Chapter: 109
Oops. (1)
As the journey back to the clan began, the seasons changed before I knew it.
The sweltering heat of summer had passed, and the once vibrant green leaves were already painted in autumn hues.
Autumn arrived, bringing with it a tranquil breeze.
Thinking back to when I first returned, it had been spring, which meant I had already experienced three seasons.
“Finally, we’ve arrived…”
Having sat in the carriage for so long, my back was stiff, and I twisted to relieve the tension.
Crack-!
I only moved a little, yet the sound of my bones cracking echoed.
Upon entering the bustling town, I noticed many people milling about.
Is this Shanxi?
‘Is it your first time here?’
Of course not, it’s just that it looks so different from what I remember.
Was it really that different from the time Elder Shin was active? Hearing this made me a bit suspicious, as he spoke as if it was his first visit.
‘A lot of time has passed since then.’
Perhaps sensing we had arrived, Namgung Bi-ah, who had been dozing on Wi Seol-Ah’s shoulder, opened her eyes slightly. I was about to wake her up anyway, but she saved me the trouble.
Namgung Bi-ah stretched and twisted her body around. Watching her, I said,
“You must have had a good sleep; you look refreshed!”
“I do feel refreshed.”
I asked half-jokingly, yet she replied seriously.
I chuckled at her reaction and shifted my gaze toward the window.
Wi Seol-Ah, who was snoozing next to her, would likely wake up soon too.
“I think we’ll arrive shortly.”
At Muyeon’s words, I looked off into the distance and spotted the massive wall surrounding the Gu Clan’s headquarters.
Seeing the fortifications made me feel truly at home again.
“I really came back.”
After several months, I had finally returned home.
As the carriage entered the clan’s entrance, a crowd of people had already gathered.
I had expected this, as I had sent a letter ahead to notify them.
Gu Ryunghwa’s return was already big news, but the addition of the Sword Master and the Immortal Healer made it even bigger.
Stepping off the carriage, I spotted a fierce-looking middle-aged man at the front of the crowd. It was the Tiger Warrior, Gu Cheolun — my father had come out to wait for us.
That man must be your father.
‘You noticed right away, huh?’
It’d be strange if I didn’t; you two look identical…
Do we really resemble each other that much? To be honest, I’ve often heard I look like him since I was little.
And the comments seemed to increase as I grew.
You look even fiercer than him. That’s really something.
‘…’
That was no compliment at all.
I walked over to my father and met his gaze. Looking into his intense red eyes was still a bit overwhelming.
“Hmm.”
After silently studying me, my father’s eyebrow twitched for a moment.
His intense gaze seemed to notice the changes in me.
‘Well, I tried to be discreet about it.’
It hadn’t been long, but it was sufficient time to calm down the energy that had been swirling inside me.
I had purified all the demonic Qi absorbed from Nachal and managed to calm the Qi circulating around my dantian.
At this point, I could hide my martial arts level, but it appeared my father’s eyes would still pierce through that facade.
After examining me briefly, he spoke, “I received your messages from Mount Hua and the letter. It seems quite a lot has happened there.”
“…There were a few incidents.”
His sharp nodding was a rather dull response.
I had simply gone to return a treasure and bring back Gu Ryunghwa, yet somehow, things had escalated beyond what I anticipated.
“Since you’ve just returned from your trip, rest for the day and come to my room tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
Despite it being our first meeting in a while, that was the end of our conversation. He briskly walked past me toward the Sword Master and the Immortal Healer.
Following that, he lightly bowed to the Immortal Healer.
“It’s been a while, Senior Immortal Healer.”
“Indeed, it’s been a long time, Lord Gu. We haven’t seen each other in decades.”
“Are you keeping well?”
“Do you think an old man like me can be healthy? I’m just hanging on by a thread, but I’m glad to see you don’t look half bad now.”
It seemed my father once knew the Immortal Healer personally, which made sense considering the time he had spent in the world.
“I’ve prepared everything for your stay.”
“What did you prepare?”
“Since you said you didn’t want anything extravagant, I arranged a house for you to stay in.”
“Tsk, I didn’t even want this kind of fuss. I distinctly remember saying that merely a small room would suffice.”
The Immortal Healer’s tone had been unsatisfied, yet my father’s expression remained unchanged.
His gaze shifted to the Sword Master, and as Gu Ryunghwa stood close behind the woman, I noticed her shoulders tremble slightly under my father’s intense gaze.
The Sword Master regarded my father with a calm respect.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“I’ve heard you’ll be staying here with my daughter.”
“If it pleases you, I would like to.”
“With that understanding, I have no reasons to object. I truly hope you will have a pleasant stay.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
He turned toward Gu Ryunghwa but did not elaborate further.
“Good work.”
That was all he had to say.
I found it odd that he seemed so indifferent toward Gu Ryunghwa, whom he hadn’t seen in years, but it appeared she was relieved by his reaction.
Just as I thought it would be alright to head inside now that the greetings were concluded, someone stepped out of the crowd and approached my father.
“Huh??”
It was Namgung Bi-ah, who had finally stepped off the carriage.
“I greet the Lord of the Gu Clan from Shanxi. I am Namgung Bi-ah from the Namgung Clan.”
She spoke with great respect, her head bowed, but her tone was different somehow.
I had never seen Namgung Bi-ah speak so clearly before.
She seemed like a completely different individual than the one I knew. The vacant stare of hers had vanished, replaced by a straightened posture and neat hair.
Gone was her original rambling tone; what I saw now was a graceful and composed woman.
“Who is that girl?”
I could hardly believe that was the same girl who was drooling while sleeping in the carriage earlier…
It was honestly shocking to see such a transformation.
Father nodded as he assessed Namgung Bi-ah.
“I am Gu Cheolun. It’s a pleasure; I’ve been informed that you were traveling with my son.”
“Thanks to Young Master Gu’s kindness, I was able to join the journey.”
“I understand. However, I must inform you that the Namgung Clan is currently looking for you; I will reach out now that I’ve confirmed your whereabouts.”
Namgung Bi-ah nodded at my father’s statement.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she approached my side.
“What’s going on?”
“Hmm…?”
As soon as I questioned her, she immediately reverted to her old demeanor and speech.
‘What on earth? This is a little, no, this is genuinely frightening…’
I hadn’t realized she had the capacity for such conversations.
“What did you talk about?”
“He told me to stay here until my clan sends someone.”
I felt a dizzying mix of confusion when I witnessed her swiftly transition back to her previous self.
It appeared they were indeed going to contact the Namgung Clan about this, as my traveling with her had been anything but ordinary.
I had initially anticipated that the Namgung Clan would have people waiting for her at the Gu Clan, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“Will you be okay?”
I asked without thinking, unsure if I meant it was okay for her to go back or if it was acceptable for her to stay here.
I nervously blurted it out.
Namgung Bi-ah’s startled expression melted into a smile shortly after.
I was taken aback by her sudden smile…
“I’m fine,” she assured, her tone steady.
“Since there’s nothing left to fear anymore.”
Before I could comprehend what she meant by that, she followed a servant assigned to show her in.
‘What does that even mean?’
There seemed to be a lot wrapped in her words, but it was her smile that echoed in my mind.
That girl is truly charming.
I knew this was not a comment about her appearance.
The more time I spent with her, the more I noticed all the layers to Namgung Bi-ah that I hadn’t seen before.
To be precise, she appeared quite different from how I had known her as the Demonic Sword.
Though she was fundamentally the same person, she felt so distinctly transformed.
The empty eyes she used to bear had been replaced, and her newfound smiles suggested an entirely different persona.
You seem disappointed.
I nodded in acknowledgment of Elder Shin’s observation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I felt a twinge of disappointment. I truly was, having taken so long to realize she could show such joy.
While I was aimlessly lost in thought, someone grasped my hand, and I felt warmth and softness against my skin.
“Young Master! Let’s go inside!”
It was Wi Seol-Ah.
“Right, we should head inside.”
Father had also escorted the guests as their conversation concluded.
‘He asked me to rest for the day.’
That was likely why he had requested I visit his room the following day. After such an extensive journey, I found I truly needed some rest.
‘Yet, the flower still loomed as an issue.’
I hadn’t consumed the flower I obtained from the Black Palace after defeating Nachal, even now months later.
I had thought that a week would suffice for absorption, but acclimating to the new realm proved much lengthier.
You did hesitate, mentioning you hadn’t adjusted to it yet.
I had wished to master the blending technique Elder Shin had shown me, mixing the calming Taoist Qi with my kinetic energy for optimal use.
All that said, adding more Qi into my body had seemed more like a risk than a benefit.
It would have been too convenient to consume the flower during the trip, but establishing comfort with the new level took precedence.
Since both the flower and its Qi remained unchanged over time, I could defer consumption indefinitely.
Another realization was:
‘You cannot sense the flower’s energy without demonic Qi.’
This was more of an inkling, but I believed it to be true.
Neither the Sword Master nor Muyeon had noticed the flower during our journey. Wrapped in cloth or not, there was no way they wouldn’t sense it if it emitted average Qi.
While Namgung Bi-ah had a slight whiff of blood energy, she did not seem to connect it to the flower, which was a relief for me.
Do you think you’re ready now?
Elder Shin queried whether I was prepared to consume the flower.
‘Yes, I believe I have sufficiently prepared.’
While I couldn’t guarantee absolute readiness, I was confident that I had made satisfactory arrangements for it.
‘I plan to consume it tonight.’
Elder Shin didn’t comment further, hinting he trusted my decision.
The retreat I had returned to after a long absence looked much the same. Though it was expected, as the servants had undoubtedly maintained it in my absence.
The few companions who had left for Shanxi alongside me must have also been fatigued, yet they immediately began preparing once they had unpacked.
I found their commitment impressive.
I washed away my weariness and changed clothes. With some time remaining before sunset, I contemplated taking a short rest.
“Young Master.”
A servant approached to break my moment of peace.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a guest waiting in the guest house.”
“A guest? Who? Is it for me?”
I stood up in curiosity.
“Who is it?”
Upon hearing the servant’s response, I found myself hurrying to meet the situation at hand.
Ten days.
The guest had been waiting at the Gu Clan for ten long days.
It truly was an excessive length of time for anyone to remain in an unfamiliar place, especially bearing in mind that the person the guest sought was not even present.
At this point, she could have easily concluded she was simply unlucky and returned at a later date.
Moreover, a girl from a prestigious family would undoubtedly feel somewhat uncomfortable residing in a place like this.
Even so, she spent those ten days here.
“…What brings you here?” I queried while gazing at the girl.
I tried to meet her eyes, but she seemed far more interested in avoiding my gaze, her face slightly flushed, as she continued sipping her tea in silence.
“Lady Tang.”
The moment I called her name, she flinched.
“Yes…?”
“I heard you came here looking for me.”
Sitting before me was the cherished daughter of the Tang Clan, whom I had encountered during the military exhibition.
The girl who was currently known as the Poison Lady—soon to be hailed as the Poison Queen.
Tang Soyeol took a deep breath before finally speaking.
“Y… Yes! I came… to see you.”
It seemed she was trying to summon courage to speak, but the subsequent words faded into silence.
“…From Sichuan, to here? That’s quite the distance!”
“Yes, it’s probably not… too far?”
Even she appeared to now realize the absurdity of that statement. It was indeed quite far, as I had experienced that journey myself.
‘Sure, I went there intending to rob the vault, but what on earth brings her here?’
Initially, I assumed that she must have come for Namgung Bi-ah instead of me.
Realizing I was at Gu Clan threw that theory into chaos.
What an odd situation.
…You piece of shit.
‘W-what? What do you mean?’
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
Calling out to Elder Shin yet again, I was met only with deafening silence in return.
Putting the old man’s snarky comment aside, I turned my focus back to Tang Soyeol before me.
“So, you truly came here for my sake?”
“Y, yes! I came here to see you…”
“Why is that?”
“Because I wanted to see y… Gahhh!”
She abruptly halted her speech, seeming to bite her tongue. Afterward, she guzzled her tea, her face an alarming shade of crimson.
‘Isn’t that tea too hot for her to be drinking like that?’
Even I, accustomed to the flame arts, found it difficult to gulp down scorching liquids. Apparently, it presented no issue for Tang Soyeol.
When she finally finished her tea, she gathered her thoughts and opened her mouth again, the steam wafting gently from her lips.
“Young Master Gu…”
“Yes?”
“I came to ask you something.”
An individual from the Tang Clan had traveled all the way from Sichuan to Shanxi.
I wondered just what significance warranted such a personal visit.
Encouraging her to speak, I remained curious about the matter drawing her here.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Um… before that, I wish to ask you something…”
“What is it you wish to ask…?”
Tang Soyeol seemed to have calmed, yet I caught a glimmer of resentment in her gaze fixed on me.
What in the world was she going to ask to bring that look upon her? The question marks hovering in my mind swiftly resolved themselves as she asked,
“You mentioned your name was Gu Jeolyub… what is that about?”
‘Oh… oh no.’
That was something I had entirely forgotten.
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