My cousin, and the one who was supposed to be in Sichuan Province, Eun Hyang-ok, was right there.
No, Hyang-ok, what are you doing here?
Hyang-ok is my cousin—the eldest daughter of my uncle in the Sichuan branch. She’s also a Mount Emei Sect disciple.
Maybe because of that, she was with other Mount Emei Sect disciples. And judging by how heated things had gotten, it looked like she’d gotten into a quarrel with the people in front of her.
Four solidly built brutes.
And from the way they were dressed, they didn’t look like scions of any reputable orthodox sect.
Kids from proper sects might be rotten on the inside, but they still care about how they look.
Still, if Hyang-ok showed up here at this time, that meant she planned to enter the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering…
And right now, things were about to blow up.
If anyone threw the first punch for no reason, they might not just get disqualified—they could end up locked in the Thunder Prison for the entire gathering.
And even if Hyang-ok didn’t lay a hand on them, the moment she snapped back in anger, those guys’ souls would get shredded so badly they’d never recover.
They’d earned it, sure, but it would still stack more bad rumors on her name.
That wasn’t good.
Her reputation was going to grow anyway, but I should at least keep it from getting worse if I could.
With a sigh, I stepped in.
“Hyang-ok, isn’t that you?”
“Huh? Seo-ho? Is that you?”
Hyang-ok recognized me right away.
“What are you doing here?”
“We came for the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering too.”
“Ah, figures.”
“But what happened? It’s pretty noisy.”
“Ugh…”
Hyang-ok spoke like she couldn’t be bothered.
“We were standing in line to register, and those men insulted us with filthy words.”
At that, the brutes flared up.
“When did we ever do that!”
“You’ve been accusing us the whole time!”
But Hyang-ok and the Mount Emei disciples weren’t the type to frame people.
And martial artists don’t mishear something like that.
So if Hyang-ok said they did it, then they did. Still, this was going nowhere.
I swept my gaze around.
Since Hyang-ok’s group had been waiting to register, there were plenty of other people here too.
They were just looking away because they didn’t want the hassle or to get dragged in.
I wasn’t going to blame them.
I got it. I understood their position.
So then.
I brought my hands together in a fist-and-palm salute.
“Great Warriors, I ask for your help. A moment ago, my cousin was insulted. If any of you saw or heard what happened, please speak up.”
I continued.
“As a token of thanks, I’ll give each of you one silver tael—”
“I heard it!”
Before I could finish, someone shot a hand up. It was a man standing nearby.
“Those guys next to me said, ‘Just looking at those women, you can tell they’re feisty. Bet they’re like that in bed too—’.”
Hearing the rest in my head, I almost laughed out of sheer disbelief.
Unbelievable, you worthless bastards…
“Thank you for the testimony.”
I quickly pulled a silver tael from my pouch and handed it to him.
The moment people saw I was serious about paying, their eyes changed.
“I-I heard it too.”
“I’ve got something to say!”
As testimonies started pouring out, the brutes were the ones getting cornered.
“At this point, we should probably hand this over to the patrol.”
The instant I said that, their attitudes flipped.
“We’re sorry. We were disrespectful.”
“We’re the bad ones.”
“Please, just let us off this once…”
Tch. They were a disgrace to every man alive.
But the decision wasn’t mine. The ones who’d been wronged were Hyang-ok and her group.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I asked her,
“Cousin, what do you want to do?”
After discussing it with the others, she said,
“We came here carrying our hopes and dreams. It wouldn’t feel right to crush someone else’s dream over this. If they swear that they’ll accept any punishment without complaint if this happens again, we’ll let it go.”
“Understood. I’ll write up the oath right away. And as for witnessing it…”
I grinned slightly.
“From what I can tell, it doesn’t look like only Mount Emei Sect disciples came with you.”
“That’s right. Master Haechung came with us as well.”
The brutes went even paler.
Divine Nun Haechung.
She was a well-known expert who’d earned the title Unfeeling Sword.
Normally she was gentle, but toward men who committed crimes like assaulting women, her blade was merciless to the extreme. That was why people called her that.
After all, she’d joined Mount Emei in the first place to avenge her older sister, who’d been violated and killed.
And since she was also Hyang-ok’s master, I’d already guessed she was here.
“We can handle registration ourselves, so only we came over. Master is speaking with others right now.”
“Then we can ask her to witness it.”
“Please spare us!”
“We’ll die!”
The brutes cried out with desperate faces.
Yeah, so why’d you do something that could get you killed?
Hyang-ok gave a faint smile.
“It wouldn’t be right to drag a busy person back and forth over this. We’ll take the oath without a witness. If they’re martial artists, they won’t break their vow.”
“If that’s what you want, then we’ll do it that way.”
They thanked Hyang-ok and the Mount Emei disciples over and over, swore their oaths, and hurried off.
They were probably too embarrassed to register today. They’d come back quietly tomorrow.
“Still as nasty as ever, aren’t you?”
At Hyang-ok’s words, I laughed.
“Come on, Cousin. Anyone listening would think I’m actually a terrible person.”
“Well, you are.”
“…”
Cousin, you’re gonna hurt my feelings.
“Anyway, thanks for helping.”
Her eyes curved softly.
“It was nothing. If it’s you, Cousin, and your group in trouble, of course I’d step in.”
Then we greeted her companions.
“Ah! Sorry, I didn’t introduce him earlier. This is my younger cousin.”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“Thank you.”
They cupped their fists and bowed to me.
“But you spent a lot of money because of us… we feel bad about that.”
I’d used quite a bit of silver to pull in witnesses.
Maybe around ten taels?
I waved it off.
“Money’s meant to be spent when it matters. It wasn’t a huge amount for me, so please don’t worry about it.”
I added,
“More than anything, I’m glad my money could help you, Female Warriors.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
After we exchanged a few more pleasantries, I asked,
“Since you’re here, does that mean you’re entering the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering too?”
“Yeah. I am.”
Hyang-ok nodded.
“Master Haechung encouraged me to go. So I came with the other core disciples.”
Ah…
Right. She’d formally become a core disciple this time.
She’d originally entered as a lay disciple, but I’d heard people who valued her talent kept pushing and persuading her.
And since Uncle had other sons and daughters besides Hyang-ok, he probably let her decide without too much worry.
Core disciples of Mount Emei can’t marry, after all.
Anyway, around the time I died, Hyang-ok had already made quite a name for herself…
For a second, I wondered what had happened to her after my death, but I shook my head.
Pointless curiosity.
I wasn’t going to die some stupid death this time, not ever again.
Then a memory flashed.
The Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering was what had launched Hyang-ok’s fame. So was this the same gathering?
“I’m wishing you and the other Female Warriors the best martial luck.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
“And I’m staying at Springtime Inn, so if you get time, please come by.”
“Is my Uncle there too?”
“Yes. Both my parents came with me.”
“Then I should visit and pay my respects.”
“Where are you staying, Cousin?”
“At Yuwol Inn.”
“I see.”
We wrapped up our talk, and I headed back to Springtime Inn.
“Back already?”
“Yes, Father.”
When I walked in, my parents were down on the first floor.
Normally after the meeting, Mother could’ve returned to the main branch, but as a martial family’s daughter, she’d never miss the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. She planned to watch it with Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s mother.
I sat down in front of them.
“I just ran into Hyang-ok.”
“Hyang-ok… you mean Myeong-sang’s eldest daughter?”
“Yes. She’s here with other Mount Emei disciples, and she’s entering this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.”
Mother clasped her hands together.
“Oh my. Is that so? Then this gathering just got even more fun to watch!”
I only smiled.
Honestly, Hyang-ok became famous not just because she was strong, but because of her razor tongue.
Well, I’d like to offer early condolences to everyone whose soul she was about to strip bare.
Even if, yeah, those idiots had it coming for provoking her when she was holding back.
“Ah… and there was a small issue, so I helped out a bit.”
.
.
.
That evening, Hyang-ok came straight to Springtime Inn.
I guess she heard my parents were here and came right away.
“Eun Hyang-ok greets Uncle and Aunt.”
“Seeing you here makes me even happier. Are your parents doing well?”
“Yes. They’re both doing fine.”
Then the conversation flowed on.
“I heard something happened earlier today. Are you alright?”
“Yes. Thanks to Seo-ho, it got resolved cleanly. You don’t need to worry.”
“That’s good to hear.”
After Father, Mother spoke up.
“Do you and the other Mount Emei Female Warriors have time tomorrow?”
Hyang-ok thought for a moment.
“We don’t have any set plans tomorrow.”
“Perfect. I wanted to host you for dinner tomorrow night.”
Mother smiled gently.
“They’re the ones sharing thick and thin with you, so please let this elder aunt show some proper courtesy.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to Master.”
“Good. And if possible, bring your Master as well.”
“I will.”
When the talk ended, Father turned to me.
“Seo-ho, see Hyang-ok back to her inn.”
Since she’d come in the evening and we’d talked for a while, it was already dark outside.
“It’s fine. I can go alone.”
At that, Father added,
“Of course I know you can handle yourself. But there are countless people gathered here right now, so it never hurts to be careful. And you’re about to compete in the gathering, aren’t you? Ha. Just think of it as your Uncle worrying too much.”
“…”
Hyang-ok smiled a little and lowered her head.
“I’ll follow your words.”
Then she looked at me.
“So, I’m counting on you.”
“Of course.”
I left the inn with three Escort Guards, excluding Jin Yu.
“Yuwol Inn, right?”
“Good memory.”
“Wasn’t I always good at remembering things?”
Chatting like that, we reached Yuwol Inn in no time.
A middle-aged woman was standing out front.
She wore a white martial robe with a black belt. Her face was full of kindness, but her gaze was firm as iron.
I had a good guess who she was.
Divine Nun Haechung.
Hyang-ok’s master.
“Master! Why are you out here?”
“I was waiting for you. And who’s this young man beside you?”
Hyang-ok hurriedly introduced me.
“This is the cousin I told you about earlier.”
“Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group, Eun Seo-ho.”
“I’m Haechung, a Mount Emei disciple. I heard what happened. Thank you for helping my disciples.”
“It was nothing. My Cousin was there, so I just gave a little help.”
After a polite exchange, I said to Hyang-ok,
“Then I’ll head back now.”
I cupped my fists to Divine Nun Haechung as well, then returned to Springtime Inn.
.
.
.
The next day, I went to the area assigned to our Eunhae Merchant Group, and checked everything again.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you really are incredible.”
Supervisor Yun, who was in charge of sales for this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, said that while watching me.
“Is this your first time? How do you pick out every tiny flaw like that? I was honestly amazed.”
Supervisor Yun, I’ve been through the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering more than once in my life.
But I couldn’t exactly say that, so I just smiled awkwardly.
Sales hadn’t started in earnest yet.
Right now was still the registration period, and the preliminaries were five days away.
After finishing up the busy work, I headed back to Springtime Inn.
The Mount Emei disciples were coming to our inn for dinner tonight.
Hyang-ok told me this morning that she’d gotten permission.
When I arrived, about fifteen minutes later the Mount Emei disciples showed up.
“Thank you for inviting us here.”
“I’m the one who’s grateful you accepted.”
Then Divine Nun Haechung looked at Mother.
“But, Madam… haven’t we met before?”
–TL Notes–
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