Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Left Envoy - The Fairy's Clothes Without Stitches
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A certain mathematician once said.
In the broadest or narrowest sense, symmetry is the concept humanity has strived for across centuries to comprehend and create order, beauty, and perfection.
What standard do humans use to perceive beauty?
It varies greatly by culture, race, and era, but one thing is certain.
All humans instinctively grasp the aesthetics of symmetry.
Back in the days when the Northern Song dynasty conquered the realm.
In those ancient times when the martial world had yet to take proper shape.
There was a blacksmith named Guo Han.
Legend has it, passed down through his sect, that he encountered a fairy while ascending Kunlun Peak to offer sacrifices.
Astonishingly, the fairy's robes were seamlessly joined without a single stitch.
Not a single protrusion anywhere.
Nothing jagged in the slightest.
Silk threads aligned in perfect order.
Unable to forget that radiant golden sheen, Guo Han stayed awake for a full fortnight.
And so, he began carving away at his own body.
A cultivation method harnessing innate true energy.
Repeatedly eroding and regenerating his flesh to achieve perfect golden symmetry.
All to transform his body into the fairy's heavenly robe.
To attain balance, his dantian became an obstruction.
Without a hint of hesitation, he crippled it.
Everyone called him a madman.
Yet from his body, now devoid of a dantian, a golden glow began to emanate.
In the end, he created a peerless divine art beyond reproach.
Discarding Merit Equalizing Golden Body Divine Art
Discarding one's own inner power to forge the symmetry of gold.
The perfectly aligned body became truly indestructible like diamond.
He rose to become the supreme under heaven of his era.
"That is how the founder of our Heavenly Robe Sect created his martial art."
"Ah. Yes."
The blonde woman had Jung-seok on her lap, stroking him gently.
"How lovely you are. How could you be born so perfect?"
She gazed at him as if she might die from sheer adoration. This woman's name was Ha Jin.
Left Envoy of the Other-Transformation Freely Sovereign Heavenly Demon Cult.
In other words.
The Demon Cult's Left Envoy.
Shortly after Jung-seok awoke, Ha Jin presented him with two choices.
"My dear, you seem to have come to your senses, so I'll ask. Will you become my disciple? Or..."
"Or...?"
"Will you be chased out naked?"
"Greetings, Master."
Jung-seok naturally chose the former.
To avoid becoming an orphaned whore, he needed a solid backer.
Being the Demon Cult's Left Envoy meant at least he wouldn't end up as a prostitute.
And this woman before his eyes.
He definitely remembered her.
Volume 2 of Flowing Willow Dawn Chronicle.
A figure mentioned in the protagonist's recollections.
She appeared when the protagonist recalled masters far beyond his reach.
An expert even the Two Stars, Three Venerables, and Seven Lords—absolute rulers of the Central Plains martial world—could not ignore.
A heavyweight in the martial world teeming with countless experts.
Becoming her disciple meant at least he wouldn't have to sell his body.
"What is your name?"
"I don't remember."
"Where is your hometown?"
"That too, I don't remember."
"How many years since your birth?"
"I have no memory."
"Hm. Perfect. Every answer is spot on."
All his responses were honest truths.
He truly had no idea what this body's original owner had been up to.
Ha Jin smiled in satisfaction.
Many children lost memories amid the chaos of war.
Many more were orphans.
But none possessed such flawless physical potential.
Straight shoulders.
A delicate child's frame, as if seated in one place all its life.
Yet it formed perfect symmetry without a single flaw, like a seasoned warrior.
The epitome of a golden body.
Innate superior bones.
The girl before her was a perfect candidate to raise as the Left Envoy's disciple in the Divine Cult.
"Mm. No name? Then we'll give you one. From now on, your name is Geum-gang. Ha Geum-gang."
Ha Geum-gang.
"You will become as beautiful as a diamond, and just as unbreakable."
Jung-seok, now as Geum-gang.
As the Left Envoy's disciple.
Bowed nine times to Ha Jin.
The Demon Cult.
In Flowing Willow Dawn Chronicle, the Demon Cult was often depicted as a gathering of irredeemably insane villains.
But contrary to her worries, the people here were remarkably kind.
"Little one, have some honeyed pastries. Your body isn't ready for martial training yet."
Ha Jin was far more affectionate than she had imagined.
"Miss, did you cough? Let's get you washed up."
Even the maids, who might typically scheme against newcomers, were genuinely warm.
She worried about the siblings she left behind, but life as Geum-gang was far more comfortable than as Jung-seok.
The only drawback...
She wasn't used to having a woman's body.
Even washing her little siblings had only been for seven- or eight-year-olds at most.
This body was hard to age, but it clearly showed feminine traits.
"I'll wash myself. Alone."
"Miss, you're still unwell. If the Left Envoy finds out, she'll scold us."
"No. I can do... Ack!"
Other women clung to her, pouring water over what was already embarrassing enough to see alone.
Even with a thin cloth for cover, they wiped down every inch of her skin.
"Such fine skin, miss. Oh my, your breasts are already budding."
"I checked carefully— not a single mole on your entire body."
Such face-reddening compliments offered no help at all.
Even to her own eyes, it was a stunningly beautiful body.
Not a single part was crooked; everything aligned perfectly.
Eyes, nose, mouth, shoulders, hips, waist.
How could it not be beautiful?
Once Ha Jin sensed no lingering impurities in Geum-gang's body, she permitted solo bathing.
It took quite some time to learn to wash herself properly, though.
About two months after Geum-gang began following Ha Jin.
Ha Jin declared it time for formal initiation.
While kneading her body.
"This should mean you're fully recovered. Mm. So soft."
"Please stop."
"Mm."
In those two months, Geum-gang had gauged Ha Jin's personality.
This woman was a pervert.
A pervert obsessed with her body— more precisely, with beauty.
That odd sense of dissonance she felt upon first arriving at the Left Envoy's quarters.
Everything was perfectly symmetrical, left to right.
Even unavoidable asymmetries were adjusted as best as possible.
Ha Jin aligned her meals, clothing, and even bedding symmetrically for sleep.
And when she stared intently at sculptures, she'd fondle them with a lecherous expression.
Touching Geum-gang's body was much the same.
After repeated incidents, Geum-gang grew familiar enough to shoo her away.
"Don't... touch me!"
"Oh my, such strong arms."
A gentle push with feeble arms sent her retreating exactly that far.
"You're ready to begin initiation now. Someone, come here."
"Yes."
Maids she hadn't even noticed appeared and led Geum-gang to the bathhouse.
She let herself be dragged along as routinely as ever.
"Cleanse thoroughly, then bring her to the Inquiry Hall."
"Yes."
Even as she was hauled away, Geum-gang clasped her hands in salute.
"Mm. What a polite child."
The sensation of being washed by others still felt strange.
Today, it was even more thorough than usual.
Dressed in stiff, uncomfortable ritual robes, she entered the Inquiry Hall. Ha Jin sat cross-legged in the same attire.
"Geum-gang. Are you prepared to enter the Heavenly Robe Sect?"
Finally.
Since arriving with Ha Jin, Geum-gang had diligently explored this world.
This was the martial world.
The very martial world she knew.
Sometime during the Ming dynasty founded by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Geum-gang's location: the Demon Cult.
Unlike the peaceful Left Envoy's quarters, lives were discarded here like flies.
The Central Plains martial world was no different.
An orphaned child.
A girl.
A beauty.
What was needed to survive in this world?
The answer was simple.
Power.
Overwhelming power.
"Yes. This disciple is prepared."
Geum-gang's eyes burned with resolve.
She knew how crucial skill was for survival.
Even friendly uncles never taught techniques lightly.
"Excellent, my disciple. The art you'll learn is a supreme divine technique, counted among the top ten even in our Divine Cult— nay, across the Central Plains. This is no exaggeration."
"Judging by Master's prowess, this girl knows it is true."
After months of effort, Geum-gang could refer to herself as "this girl."
Posing as a boy with this body would have been even more awkward.
The maids had also relentlessly corrected her manners.
"Mm. Doing it again. Shall we try once more?"
Even at meals, they watched her posture.
"Such pretty speech too. Yes, with great attainment, supreme under heaven is no dream. Even reaching the sixth stage of the Eight Stages has left me with few rivals in the world."
Her words carried gentle confidence.
A boast backed by reality.
Indeed, few could match Ha Jin at her level.
"The Golden Body Art of the Heavenly Robe Sect is profound; even initiation won't be easy. You might die. If you refuse, I won't force you. Are you ready to inherit our sect's legacy?"
Ha Jin gazed at Geum-gang.
Unlike her usual playfulness, her expression was gravely serious.
The face of a warrior passing on her lineage.
"I..."
Geum-gang was no fool.
In these two months by the Left Envoy's side, she had realized.
The martial world.
A forest where spears and swords halt war.
A savage realm overrun by armed warriors.
The heroes of Flowing Willow Dawn Chronicle gained fame protecting the weak.
So many weak to save meant a world rife with danger.
This world was no different from Jung-seok's.
A place where bricks were piled on backs.
And only the weak bore that weight.
Geum-gang dreamed not of becoming a hero who helped them.
But...
"I will carry on our sect's will and become supreme under heaven."
"Ahaha! That's my disciple! Excellent! Splendid!"
From now on, no one would pile bricks on her back.
Not this time.
I will live freely.