Chapter 152
After the sparring match ended, I returned to my room to find the rest of our party already gathered, chatting cheerfully.
“What? Sister Seorin can break the Chugung Pressure Point with her foot, but she can’t use chopsticks with her toes?!”
“Why are you so surprised? The structure is completely different, so of course she can’t.”
“Well, yes, but still...”
“Why are you even thinking about eating with your feet in the first place?”
“Fufu. Sister Hwarin, Hyang was just surprised because she thinks anyone at the Flowering Stage can do anything.”
“What! If it’s like that, then I suppose This One must demonstrate her magnificence!”
I sighed deeply as Seo Mun-Hwarin—Seorin—started taking off her socks while glaring at the chopsticks.
“Don’t. That’s gross.”
“Eep!” Seorin flinched in surprise, jumping a handspan high despite being seated, and I shook my head.
“You could clearly sense my presence. Why were you so startled?”
“When it’s someone I see every day! Of course I let down my guard! Otherwise it’s exhausting!”
Using that jump as momentum, Seorin got up and stomped her feet in frustration. I turned my gaze away from her and toward Tang Sowol instead. I figured Seol Lihyang would take care of Seorin.
“Don’t tell me you stayed up all night here waiting for me?”
“Of course not. We just naturally gathered after waking up this morning.”
“I told you all to stop treating my room like a public square, no matter where we’re staying.”
“But there’s nowhere else to meet, is there? Ah, and if you’re worried about waking us up early, don’t be. I slept here last night.”
Why would you even do that?
“Maybe because she wanted to see you get flustered like that?”
For a moment, I wondered if it was only natural that Tang Sowol would sleep in my room, given how boldly she said it.
Shaking my head, I glanced at Seol Lihyang and Seorin bickering in the background.
“That’s enough teasing. We’ll be leaving the Namgung Clan soon. What are your thoughts on traveling through Hanan Province?”
“I’m for it. I’ve always wanted to see the famous Shaolin Temple. I doubt we’ll be allowed inside the main hall though.”
“It’s not like any sect will let outsiders wander freely outside of designated reception areas, so don’t be too disappointed. Besides, This One is fine with it. I've been interested in Shaolin martial arts for a long time.”
“Understood. Then let’s just pay our respects and set off. We can ask for directions while we’re at it.”
I nodded and packed my scattered belongings into a bundle. I’d chosen to carry money instead of heavy luggage, so it didn’t take long.
The others had clearly anticipated this—they’d been packed for a while.
We left the manor and exchanged farewells with the Namgung father and son, then headed for Hanan Province.
Hanan is a bustling region.
In truth, a region’s prosperity is determined more by which city, sect, or clan resides there than the province itself.
Still, Hanan has a reputation for being lively—and that’s largely because, while it’s no longer the capital, former imperial dynasties often made it their seat of power.
“Did someone smear honey on this place or something?”
Seol Lihyang tilted her head after I gave her a brief history of Hanan Province.
“Pretty much. Geographically, it’s at the center of the Central Plains. Merchants naturally pass through, and as money flows, development follows.”
“Ahem. To add to that, in the distant past, the land near the Yellow River was fertile and ideal for farming, so people gathered there.”
“Heh. So maybe it feels like my hometown at night?”
“Not exactly.”
“Huh? But it’s a busy city, right? Where people gather and money flows, there’s bound to be drinking and women, isn’t there? That’s even why the Hao Clan opened a branch here.”
True, where people and money gather, entertainment often flourishes.
But Hanan is an exception.
“Shaolin Temple is here, remember?”
“What?”
“Just like the Tang Clan rules Sichuan, Hanan belongs to the Shaolin Temple. Most people probably behave themselves under the monks’ watchful eyes.”
“Hmm. But it’s hard to believe even people in far corners would care about that.”
“Well, even in Hanan, outlying areas are sparsely populated, so it’s hard for entertainment to take root there anyway.”
“That’s true.”
Seol Lihyang nodded in understanding. Then Tang Sowol turned to me with a question.
“Then are you planning to head straight to Shaolin?”
“No. It’d be a waste to come all this way and only see the temple. Hanan might not have nightlife, but it has plenty to see. Like I said, remnants of the old dynasties remain.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning to let you enjoy any nighttime fun anyway, so that works out!”
Just so we’re clear—I never said I was going anywhere.
“I was just speaking hypothetically~”
Tang Sowol smiled sweetly, lips curling up, but her eyes were chillingly devoid of humor.
I swallowed hard and casually shifted the topic.
“If we follow the road, we should reach a decently sized village. If any merchant group there is heading to our next destination, we’ll tag along. Otherwise, we’ll just ask for directions.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
For some reason, despite the road being wide enough, Tang Sowol stuck so close our shoulders were touching. As we walked like that, memories of my past life resurfaced.
Back then, even the belated efforts of the Orthodox-Demonic Alliance couldn’t stop the Heavenly Demon, and all martial artists fighting in scattered regions were forced to retreat to Hebei.
As one of the close aides of the Black Lotus Sect Leader, I had carried out many missions since the early days of the alliance—I was fairly well-known.
Not quite at the level of someone like the Poison Dance Empress, Tang Sowol, but among those from the Unorthodox Faction, most had heard my name.
After surviving countless battlefields and even making my mark a few times, it was only natural.
And surviving long in the Unorthodox Faction meant one thing: strength. So it was inevitable that many people tried to cling to me.
Some brought boxes full of devalued gold coins. Others offered suspicious elixirs of unknown origin, or martial techniques stolen from annihilated clans.
But the most common were women who offered themselves as the bargaining chip.
Not because they felt anything for me. They just wanted safety and a sliver of influence by sticking close to someone strong.
Among the female martial artists of the Unorthodox Faction, there were many trained in seduction techniques.
Some surely approached me intending to unravel my mind and control me slowly.
But no one ever succeeded.
Not because I was unusually chaste or paranoid—
It was because of Tang Sowol, who clung to me just like this.
Back then, I thought she was simply lonely after losing her family or just curious about everything.
But thinking back, she was fiercely guarding her territory.
When I didn’t take the hint, she eventually grabbed my hand and placed it on her own waist.
Even I couldn’t remain oblivious after that—it became clear how Tang Sowol saw me.
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden, Sir Cheon?”
“Mm…?”
“If I’m clinging too much—”
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded. This much should be fine.
This time, I was the one to place my hand on Tang Sowol’s waist as if a bit reluctantly.
She, just about to pull away, instead melted into my side.
Her scent filled my nose, warm and soft sensations pressing against my body.
“Oh my?”
Tang Sowol’s face flushed slightly at first, her tone calm, but the subtle excitement in her voice wasn’t hard to catch.
With a bashful shrug and a grinning expression, she said,
“Well? If Sir Cheon wants to be slightly uncomfortable, I, as your fiancée, can certainly accommodate you.”
“You can be honest with me.”
“You’re the one who made the first move, so don’t pull away until I say so.”
Her response was more direct than expected. I chuckled and nodded.
It was a bit embarrassing, and I could feel Seol Lihyang and Seorin watching, but—
Still, I was content. That was how we ended up wandering around Hanan, sightseeing together.
After seeing all there was to see, we set our course back toward the Tang Clan, with a stop at Shaolin Temple as originally planned.
And just as we expected, we got caught up in trouble.
“Hey, monk. Won’t you spare some charity for this poor bandit?”
“I don’t have much, but I can spare a little grain.”
“Kehaha! I don’t want grain—I want your heads! And everything in your wagon!”
With that, a burly man draped in wolf pelts burst into laughter. It was the signal.
Bandits hiding in the bushes leapt out from all directions.
Merchants begging for their lives in fear. Mules running amok. A lone elderly monk, leaning on his staff with a resolute expression, blocked the path of the bandits and was quickly surrounded.
We were some distance away, and perhaps because Seorin had quietly cast a sound-isolation field, they hadn’t noticed us.
Thanks to that, we could calmly observe the situation from afar.
“Green Forest Bandits, huh.”
“Cheon Hwi, do they often operate in Orthodox regions like this?”
“The Green Forest is notorious not just for its size and skill, but because they rob both Orthodox and Unorthodox factions alike.”
“Crazy bastards.”
“They’re the type who’ll challenge you to see who’s crazier. Don’t talk like that in front of them—they’ll enjoy it.”
“What kind of...”
Seol Lihyang looked exasperated. Seorin, on the other hand, was visibly shocked.
“Heavens! The Green Forest I remember would let people go peacefully after collecting a toll! They were at least somewhat reasonable!”
“They used to be. But recently, with a new chief, they’ve been targeting merchants indiscriminately, claiming to avenge their fallen brothers.”
“That’s just asking for death…”
“Exactly. Among the younger generation, hunting Green Forest Bandits is now considered a mark of honor.”
Tang Sowol recalled something she’d heard at Yongbong.
Seorin seemed a bit shaken by the generational gap, while the rest of us watched the unfolding slaughter with wary eyes.
“Cheon Hwi…”
“I know. I promised not to get involved in troublesome matters, but I can’t just stand by while innocent people die.”
I nodded and leapt straight into the middle of the bandits.
“Ah, crap.”
“Eh?!”
Because I’d spent the past few days walking with my arm around Tang Sowol’s waist, I accidentally pulled her along with me.
Well, it’ll be over soon anyway, so it’s fine.
As a startled Tang Sowol blinked her green eyes—
I unleashed Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art to its extreme, flooding the area with intense killing intent.
Now that I could mimic willpower to some degree, my killing intent had grown even more potent.
The bandit leader was likely only at Peak Stage—no need to even draw my sword.
Indeed, the moment the killing aura blanketed the area, the bandits turned pale, grabbing at their throats in panic.
All except one.
“(Gal)!!”
The elderly monk, who had stepped forward to protect the merchant, had entered the killing field—
And remained completely unaffected.
…How?