Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 59: Henan (2)

The Namgung Clan as the next destination. She had mentioned this before.

Seojun stared at Namgung Suah, who was leaning in close, and nodded.

“Sure, why not? That might be better actually.”

Could he trust the Wudang Sect anymore?

He could accept it if one or two of their elders turned out to be Black Serpent puppets.

But what if their sect leader suddenly jumped out, revealing himself to be a traitor?

He wasn’t sure how strong the Wudang Sect leader was, but even Seojun wasn’t ready to go toe-to-toe with a sect leader right away.

If things went to shit, he’d have to fight... but avoiding it seemed best for now.

On the other hand, in the case of the Namgung Clan, the clan head was Namgung Suah’s father, who seemed somewhat trustworthy.

Wouldn’t Namgung Suah’s father be better than the completely unknown Wudang Sect leader?

“Really? Fufu, thank you. You won’t regret it.”

“...Suddenly hearing that makes me think I’ll really regret it.”

“I mean it, truly. I have one Azure Sky Pill left that I have not used. I will give that to you as well.”

“Wait... why?”

He was aware that she might have awakened to some new tastes after getting punched in the stomach back then, but when she suddenly clung to him saying he wouldn’t regret it, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had some hidden motive.

“In exchange.”

“Yes.”

As expected. Seojun stared at Namgung Suah.

“Please pretend to be my lover in front of my father, just one time.”

“What...?”

“You know my age, right?”

“Uhh, yeah. You said you were twenty-seven.”

“That’s right. Truthfully, it could be considered quite late already.”

While martial artists tend to marry late, even so, twenty-seven is quite slow.

Seojun roughly understood what she was getting at.

So in the end, this is all Namgung Suah’s last dance, isn’t it?

Her final mating call, so to speak.

“Did you come to the martial arts tournament to find a husband?”

“What? No! It’s not like that. If we’re destined to be, won’t our paths cross someday?”

“I see...”

Seojun nodded with an expression that showed he didn’t believe her at all.

Namgung Suah’s blue eyes reflected his skeptical look.

It wasn’t the blue of Westerners’ eyes, but a deep blue like the sky itself.

I never knew human eyes could be such a color.

It was like a jewel, and Seojun found himself staring into Namgung Suah’s eyes.

“How beautiful.”

“...Pardon?”

“Your eyes. They’re like jewels.”

“Ah...”

Namgung Suah retreated slightly, her blue eyes once again hiding behind her eyelids.

A faint blush colored her cheeks as she asked with a strange expression, as if half in doubt.

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t your parents say that?”

“They did. Only my parents.”

Namgung Suah touched her eyes.

“Other people... well. They find it a bit unsettling, you know? Some say it makes them feel uneasy, like they’re being seen through.”

To a member of the Namgung Clan? That’s quite brave.

Or maybe they’re in a similar position.

Seojun clicked his tongue.

“Well, anyway, let’s go to the Namgung Clan then. It’s not that far out of our way anyway.”

“Oh... yes...”

“I was thinking of stopping by the Hao Sect on the way, is that okay?”

“Of course. I’m just relying on your kindness after all.”

“You’re not just relying on our kindness.”

Seojun poked at the campfire while staring at Namgung Suah.

Faced with those pitch-black eyes reflecting the flickering flames of the campfire, Namgung Suah couldn’t help but gulp.

“Thank you for last time. For fighting alongside Chunbong.”

“Yes...”

Thump. Thump.

Her heart raced.

*The next morning.

“Kyaaa...!”

Chunbong stretched refreshingly and noticed the man and woman sitting comfortably together.

Flare! Her eyes blazed as she charged forward without hesitation.

“You two ate something delicious without me!”

She poked her head out over Seojun’s shoulder... but something felt off.

It wasn’t the usual feeling.

The height of his shoulders, the thickness of his body, even the feeling of touching him.

Wondering what was going on, she stared blankly at Seojun’s face and couldn’t help but gape.

“You, you...”

“Oh, you’re awake Chunbong.”

“Youuu...!”

“There, there. Let’s eat.”

Seojun picked her up and sat her down, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his face.

“You, you...! You got old!”

“No, you brat! Why are you putting it that way!?”

“Why did you get so big!?”

“No, I didn’t grow that much...”

His height and face hadn’t changed drastically from before.

It was just that his somewhat childish face had changed to look undeniably adult.

“Fufu, Sister Geum. How is it? He’s become quite handsome, hasn’t he? Last night, Young Expert became an adult.”

“What...!?”

Chunbong’s face turned bright red as she unleashed a flurry of punches.

“What did you do yesterday...!”

“Ah, you mean this. This is called body rebirth.”

“Body rebirth...!”

Ooh! Chunbong marveled as she felt all around his body.

“Indeed... Is this what they call a body suited for martial arts?”

“Hey Miss Geum, there are people around, where are you touching?”

“It’s not anywhere weird!”

“Noo, stop it~”

“You bastard!”

Seojun chuckled and filled her special bowl with Namgung Suah’s unknown dish.

Chunbong quickly grabbed it and started replenishing her nutrients hastily.

“That’s right, eat lots. Eat lots and get nice and chubby.”

“Bullshit.”

Munch munch, Chunbong glared at him while chewing.

Namgung Suah chuckled at the sight.

“Watching you both, you really seem like father and daughter.”

Oh my. Her eyes widened like she had realized something and covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“Then does that make me the mother, dear brother?”

“No, dear sister. Dear brother is a bit much.”

Calling someone you’re older than your dear brother is weird.

“Darling Seojun doesn’t sound quite right.”

“Why don’t you just call me by my name?”

“You mean like Little Seojun?”

Hmm... Namgung Suah thought about something for a moment before smiling slyly.

“Little Seojun, come into big sister’s arms...”

“Stop with this bullshit! Just stop! Please, for the love of god, stop! Okay!?”

Chunbong, unable to stand it anymore, exploded.

“Aww, is my little Chunbong angry?”

“You too! Stop encouraging her!”

“Waaah?”

“Kyaaaa...!”

Anyway, it was time to depart.

*The group slightly altered their route towards Hubei, heading towards Anhui via Henan.

Come to think of it, isn’t the Hao Sect part of the Unorthodox Faction? Seojun wondered if they would have a branch in Henan, but Namgung Suah said the Hao Sect was everywhere.

It was quite surprising to hear that the Hao Sect was even present in Kaifeng, the front yard of the Beggar’s Union, which could be considered the information group of the Orthodox Faction.

It seemed they were treated as somewhere between Orthodox and Unorthodox rather than purely one side.

“But if we’re going through Henan anyway, couldn’t we just make a request to the Beggar’s Union?”

Namgung Suah asked, but Seojun shook his head.

“The Hao Sect is better than the Beggar’s Union, isn’t it?”

“I’ve heard the Beggar’s Union is more accurate in terms of information.”

“They’re beggars, y’know. At least the Hao Sect people have jobs. How can you trust information from people who lie around doing nothing all day...?”

“Um... Young Expert? You should never say that in front of the Beggar’s Union, okay?”

“Of course. I’m always polite.”

Chunbong, nestled in his arms, snorted.

“What politeness? Wasn’t it you who went, ‘Wow, boobs’?”

“The past Lee Seojun is dead. The Transcendent Realm Lee Seojun is reborn and living anew...!”

“Sigh.”

Anyways, they pressed on, but Henan was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, I thought Henan was close...!”

“It is close.”

It was close for the Central Plains.

They had even stopped at a decent city along the way to buy clothes and a sword, but still no sign of Henan.

In the end, they had to travel for a few more days.

After finally arriving in Henan, the group decided to find an inn first and then look for the Hao Sect.

“How many rooms?”

Seojun answered the innkeeper’s question.

“Uh... two.”

“I could share a room too.”

Ignoring Namgung Suah’s words, Chunbong said.

“Two rooms. We don’t need meals.”

“Here are the keys.”

After paying and receiving the keys, the group left their luggage in the rooms and immediately went out to the streets.

Though located on the outskirts of Henan, it was a surprisingly large city, likely because of its proximity to Mount Song, where the Shaolin Temple stands.

“Now... How do we find the Hao Sect here?”

Seojun scratched his head as he blankly looked at the crowd.

“Most Hao Sect branches hang black flags.”

“How are we supposed to find that from here?”

“Fufu, let your senior show you the trick here.”

Namgung Suah, who had been quietly observing people, suddenly started moving.

Swoosh—

It was a movement technique that was direct yet smooth in changing directions.

While Seojun was admiring her lightning-like footwork, Namgung Suah dove into the crowd and grabbed a child’s wrist. It was a kid attempting pickpocketing.

“Shit...! Let go!”

The child struggled wildly, but people didn’t pay much attention.

After seeing what Namgung Suah took out from her clothes, the child also quieted down.

“Do you know where the scary adults are? I’ll give a gift to good children.”

A silver tael glinted in her hand. The child gulped and looked around.

“Uh... there’s an alley across from that house over there, if you go inside...”

“What a good child.”

The child who received the silver tael smiled brightly and bowed.

“Thank you, Great Expert! Oh! But there are really scary people there, so be careful!”

“Thank you. Hide it well in your clothes, and quickly exchange it for something delicious.”

“Yes!”

As the child quickly disappeared, Namgung Suah approached with a smile.

“Did you see?”

Seojun clapped.

“But couldn’t we have just asked that kid for their location? Aren’t pickpockets usually associated with them?”

“Children often don’t know much, and isn’t it nice to do a good deed while we’re at it?”

Namgung Suah smiled slightly as she stroked the greatsword in her arms.

“Oh...”

Seojun whispered in Chunbong’s ear.

“So she’s saying she’s going to cut all those scary adults’ throats?”

“Yeah. You be careful too. She’s a scary woman.”

“Eek...! Scary big sis...!”

“Shut up...! Just go die!”

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Thump thump thump!

He got beaten.

Seojun chuckled and picked up Chunbong.

Was it because his body had grown? Holding her in his arms felt more stable than before.

“Let’s go, Geum Chunbong! Today, we’re righteous heroes too...!”

“Sure, sure. So tomorrow we’ll become public enemies of murim, right?”

“What...!”

That’s not true.

I just want to live a long life with my Miss Geum Chunbong.