Chapter 32
“…Big Sis Sohyeon.”
At last, when Dokgo Ryeong managed to say the word “Big Sis,” Baekri Sohyeon’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Hehe… Good job.”
“Fuck….”
With her face flushed from embarrassment, Dokgo Ryeong spoke to Baekri Sohyeon.
“Sun-Shooting Sword Art!”
“Mm, hehe. I’ll teach you, Sister Ryeong.”
“…Yeah.”
“Watch closely, okay?”
Baekri Sohyeon drew her sword and assumed a stance.
With one hand held near her navel and her sword pointed toward the sky, Baekri Sohyeon rested her forehead against the flat of the blade. Then, with a notably serious expression, she began to speak.
“…The Sun-Shooting Sword Art comes from the legend of Hou Yi, the archer who shot down the suns.”
Baekri Sohyeon swung her sword and demonstrated seven forms.
Dokgo Ryeong watched each of them slowly and was impressed.
‘As expected, the secret arts of a prestigious clan have a different kind of strength.’
The forms Baekri Sohyeon performed seemed to be missing something, yet their power was still unmistakable.
But something about them felt off.
‘…Is this really an advanced martial art?’
Dokgo Ryeong could recognize even from a brief look the fragments of profound mystery contained in the forms.
They lacked far too much depth to be considered an advanced martial art.
“…Is that all?”
“…Well, there is one more. The last one.”
“I knew it… That must be the ultimate technique. Show me.”
“Um… Sister Ryeong.”
“Why are you hesitating?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Baekri Sohyeon brought her hands together neatly in front of her and fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke.
“…No one except the sect leader knows the final form.”
“Ah, fuck.”
Come to think of it, that made sense.
The more people who knew a form, the easier it was to counter.
Of course they would keep it under wraps.
Still, it felt unfair.
“Come on… Haa… Blockhead.”
“Yeah….”
“You’ve asked me to do all sorts of things, but you don’t even know the final technique?”
“But… I really don’t know it.”
“Kyaaaah!!”
“Eek!”
When Dokgo Ryeong started to fly into a fit again, Baekri Sohyeon pulled something from her sleeve.
Dokgo Ryeong glanced at the pouch in Baekri Sohyeon’s hand and asked,
“…What’s that?”
“Ah….”
“Give it here.”
“N-No.”
“Hurry up.”
“I can’t….”
“You can’t?”
Dokgo Ryeong grinned, swung her arm, and snatched the pouch with her flexible sword.
“Ah…!”
“What do you mean, you can’t?”
When she opened the pouch, she found several neatly molded pills inside.
She picked one up and sniffed it, then tilted her head.
“…This smells kind of familiar.”
“I-I don’t know anything…”
“Oh, really?”
Wondering why Baekri Sohyeon was acting so flustered, Dokgo Ryeong rolled the pill between her fingers. Then she finally realized what it was.
“…These are sleeping pellets, aren’t they?”
“Hehe… Sister Ryeong~.”
“Don’t try to talk your way out of it with that cutesy voice, damn it.”
“Hiiing… But… when Sister Ryeong goes wild, this is the only way I know to calm her down…”
“You’re dead. I’m confiscating these.”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong fastened the pouch of sleeping pellets to her waist and said,
“Anyway, recite the formula.”
“…Hm?”
“Do I have to explain even that to you…?”
Dokgo Ryeong looked at Baekri Sohyeon and held up three fingers.
“A martial art that merely follows the form is third-rate.”
Dokgo Ryeong folded down one finger.
“Following the intent contained within it makes it second-rate.”
Finally leaving just one finger raised, Dokgo Ryeong said,
“Add history to that, and it becomes first-rate.”
“Oh…”
“The people using that martial art now may be idiots, but it was created by a Grandmaster. That means there must be hidden meanings and history behind it. The ‘formula’ conceals them so that just anyone can’t figure them out, and only the Grandmaster’s disciples can understand them.”
“…I didn’t know that.”
“Hey, how can you call yourself a martial artist if you don’t even know that?”
“I’ve never had anyone teach me…”
“…Sorry.”
When Baekri Sohyeon’s expression began to darken, Dokgo Ryeong quickly apologized.
“Anyway… tell me the formula. Maybe I’ll get a clue once I hear it.”
“Okay. So…”
After that, Dokgo Ryeong and Baekri Sohyeon sat by the seaside for a long while, discussing it with great enthusiasm.
By the time they returned to the inn,
Dokgo Ryeong had grown fairly accustomed to using the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.
When they reached the inn, Baekri Sohyeon wanted to wash up first.
“Sister Ryeong, are you going to wash up?”
“I should.”
“Then let’s go together…”
“Kyaaaah!!”
“…Sister Ryeong is forgetting how to talk to people…”
“Shut up! I’ll wash by myself. Who do you take me for, some useless idiot who can’t even wash herself…?”
“…All right. What about clothes?”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong stopped.
Women’s clothes were so complicated that she still wasn’t used to putting them on.
“…Come back in fifteen minutes. Bring something easy to move around in…”
“Okay, hehe.”
“…”
Leaving Baekri Sohyeon giggling to herself, Dokgo Ryeong headed for the bath.
On the way, she spotted Wi Ilcheong’s room and paused in front of it.
‘…Nah, no way.’
She wondered if he might be screwing Eun Gwan-yeong in the middle of the day.
But part of her thought it was possible.
Remembering how they’d once enjoyed themselves behind a qi barrier, Dokgo Ryeong felt a throb in her lower dantian.
Her heart began to beat faster, and her breathing grew ragged.
‘…I’ll just check whether that Lust Demon is inside or not…’
Peeking into someone else’s room without permission wasn’t right. It wasn’t something a real man would do.
But…
She wanted to look.
Dokgo Ryeong’s body moved on its own, and she gently caught hold of the crack in the door.
“…”
With a little trepidation, she carefully opened the door and peered inside, but…
“He’s not here.”
There was no one inside the room.
“…Fuck, where’d that bastard go…?”
Feeling awkward for no reason, Dokgo Ryeong muttered to herself and headed back to the bath.
Until just now, she’d been so absorbed in practicing and discussing the forms of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art with Baekri Sohyeon that she hadn’t noticed.
The dampness in her underwear hadn’t come from sweat alone.
*
Around the time Dokgo Ryeong was training in martial arts and sweating alongside Baekri Sohyeon,
Eun Gwan-yeong and Wi Ilcheong finished breakfast and went to their room.
When they entered, an owl with sleepy eyes was perched by the window.
“…Oh my. It looks like a letter came from the Hao Sect.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this owl, too.”
Thinking its sleepy eyes were cute, Wi Ilcheong reached out to stroke its beak. The owl flapped its wings furiously and pecked at his hand.
“Haha… It doesn’t like me.”
“Ah! You mustn’t do that!”
Eun Gwan-yeong grabbed the owl by the neck and removed the letter tied to its leg.
“Go on, hurry and get some sleep.”
As if it understood Eun Gwan-yeong, the owl spread its wings and flew away.
While Eun Gwan-yeong read the letter with a complicated expression, Wi Ilcheong asked,
“Is something the matter, Miss Eun?”
“Ah… The Hao Sect says they’re sending my senior brother.”
“Your senior brother?”
“Yes. Senior Brother Eunho.”
“Oh… Isn’t he famous as the Hao Sect’s watchdog?”
“He’d be embarrassed to hear you call him that.”
“I see he’s different from what I’d heard.”
Eun Gwan-yeong burned the letter over a candle and watched the ashes drift into the air as she spoke.
“Well… he’s upright and dependable. He doesn’t really suit the Hao Sect.”
“Haha, is that so?”
“Yes…”
She spoke as if it were nothing, but Eun Gwan-yeong’s thoughts were a little tangled.
The letter from the Hao Sect contained two orders.
One was to work with Eunho and gather information on Dokgo Ryeong, the Mad Demon’s daughter.
The other was to escort Wi Ilcheong safely to a safehouse.
‘…Is the sect leader coming to Shandong?’
The order didn’t specify which safehouse, so it likely meant bringing Wi Ilcheong to one of the Hao Sect’s safehouses scattered throughout the martial world, here in Shandong.
The reason Eun Gwan-yeong felt conflicted had more to do with Dokgo Ryeong than the Hao Sect leader.
‘…Should I let Dokgo Ryeong meet the sect leader?’
An untamed wild horse.
A fighting cock with a violent temper.
Whenever Eun Gwan-yeong thought of the name Dokgo Ryeong, those were the first things that came to mind.
The elegant sect leader meeting Dokgo Ryeong, who seemed to have no manners whatsoever?
“Ugh…”
“Are you cold, Miss Eun? You’re shivering.”
“No… I just imagined something awful…”
Eun Gwan-yeong made a firm resolution in her heart.
‘I’ll make sure Miss Dokgo learns how to behave like a proper person!’
She still had plenty of options.
For now, she would just have to drill as much etiquette into her as she could.
“Miss Eun.”
“Yes?!”
“…Is something troubling you?”
“Ah… No. It’s nothing.”
“If anything is bothering you, you can always tell me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to help, but I’ll do my best…”
“Just having you by my side is a huge help!”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes. Big Brother Wi, you don’t have to do anything! Gwan-yeong will handle it!”
“…All right.”
Wi Ilcheong smiled and placed a hand on Eun Gwan-yeong’s head.
“I’m counting on you, Miss Eun.”
“…Yes.”
“Shall we go outside, then? The ship may have arrived today.”
As Wi Ilcheong headed for the harbor, Eun Gwan-yeong followed close behind.
When they reached the harbor, Wi Ilcheong’s face brightened.
“Is there a ship?”
“Oh, like I told you, one’s heading for Shandong tonight.”
“Would it be all right if four of us boarded?”
“As long as you’ve got enough money, I don’t mind.”
“Thank you.”
“…But there’s only one cabin. Will that be all right?”
Wi Ilcheong hesitated for a moment, but Eun Gwan-yeong shot her hand up and said,
“That’s fine!”
“Miss Eun… Miss Dokgo…”
“Big Brother Wi, Miss Dokgo will have to get used to it sooner or later, if she’s going to keep staying with us, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Like I said earlier, Miss Dokgo has a talent for that sort of thing, too. Why don’t you take the initiative while you have the chance…”
“Miss Eun.”
Wi Ilcheong’s voice dropped slightly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“I made a promise to Miss Dokgo, so I have no intention of breaking it. You understand what I mean, right?”
“…Yes.”
Eun Gwan-yeong answered with a crestfallen expression, but her real thoughts were different.
‘Big Brother Wi is so frustrating… He should just close his eyes and take her…’
He could gain a tremendous amount of inner energy simply by sleeping with her, yet he stubbornly stuck to his principles like a fool.
Eun Gwan-yeong had seen and heard far too much about the filthy things people would do for a little inner energy, so Wi Ilcheong’s restraint frustrated her.
But…
That was exactly why…
She liked him even more—because he was someone who cherished promises more than anyone.
Eun Gwan-yeong turned to the sailor and asked,
“Then can we come back after dinner?”
“Go ahead. But if any of your companions get seasick, don’t let them eat too much.”
“That’s all right. None of us are the type to… Are we?”
“…Who knows? I don’t know how Miss Dokgo will handle it…”
“I’ll ask her when we get back.”
“Let’s do that. If it’s really bad, we’ll just have to put her to sleep again.”
“Yes! Then we’ll see you later.”
“All right, off you go.”
On the way back to the inn, Eun Gwan-yeong caught hold of Wi Ilcheong’s sleeve.
“Hm? What is it, Miss Eun?”
“Big Brother Wi, shouldn’t we get a few things ready before we board the ship?”
“Such as?”
“…Some clothes for Miss Dokgo.”
“I should have thought of that.”
“Sohyeon’s clothes are much too big, and mine…”
Eun Gwan-yeong’s hand drifted naturally to her chest.
Seeing her dejected expression, Wi Ilcheong chuckled.
“You’ll grow more. Don’t worry too much.”
“Th-That’s not what I mean!”
“Heh. All right, let’s go.”
“Hiiing…”
On the way back, Eun Gwan-yeong stopped by a fabric shop and bought a few garments for Dokgo Ryeong.
She also bought a few accessories, just in case, then returned to the inn.
“Miss Dokgo~, Big Sis Sohyeon~. I’m ba…ck?”
“Oh, you’re back.”
“Miss Dokgo… right?”
“Who else would it be?”
“B-Big Brother Wi!!”
Flustered, Eun Gwan-yeong called for Wi Ilcheong, and he came running.
“What’s wrong?! Did Miss Dokgo cause trouble aga—”
When Wi Ilcheong reached the inn, he was taken aback by the sight before him.
“…Who’s the person pinned underneath?”
“No Geuk-myeong. No Sun-pyeong’s son.”
“Guh…! Kill me!!”
“He says that. What should I do?”
When Dokgo Ryeong held a blade to his throat, Wi Ilcheong stepped in.
“…If you do that, there’ll be no turning back.”
“I know. That’s why I’m holding back right now.”
“And…”
Wi Ilcheong pointed to Dokgo Ryeong’s head and said,
“…Why has your hair turned red again?”