Volume 1 Chapter 20 – Reminiscing

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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What kind of conversation would the sisters, who came to face each other directly after nearly 10 years, share?

What was certain was that these sisters were absolutely not in a model appearance.

“Sister, my master is a completely different person from what you said.”

Jeong-ah’s words resembled a cold and dry north wind.

“…Is that really so.”

From the woman sitting opposite, emotion could not even be found.

“You know too. Currently, the Luoyang Sword Family has fallen into a state of complete political chaos. The power of the successors is gradually growing, to the point where there are even those who openly support them.”

Her single remaining eye stared straight at Jeong-ah.

“There are also many who analyze that the influence of the Grand Patriarch, who secludes himself, has now ended. Even the rumor of the Grand Patriarch’s poisoning, which was nothing more than a conspiracy theory in the past, has risen again among the people in this line of work.”

Jeong-ah did not show the slightest reaction to the words ‘rumor of poisoning’ and let out a low sneer.

“It is all nonsense.”

The woman, who observed Jeong-ah’s reaction for a moment, shrugged her shoulders.

“…It seems you still do not receive trust from the Eldest Young Master.”

Jeong-ah was not naive enough to fall for such an obvious, plain provocation.

Whether her sister spoke out of certainty of something, or to gain certainty through Jeong-ah, was not important.

Anyway, it would have been her sister’s purpose to pry into the secrets inside the Sword Family in some way.

Jeong-ah set down the teacup she was holding onto the table.

“In the first place, whether I receive trust or not would not have been the subject, right?”

Although her intention of provocation was read, the opponent also held up her teacup with an unbothered expression.

“Yes. The subject was that the Luoyang Sword Family, which is called the world’s number one family, falling into such a chaotic state is entirely the Eldest Young Master’s responsibility.”

Then, she calmly drove a ‘word’ into the most painful spot on Yeon So-hyeon’s side.

“The Eldest Young Master is only the Eldest Young Master after all. Since he is not the Young Family Head who completely acts on behalf of the Family Head, to hold the master entirely responsible…”

Her sister drew an arc on her lips and drove a wedge into Jeong-ah.

“Is it not that he has still been unable to become the Young Family Head?”

Although it took the form of a question, it was a question that did not need an answer.

“…….”

Jeong-ah’s mouth shut, and her gaze narrowed.

“…….”

Then, the opponent opposite also raised her chin slightly and sent a sharp gaze.

If Jeong-ah possessed elegant beauty in her colorful clothing, boasting composure and innate intuition,

Her sister, Se-ah, possessed rough and wild beauty in her restrained clothing, boasting coldness and thoroughness.

“…When I heard yesterday that you changed your assignment to the Eldest Young Master’s Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, I wonder how dumbfounded I was.”

At the word ‘yesterday’, Jeong-ah swallowed a sigh inwardly.

It meant her sister had accessed the information about her at a speed similar to the subordinates of the Second Young Master and the Third Young Master.

“What kind of calculation you had in relying on the Eldest Young Master, I cannot know. You will not tell me those grounds either, since I am an outsider.”

Her sister, Se-ah, did not even have the talent to handle qi.

She was a person who, merely with her single body, had built her own independent information organization even in this giant city of Luoyang.

She pulled out a pipe and let out a small sigh.

“Of all people, that ‘non-swordsman’. You on earth…”

Her words were cut off.

“Do not put that title in your mouth.”

“…!”

Se-ah felt a bit of surprise and looked at Jeong-ah.

On Jeong-ah’s face, a strong emotion was clearly revealed for the first time.

The steam rising from the two teacups placed in front of the sisters met the sunshine entering through the window and scattered light.

“…I am sorry.”

Jeong-ah silently received Se-ah’s apology with a slight bow of head.

“Hmm.”

A bit of a tired look also appeared on Se-ah’s face.

It was because the emotional drain was heavy.

No one would think of them as sisters who saw each other’s faces after 10 years.

“I also know, as a person who works in the information line, that the Eldest Young Master is not just an ordinary person.”

She sneered slightly, lit the tobacco, and exhaled smoke long toward the ceiling.

“But the situation has already tilted to the point where it cannot be turned back. Ten years of time have passed since he confined himself.”

Her gaze turned toward the sunshine entering through the window.

“His competitors have secured massive power in the meantime. What can the Eldest Young Master do coming to this point?”

“You will know that if you watch.”

Jeong-ah returned to a calm state and only enjoyed the tea gradually.

She hid her surprise inwardly.

The high-grade tea leaves that could be seen at the Guest House of the Sword Family.

The colorful and beautiful tea utensils.

The location where one could look at the street in the center of Luoyang’s commercial district.

The heavily and calmly decorated interior.

The reputation that could be heard even inside the Luoyang Sword Family.

All those things were great achievements that her sister had achieved with her bare body.

‘Indeed, my sister is great.’

At that moment, Jeong-ah’s ‘eyes’ emitted a strange glow.

“…Sister. It seems something happened from the first floor.”

“Hm?”

At that moment, the door burst open, and Se-ah’s subordinate entered hurriedly.

“Pavilion Master! It is the Black Bone Gang! Those fellows suddenly barged in!”

Se-ah stood up.

“Where do you burst open the door when I am with a guest?!”

“I-I am sorry.”

Se-ah waved her pipe toward her subordinate with an unconcerned expression.

“Well, report.”

“Unarmed, numbering about forty, no martial artists found. They pushed in without any response and started to break household goods and cause a ruckus. There are no dead on either side, and we are blocking them from coming upstairs!”

Jeong-ah did not miss that the eyebrows of Se-ah, who had a calm expression, twitched.

“Yes, go and report if the situation changes.”

“Yes!”

The subordinate withdrew swiftly.

The moment the door closed, Jeong-ah opened her mouth.

“The situation is bad.”

Se-ah frowned and nodded.

“It is fortunate that those fellows are unarmed, but our main martial artists have stepped out for a moment. Even my personal escort.”

At those words, a bewildered look appeared on Jeong-ah’s face.

“What kind of situation is it for even your personal escort to…”

Anyway, she would not answer.

Jeong-ah shook her head and asked again.

“How long do we need to endure?”

Se-ah bit the pipe roughly.

“A quarter of an hour at most. Within that time, the safety devices I have set up will move.”

Jeong-ah nodded.

“That much will be sufficient for me as well.”

At those words, Se-ah’s eyes went wide.

“What do you mean? You…?”

At that moment, Jeong-ah pulled her from the window side.

Crash!

Simultaneously, the windows shattered, and men in black clothes revealed their appearances through them.

Jeong-ah’s eyes grasped them quickly.

Seeing that they had dozens of black skull tattoos on parts of their bodies, they were clearly the elites of the Black Bone Gang.

But they were not martial artists.

“Is this not the beautiful Pavilion Master of the famous Crescent Moon Pavilion!”

The one at the very front of the four men shouted, spreading his arms exaggeratedly.

“Indeed, you are much prettier than what I heard. Let us have a hug!”

At those words, Se-ah sneered, biting her pipe.

“To barge into a neutral information organization in broad daylight, there is no sense at all.”

No matter how much the Black Bone Gang flew and ran in the back alleys, there was a limit.

To touch a neutral information organization protected between each interest group was no different from a suicidal act for a scale like the Black Bone Gang.

“If they tell us to do it, we do it; well, we do not know such complicated things…”

The men behind moved their steps and began to approach them.

“We would like you to be bound quietly, but you will not cooperate so obediently, right?”

Se-ah’s eyes shone blue.

“Just try to touch me. I, the Master of Crescent Moon Pavilion, have remembered all your faces.”

At those words, the men hesitated slightly.

It was because the meaning contained in her words was so murderous, let alone her blue momentum.

“Heng.”

However, the men did not stop their steps.

It was clear they had heard a definite promise of reward in advance.

‘It is fortunate that these fellows are also unarmed. But if we are captured like this, we have no choice but to be unilaterally pushed in the subsequent negotiations…’

No matter how much the opponent seemed to have no intention of taking their lives, it was a situation where they could be assaulted, or even raped.

In such a situation, the one who worried about subsequent negotiating power was Se-ah.

“Hey.”

Se-ah pointed at Jeong-ah and said to the leading man.

“You had better remember that if even a slight harm comes to that person, both you and I will die.”

The leading man shrugged.

“We do not know who that person is either, but if she stays still, we will send her off without any trouble. The one we have business with is only the Crescent Moon Pavilion Master after all.”

Since she was of a status to talk privately with the Crescent Moon Pavilion Master, and she did not look like an ordinary woman just by looking at her dress, he said so.

“Now, now, step back.”

One man approached Jeong-ah in a polite attitude and gestured with his hand, demanding her to step back to the wall.

Se-ah gestured to Jeong-ah to cooperate, but Jeong-ah was not looking at her.

Standing in a demure posture, Jeong-ah looked too calm, as if nothing had happened.

At that leisurely attitude, Jeong-ah’s words, ‘That much will be sufficient for me as well’, came to Se-ah’s head.

“Ah, I said let’s cooperate?!”

The man took one more step.

“…!”

Jeong-ah caught one of the man’s fingers and bent it just like that.

That was not the end.

Jeong-ah’s body dug into the man’s inner side, caught his broken finger and arm, and slammed him onto the floor just like that.

“…Ugh!”

Slammed onto the floor with a loud sound, the man felt his breath cut off.

And in the view of the man who saw yellow in the sky, the poker Jeong-ah swung filled his vision.

Thwack!

At the hearty swing, the man’s consciousness flew just like that.

All the movements up to there were precise, natural, and perfect, as if drawn in a picture.

“Eh…?”

The eyes of everyone in the room went wide.

* * *

“Oh dear, Young Master. Where on earth were you?!”

Sweating profusely, the gatekeeper shouted to Yeon So-hyeon.

“What, are you shouting at me now?”

As Yeon So-hyeon, who was calmly eating a skewer, turned his gaze to look at him, the gatekeeper shrank back at once.

“No, it’s not that. Because that maid is walking around alone, and I was worried…”

Yeon So-hyeon smirked.

“Her? In danger?”

At that reaction, the gatekeeper was bewildered.

“What do you mean?”

Yeon So-hyeon only ate the skewer, shrugging his shoulders without replying.

* * *

The leading man kicked the fainted subordinate.

“Foolish fellow!”

The surrounding subordinates watched that sight, giggling.

Although Jeong-ah’s move was surprising, it was only in the area of self-defense, and was also a sudden surprise attack.

Moreover, thanks to the technique she showed, it clearly revealed that she did not have internal energy, and that she was not a martial artist.

A woman who was not a martial artist, no matter how much she trained, had a clear limit.

“Hey, lady. Since you are said to be of great status, I tried to just let it go, but now it is becoming difficult to do so.”

The remaining men bypassed the leader and approached Jeong-ah.

“It is not a good idea to install yourself when you are not a martial artist, lady. Why don’t you cooperate quietly when we speak nicely?”

Jeong-ah made no reply.

In front of the men who emitted a murderous momentum, the elites of the Black Bone Gang, she did not have the slightest shake.

Her light irises seemed to harbor a subtle golden luster.