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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 10: Chapter Two - First Foray into the Jianghu, and the Demoness (4)

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The first thing Mok Ri-won did after realizing the truth was simple.

"I'm sorry!"

He dropped to both knees, bowed his head deeply, and shouted his heartfelt apology at Hwa Seo.

He was filled with remorse.

'This isn't chivalry!'

How could he have mistaken a woman for a demoness because of his poor judgment?

And how could he have committed the heinous act of kidnapping a woman who had done nothing wrong?

The thought that he would be too ashamed to face his master made his whole body tremble.

Hwa Seo blinked at Mok Ri-won.

'...What is this?'

She could not make heads or tails of him.

* * *

A little later, after moving around to check herself now that the acupoint sealing on her body had been released, Hwa Seo looked over at Mok Ri-won, who was still kneeling.

'What should I do with this...?'

His behavior was impossible to understand, but the situation was turning in her favor.

It annoyed her that he had kidnapped her over such ridiculous reasoning, yet his martial prowess was still tempting.

Hwa Seo considered how she might use Mok Ri-won.

And what the best way to handle this situation would be.

'Judging by the nonsense he spouts, he's a Jianghu hick.'

Going on about chivalry, common folk, and demonesses, he was a man with the laughable passion to fight injustice.

His strange fixation on seduction arts further convinced her that he truly was a young man. His apology also showed that he was the sort to put his conscience before his pride.

One trait after another came into view.

And from them, Hwa Seo came up with a rather useful idea.

'People like this have one particular weakness.'

Hwa Seo gave a sly smile.

Then she composed her features into an expressionless mask and spoke.

"Please get up. Now that we both know it was a mistake, I won't reproach you any further."

Her speech had returned to its polite tone.

Mok Ri-won jerked his head up.

"Really?!"

"Of course. But..."

"But?"

"Because of you, I've been put in a difficult position."

Hwa Seo deliberately let irritation show on her face.

Guilt immediately spread across Mok Ri-won's features.

He almost looked as if he were about to cry.

For a moment, Hwa Seo thought, 'That's quite a face to make suffer,' and startled herself.

'What am I thinking...?'

She steadied herself.

"As I said earlier, I am not on good terms with the Illyun Society, the Black Path organization rooted in Suyang County. They covet my pleasure house. That is why I have always kept first-rate guards around me and remained at the pavilion."

"Y-yes."

"But because of your mistake, I ended up all the way out here. It was such a commotion that word of my being abducted by an unknown man will surely have reached the Illyun Society. They won't let this opportunity pass."

Mok Ri-won swallowed hard.

'B-because of me...!'

An innocent woman was about to lose her livelihood.

Mok Ri-won felt as though his stomach were twisting into knots.

He was utterly incapable of hiding his feelings. Seeing that, Hwa Seo felt relieved, certain that her plan was working.

"Take responsibility."

Hwa Seo spoke.

"I am also a first-rate martial artist. It was a brief exchange, but I could tell that you have reached a more mature realm than I have. If you are a martial artist who understands chivalry, then take responsibility for your mistake with that strength and help me wipe out the Illyun Society."

At last, she stated her purpose.

Of course, that was not Hwa Seo's only goal.

In truth, she could have dealt with the Illyun Society by herself. She simply had not done so.

It was more accurate to say that she had remained quiet because any disturbance would draw the family's attention.

'But...'

That had been true until now, but did this not paint a rather good picture?

The proprietor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion had been abducted. She returned unharmed, with the martial artist responsible for the abduction at her side.

That martial artist volunteered to serve the proprietor and took the lead in wiping out the Illyun Society.

People might see it as the demoness having bewitched another man.

Hwa Seo did not care.

Her own safety mattered more to her than outsiders' opinions.

The lives of the attendants who had escaped alongside her mattered too.

In other words, it was far better for rumors to spread that she had bewitched and used Mok Ri-won than for word to get out that the demoness knew martial arts.

Mok Ri-won blinked as he turned Hwa Seo's words over in his mind.

Once he understood what she meant, his face brightened and he cried out.

"Thank you for being so forgiving! I swear I'll protect your pleasure house, Miss!"

What a relief.

At Mok Ri-won's cry, filled with such relief, Hwa Seo answered.

"There's no need to thank me. I should be the grateful one."

How could she not be grateful when he had fallen for it so easily?

With that thought, Hwa Seo bowed her head.

Her hair spilled down with the movement, like flowing silk.

Mok Ri-won's heart began to pound.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Yeon-hwa, proprietor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion."

It was the name she gave as an alias.

Mok Ri-won kept repeating the name Yeon-hwa to himself. Then he sprang up, clasped his hands in a martial salute, and replied.

"I am Mok Ri-won! I don't have an epithet yet!"

His beaming face had turned slightly red.

Hwa Seo thought to herself.

'What an idiot.'

She did not think this man would survive long in the Jianghu.

* * *

The man and woman, each harboring different thoughts, returned to Suyang County.

They passed along the main road into the pleasure district, then made their way back to Gyeonghwa Pavilion.

Whispers rose all around them as they walked.

"That's the demoness!"

"Who is the man beside her? Isn't he the kidnapper everyone's talking about?"

"She's bewitched him! Can't you see how he's glued to her side, grinning like an idiot? Even such a fine man can't do a thing before a demoness...!"

Most of the remarks were aimed at Hwa Seo.

Having heard every word, Mok Ri-won turned to look at her.

'She must hear them too.'

She was also a first-rate martial artist.

A martial artist of that level would hear all these words, yet Hwa Seo appeared entirely unbothered. She simply walked on with her gaze held proudly ahead.

'Doesn't it anger her?'

He did not know much about her, but the Hwa Seo he knew was nothing like the woman described in these whispers.

She was not someone who committed crimes. She valued her people and had a generous heart.

"Miss..."

"Just follow me. We'll talk once we're back at the pavilion."

It was as though she already knew what he wanted to say.

Mok Ri-won made an uncomfortable sound, then sighed and followed after her.

* * *

At the top floor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion, Mok Ri-won sat with his head lowered awkwardly.

There was a reason for it.

The guards' stares, which had pierced him the moment he returned, were far too sharp.

"Um, I'm sorry..."

He felt he should apologize after harming them through a misunderstanding.

But it was not the guards who answered him. It was Hwa Seo.

"That's enough. All misunderstandings have been cleared up, and we are now working together. It would be best if neither of us held any unnecessary resentment toward the other. Please don't worry about it."

She smiled as she spoke. Anyone could see that her expression was full of pretense, but Mok Ri-won took it differently.

"Miss...!"

His face was full of emotion.

At the same time, there was admiration in his eyes.

'How can she be so kindhearted!'

His heart seemed unwilling to listen to him again.

Mok Ri-won barely stopped his mouth from falling open foolishly. Then he leaped to his feet and continued in a firm voice.

"I understand! So, what should I do? Should I go to those Illyun Society villains right now and teach them about chivalry?"

"Please sit."

"All right!"

Mok Ri-won sat down again.

Hwa Seo watched him impassively before continuing.

"We will not move first. They will come for us."

"Hm? Why? Now that you have returned after being abducted, they have no justification to occupy this place."

"Justification is something they can make for themselves. They could claim that they cannot recognize someone who was abducted despite being in the safest place in the pavilion as Gyeonghwa Pavilion's proprietor. Wouldn't that be enough for them?"

Bang!

Mok Ri-won slammed his fist against the floor and shouted.

"That's absurd! How can they use a justification like that?!"

To Mok Ri-won, it was only natural.

A justification had to be righteous.

It was meant to judge debts, grudges, and the conflicts between them through chivalry and practical benefit.

How could anyone use it in such an absurd way?

"That is what the Jianghu is like."

Hwa Seo's words angered Mok Ri-won.

"No, it isn't! I guarantee it! Only they would use such absurd justifications because they belong to the Black Path!"

Martial artists were meant to value chivalry and righteousness on the righteous path.

When Mok Ri-won declared that those who failed to uphold such principles were Black Path scum, and therefore deserved to be wiped out, Hwa Seo felt a headache coming on.

'This is why hicks are...!'

What sort of dream was he living in? Explaining every little thing to him would only make the back of her head throb, so Hwa Seo gave up.

"Yes, let's say that is the case."

Why should she bother explaining all this for his benefit?

That man only needed to carry out his role well.

"At any rate, that is why we will remain quiet. It would not reflect well on us if we launched a preemptive attack now."

"I understand! Then what should I do until then?!"

Mok Ri-won asked with his fists clenched.

Hwa Seo stared at his face for a long while, considering it, before she spoke.

"For now, wait. If you're truly bored, help take care of the pleasure house."

Mok Ri-won tilted his head.

* * *

Help take care of the pleasure house.

It did not take Mok Ri-won long to understand what those words meant.

"...What is this?"

"Clothes."

At the top floor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion, Mok Ri-won stared blankly at the clothes laid out before him.

They were blue garments woven from fine silk.

All manner of extravagant patterns were embroidered across them, while gleaming gold ornaments adorned them here and there.

Yes, they were clothes.

But why were they so flashy?

Why did he have to wear them?

Mok Ri-won looked to Hwa Seo, utterly confused.

Hwa Seo shrugged.

"Didn't I ask you to help with the pleasure house? I mean that you should entertain the guests."

"Entertain them?"

"There is no rule saying a pleasure house must employ only courtesans. If we wish to be the best, should we not serve all sorts of customers? Our pleasure house has quite a few female patrons as well."

Hwa Seo thought to herself.

'I should squeeze every last thing I can out of him.'

His value as a martial artist went without saying.

But even apart from that, his pretty face was extremely tempting from the perspective of running a pleasure house.

He would surely make an excellent companion for the daughters of prominent families in Suyang County.

'Demure, my ass.'

Hwa Seo knew that no one played more wildly than the women from wealthy families.

A handsome man like him could empty those women's purses completely.

"It won't be difficult. Just pour drinks into the guests' cups, and if they say something, nod and smile."

Mok Ri-won felt his face flush with shame.

He wanted to shout that he refused, but he could not. He owed her a debt.

No, even before that, every time he saw her, his heart trembled so much that he could not find the courage to refuse.

For some reason, whenever she asked something of him, he found himself wanting to agree before he even realized it.

'I, I am...!'

A righteous hero.

A martial artist feared by the villains of the Jianghu.

A shudder ran through him.

Mok Ri-won's whole body trembled.

With heartbreaking sorrow, he forced it down and nodded.

But forcing oneself to endure always had its limits.

"I said, take it o-o-off!"

"Aaaah!"

The moment he began entertaining his first guest, Mok Ri-won fled from a woman drunk out of her mind and trying to force herself on him, screaming like a little girl.

Footnotes:

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