Chapter 15
When Wi Ilcheong returned to the inn, he found the tables packed with martial artists from the Murong Clan.
Just then, one of them waved to Wi Ilcheong in greeting.
“Oh! Young Hero Wi, come over here.”
“Ah, Senior.”
It was Noh Sun-pyeong who had waved to him.
As Wi Ilcheong approached the table, a martial artist sitting nearby offered him his chair.
“Thank you. Um… this is….”
“Ah, this is my nephew, the Second Young Master of the great Murong Clan, Murong Jun. Second Young Master, this is Young Hero Wi Ilcheong, the ‘Jade-Faced Young Master,’ whose name resounds throughout the martial world.”
“Ah… I’d heard a prodigy had emerged in the Murong Clan. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Wi Ilcheong.”
“I’m Murong Jun. Pleased to meet you.”
Murong Jun addressed him so casually that Wi Ilcheong was taken aback, but he quickly composed himself.
“…It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Likewise. Uncle, if you knew someone like him, why didn’t you introduce us sooner?”
“Heh heh, I only just met him myself, so I didn’t get the chance. Young Hero Wi, have a drink.”
“Ah, yes….”
Wi Ilcheong already felt uncomfortable in the seat he’d just taken.
‘…I’d heard the Second Young Master of the Murong Clan was a wastrel, but he’s even stupider than I expected.’
Though people in the martial world called him the insulting name “Lust Demon,” Wi Ilcheong was still put off by a scion of a prestigious clan speaking to him so casually without even considering their relative standing.
But to avoid causing an even bigger disturbance, Wi Ilcheong decided to put up with it for now.
“…This liquor tastes good. More importantly, Senior, have you already met my companions?”
“Ah, the young lady with the fits of madness? I’ve met her.”
“…Did she cause you any trouble?”
“She did. She’d already gotten into it with my son. If I’d been any later, your companion would’ve gotten hurt.”
“…I’m sorry. This is all because of my companion….”
As Wi Ilcheong stood and bowed his head, Noh Sun-pyeong shook his head.
“Not at all. In the martial world, everything comes down to fate. Meeting you today has already settled the score, so don’t feel so sorry. It wasn’t a serious offense.”
“…That’s a relief, then.”
“Uncle, if you’re done talking, may I speak with the Jade-Faced Young Master?”
“Heh heh heh, of course. Second Young Master, are you already burning with desire?”
“How could I not? He’s the Jade-Faced Young Master, after all!”
“…”
Seeing Murong Jun carry on the conversation without regard for his wishes, Wi Ilcheong decided to get away as quickly as possible.
“Ha… hahaha… More importantly, what is it about me that the Second Young Master is so curious about…?”
“Have you really spent the night with all four of the Four Peerless Beauties of the martial world?”
“…”
In the martial world, the four women renowned for both their outstanding martial arts and stunning beauty were collectively known as the Four Peerless Beauties.
Sword Empress (劍侯), Enchantress (傾國), Sinking Fish (沈魚), and Solitude (寂寞).
As it happened, Wi Ilcheong had been involved with all four of them, and gossips throughout the martial world chattered every day, imagining what sort of nights the Four Peerless Beauties and the Lust Demon had shared.
Naturally, the Lust Demon hated being asked about such private matters.
He hated it even more when the one asking was a man he wasn’t even close to.
So Wi Ilcheong simply spoke honestly.
“Haa… The Second Young Master of the Murong Clan has no manners.”
“W-What…!”
Silence fell over the inn, which had been noisy only moments before.
It was Wi Ilcheong who broke that silence.
“I thought that, as a scion of a prestigious clan, you would have some understanding of etiquette. But I’m disappointed. Senior Noh, please forgive me for the discourtesy of leaving early. I’m tired.”
As Wi Ilcheong rose from his seat, Noh Sun-pyeong spoke coldly.
“Sit back down, Jade-Faced Young Master.”
“…”
“If you leave now, things will become very unpleasant between you and the Murong Clan.”
“…I don’t think so.”
Wi Ilcheong bowed his head slightly, then turned around.
The Murong Clan martial artists sitting behind him rose and blocked his path.
“What should we do, Elder Noh?”
“…Let him go. Any regret he has will be his own to bear.”
“…Yes.”
Once a path opened, Wi Ilcheong slipped through and went up the stairs.
When he reached the second floor and looked down, the Lust Demon sighed upon seeing everyone’s eyes on him except Noh Sun-pyeong.
“Haa… I told Miss Dokgo not to cause trouble, yet I’m the one who caused it.”
The lie about being tired soon became reality.
Thinking he’d get some sleep with his face nestled against Baekri Sohyeon’s chest tonight, Wi Ilcheong opened the door, and…
“Th-That piece of shit! He doesn’t even remember the person he killed…!!”
“…Hiiing.”
“…”
A complete mess greeted his eyes.
Baekri Sohyeon, who had been putting up with Dokgo Ryeong’s drunken antics, saw Wi Ilcheong enter the room and rushed over to cling to him.
“B-Brother Wi… Miss Dokgo….”
“…I told you not to let her drink.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Haa….”
Wi Ilcheong rummaged through his sleeve and took out the herbs he’d gotten from the herb gatherer.
“…Good thing I can use these right away. Just hold on a little longer.”
“…Hiiing.”
Wi Ilcheong tore up the herbs, made a sleeping draught, mixed a little into some water, and approached Dokgo Ryeong.
“…Miss Dokgo.”
“Huh?! Lust Demon!!”
“…Yes, it’s me.”
“You bastard…! Are you trying to fuck me again?!”
“…I’ve never fucked Miss Dokgo.”
“Are you impotent?!”
“…Your throat must be dry. Why don’t you drink some water?”
“Oh, right! Thanks~.”
Dokgo Ryeong took the cup Wi Ilcheong offered her and gulped it down. A moment later, she promptly collapsed to the floor.
“Krr… urk.”
“…With a snore that hearty, she would’ve been a true great man if she’d been born male.”
“…Yeah. I think so too….”
“Miss Baekri, please carry Miss Dokgo to the next room.”
“…Okay. But is that all right? Coachman Heo is in the next room….”
“Coachman Heo won’t be there. Just leave her next door.”
“…All right.”
The moment Baekri Sohyeon hoisted Dokgo Ryeong onto her back, something caught Wi Ilcheong’s eye.
“…Do you know why her hand looks like this?”
Dokgo Ryeong’s right hand was slightly torn, and blood was running from it.
“…Ryeong punched the floor after she came back to the room from meeting Hero Noh earlier.”
“…I see. There’s a long-standing grudge between the Mad Demon and Hero Noh, so it’s only natural Miss Dokgo would be angry.”
Rip.
Wi Ilcheong tore off a little cloth, applied some wound medicine to the injury, and wrapped it.
“…Take her to the next room.”
“…Okay. Um… can we do it again tonight?”
“Do what?”
Baekri Sohyeon blushed slightly and let out a hot breath.
“…Naughty things.”
“Have I ever said no? Just take Miss Dokgo to the next room.”
“…Okay! Heehee.”
Baekri Sohyeon left with a bright expression.
Wi Ilcheong kept smiling at her until she closed the door, but the moment she was gone, his expression sank.
‘…If the Murong Clan learns Miss Dokgo’s identity, there’ll be trouble.’
He was traveling with a large force of martial artists, and just now, Wi Ilcheong had even embarrassed the Second Young Master.
Even so, the clan had the pride of a prestigious house. They might pick a fight, but they wouldn’t attack first.
But if…
The moment they learned Wi Ilcheong’s group included the Mad Demon’s daughter, every member of the Murong Clan would come after her.
‘…Why did you make enemies everywhere you went, Senior Mad Demon?’
Just as he was sighing over and over for no reason…
Rattle.
Baekri Sohyeon returned.
“…I’m back.”
“Miss Dokgo has fallen into a deep sleep, so she won’t wake easily.”
“…Okay.”
Baekri Sohyeon began undressing herself and approached Wi Ilcheong.
Soon naked, Baekri Sohyeon knelt before Wi Ilcheong, who was sitting on the floor, and crawled between his legs on all fours.
“…Can you do a lot more for me tonight, Brother Wi?”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“…Coachman Hwang will be around from now on, so I’ll have to be careful.”
“Ah… I hadn’t thought of that.”
Stroking Baekri Sohyeon’s head as she undid his waistband, Wi Ilcheong smiled.
“Then I’ll have to do a lot.”
“…Yeah.”
Watching Baekri Sohyeon take his member into her mouth, Wi Ilcheong’s smile deepened.
*
After ending the drinking session and returning to his room, Noh Sun-pyeong couldn’t shake the feeling that a hazy fog had settled in his mind.
‘Biyeon… Biyeon… Biyeon, huh…’
It was certainly a familiar name, but he couldn’t reconcile it with the girl he’d met earlier.
‘With hair that conspicuously red, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember her. So why…’
In that brief moment, seeing the red-haired girl had stirred several emotions in Noh Sun-pyeong.
Anger, contempt, disgust.
The eyes that held every kind of negativity had gotten under his skin.
‘Her eyes were too alive for me to dismiss her as just some madwoman. Then what…?’
That insolent gaze, which reminded him of Mad Demon Dokgo Jin.
Just then, lightning flashed through Noh Sun-pyeong’s mind.
‘Biyeon! Mad Demon!’
The name the Mad Demon had shouted over and over the day he came to destroy the Murong Clan.
How had he forgotten that?
‘Wait… why would that woman know that name?’
As Noh Sun-pyeong pondered the relationship between the Mad Demon, Biyeon, and the red-haired girl,
someone burst in.
“Elder! Urgent news! It came from the Beggars’ Sect.”
“…The Beggars’ Sect?”
“Yes!”
“Give it to me.”
The message the courier had brought wasn’t a carrier-pigeon letter, but an urgent dispatch sent by the fastest method used to deliver the Murim Alliance’s most critical intelligence.
As soon as he received the message and began reading it, Noh Sun-pyeong started to laugh.
“Heh… Hahahaha! So that’s it… That’s what it was….”
“W-What is it, sir?”
“Even that man who had nothing left to lose had a family… Heh… Heheh, hahahaha!!!”
As Noh Sun-pyeong began laughing like a madman, the courier tilted his head.
“E-Elder?”
“Bring the Second Young Master. And bring the squad leaders as well.”
“As you command!”
Watching the courier leave, Noh Sun-pyeong stroked the hilt at his waist.
“Mad Demon… Even if I can’t kill you, I’ll never forgive your daughter.”
Picturing how best to deal with the Mad Demon’s daughter to make Dokgo Jin angrier and more tormented, Noh Sun-pyeong’s smile grew ever deeper.
*
“Just come in, miss. There’s something we need to talk about, too.”
“G-Go to hell, you lunatic! Get dressed first, then call me again!”
“…You’ll see it someday anyway, so why not now… Ah.”
Baekri Sohyeon was slow and frustrating.
She spoke slowly, reacted slowly, and seemed absentminded in some way.
But her movements were incredibly fast.
“Miss Baekri.”
“…Yeah?”
“Please hold Miss Dokgo.”
“…Yeah.”
The moment she heard Wi Ilcheong’s words, Dokgo Ryeong tried to pull away, but Baekri Sohyeon’s hands were faster.
“Y-You crazy bitch!”
“…I don’t like it when you say mean things, Sister Ryeong….”
“Let…! I said let go…!”
Despite Dokgo Ryeong’s shouts, Baekri Sohyeon’s arms coiled around her like a snake and restrained her.
“…At this rate, we’ll wake all the other guests at the inn.”
Wi Ilcheong picked up Baekri Sohyeon’s clothes from the floor and stuffed them into Dokgo Ryeong’s mouth.
“Mmph…! Mmmph!!”
“Miss Dokgo, this is serious, so please be quiet. Miss Baekri?”
“…Yeah. Hyaaang!!”
When Baekri Sohyeon suddenly let out a sultry moan, Dokgo Ryeong fell quiet.
“Haaah…! Brother Wi…! You’re too rough…!!!”
Amid Baekri Sohyeon’s moans, Wi Ilcheong quietly spoke.
“Miss Dokgo, you have incredibly keen perception, don’t you? Could you check the first floor?”
“??”
“The Murong Clan’s movements are suspicious.”
“!!”
Hearing Wi Ilcheong’s words, Dokgo Ryeong closed her eyes and focused. Just as he’d said, something was off about the activity in the inn.
Careful footsteps, the rapid pounding of numerous hearts, and the occasional clink of metal.
“…Did you confirm it?”
“…”
When Dokgo Ryeong nodded, Wi Ilcheong pulled the clothes he’d stuffed into her mouth back out.
“…I’m sorry for being rough. I wanted to get out quickly before they noticed.”
“…I’ll forgive you. So what’s going on?”
“…It seems I caused trouble. They must not have liked that I offended the Murong Clan’s Second Young Master, and it looks like they’re going to attack us.”
“Haa… Can I really make it all the way to Tianzhu with a bastard like you?”
“…I heard Miss Dokgo had already caused trouble too.”
“You asshole, you’re the one who delivered the finishing blow.”
“…It seems so. I made an uncharacteristic mistake.”
“Anyway, what are we going to do?”
As Baekri Sohyeon continued to deliberately make sultry moans, Wi Ilcheong whispered beneath them.
“…We can’t fight the Murong Clan. Hero Noh Sun-pyeong is here, too.”
“…That bastard’s not bad, I’ll give him that. So?”
“For now, you should escape with Coachman Heo.”
“…And what am I supposed to trust about him?”
“Coachman Heo holds a fairly prominent position in the Hao Sect. And the Hao Sect is fully supporting me.”
“…Can I trust him?”
Since what he knew didn’t match what she’d said, Wi Ilcheong replied,
“…Didn’t I tell you earlier today? I’m the greenhorn who’s spent the night with the Four Peerless Beauties of the martial world, including Enchantress Eun Yak-byeok, the Hao Sect Leader.”
“You think a huge sect like the Hao Sect would help you just because of that?”
“…Why are you like this, seriously? I’m the Lust Demon.”
Wi Ilcheong spoke as if incredulous.
“Is there a woman who’s spent even one night with me and then forgotten me?”
“…You crazy bastard.”