As the moon climbed the sky, savoring the peak before descending and lingering mid-way, a new climber was yet to prepare to ascend.
Even the merchants opening the dawn market were just starting to rub their eyes and rise as the morning of Hongseong Sect began.
The morning at Hongseong Sect, ruled by the Sword Saint, was fair for everyone.
Under the guidance of Hongryeon, the first disciple of Hongseong and already gaining fame as the “Fallen Sun Sword,” twenty disciples of Hongseong began their dawn training.
However, that training was not as graceful as people might think.
The Sword Saint’s sword was truly the essence of beauty. The massive sword in her hand was beautiful like the name of her martial arts, Red Star, yet it also created the savage Hongseong, hiding nothing of its ferocity.
The foundation of that beauty and strength rested firmly upon the bedrock of ‘basic’ training.
Thus, the disciples gathered in the training ground couldn’t even shake off the sleep dust that clung to their lovely eyes while bending their long, elastic legs.
The beginning was always the basic stance.
They bent their legs like riding a horse, straightened their waists, and trained their lower bodies.
Hongseong Sect was the sect led by the renowned Sword Saint, Na Yerin.
Most of the disciples who entered Hongseong had undergone basic training before joining.
Hence, the very basic stance training was not too taxing for them, as they were accustomed to the simple drills done the night before.
Nonetheless, they didn’t vocalize their complaints. It was a fact that the lower body was essential in martial arts.
And the Fallen Sun Sword, Hongryeon, was doing this training too.
However, if there was a hint of discontent among the disciples, it was this.
“Haha! Endure! Endure! For a woman, the lower body matters! You must train your lower body for your future husband! If you put strength into your pelvic area, you’ll become a renowned beauty…”
“Dear Senior Sister, please stop talking…”
Always laughing heartily, instead, Hongryeon playfully said such lowly words to those who hadn’t even held a man’s hand yet.
Of course, her close disciples knew. Just like the other disciples, she hadn’t held a man’s hand either, and that knowledge was only gleaned from romantic stories, and she wouldn’t dare speak of such things outside.
While she was literally like a female warrior at home, her frivolous antics stemmed from feeling at ease with Hongseong, treating it like family.
Feeling mental pressure from Hongryeon’s boisterous remarks, the first part of their basic training was finished, and as a new climber stretched, Hongseong’s disciples began to loosen up.
As warmth spread through their resilient bodies, forged by long training, they began to steal glances at each other.
It was natural.
The five who were slowest in this training would have to clean up after breakfast.
The desire not to waste this rare sweet moment of rest amid Hongseong’s hectic training schedule motivated them significantly.
Of course, again, Hongryeon’s shout dampened that motivation.
“Do you all know? The legs of a woman training are like the thighs of a running deer, elastic and…”
“Ughhh! Start! Start!”
As other disciples, horrified by the deepening innuendos, shouted urgently, the lively girls quickly dashed away, their long hair streaming behind them.
As if trying to escape Hongryeon.
Perhaps they had gotten used to it? Their movements were quite nimble.
While they couldn’t use Qi to utilize light-moving techniques, the long hours of training had still honed their bodies to be faster than ordinary mountain beasts.
She was making them move.
Run. Run. Run.
Those who cannot run do not deserve to wield weapons.
That’s why she runs.
Even if her breath is about to burst, even if her heart is pounding as if it might explode.
She does not stop.
And at that moment.
A few years ago, the youngest disciple Sayoon, who had entered Hongseong under the guidance of the Sword Saint, could forget her loneliness in the world.
It was none other than Hongryeon, the Falling Sun Sword, who arrived first at the peak of Mount Hongseong.
Wiping away the sweat that trickled down in the cool breeze, she smiled brightly as she waited for her fellow disciples to arrive one by one.
Some twisted their bodies, some lay on the rocks, and others gulped down the water from the jug Hongryeon had carried.
Just as everyone was finally catching their breath, footsteps echoed from the forest, and a deeper smile spread across her face.
“Hah… Hah… Hah…”
It was a girl with slightly wet gray hair.
She must have been running hard, as her slender and pretty face was flushed and drenched in sweat. The worn-out martial outfit clung to her body, revealing her budding figure.
The sight of such a fresh flower-like girl was enough to make anyone—male or female—fall in love, and the disciples of Hongseong chuckled, thinking.
Surely, that girl would stir up quite a commotion in the world when she grows up.
But Hongryeon was a little different from the other disciples.
She looked exhausted.
She seemed like she would collapse at any moment.
Her sweat-drenched appearance radiated a decadent charm, and while many were captivated by her beauty.
Hongryeon thought that her true charm was not that.
What was most impressive about the scruffy girl who had been brought by the Master a few years ago wasn’t her beauty that was beginning to show as she matured.
“…I… I’ve arrived…”
Those eyes she had from the very beginning.
The pride contained in her pale violet eyes, which were determined to overcome all the hardships and adversities of this world.
That was indeed the greatest charm that the youngest disciple of Hongseong possessed, Hongryeon thought.
“Looks like the youngest is the last again today.”
“Ugh…”
Sayoon, who had finally arrived, sat down sulkily.
Despite her best efforts to climb the mountain, her senior sisters had already settled at the top.
It was only natural. It hadn’t been long since she, a mere beggar orphan, had begun proper training.
The other senior sisters had been honing their skills from their families and had started serious training upon entering Hongseong, making it almost impossible for her to catch up.
She was putting in the effort.
But the other senior sisters weren’t slacking off either, and she couldn’t dismiss what they had built up over the years.
To catch up, she had no choice but to train diligently.
“I’m counting on you today.”
“Okay…”
Fiddling with her gray hair, which barely touched her budding chest, Sayoon nodded slightly.
Though her hair was rough and still damp from sweat and tousled by her hands, that touch was for her.
One of her few sources of happiness.
Hongseong wasn’t a particularly wealthy sect.
The Sword Saint Na Yerin had undoubtedly saved countless people from bandits and evil monsters, but she showed little interest in wealth.
She believed that those with power should help the weak, and that the price of using strength for peace was of little importance.
While her policies elevated Hongseong’s honor throughout the world, they didn’t assist in covering the sect’s maintenance costs.
Her policy was sufficient to elevate the honor of the Hongseong Sect around the world, but that didn’t help with the maintenance costs of the sect.
Hence, the upkeep of Hongseong Sect relied on occasional commissions.
For instance, eliminating evil monsters.
For instance, dealing with bandits.
For instance, investigating hidden realms.
It was sustained by the money brought back by higher disciples who had learned the Hongseong Divine Art to some extent.
Of course, the disciples’ families or the Murim Alliance did send sponsorship funds, but due to the Sword Saint’s policy, that was politely declined, so it couldn’t be used for maintenance costs.
As a result, the disciples’ diet naturally became modest.
Of course, it was modest but not lacking.
Fresh vegetables from Hongseong Mountain and occasionally meat hunted by Hongryeon or other disciples were served at every meal.
However, there were those who were not completely satisfied with this extremely modest diet.
Most of the disciples belonging to the Hongseong Sect had come from prestigious families and were used to being spoiled by their families.
At the very least, their meals had been fulfilling, and remembering the hearty meals during visits home made the meals at Hongseong Sect seem rather lackluster.
But for Sayoon, even this was happiness.
Compared to the time she had been left all alone in a harsh world as a beggar orphan, this was more than enough to feel full and warm.
That’s why she scrubbed her bowl with a happy face.
As she flipped the wooden bowl over to shake off the water, she asked the girl organizing next to her.
“Yoohee, Senior Sister. You hardly ate today.”
“Huh? Yeah. I’m solving lunch outside today.”
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, today was the day to buy necessary items for the sect from outside.
Realizing this, Sayoon’s face slightly flushed. Yoohee smiled softly at her.
“Don’t you need anything?”
Sayoon understood that Yoohee wasn’t referring to common items used by disciples in the Hongseong Sect.
But even so, she couldn’t bring herself to voice what she wanted.
“I… don’t need anything.”
“Don’t be so modest.”
“But I—”
Sayoon knew.
Twice a month, when the disciples went down to Seomhwa Village to buy necessary items for the Hongseong Sect, senior sisters would buy essential personal items or sweet snacks to soothe their taste buds worn down from hard training and modest meals with their own money.
And that expense came in the form of ‘personal sponsorship’ from their families which served as their allowance.
Women have many needs.
Though there were things provided by the Hongseong Sect, it was never enough.
Thus, the allowance sent by their families for purchasing such things became quite an essential element for them.
That’s why Sayoon, even if she envied it, didn’t want to take advantage of it.
A person should have some shame.
Among all the many orphans in the world, she had been rescued and become a disciple of the Hongseong Sect.
She didn’t have to worry about starving or living under a life-threatening threat.
Already overwhelmed with the many things she received, she didn’t want to waste the opportunity given to senior sisters.
“Hmm…”
She really didn’t have to feel so burdened.
But watching Sayoon continuously decline, Yoohee couldn’t help but smile ruefully.
This cute youngest disciple seemed quite conscious of being an orphan.
Even after several years in the Hongseong Sect, it was rather unfortunate that she still couldn’t act spoiled.
She should start thinking of them as her real older sisters before long.
She recalled the time she had brought sweets as a gift.
She raised it up.
As she swallowed hard, she remembered the time she had caught Sayoon, who claimed to dislike such things, and forced it into her mouth while saying she was off to train.
Though Sayoon insisted she hated it, the shy smile blooming on her face and eyes clearly proved she had fallen head over heels for the sweetness of the candy.
She wanted to see that cute look again, but if she rejected it herself, there was nothing she could do.
Especially if she was being more cautious ever since last time, suggesting it would be really hard to bring it up.
“You could just eat it now and pay me back later.”
“Later? Hmm… if I also get a sponsorship, then.”
At that, Yoohee laughed.
She thought it might be better to secretly send her a sponsorship fee when she got home next time.
“Yoohee, Sayoon. The post has arrived. We’ll need to sort it, so help out when you’re done with the dishes.”
“Ah. Yes, Senior Sister.”
The other three senior sisters went to do the laundry. So, it looks like it was up to them to help out.
After finishing their preparations, the two quickly left the room and followed Hongryeon.
Arriving in front of her room, they found quite a number of boxes and letters waiting there.
“Ah. It’s something sent from home.”
Yoohee quietly muttered as she saw her name on a small box. It seemed some of the things that arrived were sponsorships sent to the disciples.
In the meantime, Hongryeon began to gather and spread out the letters, sporting a serious expression.
Regardless, the task of sorting and distributing items hadn’t vanished, so Yoohee and Sayoon hurriedly got to work organizing the boxes.
“…Huh?”
In a moment, Sayoon’s hand stopped.
When Yoohee found her behavior unusual, Sayoon lifted a small box.
“This… belongs to me?”
“…Huh? What is it? What is it?”
Since entering Hongseong, Sayoon had hardly ever gone outside the sect. It wasn’t like she had connections with outside people either, was it? Someone wealthy enough to send something through the post?
“Oh, has our little one already found a lover? How infuriating. But if there’s a love in between, that’s okay! Great! I’ll educate our little one with my secret spring letter…”
If she just shuts her mouth, she’s a beauty and a renowned master in the martial world.
In the sect, she’s more reliable than the Master, yet how come every time she opens her mouth, she crumbles people’s spirits?
As Hongryeon was about to pull out the spring letter, Yoohee hurriedly changed the subject.
“What… who is the sender?”
“It’s not written.”
This was something that had never happened before, so even Hongryeon showed interest.
Normally, she would tell Sayoon to take it to her room and open it, but what if it was a cursed item, or someone was playing a prank to hurt her?
Thus, she couldn’t help but harden her expression.
“Open it here.”
“Uh… okay.”
Swallowing nervously, Sayoon cautiously opened the box.
Inside was a letter and a silver coin.
“…A silver coin?”
Sayoon gently opened the letter and wore a complicated expression.
“……”
“What does it say?”
Yoohee, curious, couldn’t help but have a serious expression as well.
And Hongryeon was similarly intrigued. So she took the letter from Yoohee’s hands and read it aloud.
“Are you eating well?”
The cryptic contents left the three gathered in the small room with complicated expressions.
However, they could all agree on one thing.
…Who on earth sent this?
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