Sprouts grew beneath her feet like a lush green meadow.
Shu, who had descended, brought a vibrant life force with her. She split the space between Chongyue and Yujin like a lightning bolt, striking Chongyue‘s gauntlet hard with the piece of wood she held, and glared at him.
"Brother, have you lost your mind?"
Her sharp eyes pierced Chongyue. Yujin realized a common trait among these siblings.
Whether exerting true strength or using Arts, when they got serious, their pupils slit vertically, revealing dragon eyes.
Chongyue blinked as if momentarily flustered, then sighed. He bowed politely to Yujin in apology.
"My apologies. I made a mistake. Using a lethal move in a martial arts spar... I can hardly call myself a martial artist."
The glimpse of true power Chongyue had shown was terrifying. If the spar had continued seriously, Yujin would have been forced on the defensive, assuming defeat.
He had climbed so many walls and mountains, yet the world was still vast.
"It‘s fine. It happens in sparring. I actually learned a thing or two."
Fighting without weapons, solely with his body.
The pure martial arts Chongyue possessed were incredible. Standing against him bare-handed was an amazing feat in itself.
But what flustered Yujin more was what happened next. In a corner of the sparring grounds, gazes clashed, people wary of each other.
"…Hah."
Seeing this, Chongyue groaned, and Shu frowned, her beautiful face twisting.
"Could you put those away?"
A woman sipping alcohol with a nonchalant face. Blue hair and eyes resembling a river. Yujin instinctively knew she was also Shu‘s sister.
But a normal greeting would have been fine. The reason Yujin was flustered seeing her was simple.
"Theresis, Shining."
Shining had instantly drawn the cane-sword Yujin gave her, glaring as if to sever Ling's hand holding her staff. Theresis, no longer just a farmer, had manifested a sword with Arts, aiming at her throat with chilling killing intent.
Like a taut string, the tension overwhelmed the area.
"Sister Ling."
"Shu, don't look at me like that. I just held my staff. These kids are the ones..."
"Sister."
Shu cutting her off with a single word had sharp eyes. Eventually, Ling groaned under Shu‘s gaze and lowered her staff.
"Fine, fine. You brats. Consider yourselves lucky."
Ling dropped her staff as she spoke. Theresis and Shining didn't sheath their swords, but Ling turned into mist like a river scattered on the ground, passing them instantly.
"…What the hell."
Theresis frowned at Ling's display. Strange and bizarre. To their eyes, these people held such power.
And as she faded like mist, Ling looked at Yujin and murmured.
"You, you're lucky. My sister saved you."
Shu tried to say something more, but Ling had already left like the wind.
The cold atmosphere was unavoidable. But a boy who couldn't stand it groaned and shouted.
"I! Um... I apologize for my sister's rudeness on her behalf. My name is U. As you can see, I'm the younger brother of Chongyue-ge and Shu-jie."
A boy with heat like a kitchen fire, burning like a flame, bowed to Yujin. Unlike Shu or Chongyue, he had a youthful face, and his hair resembled scattered embers.
"…Um, uh. Nice to meet you?"
"Feel free to speak comfortably!"
"…Okay, U. Since I look older, I'll speak casually."
Chongyue and Shu chuckled quietly behind them. U‘s face twitched with anger at their laughter. What? What's funny? Yujin couldn't follow their mood.
"Yes, U. Yujin looks older than you, so be respectful."
Chongyue teased U with a smile, and U looked like he was holding back anger while hiding his expression.
"Phew, I run a restaurant and cook professionally in Baizao. If you have time and stop by, I'll treat you properly. As an apology for my sister's rudeness."
"No... well, she wasn't really rude."
"In our eyes, it was rude."
U's eyes flashed for a moment, and unlike his youthful appearance, dozens of images seemed to flash past Yujin's eyes.
Looking back and forth between Chongyue, Shu, and U, Yujin realized a question and asked Shu.
"Shu, I have a question."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"How many siblings do you have?"
Just seeing these five—Chongyue, Ling, Shu, Nian, U. Yujin wondered if there were more.
"Twelve in total. Brother Chongyue is the first. I'm the sixth. Nian is the ninth. And our U is the last, the twelfth."
"…Twelve?"
Twelve. And all siblings. Yujin felt dizzy for a moment, wondering if it had been hard for Shu. Having seen her briefly, he knew her personality.
"It must have been hard for you and your parents. Raising all those siblings."
Hearing Yujin, Shu looked blank. Then she smiled softly and patted Yujin's shoulder.
"Thank you, for thinking that way."
"Don't mention it."
Even if her existence differed from humans. Living among humans, she seemed more human than anyone, so Yujin decided to clear his thoughts and treat her as a human.
"Come to think of it, Brother Chongyue. How many are coming to this banquet?"
Shu asked Chongyue, reminded by the talk of siblings. It wasn't easy for her siblings to gather, and gathering a certain number attracted surveillance from Yan.
This time, a banquet would be held in Dahuang where Shu was.
"Me, you, Ling, Jie, Nian, Xi, U. That's all confirmed. Wang... as you know, it's past the time for him to come to such a formal banquet, and with the Second Brother's surveillance, he won't come."
"What about Yi?"
"Yi is stuck in his garden. The child's death must have been a big blow."
"…Sui."
Shu‘s eyes held emotion as she spoke someone's name. The name of a sister forgotten even in people's memories, hard to recall even if one wanted to.
Shu bit her lip, gripping her arm tightly. As if she too feared something. Hiding her inner thoughts in fear.
"Ugh, Sister Xi is coming too?"
Hearing Chongyue, U shook his head. Saying Xi was too demanding as a cook, but U still looked happy to see his siblings after a long time.
Watching them for a moment, Yujin approached Shining and Theresis, clicking his tongue at their subdued state.
"Why the long faces? Theresis is always like that, but Shining too."
Theresis clicked his tongue at Yujin, who still hadn't grasped the situation. And said to Yujin.
"Do you know you almost died just now?"
"…You think I don't?"
It wasn't a misunderstanding. A strong killing intent felt from the audience for a moment.
Theresis and Shining had drawn their swords to protect Yujin from Ling.
"The world is wide. Just when I think I've gotten stronger, unknown powerhouses pop up."
Yujin sighed and sat down next to Theresis and Shining. He used strength fighting Chongyue, but he had planned to just sightsee in Dahuang and leave, but things were getting weirdly tangled.
"…Mister."
"Yeah, Shining."
"Just now, if we fought, that sister would have won."
The weight of Shining's words was not light. The woman who scattered like wind. Meaning even if Shining and Theresis attacked together, they couldn't grasp victory against her.
"…I think I need to work harder."
"Having a goal is good."
Shining, Theresis.
They both have talent. But they haven't bloomed yet, waiting for their time.
If time fills the gap someday, they can definitely become strong.
Rather, Yujin became strangely strong quickly thanks to rolling like a dog in Kazimierz.
"I'm not a knight anymore. A farmer. Farmer."
He didn't know how it came to this. The thought of getting a job and farming for a year gave him a headache, but experience is important, right?
"For the record, you have to farm too, Shining?"
"…Me too?"
"Yeah, when Shu said 'three is enough numbers.' You have to do it too."
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. without you, Theresis and I suffer more."
"Why not just call Buldrokk since it's come to this? He's big, so he'd work well like an ox."
"Should we? Theresis? While we're at it, calling Kalaisha would be good too, she could water well with wind?"
"..."
"..."
In the end, sightseeing my ass. Yujin had to work himself to death again.
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