Yak Ran nodded her head with a sympathetic expression, seemingly understanding my expression.
“You’ll need some time alone to think…”
“…”
“But be careful. It hasn’t been long since you were seriously ill.”
Saying that, Yak Ran wrapped a fur scarf around my neck.
“It would be good if you could recover soon and start training.”
“…”
“If anything happens, let me know anytime.”
I touched the fur scarf around my neck with a strange expression.
The new maid, Yak Ran, was extremely attentive to me.
‘Who sent Yak Ran?’
I shook my head and quickly moved on.
There was no time to be lost in thought.
Ji Cheon Wu, the protagonist of the original story, enters the Nam Gung family around this time.
It was because my grandfather had picked him up from the roadside where he was like a beggar on his way back.
Nam Gung Jin Cheon felt Ji Cheon Wu’s pulse as he lay collapsed and frowned.
“He won’t last long.”
Those were the words my grandfather had uttered upon seeing Ji Cheon Wu.
That’s right.
Ji Cheon Wu, the protagonist of Cheonma Jijon, had the Nine Yin Dying Pulse.
‘A cliché illness that protagonists of martial arts novels suffer from…’
It was a disease where one had a genius mind but a short life span. Everyone thought Ji Cheon Wu wouldn’t live long. Even the protagonist Ji Cheon Wu himself thought he wouldn’t live long.
But Ji Cheon Wu, befitting a martial arts novel protagonist, overcomes the Nine Yin Dying Pulse and becomes the world’s strongest.
Ji Cheon Wu’s Nine Yin Dying Pulse was merely a medium to make him stronger.
‘The same goes for what he’ll experience in the Nam Gung family. Ji Cheon Wu will overcome everything.’
A protagonist always needs trials to become stronger.
The Nine Yin Dying Pulse and the events in the Nam Gung family were just momentary trials for him.
‘But still… it’s too much. To be beaten to the point of injuring his legs.’
Ji Cheon Wu had a lot to do in the future.
If it weren’t for the events in the Nam Gung family, he could have become even stronger.
I intended to try to prevent as many of his trials as possible.
‘And incidentally prevent the destruction of the Nam Gung family too.’
And prevent my own death as well.
[What pathetic fellows.]At Uncle Dagger’s voice, I stopped walking.
Thud!
Someone’s footsteps were heard.
I held my breath and focused on the sound.
“This guy, they say he can’t even learn martial arts?”
“It’s fortunate if he can’t learn martial arts, they say he won’t live long anyway.”
“Wow, totally pathetic.”
“I heard he’s even an orphan.”
I stopped in my tracks.
Because I realized who the voice belonged to.
‘Nam Gung Hwa Su!’
It was Nam Gung Hwa Su, the son of Nam Gung Hyun Jong.
I couldn’t forget his voice as he would mock me whenever he got the chance.
Nam Gung Hwa Su was mocking someone.
Hearing that sound reminded me of the taunts he used to throw at me whenever he got the chance.
I quickened my pace.
There was no need to think about who Nam Gung Hwa Su was mocking. Soon enough, he came into view.
His nasty face was plastered with malice.
Nam Gung Hwa Su was talented, but he was one of my cousins with a very wicked nature. At his feet lay a boy with a dirty appearance.
The boy’s face was already swollen, as if he had been hit several times.
I held my breath.
‘Nam Gung Hwa Su, you really want to die…’
The identity of the boy he was stepping on was…
Cheonma Jijon.
The protagonist of this novel.
And the future world’s strongest.
Ji Cheon Wu.
The boy’s appearance didn’t look very good. Ji Cheon Wu had been wandering in beggar’s dens before being taken in by my grandfather.
But my grandfather’s kindness ended there.
Perhaps because he was taken in without proper care, the boy still looked shabby.
With his hair disheveled and shoulders slumped, it was hard to imagine the imposing Ji Cheon Wu from Cheonma Jijon.
“Damn it, he’s really just a pathetic guy. He has a body that’s not trained at all. Yet…”
Nam Gung Hwa Su couldn’t contain his anger.
He despised those without talent and didn’t even want to deal with them.
He disliked me, but it was closer to ignoring me rather than bullying.
That was what Nam Gung Hwa Su often said. His words were full of contempt.
He even hated touching me. As if my lack of talent would somehow rub off on him.
But Ji Cheon Wu must have been an exception.
‘Even though he has the Nine Yin Dying Pulse, his brilliant talent couldn’t be hidden.’
Ji Cheon Wu’s talent was not something to be overshadowed by the Nine Yin Dying Pulse.
Even though he couldn’t use internal energy, his extraordinary appearance must have chilled Nam Gung Hwa Su’s heart.
Nam Gung Hwa Su was feeling jealous of Ji Cheon Wu.
‘Grandfather bringing Ji Cheon Wu must have fueled that jealousy even more.’
No matter what Nam Gung Hwa Su did, grandfather showed no interest in him. And then some street beggar caught grandfather’s attention.
Of course, he couldn’t help but feel jealous.
“How on earth did you catch grandfather’s eye, you worm.”
I recalled why Nam Gung Hwa Su was angry at Ji Cheon Wu.
‘Nam Gung Hwa Su had provoked Ji Cheon Wu first.’
Nam Gung Hwa Su showed off his swordsmanship and then mocked Ji Cheon Wu, telling him to try and imitate it. It must have been done to ridicule Ji Cheon Wu.
But Ji Cheon Wu, as if mocking him back, reproduced his swordsmanship in one go. And he did it even more perfectly than Nam Gung Hwa Su.
‘That’s truly befitting of a protagonist with genius talent…’
Nam Gung Hwa Su’s face was trembling with rage.
“How dare a beggar…! You think anything will change just because you caught grandfather’s eye? Your lowly status doesn’t change, you know. Moreover, you’re a pathetic guy who can never use martial arts in your life!”
Ji Cheon Wu seemed to have already been beaten quite a bit.
But Nam Gung Hwa Su didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping yet.
Nam Gung Hwa Su’s kick was about to land on Ji Cheon Wu. That’s when I acted.
“Stop it.”
At my words, Nam Gung Hwa Su’s gaze turned to me. The foot that was about to stomp on Ji Cheon Wu paused for a moment.
“What’s this?”
Nam Gung Hwa Su looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it. He seemed unable to understand the words he had just heard.
‘Well, I never said a word even when he bullied me before.’
I had been trying not to catch Nam Gung Hwa Su’s eye all this time. Even when he hurled verbal abuse at me, I just ignored it, not bothering to respond.
“I said stop it.”
Nam Gung Hwa Su shouted as if annoyed.
“This is ridiculous. Not only is that beggar brat irritating me, now even the half-wit shows up.”
Half-wit.
It was a word Nam Gung Hwa Su liked to use when looking at me. His gaze alternated between me and Ji Cheon Wu.
The children from the branch families behind Nam Gung Hwa Su giggled and shouted.
“Are the deficient ones trying to get along now?”
“Birds of a feather flock together, I guess.”
Usually, villains always had their minions behind them.
Those guys were the ones who followed Nam Gung Hwa Su around in the original story too.
Nam Gung Hwa Su’s face was hardened to a frightening degree. The boy, who was two heads taller than me, strode over. Nam Gung Hwa Su seemed pleased, a smirk visible on his face.
“This is perfect timing. I’ve been wanting to see you too.”
He opened his mouth with a threatening face.
“You, I heard you did something funny recently?”
That funny thing must be referring to using the ‘Changgung Sword Technique’.
He thrust his fist at me and swaggered. The huge fist came close as if about to hit my head at any moment.
“Since when did you start learning the sword? I thought you used to cry every time you saw a sword.”
I was amazed.
‘Somehow, all the villains in novels seem to act similarly.’
The things Nam Gung Hwa Su was saying were truly villainous. I looked down with an expressionless face.
‘And… the protagonist is indeed the protagonist.’
Despite being stepped on by Nam Gung Hwa Su, Ji Cheon Wu’s eyes weren’t dead at all.
Even I flinched at his piercing gaze.
Uncle Dagger must have sensed something from Ji Cheon Wu too, as he whispered in my ear.
[That guy, he’s not ordinary.]It was then that Nam Gung Hwa Su’s angry voice was heard.
“Where are you looking while I’m right in front of you!”
Nam Gung Hwa Su’s fist flew towards me. It was a petty surprise attack.
And then.
[How dare he!]As Uncle Dagger’s voice was heard, my body moved on its own.
I caught Nam Gung Hwa Su’s arm as it flew towards me. A stinging pain arose in my wrist.
It was the price for moving at a speed I couldn’t handle.
[Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.]Uncle Dagger’s voice was full of regret.
It was as Uncle Dagger said.
My body was still too weak to imitate Uncle Dagger’s actions.
[Your vessel is still too small to contain me.]If Uncle Dagger was the ocean, I was a tiny vessel.
When you try to put the ocean into a small vessel, it’s bound to crack.
It meant that I needed to become a bit stronger for Uncle Dagger to move my body.
‘I’ll push myself just one more time.’
I looked straight into Nam Gung Hwa Su’s eyes.
“Hey.”
Nam Gung Hwa Su gaped stupidly as if he couldn’t believe it.
He was surprised that I had blocked his surprise attack.
“Hey, did you just say ‘hey’?”
“Yes, hey.”
__________
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
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