Chapter 37: Let’s Go to Our Home

“You have given me a new life, so from now on, my life belongs solely to you, Great Hero. I will give you everything. My body… my heart… my first night… my chastity…”

“……”

“If you wish, even the depths of my soul.”

Uh… so that means…

Um…

She wants to… give it to me…?

Swoosh-.

While I was momentarily dumbfounded, she had already reached right in front of my nose.

“…Great Hero.”

As Tang Weolhwa spoke, the sweet scent from her mouth reached my nose.

Moreover, her figure was revealed through the thin fabric.

Ah.

I thought the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate had a slender figure, but it turns out she just looked thin in clothes.

Her body was almost bare, and her unexpectedly ample chest caught my eye first.

It was irresistible.

I tried to avert my gaze, but as a man, I couldn’t help but stare at her pink eyes for a long time.

In the meantime…

Swoosh-.

Her soft hand touched my cheek.

Thump-.

I could hear her heartbeat louder than mine.

She seemed very nervous… Come to think of it, I remembered what the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate said earlier.

‘My heart… my first night… my chastity…’

First night, and chastity… she wants to give them to me?

So… she’s a virgin?

No, it doesn’t make sense for a woman who runs a brothel and is the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate to be a virgin at twenty-five.

I couldn’t understand it, so I wanted to ask her, but it wasn’t the right atmosphere.

Her face was now just an inch away from mine.

Tang Weolhwa closed her eyes and approached me.

Her soft lips were the first thing I saw. If she really is a virgin, this kiss might be her first.

Leaving my mark on untouched snow is a truly enjoyable thing. I like it too.

Clench.

I felt my lower body react to the excitement. Her lips would touch mine in a few seconds.

It would surely be a pleasant experience. My tongue was already eager to greet hers.

But…

Swoosh-.

“……”

“……”

“…Great Hero.”

“…Stop.”

…Just before her lips touched mine, I reached out my hand to stop her.

I saw her surprised eyes through my palm. She seemed to have never expected me to refuse.

Swoosh-.

Anyway, since I clearly expressed my refusal, she stepped back. An awkward silence followed for a while.

“……”

“……”

It was Tang Weolhwa who broke the silence first.

“Am I…”

“……”

“…not to your liking?”

She seemed a bit dejected.

Well… it was understandable. A woman had taken the initiative, and the man had rejected her so bluntly, it would hurt her pride.

But… I had my reasons.

“…It’s not that you’re unattractive as a woman…”

“…Then?”

“Well…”

I continued with difficulty.

“I have no feelings for you… Just like it’s your first time, it’s mine too… But for the first time, I want it to be with someone I like, so it has… meaning…”

“……”

“…It has meaning, so… no matter how I think about it, this isn’t right…”

“……”

…Tang Weolhwa didn’t respond immediately.

…Did I just sound like a complete idiot?

No, damn it, what else could I do…! I was born this way…!

No matter how I think about it, having my first experience with someone I have no feelings for doesn’t seem right…!

Ah… If I had known this, I would have done it with my girlfriend in my previous life before I died…

We planned to do it on the 100th day, but I died around the 96th day, so I became a virgin ghost in my previous life.

Maybe that’s why I’m more obsessed with this.

If it’s not with someone I like… I don’t want to do it.

I felt so stupid that I couldn’t lift my head. If I did, she would probably be looking at me with a ‘What an idiot’ expression.

But…

“Pfft-!”

“……?”

Instead of what I expected, I heard laughter above my head.

When I looked up, the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate was laughing heartily with a pure smile.

“Hahaha-!! Great Hero, what is that? It doesn’t suit you at all. Hahaha-!”

“No, it’s just…”

Damn… so embarrassing…

I couldn’t see it, but my face was probably redder than hers was earlier.

While I was momentarily flustered, she suddenly moved right in front of my face.

“…!”

Swoosh-.

Then she placed her hand on my burning cheek and spoke. Since we were so close, her breath touched my face.

“It’s a shame for such a handsome face, Great Hero. You usually act like a womanizer with lots of experience, but inside, there’s a cute, innocent man.”

“……”

Is she talking about my time working at the Moon-gazing Pavilion? I was good at it because I treated it as a job.

But now, it’s different.

While I was thinking that, she brought her face to my ear and spoke slowly.

“I think I tried to take advantage of you too much. I understand your feelings, Great Hero.”

“Does that mean…?”

“I will become a woman who can enter your heart, Great Hero.”

“What…?”

At that moment, she pulled her face back and looked into my eyes.

“I am already yours, but you are not mine. I almost forgot that.”

From the moment I first met her, there was always a gloom behind her face, but not now.

Is it because the poison is gone? Her face was definitely different from before.

“I have never failed to get what I want. And… you are the one I want the most in my life, Great Hero.”

How can she say such embarrassing things so confidently? But…

“I will definitely make you mine. And when that day comes… you can savor everything about me.”

Her face was filled with determination and joy.

Her face looked so beautiful at that moment…

“…Alright, do your best.”

I left her with a small word of encouragement.

**

The restless night passed, and morning came.

What happened next, you ask?

Well… I took the Drunken Immortal Wine back to my room and drank it, then just slept.

……

And that was it.

“Big Brother, why do you look so pale?”

“…It’s something a kid like you doesn’t need to know.”

“Huh?”

I ignored the curious youngest and packed my things.

Morning had come, and it was time to go home.

I originally came to Sichuan to sell the Shanxi Yoo Family’s goods to the Lower Filth Gate.

I stayed longer than planned. If I stayed away from home too long, who knows what trouble my troublesome subordinates might cause, so I had to return quickly.

‘Still… I told them to train in martial arts quietly, so there shouldn’t be any problems.’

Thinking that, I grabbed my things and headed outside, where someone was waiting for me.

It was the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate and Uncle Moon-seok.

“Great Hero.”

“……”

Since declaring she would win me over, the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate looked at me with eyes full of affection. I tried to speak gruffly to her…

“Hey, do you think I’ll like you if you keep looking at me like that? It’s actually burdensome.”

“I am just looking at you as usual. Are you perhaps conscious of me?”

…She responded boldly, as if she had decided to be shameless.

“Sigh… Fine, think whatever you want.”

I waved my hand dismissively, feeling that talking more would only get me more entangled. Then Uncle Moon-seok spoke to me.

“Are you leaving now? May I ask where your residence is?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering. After this incident, I felt I had built enough trust and goodwill with the Lower Filth Gate to share this information.

So I spoke without much thought…

“Mount Muak. I have a mountain hideout there.”

“Mount Muak… you say?”

“Are you saying you are the Boss of the Green Forest Hideout on Mount Muak, Great Hero?”

“…What? Why that reaction?”

Contrary to my expectations, Uncle Moon-seok and Tang Weolhwa reacted strongly.

What? Our Green Forest Gang is pretty unknown, so why do they seem to know about it?

“You must have reliable subordinates, Great Hero. That must be reassuring.”

“You say I have reliable subordinates? What nonsense is that…?”

I felt a sense of foreboding from Tang Weolhwa’s words, but I decided to let it go.

‘She must have just been trying to be nice…’

I dismissed her words as a coincidence and asked the two of them.

“What will you do now? Will you stay here?”

“Ah… we…”

She hesitated for a moment but soon answered.

“To avoid getting entangled with the Sichuan Tang Family after the Great Elder’s death… we plan to temporarily withdraw the Sichuan branch.”

“What?”

“I move my residence frequently, so it doesn’t matter to me. Uncle Moon-seok is also due for a new assignment, so it’s a good time.”

Uncle Moon-seok continued after the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate.

“If you are staying at Mount Muak, I will stay at the Hunan branch nearby. If you need anything, come find me.”

“Uncle Moon-seok. That’s…”

“Don’t refuse. Can’t I do at least this much for my benefactor? And this is…”

Uncle Moon-seok glanced to the side and continued.

“This is also the Leader’s wish.”

It seemed to be true, as Tang Weolhwa nodded.

“As long as I am the Leader, the Lower Filth Gate will never forget your grace, Great Hero. Please feel free to use us as your subordinates.”

“…Alright, then.”

They were offering to be my subordinates, so I didn’t refuse. I was sure their help would come in handy someday, so I nodded.

“Now, it’s really time to part. Once we settle down, I will come to greet you.”

“…Nonsense. If someone as important as you comes, it will attract too much attention. Don’t come.”

“I will come carefully, without anyone knowing.”

With those words, Tang Weolhwa bowed deeply.

“Until we meet again, please stay healthy, Great Hero.”

Seeing that, it finally felt real that I was leaving.

In total, I had stayed in Sichuan for about fifteen days. It felt like a long time, but it was actually short.

But now, it was really time to go.

“Take care, now that you’re no longer a Poison Master.”

“Thank you again for making me a nobody.”

We had become somewhat friendly, exchanging light banter.

“Alright, take care, you nobodies.”

“Goodbye!”

With that, our youngest and I said our final goodbyes to Tang Weolhwa and Uncle Moon-seok and set off.

In my pocket were paper money worth 400 taels of gold and a new connection with the Lower Filth Gate.

It wasn’t a bad outing.

**

After seeing Muyeon off, the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate went back to her room to finish the last of her tasks before leaving.

Not long after, Uncle Moon-seok entered.

“Leader.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Uncle Moon-seok hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The two daughters of the Lee Family, who are prominent figures in Sichuan, are downstairs demanding to know where Muyeon and his young friend went…”

“Ah… the Lee Family…”

Their names were probably Sohyang and Heeya. They had come to the Moon-gazing Pavilion every day, requesting Muyeon and our youngest as their hosts.

They drank together, touched Muyeon, and hugged him…

“…Those wretched women.”

“…Pardon?”

“…Never mind. Just explain and send them away.”

“Yes, understood.”

After sending Uncle Moon-seok away, she sighed and sat down.

‘What a pity.’

The emotion she felt now was regret.

She had clearly seen Muyeon’s expression waver last night. She should have taken advantage of that and pushed further, but she let him go.

Just now, another woman came looking for Muyeon.

Considering his face, this would happen often in the future.

‘I will have to defeat many competitors to win the Great Hero.’

Though she had confidently declared she would win him over, she couldn’t help but worry.

Then.

Knock knock-.

“Leader? Another matter has come up.”

“Are those women refusing to leave? If so, I’ll drag them out by their hair…”

“Oh, no… it’s not that…”

Uncle Moon-seok tried to hide his embarrassment as he reported the new situation.

“A guest from the Shanxi Yoo Family has arrived.”

“Shanxi… Yoo Family?”

“Yes, specifically, Young Lady Yoo has come in person.”

The precious daughter of the Shanxi Yoo Family came all this way?

Tang Weolhwa couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion.