Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: So Ye-rin
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Hao Gate Leader, So Ye-rin.
Her ravishing beauty, which could be called the greatest in the Central Plains, was So Ye-rin's secret weapon, hidden away tightly.
Of course, rumors about her abounded within Hao Gate, but even so, the number of disciples who had actually laid eyes on her could be counted on one hand.
That didn't mean she had never met many people.
It was simply that her appearance was too eye-catching for her to venture out freely.
Above all, wasn't Hao Gate shrouded in veils of secrecy?
Most disciples had never seen their leader in person and knew of her only through circulating rumors.
And so, she had chosen a certain method: the Disguise Technique.
A technique that used internal energy to manipulate facial muscles and bones, artificially altering one's face and build.
It was one of the exclusive arts passed down only to the Hao Gate Leader.
Hao Gate was an intelligence network.
The foundation of intelligence was espionage.
In ancient China, with no photographs or identification cards, this kind of disguise was the ultimate cheat key for spies.
Perhaps it was only natural that So Ye-rin was a genius at the Disguise Technique.
Because she was the Hao Gate Leader.
What could one say? Beyond mere martial prowess, it wasn't surprising that she knew several exquisite minor skills.
In any case, So Ye-rin had traveled the Central Plains and encountered countless madmen who called themselves martial artists.
But today, she had truly met her match.
"Are you insane?"
"Yes."
"……"
Cheongun stared at her as if asking why she would bother stating the obvious.
So Ye-rin, dumbfounded, flapped her lips.
"Cheongun, was it?"
"Hao Gate Leader."
"The scum of the earth has nothing on you. You think insisting like that makes Hao Gate yours? Surely you haven't absorbed other factions this way up until now?"
Cheongun tilted his head with a calm expression tinged with annoyance.
"I've done it this way all along."
"……"
Cheongun meant it sincerely.
He had beheaded the Bloodline Pavilion Lord on sight, turned the Darkwood Sect Leader into a sacrificial offering for revenge, and shattered the teeth of the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency's representative.
By comparison, this was almost polite for Hao Gate.
"So, you're really going to push this absurd stubbornness right here?"
"It's fate. Accept it."
"By whose authority!"
"The Justice Alliance's."
Cheongun nodded shamelessly.
Justice Alliance's Chief Inspector? This lunatic?
His actions were straight out of some Black Dao gangster's playbook.
So Ye-rin truly couldn't believe it.
"What's your grievance?"
"You have to ask, knowing full well?"
"I don't know. Isn't this a Black Dao faction? Then the strongest makes the rules, right?"
"There's a limit to everything! Even if you've swallowed factions that way until now, do you think Hao Gate is like those rootless ragtag groups!"
"Different, you say?"
Cheongun pulled a letter from his bosom and thrust it at So Ye-rin.
"This. A letter from you lot."
She narrowed her eyes and read the words on the letter.
Darkwood Sect, submit tribute and come under Hao Gate.
…It was a letter So Ye-rin had once sent to Darkwood Sect.
"And now? Doing the exact same thing."
Cheongun nodded with a hum, then tucked the letter away.
So Ye-rin was momentarily speechless.
What could she say when he was repaying them in their own coin?
But she couldn't just nod along either.
"This has nothing to do with me!"
"I know it does."
"Ha! Even if so, what's the problem? We retracted that statement long ago!"
"That's the part I don't know."
"Fine, well said! Here's your own medicine back! This time, I know!"
"Shut up. I didn't ask. Be quiet."
"You madman!"
"I'm always mad."
Deep wrinkles furrowed between So Ye-rin's brows.
The longer the conversation dragged on, the more her headache throbbed.
For the first time, the Hao Gate Leader lost her composure, and the courtesan who had guided Cheongun anxiously glanced between them.
"No way in hell! Get out!"
"No."
"You filthy sewage rat! What are you waiting for! Someone drag this bastard out!"
So Ye-rin bellowed furiously.
But the courtesan who had brought Cheongun and the guards only exchanged glances.
They were Hao Gate disciples—ordinary folk scraping by at the bottom.
They were different from Beggars' Gang mendicants who practiced martial arts.
The weaker one was, the more precious their own life became, so none dared touch a hardened madman who freely wielded Force Projection.
Of course, the escorts were guards hired from the agency, but Cheongun was already a legend among them.
The tale of him shattering escorts' teeth with a pig femur bone to become the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency's vice leader was widely known.
So how could they rashly step forward?
What if they ended up with broken teeth for their trouble?
In fact, a pig femur was already in Cheongun's right hand.
"What are you doing!"
"Quiet. Lower your voice. You're scaring my disciples."
"Whose disciples are they, your disciples!"
"Mine, since I'm the Hao Gate Leader."
"You son of a... Hoo."
Anger laced the Hao Gate Leader's voice.
But even as she fumed, So Ye-rin couldn't easily touch Cheongun.
Of course, in terms of pure martial skill, she wasn't inferior to him.
Though Hao Gate was distant from martial arts, its leader So Ye-rin had transcended the wall to become a supreme expert.
The problem was the Chief Inspector's badge in Cheongun's left hand.
And the fact that his master was none other than the Crimson Night Sword Sovereign, one of the Ten Supremes.
That was why martial artists in the jianghu refrained from casually touching one another.
Mess up, and grudges would chain together endlessly.
Thus, rather than sending assassins or petty tricks, she had arranged this meeting.
She hadn't even used Disguise Technique.
She deliberately revealed her true appearance.
That Guangtian Swordless guy was a man, after all. Having reached such a realm at his young age, he must have devoted his life entirely to martial arts.
He surely had no immunity to women.
So if she seduced him outright, how could he resist?
She planned to tease him just enough.
'This has backfired.'
But his attitude was more resolute than expected.
Moreover, he kept using the Justice Alliance as a shield, making talk impossible.
She couldn't just knock him down on the spot, nor would she grant his outrageous demand.
Above all, his attitude—treating her like a stone—wounded her pride.
So she reached a conclusion.
She needed a pretext.
Conveniently, she had prepared one for just such a situation.
"Cheongun, was it?"
"Yes. Also Hao Gate Leader."
Madman. Bastard. Sewage-fried scum. I'll never let you off.
"……You're so young."
So Ye-rin smiled radiantly and leaned in closer.
"Your skin is smooth, your body firm, and your gaze steady without a flicker."
"……"
"When you first entered this place, those eyes of yours lingered so stickily on my body. Was there something you wanted to see?"
"……"
Cheongun silently stared at So Ye-rin.
Unlike before, his eyes seemed slightly hazy.
A transparent mist drifted between them.
A faint fragrance bloomed from behind her, releasing colorless smoke.
It was a迷香, a bewildering incense blending Dream Illusion Powder and aphrodisiac, dulling the senses.
Of course, the stronger the scent, the easier it was for martial artists to detect, so she had diluted it to the utmost.
But that was enough to set the mood and turn an oblivious man into a beast driven by desire.
Only if one realized they were poisoned would they circulate qi to the acupoints; unaware, even a supreme expert would succumb to the haze.
At So Ye-rin's glance, everyone in the room filed out.
Only then did she slightly raise the corner of her eye.
"So curious about my body, are you?"
No sooner had she spoken than the black garments enveloping her body slipped away smoothly.
Revealing a perfect nude form.
Lustrous black hair cascaded over her shoulders, draping her white skin.
Her ample breasts rose prominently, her waist was slender, and her pale skin glistened under the lights.
A figure that would make anyone, young or old, man or woman, swallow hard—a truly rational allure.
So Ye-rin smiled seductively and took a step forward.
"Consider it an honor. You're the first to see my nude body."
"……"
"Hehe, lost for words, are you?"
"……"
So Ye-rin was certain.
No man could behold this body and not fall.
So if he succumbed and tried to ravage her, she would use it as pretext to reject his proposal.
The mere rumor of a Righteous Alliance martial artist attempting to rape a woman by force would ruin his reputation irreparably.
No need to actually entwine with the boy; she could leverage it in negotiations.
A promising young talent wouldn't dare reject her then.
Though not particularly appealing, it was worth trying.
"Hehehe."
A strange thrill rose seeing the fool who had spouted nonsense and riled her now blankly staring at her nudity.
So Ye-rin slowly reached out.
And gently lifted Cheongun's chin.
Smiling with her eyes, she caressed his cheek.
"No need to hold back."
"……"
"Go ahead, indulge yourself."
Her lips curved up.
She let out a moan near a seductive groan and brushed his lips.
"Haa…… Come on, now."
"Were you a virgin?"
"Hngt… As if. Would I give my chastity to some unsatisfying man? No way in—wait."
So Ye-rin froze.
Wait. How did this bastard just speak?
"!!!"
Whoosh—!
So Ye-rin snapped her head up.
Her eyes met Cheongun's.
His previously hazy gaze now sparkled brightly, scanning her up and down.
But one difference: a wooden fish striker was now gripped in his right hand.
"How—!"
Before she could finish.
"Pass."
"What?"
"But."
Cheongun's right hand rose high.
The striker's surface glinted in the light.
And it descended toward her crown.
Too fast, utterly unexpected.
A moment later.
Crack—!
"Kyaaak—!!"
So Ye-rin's scream burst short.
And then.
"Too bad. I."
"You bastard!!"
"Shut up. Flower snake."
"You madman!!"