Chapter 3: A Bandit’s Way

“Yoo Somyeong.”

“……”

“Young Lady Yoo, please wake up.”

“Ugh…”

“Ah, this is annoying…”

Splash!

“Eek!”

“Are you awake now? You looked hot, so I splashed a bucket of water on you.”

Even after being splashed with water, Yoo Somyeong’s eyes were still dazed.

“Y-you’re a Woodcutter…”

“That’s right, a Woodcutter. I also happen to be the Boss of this Green Forest Gang.”

Hearing that, Yoo Somyeong’s eyes widened. It seemed she was finally grasping the situation.

“Y-you! Cruel and despicable!”

“Do you think the Unorthodox Sect is cruel and despicable? Then what, do you think they are fair and square? This is just the way we ignorant Mountain Bandits operate.”

Even though I tried to explain logically, the anger in Yoo Somyeong’s eyes didn’t subside. Well, if I were in her shoes and got slashed twice by someone I helped, I’d be angry too.

Yoo Somyeong struggled to escape the situation. But we had already tied her up tightly.

Realizing she couldn’t free herself, Yoo Somyeong asked in a trembling voice.

“What are you going to do with me now?”

“Well, I’m still deciding. I just came in to check on your condition…”

As I said that, I deliberately looked at her body with a lecherous gaze. Her clothes were soaked, revealing her figure.

Feeling my gaze, she shrank back.

Cute. Like a rabbit.

But I had no intention of violating or touching her. I don’t have a hobby of laying hands on innocent young ladies who know nothing.

“Just kidding. We have our own rules, and we don’t lay hands on women like that.”

“Are you sure?”

“You must have been deceived a lot. By the way, are your wounds okay?”

“Wounds…? Ah.”

Yoo Somyeong had been slashed on her waist while fending off my subordinates’ attacks. It wasn’t a deep wound, but I had treated it to prevent it from getting worse.

Yoo Somyeong checked the area where she was slashed and then suddenly asked me as if realizing something.

“Hey, y-you…”

“Yes?”

“…My clothes have changed. Did you change them?”

Hmm, she noticed.

“Yes, I treated your wounds and changed your clothes.”

“Y-you…!”

But I was confident about this.

“How could I treat your wounds without taking off your clothes? Should I have let you die?”

“…Well, that’s true…”

“I even changed you into the best clothes we had to prevent you from catching a cold, and you’re getting angry?”

“……”

“Don’t worry. I tried my best not to see your bare skin.”

“……”

Yoo Somyeong seemed to have nothing to say. Well, technically, I did save her. Or maybe not, since I caused the problem in the first place.

Anyway, her flustered expression was cuter than I expected. Suddenly, a mischievous urge welled up inside me.

“By the way, why do you have a scar on your chest?”

“You! You said you didn’t look!”

“I saw your chest.”

“……”

“It was soft and felt nice.”

Yoo Somyeong looked extremely shocked. It was like the expression of someone whose boyfriend suddenly came out as gay.

“……Sniff, sniff.”

Oh, she’s crying.

Tears started to flow down Yoo Somyeong’s beautiful and sorrowful face, making her look like a tragic heroine.

I was a bit taken aback by her tears. Did I go too far with my joke on this innocent young lady from the Orthodox Sect?

“…I’d rather die than suffer such humiliation from a brute like you…”

Calling me a brute to my face is too much.

“I’d rather kill myself than face my ancestors with this shame…”

What?

With that, Yoo Somyeong bit her tongue hard. But I was quicker, shoving my fist into her mouth.

Yoo Somyeong bit down on my fist with such force that it felt like she was trying to sever it. The pain was excruciating, and I couldn’t help but curse.

“Ahhh! You idiot, it was a joke. Damn it. Let go, you crazy woman!”

But Yoo Somyeong’s face was already covered in tears. She cried bitterly, refusing to let go of my fist.

“Sniff, sniff, I’d rather die than live with this shame…”

“It’s a joke, damn it!”

I finally managed to pull my fist out and put a gag in her mouth to calm the situation. But her crying didn’t stop.

It took me a long time to calm her down.

****

“Has the Young Lady come to her senses?”

It was Dongryong. The rest of the Green Forest Gang members, except for me, were sitting around a campfire.

“Yes, she’s awake. She cried and made a fuss.”

When I showed them my bleeding fist, they laughed. But soon, the atmosphere turned serious. It wasn’t a situation to laugh about.

“Boss, what are you going to do now?”

“About what?”

“You’ve touched the precious gem of the Shanxi Yoo Family.”

“I don’t know, damn it. I’m still thinking.”

Yoo Somyeong, the Sword Princess of the Shanxi Yoo Family.

I thought she was just the daughter of some merchant, but she turned out to be a big shot.

In the original story, she was an important sub-heroine. If I remember correctly, the protagonist met her while wandering the world. She played a significant role in the war against the Demonic Sect with her exceptional martial arts.

She’s still young and inexperienced now, but once she grows a bit more, she won’t be caught so easily.

The problem now is her background.

The Shanxi Yoo Family.

A prestigious family with significant influence in Shanxi. They cherished Yoo Somyeong dearly. And we kidnapped their precious gem.

Thinking about it again drives me crazy. The martial artists of the Shanxi Yoo Family will be after our heads, and the thought of playing a deadly game of tag is thrilling.

The others probably feel the same.

Bang-sam, the third in rank, spoke up hesitantly.

“It’s not our usual way, but how about killing her to silence her?”

Killing to silence.

The suggestion to kill her to keep her quiet made the others freeze. Despite their rough appearances, they had soft hearts.

Bongchun, the fourth in rank, spoke up.

“How about we just return the Young Lady to the Shanxi Yoo Family safely and sincerely apologize?”

“Are you crazy? Do you think the Shanxi Yoo Family will spare us? They’ll chop off our heads, saying it’s admirable that we turned ourselves in.”

He was right. It felt like we had crossed a point of no return.

“Then what do we do? Are we really going to kill her? If we kill such a young lady, she’ll become a virgin ghost and haunt us forever.”

“Isn’t it scarier to have hundreds of martial artists from the Shanxi Yoo Family chasing us?”

“…That’s true.”

“…I think the Boss should decide.”

“…Yeah.”

Should we let Yoo Somyeong go or kill her?

As if to help me with this difficult decision, there was some Bamboo Leaf Liquor left from earlier.

Gulp.

“Alright, I’ve decided.”

After downing the drink, I picked up Yoo Somyeong’s sword.

And headed inside.

**

The Shanxi Yoo Family, the rulers of Shanxi.

Their mansion was grand, befitting their status. It was quiet and unadorned, reflecting the family’s values. Always calm and peaceful, like a sturdy willow tree.

So, it was rare for loud noises to come from the Shanxi Yoo Family. Especially at night. They considered making noise at night to be impolite.

But tonight was different.

From the family head’s room, the quietest place in the mansion, came a voice full of anxiety.

“…Is Somyeong still not here?”

The voice belonged to Yoo Jinmyeong, the Young Master of the Shanxi Yoo Family.

With the family head away for months, he was anxious about his only sister, Yoo Somyeong, not arriving as expected.

“No, the Young Lady has not arrived yet.”

“What could have happened… She was supposed to arrive today…”

“Don’t worry too much, Young Master. The Young Lady is also a capable martial artist.”

Elder Wi Yongmyeong, who had been helping the inexperienced Young Master, patted Yoo Jinmyeong’s shoulder reassuringly.

Like a kind grandfather, his gesture made Yoo Jinmyeong nod.

“Phew… I know Somyeong can take care of herself. But with Father away, I worry even more.”

“I’ll send people to check. There’s nothing to worry about, Young Master.”

“Thank you… I can only fill in for Father because of your help, Elder Wi.”

Yoo Jinmyeong bowed his head sincerely to the loyal Elder of the Shanxi Yoo Family.

But…

“…No need to thank me. I haven’t done much.”

Elder Wi’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light, unbefitting an Orthodox Sect martial artist, as he looked down at the bowing Yoo Jinmyeong with greed.