Chapter 20
Reminiscence
What kind of conversation would two sisters have after facing each other directly for the first time in ten years?
One thing was certain.
These sisters were absolutely not a model example.
“Elder Sister, my master is nothing like the person you described.”
Jeong-ah’s words resembled a cold, dry winter wind.
“...Is that really so?”
No emotion whatsoever could be found in the woman sitting across from her.
“You know it as well, do you not? The Luoyang Sword House is now in a state of complete political chaos. The power of the successors is only growing larger by the day, and there are even people openly trying to enthrone them.”
Her one remaining eye stared straight at Jeong-ah.
“There are also many who analyze that the influence of the retired family head, who has shut himself away, has finally come to an end. Even rumors that used to be nothing more than conspiracy theories—that the retired family head was poisoned—are beginning to resurface among people of that line.”
Jeong-ah showed no reaction at all to the words “poisoned.” She merely snorted softly.
“It is all nonsense.”
The woman watched Jeong-ah’s reaction for a moment, then shrugged.
“...It seems you have not yet placed your full trust in the eldest young master.”
Jeong-ah was not so naive as to fall for such an obvious provocation.
It did not matter whether her older sister was saying this because she was certain of something, or because she was trying to gain certainty through Jeong-ah.
In any case, her sister’s purpose was to dig out internal secrets of the Sword House by whatever means possible.
Jeong-ah set the teacup she was holding down on the table.
“That was not the subject from the beginning. Whether I have placed my trust in him or not, I mean.”
Her intent to provoke had been seen through, but the woman across from her calmly picked up her teacup as though nothing had happened.
“True. The subject was that the Luoyang Sword House, called the greatest clan under heaven, has fallen into such a state of confusion entirely because of the eldest young master.”
Then, with complete composure, she drove her “words” into the most painful point on Yeon So-hyeon’s side.
“The eldest young master is only the eldest young master, after all. He is not the young family head acting fully in the family head’s place, so to hold my master entirely responsible is...”
Her older sister drew a curve at the corner of her mouth and drove a wedge into Jeong-ah.
“Is it not because he still has not become the young family head?”
It was phrased as a question, but it was a question that required no answer.
Jeong-ah’s mouth closed, and her gaze narrowed.
In response, the woman across from her also slightly raised her chin and sent her a sharp look.
If Jeong-ah possessed elegant beauty wrapped in splendid clothing, and displayed calmness and innate intuition,
then her older sister, Se-ah, possessed rough and wild beauty wrapped in restrained clothing, and boasted cold composure and thoroughness.
“...When I heard yesterday that you had changed your affiliation to the eldest young master’s Wongak Pavilion, I cannot tell you how dumbfounded I was.”
At the word “yesterday,” Jeong-ah swallowed a heavy groan inwardly.
It meant her sister had obtained information about her at a speed similar to the subordinates of the second young master and the third young master.
“I cannot know what calculations led you to entrust yourself to the eldest young master. And you will not tell me those reasons, an outsider, either.”
Her older sister, Se-ah, had no talent for handling qi.
She was simply a person who, with her bare hands alone, had built her own independent intelligence organization even within this enormous city called Luoyang.
She took out a long pipe and let out a small sigh.
“Of all people, that ‘Swordless One’... Just what are you—”
Her words stopped.
“Do not put that title in your mouth.”
Se-ah looked at Jeong-ah with slight surprise.
For the first time, strong emotion was clearly revealed on Jeong-ah’s face.
The steam rising from the two cups of tea placed before the sisters met the sunlight entering through the window and scattered the light.
“...I am sorry.”
Without another word, Jeong-ah accepted Se-ah’s apology with a slight bow of her head.
“Hoo.”
A trace of exhaustion also appeared on Se-ah’s face.
It was because the emotional toll had been great.
No one would think they were sisters seeing each other for the first time in ten years.
“As someone who works in the intelligence field, I too know at least that the eldest young master is not simply an ordinary person.”
She gave a small sneer, lit her pipe, and exhaled a long stream of smoke toward the ceiling.
“But the situation has already tilted too far to reverse. Ten years have passed since he shut himself away.”
Her gaze turned toward the sunlight entering through the window.
“His competitors have secured tremendous power during that time. What can the eldest young master possibly do now?”
“That is something you will know if you keep watching.”
Jeong-ah had returned to a calm state and simply enjoyed her tea at leisure.
Inwardly, she was hiding her surprise.
High-grade tea leaves, the kind one could see in the reception hall of the Sword House.
A variety of beautiful tea utensils.
A location overlooking the street at the heart of Luoyang’s commercial district.
An interior decorated in a heavy and composed style.
A reputation that could even be heard within the Luoyang Sword House.
All of these were great achievements her older sister had built with her bare hands.
‘As expected, Elder Sister is incredible.’
At that moment, a strange light flowed through Jeong-ah’s “eyes.”
“...Elder Sister. It seems something has happened on the first floor.”
“What?”
At that moment, the door flew open, and one of Se-ah’s subordinates rushed inside, panting.
“Pavilion Master! It is the Black Skull Sect! Those bastards have suddenly barged in!”
Se-ah rose from her seat.
“How dare you throw open the door like that when I am with a guest?!”
“M-My apologies.”
With an unconcerned expression, Se-ah waved her pipe at her subordinate.
“All right. Report.”
“They are unarmed, around forty in number. No martial artists have been detected. They pushed in without responding to anything, started breaking furniture and causing a disturbance. There are no casualties on either side, and we are currently blocking them from coming upstairs!”
Jeong-ah did not miss the way Se-ah’s eyebrow twitched despite her calm demeanor.
“All right. Go and report if the situation changes.”
“Yes!”
The subordinate quickly withdrew.
The moment the door closed, Jeong-ah spoke.
“The situation is not good.”
Se-ah frowned and nodded.
“It is fortunate that they are unarmed, but the martial artists who could be called our main force are briefly absent. Even my personal guard is gone.”
At those words, a look of confusion appeared on Jeong-ah’s face.
“What kind of situation would require even your personal guard to...”
There was no way she would answer anyway.
Jeong-ah shook her head and asked again.
“How long do we need to hold out?”
Se-ah bit her pipe roughly.
“One quarter-hour at most. Within that time, the safety measures I prepared will move.”
Jeong-ah nodded.
“That much should be enough even for me.”
At those words, Se-ah’s eyes widened.
“What are you talking about? You...?”
At that moment, Jeong-ah pulled her away from the window.
Crash!
At the same time, the windows shattered, and black-clad men revealed themselves through them.
Jeong-ah’s eyes quickly assessed them.
Judging by the dozens of black skull tattoos covering their bodies, they were undoubtedly elites of the Black Skull Sect.
However, they were not martial artists.
“Well, if it isn’t the famous and beautiful Pavilion Master of the Crescent Moon Pavilion!”
The man at the front of the four exaggeratedly spread his arms and shouted.
“Wow, you’re even prettier than I heard. How about giving me a hug?”
At those words, Se-ah bit her pipe and snorted.
“To barge into a neutral intelligence organization in broad daylight... How absurd.”
No matter how much the Black Skull Sect strutted about in the back alleys, there were still limits.
Touching a neutral intelligence organization protected by all the interested parties was practically suicide for an organization the size of the Black Skull Sect.
“We just do what we’re told. We don’t know anything about complicated stuff like that...”
The men behind him began stepping forward, approaching the two women.
“It would be nice if you let us tie you up quietly, but I suppose you won’t cooperate that easily, will you?”
Se-ah’s eyes shone coldly.
“Try laying a finger on me. I, the Pavilion Master of the Crescent Moon Pavilion, have memorized all your faces.”
At those words, the men hesitated slightly.
Her chilling pressure was one thing, but the meaning contained in her words was far too murderous.
Even so, the men did not stop.
It was clear they had received some definite promise of reward in advance.
‘Seeing as these bastards are unarmed too, this is not the worst possible situation. But if I am captured like this, I will have no choice but to be pushed around one-sidedly in the negotiations afterward...’
Even though the other side did not seem to intend to risk their lives, this was still a situation where she could be beaten, or even violated.
And yet the first thing she worried about was negotiating power afterward.
That was the kind of person Se-ah was.
“Listen.”
Se-ah pointed at Jeong-ah and spoke to the leader.
“You had better remember this. If even the slightest harm comes to that person, both you and I will die.”
The leader shrugged.
“I don’t know who that lady over there is either, but if she stays still, we’ll let her go without anything happening. Our business is only with the Pavilion Master of the Crescent Moon Pavilion.”
He said this because anyone who could sit privately with the Pavilion Master of the Crescent Moon Pavilion, and who looked anything but ordinary from her attire alone, clearly could not be an ordinary woman.
“Now, now. Step aside.”
One of the men approached Jeong-ah with what he considered a polite attitude, gesturing with his hand for her to move back toward the wall.
Se-ah signaled with her eyes for Jeong-ah to cooperate, but Jeong-ah was not looking at her.
Standing there with a modest posture, Jeong-ah looked so calm that it was as if nothing had happened.
At that relaxed attitude, Se-ah recalled Jeong-ah’s earlier words.
“That much should be enough even for me.”
“Ah, I said cooperate, didn’t I?!”
The man took one more step forward.
“...!”
Jeong-ah seized one of the man’s fingers and snapped it back.
It did not end there.
Jeong-ah’s body slipped inside the man’s guard, and while holding his broken finger and arm, she threw him straight down onto the floor.
***
“...Hrk!”
The man slammed into the floor with a loud crash and felt the breath knocked from his lungs.
Then, in his vision, which had gone yellow, the fire poker Jeong-ah swung filled his sight.
Thwack!
With one clean, powerful swing, the man’s consciousness was blown away.
Every movement up to that point had been precise, natural, and perfect, as though drawn in a painting.
“Huh...?”
Everyone present widened their eyes.
“Goodness, Young Master! Where in the world were you?!”
The gatekeeper, sweating profusely, shouted at Yeon So-hyeon.
“What? Are you yelling at me right now?”
Yeon So-hyeon, who had been calmly tearing into a skewer, turned his gaze toward him, and the gatekeeper immediately shrank back.
“No, that is not it. It is just that the attendant maid is walking around by herself, and I was worried...”
Yeon So-hyeon gave a faint laugh.
“Her? In danger?”
The gatekeeper was confused by that reaction.
“What do you mean?”
Without answering, Yeon So-hyeon merely shrugged and continued eating the skewer.
***
Before the men giving off a murderous air, and elites of the Black Skull Sect at that, she did not waver in the slightest.
Her pale irises seemed to contain a strange golden gleam.
The leader kicked the unconscious subordinate with his foot.
“Stupid bastard!”
The surrounding subordinates watched the scene while snickering.
Jeong-ah’s move had been surprising, but it was still within the realm of self-defense, and it had been a surprise attack.
Moreover, the technique she had shown had instead made it clear that she possessed no internal energy, and that she was not a martial artist.
A woman who was not a martial artist had clear limits, no matter how much training she had received.
“Hey, miss. I was going to let it slide because they said you were someone of impressive status, but now that’s getting hard.”
The remaining men moved past their leader and approached Jeong-ah.
“It’s not a good idea to act up when you’re not even a martial artist, miss. While we’re still asking nicely, why don’t you cooperate quietly?”
Jeong-ah gave no answer.