Chapter 296: Baby Sohwa Must Be Protected
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 296: Baby Sohwa Must Be Protected
"What kind of 'big trouble' are you talking about?"
Neung So-hwa asked Sun-woo, her expression filled with curiosity.
She was genuinely wondering. Just how much trouble could there be for him to try and scare her like this?
"Well... that is..."
Sun-woo stammered, caught off guard by her question. He had expected her to just let it slide if he gave a vague answer. Being questioned so directly left him flustered. How on earth was he supposed to explain this?
"Why... why are you silent? I asked you a question, did I not?"
When Sun-woo didn't respond, Neung So-hwa pressed him again. Her persistence threw him into deep thought. He couldn't tell if she was truly ignorant or if she was just testing him.
Is she a sly fox? Or is she 'Baby Sohwa'?
If she were a sly fox, the solution would be to make her even more embarrassed.
She’s a full-grown adult... Surely she’s trying to seduce me, right? It has to be that. Otherwise, there’s no way she’d ask such a blatant question!
Sun-woo’s imagination began to run wild with wishful thinking. Neung So-hwa was a peerless beauty, the likes of whom could not be found twice in this world. The thought of such a woman blatantly seducing him made his heart soar.
But what if she really is 'Baby Sohwa'?
Another thought flashed through his mind. If she wasn't seducing him but was truly ignorant about matters of the flesh, the situation changed entirely.
Throb.
Sun-woo felt a headache coming on.
"Like... like I said. I’ll eat you up."
Sun-woo finally blurted out the words he had been filtering through his mind. He figured that even she would understand the metaphor of "eating someone up."
"How strange. You are not some demonic practitioner who craves human flesh... so why would you say you would eat me?"
Neung So-hwa tilted her head and asked. She didn't understand. What did her being attractive have to do with being eaten?
Flash.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. Her face began to turn pale.
"Could... could it be that by 'attractive,' you mean I look delicious? Is that why you said you would eat me? I am not food! I would not taste good at all!"
Neung So-hwa shouted, her voice rising in panic. She was genuinely distressed. She had never imagined that Sun-woo might actually try to cannibalize her.
"Ha..."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh. He couldn't help it. Who would have thought she’d interpret "eating someone" as literal cannibalism? No matter how noble an Imperial family member she was, how could she be so ignorant of the romantic world?
"So-hwa."
After a moment of thought, Sun-woo called her name in a calm voice.
"What is it?" she asked, still tilting her head.
"Do you happen to know how babies are made?"
"Wh-what?! Suddenly... what are you talking about!"
Neung So-hwa’s face flushed as she raised her voice. She was so flustered she even began to stammer.
"I’m just curious."
"Why would you suddenly be curious about such a thing!" she yelled, her face turning bright red.
"I just want to see if you know properly."
"Do you take me for a fool? Though I am a woman, I have mastered many disciplines, including Imperial Studies! Do you think I wouldn't know something like that?"
"Then how does it happen?"
"..........You lose your purity, of course."
Neung So-hwa’s face turned as red as a ripe apple, and her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible.
"And how do you lose your purity?"
"You are being very strange today! Why do you keep asking such embarrassing questions? It is shameful!"
She raised her voice again, clearly mortified by his persistent questioning. Even between friends, there were things one should and shouldn't say. How could he cross the line like this?
"I’m just wondering if you received a proper sex education."
"You are just like the Ice Palace Master! Why do you all treat me like a fool who knows nothing of the affections between men and women!"
Neung So-hwa snapped at him. She felt as though he was mocking her for never having been with a man.
"It is through kissing! When a man and a woman who love each other touch lips, they lose their purity and become pregnant! Is that not so?"
She spoke with great indignation, as if her pride had been wounded.
"Kiss... ing?"
"Yes! Kissing! Do you think I am such an idiot that I wouldn't know that?"
"..........."
Sun-woo was rendered speechless. He didn't even know where to begin.
Is this a joke? Is there a hidden camera? Do they even have hidden cameras in the Central Plains?
For a moment, Sun-woo’s brain seemed to freeze as a whirlwind of thoughts crashed through his mind. It was absurd. So absurd his mind had literally stalled.
"So-hwa."
"What is it now?"
"When did you learn about... that?"
"I learned it when I was ten."
"And after that?"
"Why would I study more of what I had already mastered? After that, I entered the Imperial Palace Archives for closed-door training."
"I thought you said you mastered all sorts of disciplines?"
"Of course. I had mastered them all before the age of ten. I was a prodigy; it was not difficult."
Neung So-hwa puffed out her already ample chest with pride. She seemed genuinely boastful. Seeing this, Sun-woo’s expression began to turn dark.
I’m trash... How could I think such things about such an innocent girl...
He was overcome with self-loathing. She wasn't a sly fox. She was 'Baby Sohwa.' A child who knew nothing of the world when it came to sexual matters. And he had harbored lustful thoughts toward her, convinced she was a temptress. How could he not feel disgusted with himself?
"Well? Do you now understand the depth of my learning?"
"............."
"Though I have never met a man, I pride myself on being more than well-versed—nay, a master—of such romantic affairs. So, do not look down on me any longer."
"...Yeah... I get it."
Sun-woo spoke with a hollow expression. It seemed Neung So-hwa was firmly entrenched in her own little world.
...I have to protect Baby Sohwa.
Sun-woo didn't want to shatter that innocent world of hers. No one could be perfect in everything. Neung So-hwa already possessed beauty that belonged in legends, martial arts reaching the Half-Immortal stage near the Profound Realm, and she was the granddaughter of the Emperor, the wealthiest man under heaven.
The fact that such a perfect woman maintained such a childlike innocence wasn't a flaw. If anything, it only made her more adorable. Whoever ended up becoming her husband would surely fall for her charms.
As Sun-woo was lost in thought...
"Hmph... your response is lacking."
Neung So-hwa pouted, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
Pfft.
Sun-woo chuckled at the sight. Where did she learn to do something so cute?
Poke.
Sun-woo raised his index finger and poked her puffed-out cheek.
Pshhh.
The air leaked out of her mouth with a soft sound.
"Ack! What do you think you are doing!"
Neung So-hwa raised her voice, startled by the sudden contact.
"I thought you might pop."
Sun-woo chuckled again as he spoke.
"Do not say such ridiculous things!"
"Anyway, be careful. Before I really 'eat you up.'"
"Are you... lusting after my flesh?"
Neung So-hwa wrapped her arms around herself, looking horrified.
"In a way, I guess you could say that."
"I am disappointed. To think you were a demonic practitioner all along!"
"Well, that’s not entirely wrong, is it?"
Sun-woo thought about it. His master was the Yin-Yang Demon, known as the greatest demon under heaven. So it wasn't a lie.
"I must be careful of my conduct from now on. Who knows when a wolf like you might lust after my body."
"..........."
Sun-woo wondered for a moment if she was just pretending to be innocent. But he soon shook his head. She wasn't the type of woman who was fox-like enough to fake such a thing.
"Yeah, be careful. Don't let your guard down."
"I understand. I shall be very, very careful."
"Then while you're being careful, why don't you head back to your room? What are you doing coming to a man's room in the middle of the night?"
"Did you not tell me to follow you!"
"What kind of woman just follows along so easily? You should have played hard to get."
"You are being mischievous!"
"You just realized?"
Sun-woo replied with a teasing smile.
"Hmph."
Neung So-hwa snorted, turning away as if offended.
"Anyway, we'll do the Ice Essence absorption tomorrow. Let's call it a night."
Seeing her like that made him want to tease her more, but he decided to wrap things up before it went on forever.
"I could stay a bit longer."
"I'll eat you?"
Sun-woo raised both hands, curling his fingers like claws in an exaggerated gesture to scare her.
"Fine. I am going."
Realizing Sun-woo was trying to send her away, Neung So-hwa spoke with a pout. She seemed disappointed that he kept trying to get rid of her when she wanted to play more.
Swish.
She turned around huffily and began to walk away slowly.
"So-hwa."
Sun-woo called out to her back.
"Why are you calling me?"
She turned around brightly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes that he might ask her to stay.
"Goodnight."
"........."
Contrary to her expectations, Sun-woo only offered a simple farewell.
"Hmph! I hope you cannot sleep!"
Upset, Neung So-hwa turned back around.
Stomp, stomp.
She marched away and disappeared out the door. Sun-woo just stared blankly at her retreating figure.
Pfft.
A small smile played on his lips. He felt like she was getting cuter by the day.
*
"What on earth do you mean by that?"
Un-jeok-ja asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Exactly what I said. I need to step away for a while."
Sun-woo replied calmly to Un-jeok-ja’s question.
"Has something happened?"
Un-jeok-ja looked at Sun-woo with a grave expression.
"It’s nothing major. And even if I leave, I’ll be back within half a day."
"May I ask what this is about?"
Seol-hyang, who was standing nearby, asked curiously.
"I’m sorry, but it’s not something I can discuss freely."
Sun-woo spoke with an apologetic look. The matter regarding Neung So-hwa was top secret. Everyone else just thought of her as a lady from a wealthy family; they had no idea she was a Commandery Princess or that her martial arts were near the Profound Realm.
If he said he was leaving alone with her, it would lead to unwanted misunderstandings—just like the rumors that had spread about him and Seol-hyang. But he couldn't just reveal the truth about So-hwa either. He was the only one she had permitted to know her identity. Others must not find out.
"Can I not come along?"
"No."
Sun-woo answered Seol-hyang firmly. While having her along would be entertaining, this task involved potential danger. He couldn't bring anyone else.
"Uuuuuu..."
Seol-hyang looked visibly disappointed. Sun-woo felt a pang of guilt seeing her like that, but he had no choice. Neung So-hwa was like a ticking time bomb. He couldn't bring anyone else to the place where he had to manage her "detonation device."
"And while I’m gone, I’d like Un-jeok-ja to lead the search party and the survivors."
"Me?"
Un-jeok-ja asked, looking flustered. He hadn't expected Sun-woo to hand over the responsibility to him.
"It’s only for half a day, but we don't know what might happen here. I believe we need someone to lead the search party and the survivors in the interim."
"It is but half a day. What could possibly happen?"
"Still, one never knows. It doesn't hurt to be prepared for everything, does it?"
"Hmm... but why me?"
Un-jeok-ja asked curiously.
"Because I feel I can trust you with it."
Sun-woo spoke, looking at Un-jeok-ja with eyes full of confidence.
"And besides me, aren't you the strongest person in the search party? I believe you can keep everyone safe."
"Goodness, you’re putting quite a burden on me."
"I mean it."
Sun-woo met Un-jeok-ja’s gaze with a steady look. He was sincere. Though he said it would only be half a day, there was no telling how the situation might change. In such a scenario, Un-jeok-ja was the only one he could entrust the others to. He might seem like a silly middle-aged man, but he was a master who had reached the Transcendent Realm.
"Since you trust me so much, how can I refuse? Very well. I shall lead the search party while you are away."
"Thank you."
Once Un-jeok-ja accepted, Sun-woo expressed his gratitude. He felt relieved. If it was Un-jeok-ja, he would surely handle any unforeseen circumstances wisely.