well. Have a safe journey.”
“Yes. Stay healthy.”
Neighhh!
The moment I settled into a half-reclining position, the horses cried out vigorously, and the carriage soon set off toward Mount Hua.
After Gu Yangcheon departed, the Second Elder entered Gu Yangcheon’s quarters and saw something sobbing in the corner.
Haa—
Despite his personality, the Second Elder let out a deep sigh.
“Are you truly that sad?”
At the Second Elder’s call, the huddled figure flinched.
“Yangcheon is not a three-year-old child. Why are you crying over something like this?”
“My child... His constitution is so weak, how can I not worry...? I hear he has even been skipping meals lately, claiming he needs to train...”
The owner of the melancholy voice was none other than Gu Huibi.
“If you dote on Yangcheon too much, Yeonseo will feel neglected.”
“Yeonseo can take care of herself, but whenever Yangcheon goes somewhere, he always comes back after causing some sort of trouble.”
The Second Elder could not bring himself to argue with Gu Huibi.
Had he not heard that Yangcheon had broken the Nangong bastard’s son’s arm during this trip to Sichuan?
When he heard the details, he had actually wished Yangcheon had broken his leg as well. But as an elder, that was something he had been forced to keep to himself.
“...I haven’t even been able to see much of his face...”
The Second Elder deliberately looked away from the sniffling Gu Huibi.
...Although Gu Huibi was grown and was called the Sword Phoenix, in the Second Elder’s eyes she still looked like an immature granddaughter.
After watching her quietly for a while, the Second Elder slipped out and closed the door.
And so, after seven days and nights had passed,
someone came trudging up and knocked on the Gu Clan’s gate.
******************
With three days remaining before Gu Huibi was to depart on her next mission, her mood was particularly foul.
The person standing before her only made it worse.
“Who did you say you were?”
An informal tone naturally slipped out.
Regardless of whether the other person was younger or older, etiquette dictated that members of prestigious clans show one another proper respect.
But Gu Huibi, despite looking immature, truly did not feel like doing so.
The person on the receiving end of her harsh words did not seem offended in the slightest. She merely lowered her head and offered a polite bow.
“My name is Nangong Bia.”
What a ridiculously beautiful girl.
That was Gu Huibi’s first impression of Nangong Bia.
The strange attendant her younger brother used to take around had also been impossibly beautiful, but this Nangong girl was no less stunning.
They called her the most beautiful woman in Anhui, and she seemed to live up to that reputation.
Which only made Gu Huibi more annoyed.
“Fine, I know that. But why did you come looking for me?”
For some reason, Nangong Bia’s martial uniform was covered with everything from leaves to all kinds of dust.
Had she come through some difficult terrain? Or had she been fighting monsters for a long time? Looking closely, Gu Huibi could even see monster blood on her.
Nangong Bia answered Gu Huibi firmly.
“I came to see my fiancé.”
“Fiancé...”
It was technically true, but the word irritated her immensely.
“I heard it isn’t an official engagement yet.”
“Ah...”
Was that so? Had it been? She seemed to wear an expression that said she had only vaguely remembered something along those lines.
Her younger brother’s fiancée looked cold, but unlike her appearance, there was something vacant about her.
Gu Huibi did not like her.
However, she had something to say that would make Nangong Bia happy.
Of course, until a few days ago, it had been something Gu Huibi herself had found deeply displeasing.
Who would have thought it would come in handy like this?
Hmph.
Gu Huibi gave a nasal snort and spoke.
“What should we do? My younger brother isn’t at the clan right now.”
“...Younger brother?”
“That’s right, my younger brother. I’m his older sister.”
“...Ah!”
No wonder...
Nangong Bia nodded as if she understood.
“Hello.”
Then she politely lowered her head.
This actually left Gu Huibi flustered.
What was with this girl? Gu Huibi answered with an awkward expression.
“...Uh, yes... Nice to meet you.”
“Then... where did he go...?”
“He went to Mount Hua. That’s far, isn’t it? It’s unfortunate, but you should just go back home—”
“Mount Hua...!”
Gu Huibi had been about to assert her authority, but she stopped.
The moment Nangong Bia heard where Gu Yangcheon was, she smiled brightly.
Much to Gu Huibi’s chagrin, she was excessively beautiful when she smiled.
Nangong Bia immediately turned around, but then hesitated for a moment and asked Gu Huibi a question.
It was an extremely unexpected question.
“Are you a swordsman?”
“...I am. Didn’t you hear it from your younger brother?”
Nangong Bia tilted her head at Gu Huibi’s words.
From her younger brother? She did not know.
Cheonjun did not talk about people stronger than himself.
The woman before her was far stronger than Cheonjun.
That was why he must not have told her properly.
She was incredibly strong.
Anyone could tell at a glance.
She was probably far stronger than Nangong Bia herself.
The energy that surged forth naturally, as if on the verge of bursting, told her so.
It resembled her fiancé’s energy, but was denser and more rugged.
Nangong Bia felt excited.
She wanted to fight her, up close.
The woman before her was even a swordsman—the kind of martial artist Nangong Bia desired most.
She wanted to stay by her side for even a few days and beg her to spar just once.
But—
“...Unfortunately, not right now.”
“What did you say...?”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Nangong Bia bowed once more.
“...Oh... yes.”
Gu Huibi felt her mind go blank at the response.
But she quickly came to her senses and began speaking again, almost snapping at her.
“As I said, my younger brother isn’t at the clan, so you should understand that and go ba—what?”
She had been making a sincere effort to finish speaking, but the Nangong Bia who had been standing before her had, absurdly, already disappeared.
“What? Where did she go...?”
Gu Huibi stood there alone for a long while, feeling as though she had seen a ghost.
The next day,
she heard that the Nangong Clan had sent a request asking them to hold on to Nangong Bia if they happened to see her, so that she would not go anywhere.
By then, however, it was already too late.