Murim Debut (5)
Hong Yeonhwa finally polished off the last dumpling, elegantly wiping her mouth as she spoke.
"Come to think of it, there's a bandit gang that's set up camp around here."
"Bandits? What's that got to do with anything?"
She'd been glued to me all day—where'd she hear about that?
Catching my confusion, Hong Yeonhwa jerked her chin toward the kitchen.
"The head chef and waiter were chatting about it from over there."
"You could hear that…?"
It was pretty far, and there were walls blocking the way.
Hong Yeonhwa tilted her chin up with a shrug, putting on a bit of a haughty air.
"A body that's undergone shedding of the bones and exchanging of the marrow has senses and qi perception sharpened beyond the norm—it's nothing special."
"Didn't know that. …Does that mean your sense of pleasure down there gets more sensitive too?"
"Pl-pleasure…?!"
Hong Yeonhwa stammered, her face flushing red. No clear answer, but that was answer enough.
No wonder she felt it so intensely our first time… It was the shedding! And here I thought I was some sex genius.
Nodding to myself in smug satisfaction, I dipped my head—only for Hong Yeonhwa to wildly shake hers, swinging a fist at the air. Her breasts jiggled from the motion. Not sure if it was on purpose, but it sure grabbed my attention. She swiftly changed the subject.
"A-anyway, bandits! Bandits, I say!"
"Huh? Oh, right. So we detour around the bandit side?"
"What nonsense is that? We should head straight for where the bandits are."
"……?"
"……?"
We stared at each other, mouths shut.
Really? Bandits? on purpose?
I wasn't the only one thrown off—Hong Yeonhwa tilted her head left.
"……."
"……."
After pondering deeply but still not getting it, she tilted right this time.
What the hell? It was cute, but seriously, why?
I just gawked like an idiot at her puppy-like head tilts, and as she geared up for another leftward lean—
I grabbed both her cheeks to make her stop.
"Mooo~."
With a deflating sound, her chewy cheeks stuck to my palms.
What is this? Sticky rice cake?
Fascinated, I kneaded her cheeks every which way, stretching them side to side. It was weirdly addictive. Forgot what we were even talking about.
Squish, stretch, pull—I lost myself in it until my eyes met her pink ones staring right back.
She blinked innocently, offering her cheeks without resistance. That gaze seemed to beg for more.
Tempting, but too many issues. No one was watching yet, but this was still an open inn. If I kept going, who knows when I'd stop.
Time to hold back. I gave her plump cheeks one last firm press.
"Poo~?"
Her lips puffed out like a duck's. I planted a deep kiss on them and pulled away.
Mwah—
Snapping to, Hong Yeonhwa frantically scanned around.
"Haa…."
The morning inn was sparsely populated, and the few guests ignored us. Only then did she sigh in relief, pressing a hand to her cheek with a dopey grin.
"Hehe…."
Like she was reliving the sensation. Her sidelong glances screamed for an encore.
Adorably ridiculous, but she'd stay like this forever if I let her. I cleared my throat to snap her out of it.
"Ahem. So why go to the bandits?"
"Eh?! Oh. Right, that. It's for your real combat experience. And… we can't just leave scum like bandits alone, now can we?"
"Fair enough."
Coming from the pinnacle of all demons, the Heavenly Demon, it sounded awfully righteous. Then again, from what little I'd heard of her world, the so-called righteous sects were practically evil. No wonder her Demon Cult was the proper outfit.
"I'm fine with wiping out bandits myself. Like you said, I need the practice, and if we're lucky, we can snag some funds."
"Short on money?"
"Not desperately, but not flush either. Better to stock up when we can—eat nice once in a while, crash at good spots. But…."
We could loot their loot, or turn it over to the authorities for a bounty. Only if we succeed, though.
This was Hebei Province, deep in the Paeng family's territory—one of the Five Great Families. Low-tier unorthodox groups had to keep their heads down. The only riffraff around were local thugs.
Yet these guys were blatantly bandit-ing? One of two things: clueless peasants and third-rate punks banding together, or a big-league bandit outfit like the Nokrim moving in.
If it was just lazy thugs who'd picked up swords, great—kill or subdue 'em and hand to the cops.
…But Nokrim? Headache.
They uniquely prowled righteous turf without fear. They got hunted often, but their loose organization and habit of ditching mountain forts made them hard to eradicate.
What set Nokrim apart from regular bandits? Simple: raw power. Even a bandit chief hit at least the Peak realm—a famous benchmark.
I mentioned we might run into a Peak expert while hunting bandits, and Hong Yeonhwa snickered.
"That's what you're worried about?"
"Hey, it's not just the chief. Factor in his bandit lieutenants, and it could get really dangerous."
"Worry not. Who do you take this lady for? Even now, I could handle them all solo. You just fight enough not to die, and leave the rest to me."
Just enough not to die? Reassuring… right?
Her word choice was iffy, but recalling our sparring gap, it checked out.
"But do we gotta go now?"
"No need to delay, is there?"
"Nah, got a reason. Gotta grope your boobs."
"……."
What? Don't look at me like that! Boobs are serious business!
Sunlight licked my skin sharply, but it wasn't all that warm. Late winter winds were just that biting.
"But the warmth lingering in this hand won't scatter on the breeze."
"…Sniff your hand's scent again, and I'll smash you before the bandits."
"Don't sweat it. Next time, I'll bury my face right in your chest to sniff."
"Eek…!"
Flustered, Hong Yeonhwa smacked my back. Didn't hurt—just a refreshing sting.
"Don't tease this lady in broad daylight!"
"What's wrong? No one's around."
While settling the bill for breakfast's beef noodles and dumplings, I'd asked the waiter about the bandits. Maybe because this righteous turf saw plenty of escort warriors, he clocked our intent and spilled everything he knew.
Now we followed his directions, trekking a mountain path.
If a lowly inn errand boy knew, the rumors were widespread. Most folks steered clear.
Exceptions? Maybe merchant caravans on tight deadlines—they'd pay tolls for the shortcut.
None around now, though.
Lost in those thoughts, I enjoyed patting Hong Yeonhwa's back. No reaction from me, so she tired out and dropped her hand with a sigh.
"…The path's narrowing. Perfect spot for an ambush."
"Yeah. Want a piggyback from here?"
"I suggested it, but it does look ridiculous…."
I crouched, and she hopped on. I teasingly patted her butt before standing.
This bandit hunt was mine solo—for experience. But without contact, I couldn't tap Muryeong Singong's full power, making multi-foe fights impossible for me.
So, piggyback her through the brawl. She'd bail me out in a pinch.
…….
I know. Looks lame as hell.
But no other way to grind real combat with Muryeong Singong. Practice is risky but the fastest growth path.
Wait—thanks to her, it's not that risky?
Anyway, we didn't get far with me carrying her before a thick stench of blood wafted from afar.