Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Chapter 1: Beyond Humanity (13)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh ho... that's what they said, huh."
"Watch your mouth."
The man grumbled curtly. He didn't forget to glance up overhead.
"So, should I call you Hero O?"
"Hero O? I'm no O Clan member. And definitely not some hero."
"No... really...?"
"No need to know more. Drop it."
The man stopped smiling. Annoyance was plain on his face. He quickened his pace, as if telling them to follow quietly.
The three had no choice but to trail after him blindly.
What they'd seen at Bucheong Tower grew more shocking the more they dwelled on it. There was no safe place left in the world, it seemed. For now, sticking to this man's back felt like their only path.
"We're here."
They walked for quite a while.
The man halted before a massive tavern. Golden-lacquered beams arched overhead like temple gates. A lavish signboard gleamed with the words Golden Flower House.
The man strode right in.
Beaded curtains of multicolored orbs parted to either side. Beautiful women welcomed them like a blooming flower garden.
"Oh my!!"
"What brings you here!"
The women lit up at the sight of him.
The man cut straight to it.
"Is the Fighting Elder here?"
The women's broad smiles vanished in an instant. One pointed timidly toward the back.
"Over there."
"Since when?"
"Since the day before yesterday. Oh, and last night he popped into Peach Blossom Haven for a bit..."
"That bastard."
Peach Blossom Haven was the most infamous gambling den in the area.
The man spat a curse and marched through the women. They parted like the sea. Sang, Seol, and Hyang endured their burdensome stares and followed. They had to stick with the man, after all.
Past the wide-open floral doors lay a vibrant garden. The man ignored its captivating scenery. He cut straight across to a prominent annex building in the rear.
The rare beauty tempted them to linger and look around, but Seol and Hyang knew better than to dawdle. The three hurried after him into the annex. As they headed for the inner stairs, they spotted a gaunt old man perched on a chair like a painted screen.
The man clicked his tongue at the elder.
"Still at it? What kind of misery is this."
The elder shot back gruffly.
"Misery, my ass."
The elder's face bore surprisingly few wrinkles. Yet he screamed age. It was in his eyes, etched with the weight of years. He wore sleek black silk robes—unexpected for him. Even dressed so finely, he evoked an ancient withered tree, on the verge of crumbling.
"He's up top, right?"
Nod, nod.
The elder nodded twice. Faded eyes twinkled with mischief. Lifeless yet playful. Two opposites mingled strangely in that gaze.
"I'm heading up."
"Do what you want."
"Don't try to stop me."
"Like I could."
The man and elder seemed thick as thieves. Lifelong friends, perhaps. Close enough to feel like family.
The man climbed the stairs.
The elder now gazed elsewhere. He ignored the three ascending behind.
They climbed four more floors.
The top. Instead of a hallway, a grand door loomed at the stair's end.
The Golden Flower House annex tapered to a tower spire. The peak floor was narrow—one vast room.
As the man opened his mouth before the door, his face twisted in a scowl.
"That bastard..."
Seol and Hyang, following from below, flushed red too. Steamy moans leaked from within.
"Hah! Hah! Ahhhh!"
The cries were intense.
"Ahh! Yes! Brother! Ahhhh!"
Even sheltered young ladies would know what was happening inside.
The man unslung the golden sword from his back. He swung the sheathed blade down at the door.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It seemed light, but the crashes shook the walls.
The moans inside cut off. An irritated voice barked from within.
"Oho?"
"I'm coming in!"
The man didn't wait. He shoved the door open with a shout. It wasn't locked. It swung wide. He barged in with his usual bold stride.
"Eek!"
A youthful shriek echoed inside. As if entranced, Seol, Hyang, and Sang followed him in. The room was a sight. Clothes littered the floor—his tunic, her undergarments, tangled wildly. Straight ahead loomed a massive bed. Still thick with the scent of passion. Seol and Hyang glanced at it, gasped in unison, swallowed screams, and whipped their heads away.
"What the hell is this."
A smooth baritone tossed the words at them.
From the bed's depths.
White veils draped the four corner posts. Inside, a young girl frantically pulled blankets to cover herself.
"What do you mean, what? You gonna pretend you're innocent?"
Oho snapped back.
"Who'd you bring?"
The voice's owner lounged half-reclined, back against the golden headboard. The girl had hogged all the blankets, leaving him exposed. His sleek torso gleamed bare as he eyed the intruders.
"Daughters of the Flame Jade Merchant Guild, they say."
"Flame Jade Merchant Guild?"
His face was pale. Beyond "pale like a woman's"—icy white, almost translucent.
But his eyes differed.
Sharp as a beast's, they gleamed beneath fine brows.
Utterly dual-natured.
A face that stuck in the mind. No classic beauty, but unforgettable once seen.
"And him?"
He glanced at Sang. The black-and-white sword man answered.
"Yeom Seoksan's retainer."
"Retainer? For real?"
His retort teased yet didn't.
The black-and-white sword man added,
"That's what he claims."
The man on the bed rose slowly.
Seol and Hyang finally squeaked and squeezed their eyes shut.
He stood utterly naked. Seemed he didn't mind baring himself at all.
He slipped from the bed gracefully, glancing around. Skin ghostly pale, but muscles taut. Sweat beaded, catching the light.
"Flame Jade Merchant Guild, huh... That why you sent the kids packing this morning?"
"Yeah."
The nude man sauntered toward Seol and Hyang without a care. They floundered, unsure where to look. He addressed Hyang.
"You. You're stepping on it."
"Pardon?"
"My pants."
Hyang jumped back. He bent cat-like, scooped them up. Dressed leisurely before everyone, then headed to the bed. He parted the veil, reached for the girl buried face-first in the sheets.
"Sleep it off."
He stroked her nape lightly. She slumped limp—pressure point, no doubt. He redrew the veil, perched on the bed's edge. Shirtless still. He scanned Seol and Hyang up and down slowly. A faint boyish smile curved his lips.
"Not bad. Both of you."
Unpredictable as ever—a boy's face, but words from no boy.
He eyed the sword-bearing man.
"You brought 'em 'cause you want one, right? Which? Older sister's your type?"
The man scowled fiercely.
"Bullshit. You think I'm like you?"
The half-naked man laughed again. He turned to Seol and Hyang.
"What do you think?"
He added,
"Uncomfortable? Our little chat?"
A sudden strike. Of course it rankled. But the timing was perfect—too vague to affirm. He'd seized the initiative.
"Since we called you pretty, don't get too mad."
Odd talent.
Somehow, he wasn't hateable. A knack for defusing rightful anger. He paused, ran hands back through his tousled hair. Then tossed out casually,
"Cheonwi."
"......?"
"My name."
Abrupt again. Oho and the short one hadn't started there. This felt oddly courteous. Names were normal in meetings, but after secretive men, hearing one felt generous. Truly strange.
"That guy's Oho. Won't give his name easy. Acts pricey over nothing."
Oho—the guide here—arched his right brow high. But that was it. No rebuttal to self-proclaimed Cheonwi.
"Now I've given mine, manners are satisfied... Take off those bamboo hats. Pretty faces aren't for hiding."
Cheonwi gestured as if removing his own.
Seol and Hyang still avoided his gaze. Hyang removed hers first. She met Cheonwi's eyes straight on. He held her younger sister's stare.
"Yeom Seoksan. Capable man."
Cheonwi spoke present tense.
Not "was capable," but "is."
A spark lit Hyang's eyes. Cheonwi turned to Oho.
"But..."
Oho met his gaze, hand on hilt.
Shing.
The striped black-and-white sword slid free. Seol and Hyang's faces hardened at the sudden draw.
Cheonwi told Oho,
"Not content with interrupting—why drag in all that baggage?"
"That's what I said first."
Oho grinned.
The smile hadn't faded.
Crash!
The latticed window frames shattered, shards flying everywhere.
Side windows and frames exploded next. Black shadows poured in like a flood.