Chapter 284 – Lotus (3)

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened.

The winter sun’s halo seemed to ripple faintly. A brief dizziness struck him.

Behind an elegant rosewood gate, a man and woman in red martial robes, each with striking features, faced the scholar Gao Jin with distinct expressions.

Now that he noticed, a refined aura seemed to emanate from them. The dignity of a noble family.

‘The direct heirs of the Gongya Family?’

He did not rashly feel disappointed. He assumed they possessed innate talent.

They were scions of a noble lineage. Unlike the Jeong Family Manor, which could hardly be called a martial household, they had to be different.

He had heard they were a famed noble clan in Shanxi. Even their somewhat unpolished physiques would likely be offset by natural instincts as direct descendants of a prestigious house.

He must not judge prematurely. Hye-ah and Azure Qilin in his mind told him so.

“Teacher Gao!”

“You are safe!”

The noble lady and noble son greeted Gao Jin. Their lightness skill brought them forward in a single bound, their movements airy.

Their red robes, closing in swiftly, stirred dust beneath them as they fluttered.

Step.

Landing, they revealed their delight.

The siblings resembled each other. Sharp eyes like sword edges and refined jawlines, their scarlet robes suited their demeanor.

The bold air unique to those raised nobly shone even in the hands adjusting their attire.

The woman, with hair slightly longer than her brother’s, spoke first.

Perhaps twenty years old. Her overall balance outshone her younger brother’s, exuding an equally unrestrained spirit. The Gongya Family’s eldest daughter.

“I worried greatly since you did not return even after dawn. I was about to search for you, but seeing you thus eases my heart.”

Her voice was pleasantly low. The younger brother’s, a bit more youthful, was higher-pitched.

“With many foes about, you should take escorts next time. Those who left the military without honor form bandit groups. The roads are treacherous.”

The long-haired noble son inspected his tutor’s frame. Checking for injuries, it seemed.

Scholar Gao Jin appeared to command considerable respect. He smiled awkwardly.

“I apologize for causing concern. I went to meet an old acquaintance…”

“I was just wondering about that. A striking figure caught my eye even from afar.”

The eldest daughter’s gaze met Jeong Yeon-shin’s. Their eye levels aligned.

Jeong Yeon-shin flinched inwardly. Caught off guard. Her obsidian eyes felt somehow profound.

Befitting an eldest daughter set to inherit the family, they seemed to say martial prowess alone could not judge a person. He could not help but briefly reflect on himself.

“He is my benefactor. He cut down bandits I met on my way to the provincial exam with one stroke. He even drove off blood demons a few times.”

“I am Geom Woon-bi, sect leader of Sky-Jade Sect. I seek the sole heir of a unified martial lineage.”

Jeong Yeon-shin saluted with clasped fists.

The eldest daughter promptly raised both hands in return.

“I am Gongya Jeong. Regardless of age, you lead a sect. As Teacher Gao’s benefactor, you are like a dear friend to our house, so I hope you will stay at ease.”

Her tone was gentle, her speech formal.

Not one of the eight great families commonly named in the martial world, but in Shanxi, lacking major sects, her lineage was broadly called a noble house.

Her weighty position seemed to shape her words and actions.

Her unconscious habit of prioritizing noble status over martial etiquette reflected this too.

The head of a nameless lone sect would not receive full respect from a mighty martial clan’s heir. The harsh reality of today’s martial world, worsened by famine.

By contrast, the younger brother’s speech was far freer. His wide eyes held no reserve. Likely Jeong Yeon-shin’s age.

“I am Gongya Su! Are there any noble clans among your ancestors?”

“No.”

“You could inspire Han pride in the future! I want to introduce you to my friends! If you lack a nickname, may I suggest one? How about Jade-Faced Divine Sword?”

“Not quite.”

“So humble! Shall we go boating on North Lake? Your looks would drive peers mad with envy! Divine Sword is just a common term.”

“Unworthy.”

Truly so. The current Radiant Demon Wing Leader did not get swept up in Gongya Su’s cheerful chatter.

Not a title for just anyone, he had heard it at the end of a life’s path.

Not only Jeong Yeon-shin, but no one in Desolate Fortress used “Divine Sword” lightly. It was reserved for the group leader alone.

Gao Jin’s smile stiffened slightly beside him.

“He is one I urgently invited, considering the eldest lady’s worries. What a joy that he agreed, despite our humble ties. I assure you, he will be a rare chance.”

“Worries and a rare chance…?”

Eldest daughter Gongya Jeong narrowed her smooth brow. Gao Jin waved his hand.

“I have not yet dared broach it with Sect Leader Geom. But your thoughts are likely correct. Consider me bringing a different lesson.”

“I still do not quite grasp it. It is too sudden… We will host you generously to ease your travel fatigue.”

She changed the subject. At the same time, Gao Jin feigned an apology to Jeong Yeon-shin.

“I may have unsettled Sect Leader Geom. Our house has private matters I could not mention, so I beg your understanding.”

“It is fine. I will stay briefly.”

Jeong Yeon-shin played the bold Sky-Jade Sect leader.

He had rehearsed with Yue Shou-lin several times. She had said a touch of brazenness was fine, though the talk was layered.

Not to recall the Nine Sects, she added. A bold spirit was as vital as proper humility.

Jeong Yeon-shin took it as boldness equating to martial prowess in the lower martial world.

‘Tricky.’

Such a rough demeanor still eluded him. Boldness, audacity, arrogance—none suited him.

He was too busy completing missions with a humble stance.

But gauging the eldest daughter and younger brother, they seemed to accept it.

It appeared natural enough. A relief indeed.

Eldest daughter Gongya Jeong turned.

“We will arrange for you to stay with Teacher Gao in his annex. You are welcome.”

Her voice swept the air with a soft resonance. The dignity unique to a noble heir permeated it.

In the clear winter air, the four stepped forward.

Jeong Yeon-shin asked in passing.

“The real gatekeepers…?”

“Oh, I should tell the warriors sent to find Teacher Gao to return. Quite a few went out.”

Gongya Su replied blithely. The Radiant Demon Wing Leader did not respond.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Jeong Yeon-shin unpacked in a quaint room.

A faint wood scent tickled his nose. The table and bed’s timber were both smooth.

A blue silk quilt caught his eye when a knock sounded, and Gao Jin requested a meeting.

“Sect Leader Geom.”

“Scholar Gao.”

Jeong Yeon-shin offered him a seat. For now, a Nether Stream Unit subordinate to discuss fortress matters and act together.

With his identity hidden briefly, he had to entrust much to Gao Jin within restricted movements.

“Time is precious.”

“With your prowess, Sect Leader Geom, you would feel so.”

“A proxy in a tournament, essentially. I have never experienced it.”

Would it not be better to join the tournament himself, disguised?

Impossible. A human skin mask would be easily pierced by a master’s eye.

Besides, Shanxi’s tournament was said to be a social gathering of swords. Just a meeting for the knowledgeable to test prowess.

‘Could I turn gatekeepers into elite warriors…?’

Jeong Yeon-shin wondered inwardly. He hid it, but the shock was great.

Should he not have left it to reliable seniors?

Yet Yue Shou-lin looked younger than the now-matured Jeong Yeon-shin. The Blood Guardian Squad Leader was an issue too.

Their eerie aura made trust hard to earn, she said. Unfathomable to the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader. They were so impressive.

“Is her talent decent? Real combat sense would be good.”

“She seemed exceptional to me. They say the eldest daughter’s heir status has never wavered in the family.”

“I see.”

“A relief.”

Gao Jin said with a slight smile.

Then, risking rudeness, he cautiously studied Jeong Yeon-shin’s face.

Still unbelievable.

Gongya Su, still a pampered son loved by the family, while the Radiant Demon Wing Leader drew fearsome lightness skills and mystic arts from the same years’ river.

Astounding.

‘Shanxi rarely stands at the martial world’s center…’

Zhuge Clan Leader versus three Desolate Fortress black-ranks in a life-or-death clash.

A scene hard to imagine, yet it thrilled him.

How would it unfold? Who would witness it? Once known, it would spark a massive shift in the vast martial world.

“Sect Leader Geom’s visit has likely reached the Gongya Family’s leaders. I praised you highly, so for my sake, they will host you at least once. They might test your skill there… You should iron your clothes for a banquet.”

“Right.”

“Hm? The servants will handle it if you ask.”

“I see.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, reaching for his distant pack, withdrew his arm.

It was his first time in a family manor since leaving the Jeong Family Manor. A strange fragrance lingered.

The younger son and eldest daughter, raised with boundless love, and the glossy yet silent annex.

‘I should sharpen my Luminous Wheel Technique. Just in case I face Zhuge Clan Leader.’

Sending Gao Jin off, Jeong Yeon-shin sat cross-legged.

***

Sunlight and moonlight clashed four times.

Geom Woon-bi of Sky-Jade Sect stayed four days in the unfamiliar annex.

The food was superb. As the tutor’s benefactor, he received lavish treatment.

But that was all. No one from the Gongya Family sought him.

Two hours more, and it would be the fifth day—hard to tell if this was neglect or hospitality. Yet it felt familiar.

Like returning to the Jeong Family Manor. A detached silence.

Noble clans with much to protect were deeply wary. Only Gao Jin, a Desolate Fortress warrior, visited occasionally, bowing with a regretful look.

Even if quite strong, his youth made it unclear if one could shamelessly ask for guidance.

With the eldest daughter as heir, it was an even trickier matter.

“…”

On the annex’s long, bronze-toned porch.

Jeong Yeon-shin blankly watched the winter sun sink into dusk.

The fleeting sense of returning to the Jeong Family Manor was not bad. The warmth of the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique in his body felt vivid.

The mother’s will he had conjured always shielded him from loneliness.

Rather, the absence of his Desolate Fortress comrades loomed larger. The price of crafting swift lightness skills. He grew weak to emptiness.

‘Still… I must do the job.’

Swish.

He rose slowly. The time to decide how much to reveal had ended.

***

“White Cat of the Shin Clan, your blanket sticks out of your pack. It irks me. Blue-rank advises you tuck it in properly. Step lightly on the grass too. Like a warrior serving the fortress lord. You ruin the mountain path’s charm.”

“I find that grass-chewing noise irksome.”

“Enough. I get the Zhuge kid, but why’s the big-tongued swordsman sulking too? Hey, say something silly like usual.”

“…”

“Without the squad leader, everything’s off. Maybe I’ll refine my lightness skill too. Craft a grand new one.”

“Huh?”

“That starry lightness skill, Ten Li Gentle Light, was it? It makes our house’s Brilliant Weed Heavenly King Scripture look lacking. Quite a thrill.”

“Bragging. If it were that easy, Poppy Senior would be a squad leader.”

“White Cat, White Cat. Did you not broaden your horizons with my Radiant Arts Bond—Flame River?”

“Even without it, the squad leader’s lineage is flawless.”

“Right, right. Anyway, we’re the ones drawing eyes in Shanxi, no? The fortress staying quiet as if clueless about Zhuge’s schemes is odd too. So this mission means our range outstrips the squad leader’s.”

“Yes. If we meet the squad leader, pretend we don’t know him. We’ll avoid the Gongya Family unless necessary.”

“With our squad leader’s nature, nothing’s surprising. If he were my brother, I’d have handed over the heir spot long ago and lived free. No Hwangbo ruffian name—just Hwangbo Heavenly Demon standing tall. In ten years, wouldn’t he be called Desolate Fortress Divine Demon?”

“Don’t judge the squad leader’s patience with your shallow insight.”

“Desolate Fortress’s root isn’t chaos? I plan to vent my pent-up frustration in Shanxi—imagine the squad leader’s state. Better than being ignored in the Gongya house, no? Since Squad Leader is of your age, it’s understandable that he’d be underestimated.”

“If so, Poppy Senior would have no place to step in.”

“Sturdy resolve. Fine, sure.”