Chapter 191
Chapter 191
“Oh my! It suits you so well~ If you draped a fox-fur scarf said to come from the Northern Sea around your neck, you would look even more elegant.”
“Bring one out as well.”
“Understood. But there are also some cosmetics that came out recently……”
“Buy them in advance. And while we’re at it, I’d like her to have her makeup done right now…….”
Youngho glanced sideways at Yoon Seojeong. Judging by the blank expression on her face as if she had attained enlightenment, it seemed he had pushed her too far.
‘Well, she did dislike luxury.’
After finishing the brief thought, Youngho spoke.
“Then let her have her makeup done.”
“Master?!”
Weren’t you hesitating just now?
Looking at his disciple’s tearful face, Youngho gently lifted the corners of his lips.
“Do not worry, it will be finished quickly.”
“Excuse me?”
“Then I will go speak with the Gold-Blood Hall Master, so try not to feel too uncomfortable with people touching you.”
Humming to himself, Youngho headed upstairs where the Gold-Blood Hall Master was.
Yoon Seojeong stared blankly at Youngho’s back before slowly turning her head at the gaze she felt from behind.
Seeing the attendants staring at her while failing to hide their excited snorts, Yoon Seojeong spoke weakly.
“……You may begin.”
As if they had been waiting for those words, the attendants busily began moving with the makeup tools in their hands.
“Oh my! I noticed this earlier, but your skin is so flawless~”
“And what about this hair? How do you even take care of it like this?”
“More importantly, you’re so pretty! Compared to the Alliance Lord, you’re not lacking at all!”
Comparing a man’s appearance with someone else’s was normally rude, but things were different when that man was Youngho. Yoon Seojeong simply entrusted her body to the attendants and prayed that this hellish time would pass quickly.
“……It is still quite loud.”
“It cannot be helped. My disciple’s beauty is extraordinary.”
At the shameless remark, Yeo Jeonghye’s eyebrow twitched. Of course, Youngho did not care about her reaction at all.
He had simply stated a fact. Youngho lifted the teacup resting on the table.
It looked like an ordinary act of drinking tea, but Yeo Jeonghye, who had witnessed the entire process in front of her eyes, felt admiration.
‘The tea isn’t trembling….’
Youngho’s movement was truly ordinary. It was simply a handsome young man lifting a teacup.
That was precisely why it felt so strange. Normally, when people lifted a teacup, the liquid inside would inevitably ripple.
Comparing Youngho with ordinary people was a flawed example, but the story changed if this was a matter of Martial Realms.
If Yeo Jeonghye had seen Youngho for the first time, she would not have felt anything strange about his action just now.
However, after seeing it dozens of times, she knew. Youngho had truly reached the ultimate state of nothingness.
Every action of Youngho originated from nothing. More precisely, whatever action he took became martial learning.
She had not realized it at first, but after seeing it dozens of times and focusing again and again, she understood.
Youngho’s gestures themselves contained martial learning. Although she could not decipher the profundity within them, she could tell that they were martial arts.
That realization made the chills run down her spine even more. Humans feared what they did not understand. Yeo Jeonghye’s current state was exactly that.
She never expected that she—who was both the Gold-Blood Hall Master and a master of the Transformation Realm—would feel such emotions. It was so absurd she almost laughed.
At that moment, Youngho opened his mouth.
“So, have you heard anything from Nam A-pyeong?”
“Nothing in particular. He handed the Gold-Blood Hall to me five years ago and vanished, and there hasn’t been a single word since.”
“For me, it has been ten years.”
“How impressive.”
“More importantly, I brought a gift.”
“It is quite sudden, but I will accept it gratefully.”
“It is a kind of confection. An acquaintance of mine made it.”
“My tastes are rather picky, so I do not know if I will like it.”
“You just said you were grateful.”
“Liking it is a separate matter.”
“You really haven’t changed at all. Still just as prickly. It’s nice to see.”
“And it seems the Alliance Lord has become even more sly.”
“That is a misunderstanding.”
“I will return that statement exactly as it is.”
Yeo Jeonghye accepted the confection Youngho handed to her and said,
“So, what business brings you to the Branch Hall?”
“I came to play.”
“……You?”
“Your form of address.”
“Ahem!”
Realizing her mistake, Yeo Jeonghye cleared her throat before speaking.
“Alliance Lord, bringing your disciple here by force cannot be called coming to play.”
“My disciple agreed to it. She even said she liked me choosing her clothes.”
“……Then you truly came here to play?”
“Your tone.”
“If you came to play, does the tone really matter…?”
“Then shall we talk about work?”
“I will correct it.”
“You are starting to resemble Jongpal.”
“Do not compare me with that fool.”
Yeo Jeonghye’s expression turned completely serious. Youngho seemed to realize his mistake as well and showed an apologetic expression.
“I spoke too harshly.”
Hearing the conversation between the two, Black Shadow thought that Jongpal—who had probably not even reached the Gold-Blood Hall yet—was pitiful.
‘……I should have beaten him a little less.’
“How are things beyond the borders?”
“The Northern Sea Ice Palace is famous for its lively trade, and the Beast Palace practically has the atmosphere of a tourist destination.”
“What about the desert side?”
“That place… well, it is always a lawless zone.”
“No need to worry about the Potala Palace then. In that case, there are no major problems.”
Seeing Youngho somehow look relieved, Yeo Jeonghye felt suspicious.
‘He has been paying far too much attention to the lands beyond the borders lately…….’
Honestly, she wanted to ask, but she knew Youngho would not give a proper answer, so Yeo Jeonghye kept her mouth shut.
“I will be leaving the Unorthodox Alliance for a while.”
“Did something happen?”
At Yeo Jeonghye’s question, Youngho’s face began to stiffen. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she straightened her posture.
Youngho hesitated to speak and moved his lips slightly. Soon making up his mind, he spoke in a serious voice.
“Seojeong wants to go on a trip.”
“…….”
I’m the idiot for expecting something.
“Haah…….”
How the hell should I deal with this bastard?
Even under her insolent gaze, Youngho spoke without concern.
“You travel around a lot, so I thought you might know some famous tourist destinations.”
“I travel for work. I have never gone anywhere for leisure.”
“Just tell me what you have heard.”
“Why should I bother with something like th—”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Yeo Jeonghye let out a sigh mixed equally with regret and irritation.
“If it is not beyond the borders, the Young Lady will not be interested.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, because the Young Lady dislikes the Central Plains.”
“…….”
Youngho fell silent. It was something he knew very well.
Yoon Seojeong disliked the Central Plains. More precisely, she disliked the people living in this land.
It was not blind hatred. But it was fair to say she held a prejudice.
“Hmm….”
After pondering for a moment, Youngho spoke.
“Then should I take her to the Beast Palace? You said it is becoming like a tourist destination.”
“Yes. However, recently a Poison Human has been rampaging there.”
“A Poison Human?”
“Yes. The Beast Palace also has a sect that specializes in poison.”
“You mean the Five Venoms Sect?”
“Most likely a disciple who was expelled from the sect is causing trouble.”
“I should have the Hao Sect gather proper information.”
After that, Youngho and Yeo Jeonghye continued discussing various matters. The hidden guards protecting Yeo Jeonghye were shocked by the many expressions appearing on her face.
She had never once shown such expressions to them before.
“Master!”
After one Shijin had passed, Youngho heard Yoon Seojeong calling him.
Judging from the mysterious excitement and anticipation in her voice, she had undoubtedly brought some troublesome request.
If it were anyone else, he would have ignored it. But when it came to Yoon Seojeong, Youngho was always ready to listen.
Sensing her presence waiting impatiently at the door, stamping her feet, Youngho let out a small laugh and said,
“Come in.”
The moment he finished speaking, Yoon Seojeong burst the door open. She opened it with such force that a small crack appeared in the door.
Unaware of it, she giggled.
“Master! I want to meet the Murim Alliance Leader!”
At that moment, the smile on Youngho’s face cracked ever so slightly.
No one noticed. Except for Yeo Jeonghye, who began sweating coldly while watching him.
“You want to meet the Alliance Leader?”
“Yes!”
“Why would you think of such a thing…….”
While answering Yoon Seojeong’s questions diligently, Youngho sent a voice transmission to Yeo Jeonghye.
—Didn’t you say she disliked the Central Plains?
—You thought the same thing yourself, didn’t you…!
Yeo Jeonghye protested desperately, but Youngho ignored it lightly and focused on Yoon Seojeong.
“I heard that the Murim Alliance Leader is your friend, Master!”
“Haha, that is true, but we are not that close.”
“Really? I heard you meet him sometimes. Don’t you always go see him whenever you leave?”
“Of course I go there for work.”
Youngho did not want to go to the Murim Alliance. The current Murim Alliance Leader was Namgung Cheon. Five years ago, Han Yonghu entrusted the Murim Alliance to Namgung Cheon and disappeared, just like Cheonung.
The only difference was that Han Yonghu had told people nearby where he lived.
‘……Was the last time I saw him four years ago?’
That day, Youngho had committed an unforgivable sin against Namgung Cheon.
Just thinking about seeing him again made the hairs on his body stand on end.
“Master? You have goosebumps. Did something happen?”
Youngho looked at Yoon Seojeong, who was worrying about him. Her pupils trembled anxiously, as if an earthquake had struck them, afraid that her request might be refused.
Youngho’s tiny remaining conscience stirred, and he groaned inwardly.
‘It cannot be helped…….’
“Just a few sword swings and it will be over…….”
“Yes?”
“It is nothing.”
Yoon Seojeong tilted her head at his muttering, but Youngho smoothly brushed it aside with a smile.
“Then let us finish what we must do first and head to the Murim Alliance.”
“Yes! Thank you, Master!”
At Yoon Seojeong’s bright smile, Youngho’s face relaxed. Without bothering to hide it, he gently patted her head.
Even then, he carefully stroked her hair so as not to ruin the styling the attendants had done.
It was a warm atmosphere, but Yeo Jeonghye could not fit into it.
‘No matter how many times I see it, I cannot get used to this…….’
She looked at Youngho with a slightly uncomfortable gaze.
The Youngho who had once been called an evil ghost by the Unorthodox Faction no longer existed. Here was only a man filled with deep fatherly affection, patting a child’s head.
Yeo Jeonghye wanted to look at that gentle expression for as long as possible.
‘What will happen the day that expression disappears?’
She could only hope that this peace would last for a long time.
“Brother is coming soon, they say?”
At the man’s call, the giant woman who had been maintaining her greatsword stopped and snapped irritably.
“I told you to call me Sister.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“You little—?”
Even as she glared fiercely, the man merely grinned.
“Anyway, it will work this time, right?”
“What will?”
“Come on~ You know that even within the Transformation Realm there are ranks!”
“Sister!”
“So do you think he will reach the level of an Absolute Being?”
“Are you asking for my opinion?”
“Of course.”
At that moment, the giant woman set her greatsword down beside her and spoke.
“Yongpil.”
“Yes?”
“I am the Wandering King.”
Those simple words carried a weight comparable to ten thousand geun. The man answered with a stiff face.
“Sister.”
“What?”
“That person is the Martial God.”
“…….”
Jeong Guyu said nothing and quietly resumed maintaining her greatsword.