Chapter 13 (3)
Chapter 13 (3)
Gujang Village, located 20 days south of Agyang.
Since it was a small village of about 100 households, the people there saw the same faces every day, so it was a place where everyone inevitably knew each other well.
"Cheon-agassi, hello!"
"Cheon-agassi! We've got fresh fruit, try one!"
There was a woman in that place who was called 'Cheon-agassi'.
Of course, it wasn't that they really called her a young lady, but rather a nickname of sorts.
She wore the plain cloth clothes that ordinary housewives wore, but she was a beauty with an elegant and gentle impression, with appropriately toned muscles and not a single bit of ugly, sagging flesh.
With her hair tied up and styled with a pure white cloth into a type of hairstyle called a braided bun in modern times, she was a beauty whose comparison to ordinary housewives would be an insult, even without makeup, with her thin features and small pink lips.
Perhaps that was why she earned the nickname 'agassi'.
"Hehe, thank you, Gyu Gong-do-ssi."
"H-heh-heh! It's nothing! This is barely anything..."
Cheon Hye-un showed the fruit merchant who had offered her a taste of fresh fruit the composure of an adult, along with a benevolent and gentle smile that put the other person at ease, and received the fruit with both hands politely.
Gyu Gong-do, the fruit merchant, whose hand slightly brushed against her slender, spotless, jade-like fingers, couldn't help but smile at the softness.
Living in a rural village, he regularly visited the county or city to buy fruit, and since he hadn't seen a beauty like Cheon Hye-un even in the city, the effect was even greater.
Because she possessed such a benevolent grace, like a young lady from a noble family, the merchants called her 'agassi' when they addressed her.
Cheon Hye-un went about her shopping, wearing a gentle smile the entire time.
Once Cheon Hye-un finished her shopping and returned home, the market, which had been bustling because of her mere presence, became quiet.
"Sigh, she's finally starting to smile a little."
"That's right. When her son died, she had a look like the whole world had ended."
"For two years, she had a look like the world was completely over, and after that, she was expressionless for a year."
"It's a pity about the dead child, but the living must live. There's no gain in clinging to the dead."
The people breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, seeing that Cheon Hye-un, who could be called the only flower of this rural village, was finally letting go of the past and living in the present.
The reason they cared for her like this was not only because she was a beauty, but also because she was a martial artist with the skill to single-handedly repel thugs or bandits eyeing the remote village.
Of course, she had cut ties with the Murim world now, but that didn't mean there was a law against defending herself from those who tried to coerce and plunder the village.
In reality, because Gujang Village was far from the government offices, security was weak, so it was attacked by Heukdopae who had lost power struggles nearby or wandering bandits who didn't have a mountain fortress, and Cheon Hye-un was always the focal point of the resistance.
If not for her, Gujang Village would have long since become a target of exploitation for the Heukdopae or bandits.
Cheon Hye-un, who had received the concern of so many people, entered the house located in a corner of the village.
"H-honey... you're back... cough!cough!cough!Kehek!"
A middle-aged man with a sickly complexion stood up to greet her, then let out a rough cough.
"Sang-gong...!"
Cheon Hye-un hurriedly held a cloth to her husband's mouth, patted his back, and circulated her energy to him.
"Keuheok! Hoo...Hoo..."
The middle-aged man with a sickly complexion, having spat out bloody phlegm, wiped his mouth with a clean cloth, and his breathing became comfortable due to the warm energy felt from his wife's hand.
"Haa... I'm sorry, Hye-un... If only I were a little healthier, I wouldn't have made you suffer like this."
"Please don't say that, Sang-gong. I am happy just being here with you like this."
Cheon Hye-un wore a smile of pure, devoted love, without a shred of pretense, and gently stroked the middle-aged man's back.
The middle-aged man's name was Mak Cho-pyeong, a pale scholar who had received envious glares after winning the hand of Eun-bong Cheon Hye-un, whom countless men had desperately prayed to just catch a glimpse of or hold hands with once.
In her younger days, Cheon Hye-un, who possessed a gentle and benevolent personality as well as a wise mind, was exhausted by the gazes of young martial artists who felt lust for her, and their courtship activities that didn't care about her circumstances at all.
It was then that she happened to meet Mak Cho-pyeong.
Mak Cho-pyeong was gentle, rational, and knowledgeable, unlike other men, so they could communicate well.
Having met a gentle man with whom she could communicate, in contrast to the courtship of violent martial artists, Cheon Hye-un quickly became close to Mak Cho-pyeong, and the two shocked many people by even getting married.
The problem was that Mak Cho-pyeong was an ordinary scholar, not a martial artist.
Therefore, Cheon Hye-un decided to wash her hands of the martial world and live a life supporting Mak Cho-pyeong.
This was because martial artists with grudges could take revenge on her husband instead of her.
Naturally, her acquaintances desperately tried to stop her, but she chose the path of being happy with the person she loved.
Mak Cho-pyeong, who had aspirations for academics, became a low-ranking official, and it seemed they could live a happy life as a son was born.
However, Mak Cho-pyeong's health deteriorated rapidly due to the shock of his son's death from illness, and he was forced to quit his job and return to his hometown to recuperate.
Cheon Hye-un continued to support her husband, nursing him while doing odd jobs for other houses.
If she hadn't been a martial artist, the workload would have been enough to make her collapse from overwork long ago.
Knowing how much his wife was suffering because of him, Mak Cho-pyeong lamented his weak body every time.
And then, an incident that would be a huge turning point in the two's fate arrived.
That day was the same as any other.
She dug up medicinal herbs suitable for her husband's illness with knowledge she had begged from a doctor in the mountains, and did odd jobs in the village.
Having gathered herbs and food, Cheon Hye-un returned home, thinking about how to make it easy for her husband to eat.
"Sang-gong. I'm back. Today, I got quite a lot..."
...
"Sang-gong...?"
When she didn't hear the coughing sound of her husband that should have been coming from inside the room, she hurriedly moved her feet.
In the spot where her husband was always lying, instead of her husband's body, there was a letter.
-If you want to see your husband, come to the old shrine located to the northwest.-
Seeing the contents of the letter, Cheon Hye-un couldn't help but clench her fist and crumple the letter.
While her body was trembling with rage, her brain was searching for the culprit of this situation.
'Who on earth, and why? I even washed my hands of the martial world to prevent this kind of situation! No, if there was a grudge, there's no reason to kidnap him now.'
She judged that while they were targeting her, it wasn't due to a grudge.
If they had a grudge, the problem would have arisen long ago.
'Whoever it is, if you've hurt Sang-gong even a little...'
The expression of Cheon Hye-un, who had only shown a gentle and soft smile no matter how hard things were until now, transformed coldly.
She took out her twin swords, which she had always kept sharpened and well-maintained because bandits and the like had raided the village and could do so again.
'I will kill you while carving out your flesh piece by piece!'
Cheon Hye-un, who revealed intense murderous intent because her reverse scale had been touched because she loved him.
She remembered the location of the old shrine to the northwest and immediately used light-foot techniques to head down the familiar path.
Honestly, she was a bit uneasy about going alone, but she was the only one here who knew martial arts.
The rest were villagers who didn't even know martial arts actually existed until she arrived.
Thinking that going with them wouldn't be of much help, she had to climb the mountain path alone.
Cheon Hye-un, who arrived at the old shrine by quickly traversing the mountain using light-foot techniques.
When she entered the shrine, there were traces of someone having tidied up the inside and camped there.
"Sang-gong!"
And in the corner of the shrine, she discovered Mak Cho-pyeong, a thin-framed man with both arms tied.
As soon as she saw her beloved husband, she tried to rush over, but,
"Whoa, whoa, that's far enough."
Someone who had been hiding their presence on the ceiling came down as if to block her path.
'Young?'
Although it was dark by ordinary standards, Cheon Hye-un, who had learned martial arts and could see better than ordinary people if there was even a little light, was able to check the face of the man blocking her.
He had a sharp impression overall, but what was clear was that he was very young.
Even in the best light, mid-20s?
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"20 years ago, the Eun-bong of the O-ryong Sam-bong, Cheon Hye-un."
"...If you know my past, this can't be a mistake."
Cheon Hye-un said that while expanding her senses to find any potential ambushes, within the distance where she could approach her husband.
"Keuk-keuk-keuk, indeed. Even after time has passed, your beauty is still in your 20s. This is why I like martial arts."
The young man licked his tongue at her and took a step closer.
"Let me introduce myself first. Age, twenty-three, no sect, name is Jincheon, who will be reborn as the greatest under heaven in the future."
Hearing the words of the young man named Jincheon, Cheon Hye-un couldn't help but think this to herself.
'Crazy bastard.'
"If the act of that future greatest under heaven is merely kidnapping the spouse of a martial artist who has washed her hands of the world, it's the same as sounding the death knell for the Murim world."
"That's a law decided by those with power. Isn't the Murim world like that anyway? A world where if you have power, you can do whatever you want. That's why I like the Murim world."
"Don't talk nonsense! No matter how much the Murim world is ruled by power, there are things you can do and things you can't! Hand over Sang-gong immediately. Then I'll turn a blind eye to this just this once."
Exploding with the sense of duty of a wife who would never lose her beloved husband, rather than the fighting spirit of a martial artist, Cheon Hye-un raised her twin swords.
"You're drawing your sword without even listening to my purpose?"
"Whatever your purpose is, I don't want to hear it. If you won't send my husband back,"
Tak!
Cheon Hye-un stepped on the ground and shot toward Jincheon rapidly.
"I have no choice but to take him back by force!"
At the same time, countless afterimages arose from the twin swords swung from both sides.
They were a number of afterimages that would make it impossible to block the enemy's attack if one were to watch with their eyes.
She was a master of the Illusion Sword (Hwan-geom) using twin swords.
The Cheonsan Sect's martial arts boasted techniques that combined illusion (Hwan) and sharpness, and thanks to such techniques, contemporary enthusiasts unanimously said that if she only had time, she could surpass the Sword Empress Seo Yu-ran and take the name of Sword Empress.
However,
Ka-kang!
Jincheon found the real one among those countless afterimages, and easily blocked Cheon Hye-un's twin swords with gauntlets he had made by melting the blade of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword and hammering it without rest for several days.
"What!?"
"Where do you think you're going with a 20-year gap!"
Peo-eok!
"Ka-hak!"
Jincheon easily knocked her down by punching her in the abdomen, which was full of openings.
It was the gap between someone who had continued to train steadily with top-tier talent, and someone who had lived as a housewife for 20 years, only occasionally dealing with 3rd-rate Heukdopae or wandering bandits.
"Cough!Cough!"
Cheon Hye-un, whose legs gave out from the impact to her abdomen, coughed while raising only her upper body.
Jincheon approached her, grabbed her hair, and made her eyes meet his.
"It's a pity~ A woman who was once listed as the most likely candidate to hold the name of Sword Empress is defeated by a young martial artist less than half her age."
"Please..."
"Hm?"
"Please... spare my husband... No, please spare him..."
She didn't know why Jincheon was attacking her, but the important thing was her husband's life or death.
Her expression, begging him to spare Mak Cho-pyeong while using polite language with sorrowful eyes, was truly enough to make Jincheon erect.
"Hey, do you know why I suddenly came to find you, who washed your hands of the martial world?"
"Why is that...?"
"It's this!"
Zzi-ji-jik!
"Kyaaak!?"
Surprised by Jincheon's action of suddenly tearing off her clothes, Cheon Hye-un couldn't help but scream.
However, since there was no way there would be people near an old shrine located deep in the mountains late at night, her scream was nothing more or less than something to startle the beasts.
"S-stop! Do you know what you are doing right now!"
"What am I doing?"
Jincheon, who had stripped off all her underwear, wore the smile of a rapist and looked down at her after knocking her down.
"Do you know the saying that a hero has three wives and four concubines?"
"Why that..."
"Congratulations. You have been chosen as my concubine."
"...What?"
Cheon Hye-un, who had been using polite language to the young Jincheon to save her husband, hardened her expression and spoke informally again.
"I'm not turned on by other females who train normally, perform normal feats, and get titles! But! If it's you, who has a devoted heart that gave up everything for her husband, I judged that you are worthy of being made my concubine!"
"Y-you're crazy! You're crazy!! A concubine? I love my husband! I already have a husband, what kind of concubine!?"
"Is there a city gate that doesn't get breached just because there's a gatekeeper? Now, from now on, let me make this body take me as a husband!"
Jincheon threw off his own clothes and pounced on the naked Cheon Hye-un.