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Instead of sticking to a planned path, follow wherever your sword leads you.

Some people proclaimed that this was the process of enlightenment.

The sword would move ahead of one’s eyes…

And the Qi inside the sword would flow beautifully.

Just like calm ripples on a lake.

The principle of nature?

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t know such a complicated thing.

All she did was let her body be carried by the flow.

She always thought it was strange.

She wondered why she could never achieve a satisfying sword technique…

And why she could only manage a decent one with the help of her Qi.

Every swing of her sword made her feel that something was amiss.

However, Namgung Bi-ah continued to swing her sword anyway.

She always lacked answers and didn’t know how to find them.

However, she felt like she knew the answer now.

Because she finally seemed to have found a path.

Ring.

Her sword resonated.

It sounded as if the sword was telling her that she found the answer.

The flowing line before her eyes unveiled a path.

Should she follow that path…

Or should she not?

She didn’t hesitate.

Namgung Bi-ah was never one to hesitate anyway.

As such, she decided to just take the path and regret it later.

As always, she wasn’t afraid to set foot on a path she had never taken before.

The tip of the sword gently traced the line of the path.

Then it flowed along with the path.

It was smooth.

Was the swing of a sword always this smooth?

There was no resistance as the sword cut straight through the air.

Along with a Zap! Lightning Qi started to intertwine with the flow.

That wasn’t something Namgung Bi-ah had intended.

It just naturally happened as she followed the path.

Was this the process of becoming one with the sword?

It was a strange sensation.

But it didn’t feel unpleasant.

Instead, it felt like a restraint had been loosened, making her much more at ease.

Namgung Bi-ah saw the end of the flowing path.

Not the opponent she was fighting against, but something beyond him.

At the distant end of the path, someone was standing there.

‘Who is that…?’

She couldn’t clearly see it.

Judging by the person’s attire, they appeared to be from the Namgung Clan.

Namgung Bi-ah wondered who it was.

Was it her father or her grandfather?

Or if it weren’t those two… Was it her great-grandfather?

But it didn’t feel like any of those people.

At least to Namgung Bi-ah, it felt like a stranger.

As she followed the path, she drew closer.

Very slowly, so slow to the point that you would need to focus to see the movement.

Yet, with each step, she inched closer.

Perhaps because of this, Namgung Bi-ah felt convinced that this wasn’t a wrong path.

‘…A little more.’

She didn’t know why, but for some reason, she wanted to reach there a little bit faster.

She felt like she needed to.

She felt like this was the right path for her to take.

But as she pushed forward, she sensed that she might deviate from it.

Then Namgung Bi-ah thought,

‘Oh, I can’t rush this.’

With that realization, Namgung Bi-ah slowed down her steps.

She didn’t hesitate there as well.

Her unsteady movements became firm once again.

As soon as that happened…

– Hm.

She heard a voice.

– Not bad.

Standing far away from Namgung Bi-ah, the man, who had his hands behind his back, continued to speak.

– Come slowly.

– You will fall if you rush without knowing your limit.

– With that in mind, come to where I’m standing.

She still couldn’t see the man’s face.

But even so, Namgung Bi-ah still felt like she needed to reach him.

He exuded an air of relaxation and pride…

But his prideful appearance strangely suited him way too well.

– Then I shall award you a present.

With the last line that he whispered in a satisfied tone…

Namgung Bi-ah finally opened her eyes, which had been closed for a long time.

******************

“Sis…? Sis!”

“Oh…! Sis Bi-ah woke up!”

Through her blurred vision, she saw two girls: one with black hair and the other with green hair.

And when her vision gradually cleared, she saw the two cute-looking girls.

“…Oh.”

She realized that it was a dream.

It felt way too real for her, though.

So much so that she would’ve believed it if someone had told her that it wasn’t a dream.

“How are you feeling…?”

“…It hurts.”

Her body ached from head to toe.

“Of course, it hurts… Is your chest okay?”

“…Chest?”

Namgung Bi-ah looked down at her chest after hearing Tang Soyeol.

She saw that it was wrapped in a bandage meant for treatment, not a compression bandage.

“Thankfully they said it would heal with some rest as the sword didn’t cut deeply into it, and that it wouldn’t leave a scar.”

“…Okay.”

It seemed like only her chest suffered an injury, but for some reason, she felt pain all over her body.

It felt like muscular pain.

‘Muscular pain…?’

It was something she hadn’t felt ever since reaching a certain level.

So she couldn’t fathom why it had suddenly returned.

Namgung Bi-ah attempted to move her body, but Tang Soyeol and Wi Seol-Ah quickly stopped her.

“Stay put.”

“You can’t get up yet!”

“Omph…”

“How can you think of moving around so recklessly when you’re this hurt?”

“…But you… also got up right awa-”

“…That’s different!”

Tang Soyeol had no excuse, so she resorted to shouting back.

After all, Tang Soyeol did move recklessly after her fight as well.

Setting that aside…

Namgung Bi-ah really wanted to get up.

She wanted to relive the sensation she felt in her dreams and during her duel.

She felt like she couldn’t afford to let them slip away.

‘Oh, the duel…’

With that thought in mind, Namgung Bi-ah realized one thing.

“…I lost.”

That she was defeated in her fight. When that thought came to mind, her heart sank heavily.

She so confidently told him that she would prove herself, but she lost.

Tang Soyeol, who could relate, struggled to find words of comfort for Namgung Bi-ah.

How could she know what to say to her when she was grappling with her own defeat?

Whether she fought well or not….

It was just another pointless attempt to comfort someone.

“Sis…”

“Where is he…? Did he go somewhere…?”

Tang Soyeol couldn’t help but feel strange after hearing Namgung Bi-ah.

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t stop at asking ‘Where he was,’ but ‘Did he go somewhere’ instead.

As if she was certain that Gu Yangcheon was here at one point.

‘…Her belief in him is quite scary.’

At the same time, it also made Tang Soyeol envious of her.

She was able to feel the bond between the two.

Putting that aside, Gu Yangcheon was, indeed, here not long ago.

Tang Soyeol responded to Namgung Bi-ah.

“…He left a bit ago. He has a fight to attend, after all.”

Tang Soyeol herself felt that it was very mean of her to say that as if it was obvious.

“Oh.”

There was only one reason why Namgung Bi-ah thought that Gu Yangcheon was here before.

‘…There is no stench.’

Although she could smell a faint trace, it was barely noticeable.

And the little bit of heat that was left had let her know that he was here not too long ago.

‘I’m glad…’

Namgung Bi-ah felt a sense of relief along with that warm sensation.

Because it meant that the horrible stench that she smelled during her fight had disappeared once again.

She didn’t know why the stench came back at that moment…

But she wondered if it would come back to her again.

She started to feel a bit scared with that thought.

‘…I must go to him.’

She wanted to go to him and check, hoping the thing that made her nervous wasn’t real.

Namgung Bi-ah tried to move her body again,

But Wi Seol-Ah stopped her.

“Sis, we told you that you can’t move!”

“…”

When Namgung Bi-ah made a dissatisfied expression after hearing Wi Seol-Ah, Tang Soyeol spoke as if she had been waiting.

“They said that you need some time before you can start moving again. The injuries are one thing, but the insides of your body are also messed up…”

“Well…”

“And Young Master Gu told us to stop you from getting up.”

“…”

Only after hearing Tang Soyeol’s last line, did Namgung Bi-ah listen and lie back down.

It seemed like the little stubbornness she possessed flew away whenever Gu Yangcheon was involved.

To Tang Soyeol, that side of Namgung Bi-ah seemed endearing yet slightly vexing.

“Also… he told me to deliver his words to you when you wake up.”

Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes widened in anticipation upon hearing Tang Soyeol.

“Sis, isn’t your reaction a little too different compared to before?”

“What did he say?”

“So you don’t listen to me, but you do listen to him…”

Tang Soyeol smiled after seeing this side of Namgung Bi-ah.

‘Jeez, I really need to remember that Sis is a very strange person.’

“It was a good match.”

Namgung Bi-ah’s hair swayed gently in response to Tang Soyeol’s words.

“Rest well, it’s my turn to show you now.”

Upon hearing the complete message, Namgung Bi-ah’s dimmed eyes gradually regained their clarity.

“That’s what he wanted me to deliver to you.”

Namgung Bi-ah, who had her eyes wide open with shock for a moment, slowly closed her eyes.

“Sis, why are you suddenly closing your eyes?”

“…He told me to rest well, didn’t he?”

“…”

Tang Soyeol rubbed her face, wondering how her cold and beautiful Sis had turned into this.

Of course, I mean… He is that handsome… but you can’t live with someone just because you like his fac… fa… maybe you could.

Huh, maybe you could after all?

Tang Soyeol thought it was strange at first, but as she pondered it further, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

“But Soyeol.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re good at imitating him…?”

“Right? I thought it was pretty spot-on.”

“Yeah… it sounded exactly like him.”

Wi Seol-Ah started to rub her shoulders due to the chills she got from how accurate Tang Soyeol’s imitation was.

Tang Soyeol thought.

Was it that similar?

It was a rather good imitation.

Though not in the voice department, but more of the way he spoke.

His unique harsh way of speaking in a seemingly emotionless tone.

To be more precise, it was a shitty way of speaking,

But that part of him held a certain charm.

‘Though it seems like it’s only us who think that way.’

Maybe it was better that way.

He already had way too many girls following him anyway, so having three girls who knew Gu Yangcheon was already enough.

‘…Though it feels like four.’

The reason why Tang Soyeol had that sudden thought was because she was reminded of Peng Ah-hee.

The fact that they had broken off their engagement also implied that they had been engaged at some point.

And it seemed like Peng Ah-hee didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards Gu Yangcheon either.

While it wasn’t as if they were viewing each other in a romantic light…

Tang Soyeol couldn’t help but feel somewhat bothered by it.

The problem was that she was also the one who forced herself to be included in his group, so she couldn’t really say much.

‘Ugh…’

And another girl came to her mind.

Snow Phoenix.

For some reason, Tang Soyeol was bothered by her.

Rather, Tang Soyeol felt guilty about the Tang Clan’s surname when it came to her.

‘…No way, right?’

She felt uneasy thinking about her.

The Snow Phoenix had no interest in Gu Yangcheon and no reason to do so, and it was a pointless concern.

That was what Tang Soyeol told herself.

“Anyway, you should rest for a while, Sis.”

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t respond since she had fallen asleep already.

She looked so urgent, but just by hearing that Gu Yangcheon told her to rest, she became like this…

The fact that Tang Soyeol had nothing to say to this despite the oddity of the situation…

Was because Tang Soyeol felt that she too would do the same thing if faced with the same situation.

After staring at Namgung Bi-ah for a bit, Tang Soyeol asked Wi Seol-Ah.

“Is it okay if you don’t go?”

“Heh?”

“Young Master Gu’s duel, don’t you want to go see it?”

Putting herself aside, Tang Soyeol thought that it’d be appropriate for at least Wi Seol-Ah to go, so she asked her…

But Wi Seol-Ah only responded back with a smile, indicating that it was okay.

Seeing that, Tang Soyeol let out a fake cough and turned her head away.

‘…It’s hard to talk to her for some reason.’

Tang Soyeol knew that Wi Seol-Ah was a servant, but she felt it was difficult to talk to her for some reason.

Putting aside the fact that she was a direct servant of Gu Yangcheon, she was just a difficult person for Tang Soyeol.

Why?

Tang Soyeol wondered. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she definitely felt that way.

“It’s okay. Young Master said he’ll be back right away.”

Tang Soyeol tilted her head after hearing Wi Seol-Ah.

Did Gu Yangcheon ever say that? She couldn’t see Wi Seol-Ah’s expression as her face was covered by her long hair, but the tone of her voice sounded a bit lower than usual.

When Tang Soyeol tried to catch a glimpse of Wi Seol-Ah’s face…

“I’m hungry, do you want to go eat?”

Wi Seol-Ah quickly shouted at Tang Soyeol with a bright face.

“…Uh, uh sure.”

“What to eat… What does Sis Soyeol like?”

“Ehh? I’m fine with anyth- Oh, I have some leftover poisonous herb from yesterday, so maybe-”

“Then we should eat food!”

“…Sure, yeah.”

‘Does she not like herbs?’

‘I wonder why… poisonous herbs are tasty.’

Tang Soyeol secretly made a disappointed expression.

******************

In the arena of the semifinals…

The buzz from earlier had yet to die down, as it seemed like people had no intention of stopping their conversations.

It made sense that people were this hyped up since they just witnessed a fight of such level in a young prodigy tournament.

But for Moyong Hi-ah, it wasn’t something she was particularly fond of.

Such attention might be helpful in the future…

But Moyong Hi-ah wasn’t capable of showing such an astounding performance the spectators were hoping for.

‘He was in a whole different league.’

The Alliance Leader’s son, Jang Seonyeon.

The strength he showed was way beyond the levels of other young prodigies.

Which made Moyong Hi-ah wonder how he was pushed back, up until the changing point in the middle of the fight.

After all, it also didn’t feel correct to say that he was holding back.

‘…That lady too.’

Namgung Bi-ah, the Lightning Dragon’s sister.

Her beauty was enough to make people breathless…

And it was the same case for her sword skills as well.

Her sword dance.

Moyong Hi-ah still couldn’t forget the sword dance Namgung Bi-ah performed.

It was so beautiful that, despite Jang Seonyeon’s victory, it was Namgung Bi-ah who remained at the forefront of Moyong Hi-ah’s thoughts.

Especially the way she had moved in the final moments of the fight, it couldn’t even be described in words.

When she danced with her sword, it made Moyong Hi-ah completely forget about Namgung Bi-ah’s disheveled appearance during the fight.

And the fact that, among so many people, only Namgung Bi-ah had remained visible…

Was very shocking for Moyong Hi-ah.

The problem was…

‘I’m next in line after such a remarkable performance.’

People were already giving Namgung Bi-ah and Jang Seonyeon new titles after witnessing their fight.

Moyong Hi-ah let out a sigh.

‘…Since the Lightning Dragon is already eliminated,’

‘Do I have any purpose of climbing this high up in the tournament?’

Moyong Hi-ah never really wanted to participate in the tournament to begin with.

She couldn’t do much about the banquet meeting, but she didn’t want to waste her energy by participating in this optional tournament.

But the reason why she still participated in the tournament was because of…

‘…Father.’

Her father.

The Sword Phoenix, the Water Dragon, and the Sword Dragon, who had demonstrated their superiority over other Dragons and Phoenixes, were absent from the tournament.

As such, they couldn’t afford to have no Dragons and Phoenixes in the tournament.

‘That’s probably the agreement they made.’

‘Ugh…’

She really felt that her title of Snow Phoenix was pointless.

She wondered how far she had to go with such a fake title.

‘I feel like I’ll become exhausted.’

‘Or maybe, I already am.’

But she still couldn’t talk back.

Because she knew how much the clan and her father were risking for her.

Moyong Hi-ah quietly drew her sword.

Her opponent was already up on the stage.

‘Gu Yangcheon.’

The boy who stood on the opposing side. The fight was about to start at any moment, but the boy was looking somewhere else.

‘Where is he looking at?’

When Moyong Hi-ah followed his gaze, it led to the highest point of the Murim Alliance building.

Where the Alliance Leader and other higher-ups from the Alliance were gathered.

‘I wonder why he’s looking up there.’

Moyong Hi-ah didn’t know much about the boy.

But one thing she learned from him…

Was that the boy was hiding his power.

Or was it even correct to say that he was hiding his power?

Maybe he just didn’t have any worthy opponent to unleash his full strength against.

Moyong Hi-ah’s instinct told her as much.

Whether it was Jang Seonyeon, who was being hailed as the Meteor Sword…

Or the Sword Dancer, Namgung Bi-ah…

The Lightning Dragon, the Poison Bee…

Or even herself…

It seemed like none of them had caught that boy’s attention.

Did it seem that strange to her?

“Where are you looking?”

Maybe that was why Moyong Hi-ah suddenly addressed Gu Yangcheon.

“…I just had some miscellaneous thoughts.”

They talked a few times, but the way he responded just now wasn’t his usual relaxed but rude way of talking.

He seemed so indifferent.

His voice sounded so indifferent that it felt like it held no emotions.

As Moyong Hi-ah continued to look into his eyes, Gu Yangcheon suddenly spoke to her.

“I’m sorry.”

It was an apology.

All of a sudden…?

It came out of nowhere.

Did Gu Yangcheon do something to warrant an apology from her?

Moyong Hi-ah searched her memories, but couldn’t recall any such incident.

Of course, Moyong Hi-ah was rather annoyed at how he tried to ignore her most of the time as if he was disgusted…

But it wasn’t blatant enough for him to apologize.

“Why are you suddenly apologizing?”

Gu Yangcheon tried to respond back to Moyong Hi-ah’s question…

“Semifinals, Gu Clan’s Gu Yangcheon vs. Moyong Clan’s Moyong Hi-ah.”

But the judge cut them off so Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t hear the rest of it.

Nevertheless, she quickly figured out the reason behind his apology.

“Begin.”

Blaze-

“…Woah.”

That was all Moyong Hi-ah could say.

In just an instant, Moyong Hi-ah was left breathless.

It was because the intense heat that shouldn’t have existed in the midst of winter suddenly took over the arena.

The winter breeze was blocked by the heat, making it difficult for people to breathe.

Flames danced and spiraled around the arena endlessly.

In just a few seconds…

A small sun had formed on top of the arena.

In between those flames, Gu Yangcheon only stared at Moyong Hi-ah with a calm expression.

Seeing that, Moyong Hi-ah spoke with a spiritless tone.

“…Isn’t this a bit too much?”

He was in a different league.

It was nowhere near enough to describe it in such words.

How could the sun suddenly appear in a playground for stars?

This was beyond too much; it had to be an incredibly nasty act of violence and misconduct.

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