Chapter 13: Obsidian Insignia (1)
“I messed up….”
That was the first thought that crossed Gu Yangcheon’s mind when he returned to his quarters.
I’m screwed. Absolutely screwed.
“This idiot, what was I even thinking?”
I recalled how Gu Yeonseo had collapsed, stunned and bleeding from her nose after my slap.
My body was weak, and since I didn’t put any Qi into the slap, it probably didn’t cause any major damage.
“But even so, I definitely went too far.”
I didn’t mean that I put too much force into the slap. From my perspective, it was more than justified, yet that wasn’t something I could just brush off.
I simply forgot Gu Yeonseo’s status.
Did I really need to make a member of the Gu Clan eat dirt so disgracefully in front of hundreds of spectators at our clan’s festival?
It was understandable for Gu Yeonseo to lose her cool due to her young age.
But with my age being almost double hers when taking my previous life into account, I still let my emotions get the better of me.
“I’m still so immature, even after all this.”
Wait, isn’t this the fault of that Second Elder? He instigated me to do all this at his age!
…Why even question it? Of course, it’s his fault.
Whoosh…
The sound of the breeze tickled my ears as it passed by.
Though winter was long gone, the spring night was still cold.
Surprisingly, I could withstand the chill quite well in my thin martial attire thanks to my flame Qi.
“Ah-choo!”
Turning at the sound of the sneeze, I saw Muyeon and Wi Seol-Ah.
While Muyeon greeted me, Wi Seol-Ah stepped closer, a roll of cloth in her hands.
“What do you have there?”
“Master… your hand…”
I glanced at my palm.
The skin was peeling, and blood was seeping out.
It was probably because I slapped Gu Yeonseo while she was covered in Qi.
A person holding Qi regenerates faster than an average person. A wound like this would heal quickly on its own.
“This is nothing… I’m fine—”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Wi Seol-Ah rushed to wrap my hand in the cloth, her efforts clumsy as she seemed flustered.
I wanted to wrap it myself, but seeing her tears made it hard for me to intervene.
She had looked quite lively while watching the Second Elder beat up Peng Woojin, yet now, she was acting as if I had been mortally wounded.
‘Wrapping bandages in this way… it’s kind of impressive, I guess.’
To think the future number one in the world was bandaging my hand for me—now that’s a sort of honor, isn’t it?
After what felt like an eternity, she finally stopped, and my hand had grown twice its normal thickness.
She gazed at me, about to burst into tears.
“Master, does it hurt a lot…?”
“It didn’t hurt before, but now it kind of does because of this.”
“So you’re saying it doesn’t hurt, right? Thank goodness…”
“…Yeah.”
‘Are you only hearing what you want to hear?’
I took a stroll through the night, circled around the area, and pondered if Gu Yeonseo was alright.
‘Who cares?’
I resolved to push it out of my mind.
At this point, there was no way to mend the strained family ties.
Not for Gu Yeonseo, and certainly not for me.
Upon returning to my quarters, I found lights were on in my room. I asked a nearby servant what was going on, and she replied with a startled expression.
“Huh…? They said they already informed you…”
Curious, I opened the door to find someone inside.
“Oh! Young Master Gu!”
A lunatic… No, it was Peng Woojin.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Peng Woojin.”
“I know, Sir Peng.”
“You can just call me Bro Peng or Brother Peng.”
“I don’t think we’re close enough for that…”
Why is this lunatic here?
And why was Peng Ah-Hee covering her face beside him?
Her ears were bright red, clearly embarrassed.
Pulling at her brother’s sleeve, Peng Ah-Hee spoke.
“Brother… Shouldn’t we apologize first for what we did?”
I could hear the embarrassment in her quivering voice.
Upon hearing her, Peng Woojin seemed to realize something.
“Right… I should have come here alone since you guys broke up. I apologize for not realizing sooner.”
“Oh my god… you moron.”
I completely agreed with Peng Ah-Hee.
She had no choice but to speak up for her brother.
“I’m sorry for barging in so late at night without any notice. My lunatic of a… brother really wanted to see you, and I couldn’t stop him.”
“Sir Peng wanted to see me?”
“You can call me Bro Peng.”
“I’ll pass.”
I didn’t want to get involved with him.
Peng Woojin simply sat there smiling, not saying a word while the tea brought by the servants went cold.
“So, what brings you here…?”
Was he here to scold me for the incident involving the Second Elder? Penguins Woojin still had a red swelling on one cheek.
That was where he got hit by the Second Elder.
He said he controlled his strength…
How is this “controlling his strength?” If he had just a bit more strength, wouldn’t heads burst from punches?
“….”
The thought alone petrifies me.
“I have no connection to what the Second Elder did to you. I swear I tried to stop him.”
“What are you talking about?”
Huh, is he not here because of that?
Peng Woojin opened his mouth as he gauged my confusion.
“It’s not a big deal. I’m here because I heard you’re the little brother of the Sword Phoenix, and I wanted to see you.”
“Are you close with my eldest sister?”
I hadn’t heard anything about Peng Woojin being close with Gu Huibi. Honestly, I wasn’t really close with her either.
I could say I was a bit closer to Gu Huibi than Gu Yeonseo.
“I consider her a friend, but I’m not sure about her feelings.”
Then you’re probably not that close.
Gu Huibi wasn’t the type to be friendly with someone like Peng Woojin. She’d be more likely to pick a fight than make friends with him.
“That’s why I wanted to see you.”
“Why do you want to see me? I’m nobody special.”
What does he want from a useless guy like me?
Moreover, the clans weren’t on the best of terms after the engagement was broken.
Peng Woojin spoke again.
“I thought the Sword Phoenix was the only fun person in the Gu Clan, but I see there’s another one.”
Was he referring to me?
Fun? He keeps babbling about “fun,” just like when we first met. I don’t know what it means!
He’s definitely a weirdo.
But honestly, it’s not too surprising when you consider how many martial artists are eccentric.
However, I still didn’t want to get caught up in his shenanigans.
It might be strategic to be on good terms with Peng Woojin since he’s destined to be the Sword King, but…
He’s hard to read.
I couldn’t make sense of his strange personality.
“If you want to meet someone from the Gu Clan, it would be better to see my sister instead. I’m not that special.”
“I probably won’t be able to see her if I go there right now, though.”
“…You don’t need to go now. You can go tomorrow.”
Hmm, I wonder if she’s still unconscious.
“I came to see Young Master Gu. I don’t have any particular interest in Young Lady Gu anyway.”
“Sir, can you please learn to choose your words better sometimes?”
“Hmm, I’m sorry. I’m not really good at that.”
What am I going to do with this guy?
I felt a headache looming over me again.
Peng Woojin pulled something from his pocket.
“This is a gift for you.”
“A gift?”
The item appeared to be a small black wooden insignia with “Peng” inscribed in gold. It didn’t look too special, but Peng Ah-Hee was astonished as though I had received something of immense value.
“Brother, is it really okay for you to just give this away?”
“Who cares? It’s mine to give. Whoever I pass it to is my own choice.”
“But still…”
“What’s this?”
“This is essentially a guest pass to the Peng Clan. With it, you would be treated like a family member.”
“Please take it back….”
Why is he handing this to me?
If I accept it, I feel like I’ll be drawn into an unavoidable connection with Peng Woojin.
“But I broke off the engagement with your clan…”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Brother, I care.”
“Please accept it, Young Master Gu.”
Peng Ah-Hee’s protests met the wall of her brother’s indifference.
While building connections with the Peng Clan would surely be beneficial, I still didn’t understand Peng Woojin’s motives.
“What if you just hold onto it and give it to my eldest sister instead? I hear you’re close—”
“I was going to, but the Sword Phoenix outright ignored me. This is a pretty valuable item… Why wouldn’t she take it?”
Already rejected! Damn it.
“Then how about my second sister?”
“I’m giving it to you because I’m interested in you.”
“…I like women, Sir Peng.”
“Oh, I like women too, of course. But then again, maybe not? Probably yes.”
Why the doubt? This guy is giving me goosebumps.
Peng Woojin looked disappointed, pulling back the Obsidian insignia as I persistently refused it.
Peng Ah-Hee couldn’t raise her head, clearly ashamed of her brother’s absurd behavior.
Well, at least she seemed normal.
As time passed, I simply wanted to lie down on my bed.
The duel had taken a toll on my body, leaving me completely drained.
Peng Woojin appeared to notice my fatigue, slowly getting up with an air of disappointment.
I guess he really only came for this.
Just as he was about to leave, Peng Woojin turned to me and asked,
“Are you going to enroll in Heavenly Dragon Academy?”
“Hmm, probably.”
To live as an orthodox martial artist meant that I had to enroll in the Heavenly Dragon Academy established by the Murim Alliance.
While I could for sure learn many martial skills within my clan, to be recognized as a swordsman qualified to seal the Gates of Demons, I had to graduate from a martial academy that taught about demons.
There are many martial academies across various regions, not just the Heavenly Dragon Academy.
But for someone belonging to an orthodox faction, going to Heavenly Dragon Academy was a given.
Though I should think of an escape plan as soon as possible.
The training period spans a full year.
I don’t have the luxury to waste a year like that.
“Well then, it seems you will soon be my junior.”
Peng Woojin smiled as he playfully tapped my shoulder. He was trying to connect with me through the academy since other means weren’t working out.
Is it because I won against Gu Yeonseo and slapped her hard? Why is he so fixated on me?
Even a woman wouldn’t behave this way, so a man acting this interested in me gave me the chills.
As Peng Woojin began to depart, Peng Ah-Hee halted and turned to look at me.
“What is it?”
“I told you I’m older, so you should speak to me formally.”
“You said it makes you nauseous when I speak formally. What do you want from me?”
After a long pause, Peng Ah-Hee finally spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why the sudden apology?”
“…About the time I threw you over and broke your arm when our engagement was annulled.”
“…You did?”
I went through something that frightening?
“What did I do to deserve such a terrifying reaction…”
“You called me the child of a concubine or whatever.”
“I guess I deserved it, then.”
I honestly probably deserved an arm-breaking for that. I found it strange she was apologizing instead.
“You don’t need to apologize. If anyone should, it’s me. I’m sorry for how I acted back then.”
Given we were in the same situation, my commenting on this just made me a hypocrite.
It was merely my own pride, and I wasn’t sure if she accepted my apology, but her expression seemed to lighten.
“Take care.”
“You too. And even if you may not like what my brother gave you, he offered it with good intentions. So feel free to use it whenever you need.”
“What did he give me? I thought I returned that…”
I felt something in my pocket.
When I dug through my pockets, I pulled out the black wooden insignia.
“When did he…?!”
Did he sneak this in when he tapped my shoulder?
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What a lunatic.”
Sighing deeply, I placed the black wooden insignia back into my pocket.
*
On the third day of the Nine Dragons Ceremony.
It was a day of celebration and feasting, yet I climbed into the carriage to head back to the clan as soon as I could.
I heard that Gu Yeonseo had already set off at dawn.
Thank goodness she woke up.
I was relieved she had recovered without lingering damage, but it was now even more daunting to face her, when it had already been uncomfortable before.
Once preparations were complete, the carriage took off.
I attempted to rest, but Wi Seol-Ah leaned on my shoulder, unable to fight off sleep.
Quickly, I handed Wi Seol-Ah over to another servant and let myself doze off.
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