NOVEL NEXT Chapter 564
“Young Lady, if you keep doing this, when will we ever meet again? Hiiing.”
Oh, is that some charm coming out?
To others, she seems all grown up, but only in front of Qing does Mo Yong Joo-hee act like a child.
And honestly, it looks like she’s really upset about parting ways, her eyes all watery.
If I tell her not to go, she might just run away and come chasing after me.
However, Mo Yong Seong-ik whispers that the true strength of the Mo Yong family lies in the left sword and right Dao.
With the left hand wielding a sword and the right hand holding a Dao, she can unleash dazzling swordplay, all while the sunlight shines down straight like a stubborn sun.
Until now, Mo Yong Joo-hee didn’t want to use the Dao because, well, let’s face it, a Dao doesn’t seem feminine at all.
She worried about the embarrassment of having her muscles bulk up only on one side if she transformed.
So, she had always relied on the sword, practicing as if she were using a paired Dao.
But now that she’s reached the peak of her abilities, it’s high time she realized the vision of the left sword and right Dao family.
In other words, it’s the perfect timing for a special supreme training.
So, Qing has no choice.
“We can travel together anytime, right? So you need to train hard at important times.”
“Yes….”
She seems to slump her shoulders, clearly not happy about it, so Qing thinks, well, I guess I have to cheer her up and opens her arms wide.
Given how Qing is feeling, Mo Yong Joo-hee safely steps into her embrace.
Qing whispers in her ear.
“Are you gonna slack off? Train diligently, and if you achieve something, maybe I’ll reward you.”
Gulp
Mo Yong Joo-hee swallows hard.
Looking at her expression, it seems like her eyes are swirling, so did that motivate her or not?
Her mouth is agape, and oh, drool!
Is this okay? She’s becoming kind of silly.
But soon, a firm resolve emerges beneath her curly, thick hair, so it looks like it worked.
In truth, Qing also doesn’t know what the reward is.
What is a reward for Young Lady Mo Yong?
She strangely focuses on rewards and punishments, thinking this might motivate her to work hard.
A single gaze fixated on them.
That’s the watermelon Young Lady, or rather, Sama Young Lady.
To others, she may look like a fierce beauty glaring with resentment.
But Qing just smiles gently and opens her arms.
“Would you like to say goodbye with a hug, Sama Young Lady?”
“Hehe, so you’re proposing a friendly rivalry? Of course, Young Lady Seomun still has a long way to go. It wouldn’t hurt much, but sure, I’ll join you in this childish game.”
Even though she says that, her words speed up slightly, and her steps are noticeably lively—yeah, she probably doesn’t have many friends.
In fact, excluding her strange behavior, Sama Chun-bong surprisingly has a good reputation.
As long as she doesn’t mention how everyone else falls short of her standard, she actually enjoys helping others, but ironically, that makes people reluctant to get close to her.
So after a hug, Qing experiences, for the first time since her departure from the Martial World, a firm, intense pressure, a novel sensation of being overwhelmed by some substantial mass.
Mo Yong Joo-hee is impressive too, but because she’s so soft, Qing feels the weight pressing down on her.
What in the world is so solid and heavy?
Definitely a watermelon, that’s for sure.
It’s a pity I can’t see with my own eyes.
“By the way, don’t think I’ll be stuck in defeat forever. Hmph, next time we meet, I’ll be the authority on the Martial Techniques of the Central Plain, so prepare yourself to meet the next expert of the future! Hehe.”
“I’ll just ask the Kunlun Sect, so no need for that.”
“Ohoho, so you’re drunk on the sweet success of the Cheonhwa-geom and thinking about embarking on the path of a Dao master? Having blocked my words, surely that must’ve been the most thrilling moment of your life—but I won’t fall for it twice. Hehe.”
Sounds like she wants to hear everything but didn’t really care about it—what a bummer!
I mean, as long as they find someone knowledgeable about spells or sorcery in the Martial Alliance, that would be just fine, so there’s no reason to stop her.
Thus, under their farewell, Qing’s party sets out on their carriage, clattering along the road.
The destination? Hubei Province.
When it comes to the most famous martial sect in Hubei Province, the answer is obvious: the Taiji Wudang, the Wudang Sect.
The Divine Maiden Sect is just famous because of the mystique surrounding women, but if you were to ask common people for just one technique from the Divine Maiden Sect?
Unless they blindly guessed Divine Maiden Sword because it’s the Divine Maiden Sect, maybe one in a hundred would be able to answer.
However, nowadays, six or seven out of ten might confidently reply, “I know! Cheonhwa-geom, Moon Lady Sword!”
Of course, they’d be completely wrong.
Still, it’s true that the youngest supreme in the Orthodox Martial World has immense influence due to her beauty.
Moreover, lately, the Divine Maiden Sect has become suddenly rich, offering generous conditions that attract tenant farmers nearby, leading to the emergence of several small villages.
This is a common characteristic of large sects receiving absolute support within the region and a main method for winning the hearts of the people.
Therefore, the neighboring Wudang Sect is a bit, no, a lot worried about the aggressive expansion of the Divine Maiden Sect.
Could it be that Cheon-dun-geom Wang Joo-hee truly aims to seize control of Hubei?
It’s a well-known fact that Cheon-dun-geom is a puppet of Ye Guang-jian, so is this Ye Guang-jian’s plan in motion?
Could it be that, in the legend of the country of women, they intend to establish an enchanting realm of women ruling over men as slaves?
Of course, the current Sect Leader Cheon-dun-geom Wang Joo-hee has no such thoughts.
With the suddenly expanded territory that she has zero experience managing and no one to manage it for her, she just left it all to her friend, the youngest sister of the Seolga Merchant Association.
So, the tenant farmers of the Divine Maiden Sect unknowingly believe in some bizarre tales of the Divine Maiden, bowing to a nearly nonexistent god.
A tale states that the daughter of the Divine Maiden Yo-hee inherited the legacy of her grandfather, the Flame Emperor, and is now a divine being controlling the sun and the moon.
For reference, combining sun (日) and moon (月) gives the term ‘ming’ (明), which means sacred fire (火).
This sacred light, praising the sun, has led to various names—Bae-hwa, Bae-hwa Religion, Ming-Religion, and more.
Nonetheless, thanks to this, Jagi-hyeon is also experiencing miraculous growth day by day, transforming from a small town that mainly dealt with logistics as the first ferry on the Yangtze River, expanding with each passing night, buildings sprouting up, and new streets unfolding in a miraculous growth phase.
Truly the miracle of the Yangtze River!
And thus, the destination of Qing’s party is precisely this Hubei Province! Specifically, the Je-gal Family!
Hubei is shaped long from left to right, and the famous clan that holds power in the east is indeed the Je-gal family.
What’s more, to the right, the waterways stretch luxuriously into Anhui Province’s Hefei and Jiangsu Province’s Nanjing.
So the route allows Namgoong Shin-jae and Gongson Yo-ye to move together.
And so, the carriage wheels go clattering through Hubei, towards the Je-gal family.
“Ah, Hyang!”
“Oing.”
Qing’s eyes widen.
What’s this? Something cute is approaching!
With a bright and clear expression, a round face, and tiny arms flailing around adorably!
“Hyang! Oof.”
Qing, forgetting her own condition, scoops her up, but her muscles and bones scream in unison as if they’re in a choir!
Breath caught in her throat and cold sweat streaming down in an instant, but it’s okay, I’m fine, I can do this…!
Qing forces a smile.
“Hyang? Hehe, have you gained weight? The little girl has been training hard, hasn’t she? Look at how much she has grown!”
Je-gal Hyang rolls up her sleeves.
There’s no muscle to be found on her soft arms, umm.
Why is she rolling up her sleeves? Hyang can roll up her sleeves too? Wow, that’s amazing, rolling them up, should I praise her for that?
What on earth does that mean?
More than that, the tiny lips of the beaming Je-gal Hyang with a gap where her front teeth should be, oh my!
There’s a huge gap in her front teeth, this mischievous little kid has definitely been sharpening a knife!
Is there a creature so harmful to one’s heart?
Of course, Je-gal Hyang is just at an age where losing baby teeth is common.
But the sight of her smiling with no front teeth is truly silly, thereby doubling—no, multiplying her cuteness tenfold.
And thus, through this remarkable fusion!
With Qing hugging Je-gal Hyang, Seoliri squeezes through the Je-gal family.
“Hey now, put down the child. You with poor health shouldn’t be hugging a full-grown kid…!”
Here comes Tang Nan-ah, who’s a bit bitter but also protective.
But since her nature is a bit prickly and she’s still quite childish, it’s not surprising that she’d react this way?
In response, Je-gal Hyang’s expression darkens.
“Are you not well, Hyung? Did you get hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Even with a medicinal patch on her face, I can’t tell if she’s serious or not, but—
Of course, Je-gal Hyang genuinely doesn’t know.
The children of the Je-gal family, who admire strength, tend to play quite roughly.
When you call all the kids together to play, inevitably, one of the three ends up with a medicinal patch on their face! Looks like Hyang might have fallen somewhere.
Then, I can greet the family head.
Seeing the still robust and strong Je-gal family’s matriarch, Huang Bo-ran, she shines with excitement looking at the Cheonhwa-geom.
“Hmm? Cheonhwa-geom? What is this? Such a beautiful weapon! If one could wield a weapon like this, they would have been a giant among giants. The officials wouldn’t just pass this by; it looks like it could belong to a leader of the Sapa! Ah, I see, this is a trophy, isn’t it? The Cheonhwa-geom is thin but excellent!”
Hmm. Do we use ‘thin’ when evaluating ordinary people?
“Mother, that’s not—”
Je-gal Lee-hyun whispers to his mother.
When measuring the thickness of people, the regular metrics don’t apply, so finding something appropriate means considering Hyang.
If we consider Hyang’s waist thickness as ‘one’, then Je-gal’s mother would have arms as thick as one Hyang.
Thus, Je-gal has taken on that thick bloodline and though they only share a single face, the sight is undeniably overwhelming.
Suddenly, Huang Bo-ran’s gaze brightens!
“Good heavens, thickness and thinness are not the be-all and end-all. Yes, there are cases like that! If only you were well.”
And she bursts into hearty laughter.
“Wasn’t it a long time dream? To have a child-like companion to lift weights together, throw the Iron Claw, and feel the various muscles ripping apart while having a delightful time?”
“Oh. Yes.”
“Since that one is so weak, it seems that beyond Ah-hyun, all the kids are weaklings as well. The Cheonhwa-geom looks good! Not all strength lies in muscles; we must distinguish between real strength and puffed-up muscles! Oh my, I can’t believe I was momentarily fooled by just a slightly inflated muscle. Yet, returning to see me means you’ve come all this way carrying a heavy load; it’s adorable—oh dear, what am I saying, let’s forget it, hahahaha!”
Then, she slaps her son’s back vigorously, laughing heartily. What’s this, suddenly a beating?
Dinner at the Je-gal family was extravagant, throwing a grand feast for everyone.
“Hyung! Hyung! Can you eat this too!?”
Holding up freshly cooked Dongpo Pork with chopsticks, the whole slice intact.
Wow, it looks just like a perfectly made pork belly slice.
Even if I slice it appropriately, it’ll easily amount to three servings by pork belly standards, one pound for sure.
But I can’t let Hyang down.
So Qing takes a huge bite, and—wait, there’s hardly any space left in my mouth!
Holding a whole pork belly strip in my mouth, it’s totally inappropriate to be chewing this in front of the elders at someone else’s banquet!
“Wow! You’re eating splendidly!”
“Right! It’s so lovely that you’re enjoying it.”
However, the Je-gal family’s aesthetic sense is positioned differently than that of commoners; the elders couldn’t conceal their delight.
Yet why do their gazes seem a bit itchy?
What’s going on? This sticky, family-like atmosphere—
It’s not a tease, they truly seem to be gazing at me like there’s honey smeared all over my face…?
Naturally, Qing is the sort that can’t stop once people start praising her.
At some point, even Seoliri started distancing herself, pretending not to be part of the group.
Having eaten well and rested for the night.
Hyung’s sleeping habits are unexpectedly dreadful, and due to being kicked about by her fists and feet, it caused Qing to wake up in distress.
But it’s okay; one night of sleeplessness should be fine.
A master of the Realm of Transformation can handle one sleepless night.
The next day, they depart from the Je-gal family.
“Hyung! Come again!”
“Elder sister, I will visit you later!”
Stopping by the Yangtze River ferry to see them off.
“Swordmaster, you must come for a visit when you recover! I’d like to stay awake all night discussing the Great Master Mucheondae’s sword techniques. Hehe, just thinking about it fills me with excitement. I won’t let you sleep at all.”
I’d better avoid Anhui Province altogether.
Qing made a solid promise.
“Young Lady Seomun? You must come visit without fail! Ummm, preferably around the full moon in May or October… no, May’s full moon is better.”
That’s quite a specific date.
“Huh? Yes, is there an event then?”
“If it’s not then, it’ll be too hot or too cold. In October, we sometimes face storms, but mid-May is just nice and cool…”
In the summer, Nanjing is hideously hot, and in winter, it’s also freezing.
Sure, that’s just Qing’s hometown, on par with the national capital, but for someone from the Central Plain, it’s undeniably tough, so if you were to list the dirtiest cities, Nanjing would surely be mentioned.
“Hmm, if the time allows, I’ll definitely visit.”
“Or I could come to visit you.”
Gongson Yo-ye smiles faintly, and the two hold hands tightly, creating a tender scene.
Though Qing was in Tang Nan-ah’s embrace, it made the overall image a bit awkward.
For reference, Tang Nan-ah is quite short, and Qing is rather tall, so that only added to the strange appearance.
Finally, the party heads west.
Back to that sweet home, the Divine Maiden Sect.