Chapter: 49
I stood there, dumbfounded, after hearing the shocking revelation and clutching the wrapped stone tightly.
The Second Elder, perhaps noticing our awkward reactions, explained with a noticeably lowered voice, quite different from his usually boisterous tone.
“…Well, you see, I won this in a drinking bet a long time ago, but I forgot to give it back after sobering up…”
“…You staked one of your clan’s four treasures as a bet?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
He would’ve been more credible if he had just said he stole it… but now he wants me to believe this?!
What kind of insane Lord uses his clan’s treasure in a drinking bet!?
Then the Second Elder coughed before adding,
“…Don’t be too upset, this old man also bet something that was on par with that stone…”
“…Upset? Why would I be upset?”
“Hmm? They bet one of their four treasures, so wouldn’t you be a bit sadder thinking I didn’t bet anything?”
“Seriously, what are you rambling about?”
And wait, did he just say he also bet something comparable to this stone? Does the Second Elder even have such a thing?
At this point, I was starting to think the Second Elder was just having fun at my expense.
Yeah, there’s no way this could possibly be their clan’s treasure.
I chuckled, convinced that the Second Elder was just pulling my leg.
“Come on, even if I look foolish to you, isn’t this prank a bit over the top?”
I decided to unwrap the cloth, eagerly wanting to end this joke…
And instantaneously, the scent of plums spread all around.
It was a soft, sweet aroma.
As I looked down at the unwrapped item in my hands, I could see a round, glowing stone.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I quickly wrapped the stone back up.
…Crap. No matter how I look at it, this is the real deal.
If a shining stone emitting a plum fragrance isn’t a treasure, then what on earth is?
“How can you wrap such a treasure in such cheap cloth!?”
“Hey! The Lord of their clan gave it to me like that, so why are you getting mad at this old man?!”
“What kind of person carries a treasure in a shabby cloth like this?”
I felt like I was going to lose my mind.
How was I going to handle this? Suddenly, I found myself in a situation where I had to transport this treasure all the way to Mount Hua.
I never thought I would be receiving one of Mount Hua’s treasures from a member of the Gu Clan.
“…Why are you making me deliver this? You should just contact the delivery group for a safer option.”
“There’s no safer place than the one you’re in now, so don’t worry and just go.”
Huh?
I pondered his words for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant…
Then I remembered the Sword Emperor softly speaking to a horse behind me.
If both the Second Elder and my father were aware of the true identity of the Sword Emperor, then his words started to make sense.
…But why make me carry this?!
I almost dropped dead when I first laid eyes on the stone.
As I gripped the treasure with clammy hands, the Second Elder smiled and said,
“Oh, I’ve already spoken with their Clan’s Lord, so you don’t need to worry and can just go.”
“So you’ve made plans without even asking me…?”
Why was it always me who ended up doing things against my will?
I felt like I was being treated worse than the clan’s only son.
…Then again, I’ve never really been treated all that great…
Since everything was already arranged, I had no grounds to reject their requests.
I delicately placed the stone into my pocket; as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t just ask the Sword Emperor to hold onto it for me.
Luckily, the stone was small enough that it didn’t attract much attention.
Once I secured the stone in my pocket, Muyeon came up to me.
“Young Master, we are ready to depart.”
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
As I turned towards the carriage, the Second Elder stopped me.
“Just like when you went to Sichuan—”
“Yes, I’ll return without causing any trouble.”
“Yet you came back after smashing the Lightning Dragon’s arm.”
“…”
– Ahem.
“So, where is my sister?”
Gu Huibi, who had been next to me just moments ago, had suddenly vanished.
Upon asking, the Second Elder chuckled.
“She’s probably crying somewhere because she can’t see you anymore.”
“What?”
“She’s likely hiding behind some tree, crying because she can’t see you since she’s going away. So don’t worry about it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the Second Elder’s words.
This was harder to believe than the claim that the stone I was holding was one of the four great treasures of the clan.
That fiery woman is shedding tears over me? Yeah, right.
It seemed far more believable that she would just tease me since she had been assigned to go somewhere far away.
The thought of Gu Huibi crying made me chuckle softly.
It was such an uncharacteristic sight for her.
“Anyway, I’ll be back soon.”
Needing to leave soon, I respectfully bowed to the Second Elder before getting into the carriage.
“Take care, and have a nice trip.”
“Yes, Second Elder, look after yourself.”
– Neigh!
As soon as I settled into the carriage, the powerful sound of the horses echoed and the carriage set off towards Mount Hua, marking the beginning of our journey.
After Gu Yangcheon left, the Second Elder entered his quarters and noticed someone quietly sobbing in the corner.
– Sigh-
The Second Elder let out a sigh that felt out of character for him.
“Were you really that upset?”
The figure curled up in the corner flinched at the Second Elder’s voice.
“Yangcheon isn’t some three-year-old child, so why are you crying like this?”
“He… is still very fragile…! He’s even been skipping meals due to training…”
The sobbing voice belonged to none other than Gu Huibi.
“If you constantly fuss over Yangcheon, then Yeonseo will feel neglected.”
“Yeonseo is doing fine on her own, but Yangcheon always stirs up trouble wherever he goes.”
The Second Elder was left speechless.
Even this time, he returned from the Sichuan trip after breaking the arm of the Namgung Clan’s heir.
Honestly, upon hearing the story, the Second Elder had hoped Yangcheon would have broken a leg instead, but as the clan elder, he had to restrain himself from saying that.
“…I barely got to see him too…”
The Second Elder averted his gaze from the weepy Gu Huibi.
…Despite being referred to as the Sword Phoenix, in the Second Elder’s eyes, she was still a granddaughter who hadn’t matured yet.
After watching for a brief moment, the Second Elder left quietly, shutting the door behind him.
And about seven days later,
Someone approached the Gu clan’s gate and knocked on it.
*
Three days before Gu Huibi embarked on her mission.
She was in a particularly foul mood because of a certain incident.
And it was made worse by the character standing before her.
“And who are you again?”
She asked quite rudely.
It was appropriate to show respect, no matter whether the person was younger or older, but Gu Huibi was quite careless about manners, even if it made her seem rude.
The person in front of her didn’t seem bothered by Gu Huibi’s antics and politely nodded her head.
“I am Namgung Bi-ah.”
She’s absurdly pretty.
That was Gu Huibi’s first impression of Namgung Bi-ah upon meeting her.
The odd servant her brother always hung around with was already stunning, yet this Namgung girl was equally impressive.
‘The greatest beauty of Anhui’… She truly did live up to that name.
How annoying.
“Yeah, I got that, but why are you here?”
Gu Huibi couldn’t help but notice that Namgung Bi-ah’s outfit was covered in leaves and dirt.
Had she traversed a rough path? Or had she perhaps just battled some monsters on her way here?
Namgung Bi-ah answered confidently,
“I came to see my fiancé.”
“Fiancé…”
She wasn’t wrong, but the mention frustrated Gu Huibi.
“I heard it’s not officially recognized yet.”
“Oh…”
Was that so? Namgung Bi-ah’s expression conveyed her confusion.
Unlike her frosty brother, Gu Huibi felt a touch that his fiancée appeared a bit ditzy.
I don’t like her.
Still, there was something she could say that might brighten her mood regarding Namgung Bi-ah.
Of course, she hadn’t particularly liked this sentiment just days ago, but now it seemed to have some usefulness.
“Well,” Gu Huibi let out a snicker.
“Too bad. My little brother isn’t in the clan right now.”
“…Little brother?”
“Yeah, little bro. I’m his older sister.”
“…Oh!”
Namgung Bi-ah nodded as if she’d just realized something important.
“Hello.”
And then, she elegantly bow her head as a show of respect.
That sudden action flustered Gu Huibi.
What on earth?
She quickly responded, still perplexed.
“…Uh, yeah… Nice to meet you.”
“Then… where is he now?”
“He went to Mount Hua. It’s quite a distance, right? Too bad for you; you might as well just head home…”
“Mount Hua…!”
Gu Huibi almost stumbled over her words as she saw the bright smile spread across Namgung Bi-ah’s face at hearing about Gu Yangcheon’s whereabouts.
Her pride took a hit, but the sheer beauty of that smile was hard to deny.
Just as Namgung Bi-ah was about to turn and leave, she paused and asked Gu Huibi a most unexpected question.
“Are you a sword wielder?”
“…Yes, hasn’t your little brother told you?”
Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head at that, clearly puzzled.
Little brother? Should I have known about that?
Apparently, Namgung Cheonjun was discreet about discussing anyone stronger than himself.
And it was clear that the woman standing before them was significantly stronger than him.
She exuded strength in every way, and Namgung Bi-ah was certain.
She is most likely stronger than me.
The aura surrounding her was electric yet fluid, signaling just that.
It was reminiscent of her fiancé’s aura but much thicker.
Excitement bubbled up within Namgung Bi-ah.
She had a burning desire to take a step closer to her, even just to fight.
Moreover, she swings a sword?!
This woman represented everything Namgung Bi-ah ever wanted in a martial artist.
She wanted to beg for even a few days of her attention, even just to get a spar with her. However,
“…It’s unfortunate, but right now isn’t a good time.”
“What?”
“Thank you for informing me.”
Namgung Bi-ah bowed her head once more.
“…Uh… Sure.”
Gu Huibi felt her mind go numb from the politeness of Namgung Bi-ah’s behavior.
Yet she quickly regained her composure and spoke with determination.
“I’ll say it again, my little brother isn’t in the clan right now… so you should just head back—wait, what?”
Suddenly realizing that Namgung Bi-ah had vanished before her eyes, Gu Huibi fell silent in shock.
“What the— where did she go…?”
Gu Huibi stood there dazed for a moment, feeling as if she had just encountered a ghost.
The next day, however, she heard that the Namgung clan had sent a message asking the Gu clan to seize Namgung Bi-ah if they ever saw her again.
But by then, it was already too late.
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