CLS-Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Morning dew had settled.

“Mmph.”

Seomun Da-yeon rose from her sleeping place and stretched.

“My whole body aches…”

She shouldn’t have slept outdoors like this. Though they had lit a fire, the cold air had seeped into her entire body, making her feel extremely heavy.

‘I wonder if she’s okay?’

Naturally, her worry turned to Yi Seol-hwa’s condition.

If she felt this heavy in her normal state, how much worse must Yi Seol-hwa feel, having been injured?

Seomun Da-yeon got up and walked over to Yi Seol-hwa.

“Miss.”

“…Yes.”

Yi Seol-hwa pulled down her blanket and peeked out her face.

‘How cute.’

Her expression was a bit stoic, so she hadn’t noticed before, but now that the sun was up, she had an incredibly cute face. It was hard to believe that someone like this was the disciple of the fearsome Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin.

But her eyes were red like a rabbit’s, perhaps from an uncomfortable night’s sleep.

“Was your bed uncomfortable?”

“No, no. It was comfortable.”

“It looks like you didn’t sleep well?”

“…It wasn’t because of the bed.”

“What?”

Yi Seol-hwa said that much, then blushed again and covered herself with the blanket.

“Should you get up?”

“Yes. I’ll get up now.”

As Yi Seol-hwa sat up with the blanket still wrapped around her, Seomun Da-yeon smiled warmly.

Come to think of it, she seemed quite young.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“But you were severely injured.”

The answer came from somewhere else, not from Yi Seol-hwa.

“She wouldn’t be worthy of being my disciple if she whined about such a minor injury.”

Seomun Da-yeon spun around in alarm.

‘Who?’

She hadn’t sensed any presence at all, yet someone had gotten behind her. If this person had wanted to, she wouldn’t have noticed anyone was there until her head was rolling on the ground.

Where her gaze fell, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance stood smiling gently.

“Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, it is.”

Yi Seol-hwa’s face hardened as she jumped up from where she sat.

“Your body is still…”

Seomun Da-yeon tried to stop her, but Yi Seol-hwa ignored her words and bowed to the middle-aged man.

“I greet my master.”

“It seems you had a hard night.”

Seomun Da-yeon’s eyes wavered.

‘Then this person is…’

According to Yi Seol-hwa’s words, the person standing before her was the Plum Blossom Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin.

The unparalleled swordsman born from Mount Hua.

Mount Hua’s dagger aiming for the position of the world’s greatest sword in the next generation.

Her body began to tremble.

Gong Mu-jin was famous for his cold nature, befitting his title as Sword Demon. The tale of how he cut down over ten people simultaneously for mocking his sword was still talked about to this day.

“I greet you, senior.”

“Who might you be, young lady?”

“I am Seomun Da-yeon of the Seomun family.”

“Seomun Da-yeon… What is your relationship to Seomun Cheon-se?”

“He is my father.”

“I see. So you are Seomun Cheon-se’s daughter. No wonder that fellow stays holed up at home instead of venturing into the martial world, having such a beautiful daughter.”

Seomun Da-yeon blushed.

“Are you the one who saved my lacking disciple?”

“No, no I’m not.”

“Really?”

Gong Mu-jin looked at Yi Seol-hwa with sunken eyes and spoke.

“Then shall I hear what happened?”

***

“Found him!”

Seeing the beggar-looking… no, seeing the beggar who burst through the door, Wei San-ho frowned.

“Can’t you avoid acting rashly?”

“I found Yan-ho!”

In that moment, Wei San-ho’s body stretched out and grabbed Jang-il by the collar.

“Where?”

Don’t use your Shape-Shifting Technique for something like this!

No, at this age, using Shape-Shifting Technique… what exactly do these Wei family members eat to grow up like this?

Do they drink Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng instead of milk?

Just as Jang-il was about to answer something, the door burst open again as if it would break.

“Yan-ho?”

“Yan-ho?”

Wei Jeong-han and Han Sang-ah entered, nearly destroying the door.

‘…I should never associate with the Wei family again.’

It was something he had resolved long ago, but what blessing was he seeking by being entangled with these people in this place?

“The beggars in Xinyang saw a man with a similar appearance to Wei Yan-ho.”

“Xinyang?”

Wei Jeong-han and Han Sang-ah looked ready to pack immediately, but Wei San-ho remained relatively calm.

“Was he alone?”

“He was said to be with some woman…”

“A woman?”

At that moment, hearing a voice from outside, Jang-il’s body trembled.

‘Why is that lady acting like that?’

Upon hearing the word “woman,” Ghost Lady was showing interest.

“It would be good if we could get more information.”

“…Our principle is not to exchange information with the Hao Clan?”

“So you’re saying you can’t speak?”

“Principles exist to be broken.”

Jang-il felt miserable.

He was a Branch Head of the Beggar’s Sect. That meant he could receive respect wherever he went. Even without having to beg, he could get meals by visiting appropriate sects and wouldn’t have to worry about food for ten years – that’s what being a Branch Head meant.

But these people were treating the Beggar’s Sect Branch Head like some stray dog.

No, a stray dog would be better. They wouldn’t ask a stray dog to fetch information.

“Let’s depart for Xinyang first.”

Wei Jeong-han seemed ready to move immediately, but then two people entered from outside.

“What’s happening?”

“Ah, Hall Master.”

Wei Jeong-han’s face lit up as he looked at Jin So-ah. Knowing that someone so young was leading such a large establishment, Wei Jeong-han viewed Jin So-ah very favorably.

His own son was older than Jin So-ah but still wasn’t presentable as a human being, so naturally he was pleased to see such a fine pillar of society growing up so well despite having no parents.

“They say they’ve discovered traces of Yan-ho.”

“Brother Yan-ho? Where is he said to be?”

Seeing Jin So-ah, who seemed even more excited than himself, Wei Jeong-han couldn’t help but smile warmly.

‘This boy seems to have good fortune with people.’

He had thought he was a fellow who would be fortunate just to make his own living, but seeing such talented people looking for Wei Yan-ho showed he had good fortune with people. This fact made Wei Jeong-han feel pleased.

“He was discovered in the Xinyang area.”

“Ah, Xinyang!”

Jin So-ah looked ready to rush outside immediately, but there was a hand that grabbed his sleeve.

“What kind of rudeness is this in front of guests?”

“…I apologize.”

‘Hmm?’

Wei Jeong-han looked with slightly surprised eyes at the woman scolding Jin So-ah.

A woman who appeared slightly older than Jin So-ah bowed deeply to them.

“I greet the family of our benefactor. I am Jin Ye-ran, the eldest daughter of Sacred Hand Hall.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

The eldest daughter of Sacred Hand Hall…

Typically, an eldest daughter would be expected to lead Sacred Hand Hall alongside Jin So-ah, but considering her mourning clothes and the fact that she hadn’t shown her face until now, she apparently wasn’t staying at Sacred Hand Hall.

‘She must have her circumstances.’

Wei Jeong-han didn’t delve deeper into that matter. There was no greater rudeness than inquiring into others’ family affairs.

“But you call him benefactor?”

“Young Master Wei Yan-ho once saved me. No, I can’t say just once. The grace I’ve received is as vast as the sea, difficult to express in words.”

Flash!

At that moment, a murderous glint shot out from beside Wei Jeong-han.

“Oh no.”

Han Sang-ah was looking at Jin Ye-ran with the eyes of a hawk eyeing its prey.

‘Here we go again.’

Han Sang-ah’s search for Wei Yan-ho’s potential bride had begun.

‘But…’

Not bad. No, it wasn’t just “not bad” – it seemed almost too good for him. Jin Ye-ran’s beauty was exceptional.

Looking at her snow-white face and distinct features, he wondered if he had ever seen such a beauty before.

“What are you looking at right now?”

“…I was looking at the universe.”

“If you don’t want to see hell, get out of the way.”

“Yes.”

Having shoved Wei Jeong-han into a corner, Han Sang-ah looked at Jin Ye-ran and asked.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Madam said she wasn’t feeling well, so I came to provide medical treatment. Since she’s the mother of our benefactor, please allow me to repay even a small part of our debt.”

“I see, so that’s it. So how old are you?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any marriage prospects?”

“Pardon?”

“What do you think of our Yan-ho?”

“…Pardon?”

A mother’s obsession was frightening.

***

“Hmm…”

After hearing the entire story, Gong Mu-jin turned his head to look at the carriage.

‘At not even twenty years of age, he easily captured an opponent that Seol-hwa couldn’t withstand even one strike from?’

It was an almost unbelievable story.

But looking at Seo Ju-ak, whose face had become swollen like a puffed-up pumpkin on the carriage roof, it was a story he couldn’t help but believe.

‘One strike…’

It was a very interesting story.

“You had a good experience.”

“Yes.”

Yi Seol-hwa bowed with a rigid expression.

“Were you careless?”

“No.”

“You weren’t careless yet couldn’t withstand the enemy’s first move… that perverted bastard’s martial arts must have been beyond my expectations. How is your body?”

“…It’s fine.”

“The treatment went well, it seems.”

Gong Mu-jin, who had quietly examined Yi Seol-hwa’s body, nodded.

“Indeed.”

His interest grew more and more.

Treating someone with internal injuries was not an easy task. Looking at how her internal energy was twisted, it seemed like it hadn’t been an ordinary severe wound, but it was already cleanly organized. The twisted internal energy would recover before long if she continued to rest and recuperate like this.

‘Interesting.’

From what he heard, it seemed to be a child, yet they displayed such skill?

He began to become curious about what kind of fellow this was.

“If you had a good experience, that’s good enough.”

“Yes, Master.”

“But it’s also true that you sullied Mount Hua’s name.”

“…”

Gong Mu-jin’s eyes grew cold.

“Your journey in the martial world ends here. As soon as we return to Mount Hua, go to the Repentance Cave and enter closed-door training for one year.”

“…I will obey your command.”

Seomun Da-yeon’s eyes widened.

Wasn’t this a situation that anyone could see was practically beyond her control? Yet because she experienced that situation, she had to enter closed-door training. It was an excessively harsh measure.

But neither Gong Mu-jin giving the order nor Yi Seol-hwa receiving it seemed to think there was anything strange about it.

“Being outmatched by a strong opponent is no excuse. Even if the opponent was strong, you should have fought with all your might. If you had died at that pervert’s hands instead, I could have praised you, but being defeated by the pervert and preserving your life through another’s help is unforgivable.”

“…I understand.”

“If you weren’t my disciple, I could forgive you, but I cannot forgive my disciple showing such a pathetic display. Go down the mountain and return to Mount Hua.”

“Yes.”

Seomun Da-yeon’s body trembled.

It was too harsh a measure to call it the strict discipline of a prestigious sect.

“That aside…”

Gong Mu-jin looked at the carriage with an interested expression, then began walking toward it.

“Let’s see, shall I take a look at the face of the benefactor who saved my dear disciple?”

Gong Mu-jin knocked on the door of the carriage where Wei Yan-ho was sleeping.

“Are you awake?”

“…”

“Are you awake?”

“Ah! Seriously, from this early in the morning!”

As an irritated voice burst out, Gong Mu-jin’s face subtly hardened.

Then the door burst open and Wei Yan-ho poked his head out.

“What is it?”