KYDS 18

It was something that happened not long after my arm, injured during the previous sparring match, had fully healed.

“Young Master Cheon. Would you like to step outside with me for a little while today?”

Tang Sowol had walked right up to the training ground where I was staying and blurted that out out of nowhere.

While seeing her face first thing in the morning wasn’t a bad feeling… it was still a terribly sudden visit, and an equally sudden proposal.

“Starting right now?”

“Of course not! You’ve barely just woken up, so your hair is messy, you only did a quick wash so you look untidy, and you’re wearing comfortable, ordinary martial arts clothes. Naturally, I meant going out to eat together waaay later, around lunchtime.”

“……?”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what Tang Sowol was talking about, so I examined her carefully.

Her black hair was neatly pinned up with a hairpin. It wasn’t overly flashy, nor was it too plain—it radiated a subtle, elegant dignity.

Looking closer, her hair wasn’t just glossy; there wasn’t a single tangle in it.

Messy, my foot. She had clearly greased it with good oil and combed it with great care. A maid must have done it for her rather than herself, though.

Next was her face. While her skin was naturally flawless to begin with, the light makeup laid over it brought out her innate beauty.

It was by no means something one could describe as “untidy.” Though again, this too had likely been prepared by her maids.

Lastly, her clothes… a martial artist wears martial arts robes; what else could one possibly need?

Having finished sorting through my thoughts, I stared straight into Tang Sowol’s dark eyes and spoke up.

“You’re doing more than well enough as it is. Don’t be so strict with your maids.”

“Pardon? What does… wait a minute. Young Master Cheon, did you just think I was talking about myself?”

“Were you not?”

When I asked back, all I got in return was a scoff of utter disbelief.

“Ha! Oh, my goodness.”

“Just say it. Speak.”

“Listen here, Young Master Cheon. I was talking about you just now!”

“About me?”

As I asked back absentmindedly, Tang Sowol took large strides toward me. Since my body hadn’t fully grown yet, I had to look slightly upward at her.

……How humiliating.

Grumbling internally, I sheathed my sword. In the meantime, Tang Sowol reached her hand out toward my head.

She then began to smooth my hair down in every direction, starting from the crown.

“What is this, a crow’s nest?”

“Wouldn’t I just sweat anyway after early morning training? I was planning to take a refreshing wash right after and then head off for breakfast.”

“I know that. We eat together every day with your hair still wet lately.”

Having roughly finished smoothing down my hair, Tang Sowol began gently rubbing the corners of my eyes with her thumb this time.

“If you’re going to wash your face, do it thoroughly. How can you walk around carelessly with sleep in your eyes?”

“I was just swinging my sword lightly to wake myself up. When I go out in front of other people later, I wash properly, so it’s fine.”

“Haa…….”

Letting out a deep sigh, Tang Sowol took half a step back and spread both arms wide, as if showing herself off.

“Young Master Cheon. You have me. Every morning, there’s me, dressing up like this just to see you.”

“Umm.”

That was true. Tang Sowol, who originally used to finish her duties and visit only around evening, had recently been popping her head in briefly every morning.

“We are betrothed, after all. We haven’t held the official engagement ceremony yet, but it’s happening soon, and one day we’ll marry and spend our entire lives staring at each other’s faces through thick and thin.”

“Well, yeah. I suppose so.”

“But I don’t really know what betrothed people are supposed to do. So I decided to try doing what I think a betrothed should do first. That’s why I come visit every morning.”

“…….”

I never imagined that would be her reason. To be fair, while I hadn’t stuck to her this closely, I had spent a fairly long time with the pre-regression Tang Sowol.

During that time, we had seen the best and worst of each other, and because our respective lives were harsh, we had grown somewhat desolate as people.

On top of that, though I didn’t know where he was or what he was doing right now, I knew that a monster called the Heavenly Demon would burn the world.

Even if it wasn’t an immediate issue, it was inevitable that I felt impatient.

Yet Tang Sowol’s perspective was completely different.

A young age, barely reaching adulthood. The incidents she experienced on her first foray into the murim. An abrupt marriage proposal.

Without knowing every detail, it was certain that she held far more expectations and romantic illusions about the world than I did.

Looking back, wasn’t I also struggling to survive just to eat well and live happily with Tang Sowol, Heavenly Demon or whatever be damned?

Just as I was reflecting on whether I had been too indifferent, Tang Sowol—who had been radiating a hurt atmosphere until a moment ago—grinned playfully.

“No. Thinking about it now, it might be better for you to just keep staying like this, Young Master. After all, I happen to be five years older than you, am I not? Instead, if I fix your hair like this every morning and wipe sleep from your eyes, wouldn’t that be a betrothed-like thing in its own way?”

“……I’ll pay a bit more attention from now on.”

“Heheh. Wise choice. Even if you said you have no one else to meet anyway, isn’t there me coming to see you every morning? Me, who prepares neatly just to show you, even if I don’t dress up to the absolute nines.”

Saying so, Tang Sowol took half a step back and spread her arms wide once more. A dry laugh slipped out of me at the sight of her twirling around as if showing off.

Tang Sowol, growing even more confident, continued with an expression somewhere between shameless and bold.

“At any rate, since things turned out this way, Young Master Cheon must go out with me today.”

“It’s a decision now, not even a question. But are we actually allowed to go out?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that? Unlike a certain someone, I didn’t commit a crime like suddenly kidnapping and confining someone, you know.”

“Wasn’t it you who went missing on your very first outing from home and nearly died? I don’t think the Poison King will give permission so easily.”

Right now, they were investigating whether there were other accomplices or if there was a mastermind behind the scenes.

They said that once things were confirmed, they intended to make an example out of them so that such a thing would never happen again……

According to what I heard from the pre-regression Tang Sowol, while there were minor conspirators, there was no notable mastermind, so it was highly likely to conclude as it was.

At any rate, the main point was this: from the Tang family’s perspective, Tang Sowol’s affair was not yet completely resolved.

In the middle of all this, if she said she was going to roam outside again, even I would say no.

Upon hearing my words, Tang Sowol tilted her head in thought for a moment, then spoke with an expression of sudden realization.

“Ah! Of course, I didn’t mean going somewhere far away; I just meant taking a look around the marketplaces of Chengdu.”

“Chengdu isn’t exactly a small neighborhood, though.”

Even before the Tang family settled down, the largest city in Sichuan Province was Chengdu. No matter how much she was a member of the Five Great Families, the entire city of Chengdu wasn’t her front yard……

“Aha? If that’s what you’re worried about, it’s fine. There are Tang family members everywhere in Chengdu, so it’s virtually no different from our front yard. Guards will tag along, but Father gave his permission too.”

“……Are the Five Great Families usually that influential?”

“Uh, well. Actually, among the Five Great Families, the Tang family ranks slightly lower if we’re purely talking about influence. Due to the nature of our martial arts, we tend to be a bit secretive.”

“What.”

“Take the Namgung Clan, which has the largest scale among the Five Great Families—they practically reign like kings in Anhui Province, you know? They say they actually descend from feudal royalty, though I’m not sure if that’s true since it’s not about the current imperial dynasty.”

“…….”

In the past, I held a sword solely to make a living. I had no interest in fame, so there was no reason to clash with orthodox martial artists. That was why I only moved back and forth through Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Guangdong Provinces, avoiding orthodox territory.

Most of the orthodox martial artists I met later on were in a state of ruin after being defeated by the Demonic Cult. Although I had heard from them that the orthodox faction’s power was once grand, I didn’t know it was to this extent. It was surprising enough that a group like the Sacheokryeon was formed while unorthodox martial artists were busy fighting amongst themselves.

“If that’s the case, I understand. You mentioned lunchtime, but when exactly should we meet?”

“Umm…… I’ll come look for you again when I’m ready. Relax until then.”

“No. I’ll come to you this time.”

“Pardon? But since I have to prepare this and that, if the timing doesn’t align, you might have to wait a long time, you know?”

“I can just wait. Hasn’t it always been you coming to find me until now? So this time, I’ll go to you.”

“My goodness…….”

Tang Sowol smiled softly and nodded her head.

“Alright! Then I shall wait for your arrival with a happy heart.”

Having made the promise, Tang Sowol walked away with light steps. Only long after she had left the training ground did I begin swinging my sword again.

I went to find Tang Sowol at the promised time, but I was told she was currently getting ready and to wait outside for a moment.

Since I had been told beforehand that I might have to wait if my luck was bad, I waited patiently without thinking much of it.

Glancing down absentmindedly at my attire, my brow furrowed slightly.

“Uncomfortable.”

Green robes made of Chengdu silk—Chokgeum—which was said to be ridiculously expensive.

The texture against the skin and its outward appearance certainly matched its high price, but because it was long and trailing, it felt like it kept wrapping around my body, making it inconvenient to move.

When I asked my assigned maid if she could prepare a decent outfit since I was planning to go out to the marketplace with Tang Sowol for a bit, her eyes sparkled as she brought this out.

She didn’t even bring just one set. With the help of a fellow maid, she lined up over ten sets of clothes and told me to pick whichever I liked.

Since every single one was made with green as its base color, honestly, they all looked pretty much the same in my eyes.

Still, after barely picking one out, she brought out several pairs of shoes that matched the clothes this time.

Even after choosing the shoes, there were no signs of it ending, so I simply tied back my long hair tightly and fled the room like an escapee.

Good grief. Do all children of prestigious families endure this kind of ordeal from a young age? Just how on earth do they do it?

After reaching the Peak realm and joining the Sacheokryeon, I had handled a decent amount of money myself…… but most of the money I earned that way was spent on obtaining new martial arts techniques and spiritual elixirs.

Since there was a limit to the martial arts and elixirs money could buy, it still wasn’t enough even after all that spending.

Thinking about it now, those bastards really were petty. The Sacheokryeon also had a library, and they occasionally bestowed good martial arts as rewards.

Yet sending me back claiming there were no martial arts suitable for me—what was that all about?

It was true that the Chulhyeoldang (Iron Blood Hall) I belonged to back then was full of troublemakers who had skill but caused frequent accidents, so we didn’t receive very good treatment. And I understood that the leader of the Sacheokryeon, despite having reached the same Hwakyung realm, kept a check on the Iron Blood Hall Leader who drifted on the margins of unorthodox society.

Still, to turn me back empty-handed even after I accomplished achievements—wasn’t that far too narrow-minded for the supreme ruler of the unorthodox faction?

Now that I had regressed, it wasn’t a particularly important matter anymore, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. How many times had I grumbled internally?

Rattle—

Finally, the tightly closed door opened, and Tang Sowol revealed herself.

The fine details were not hugely different from when I saw her in the morning. However, her brighter makeup, her exquisite court gown (Gungjang), and the matching ornaments to go with it—

When all of these combined, her overall atmosphere had transformed considerably.

If the Tang Sowol I knew was a martial artist, the one in front of my eyes right now was the daughter of a prestigious family.

Even though she was clearly the same person, looking blankly at Tang Sowol, who felt unfamiliar, my gaze met hers—she was similarly staring back at me with her mouth agape.

“Ha!”

“Pfft!”

Without knowing who started first, laughter burst out at the exact same time. The awkward atmosphere dissolved in an instant.

While we giggled at each other for a good while, Tang Sowol—wiping away tears welling up from laughing too hard—tilted her chin up in a feigned arrogant manner.

“Shall we head out then, Young Master?”

“Who would dare defy your command?”

Nodding my head, I stood side by side next to Tang Sowol.

At that, the guard following from behind scowled fiercely, as if he had just witnessed an eyesore.

He must be single.

Back when I joined the Sacheokryeon and operated under the moniker of the Blood Wolf…

My direct superior at the time, the Iron Blood Hall Leader, was the worst in many ways, but she still occasionally uttered helpful advice.

One of them was that a person lives their entire life learning things.

How to walk, how to speak, how to make friends, how to swing a sword, how to work, how to maintain human relationships, how to care for family, how to find principles in the words of ancient sages, and so on.

There are many things to learn in this world. Even if you spend your entire life learning, you surely won’t learn everything. Naturally, someone learns what another fails to learn, and even when learning the same thing, there are differences in the speed of achievement.

Yet despite that, a person must not give up and must learn something. Even more so if you are dissatisfied with your current lot in life.

‘That is how you can become a better person.’

The Iron Blood Hall Leader’s voice as she said those words was filled with remorse.

What did a master who had reached the realm of Hwakyung find so regrettable? It was something beyond the understanding of my past self—a wretchedly born swordsman who knew nothing of learning.

I do remember, however, that my heart was moved by the Iron Blood Hall Leader’s words telling me not to commit the same mistakes she did.

Thus, I learned words for the first time. Thanks to that, I could read secret manuals and master more martial arts.

The next thing I learned was how to calculate. The instances of chasing down a swindler to slash them only after being scammed dropped significantly.

Aside from that, I learned to drink and share cups of alcohol, learned the operational structure of the Sacheokryeon, and occasionally learned martial arts.

My swordsmanship was forged in actual combat, and my mental art was formulated by reviewing my own life, but my lightness skill was something I learned from the Iron Blood Hall Leader.

Yes. Truly, our end was the worst, but the journey itself wasn’t entirely the worst.

I learned from her not how to swing a sword, but how to live in this world. Though she would vehemently deny it, the Iron Blood Hall Leader was likely an existence akin to a parent or a master to me.

……However, things like what one is supposed to do when going out to the marketplace with a betrothed were things I never learned.

Since the Iron Blood Hall Leader had also lived a life of celibacy until her death, even if I had asked her to teach me, she wouldn’t have been able to.

Anyway, for that reason, I looked at Tang Sowol with a helpless feeling.

“Do you have a separate place planned out to go to?”

“Nope? But we’re just going out to play right in front of our home, is there really any need to overthink it? Let’s get some food first and just wander around sightseeing.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Nodding, I walked side by side next to Tang Sowol. Not long after passing through the main gates of the Tang family estate, a bustling landscape unfolded before us.

Walking a bit further from there, a quiet boulevard where the crowds thinned out considerably came into view.

It wasn’t because it was a bad neighborhood. On the contrary, it was because it looked far too nice.

The people roaming the streets were uniformly dressed in expensive-looking clothes, the carriages passing along the broad avenue were gorgeous, and the buildings lining both sides were towering.

“……Looks expensive.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t plan on asking Young Master Cheon to pay anyway, and the place we’re heading to is run by the Tang family, so if you go with me, it’s free.”

“I wasn’t planning on having you buy it anyway. My entire fortune was already spent long ago on Tang Sowol’s dumplings.”

“Good grief. Are you seriously still holding a grudge over that? But my thoughts remain unchanged. The Byeokgokdan (Pill of Abstinence) is not food.”

“If you eat it and feel full, then it’s food.”

“Coming from the person who ate the food made by the Tang family’s chefs with such gusto, it lacks a bit of credibility.”

“……I ate because I was hungry, just because I was hungry.”

“Because you’re in a growth spurt, was it? Hehe. That’s right. Young Master Cheon is still growing, after all.”

Grinning, Tang Sowol placed her hand on the crown of her own head, mimicking measuring our heights.

Just a tiny bit. Truly, only slightly am I shorter, but this is merely a temporary disadvantage. In fact, before the regression, I was a whole head taller.

No. This time, I’ve learned proper martial arts from an even younger age and haven’t skipped any meals, so I’ll grow even taller.

“Just you wait five years from now.”

“You mean you’ll go out on outings with me like this even five years from now, right? I’ll look forward to that day.”

“……Sometimes I think it was better when I was treated like an old monster.”

“Aww. Even if I did, wouldn’t there be no major difference? There are several reasons other than age why I treat Young Master Cheon this unceremoniously.”

Saying that, Tang Sowol put her hands behind her back with a swaggering air. She took a few pitter-patter steps to block my path, spun around to face me, and started walking backward.

“First of all, number one. I found out that Young Master Cheon isn’t as scary as your first impression suggested.”

“That’s something I’d like to convey to the bastards who died by my hands.”

“Even if you radiate killing intent toward everyone else, I’m the exception, aren’t I? That’s enough.”

“Hoh…….”

Tang Sowol answered without hesitation and continued in a nonchalant tone.

“Secondly, I suppose it’s because Young Master Cheon is head over heels in love with me?”

“Not to that extent.”

“There aren’t many people who put their lives on the line when it’s not even to that extent. Especially someone who, when given the chance to discuss rewards, refuses everything else and says they want me. I honestly thought I’d become the protagonist of some storybook.”

“……If you look closely, wouldn’t there be at least a few others? A man is much simpler than Tang Sowol thinks.”

“Maybe someone else really is out there, just like the Young Master says. After all, I’m this pretty and I’m the daughter of the Tang family. But the important point is that the Young Master was the very first.”

“I won’t bother asking if you aren’t embarrassed saying you’re pretty with your own mouth. Since you don’t look embarrassed in the least.”

“Tsk.”

With a light click of her tongue, Tang Sowol turned around, facing forward instead of my eyes, and spoke.

“Lastly… no. On second thought, it’s probably better not to say this one.”

“Don’t you know that bringing something up and stopping makes one even more curious?”

“But thinking about it for a second before speaking, it sounds like something that might sound rude to Young Master Cheon.”

“Just how rude could Tang Sowol possibly be? Did you forget? That I’m from Zhejiang Province.”

At those words, Tang Sowol tilted her head and asked.

“I don’t mean anything by it, I’m just asking out of simple curiosity, but what kind of place is Zhejiang Province anyway that you’re like that?”

“The stronghold of the unorthodox faction. Though you probably won’t grasp it well even if I say that. How should I explain it best?”

Pondering for a moment, I recalled a suitable anecdote and opened my mouth.

“First of all, I am an orphan.”

“Ah, yes…….”

“You don’t have to look so flustered. Both of them passed away when I was far too young, so I don’t even have memories worth speaking of.”

“Do you realize that saying it like that makes it even harder to react?”

“My, my. It’s going to get much harder from here on out.”

As I chuckled and said that, Tang Sowol slowed her pace and stepped back to walk side by side with me again, as if listening intently to the words that were about to follow.

“It’s not all that grand of a story. Ordinary commoners getting crushed under the hands of rising unorthodox martial artists is a common occurrence in Zhejiang Province, after all.”

A husband who went out to work lost his life to a black-path swordsman over a trivial reason. The wife, unable to bear the thought of letting her child starve, clenched her teeth and worked as a cheap courtesan under the men who killed her husband, but as bad luck would have it, she was beaten to death by a drunken customer.

The child left alone in the world begged when young, and after seeking a way to survive as they grew older, ended up crawling right back under the enemy—just as their mother had done.

“What kind of things do you suppose I heard under those bastards?”

“…….”

Tang Sowol kept her mouth tightly shut with a pale face. I patted her shoulder gently to soothe her.

“My, my. We came out to play and all I’ve done is talk about gloomy things. Don’t worry. I ended up cutting down every single one of those bastards with my own hands in the end.”

“Was it… revenge?”

“No. It was to survive. Like I said before, I don’t even remember my parents’ faces.”

If I had stayed as I was, I would have been worked to the bone until my body broke down and died, or thrown out as cannon fodder for dangerous tasks to die a dog’s death.

Before the regression, there were indeed a few times when I genuinely came close to dying.

The reason I grew strong quickly back then was partly due to talent, but it must have also been because of that environment.

To avoid dying, I had no choice but to grow strong.

“That’s why I said it’s fine. At the very least, Tang Sowol, you aren’t saying those things out of malice toward me.”

“…….”

Tang Sowol chewed her lip for a moment, then opened her moist eyes wide.

“Young Master Cheon. May I continue what I was trying to say a moment ago?”

“Of course.”

“Actually, I thought that maybe I could teach Young Master Cheon things he doesn’t know.”

“Hm?”

“The ways of the orthodox faction, rather than the ways of the unorthodox. No, even that sounds too grandiose. I just wanted to teach you ordinary ways of living.”

“What does a martial artist seeking ordinary things achieve? It only dulls the sword.”

“A sword doesn’t need to be sharp all the time. The Young Master as I see him… except for when he treats me as an exception, it always feels like he’s keeping his blade honed—like a sword without a scabbard.”

“I won’t deny it. But can a thing like that be learned just by trying? I’ve lived my entire life this way, and I don’t even think it was wrong.”

“Of course, I don’t mean that my way is unconditionally right, or that I’m going to change Young Master Cheon. That would be far too presumptuous of me. It’s just that I want to show you.”

“Show me?”

“Yes. If you simply don’t know because you’ve lived your whole life on the path of the sword, I just want to show you that there are other paths, and that this side isn’t so bad either. If possible, by no one else other than me.”

Suddenly, the words of the Iron Blood Hall Leader, who used to teach me even the most trivial things one by one, crossed my mind.

‘Whenever it may be, I told you to try living a life for yourself, not a life lived merely to survive.’

I only realized what those words meant right before I died.

And now. Tang Sowol was telling me something very similar to the Iron Blood Hall Leader’s words.

“…….”

I stared blankly at Tang Sowol’s profile. Her face was slightly redder than usual. Unbecoming of a martial artist, even her breathing was ragged—she must have felt inwardly nervous after blurting out such a thing herself.

For some reason, a laugh slipped out.

“Haha!”

“Wh-What is it! A person went out of their way to talk seriously and all you do is laugh.”

“My, my. I was just surprised because it was more heartwarming than I expected. Did you happen to rehearse those lines beforehand?”

“……It’s not like that?”

Tang Sowol subtly averted her gaze. This was unexpected.

Imagining Tang Sowol muttering to herself and practicing what she should say made me feel a little amused.

“Is that so. So it’s not like that.”

“Ugh…! That expression. Do you know how slightly annoying you are right now? Forget it, let’s go inside! We’re eating here.”

Tang Sowol stopped in front of a large tavern with a signboard reading Myungwollu (Bright Moon Pavilion).

“It’s still daytime, so I’m thinking of ordering food without alcohol. That’s fine, right?”

“Doesn’t matter. Though, no matter how I look at it, this place looks pretty expensive. Could it be that what Tang Sowol wanted to show me wasn’t an ordinary life, but a rich person’s life?”

“You seem intent on making teasing jokes, but the moment you became my betrothed, Young Master Cheon’s days of lacking money came to an end anyway. Because at least the amount I can spend is an amount Young Master Cheon can spend as well.”

“……Really?”

“Probably? Sometimes I might have to spend the money coming to me together with Young Master Cheon, but even so, there won’t be any shortage, so rest easy.”

After touring the Tang family estate myself, I knew that the financial power of the Five Great Families was beyond imagination. I had wondered if money might be tight since they didn’t scramble for it desperately like the unorthodox factions.

Now that I saw it, there was simply no need for them to scramble in the first place.

If a massive fortune were handed to me, I’d buy martial arts with that money, buy a good sword, buy spiritual elixirs… now that I think about it, those are all things that can be supported by the Tang family anyway.

“……Thinking about it for a second, it seems even if I have money, there’s nowhere to spend it.”

“Then shall we figure that part out together too? Starting with a meal, first of all.”

“Mm.”

Tang Sowol pulled my arm and led me into the tavern.

At that warm touch, I decided to forget about martial arts and the Heavenly Demon for just today.

Thus, we conversed while eating somewhat stimulating Sichuan cuisine, and after finishing our meal, we wandered around the marketplace, bought snacks, and watched a troupe perform acrobatics.

Aside from that, we roamed all over Chengdu, purely continuing to enjoy ourselves.

How much time had passed like that?

Before I knew it, the sun had set and day had darkened, and shops were beginning to hang lanterns one by one.

Without anyone speaking first, thinking of returning to the Tang family estate, we began tracing our way back up the path we came. At intervals slightly closer than before.

And thus, we arrived back at the Tang family estate. An unexpected piece of news was waiting for us.

“Little Brother. We found out who was behind those who tried to harm you.”

“Pardon?”

“What on earth…?”

There was a mastermind?

Things were beginning to unfold differently from before the regression.