The sparring match between Chun-bong and Namgung Sua began with Chun-bong taking the initiative.
Whap-!
Chun-bong explosively charged forward, lowering her stance and swinging her sword toward Namgung Sua’s legs, a move unlike her usual approach.
Slash-!
Namgung Sua used her long sword as leverage to leap upward, evading the attack. Chun-bong immediately spun around, slashing multiple times at the airborne Namgung Sua, but Sua deftly twisted her body, dodging each strike by using her grip on the sword.
Then, Namgung Sua kicked off a protruding ornament on her scabbard, drawing her massive sword mid-air.
Clang-!
Her scabbard rolled on the ground as Namgung Sua twisted her body, bringing her sword down in a powerful strike from above.
“Tsk.”
Clicking her tongue, Chun-bong raised her sword over her head.
Whoom-!
A heavy sound of air being cut. Blocking it head-on was impossible. Chun-bong quickly judged the situation and redirected the falling greatsword with a strong sideways deflection using her own sword.
Screech-!
The sound of metal grinding against metal echoed.
Boom-!
The deflected greatsword crashed into the stage, creating a powerful shockwave. Chun-bong, forced to retreat, twitched her lips at the sight of the destructive force. She adjusted her bamboo hat and let out a short breath, lightly bouncing on her feet.
Tap-tap-
Her light steps displayed her agility. Meanwhile, Namgung Sua stood tall, her greatsword dragging along the ground.
Chun-bong, after bouncing lightly a few more times, suddenly charged at Namgung Sua.
Clang-clang-clang-!
Circling around Namgung Sua, Chun-bong's sword danced gracefully, fluttering like a butterfly. In contrast, Namgung Sua stood as immovable as a mountain, either hiding behind her raised sword or blocking Chun-bong’s attacks by shifting the sword’s trajectory.
Then, in an instant—
────────
Namgung Sua spun her body, swinging her greatsword horizontally.
Caught off guard, Chun-bong’s sword traced an arc in the air.
Screech-!
The long greatsword naturally rose into the air. For a while, Chun-bong pressed the attack while Namgung Sua defended and occasionally counterattacked.
“Hmm, this might take a while,” someone muttered. “…She’s awfully relaxed,” another commented. “No way.”
Namgung Sua blocked a rapidly thrusting sword with a faint smile. They exchanged gazes while their swords clashed, until Namgung Sua swung her foot.
Chun-bong blocked with her knee, spinning into the air and delivering a series of kicks to Namgung Sua’s abdomen before retreating.
The audience, who had been watching in awe, erupted into cheers.
“Waaaaah───!!!” “Amazing…!” “Do you see what I see? Because all I saw was a blur of motion.” “Well, even from a glance, it’s incredible!” “Yeah…, you’re right.”
The martial artists in the crowd reacted in various ways as they observed the duel. Some watched with sharp eyes, eager not to miss a single moment of the fierce battle, while others, realizing the vast difference in skill, lowered their heads in defeat. A few, driven by competitive spirit, stomped their feet impatiently.
Seo-jun, however, stood with his fists clenched, intently watching the match.
But his reasons were a bit different from the others.
‘She’s already small, and if she gets hit by that, won’t it be a real disaster…?’
Of course, before that could happen, Namgung Sua would likely stop, or someone like Elder Jong-in or a referee would intervene, but it was still worrisome.
He needed to be ready to jump in and stop the match at any moment.
"Seventy-eight, step forward!" “Tsk.”
Of all times, why now?
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun stood up, his eyes still fixed on Chun-bong as he mechanically walked forward.
His opponent on the opposite side of the arena clasped his fists together in salute.
“I look forward to our bout. My name is Gu Yang.”
“Yes,” Seo-jun replied half-heartedly, still staring at Chun-bong’s match.
"Begin!" Naturally, this left a huge opening.
Gu Yang, his eyes gleaming, coated his fist with internal energy and charged at Seo-jun.
“Don’t hold this against me!”
The sound of air tearing accompanied the swinging fist. The internal energy imbued in it was dense. His opponent had clearly trained extensively.
But the thick internal energy also made it easy for Seo-jun’s energy senses to track.
Seo-jun, still watching Chun-bong’s duel, reached out his hand.
Whirl-
His wrist rotated, drawing a small circle—a technique he’d mastered after getting caught by Chun-bong's moves numerous times.
Swoosh-!
Gu Yang’s fist slipped past harmlessly, his face filled with shock.
“This easily…!?”
A rapidly approaching palm filled Gu Yang’s vision. He tried to twist his head to dodge, but the palm, as if knowing where he’d go, grabbed his face.
“Wait—!”
Boom-!
Gu Yang’s head slammed into the ground, his body shuddering before he passed out.
"The victor, Lee Seo-jun!" As the referee declared the winner, Seo-jun clicked his tongue.
"The victor, Namgung Sua!" The result of Chun-bong’s match was also decided.
On the arena stage.
Chun-bong lay collapsed, with Namgung Sua’s greatsword embedded next to her neck.
A shadow fell over her as she lay there, staring blankly.
“Are you okay?”
Namgung Sua extended her hand.
At that moment—
Crack-
The bamboo hat she wore split and fell apart.
“Oh…”
As her face was revealed, Namgung Sua awkwardly smiled, and Chun-bong grabbed her hand.
“…I’m fine.” “It was a close call.”
If Chun-bong’s sword had cut just a little deeper, she would’ve been the victor.
“You weren’t even fighting at full strength,” Chun-bong said curtly as she stood up, still holding Namgung Sua’s hand.
Namgung Sua chuckled softly.
“Neither were you, right?” “…Hmph.” “By the way, I prefer when you speak casually. It makes me feel like we’re closer.”
“…I don’t want to.” “That’s mean.”
Their conversation drew murmurs from the crowd. Although Chun-bong’s face was hidden, Namgung Sua’s revealed appearance captivated the onlookers.
“Does anyone know who she is?” “With looks like that, she must be famous.”
Even the martial artists present didn’t recognize Namgung Sua.
“Ah…! I’ve seen her before! She’s the Flower of Anhui, Namgung Sua!”
One martial artist finally recognized her.
Namgung.
The moment that name was spoken, the arena instantly buzzed with excitement.
“Namgung family!” “What’s the Namgung family doing here in Shaanxi?”
Numerous eyes, each filled with curiosity or caution, focused on her.
“I knew I should’ve kept the hat on,” Namgung Sua sighed.
At that moment, someone entered the arena stage—it was Seo-jun.
He scooped up the downcast Chun-bong in his arms and silently stared at Namgung Sua.
“……” “……?”
Namgung Sua tilted her head at Seo-jun’s intense gaze.
Slap-
Seo-jun lightly slapped his own cheek and shook his head. The faint golden hue in his eyes faded back to black.
“You’re Chun-bong’s nemesis!” “Huh?” “No, nothing. We’ll settle this on the arena later.”
“Haha, are you confident? Now that my identity is revealed, I no longer need to hide my skills.”
“Confidence?” Seo-jun said, waving his hand over his shoulder as he walked off the stage.
“Of course.”
Regardless of her connection to the Namgung family, there was no reason he couldn’t win.
“Hey, are you okay?”
As Seo-jun quickly exited the arena and made his way back to the inn, he spoke to the bundle in his arms.
Chun-bong remained silent.
Even through her martial robe, Seo-jun could feel the dampness in her chest area. He gently patted her back.
“Are you in a lot of pain? Let me see your arm.” “……”
Her arm bore a sword wound, and she’d likely gotten bruised from the kick to her stomach during the fight.
Trying to calm his seething anger, Seo-jun softly rocked the Chun-bong in his arms.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get revenge. I’ll beat her to a pulp.”
“…Hic.”
A sob unexpectedly escaped Chun-bong’s lips, causing her body to tremble.
“Aigoo…!”
Seo-jun quickened his pace.
Back at the inn, he laid Chun-bong down in their room.
“Why are you crying, Chun-bong? Is it because you’re in pain?” “No…”
“There, there.”
“Ugh…!”
As he patted her head, Chun-bong shook her head roughly.
She must’ve been really upset.
Then Seo-jun remembered the wound medicine that Namgung Sua had given them. He rummaged through his belongings and found it.
“Give me your arm.”
Grabbing her limp arm, he applied the medicine generously. Chun-bong’s face contorted in discomfort, nearly on the verge of tears.
It didn’t seem like it hurt—more like she was frustrated. Chun-bong did have a bit of a competitive streak.
Seo-jun squatted in front of her, opening his arms.
“Come here.”
Chun-bong, lips trembling as she fought back tears, shook her head, her fists clenched tightly.
“…I-I’m fine.” “Come on, there’s no one else here.” “…I won’t… because of something so… trivial…”
Chun-bong squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to hold back her tears.
It was both amusing and heartbreaking to see.
Seo-jun, unable to resist, pulled her into his arms, patting her back gently. Eventually, her tears broke free, soaking his shoulder.
“Sniff…! Ugh…”
“You’re so brave, Chun-bong.” “I… I wanted to win… so I could give you a sword… as a present…”
“A sword?”
Now that he thought about it, one of the prizes in the tournament was a sword.
It was awarded from first to fourth place, and Chun-bong must’ve wanted to win one to gift to him.
“You should focus on healing. What’s with all this talk about gifts?” “…I don’t want to.” “What?”
Chun-bong’s small hand gripped Seo-jun’s shoulder tightly.
“If I grow up…, my chubby cheeks will disappear…”
“You little…!”
Was she actually worried about her cheeks?
Seo-jun couldn’t help but laugh.
“Geum Chun-bong, your priority should be healing, not worrying about your cheeks.”
“…You care the most about them.”
“Ah.”
She had a point. But still, that was beside the point.
He could always fatten her up again if needed.
“You just stay here and relax. I’ll take care of the rest.”
The tournament was important, but there was still one crucial matter left.
“Chun-bong teacher.”
“Mm…”
Chun-bong, her eyes swollen from crying, puffed out her lips. Her cheeks were adorably plump. Seo-jun couldn’t resist and lunged toward her.
“Come here—!”
Squeeze, squeeze.
Just a few squeezes of her cheeks, and peace returned to Seo-jun’s mind.
This was life itself. Wasn’t this the ultimate goal of human existence? That’s what Seo-jun thought.
“Oh…!”
Just as he had been completely captivated, Seo-jun suddenly remembered what he needed to do and quickly snapped out of it.
“You little rascal!” “…What are you saying?” “Anyway, I have an important announcement to make.”
Seo-jun raised a finger.
“That Elder Jong-in recognized you because of the aura from the Hwangun Shingong, right?” “Right.” “So, wouldn’t it be a good idea to learn a martial art that conceals that aura?”
Chun-bong tilted her head in confusion.
“How do you know about such a technique?”
“Well…, I made one up last night?”
Chun-bong smacked her forehead.
“…You’re seriously insane.” “Hey! Watch how you talk to your older brother!”
Seo-jun puffed out his chest.
“From now on, you’re no longer Chun-bong teacher! I’m Seo-jun teacher! I’m the teacher, and you’re the student!”
Chun-bong sighed deeply.
“Haah… Maybe silence was better…”
Could they possibly meet halfway?
Chun-bong seriously contemplated that.