Volume 6 Chapter 3 – Strong Outside, Strong Inside

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Second Young Lady! You must not go out from here!”

It was the woman who had brought the Kongtong swordsman who blocked the path of the Second Young Lady as she strode out.

“Training Hall Master. Move.”

Despite the firm words, the woman called the Training Hall Master showed no intention of stepping aside at all.

“This is an order directly given to us by your master, the Lord of the Law Enforcement Court!”

“I do not care.”

A martial scholar, feeling restless, tried to stop the Second Young Lady.

“S-Second Young Lady! If you leave this closed-door training center now, the effect of the formation will plunge!”

“Set it up again.”

“Second Young Lady! The spiritual medicine…! The spiritual medicine…!”

“Refine it anew.”

Rushing. The personnel tried to grab the Second Young Lady with their bodies, but there was no way the hands of those who did not know martial arts could even graze the hem of her clothes.

“Second Young Lady.”

Upon passing through the hallway and stepping out to the entrance, the Second Young Lady was met by a group of warriors.

“Move.”

“That is…”

The warriors evasively avoided her gaze, but they did not step back either.

The training center hall master, who had hurriedly followed, shouted in a sharp voice.

“Warriors of the Main Family! Remember the orders you received!”

At those words, the leader of the warriors stepped forward.

“Second Young Lady, you know where this order came from, do you not? This is not merely an order from your master, the Lord of the Law Enforcement Court.”

The Second Young Lady’s brow twitched.

“…”

When she did not say anything, the warrior, gaining a bit more courage, persuaded her strongly.

“Not only that, this closed-door training is a truly grave matter into which the bone-shaving efforts of countless people and an immense amount of funds were invested…”

The Second Young Lady let out a brief sigh.

“You talk too much.”

She drew a practice sword from her sword rack.

“Since when did the warriors of the great Luoyang Sword Family deliver eloquence with their tongues instead of their swords?”

“…!”

At her words, the warrior blushed and retreated.

However, that did not mean he chose to back down meekly.

“All personnel, form the sword formation!”

Just as the Second Young Lady said, he merely decided to resolve the matter like a warrior of the Luoyang Sword Family.

“Those who do not know the Main Family’s sword formation, step back!”

At that command, the Kongtong swordsman hurriedly stepped back and took a stance.

‘Just what on earth is this situation…’

His expression was filled with utter discomfort.

The Second Young Lady telling them to draw swords, or the Luoyang Sword Family warriors actually drawing their swords and rushing at her upon those words, were equally incomprehensible to him.

‘Are they insane?’

The Luoyang Sword Family was completely different from the old sects that operated strictly by generation and rank.

The complex dynamics of this colossal family combined with the martial-favoring spirit of the Luoyang Sword Family to create a unique culture exclusive to the Luoyang Sword Family warriors.

It was natural that he, who was as good as a newcomer, could not understand it.

Once the warriors finished aligning themselves, the leader shouted.

“Deploy!”

Although the Kongtong swordsman did not know what kind of sword formation the Luoyang Sword Family warriors had formed, he was certain that the level of that sword formation was light-years ahead of his sect’s.

“Ugh!”

To the point that his knees outside the formation tottered due to the pressure formed by the sword formation.

Standing in the midst of the sword formation that moved fiercely, revealing endless variations and chilling sharpness, the Second Young Lady was surprisingly bursting into wild laughter.

“Hahahahhahahahahat!”

She raised her practice sword and shouted.

“Right. I have been thinking this for a while, you see…”

She revealed her teeth.

“I think this will be far more helpful for training.”

At that moment.

The Kongtong swordsman used his lightfoot technique to jump back with all his might.

It was a reflexive movement depending on that useful sense the Second Young Lady had praised earlier.

And that judgment saved him.

Sword Family Secret Sword,

Sword Family Sixty-One Sword Techniques, One Thousand Raging Wind Thunder.

One thousand sword lights became thunderbolts, sweeping the surroundings like a raging wind.

Sword Family Secret Sword,

Sword Family Sixty-One Sword Techniques, Roaring Soughing Thunder.

A booming sword ring became pale lightning, tearing the surroundings to shreds.

Sword Family Secret Sword,

Sword Family Sixty-One Sword Techniques, Ten Thousand Mountains Heavenly Beginning Thunder.

In the beginning, there was a lightning strike that opened the heavens and struck down ten thousand mountains.

The Sixty-One Sword Techniques of the Sword Family, which was called a perfect sword technique only in theory before the Second Young Lady actually mastered it.

A phantom sword technique compiled by selecting only the ultimate secrets of the sixty-one types of martial arts collected and modified by the Luoyang Sword Family.

It was the moment when three ultimate secrets of the Sixty-One Sword Techniques of the Sword Family were unleashed in a single instant, in a single breath.

Standing in the place where the sword light and sword ring subsided was only one person.

It was only the Second Young Lady, Yeon Seo-rin.

“You.”

Standing amidst the knocked-out warriors, she gave a thin smile toward the Kongtong swordsman who was standing far apart.

“As I thought, your senses are good.”

The Second Young Lady spoke as she brushed past the warrior.

“You should indeed master Mt. Heng’s modified Martial Statue Sword Form or our family’s Sword Heart, Sword Ring.”

Only after the Second Young Lady vanished far away did the warrior gain the ‘freedom’ to collapse onto his knees on the spot.

“…!”

Unable to even control his ragged breathing, he stared in the direction the Second Young Lady had vanished.

‘Is that the true face of Yeon Seo-rin, the ‘Seamless Heavenly Robe,’ whom everyone in the martial world counts as a once-in-a-millennium genius!’

One of the top guard warriors of the Luoyang Sword Family.

Even without a single appearance in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, she, a young woman who had already crossed the wall, had been counted as the overwhelming number one among the rising stars since the past.

And as her moniker suggested, she was an existence that had already far transcended the standards of rising stars.

* * *

Under the pouring sunset, the investment delegation’s procession was climbing the hill road heading toward the Luoyang Sword Family.

Normally, the plan was to pass through the gates of Luoyang and take a brief tour before heading to the Luoyang Sword Family.

However, due to the attack, the procession was moving straight to the Luoyang Sword Family without entering Luoyang.

“Oh! Everyone, look at these invitations!”

The youngest Tea Fan Maiden held an armful of invitations, wearing a happy face.

Those were invitations delivered by people dispatched by various families in Luoyang, who had waited along the path they would pass and handed them over.

“All of them are invitations sent by renowned families. I was a bit worried, but Luoyang was a far more friendly city than we thought.”

The tall Tea Fan Maiden smiled and nodded.

“It seems our name is well-known enough even in Luoyang!”

Seeing the happy appearance of the Tea Fan Maidens, Cheongsu, who was sitting in a corner of the carriage, smiled.

‘Even if they are famous businesswomen, looking at them like this, they seem just like girls of age.’

Looking around the carriage with such a warm feeling, his eyes met Sangwan Nan-hwa’s.

“Are you called Cheongsu?”

She smiled elegantly and spoke to Cheongsu.

“Are you perhaps not interested in accessories?”

It seemed she was speaking after seeing Cheongsu, who did not have a single accessory.

“Ah, that. It’s not that I’m not interested. But the rules of my previous workplace were strict…”

Whether it was accessories or makeup, he had plenty of interest, but the special nature of the organization called the Institution had controlled his life as a whole.

“If you don’t mind, please accept this. It is a new product we will showcase this spring.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa suddenly offered a pair of earrings to the embarrassed Cheongsu.

“Yes? No. How can I accept such a precious thing for free?”

Cheongsu knew well how high the value of Tea Fan Maiden’s accessories was.

“No, it’s fine.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa carefully held her skirt with one hand and sat next to Cheongsu.

“Please accept it. It is nothing compared to the favor of helping us.”

“No, that was merely a mission…”

Sangwan Nan-hwa personally hung the earrings on Cheongsu’s ears.

“It suits you well. You look elegant.”

At those words, Cheongsu’s mouth stretched from ear to ear.

“Do, do I look elegant? Haha. Well.”

Before they knew it, the Tea Fan Maidens watching the scene clapped and enjoyed it together.

Sitting silently in the opposite corner, the nun who was said to be the self-defense teacher was also watching the scene with a pleased expression.

“Thank you for helping us!”

“Brother Cheongsu! You are so pretty!”

Cheongsu scratched the back of his head, showing a shy smile.

“It’s embarrassing. Haha…”

Then, as expected.

The person who rode up to the window on horseback delivered a fierce scolding.

“Are you making a frivolous clamor again?!”

It was the superintendent nun.

However, unlike before, because Cheongsu had let them know with a hand gesture in advance, the Tea Fan Maidens were not startled.

Instead, that scolding fell upon the self-defense teacher who was sitting quietly.

“Junior sister! What are you doing sitting blankly without controlling the children?!”

The self-defense teacher bowed her head with an embarrassed face.

“I am sorry, senior sister. I will be careful.”

The superintendent nun’s gaze turned toward the invitations the Tea Fan Maidens were holding.

“Hand over all those invitations to this superintendent.”

The eyes of the youngest Tea Fan Maiden grew wide.

“What?!”

“This is necessary for our business…!”

“Silence!”

Although they tried to resist, the superintendent nun was unyielding.

Having confiscated all the invitations, she spoke to the Tea Fan Maidens in a sharp voice.

“This is not the land of Sichuan. In this Luoyang, anyone you visit or meet will all be managed by the Emei Sect, which bears the responsibility of protecting the students. Do you understand?”

“…”

Toward the Tea Fan Maidens who bowed their heads without an answer, the superintendent nun pressed once again.

“You must bear in mind by whose grace your families back home live in wealth and honor.”

Her gaze turned toward Sangwan Nan-hwa.

“You too, bear in mind that the Governor’s Wife shares the same mind with our Emei Sect.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa’s eyebrows twitched, but she did not answer and merely stared straight ahead with a dignified posture.

Toward such a Sangwan Nan-hwa, the superintendent said in a low voice.

“Even if you receive the protection of the Governor, for the sake of your classmates, you must not dare to behave rashly. Do you understand?”

It was a blatant threat.

Just as Cheongsu was about to click his tongue and intervene, the self-defense teacher spoke up first.

“…Senior sister. The children must have understood enough by now.”

Only after shooting sharp words at the self-defense teacher several times did the superintendent nun withdraw.

“Probably…”

In the heavy atmosphere inside the carriage, Cheongsu spoke with a bitter smile.

“Those who will deliver invitations of truly great families will be waiting inside the Main Family, so do not be too disheartened…”

“It is fine.”

At her words, Sangwan Nan-hwa smiled quietly.

Considering what she was experiencing today, it was a surprisingly dignified smile.

To the point that Cheongsu was inwardly surprised.

“Because they cannot take away the most important invitation.”

She gently pressed her chest.

“Did you have a hidden invitation?”

At Cheongsu’s question, she quietly shook her head and spoke.

“They could not stop us from joining the investment delegation heading to Luoyang.”

It was the business of the Luoyang Sword Family’s Fourth Young Master, who inherited the blood of the Sichuan Tang Family.

No matter how great the Emei Sect was, stopping the Tea Fan Maiden from joining the investment delegation would only provide a justification for the Sichuan Tang Family to intervene.

“And since we are already heading to the Luoyang Sword Family, they cannot stop the Eldest Young Master’s invitation either.”

Had he been the Swordless Yeon So-hyeon, it might have been different, but since he ended his seclusion, the Emei Sect, which was ‘merely an external force,’ could not block the Eldest Young Master’s will in Luoyang.

At Sangwan Nan-hwa’s appearance, Cheongsu nodded before he knew it.

“Indeed…”

He nodded several times.

‘So they aren’t just girls ignorant of the ways of the world who succeeded by luck.’

Well, had they been, his lord would not have ‘chosen’ them.