Chapter 433: Journey to Taewon (4)

Jin Jangmyeong squirmed.

But this was Qing, the sheer human force of nature who could have forced even Xiang Yu to change his name to Namcheong.

No matter how much the girl struggled, Qing’s solid hold was as immovable as a mountain.

"Ugh—let go."

"Why? It’s damp, sticky, mm, not great. But really—when I said not to hug me in that state, you actually didn’t want to hug me? Yes or no?"

"Put me down. Now."

"Sniff, sniff—let’s see. Do you smell? When’s the last time you washed? I told you to wash behind your ears too, didn’t I?"

Jangmyeong’s struggles became even fiercer.

Only then did Qing chuckle and set her down.

Jangmyeong’s face crumpled into a pout.

"You’re mean. I was training hard."

"Tsk. Is working hard enough? At your age, I’d already reached super-peak."

"...? We’re only a year apart."

"Exactly. Seo Cheong, youngest-ever super-peak. Not wrong, right? And you, little one, dare to chatter with a super-peak transcending super-peak like Master Qing while you’re just a first-rate warrior?"

Jangmyeong’s eyes sharpened into axe blades.

"You’re rotten. I hate you."

"Come on, I’m joking. I even bought you a gift. Let’s see... here it is."

Qing pulled a box from her bundle, ready to flip it open and present it—

"Eh."

"What is it?"

"What the—was this defective? Damn, I can’t exactly run back to Gwangju to exchange it. That guy swore up and down it was sturdy when I said I didn’t want something fragile."

It was a pair of small scallop-shaped earrings, polished from shell until they shimmered in five colors.

Or rather, it had been a pair.

Now, one earring lay broken in pieces.

Qing scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Did I bump it on the way? I packed it in cotton, so it shouldn’t have happened... maybe it was defective from the start. I’ll get you another—"

"It’s fine. I can wear just one."

Cutting off Qing’s excuse without a shred of hesitation, Jangmyeong snatched the box before it could be taken away.

Clutching it tight, she trailed after Qing as she unpacked, chattering nonstop.

"You’re going to Taewon this time, right? You’re not gonna leave me behind again, saying we’ll go later? You’d better not. I’ll be mad."

"Mm. Probably not? The Martial Alliance usually doesn’t overwork people back-to-back, after all."

"If you leave me again, I’m not forgiving you. This time, I’m following you no matter where you go."

"Jangmyeong, you’re too frail. For now, go wash up. I’m going to see the Sect Mistress."

****

When a disciple returns, it’s only proper to greet the sect head first.

In Qing’s case, she technically wasn’t formally of the Divine Lady’s Gate, but barging past Wang Juhee to go straight to Seo Mun Surin would be in poor taste.

Wang Juhee considered herself nothing more than a decorative Sect Mistress, her name written in the sect’s records but with the real authority lying elsewhere.

Not that it was a bad thing—whenever something difficult came up, she could simply consult her master. Job satisfaction was decent enough.

Still, every group had its order, and so Wang Juhee greeted her pretty youngest junior sister.

"Junior Sister, you’re back? Everything well?"

"Would anything happen to me? Has the Sect Mistress been well?"

"Me? How do I look?"

Wang Juhee, once the master of unintentional stealth to the point of being called the Celestial Dull Sword, now had a far more noticeable presence.

She had... well... filled out.

"Uh..."

This was tricky.

Qing’s eyes rolled about.

Wang Juhee laughed.

"We didn’t have a good steward for the land, so I left it to the Seol Family Trading Company. They keep sending snacks. Even if you don’t want to eat them, it feels wasteful to let them spoil, so one bite at a time... and now I’m like this."

"Ah."

So the culprit behind everyone plumping up like sparrows before winter was Seol Family Trading.

Not that they’d agree.

After all, the land had been granted by the Empress herself, and the “small” allowance-slash-bribe she’d slipped them was just to make sure her daughter wouldn’t be mistreated.

In the end, if you followed the chain of causality far enough, whose fault was it really?

Qing, however, could confidently say—no matter how tasty the snacks, wasn’t it a matter of self-control?

"Still, now no one ignores me when I walk by. Maybe I should’ve built up my figure sooner."

She seemed satisfied enough with the result.

If the Sect Mistress was happy, then all was well.

"Your master’s been waiting for you like her neck’s going to snap. Go see her quickly."

Leaving the Sect Mistress’s hall, a thought struck Qing.

The disciples had all put on weight.

The Sect Mistress had gotten plumper.

Would her master...?

No, she couldn’t picture it.

Qing’s steps quickened.

Before she knew it, she was almost flying.

When the familiar great gate came into view, standing open as always, she called out with sheer delight in her voice—

"Master! I’m back!"

Crossing the threshold—

Hm. Not here.

Then—slide.

A paper door slid halfway open, revealing a refined lady sitting straight-backed inside, clicking her tongue.

"If you’re here, you’re here—why the racket? The older you get, the wilder you act."

"Hehe. Your disciple has returned."

"A grown woman acting all cutesy—enough. What are you waiting for? It’s cold—come inside."

But Qing just stood there with a faint, bittersweet smile.

Her lips curved gently, but her big eyes were slightly crumpled, her brows bent in a way that made her look a little forlorn.

An affectionate, yearning smile.

Seo Mun Surin’s brow twitched—why was this girl whining like a puppy that needed to go out?

Qing grinned and got to the point.

"Master? Don’t you feel like something’s missing? Like... a nice, tight hug for your long-lost disciple?"

Seo Mun Surin sighed.

Whenever Qing returned from her travels, something about her was always... off.

Not a phenomenon of martial realms, but the insight of a woman who’d watched over her beloved disciple for years.

Her eyes—what was that look?

The eyes were the windows to the heart.

They were clouded with fury, a murderous haze born of hate, staining their original clarity.

Clearly, something had happened to poison her heart.

And so she sought affection to fill it, clinging more than usual.

"Come here. Shameless girl."

And so, despite herself, Seo Mun Surin ended up playing the mother, resting her precious disciple’s head on her lap and stroking her hair.

The disciple beamed, victorious in securing her place.

"Hehe."

She giggled happily, until a sudden twinge of embarrassment had her sitting up, kneeling properly before her master.

"So—did the trip go well?"

"Yes. This and that happened... ah, I was on my way to Namnyeong, but, um, Master, have you ever been to Mount Tianzi, in Zhangjiajie?"

"Huh."

A suffocating start.

Tianzi Mountain? Wasn’t that a bandit den?

"I was sightseeing there, and a bunch of bandits came swarming."

Of course. Bad omens never failed.

At the word “bandits,” Seo Mun Surin exhaled heavily.

Still, she wasn’t too worried—if something truly bad had happened, her disciple’s face would be twisted, not bright as it was now—

"Could I just stand by watching bandits? I drew my sword and lopped off the head of their chief—and get this, their chief was at Flower Realm! But who’s my master’s disciple? A super-peak transcending super-peak—slice, done."

"...?"

"Oh, and he wasn’t the only Flower Realm there. There was another—Do Wara? Do Wajum? Something like that. To have such skill and still prey on innocent people... unforgivable. So I took care of him too."

"...?"

"Turns out it was a full-on bandit stronghold. So I burned it all down. Hehe, good job, right?"

Seo Mun Surin took a sip of tea.

Something sounded seriously wrong here.

"Are you telling me you stormed the Green Forest’s base, cut off the leader’s head, and burned the rest?"

"Yes!"

"Hm."

What...? She honestly didn’t know what to say.

Her disciple wouldn’t lie to her, so it had to be true—but if the Green Forest could be destroyed by one young super-peak, they’d never have become the power they were now.

"That was a dangerous thing you did."

"I admit, I underestimated them because they were bandits. There were more experts than I expected—gave me quite a surprise."

"Well... you did well. They’re no use to the world, so removing them is praiseworthy. But... who knows you did it?"

"Mm. Probably the ones who ran away."

"Right. And after that, you headed straight for Namnyeong?"

"Well, on the way, some soldiers blocked the road."

"Why is it that everywhere you go—no, never mind. Just tell me the rest."

So Qing recounted her journey—

Saving an endangered prince, fighting Imperial Guards twisted by strange techniques like back in Sichuan...

Until, overmatched, she learned a demonic art.

Qing glanced at her master.

Seo Mun Surin sighed.

"Let’s put that aside for now. Then?"

In Namnyeong, the Rooster Forest Sword Sect faced annihilation, so she helped them.

Then, with nothing else to do, she went to Guangdong, visited the Guangdong Jin Clan—

And in Gwangju, the Blood Devils, the Blood Sect...

So much for a “quiet” journey.

Seo Mun Surin shook her head.

Was it fate, or the curse of the Heaven-Slayer Star, that trouble followed her everywhere?

Yet she always managed to resolve it—perhaps that was also fate.

When she spoke of the Blood Devils, her disciple couldn’t hide the baleful aura leaking from her—proof enough that the events had wounded her deeply.

But it also made her proud.

"Good and evil aren’t questions anyone can answer for you. They’re difficult problems. Do as your heart dictates—but finding the right direction for that heart is no easy task. So keep thinking on it."

"Yes..."

"And—you learned a demonic art?"

Here it came.

Qing answered hesitantly.

"It’s called the Heavenly Wheel Demonic Catastrophe..."

The veins on Seo Mun Surin’s forehead and neck bulged. Her fist clenched.

Another one of the Ten Great Demonic Arts?!

Was this girl collecting them on purpose? Only picking up the most notorious arts in the land?

But her disciple’s condition wasn’t great...

Seo Mun Surin held back the nuclear strike.

She’d been through hardships to come home. She might be lacking—a lot—but she was still a good girl.

"Haa... fine. Well done. Well done."

She barely managed to hold back the knock to the head—

Only for Qing to add—

"But Master, even if it’s demonic, it’s really convenient. Look—my qi moves on its own—ta-da! Rotating qi!"

Seo Mun Surin’s fury shot right back up.

Boom...!

From the roof of the Grandmaster Hall, the birds resting their weary wings scattered in a startled flurry.