Chapter 269: Becoming Her Friend-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: Becoming Her Friend-2
Thump.
Neung So-hwa felt as if something had dropped heavily inside her mind.
It was the sheer shock of hearing words she had never encountered in her entire life.
Obnoxious?!
How could he utter such reckless words to her?
It was a first for her since the day she was born. Until now, no one had ever dared to speak to her in such a manner.
Alongside the unfamiliarity, a question arose. Which of her words had offended him so?
Neung So-hwa carefully retraced her own statements. Then, she slowly shook her head from side to side. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't recall saying anything problematic. If anything, hadn't she offered him comfort, worried that he might be feeling a sense of defeat?
So why would he spit out such nonsense?
A flicker of anger rose within her. While she welcomed being treated without formality, being subjected to such inexplicable criticism felt profoundly unfair.
"How... how dare you!"
Neung So-hwa raised her voice as she glared at Sun-woo.
"What?" Sun-woo asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"You called me obnoxious! How can you say something so outrageous?"
"Because it's the truth."
"In what way am I obnoxious? Explain yourself!"
"The fact that you don't even know is exactly why you're obnoxious."
Sun-woo looked at her and let out a soft chuckle. This woman clearly didn't realize it—she didn't understand how much her attitude of taking even her monumental talent for granted could make a lesser person feel utterly deprived.
Hearing Sun-woo's words, Neung So-hwa fell back into a contemplative expression. However, still unable to accept it, she furrowed her beautiful brows as hard as she could.
"I still do not understand. Teach me. I do not wish to commit the same rudeness toward a friend."
After agonizing over it, she asked Sun-woo once more.
"Never mind. I was just being a bit jealous."
Sun-woo replied with a small laugh. Seeing her react so seriously to a joke made him feel a bit guilty. How could being gifted be a sin? In fact, her attitude of treating even her brilliant talent as a matter of course suited her perfectly. No one, no matter who they were, could truly find her obnoxious for it.
"Is that truly so?"
Neung So-hwa's face brightened at Sun-woo's words.
"Why would I lie? To a friend, no less."
"Whew... I see... That is a relief."
Hearing Sun-woo's confirmation, Neung So-hwa let out a sigh of relief. She had been anxious, thinking she had already made a bad impression on the very first friend she had ever made. But Sun-woo's reassurance put her at ease. Moreover, hearing him call her a friend made her feel inexplicably good.
Sun-woo smirked as he watched her. He found every single one of her reactions quite cute. She responded with such earnestness to every word he said. Knowing that she was listening so intently to his stories made him feel good as well.
And her reactions were so rewarding. He thought to himself that she was exactly the kind of woman who made talking feel worthwhile.
"Now, I shall ask."
Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo and continued.
"Which part of me did you find most beautiful?"
"Didn't I already tell you?" Sun-woo asked with a questioning look.
"Before, I asked if I was beautiful. This time, I am asking which part is the most beautiful. They are very different questions."
"Good grief."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. He wondered if she really wanted to hear that she was beautiful that badly.
"The most beautiful thing is definitely your hair, like a burning flame. Your face is beautiful, of course, but your hair gives off an air of mystery."
Sun-woo spoke exactly what he felt as he looked at Neung So-hwa. He felt a bit embarrassed, but since she seemed to enjoy it so much, he simply gave her an honest compliment.
"Hohohohoho."
Upon hearing Sun-woo's praise, Neung So-hwa let out an elegant laugh, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Heh.
Sun-woo couldn't help but smile at the sight. A woman who looked as though she had spent her entire life hearing nothing but praise for her beauty was now rejoicing as if she were starved for a single compliment. It was enough to make him chuckle.
"Are you satisfied?" Sun-woo asked, looking at the radiantly smiling Neung So-hwa.
"I am very pleased."
She spoke her true feelings. She was indeed very satisfied. The red hair she had cursed and resented her whole life was, to the man before her, more beautiful than anything else. It was hair that had been rejected her entire life as alien and ominous. For the first time, someone had affirmed it. There was no way she wouldn't be happy.
"Is it my turn now?"
"Ask whatever you wish."
She puffed out her chest slightly as she spoke.
"Why did you ask for a guard?"
"What?"
"You've reached a realm close to the Profound Realm. Why on earth did you ask me to be your guard?"
Sun-woo asked, genuinely curious. She was at a level that had surpassed the Transcendent Realm and was on the verge of reaching the Profound Realm. That meant there was no reason for her to ask for a guard in exchange for Pi Sang-deuk's body.
So why did she ask him? He could understand her wanting the Northern Wind Unit killed because they were a nuisance, but asking for protection didn't make sense—especially from him, a man with a massive bounty on his head.
"Hmm."
Hearing Sun-woo's question, Neung So-hwa let out a low hum of contemplation. She wondered if it was right to tell him about her current inability to use martial arts. But soon, she seemed to make up her mind and opened her lips.
"Currently, I am under a restriction."
"A restriction?!" Sun-woo asked in surprise.
A restriction? What did that mean?
"Yes. My internal energy has been temporarily sealed so that I cannot use it."
Neung So-hwa continued with a grave expression.
"Why?"
Sun-woo was curious. Even if she should be focusing all her efforts on training to reach the Profound Realm, why would she impose a restriction on herself? It made no sense to him.
"Sigh... There are deep circumstances."
Neung So-hwa let out a long sigh and slowly began to speak.
"A problem has arisen with my martial arts."
"A problem?"
"I cannot control it. My martial arts."
She told Sun-woo the truth as it was.
"You can't control it? What does that mean?"
Sun-woo looked at her with a questioning gaze. If she couldn't control it, shouldn't she be training even harder to gain control? Why would she seal it?
"What I have learned is Fire Arts."
"Fire Arts?!"
Sun-woo asked back, startled. Fire Arts, all of a sudden? Fire Arts was a supreme Yang-heat Energy Technique used to ignite Yang energy as a weapon. To think a woman had mastered such a thing was shocking.
Generally, women possessed Yin energy. Because of this, most women could not achieve great success with Yang-heat techniques. The Yin energy they carried would interfere with the flow of the Yang energy. To have reached a level near the Profound Realm with a supreme Yang technique like Fire Arts was truly astonishing.
Sun-woo finally began to understand why her hair had turned red. Surely, the extreme Yang energy had dyed her hair that color.
"Indeed. Thanks to a constitution that naturally harbored Yang energy, I was able to learn Fire Arts."
She looked at Sun-woo with her deep red eyes and continued.
"Thanks to both my constitution and my innate talent, I was able to surpass the Transcendent Realm. But then, a problem occurred."
Her expression turned serious.
"The fire energy within my body became uncontrollable."
"And if it's uncontrollable?"
"Spontaneous combustion began to occur within my body at any given moment."
"You mean you catch fire?"
"Yes. The flames rising from my body began to burn not only my clothes but everything around me. I tried to control it somehow, but it was useless."
She continued with a look of regret.
"To stop the flames, I have no choice but to submerge my body in water for half a shijin or consume spirit herbs that possess Yin energy."
"You can't control it at all with your own will?"
"I cannot. I have tried many times, but I believe I have lost hundreds of precious sets of clothes in the process."
"Is it Qi Deviation?"
"I am not certain, but it does not seem to be that."
"Why?"
"Because as long as the combustion hasn't started, I can control my energy perfectly fine."
"So that's why you put a restriction on yourself from the start."
"Correct. If I seal my internal energy, the combustion does not occur."
"That must be troublesome."
"It is beyond troublesome; it is infuriating!"
Neung So-hwa spoke as if the mere thought made her angry.
"Clothes I cherished were all burned to ash, and although the servants are all women, I had to show them my naked body every single time. How could I not be annoyed?"
She frowned as she vented to Sun-woo. The spontaneous combustion had caused her significant inconvenience. She wasn't someone who normally indulged in luxury, but because of the clothes destroyed by the fire, she had to buy new ones every day. Furthermore, she suffered the shame of being exposed naked to her servants, even if they were all female. It was only natural to be irritated.
"That certainly sounds shameful."
Sun-woo agreed. He imagined that having one's clothes burned off and being left naked every time would indeed be humiliating.
"It is a disgrace! Since the combustion began, I have done nothing but stay cooped up in my private villa."
"So that's why you came to the North Sea."
Sun-woo nodded as if he finally understood.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
Neung So-hwa feigned ignorance, her expression momentarily faltering.
"Didn't you come here to stop the combustion?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You said earlier that the combustion stops when you eat spirit herbs with Yin energy. That means you need something with extreme Yin energy."
Sun-woo began to lay out his deduction.
"It's Ice Essence, isn't it?"
Sun-woo looked at her with a slight smile.
"............"
Neung So-hwa fell silent. It was clearly a silence of affirmation.
She regretted it. In the process of venting her frustrations about the combustion, she had let slip too much unnecessary information. She should have just said her internal energy was restricted; why did she have to go on and on? She blamed her own troublesome lips.
"........It is a secret."
Neung So-hwa lowered her head slightly and mumbled.
"Pfft."
Seeing her like that, Sun-woo burst into laughter. Though he hadn't known her long, she had always maintained a dignified and majestic presence. Seeing her mumble with a troubled face was quite cute.
"I'll think about it."
Sun-woo spoke with a mischievous smile.
"....You truly must not tell anyone."
She pleaded with Sun-woo. The fact that she was after Ice Essence was a secret among secrets. If this got out, all sorts of pests would come swarming. Ice Essence was a treasure considered more valuable than a thousand pieces of gold even in the Central Plains. If it became known that she was after such an item, many would keep a close eye on her movements. For someone who needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible, it would be a major problem.
"Fine."
Sun-woo looked at her, finding the situation amusing.
"But there's a condition."
"What condition? Just say the word. Even if you ask for a thousand gold pieces, I shall give it to you."
"Help me with my martial arts."
"Your martial arts?"
"Yeah."
Sun-woo looked at her with a serious face. Even now, he had reached a realm that was incredibly powerful compared to his peers. But despite reaching such a height, Sun-woo could not afford to be complacent. The enemy he had to face was endlessly powerful.
The Absolute Martial God, Lee Jae-won.
He was strong. Far stronger than Sun-woo, who was currently at the Mid-Transcendent Realm. Thanks to the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor, and the Black Dragon Robe, he could exert power rivaling the Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm, but even that was not enough.
Lee Jae-won was an absolute powerhouse who had killed even the Yin-Yang Demon, who were on the verge of the Realm of Immortals. Sun-woo had to reach at least the Profound Realm. Only then would he have the foundation to face Lee Jae-won.
He still had two stages to climb, but the gap was so vast he hardly dared to contemplate it. The gap between the Mid and Upper stages of the Transcendent Realm was as massive as the gap between the Peak and Super-Peak realms. And the gap between the Transcendent and Profound realms above that was even greater.
There was no time to rest. He had to keep getting stronger. That was why Sun-woo made this request to Neung So-hwa. Although their martial paths were completely different, he believed the insights she had gained in reaching the brink of the Profound Realm would be of great help to him.
"You truly have the heart of a bandit. How can you so easily ask someone to share their enlightenment?"
Neung So-hwa spoke as if she couldn't believe it. How could he so shamelessly demand to share her insights?
"I know I'm being thick-skinned. But I don't want to miss this chance now that I've met you."
Sun-woo met her gaze with steady eyes.
"Hmm."
Neung So-hwa swallowed a groan and looked thoughtful. Then, she finally spoke.
"Very well."
Sun-woo's face brightened. He had been worried she might refuse.
"But I have a condition of my own."
She looked at Sun-woo with sparkling eyes.