Chapter 151: The Road to Kaifeng

Look at this insolent little brat.

But as they say, age gives you audacity. The antics of a seven-year-old girl were simply adorable.

Honestly, it's human nature that if it's not your own child, all that matters is that they're cute and pretty in the moment.

It's why other people's dogs and cats seem so cute.

Or it's like why grandparents spoil their grandchildren unconditionally.

The scolding, education, and behavioral correction that might lead to resentment are the parents' job; grandparents just need to dote on them.

Zhuge Xiang grabbed Qing's finger firmly and started pulling.

Her tiny fist barely wrapped around two fingers.

The characteristic warmth of a child transferred to Qing, whose hands were already cold due to the side effects of her demonic arts.

Qing let herself be dragged along as if she couldn't resist.

"Hey. What if I'm not lying? You might not believe it, but I'm a grand elder on par with the sect leader of one of the Nine Great Sects, you know? The crime of mocking an adult is very serious."

"Ah! Really?"

"Really."

"Th-Then if you're right, Unni, I'll specially let you marry my Orabeoni..."[^A Korean term used by a female speaker to refer to her older brother.]

"Huh? Since when do Murim people bet someone else's position? Your brother needs to find his own marriage prospects."

"Uh. Then?"

A wicked smile spread across Qing's face.

"Xiang, was it? If I'm right, then Xiang-ie has to marry me, okay? Maybe as the second concubine."

It was a mischievous joke fit for an old man.

Gulp. The child swallowed hard.

"But, between women..."

"What, you can't do it? Then I guess I should go back."

"Eek! You're just bluffing to make me give up, right? That's just putting fake flowers on the tree! Hmph, do you think I'm some kid who doesn't even know military strategy?"[^Putting fake flowers on the tree: A reference to one of the 36 Stratagems, meaning to create a false appearance or bluff.]

Zhuge Xiang huffed and puffed as she led Qing onward.

Despite the winding path through similar-looking scenery, she navigated confidently without getting lost, finally arriving at a spacious garden bordering a well-kept lake.

And there, piled up on one side, were iron balls of various types.

They were iron balls with handles attached for easy lifting.

"Here. This is the hundred-jin iron ball. Let's see you lift it with one hand like you said... Oh, you're lifting it..."

"Ah. So this is a hundred jin? It's got some heft."

A hundred jin was already over ten percent more than the official world record (53kg) back in Qing's homeland.

"But is this based on the fruit standard or the meat standard?"

In Qing's homeland, they still used a primitive and foolish system of units where the weight of a jin differed depending on the item.

The Chinese people of the same era had adjusted the jin to match the times (600g ⇒ 500g, standardized for all items), an active, progressive, and future-oriented attitude that the Korean people certainly should have emulated.

Of course, this was the primitive, ancient, uncivilized Central Plains, before such adjustments to the jin were made.

"...?"

"At this rate, I could probably lift two hundred jin. Which one is the two-hundred-jin one?"

Zhuge Xiang glanced around before speaking.

"Th-There isn't a two-hundred-jin one. Only two hundred fifty jin..."

Anyone could tell she was lying.

Qing smirked.

Having lifted a hundred jin, two hundred fifty seemed manageable.

"What about the two-hundred-fifty-jin one?"

"Th-That one..."

Qing gripped the two-hundred-fifty-jin iron ball with one hand.

Just holding it while standing was bearable, but trying to lift it overhead made her hand tremble uncontrollably; it wasn't easy.

Even for a body that surpassed human limits, it screamed under the strain.

Still, she somehow managed to fully bend her elbow and, using her shoulder strength, pushed it skyward with a heave.

It was a miracle performed foolishly without even using momentum.

Truly, a stance worthy of a hero who captivated an era!

At that, Zhuge Xiang's mouth fell open stupidly, while her eyes sparkled brightly.

Just then, Qing felt something resonate from within her body, a sound, pop.

Startled, Qing immediately dropped the iron ball behind her, away from Zhuge Xiang.

THUD!

The sound of the two-hundred-fifty-jin iron ball hitting the ground was immense, and the resulting vibration sent large ripples across the pond.

"Whoa, definitely can't lift that twice. Pushed it too hard."

Having directly felt the sound of her muscle ligaments tearing, it seemed she wouldn't be able to use her right arm properly for a while.

Injuring herself just trying to show off pointlessly – what was this all about?

Qing deeply reflected.

"How about it, kiddo? If I can lift two hundred fifty jin with one hand, does that count as five hundred jin with both hands?"

Suddenly realizing her predicament, Zhuge Xiang's face turned deathly pale, and she answered tearfully.

"Uuu, th-this lowly concubine greets her master, sniffle..."

"Hey, what's this? If you cry, what does that make me? And do you dislike me that much?"

"But, I'm a concubine, sob, and the second one at that."

"Tell me straight. Do you hate being a concubine, or do you hate marrying me?"

"B-Both... I hate both..."

"You dislike me that much? That hurts. Looks like Xiang-ie is destined to be neglected right after becoming a concubine."

"Then at least make me the official wife... sob."

Tears finally welled up in the large eyes characteristic of a child and trickled down.

Qing reached up to scratch the back of her head, but— "Ack!" With a short cry, she quickly used her left hand instead.

It seemed her right arm was more injured than she thought.

"Alright, the night wind is cold. Let's go back, little wench. We need to spend our first night together."

Qing used her good left hand to lift Zhuge Xiang into her arms.

The little girl immediately wrapped her arms around Qing's neck and clung tightly, bursting into loud, sorrowful sobs.

Having finally made the child cry, Qing certainly had a mischievous streak—though, looking at her past actions, she was quite openly a wicked woman.

Still, this kid Zhuge Xiang, knowledgeable enough to recite characters she didn't even know, actually believing such a ridiculous joke and bursting into tears... it really showed her tender age of seven.

"Hmm? But I don't know the way back. If I get it wrong, we might get lost and die as missing children. Won't someone guide me?"

Zhuge Xiang's ears perked up.

"Ah. This is troubling, so troubling. If someone could show me the way, I might grant them a wish."

Zhuge Xiang immediately took the bait.

"Uh, then, hic, I'll show you the way, so let's just pretend none of this happened... hic."

"Haaah. I suppose I have no choice. Just when I thought I'd get a pretty concubine and live happily ever after for a hundred years. Now I see this tiny little strategist wench knew this would happen and led me to an unfamiliar place. Truly a scheme worthy of the Zhuge name. I've been had."

"H-Hmph. You only realized that now...? Hic."

Zhuge Xiang said, her face bright red.

"Aigoo, you're so cute I could die. Ack."

Qing tried to pinch the child's chubby cheeks, plump with baby fat, but ended up letting out another short yelp from the unusual pain in her right arm. Giving up, she started walking forward.

Wait, my right arm isn't moving?

Is this really okay?

I have to participate in that Hidden Dragon Tournament or whatever.

The pain seemed to worsen as time passed, feeling far from ordinary.

Qing tried hard to ignore the chill running down her spine.

Well, there's a doctor here, so what does it matter?

And besides, one left hand should be enough.

There once was a clumsy adult who seriously messed up an arm just trying to tease a little kid.

"Alright. Let's go. Which way?"

"That way."

Meanwhile, after her tears subsided, Zhuge Xiang slyly started digging for personal information.

"Unni, how old are you?"

"Me? Twenty. I decided to be twenty."

This was an unreasonable stretch brought on by Ximen Surin's ambition.

How cool would it be if a disciple, merely twenty years of age, swept away the formidable hidden dragons to claim victory? It would also be a giant step forward for female martial artists.

If the world knew that the greatest talent in history was a woman, all martial artists would no longer be able to look down on women—part of Ximen Surin's plan for advancing women's rights.

The fact that Qing looked younger and younger due to continuous, legitimate cosmetic procedures also played a part in this decision.

She had the appearance that could pass for twenty if she insisted.

From Qing's perspective, well, isn't younger always better?

Could being young be upsetting?

That was something only those with low seniority would say.

"...? Then aren't you one year younger than Brother Hyeon? Why are you the older sister?"

"Ah, Zhuge-ie is only twenty-one? He looked big but was just a baby, huh? Originally, when I met your Orabeoni, I was about twenty-two? Around that age?"

"...? Unni, do you age backward?"

It was an adorable catastrophe born of innocence.

"Didn't that sound like a rather dangerous statement just now?"

"Ah! Sowwy."

"Alright. I'll let it slide because you're cute."

"But, then, if Unni uses internal energy too, aren't you super-duper strong?"

"Didn't I already tell you? This body is a master. Someone on the verge of the Transcendent Realm, a veteran of a hundred battles who has defeated countless Transcendent Realm masters through a combination of internal and external arts—ah, maybe not a veteran? A young general of a hundred battles? Hmm, young general sounds a bit off. Then a great general? Hmm, now I want some large intestines..."[^Intestines Pun: Qing's rambling goes from "Daejang" (대장 - Great General) to wanting "Daechang" (대창 - Large Intestines, a food item).]

Qing employed her specialty: 'Thinking everything that comes out of her mouth is coherent speech.'

At that, Zhuge Xiang burst into clear, bright laughter.

"Uh, then, can't Xiang-ie be the official wife instead of a concubine?"

"Ahem. Haven't you heard the saying that luck has no hair on the back of its head? Once it passes, it's too late to reach out."

"Hing..."

"Later, when you grow up and become really, really pretty, maybe enough to be one of the Five Great Beauties, like the Lightning Flower, the Cunning Flower, or the Vile Flower, then I'll accept you."

"...Aren't they usually the Wisdom Flower, Virtuous Flower, or Intelligent Flower?"

"What, I can use nice words too? That really nasty-looking girl next to me is the Poisonous Speaking Flower, you know?"

"Ah, right! But, then what about you, Unni? I've never heard of a Monstrous Strength Flower or a Xiang Yu Flower..."

As the two chatted and disappeared, a large shadow fell over the empty space they left behind.

The shadow stretched over the iron ball, which rested in an ambiguous state—neither fully embedded in the ground nor entirely free from it.

This was because some inconsiderate person had left without putting it away after use.

Perhaps for that reason, a huge hand carefully gripped the handle with both hands.

"Heup."

With a choked gasp, a modest indentation in the ground was revealed.

Since spring had arrived not long ago, the ground wasn't fully thawed, so even a two-hundred-fifty-jin iron ball falling only made this much of a mark.

The iron ball was lifted with effort and gently returned to its original place.

Returning to the Guest Hall, Qing presented her arm, and Tang Nanah scolded her for messing it up so nicely.

The ligaments were seriously damaged; what on earth had she been doing in the middle of the night?

According to Tang Nanah's explanation, the ligaments were so stretched that the parts holding them were already loose and had lost elasticity. Some parts were torn, so for the time being, she should avoid using her shoulder altogether and not even think about lifting her arm.

Only then did Qing regret her behavior towards Zhuge Xiang the previous night.

It truly was a stupid stunt.

"But why is it only like this up here? The lower part is fine."

"Is that strange?"

"Well, obviously, the upper arm with more muscle should hold things more firmly and be stronger, right? The muscles in the forearm are mostly just for bending the elbow and rotating the wrist; they're ridiculously weak."

Of course, it was thanks to the White Hand Demonic Art.

The White Hand Demonic Art protected the area below the elbow like diamond invulnerability, faithfully safeguarding its foolish owner even during the pathetic display of strength in the dead of night.

"Let's put some needles in first. It would be good if we had ice. This is the Zhuge Clan; surely they have ice, right?"

"It's fine. I can use Ice Arts."

"Huh? Ice Arts? How?"

"Just... well?"

"Perfect. Can you freeze this for me? Not completely solid, though."

Tang Nanah poured water onto a towel until it was damp and handed it to Qing.

Drawing up her True Qi as she usually did to cool her Dragon Well tea, frost quickly formed on the towel, and it began to freeze.

"Ah. Stop. That's enough."

Tang Nanah rubbed the towel to break up the ice crystals, wrapped it in another dry towel, and then tied it around Qing's shoulder.

"Tell me when the towel feels limp. I'll have to undo it, freeze it again, and re-tie it."

"Can't I just freeze it like this?"

"With the ice directly on your skin? You'll get frostbite."

"Ooh, spoken like a true physician. You sound cool at times like these. But didn't you say you'd put in needles? Can you still do it with this wrapped up?"

"Ah. Right."

Tang Nanah hastily unwrapped the towel.

Qing's eyes narrowed.

Perhaps she should retract that 'cool' comment after all.