Namgung Yeon was walking along the road with Mokryong and Baekdam of Mount Hua Sect.
Baekdam offered deep condolences for the tragedy that had befallen the Namgung Family, and Namgung Yeon accepted his sentiments with a brief word of thanks.
Mokryong was someone she saw often, so they had already exchanged words on the matter long ago. There was no need to add anything more.
"I never imagined you'd choose to come to the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly all alone, without even a single retainer. Young Master—no, Clan Leader, I know I'm not in a position to say this, but it was truly reckless. You're the head of the Namgung Family now."
"That's precisely why I came alone. As clan leader, I have to show strength, don't I? Only then can the retainers of my family—and those who support me—feel proud."
"Those who support you? It's those, 'plural. Who in the Central Plains doesn't cheer for the Namgung Clan Leader these days?"
"...Haha."
Was that really true?
The world was already speaking of the end of the Namgung Family.
There was no one left cheering for her.
...Except for that one nameless soul.
She didn't know who it was, but they had to be wealthy.
To send that much money all at once.
It was money she couldn't bear to squander, even considering the sentiment behind it.
One's entire fortune. To hand over one's entire fortune to a dullard like me.
A profound gratitude, impossible to express openly anywhere, festered quietly within Namgung Yeon.
The Namgung Family's vaults were already empty.
Just repairing the crumbled walls, inner quarters, and outer halls had cost an incalculable fortune.
On top of that, the grain and food distributed for the people of Cheonju Mountain had all been squeezed from the family's lifeblood.
All that remained now was the silver left by that anonymous benefactor.
Namgung Yeon had never touched that money carelessly.
It was a sacrifice laid down for her growth, a sincere offering sent in the belief that she could become the best in the world.
Even if it was a pipe dream she herself couldn't fully believe in... abandoning it would be a betrayal of that courtesy.
And so, for the first time in her life, Namgung Yeon slept on the streets and subsisted on cheap food, enduring it all with grit.
The only expense was the monthly tuition paid to Mokryong.
Though she had no idea how much longer she could keep even him around.
Lately, Mokryong had been steadily hinting at the possibility of leaving her.
She couldn't complain about it. She probably would have done the same in his shoes.
If she felt wronged, she simply had to grow stronger.
She was walking a blood-sweat path.
"..."
Suddenly, it crossed her mind.
Come to think of it, might that person be watching her from somewhere at this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly too?
Wealthy, deeply invested in Central Plains news, enough to sponsor their entire fortune to her.
Surely they had come all the way to Mount Song.
That thought only weighed heavier on her heart.
And at the same time, the resolve to prove herself burned fiercer than ever.
"Here you go! Puppies for sale, puppies! Just one iron coin each! Take one!"
"Dumplings! Get your dumplings here!"
Amid the noisy merchants, Mokryong and Baekdam spoke.
"Let's go check our matchups first. The brackets should be out by now. I saw gambling tables set up earlier too."
"Indeed. That sounds best."
Namgung Yeon hesitated at their words and came to a stop.
"Uh... you two go ahead."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"I need to use the outhouse."
"Just say you're taking a dump like a normal guy. Why always act so refined?"
Baekdam laughed and held Mokryong back.
"Brother. How can you compare yourself to the Clan Leader? That's dignity and manners right there."
Namgung Yeon brushed it off with an awkward smile.
"Fine, I'll go take a dump. You guys head on first."
Baekdam and Mokryong strolled off casually.
Did she really need the outhouse?
No.
She had another purpose.
-Swish.
Turning her head, she saw puppies wriggling around in a wooden box.
Their tiny whimpers cut through the noise, bold and spirited.
Namgung Yeon hesitated before approaching the merchant.
The merchant asked.
"Here for a puppy? Just leave one iron coin and take it."
"...Why sell them so cheap?"
"That way, owners won't abandon them lightly. Even at a low price, those who pay treat them with more care. So, buying or not?"
Namgung Yeon straightened her back, maintaining her dignity.
"...Why would a man buy such cute puppies? Just looking, that's all."
"Suit yourself."
With no sale in sight, the merchant lost interest and resumed his hawking.
Namgung Yeon wavered for a long moment before squatting down in front of the puppies.
A musky scent began to rise.
Her expression softened bit by bit until she finally extended a hand.
'So cute. Too cute.'
The puppies nuzzled and clung to her touch, their bodies soft and pliant.
One stuck out its tongue and licked her hand.
"...Whoa..."
Namgung Yeon let out an involuntary moan at the overwhelming cuteness.
For that instant, she wasn't the family head or a martial artist—just herself.
A brief moment to set down her heavy burdens.
"...What's with that beggar staring over here like that?"
In the midst of it, the puppy merchant grumbled oddly.
Namgung Yeon snapped out of it at his complaint and glanced back.
"...Ah."
There stood the burly man she'd run into at the noodle shop, off in the distance.
He watched her with an incredulous expression.
Mortified at being caught in such an undignified moment, Namgung Yeon shot to her feet.
Her carefully maintained facade had slipped right in front of him, stirring greater waves within her than expected.
Others might call it overacting, but not her.
Namgung Yeon stormed up to him aggressively, making excuses.
"J-Just now... I was just looking at the puppies. Nothing more."
"...Pardon? No need to explain... Want me to buy you one? One iron coin's nothing."
Namgung Yeon's ear tips flushed red.
"W-Why would a man buy such a cute creature? What for?!"
"Can't men like cute things? Why are you so obsessed with that idea...?"
"A-And! If I want one, I can buy it myself! Stop treating me like a beggar— you look poorer to me!"
Embarrassed, she lashed out more.
Namgung Yeon pulled two iron coins from her pocket.
"Here! I was really grateful back then! Now I'm paying you back! But don't pity me! I'm not poor at all!"
"...If you don't want misunderstandings, maybe start with your clothes?"
"That's none of your business! Everyone has their circumstances! Take it already!"
The man awkwardly extended his hand.
Namgung Yeon slapped the coins onto it forcefully.
-Thwack!
"...!"
She quickly withdrew her hand.
The size difference was enormous.
The physical disparities between men and women couldn't always be hidden.
For Namgung Yeon, living as a man, it was a painful flaw.
She'd thought the same at the noodle shop—this man was the picture of masculinity.
Enough to stir a faint envy in her longing to live as a sturdy man.
Namgung Yeon shook her head.
Steel her resolve.
No. I have to be more manly.
If we fought, I'd win.
"A-Anyway. Thanks again for before. I'm off now!"
"...Ah, sure."
Namgung Yeon hurried to catch up with Mokryong and Baekdam.
They were checking the gambling tables spread out, confirming their opponents.
"Unknown newcomer from the start. Worrying."
"Oh, Namgung Yeon's here too. She's been burning with passion—better do well."
"Yeah."
Namgung Yeon nodded and checked her first opponent.
Namgung Yeon (南宮延), and right next to it, another name.
Cheongwol (青月).
Namgung Yeon drew a deep breath.
She knew the opponent was strong, but she didn't want to lose.
Not even for that one person supporting her.
"...Let's go."
She whispered quietly.
.
.
.
The next day, Namgung Yeon ascended the stage.
The crowd gathered to watch the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly surged like endless waves.
Momentarily stunned by so many eyes on her, Namgung Yeon steadied her heart.
Her gaze fixed on one person alone.
Cheongwol.
Surely that supporter would be thrilled if she defeated Cheongwol.
Cheongwol, the Thousand-Year Flower praised by Emei Sect.
Yet still just a junior disciple two years younger.
Namgung Yeon had trained relentlessly, second to none.
Suppressing the grief of her fallen family, she gripped her sword day and night.
She had to rise. She had to prove herself.
He believes I can become the best under heaven.
She couldn't fail to mere Cheongwol.
The announcer's booming voice filled the arena.
"Namgung Clan Leader of the Namgung Family! Namgung Yeon!"
Namgung Yeon clasped her hands formally toward Cheongwol.
"Namgung Yeon of the Namgung Family."
"Thousand-Year Flower of Emei Sect, Cheongwol!"
Cheongwol replied calmly.
"...Second-generation disciple of Emei Sect, Cheongwol."
The two assumed their stances simultaneously.
Namgung Yeon wielded the Rigid Sword passed only to heirs of the Namgung Family: Sovereign Sword Form.
Cheongwol used Shaoyang Sword Technique, the foundation polished by Emei Sect disciples.
Namgung Yeon regulated her breathing.
Calmer. More serene.
For her father and mother, and the departed retainers.
"Begin!"
The drum boomed loudly, and Namgung Yeon twisted her grip on her sword.
She had to crush the momentum from the start.
Sovereign Sword Form, First Stance: Ruling Heaven Style One.
As she drew her inner energy through her body and swung the sword tip from sky to earth—
-Tap!
"Huh?"
Her lost inner energy scattered into the air.
The wooden sword flew spinning through the void before lightly tapping an audience member's head.
Namgung Yeon stood frozen as she felt the cold touch of a wooden sword grazing her nape.
The arena fell deathly silent.
One exchange.
"...Cheongwol wins!"
The announcer declared.
Cheongwol bowed wordlessly and descended the stage calmly. The arena remained hushed.
Everyone knew the tragedy that had struck Namgung Yeon.
But the world wouldn't change for any one tragedy.
The merciless rivers and lakes halted for no one's sorrow.
In this cruel reality, no one dared even breathe.
Namgung Yeon alone had to swallow this harsh truth.
After all her efforts.
Shortening sleep, bedding down on the ground, filling her belly with cheap food, enduring all this.
From Cheonju Mountain to Mount Song, pushing through hardships to prove herself here.
All her efforts shattered in a single exchange.
She'd felt an insurmountable wall against a junior two years her junior.
The Thousand-Year Flower was a once-in-a-millennium genius, and she... a dullard.
"...Ah."
Accepting that was excruciating.
****
"Ugh..."
I bit my lip, taking in Namgung Yeon's stunned form.
Couldn't watch with eyes open. Too pitiful...
Even in the original story, she drops out early, but that was excessive.
Family wiped out, yet she dragged herself alone to the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
Against Cheongwol?
"...This is maddening, seriously."
I stared blankly at Namgung Yeon, now kneeling on the stage.
My heart pounded anxiously.
...She won't fall to corruption, will she?
Then, Cheongwol's eyes found me.
Her stiff expression brightened as she gave a small wave.
People turned to see who she waved at, and I casually looked back too, deflecting my gaze.
My head throbs. Hurts.
Couldn't she go easy just a bit?
That historic talent of Namgung Yeon's— it won't bloom somewhere twisted, right?
Or lead her to despair and collapse...