As the sun gradually set,
I stood in the heart of a tranquil forest, glaring at the figure before .
Sharp eyes, a distinctive trait of the Gu family, long black hair cascading down, and crimson eyes radiating heat.
The appearance was all too familiar, forcing to tense my body to suppress the surge of emotions.
The woman tilted her head and spoke to .
“Brother?”
The sound of that long-unheard title made wrinkle my nose instinctively.
“…Sister,” I replied.
The words left my lips, and not only did my nose wrinkle, but my entire expression twisted. The woman was none other than Gu Heebi.
Gu Heebi, the "Sword Phoenix."
The eldest daughter of the Gu family. My older sister.
But what drew my attention most was Cheonma, clinging to Gu Heebi’s back and peeking out.
What was I supposed to call this absurd situation?
A disaster.
There was no other word that ca to mind.
“Brother, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Gu Heebi greeted with a smile.
I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.
Fwoosh.
The Holy Spear I had been holding retracted the mont I saw Gu Heebi, and its energy naturally flowed back into my heart.
Still, my Qi sense remained sharp, spread out like piercing spikes as I steadied my breath and assessed the situation.
While I was scanning my surroundings, Cheonma, still peeking from behind Gu Heebi, pointed a finger at .
“Sister.”
“Hm?” Gu Heebi tilted her head.
“He followed ,” Cheonma said cautiously, her tone brimming with suspicion.
At that, Gu Heebi tilted her head in confusion.
anwhile, I narrowed my eyes and stared at Cheonma.
‘…What did she just say?’
Did Cheonma just call Gu Heebi sister?
‘What kind of insane nonsense is this?’
I couldn’t make sense of the situation. But—
“No, Yeon-ah, that’s not—” Gu Heebi began, but I interrupted her sharply.
“Hey.”
“…!”
Rumble!
I unleashed my energy in full force.
Opening my heart entirely, the energy that had settled deep within surged to life.
Startled by the sudden burst of Qi, Gu Heebi’s eyes widened, and her body stiffened.
“Step away from her,” I ordered.
Gu Heebi didn’t reply. Cheonma’s expression, however, twisted into a scowl.
“Move away,” I repeated.
“No,” Cheonma said curtly.
“No?”
Vrrrm!
The aura radiating from turned lethal.
The fear and anxiety that had been lingering vanished without a trace.
I would kill her.
I would kill her and remove her from Gu Heebi.
That was the only thought consuming my mind.
“Then prepare to die,” I declared coldly.
I was going to kill her anyway.
If it had to happen eventually, now was as good a ti as any.
Any doubts about whether I could win had long since disappeared.
I resolved myself: I would kill her.
With that thought, I reached out my hand.
Crack!
The energy from my heart surged into my arm, condensing into a solid form of Qi.
Using it as a weapon, I struck toward Cheonma.
As my fingertips approached her, I prepared to rip her throat out.
But—
Grip.
My wrist was effortlessly caught.
“Brother.”
At her cold voice, I shifted my gaze to Gu Heebi.
Her crimson eyes were ablaze.
Though her gaze burned with heat, the emotions within were oddly cold.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked in a chilling tone.
I didn’t respond.
Hiss.
The heat radiating from her grip on my wrist made furrow my brows.
I glanced up at her.
“…Sister.”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve reached Hwagyeong?” I asked bluntly.
Gu Heebi’s expression shifted to one of surprise, mirroring my own disbelief.
‘…How did she reach it?’ I wondered.
Gu Heebi had ascended to Hwagyeong. The heat I felt monts ago and the energy I sensed through contact confird it.
How in the world had she managed that?
‘Is sothing like this even possible all of a sudden?’
Gu Heebi had always been called a prodigy, even in her youth. She’d shown overwhelming talent, earning her the title of the "Sword Phoenix."
She’d inherited her mother’s beauty but was infamous for her vile temperant.
‘Disgusting and vile,’ I thought bitterly.
Though her skills with a blade had earned her the nickna "Sword Phoenix," another title had soon followed: “Mad Woman.”
‘Two mad titles? How awful must you be to earn that?’
Gu Heebi’s temperant was infamous, even within the Gu family.
‘Soone as pure as could barely endure her,’ I thought sarcastically.
Yet no matter how terrible her reputation was, there was always one thing people said:
‘Her talent is extraordinary enough to make up for her personality.’
Her abilities had even surpassed prodigies like Mount Hua’s Yeongpung and Wudang’s Woo Hyuk.
Still, reaching Hwagyeong was too much. It was abnormal, even for her.
‘Where did this co from?’
I didn’t doubt her talent, but this level of mastery felt excessive.
‘Did this happen because of ?’
Or—
‘Was it because of her?’
My gaze fell on Cheonma, who glared back at .
Had she done sothing to Gu Heebi?
Or why were the two even together?
Questions piled up in my mind, and I readied myself to act.
“Brother. Stop,” Gu Heebi said firmly, stepping in front of .
“Yeon-ah, stop as well,” she continued, addressing Cheonma.
Cheonma frowned but didn’t move. I noticed faint energy swirling around her hand, ready for a fight.
But—
“Yeon-ah. Your sister is speaking,” Gu Heebi said sharply.
“…”
“Stop.”
Gu Heebi’s stern voice made Cheonma grimace. After a mont of hesitation, she withdrew her energy.
I stood frozen, unable to process the absurdity of the situation.
Cheonma, obeying soone else—it was surreal.
As I stared in disbelief, Gu Heebi sighed lightly.
“We need to move. This place…”
“Sister,” I interrupted, my voice tense. “Do you even know what you’re dealing with?”
“…”
“Why are you—”
“Follow ,” Gu Heebi cut off.
“I’ll explain when we get there. For now, just follow,” she said, turning her back to .
Cheonma shot a glare before following Gu Heebi.
“…Ha,” I exhaled deeply, suppressing my frustration.
I stared at their retreating figures, biting my lip.
Even as I followed after them, my gaze stayed locked on Cheonma’s back.
********************
I followed them.
We didn’t walk for long, but as we continued, the sun had completely set.
Just as I began to wonder how far we were going, we finally arrived at our destination.
A small hut stood atop a hill deep in the forest, far removed from any signs of civilization.
Is this where they’ve been living?
The thought barely ford before Gu Heebi stepped inside.
“Co in,” she said.
Without hesitation, Cheonma quickly entered the hut, her movents familiar in a strange way.
Inside, the room was dark and silent. Gu Heebi waved her hand.
Fwoosh!
A fla ignited in the extinguished lamp, illuminating the modest, sowhat cluttered interior.
Cheonma tilted her head as she looked around.
“Sister, today’s your cleaning day,” she said, her tone flat.
“…Ahem,” Gu Heebi cleared her throat, clearly caught off guard.
“I’ve been busy today, so I forgot.”
“Okay.”
“I an it.”
“Okay.”
Cheonma nodded expressionlessly, accepting Gu Heebi’s flimsy excuse without question.
Watching their exchange, I stayed silent, my patience wearing thin. Just as I felt it would reach its limit—
“Yeon-ah, why don’t you step outside for a bit and take a walk?” Gu Heebi suggested.
“Okay,” Cheonma replied simply, showing no resistance.
Our eyes t as she turned to leave.
As she walked past , her shoulder brushed mine, and I felt my hand instinctively clench.
Creak. Thud.
The door slowly closed, and Cheonma’s presence disappeared.
Only then did Gu Heebi slowly sit down on the floor.
“I don’t have tea or anything. Do you need so?” she asked.
“What if I say yes?”
“Then I’ll send soone to get it. She’s gotten quite good at errands after a few tries.”
“…”
There was no need to ask who she ant.
She’s been making Cheonma run errands?
“No, forget it,” I sighed.
I didn’t need tea anyway.
“Just explain what’s going on,” I demanded.
“Not even a proper greeting after so long? This sister of yours is quite hurt,” she replied with a smirk.
“I’m not in the mood for jokes,” I said, frowning.
Gu Heebi chuckled at my expression, a smile that only irritated further.
“Explain. Why are you keeping that with you?”
I had only half-believed what Moyong Hee-ah had told .
I didn’t think it could be true.
But seeing it now, I realized it was. Gu Heebi really was keeping Cheonma close.
How had this co to be?
At my question, Gu Heebi’s smile turned bitter.
“‘That’? Brother, isn’t that a rather disrespectful way to refer to soone?”
“Don’t dodge the question. You don’t even know what that is.”
“How could I not know?”
“…What?”
Her response made narrow my eyes. Did she really understand Cheonma’s nature? How could she?
As unease and doubt began to rise, Gu Heebi spoke.
“We’ve t before, at Heukyagung. After what I saw there, how could I not know?”
“…”
Her words were both reassuring and unsettling.
She must have been referring to the young Cheonma she saw at Heukyagung.
At the very least, it ant she didn’t know everything.
But still—
“You know, and yet you’re keeping that with you? Are you insane?”
Even from a fragnt of that situation, it was clear Cheonma wasn’t a normal being.
At the very least, she wasn’t human.
“Why are you keeping sothing so dangerous by your side?”
“And how do you know it’s dangerous?” Gu Heebi retorted, her tone sharper now.
“…What?”
“How do you know whether that child is dangerous or not?”
If I don’t know, who would?
I knew things about this world that no one else did.
Cheonma was dangerous—undeniably so. The only issue was proving it.
But I was the only one who understood.
“Isn’t it obvious just by looking?” I argued.
“There’s no such thing as ‘obvious,’ especially for people like us. Don’t you know that?”
Her words made bite my tongue.
She wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t an I would back down.
“Sister, I told you not to dodge the question,” I said firmly.
Stubbornness ran deep in our family, but so did mine.
“I’m asking why you’re keeping that with you. If you keep dodging, I’ll stop talking altogether and handle things my way.”
I was holding back.
I didn’t care what Gu Heebi thought or felt about the situation.
There was only one goal before , and I wouldn’t avoid it any longer.
“Explain. Before I get up.”
The aning of my words was clear. If I stood, it would be the end.
“…”
Gu Heebi sighed deeply.
“And if you get up…? Will you harm that child?”
I didn’t answer. My intent was clear enough.
Now, I just had to wait for her response.
“Hm,” she muttered, her gaze softening unexpectedly.
Her sudden calmness was surprising.
Her deanor was so collected that it was almost unsettling.
The last ti I’d seen her was years ago, and her composure now was as remarkable a change as her martial skill.
And if this was sothing Cheonma had brought about—
It only made dislike the situation even more.
“Brother,” Gu Heebi finally said, her voice steady.
“You can’t.”
Her words made my gaze sharpen.
“Are you looking down on ?”
“No, but others might not understand. You, though—you’re different. I an it,” she replied with a soft smile.
It was a serene smile reminiscent of our mother’s.
But it didn’t reach .
“Sister, I’m not in the mood to listen to nonsense—”
“I’m keeping that child with because it concerns our family.”
“…!”
Her words stopped in my tracks.
Even the Qi I’d been preparing receded.
The family?
The term coming from Gu Heebi’s lips was significant.
The family’s business.
That ant Gu Heebi was saying her reason for keeping Cheonma close was tied to the Gu family.
“Bullshit,” I spat, unable to hold back my irritation.
“Bullshit? You’ve got quite the mouth on you these days.”
“If it’s not bullshit, then what is it? Have you completely lost your mind?”
Gu Heebi wasn’t the type to throw around the phrase family business lightly.
Even at my most reckless in the past, I’d never dared to misuse it.
That phrase carried imnse weight in the Gu family.
“How can you attach that to sothing like this?”
“It’s exactly as I said.”
“Sister,” I pressed.
“If you knew who sent that child to , you’d understand,” she said.
Her words struck a nerve.
Who sent Cheonma to her?
Could it have been soone from the Gu family?
Was that why she called it family business?
Who could it be?
I racked my brain but couldn’t co up with an answer.
Who in the Gu family had the authority to make such a claim?
Aside from Father, there wasn’t anyone.
Not the elders or the swordmasters.
Father made most of the family’s decisions.
Could it have been him?
No, that’s impossible.
I imdiately dismissed the thought. Father would never do such a thing.
And even if he did, he wouldn’t send sothing like this to Gu Heebi.
Then perhaps Elder Il?
It seed plausible, given his influence.
No, even less likely.
If anything, Elder Il would be the last person to allow this.
That left the other elders, but they were essentially figureheads.
They wouldn’t interfere in the family’s affairs.
No one fits.
Just as I felt my frustration reach its peak, Gu Heebi answered my unspoken question.
“Grandfather.”
“…What?”
“It was Grandfather who sent that child to ,” she said calmly.
An answer I never expected.
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