## Chapter 98 – 98. Xi’an (10)
#98. Xi’an (10)
“Oh? May I ask what you find so regrettable?”
“…”
A viscous wave of murderous intent washed over me. For a moment, I felt as if my neck had been cleanly severed. I slowly turned my head towards the voice, colder than the snow of midwinter.
Just then, clouds gathered, blocking the sunlight.
I met the endlessly sunken eyes of Cheon Yeo-hwa. Her crimson pupils seemed to glow faintly.
The surrounding air instantly chilled. The sweat on my body rapidly cooled.
“Hyun-woo, I am asking you.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa’s fingertips moved towards the sword hanging at her waist.
“What is it that you find so regrettable?”
“…Not being able to go to the market with Yeo-hwa?”
“Heh heh, that’s a pleasant thing to hear.”
A faint smile bloomed on Cheon Yeo-hwa’s face, which had been so cold it could cut with a glance. But her eyes still weren’t smiling.
“However, that is the wrong answer.”
Thwack-
Before I could even react, a blow landed squarely on my side, and I collapsed. I didn’t even see her draw her sword from its scabbard. Much less the blade or the back of the blade, it was the flat of the sword.
I was once again reminded of the difference in swordsmanship between Cheon Yeo-hwa and me. However, I couldn’t dwell on it for long, as I immediately lost consciousness.
***
“Oh my, Miss Yeon-hee, you’re back? But you’re all sweaty…”
Bang! Jo Yeon-hee ignored the maids calling out to her and went straight into her room. She leaned against the door and sank to the floor.
“Haa, haa, haa!”
The sweat flowing down her cheeks soaked the floor, but Jo Yeon-hee was focused on touching her lips. Her face grew redder and redder as time passed.
Jo Yeon-hee recalled what had happened earlier.
As soon as she heard the news that there was a master of her age who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, she snuck out of the manor before dawn, avoiding the eyes of the maids, and headed to the detached residence where the guests were staying.
She had never missed her dawn training before, but today was an exception. Curiosity had won out over diligence.
Around sunrise, she crossed the wall and arrived at the training grounds of the detached residence, where a man was doing physical training. Shirtless, no less.
-…gulp.
She had trained in martial arts with other disciples of the sect since she was young, so she had seen men’s bare bodies hundreds of times.
But he was different somehow.
In fact, it wasn’t easy for martial artists who trained under the scorching sun to be handsome.
In that respect, he was the most handsome martial artist she had ever met. He could even be counted among the well-bred sons of trading companies.
His impression was a bit sharp, but even that looked good to her. Plus, his skin was fair, and his overall proportions were good. He had a body that was well-suited for martial arts.
Of course, it wasn’t just his appearance that caught her eye. To think that he was already a master at the pinnacle of martial arts, even though he looked 4 or 5 years younger than her?
Considering that her father, the Lord of the Hundred Flowers Clan, had only just reached the beginning stages of the pinnacle, it was hard to believe.
She watched his training for a while, as if hypnotized. She knew that her actions were a grave offense against the code of the Jianghu, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
It was clearly just ordinary horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, and thrusts, but the more she watched, the more she felt drawn in.
She could glimpse the fragments of his talent in the sword that moved along a constant path. She could feel the gap between herself and him in a simple horizontal slash.
-How long are you going to keep peeking?
Had she been staring too intently? She was quickly discovered. Her mouth went dry. Secretly watching someone else’s training was a grave offense, and he could demand a life-or-death duel, which she would have to accept.
The thought made her blood run cold.
But fortunately, he readily accepted her apology. Unlike his sharp impression, he was a generous person.
-Miss Jo.
And he smelled sweet. An indescribable scent came from him as he suddenly approached. It was a scent that couldn’t compare to unpleasant sweat. A dizzying scent that made her head spin just by smelling it.
His body, seen up close, was even better than she had imagined. His firm abs and well-built shoulders kept stealing her gaze. The scent emanating from him made her heart pound, and she felt as if her reason was being paralyzed.
She couldn’t even put up a proper resistance when he forcibly embraced her. When he stole her first kiss, she unconsciously moved her tongue and responded, let alone resist.
“Hng, eugh…♡”
Squish squish♡
Jo Yeon-hee stroked her vulva, recalling the time when she was held in Kang Hyun-woo’s arms, overlapping her lips, sharing her tongue, and craving saliva. It was her first time masturbating.
Anyone could see that her self-pleasuring was clumsy. She was only rolling her clit, let alone inserting anything, to soothe herself. Even so, it was not enough to soothe her flushed body.
“Ah… Young Master… you shouldn’t do this…♡”
Jo Yeon-hee couldn’t forget the sensation of her buttocks being fondled in Kang Hyun-woo’s large hands.
She had never been interested in men and had only trained in martial arts, but from the moment she ran away from Kang Hyun-woo’s arms until she arrived in her room, she couldn’t forget Kang Hyun-woo for a single moment.
“Haaah…!!♡”
In the end, Jo Yeon-hee trembled as she felt a light climax. She felt ashamed of herself for soothing her vulva alone like a prostitute, recalling the touch of a strange man, but that didn’t last long.
Jo Yeon-hee was soon engrossed in masturbation again. And she thought.
What would have happened to her if she hadn’t run away when his hand touched her vulva?
A deep regret lingered on Jo Yeon-hee’s face as she reminisced about the past.
***
The day to finally depart for Jinheung Village had arrived.
The investigation team left the Hundred Flowers Clan early in the morning and crossed the forest southeast of Xi’an. Since the entire investigation team was made up of martial artists, they ran without stopping, using their lightness skills.
They covered a distance that would normally take a day in half a day. That meant the schedule was tight.
For the record, I don’t know how to use lightness skills. I haven’t even learned internal energy cultivation, so how can I use lightness skills?
Instead, I strengthened my body with magic power and ran. That alone allowed me to move faster than most lightness skills, so I had no trouble keeping up with the investigation team.
-Hyun-woo, from now on, run without using magic power.
-…
Of course, training didn’t stop even during the move. Cheon Yeo-hwa told me over the radio to refrain from using magic power whenever the road became rough. Thanks to that, my stamina improved day by day, but the other members of the investigation team looked at me with strange eyes.
They think I’m a master at the pinnacle of martial arts. How can such a master be panting after using lightness skills? It didn’t make sense, but no one was brave enough to say anything to me outright.
[Remaining Matching Time: 77:27:52]
After much hardship, we were able to arrive at Jinheung Village. It would normally take three days, but we ran using lightness skills and arrived in less than a day.
Of course, some team members were vomiting and fainting as soon as they arrived. I wanted to collapse as well, but Cheon Yeo-hwa forcibly pulled me up.
She said that in the Jianghu, where the law of the jungle prevails, you should never show weakness anytime, anywhere.
“Great Hero Kang, would you mind coming with us for a moment?”
The leader of the investigation team came to me.
“Where to?”
“We’re going to greet the elders of the Mount Hua Sect.”
My brow furrowed for a moment.
“So what, you want me to greet the elders too?”
Although I participated in the investigation team at the request of the Hundred Flowers Clan, that didn’t mean I was going to become Mount Hua Sect’s lackey like the Hundred Flowers Clan.
“N-no, that’s not it. I’m the only one greeting the elders, and you’re just going to hear about the plans for the upcoming ancient tomb exploration.”
The leader of the investigation team hurriedly waved his hands at my distorted face. I was annoyed, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear the plans, so I followed the leader of the investigation team to the Mount Hua Sect side.
I left Cheon Yeo-hwa to rest in the tent. Other people may not see it, but I could see Cheon Yeo-hwa’s condition. There were clear sweat marks around her forehead and cheeks, which had never happened before.
It was only natural that Cheon Yeo-hwa, who had not yet completely detoxified the poison, would be in poor condition due to the arduous march.
“We’re here.”
I followed the leader of the investigation team into a fairly large tent. There, I saw an old man with a white beard reaching down to his sternum and some thugs. For a moment, I thought it was a gang of thugs, not the Mount Hua Sect.
The leader of the investigation team respectfully clasped his hands towards them.
“I am Mak Yong-myung, the Hundred Flowers Leader (白花團主) of the Hundred Flowers Clan and the leader of this investigation team. We have just arrived in response to the Mount Hua Sect’s request for support.”
“I am Hyun-jin (玄鎭), the 6th Elder of the Mount Hua Sect. Thank you for your hard work in coming so quickly.”
“It’s nothing.”
The white-bearded old man stroked his beard with a good-natured smile. He reminded me of the Shih Tzu that the old man in my neighborhood used to raise.
“But… who is this young hero?”
A faint sense of bewilderment lingered in the old man’s eyes as he scanned me. Even though I was suppressing my magic power, he seemed to have roughly grasped my level.
“Ah, he is a guest of our Hundred Flowers Clan. He gladly participated in this investigation team at our request.”
“…I am Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Hoh…”
When I clasped my hands appropriately, the old man stroked his beard and exclaimed.
“How old are you?”
“I am 21 years old this year.”
As a kind young man who knew how to respect his elders, I couldn’t bring myself to speak informally to an old man who looked like he would die of natural causes if you poked him.
“Heo…?! Could it be that you have reached that level at such a young age?!”
“Yeah, well… I guess so?”
“The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning… truly a blessing for the Murim…”
Leaving the old man, who was overreacting on his own, I looked around at the gazes I had been feeling since earlier. Sure enough, it was all old men.
‘Didn’t the owner of the fabric store say something about the Five Flowers of the Murim before?’
In ordinary martial arts novels, it was only natural for beautiful women to come out of the Mount Hua Sect as phoenixes or the Five Flowers of the Murim, but that didn’t seem to be the case in this world.
I suddenly felt bad. Being among smelly old men made me feel sick.
‘…Let’s just get out of here.’
I could ask the leader of the investigation team about the ancient tomb exploration plan later. I figured that I needed to bury my head in Cheon Yeo-hwa’s big breasts to relieve this feeling.
I vaguely told the leader of the investigation team that I was feeling sick and left the tent. Of course, the old men inside glared at me with displeasure, but I didn’t care.
“First, I’ll eat with Yeo-hwa, and then have sex until they call me…”
“Miss!”
My brow furrowed at the greasy voice of a man that made me feel even worse. I wanted to ignore it, but the fact that the voice was coming from the direction of Cheon Yeo-hwa’s tent was a problem I couldn’t ignore.
I hurried towards the tent and saw a very unpleasant sight unfolding before my eyes. A man was kneeling on one knee in front of Cheon Yeo-hwa.
“Miss, as beautiful as a scattering plum blossom! Won’t you grant me the honor of knowing your name?”
Magic power sparked and surged like lightning at the greasy words that defiled my ears, and a strange sense of déjà vu that made me feel disgusted caused the Black Blood Demon Sword to be gripped in my hand before I knew it.
The Mad Demon Sword spewed out sword energy.
