Chapter 5 (4)
Chapter 5 (4)
"I'm back."
"You're back?"
When I returned to the house, Im Ha-yeon, who had been hiding after sensing someone's presence, revealed herself.
She looked so much like a rabbit waiting for its owner to return that I almost laughed without meaning to.
"How's the wound?"
"The bleeding has stopped for now. Honestly, I thought it would be incredibly hard to heal since it was caused by the Sword Empress's blade, so this is better than expected."
"Sword Empress? The one from the Tae-eul Sword Sect?"
The Sword Empress is one of the only two people I know well in this Pungun Murim.
Why, you ask?
Because I saw the setting that she boasts an absurd breast size because she took the wrong medicinal pill given by her master!
Do you know what size it is? It's a whopping L-cup!
That's a size that can only exist in creative works!
Even in the modern world with its billions of people, there are only about 100 or so people with that unique... no, legendary-level chest!
I'm not joking, one breast is bigger than a person's head! And she has two of them!
As someone who loves breasts, I obviously couldn't just let that slide!
Ahem. Got a little excited there.
Anyway, so she was acquainted with the Sword Empress.
"...You know her well?"
Eek, I showed my emotions too much.
Ha-yeon's eyes narrowed slightly and started to exude a chill.
"Well, she's beautiful and strong, isn't she? You can't help but hear rumors, and as a man, you have no choice but to listen."
Even if I force myself to pretend otherwise, women notice quickly.
In that case, it's better to agree but make a reasonable excuse.
"Hmph, what's so great about some old hag who's over 50... hic..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"N...nothing."
Why on earth is she making a face like she was suddenly shocked?
It doesn't seem like pain from her injury.
Anyway, I think problems will arise if we keep talking about this topic, so let's change the subject.
"Come to think of it, we don't know each other's ages. I'm twenty (the age of maturity) this year. How about you?"
"Me? I'm... uh... twenty... six."
"You're a noona to me, then."
"W-well, I couldn't help it! The Heavenly Demon Cult worships strength, so I had to learn martial arts first!"
"No, why are you getting angry?"
I have absolutely no idea what the problem is that's making her angry.
Is being old a complex for her? When she's only in her 20s?
"Anyway, what are you going to do now, Ha-yeon-yang?"
"Ha-yeon-yang?"
"Calling you Im Ha-yeon, Im Ha-yeon all the time feels so stiff. Why? Do you hate it?"
"......."
Ha-yeon seemed quite flustered, as if she hadn't even thought about this kind of address.
It was a "shoot first, ask questions later" tactic, but thanks to it, I was able to figure out the strategy to capture her.
She is very starved for affection.
On top of that, she has no experience hanging out with people of a similar age who she can actually talk to.
In that case, I should slowly break down the boundaries, starting as a friend who can talk well.
A character with this kind of personality takes the facts she knows as a given.
She probably doesn't think of the creature called "man" very highly, either?
If so, I'll catch her off guard, enjoy some skinship, but stop just short of crossing the line to keep the mood going and test the waters.
If I were stronger, I would just choose the option of knocking her down, having sex, and then training her, but no matter how I look at it, I'm weaker.
Honestly, if Im Ha-yeon, who was injured at night, had been prepared to die and attacked with all her might, I would have died, right?
"If you don't like it, just say so. Well, it's true that a man and woman who haven't met long shouldn't be so friendly......."
"No, it's fine. It's just... I was surprised because I didn't think you could call my name like that."
As expected, she's starved for affection.
Given the arrogant nature of the Chinese from ancient times to the modern era, mixed-bloods probably didn't get treated very well.
In that case, I'll keep making her feel affection.
"I bought some food with the completion money from this guard request. Wait a moment. I'll cook now."
I headed to the kitchen without waiting for Ha-yeon's answer.
Since she's a master, she might not necessarily need to eat, but the important thing is that she feels affection from me.
There's no better way to get used to each other than eating and living in the same house.
First of all, the basic cooking utensils are here.
Water is... kept in a jar.
Well, since there's no tap water, I guess I have to store water like this.
Fire is... ah, there's a stove and firewood next to it.
It'll be hard to control the fire precisely, but it can't be helped.
To heal the wound well, treatment and rest are important, but eating is also very important.
As I took out the ingredients I bought from the butcher shop and the vegetable store, I used dried medicinal herbs and spices I had dried myself for umami and started cooking.
Having lived alone for a long time, I'm used to cooking, and thanks to the power of this character's Cooking 100, I could instinctively tell how to give the meat the best smoky flavor and how to stir-fry the vegetables so the taste wouldn't be ruined.
After spending time finishing the cooking, I belatedly found a tray and plates, plated the food, and carried it over.
A slightly spicy stir-fried meat dish, vegetable side dishes, and rice.
Honestly, I wanted to make a more proper meal than this, but there weren't many cooking utensils.
"Waaa......."
But still, since I made it with sincerity, the aroma is killer.
"Here, eat."
I handed her chopsticks I'd washed with water and sat down opposite her.
The reason the portion is quite large is that I was hungry too.
As we started the meal, Ha-yeon carefully picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
"Mmmmmm~~~~~!!"
She waved her hands up and down cutely and let out an exclamation close to pleasure.
"It's delicious! What is this? What on earth did you put in it to make it taste this good!?"
Ha-yeon started shoveling the side dishes and rice into her mouth in a hurry.
Seeing her cheeks puffed up with her mouth full, she looks like a hamster.
That aside, even though I made it, it's seriously insanely delicious.
But I really don't like the rice.
Maybe I bought the lowest quality because I'm poor, or maybe it's because the breed hasn't been improved, but it's a bit dry for my taste.
But Ha-yeon was busy eating it in a hurry as if it were delicious too.
Fortunately, the sword wound on her side doesn't seem to have injured her internal organs, as she doesn't seem to have any trouble eating.
To begin with, the fact that she can eat like that even after being injured means she probably has a lot of experience with being injured.
"Ah......."
And in an instant, one bowl was empty.
But I knew this would happen, so I cooked a lot of rice.
I used up all the rice that was in this house.
Well, it's a house I'm going to use for a day and abandon anyway, so who cares?
"You must have been very hungry. Wait."
I piled her rice bowl even higher than before.
Ack. There's only a third left already?
Honestly, I did think it was too little while I was cooking the rice.
But it's not mine anyway, so it doesn't matter.
Nom nom nom!
Ha-yeon was busy eating in a hurry, and I also filled my stomach while using my chopsticks.
As the rice and side dishes were all wiped clean, she finally leaned back in her chair, satisfied.
"Phew~ That was delicious~ It was dozens of times tastier than the meals I had at the Main Sect... ah......."
Ha-yeon seemed to realize her mistake only then, and her face turned red.
In this era where men's power is strong because wars occur, the ideology that women should be modest is bound to be the foundation.
That's why she must have thought I would be disappointed in her appearance of eating like a glutton.
But to me, a modern person, that kind of appearance isn't really a problem.
"Don't be embarrassed. From a chef's perspective, I'm actually happy when someone eats heartily. Ah, you've got a grain of rice here."
I prepared myself for the cringe and wiped the grain of rice near her mouth with my thumb, then popped it into my own mouth.
"Ah......."
Ha-yeon's face turned red at my action, but seeing that she couldn't say anything, it told me that while she wasn't used to this kind of behavior, it didn't feel unpleasant.
If it had been unpleasant, she would have slapped me right away.
But I have to act like it's nothing.
That's the only way I can show that I don't have any ulterior motives.
Now, shall I change the subject here?
"That aside, I checked the city gate, and there were tons of Jeongmumae warriors, and they were searching strictly. Was there no safehouse for the worst-case scenario on the Demonic Cult side?"
"There is, but... it's quite far from here. And......."
She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth with difficulty.
"If there's any other Heavenly Demon Cult member besides me, they'll try to kill you. That place is that kind of place."
"Then I'll take you nearby and......."
"No, I can't move as of now. I'm injured, so it's hard to move around. If I'm going to a safehouse, I have to go after I've recovered somewhat."
"Is that so. If you say so."
Having said that much, I smiled without realizing it.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Sorry. I was just happy that we could be together like this, even though the situation isn't very good for you."
"......!"
Wow, it exploded.
Ha-yeon blushed bright red and felt shy at my remark, which was close to a confession.
I'm not joking, if this were a cartoon, an explosion cloud would appear above her head or steam would be rising.
"For now, I'll take care of the bodies. In the worst case, the righteous faction guys could cooperate with the government officials and search the private houses."
"Th...that, leave that to me."
Ha-yeon, who hadn't yet recovered from the shock of my bombshell statement, took out a small bottle made of hard iron from her bosom.
And when she headed to the place where I had gathered the bodies and dropped the liquid inside the bottle, the bodies started to bubble and melt away.
"It's Bone-Melting Powder. It's good for disposing of bodies."
There it is.
The deus ex machina of the martial arts world, Bone-Melting Powder.
An item that could only appear in a fantasy world, melting bodies with less than a handful of liquid.
I washed away the traces of the melted bodies toward the back door with water.
And if I just cover it with dirt, the body disposal is complete.
"Is this house ours now? Well, strictly speaking, only until we have to pay taxes."
"Jincheon."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Perhaps because she felt a strong affection for me, who had helped her in every way, Ha-yeon hugged my body.
Since there was a size difference, it felt more like she was clinging to me than hugging me.
I hugged her head and stroked her soft hair.
The atmosphere is good, shall I start the main game now?
Thinking that, I hugged her waist.
"Kyaak......!"
"Ah... the wound......! Sorry!"
"Ah, no. It just throbbed for a moment......."
Damn it. The wound is more serious than I thought.
At this rate, if we have sex, the pain will be greater than the pleasure.
It can't be helped. Let's heal the wound first.
"I'll be out for a moment."
"Where?"
"To find medicinal herbs. The herbs sold at the pharmacy are all too expensive."
They were expensive to the point where it was truly outrageous.
When I came to Chang'an and bought the necessary amount, I barely held back the urge to grab them by the collar and ask if this price was for real.
"I'll be back late at night, so if you're tired, go to sleep first."
"...Okay."
She answered a beat late and nodded.
I don't know what that means, but I have to heal the wound first, so let me move quickly.
Tap!
"Ah......."
Seeing Jincheon leave, Im Ha-yeon let out a sigh of regret without realizing it.
She looked around.
A poor and desolate house.
Until just a moment ago, she had felt that even that was okay, but as he disappeared, she came to dislike this poor desolation.
"Haa......."
Left alone, she clutched her chest.
She felt pain from the sensation of a hole opening in her heart.
"He's a man I've only met twice now......."
She muttered powerlessly as she headed to the old bed.
A man she's only met twice now.
On top of that, the age gap is so huge that, not joking, if she had married a little earlier, it wouldn't have been strange to have a grandchild the age of Jincheon.
That her heart would pound so much for a young man with such a large age gap.
If someone who knew the title Hwan-yo were to hear this, they would laugh and ask what kind of nonsense that is.
Hwan-yo is a public enemy of the martial arts world, cruel and wicked, capable of any evil deed to achieve her goals.
But when she is in front of him, Hwan-yo's cruelty disappears, and she becomes a young girl, her heart pounding.
When he showed interest in the Sword Empress earlier, she even revealed a jealousy that surprised even herself.
'I even hit my own heart by mentioning age without realizing it.......'
Im Ha-yeon, who had received a self-destructive blow by disparaging the Sword Empress as an old hag despite being older than her, was still in a state of being embarrassed by that line.
'Get a grip, Im Ha-yeon! Even if you double Jincheon's age, it doesn't catch up to mine! If that child finds out that there's such a big age gap, how will he see me!?'
Although she is maintaining a youthful appearance thanks to the Ju-an-gong, she is ultimately nothing more than an old hag nearing 60.
She was someone who blamed herself like that, but.......
'Still... I want to feel this happiness.'
The short time she spent with Jincheon was a novel experience for her.
The meal, which was many times tastier than the fancy food made by the Main Sect's chefs, was unexpected, but this was the first time she had eaten without grace.
Because she had always had to play the character of Hwan-yo, she had to eat with dignity even when eating.
He accepts whatever she does.
Even if she acts rudely, acts spoiled, grumbles, or is jealous.
Every time, instead of scolding her with "If you're a woman," he accepted it with a smile.
But having not known the emotion of love for nearly 60 years, she could not understand what this emotion she was feeling was.
Just looking at Jincheon makes her happy, it's not boring, it's fun, and she wants to talk to him even more.
But Im Ha-yeon, who didn't know the identity of that emotion, had to suffer alone.
"Jincheon......."
She already felt the emotion of missing Jincheon, but since recovering from her injury was the top priority before that, she decided to enter into internal energy circulation and focus on recovering from her injury.
However, thoughts of Jincheon kept popping up in her head, so it took her several times longer than usual to circulate her internal energy.