Chapter 171: Would You Like To Go With Me? (2)
Unlike the intense days of the martial arts tournament, the finale was a peaceful conclusion.
Dragging my rather reluctant body up to the stage to stand before the Alliance Leader was an annoying task, but what could I do? It wasn’t like I could throw a tantrum and refuse to go up.
“Congratulations on becoming the new star.”
“Thank you.”
“Your father must be overjoyed with such a remarkable achievement from his son.”
“Haha… ha… of course.”
“With a real dragon born from the Gu Clan, it won’t be long before it takes to the skies.”
At Jang Cheon’s words, my thoughts drifted to my father.
Would he really be happy?
Even when Gu Huibi became the Sword Phoenix, he merely replied with a ‘I see’—just three dismissive letters.
Would he even show any excitement just because his son won a tournament?
‘Moreover, what’s a True Dragon anyway?’
They called me a True Dragon, implying I represented an actual dragon, but it sounded a bit cringey.
‘At least it’s better than the titles from my past life…’
That much was true; it gave me a bit of breathing room.
If I ended up with a horrific nickname again in this life… I wouldn’t even want to entertain that thought.
How could humans even have titles like…
“…Ugh.”
“What seems to be the problem?”
“Nothing… just a slight headache.”
Jang Cheon glanced at me suspiciously before strolling over to Jang Seonyeon, who was covered in bandages from the previous day’s battle.
‘I thought I held back enough.’
Disappointment washed over me.
I thought breaking his right arm was acceptable since Jang Seonyeon was left-handed.
‘Still…’
I felt that I had achieved one thing at least, noticing a subtle change in the way Jang Seonyeon looked at me.
‘Is he scared?’
When I glanced at him, I could see Jang Seonyeon’s shoulders flinch slightly.
It didn’t look like an act, but I wasn’t completely sure.
Even if it wasn’t fear, that was okay. As long as he felt something from this fight, I was satisfied.
At least for now.
‘And then there’s Dok Gojun.’
The enigmatic figure I faced at the end of the match.
Just thinking about that damn guy who recklessly inserted his energy into my body brought a headache on.
‘Is that bastard still inside Jang Seonyeon?’
If that were the case, I had a lot to ponder.
Did Jang Seonyeon have memories of that moment? Did he know about Dok Gojun?
And so on.
I wanted to sneakily capture Jang Seonyeon and interrogate him, but I knew that was nearly impossible in the present situation.
Which only added to my frustration.
“You did well.”
“…It was nothing, Alliance Leader.”
Jang Cheon’s playful pat on Jang Seonyeon’s shoulder alongside his beaming smile created a touching moment, but to me, it seemed staged.
As I watched Jang Seonyeon, I started thinking about something else.
‘Does he not realize his energy has vanished?’
Some energy still lingered inside Jang Seonyeon’s body.
That was only because Dok Gojun interrupted the absorption midway.
Yet, even if that were the case, he should definitely feel the emptiness right about now.
So there was no way Jang Seonyeon wouldn’t notice it.
Regardless, his reaction was remarkably bland.
I’d thought he’d rush over to me as soon as he regained consciousness.
Yet neither he nor the Lightning Dragon sought me out.
Though that worked in my favor, it didn’t feel entirely reassuring.
Predicting what might occur in this life had become too complicated.
‘There are way too many differences from my past life.’
And rather than mere differences…
There were too many unknowns to count.
Just the stories I only learned in this life filled my head to the brim.
‘Where do I even begin?’
I had been organizing my thoughts all day, but none of those conclusions came easily.
It wasn’t something I could simply let slide as usual.
I wore a calm façade as I tried to compartmentalize the chaos in my mind, being careful not to let my true feelings peek through.
“With this, I thank all the new stars who fought hard…”
When Jang Cheon finished his speech, raucous cheers and applause erupted from the audience.
For winning, I received a few items, including a sword crafted by a master blacksmith.
I was no sword user, and I had no plans to become one, so I figured I could just toss it to Muyeon or Gu Jeolyub.
I was well aware they were eyeing it already.
Why were they getting all excited over something that belonged to me?
I considered giving it away but seeing their enthusiasm made me reluctant.
I could be quite childish at times.
‘Maybe she’d benefit from it?’
Namgung Bi-ah briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly brushed the thought away.
I already knew she would be getting her signature sword, so I didn’t want to give her an extra one.
‘Not that it needs to be like that, anyway.’
She could use it for a while before switching back to her own sword, but I didn’t desire that for her.
That was purely my stubbornness talking.
You could say it was a form of possessiveness.
Waaaaaaaah-!!
The ear-splitting noise jolted me from my thoughts and I glanced around.
Everyone surrounding me was rejoicing and shouting.
It was so loud that my ears threatened to go numb unless I covered them.
‘…Hmm.’
As I witnessed that, a strange warmth surged within me.
How should I phrase this…
It felt akin to being the first to stomp onto an untouched blanket of snow all alone.
It was a euphoric sensation I had never experienced before.
‘What am I even saying?’
Even I felt it was a rather random comparison.
Which meant my emotions were in disarray.
I made an effort to rein myself in.
No matter how inappropriate it felt, I couldn’t bask in this happiness just because I beat some kids in the playground.
Setting aside how embarrassing it was, I knew that if I indulged in this feeling, it would become never-ending down the line. So I needed to control myself from here on out.
I vigorously shook my head to disperse the emotions and made my way down.
The Alliance Leader had concluded his speech, and since I had fulfilled my obligations, it was time to leave.
Also, the duel between Namgung Bi-ah and Moyong Hi-ah had not taken place.
Namgung Bi-ah was still recuperating and Moyong Hi-ah had declared she didn’t want to fight.
It didn’t really matter that much since the tournament had concluded, and a champion had already been declared; that duel was just meant for show.
However, many were disappointed at missing out on their battle.
Even more so than the finale.
‘They both are notably charming.’
Namgung Bi-ah, now with her fresh title, was being labeled the top beauty of Anhui.
And even without her Snow Phoenix moniker, Moyong Hi-ah was renowned for her beauty, leading to the disappointment over their duel being canceled.
‘But let’s be real, were they here to watch the matches or…?’
It was likely just a blatant desire to see two beautiful women face off, so how crude their thirst was!
“Great job, Young Master Gu.”
As soon as I descended, Tang Soyeol greeted me.
For some reason, Tang Soyeol appeared more dressed up than usual.
She had adorned herself with accessories I had never seen and even applied a bit of makeup.
I couldn’t help but question her appearance.
“What’s with the getup?”
“Oh! Did you notice? You’re quite observant…”
“…Isn’t it odd for me not to notice wearing such a conspicuous getup?”
How could I not notice her if she decorated herself so excessively?
“It’s the last day, and isn’t it strange for the celebrant not to dress up a little?”
“Dressing up is just a hassle.”
As if I did anything noteworthy to warrant such fuss…
Ugh… even imagining it made me shiver.
Just picturing myself stepping onto the stage with a flower crown was too much.
Ugh… I’d look utterly ridiculous.
Setting that aside, I scanned the area.
I was looking for someone.
Tang Soyeol seemed to have sensed this and promptly provided me the information I sought.
“Sis Bi-ah didn’t come. She claimed she didn’t need to come unless there was a fight.”
“…How heartless of her.”
“She said she would sleep in the barracks since she was sleepy.”
“And that barracks is mine, right?”
“Of course.”
Why did that ‘of course’ feel so matter-of-fact?
Sigh.
I let my frustration wash away with a sigh; it was far too late to complain.
I shelved that thought and approached the awaiting servants, including Wi Seol-Ah, who stood off in the distance.
She appeared without a doubt to be exhausted since she had looked dazed since the morning. I even offered her a chance to rest, but the girl insisted on following me to the last.
“Hmm?”
As I stepped closer, I noticed Wi Seol-Ah’s expression seemed a bit off.
It wasn’t overt, but I could definitely sense it.
Her face bore a hint of strain, and her eyes trembled ever so slightly.
Seeing this, I asked her, “What’s wrong?”
“Heh…? What?”
It seemed like Wi Seol-Ah was determined to feign ignorance.
Her voice was steady, but her reaction was definitely suspicious.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No? Nothing’s wrong with me!”
Conversely, Wi Seol-Ah fired back playfully at my inquiry.
Was my gut feeling incorrect?
I had never been wrong about things like this before.
Especially not when it came to Wi Seol-Ah.
I continued to gaze at her, but Wi Seol-Ah merely tilted her head in confusion.
There was something, and it seemed she refused to share with me.
I didn’t press further and instead ruffled Wi Seol-Ah’s hair affectionately.
“If something is bothering you, just tell me. Otherwise, I can’t help.”
“But… nothing’s wrong…”
It appeared she was adamant about not spilling what was on her mind.
Or was it my mistake to think so?
Perhaps it was possible.
Withdrawing my hand, I turned my attention toward Jang Seonyeon.
Jang Seonyeon was also stepping away from the platform.
Coincidentally, he turned towards me.
Our eyes met.
He didn’t frown, didn’t smile, nor did he sport any specific expression like before.
However, observing his blank expression allowed me to grasp just how much the facade he had worked hard to maintain had crumbled.
I thought to myself,
‘Wait for me.’
Did he catch on to my intentions?
Jang Seonyeon’s eyebrows twitched lightly, and he quickly turned away, resuming his path.
I noticed that his shoulders seemed to droop slightly compared to the first time we had met.
As I continued to regard him, Tang Soyeol spoke up.
“Young Master Gu, what will you do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“The event has reached its end, don’t you have any other plans?”
I paused to consider Tang Soyeol’s words for a moment.
Plans, huh.
‘Well, I do have some.’
The ring I had received from the Second Elder.
I was supposed to consult the Alliance Leader about it as I was sure it belonged to the Murim Alliance.
‘But I’ll hold off on that for now.’
I certainly wasn’t keeping it because I greedily desired it.
After all, a worn-out, ancient ring didn’t possess any special ability for me to covet it.
Simply put…
‘If I revealed this ring now…’
Absurd rumors about being a hidden disciple of the Dishonored Venerable or that the Dishonored Venerable was hiding away in the Gu Clan would likely start circulating.
‘I think I’ll just send it anonymously later.’
I wanted to avoid entangling myself in unnecessary drama. I already had plenty of complications to deal with.
One could question why I would send a treasure in such a manner, but it was a headache to hold onto, forcing me to do it.
‘And…’
I had another task at hand.
Though it was more related to Elder Shin than myself.
“Shaolin.”
One of the territories of the Ten Sect Alliance located in Hanam.
I had to visit the Shaolin Temple in Hanam.
“Shaolin?”
Tang Soyeol inquired, baffled by my response.
“Yeah.”
“Why do you need to go to Shaolin…?”
“For sightseeing, I guess…”
Honestly, that was justification enough.
I didn’t need to provide much reasoning aside from wanting to check out the Shaolin Temple now that I was in Hanam.
‘The problem is that the old guy hasn’t woken up yet.’
Elder Shin specifically instructed me to visit Shaolin if I ever came to Hanam, yet he had been sleeping for days now.
It should be high time he awakened, but for some reason, it felt like he was taking longer than usual.
“I’m not going right away, but I think I’ll head there soon.”
“And you’re going for sightseeing, right?”
“Yup.”
“T…then,”
Suddenly, Tang Soyeol hesitated, turning her gaze toward Wi Seol-Ah.
Every time she attempted to voice something on this topic, someone had interrupted her.
‘Huh?’
Looking at her with caution, I wondered why Wi Seol-Ah merely continued to observe quietly.
‘Is this…’
‘A signal to speak? Is she permitting me to say something?’
Despite the bruise to her pride from being happy over receiving validation from a mere servant, Tang Soyeol was in no position to be picky.
“Young Master Gu…!”
“Hmm?”
“If you’re going to Shaolin, then…”
“Would you like to come with me?”
“Yeah, that… wait, what?”
As Tang Soyeol was about to voice her words, someone else snagged them right from her mouth.
The unexpected voice surprised me just as much, and I turned my shocked gaze towards its owner.
“…Pardon?”
“You mentioned you were going to Shaolin Temple.”
With her long, flowing black hair, porcelain-like skin, feline-like eyes, and irresistibly captivating features,
a remarkably beautiful woman stood before me.
“Huh, suddenly? With me?”
“Yes.”
It was the precious daughter of the Moyong Clan…
the Snow Phoenix of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes—
Moyong Hi-ah.
“Would you like to go with me? To the Shaolin Temple.”
Behind her, I caught Tang Soyeol stifling some annoyed huffs with wide eyes.
Her silent glare seemed to scream,
‘How could you?!’
Yet, because Tang Soyeol appeared rather cute, it didn’t come off as scary in the slightest.
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