Namgung Sua gave him a disappointed look.
“You might not get another chance after today.”
“Uh, yeah. Please stop.”
“Just to clarify so you don’t misunderstand, I’m pure and chaste, untouched by any man. I’m not the kind of woman who throws herself at just anyone.”
“…Then why are you doing this with me? I’m seriously just some random guy.”
As Seo-jun slowly backed away, Chun-bong stepped forward.
With her newfound confidence, Chun-bong wasn’t holding back anymore.
“Excuse me, lady. Why do you keep flirting with him?”
“What…?”
Namgung Sua’s eye twitched. That had hit a nerve.
“Anyway, this guy only likes little girls. He’s a weirdo with a weird complex, so he wouldn’t like all that fat hanging around.”
Chun-bong threw a quick glance at Namgung Sua’s large chest, her eyebrow twitching.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Uh, no, it’s not like that! I’m not a lolicon, okay? That’s a huge misunderstanding!”
“Ugh, can’t you just go along with it for once?!”
“Oh, that’s what you meant?”
Seo-jun tapped his palm with his fist and smiled brightly.
“Yeah, that’s what she said.”
“Aha.”
Namgung Sua quickly regained her composure and flashed a faint smile. She slightly lifted the sword at her waist—a longsword, the prize from the martial arts competition, not the greatsword she usually carried. The greatsword was nowhere in sight.
“Well… instead of standing around like this, how about we grab a cup of tea and have a proper conversation?”
“Hm…”
“I’d also like to talk about the martial arts match we had. It left quite an impression on me, especially that sword technique of yours that carried the sky.”
“Oh, really?”
Seo-jun’s mood brightened, and he quickly nodded.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Pinch! Chun-bong pinched him hard on his side, but it didn’t hurt much.
Following Namgung Sua’s lead, they arrived at a surprisingly large teahouse. The building had multiple floors, and upon seeing Namgung Sua, the server immediately guided them to the top floor.
“The Longjing tea here is exquisite.”
“Longjing tea? Isn’t that really expensive?”
“It’s not too bad.”
Namgung Sua reassured them as Seo-jun looked around, but there was no menu in sight. Curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t resist calling over a passing server.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“Uh, how much is the Longjing tea here?”
The server quietly held up three fingers.
“Three coins?” Seo-jun wondered.
When the server noticed Seo-jun’s confusion, he leaned in and whispered.
“Three silver.”
“Oh…”
That’s really expensive.
Seo-jun grimaced as he looked at Namgung Sua, who just smiled sweetly.
“It’s not much, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Now that he thought about it, Namgung Sua wasn’t just wealthy—she was practically royalty, a direct descendant of the Namgung family, which was comparable to being a princess. Seo-jun had accumulated some wealth by raiding the Black Tiger Clan, but it couldn’t compare to hers.
Scratching his head, Chun-bong frowned next to him.
“Hey, I’ll pay for it. Why are you acting all shy?”
“Oh my.”
But Chun-bong, your money is my money.
Since they pooled their funds together, there was no real distinction between “her money” and “his money.”
Still, to avoid embarrassment, Seo-jun kept quiet as Namgung Sua chuckled softly.
“I insisted on this, so I should pay. Feel free to order anything you like.”
“Wow, noona!”
Pinch! This time the pinch from Chun-bong hurt a little more.
Namgung Sua, who had been watching them with amusement, finally spoke.
“By the way, your sister seems to have grown a lot in just a few days.”
“Kids grow fast, you know.”
“I’m not a kid!”
While Chun-bong fumed, Namgung Sua narrowed her eyes slightly and studied her.
“The Plum Blossom Pill… your sister took it, didn’t she?”
“Why do you ask?”
Seo-jun’s playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp gaze as he stared at Namgung Sua.
“You seem a bit too interested in Chun-bong.”
“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I just have a suggestion to offer.”
“A suggestion?”
“Well, from what I can see, you might need some more medicinal elixirs. Would you be interested in any from the Namgung family?”
“……”
Seo-jun narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare at her. Namgung Sua smiled bitterly and waved her hand.
“I’m sorry if I was too forward.”
Then she untied the sword from her waist and placed it on the table.
“Regardless, please accept this. It’s of no use to me.”
“I can’t just take something like that for free.”
“I’ve already received enough in return.”
Namgung Sua extended her hand, moving it slowly downward.
It was just a simple, unremarkable gesture with no energy behind it, but Seo-jun saw the sky in her movement.
“What do you think?”
“It’s a little different.”
“Isn’t it? After seeing your sky, I realized that my own sky lacked intensity.”
But that wasn’t true.
The sky Seo-jun had seen from her that day was vast and overwhelming, enough to make him feel crushed beneath its weight. However, it seemed that Namgung Sua had gained a small enlightenment from seeing his sword.
“Now that I’ve found a way to move forward, this sword is a small price to pay. Besides, as a Namgung family member, it would look strange for me to use a Huashan Sect sword anyway.”
“Well, in that case…”
“And most importantly…”
Namgung Sua let out a deep sigh, rubbing her stomach.
“I can’t forget it. That intense impact. That day opened my eyes to an entirely new world.”
“Oh…”
Seo-jun hastily withdrew the hand that had been reaching for the sword.
She’s definitely a pervert.
After spending quite some time talking with Namgung Sua, Seo-jun returned to the inn with a new sword strapped to his waist. Despite finding her strange, he had come to realize that Namgung Sua wasn't a bad person. Even Chun-bong, who had been openly hostile at first, seemed to warm up as the conversation went on, appearing somewhat friendlier by the end.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t get along with her at all!”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Gyaaah!”
By now, evening had arrived. As Seo-jun was wrapping up the day and pondering when they should leave Huayum Town, an unexpected guest arrived.
“Oh? Hello.”
“It’s been a while, Do-wu.”
It was Unjak, the Huashan Sect warrior Seo-jun had met earlier, the one who had demonstrated the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art during the martial arts competition. As Seo-jun wondered whether he was becoming more popular these days, he noticed another man standing next to Unjak.
“We met during the preliminaries, right?”
“Yes, that’s why we’ve come.”
“Unbaek, you can’t just jump straight to the point. At least introduce yourself first.”
“Oh, right.”
The man bowed respectfully.
“My name is Unbaek.”
“And I’m Unjak.”
Seo-jun and Chun-bong also returned the bow.
“I’m Lee Seo-jun.”
“I’m Chun-bong.”
After the introductions were complete, Unbaek immediately brought up the main topic again.
“Now, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Is your main weapon a saber? I could’ve sworn I saw you using saber techniques, but this guy keeps insisting that your main weapon is a sword.”
“You watched the finals, didn’t you?”
“I did. Your overwhelming victory over the Namgung family member was impressive. But even then, didn’t you start with saber techniques?”
As the two men bickered back and forth, Seo-jun found himself seated at a table in the corner of the inn, and before he knew it, a drinking session had naturally begun. He sat there with his mouth slightly open, realizing something:
So this is what it feels like to be truly popular. I’ve just been pretending all this time.
“So, young hero! What’s your take on it?”
“Well… if I had to choose, I’d say it’s a sword.”
“See? The young hero himself says it’s a sword!”
“No! This can’t be!”
Feeling quite proud, Unjak smiled and offered Seo-jun a drink.
“Young hero, please join us for a drink.”
“Uh, well…”
Seo-jun glanced at Chun-bong, who was sitting quietly beside him. She’s such a homebody that she couldn’t even say a word in this kind of situation.
“She’s still a bit young for alcohol…”
“What?”
Suddenly, Chun-bong shot up from her seat.
“I’m not a kid anymore.”
Then she poured herself a drink and downed it in one gulp.
“Gyaaah!”
She stomped her feet in pain, complaining that her throat was burning, before collapsing into Seo-jun’s lap and falling asleep.
“Well… she’s quite a fiery young lady.”
“Haha… yeah, that’s our Chun-bong.”
Laughing awkwardly, Seo-jun held out his cup.
“Alright, I’ll have a little bit, then.”
“That sounds like a great idea!”
It had been a long time since Seo-jun had a drink, and it tasted sweet.
“So, as I was saying... Hmm, my title was personally given to me by my master. Although right now I am only Unjak (Sparrow), one day I will become a mighty roc and spread my wings wide…”
It was the seventh time Seo-jun had heard this story.
Chuckling, Seo-jun turned to Unbaek with a question.
“Hey, Brother Baek. There’s something I’ve always been curious about.”
“Ask anything, younger brother! If you’re curious, it’s my duty to answer.”
“Is it true that high-ranking masters of the Huashan Sect give off a plum blossom scent even from their... uh... bodily fluids?”
“Haha! Yes, indeed. Once you reach a certain level of mastery where even your techniques carry the scent of plum blossoms, the same fragrance can be found in your saliva, and, yes, even your... other fluids.”
“Oh...”
So it was true?
Seo-jun had always wondered about this, and today, that curiosity was finally satisfied.
“But why do you ask?”
“Oh, Brother Namgung mentioned something about it.”
“Namgung? Surely, you don’t mean Namgung Sua?”
“Are you crazy?!”
“Hahaha! Right, of course.”
Eventually, after a night of drinking, Unjak and Unbaek left, both heavily intoxicated.
“Well, see you next time!”
“Yes, Seo-jun... So, as I was saying, my title was personally given by my master, and...”
“This guy can’t even drink properly, and he always rambles on…”
Seo-jun also waved goodbye, with Chun-bong sleeping on his back.
“See you next time!”
As he watched them stumble away, Seo-jun sighed contentedly, feeling the warmth of the alcohol as he made his way back to his room.
“Huashan Sect...”
You can’t judge an entire group just by one person. Sure, Elder Jong-in was a strange guy, but Unbaek and Unjak were genuinely good people. Even the innkeeper had refused to take money from the Huashan members, showing how much respect they commanded.
If he ever returned to Huayum Town, Seo-jun was sure he’d look them up again.
No matter how brief the encounter, there was no need to doubt their sincerity after sharing a drink.
“Hmm, exactly.”
Looking up at the moon outside the window, Seo-jun twirled a mix of yin and yang energy around his index fingers.
“A celebratory firework for the connections we’ve made.”
Fwoosh—
He shot the yin and yang energy into the sky, where they collided and exploded.
Boom!
As he enjoyed his private fireworks show, Seo-jun lay down next to Chun-bong.
“My precious Chun-bong.”
As he pulled her close, Chun-bong snuggled into his arms, her warmth lulling him to sleep.
“Yawn...”
It had been a satisfying day.
A few days later, Seo-jun and Chun-bong left Huayum Town.
Flap—
As Jong-in sat with his eyes closed, a bird landed on his shoulder.
“So, they’ve left after all.”
Jong-in stood up, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“What a pity.”
He gently stroked the sword at his waist and began to walk, heading toward the one remaining descendant of the Golden Sword Family.