YDHP 13

Chapter – 13

Moon Sea Sword Art – Chapter 1

First Tide Understanding beginning, first, initial

“Phew……”

From the first form to the ninth, and then back from the ninth to the first.

After finishing the forms of the Moon Sea Sword Art that I learned while getting beaten by Joo Sohui, I let out a deep breath. Just as she had confidently claimed, it was a sword art that matched extremely well with the cultivation method of the Northern Underworld Divine Art.

Thanks to that, recently, for the first time since falling into this world, I was beginning to truly understand what training meant.

Is this what they call a fortuitous encounter?

After all, it was the first martial art I had learned outside of the game system.

“It’s only been three days since Madam taught you the sword art, yet you’ve already mastered the forms. Impressive.”

“Whoa!”

Startled by the deep voice behind me, I jumped straight into the air.

I jumped nearly one jang high before landing.

One jang: approximately 3.03 meters.

“Sorry. Did I scare you badly?”

“N-no. It’s just that I’m a bit sensitive……”

It wasn’t strange.

Martial artists are naturally more sensitive to presences than ordinary people. Simply put, they become almost paranoid about others entering distances they cannot respond to.

But for some reason, Peng Baek’s expression darkened considerably. With a bitter look, the middle-aged man muttered softly:

“I see… Well, that makes sense……”

“F-father, it’s not like that.”

“What a kind-hearted child you are.”

“…Pardon?”

Who? Me?

In what context exactly?

He must be misunderstanding something again.

I was used to this by now.

I cleared my throat while covering my mouth.

“Ahem… You came because of the lesson, right? I’ll prepare.”

“Ah, today it’s something else. I came because I have something to tell you—”

Before Peng Baek could finish speaking, a booming shout slammed into my eardrums.

“Father! Your son has returned safely and energetically from his travels!”

“Gaaah!”

What is this noise pollution?

I reflexively covered my ears at the sudden explosive voice. Then, with a loud bang!, a man vaulted over the wall and landed.

“I have already greeted Mother! Have you been well, Father?!”

Then he bowed sharply at a perfect 90-degree angle in front of Peng Baek.

“Yes. You’ve returned safely.”

“Yes! However, I heard that my younger sibling has returned…?!”

After greeting his father, the dutiful young master suddenly looked at me and opened his large eyes wide. Thanks to that, I was also able to examine his face closely.

Thick eyebrows. A sharp T-zone. Big calf-like eyes. A masculine mouth. And fair, smooth skin.

Overall, he looked like what Peng Baek might have looked like twenty years younger.

So that’s the face that charmed Joo Sohui.

Indeed.

A handsome man worthy of winning the heart of the most beautiful woman in the world who was twelve years older than him.

“M-m-mother?! Why are you here? Wait… did you reach the Life and Death Realm in that short time?!”

“What?”

But his reaction was ridiculous.

The man (probably Peng Yi) looked so shocked that his tongue might jump out of his heart.

“Idiot! That’s your sister!”

“Gah?!”

After getting smacked on the back of the head by Peng Baek, Peng Yi rubbed the bump with his palm. With teary eyes, the large man looked down at me.

“M-my sister……?”

“Hello.”

“My sister?”

After my casual greeting, his eyes widened again, then quickly filled with tears like a calf about to cry.

I didn’t know how to describe that expression. He opened and closed his mouth like he had seen something unbelievable, blinking blankly, before slowly extending a trembling hand.

For quite a long time, he just stayed like that.

Like someone touching a snowflake that might melt, he barely touched my cheek with just his fingertips.

Then he flinched again in shock. He shook his head. His short Central Plains hairstyle became slightly disheveled.

“H-how……?”

“Ahem.”

Peng Baek cleared his throat and quietly stepped back. It seemed he was giving us space.

And the moment he disappeared—

Peng Yi suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

Unlike when Joo Sohui hugged me, I didn’t feel like I was suffocating. He must be much weaker than me.

“Sob… it’s true. What Eonga and Mother said was true… sniff… sob…”

“Please calm down.”

Unable to bring myself to say “older brother,” I just patted his back.

Seeing such a big, hairy guy cry like a baby was quite a spectacle. His thick arms wrapped around my back trembled from emotion. I could clearly feel his pounding heartbeat.

I feel a little guilty…

It was the same as with Joo Sohui.

Whenever I saw the Peng family being so attached to a blood relative (a fake one), I felt complicated emotions.

“Are you calmer now?”

“Sniff… yes.”

A massive man with a huge build rubbing his red nose and sniffling was truly something to behold.

At least he was handsome.

After hesitating a bit, I grabbed his sleeve and wiped his face.

Where was my sleeve?

Why would I wipe someone else’s snot with my own clothes? No thanks.

“…Welcome back, Doa. I missed you.”

“Yes.”

“While you suffered all that hardship, I was just wandering the martial world like a useless loafer… sob… sob…”

“Wait— you’re crying again?”

It took another half shichen (about one hour) before Peng Yi finally calmed down. After wiping his tears, he tried to look dignified.

Though with his red eyes and nose, he had no dignity whatsoever.

“So you have no memories from before age five.”

“Yes. Well, people usually don’t remember early childhood anyway.”

“I remember.”

Ah. Good for you.

Not noticing my expression, Peng Yi spoke sentimentally:

“When you were born, I was so happy that I finally had a younger sister. You were really cute… Ah! Of course you grew up beautifully too. I mean, um…”

Awkward.

Is this atmosphere for real?

If meeting Joo Sohui and Peng Baek felt like emotional reunions between parents and child, meeting Peng Yi didn’t feel quite that intense.

Probably the difference between parents and siblings.

But honestly, this was better. Pretending to be a younger sister felt less guilt-inducing than pretending to be someone’s daughter.

I sighed and patted his arm.

“You don’t have to try so hard, o-older brother.”

The ancient way of saying older brother almost made me bite my tongue from embarrassment.

“More importantly, didn’t you just return from your travels? Shouldn’t you change first? Let’s eat together with Mother and Father.”

“R-right! Come to think of it, I hugged you in dirty clothes. Sorry.”

Smiling awkwardly, Peng Yi hurried into a building across the courtyard. It had always been a separate residence cleaned by servants despite having no owner. It must have been the young master’s quarters.

Before I could even catch my breath alone, another presence appeared.

“So you reunited with Yi after all.”

“Mother.”

More precisely, she allowed me to notice her presence. If Joo Sohui, who had reached the Profound Realm, truly hid her presence, I wouldn’t be able to detect her no matter what I did.

“You two siblings were especially close as children. I never thought I would see you embracing and talking warmly again in my lifetime…”

Joo Sohui, apparently suffering from chronic nostalgia syndrome, had tears in her eyes.

“Ah, you must be hungry after training. I told the cooks to prepare a grand meal to celebrate Yi’s return. Come eat with your mother.”

“Yes.”

Food.

At least my tongue has been living well since coming to the Peng family.

In the Central Plains, what they call “cuisine” is a bit different from simple food.

It’s closer to something like fine dining in the West.

For nearly a year before this, I was lucky just to eat regularly, let alone proper dishes. But as one of the Five Great Families, the Hebei Peng family had cooks as good as those in luxury inns.

“Mother, Father! And Doa! I have changed and returned!”

“Come sit.”

A feast that looked like it could stretch my stomach just by looking at it was laid out as the four direct family members sat together.

The meal began with Joo Sohui placing pieces of pork onto my plate. At first I wondered if this was normal, but now I just accepted it.

“By the way, Doa.”

Unlike me, who ate modestly, Peng Yi was swallowing food enthusiastically while glancing at me repeatedly. I had been waiting for him to speak.

“Yes?”

“Earlier I was too overwhelmed to ask… but what is your cultivation level?”

Ah. That question.

He was considered a talented rising martial artist, so it made sense he would notice.

I answered carefully, trying not to sound boastful:

“I recently succeeded in forming a stable sword aura.”

“What?!”

Peng Yi froze, then shouted a moment later:

“Peak Transcendent Realm! I heard something from Eon before but…!”

“Speaking of which, Yi,”

Joo Sohui, who had been quietly deboning fish onto my plate, asked:

“Eon has reached mid Transcendent Realm during his travels. Did you gain any insights on this journey?”

“…Excuse me? M-me?”

It felt like:

Look at the neighbor’s son getting first place, and your sibling getting perfect scores. How are your studies going?

No matter the era or country, a mother comparing children is always devastating.

Peng Yi’s eyes rolled nervously.