Chapter 3
“Miss, please hold still. If you move like that….”
“Quiet. A young woman shouldn’t be so talkative.”
“…But if you keep moving….”
“Now, now! I know what I’m doing, so stay still.”
“…”
After the bath, Dokgo Jin and Sua kept bickering as she dried him off.
Every time Sua tried to wipe him down, the unfamiliar sensations of his changed body bothered him, so Dokgo Jin pushed her away. Sua was determined to do the job she’d been assigned, and they ended up arguing.
Dokgo Jin could only lament that he’d been reduced to bickering with some mere female waiter.
‘…What a useless body. I’ve got a long way to go.’
With his original male body, he could’ve subdued someone like Sua with just two fingers, but now even bickering with her was exhausting.
The brief tussle over the towel had already left him gasping for breath.
“…Damn it.”
The more the Mad Demon contemplated his body, the more his anger flared.
The three essentials of a martial artist: mind, energy, and body.
His mindset as a martial artist—the “mind”—hadn’t changed.
He was still the proud Dokgo Jin, a master at the Transcendent Peak level.
His inner energy—the “energy”—was no problem either.
His Eight Extraordinary Meridians were blocked for now, but retracing a path he’d already traveled would be easy.
Moreover, after absorbing the inner energy contained in the Ice Palace’s sacred treasure, Dokgo Jin now possessed inner energy of unimaginable purity.
If he learned even a suitable martial art and began clearing his meridians, he could soon reclaim the martial arts he’d cultivated in his male body—or even surpass them.
But he could see no solution for his “body.”
‘You expect me to wield a sword in this uncomfortable body?’
His breasts got in the way whenever he moved his arms.
As a swordsman, longer arms gave him an advantage in a battle of reach, and he’d lost that too.
His stride had shortened, and his long hair was nothing but a nuisance.
There wasn’t a single thing about this body he liked.
Still, there was one thing Dokgo Jin did like.
His five senses had become extraordinarily sharp.
When Dokgo Jin closed his eyes and listened for a moment, his senses sharpened, allowing him to perceive everything around him in detail.
Creak…
Just then, he heard someone step on the wooden floor.
Dokgo Jin opened his eyes and spoke.
“Hey, waiter.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“A customer has arrived at the inn. He seems to be looking for a waiter, but that Jangil fellow from earlier is elsewhere. You should go see what he wants.”
“…Pardon?”
“The owner’s dozing in the kitchen. At this rate, we’ll lose the customer, so you should go.”
“…”
Sua looked at him with suspicion after hearing Dokgo Jin’s words.
‘…How does Miss know what’s happening thirty jang (90 meters) away?’
Sua listened carefully just in case, but she still couldn’t hear anything.
“…Miss, is someone really coming?”
“You don’t need to go after all.”
“Pardon?”
“The customer is coming this way.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone could be seen walking from the inn toward where Sua and Dokgo Jin were.
The moment Dokgo Jin narrowed his eyes slightly to make out the customer’s face—
‘Damn it….’
Dokgo Jin’s face twisted.
A man with a guileless look, dressed in white scholar’s robes and swinging his arms as he approached, clasped his hands in greeting.
“Greetings, lovely ladies. I’m looking for someone….”
It was the Lust Demon.
*
When the seemingly guileless young master, the Lust Demon Wi Ilcheong, spoke to him, Dokgo Jin tensed.
‘…What the hell is that bastard doing here?’
The Lust Demon, Wi Ilcheong.
An extraordinary master from a small clan in Heilongjiang bearing the Wi surname.
But this peculiar man was better known for his prowess in bed than for his martial arts.
Among the eccentric figures of the martial world, he was as strange as the Mad Demon himself.
As Dokgo Jin stared at the Lust Demon, Wi Ilcheong noticed his gaze and smiled at him.
“Well, well… What beautifully colored hair you have, Miss.”
“Bullshit.”
“…Pardon?”
“You think this looks beautiful? I look like some madwoman drenched in blood.”
“…I’m sorry. It seems I’ve upset you, Miss.”
“…”
Dokgo Jin wanted to sneer, “Humble servant, my ass,” but he held back.
There was nothing to be gained from clashing with him right now, and in his current body, Dokgo Jin clearly wouldn’t withstand even a single move from him.
Dokgo Jin knew.
Though his reputation as the Lust Demon overshadowed it, the man was incredibly powerful.
‘What an obnoxious bastard. He spends all his time chasing women, yet he’s so skilled at martial arts.’
As Dokgo Jin’s face twisted and he fell silent, Sua spoke up, hoping to ease the awkward atmosphere.
“C-Customer, if you’re planning to stay at the inn, I can….”
“Oh, no. I’m looking for someone.”
“Is there someone you’re looking for?”
“Well… um… I’m not close with him, but did a guest come by yesterday?”
Wi Ilcheong raised his hand above his head and described the person he was looking for.
“I heard he had wild hair and red light blazing from his eyes, and was a giant about a head and a half taller than me. He also carries a sword about the size of an ordinary person.”
The more familiar the description sounded, the wider Dokgo Jin’s mouth fell open.
But Sua failed to notice and replied with a bright smile.
“Oh! He stopped by yesterday.”
“I thought so… Might I meet him?”
“I heard he went out for a stroll just now. But….”
“Wait…!”
Before Dokgo Jin could stop Sua, she pointed at him and said,
“The young lady here is his daughter.”
“…”
Hearing Sua’s words, Dokgo Jin covered his forehead with his hand.
‘This is driving me crazy….’
He lifted his head slightly to gauge Wi Ilcheong’s reaction and saw him looking back with interest.
“Well, well… I had no idea he had a family.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Miss Dokgo, could I speak with you for a moment?”
“…”
Hearing Wi Ilcheong call him Miss Dokgo even though he hadn’t introduced himself, Dokgo Jin gave up.
For some reason, the Lust Demon was looking for the Mad Demon, Dokgo Jin, and he’d come to this very place.
And now that he’d realized who the woman standing before him was, he wouldn’t let him go easily.
‘There’s no getting out of this.’
Wi Ilcheong smiled and held out his hand.
Tap.
Dokgo Jin slapped his hand away, walked ahead, and said,
“I don’t make a habit of holding men’s hands. If you have something to say, come find me in my room.”
“What a bold young lady. Just like his daughter.”
“Sigh… Waiter. Bring up something for breakfast.”
“Yes, Miss.”
As Dokgo Jin walked ahead, Wi Ilcheong followed behind him with a genial smile.
‘That idiot of a waiter….’
Dokgo Jin’s head throbbed.
While eating breakfast in his room to stave off his hunger, Dokgo Jin didn’t say a word.
In the end, Wi Ilcheong was the first to speak, unable to stand the silence any longer.
“…The more I see you, the more mysterious you seem, Miss.”
“What is?”
“Everything you do is so manly. You really do seem like his daughter.”
“Stop saying ‘that person.’ Just call him the Mad Demon outright. I don’t like you beating around the bush.”
“…If that’s what you wish, Miss.”
As Wi Ilcheong continued smiling and slurping his tea, Dokgo Jin’s anger flared.
‘Why is that bastard looking for me?’
Dokgo Jin was frantic, unable to figure out why the Lust Demon would be looking for him.
He could understand if the vermin from the Ice Palace, Tang Clan, Nangong Clan, Murong Clan, Wudang, Mount Hua, Zhongnan, or the Beggars’ Sect had come looking for him.
He’d personally beaten every one of those bastards to a pulp at one time or another, so he could understand if they came to settle old scores and throw a fit.
But it was unsettling when someone he’d crossed swords with once in passing, then parted with amicably and without any hard feelings, came looking for him now.
In the end, Dokgo Jin decided to get straight to the point.
“So. Why are you looking for my… father?”
“Ah, I’m late in introducing myself. I’m….”
“The Lust Demon. Wi Ilcheong.”
“…”
Wi Ilcheong narrowed his eyes.
“You know who I am, Miss?”
“If a martial artist in scholar’s robes walks around with several supple swords on his person, who else could you be but the Lust Demon?”
“…I thought I’d hidden them well, but you saw through me at a glance. Impressive.”
“I have good eyes.”
Pleased that he’d gotten one over on him, Dokgo Jin downed his tea and continued the conversation.
“I heard you had no grudge with my… father.”
“Of course not. I don’t want to cross swords with the Mad Demon himself again, either.”
“Then why are you looking for him?”
“…There’s something I’d like to ask of him. I’ll tell you when he arrives.”
“…”
The Lust Demon refused to say more and went back to sipping his tea, making Dokgo Jin’s anger flare again.
Oblivious to how he felt, the Lust Demon picked at a few dishes, then smiled brightly.
“Well, well. The cook here seems to be quite skilled…”
“The Mad Demon isn’t coming. I guarantee it.”
“…Pardon?”
“He won’t come. He’s gone far away.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know what business you have with him, but why don’t you just leave today?”
“…”
Hearing Dokgo Jin’s words, Wi Ilcheong rested a hand on his chin and pondered for a moment.
‘…Please just leave, you bastard.’
But contrary to Dokgo Jin’s hopes, Wi Ilcheong didn’t give up.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“…What doesn’t, you bastard? If I say he’s gone….”
“You’d leave your daughter, who’s afflicted with Severed Meridian Syndrome, behind?”
“…What?”
At the mention of Severed Meridian Syndrome, Dokgo Jin froze.
“S-Severed Meridian Syndrome? Me?”
“You didn’t know?”
“That can’t be… If I had that, I wouldn’t be able to use inner energy, and I’d die young.”
“That’s only true for severe cases like Nine Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome. I’d need to examine your pulse to be certain, but you don’t seem to be afflicted with a case that severe.”
“…”
Severed Meridian Syndrome.
The worst of illnesses: excessive yin energy blocks the meridians, gradually draining a person’s life force as they age until they die young without warning.
‘Fuck….’
He’d overlooked it amid the shock of his sudden, immense increase in inner energy and his transformation into a woman. But the more he thought about it, the more Dokgo Jin realized that his condition matched the symptoms, and his expression grew grim.
“Miss Dokgo.”
“…Speak.”
“Would you be interested in making a deal with me?”
Crash!
The moment he heard that, Dokgo Jin snatched up his teacup and hurled it at Wi Ilcheong’s face.
Wi Ilcheong didn’t dodge; he took the hit head-on.
Enraged, Dokgo Jin rushed over and seized him by the collar.
“You son of a bitch! Do you take me for a whore?!”
“…Please calm down. I know what people say about me. But believe me. I’ve never once laid a hand on a woman first.”
“Bullshit, you bastard.”
“Sigh….”
Wi Ilcheong grabbed Dokgo Jin’s hand and pried it away.
“…And a deal would only be possible while you’re still a virgin, Miss Dokgo.”
“Get lost, you lunatic.”
“…It would be a good thing for you, too, Miss Dokgo.”
“You think I’d let some man touch my body just because I’m crazy—”
“I’ve cured Severed Meridian Syndrome before.”
“…What?”
“I’ve even cured Nine Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome.”
“…”
At those words, Dokgo Jin’s thoughts came to a halt.
“Who? Can you prove it?”
“I can. I’ll even introduce you personally.”
“…”
Wi Ilcheong answered confidently, and Dokgo Jin, somewhat calmer, sat back down.
‘…He cured Nine Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome? That bastard?’
With Severed Meridian Syndrome, the meridians were blocked, preventing the sufferer from circulating inner energy.
But if he could remove whatever was blocking those meridians—if he could cure the condition—
Dokgo Jin could use the pure yin energy in his dantian to wield the formidable martial arts he’d once mastered—or perhaps even become stronger than before.
“…How do you cure it?”
“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you if we come to an agreement.”
“…Tell me what you want.”
“I need the extremely yang cultivation method the Mad Demon possesses. The Nine Yang Divine Art.”
“You’re crazy. Do you think a martial artist would hand over his martial arts?”
“That’s not it. I don’t need it myself. Someone else does. I came to ask if you might at least take that child on as a disciple.”
“Nonsense…?”
Just as Dokgo Jin was about to cut Wi Ilcheong off, he sensed something was wrong.
“Miss?”
“Shut up. Don’t even breathe. Stay still.”
“…”
Closing his eyes and focusing every bit of his attention on his ears, Dokgo Jin heard a variety of sounds.
When he could clearly hear even the breathing of the people staying in the inn, he concentrated his senses further and listened farther away.
‘Several footsteps… No, hoofbeats. The clink of weapons and armor… And…’
Dokgo Jin opened his eyes.
“Fuck.”
The Ice Palace’s pursuit squad had arrived.