Chapter 17 – The Beginning of the Martial World (5)
Hong Yeon-hwa wiped her mouth and spoke after finishing the last remaining dumpling.
“Come to think of it, there’s a bandit group that’s taken up residence in this area.”
“Bandits? What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
I’ve been with her all day, where did she hear that from?
Hong Yeon-hwa noticed my confusion and nodded towards the kitchen.
“Suk-su and Jeom-so-i were talking about it inside.”
“You heard that from all the way out here…?”
It’s quite a distance away, and it’s surrounded by walls.
Hong Yeon-hwa shrugged her shoulders and clicked her tongue. She spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.
“The senses of the body that have experienced a spiritual awakening become more sensitive to both physical and spiritual stimuli, so it’s not a big deal.”
“I didn’t know that… Does that mean sexual sensitivity is also heightened?”
“Sex, sexual sensitivity…?!”
Hong Yeon-hwa blushed and stuttered.
I couldn’t hear a clear answer, but it was enough.
No wonder it felt so good even though it was my first time… It was because of the spiritual awakening!
I thought I was a genius in bed.
As I nodded my head in agreement, Hong Yeon-hwa quickly changed the subject, successfully capturing my attention with the movement of her shaking breasts.
“Th-the bandits, the bandits!”
“Huh? Oh, right. You’re saying we should go in the opposite direction of the bandits?”
“What are you talking about? We should go towards where the bandits are.”
“……?”
“……?”
Hong Yeon-hwa and I looked at each other and fell silent.
Do we really need to go towards the bandits?
Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head to the left, realizing that she wasn’t the only one who thought it was strange.
“……”
“……”
She thought about it for a while, but still didn’t understand. This time, Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head to the right.
What’s going on? It’s cute, but why?
As I stared at her like a cute little otter, Hong Yeon-hwa tried to tilt her head to the left again.
I grabbed her cheeks, conveying the message to stop tilting her head.
“Mmm.”
With a popping sound, her sticky cheek stuck to my palm.
What is this? Is it a rice cake?
Out of curiosity, I poked and prodded Hong Yeon-hwa’s cheeks, even stretching them out.
It’s strangely addictive. I can’t even remember what we were talking about earlier.
Squish, squish.
For a while, I played with her cheeks absentmindedly, but suddenly, our eyes met.
Hong Yeon-hwa blinked her eyes while offering her cheek.
Her gaze felt like she was asking for more.
However, there are many problems with going there. Even though no one is looking this way, this is still an open space, a guesthouse.
If we start enjoying ourselves again, I don’t know how long we’ll be at it.
For now, I have to hold back. Thinking that, I squeezed Hong Yeon-hwa’s plump cheeks.
“Booo?”
Her lips popped out like a duck’s beak. I kissed them once before letting go.
Squish-
It wasn’t until then that Hong Yeon-hwa regained her senses and looked around frantically.
“Haah….”
Since it’s morning at the guesthouse, there aren’t many guests, and even those who are here aren’t interested in this area. Hong Yeon-hwa breathed a sigh of relief after confirming this and then started to laugh while placing her hand on her cheek.
“Eungheung….”
It was as if she was reminiscing about a moment ago. Her eyes, which glanced over here and there, were silently screaming for more.
It’s really an absurdly cute sight, but if I leave her alone, she might stay like this forever, so I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the conversation.
“So, why do we have to go to where the bandits are?”
“Eung?! Ah. Um. That’s, uh, because of that.”
Like a fish jumping out of water, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly emerged from her own world and struggled for a while before finally calming down.
“It’s for your real-life experience. And…we can’t just leave those bandits alone, can we?”
“That’s true.”
It’s a bit of a stretch to say that it’s for my real-life experience, but I do agree that we can’t just leave the bandits alone. And if we do well, we might be able to make some money.
“Are you short on money?”
“I’m not exactly short on money, but I’m not exactly swimming in it either. It’s good to earn some extra money when you can, so you can eat good food and sleep in good places. However…”
We could loot the bandits’ loot and sell it, or in some cases, turn it over to the authorities and receive a reward.
But that’s only possible if we successfully subdue the bandits.
This area, Habeokseong, is an area where the influence of the powerful faction, Pengga, is deeply rooted.
Naturally, mediocre groups can only survive by keeping a low profile.
Even among the local factions, there are only neighborhood thugs left.
But why are they openly robbing people like this?
It’s one of two things.
Either ignorant peasants and third-rate hoodlums have gathered, or a large-scale faction like Nokrim has entered the area.
If those bandits nearby are just lazy thugs with knives, it’s better than dealing with Nokrim.
We can just kill them all or subdue them and turn them over to the authorities. …But if it’s Nokrim, it’s a bit of a headache.
Nokrim is unique in that they don’t hesitate to enter the territory of other factions.
They are often suppressed, but their unique organizational structure and the habit of abandoning their hideouts and running away make it difficult to root them out.
Anyway, the reason why Nokrim is different from ordinary bandits is simple.
It’s because they are strong.
It’s a well-known story that the minimum requirement for a Nokrim leader is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts.
Perhaps we might meet a master while subduing the bandits, Hong Yeon-hwa said with a smirk.
“Is that the only reason?”
“Just that? If you think about the Nokrim below the leader, it could be very dangerous.”
“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am? I can handle everything by myself now, so you just need to fight enough not to die.”
Enough not to die?
Can I really be relieved?
It’s a somewhat ominous choice of words, but considering the gap I experienced during the sparring, it seems like the right thing to say.
“But do we really have to go now?”
“There’s a reason for it. We have to touch each other’s chests.”
“….”
What?
Don’t look at me like that!
The chest is a serious matter!
***
The sunlight licked my skin sharply. Still, it wasn’t exactly warm. It must have been because the late winter wind was that cold.
“But the warmth left in my hand won’t be scattered by the wind.”
“…If you smell your hand again, I’ll hit you before we even get to the bandits.”
“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll bury my face in your chest and smell it myself.”
“You…!”
For some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa hit my back with a thud. It didn’t hurt. It was just refreshing?
“Don’t tease me in broad daylight!”
“What’s the big deal? There’s no one here, so it’s okay.”
I asked the innkeeper at the small inn where we had breakfast about the bandits.
Perhaps because this is the territory of the faction, there are many travelers who travel together.
Jomsoui, who noticed that we were going to subdue the bandits, told us everything he knew.
Now we were walking on a mountain path that stretched over the hillsides, just as he had told us.
If even the small innkeeper knows, the rumor must have spread quite widely. Naturally, most people don’t even come near this area.
If there’s an exception, it would be the top-level merchants like Pyohang Jung Do-ryeona. They may prefer to pay the toll and take the faster route.
There doesn’t seem to be any around here now.
Lost in thought, I enjoyed hitting Hong Yeon-hwa’s back. When I didn’t react, Hong Yeon-hwa, exhausted, fell to the ground and let out a deep sigh.
“…The road is getting narrower. It’s a good place to be surrounded.”
“That’s right. Are we going uphill from here?”
“It’s your lady’s words, but it’s really a strange shape….”
Hong Yeon-hwa leaned on my back as I sat down in place. I got up, patting her butt for no reason.
I decided to take care of the bandits alone this time. It’s for my own experience.
However, if I haven’t made contact with Hong Yeon-hwa yet, it’s impossible for me to use the power of Muryeong Shin Gong in a fight with multiple opponents.
So, I decided to carry Hong Yeon-hwa on my back during the fight with the bandits. If a dangerous moment comes, Hong Yeon-hwa on my back can help me.
….
I know. It will look so ridiculous. However, there is no other way for me to gain practical experience with Muryeong Shin Gong.
Practical experience is the most dangerous, but the fastest way to grow.
Oh, wait. In this case, thanks to Hong Yeon-hwa, it might not be that dangerous after all.
Anyway, for that reason, we stopped for a moment, carrying Hong Yeon-hwa on my back and moving forward on the path.
In the distance, a strong smell of blood could be felt.
