“I believe you’re aware that our Mo Yong Clan is famous for dual sword techniques.”
“I don’t know.”
“This sword is—”
Mo Yongmiu pulled out another sword. It looked completely identical. Could it be that the two swords are one?
You’re carrying two great swords and flaunting dual sword style?
“This is a rare artifact called Twin Blade, and it’s one I’ve been using. It’s very precious to me and also a treasure of my clan, but since Sir Geunhyeop saved my life… please accept it!”
“Uh.”
So, you’re offering me one of these twin swords?!
“Wait a second. Is it really okay to accept such a prized possession?”
“Yes!”
That was a bold answer.
“If I don’t give at least this much to my benefactor, I’d lose face! Please, accept it!”
“But you said it’s a dual sword technique; if you give this away.”
“It’s fine. I can use something else. Besides, you lost the Heavenly Thunder Sword in the last fight, right? And you slayed my enemy Donmu with this Twin Blade, so it’s only right I give it to you.”
“…”
Greed started to rise.
Honestly, the moment I touched this Twin Blade, I instinctively thought it was an extraordinary sword. Of course, in sheer size it can’t quite match the Heavenly Thunder Sword. The blade is a bit thicker and shorter, maybe.
But.
The quality of this sword is definitely superior. It’s a stronger weapon than the Heavenly Thunder Sword. The Heavenly Thunder Sword is valuable, but it’s a sword granted to those who achieve merit in the Namgoong Clan. It’s hard to truly consider it a family treasure.
But Mo Yongmiu’s Twin Blade is… a clan artifact. The difference in value is astronomical. If I accept something like this, the Mo Yong Clan will definitely keep an eye on me.
But hey, you gotta eat, right?
“Then I will gratefully accept it, Twin Blossom.”
“Yes!”
Even though she just gave away her sword, Mo Yongmiu looked very happy.
“Oh, and it’s not just the Twin Blade. The grace of saving my life will be remembered by the Mo Yong Clan as well. So please accept this too.”
Then Mo Yongmiu took a token from her robe.
“A token of gratitude?”
“Yes. If you ever need to visit the Mo Yong Clan, show that token. You’ll be treated as a distinguished guest.”
“Wow, this is something.”
I’m really grateful.
To receive not only the Twin Blade but also a token of thanks? I don’t know if I’ll ever visit the Mo Yong Clan, but this alone will be a huge benefit.
Even without visiting, there must be Mo Yong Clan establishments or martial artists scattered throughout the Central Plains. I can get help from those places too.
“Hehehe, I helped someone, and now I get a great reward. Should I try using the sword while I’m at it?”
“Geunhyeop, no. Please don’t move right now.”
“Oh.”
As I tried to get up, Serin stopped me. It seems that demonstrating martial arts is prohibited while my body is still recovering.
“Right. Just rest for now. You can always test the sword later, right? For now, focus on recovery.”
“If you say so…”
What can I do when they tell me to rest?
I’ll just stay still.
“By the way.”
Mo Yongmiu spoke up again.
“Really… both of you?”
She looked shy.
Oh, come to think of it.
It would be a bit of an astonishing scene to others.
“Serin, have you told her about our relationship?”
“I mean, there’s nothing to hide, so I disclosed it.”
“I see. Um, Twin Blossom?”
“Just call me Twin Blossom casually. I’m not a martial artist to be called a master.”
How modest.
“So… Twin Blossom, it might look strange, but both the Jade Flower Sword and Fiery Lotus are my fiancées.”
“Oh!”
Mo Yongmiu’s eyes widened in shock. Although she’d heard it from Serin already, it seemed more surprising coming from me.
“So that’s why we’re living together. You could say we’re cohabiting.”
In fact, we haven’t formally held a wedding yet. To do that, I need to visit Namgoong Clan and pay my respects. Serin also said she has no plans to visit for now, so we’re still in the engagement stage.
“It’s really surprising to hear it again. How did that happen?”
“What’s so surprising? Things like that can happen in life, can’t they?”
Hayoung commented casually, but it looked like Mo Yongmiu took it a bit awkwardly.
“That’s true, but since I’m also part of the Martial Arts History, I’ve been curious about how things would turn out, and it’s ended up like this. Both of you have gone to Geunhyeop.”
But referring to him as Geunhyeop makes me feel a bit embarrassed.
“Oh, I should introduce myself. I’m Jeongyu Na-Chal, also known as the Weeping Na-Chal.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m establishing and operating the Na-Chal faction with like-minded individuals to uphold the justice of the Orthodox school. In fact, the two here are my disciples.”
“Um, really? That’s interesting.”
It is interesting indeed.
“I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I’ve found a strong bond with Geunhyeop… *ahem.* That’s why I decided to serve him as a husband. We’re also working on establishing a faction together.”
“It’s been years since we last met, and you’ve achieved so much, Jade Flower Sword. Back then, I thought we were all similar, but the differences have become quite apparent…”
“Twin Blossom, you’re also engaging with wonderful martial artists, aren’t you? There’s no need for comparison.”
“Ah, thank you for saying that.”
But what should I say?
Mo Yongmiu looks somewhat lacking in energy.
“She looks a bit down. Wasn’t she more spirited? I remember her being more lively the last time we met.”
“Well, that’s…”
Mo Yongmiu sighed at Hayoung’s question.
“Honestly, after nearly dying this time, I realized how lacking I am. But seeing everyone saving my life and noticing how much everyone’s martial arts have improved just makes me more aware of my own training inadequacies…”
I see. Seems like it’s common for martial artists to feel pathetic about themselves for reasons like this. There’s hardly another profession where one compares oneself to others as much as martial artists do.
Since we’re all part of the Martial Arts History, they must be in a subtle competitive relationship, but when the gap widens significantly, it’s understandable they would feel inadequate.
“Is that so?”
Of course, Hayoung, who’s not a martial artist, responded lightly, but I decided to offer some advice.
“Twin Blossom, since you saved my life, let me offer some advice: just work harder from now on.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. Realizing your shortcomings compared to others is also an important skill as a martial artist, isn’t it?”
“…That’s true. Thank you for the advice.”
That should suffice.
“Anyway, Serin, we should head back, shouldn’t we? When shall we go?”
“I plan to wait until Geunhyeop recovers fully before we move.”
“Tomorrow should be okay.”
“Hmm… I’ll have to see about that. For now, I think I’ll focus on nursing Geunhyeop while managing the town.”
“Ah.”
The state of the town is a mess.
It’s been completely slaughtered by the Pig Clan.
“After that, I plan to search for the martial artists that fled, or gather trophies as Twin Blossom said. We can receive a huge reward if we submit the heads of the Pig Clan along with the Moonblade.”
“That’s right. Wow, but Serin, didn’t we also catch the Pig Clan leader? Bringing Donmu’s head should earn us quite a bounty, don’t you think?”
“Yes, indeed.”
As Serin nodded, Mo Yongmiu added.
“Yes. You’ll be able to earn a very large reward. He’s a demon recognized by Jeopalgi.”
“Recognized, you say?”
“Being recognized is what got him to become a leader. As you, Geunhyeop, have experienced firsthand, his strength was tremendous, right?”
He was strong indeed.
We barely got the win thanks to our teamwork.
“According to the Central Plains’ demon classification, he might be at least in the mid-level demon range. Defeating such a demon is truly an amazing achievement…”
“Wait! Mid-level demon?!”
“Yes?”
“Then isn’t he at least a top-tier martial artist by martial artist standards?”
“Generally speaking, yes.”
This is insane!
Is it true?!
“That Pig Clan leader is a top-tier martial artist? But we defeated him?”
Not just me, but everyone was astonished.
Amidst our deliberation, Mo Yongmiu calmly explained.
“Even among top-tier martial artists, there are levels. Moreover, you didn’t defeat him alone, did you? In fact, the people present here are also quite extraordinary martial artists, so if this level of martial artists combine their strength, even a mid-level demon wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“That much is true.”
My goodness.
We took down a top-tier demon.
“Oh, we might have grown more powerful than we initially thought.”
“Well, honestly, we’re strong enough, right? Plus, our teamwork is exceptional, isn’t it? So that could be enough.”
This is a monumental achievement indeed.
Donmu’s head will surely be of great value.
When I calculate it up, this journey has yielded amazing results. Not only the Twin Blade, but I’ve also formed a good relationship with the Mo Yong Clan and beheaded the mid-level demon Donmu, taking his inner core as well.
Oh, our name will surely be elevated even more.
* * *
That night.
Mo Yongmiu, lying down in another room to rest, couldn’t help but be distracted by the sounds from the other room.
‘They all went into the same room.’
She hadn’t really talked to the blonde woman and had assumingly dashed off to keep watch, so that was aside.
Now two martial artists and a man were in the same room. The man was injured, but the two women were caring for him devotedly. She couldn’t stop thinking about it.
‘Hmm…’
Honestly, being bonded through the Martial Arts History made her very interested in everyone. Very much so.
But two of them falling for one man is truly unprecedented. You could say one man has captured two flowers.
‘How is that possible?’
Mo Yongmiu had thought about wanting to experience love herself. Just that she never had the opportunity.
However, she thought that someone like herself, being part of the Martial Arts History, would surely find a splendid match, and that would be the case for the others too.
Two of them left first… but both went for the same man?
‘Well, he is quite a handsome benefactor…’
With fair skin, striking features, and a big build. He’s your typical handsome guy. A slight stubble on his chin may divide opinions, but he looks rather sophisticated in a woman’s eyes.
‘His martial arts skills are pretty good.’
Besides, his skills seemed quite impressive. He used some unique martial arts technique didn’t he? After all, he fought well against the Pig Clan leader.
‘Is it because of such a man that the Jade Flower Sword and Fiery Lotus are so smitten?’
What’s more, the fact that they are establishing and nurturing a faction together is somewhat historic and intriguing.
Unknowingly, both had already gone far together. But what bothered her most was, of course, not the martial arts but the relationship of the three.
‘How can three of them live together? Which means they always share the same bed… Oh, and they haven’t held the wedding yet…’
Mo Yongmiu’s face flushed.
Along with that, heat rose throughout her body.
She knew it was rude to think about someone else’s love life, but given that it involved fellow martial artists, she couldn’t help but feel more concerned.
But it wasn’t just the other two who bothered her.
‘…Geunhyeop, they called him.’
The heroic figure who saved her life in that life-and-death moment.
Thoughts about him crossed her mind.
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