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Light Novel: Volume 9 Episode 2
Manhwa: N/A
Hong Ye-seol was a woman with a strange charm.
She might look ordinary at first glance, but she has the power to draw people’s attention. Furthermore, she has a voice that is so heavenly that it captivates people. In many ways, she possesses the characteristics that are capable of attracting people.
The way she walked lightly was as beautiful as the fluttering wings of a shy butterfly, and her eyes, which are now currently looking at Pyo-wol, seemed to be dripping with honey.
Any man could not help but be fascinated by Hong Ye-seol’s appearance. And she, herself, knew what attracted men to her.
Hong Ye-seol said with a slightly shy expression.
“Can I know your name?”
“Pyo-wol.”
“Ah!”
She suddenly exclaimed.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No. It’s just because your name and face fit well together.”
A slight blush appeared on Hong Ye-seol’s face. She had the look of a shy woman.
People who were nearby sent jealous glances at Hong Ye-seol and Pyo-wol as they were talking.
Among them was Sang Hang-yeok.
Sang Hang-yeok, the leader of the Gunma clan, came in place of his father to celebrate the birthday of the Wudang sect leader.
He fell in love with Hong Ye-seol the moment he heard her sing.
Hong Ye-seol’s voice was like a heavenly jade sound. The desire to hear her voice again bloomed from the depths of his heart.
Sang Hang-yeok hovered around Hong Ye-seol, looking for an opportunity to talk to her. Since there were too many men competing to be with her, he had no choice but to be careful.
Among those who followed Hong Ye-seol around was Bang Jusan, the young leader of the Great Dragon Room.
Bang Jusan is a naturally gifted person and is not easy going.
Having met several times for trade, Sang Hang-yeok knew very well how fast Bang Jusan calculates his next move and acts.
Bang Jusan was also into Hong Ye-seol.
Hong Ye-seol would not be able to easily refuse him given his strong financial power.
The only reason why both of them have yet to talk to Hong Ye-seol was because they were keeping each other in check.
But Hong Ye-seol was now talking to a man who looked like a male courtesan with a flushed face.
Anyone could see that she had the heart for Pyo-wol.
Seeing the woman he had chosen speak to another man first, Sang Hang-yeok felt something welling up in his heart.
Hong Ye-seol, unaware of that fact, continued talking to the man.
“How long will Master Pyo stay in the Wudang sect?”
“I won’t stay long.”
“I guess you’re just staying until the birthday party?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious. Do you happen to know? If our  current relationship will last for a long time?”
Hong Ye-seol smiled softly.
When she smiled, my usual face was young.
She looked all the more alluring.
If it were an ordinary person, her face would be deadly enough to be possessed at once. However, there was no wavering in Pyo-wol’s expression as he looked at Hong Ye-seol.
That fact made Hong Ye-seol’s eyes shake slightly.
At that moment, Pyo-wol was sure.
Hong Ye-seol approached him with a certain purpose.
“A relationship…”
“I don’t believe that there are any coincidences in the world. I think the reason we met like this is because it is meant to be.”
“How romantic.”
“Originally, Yein is the type who lives for romance.”
“Did you learn the song separately?”
“There was a master. He taught me harshly. Thanks to him, I was able to sing at least this much.”
“If there is a chance, I would also like to be taught by your master. It’s really impressive.”
“Unfortunately, Master has already passed away. So he can no longer teach others.”
“What a shame.”
“How about learning to sing from me? I’m not as good as Master, but I’m confident I can teach you well.”‘
“No thanks.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to die yet.”
Pyo-wol shrugged and looked around.
There were a lot of men around him staring at him as if they were going to eat him.
Hong Ye-seol smiled a little.
“That’s too bad.”
“I’ll teach you the zither instead if we get a chance in the near future.”
“Do you know how to play?”
“A little.”
“You know how to play with this hand?”
Hong Ye-seol naturally held Pyo-wol’s hand.
Pyo-wol’s hand was as fine and white as her own.
Pyo-wol’s hands did not even have the usual calluses. She couldn’t believe it was the hand of a person who knows how to play an instrument.
Hong Ye-seol fiddled with Pyo-wol’s hand for a long time.
Sparks flew even more from the eyes of the men who were near them.
Pyo-wol intertwined his fingers with hers.
“Why? Is it that hard to believe?”
For the first time, Hong Ye-seol looked flustered.
It is natural for a woman to pull her hand away in surprise when another person grabs it, but she could not shake him off. Her hand was tied perfectly with his.
“No. I believe you.”
When Hong Ye-seol shook her head, all of a sudden,
“Stop it. Let go of her.”
Someone approached them with a cold voice.
He was Sang Hang-yeok, the leader of the Gunma clan.
He said to Hong Ye-seol,
“Are you okay, Lady Hong?”
“Who are you?”
“I am the leader of the Gunma clan, Sang Hang-yeok. Don’t worry, I will protect you from this scoundrel.”
Sang Hang-yeok said with his hands behind his back.
The eyes of the Sang Hang-yeok looking at Pyo-wol were full of jealousy.
It was actually Hong Ye-seol who held Pyo-wol’s hand first, but that fact did not matter to him. What was important to him was that Hong Ye-seol had an embarrassed look on her face.
That alone gave him reason to intervene.
“Aren’t you ashamed? To hold a woman’s hand like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean why? You held a woman’s hand without permission.”
Sang Hang-yeok raised his voice.
Then Hong Ye-seol said,
“I’m really okay with it. So, please calm down your anger.”
Hong Ye-seol tried to stop Sang Hang-yeok, but her words only ended up provoking Sang Hang-yeok’s jealousy.
“You don’t have to defend him, Lady Hong! I don’t know what you’re afraid of, but as long as you have me, you don’t have to be afraid of anyone at all. I’ll protect you, so don’t worry.”
Sang Hang-yeok radiated an explosive aura and glared at Pyo-wol.
He was ready to take action at any moment.
“What is this commotion going on in the sacred Wudang sect?”
If the owner of the stern voice hadn’t arrived at that time, Sang Hang-yeok would have launched himself.
The owner of the voice was Woo Pyeong.
At his appearance, Sang Hang-yeok couldn’t help but be confused.
Woo Pyeong is one of the first-generation disciples of the Wudang sect.
Although Sang Hang-yeok is said to be the leader of the Gunma clan, he could not be free from the influence of the Wudang sect. He didn’t know what kind of disadvantages would come to the Gunma clan if he had a fall out with Woo Pyeong.
He quickly changed his expression.
“It’s nothing, taoist Woo Pyeong.”
“What do you mean? I saw you picking a fight with my own eyes.”
Woo Pyeong’s cold words made Sang Hang-yeok’s shoulders shrink.
“I thought Lady Hong was in trouble—”
“Who said she was in trouble? Did Master Pyo bully Lady Hong? It didn’t look like that at all to me.”
“That is…”
“I heard that the leader of the Gunma clan was very wise, but I think the rumors are wrong.”
Woo Pyeong showed an expression of blatant disappointment.
It was only then that Sang Hang-yeok recognized the seriousness of the problem and looked around. He was wondering if there was anyone who would help him. But everyone in the area coldly turned away from him.
In particular, Bang Jusan, who Sang Hang-yeok regarded as a potential competitor, was openly ridiculing him.
‘Sick! I recognized it when I went out without looking back like that. No matter how desperate you are, you have to sit down and do it. To come out without any calculations in the Wudang sect. How ugly.’
It was like a strong competitor getting tired of installing it without hesitation, and falling off.’
As for Bang Jusan, it was as good as blowing his nose without even touching it.
Woo Pyeong issued a strong warning to Sang Hang-yeok.
“Be respectful since the birthday party of our sect leader will be held tomorrow. If you continue to cause trouble, I will forcibly bring you down. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
In the end, Sang Hang-yeok had no choice but to turn around with his head hanging helplessly.
As Sang Hang-yeok disappeared among the people, Hong Ye-seol lowered her head and said,
“I’m sorry. This happened because of me. I’m going to go ahead now.”
Once Hong Ye-seol left, Woo Pyeong approached Pyo-wol.
“Are you okay?”
“You did something useless.”
“Because I don’t want blood to be spilled in the Wudang sect.”
Sang Hang-yeok will never know.
The fact that Woo Pyeong actually saved his life.
Sang Hang-yeok’s actions were similar to sticking his head into the tiger’s jaw.
“Anyway, I didn’t know that a commotion like this would arise because of a mere singer.”
“Because she’s not an ordinary person.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’d better keep a close eye on her. If you don’t want to experience anything embarrassing in the near future.”
Pyo-wol looked at his hand.
The hand that held Hong Ye-seol’s hand still had a faint scent of her body.
“The scent of a wild chrysanthemum.”
It is characterized by a subtle fragrance that is not perceptible unless you are conscious of it.
It is not suitable for those who want to show their presence in the world. Rather, it was a scent suitable for those who had a tendency to hide something.
* * *
Hong Ye-seol returned to her residence.
Her residence was a wooden building where the artists and musicians invited to the birthday party stayed.
Not only is it far from Qingliu Temple where the warriors stay, but there is a big difference in scale as well.
Hong Ye-seol’s residence was the farthest room of the wooden building.
Considering her status, she was assigned to a place where people’s eyes could not easily reach her. Thanks to this, Hong Ye-seol was able to act freely without worrying about the gaze of others.
“So he’s Pyo-wol…”
Hong Ye-seol looked down at her hand.
It was a fine hand with no blemishes or calluses.
There were many women in Jianghu, but few had such fine hands.
Especially for a woman trained in martial arts, few had pretty hands.
This is because calluses are formed from hard training, making the knuckles are deformed. However, there was nothing like that in Hong Ye-seol’s hands.
Her hands looked like she had never done such hard work.
Just by looking at these hands, no one would dare imagine that she is actually a warrior who has gone through rigorous training.
She obtained the Extreme Yin Hand1 after tens of thousands of training sessions.
It was known to be as powerful as the White Lotus Hand2 that was passed down like a legend in Jianghu.
The bones in her hands were broken and glued together dozens of times, and her skin was covered with scars to the point that she couldn’t even dare open her eyes and look at it.
If she hadn’t been able to get rid of it several times, her hands would still be covered with scars like spider webs.
After obtaining the Extreme Yin Hand, she never felt scared or nervous.
But for the first time today, she experienced that feeling again.
Because of Pyo-wol.
“Pyo-wol, to hear that name here…”
Most warriors in Jianghu don’t even know his name, let alone his existence.
This is because his unconventional moves are not yet known to the public. However, some people, including her, had more accurate information about him than anyone else.
They collected even the smallest information which other people often dismiss, and as a result, they were able to get closer to the reality of the bloodshed that happened in Sichuan.
The closer they got to the truth, the more shocked they were.
That was how surprising Pyo-wol’s actions were.
Most of all, what surprised them was with regards to Pyo-wol’s means and methods.
He did not hesitate to use unimaginable means, and he did not care if others would call him cowardly.
He didn’t think much of honor.
So she hesitated.
No matter how strong a person’s martial arts are, if they are the kind of person who values honor, there will naturally be loopholes, but Pyo-wol did not have such a thing at all.
“But is it really him?”
Hong Ye-seol frowned.
When she held Pyo-wol’s hand, she secretly injected her energy.
Even if two people learn the same martial art, the nature of the internal strength accumulated in each person’s body is different. It would often depend on the person’s constitution or progress.
But there is also something in common.
That is, the body would resist against an internal energy that is injected by another person.
Even if the two people learn the same kind of cultivation method, there would still be a slight backlash. But if the two parties involved had different cultivation methods, the repulsive force inevitably increases.
However, Pyo-wol did not feel such backlash at all.
Without any resistance, her inner energy momentarily stirred Pyo-wol’s hand and then disappeared.
So she got more confused.
This would have been impossible if the Pyo-wol she knew was correct.
She initially planned on using him because Sang Hang-yeok came forward, but she did not go through with it because of Woo Pyeong.
“Now that this is the case, it would be better to proceed with it.”
Hong Ye-seol smiled.
Because she just came up with a good idea.
Hong Ye-seol knew how to use her charm well.
“Shall I use him?”
SoundlessWind21’s Notes
Thank you for reading~
Extreme Yin Hand. Raws: 태음수(太陰手).太 tài – very, too, much; big; extreme陰 yīn – ‘female’ principle; dark; secret手 shǒu – handWhite Lotus Hand. Raws: 백련소수(白蓮素手)白 bài – white; pure, unblemished; bright蓮 lián – lotus, water lily; paradise素 sù – white (silk); plain; vegetarian; formerly; normally手 shǒu – hand