I Am This Murim's Crazy Bitch-Chapter 270: Transcendent Qing (7)

In Zhongyuan, ranking and classification held a special significance.

In ancient, uncivilized Zhongyuan, entertainment required money, and the only nearly cost-free pastime was arguing over who was the best, the strongest, or the most beautiful.

And the Murim Martial Arts Tournament was a massive event where people could indulge in the ultimate entertainment, armed with the most up-to-date information. Naturally, people from all over Zhongyuan flocked to it.

And the hottest topic in Kaifeng right now was none other than Ximen Qing.

At twenty years old, she had achieved Transcendence — a feat even the Great Martial Emperor couldn’t accomplish.

She was the Kirin of history, the youngest person to ever reach Transcendence in all of Murim’s records.

Thus, she was praised as the strongest of the Rising Dragons, the most powerful of the new generation, the future number one under heaven, and the strongest Rising Dragon in Zhongyuan.

But just discussing her martial prowess wasn’t exciting enough.

Ranking and classification games were all about fiery debates, passionate clashes of opinions, and often escalating to the point where heads got smashed and full-scale brawls erupted. That was the real fun of it.

Since everyone agreed that Ximen Qing was an unprecedented genius, the people’s battle instincts naturally shifted to something more tangible — her beauty.

Qing typically walked around with Tang Nana, and recently, Moyong Juhee had clung to her like a cicada, tagging along everywhere.

Thus, she had essentially invited comparisons herself.

If one were to describe it in her hometown’s style, it was like a singer hanging around an actress. Individually, each woman was a stunning beauty, but when they were together, only one would stand out.

Thus, the Flower among Flowers, the most beautiful of all flowers, emerged.

The Flower within Flowers — Ximen Qing.

It was effectively a title naming her the most beautiful woman under heaven.

But a great war had erupted over this title.

The Five Flowers of Murim were women with completely different charms. Depending on preferences and inclinations, each of them had their devoted followers.

The Five Flowers of Murim were categorized into two groups — Two Short and Two Tall.

Tang Nana and Moyong Juhee were the Two Short, the two smallest members.

Their supporters favored petite, cute women.

Thus, even when looking at Qing, they acknowledged that, yes, she was more beautiful, but she was too big, too big, and too big. She was over the top, excessive in every way.

Still, since they were constantly being compared to Qing, those supporters reluctantly acknowledged that, yes, she was the most beautiful under heaven — even if she wasn’t cute.

However, the supporters of the other three weren’t ready to concede.

First, there was the One Middle. Not too tall, not too short, but with no distinct traits either — Bai He, the Lily.

Bai He’s appeal was her chest, widely praised as the most perfect size and shape.

It was also the source of her confidence to flaunt herself openly.

Then, the Two Tall.

There was Seol Hwa, the slender ice-cold beauty whose alluring mole under her eye added the finishing touch.

Her supporters insisted that despite her icy demeanor, she would be fiercely passionate in private with her man — a completely baseless claim, of course.

And then, there was Hyun Hwa, the woman with the fierce, intimidating face who was still acknowledged as a stunning beauty by everyone.

Her supporters argued that if someone that fierce-looking could still be considered a top-tier beauty, then surely she was the ultimate beauty under heaven.

Thus, the newly formed Ximen Surin Fan Club and the supporters of Tang Nana and Moyong Juhee pushed for Qing to be crowned the number one beauty.

The supporters of the remaining three adamantly refused to concede.

Initially, Qing had been named the Flower within Flowers, the most beautiful woman in Murim.

But after countless brawls and countless heads getting bashed in, her title was finally settled as the Flower within the Heavens — Cheonhwa, the Heavenly Blossom.

If Qing wanted to be recognized as the undisputed most beautiful woman in Murim, she would have to put in a lot of effort.

She’d need to stick close to the other three, flaunting her beauty and showing them up at every opportunity. There would be countless tricks and schemes involved.

But, of course, Qing had no such thoughts.

“Hah. What good is being pretty? My lover needs to be pretty. It’s not like I can see my own face anyway.”

That was how she felt about it.

Sure, she sometimes found herself pleasantly surprised when she caught her reflection in the mirror, but that was it. It was more of a hassle having so much attention on her.

And since Ximen Surin had confiscated her veil, saying she should go out and use her pretty face to do good in the world, Qing couldn’t even hide herself anymore.

Still, she didn’t care.

Men weren’t as intense as the rabid Ok Kirin fangirls. They only shot her occasional glances like thieves stealing looks, then tripped over each other or bumped into «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» someone else.

And beyond that, Qing was naturally indifferent to such things.

Her philosophy was simple: Don’t stop people from coming, and don’t hold on to them when they leave.

Welcome people warmly when you meet them, enjoy the time together, and say goodbye without regrets.

She was the kind of person who never initiated contact, but if someone reached out, she’d respond as if nothing had ever happened.

It was a surprisingly common type.

Thus, she couldn’t quite understand why Tang Nana was on the verge of tears.

“If we leave like this, when will I see you again...?”

“We’ll run into each other eventually, won’t we?”

“What? Am I the only one who’s sad? Qing-ah, don’t you feel anything? There’s no guarantee we’ll meet again.”

“Oh, come on. I could visit the Tang Clan, or Nana could come visit me at the Divine Maiden Sect. And besides, since the Five Flowers of Murim are all over the place, word will spread. If you’re nearby, you know I’ll come find you.”

“Why are you talking like it’s someone else’s problem? You’re a flower too. Six Flowers of Murim, remember?”

“Well, it’s not official yet, right? But hey, if the great ‘Unrivaled Qing’ makes a big splash, then you could always come find me.”

“Tch.”

Nana sighed, clearly feeling reluctant to leave.

But since the Tang Clan had managed to secure the Blood Sect’s secret poison, she had to return to study it.

And she was itching to dive into that research herself.

So, without further ado, the Tang Clan packed up and left.

And one by one, the others also started heading off, either to distant provinces or nearby regions.

****

When Qing returned to her room, Ximen Surin was sprawled out, groaning.

“Agh. Running around too much made my bones ache. Will my disciple come and give me a nice massage this winter? Can I finally get pampered by my disciple?”

“Of course. I’ll give you a nice, strong massage. Until then, make sure to keep those joints nice and achy.”

“You cheeky brat.”

After circling the Sword Wall, Qing returned to the Divine Maiden Sect and planned to stay there until autumn. That winter, she would complete her unfinished training in the Secret Blade Techniques at the Hall of Scholars.

“Here. It’s about time I returned it to you.”

“Oh, right! My Blessed Spirit Flute!”

Qing’s eyes lit up at the sight of the flute she had completely forgotten about. Honestly, since she hadn’t had any reason to play it, it had slipped her mind entirely.

Cheon Yuhak clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“Seriously, you left something this precious with me and then just said, ‘Oh, right’ like it’s nothing?”

“Come on, what’s a martial artist going to do with a flute? Oh, should I give this back to you instead—”

“Forget it. You’re still a woman, after all. A woman should always carry a dagger or two. If some bastard tries to do something nasty, stab him. It’s the sharpest dagger in the world, so you won’t need much force.”

“Hehehe, thank you!”

Qing tucked the Blue Porcelain Dagger back into her robes.

Cheon Yuhak grumbled something about having to deal with the backlogged administrative work at the Hall of Scholars and left in a huff.

“Uh, Seomun Sojeo.”

“Moyong Sojeo. How’s your body holding up?”

“Thanks to you.”

Moyong Juhee had done a lot of thinking over the past few days. She had also made up her mind about something.

All this time, she had been harboring so much hatred inside.

Those relentless, excruciating tortures. Those nights of suffering that weren’t just about the pain but were intended to utterly annihilate a person’s dignity.

If she didn’t let that hatred out, she felt like she would lose her mind, like her insides would explode.

So that hatred had been directed at Qing.

If only you had come a bit sooner.

If only you hadn’t made me experience such horrifying dissection.

I hate you. It’s all your fault.

But now, she decided to let it go.

Because it would be a lifelong pain to carry.

It would flare up unexpectedly, making her shiver and tremble, but she would endure it and endure it until one day it became just a scar.

Whenever that day might come.

To Moyong Juhee, Ximen Qing was a monster.

She realized it when she watched Qing dissect a living person.

The ecstasy that echoed through her ears, the eerie, almost orgasmic joy when she completed the dissection — that’s why Moyong Juhee thought Qing was a monster. That’s why she thought she could hate her.

But now, she was beginning to understand.

Some people, if they didn’t go mad like that, they wouldn’t be able to survive.

Seomun Sojeo was probably carrying a madness born from her own deep-seated pain.

And with that realization, Moyong Juhee could finally feel grateful.

For that kindness, for that warmth, for the way Qing held her and whispered, “It’s okay. You’ll be okay.”

For all those moments that had comforted her so much.

“Thank you. For everything you did for me. For saving me, for guiding me, for holding me. I really, really thank you. I don’t think I ever said that before.”

“Oh, so now you’re finally going to let me take credit? Do you know how much trouble you put me through? Hmph. Anyway, take care. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

Qing offered a light-hearted farewell.

But Moyong Juhee remained standing there, hesitant.

“Well, I know I should just bear it. I know it’s something I have to endure on my own, but if it gets too hard... If it feels like I’m the only one in the world suffering and my chest feels like it’s going to burst... If that happens, there’s something I’d like to ask of Seomun Sojeo...”

“Hm? What is it?”

Moyong Juhee’s face flushed bright red.

The sensation — that sharp, biting pinch that felt like it was tearing through her body. That electric jolt that rendered her motionless. The soothing coolness of Qing’s voice. The firm grip of her fingers. The snake-like whisper that coiled around her mind. That sting.

“Moyong Sojeo?”

Qing tilted her head, watching as Moyong Juhee twisted her body as if suddenly hit by a wave of nausea.

What’s with her? Did she catch some summer cold? Even dogs don’t catch those.

“N-No, no! I’m fine. I’m fine! It’s just... I just told you how I really feel, and now you’re leaving, and... um...”

“If it’s too hard, you could rest at the Divine Maiden Sect. If you explain everything to my master, she might let you stay among the disciples for a while.”

“Would... Would I be allowed to do that?”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll definitely be there when you arrive, but the disciples there are all good people. But if you cause trouble at the Divine Maiden Sect, it won’t just be a punishment — I’ll never see you again. So, behave, okay?”

“Behave. Yes, yes!”

Moyong Juhee clenched her fists, steeling her resolve.

Be good. Be good and behave.

Then, when she met Seomun Sojeo again, she’d ask her properly, sincerely. Seomun Sojeo was a kind person. Surely...

Qing tilted her head.

Is she still not okay? But her eyes were so clear.

****

Qing joined the Shaolin monks heading to Shaolin Temple.

After all, Mount Song was right next to Kaifeng. It was so close that one could practically trip and fall onto it.

Everyone was using the trip as a chance to practice their footwork and lightness skills, so they advanced swiftly.

At this rate, they’d reach Mount Song by evening.

Since Qing wasn’t yet accustomed to fast walking, her horse’s hooves echoed loudly as she clattered down the road.

Soon, she caught up to Monk Wolbong, who had been staring straight ahead, determinedly avoiding her gaze.

“Monk Wolbong. You’re not still holding a grudge, are you? I’ve let it go, so if you have anything to say, why don’t we clear the air now?”

“N-No, no. Holding a grudge? Of course not. It’s just... my lack of faith... How embarrassing...”

“Monk? Could you look me in the eye when you speak? Why are you staring at the ground?”

At that, Monk Wolbong glanced at her — and promptly tripped, tumbling to the ground with a resounding crash.

Then, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Agh! Temptation! Temptation! Namu Amitabha Buddha...”