Chapter 37
“You have given me a new life, so from now on, my life belongs solely to the Great Hero. Therefore, I will give everything to the Great Hero. My body... my heart... my first night... my chastity...”
“...”
“If you wish, even the very depths of my soul.”
Um... so, what she means is...
Hmm...
She’s... offering herself... to me?
*Swoosh—*
While I was momentarily dumbfounded, she had already moved right in front of my nose.
“...Great Hero.”
As Dang Wolhwa spoke, the sweet scent from her lips reached my nose.
Her figure was revealed beyond the thin fabric.
Ah.
I thought the Haomun Leader had a slender build, but it turns out she just looks thin when she’s dressed.
Her body was so thinly clad it was almost bare, so her surprisingly ample bosom was the first thing that caught my eye.
It was irresistible.
I tried my best to look away, but as a man, I couldn’t help but stare into her pink eyes for a long moment.
Meanwhile...
*Brush—*
Her soft hand touched my cheek.
*Thump—*
Her heartbeat, louder than my own, echoed in my ears.
She seems very nervous... Come to think of it, I remember what the Haomun Leader said earlier.
“My heart... my first night... my chastity...”
Is she giving my first night, and my chastity, to me...?
*Does that mean... she’s a virgin?*
No, how can the Haomun Leader, a woman who even runs a Courtesan House, be a virgin at twenty-five?
It didn’t make sense to my common sense, and I wanted to ask her, but the atmosphere wasn’t right for it.
Her face was now an inch from mine.
Dang Wolhwa closed her eyes and leaned in.
Her soft lips were the first thing I saw. *If she truly is a virgin, then this kiss will likely be her first too.*
Leaving my mark on a pristine field of white snow where no one else has walked is truly a delightful thing. I like that too.
*Stir—*
In my excitement, I felt a reaction from my lower body. In a few seconds, her lips would touch mine.
It would surely be a pleasant experience. My tongue was already eager to meet hers.
But...
Slide—
“...”
“...”
“...Great Hero.”
“...Stop.”
...Just before her lips touched mine, I reached out my hand and stopped her.
Above my palm, I saw her bewildered eyes. She looked as if she hadn’t expected me to refuse.
*Slide—*
Since I had clearly expressed my refusal, she pulled back. An awkward silence followed for a moment.
“...”
“...”
It was Dang Wolhwa who broke the silence first.
“Did I..."
“...”
“...displease you so much?”
She looked a little dejected.
Well, it made sense. If a woman took the initiative like that and the man so resolutely rejected her, her pride would naturally be hurt.
But... I had my reasons too.
“...It’s not that you’re unattractive as a woman...”
“...Then?”
“Well...”
I struggled to continue.
“I... have no feelings for you. Just as this would be your first time, it would be mine too... but still, my first time should be with someone I love, so that it has... meaning...”
“...”
“...meaning, and all that... Hmm... No matter how I think about it, this just... doesn’t feel right...”
“...”
...Dang Wolhwa didn’t respond immediately.
*“Did I just sound like a total loser idiot?”*
“No, damn it, what am I supposed to do?! This is just how I am!”
“No matter how I think about it, having my first time with someone I have no feelings for just doesn”t feel right!’
“Ah, if I”d known this, I would’ve done it with my girlfriend before I died in my past life...’
We were supposed to do it on our 100th day, but I died around the 96th day, so I became a Virgin Ghost in my past life.
Perhaps that’s why I’m so fixated on this.
*If it’s not with someone I love... I... don’t want to.*
I felt like such an idiot that I couldn’t lift my head. I imagined if I did, she’d be looking at me with a “What is this idiot doing?” expression.
But...
“Pfft—!”
“...?”
Contrary to my expectations, what I heard above my head was laughter.
I looked up to see the Haomun Leader laughing heartily, a pure, clear smile on her face.
“Ahahaha—!! Great Hero, what was that? It truly doesn’t suit you. Hahaha—!”
“No, well...”
*Damn it... This is so embarrassing...*
Though I couldn’t see it, my face was probably even redder than the Haomun Leader’s had been earlier.
As I was momentarily flustered, she suddenly moved right in front of my face.
“...!”
*Slide—*
Then, she placed a hand on my cheek, which was not just red but burning hot, and continued speaking. We were so close that her breath moistened my face.
“It’s a waste of such a handsome face, Great Hero. You usually pretend to be a Womanizer, experienced in charming women, but a cute Pure-hearted Man is hiding inside.”
“...”
Is she talking about my time working as a host at Cheongwolru...? The reason I was good at that was because I treated it as a job.
*But this is different, isn’t it?*
As I was thinking that, she brought her face close to my ear and slowly continued.
“It seems I tried to take advantage of the Great Hero too easily. I understand the Great Hero’s intentions now.”
“You mean...?”
“I... will become the kind of woman who can enter the Great Hero’s heart.”
“What...?”
*At that moment, she pulled her face back and met my gaze.*
“I am already the Great Hero’s, but the Great Hero is not yet mine. I almost forgot that point for a moment.”
From the moment I first met her, there was a shadow of gloom behind her face, but not now.
Is it because the poison is gone? Her face is definitely different from before.
“I have never failed to obtain what I desired. And... the Great Hero is what I desire most in my life.”
How can she say such embarrassing things so boldly? But...
“I will surely make the Great Hero mine. And when that day comes... you can do with me as you please.”
Her confident face held both determination and delight.
Her face looked so beautiful in that moment that...
“...Alright, give it your best shot.”
I ended up offering her a small word of encouragement.
**
Thus, a tumultuous night passed, and morning dawned.
*What happened next, you ask?*
Well, I just grabbed the Drunken Immortal Wine, went back to my room, drank it, and then slept.
...
And that was it.
“Elder Brother, why do you look so pale?”
“...Something happened that a kid like you doesn’t need to know about.”
“Huh?”
I ignored the Youngest, who was trying to ask more questions, and packed my bags.
Morning had come, and it was time to go home.
My original reason for coming to Sichuan was to sell the Shanxi Yu Clan’s goods to Haomun.
I had stayed longer than planned. If I left home for too long, I didn’t know what kind of trouble those mischievous Subordinates would cause, so I had to return quickly.
“Well, I did tell them to train their Martial Arts and behave, so nothing bad should have happened, right?”
As I thought that, I picked up my bags and was about to head out when someone came to see me off.
It were the Haomun Leader and Munseok.
“Great Hero.”
“...”
After declaring she would seduce me, the Haomun Leader looked at me with such sweet, adoring eyes. I spoke curtly to her, but...
“Hey, if you keep looking at me like that, do you think I’ll like it? It’s actually a burden.”
“I’m looking at you the same way I always do, though? Are you perhaps bothered by me?”
She seemed to have decided to be utterly brazen, giving a very bold reply.
“Hmph... Fine, think what you want.”
I waved my hand dismissively, feeling like I’d get drawn into more if I talked further. Then Munseok asked me.
“Are you leaving now? May I ask... where your residence is?”
I hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth. I felt that after this incident, I had built up enough trust and goodwill with Haomun that it would be fine to tell them this much.
So I said it without thinking...
“Muak Mountain. My Mountain Stronghold is there.”
“Muak Mountain... you say?”
“The Great Hero is the Leader of the Muak Mountain Green Forest Stronghold?”
“...What? What’s with that reaction?”
Contrary to my expectations, Munseok and Dang Wolhwa reacted strongly.
What is it? Our Green Forest is completely unknown, so why do they seem to know about it?
“You must feel very secure, having such trustworthy subordinates.”
“I have trustworthy subordinates? What kind of bullshit is that...?”
I felt something ominous in Dang Wolhwa’s words, but I decided to let it pass.
“She must just be trying to humor me...”
I dismissed her words as a coincidence and asked the two of them.
“What will you two do now? Will you keep staying here?”
“Ah... as for us...”
She seemed to hesitate for a moment but quickly replied.
“It seems that to avoid getting entangled with the Sichuan Tang Family over the Grand Elder’s death... we will temporarily withdraw the Sichuan Branch.”
“What?”
“It doesn’t matter to me anyway, as I frequently move my residence. And it’s about time for Branch Leader Munseok to be assigned elsewhere, so this is a timely opportunity.”
Next, Munseok continued the Haomun Leader’s words.
“If you’re staying on Muak Mountain, then I suppose I’ll have to stay at the Hunan Branch nearby. If you ever need anything, please come find me right away.”
“Munseok. You don’t have to go that far...”
“Oh, don’t refuse. Can’t I even do this much for my Benefactor? And this is...”
Munseok glanced to the side and replied.
“It is also the Sect Leader’s will.”
As if to confirm his words, Dang Wolhwa also nodded.
“As long as I am the Sect Leader, Haomun will never forget the Great Hero’s kindness. Please feel free to command us as if we were your subordinates.”
“...Alright, then.”
Since they were offering themselves as servants, there was no reason for me to refuse. I nodded, knowing that there would surely be a time when their help would be useful.
“Well then, it’s truly time to part ways. Once we’ve settled, I will come to pay my respects immediately.”
“...What bullshit. If an Influential Figure like you come, how much attention will that draw? Absolutely do not come.”
“I will come discreetly, without anyone knowing.”
With those words, Dang Wolhwa bowed deeply.
“Then, until the day we meet again, please take care of your health.”
Seeing that, I finally felt the reality of leaving.
At most, about half a month. The time I spent in Sichuan was only that long, but it felt like I had been there for quite a while.
But now, it was truly time to go.
“Alright, now that you’re not a Poison Master anymore and you’ve become worthless, take good care of yourself.”
“And thank you once again for making me worthless.”
Seeing us exchange jokes to this extent, we felt like we had become a bit closer.
“Alright, you pushovers. Take care.”
“We’ll be going now!”
And so, the Youngest and I bid our final farewells to Dang Wolhwa and Munseok and set off.
In my pocket was paper money worth 400 Gwan in gold, and a new connection with Haomun had been forged.
It wasn’t a bad outing, all things considered.
After seeing Muyeon off, the Haomun Leader went up to her room to take care of the last remaining matters before leaving.
And not long after, Munseok entered.
“Sect Leader.”
“What is it?”
“Well...”
Munseok hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Those... two daughters of the Lee Family, influential figures in Sichuan... they’re downstairs throwing a tantrum, asking where Muyeon and his youngest friend went...”
“Ah... the Lee Family, you say...”
Their names were Sohyang and Heeya, if I recall correctly. Those two came to Cheongwolru every day and specifically requested Muyeon and the Youngest as their Hostesses.
And then they would drink together, touching and embracing Great Hero Muyeon’s body...
“...Those bitches.”
“...Huh?”
“...Never mind. Just explain it vaguely and send them away.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After sending Munseok away, she sighed and sat down.
*“What a shame.”*
The emotion she felt now was regret.
She had clearly seen Muyeon’s expression waver last night. She should have seized that opportunity and pressed on, but letting him leave like this was a great pity.
Just now, another woman came looking for Muyeon.
Indeed... Given his face, such incidents will likely be frequent from now on.
‘I’ll have to defeat countless rivals to claim the Great Hero for myself.’
Although she had boldly declared that she would make him hers, she couldn’t help but feel worried.
Just then.
*Knock-knock—*
“Sect Leader? Another matter has come up.”
“Are those bitches refusing to leave? If so, I’ll grab them by their hair and...”
“Ah, no... it’s not that...”
Munseok, trying his best to hide his bewilderment, informed her of a new development.
“A guest has arrived from the Shanxi Yu Clan.”
“Shanxi... Yu Clan?”
“Yes, to be precise, Young Lady Yu of the Shanxi Yu Clan has come in person.”
*The Precious Child of the Shanxi Yu Clan, all the way here in person?*
Dang Wolhwa couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion for a moment.