Book 18 Chapter 17

Overwhelm (壓倒)

-Triadic

Was it the virtue of giving women priority? Or was it because she was so much more aggressive than he was? It was Liu Lan who attacked first. Perhaps it was her pride that drove her to rush forward to cross swords with a male archer, single-handedly, without asking for Liu Yunfei's help. She was confident in her abilities, confident that she could defeat anyone her age. The fact that she was born three years earlier was no proof that she was stronger. She wanted to prove herself, and the Namgung Sang was the best way to do it. A cold sword light flashed from the tip of her sword as she swung it without hesitation.

"Fast!"

Liu Yunfei marveled at Yulan's swift sword.

The movements were steady and practiced, like those of a master. The depth of his training was evident in the smoothness of his blade. Furthermore, the blade was as thin as a human hair, as one would expect from a fanatical sword enthusiast. But that was only Liu Yunfei's own interpretation and assessment. To the eyes of the South Palace Master, it was a little different; he could see the trajectory of Yulan's admired sword like the back of his hand; he could see where it would start, where it would pass, and where it would change. Her sword was, for better or worse, too honest, too stuck in a rut. Before he had time to savor the remarkable transformation of seeing what had once been invisible, he took a half-step backward.

Shhhhhhh!

The trajectory of the sharp sword skimmed exactly an inch from his body. It was a futile stab.

"Ouch!"

Yulan panicked. Then she berated herself. She chastised herself for momentarily ignoring the simple truth that the bigger the attack, the bigger the hole it leaves when it fails. She had expected the Namgung Sang to attack her big, big hole. But he didn't; instead, he stood back, deep in thought. It had happened so quickly that he hadn't even realized it, and now that he had a moment to think about it, he felt uncomfortable with his actions.

'What? What was that? And why is that kid so clumsy? If he was Ami's disciple, he wouldn't be this clumsy. Was Ami's sword this slow?

You see your opponent's attack as clearly as if you were looking down at your palm, and you find yourself instinctively moving your body ever so slightly out of its expected path. Your body moved before your mind did. He had made the smallest, most effective evasion before he was fully aware of the situation.

'Is this what Ichonganpa(一寸看破)……. Are you saying this is the result of hell training?'

He could feel himself getting chilled to the bone as the nightmarish events of the past few days raced furiously through his mind that he never wanted to relive.

Even then, the sun was shining bright and warm in this cloudless blue sky.

* * *

Thud! Thud!

"That's why……."

Bi Ryuyeon spoke quietly.

"You have to fight economically."

"Affordable?"

Ding!

"Yeah, economics. It's simple, isn't it? It's actually very simple and obvious, but everybody forgets about it, so you're out."

Rattle, rattle, rattle!

"But… isn't martial arts a business?"

What kind of economy is this anyway?

"What is economic?"

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

Bi Ryuyeon asked.

"Isn't that a lot of money?"

Bam!

"Ouch!"

I can't help but scream.

"Being economical means no waste, and in that sense you're too wasteful, not just you, but all the other guys."

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

Bi Ryuyeon said as she circled around the South Palace statue.

"Do you know why there's so much waste?"

"Why?"

"That's because you don't think, especially when you're fighting kids weaker than you, don't you?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked in a high-pressure tone, her face close to mine.

"Well, yeah."

Bam!

Turning his head to avoid Bi Ryuyeon's pressure, Nangong Shang admitted in a low voice.

Bi Ryuyeon straightened up again.

"But that's not how you improve. You can't fight someone weaker than you without thinking about it. Of course, if you fight a master, your progress will be different, but there aren't many opportunities to fight a 'proper' master, so in that sense, you're lucky, because Mr. Red is a pretty good one."

"I'm not throwing up in there, but… that doesn't sound right, does it?"

Thinking of the way Yan Dao vomited up his spirits at every regular training session to roast his troops, Namgung Sang cautiously voiced his opinion, but it was quickly dismissed by Bi Ryuyeon, who simply ignored him and kept his back to him as he continued to speak.

"It's natural to beat someone weaker than you. It's weird not to. If you lose to someone with less experience and skill than you, it's proof that you're terribly incompetent. You win, you lose, you're screwed."

"So what should I do?"

Namgungsang looked up and asked. He could feel the skin on his neck tighten.

"You have to create your own constraints."

Bi Ryuyeon said, turning in a half circle.

"Constraints?"

The word had an ominous ring to it.

"If you can't compete with the weakest, you play against the strongest."

"The strongest opponent? Who is it? Where is it?"

"It's close, it's right there, it's in your face, you just have to close your eyes. Try closing your eyes. Can you see it?"

"I don't see it."

"Look closely. If you look closely enough there, you'll see one of those wimpy, indecisive, weaklings, do you see?"

"That… I don't know who it is, but it sounds familiar somehow."

"Of course, you've always seen it. You've seen it in the morning, or before you go to sleep, in the mirror. Why, you could have written a poem about how when I'm lonely or sad, I talk to myself in the mirror, or something like that. You've probably experienced it."

At that, Namgungsang shuddered.

"That… how do you do that……."

"Huh? Did you really do that? I was just kidding, ho-ho, you mean you really did? Hmmm."

Namgungsang desperately felt the need to change the subject.

"Aha! Now I remember. Hmm… but I don't remember him being all that indecisive and weak, I think he was kind of handsome, and I think he was surprisingly trustworthy."

"It's an illusion, your memory is wrong, tsk tsk, now you have dementia?"

"Oh… no, that's not true, so the greatest enemy you're talking about is……."

"Yes, it's you, and you are your own worst enemy, the hardest to defeat!"

Bi Ryuyeon said, poking Nam Gung Sang in the chest.

"He's a pretty good player. That's why he wins without even fighting, because he gives up before he even fights. If you don't beat him, you don't even get a chance to fight. So how strong are you, or are you not?"

Namgungsang had nothing to say in response.

"So don't give up before you even start. It's no fun. It's not fun to teach. I constantly tell myself that I can be a financial warrior."

"So if I just get that confirmation, I'm guaranteed to be an economic fixture?"

"No, it doesn't, and it's all for naught if it's not followed by action, because in this world, you never know what's going to happen in the meantime, but it does increase the odds of that happening by leaps and bounds. Always remember, always remember, and always act! Constantly calculate how many moves you can make to overpower your opponent. Fewer moves are not only a tremendously efficient use of stamina and internal energy, but they also have another great advantage."

"What is that?"

Ding!

"Speed!"

Bi Ryuyeon replied in a short, clear voice.

"By dodging with small movements, I can travel a shorter distance and keep my opponent in range. If you're swinging at the same speed, the one who travels the shorter distance wins, because it's all about who touches their sword to their body first."

Bi Ryuyeon continued to speak as she circled around the unmoving Namgung statue.

"That's why you need to reduce waste. You have to reduce your body's waste so that you can do the most with the least. If you don't, you won't be a true master, which is a title reserved for those who can do the most with the least, even though nowadays every dog and cow wears a master sign."

His tongue seems to be indefatigable, even if he spits out a thousand words of sour grapes.

"You'll never get there unless you have two things: an eye to see what your opponent is thinking, and the physical strength to bring your imagination to life so that you can follow through on that judgment you've made. And that's the kind of man you're trying to outrun."

Boom!

"In that sense, Mr. Yeomdo is very wasteful. He just tries to get rid of everything."

Thud! Thud!

"But I… I have one question."

"What is it?"

"Because I'm dying to know what that has to do with me looking like this?"

Namgungsang frowned and looked at his current situation. He still didn't like it.

Even if I wanted to examine his entire body, it would be difficult because his limbs were bound. His arms and legs were securely fastened to a large cross. The iron cuffs and shackles made a rattling sound whenever he struggled. He had been chained here for nearly a day, forced to listen to Bi Ryuyeon's long sermon.

"It matters, a lot. It's the first step to becoming an economical master."

At that moment, the smile on Bi Ryuyeon's lips turned into a devilish laugh in Nangong Shang's eyes.

"Does this have something to do with water lilies?"

"Of course not. Why would I ask you to do something that has nothing to do with your training? Do you think I'm just bored and made it up to spite you?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation.

"Ho-ho, yeah, that's what you thought? I'll make a note of that."

Namgung Sang's face paled as if the blood had been drained from his veins.

"First of all, you need to develop your eyesight in order to master Ilchon Ganpa. However, when you were in Amishan, you learned the basics of the secret bead necklace, so you can think of this as a higher level of cultivation. Simple, right?"

While listening to Bi Ryuyeon's explanation, Namgung Sang suddenly had a strange thought.

"Huh? Wait a minute, you weren't at the training camp then, were you?"

Oh, yeah, I did, I just forgot about it for a second, it was Byulyeon.

"No, I'm just saying that's what Mr. Nosa taught me."

"……?"

When Namgungsang looked puzzled, as if he still had questions, Bi Ryuyeon clapped her hands twice briefly to clear the air.

Bam!

"Come on, don't get distracted by such trivialities. Now is the time to focus, because if you don't, you could die."

As she spoke, she held in her right hand a bido, which reflected the sunlight and emitted a sharp light.

Boom!

The smile on Bi Ryuyeon's face was eerie, as if she was biting down on a blade.

"Well, what are you going to do with it?"

"Well?"

You should always stay positive. A positive mindset is always a great source of strength. However, Namgungsang had a very negative and ominous imagination.

"Big brother, Seo, you're not going to throw it at me or anything, I'm defenseless as you can see."

"No. Are you going to?"

Without any hesitation, she handed down the sentence.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Anyone with a shred of common sense knows that you don't throw things like that around people-especially people who are tied down.

Bam!

Thunder rumbled beneath the South King's right ear. The tremors of the cross ran through his body.

"How long?

I didn't even see him throw it, and it was lodged in the base of his right ear with a loud crack. Of course, he didn't even see it fly.

Sah-la-la-la!

A few strands of hair, cut off by the vido, fluttered in the wind.

"Look, did you see that?"

"No."

"When did you throw it?"

"I only saw what I was holding."

"Did the arm even move?"

"Nope. I couldn't even feel my muscles moving, let alone my arm."

A murmur erupted among the cast members who watched with bated breath. Perhaps the most surprised of all was Qin Lie. But since the Southern Palace Master had chosen to train with his own words, she had no choice but to watch with bated breath.

"This is just a taste, you shouldn't be surprised by this. Well, it's your first time, so I'll be a little more gentle with you."

Rattle, rattle, rattle!

"You're throwing that again?"

Before she knew it, she had another saber in her hand.

"Don't worry, it's just the first step, I'm not going to throw you under the bus. Well, personally, I'd love to jump through all the boring steps and do that, but wouldn't it be awkward if you died, and it's hard to dispose of the body, and that's awkward."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. No, what scared me more was that it could turn serious at any moment.

"Then where?"

"Let's just do both ears for now, consider it a practice run."

At that moment, the ears on both sides of Namgung Sang's head twitched.

"First, I'm going to throw this 'cutie' towards your right or left ear. Then you look at it and dodge to the left if it's your right ear and to the right if it's your left ear, easy?"

"Easy?"

His godbrother must have been inclined toward the life-disregarding school of thought, Nan Gongsang thought.

"But… I can't move much in this condition, maybe an inch, and that's just my head."

All the others were tied up, and whoever had touched the metal had done a foolishly good job with the shackles. It was impossible to move. There was not enough strength to break the bindings.

"We've been talking about living frugally. Waste less, so stay within a village. For now, just throw one lightly, but as you get better, we'll increase the number."

"Lies."

Nan Gongsang could feel his mind slipping away. His state of mind was on the verge of failing under the weight of such a great trial.

"Stay focused. Don't get distracted. Don't let fear eat you. No frustration under me."

"Even if you say so……."

"You're thinking negatively, 'Who wouldn't think that in this situation anyway!"

"Boom!"

It was correct, on point, authentic, and on target.

"But it's there, it's definitely there, so you can do it, so do it."

The request was simple.

"That's why you're being a dick, you dick!"

Bi Ryuyeon scolded.

"Don't lose yourself. Bring your mind together. Focus. The moment you lose yourself, you cease to exist. So focus. Bring all your senses to bear. And let go of hesitation. Let go of negativity. You can do it. You will do it. Gather the fragments of your thoughts into a single decision, and open your true eyes that have been closed, and look straight ahead."

Boom!

Once again, the bido flew out of her hand.

* * *

"It's a miracle you're still alive after what they did to you.

Fortunately, both of his ears were intact. He didn't need to add any new adornments to his brow. But the training was just the beginning. It was a "baby step," as Bi Ryuyeon put it. Later, he would be released from the bindings of the cross, but he would still have to train to enter a small space with blades all around him and then dodge attacks with minimal movement. He was not allowed to move more than an inch. No, that was impossible. If he moved more than an inch, the blades would not forgive him. The purpose of the training was to minimize the movement of his entire body to avoid attacks aimed at him. The difference between life and death was literally a piece of paper, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down. You had to use all five of your senses, as well as your sixth sense, to dodge everything that came at you in order to survive.

The test to determine the completion of his final training was even more difficult and terrifying. In a space where he could only move his entire body one inch, he had to dodge seven consecutive swords. For example, if he dodged one flying toward his right ear, he would have to move slightly to avoid the second one, which would be there in just the right amount of time. Even if you dodge that, a third dart is aimed at the left carotid artery in your neck, and then another, and another. And so on, seven attacks in a row, and you have to dodge them with the most effective and efficient movements.

The fact that he was still alive after everything he had been through made him think once again about the tenacity of human life. A being's struggle to stay alive was both harrowing and marvelous. Compared to that hellish training, Yulan's sword techniques were child's play.

"Eight!"

Once again, Yulan's sword flew, aiming for the center of the Southern Palace. It was the standard attack of a disciple of a prestigious sect.

What she was performing now was one of the Ami Sect's famous sword techniques, the Softening Sword Technique. Although it was less recognized than the Volcanic Sect's Plum Blossom Sword Technique, it was not inferior in quality. In fact, depending on the level and depth of training, it could even surpass the Plum Blossom Sword, but from the perspective of the Southern Palace Master, it was something he had already experienced to the point of boredom against the Qin Clan. In order to prepare for the meeting with the Ami Goddess, it was necessary for him to inculcate the flow of the Amifa Sword Technique into his body, and there was no one better suited for the task than Qin Lie. Unless Yulan's cultivation was even better than Qin Lie's, but that wasn't the case, so there was no problem for the Southern Palace Master to dodge this technique with ease.

"I don't think the transition from the second to the third action is quite smooth yet, and you'll need to smooth it out a bit more to get it to pick up speed."

He's a prying eye, and now he's giving advice.

"Don't look down on me!"

"I'm not judging, I'm giving advice."

Namgungsang protested in frustration. Several more attacks followed, but Namgungsang still managed to dodge them, his sword still unsheathed in its scabbard.

"Why don't you just give up now?"

Namgungsang asked.

"Oh, not yet!"

Yulan replied in a firm voice. As her mind raced, the girl's sword became faster and faster. But it was less precise.

"Control your mind. The tip of your sword is disheveled."

Such a sword could not be deadly at all. He was surprised to find himself using something he'd been told to use against Bi Ryuyeon, and now he was using it against someone else. He felt a sense of power.

"With a sword like this, you can't beat me or any of the entrance examiners."

As Yulan struggled, so did Liu Yunfei. Yulan's pride was bruised, but he could no longer stand idly by. She couldn't turn a blind eye to the opportunity to gain an advantage in the entrance exam.

Liu Yunfei calmed his nerves and waited for his chance, drawing his sword just as the back of the Southern Archer's head turned toward him. The stab was as quick as an arrow.

Liu Yunfei's stab was quick and precise for a disciple of Zhu Chang, so his sword seemed to pierce the Namgung Sang's skull as it was. However,

Thrash!

When Yu Yunfei's sword reached the ground, the Southern Palace's Xin Shuang moved to the left as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

"Uh-oh……!"

Liu Yunfei's mouth spat out his panic. Namgung Sang had dodged Liu Yunfei's swift stabs by exactly one inch.

It is said that the sword of Zhu Chang begins with a stab and ends with a thrust. As its name suggests, it shoots out [射] the sun, so it is a sword art that focuses on the thrust. This is why the swords used are thinner and more pointed than those of other schools. Slashing is not absent, but it is merely a stepping stone to thrusting, which is why a clairvoyant swordsman stakes his life on thrusting. However, because the thrust is fast and powerful, it is difficult to reverse the stance if it fails. A thrust that expects to be returned loses its momentum, so when Liu Yunfei's confident thrust was so easily shattered, he was devastated. His ordeal didn't end there, though. In the direction of the failed thrust was the figure of Liu Lan. Liu Yunfei panicked, and so did Yulan.

It was a missed stab, but it was still powerful. The slight decrease in power didn't mean it was any less lethal, so Liu Lan had to give up on attacking the palace and focus on blocking Liu Yunfei's sword as it flew toward his uvula.

There are two ways to stop a sting. You can either parry or block. Unlike a slash, a stab can't be deflected if you stay still, but he was too unstable to deflect. He had been so focused on pushing Namgungsang that his posture had become unstable. There was only one course of action left. Liu Lan quickly turned his waist and blocked Liu Yunfei's stab.

Other!

However, as it had been prepared as a conversion strike, the power behind this attack was very powerful. What she hadn't expected was that her own hand, which had parried the stab, would bounce back. She hadn't expected to experience it in this way today, when she had heard that the stabbing of the Jiaqiang was ignorant, but now she understood why the Jiaqiang people were called 'a cart that never stops' and 'a rushing fool who forgot how to turn around'.

With the slightest reversal of power and the slightest change of direction, Yu Yunfei's sword flew toward Yulan's shoulder blade. The problem here was that even Yu Yunfei couldn't control his thrust.

In a desperate situation where a wrong move could leave him unable to hold a sword for the rest of his life, Nangong Shang's sword was drawn from its scabbard. With a swift stroke that had no shame in the star sign of the Thunderbolt Sword Dragon, he parried the young man's thrust as it flew toward the girl's shoulder.

Land!

With a crisp blackness, the stab grazed Yulan's shoulder. Both of their stances collapsed. Nan Gongsang quickly turned around behind Yu Yunfei and pushed him lightly on the back.

"Uh-uh-uh……!"

"Gah!"

A panicked voice, a short scream, and Liu Lan and Liu Yunfei's bodies tangled together. Despite a few struggles, they finally collapsed into a passionate embrace.

Thump!

When the dust cleared, Liu Yunfei, in a frustrated pose, felt a chill on the nape of her right neck, and Yulan, who had fallen to the ground, felt a chill on her uvula. The blade of the Southern Palace sword was against Liu Yunfei's neck, and the tip was pointed at Yulan's own uvula. Despite the fact that both of them were embarrassed, disgraced, and humiliated, the intangible pressure from the blade's tip immobilized them.

Bam!

"That's it!"

At Bi Ryuyeon's signal, he sheathed his sword.

"See! Three seconds is enough!"

Ryu-yeon gave me a pin glass as I got up to leave.

"Uh, yeah."

Namgungsang replied stiffly. The dignified demeanor he had displayed a moment ago had vanished.

"But we have a new guest."

"Guests?"

"Should I say guests?"

As Namgungsang was puzzling over the words, a woman's voice came from behind him.

"Hmmm, that was a great loss!"

Namgungsang's body jerked.

There stood a woman in white with two young boys.

"Who, who?

Namgung-san swallowed involuntarily. It was an overwhelming feeling. There weren't many people in the Tang Clan who could emit this much Qi. It was fortunate that there were several monsters around him that could emit this much Qi, or he would have been overwhelmed. The White Lady's eyes widened as she realized that Namgung Sang was able to withstand her momentum.

"Wow, that's quite an accomplishment at such a young age."

"You're too kind, sir!"

Namgungsang replied in a polite manner.

"Hmm, is that what you did to my protégé?"

"Yes."

Namgungsang conceded.

"Disciple?

Yulan's eyes snapped open at the sound of his name. His mind, which had been dazed by the shock of defeat, flashed to life. His face turned red as he realized what he was doing. Liu Yunfei was still on top of him.

"Oh, no, Youssouzer… this is……."

After locking eyes with Liu Lan, Yu Yunfei tried to come up with an excuse, but she didn't have the courage to say that she couldn't do this or that because of a stiff back.

"You pervert!"

Voila!

Stars flashed in Liu Yunfei's eyes with the sound of a tremendous blow. His body rose at the same time as the sound, spun once in the air, and then flew away. The sound was so loud and pervasive that the Southern Palace Lord almost closed his eyes.

Hastily picking himself up, Yulan dusted himself off and straightened his clothes, then went to the woman's front and knelt down.

"Disciple Yulan sees you, Master!"

The woman in white was none other than Yulan's master, the Amu Goddess Qin Xiaolong. She was on her way to the Zhongyang Marking Station with her two brothers when she noticed a familiar speculation.

"Get up."

One stomp on the dirt and Yulan's mood was no longer that of a horse. After a quick glance at her apprentice, the woman clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, didn't I tell you not to be so confident in yourself? I knew you were going to get yourself in trouble one day."

Yulan was ashamed and dared not raise her face.

"I wonder if my protégé hasn't misbehaved."

When I asked, it was Namgungsang who was rather hysterical.

"No, they changed the rules this time, so we have to go along with it. It was a justifiable non-strike."

"And lost."

Qin Xiaolong's straightforward words made Yulan's face flame up again.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. If you were weaker than me, having been in there four years first, why would I want to put you in such a place, and why would many of the great schools want to put one more of their disciples in there? Can you see out of the well a little now?"

Amisan was very closed, and you could only compete in martial arts with your fellow alumni. It's not that we didn't have interactions with other schools, but due to the nature of the school, there weren't many. This is why I wanted to put it in the Heavenly Martial Arts Museum, to give it a little more exposure to the world and broaden its horizons by allowing it to interact more with other sects.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Namgung Sang, a fourth-year student at the Tianmu Academy."

Namgungsang said, gripping his sword.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

An exclamation of wonder burst from Liu Lan and Yu Yunfei's mouths at the same time, and they exclaimed at the same time.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Jujakdanju!"

The troupe had become quite famous. In fact, among Yulan's peers, they were already treated as idols, and their actions were unparalleled. It's just that they were so manipulated by Bi Ryuyeon that they barely had time to realize it. Liu Lan screamed inwardly.

'No way, that's the famous Thunderbolt Dragon Namgungsang, but what's up with that shabby, unassuming mole? Are the rumors of the majestic, majestic, extraordinary powerhouse wrong? Or has he suffered unspeakable hardships all these years?

Frozen for a moment in shock, Yu Lan didn't notice that Master Qin Xiaolong's complexion had changed drastically.

"I see, you're the kid she was talking about."

At this, Namgungsang was stunned.

"You are……."

"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Qin Xiaolong, from Ami."

"Ah, Ami-sin!"

He had expected to be formally introduced by the Qinling in a nervous state of mind, not to meet her in the same spot where he had rolled her apprentice once into the dirt. Hearing the name of the woman who had been haunting him in his dreams and indirectly haunting him in his waking life made his heart leap out of his chest. Fame was fame, but it wasn't the fame that mattered now; it was the fact that she was the Qinling's aunt that mattered most. Suddenly, he was on the judgment seat.

That's when someone kicked him in the ass.

"What are you doing, not saying hi?"

It was Bi Ryuyeon who kicked the frozen Namgung Sang's butt with an invisible swiftness. As it turned out, he was stunned for a moment, unable to handle the name he had received without preparation.

"Ah, Chu… We've never met before, let me formally introduce myself, I'm Namgung Sang, third son of the Namgung family."

"I am actively hoping to marry your nephew, Qin Ling, Qin Sojae, and I am willing to go through all kinds of trials and tribulations for that."

The latter part was not spoken by Namgungsang; it was spoken by Bi Ryuyeon, imitating his voice.

"Is that true?"

Qin Xiaoling asked.

"No… that's……."

Having his heart laid bare in front of the most difficult person in his life, Namgungsang couldn't help but panic.

"Or not?"

Qin Xiaoling asked.

"No, that's not true. It's true. I'm ready for any test."

"So, you're saying you'll stand up to any test?"

Qin Shaolin nodded in admiration.

"If that's the case, I guess I'll have to cross swords with you."

With those words, Qin Shaolin drew his sword without hesitation.

"No… me……."

He hadn't expected her to draw her sword as soon as she saw him, or even as soon as she recognized him. He was at a loss as to how to deal with the changed situation, as the current situation had deviated so far from the plan he had carefully and thoughtfully formulated. Apparently, Qin Shaolin had come with a plan when he left Amishan.

"What do I do?

I can't believe how things have come to this. It's all because of the big brother's unnecessary meddling. It must have been intentional. Namgungsang began to rack his brains.

The timing of Qin Xiaoling's arrival was unexpected by Bi Ryuyeon, but her response was different from that of Namgung's, who was bewildered by the dramatic change.