The major affairs of Podalap Palace cannot be decided by the Lord alone. Podalap Palace is fundamentally a bastion for the Milseung and the Lamas, which means they must seek consent from the Lamas of each sect regarding the palace’s actions.
Seeking consent itself is not a difficult task. The Milseung and the Lamas, who are their masters, do not usually exert influence as long as Podalap Palace does not act against the rules. Although this matter seems distant, it is aimed at reducing spilled blood, so they had no reason to oppose.
However, the Lamas and Milseung are individuals who repeat various ascetic practices as if breathing.
Silent practice, wall-gazing, fasting, meditation… and so on. While it is not difficult to seek their consent, it also means that disturbing the Lamas and Milseung in their practices makes it difficult to meet them at all.
‘Because of that, I had no choice but to postpone my martial arts practice with Sara today.’
Rano Jingbu smiled broadly while hiding a gift for Sara behind his back.
[It seems that Sara is interested in swords, perhaps because of Miss Yeo Il-ye the Magician. Indeed, Yeo Il-ye has many elements that are worthy of admiration for kids of Sara’s age. If I gift her a sword, she will definitely be delighted.]
Having chosen a gift for Sara based on Chai-rang’s advice, Rano Jingbu awaited the arrival of Sara, who would soon return.
How happy will she be? She might even run up and say, “Daddy loves you!” If she did, I could give her hundreds or thousands of swords.
Chai-rang looked at Rano Jingbu with a bemused expression, unable to stop him grinning while hiding the sword behind his back. Although they had promised to spend family time together during dinner, it wasn’t long before Sara returned home looking sulky.
“You’re back, Sara.”
“Mom~”
Sara jumped into Chai-rang’s arms. To Sarah’s surprise, Chai-rang thought this reaction might actually be better than expected regarding the gift.
Glancing sideways, Rano Jingbu seemed to have the same thought and was taking out the sword he had hidden behind his back with eager eyes.
“What happened outside?”
“Ugh, I’m worried about how to deal with Senior Ho the Magician…”
What in the world does that mean? In the blink of Chai-rang’s eyes, Rano Jingbu was quickly tidying up the sword to give to Sara. He was waiting for Sara to look his way. Rano Jingbu smiled, imagining Sara’s astonished expression when she saw it.
“Uh, Mother.”
“What is it?”
“What are some ways for a girl to make a good impression on a boy?”
Clang!
The short sword Rano Jingbu was holding dropped to the floor.
“I’m off now!”
“Okay. Have fun.”
“….”
Sara dashed off to the inn where Senior Ho’s group was staying with the short sword she received as a gift the day before. The moment she saw the short sword that her father had dropped, she thought, ‘This is it!’
‘This is perfect!’
A brilliant two-for-one plan popped into her head.
‘I’ll ask Miss Yeo Il-ye to teach me swordsmanship!’
Sara revised her thoughts about Rano Jingbu in her heart. To give such a timely helpful gift! She had thought her tear glands were too weak to face her father lately, but it seemed that had been a misunderstanding.
Indeed, Father is reliable!
With these thoughts, Sara arrived at the inn where Senior Ho’s group was with a light step.
Just as she arrived, it turned out, Senior Ho and Yeo Il-ye were about to begin a sparring session. With bright eyes, Sara rushed into the space between them.
“Wait a second!”
Everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions as she thrust out the short sword.
“Oh, I see you received a practice sword as a gift.”
At Yeo Il-ye’s words, Sara huffed and nodded.
“Sister! Today, you are teaching me swordsmanship!”
“Um. But…”
Yeo Il-ye looked back and forth between Senior Ho and Sara, appearing unsure. Senior Ho chuckled and took a step back.
“It’s okay. Practicing alone is enough, so today, just watch Sara’s swordsmanship.”
“But…”
“I want to learn swordsmanship from you, Sister! Please~”
Sara clung to Yeo Il-ye, shamelessly pouting. Yeo Il-ye’s face, once colored with embarrassment, soon melted as Sara rubbed her face against hers.
“Alright, alright, I see. Today, I will teach you swordsmanship!”
“Yay, I’m excited!”
Got it! Sara cheered internally. Not only would she get to learn Yeo Il-ye’s stunning sword techniques, but she had also managed to separate Yeo Il-ye and Senior Ho – the ultimate two-for-one scheme!
“Senior Ho, then how about checking your hidden techniques after a long time? Didn’t you say you’ve been learning how to create hidden techniques from Sister So-yeol lately?”
Tang Do-yeon, who had been fondly watching Sara’s sudden pouting, interjected. Recently, Senior Ho had been laying the foundation with Yeo Il-ye. Since it wouldn’t do just to practice swordsmanship alone and develop bad habits, it was best to review Hidden Techniques today instead.
“Hm. That’s not a bad idea.”
“Then…”
Just as Tang Do-yeon was about to say more, her eyes met Sara’s. Sara was shooting a glare while making a gesture!
“…?”
Tang Do-yeon couldn’t understand why Sara was acting like that but then took a step back under the pressure of Sara’s fierce look. Other than the part related to Bicheongmacha, Tang Do-yeon, who had sharp instincts, changed her words upon catching Sara’s sign.
“Well, now that I think about it, maybe we should check the cart?”
Upon seeing Sara’s eyes light up, which confirmed this was the right direction, Tang Do-yeon decided to go along with her for now.
“I’m sorry, Senior Ho. We need to check the cart a little later…”
“Alright, I understand.”
Senior Ho looked at Tang Do-yeon, who suddenly changed her mind, with a puzzled expression but didn’t think much of it. After defeating Tang Do-yeon with a glare, Sara beamed and clapped her hands.
“Oh! Then, Senior Ho the Magician can practice with Black Cat Sister!”
“Hmm?”
“Since Black Cat Sister has been busy taking care of me all the time! Practicing together wouldn’t be bad either!”
“Hmm.”
Senior Ho scratched his chin. Now that he thought about it, that was true.
He had been doing various outside activities like magic performances and herbal checks, while the only practices he carried out were with Yeo Il-ye and his forging work with Tang So-yeol.
‘Though I’ve seen the duel between the Lord and Black Cat a lot, I’ve never actually sparred with Black Cat herself, who possesses Nine Yin.’
During last winter, they had sparred freely, but now Black Cat was someone who could wield entirely different martial arts techniques.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to experience Bicheongmacha.
Just as he thought about it and looked towards Black Cat, Rano Jingbu suddenly appeared.
“I’ll take that sparring!”
“Oh, are you willing?”
Senior Ho’s face lit up with joy. Sparring with Black Cat could be done at any time, but mixing hands with Rano Jingbu, the Lord of Podalap Palace, wasn’t something that came easily.
Rano Jingbu glared at Senior Ho with shining eyes while twisting her mouth upward.
“Right. It has been a while since we faced each other, and I haven’t shown you my strength yet.”
Immediately, the sparring between Senior Ho and Rano Jingbu commenced.
“Then let’s get started.”
Rano Jingbu lightly evaded Senior Ho’s attack, thinking, ‘He’s definitely a talented young man.’ Although he had only recently mastered the sword energy, he was already grasping the fundamental principle of cutting off the flow of energy.
How could cloth beat metal?
This knowledge is shattered at the peak moment. In a fight up to the first-class level, the one wielding a weapon will always have an upper hand against an unarmed opponent, but at the peak, the importance begins to fade.
From the peak onward, not only the gaps in weapons matter, but also the collision of energies must be considered.
Senior Ho swung his sword diligently, trying to cut through Rano Jingbu’s flow of energy.
‘Lacking in practical experience.’
Rano Jingbu skillfully pressured Senior Ho. To cut the energy, one must inevitably show gaps in the physical battle and choose only the paths that expose them while constantly threatening to unleash techniques at any moment.
Under Rano Jingbu’s skillful management of energy, Senior Ho’s hands and feet quickly became confused. As Rano Jingbu pushed through the gaps displayed by Senior Ho, memories of the previous night flickered in her mind.
[What are some ways for a girl to make a good impression on a boy?]
The moment she heard that, the skies turned yellow for Rano Jingbu, her vitality drained, and her limbs weakened, causing her to tremble all over.
Sara… Sara…! Already conscious of boys?!
Even though she was only fifteen, she hadn’t yet experienced the world and remained an untainted child!
Three years, no, five years, no, any length of time is too early!
Somehow managing to shake off her shock, Rano Jingbu had heard the stories about Senior Ho and Black Cat’s interaction, but already her sense of alertness was markedly triggered.
‘It’s better to be prepared than sorry!’
The only two potential threats to Sara right now are just two! Okryong and Senior Ho! However, since Okryong isn’t a particularly threatening figure, the only one that posed a problem was Senior Ho.
Strictly speaking, Senior Ho was the lifesaver of Sara. Naturally, Sara could develop feelings for Senior Ho. Though it wasn’t romantic love… Rano Jingbu, whose alertness was already heightened, found this unsettling.
Rano Jingbu stared at the stunned face of Senior Ho, who had left room for attack. This guy is gaining my daughter’s attention, huh? Memories of yesterday’s shock resurfaced, causing a surge of emotions.
‘He has his eyes set on Sara? Then I must make sure he does not forget that Rano Jingbu is behind Sara!’
Fueled with the emotions of a doting father, Rano Jingbu made a dramatic move. Senior Ho was instantly taken aback by her unsettling technique.
Boom!
The technique left deep marks on the martial arts training ground’s floor. Senior Ho swallowed hard as he gazed upon the marks and then looked back at Rano Jingbu.
“…My Lord?”
“Uha! Uha ha! Why are you acting like that? Practice as if it were real, and when real, think of it as practice! Here we go!”
“YIKES!!”
Bang! Crash! Bang!
As Senior Ho screamed and rolled on the floor, Rano Jingbu grinned ominously and unleashed relentless techniques upon him.
“Ah, my God.”
Senior Ho rolled around on the ground, shouting in pain, while Rano Jingbu chased after him, launching her martial arts. The others blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation, watching them in stunned silence.
Sara, witnessing this, touched her forehead as if she had a headache.
‘Dad, you idiot!’
Having received a sword as a gift, Rano Jingbu’s rating had dramatically plummeted.
Unknowingly to her, Rano Jingbu continued to vigorously roll Senior Ho.
* *
When Senior Ho entered the blacksmith shop, his eyes blinked in surprise.
Poke. Poke.
‘What is this? What the heck is happening?’
He had only come to receive blacksmithing lessons, yet there was Tang So-yeol sitting Sara on her lap while persistently pinching her cheeks. Although Sara’s face, which had been given to the pinching, was filled with dissatisfaction and looked about to explode at any moment, she sat quietly on the chair in this bizarre situation!
“Um, Master?”
“Today’s class is canceled.”
“What? No way! You specifically told me to come for the technique of maintaining the center for hidden techniques today!”
“Not my concern. Anyway, today’s class is canceled.”
Senior Ho sighed heavily. It wasn’t the first time Tang So-yeol had been obstinate, but this level of obstinacy was a first.
“How about a spar with Black Cat, which we didn’t do earlier?”
“Ugh, I was just utterly crushed by the Lord earlier, and still, my body is aching! What kind of sparring are you talking about? I should be lying down right now!”
At Senior Ho’s grumbling, Sara flinched. Tang So-yeol, peering closely at her, intensified the pinching of her cheeks, continuing.
“Don’t you know that struggle is also a way to make a struggle? The body aching from a spar needs to be soothed by another spar. You will feel better once you’ve received a cold ice technique treatment!”
“Oh, of course, the one who does not teach is very concerned for his disciples, huh?”
Grumbles and complaints echoed from Senior Ho, yet he ultimately moved toward Black Cat as suggested by Tang So-yeol.
Tang So-yeol, ready to chew on her cheeks, seemed to be intent on squeezing Sara’s cheeks tighter and patting her head. Sara’s cheeks were puffy, showing the effects of the relentless massaging by Tang So-yeol.
Tang So-yeol, seeing this puffed-up expression, poked Sara’s cheeks with a chuckle.
“Hey, I kept my promise, so why make such faces?”
“It hurts!”
“Hmm. Then I will be gentler.”
With her hands becoming a bit softer, Sara’s face relaxed somewhat. Sara argued for the excuse of skipping Senior Ho’s class, while Tang So-yeol demanded the squeezing of cheeks in return.
“You seem to really like Black Cat.”
Previously, after receiving a rough cheek rub, Sara kept her distance like a wary cat. But now, she voluntarily approached Tang So-yeol and even offered her cheeks to squeeze.
Sara eyeing Tang So-yeol with cautious eyes. To Sara’s view, Tang So-yeol could also be a potential obstacle. Upon sensing the meaning behind Sara’s gaze, Tang So-yeol smirked and pulled the cheeks of her face.
“Ugh.”
“How cute.”
Sara, being tormented by Tang So-yeol’s ruthless hands, thought about Black Cat. Having endured the great loss of letting Tang So-yeol squeeze her cheeks, she believed it must yield results.
‘Sister, hang in there!’
“Haoow…”
As Sara’s cheeks were being twisted under Tang So-yeol’s merciless grip, she cheered for Black Cat.
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