Sword Phoenix (3)
Why does Wi Seol-Ah have to show up right at this terrible moment…?
And to make things worse, she’s holding dumplings…
“Young Master! I brought you dumplings!”
Oh, so that’s why she’s holding them.
Did she catch me mumbling about wanting to eat dumplings on the way here?
If that’s the case, I’m touched, but the situation isn’t good at all.
I still need to deal with this fire-breathing wild boar in front of me.
“Young Master…? Why are you in that position?” Wi Seol-Ah asked.
Yeah, I’m curious about that too. Why am I like this…?
Just as I was looking to get up,
“Little brother.”
Gu Huibi spoke, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Thanks to her, I froze mid-rise, my knees bent halfway.
“Who is that over there?”
Gu Huibi’s sharp gaze zeroed in on Wi Seol-Ah.
I have no clue what this fiery woman is about to do to her…
Gu Huibi took a step closer to Wi Seol-Ah.
Whoosh!
Immediately, I activated my destructive flame arts to wrap around my body.
I didn’t think Gu Huibi would do anything reckless. From my past life, I knew she rarely jumped straight into violence.
But still, it’s better to be prepared for the worst.
Gu Huibi’s eyes suddenly trembled.
It looked like she was going to make a move; I had to protect Wi—
“Ah!”
What the hell?!
She was way too fast.
Her speed blew my expectations out of the water.
In an instant, Gu Huibi was right in front of Wi Seol-Ah, grabbing her cheeks.
Wi Seol-Ah let out a strange scream after being caught, but Gu Huibi continued to squish and tug at her cheeks as if she were mesmerized.
“…How can cheeks look this soft? And they’re even softer than they appear…?”
“Ugh… Young Mas-!”
Silence!
I had no idea what to say while this bizarre scenario unfolded. Should I feel relieved, or—
Do I need to stop her…?
Fortunately, it seemed Gu Huibi had no intention of doing anything harmful to Wi Seol-Ah.
Unless that is her form of harming her.
As Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks stretched under Gu Huibi’s grip, I tried to ignore her crying out and stood up.
Once Gu Huibi seemed satisfied, she released Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks.
“This girl, is she your servant?”
“Yes.”
“Would you give her to me?”
“No.”
I snapped back without realizing it.
Gu Huibi looked a bit taken aback by my sharp reply.
Then she smirked.
Seeing her smile was terrifying; she looked too much like our father.
“How strange.”
I hadn’t noticed, but suddenly I could feel the scorching heat radiating from Gu Huibi again.
There was absolutely no mistaking the difference between her heat and that of Gu Yeonseo or Gu Jeolyub.
Even the heat alone made it hard for me to keep my eyes open.
The gap between the 5th rank and me is so wide…
If my physical body were more trained and I reached the 4th rank of the destructive flame art, I wouldn’t fear getting bullied wherever I went.
The real issue, however, was starting the training to reach the 5th rank.
The 5th rank was when one truly began to showcase their prowess as a martial artist.
Reaching that level required not just extensive training but also substantial enlightenment.
At that point, one could truly envelop their body with visible red Qi, leading to their hair and eyes turning red from merging with the art.
Gu Huibi was already right at that juncture.
Her hair was slightly tinged with red, and her eyes shone brightly with that color.
I could barely manage to hold my ground against others, but taking on Gu Huibi, a legitimate 5th rank practitioner, would be asking for trouble.
“It’s really strange that my little brother would deny my request.”
Gu Huibi’s hair flailed in the blazing heat.
It felt like I might melt right then, but I managed to hold my ground by surrounding myself with my own Qi.
Gu Huibi watched me silently afterward.
What is she thinking?
No time for that; I needed to focus on quietly moving Wi Seol-Ah out of the way.
“Not her.”
Gu Huibi’s eyebrow twitched at my response, clearly unhappy with it.
She then unleashed more Qi, increasing the pressure on me.
I stood firm against it, determined not to yield to her heat.
Oddly, while I should have been gasping for air under this intense pressure, surprisingly, I found it easier to push back than I expected.
…Actually, it feels more like I’m redirecting the heat rather than pushing it away.
But how is this happening?
The Gu Clan’s Qi is fierce and violent.
Yet, I wasn’t breaking it apart or blocking it; I was merely directing it elsewhere.
It felt reminiscent of the techniques of the Mudang Clan.
And it seemed Gu Huibi noticed this too; shortly after, the heat that filled the air cooled down.
Gu Huibi had retracted all her Qi back into her body.
“…This, did you do this, Lord Second Elder?”
Gu Huibi pointed at me while asking.
How rude to refer to me like this…
The Second Elder shrugged and replied, “This old man hasn’t done anything.”
“…But you’re implying that he changed so much in just a few months?”
Gu Huibi’s amused expression only increased the pressure surrounding me.
To be honest, I was shocked too; I had reached the 3rd rank in just a few months.
I wasn’t expecting this either…
If my goal had been reaching the 3rd rank this year, then my trip to Sichuan meant I had half a year extra.
Gu Huibi then addressed me, “The Lord is calling for you, hurry along.”
“…Is your business here done?”
Did she really come just to scold me? Who does she think she is, some enraged beast…?
Though she wouldn’t be entirely wrong…
“I originally planned to give you a lesson since it’s been a while, but I’ve lost interest now.”
Gu Huibi waved at me with her hands, urging me to leave quickly.
Wait, this is my house.
I wanted to complain since I wasn’t happy about the situation, but I figured if I started something with the crazy fire boar, I might actually get killed.
So, I moved away quietly.
“Oh, little brother.”
I looked back at Gu Huibi’s call.
Then she tossed something at me.
Grabbing what came flying at me, I found it to be a small lucky pocket.
“It’s a gift.”
“What is this?”
“Make sure you attach it to your waist, or I’ll punish you.”
Upon inspecting the lucky pocket, I found a single yellow marble inside.
What is this? A demonic stone…?
It didn’t feel like it, though; nothing emanated from the marble.
Gu Huibi continued, “Some peddler was selling it as a charm, so don’t question it, just wear it.”
In other words, she’d bought me some junk and warned me of punishment if I didn’t follow her orders.
I… just clipped it near my waist.
I knew she had no bad intentions.
I was well aware that Gu Huibi wasn’t that kind of person.
“Oh, if you lose it, just know that I’ll fold you in half.”
“….”
Not true, right?
After Gu Yangcheon left to go to the lord’s room, Gu Huibi turned back to the Second Elder.
“Are you absolutely sure you didn’t do anything?”
“This old man didn’t do anything,” the Second Elder insisted.
He wasn’t the kind of person to easily lie.
That was one thing Gu Huibi was sure of about the Second Elder.
She usually believed whatever he told her, however.
“Last winter, when I last saw him, he only reached the 1st rank in the flame arts.”
The 1st rank is something anyone could achieve by merely learning the basics.
Gu Yangcheon had still been at that level, even after years of learning the flame arts.
That level had remained constant even when Gu Huibi left for a long-term mission.
His efforts to move were clumsy, let alone trying to envelop himself in Qi.
The difference between him and Yeonseo was like heaven and earth.
But what about now?
How did he ascend to his current level so quickly?
Hearing he had defeated Yeonseo in a duel felt odd.
Initially, when Gu Huibi heard that, she thought it was just a stroke of luck.
‘Yeonseo probably wasn’t feeling well that day,’ had been her reasoning.
Luck building on luck formed a miracle, leading to Yangcheon beating Yeonseo. That’s what Gu Huibi had believed.
However, when she learned that Gu Yeonseo hadn’t come to greet her after she returned, it dawned upon her that things weren’t as straightforward as she thought.
With a quick glance at Gu Yangcheon, she saw he was at the 3rd rank and clambering toward the 4th, nearly achieving it.
That meant it wouldn’t be long before he reached the 4th rank.
Gu Huibi herself had swiftly moved from the 3rd to the 4th rank, but the problem at hand was Gu Yangcheon’s rate of growth.
Even she didn’t progress at such a rapid speed, let alone Gu Yeonseo.
But in just a handful of months, that boy…
“Isn’t it astonishing?”
The Second Elder asked.
“How could it not be?”
“I’m shocked too. I never expected that child to have such potential.”
When the Second Elder broached the subject of Gu Yangcheon’s engagement, he had to muster all his strength to hide his astonishment.
The energy he carries is now immensely stronger.
What transpired in Sichuan to bring about such change?
When he first saw Gu Yangcheon, the transformation had been remarkable; now, he felt he was looking at a completely different person, like someone who had just cleared a dungeon.
While the quantity of his Qi had certainly improved, it wasn’t an astronomical increase.
It merely appeared that way since he started with so little Qi.
Nevertheless, the quality of his Qi was an entirely different matter.
The Second Elder had sensed this when he saw Gu Yangcheon redirect Gu Huibi’s heat.
What exactly did he encounter?
In truth, the Elder would very much like to follow Ga Yangcheon to Sichuan, but he felt overloaded with responsibilities.
Responsibilities like the engagement.
And other significant matters.
“It feels like I’ve overlooked something critically important.”
“And also, this child…”
Gu Huibi searched for Wi Seol-Ah, who should have been right next to her.
“Where did she go?”
Wasn’t she just beside me?
“What’s wrong?”
“I was looking for the maid.”
“She’s only been a servant for a few months. Don’t fuss too much; she’s naive about the world.”
“Yes… but something feels off about that girl.”
Typically, Gu Huibi didn’t let herself be troubled by servants.
Yet, she sensed something unusual with Wi Seol-Ah.
She couldn’t articulate it, but there was this strange feeling that lingered, prompting her to check on Wi Seol-Ah, yet she couldn’t identify any discrepancies.
“Could I be overreacting…?”
It truly felt bizarre.
Gu Huibi had spent the last few months training in combat.
That meant her senses remained sharp.
But still, she couldn’t notice the maid disappearing nor her strange feelings toward the girl?
…Maybe I’m just being too sensitive?
Perhaps she was laying too much importance on little things, a habit formed from constantly being on guard.
On the other hand, the Second Elder couldn’t help but marvel at her heightened sensitivity.
She noticed…
There was no way Gu Huibi should have perceived anything strange about Wi Seol-Ah at her current level. Yet remarkably, her sharpened senses had picked up on the strangeness lurking within Wi Seol-Ah.
“What formidable talent dwells within you, both you and Yangcheon.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, just wondering how eager you are to find Yangcheon right after your return.”
“That’s not a detail I need from you…”
Gu Huibi coyly scratched her cheek.
At this point, nearly everyone in the clan had turned against Gu Yangcheon.
The Clan Lord, the Tiger Warrior, never seemed to care for him, and his second sister, Gu Yeonseo, had long since distanced herself.
As for the youngest sibling…
Let’s save that for later.
The only ones trying to rein Gu Yangcheon in were Gu Huibi and the Second Elder.
“Would it harm you to be a tad gentler with him?”
“You know better than I do that being gentle doesn’t reach him.”
…
In recent times, he seemed a bit different, but the Second Elder couldn’t overlook that aspect either.
Gu Yangcheon may have matured, but he still harbored a troublesome personality.
Gu Huibi’s behavior had definitely crossed the line in some aspects.
The Second Elder cleared his throat, attempting to change the topic.
“Yet still, isn’t punishing your younger brother for a marriage arrangement a bit excessive?”
“…”
“Of course, for you, it may have just been acting…”
…
“Huibi?”
“Yes, yes! Absolutely all an act!”
Gu Huibi, with a grin, had her eyelids twitching.
The Second Elder observed this and rationalized that she was just fatigued.
There’s no way she genuinely came to scold him over an engagement.
No way she’d be so petty-minded.
Surely, she wouldn’t go that far…
The Second Elder deliberately ignored the sensation of unease that Gu Huibi sparked within him.
*
Meanwhile, in the Lord’s room.
“I heard you destroyed the Lightning Dragon’s arm.”
“No, I didn’t destroy it; it was only a light breakage…”
Gu Yangcheon realized he was in a world of trouble.
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