Chapter 30: Murim (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Murim (7)
One of the surprisingly common, yet little-known, causes of death for married men is sleep-talking.
“…Iris?”
Laced with thick killing intent, Cheon Yeo-hwa's red eyes began to glow ominously in the darkness.
The look in her eyes as she stared at Kang Hyun-woo was filled with sticky emotions like resentment, jealousy, and displeasure.
“Iris, you say…”
A typical person from the Central Plains wouldn't know if 'Iris' was a person's name or an object. However, the Heavenly Demonic Cult had long been located in a region with frequent trade with the Western Regions, so they were relatively familiar with the languages of Westerners.
Moreover, Cheon Yeo-hwa, who had run a merchant guild within the cult, couldn't possibly not know that Iris was a woman's name.
“…To think you would covet my body while thinking of another woman.”
Inside the dark tent, Cheon Yeo-hwa's hair began to turn pure white. Now that most of the poison from the Heavenly Heart Extreme Yang Flower Poison Lotus had vanished and the rest lay dormant, a fragment of the Moon Spirit Witch she once was—a woman who had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm—was revealed.
“How truly unpleasant.”
When one masters the Moon Spirit Demonic Art, which is based on dense yin energy, to its extreme, the body reacts to the immense yin energy and internal energy, undergoing a transformation.
Hair as white as if bathed in cold moonlight was its most prominent feature.
Normally, the denser the yin energy, the fainter one's emotions become, but the Moon Spirit Demonic Art was different.
As befitting a demonic art, the more one was consumed by negative emotions, the more ferociously the Moon Spirit Demonic Energy would rampage.
“…Huh?”
Of course, she hadn't recovered all of her power from her prime, but it was more than enough to threaten the survival instincts of the sleeping Kang Hyun-woo.
“You’re awake.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa smiled sweetly at the still-groggy Kang Hyun-woo.
Her eyes, however, were as cold as ever. Kang Hyun-woo shivered at the sight of her menacing red eyes staring him down, only the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.
“…Cheon Yeo-hwa?”
“You recognize me.”
Kang Hyun-woo quickly realized that the mysterious white-haired beauty sitting on top of him was Cheon Yeo-hwa.
It made sense. After all, there couldn't be that many people in the world with breasts that large.
Aside from being unable to tear his gaze away from the large breasts that took up more than half his field of vision, Kang Hyun-woo couldn't help but be flustered by Cheon Yeo-hwa's complete 180-degree transformation, including her appearance.
It wasn't an exact measurement, but compared to the Cheon Yeo-hwa from before he fell asleep, she was at least twice as strong.
What in the world happened in that short time?
“You seem to have slept well.”
“Uh, um… did you, uh, dye your hair…?”
Faced with a Cheon Yeo-hwa who exuded a completely different aura from her usual, somewhat naive self, Kang Hyun-woo once again felt his survival instincts being threatened.
“Huhu, do you like it?”
What a question. Cheon Yeo-hwa's black hair and red eyes already looked good with her pale skin.
Now that she had white hair—the epitome of an exotic look—there was no way it wouldn't suit her or that she wouldn't look beautiful.
But he couldn't just enjoy the sight. Her gaze had been consistently cold and so murderous it gave him goosebumps.
Besides, I have no idea why she's sitting on top of me.
Wait, did I actually do something wrong?
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
Isn't it natural to have a lot on your mind when you wake up to find a woman with pure white hair sitting on your stomach?
“…How are you feeling?”
He had a lot of questions, and it was true he was intimidated by the faint killing intent in her eyes. But more than that, the image of Cheon Yeo-hwa clutching her chest in agony was seared vividly into his mind.
“Would you like to check for yourself?”
In that moment, her voice softening, Cheon Yeo-hwa gently took my hand as if treasuring it and guided it to her lower abdomen. Not over her clothes, but under them.
I was momentarily flustered by the sudden, smooth sensation when moonlight streamed in through the slightly open tent flap.
In the faint light, I could see Cheon Yeo-hwa, her face flushed with a deep blush.
“There was much I wanted to say when you awoke.”
Why did he save her from those bandits when she had treated him like a lecher and tried to kill him? Why did he give a wretched woman who always suspected his kindness a delicious meal and a warm place to sleep?
And why did he use the antidote for the Heavenly Heart Extreme Yang Flower Poison Lotus—a poison known throughout the world, a treasure so priceless it couldn't be appraised—on her?
‘I have nothing I can give you in return…’
According to the laws of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, its followers never bestow anything upon others without something in return. The only exception is the Cult Leader.
Absolute calculation of profit and loss, and the principle of survival of the fittest, where only the strong are revered.
For Cheon Yeo-hwa, who had lived her entire life by those rules, Kang Hyun-woo's baseless kindness, which sought nothing in return, was something she simply could not comprehend.
Even if he had approached her knowing her identity, she could say with certainty that she—who had lost all her power and was living in hiding in the Central Plains—was not worth as much as the antidote.
Besides, she had sworn not to doubt him, no matter what happened.
At this point, his identity was utterly useless to her.
“But now, none of that matters. Because more than things I want to say, there are now things I want to do.”
Bathed in the moonlight, Cheon Yeo-hwa looked down at Kang Hyun-woo and slowly lowered her head.
As their shadows completely overlapped, a soft sound was heard as their lips met.
When he looked at her again, Cheon Yeo-hwa's face was so red it looked like it might burst, yet her expression was one of satisfaction.
“By the way, Hyun-woo, you have quite the bad sleeping habit. I never imagined you would covet my rear so greedily.”
“…I did??”
This was the first I was hearing of it. I’m a gentleman who doesn't even snore in his sleep.
But what did I do?
I touched your butt?
I don't even remember??
“Are you trying to pretend it never happened? The first kiss you stole from me while I was unconscious, and the past where you fondled my rear with your crude hands?”
“…The first was for lifesaving purposes, and for the second, I was in a state of diminished capacity. Can't you cut me some slack?”
This was so fucking unfair.
If I'd at least touched her while I was conscious, I wouldn't feel this wronged.
“Hmph. Judging by your expression, you feel wronged? That you don't remember fondling my body.”
She hit the nail on the head.
I already felt like I'd been cut off in the middle of my first night with Iris, and on top of that, I'd been rolling around with magical beasts in a dungeon, risking my life.
I think I finally understood what hunters meant when they said their sex drive went crazy after coming out of a gate.
The constant sense of crisis, not knowing when a blade might pierce my neck, and the feeling that every step could lead to a fatal trap, all evoked a sense of impending doom. Add to that the searing pain when an arrow pierced my body.
Every moment I experienced in the dungeon stimulated my desire to reproduce.
If I had my way, I would've gone to a brothel to get my pipes cleaned before my next match.
But I couldn't bring myself to do it, because I felt that fucking whores like that would be an insult to Iris.
Putting a dick that's been inside a whore's pussy into Iris's designer pussy? How is that any different from wiping a luxury handbag with a floor rag?
It was when my libido had reached its limit and I was about to go crazy that I met Cheon Yeo-hwa.
Never mind her beautiful face, which could rival Iris's; no one would ever know how hard I tried not to stare at her assertive figure, which was curvy in all the right places despite being wrapped in a thick robe.
If I got caught sneaking glances at the breasts or ass of a martial artist and she came chasing me with a sword, I'd be truly screwed.
I endured like that for over a day. But the kiss I gave her for "lifesaving purposes" before falling asleep had already lit the fuse on the bomb of my libido.
To endure it, I had no choice but to cut the fuse.
But I couldn't do such a cruel thing to my other self, which was finally seeing the light after 21 years.
I had forced myself to sleep, trying to endure it somehow.
Cuddling with Cheon Yeo-hwa while I slept? That was just me trying to satisfy my selfish desires somehow.
“Huhu, there's no need to feel so wronged.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa suddenly began the insane performance of undoing the long robe that was wrapped tightly around her.
As a result, the delicate line connecting her white neck and shoulders, and her voluptuous breasts, were revealed.
“If you feel wronged because you were asleep and don't remember, then why not just touch them again now?”
“…What?”
What is this woman saying right now?
“So surprised. Huhu, you're quite cute.”
That was hardly something to say to a grown man who was clearly over 190 cm tall.
Setting aside my own awkwardness at hearing it, Cheon Yeo-hwa seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.
“So, are you not going to touch them?”
I couldn't resist her as she seduced me with a sensual voice, as if the term "cat-like beauty" was created just for her.
“Would I be crazy enough to back out now?”
“I knew you'd say that.”
The corners of Cheon Yeo-hwa's eyes curved bewitchingly.
My lower half, which had been aching for a while, was already so large it wouldn't have broken even if it clashed with Sword Qi.
I wanted to immediately plunge into Cheon Yeo-hwa's most secret place and inject my semen, but first, I had to touch those bewitching and luscious breasts.
But my right hand, reaching forward with that grand goal in mind, was caught by Cheon Yeo-hwa's small hand.
“By the way, Hyun-woo.”
As if the bewitching curve of her eyes and her soft, gentle voice from moments ago had all been an illusion, Cheon Yeo-hwa's atmosphere changed 180 degrees.
“You said something strange in your sleep. While you were fondling my body, no less.”
“…”
I couldn't say a word.
Even I, who was often called clueless, could sense that something was seriously wrong.
“Iris.”
“?!”
Cheon Yeo-hwa's next words easily surpassed my expectations.
Why is Iris's name coming up now…?
“It was truly the first time in my life I've ever felt such humiliation. I never could have imagined that while you were coveting my body, you would be thinking of another woman.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa's voice was gradually rising.
As her dark, negative emotions grew stronger, her Moon Spirit Demonic Energy began to rampage along with them.
The inside of the tent was already filled with so much dense yin energy that you could see your breath.
“Brace yourself. I have no intention of letting you sleep tonight.”
Contrary to her calm words, Cheon Yeo-hwa's face was filled with a stickier jealousy than ever before.