Chapter 60: Ghostly Shadow Duelist
After the duel ended, I stepped down from the training ground, leaving behind the murmuring disciples of the Zhongnan Sect. It seemed my fighting style had left quite the impact on them.
And yet—
"Brother Cheon, a word with you, please."
Tang Sowol stood before me, one hand resting on her hip, her expression caught between concern and reprimand.
I hesitated, glancing in her direction, but before I could even acknowledge her, she was already striding toward me with firm steps.
Her eyes were wide open, her brows raised, her lips slightly pouted, and her cheeks puffed out just a little—
Not exactly threatening, but unmistakably the expression of someone angry.
Once she reached me, she planted both hands on her hips again and called out in a sharp tone.
"Brother Cheon."
"Mm."
"That was a friendly duel, wasn't it?"
"That's right."
"Then why, pray tell, did you allow yourself to get so injured?"
"Well, as you know, my martial arts have always been like this."
I cautiously defended myself, but Tang Sowol's dark eyes flashed with a glint of green as she took another step closer.
"Yes, I suppose that's true. You do seem to think of self-sacrifice as a given in combat."
"Then—"
"But as you said yourself, this wasn't a life-or-death battle—it was a duel."
"Th-This was a duel with a Zhongnan Sect elder. An opportunity like this doesn't come easily."
I reflexively countered, but Tang Sowol simply stared at me in silence.
Then, she stepped even closer.
Perhaps because she was still slightly taller than me, my vision was suddenly filled with the sight of her chest drawing near.
I knew this wasn't the time for such thoughts, but keeping my gaze in check was proving to be a challenge.
Oblivious to my internal struggle—or perhaps enjoying it—her pout deepened.
At that moment, I instinctively knew.
No matter what I said, I wasn't getting out of this.
So, instead of answering, I chose to act.
I carefully reached out and cupped her cheek, pressing my thumb gently against her protruding lips.
"I'm sorry."
"From now on, I'll try not to get hurt in front of you."
"And if it is unavoidable, I'll at least let you know in advance."
Her sharp gaze softened slightly, but not enough to be fully convinced.
Sensing that my apology was still lacking, I thought for a moment before adding—
"A-And tonight, I'll spend time with you however you like. Whether it's playing dice or whatever else."
"Hmm..."
At last, she broke into a bright smile.
As soon as I withdrew my thumb, she placed her hands over mine, pressing them against her cheeks for a brief moment before slowly pulling them away.
Then, she wrapped my hands in both of hers and said—
"It's a promise, then?"
"Yeah. I promise."
"And just so you know, this trick won't work next time."
"Of course not."
"Good. Now, let's take care of your wounds first."
"H-Here? In front of everyone?"
Tang Sowol tilted her head slightly in confusion, then suddenly smirked as if she had caught onto something.
"Brother Cheon, what exactly were you imagining just now?"
"I wasn't imagining anything."
"Hmm. You weren't perhaps thinking that, in front of all these people—and the esteemed Elder Jeon—I would lick your wounds clean, were you?"
"Absolutely not."
"Well, the injuries aren't too deep, so using my fingers to apply the poison should be enough. But if you insist on using my mouth..."
"Not in front of others!"
I had intended to protest more firmly, but before I could, Tang Sowol simply shook her head with a bright smile.
"I'm joking."
"What—"
"No need to look so flustered. Like I said, this level of injury can be treated just fine with my hands. Though, if you don't want scars, you should properly apply medicine later."
With that, she started gently running her fingers over my wounds.
The minor bleeding stopped almost immediately, and the pain dulled into a faint ache.
At the same time, my heightened senses—sharpened by the duel—began to relax.
Not enough to be dangerous, but enough to make a difference.
As she continued treating my wounds with a small smile, she finally spoke again—
"So, what was it you were about to say earlier? I'd like to hear the rest."
"No."
Ignoring my refusal, she grinned mischievously.
"Something about not wanting to show a certain side of yourself in front of others? Hmm. It's only natural to want to monopolize your betrothed's tongue, isn't it? Hehe."
"Did you just laugh in the middle of that?"
"Not at all. But in that case, you're saying that as long as there are no other people around, you'd be perfectly fine with it, right?"
"I have no idea how we got to this point in the conversation."
"That means tonight, after your long and exhausting day, I'll have to properly take care of you, won't I?"
"Can't we just play a few rounds of dice and go to sleep...?"
The more flustered I became, the wider her smile grew.
Well... As long as she was happy.
Just as I was grumbling to myself internally, Elder Jeon Il-bi returned, having calmed the murmuring disciples.
With a chuckle, he remarked—
"It's hard to believe that the same person radiating such murderous intent earlier is now acting like this."
"Are you here to tease me?"
"Perish the thought. I meant it sincerely. The last time I felt killing intent of that magnitude was forty years ago, during the subjugation of the Heaven-Slaying Star."
"Just so we're clear, I have no connection to the Heaven-Slaying Star."
"Oh, I know. I've crossed swords with him personally. I can say with certainty that you are not him. Besides, if you were, you wouldn't be acting like such a docile lamb in front of your betrothed."
"Are you sure you're not teasing me?"
Jeon Il-bi merely chuckled in response.
Meanwhile, Tang Sowol finished tending to my wounds and straightened my slightly disheveled clothes before stepping back to admire her handiwork.
Then, with a satisfied smile, she nodded.
"There. That should do."
"Should do what, exactly?"
"Were you intentionally ignoring Elder Jeon?"
At that, she finally turned to face the elder and bowed.
"Thank you for guiding my betrothed, Elder Jeon."
"Haha, well, I may have been a bit harsh, but I didn't expect him to be that relentless. Nor did I expect him to become so mild-mannered the moment you appeared. You truly found yourself a fine match."
"I do think so, yes."
For a moment, Jeon Il-bi looked nostalgic—perhaps remembering the young Tang Sowol he had met once before.
Meanwhile, she simply looked pleased, shoulders ever so slightly lifted.
It was an annoyingly smug expression, but for some reason, it also felt... strangely endearing.
As I found myself staring at her absentmindedly, Jeon Il-bi spoke again, his tone more serious this time.
"May I ask you something about your martial arts?"
"Huh? Oh, of course, Elder."
"First, I've already explained to the disciples that your killing intent was merely an aspect of your martial arts, not a genuine attempt to kill me. Your swordsmanship was fierce, yes, but there was no true intent to take a life."
"Ah, I appreciate that."
Even though it had been just a duel, my overwhelming killing intent had filled the training grounds as I clashed blades with a Zhongnan Sect elder.
If left unchecked, it could've easily led to the misunderstanding that I had actually attempted to kill Elder Jeon Il-bi. Knowing that he had cleared that up was a relief.
As I let out a quiet sigh of relief, Jeon Il-bi continued.
"Now, onto the main topic. Your martial arts—you didn't learn it from anyone, did you?"
"The way you phrase it makes it sound like I figured it all out myself. I did have help, you know."
"Even so, the one who completed it was you."
"Well… that's true."
Even though we had only tested our swordsmanship without using sword energy, it seemed Jeon Il-bi had already noticed something.
"What is your martial art called?"
"Gwangrang Talmyung Gong (Wolf Seizing Life Technique)."
"That name reeks of the Unorthodox Sect."
"That's because it's based on unorthodox martial arts."
Jeon Il-bi went silent for a moment, seemingly in thought, before carefully speaking again.
"Would you consider becoming my disciple?"
"…Excuse me?"
"Of course, I mean as an informal disciple. We can't have Tang Family's future son-in-law bound to Zhongnan Sect, now can we? I'm simply asking if you'd like to learn our martial arts instead of the one you currently use."
Caught completely off guard, I hesitated. Sensing my confusion, Jeon Il-bi patiently elaborated.
"You've likely noticed it too. Even though the roots and philosophies differ, your martial arts and Zhongnan's share some similarities."
"Well… I suppose so."
"Even if you had to start from scratch, regaining your current level wouldn't take long. Not to boast, but my skill level far surpasses even our sect leader's. That means I could push things a little further than normal—whether through advanced martial arts, elixirs, or other methods."
Put simply, he was offering to personally train and refine my martial arts.
Yet, I sensed no ambition from him, no desire to claim a prodigy for his sect.
Rather, it felt like… regret.
"It seems, Elder, that you want me to abandon my current martial arts."
"To be honest, yes."
"May I ask why?"
"You may be fine now, but one day, your martial arts will consume you. Don't take this lightly—I've lived long enough to see it happen to several others."
Jeon Il-bi's words weren't unfounded.
There was a reason why so few unorthodox martial artists reached the highest levels.
Without a firm foundation, their techniques—crafted solely to gain strength—would eventually spiral out of their control.
I knew of many powerful warriors who had succumbed to madness—memories from my past life.
But I… was different.
I might one day hit an insurmountable wall, but I would never lose myself to qi deviation.
And for one simple reason—
"Zhongnan's sword contains the teachings of its sect. A vast, unbroken flow of knowledge."
"If you want to know more, become my disciple."
"But my sword contains my life."
Because ever since I had carved hell into my very soul, I had already crossed that threshold.
I understood my own nature better than anyone.
With the amount of killing intent I carried, I was already no different from a lunatic.
Even so—
"This is my life. How could I possibly run from it?"
Jeon Il-bi silently mulled over my words before letting out a weary smile.
"That's true. A man cannot abandon his own life."
"Thank you for understanding."
"I never intended to force you. But—"
He paused, carefully choosing his next words.
"Just remember that this path exists, should you ever need it."
With that, I left the training grounds.
For some reason, Jeon Il-bi's back looked exhausted.
***
Returning to the Guest Room
After the duel, I returned to my guest room.
Tang Sowol, who had followed me in, immediately lit up with excitement.
"So! What should we do? What should we do for fun?"
I glanced at the door.
The latch was securely locked, and the Venomous Blood Brigade Commander was resting in the neighboring room.
In other words, in this room—
It was just the two of us.
<><><><>
Happy New Year!