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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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A discount on accommodation wasn’t particularly burdensome. I had plenty of money, not only from the inn and the store but also from renting out the fields, houses, and other properties I owned in other cities.
Therefore, instead of flatly refusing her offer, I entered the inn with her and settled down at a corner table.
“W-what are you looking at?”
“Nothing, just curious. Miss Chae, why are you here?”
Chae-jin, sitting before me, was the elder sister of Chae-ryeon, another protagonist in Heavenly Bright Moon, the senior disciple of the Moonjeong Sect, and a powerful figure known in the martial world as the “Moonlight Blade.”
So why was such a powerful figure stuck in a peaceful, rural inn like this?
Chae-jin had been staying at my inn for quite some time. During that time, she would occasionally leave for a bit and return, but otherwise, she mostly stayed in her room, doing nothing in particular.
Considering that, it didn’t seem like she was here to explore secret realms, search for elixirs, or hunt monsters.
As I stared at her, Chae-jin subtly averted her gaze.
“Well, if it’s about sect business or matters related to the Martial Alliance, you don’t have to tell me…”
“Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s purely for personal reasons.”
Chae-jin’s personal reasons? I sipped my tea and pondered. While she wasn’t the main protagonist, she was a crucial character in her sister Chae-ryeon’s main story.
I was a member of the Sayoon Corps and loved Sayoon, so I knew all about her story, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t played other characters.
To better criticize, I had played through all the other characters in Heavenly Bright Moon to their near-final levels.
That’s why I cherished Sayoon even more.
I had struggled so much to raise Sayoon, while other characters were so easy to level up.
So, I couldn’t help but know about Chae-jin.
In Chae-ryeon’s main story, Chae-jin was a wall she had to overcome.
Although they were half-sisters, they were both daughters of Sect Master Chae Seong-ho. So, they were rivals for inheriting the Moonlight Blade Technique and the Moonjeong Sect.
And one more thing.
She was also a character with a deep connection to the Hongseong Sect.
“To compete with Sunset Sword?”
As I mentioned Hongryeon, the object of that deep connection, Chae-jin’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Hmm…”
Chae-jin considered Sunset Sword Hongryeon her lifelong rival.
And they always fought at the Martial Alliance.
Worthy opponents.
That was the easiest way to describe their relationship.
But that’s why Chae-jin always felt a tinge of regret.
Their spar win rate was slightly in Hongryeon’s favor.
And that win rate became an unbreakable record after a certain day.
Because Hongryeon was caught up in the destruction of the Hongseong Sect and died.
Recalling the event where Chae-jin, drinking alone, mourned Hongryeon and wept bitterly, I tapped the table and said,
“Sparring with Sunset Sword wouldn’t be easy.”
Currently, Hongryeon was in the lead. Would she agree to spar with Chae-jin in this situation?
Just like how the final victory was the true victory, why would she accept a spar request when she was already ahead?
Chae-jin seemed to realize that as well, as her sharp, beautiful face was quickly clouded with gloom.
“It’s not easy. She doesn’t take provocations easily.”
Indeed, considering Hongryeon’s personality, she would just laugh it off unless someone crossed a certain line.
“Provoking the Hongseong Sect might work.”
The one line Hongryeon wouldn’t allow anyone to cross was the Hongseong Sect. If someone touched that, they would see Hongryeon go berserk.
I found it strange that Chae-jin wasn’t crossing that line, even though she knew better. As I looked at her questioningly, she smiled.
“Come on, how could we do that to fellow members of the righteous faction? And the Moonjeong Sect is a prestigious and honorable sect. Do you think I, Chae-jin, the senior disciple, would do such a thing?”
She might have considered Hongryeon a rival, but she didn’t want to violate the principles of the righteous faction.
Well, if she didn’t have any pride as a member of a prestigious righteous sect, she wouldn’t have offered to teach me martial arts in exchange for a discount on her accommodation.
She would have just attacked me and taken my money or just stayed for free, being a nuisance.
Chae-jin puffed out her chest proudly. As in Heavenly Bright Moon, her confident and dignified appearance was beautiful and admirable.
I took another sip of tea.
“If she was at the Martial Alliance, you could provoke her with work-related matters and spar…”
But Hongryeon wasn’t at the Martial Alliance and was staying at the Hongseong Sect, so she couldn’t do that?
I looked at her and chuckled.
It was probably because of me.
After reading the letter I sent Sayoon, Hongryeon became wary and decided to train Sayoon further, leading her to go on a quest for an elixir.
So, of course, she couldn’t stay leisurely at the Martial Alliance.
It was a very positive change for me.
Helping with Martial Alliance work only earned a few coins, and they didn’t actually help the Hongseong Sect when they were in danger.
Well, to be precise, they couldn’t help.
The Iron Blood Clan’s attack was too sudden…
“Anyway… I’m waiting for a chance to spar with her here, but there’s no opportunity. I even tried visiting the Hongseong Sect, but I was just turned away at the door…”
A deep sigh escaped her lips. Seeing her slumped shoulders, I felt a little sorry for her.
“But even if you sparred here, there wouldn’t be a witness. Weren’t you hoping for an official spar, Miss Chae?”
If it was just a friendly match or a fight to the death, there would be no need, but for a spar that would be recorded officially, a witness was required.
It was only natural.
The outcome of the spar had to be verified.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, they incorporated this into the story using the “Sparring Arena” system.
In other words, if Hongryeon didn’t go to the Martial Alliance, the spar Chae-jin desired wouldn’t happen.
“From what I can tell, Sunset Sword is likely to stay here for a while.”
“Oh no, that’s not good.”
Chae-jin nervously bit her thumb, clearly anxious.
Well, as the senior disciple of the Moonjeong Sect, a prestigious and influential sect in the martial world, she couldn’t just wait indefinitely in the countryside.
“…Ah, right. Innkeeper Yu, you can be the witness.”
“Huh? I can do that?”
“You’re not biased towards either the Hongseong Sect or the Moonjeong Sect. And you’re not a martial artist.”
“Well, I am a resident of Seomhwa Village…”
And a member of the Sayoon Corps. So, I was bound to be biased towards the Hongseong Sect.
As I looked at her, Chae-jin winked, giving a seductive smile.
“But you learned the introductory martial art of the Moonjeong Sect, right? So, you’re also connected to the Moonjeong Sect.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Of course~!”
Chae-jin snapped her fingers and chuckled, as if she thought it was a brilliant idea.
To me, it seemed like the worst idea possible.
“Well, setting that aside for now, I’ll give you a discount. I’ll deduct the cost of joining the Moonjeong Sect from your accommodation fees.”
“Oh my~. Thank you. Then I’ll do my best to teach you while I’m here. It’s a good opportunity, you know. To learn from Moonlight Blade Chae-jin.”
“If only I wanted to be a martial artist.”
“Hmph. Do you think opportunities for intensive training from me are common? Consider yourself honored.”
I scoffed at her, and Chae-jin stuck her tongue out, grinning.
“Well, let’s assume that’s settled. But even if I become the witness, we’re still missing the most important part.”
Yes, the problem was Hongryeon. She could just refuse this spar if she wanted to.
So, how could I get her involved?
When I asked, she grinned.
“There’s a way to do everything.”
What way?
Feeling a sense of foreboding from Chae-jin’s sly smile and her gaze directed at me, I quickly cut her off.
“If you’re thinking of using me to provoke her, I suggest you stop. Sunset Sword and I aren’t as close as you think we are.”
“…Huh? We’re not?”
I knew it.
“No, we’re not.”
She seemed to be misunderstanding what she saw the other day.
Hongryeon and I weren’t in that kind of relationship. How could we be after meeting only a few times?
When I firmly denied it, Chae-jin, who had been so arrogant just a moment ago, completely lost her composure and started to panic.
“Oh no… this is going to ruin everything…?”
I smiled at her crestfallen expression.
Oh, poor you.
Dejected as if the world had ended, Chae-jin returned to her room. And so did I. Whether she was sulking or not, my tasks remained the same.
I returned to my room to work, and after concentrating and finishing my tasks, another thought came to mind.
Of course, it was a thought about Sayoon.
The reason Sayoon was stuck was probably because she hadn’t gone through her enlightenment event yet.
I had expected Hongryeon to guide her through it at the Hongseong Sect, but it seemed like she hadn’t done so.
Why not just teach her?
“Well… if she keeps struggling, I’ll eventually teach her…”
But if she was stuck like this, shouldn’t I at least give her some clues?
I recalled the key phrases from Sayoon’s enlightenment event.
“Constant dripping wears away a stone.”
To persevere like water droplets piercing through rock.
If that was the first phrase, the second one was that even perseverance had its limits, and one had to know when to stop training.
After the destruction of the Hongseong Sect and the massacre of her fellow disciples, Sayoon became so obsessed with mastering martial arts that she literally coughed up blood from overexertion.
Then, she collapsed from exhaustion, and when a doctor saved her, he gave her the phrase “See the moon, forget the finger.”
Don’t focus on the finger pointing at the moon.
See the essence.
What did you desire? Revenge? Or inheriting the will of the Hongseong Sect?
Sayoon, who was consumed by anger over the destruction of her sect and almost forgot the teachings of the Hongseong, achieved enlightenment from those words and was able to properly use the Meteor Fist afterwards.
“The question is, can Sayoon achieve enlightenment with just this…”
From her previous letter, I could tell that she took my letters seriously.
But could she achieve enlightenment just because I sent her these phrases?
“Well…”
If it didn’t work, the master instructors would take care of it.
I shouldn’t get too hung up on things I couldn’t control right now.
Just as dawn inevitably arrived even if you wrung a chicken’s neck, the morning sun rose as usual.
I woke up a little earlier than usual and headed to the backyard.
To practice the Five Animal Frolics.
“Yawn… Oh, sir, you’re up already?”
“Yes.”
I gave a brief reply to the waiter who greeted me and slowly moved my body as the Taoist and Sayoon had taught me.
A worker, who was sweeping in the corner, watched me curiously and mumbled,
“Can you really accumulate internal energy just from doing that? Like those martial artists who fly through the air?”
“Well… it’s possible, I guess?”
But it wouldn’t drastically increase my strength in the latter stages like the divine arts. Nor would it rise as sharply as demonic arts.
It was just about steadily training, like building a tower by stacking stones one by one.
By the time I finished practicing the Five Animal Frolics, my body was feeling warm.
I thought about practicing the Chae Family Taijiquan as well, but… I had to prepare for breakfast, so that would have to wait.
“…Why are you just playing around?”
“Huh?”
Was this déjà vu? I felt like I heard a similar line yesterday.
I looked up, and I saw Chae-jin, wearing a loose, knee-length skirt and a thick coat instead of her usual skin-tight tights.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, her character setting stated that she was weak in the mornings, and she definitely looked sleepy. Instead of her usual provocative, sharp gaze, she was looking down at me with a sullen expression.
And…
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she jumped down.
“You, if you joined the Moonjeong Sect, shouldn’t you be practicing the introductory Chae Family Taijiquan first? Why are you doing the Five Animal Frolics first? No, more importantly, why are you trying to get away with just doing the Five Animal Frolics… When someone is talking to you, you should look them in the eye!”
Even with a sleepy face, she couldn’t hold back her frustration.
She grabbed my cheeks and shouted, and I tried my best to maintain my composure as I replied,
“You should be careful when jumping down in a skirt like that, instead of the clothes you usually wear.”
“What do you mean, oh…”
Jumping down from above in a skirt.
Of course, it would expose what’s underneath.
She was a first-rate martial artist, always composed and elegant, with a ruthless and cold demeanor when fighting enemies.
But it was this occasional clumsiness, this gap in her personality, that made her somewhat popular in Heavenly Bright Moon, and here she was, being clumsy again!
“…Did you see?”
Chae-jin mumbled in a small voice, her face flushed red.
But her usual clothes were more revealing, so what was the big deal…
Anyway.
“I’m a gentleman, so I closed my eyes.”
My answer seemed to satisfy her, as her embarrassment subsided a little.
Although her flushed cheeks were still a long way from regaining their normal color.
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