Countless masters exist in the Central Plains.

With as many martial artists as there are crawling around, it’s only natural that there are that many strong ones to match.

And among them, the world calls the monsters who have gone beyond pinnacle absolute masters.

Things that have surpassed human beings.

Those were the ones who had grown endlessly stronger on the back of countless enlightenments and vicious training.

And among those absolute masters, the ones said to have reached the sky itself were called Heaven-Beyond-Heaven.

The greatest man of past and present, Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil, of course.

Divine Spear Jeok Homyeong, Sword Emperor Ui Yangyeon—those kinds of people.

Monsters who were already called sky-reaching even before the Orthodox-Demonic War.

And even among them, there were women who were called heroines, women who still stood out even in a crowd of monster-like humans.

There was nothing strange about that. The moment you became a martial artist, gender became meaningless, and whether you were a woman or a man, this was a world where realm decided everything in the end.

Even among those women, there was one.

One whose fame towered especially high.

Sword Empress Yeon Heeseon.

She was called the First Female Hero.

A bloodline descendant of the Shanxi Yeon Clan, and a hero who had fought in the Orthodox-Demonic War just like the Sword Saint.

And like the Sword Emperor, she was someone who vanished right after the war ended.

An absolute master famous for swordsmanship that was brilliant and enchanting, for a sword path that looked like dancing.

‘...This person is the Sword Empress?’

Looking at the young woman in front of me, my expression hardened.

If I hadn’t misheard, Yoo Cheongil had definitely looked at that woman and called her Yeon Heeseon.

Sword Empress Yeon Heeseon was famous enough that even I knew her.

Even though a long time had passed since she disappeared, people still talked about her.

They even said that if she’d kept operating while also being a heroine, she might have competed with Divine Spear as an equal for the name of the strongest under heaven.

No—maybe she was someone who could’ve even been discussed as a candidate for Martial Alliance Leader.

‘Because she’s someone with unusually deep support.’

A woman said to have a gentle, kind nature, who had been too busy saving people with everything she had during the war.

The God of War was Jegal Jin, and the best martial artist was Yoo Cheongil, sure.

But the one who earned people’s hearts in the middle of the war was the Sword Empress.

So when someone like that suddenly vanished, all people could do was regret it.

‘This person is really the Sword Empress...?’

Even while staring at the woman in front of me, I couldn’t believe it easily.

‘Doesn’t that make no sense?’

It couldn’t help it. No matter how I looked at her, she only seemed a few years older than me at most.

If she was the Sword Empress I knew, she should’ve been at least past sixty.

It made no sense that she looked this young.

Sure, once you went beyond pinnacle, there were cases where aging slowed and you looked noticeably younger than your age, but...

This was past the line.

And while I was just staring at her, unable to squeeze out a single word—

[Ha. Did you get enlightenment in your later years?]

Yoo Cheongil spoke while looking at the Sword Empress.

[You returned to youth.]

“...!”

Return to Youth.

Something that only the rarest of the rare among masters ever experienced.

After countless enlightenments and training came to an end, the body itself became younger.

Some martial artists called it a dreamlike thing.

‘The Sword Empress returned to youth?’

If the woman in front of me really was the Sword Empress who’d undergone Return to Youth, then the situation finally made sense.

‘Then her disappearing for years, too?’

If it was a reason like that—showing up again for a different reason than the Sword Emperor—then it was possible.

‘Hah.’

Is it really possible to get younger?

I mean, whatever. People like me reincarnate, so I guess it’s not that weird...

‘At this rate, who knows—maybe there are time-loopers, too.’

At this point, anything was possible.

Anyway.

While I was staring at her like something was fascinating, Yoo Cheongil spoke again, his voice oddly puzzled.

[It’s strange. Why would you choose something like that?]

His reaction was weird. He sounded like he couldn’t understand it, even while looking at a Sword Empress who had returned to youth.

What? Why was he reacting like that?

And as I was wondering, Yoo Cheongil continued.

[Return to Youth is suitable for gaining time, as it appears, but it isn’t such a good choice.]

It gains you time by making you younger, but it isn’t a good choice?

[You pour out all the inner power you possess into the body and lose it, and the body doesn’t end up in a particularly good state either. In the end, it just stops at gaining time.]

‘Oh....’

I didn’t know that. It wasn’t just “you get younger” and that’s it—your body uses up all the inner power you had to become young, and even that younger body isn’t in good condition.

Like Yoo Cheongil said, it really sounded like a power that only gave you time.

[So even if we gain enlightenment, neither I nor the other old monsters bother to become young. Because it’s unnecessary.]

‘And she still chose it...?’

I looked at the Sword Empress again—an elegant beauty, returned to youth.

“...Hmm...”

The woman let out a low breath.

Shit. The moment I heard that slightly chilly exhale, I realized what was happening.

‘Right.’

She’d clearly been trying to hide who she was, and I’d blurted “Sword Empress” out loud without even thinking.

‘I’m screwed.’

I got so distracted by the Return to Youth thing that I forgot.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ good situation.

“...How did this happen...?”

Cold color rose in the woman’s eyes.

“How did you know?”

WOOOONG—.

With the Sword Empress’s words, the energy around us surged. A thin veil wrapped over the space.

[Amazing.]

A veil to block sound.

This was bad.

“It’s strange. No matter what, even if it was that kid, he wouldn’t have told you. So how do you know?”

The voice coming closer sent goosebumps up my skin.

I didn’t hear footsteps. The Sword Empress simply approached slowly and met my eyes.

Killing intent? No. I didn’t even feel killing intent.

I couldn’t feel anything like that.

And yet. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Instinct told me. If I messed this up, it would be dangerous.

So how was I supposed to get out of this?

As I spun my brain as fast as it would go—

[A mole by the mouth.]

Yoo Cheongil murmured.

And the instant I heard it, I had an answer.

“...A mole by the mouth.”

“Hm?”

At my words, the Sword Empress widened her eyes slightly.

“You have a mole by your mouth.”

I spoke in a hurry, staring at the mole set near her mouth.

“My teacher had written it down. A description of you, Sword Empress. He said you were very beautiful, and that you had a single mole by your mouth.”

[...He didn’t say you were beautiful.]

Yoo Cheongil complained like it was unfair, but I ignored him.

“...Haha.”

At my words, the Sword Empress smiled.

“Really? He wrote something like that? That’s possible. But that isn’t enough to prove your claim.”

She was right. Something like this might not be enough.

But.

“Of course. But listen.”

I still had one more thing.

“...Senior. As far as I know, among the people participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, there is no such thing as a Mi Clan of Guangdong.”

“...”

At the words that followed, the Sword Empress’s brow twitched.

“Of course, it’s possible you came here without participating as a contestant.”

I always say this—every time you speak, you can add more moves.

A justification? Same thing.

“If you reacted the way you did to a fact I predicted based on those possibilities, I think that’s enough.”

“...”

No matter what my guess had been.

Even if it wasn’t “enough justification,” the result mattered.

I said “Sword Empress.”

And your reaction is exactly like this, so isn’t that the answer?

“Huh.”

The Sword Empress seemed to lose her words, letting out a short, empty breath.

WHOOSH—.

The qi barrier around us vanished.

Did I get past it?

“I heard about you from that kid, and you really are someone out of the ordinary...”

“When you say that kid...”

“My disciple.”

“...”

Disciple?

The moment I heard that, I blurted it out, face twisting.

“...Is it my older sister?”

“Oh my. How did you know?”

The Sword Empress widened her eyes.

For fuck’s sake.

How did I know?

‘It’s obvious as hell.’

My older sister shows up and says her teacher is curious about me, then the Sword Empress appears and calls her “that kid.”

‘There’s only one answer.’

It was such a blatant setup that I just threw the words out first—and it looked like I was right.

‘...Jesus.’

Bang Seojin is the Sword Empress’s disciple?

What the hell has that woman been doing since she ran off?

How do you even become the disciple of a Sword Empress who returned to youth? What kind of ridiculous life has she lived?

‘...Not that I get to talk.’

I was in no position to judge, considering I’d ended up as the Sword Saint’s successor or whatever, too.

“...So... then, Senior. What do you need from me...?”

I asked the Sword Empress, keeping my panic hidden as best I could.

“Mm...”

At my question, the Sword Empress lightly brushed her cheek.

“...I didn’t plan to come up to you like this and reveal myself.”

Yeah, no shit.

If she hadn’t planned to get caught, that was why she’d tried to approach with some fake name.

“I didn’t think he would leave behind writing like that...”

She laughed quietly, thinking of Yoo Cheongil.

What is that smile? That expression that looks like she subtly misses him. It’s... weird.

I glanced at Yoo Cheongil.

The old man had been digging at his nose, then looked back at my stare.

[What. Why.]

“....”

Forget it.

Don’t dig into it. Don’t make it my problem.

I left him to pick his nose and looked back at the Sword Empress.

“First, I’m sorry. It wasn’t a situation where I could properly reveal my name.”

“...I understand. As for your identity, Senior, I will also keep it sealed.”

“Thank you. If you hadn’t, I would’ve had to erase you...”

“...Excuse me?”

Erase? What—me?

While I was freaking out, the Sword Empress spoke.

“Anyway.”

Anyway my ass. Was I just about to get erased?

“The reason I came to find you is because I have something to ask of you.”

“A request?”

The Sword Empress has something to ask of me? Is that even possible?

I couldn’t guess. So I waited for what came next.

“First.”

The Sword Empress said to me.

“Could you get engaged to me?”

“...No?”

I refused immediately.

*****

Henan Province’s entrance.

Amid the crowds and endless carriages passing through, a gate guard did his job.

In a process repeated over and over, he should’ve been exhausted.

But the guard didn’t waver even a little. Whoever stood before him, his attitude and reaction would not change.

Because he’d received thorough training from the Martial Alliance, his face was stone unless something truly exceptional happened.

Even if he saw a beautiful woman. Even if he saw an incredible master.

No—he should have been like that.

“...Hoo.”

The guard couldn’t help but let out a quiet, admiring sound as he looked at the person before him.

Realizing it, he hurriedly managed his expression, but the reaction didn’t die easily.

Even while he forced his face to behave, admiration kept bursting inside him.

‘What kind of human...’

How can a person be that handsome? He looks like a sculpture turned into a man.

It’s too unreal.

This is the first time in his life he’s seen a man that good-looking.

Standing at this entrance, he’d seen countless “pretty boys” who thought they were something, but this man was overwhelming even among them.

Even as another man, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Staring with trembling eyes, the guard spoke.

“...What is your purpose...?”

At the guard’s words, the man smiled.

“I came to meet someone. I heard my son is inside.”

Even his voice was good.

The moment he smiled, it felt like light poured out of him.

At that smile, it was to the point the women who’d been sneakily watching him let out soft moans.

The guard, trying to act like he was maintaining what little composure he had left, asked again.

“I will... confirm your identity. What is your name?”

At the question, the man replied.

“Ah. I am...”

He pulled out a letter from his chest for identification and said—

“I’m Bang Cheonho of the Bang Clan of Liaoning.”

Lecherous Sword Bang Cheonho.

He had arrived in Henan.