Jehwajeon (First Flower Battle) (1)
I woke up earlier than usual and finished my morning training.
Lately, I've been making it a habit to wake up and train every morning.
Crack—! Bone sounds rang out with every movement of my joints.
My body seemed to have loosened up to some extent.
As soon as training ended, I checked my physical condition.
The internal injuries from the battle had all healed, and only the demonic qi coiled in my dantian remained as a problem.
'At this rate... it should be done by tomorrow.'
Fortunately, the purification inside my body was steadily progressing.
Thanks to that, it had reduced significantly now.
The amount of demonic qi the Sword Empress possessed was enormous.
The qi energies remaining after purifying the demonic qi were being absorbed into my dantian, and I could feel that my qi volume was increasing compared to before.
'In a way, this should also be called a fortuitous encounter.'
At this point, the days of struggling with meager internal qi seemed to have somewhat passed.
Not all of it would be absorbed, but most of it would be stored as strength.
That made it even more puzzling.
'Where on earth did the Sword Empress obtain this much demonic qi?'
From what I heard from the Divine Doctor, she was under a restriction and couldn't speak.
Hearing that made it feel even more chilling.
"...A restriction on demonic qi."
This was nearly identical to the traces left when the Heavenly Demon created demonic practitioners.
If I had to find a difference, it was that the demonic qi was at a level where she could 'endure' it.
Because of this, I couldn't be certain whether the Sword Empress had met the Heavenly Demon.
If the Heavenly Demon had truly bestowed demonic qi upon the Sword Empress, it wouldn't have stopped at this level.
At least, that was the case from what I knew.
'I need to investigate the demonic qi that the Black Night Palace bastards possessed too.'
The Huashan Sect side would also be moving, but I wanted to look into the matter of them catching Plum Blossom Sword practitioners and draining their blood.
It felt somehow unsettling, as if something was tightly tangled up.
"Should I at least visit the hideout that the Huashan Sect disciples discovered."
Finding the location could be an issue, but since it had already been discovered and was being managed by the Huashan Sect, it wouldn't be difficult.
'I should look around once before returning to the family.'
The traces of those bastards had likely already been confirmed and taken by the Huashan Sect side.
Even so, the reason I still wanted to go was to have the justification of reducing even a little hesitation.
'If Black Night Palace is truly a place related to the Demonic Cult.'
I had only thought of it as a ragtag group of evil faction practitioners that would be destroyed by the Martial Alliance a few years later.
If there was such a tangled fact like this...
'I have to do something.'
I didn't have the martial power to erase Black Night Palace with my own hands.
It wouldn't be a place that could be pushed over so recklessly either.
'Still, I might be able to pull it forward by a few years.'
Whether that was truly necessary was something I needed to think about.
There wasn't enough time to ponder that.
"To be honest, I've already finished deliberating."
Having made up my mind to try something, I couldn't just keep thinking forever.
Dragging my body into the quarters, Wi Seol-ah approached with a pleasant smile, holding a towel.
She had probably brought it in advance for me to use when washing.
I looked at that and asked.
"You woke up early?"
Saying that, my gaze unknowingly headed toward Wi Seol-ah's hair.
Wi Seol-ah had fixed her hair with the ornament I had gifted her yesterday.
At the same time, the sensation that touched my cheek yesterday came to mind, and I inexplicably stroked my own cheek with my hand.
Wi Seol-ah, who was watching me quietly, asked.
"Is Young Master hurting somewhere?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine."
"Then why is your face red...?"
"...It's your imagination."
I quickly passed by Wi Seol-ah, washed up, and changed clothes. Even after washing my face with cold water, a strange heat still remained.
'Is it normal that I'm still like this from just that?'
Even I thought it was ridiculous.
If it was hard to reduce the heat on my face, I even had the foolish thought of using my qi to wrap heat around my whole body so it wouldn't show.
However, if I went that far, I felt like I'd truly feel self-contempt, so I just gave up.
After straightening my clothes and opening the door to go out, Namgung Bi-ah was sitting on the porch, having woken up at who knows when.
To be precise, she was sitting and dozing off.
I was going to just leave her if she seemed to be sleeping adequately, but it looked like she had somehow woken up.
After quietly watching that, I let out a small cough and slipped an ornament between the strands of her hair to fix it in place.
The problem was that since I had never focused on touching a woman's hair before, my hands were too clumsy and it seemed to have become even more messy.
"...This is ruined, isn't it?"
I was going to give it secretly, but how do I salvage this?
I tried hard to fix it somehow, but perhaps because the noise was too loud, Namgung Bi-ah rubbed her sleepy eyes and moved her head.
"Mmm..."
Half-closed eyes met mine.
Soon after, Namgung Bi-ah raised her thin, white hand and waved it gently.
This was her unique morning greeting.
Amidst this, the ornament stuck in her hair was clearly visible swaying with Namgung Bi-ah's movements.
'...Should I say something?'
How should I even say it.
It was something I did because I didn't want to make a fuss, but I couldn't just leave it either.
As I was floundering not knowing what to do, Namgung Bi-ah looked at me with a face wondering what was going on.
"Well..."
"Yeah?"
I was rather trying to roughly pull it out with my hand when Wi Seol-ah, having noticed, approached and spoke.
"Oh? Unni is wearing the same thing as me?"
"The same thing?"
Only then did Namgung Bi-ah seem to notice the change that had occurred to her, and with a fumbling hand, she pulled the ornament out of her hair.
"Huh?"
Seeing that, she immediately looked toward me.
It was an expression asking what this was.
I looked at Namgung Bi-ah's blank expression and answered in a small voice.
"...I just bought one."
It was something I was going to give yesterday but only gave to Wi Seol-ah and couldn't bring myself to give to her.
As I spoke, I averted my gaze.
I don't know why it was so hard to make eye contact over this.
For reference, it wasn't exactly the same as the one I gave Wi Seol-ah.
It looked just a little bit different.
At first, I thought I should buy an ornament for a different purpose, but since I didn't know what to buy, I roughly chose one.
'Why did I even buy this to give.'
If I had just stayed still, it would have been somewhat in the middle.
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like a useless act.
Namgung Bi-ah quietly looked at the ornament, then swept her hair up, shaped it, and fixed it with the ornament.
Her pale nape was naturally revealed, and the beautiful lines stood out.
It was amazing how the atmosphere changed just from putting her hair up.
Namgung Bi-ah looked up at me and asked.
"...How is it?"
"It's... fine."
There were words about to burst out to the tip of my tongue, but I barely held them back.
I couldn't bring myself to say 'pretty.'
Fortunately, Namgung Bi-ah seemed satisfied with this level of response, as the corners of her mouth rose and she smiled slightly.
She seemed to be smiling often these days.
Just seeing this made me feel that this was a life much changed from my past life.
If asked whether it was the life I wanted, the direction was slightly different, but if asked whether it wasn't a comfortable life, that also wasn't the case.
It was a comfortable life enough that I would want to maintain it like this if possible.
'That's why even more...'
I had to do something.
Only then would things change.
The guide that pulled me at the crossroads where I hesitated for a long time... amusingly, was such a trivial thing, which was truly wondrous.
I hid my awkwardness and asked, trying to act as if nothing had happened.
"They say the Jehwajeon is opening, do you want to go together?"
At my question, Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah simultaneously nodded.
My original plan was to depart before the Jehwajeon opened and return to the family a day earlier.
Since Gu Ryeong-hwa said she would return to the family, I decided to wait for her.
It also happened that I had business in Shaanxi after this, so I needed to delay the plan somewhat anyway, so I should rather call this fortunate.
'The Sword Empress and the Divine Doctor are problems though.'
The two people who said they would go to the family together.
I couldn't understand why they suddenly made such a choice.
But from the family's perspective, it was a good thing.
Of course, the Sword Empress might be a somewhat uncomfortable person.
But in the case of the Divine Doctor, not only the Gu family but the entire family would probably welcome her.
'Father is...'
I'm not sure about Father's side.
I was planning to send a letter to the family regarding the change in the number of people returning and the suspicion that Shin Ui was being targeted by Black Night Palace, among other related matters.
Since I couldn't know how much the Sword Empress's body had recovered, it included a request to allocate forces to prepare for possible attacks.
In truth, it was half for show, but still.
Whatever the case, since there were positions to consider, I had to send it.
After that, around noon.
Less than a sigan remained until the Jehwajeon began.
'I think they said the Jehwajeon takes about two days.'
Thinking of the difference from the Nine Dragons Tournament held by the Gu family, outsiders could not participate.
It would be convenient to think of it as a small martial arts tournament where the sect's disciples competed among themselves.
They didn't even collaborate with merchant guilds or anything; it was purely a sect's festival.
During the Jehwajeon period, outsiders' entry was relatively free. Meaning you could come and watch as much as you wanted.
The problem was that the Huashan Sect was located on an insanely high mountain.
I wondered if there would be anyone who would climb to this high place just to see this...
But indeed, human passion is a great thing.
"It's packed...?"
Compared to the fame and position the Huashan Sect held, you wouldn't say it was a sect with that large of a size.
To think the center was filled with people...
Considering that the majority of people were ordinary folks without internal qi, just climbing up would have been a task.
Let alone arriving at this time, they would have had to climb the mountain from early morning.
Seeing this anew, I could somewhat understand the status and affection that Hwayun County held for the symbol of the Huashan Sect.
The Huashan Sect also seemed to have anticipated outsiders coming from the start, as they had prepared various seats.
Compared to the Nine Dragons Tournament which prepared seats in collaboration with merchant guilds, the level might be lower, but the atmosphere alone seemed better on this side.
The sounds of people gathered in between chatting could be faintly heard.
"Will the Sword Dragon compete this time?"
Is that about Yeongpung?
"I don't think I saw him last year... he should come out this year."
"He wasn't even the Sword Dragon back then. Who won last year? Yeong... what was it."
"Of course it's Yeong, you fool. The third-generation disciples are all named Yeong."
"I think the daoho was Yeong Seong."
"Oh right, Yeong Seong! That was the feeling... who might you be?"
The person who slipped into the conversation was wearing a Huashan uniform with plum blossom patterns drawn on it.
Seeing that, the man who had been chatting away shrank back slightly.
The man asked cautiously.
"Are you... from the Huashan Sect?"
"Ah, yes, I am called Yeongpung."
'...What is he doing over there?'
Surprisingly, the one who slipped into the conversation was Yeongpung.
Isn't he supposed to be preparing for the Jehwajeon, why is he over there...?
"Yeongpung... Yeong...! Could it be, the Sword Dragon...?"
At the man's question, Yeongpung awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
It was a sign of half-acknowledging it.
Just as the man was startled and about to inform the person next to him, Yeongpung and I made eye contact.
"Ah! Young Master Gu!"
Seeing me, he immediately stood up and came this way. As Yeongpung moved, people's gazes moved along with him.
It seemed that those around had noticed because the conversation from earlier had been slightly loud.
I could see bright lights in the eyes of those looking at Yeongpung.
Well, it wasn't easy to see the representative rising stars said to be the best in the Central Plains just anywhere.
If you spoke of the Five Dragons and Three Peaks, they were names like the main leads who would lead the new generation.
'...And yet I've been treating such a Yeongpung cheaply lately.'
Yeongpung's personality that seemed somewhat fun to tease played a part, but I did treat him a bit excessively.
Seeing this appearance, I once again truly felt that Yeongpung was someone in an amazing position.
As Yeongpung approached, he also greeted Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah.
I looked at Yeongpung and asked.
"Are you not participating in the Jehwajeon, Daoist Yeongpung?"
"Ah, no. Today is the day only third-generation disciples participate."
"But why.... Ah."
I recalled that I had clearly heard Yeongpung was going to participate among the second-generation disciples last time.
"Are you on your way to see Fourth Miss Gu right now, Young Master Gu?"
At Yeongpung's words, I hesitated in my response.
It was true that I came to see how Gu Ryeong-hwa was doing, but how should I put it, it was like not wanting to say I came to see my younger sister.
"Well, that's true, but since it's only among third-generation disciples, I felt like there was no need to come."
Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah wouldn't know, but I was only planning to see what I needed to see and leave, so with it being like this...
"Ah, if that's the case, it should be fine to wait."
"Pardon?"
"They said Fourth Miss Gu is participating in the Jehwajeon today."
Yeongpung's words didn't make sense to me.
"Daoist Yeongpung, you clearly said today is only for third-generation disciples...?"
"...That's true, but..."
He mumbled with his mouth as if there was something difficult to say.
Yeongpung clapped his hands as if he had found a way.
"There's still time left, so... would you mind following me for a moment?"
Having said that, Yeongpung moved locations, and I followed without saying anything first.
The place I followed Yeongpung to was the back of the building.
Seeing that most of the people gathered there were wearing uniforms, it seemed to be a place where disciples were waiting.
'Is this where only third-generation disciples gather?'
Even at a glance, it was composed of peers who were slightly more or less than Yeongpung.
Those who had passed weak adulthood, or hadn't yet passed it.
Anyway, putting that aside...
"Daoist Yeongpung..."
"Yes, please speak."
"Why are those people over there doing that?"
Where my fingertips pointed, unidentifiable muscle lumps were gathered, and familiar faces were mixed in among them.
They were clearly the second-generation disciples who had accompanied us on the way to Shaanxi.
I could see them hiding behind pillars and peeking out.
Don't tell me those muscle lumps thought they were hiding with that?
Gu Ryeong-hwa's hiding methods all seemed to be like that too, don't tell me the Huashan Sect doesn't teach stealth techniques...?
Yeongpung saw my reaction and spoke after hesitating slightly.
"That, it's probably because of Fourth Miss Gu that they're doing that."
"...What?"
Why did Gu Ryeong-hwa suddenly pop up here?
Suddenly, I recalled the scene during the journey to Huashan where the second-generation disciples were shocked to hear that I was of Gu Ryeong-hwa's bloodline.
'Is she being hated?'
If that were the case, I would feel a bit annoyed.
It wasn't because I sent her somewhere to be hated.
I turned my feet and walked toward where the muscle lumps were gathered.
"Huh? Wait? Young Master...! Hold on...!"
Yeongpung tried to stop me urgently, but I didn't listen.
It wasn't that I was trying to properly assert my bloodline now, but seeing this with my own two eyes made me feel a bit heated up.
As I got closer, I could hear what the second-generation disciples were saying.
What were they so focused on that they didn't notice me approaching?
"...Why is she trying to do it among the third-generation disciples?"
"Exactly, she should do it on our side so we could do something."
Would all those words be directed at Gu Ryeong-hwa?
"Everyone quiet down, wasn't this the path your samae chose? Then we must respect it...!"
"No, even Dae Sahyeong is like this? How can we trust that ruffian-like sajeol and..."
"In my eyes, you're the one who looks most like a ruffian, so please just shut your mouth."
"No..."
Among the third-generation disciples, what couldn't they trust, and what were they trying to do among themselves?
I hadn't heard a single thing from Gu Ryeong-hwa about facing this kind of situation.
'That must mean the distance between us is that far.'
Since it was all something I brought upon myself, I couldn't say anything to Gu Ryeong-hwa.
I suppressed my emotions for fear of showing more than necessary.
While repeating to myself that this wasn't a place so trifling that I could flip it over.
As I got somewhat closer, I immediately opened my mouth to the second-generation disciples.
"What in the world are you..."
"If she gets hurt, what are you going to do...!"
"...is this?"
My words were cut off and my movements stopped right there.
Had they heard my voice? The gazes of the second-generation disciples turned toward me.
"Huh?"
"Huh? Young Master Gu?"
A slight cold sweat ran down my back.
...What did I just hear?