Chapter 299: The Jegal Family
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: The Jegal Family
The moment the woman descended from the second floor, the bustling inn fell silent.
Men stared dumbfounded, dropping their spoons, while even the women blushed faintly.
Her snow-white skin, silken hair, and languid eyes—the appearance of a beauty worthy of the title "peerless" captivated everyone in an instant.
‘Still, Yeo-hwa is prettier.’
If Cheon Yeo-hwa went around without her veil, the Lord of Hubei would have sent men to propose to her long ago.
And then I would have beaten him like a dog on a hot summer day.
He wasn't the emperor; wringing a provincial lord's neck would have been a piece of cake.
In any case, the woman who came down the stairs glanced around as if searching for something.
‘Hm?’
Then, our eyes met, and she gave a gentle smile.
What's this, is she flirting with me?
Just as I thought I must have been mistaken, the woman started walking straight toward me.
With her every step, every head in the inn slowly turned to follow.
Finally, she stopped in front of me and offered a polite cupped fist salute.
“I am Jegal Hyang of the Jegal Family. As a junior martial artist of Murim, I offer my greetings to a great senior.”
“...?”
I was taken aback by her sudden show of respect.
This wasn't just anyone; she was the eldest daughter of the Jegal Family's head, a member of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, and a pillar of the Five Great Families.
Not only had we never met, but I hadn't spent enough time in Murim to be called a "senior" by anyone.
“Young lady? I believe you must have mistaken me for someone else.”
At my words, Jegal Hyang shook her head.
“As a junior martial artist, how could I not show respect to a great master?”
“A great master?”
I was a little dumbfounded by the title, one I'd never heard applied to me before.
Isn't that what they call old, powerful masters?
‘Could she have sensed the Qi wave I released to push through the crowd?’
If so, that would explain why a direct descendant of the Jegal Family sought me out.
But I never imagined she could detect such a faint trace of energy.
‘Her realm seems to be first-rate at best, on the verge of the peak. Does she have sharp instincts? Or is it a unique trait of the Jegal Family's martial arts?’
Honestly, for a member of the Three Phoenixes, Jegal Hyang's martial arts level was rather low.
Without her background as a Jegal and her stunning beauty, it would have been difficult for her to earn the title of Wisdom Phoenix.
“If it is not too much of an imposition, I would like to offer you a drink, Senior. Might you have a moment to spare?”
Jegal Hyang's languid eyes curved into a beautiful crescent.
It was the kind of eye-smile that would keep any man up at night.
But I refused firmly.
“I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't.”
“Pardon?”
I had decided not to get involved in any trouble in Xiangyang. Sharing drinks with the eldest daughter of the Jegal Family's head?
I already had a bad feeling I was about to be dragged into something troublesome.
“I am in a hurry to get on my way. Please understand.”
“Ah...”
Seeing the beautiful woman look so dejected made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but it couldn't be helped right now.
‘The atmosphere in here has turned murderous, though.’
The moment I refused Jegal Hyang's offer, sharp glares from all over the inn pierced into me.
It wouldn't have been surprising if food or plates started flying my way.
“Then... could you at least tell me your honorable name?”
“Well, if it's just that... though it's hardly an honorable name.”
After all, the only thing known to the public was my epithet, Shadowless Sword.
My actual name wasn't widely known, so it probably wouldn't matter if I told her.
“My name is Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Kang Hyun-woo...?”
Jegal Hyang's expression turned a little strange when she heard my name.
Well, she must have approached me thinking I was some incredible master, so it was only natural for her to be flustered when the name of a complete nobody she'd never heard of came out.
“I hope we have a chance to meet again.”
I gave Jegal Hyang a cupped fist salute and left the inn.
I needed to hurry if I wanted to find a place to sleep tonight.
“Hyun-woo.”
“Hm?”
“She was a woman of outstanding beauty.”
“Well... I suppose she was.”
As Cheon Yeo-hwa said, Jegal Hyang was beautiful enough to be called the number one beauty of Hubei.
But with her current skills, it seemed she would struggle to even defend her position as a Phoenix at the tournament.
“But no matter how I look at it, she can't compare to you.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa's beauty was on another level entirely—a heaven beyond heaven.
It was so breathtaking that I felt China's Four Great Beauties should be revised to the Number One Beauty.
‘Ah, I wonder if Diaochan and Yang Guifei exist in this world?’
From what I had seen and heard so far, this world's history had many similarities to China's on Earth.
Of course, there were bound to be some differences since there was no disaster like the Gates, but it wasn't an entirely peaceful world.
Without the Gates, invasions from foreign powers were far more intense.
“Anyway, if we don't find a place to stay soon, we'll be in trouble... Yeo-hwa?”
Grab.
Cheon Yeo-hwa suddenly seized my arm and, without a word, pulled me into an alley.
Only after we had navigated several complex side streets did she finally stop.
Before I could even wonder what was happening, she pushed her veil aside and pressed her lips against mine.
Tongues and saliva mixed wildly, and a scorching heat passed between our lips. The rough, deep kiss continued for a long time, like a fever that would not break.
How much time had passed?
“Hah...”
When Cheon Yeo-hwa finally took a step back, her face was completely flushed.
Her unique sensuality overflowed from her.
Her lips, glistening with saliva, were luscious, and her eyes were dazed and unfocused.
“Hehe, I knew it was just flattery, but hearing it from you, it doesn't feel so bad.”
“It wasn't flattery, I was being since—”
“Shh.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa took a moment to catch her breath, then pressed her lips to mine again.
A part of me wondered if we should be doing this out in the open, but soon enough, I was lost in her kiss.
Completely unaware of how much time was passing.
*
“...We're in trouble.”
I sighed, watching the sun slowly set.
I had been so engrossed in kissing Cheon Yeo-hwa that I'd wasted the entire day without finding a place to stay.
Now, everywhere I went, the answer was the same: no rooms available.
It was the same even when I offered to pay extra.
Eventually, I even tried asking guests at the inns to sell me their rooms, but it was useless.
The people staying at expensive inns were hardly short on money, and with the Grand Tournament of the Heavenly Strongest creating a peak season, accommodation prices had already doubled.
“...I am sorry.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa's voice was a little subdued as she hugged my arm.
I stroked her hair and chuckled.
“Why are you apologizing? I enjoyed it too.”
Toward the end, I was the one who had pushed her against the wall, continuing our intense physical contact.
We couldn't have sex since we were outdoors, but it was safe to say we did everything else.
“I do not mind sleeping outdoors.”
I shook my head.
We had come all this way to Xiangyang; I couldn't let my woman sleep on the streets.
The problem was that no amount of money could get us a room. However, it wasn't as if there were no options at all.
Xiangyang was a massive city, comparable in size to a provincial capital.
That meant countless wealthy merchants lived here. I could simply pick one and become their guest.
‘If I show off my sword skills a bit, they'll be begging to host me.’
But that was truly a last resort.
Voluntarily becoming a guest meant incurring a debt to that family.
In Murim, debts of favor and enmity were absolute.
To disregard that would make me no different from someone on the evil path. Considering I might settle in this world one day, I had to avoid getting caught up in such rumors.
‘The best way would be to be invited as a guest... but the problem is, my title of Shadowless Sword is only known in Seoyu County. No one here recognizes me.’
Honestly, it was absurd.
This wasn't Zhengzhou, where the tournament was being held. Did it make sense for people to flock to Xiangyang, which was quite a distance away?
‘...Then again, considering the population, it's not entirely nonsensical. Cities like Kaifeng or Luoyang are probably bursting at the seams, so staying in Xiangyang and taking a boat later might be the smarter choice.’
The problem was that I wasn't the only one who had thought of that.
As night fell, the streets grew more and more crowded.
There's a saying that the nights in Xiangyang are spectacular.
With over ten gisaeng houses rivaling Monghyeonru in Seoyu County and a massive night market, there was more than enough to draw people in.
‘At this rate, no rooms are going to open up.’
I was munching on a piece of candy, pondering what to do next, when I heard a voice.
“...Senior?”
It was a voice both unfamiliar and familiar.
When I turned my head, sure enough, my eyes met with Jegal Hyang, the woman from the inn.
Beside her stood a martial artist who looked like a guard and a woman who appeared to be a handmaiden.
Jegal Hyang smiled brightly and offered a cupped fist salute.
“The sages of old said that coincidence is also destiny. I believe that saying fits this situation perfectly.”
I don't know, for a coincidence, she didn't seem very surprised.
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Jegal Hyang approached with a gentle smile.
“If I may be so bold as to ask, you said you were in a hurry, yet you haven't left Xiangyang... Has some problem arisen?”
“...Circumstances have changed, and I plan to stay in Xiangyang for one night.”
Things had turned out this way, but it didn't really matter.
She must have known from the start that my excuse was just a pretext anyway.
“It will be difficult to find lodging at this time...”
As a direct descendant of the Jegal Family, which had been established in Xiangyang for a long time, she had a clear grasp of the local situation.
“So it seems. If I had known the lodging business was this profitable, I would have opened an inn myself.”
Of course, every proper inn in Xiangyang was owned by a merchant guild, a noble family, or a martial sect.
Among them, the inns and gisaeng houses owned by the Jegal Family were a dime a dozen.
It was only natural.
The Jegal Family was one of the most powerful forces in Hubei Province, alongside the Wudang Sect, and this was Xiangyang, their own backyard.
In any case, for a direct descendant like Jegal Hyang, finding an empty room would be a trivial matter.
I intended to ask for just that much help, without incurring any debt, of course.
“Um, Senior?”
However, the situation began to unfold a little differently than I had expected.
“If it is all right with you, why don't you stay at our family's estate for a while?”
*
The Jegal Family.
A prestigious family that served as one of the pillars of the Five Great Families, they had earned fame for generations based on their outstanding enlightenment and strategic minds.
In particular, the head of the Jegal Family had always held a key position in the Murim Alliance, and the current head, Jegal Hyeon, was also serving as the alliance's Chief Strategist.
“Chief Strategist! Traces of the Demonic Cult have been discovered in the Shaanxi area!”
“Chief Strategist! We have intelligence that the Evil Alliance is preparing for war!”
“Chief Strategist! The martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect have caused a dispute, and both sects have requested mediation!”
“Aaaaargh!!!”
But in reality, he was nothing more than an office worker suffering from frequent overtime and an insane workload.
A few days ago, he had returned to the main family estate with his daughter, Jegal Hyang.
It was to get some rest before the Grand Tournament of the Heavenly Strongest began.
But Jegal Hyeon could hardly rest.
Even after returning home, he had to wrestle with documents day and night.
Even setting aside the affairs of the Murim Alliance, there were too many matters to handle as the head of the Jegal Family.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it... If I knew it would be like this, I never would have accepted the position of family head...”
Jegal Hyeon, who had even skipped lunch to work in his office, was moving his brush with a deep frown.
Just then.
Knock, knock—
“Family Head.”
“What is it?”
Screech. The office door opened, and a man entered.
It was Pung Muhyeok, Jegal Hyeon's confidant.
“Lady Jegal Hyang has brought guests.”
“Guests? I wasn't told of any visits from other sects or families.”
“It is not like that. They are Lady Jegal Hyang's personal guests.”
“Hyang's?”
At Pung Muhyeok's words, Jegal Hyeon put down his brush and tilted his head.
It was extremely rare for his daughter, Jegal Hyang, to bring someone home personally.
“Who are they?”
“I do not know for certain. There was a handsome young man and a woman wearing a veil.”
“A handsome young man and a veiled woman... Were there any other distinguishing features?”
“He was a master.”
“A master?”
Seeing Pung Muhyeok's hardened face, Jegal Hyeon also sensed that something was unusual.
“What level of master are we talking about?”
“At least a Transcendent master. Both of them.”
“A Transcendent master? Are you sure you weren't mistaken?”
“I can swear it on my sword.”
“...They're not from the evil faction, are they?”
“That is uncertain, but at the very least, I have never seen the man's face before. Furthermore, the young lady in the veil did not seem to be an ordinary person either. The grace she exuded just by standing still was no less than Lady Jegal Hyang's.”
“Hmm...”
At Pung Muhyeok's confident words, Jegal Hyeon let out a deep sigh.
It wasn't that he didn't believe him.
Pung Muhyeok had been his closest aide for the past several decades.
But the story was just too hard to believe.
He couldn't be sure about the veiled woman, but describing the man as a "young man" meant he was a martial artist under the age of thirty.
‘A Transcendent master at that age?’
Of course, it wasn't entirely without precedent.
But such talents were few and far between in both the orthodox and unorthodox factions, and none of them were unknown.
If Pung Muhyeok's words were true, it meant the emergence of a new rising master.
Sinking into his chair, Jegal Hyeon mulled it over before finally standing up, having made up his mind.
“I must see for myself.”
The Divine Strategist Jegal Hyeon, who had repeatedly thwarted the Evil Alliance as the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, began to move.
“Ah, and there is one thing you are mistaken about.”
“Pardon?”
“My Hyang's beauty and grace are the greatest under heaven. Remember that she cannot be compared to anyone.”
“...”
He was also famously a doting father.