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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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The inside of the carriage was luxurious, but the long journey was taking its toll.
Yeonhwa frowned slightly, feeling a sense of fatigue.
At her discomfort, Sima Bu casually opened the window and signaled to his men.
“Let’s take a break for a while.”
“I’m not that tired…”
Yeonhwa was flustered by the unexpected consideration, but she wasn’t entirely displeased. She was about to say she was fine, but…
“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s time for the horses to rest.”
Sima Bu’s subsequent words left her speechless.
“I see…”
Yeonhwa’s red eyes calmed.
‘Of course, that man wouldn’t care about me.’
She had been mistaken, thinking his attitude had softened a little lately.
But he had suggested a break at that very moment, so of course she would be mistaken!
He had prepared a carriage and escorts for her trip to see her brother.
He had praised her, which was unusual, and he had even brought out a treasured sword he usually kept stored away…
She had been fooled by such trivial things!!
She glared at Sima Bu’s back as he got out of the carriage, her face slightly sullen.
‘Wearing a strange sword he doesn’t even usually carry…!!’
Perhaps it was her inner voice?
The red, silk-wrapped sword at Sima Bu’s waist, which had suddenly become the target of her anger, shook.
Anyway, at the head’s command, the magnificent carriage, fit for a high-ranking official, and the several carriages and cavalry that escorted it, came to a halt.
Yeonhwa also got out of the carriage to rest.
They were not far from the Martial Alliance headquarters.
She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but she knew that being impatient wouldn’t solve anything.
She calmed her breathing with a composed posture and looked up at the sky again, searching for a cloud that resembled her brother to pass the time.
And at that sight, Feng Lan, a girl who had joined the journey to the Martial Alliance headquarters with her father, Feng Bai, stared blankly at Yeonhwa, her beautiful green eyes wide.
“Hawawa…”
Her skin was as smooth as white porcelain, her legs long and slender.
Her red eyes were like beautiful jewels.
Her beauty was not overshadowed by the sparkling gold ornaments she wore.
She was frozen, as if she had just seen a princess from a fairy tale.
“You’re Feng Lan, the daughter of the Feng Shang Guild’s leader, right?”
At the sudden attention, Yeonhwa tilted her head and offered a fake smile, a friendly one.
“Is there something you need?”
“Ah, no! It’s… um… nice to meet you! I’m Feng Lan! Miss Yeonhwa…”
She greeted Feng Lan’s cute, nightingale-like voice with a soft voice.
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
But contrary to her cheerful smile, Yeonhwa’s eyes, looking at the cherry blossom branch-shaped ornament on Feng Lan’s head, a gift from Mancheon, darkened.
Naturally, Yeonhwa had read the reports from the spies Sima Bu had planted, and she knew about the wicked stray cat who had dared to flirt with her beloved brother.
‘Honestly, to try and seduce a man who has a younger sister… the people of the Central Plains are so irrational.’
She raised her hand to cover her lips, which were curled into a sneer, and offered a fake smile.
“That’s a beautiful ornament. It’s cute.”
She wasn’t jealous just because her brother had given her a flower.
On the day they had sworn an oath under a peach tree, the Oath of the Peach Garden,
she had received a gift that was beyond compare.
That day, her brother had given her a comb. Not just any comb.
She hadn’t known its significance back then, being unfamiliar with the culture, but it had a deeper meaning.
In Goryeo, the Central Plains, and other parts of the East, when a man gave a woman a half-moon shaped comb,
it was a metaphorical expression of his love,
a proposal of marriage.
They hadn’t had a ceremony, but they were as good as married.
“Ah! Thank you. It’s a precious ornament.”
Unaware of Yeonhwa’s inner thoughts, and not thinking that a younger sister would have romantic feelings for her brother, Feng Lan smiled brightly.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from your brother too.”
She had initially been intimidated by Yeonhwa’s appearance, but if she wanted to live a long life, she had to start with words.
She planned to get closer to Mancheon by befriending his younger sister, Yeonhwa.
“My brother… talked about me…?”
“Yes! He said you’re the most precious younger sister in the world!”
She knew it was blatant flattery, but hearing her brother’s affection reaffirmed by someone else,
‘Well… she’s not so bad. She’s an honest and kind child.’
Yeonhwa’s expression softened, and she felt a sense of relief.
“Hmm~ what else did he say?”
Her cute face had an innocent air to it.
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A little further away,
Feng Bai smiled warmly at the sound of Yeonhwa and Feng Lan’s chattering voices.
“Girls at that age become friends so quickly.”
“Don’t let your guard down. You don’t know what they’re plotting behind their friendly faces.”
Even if she was the child of a seed sown out of necessity for the Bai Hua Sect’s gold, Feng Bai offered a bitter smile at the harsh assessment.
“Just like you, Head.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Feng Bai shrugged at Sima Bu’s scowl.
“Nothing. Just that they’re father and daughter, so they have some similarities.”
He had accompanied Sima Bu to the Bai Hua Sect as a guard a few times in his youth.
Usually, it was the Iron Dog… Wu Ming… who went with him, but…
One day, he had suddenly left the organization and disappeared, then killed the Crown Prince and became a public enemy of the martial world.
He had thought it since they had worked together, but he was a madman.
Anyway, in Feng Bai’s opinion, Sima Bu probably had feelings for Yeonhwa’s mother, the Flower Maiden of the Bai Hua Sect, Hordad, though he couldn’t be sure.
She was beautiful, and her kind, pure heart was Sima Bu’s type.
Perhaps he was keeping his distance from Yeonhwa to deny those feelings.
“Hoo…”
Sima Bu sighed, then offered Feng Bai a friendly smile.
“Do you want to talk about family? Then I’ll share something too.”
“Excuse me?”
So, the one hiding a scheme behind a friendly face was Sima Bu himself.
“I heard my son gave your daughter a flower. What do you think of them?”
“Now…!! What’s with that…?!”
Our cute and precious Lan with that playboy who spouts flirtatious words every time he opens his mouth!!
‘When spring comes, if you wish, I’ll pick them for you anytime.’
Mancheon’s flattery, his daughter’s blushing face.
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was the son of Sima Bu, his family’s benefactor, he would have kicked him.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not suggesting marriage. I’m just asking.”
At Sima Bu’s subsequent words, Feng Bai regained his composure and asked with a puzzled look.
“That’s a bit surprising. I thought you would find a rich, well-born young lady for him to marry.”
“I’ve considered it, but… I don’t want to force him into an arranged marriage.”
He paused for a moment, then muttered weakly.
“It would be a lie to say I don’t have my own desires as a parent, but I’ll let Cheoni be with someone he wants.”
“Huh……”
Feng Bai’s mouth fell open in surprise.
He had expected him to leave using the merchant guild, but he must have been shocked that Mancheon had actually run away.
Anyway, as the awkward silence continued, a patrolman approached Feng Bai.
“Guild Leader, please come with me. There seems to be a problem up ahead.”
“What?… Head, I apologize. I’ll be right back.”
Feng Bai frowned at the unexpected development and left.
‘It’s not a place where problems usually arise…?’
As Sima Bu frowned, feeling that something was amiss,
“……”
the foul stench of blood, carried on the wind, tickled his nose.
Sima Bu’s expression contorted.
In the martial world, there was only one group that reeked of such a nauseating stench.
“Form a circle with the carriages and prepare for battle.”
He immediately gave the order without hesitation and moved quickly.
“You… what’s…?!”
He rushed to Yeonhwa and hid her behind him, like a wolf protecting its cub.
“It’s an attack by the Blood Sect. Stay behind me.”
At the same time, dozens of figures emerged from the forest.
“The Heavenly Demon Sect isn’t the only one who wants the Flower Maiden’s blood. If you just hand over the Bai Hua Sect’s monster…”
“Enough. I’ve heard enough.”
Sima Bu cut off the Blood Sect martial artist, who was dressed more lavishly than the others and had bloodshot eyes, as if he wasn’t worth listening to.
He sized up the attackers.
There were no high-ranking members, so it seemed like a few rogue groups had acted on their own. This was why he hated the Blood Sect.
Other demonic sects, at the very least, had rules and could be negotiated with.
These guys didn’t. They acted on their desires.
“There are many of them. If I step forward…”
Yeonhwa prepared to light a fire with a flick of her finger and took a step forward.
“It’s fine. I brought this for such a situation.”
Sima Bu stepped forward again, hiding Yeonhwa behind him, and drew the red, silk-wrapped sword from his waist.
“Stay behind me and don’t get in the way.”
The formation was a precaution, just in case.
Now that he knew the enemy’s level, this would be enough.
The silk wrapping fell away, revealing the sleeping treasured sword.
“Scream, Terror.”
The coward, given permission to cry, let out a wail.
[Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek-!!!!!]
An inhuman scream echoed through their minds, a telepathic assault on the enemy.
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An ego swords??!!
Is that Mimicry