Chapter 1007: Journey to Nanjing (7)

The Gongsun Gong Clan’s estate, befitting one of Nanjing’s most famous great houses, boasted an imposing grandeur.

The four-horse carriage was a vehicle that valued looks over speed—what people back in Qing’s hometown would call “getting out of the car in style.”

Of course, word had arrived at the house ahead of time, so the estate gates were thrown wide open, and on the broad road before them, martial artists had already lined up left and right in neat ranks, fully prepared to receive a VIP.

So when Qing stepped down from the carriage, she flinched.

DUNG-DUNG-DUNG-DUNG!

With a thunderous drumbeat, the martial artists spread out on both sides raised their swords all at once.

She’d assumed they’d at least wait for her to get inside the estate before doing this, but no—this was a full-on inspection line, like some division commander from her homeland’s army had come to visit.

Between the martial artists holding sword salutes on either side, before the magnificent front gate worthy of Nanjing’s number-one great house, the Gongsun Gong Clan’s direct family had come out in full force to greet her.

At the very front stood a middle-aged man? An old man? A late-middle-aged man!—throwing his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture of welcome.

And behind him, she spotted a face she at least recognized: Gongsun Cheonil.

Which meant that if this person was someone higher than “Minor Lord” Gongsun Cheonil... it wasn’t hard to guess who he was.

Gongsun Clan Head Gongsun Daewol (registered household name: Son Daewol)!

No, what is this—why did the entire extended family come pouring out here.......

Honestly, from Qing’s perspective, she was basically just dropping by a friend’s house. For something this personal, having the entire family come out to welcome her was strange.

Normally, Central Plains etiquette dictated that the guest went to pay respects to the host first. And if the host came out to meet the guest, it was only when the guest’s status was higher.

And on top of that, the whole family mobilized?

Wasn’t this the kind of ceremonial reception you used for royalty? (Amazingly, that was actually correct.)

Even if Qing’s seniority technically put her at an elder-tier level, it still looked odd for an entire family to come out to greet their daughter’s friend.

As a result, Qing felt a little burdened.

Wasn’t this exactly the situation where you go to a friend’s house, and your friend’s father leads the entire family out to greet you?

Or maybe... maybe the fact that Miss Gongsun had locked herself away to cultivate—cultivated and became a martial artist in isolation—really was that serious an issue for the entire clan.

“Welcome to my Gongsun Clan. I am Gongsun Daewol, the one serving as Clan Head.”

“Thank you for your gracious reception, Clan Head. I am Seomun Cheong.”

Qing performed a formal fist-and-palm salute with crisp politeness.

Exclamations erupted from all sides.

“Waaah, the Heavenly Flower Sword!” “Three-headed beauty!” “Flowers among flowers!”

People of the Central Plains were always hungry for entertainment—how could the Gongsun Gong Clan’s martial artists and direct family possibly miss a spectacle like this?

They’d been watching, wondering what was going on, and then a face-veiled woman stepped down from the carriage?

A woman with a big sword at her waist and a veil over her face—so they’d suspected, and sure enough! It really was the Heavenly Flower Sword!

“I’ve heard so much about you from my daughter. She bragged and bragged about how you’re her one-and-only closest friend. Even though this is our first meeting, it feels like I’ve known you for a long time. My daughter may be lacking, but please continue to help our Yoye from here on out.”

“Closest friend” was shorthand for “a close friend inside the women’s quarters”—a friend so close you could share a bed. In other words, an extremely, extremely close friend—best friends.

That term was only used for friendships between women. You could interpret that as history’s way of saying that even if men were close, sharing a bed was considered... deeply inconvenient.

In other words, “closest friend” referred to a woman’s closest same-sex friend.

And with that meaning in mind, the whole “sharing a bed” accusation that had started with the scheme of that Tang nobody’s daughter, Tang Nanna...

...was, in fact, a fairly plausible claim, and not even that strange.

Seriously—did all the women who slept next to Qing do it because they lacked common sense? No. If you were truly best friends, it was something you could actually do, so they did it.

“Not at all. I’m the one who’s been indebted to Miss Gongsun in so many ways.”

If there had been anyone with real insight present—say, Seolga-nom, Jegal I-hyeon, or Sima Chunbong—they could have offered their own interpretation.

The Clan Head had personally led every martial artist in the clan out to greet her, and in a highly visible ceremony, in full public view, he received the Heavenly Flower Sword as an honored guest?

That would shave off quite a bit of the Clan Head’s face.

Just because some young girl barely over twenty had come to visit, the Clan Head, the entire family, and all the martial artists came out and staged this massive reception?

Was the Heavenly Flower Sword someone above you or something?

Have some dignity, for crying out loud!

But in exchange, they could spread the news far and wide—this kind of rumor:

Everyone, look at this!!

Our daughter is this close with the Heavenly Flower Sword!!

They’re such best friends that she just comes over to our house!!

Gongsun Yoye and the Heavenly Flower Sword are real best friends!!

A kind of political display ritual—raising Gongsun Yoye’s prestige even at the cost of the Clan Head’s face.

And in the Central Plains, wasn’t “face” as precious as life itself?

The Clan Head’s face was the Gongsun Gong Clan’s face... and yet, they’d decided that broadcasting Gongsun Yoye’s friendships was even more important than that.

But Qing didn’t know any of that.

She only thought that Miss Gongsun must’ve had a rather... inhuman childhood, and Qing had suspected the clan’s atmosphere because of it.

But seeing even her father come out to welcome her like this...

...made Qing wonder if maybe those doubts had just been prejudice.

“Then... who is this?”

“I pay my respects, Clan Head. I’m Seol Iri.”

“Ohh! Isn’t this the Ice Snow Flower of the Five Flowers of Murim, the greatest prodigy of the Northern Sea!”

She’d never heard the phrase “greatest prodigy of the Northern Sea” in her life, but this was how Central Plains people talked when they were trying to puff someone up, so it wasn’t worth listening too closely.

If Gunyeong was the Northern Sea’s greatest prodigy, wasn’t that kind of an insult to all the other Northern Sea people?

“And as a fellow member of the Half-Sword Twin-Blade Society, you’ve come to visit your friend! I’m glad you came!”

More exclamations burst out from everywhere.

“Waaah! The Half-Sword Twin-Blade Society!” “Murim’s number-one heretical association!”

In an instant, Qing’s face went hot.

No, what? Why is the Half-Sword Twin-Blade Society suddenly coming up?

And why is everyone acting like they all know what it is—why are they gasping like that? And what the hell is “Murim’s number-one heretical association” supposed to mean?

“This is my eldest daughter, Jayeo. My master has also permitted me to bestow my surname, so she is now Seomun Jayeo. Jayeo, you need to greet them, okay?”

“Hello......”

In a sense, this was Jayeo’s first official debut.

Of course, Qing had never particularly tried to hide her—whenever they were together, she made her greet people right away—so the news that the Heavenly Flower Sword had taken in an eldest daughter was something some people knew and others didn’t.

Still, this was surprisingly the first time Qing herself had introduced her in a formal setting, in front of a crowd.

“Haha, the Heavenly Flower Sword’s eldest daughter... the child’s eyes are already so clear—”

Gongsun Daewol froze mid-compliment.

“...so... dark, and so deep that you can’t read what’s inside! Ahem. Truly not ordinary from such a young age!”

He hastily changed his words.

Mencius once said: there is no better way to know a person than through their eyes; those with a righteous heart have clear eyes, those with a muddled heart have muddled eyes—how could the eyes hide one’s nature?

And in the Western Regions, an ancient master artist had said that the eyes were the windows of the soul—thus proving how important the gaze was.

But Jayeo’s gaze was hollow and lusterless—so wicked it was practically evil incarnate.

So really, the way Gongsun Daewol instantly flipped it into “deep and profound, impossible to grasp” was impressive. You could call it quick thinking, or you could call it experience.

Because how could the eyes of such a young child look like this—black and dead, as if she’d endured a sea of corpses and a river of blood?

If you had to guess, she must have had circumstances that matched that.

And really, if that weren’t the case, would the still-young Heavenly Flower Sword have taken her in as an eldest daughter?

There must have been truly difficult circumstances.

Even so, taking in a child without even having held a wedding—accepting an eldest daughter with her own young body—made it easy to believe what kind of temperament the Heavenly Flower Sword had.

So the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) rumor calling her a chivalrous hero wasn’t wrong after all.

Rumors didn’t spread for no reason.

When a name was famous, there was always a reason for it.

“Oh dear. I’m keeping my precious guest standing out here. Don’t do that—let’s go inside.”

“We’ve already exchanged greetings, haven’t we? When young heroes share friendship, an old man shouldn’t get in the way. Still, I’ll say it again—my daughter is lacking, but I ask you to take good care of her.”

Once they entered the Gongsun estate, Gongsun Daewol said that and skipped the rest of the pleasantries.

He must have thought it urgent to “rescue” Gongsun Yoye, who had chosen to isolate herself.

Then the Madam approached and tightly clasped Qing’s hands—she started to say something, but then, as if enchanted, she stared down at Qing’s hand.

Because was Qing’s hand an ordinary hand?

With faces, depending on personal taste, people could argue whether she truly was the most beautiful in the Central Plains.

But with Qing’s hands, everyone would unanimously agree: they were the most beautiful hands under heaven.

The “white Minor Water” of the Minor Water Demonic Art had an ability—skin that was pale and white, and long, slender fingers shaped into perfect form without a single flaw.

“Oh my... oh my goodness... your hands are truly so beautiful... how could this be...”

Then she clasped Qing’s hand again, squeezing tight, and spoke in a voice overflowing with sincere urgency.

“I heard that among all the beautiful women in Murim, our baby is the prettiest. Please, please take good care of our Yoye. Even if it couldn’t be helped... every time I see her running around with her hair all messy like some boy, a mother’s heart just tears apart. I feel so sorry—so sorry.”

Moisture even began to gather in her voice.

“A daughter who should be blooming beautifully—like a flower at its most gorgeous—she’s turned into such a rough little boy... and later, the way to live happily is to wrap some man around her finger, isn’t it, and... this is all because I couldn’t protect her, hm? Please, I’m begging you. Do skincare together, brush her hair, make her gentle like a baby—how pretty that would be. The things I couldn’t do for her... please, do them with her, please......”

It seemed that the mother—the very origin of Gongsun Yoye’s massive sulk—still hadn’t realized what the actual problem was.

But at the same time, separate from that, the weight of her love for her daughter was painfully sincere.

“Aha...ha......”

“Mother, for now, please go inside. Seomun-noona has come such a long way—surely she desperately wants to see her friend, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. I’m really counting on you.”

The Madam squeezed Qing’s hand one last time before leaving.

“My mother bears no ill will. She’s just... long regretted that she couldn’t stop our family’s ways.”

“Mm.”

“Then I’ll escort you to the training grounds. Please... I hope noona’s heart will soften.......”

And so they began the walk toward the training ground where Gongsun Yoye had shut herself away.

“Um, you’re the Heavenly Flower Sword, right? I’m Sima Ryeong. I’ve admired your great name for so long. Wow... you’re really tall.”

Sima Ryeong’s eyes sparkled.

Among the women of Murim, it was rare to find someone who didn’t idolize Qing. She was basically a celebrity—like the kind Qing’s hometown would talk about.

Sima Ryeong looked like she was practically blowing out excitement with every breath—she’d met her idol in person.

In truth, while inviting Qing had been for the sake of rescuing Gongsun Yoye, Sima Ryeong’s personal ulterior motives had also played a part.

“Ah, and—congratulations on your wedding.”

“Hehe. Please speak comfortably. You’re my unni’s friend, and—ah, can I call you unni too?”

“Uh. Uh-huh.”

Faced with those sparkling eyes that clearly had respect in one corner and admiration in the other—together spelling “respectful admiration”—Qing nodded with a dubious expression.

Truthfully, Qing didn’t even react as violently to being called “unni” anymore.

She’d already been living as a woman for years, and with popularity at celebrity levels, even older women would scream “unni, unni!” and squeal like they were losing their minds.

Like that, following Gongsun Cheonil and his wife deeper into the estate, they passed through a round inner gate, and at last, Gongsun Yoye’s private training ground revealed itself.

No, what is this now?

They built a whole gym inside the clan?

Qing had been imagining that Miss Gongsun had been trapped from childhood in some cramped place, doing nothing but cultivating.

But looking at it now, that “cramped, sealed-off space” wasn’t some narrow, dark storage room.

It was an indoor gym.

Of course—Gongsun Yoye’s accomplishments were the clan’s long-cherished wish. Wouldn’t everyone in the clan support her cultivation and cheer her on?

Gongsun Cheonil pounded hard on the door of the boxy, rectangular gym—an architectural style rare in the Central Plains.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

“Noona! Noona! It’s Cheonil!”

A moment later, a blunt reply came back—so obviously sulky you could hear it.

—What. I’m busy.

“There’s a guest who came to see you—”

—Tell them I’m in closed-door cultivation.

“But—”

—Enough. I’m not the kind of person who’s gentle enough to receive guests anyway. I’m not that kind of person. All I need is to become a master.

Gongsun Cheonil looked at Qing with an awkward expression.

Mm. Miss Gongsun was really sulking.

Qing cleared her throat.

“Ahem. It’s me. Seomun Cheong. I was passing by—are you really not even going to show your face?”

—......Cheong? It’s Cheong?

“Then should I be Hong instead? I’m leaving like this, okay? You’re not going to see your friend? You’re abandoning your friend? Boo-hoo... I’m lonely.”

—J-just a moment.

“A friend comes and you won’t even open the door. Is that allowed? I’m about to get hurt, you know?”

—It’s just—wait, right now—

“Waaah! Last time the Chancellor sent me an empty food box, and now she won’t even open the door! If the Chancellor says she doesn’t want to see me anymore, then what more is there for me to do here!”

—N-no, it’s not that, I’m just—give me a second, I need to wash up.

“Tsk. This won’t do. Yoye can just live in there! Mom’s going home!”

Qing threw a tantrum, spouting nonsense.

On the other side of the door, Gongsun Yoye’s eyes spun in panicked circles—after so long in closed-door cultivation, she was probably grimy, and her condition was not presentable.

But... she said she was going home.

There was no bigger threat than that, for Gongsun Yoye.

And finally—

The door of that tightly sealed stronghold, the hideout of the shut-in cultivator—cultivated and became a martial artist—opened at last.