Mistaken for a Fairy -
ch23
[I Guess I Should Carry a Sword Now]
Even though life is full of ups and downs, who would have expected that trying to learn self-defense would suddenly lead to a martial arts school challenge?
At least Seo-yeon never imagined it.
Seo-yeon had originally tried to avoid drawing attention as much as possible, but now that things had come to this, it was too late for regrets.
It was the same even now. Even trying to eat a plate of stir-fried noodles drew murmurs from everyone around her.
"I heard the Cheong-pung Martial Arts School Head was defeated by a mere slip of a girl?"
"The Jin Family Martial Arts School is said to have closed its doors entirely."
"Just what kind of master does that child have?"
"I overheard Old Seong saying it's a mystic sect that passes down its teachings to only one disciple per generation."
They were saying all this right next to her, hoping for a reaction. A typical Martial World person would have rejoiced at their rising fame, but Seo-yeon only felt like her lifespan was being shortened.
In truth, Seo-yeon had been perfectly content when she first joined the Cheong-pung Martial Arts School. It was just a neighborhood school, so she hadn't expected much in terms of skill. If she had wanted to witness high-level martial arts, she would have gone to one of the Nine Sects' affiliated families.
But the reason she specifically sought out a martial arts school was because she wanted to experience the simple joy of watching ordinary children sweat and train.
It was said that you could tell the character of a master by looking at the faces of their students. At the Cheong-pung Martial Arts School, even when doing difficult exercises like push-ups or horse stance, the children only cried out, never complaining about the difficulty. It meant they were being taught properly and learning properly.
The Eagle Strike Sword that Cheong-pung taught was the same. Although it might seem clumsy to those with discerning eyes, it wasn't bad as an introductory swordplay to spark interest in martial arts.
Children were notoriously picky. They were easily drawn to flashy but ultimately shallow techniques, but the Eagle Strike Sword was simple yet had its own charm. It was enough to pique their interest.
Of course, some corrections would be needed, but among the martial arts that a neighborhood school might teach, there probably wasn't another swordplay that contemplated thrusting so deeply.
If you taught a swordplay that was too profound, the children wouldn't be able to keep up, and if you taught one that was too basic, they would lose interest. In that sense, Cheong-pung had made the best choice a neighborhood school could make.
She liked everything, but if she had to pick the best part, it would undoubtedly be when Hwa-ryeon held a wooden sword.
Whether it was because she was so engrossed, or because she was only now awakening to a talent she didn't know she had, Seo-yeon saw Hwa-ryeon's innate ability wriggling to find the right direction amidst the jumbled sequence of moves.
Had she finally grasped the concept of physical distance? With each repeated move, her energy stabilized, and the faint Sword Tremor also lessened.
Watching her disciple be serious when free from the gaze of others, rejoice when she could unleash the moves as she pleased, and reflect when she awakened to hidden Intent.
Seo-yeon realized that her own talent was by no means shabby.
The Eagle Strike Sword moves, which she had only seen once, were vivid in her mind, and she could clearly see how they should be executed, what intentions they were created with, and where to mix in feints.
At the same time, several swordplay techniques she had never learned flashed through Seo-yeon's mind. They were the swordplay techniques of Mount Diancang, which were the roots of the Eagle Strike Sword, such as the Whirling Wind Dance Flow Sword and the Lightning Flash Cloud Dividing Sword.
Around that time, a man suddenly appeared beyond Seo-yeon's mental landscape.
The man was dressed as a Taoist and immediately took the ready stance of the Eagle Strike Sword. It seemed he had repeated drawing and sheathing his sword his entire life, as his posture was so steady it was almost awe-inspiring.
Seo-yeon looked down at the wooden sword in her hand and instinctively took a ready stance.
It was the Lightning Flash Cloud Dividing Sword of Mount Diancang.
How do I know a swordplay I've never even seen? Such questions naturally disappeared somewhere in her mind, and only her identity as a swordsman meticulously probing her opponent remained.
Seo-yeon focused on the man's breathing. Since a quick sword strike required an instantaneous burst of latent power, breathing was the most crucial aspect.
Soon, the man took a deep breath.
And.
Clang!
The man's shattered sword, broken into pieces, spread out like frost in Seo-yeon's mental landscape. Seo-yeon thought it was beautiful as she watched the fragments scatter in all directions.
Although it didn't quite reach the level of the Lightning Flash Cloud Dividing Sword, the will and desperation contained within it were fully conveyed.
The proof was that the wooden sword in Seo-yeon's hand had split in half.
Only then did the man smile faintly, as if satisfied, and then, clasping his hands in a respectful bow to Seo-yeon, he disappeared like a shadow.
When she came to her senses, it was after Hwa-ryeon had defeated Cheong-pung in three moves.
Even that was fine.
It was fine until the students of the Cheong-pung Martial Arts School started bragging everywhere about how their head had been defeated by a child, as if it were something to be proud of.
The rumors that passed from mouth to mouth were quickly distorted, and this was the result.
"There's a rumor she came from the Southern Barbarian lands. They say if you lift her bamboo hat, you can see her pointed ears."
"Is that really true?"
"The Geoncheong Gate is preparing thoroughly."
"I heard that the Nawang Gate is also showing interest."
Still, it wasn't all bad news.
She had discovered her disciple's talent, and she had also realized her own talent.
'It seems like it's not just ordinary talent.'
Seo-yeon sighed inwardly and picked up her stir-fried noodles.
How should she express this feeling?
It was laughable how easily she was swayed by the word "talent," despite her efforts to stay away from the Martial World for so long.
But if she were to go back to living in seclusion as before, it would feel like she was wasting her talent.
She truly felt that human greed was endless.
While she was lost in such thoughts, unable to properly taste the stir-fried noodles, Hwa-ryeon's gaze shifted to the back as she was picking out the bok choy.
There, a woman was standing.
The woman's pupils were bloodshot, and she was looking around the inn while biting her nails. Her appearance was disheveled, and her movements were jerky, as if she had some kind of disease.
The waiter immediately stepped forward.
"Ma'am, please don't do this here and step outside."
"N-no, I can't."
"I'll give you a dumpling, so please just leave."
"I can't!"
At this point, all the customers in the inn were staring at the woman. Regardless, the woman looked around while muttering something, then looked at Seo-yeon.
"F-found you."
The woman pushed the waiter aside and strode towards Seo-yeon. Then, without warning, she prostrated herself and grabbed Seo-yeon's leg.
"H-help me. Please help me."
"Master."
"Stay still."
Seo-yeon stopped Hwa-ryeon, who was about to step forward, and stared at the woman who was grabbing her leg and shedding tears.
'She doesn't seem to have any malicious intent.'
Judging from the large welts and whip marks all over her body, it seemed like she was a woman who had escaped from a brothel.
Even though the Shaolin Temple stood tall, Henan was still vast. To put it bluntly, Henan was almost twice the size of South Korea. Even if Shaolin was the leading sect of the righteous faction, there was no way they could handle such a large territory alone.
This was why the atmosphere became bleak as soon as you went outside the city.
There were no openly roaming Heukdo thugs, but there were many who straddled the line between illegal and legal. They would create gambling dens or coax poor girls from afar and put them in red-light districts.
Seo-yeon first helped the woman up and had her sit down and drink some water. The woman, who introduced herself as Ye-hwa, opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
"M-my sister is being held at the Hoehwa Brothel. She's not my real sister, but I cherish her like one. The Brothel Owner said that if I bring a female expert within five days, she'll let her live, but if not, she'll tie her up and throw her to the pigs. There's only one day left, and I heard the rumors, so..."
"Have you tried talking to anyone else? Like the authorities?"
"No! I can't go to the authorities!"
Ye-hwa grabbed Seo-yeon with a pale face. Her expression was so desperate that Seo-yeon didn't press further and just nodded. She felt like she knew how the situation had unfolded.
Seo-yeon lightly scanned her surroundings. Everyone was pretending not to listen, but they were all paying close attention. No matter how she thought about it, this wasn't a conversation to be had in such a crowded place.
"Oh, ma'am. Are you about to pay?"
Even the waiter couldn't hide his disappointed expression.
"Should we go outside to talk?"
No matter how she thought about it, this wasn't something she should get involved in. If they were active in Henan, where the Shaolin Temple was watching closely, they must be extremely sinister, and she could clearly see herself getting into some kind of trouble if she went without thinking.
She didn't know if Shaolin had the leeway to take on such cases, but it seemed like the first thing to do was to go and talk to them.
As she was about to leave the Flying Dragon Pavilion and head towards Shaolin, some men who seemed to have clearly come for Ye-hwa blocked her path.
"Ye-hwa, we're here."
The thugs, dressed in matching outfits, glanced at Seo-yeon and scoffed.
"Ye-hwa, Ye-hwa. You stupid bitch. The Brothel Owner gave you five days, and you're seriously thinking of bringing a commoner who doesn't even carry a sword as an expert?"
"If that's the case, why didn't you just pretend to be an expert yourself? How stupid do you have to be?"
The thugs chuckled among themselves, then spat on the ground and approached.
"You seem to have gotten involved without knowing anything, but if you don't want to lose a limb, you should just go back. From the looks of it, you seem to be showing off after taking down a few neighborhood schools, but you'll end up dying on the road."
"Or you could come with us. You look like you'd make good money working as a prostitute."
The thugs grinned and scanned Seo-yeon's body.
Instead of answering, Seo-yeon looked down at Hwa-ryeon.
Surprisingly, the young disciple was furious. She was just suppressing her anger because her master hadn't stepped in.
Soon, Seo-yeon met Hwa-ryeon's gaze.
"..."
Her stomach twisted.
"Are you deaf? I said to just leave quietly!"
When Seo-yeon didn't budge, the thug distorted his face into a menacing expression and strode forward. The sound of cracking echoed from his muscles as he loosened up.
The thug swung his palm without hesitation. He was trying to slap her cheek.
At the same time, Seo-yeon's eyes flashed.
'Head.'
Seo-yeon watched the attack, which was filled with nothing but brute force, and lightly took a step back to avoid it. A look of bewilderment crossed the thug's face.
"You bitch!"
His movements were completely visible. Seo-yeon grabbed the incoming fist and broke it, then swung her palm as the man had done.
Whack!
It sounded like he had been hit with a whip when she slapped his cheek. Seo-yeon forced the man to kneel, then grabbed his collar with one hand and started beating him mercilessly.
The other thugs next to him tried to attack Seo-yeon, but they were far from being able to reach her.
Seo-yeon continued to slap the face of the man who had attacked her first, feeling like she was disciplining a rabid dog.
'You are beasts. Beasts who can speak human words.'
The man struggled to escape, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from her grip.
Whack! Smack! Whack! Smack!
The area quickly fell silent, and the thugs who had tried to stop Seo-yeon could no longer bring themselves to attack and just stood nearby, swallowing hard.
The man's face was already a mess.
Seo-yeon threw the bloodied man to the ground, then scanned her surroundings with a cold gaze. Despite moving so violently, there was no change in Seo-yeon's breathing.
"Uh..."
The man who had been watching the scene took a step back. But he couldn't bring himself to run away. He had tripped over his own feet.
Soon, Hwa-ryeon became worried as she watched Seo-yeon start beating the thugs like dogs. It was the first time she had seen her master angry.
'I need to behave myself. She's probably unstoppable when she's angry.'
She even had the terrifying thought that she might fill her cheeks with sweets and slap her cheeks until they burst.
"Hwa-ryeon."
Hwa-ryeon, who felt guilty for no reason, answered in a polite manner.
"Yes, Master. What is it?"
"Please bring me a glass of water."
Seo-yeon watched Hwa-ryeon's retreating figure as she ran towards the inn and thought.
For the sake of her disciple, she should probably start carrying a sword.
[New image of Hwa-ryeon and Yuheon]
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report