Chapter 16: Set Course North-westward

Poor kids grow up fast. 

Sick kids too. 

And Jin Jangmyeong was sick and poor. 

She wasn't even poor from the start. 

When she recovered from the fever that made her collapse, the decorations in the house disappeared, and the number of servants decreased. 

That's how the mansion with a yard narrowed down to a damp room with a creaky door. 

Her father, who went to find medicine, never returned. 

Only the medicine came back instead. 

It should have been the other way around. 

Her mother couldn't even grieve properly. 

At night, pretending to be asleep because she couldn't sleep, Jangmyeong heard her mother's stifled sobs, afraid that she might hear. 

Not long after, she left home. 

It was all her fault. 

That's why Jin Jangmyeong had to be a spoiled brat. 

She had to be a naive child. 

She knew that growing up too fast at a young age, acting like an adult, would only hurt her mother. 

And then she saw that woman. 

A woman with expensive food in front of her, a happy face, and a stupid grin. 

Something black boiled up in Jin Jangmyeong's heart. 

Then she got a bite to eat. 

Falling for the provocation, she ended up eating until she was full. 

The food was delicious, though. 

But when her mother expressed her humble gratitude, she couldn't stand it. 

Because it shouldn't be that way. 

It was just a favor bestowed by a fool who was just happy with the world. 

A cheap favor that was infinitely light. 

It was inside a slowly rolling carriage. 

Carriages are things that originally roll slowly. 

If you speed up a little, it's no longer a means of transportation, but a torture device that fucks up the rider's ass. 

Inside, A-Qing was going through a great ordeal. 

"Mother, is this really okay?"

"She's a bit of a spoiled brat... Myeong-ah, you're making the master uncomfortable."

"...I'm comfortable here."

Ride comfort is ultimately a matter of how scientific the cushioning is. 

The carriage's shock absorption tended to depend entirely on the materials. 

That meant the elasticity of the wood was all there was. 

For that reason, Jin Jangmyeong's words weren't wrong. 

A-Qing's thigh, with its muscles and flesh, was much more comfortable to ride on than a mere cotton-filled cotton cloth. 

Besides, it was good to lean her back on. 

After last night's attack, Jin Jangmyeong's attitude changed. 

She stuck to her like glue. 

Instead, A-Qing became uncomfortable. 

She could easily hold a ten-year-old kid in her arms, stroke her hair, and dote on her. 

But what if she's a sixteen-year-old middle school girl who's just small and petite? 

Just having her on her lap was enough to risk social death. 

And her mother was right across from her! 

So A-Qing couldn't help but freeze up. 

But at sixteen, isn't it a bit old to be sitting on someone's lap and acting spoiled? 

Or is it? Is this how girls show affection? 

In fact, Jin Jangmyeong was enjoying the reaction with the sensitivity of a sick child. 

Because for some reason, she noticed that A-Qing was quite uncomfortable with the contact. 

Jin Jangmyeong went a step further. 

She grabbed A-Qing's left and right hands and placed them on her thighs, folding them together. 

A-Qing stiffened. 

This is really going to be a mess. 

To others, she might look like a young woman holding her niece, but to A-Qing, it wasn't like that. 

The saying that a person's inner self is important ultimately means that the way each individual sees the world is important. 

A-Qing hid A-Qing's Law. 

Is this a green light? No.  

Uh. But look, A-Qing. A-Qing's Law. 

All the modern memes that she would recite when she was in trouble or anxious didn't come to mind this time either. 

You, who were in the throes of puberty just yesterday. 

When did you and I become us? 

A-Qing was somehow trying to swallow her nonsense. 

"Master."

A-Qing was startled by the displeased voice. 

She saw Yang Sowol's stiff face. 

"I'm innocent! As you saw, this wasn't my intention,"

"I think we chose the wrong coachman."

Fortunately, it wasn't an accusation of child molestation. 

But why the coachman again? 

Oh. The coachman is driving the carriage terribly. 

It felt like it was one with the ground. 

She was feeling every grain of sand on the road with her butt. 

In the past, she had gone on a drive with a friend to celebrate his first car. 

She got motion sickness in less than thirty minutes. 

That's how much the driver affects the ride. 

"The carriage is slowing down."

Yang Sowol picked up her sword. 

A-Qing was surprised. 

Even if the coachman was driving the carriage with his feet, I think it's a bit too much to attack him with a sword. 

Or is this common sense in Murim? 

Maybe in Murim, there's a custom of beheading coachmen who can't drive carriages. 

What a harsh industry. 

Then where do newbie coachmen gain experience? 

While A-Qing was still wondering, Yang Sowol yelled. 

"Now!"

There was no time to stop her. 

Yang Sowol powerfully kicked the door open with her foot and jumped out. 

She probably didn't mean to just watch, so she must have meant to follow her. 

A-Qing also jumped out, carrying Jin Jangmyeong. 

"Damn it! They noticed!"

"Attack! As long as the kid is safe!"

An unexpected crowd of welcomers rushed in. 

A-Qing finally grasped the situation. 

These bastards still haven't given up. 

A-Qing's hand fumbled inside her pocket and then shot out. 

One of the charging enemies grabbed his eye and fell to his knees, screaming. 

Aaaagh! It was a scream that seemed to tear his throat apart. 

But anyone would scream like that if a chopstick pierced their eyelid and got stuck in their eye. 

After last night's attack, A-Qing did a lot of self-reflection. 

She had become too complacent after gaining confidence as a master. 

If she had just a little less internal energy, she wouldn't be breathing so comfortably now. 

So she used up some of her saved-up free training points. 

She had about thirty martial arts with white borders, and she raised the two internal energy cultivation techniques among them to 10 stars. 

As expected of the lowest-grade martial arts, there was no 12-star Grand Completion realm, so she couldn't get the Grand Completion special ability, but there was still an overall increase of about 20%. 

And she raised one hidden weapon technique to 10 stars. 

Three Birds One Chopstick. 

It was a throwing technique that used chopsticks, and as it was a hidden weapon technique that could be easily obtained, it was difficult to expect much power from it. 

However, the Western master, Mr. John Wick, had raised his reputation by annihilating an entire branch of the Russian mafia with just a pencil. 

Even a third-rate hidden weapon technique is different when used by a master. 

Three Birds One Chopstick was a hidden weapon technique that used easily obtainable sticks, so its power was inherently low. 

Therefore, its essence lay in diversion. 

Hidden weapons flew towards their eyes. 

One guy was already kneeling down, having lost an eye. 

The attackers were prepared for it. They raised their arms in defense, ready to strike at any moment. 

Then, a low straight line dug in between their legs. 

The second victim couldn't even scream. 

Instead, he clutched his lower body and foamed at the mouth. 

A vicious attack that cuts off the family line. 

The attackers felt a bone-chilling fear. 

"Such viciousness!"

"Witch, witch! There's a witch here!"

Actually, A-Qing also felt a little sorry. 

But in a life-or-death situation, would she be picky about her means? 

She had neutralized two people with just chopsticks, so it was worth investing the training points. 

A-Qing drew her sword. A sharp sword aura soared. 

"A Peak Master!"

"Fuck, you didn't say she was a Peak Master!"

The bastards faltered. 

A-Qing tried to jump out, but only managed to take a step forward. 

The startled enemies quickly retreated. 

A-Qing was conflicted. 

Can I really shed blood with her by my side? 

She had learned the Luggage Combat Technique in practice last night. 

It didn't look like there were any masters here, so there shouldn't be a problem, but... 

What if it leaves a big scar on her delicate, sensitive heart? 

Just then, Yang Sowol flew in at the perfect moment. 

"Master, Myeong-i!"

"I knew I could count on you!"

A-Qing shouted excitedly. Quickly she handed over Jangmyeong.

Her hands were free. They're all dead. 

Two of the bandits who had followed Yang Sowol were split in half horizontally with a single sword strike. 

Their upper bodies separated, and their contents spilled out with a splat. 

The enemies on Yang Sowol's side quickly moved away. 

It was then. 

"Stop!"

A man with a rat-like face came out, trying to look important. 

A-Qing recognized his face. 

"You! Yesterday!"

He was the one who threw the flying dagger and ran away yesterday. 

Thanks to him, A-Qing had a forced Guan Yu experience. 

The luster in A-Qing's eyes disappeared. 

I said I would definitely kill that bastard. 

Even in the face of murderous intent, the rat-faced man was somehow full of confidence. 

And he raised his arm high for show. 

It was the hand holding something black, big, and round. 

"Stop! Don't you see this? If you don't want to die together, put down that kid right now-"

But A-Qing's eyes were already bloodshot. 

Of course, she didn't see it. 

Diiieeeeng-! The sound of the Buddha's Palm. 

The rat-faced man's wrist disappeared. 

And the black, big, round thing flew far away, pushed by experience-

The sound became a shockwave that shook the forest. 

Trees swayed, dry leaves flew, and grass was flattened. Birds all flew up at once. 

A subtle earthquake that crept up through the soles of her feet. 

A Thunder bomb. 

It was the secret weapon of the government and the worst nightmare of Murim. 

The only countermeasure was Protective Qi Armour. 

Even a Peak Master would be caught in the explosion and not even a corpse would be found. 

But A-Qing didn't know anything about that. 

A-Qing was already clutching the rat-faced man's neck. 

"You fucker. I told you I'd kill you."

"Gasp, I, didn't, hear you say, that."

"I did. In my heart. Fervently."

"That's non..."

When you press down on the carotid artery, there's no difference between an amateur and a master. 

The rat-faced man lost consciousness and went limp. 

I can't kill this bastard easily. 

Now, how should I kill him to make it a good story? 

But first... 

A-Qing's head snapped back. 

Her bright smile and dead eyes turned towards the attackers.