NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
Chapter 82: The Moment It Starts to Bloom
At the same time.
Sichuan Province, Chongqing.
Today, at the heart of the foggy metropolis, was the main headquarters of the Black Dragon Society.
In the endless rows of Golugeogak, there was a royal chamber marked by a plaque reading “Hidden Dragon Hall.”
This was where the Black Dragon Society’s leader resided.
Inside Hidden Dragon Hall.
There, sat the legendary Post-Stimulation Indicator of the Evil Faction, Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon, whose fame still soared high.
With no one but herself to keep her company—neither attendants, nor guards—Wi Soryeon bit her lip.
“Did they say that I won this time’s martial arts contest? Oh, my brother…”
She murmured softly, her face slightly flushed.
After cleaning up, the Black Dragon Society had withdrawn permanently from Gansu Province as per the agreement.
There would be no further establishment of their branch in Gansu.
Thus, the martial world in Gansu’s situation was no longer a concern for now.
However, Wi Soryeon sought out information about Gansu’s martial world, specifically about Lee Cheol-soo.
She couldn’t help but feel invested.
That day.
From the moment she heard the hero proclaim he’d take responsibility for all matters, she couldn’t shake him from her mind.
And today, she received news about Lee Cheol-soo.
“Hmm, tsk. With someone like Seomun Cheong-ha… Of course, he should win… Because he’s my brother…”
Wi Soryeon pouted, her flushed cheeks growing warmer.
It was Lee Cheol-soo, who had brought victory in the Orthodox Faction Competition while humiliating her.
He had ripped the hem of her clothing, so naturally, defeating someone like Seomun Cheong-ha was a must.
When she received the news, as expected, that Lee Cheol-soo indeed triumphed over the Seomun Family, Wi Soryeon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After she learned that Lee Cheol-soo had completely shredded Seomun Cheong-ha’s clothes and exposed her body for all to see, she felt even more complex emotions.
“Obscene… Colorful Horse…”
Thump.
Wi Soryeon’s heart raced.
Memories of that day flooded her mind.
Her opponent had been Yujinhwi, but the man who lingered in her memory was Lee Cheol-soo, who had torn her clothes.
“Not just me, but to other women as well… Such a reckless…!”
Wi Soryeon pouted again.
Tearing the clothes of another woman? That could only be obscene.
A sense of jealousy rose within her.
‘Could it be Seomun Cheong-ha, that woman also insists on taking responsibility…?’
Lee Cheol-soo.
He had declared he would take responsibility for her following his obscene behavior in the competition.
Yet, again, there had been another even more serious obscene act in this contest.
Of course, he must take responsibility for her again.
To ‘take responsibility’… for someone other than me.
As that thought crossed Wi Soryeon’s mind, she recalled Seomun Cheong-ha during the Orthodox Faction Competition.
Unlike the wild-looking girl who roamed around unkempt with short hair, Seomun Cheong-ha presented a completely opposite image.
As befits the treasured daughter of the Seomun Family, she possessed adorable beauty and feminine poise, presenting a graceful figure that was more feminine than anyone else.
Seomun Cheong-ha probably excelled at sewing and embroidery. Oh, how feminine she must be.
And now, wasn’t she Lee Cheol-soo’s prospective partner?
If the sparkling daughter of the prestigious Orthodox Faction Martial World were to accompany him…
He might forget all about the tomboyish, wild girl that was her.
Seomun Cheong-ha represented the Orthodox Faction, while she belonged to the Evil Faction. The chasm between their factions made it hard to bridge.
In an era where the teachings of Confucius emphasized that womanliness is a virtue.
No man would be fond of a tomboy acting like a boy.
In all respects, she felt inferior to Seomun Cheong-ha.
Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon bit her lip.
A cold image of Lee Cheol-soo abandoning her crossed her mind.
The declaration he’d made about taking responsibility was something Wi Soryeon hadn’t shared with anyone else.
‘He couldn’t possibly say such things to others…’
The divide between the Orthodox and Evil Factions was too great.
It was impossible to exchange anything resembling a marriage proposal. If his words leaked, her father, Gwangma Dodgun, would surely explode in rage, claiming that a hypocrite of the Orthodox Faction had dared to insult the valuable daughter of the Evil Faction.
It wouldn’t be surprising if another Orthodox Faction Competition were to erupt.
She didn’t want to see such a spectacle. She didn’t want to escalate matters.
She just, for some reason, didn’t want to get caught.
So she buried it deep in her heart. After all, the conversation had occurred in a space meant for just the two of them. No one had heard it. It was the perfect secret.
But now, that secret was weighing on her heavily. Unlike Seomun Cheong-ha, a daughter of the Orthodox Faction, she couldn’t openly reveal her agreement with Lee Cheol-soo as the Post-Stimulation Indicator of the Evil Faction.
Yet, she wished everyone would know.
Such contradictory feelings were swelling up inside her.
Wi Soryeon squeezed her eyes shut to scatter those conflicted emotions.
“What am I even hoping for…?”
With trembling hands, she reflected her image in a hidden mirror.
There remained a girl resembling a boy rather than a woman.
“Damn it…”
For the first time, she felt discontent with her usual self.
Tap.
Wi Soryeon secretly pulled out some hidden cosmetics.
She applied powder and colored her lips.
“If only I could dress up…”
It was nearly her first attempt at makeup. There was no way it would turn out well.
With her clumsy hands, the makeup looked worse than if she hadn’t applied anything at all.
If her underlings saw her now, they would be shocked and snicker inside.
As she gazed upon the goblin-like figure in her reflection, Wi Soryeon’s hands trembled.
“No! This is…”
Her head drooped.
“Ugh… Damn it, Brother…”
Wi Soryeon’s hands shook as she clenched her fists tightly.
*
Following Lee Cheol-soo, Seomun Cheong-ha arrived at a corner of the Gongdong Sect Main Base.
All that remained was the site of a burned-down royal chamber.
The place screamed eerie vibes.
Standing in this secluded location, Seomun Cheong-ha took a step back from Lee Cheol-soo.
‘Going all the way to such a secluded spot… As expected…’
She lightly touched the wrist with the tattoo of the Guardian to reassure herself.
She admitted her defeat in the martial arts contest. As the Blade Master said, before being a woman, she was a proud warrior of the martial world from the Seomun family.
She wasn’t delusional enough to deny her loss.
That confrontation was undoubtedly her loss. It happened because she underestimated Lee Cheol-soo’s skill, thinking he was inferior.
But she couldn’t accept the manner in which she lost.
‘Ughhh… Colorful Horse, Obscene!‘
That day.
Amidst a crowd in Lanzhou City, by Lee Cheol-soo’s sword energy, her clothing had been torn to shreds, exposing her body.
Though Lee Cheol-soo quickly wrapped his outer garment around her, the embarrassment of that brief moment was enough for her to feel humiliated as a woman.
Furthermore, Lee Cheol-soo’s obscene acts
were not limited to just that one time.Hadn’t he once torn the clothes of the Black Dragon alongside her during the Orthodox Faction Competition?
It was impossible not to harbor reasonable suspicion.
Yet, separate from these doubts, the feel of the outer garment Lee Cheol-soo had draped over her was rather nice. His scent lingered.
Remembering that scent caused Seomun Cheong-ha’s face to flush.
She shook her head in denial.
‘Why did I say such things…’
Seomun Cheong-ha regretted her decision. Had she not made that ridiculous suggestion of becoming a servant, she’d not have fallen into the role of Lee Cheol-soo’s companion.
Of course, she did not dislike the Gongdong Sect. The Gongdong Sect Leader Jeonyeong and Lee Cheol-soo’s younger sister Seoharin, along with her brother Yujinhwi, treated her rather well.
But Lee Cheol-soo was a different story.
Lee Cheol-soo had treated her like a mere errand girl for every little thing.
‘How dare he make me do such chores and errands, how could he…’
Moreover, Seomun Cheong-ha still recalled the look in his eyes that day.
She was known as Gansu’s Finest Beauty.
On the day she flaunted her Guardian, Lee Cheol-soo had gazed at her with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I don’t even see you as a woman.’
She was a role model for the boys of Gansu Province. Yet, no one had ever treated her that way before.
At first, she thought it was just empty words.
Even if she had a Guardian, she thought Lee Cheol-soo would reveal his true colorful horse nature towards her since she had become his companion.
But Lee Cheol-soo continued to treat her literally like a maid.
‘How dare he treat me this way! This is unforgivable! I am Seomun Cheong-ha, the Blade Master!’
The world’s celebrated Blade Master, admired even in the martial world.
And finally.
Today, Lee Cheol-soo had called for her alone.
‘He intends to treat me like a beast… in this secluded location? Just like a colorful horse? Hmph. He must have been holding back his desires all this time!’
Seomun Cheong-ha thought.
He had suppressed his desires all this time. Now that he was back at the main base, he must intend to let them out.
She, the youngest daughter of the prestigious Seomun family, how could he not feel any desires towards her?
That was how Seomun Cheong-ha perceived the situation.
“I have a command for you, my companion. This secret must remain between us.”
“What is it? If it’s something strange, I won’t comply!”
As she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to guard herself, Lee Cheol-soo pulled out a token from his pocket.
A token provided by a high-ranking official, a certificate to claim the profits from martial arts gambling.
Seomun Cheong-ha’s expression became strange upon seeing the token.
She had expected him to do something unspeakably obscene, but he produced that strange token instead.
“Take this token and go to the Gonhwa Pavilion at Hwajeong County below the mountain to collect the martial arts gambling profits and bring them back to me.”
After hearing Lee Cheol-soo’s words, Seomun Cheong-ha frowned.
What?
Really.
Is this all?
You summon Gansu’s Finest Beauty to a secluded place, and this is just a request to collect the profits?
Images of him treating her like a maid flashed through her mind.
Seomun Cheong-ha bit her lip.
So, is he really viewing me as a maid?
Having grasped the situation, Seomun Cheong-ha’s hands trembled slightly.
“Is… that all you have to say?”
“That’s it.”
Lee Cheol-soo, with his indifferent gaze, looked at her as if asking if there was anything more to be said, his eyes devoid of any warmth as if looking at a stone on the road.
She was born a precious daughter of the Seomun family.
Her elder brothers and the Crown Princes recognized her skills to surpass their own. Winning the title of Blade Master in Yongbong Society had made her a favored child of her father.
She was a future acclaimed talent expected to lead the Orthodox Faction, always positioned in the spotlight.
Not just in the Orthodox Faction; even the Evil Faction kept their distance from her. The admired Blade Master of the martial world was none other than her.
Yet.
This was the first time someone had treated her with such utter disregard.
Especially someone of her own age who had invariably admired her.
At that moment, a strange feeling of defeat sprouted in her heart, along with an unfamiliar emotion she could not recognize, Seomun Cheong-ha glared at Lee Cheol-soo and shouted.
Her voice echoed in Gongdong Mountain.