Chapter 9: Nine Dragons Day (3)
The reason why the engagement between the Peng family and the Gu family was proceeding was quite simple.
The Gu family was a prestigious house comparable to the Four Noble Families, and the two families had bloodlines of a similar age range.
I was to inherit as the next head of the family, and the Peng family thought that a marriage alliance with the Gu family would be advantageous.
It was not unusual for powerful families in the Central Plains to expand their influence through marriage.
The problem was that I had been causing so much trouble.
The engagement, which had been made in my childhood, was supposed to stay as long as nothing extraordinary happened.
However, rumors of my reckless behavior spread to the regions nearby, and since I was a member of a martial clan, the increase in my irresponsible lifestyle likely did not reflect well upon the Peng family.
Of course, the final blow to the engagement likely came from my own unbecoming words and actions towards her.
“Why…!?”
The girl, Peng Ah-Hee, shouted, eyes wide with surprise.
I was more curious than she was. Why was she here?
It’s relatively closer than other regions, but it still took quite a journey by carriage to get to Shanxi, where the Gu family was hosting the Nine Dragons Ceremony.
So, what was a direct descendant of the Peng family doing in this area?
“That’s what I want to know. What are you doing here?”
When I took a step closer, Peng Ah-Hee flinched. Almost immediately, her escort stepped forward like a protective wall between us.
She was positioning herself as if shielding her from a villain.
Really, was it that dramatic between us?
Now behind her escort, calming down, Peng Ah-Hee replied, “I’m just here for some business. Shanxi isn’t solely yours, so do I have to report everything to you?”
“Well… I’ve got no counterarguments there.”
Ignoring her jab, I went ahead and ordered dumplings. Can’t forget my original purpose for being here, after all.
Peng Ah-Hee seemed bewildered at being brushed off but I didn’t mind.
Even if she was here for business, it would only complicate things and, honestly, I just didn’t want to deal with it.
The dumplings I ordered arrived quickly, stacked beautifully and looking quite delicious.
As I turned to leave with my dumplings in hand, a hurried voice called out from behind.
“W-Wait a moment.”
I stopped and turned to see Peng Ah-Hee looking nervous as she eyed me.
What she said next was quite unexpected.
“…I heard the Gu family will be selecting new swordsmen tomorrow.”
“What?”
Indeed, the Gu family would be picking new swordsmen on the second day of the ceremony.
But why was Peng Ah-Hee inquiring about that?
Her odd expression and tone led me to ask, “Why are you asking? Are you planning to participate?”
“Why on earth would I participate?! And what’s with your casual tone? I’m a year older!”
Oh right.
“My bad, Senior Sister, I forgot.”
“Don’t call me that so suddenly! It makes me want to puke!”
What does she want from me?
Since we had such an awkward history due to the disgraceful breakup of our engagement, I figured it best to leave her be.
“Anyway, whether you’re here for work or play, take care.”
I reached for my dumplings again just as I caught another glance at her.
Peng Ah-Hee flinched once more as I looked her way.
Not wanting my delicious dumplings to get cold, I moved my gaze away and headed out, Muyeon following closely behind.
I could feel Peng Ah-Hee’s gaze fixed on my retreating back as I left.
Peng Woojin, the Young Master of the Peng Clan, was considered a man like no other. Known to be the greatest talent since the formation of the Peng Clan,
But he didn’t put in much effort at all.
When he talked about his dreams, he always emphasized that becoming the head of the family wasn’t his aspiration. He often laments about how real life was just out of his control.
He graduated with top honors from the Heavenly Dragon Academy, overseen by the Murim Alliance, and was the youngest in history to become a clan head.
However, he always had that dazed look, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
One winter’s day, before the season ended, Peng Woojin casually mentioned to Peng Ah-Hee that he wanted to leave the family.
In her usual sarcastic manner, she jokingly suggested that he could just step out for a bit. His lethargic reply?
“Good idea. I’ll do just that.”
Then, a fortnight later, Peng Woojin disappeared, leaving behind a brief note that said, “I’ll be back after a short break.”
Once the news of his disappearance broke, the Peng family sprang into action to search for him, but finding any traces of him proved more difficult than expected.
After some time passed, they finally managed to gather clues from the Beggar’s Sect, and the outcome was: Peng Woojin had headed to Shanxi.
Upon receiving this intel, the head of the Peng family issued a rather absurd command to Peng Ah-Hee, who, despite their constant bickering, was the only one he trusted to bring Woojin back.
She felt a twinge of guilt, believing that their earlier conversation had somewhat led him to this predicament, and so she set out for Shanxi, eager to find him.
“…It’s already giving me a headache having to deal with my brother. Do I really have to run into him?”
For Peng Ah-Hee, the thought of encountering Gu Yangcheon was nothing short of bad luck.
Putting the failed engagement aside, every meeting turned into an exchange of blows between them, resulting in a rather poor relationship.
Gu Yangcheon was perpetually aggressive, not caring who the target of his ire was.
On the flip side, Peng Ah-Hee, with her own fiery personality courtesy of the Peng clan, always fought back.
That was until Gu Yangcheon crossed a line.
When her uncle caught wind of his words, he didn’t hesitate to cancel their engagement. Those words being…
“Who do you think you are? You’re just the child of a concubine!”
While Peng Ah-Hee was quite hurt back then, she didn’t retain a grudge since she acknowledged his outburst was fueled by anger and responded in kind during the heated exchange.
In the end, thanks to the fallout from Gu Yangcheon’s ill-timed words, the Gu Clan had to issue an apology to the Peng Clan.
Now, she couldn’t help but find Gu Yangcheon’s sudden maturity in only a few years surprising.
“Something has definitely changed in his eyes.”
Had he matured? Or was it just a coincidental mood?
Yes, that must be it. There’s no way a mutt like him could mature this quickly.
While acknowledging this possibility, she found that her perception of Gu Yangcheon was different from before, far removed from the reckless individual who had caused their engagement to fall apart.
…How do I even describe him?
It was difficult to articulate.
With a soft sigh, Peng Ah-Hee decided to set her thoughts aside and asked her escort, “So, did you find anything at all?”
“…We haven’t been able to locate anything substantial, but it’s confirmed that the Young Master is indeed here in Shanxi.”
Ugh… that infuriating brother, why did he choose to come here of all places?
She wanted to question his choice of Shanxi, yet she already guessed what Peng Woojin would say.
He’d probably say something utterly nonsensical like, “It’s far but also close at the same time.”
His unusual talent was undoubtedly recognized, but his personality was just beyond comprehension.
Though he shared blood with the Peng clan, his demeanor was a stark contrast to theirs.
…This is so frustrating.
“It’ll soon be nighttime. Let’s head back and get some rest, Miss.”
Sighing once more at her escort’s suggestion, Peng Ah-Hee cast a glance back at the direction Gu Yangcheon had vanished.
“If I find you, I swear…”
With a huff, she turned to leave, and just a few moments later, at the dumpling shop…
ACHOO!
A man sneezed suddenly while shoveling dumplings into his mouth.
After wiping his nose, he looked around and grumbled, “Is someone talking about me? Why do I feel itchy?”
With a shrug, he resumed devouring his dumplings.
As dawn broke, the second day of the Nine Dragons Ceremony commenced. I was still reluctant about it, but time, unfortunately, won’t bend to my whims.
The martial artists of the Gu Clan, along with others, were preparing to participate in the Nine Dragons Competition which began early in the morning.
Anyone who could present proof of their identity was permitted, so there were long lines leading up to the venue.
What exactly makes the swordsmen so appealing that so many others want to join in?
Since the Gu Clan was this busy, the Four Noble Families and the Ten Great Sects must be even busier, if not more.
“Maybe the Ten Great Sects won’t be as packed since they only pick their own folks…”
At least, that’s what I heard, but I wasn’t certain.
The judges had to be the swordsmen from the Gu Clan who had celebrated last night.
Despite their excessive drinking, they didn’t show any signs of a hangover—whether they were skillfully hiding it or genuinely fine was anyone’s guess.
After asking Muyeon later, I learned they’d woken up two hours early just to purge the alcohol from their systems.
Mind you, they’ve definitely overdone it.
Wi Seol-ah, who seemed invigorated after eating dumplings yesterday, approached me wearing the exact same outfit as the day before.
I took the outfit and sighed deeply.
“…Alright, once today’s over, it’s done.”
“Young Master! Today’s the day for all those explosive moves, right? You know, like pew-pew and pow-pow!”
“…Could you be a bit clearer? I really don’t get what you mean.”
“You know, that thing Muyeon always does!”
It seems like she was referencing the secret sword training Muyeon practice at home.
But honestly, was using pew-pew and pow-pow the best way to describe it?
“That looks super cool! I definitely want to try it someday.”
…She’s probably going to overdo it until she can’t stand it anymore.
I didn’t voice these thoughts as I looked at the lively Wi Seol-ah and shifted my focus back to changing clothes.
After I got changed, I began heading toward where I’d probably spend the rest of my day.
I had some extra time, so I was moving leisurely when suddenly, a loud voice rang out.
“Why? Why am I not allowed?!”
“…C-Calm down a bit.”
“I told you I don’t have much time! Are you going to take responsibility if I get caught?”
It appeared to be a contestant for the Nine Dragons Competition, but he sounded irate about something.
However, what was curious was that the Gu clan’s martial artists who were there to handle these kinds of ruckus weren’t doing anything.
Well, whatever, they’ll figure it out.
There were bound to be one or two who’d throw fits, and I was sure they would manage just fine.
But my thoughts stopped abruptly when I overheard the following words.
“What’s wrong with being from the Peng Clan? You said I just need to show my proof, right?!”
“…Well, um… we still have to verify—”
“What more do I need to show? Should I write ‘I am the Young Master of the Peng Clan’ on my forehead? Or would you believe me if I did that? I’ll go write it right now!”
“W-wait! Please calm down!”
Did I just hear that correctly… Young Master of the Peng Clan?
…Surely, I must have misheard.
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