Chapter 265: I Couldn't Meet Your Eyes Because You Were So Beautiful.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 265: I Couldn't Meet Your Eyes Because You Were So Beautiful.
"What? What do you mean by that?!"
Seok-gyu’s eyes went wide as lanterns as he questioned Un-jeok-ja.
Hero Jang was the one in charge?!
No matter how outstanding his martial prowess was, leading a group was an entirely different matter.
"It is exactly as I said. Hero Jang holds the command over the search party."
Hearing Un-jeok-ja’s words, Seok-gyu began to fall into a state of confusion.
It made no sense to him at all.
How could such a young man be the leader of the search party when the First Sword of Qingcheng was right there?
"So, if you wish to discuss traveling together, speak with Hero Jang directly."
Un-jeok-ja spoke calmly as he looked at Seok-gyu.
In his heart, he wanted to readily agree to the request, but he was not the one in charge. All authority rested with Sun-woo. In this situation, there was nothing he could do.
Seok-gyu wore a look of utter despair. It seemed he was destined to lose his money.
He slowly turned his head to look at Sun-woo. And there he saw him—Sun-woo, looking quite displeased.
Clearly, he was unhappy with Seok-gyu’s attitude of ignoring him and rushing straight to Un-jeok-ja the moment the Taoist appeared.
Seeing Sun-woo's expression, Seok-gyu turned pale. It seemed his plan to lowball the price was something he’d have to give up on entirely.
*
Rattle, rattle.
The carriage shook violently, making a loud, clattering noise.
Sun-woo sat demurely inside the noisy, jolting carriage. Normally, he would have been sprawled out or rolling around, but the current situation made such behavior impossible.
It was because of the woman right in front of him.
Neung So-hwa.
The mysterious woman who had killed the Bloody Demon Sword, Pi Sang-deuk.
That very woman was sitting right before his eyes.
How did things end up like this?
Sun-woo had managed to squeeze a substantial amount of money out of Chief Merchant Seok-gyu in exchange for letting them travel together. They had agreed that the merchant group would follow closely behind the search party.
Just as the agreement was settled and he was about to leave, she had spoken up.
She said she wanted to ride in the carriage with Sun-woo.
Sun-woo had been flabbergasted. How could a sheltered young lady ride alone in a carriage with a strange man? Even in the North Sea, where notions of chastity were relatively loose, this was incredibly open-minded thinking.
Sun-woo hesitated. He was worried that allowing this would spark more strange rumors.
But just as he was about to refuse, she spoke again.
She said she couldn't trust the people of the merchant guild and asked him to take her and her bodyguard.
Hearing that, Sun-woo eventually relented. These were the same merchants who had been willing to sell her out for their own safety. How could she possibly trust them?
Once he understood the circumstances, Sun-woo readily agreed. He figured that since the unconscious bodyguard would be with them, no strange rumors would start.
And now, Sun-woo was regretting that choice.
He thought he should have just put her in Seol-hyang’s or Bulheo Satae’s carriage. He hadn't thought much of it when he let her in, but sitting face-to-face with her was beyond uncomfortable.
The biggest problem was that he didn't know where to look.
If he looked up, her mysterious and captivating beauty left him so dazed that he found himself staring intensely enough to be rude. If he looked down, her curvaceous figure caught his eye, making his heart race.
In the end, he was forced to stare at the side of the carriage or the floor. It was incredibly awkward.
Sun-woo couldn't understand himself. Wasn't he more than used to women by now? So why did he feel like a green boy who hadn't even experienced his first love in front of this woman?
"Why are you avoiding my gaze?"
Neung So-hwa’s voice drifted toward him.
"I'm not avoiding it," Sun-woo replied curtly.
"No, you are. Do you take me for a fool?"
"I told you, I'm not..."
"Liar."
Neung So-hwa stared intently at Sun-woo as she continued.
"I have been watching only you from the moment you turned your head. Yet, you haven't looked at me once."
"......"
"Am I that unsightly?"
Neung So-hwa spoke as if she were genuinely hurt.
"No... it's not that!"
"Then do not avoid my eyes. I prefer to look at a person's eyes when I speak with them."
"......"
At her words, Sun-woo slowly raised his gaze. As he did, he saw her bewitching red eyes sparkling as they stared back at him.
"Finally, we meet eye to eye."
When their gazes met, Neung So-hwa gave a deep, lingering smile.
Sun-woo could only stare blankly, his mind going numb.
Thump.
The carriage jolted as it hit a rock. In that moment, the scent of Neung So-hwa wafted toward him—a sweet, enchanting fragrance that made his head spin.
This won't do.
Sun-woo quickly began to circulate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. He felt like he was about to lose his mind if he didn't.
Vroom.
As his internal energy moved, it slowly calmed Sun-woo’s agitated heart. Soon, his racing pulse began to steady.
Whew.
Having calmed himself to some extent, Sun-woo let out a silent sigh of relief. He never imagined he would encounter a woman whose beauty could shake someone like him, who had reached the exalted Transcendent Realm.
Sun-woo met Neung So-hwa’s gaze with calm eyes.
"Why were you avoiding my eyes like that?"
"I couldn't meet your eyes because you were so beautiful."
Now that his mind was calm, Sun-woo spoke the simple truth.
"That is quite a pleasant thing to hear."
Neung So-hwa smirked and continued.
"More importantly, are you sure about this?"
Sun-woo looked at her and asked, "About what?"
"Handing over Pi Sang-deuk’s body."
"Is there a problem?"
"There is a massive bounty on Pi Sang-deuk. Half the fortune of Son Mu-cheol, one of the Five Great Merchants. How could you give that up?"
Sun-woo asked out of genuine curiosity. Even if she had wiped out the Northern Wind Unit, Pi Sang-deuk’s body was worth far more. Half the wealth of one of the Central Plains' five richest men—it was a condition that would tempt anyone, no matter how wealthy. Yet she had handed it over so easily.
"I have never lived a life wanting for money," Neung So-hwa replied calmly. "And isn't immediate safety more important than distant wealth? You can't spend money if you're dead, can you?"
"You have a very straightforward outlook," Sun-woo said, impressed.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties at most, yet her detached attitude toward worldly affairs reminded him of a high priest or a Taoist who had spent a lifetime in meditation.
"Might I ask your age?"
"I am twenty-eight this year."
She answered Sun-woo’s question plainly.
"We are the same age, then. Shall we speak comfortably?"
"I decline."
"For someone with such a bold personality, you're surprisingly petty about odd things."
"I simply value etiquette," she replied with a stoic face.
"Anyway, what is your true identity?"
"Did I not tell you my name?"
"Not your name, your actual status."
Sun-woo asked curiously. She radiated an aura of nobility that was impossible to miss. Furthermore, the clothes she wore possessed a beauty that could rival Shu Silk, a specialty of Sichuan. There was no way such a woman was ordinary.
"It is a secret."
She gave a short answer to Sun-woo’s question.
"Tsk, you're quite firm."
Sun-woo clicked his tongue in disappointment and spoke again.
"Then, if it's not too rude, may I ask your purpose for going to the North Sea?"
"That is also a secret."
"Good grief, why are there so many secrets?"
"Is it not because you only ask difficult questions? Ask something else."
"Do you practice martial arts?"
"Secret."
"Hey! What am I supposed to do if everything I ask is a secret?!"
"Your questions are all strange. Why do you only ask things that put me in a difficult position?"
Neung So-hwa spoke with a hint of annoyance. Every single question he asked was something she couldn't easily answer.
"Then what can you tell me?!"
"I can tell you what kind of food I like."
"What use is knowing that?!"
"It wouldn't hurt to know, would it?"
Sun-woo and Neung So-hwa bickered, their voices rising.
"Fine, you ask the questions instead. I'll answer them."
"I think that would be better," Neung So-hwa agreed, nodding. Then she asked, "When did you reach the Mid-Transcendent Realm?"
"......"
Sun-woo was momentarily speechless. It was a completely unexpected question. How on earth had she figured out his realm?
Sun-woo’s eyes grew complicated. Neung So-hwa simply watched him with her bewitching gaze.
*
North Sea Ice Palace, Underground Stone Chamber
Stroke, stroke.
"Hehehe... Oh, how cute."
Seo Pil spoke as he stroked the smooth, shaved head of the nun before him.
"Mmph... Mmph! Mmph!"
The nun, receiving Seo Pil’s touch, thrashed her body violently and screamed through her gag, as if she had something to say.
Smooch.
As if finding her struggle adorable, Seo Pil kissed her peach-colored cheek.
"Mmph! Mmph mmph!"
The nun began to thrash even more violently.
"Hehehe, do you like it that much?"
Seo Pil wore a lecherous smile as he watched her. Tears like fat raindrops began to fall from the nun’s eyes. Shame and sorrow overwhelmed her at the same time. What had she done wrong to deserve such a fate?
"Haa... haa... Even the way you cry... is so damn hot."
Seeing her tears, Seo Pil’s eyes grew hazy with excitement. He slowly began to pull down his pants.
Slide.
Soon, his pants fell, and his erect phallus was revealed.
"Mmph!!"
The nun was horrified and began to struggle even more desperately.
"I heard the Evil Demon’s order not to touch you, but I don't think I can hold back anymore."
Seo Pil spoke with a flushed face as he looked at the nun.
Before leaving for the North Sea, the Evil Demon had strictly instructed Seo Pil. He intended to taste all the kidnapped women himself first, so no one was to touch them until then.
The subordinates were unhappy with the order, but they had no choice. The Evil Demon’s obsession with virgins was beyond imagination. If he noticed that one of the nuns was no longer a virgin, he would surely hunt down the culprit and kill them on the spot.
But despite the Evil Demon’s warning, Seo Pil couldn't endure it. The nun’s body was just too enticing to ignore.
Yeah, this is all your fault. It's because you have such slutty tits and a pussy hole!
Rationalizing his actions, Seo Pil slowly began to push his dick forward. He would just report to the Evil Demon that she had grown ill and died. He would simply ravage her until she died before the Evil Demon returned.
Seo Pil’s hideous phallus slowly approached the nun’s Jade Gate. The nun could only weep continuously, her eyes filled with despair.
Touch.
Finally, his phallus made contact with her entrance. Seo Pil rejoiced. If he just thrust his hips now, he would experience a pleasure that would make even the Buddha weep.
Just as Seo Pil was about to put strength into his waist—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone began to pound violently on the door of the stone chamber.
"Fuck!"
Interrupted just as he was about to plunge in, Seo Pil spat out a curse. Who the hell was it at this critical moment?
"What is it, you son of a bitch?!" Seo Pil barked.
"Master Seo Pil! It's an emergency!" the man shouted urgently through the door.
"What happened?!" Seo Pil asked, frustrated.
"The Ice Palace is under attack!"
"What?!"
Startled by the unexpected news, Seo Pil shouted back, "An attack out of nowhere?! Who is it? How many?!"
"We don't know who it is, but there's only one person."
"Are you shitting me? If it's just one person, just send a few of the boys down to handle it!"
"They can't handle that one person!"
"What?!"
Seo Pil’s eyes widened in shock. Although most of their main forces had followed the Evil Demon, the North Sea Ice Palace still housed enough strength to rival a small-to-medium sect. And they couldn't handle a single person?
"Dammit, right when things were getting good! You ruined everything!"
Seo Pil cursed as he pulled up his pants. He picked up his sword from the floor. It seemed he would have to step in himself.
"Where is that bastard?"
Seo Pil asked, radiating a murderous aura. An ominous, dark energy began to billow from his body.
"F-follow me."
Terrified by Seo Pil’s sinister aura, the subordinate stammered his reply. He turned and began to lead the way.
Seo Pil followed behind him, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Inside the stone chamber, the naked nun was left all alone.