Stepping on the Azaleas

Cheong might lack common sense, but she wasn't stupid. Even Cheong understood the implications behind this tragic pile of trash. It was the women's persistent and desperate struggle to create some kind of connection with the Jade Qilin, no matter what it took. If it had been a moderate amount, she might have mischievously poked Paeng Daesan in the ribs and told him to pick a few up out of courtesy. But the entire time Cheong had been inhaling the complete collection of Central Plains snacks—fried sweets, steamed sweets, boiled sweets, baked sweets, and dried sweets—the barrage of trash had continued without pause. By now there were enough that she could softly step on them with every stride, just like the azaleas in Kim Sowol's poem. Picking them up one by one would turn her into the woman gathering fallen grain.

Cheong stuck her tongue out. "Wow. I'm sick of this. So sick of it."

"I thought you'd tell me to pick them up."

"How am I supposed to pick up all of that? No thanks, my back would give out."

A sudden question occurred to her, and Cheong opened her mouth. "Do the owners come back to pick these up later?"

"Well..." Paeng Daesan hesitated. Come back to pick them up? Wouldn't that look rather undignified? But just abandoning them? Wouldn't that be too much of a nuisance? Paeng Daesan flinched. Why was he even thinking about something like this?

"They'll probably send someone later."

"Have them come searching here? Is there a professional lost-and-found service? Especially after they've been stepped on and kicked around."

The women throwing things at Paeng Daesan were in competition with one another. They would pretend to pass by while blocking each other's view, sneakily drop one item on top of another, or trample on a rival's belongings.

"If we picked them up and sold them, would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it make money?"

Paeng Daesan doubted his ears. "Are you in your right mind?"

"No, some of them look pretty expensive. Wouldn't they come back for those kinds of things?"

Cheong pointed at a perfume pouch rolling across the ground. Handkerchiefs were easy to drop, but they carried an unpleasant meaning. One way to quietly announce a breakup to your lover was to gift them a white handkerchief. A handkerchief embroidered with gold thread on red fabric—or something of similar splendor—was the minimum requirement for lovers to exchange. That was why women from wealthy families dropped ornaments instead. Very occasionally a woman would drop a perfume pouch or hairpin, and the other women wouldn't dare step on or claim such valuables. Messing with a woman who could afford to throw away such expensive bait invited serious consequences. Conversely, it meant that if you didn't fear those consequences, you could mess with her. Just like that person over there.

"What is all this? How filthy."

A short boy dressed in clean white clothes appeared, kicking aside the pure intentions of the women ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scattered on the ground. The burly giant beside him spoke up.

"It's obviously traces of Elder Brother Jade Qilin."

"Ah. You're right. Paeng brother! Are you here?"

"Why are you shouting like that? Just follow the women's gazes. Yeah. There he is."

"As expected of our Jegal brother! So smart! Paeng! Brother!"

Cheong habitually checked their good karma. The youth in white had 86. Whoa. Cheong was impressed. It was the highest score ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she'd seen among martial artists. And the giant had -19. A decently good guy. Good karma was hard to accumulate. By comparison, the amount deducted for evil deeds was enormous. Martial artists took lives on a regular basis, after all. Even if the number was negative from evil karma, a double-digit deduction meant they had lived without doing too many terrible things.

Curious about the unusual combination, Cheong asked, "Do you know them?"

"Yeah." Despite the acknowledgment, his expression showed no hint of pleasure. Still, she had never seen Paeng Daesan act warmly toward anyone, nor could she imagine it. She simply assumed it was his natural disposition.

The boy entered the tea house and shouted. For such a small frame, his voice was like a train whistle. "Paeng brother! Long time no see! Didn't expect to meet you here! Your face is still shining bright! Excellent!"

"Brother Hwangbo, it's been a while."

"Yeah! When was the last time we saw each other? Oh! What's this! You're with a woman! Could it be—?"

"Absolutely not. Absolutely not." Paeng Daesan looked horrified.

"Haha, that's rude too! You need to understand a woman's heart a little better!"

Paeng Daesan's mood was completely ruined. Yes, touching his reverse scale should normally provoke exactly this reaction. But Paeng Daesan knew this "kid" well. He was a good person with not a trace of malice, and he had absolutely no tact. Expressing annoyance would only be a loss. Unaware of any of this, the boy laughed heartily. It still didn't suit his tiny frame.

"This is Hwangbo Uncheok, just an acquaintance. And that guy is Jegal Ihyeon."

"Brother Paeng, why is one 'this person' and the other 'that guy'?"

"You're definitely a guy. You deliberately brought him, didn't you?"

"The women were all excited and causing a ruckus, so I figured it was perfect timing for Brother Paeng to appear. Of course I had to come pay my respects."

The small kid was Hwangbo Uncheok. Surprisingly, he was twenty-seven years old. On the outside, he looked about middle-school age. This guy? Twenty-seven? Seeing Cheong's expression, Paeng Daesan added, "He took the wrong medicine when he was young."

"Ah." If he ate the wrong herbal medicine, it couldn't be helped. Cheong understood.

So Great Hero Hwangbo Uncheok. A famous hero of the gangho, despite his small build he had already reached the level of a great hero, hence the title Small Great Hero. He was known for his late-Peak realm martial arts, his upright conduct, and his bold, straightforward attitude that didn't match his childlike appearance at all.

And the giant who looked like the living incarnation of muscle was Jegal Ihyeon. He was at the beautiful age of eighteen.

"Jegal...? As in Zhuge Liang...?" Cheong asked again.

Cheong knew the surname Jegal. Because Zhuge Liang was simply too famous. You know—the weak body but brilliant mind type.

"It seems he received his mother's blood rather strongly."

"Of course! He's my aunt's son! It's only natural!"

"I'm quite satisfied. Isn't it time for the Jegal Clan to shed the image of frail scholars?"

Jegal Ihyeon answered while raising both arms and flexing, revealing his biceps. It was exactly the front double biceps pose. The sleeveless outfit uncommon in the Central Plains fully displayed both his muscles and his pride.

Beast Body, Sage Brain Jegal Ihyeon. It meant possessing the body of a beast and the brain of a sage. He was a heavenly genius who had inherited the powerful physique of the Hwangbo clan from his maternal side and the outstanding intelligence of the Jegal clan.

His martial arts level wasn't particularly high, but people had never expected 'that' from the Jegal Clan anyway. On the contrary, the family elders had hoped for exactly 'that' side. While the Jegal Clan ranked lower in martial studies among the Five Great Clans, it was still one of the Five Great Clans of the Central Plains. Nevertheless, perhaps because of their too-brilliant ancestor, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the entire world viewed anyone with the Jegal surname as nothing more than clever scholars. In truth, that was unfair. Zhuge Liang had been a man of steel-like stamina who endured eleven years of grueling overtime and heavy duties after Liu Bei's death. This resentment had taken root, and the Jegal Clan's marriage arrangements focused on improving constitution rather than political strategy. Yet the result was always the body of a sage and the brain of a beast. They had even seriously researched bloodlines with sorcery, wondering if some curse had been placed on them. In the midst of all that, Jegal Ihyeon had displayed both muscle and intelligence from a young age, so it was considered a great blessing for the family.

To Paeng Daesan, they were unwelcome guests. He tended to dislike peers who possessed impressive nicknames. Small Great Hero, Beast Body Sage Brain. And then there was Jade Qilin on top of that. As for Hwangbo Uncheok himself... how to put it? A good person? Only good as a person? His mind was rather pure, and he had absolutely no tact. Moreover, he never tolerated injustice. He had even challenged a Transcendent expert over a matter of injustice. It was fortunate that the expert had laughed generously and praised him instead; otherwise he would have become a corpse long ago. That was when the nickname Small Great Hero had been attached. In the end, being around Hwangbo Uncheok was exhausting. And while Jegal Ihyeon was a pretty decent guy, he had the fatal flaw of always having Hwangbo Uncheok by his side. The Small Great Hero's love for his cousin was famous.

"How did this young lady end up traveling with our Paeng brother?"

"I'm accompanying him on an escort mission."

"Our brother is particularly prickly with women, so perhaps..."

"We're just friends. Friends. Same-age friends."

"Ahem, how can there be such a thing as friends between a man and a woman?"

"Right here, aren't we?"

"Everything starts that way at first. Then feelings develop, you become lovers, start calling each other honey, and so on, no?"

In this unfamiliar Central Plains, a familiar scent wafted through the air. That speech pattern that kept emphasizing "our." That attitude of trying to tie together any woman who got close to his brother—who had zero interest in women.

A senior from the line who had joined a year earlier. Later he confessed to C-line Oh Ha-eun, got brutally rejected, and quit the company. He wasn't a bad person. If you said you wouldn't attend a company dinner (which was really just an excuse for drinking, voluntary attendance, and full of married men who never missed one), he was the good guy who would drag you along saying he'd pay your share. It was only after seeing a new hire who never came to a single dinner naturally become an outcast that she realized how grateful she should be. Even after quitting, he would sometimes stop by and buy her meals. But spreading rumors linking her with Choi Na-yeon under the pretense of helping her was a bit much. Cheong recalled the past. She wouldn't fall for it twice.