Chapter 270: A War of Nerves Between Two Women-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 270: A War of Nerves Between Two Women-1
"A condition?" Sun-woo asked, sounding puzzled.
"Yes, a condition."
"Isn't it a bit much to stack a condition on top of a condition?" Sun-woo complained.
After all, hadn't they already agreed on the condition that he would keep his mouth shut?
"If you dislike it, then forget it. This lady simply desires a fair and equal exchange."
She spoke confidently, looking straight at Sun-woo.
By nature, martial artists do not enjoy sharing the insights they have gained with others. Not only did they loathe the idea of someone easily obtaining an enlightenment they had suffered to achieve, but they also felt as though their own martial arts were being exposed through the sharing.
Therefore, from a Murim perspective, Sun-woo’s request to share her enlightenment was quite rude, even considering the deal to keep her secret.
"What do you want?" Sun-woo asked without much hesitation.
Seeing that Sun-woo seemed to accept, Neung So-hwa smiled and continued. "It is nothing much. Just grant me one favor later."
"A favor?" Sun-woo asked back, his expression filled with doubt.
"I cannot tell you now. However, it will not be a great burden to you."
"Hmm..."
Sun-woo fell into deep thought. He felt burdened by the idea of handing out a blank check when he didn't know what she might ask for.
"Fine."
But in the end, Sun-woo had no choice but to nod. Her enlightenment was too tempting to give up. It would provide a much-needed spark for his currently stagnant progress.
Slide.
Seeing Sun-woo's reaction, Neung So-hwa gave a small, satisfied smile and slowly reached out her hand. Sun-woo took it. The soft texture of her hand sent a slight thrill through his entire body.
"There must be no falsehood in your word."
"Of course."
Sun-woo’s eyes sparkled as he spoke. The deal between the two was struck.
*
"Hmm..."
Seol-hyang let out a low groan, her expression solemn as she sat with her legs crossed.
"Mmm-hmm..."
A moment later, she uncrossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, groaning again.
"Senior Sister, is something wrong?"
The voice of Un-hye, who was sitting beside her, reached her ears. Snapping out of it, Seol-hyang turned her head to look at her. Un-hye was watching her with a slight frown.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Don't lie. You've been like this for a while now," Un-hye said, sounding annoyed.
Un-hye was quite frustrated. It was already cramped in the carriage, and Seol-hyang’s constant fidgeting was getting on her nerves.
"I told you, it's nothing."
Seol-hyang feigned innocence despite Un-hye’s questioning.
"Liar."
Un-hye spoke firmly, cutting through the act. "It's because of Hero Jang, isn't it?" she asked in a suggestive tone.
"......N-no, it's not?" Seol-hyang stammered, clearly flustered.
"What do you mean, 'no'? Your face is bright red." Un-hye continued to tease her.
"......Is it that obvious?"
"Extremely."
"........"
At Un-hye’s blunt answer, Seol-hyang hung her head. She thought she had hidden it well, never imagining she’d be found out so easily.
"Senior Sister, if you have a worry, just tell me. I might not be able to solve it, but I can at least empathize."
Un-hye spoke with a benevolent expression. She had a good guess as to what was bothering Seol-hyang. It was undoubtedly the woman who had boarded the carriage with Jang Sun-woo.
It was actually quite cute to see her young senior sister—who was usually a reckless troublemaker—fretting over a man and suffering from the pangs of love.
"But I want a solution..."
"........"
Un-hye took it back. She wasn't cute at all.
"Then just keep acting like that!" Un-hye snapped. How could she be so ungrateful when someone was genuinely worried about her?
"No, wait! I'll tell you. No, please let me tell you!" Seol-hyang pleaded, trying to soothe Un-hye’s temper.
"Ahem. Fine, go ahead." Un-hye cleared her throat and pretended to give in.
"It's bothering me!"
"What is?" Un-hye asked, playing dumb.
"That woman who went in with Hero Jang!" Seol-hyang raised her voice in excitement. "Why did she have to follow him into his carriage? It's weird!"
"Didn't she say it's because she doesn't trust the Beijing Merchant Guild?"
"If that's the case, she could have ridden in the carriage with the disciples of Qingcheng or Emei!"
"Maybe it's because Hero Jang is the most trustworthy? He is her savior, after all."
"No, it's strange! Even so, a woman wouldn't normally ask to be alone in a carriage with a man." Seol-hyang shook her head violently.
"She said she’d bring her guard too..."
"The guard is already unconscious! It's basically the same as being alone!"
"............."
Un-hye realized that no matter what she said, Seol-hyang had already made up her mind.
"She definitely has ulterior motives! She must have fallen for Hero Jang's handsome face! She's trying to seduce him!" Seol-hyang’s face was flushed red. To an outsider, she looked absolutely furious.
"I don't think that's it..."
"Why not!?"
"Hero Jang is certainly an incredible martial artist, but he's not exactly a peerless beauty. That young lady back there was a stunning beauty at a glance; why would she be so desperate to fall for Hero Jang?"
Un-hye spoke her mind plainly against Seol-hyang’s wild leaps in logic. While Jang Sun-woo was decent-looking, he wasn't a legendary heartthrob on the level of Song Ok or Pan An. How could someone fall for him at first sight? It was a massive stretch.
"What are you talking about! What's wrong with Hero Jang!?"
Seol-hyang’s voice grew even louder. Her reaction was as hypersensitive as if someone had insulted her own parents.
"His face is perfectly fine! It's not like you live off a man's looks anyway! Besides, do you know how cool Hero Jang is? His well-balanced chest muscles, his incredibly sturdy lower body, and even his tightly packed arm muscles! And is that all? Do you know how strong his martial arts are? I had a chance to exchange blades with him once..."
Seol-hyang began to list Sun-woo’s virtues without stopping.
"Ah."
And then, Un-hye realized. She had made a grave mistake. She had spoken logically to someone who was hopelessly blinded by love.
Sigh.
Un-hye let out a long sigh inwardly. It seemed she would have to quietly listen until Seol-hyang’s anger subsided.
.
.
.
.
.
After quite some time...
"......Do you understand now?" Seol-hyang asked, finally finishing her rant.
".........."
Exhausted by the endless praise for Sun-woo, Un-hye couldn't say a word. Mental fatigue was washing over her in waves.
"You still don't get it?" Seol-hyang’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. "This won't do. I'll have to explain it one more time."
"No! It's fine! I get it! I totally understand! Hero Jang is incredibly cool! It's just that I've lived as a nun for so long that I have no eye for men!"
Un-hye answered quickly, terrified that Seol-hyang might start all over again. Hearing it once was enough to make her dizzy; a second time would surely make her faint.
"I'm suspicious..." Seol-hyang looked at her with a doubtful gaze.
"I mean it!" Un-hye cried out, sounding wronged.
"Ahem. Anyway, it bothers me whether that woman has fallen for Hero Jang." Seol-hyang cleared her throat and continued.
"Um... but Senior Sister." Un-hye called out to her in a subtle voice.
"What?"
"Isn't this none of your business?"
"What do you mean, none of my business!?"
"You aren't dating Hero Jang, are you? It's not like you're his fiancée either."
"That... as a... fellow member of the search party... I'm just worried..."
"Your reaction is a bit much for just 'worry,' don't you think?"
"............"
Seol-hyang was speechless. It was true; she had no formal relationship with Jang Sun-woo. She had feelings for him, but that was her own one-sided thought. To Sun-woo, she was likely just a colleague in the search party—nothing more, nothing less. It was indeed ridiculous for her to be worrying about his relationships with other women.
".....But still..." Seol-hyang finally spoke up. "I can't help but be bothered..."
She mumbled, her face turning a deep shade of red.
".........."
Watching her, Un-hye thought that this woman could actually be cute sometimes. Seol-hyang was someone who usually caused major disasters that contrasted sharply with her pretty, delicate face. Seeing her squirming in embarrassment was a fresh and adorable sight.
"Senior Sister," Un-hye said, looking at her. "Hero Jang already has a fiancée."
"I know that..."
"It will be a difficult love."
"I don't care. I'd even be happy with the position of second wife." Seol-hyang’s face turned even redder as she spoke.
"............."
Un-hye felt a sense of numbness. Who was Seol-hyang? She was the only daughter of the Lord of the Seok Family Manor, one of the five great merchants of the Central Plains. Not only that, but with her brilliant talent, she had entered the Emei Sect as a secular disciple under the sect leader, Guwol Shin-ni.
Why would such a woman be content to be the second wife of a man who already had a fiancée?
Un-hye wanted to stop her. She wanted to tell her to give up those feelings right now before she got hurt even more. No one would support this love. The Lord of the Seok Family Manor would fly into a rage, and Guwol Shin-ni would be furious. It was a path of hardship and suffering.
Un-hye slowly raised her head to look at Seol-hyang. Her beautiful face was as red as a ripe persimmon.
"Whew."
Un-hye sighed. She couldn't say it. What could she possibly say to a woman so deeply in love?
"If it bothers you that much, why don't you join Hero Jang in his carriage too?"
"Would that be okay?" Seol-hyang asked back, sounding worried.
It was only a few weeks ago that the search party had been turned upside down because of a scandalous rumor. In such a situation, how could she just hop into Sun-woo’s carriage?
"It'll be fine. You won't be alone with him, and you've ridden in his carriage often enough before."
"I suppose so?"
Seol-hyang’s face brightened. If even the rational Un-hye was suggesting it, she figured it must be okay.
"Thanks, Un-hye! I think the problem's solved."
Seol-hyang smiled broadly. Un-hye watched her with pitying eyes, sensing that there would be many trials ahead for her senior sister's love.
Sigh.
She sighed inwardly and prayed that Seol-hyang wouldn't end up too badly hurt.
*
Rumble, rattle.
The carriage began to race through the snowy path, jolting restlessly.
Rumble, rattle.
Sun-woo sat politely inside the swaying carriage. He was currently in a rather awkward predicament.
"Wow, you don't even know that? You don't seem to know as much as I thought."
"Knowledge is not what is important. It is the wisdom to utilize what one knows. You seem to have much knowledge but no wisdom."
"From what I can see, you don't even have the knowledge to utilize, miss."
"How rude. Your words and actions are incredibly impertinent."
"What, are you some kind of royalty? 'Impertinent,' my foot."
"What did you say!?"
It was all because of the war of nerves between the two women right in front of him. How did things end up like this?
It all started with Seol-hyang’s sudden decision to join them. She had abruptly announced that she would be riding in Sun-woo’s carriage. Of course, Sun-woo had tried to decline politely, using the excuse that it would be too cramped with Neung So-hwa and her guard already inside.
However, Seol-hyang did not back down. She argued that she couldn't feel right leaving a lady alone in a place with only men. When she put it that way, Sun-woo found himself in a bind. He had no valid reason to refuse.
In the Central Plains, the concept of propriety between men and women was deeply rooted. Even for more open-minded martial artists, it didn't look good for a woman to be sitting alone in a carriage full of men.
Just as Sun-woo was agonizing over it, Neung So-hwa unexpectedly gave her consent. She said she didn't mind traveling together. Since even Neung So-hwa agreed, Sun-woo couldn't find any further excuse to say no.
In the end, Seol-hyang boarded Sun-woo’s carriage.
But that was where the problem began. As soon as she got in, Seol-hyang began to clash with Neung So-hwa—and quite blatantly at that.
Sun-woo was bewildered. Why was the person who said she wanted to "get close" to her now picking a fight?
Seol-hyang teased Neung So-hwa for her slight lack of common knowledge about the Central Plains, and Neung So-hwa began to fire back without yielding an inch. Thus, the carriage had turned into a noisy battlefield for the two women's war of nerves.
Sun-woo could do nothing but wear a look of utter dismay.