NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81
Chapter 81: Geumhu’s Diary
After the martial arts contest ended in my victory.
As Seomun Cheong-ha finished changing her clothes and came our way, Jincheongyeomwang glared daggers at me.
“……If you make Cheong-ha cry, just know that you will weep blood. If your filthy hands so much as touch her, I will make you pay with your life.”
“Don’t worry about Seomun’s safety. I’ll take good care of her.”
“……I-I-I won’t forget this!!”
Jincheongyeomwang’s face transformed dramatically at my words, but he couldn’t threaten me further.
This was because Geumhu was coldly staring him down from behind.
Just moments ago, he’d been thrusting his ridiculous arguments in the martial arena, but now he’d been completely demolished by Geumhu’s logical counterpoints.
There was no way he could dare challenge her again.
Kya.
This is why having a strong backer is essential.
Backer, or as they say in Chinese, guanxi, truly reigns supreme.
“Hmph. We shall see. Cheong-ha, if something happens, contact the main house immediately.”
“……Okay, Father.”
“……Ugh……”
Upon hearing Seomun Cheong-ha’s response, Jincheongyeomwang trembled with rage.
“Why are you still here? Let’s go already.”
Geumhu urged Jincheongyeomwang to leave, and he cast one last glance at me, Seomun Cheong-ha, Geumhu, and our master, a final reluctant step taken backward.
“Next time, we will settle this. Lee Cheol-soo.”
With that parting line, Jincheongyeomwang and his two sons vanished into the distance.
After returning the Seomun family to safety, I let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, it’s over.
In truth, it had been more challenging to prevent Jincheongyeomwang from monitoring us in the guise of guarding his youngest daughter.
As long as we had Seomun Cheong-ha as a hostage, the Seomun family couldn’t recklessly maneuver against the Gongdong Sect.
Hehe.
There’s a reason why the ancient system of holding local noble youths as hostages in the capital was established to prevent uprisings.
“Everything is settled now.”
Geumhu said to me. I nodded at her words and took a martial stance.
“Indeed. Thank you for your kindness, Geumhu.”
I was genuinely grateful.
Had Geumhu not been on our side, Jincheongyeomwang’s obstinacy would have gotten us into serious trouble.
The Gongdong Sect hadn’t yet surpassed the Seomun family in power.
“It’s nothing, my lord. As a guarantor, it was my duty. Please don’t dwell on it.”
“Still, I owe a great favor to the esteemed head of the sect. I will surely repay this kindness once our sect rises.”
In response to Geumhu’s words, Jeonyeong stepped forward and took a martial stance.
“Don’t worry about it. Esteemed master, I merely did what I had to as a fellow member of the Orthodox Faction Martial World.”
Geumhu said.
Seomun Cheong-ha’s expression turned sulky at the sight.
Such a gloomy expression.
Looking at her, I asked, “Are you really refusing to acknowledge your defeat?”
“……No, I’m not?! How do you see me?!”
Seomun Cheong-ha flared up at my comment.
Her pride as a martial arts family lady wouldn’t allow her to accept defeat.
“Oh-ho. Now you’re officially my subordinate. You should address me properly.”
I said, looking at Seomun Cheong-ha.
Hearing this, she pouted her lips and mumbled quietly.
“……M-Master…… Is this good now? Hmph.”
As Seomun Cheong-ha took a step away from me, she rolled up her right sleeve.
“Can you see this Su-gong-sa? Hmph. If you try to lay a finger on me, the whole world will know, so be careful!”
On her right wrist was a red mark.
It was Su-gong-sa (守宮砂).
A kind of ritual tattoo made by grinding a particular lizard that fed on unique minerals, indicating a maiden’s purity. Once marked on a woman’s arm, it would never fade until her chastity was lost. Conversely, if a woman lost her purity even once, the mark would vanish instantly.
From a modern perspective, it was an insufferably eerie method of measuring chastity in the medieval martial world, yet here it was, emblazoned on this girl.
It seemed her father was quite madly protective.
“Oh, I see… I’ll be careful not to touch by mistake.”
I said with a somewhat stunned expression, moving a step away from her.
From the beginning, I had no intention of touching anyone before they came of age, so I had no idea why she was reacting like this.
Her expression turned strange as she observed me.
She stepped closer.
“Master, what was that look just now? That condescending glare!!”
Seomun Cheong-ha snapped at me.
Why is she acting like this?
What on earth should I say to her?
I was slightly flustered when—
“Alright, let’s head back to the main base now.”
Geumhu said just as we were finished.
As Geumhu stepped forward, Seomun Cheong-ha took a step back, closing her mouth but shooting me a narrow-eyed glance.
What’s with her? Seriously.
*
Geumhu kindly escorted our party, now including Seomun Cheong-ha, back to the main base.
Thanks to her, we were able to travel comfortably once again.
Of course, while our bodies were relaxed, our minds were anything but.
‘The Gongdong Color Association, huh? That bastard Jincheongyeomwang…!’
The Gongdong Color Association.
That damned nickname had somehow reached my ears.
Color Association! I feared that someone might mistake me for a colorful horse.
I am definitely not a dangerous person, so why the hell am I stuck with this trashy alias?
If this continues, my ten-year career as a hero with a colorful disposition might be plagued with various troubles.
Definitely not going to work.
I need to hurry to the Yongbong Society and change my alias to Sword Dragon. I must reclaim that name from Jinpaecheon.
As I ground my teeth, I slipped into deep contemplation.
Only after arriving at the main base did Geumhu return to the Hangshan Sect’s main base in Shanxi Province with So Geom-hu.
Of course, she didn’t just leave.
“Esteemed Master, I would like to propose an exchange contest between our sects.”
Before departing, Geumhu suggested the exchange contest to Jeonyeong.
Exchange Contest.
To put it simply, it was like a social gathering for interaction. Unlike the harsh martial arts contests I had undergone twice, where life and death were at stake, this was an event meant for friendly dueling and bonding.
Essentially, it was an event to create guanxi between sects and showcase it outwardly.
These contests were frequently organized every two years as festivities for the Orthodox Faction Martial World, with the Yongbong Society at its center, to display our prowess.
Moreover, neighboring sects would often strengthen their bonds under the pretext of the contest. The Tang Sect, Qingcheng, and Amity in Sichuan shared this method; the coexistence of Shaolin and the Beggar Sect in Hanam, as well as the periodic contests held between the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan Sect, were all meant to foster camaraderie and display guanxi.
“……If it is your suggestion, Geumhu, I shall gladly accept.”
And for the Hangshan Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects, to build guanxi with the Gongdong Sect, even with their past grudges, was more beneficial than harmful to the endangered Gongdong Sect.
They could now partially shield against the Seomun family’s interference under the auspices of the Hangshan Sect.
In fact, it felt as if the Hangshan Sect would be the one taking a slight loss from this proposal.
Was Jeonyeong aware of this? He did not reject Geumhu’s suggestion.
“Would it be good to hold it once a year starting next year, alternating locations between your sect and our main base? We can prepare the first contest at our main base.”
“Sounds good.”
“Great! Then see you next year, Gongdong Sect crew. And……”
Standing at the gate, Geumhu looked back at us, bowing slightly as her silver gaze lingered on me.
“……Esteemed subordinate. You’ve worked very hard.”
She addressed me with her usual cold tone.
“Thank you, Geumhu.”
I said to her, bowing in respect.
“Everyone worked hard.”
Next, So Geom-hu, with a face trying hard to conceal dissatisfaction, greeted us.
After bidding Geumhu’s group farewell, I called for Seomun Cheong-ha.
“Hey, Seomun subordinate.”
“Why are you calling me? Master?”
With clenched teeth, Seomun Cheong-ha replied.
On the journey back from Lanzhou to Gongdong Mountain, I had thoroughly made her my servant.
After all, she was now officially my subordinate, not just a maid, right?
She herself recognized her subordinate status. It was the legitimate outcome of a martial battle with witnesses present.
Thus, it was only natural to put her to work.
“We have something to discuss. Follow me.”
Seomun Cheong-ha’s face reddened upon hearing me.
She bit her lip.
“D-Discuss?! O-Oh no…! Are you finally going to…!”
Surprised, she wrapped her arms around her chest.
What on earth is wrong with her?
Seriously, it’s so absurd. What kind of delusion is she having?
“Stop with the weird fantasies and just follow me.”
“Hmph! If something even slightly untoward happens, you’d better be prepared!”
As I took off first, Seomun Cheong-ha pouted but followed after me.
*
At the same time.
Having been seen off by Lee Cheol-soo, Geumhu and her party boarded the previously prepared carriage.
“Finally, the tedious schedule in Gansu is all over! Master, you’ve worked hard too! Hohoho!”
Inside the clattering carriage, So Geom-hu laughed.
“Yeah, you did well too.”
Geumhu spoke kindly to her disciple while gazing absentmindedly out the carriage window at the retreating Gongdong Mountain.
“The esteemed Master… I’m so happy. Hehe. To be with you…”
The time spent with him on Gongdong Mountain felt like a dream to Geumhu.
It was bliss. She felt like she was walking on clouds. If paradise existed, it would be right here.
“To awaken a woman’s happiness in me… I can never go back to how things were before meeting you.”
She had finally found the long-desired happiness of a woman.
There was no turning back to the time before knowing him.
She wanted to stay longer. To remain by his side. To nestle in his embrace.
But she couldn’t.
She was the head of the Hangshan Sect, and she had not yet established a lifelong bond with him.
She had to return.
Yet it wasn’t solely a feeling of sorrow.
“Since we promised to meet again…”
Because they had made a promise.
Now that they had decided to hold annual exchange contests between the Hangshan Sect and the Gongdong Sect, she would be able to see his face regularly.
Furthermore, under the pretext of the contest, she could assess his martial progress and guide him to raise his skills; it was more than a win-win situation—it was a multiplier of benefits.
“Master, I remember everything about you during daily training…”
Since that day of the dueling.
Geumhu secretly watched Lee Cheol-soo’s personal training, carefully hiding her presence.
Of course, she knew well that this went against the taboos of the martial world.
But more than anything, she wanted to steal a glimpse of him just a bit longer.
So she overstepped her bounds.
“I’ll make sure to repay the breach of etiquette after our marriage, as your wife, every single night…”
Feeling guilty for her intrusion as she spied on Lee Cheol-soo’s training only made her fall for him even more.
Lee Cheol-soo.
Her esteemed master practiced tirelessly every day, perfecting both external and internal martial arts, as well as swordsmanship—each session pushing far beyond the limits of a regular training volume.
“Master, you’re truly putting your heart into this duel with me…”
As he had said, to show her their unified sword as adults.
To win against Geumhu Eunsul-ran in the martial arts contest and take her as his wife.
Lee Cheol-soo continued his relentless efforts.
In unseen places.
Geumhu knew better than anyone how significant the fight against oneself was in personal training.
The greatest adversary in personal training, where no one could see, was laziness. “This should be enough,” or, “I can take a day off today,” told him, and that’s where growth stalled.
Though even masters are human, there were days when training was sidelined.
But Lee Cheol-soo was not among them. He relentlessly pursued killer training every single day.
Sweating, his firm and beautiful muscles were revealed, alongside his impressive assets.
All the scents of his sweat were intoxicating.
Geumhu loved everything about him.
“Ah! I can’t wait to see how much more impressive you’ll be in a year. I’m already looking forward to it…”
Geumhu envisioned how much more captivating Lee Cheol-soo would become in a year’s time.
She had already become ensnared by him.
As she looked forward to their reunion in a year, Geumhu smiled inwardly.
“I need to jot down everything about Master in my diary upon returning to the main base.”
She vowed to record the memories of her time with him in a secret diary, only she would see.