When I came out after changing into comfortable clothes, Tang A-yeong scanned my body with burning eyes.
She made a disappointed sound upon seeing the mask on my face, but continued to scan my body up and down with a very surprised expression.
"Um.. by any chance, your age.."
"I've passed coming-of-age."
I knew she'd react like this.
"..With that body?"
I expected it, but it still stung a bit.
It's not like I wanted to have this kind of body.
My body was already smaller and weaker than others, and my height stopped growing too.
"Around the age of seven, I just stopped growing taller."
"Uh.."
Tang A-yeong seemed to be buffering, her thoughts grinding to a halt.
"But when you were wearing the mantle, you definitely seemed a bit taller than.."
"I wore insoles, okay? Happy?"
I added some insoles because I thought being short would ruin the mysterious concept.
Absolutely not because I was trying to hide it.
"I'm only showing you because it's you, alright? If you go around spreading rumors, forget about the debt or anything else, I'm never seeing you again."
The famous Fortune Teller of Shaanxi turning out to be a tiny runt not even five chi tall.
If such rumors spread, Tang A-yeong would be the only possible culprit.
Since I've never revealed this to anyone else.
"Then why did you show me.."
"You said I had to take off the mantle to learn properly, right? So I took it off."
"..."
Tang A-yeong was so taken aback that she couldn't properly speak.
Honestly, I'd probably be surprised too.
To think that such a suspicious-looking mantle was hiding this kind of runt.
If I didn't have the mask on, I'm confident I could shock her even more, but I couldn't risk that much just for a bit of fun.
"I trust you too. Besides, you're the only one in the outside world I can call a friend right now."
"..Only me?"
"Well.. the folks at the tavern only talk when there's alcohol involved, so they hardly count as friends. You're the only one I can properly call a friend."
I don't even know where Namgung Jin is or what he's doing.
I could find out if I wanted to, but I don't particularly want to seek out another man.
"..."
"Young Lady Tang?"
"Ah, no.. that.. it's nothing."
The way she hid her hands behind her back was suspicious, but I chalked it up to paranoia.
*
"Haa.. haa.."
"Huff.. huff.."
The room was filled with the panting sounds of a man and woman.
One was mine, the other his.
We had been mixing our bodies continuously as I taught him Grappling Techniques, and naturally, most ended in my overwhelming victory.
"Hnngh!"
Seeing my tired appearance, he squeezed out his strength and reached out.
An extremely slow and clumsy movement.
A clumsy movement that couldn't even properly execute half of half of half of the technique I taught.
-Snap
I lightly caught his hand and inserted my leg between his legs, causing him to lose balance and start stumbling.
Despite experiencing this same technique countless times already, he showed no improvement in countering it.
It was clear as day that he would hit the ground if left like this.
I extended my other arm to wrap around his chest.
In that position, it was inevitable that my face would press against his neck.
-Whiff
His body's scent entered my nose almost directly.
While sweat should be unpleasant regardless of gender
Though I might sound crazy, it smelled somewhat fragrant.
'Haa.. haa..'
This wasn't the first time.
Something was building up inside my body.
My head was getting hazier, and sometimes I'd black out for just a moment.
I saw his thin arms and legs.
Saw that delicate, weak body.
Even a young master who'd spent his whole life reading in his room couldn't be this delicate.
Skin smoother and more delicate than most women's, hard to believe he was male.
Every single one of his movements caught my eye.
'My body is hot..'
It wasn't heat from moving around.
Something deeper, related to biological instincts, was stirring.
"Um, Young Lady Tang, could you please let go now.."
I don't want to let go.
I want to stay like this longer.
Iwanttoprotecthimembracehimcaresshimhughimtastehimsavorhim..
"Young Lady Tang?"
"Huh?!"
'Wh-What was I just thinking?!'
I must have lost my mind for a moment.
No matter how erotic his body might be, he's still a man whose face I haven't even seen.
Hasn't he kept saying it himself? That he's extremely ugly. That there's a reason he covers up. That he doesn't like his appearance either.
-Whoosh!
"S-sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.."
"It's fine. You're going out of your way to teach me."
I couldn't take my eyes off him as he fixed his disheveled clothes.
Still, I had to say something right now, or something would happen.
Not to him, but to me.
"H-Hey!"
My voice raised without me realizing.
If I didn't do this, I felt I wouldn't be able to control my body.
My hands, eyes, legs were ignoring their owner's commands and pointing in one direction.
"Um.. would you be interested in learning something other than Grappling Techniques?"
"..Something else?"
I managed to change the subject successfully.
"Yes.. well.. since your body doesn't seem suitable for direct combat.. and since the goal is self-defense anyway, how about learning hidden weapon techniques instead of this?"
"..Hidden weapons?"
"You might be criticized as cowardly, but it's an extremely efficient technique, you know? If you land a hit properly, you can subdue even opponents of higher cultivation through surprise attacks."
I continued speaking while desperately controlling my body.
Is this how a coachman feels holding tight to the reins of an excited horse?
"Hidden weapons.."
His gaze briefly turned toward empty space.
I turned to look in that direction too, but there was nothing but an ordinary wall.
"Hidden weapons sound good."
"Ah, then I'll leave for today and come back prepared to teach hidden weapon techniques next time."
"Leaving already? You could stay a bit longer."
...
..........................................
"Hey."
I grabbed his shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
"That's really dangerous, so don't do it again next time."
I barely held back.
I almost did something.
Really.
*
The Mount Hua Sect.
A sect whose name means 'Brilliant Mountain', using the characters for 'brilliant' and 'mountain'. [TL]"화산": 화 (華): Radiant, brilllaint. 산 (山): Mountain.[/TL]
They are one of the most powerful forces in Shaanxi with their main mountain located there, and like the Righteous Faction and Nine Great Sects, they at least outwardly advocate justice
While they have a stronger martial artist flavor compared to other Daoist sects, they are still proper Daoists.
And there was a figure who represented this Mount Hua Sect - the famous Sword Empress.
Though she now spends most of her time on Mount Hua, her righteous and gentle personality and beautiful appearance that she showed since her younger days when she was known as the 'Sword Flower' have only become more perfect with time, never diminishing.
.
.
.
-Click
As the Sword Empress opened the door and came out, a woman who had been waiting as always brought her things to clean up with and clothes.
"How long was it this time?"
"Exactly 190 days have passed."
"I was in there longer than I thought.."
The woman must have been curious if she had gained anything during that time, but she didn't ask.
"Even though I know secluded training at this level of cultivation doesn't mean much.. my heart is still uneasy."
The Sword Empress wiped her body with the towel the woman gave her and changed clothes.
Though she had long since passed the level where impurities would accumulate in her body, clothes couldn't be free from the passage of time.
"Has the Demonic Cult shown any movement?"
"Fortunately not."
"Hah.."
The Sword Empress recalled the Heavenly Demon's martial might that she witnessed during the war with the Blood Cult.
Such overwhelming might that made one think if there was anyone who had reached humanity's highest possible position, it would be the Heavenly Demon.
One who overwhelmed even the maximum strength humans could imagine.
She was such a powerful figure that even if all the masters of the Righteous Sects, no, even if all the masters of the Evil Sects and outer Martial World joined forces, victory seemed unimaginable.
"Honestly, I dare not even think I could reach that level."
The Blood Cult was truly strong.
Especially their leader, who boasted techniques bordering between martial arts and sorcery, was an opponent that even she at the time found difficult to be confident about defeating.
Yet such a Blood Cult was essentially annihilated by the hands of one woman.
Because of their arrogant thought of dyeing the whole world with their blood, they foolishly provoked the quietly waiting Demonic Cult and made a monster that should not have emerged take its steps.
If the Blood Cult hadn't provoked the Demonic Cult, perhaps the Central Plains would be in their hands now.
While the Heavenly Demon could be considered a benefactor in some ways
That was a different matter from this.
If she and the Demonic Cult, like other Heavenly Demons before, moved to achieve their goal of conquering the Central Plains, she would have to stand in their way.
For the sake of the Central Plains, if nothing else.
"Did anything happen in the Central Plains while I was inside?"
"It was peaceful. Even the bandits and pirates haven't shown any particular movement lately."
"That's good."
The Sword Empress smiled contentedly, thinking her efforts hadn't been in vain.
"Ah, come to think of it, there is some unpleasant news."
"What is it?"
"A Fortune Teller called the 'Faceless Gold Ghost' has appeared in Shaanxi. An impudent one who dares mock heavenly secrets with bewitching sorcery."
Like most people of the Mount Hua Sect, the woman also disliked the Faceless Gold Ghost.
She was a Daoist after all.
"Has he committed fraud with sorcery?"
"..Probably not. He seems to have quite a reputation for accuracy."
"Has he demanded unreasonable amounts from those in desperate situations?"
"..He charges everyone the same two silver coins, I hear."
"Then has he caused trouble with his sorcery or the money he earned?"
"..I've heard he spends his days at taverns and gambling tables, but he doesn't seem to have caused any conflicts with others."
"What makes him evil then?"
He hasn't committed fraud, hasn't exploited others' desperation for money, and hasn't caused trouble.
While he can't be called good yet, he's not evil either.
"Even if he hasn't done evil deeds, he dares use heavenly energy for tainted money-making.."
"Enough. Who are we to be the masters of heavenly secrets, and by what right would we interfere with him earning money through abilities he gained through his own power?"
"Th-that's.."
"Unless he commits evil acts, from what I've heard so far, I see no problem. If there were people who could avoid inauspicious futures through his help, wouldn't that actually be beneficial?"
"..."
"I understand your feelings. But at least from what I've heard so far, I can't particularly call him evil."
"..I apologize."
"Don't worry. I'm more sorry to you, who can't even go sightseeing outside because of me every day."
The Sword Empress headed off to announce her emergence from secluded training.
Only she would know that her interest was piqued by the news of the Faceless Gold Ghost that entered her body along with her first breath of outside air in a while.