Chapter: 475
“…Who are you?”
Shin Noya’s voice, asking with a frown, spreads out in all directions.
“What…?”
What is this old man saying?
I found myself opening my mouth wide in surprise at such an unexpected remark.
Compared to the fact that I had countless things to argue with Dangjemun just moments ago, the single word that Noya uttered made me forget all those words.
“Noya…?”
“Huh? Do you know that person?”
Noya frowns at me, seemingly unaware of how absurd I am.
“Another woman… tsk tsk, it seems your bright nature hasn’t changed, has it?”
Noya’s gaze is directed to Dangjemun’s chest.
Coughed…
“…Noya.”
Are you really out of your mind?
What is this old man doing now?
Setting aside the fact that he doesn’t recognize Dangjemun,
How could a Taoist blush while looking at a woman’s chest?
This was an absurd situation on many levels.
“What are you doing, Noya?”
“What… are you talking about?”
He seems aware he’s embarrassed, as he keeps coughing and avoiding my gaze.
On one hand, it was hilarious, but on the other hand, I had to ask questions first in this incomprehensible situation.
“You don’t know who that person is?”
“How can I know such a woman?”
“No…”
Just when I was wondering about Noya’s words,
Heh heh…
Suddenly, laughter echoed from far away, where Dangjemun was seated.
Dangjemun was quietly laughing behind his hand, clearly amused by something.
“Huh?”
Upon witnessing this, Shin Noya’s eyes widened in realization.
Seeing that, I also felt a sigh of relief within me.
Yeah, it makes no sense not to recognize her.
Just as I was about to nod with that thought.
“You… Aren’t you Jehee?”
“Huh?”
An unexpected name slipped from Noya’s mouth.
Jehee? Who’s that Jehee?
Despite Noya’s words, Dangjemun remains silent and only smiles.
“Dangjemun’s younger sister. Right? I can see everything from here.”
“…”
Hmm.
I pondered while watching Noya ramble as if possessed.
Where should I start picking this apart?
‘…If it’s Jehee, does that mean Dang Jehee?’
Considering that my older brother is Dangjemun, my younger sister would be Dangjehee… I wondered if they were just randomly devised names.
‘No, that’s not important.’
Getting caught up in the moment, I momentarily entertained some bizarre thoughts, but the important stuff wasn’t this.
“Noya, what do you mean by that…? That person is Senior Dangjemun, right?”
“Huh?”
As I pointed towards Dangjemun and questioned, this time Noya wore an odd expression and replied to me.
“You’re the one talking nonsense. What makes you think that woman resembles Dangjemun?”
“Uh, well that’s because…”
“Last time it was like this too, what nonsense are you spouting…?”
At my remark, Shin Noya grimaced heavily and said again.
“To begin with, that guy is a male. What kind of disgusting words are you saying…?”
“…”
Noya’s statement was so absurd that this time I frowned and stared at Dangjemun.
…What does this mean?
Dangjemun is a man? I gazed at Dangjemun with wide, astonished eyes.
Where on earth does that look like a man?
Even dressed up as a man, there’s absolutely no way I could mistake this body.
No matter how much we throw words around, the person, presumed to be Dangjemun, simply smiled back.
That smile carried a strange sense of longing.
Moments later, the woman rises from her seat.
She then looks at Noya and says,
“It’s been a while, Brother Cheol.”
Brother?
That’s a bit of a different title, isn’t it?
I made a subtle expression upon hearing the title, but Noya’s face brightened at those words.
“As expected…! You really are Jehee!”
His hearty laughter sounded as if he had genuinely decided to remember the Tang Dynasty text.
But what does that mean? Does that woman really not belong to Dangjemun? I wondered why on earth she had referred to herself as such.
“Jehee, who was Dangjemun’s younger sister…”
“You still lack insight.”
“Huh?”
‘What?’
As Dangjemun slowly approached Shin Noya, a sudden transformation occurred in her body.
This was because the body of Dangjemun, who had been stepping forward, began to grow larger and larger.
Little by little, she grew taller and her physique widened.
“…Uh… Huh?!”
Moreover, Shin Noya’s voice watching this was rising in confusion.
Gradually, Dangjemun expanded in size, gathering her hair tightly into a ponytail.
She pushed forward her new, confident physique—one that couldn’t even be compared to before—to Shin Noya and inquired,
“Do you understand a bit now?”
Dangjemun’s voice and manner of speaking had wholly transformed.
‘Whoa.’
I stood there with my mouth agape upon witnessing this.
Not only was this individual now as tall as Shin Noya, but she had the solid bone structure reminiscent of warriors from Hwangbo and Pang.
And the depth of her voice? It was among the deepest I’d ever encountered.
‘What is this?’
Where had that slender, beautiful woman I just saw vanished to?
What stood there now was an enormous man whose stature could send anyone running for cover.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one taken aback; Noya gazed at Dangjemun with eyes wide open, his voice trembling.
“Jeemun…?”
Seeing Shin Noya’s reaction, this was surely the true form of Dangjemun.
‘…Then what the heck is going on?’
A jumble of thoughts scrambled in my head.
When she was still a woman, she looked like Dangjemun’s younger sister.
If this is the appearance of the current Dangjemun…
‘…Who are you really?’
Which one is the truth?
Is it the woman called Jehee?
Or is it the current form of Dangjemun?
Just as these bizarre thoughts raced through my mind.
“You…”
With still-furrowed brows, Shin Noya stared at Dangjemun.
“Were you using an energy transformation technique?”
Energy transformation? I focused on Noya’s words.
It was the first time I had heard of such a spell’s name.
After hearing this, Dangjemun chuckled softly and nodded ever so slightly.
“So all along… you’re saying you’ve been deceiving us.”
“That’s incorrect.”
In response to Noya’s claim, Dangjemun firmly refuted.
“I only deceived you.”
“What?”
Noya’s eyes widened at Dangjemun’s declaration.
Doubt swirled within them—why was he only deceiving him?
To this, Dangjemun replied calmly.
“You, alone, were misled. The others had figured it out ages ago.”
“…Huh?”
“…”
Hearing this made me feel a cringe of embarrassment.
‘Energy transformation.’
From the name alone, it seemed to be a martial art designed to reshape the body. I had never heard of one that could alter someone this seamlessly.
It would be an extraordinary feat to transform such a dainty, feminine form into a robust, masculine physique.
Unless one was a master who had perfected reverse transformation techniques, it wouldn’t make sense for a practitioner of the Dang clan like Dangjemun to solely focus on that skill.
‘What the heck is this?’
While existential curiosity tickled my brain regarding this enigmatic ability…
“Well… then…”
Dangjemun’s words were interrupted by Noya, who asked, his voice trembling.
“…What about Jehee?”
As I conjured the image of the woman I had thought was Dangjemun’s sister, Dangjemun let out a sly smile.
“Sorry, but I’m an only child, Shincheol.”
“Ughhhhhh…!!”
In shock from Dangjemun’s disclosure, Shin Noya collapsed as if he’d received a heavy blow.
Seeing that, I inwardly stifled a cough.
Well…
‘It’s understandable to be flabbergasted if you learn that your friend was actually a girl.’
I figured that if I were to hear about some sleeping dragon being a woman, I’d probably react the same way.
‘It’s even funnier that I was the only one clueless.’
Everyone in the group noticed Dangjemun was a woman, but Shin Noya was the sole clueless one about Dangjemun’s gender.
Even until the bitter end.
‘And then.’
This means that the old man missed the feelings that Dangjemun held for him.
How absurd to hear that.
‘Who’s calling who tactless here?’
Seeing the guy who’d spent all this time nagging me about my alleged cluelessness act like this was amusing in many ways.
Shin Noya, still in shock for quite a while, eventually looked on as Dangjemun seemed to let go of her strength, returning to her former self.
Muscles that looked like they would rip through her clothing diminished.
She transformed back to the exquisite beauty from earlier.
‘…Even now, it’s awe-inspiring to see.’
How can something flip so dramatically?
In my curiosity, I noticed myself gazing at her.
“Houin.”
“Yes, yes!”
My heart leapt at Dangjemun’s call as I quickly responded.
My focus should have been sharp, honed from training with Namgungbia, yet I had let my guard slip and found myself in this predicament.
I gulped down a dry throat.
This cannot continue.
I mustn’t be like that lecherous old volcano.
I struggled to maintain my gaze, directing it solely at Dangjemun’s eyes.
Her eyes were far more dazzling than the brilliant shade of green once possessed by Dokbi before he lost his sight.
What that indicates is…
‘Proof of invulnerability to poison.’
At least that’s what I’ve heard; frankly, I can’t say for certain.
It represented the level of prowess Dokbi achieved in his past life, and likely it was the same for Dangjemun as well.
As I fixated on her eyes, Dangjemun slowly continued.
“Have you had many conversations with that foolish guy?”
Somehow, my nickname had switched from Shincheol to “fool.”
“Yes, I’ve had quite a few talks.”
If referring to prior interactions before Shin Noya stepped back, I suppose that would be accurate.
However, I realized I hadn’t heard much about Noya himself.
While lost in thought, Dangjemun looked at me and asked,
“Did they not mention anything about me?”
“Oh, yes. Not particularly about you… Ah.”
Remembering things about Dangjemun brought to mind the Murong family’s young lady, whom Shin Noya would often mention.
Maybe that’s why I let the words slip out before I even realized.
“I have heard about the young lady of the Murong clan.”
“Oh.”
As soon as Dangjemun heard that, his expression turned icy.
Seeing it, I felt inside that I was in trouble.
Is this a topic I should have avoided?
Sure enough, Dangjemun looked at me with cold eyes and said,
“I see you spoke of Lady Murong.”
In a frenzied attempt to salvage the situation, I added,
“Um… just that she was taken away by the Brain Heaven Sword…”
“Taken away?! You mean Namgung Myung took her?!”
After hearing my words, Dangjemun’s eyes widened momentarily before breaking into a mocking smile.
“I see you still believe that.”
“Huh?”
“Good to know.”
Dangjemun’s eyes crinkled into a smile that sent a shiver down my spine.
“I originally wanted to tell you this too….”
As if existing laughter was overshadowed by a chill that filled the air.
“You must never tell anyone.”
Heh heh.
Leaving the quietly smiling Dangjemun behind, outside the barrier,
Bang bang—!
The sound of Shincheol’s furious pounding echoed from the outside.
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