Chapter 40: To be honest, you have to understand this

There were certain activities that Qing enjoyed.

Killing, crushing, torturing, executing. Getting drenched in blood.

Doing it herself was good, but just watching was also enjoyable.

These things all happened during fights.

However, she didn't like fighting itself.

A fight where she couldn't enjoy her hobbies was just labor.

Annoying, tiring, and difficult.

This was the reason why Qing wasn't in a good mood when she was dealing with the Demonic Cannibal.

Not to mention a spar? A freakin' spar?

Why would you do that when there's a good life-or-death fight?

There has to be some flesh-cutting and bone-seeing fun to make it worth the effort.

Besides, Qing had never sparred before she became Ximen Surin's disciple.

After becoming her disciple, she only rolled around in Ximen Surin's harsh punishments disguised as sparring.

She was sick of sparring.

On top of that, Qing was in a very bad mood.

Moreover, the young man wasn't an old man like Nugok.

There was no reason to respect him.

He wasn't a villain, so she couldn't have any fun, but there was no reason to hide her bad mood.

"What the hell, dude? Fuck off."

The young man's expression turned stupid.

Because it was the kind of verbal abuse he only heard from his close friends.

"A-Are you talking to me?"

“What, you see someone else around?”

"How can you be so abusive to someone you just met?"

“Oh, but challenging someone to a fight on first meeting is totally polite? Do I look that easy to you? Is it because I’m just some bitch wandering alone?”

As soon as she said that, she suddenly felt a surge of bitterness.

Does anyone think I wanted to end up like this?

She opened her mouth without realizing it.

“Oh, so a well-dressed young master like yourself can just casually challenge strangers to duels, no problem? Because I’m some nameless woman with no connections, that means you can just charge at me without hesitation?”

Qing fired off a volley of words.

A very sudden escalation.

The young man was certainly rude.

But his timing was terrible.

Qing's frustration had already reached the brim—it was just waiting to spill over.

And then this idiot came along and shook it.

“Miss, I think there’s a misunderstanding. I truly didn’t mean it that way.”

Then Qing suddenly straightened her posture.

Her back straightened, her hands folded neatly, and her expression softened into a gentle, serene smile—just the slightest hint of a frown adding an air of delicate melancholy.

When she spoke, her voice—normally casual and sharp—now carried a graceful elegance, a touch of coy gentleness, her tone melodious and beautiful.

“Oh, noble sir, I am grateful for your kind offer. But like the wildflowers in the mountains, I exist only to be admired from afar. Would you truly wish to pluck me, only to watch me wither?”

Cheong wasn’t incapable of acting feminine.

She just chose not to.

The Legendary Noogie was a revolutionary step forward for education in the Central Plains.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant—”

"Ah, truly, I have endured every indignity imaginable. Is it such a grave sin for a weary soul to simply drink herself to sleep? And yet, dogs and cattle alike must dance and prance before me, demanding my attention"

He had a long-standing habit of challenging any interesting swordsman he came across.

While staying at the Taepyeong Sword Sect for a while, he came to see an unknown female master.

Then, he saw the sword leaning against the table and couldn't help but blurt out a request for a spar.

It had nothing to do with her being a woman.

But there was some truth to Qing's words.

The request for a spar from the precious young master of a powerful family had never been a problem before.

Who in the world would dare to refuse the request for a spar from the Namgung Family's successor?

“…Miss? Perhaps you should calm down a little.”

Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down right now?!

Qing started her second eruption.

“Aghhh! You’d understand if you experienced it yourself! You wanna try menstruation for a month?! Maybe if you bled uncontrollably at random times, you wouldn’t be telling me to calm down!”

"Uh–"

Namgung Shinjae was completely flustered and bewildered.

"Do you think it would feel good if you were constantly leaking down there too, you bastard! My arms and legs feel like they're carrying iron weights, and my chest is already heavy as hell, but noooow it’s all bloated and sore, so I can’t even sleep! And all I wanna do is get drunk and pass out, but nooo, you think now is the time to spar?!"

Qing, who had vented her frustration, jumped up from her seat.

She picked up her luggage and put it on her back, and put the sword that was leaning against the table on her waist.

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she also scooped up five long swords—her spoils of war from the Taepyung Sword Sect—and hugged them to her chest.

The highest-ranking member of the Taepyeong Sword Sect, the One-Eyed Swordsman, Jak Song-moon, who was watching the situation, was flustered.

Why is she taking our sword?

Their sect’s symbol was engraved on them—there was no way they could just let an outsider walk off with them!

Jak Song-moon hurriedly reached out his hand.

“Miss? Wait, where are you going? We still need to talk—”

"I'm going to take a piss! Why?!"

Instant regret.

Jak Song-moon immediately regretted reaching out.

Filled with something she didn't know whether it was anger or sadness, Qing just stayed in her room.

It was probably closer to sadness.

She was sad about what she had lost, and her situation was miserable.

So she forced herself to sleep with her uncomfortable body.

She kept repeating the process of falling asleep and waking up.

Her confused mind couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality, if she was really awake or not.

Her head hurt from sleeping too much.

But she was too lethargic to get up.

She was just lying there breathing.

But even breathing wasn't easy.

Did the sun rise and set, rise and set, repeatedly?

At some point, she opened her eyes.

The sun was already high in the sky.

Her body was refreshed.

To be precise, only her body was refreshed.

Memories returned and attacked Qing.

Some called that karma.

"Oh, shit..."

Qing covered her face with her hands.

God. So embarrassing. Fuck.

She always got irritable and sensitive around this time of the month.

But she had never acted so shamefully.

She turned her gaze to the corner of the room.

Six swords were leaning against each other, neatly lined up.

It was the Moonlight Sword (No. 8) and five other loot swords.

Am I insane?

Why the hell did I take those with me?

Among Ximen Surin's teachings, there was one that said not to take matching weapons from those belonging to a sect.

If you took weapons that were custom-made by a sect, they would definitely come back for them later.

It was only natural.

It was a matter of face.

From the perspective of a modern Korean, you might think, "What's the big deal about losing face?", but in the Central Plains, face was a big deal.

Face wasn’t just about dignity—it had real consequences.

And there were practical problems too.

If you killed someone on the street and stuck a weapon in them, it was very easy to frame them. Even if they proved their innocence, they’d still be held responsible to some extent.

There were a dozen other strategic reasons as well.

So don't take weapons with sect marks on them.

When Surin had once asked how she’d even survived this long without knowing that, she had freaked out and given her this lesson.

At least sell the junk loot properly…

Qing put aside her memories.

She sat still and thought about what had happened yesterday.

Honestly, it had turned into a bit of a tantrum..

But, honestly, it was justified.

If they experienced it once, they wouldn't be able to say anything, really. This was hell. Real, fucking hell.

Qing finished her mental resolve and left the room.

First, she was going to fill her empty stomach.

So she headed to the first floor.

And she met the person who was waiting for her.

"Ah. Miss. Are you feeling better?"

"...Yes."

Qing stayed in her room for three more days after that.

During that time, rumors spread throughout the inn.

They said that the Little Sword King, Namgung Shinjae had challenged a menstruating woman to a duel and completely humiliated her.

Even if he was desperate for an opponent, how could he do that to a woman in that state?

Rumors tend to grow. Of course, rumors always gained extra details as they spread.

They said that Namgung Shinjae had done it intentionally to humiliate the woman, and that the woman had run away crying.

Since it was close to Hefei and it was an internal matter of Anhui Province, the development of the rumors stopped there.

If you were caught badmouthing the Namgung Family in Anhui Province, you could get your head chopped off even under the midday sun.

Anyway, Namgung Shinjae had to take responsibility for this rumor and apologize.

Honestly, Namgung Shinjae felt a little wronged.

If he had known, he wouldn't have asked for a spar.

But it was also the kind of question you should never ask a woman.

In the end, the man had to look at the woman and figure it out, but how could he know that at first glance?

However, he thought he was wrong to ask for a spar without even introducing himself, so he asked Elder Nugok of the Beggars’ Sect, who happened to be there, for a favor.

Nugok was able to find out which inn the unknown girl was staying at using the Beggars' Union's information network.

The still unknown girl.

Even Nugok had failed to ask her name, only gathering vague details about her background.

It was a complete mess.

"Miss, I sincerely apologize for what happened. If I had known your condition, I would never have been so rude."

“...Fine. Let’s just forget about it.”

Qing, who felt slightly guilty, nodded her head.

“Then allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Namgung Shinjae, of the Namgung Clan of Hefei, home of the Greatest Sword Under Heaven.”

"Ohhh."

The Greatest Sword Under Heaven? Now that was something.

Then she noticed Namgung Shinjae’s slightly confused expression.

And quickly followed up.

"I'm Ximen Qing."

Qing said shortly, having nothing else to say.

It was awkward because of the scene she caused yesterday.

But Namgung Shinjae acted friendly instead.

"I heard from Elder Nogal that you're in the late stage of Peak Realm."

Nogal kept secrets thoroughly, but Qing had never said it was a secret when she revealed her level.

Of course, Nogal wasn't playing tricks.

It was because he understood that Qing was boasting about her level, not hiding it.

"So what?"

"I'm ashamed to say that I'm still in the early stage. So..."

Namgung Shinjae continued with sparkling eyes.

"Miss, let's spar. No, this Namgung begs you. Please."

Qing looked at Namgung Shinjae with half-opened eyes.

You have got to be kidding me.

This bastard. Again?