Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Jianghu Debut, and the Enchantress (4)
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The first thing Mok Ri-won did after grasping the truth of cause and effect was not anything else.
"I'm sorry!"
A sincere apology.
Mok Ri-won dropped to his knees, bowed his head deeply, and shouted those words to Hwa Seo at the top of his voice.
His heart was filled with despair.
'This is not the way of a hero!'
How could he have clumsily judged a woman to be an enchantress?
How could he have committed the heinous crime of abducting an innocent woman?
The thought that he had no face to show his master made his body tremble.
Hwa Seo blinked as she looked at Mok Ri-won.
'...What is this?'
She couldn't pin down what kind of person he was.
*
A short while later, Hwa Seo twisted her body this way and that, checking her condition now that the pressure points had been released. She shifted her gaze to Mok Ri-won, who was still on his knees.
'What should I do with this...'
Regardless of his incomprehensible behavior, the situation was flowing in her favor.
She didn't like how he'd abducted her with such absurd logic, but even so, she coveted his martial prowess.
Hwa Seo pondered.
How to make use of Mok Ri-won.
And what the most appropriate response would be in this situation.
'From his chatter, he's a Jianghu country bumpkin.'
Judging by his talk of heroes, commoners, and enchantresses, he was a man with a ridiculous passion for standing against injustice.
His bizarre obsession with seduction techniques only confirmed he was truly a young man, and his current apologetic attitude revealed that he prioritized conscience over pride.
His traits were coming to light one by one.
From them, Hwa Seo came up with a rather useful idea.
'Country bumpkins like this all have one thing in common.'
Hwa Seo smiled slyly.
She then composed her expression into one of blank indifference before opening her mouth.
"Please stand. We both know it was a mistake, so I won't reproach you further."
Her speech had switched back to polite honorifics.
At that, Mok Ri-won snapped his head up.
"Really?!"
"Of course. However..."
"However?"
"Because of you, I've ended up in a difficult situation."
Hwa Seo said this while deliberately making a face tinged with irritation.
Guilt immediately clouded Mok Ri-won's features.
His face even looked a bit pitiful somewhere.
Seeing it, Hwa Seo suddenly thought, 'What a face I'd love to torment,' and startled herself.
'What...'
She steadied her mind.
"As I mentioned earlier, I'm at odds with the Black Dao's One Wheel Society, who've set up base here in Suyang County. They're after my brothel. That's why I always keep first-rate escorts around me and stay at the pavilion to guard it."
"I, I see."
"But because of your mistake, I've ended up here. With all that commotion, word must have reached the One Wheel Society that I was abducted by some mysterious man. They won't let this opportunity slip."
Mok Ri-won swallowed dryly.
'Because of me...!'
An innocent woman was about to lose her livelihood.
Mok Ri-won's stomach twisted uncomfortably.
His inability to hide his feelings confirmed to Hwa Seo that her plan was working, allowing her to relax.
"Take responsibility."
Hwa Seo said.
"I'm a first-rate martial artist too. Though our exchange was brief, I could tell you're at a more refined level than me. If you're a martial artist who knows the way of the hero, then use your strength to atone for your mistake by helping wipe out the One Wheel Society."
She finally voiced her goal.
Of course, that wasn't her only aim.
Truth be told, she could handle the One Wheel Society with her own power but had chosen not to.
It was more accurate to say she'd stayed silent to avoid alerting her clan with any fuss.
'But...'
That had been fine until now, but wasn't this a pretty bad picture?
The abducted Pavilion Master of Gyeonghwa Pavilion returns unharmed, with the very man who kidnapped her at her side.
That man volunteers to serve her and leads the charge against the One Wheel Society.
The enchantress has seduced another man.
It could be seen that way, but Hwa Seo didn't care.
She valued her own safety over public opinion.
And the lives of her loyal followers who'd fled with her.
In other words, it was far better for rumors to spread that she'd bewitched and used Mok Ri-won than for word to get out that the enchantress knew martial arts.
Mok Ri-won blinked as he mulled over Hwa Seo's words.
Once he grasped her intent, his face lit up, and he shouted.
"Thank you for your mercy! I swear I'll protect your brothel!"
How fortunate.
With that thought of relief in her heart, Hwa Seo responded to his cry.
"No need to thank me. I'm the grateful one."
How could she not be, when he fell for it so easily?
With that thought, Hwa Seo bowed her head.
Her cascading hair flowed like silk.
Mok Ri-won's heart pounded at the sight.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Yeon-hwa, Pavilion Master of Gyeonghwa Pavilion."
The alias she uttered.
Mok Ri-won repeated the name 'Yeon-hwa' to himself as he sprang up and clasped his hands in a formal salute.
"I'm Mok Ri-won! I don't have a nickname yet!"
His beaming smile carried a faint reddish glow.
Hwa Seo thought.
'Fool.'
He wouldn't last long in the Jianghu.
*
The man and woman, each harboring their own thoughts, returned to Suyang County.
They passed through the main street into the pleasure district, then back to Gyeonghwa Pavilion.
Whispers rose here and there at the sight of the two walking together.
-It's the enchantress!
-Who's that man beside her? Isn't he the rumored kidnapper?
-He's bewitched! Look how he's grinning and sticking close. Can't you tell? Even that fine specimen can't resist the enchantress...!
Words mostly slandering Hwa Seo.
Mok Ri-won, hearing them all, glanced at her.
'She must hear them too.'
She was a first-rate martial artist.
With a first-rate warrior's senses, she'd hear every word, yet she walked ahead with dignified poise, staring straight forward without a hint of discomfort.
'Is she not angry?'
He didn't know much about her, but the Hwa Seo he knew was far removed from such whispers.
She wasn't committing crimes, and she valued her people and had a generous heart.
"Miss..."
"Just follow me. We'll talk once we're back at the pavilion."
She answered as if she already knew what he would say.
Mok Ri-won grumbled uncomfortably, let out a sigh, and trailed after her.
*
Gyeonghwa Pavilion's top floor.
There, Mok Ri-won hung his head sheepishly.
Not for any other reason.
The moment they returned, the escorts' piercing glares had been too intense.
"I-I'm sorry..."
He felt he should apologize for the harm caused by the misunderstanding.
But it wasn't the escorts who replied—it was Hwa Seo.
"It's fine. The misunderstanding is cleared, and now we're working together, so it's best we don't hold grudges. Don't worry about it."
Her smile as she spoke was transparently insincere to anyone else, but Mok Ri-won took it differently.
"Miss...!"
Emotion welled up on his face.
Admiration shone through as well.
'How can her heart be so pure!'
His heart raced again, refusing to obey.
Mok Ri-won barely kept his jaw from dropping slack and shot to his feet, continuing in a strong voice.
"Got it! So, what do I do? Should I go right now and call out those villains from the One Wheel Society?"
"Sit down."
"Got it!"
Mok Ri-won sat again.
Hwa Seo watched impassively before continuing.
"We won't move first. They'll come to us."
"Hm? Why? You've returned after being kidnapped, so they have no pretext to take over the place."
"Pretexts can be made up. They can claim no one who gets kidnapped from the pavilion's safest spot deserves to be its master. Easy as that, right?"
Thud!
Mok Ri-won slammed his fist on the floor and gasped loudly.
"That's ridiculous! How can they twist justice like that!"
To Mok Ri-won, it was obvious.
Justice was righteous.
It judged enmities and conflicts under the principles of heroism and benefit.
How could they abuse it so absurdly?
"That's the Jianghu for you."
At Hwa Seo's words, Mok Ri-won grew furious.
"No, it's not! I guarantee it! They only get away with such nonsense because they're Black Dao!"
True martial artists had to value righteousness and justice.
They weren't upholding it, so they were Black Dao—and thus deserved extermination.
Hwa Seo felt a headache coming on at Mok Ri-won's declaration.
'This is why country bumpkins are...!'
Living in a dream world. Explaining it all would just give her a migraine, so she gave up.
"Yes, let's go with that."
No need to explain everything for his sake.
He just needed to play his role.
"Anyway, that's why we'll stay silent. Striking first now would only bring trouble."
"Got it! So what do I do until then?!"
Mok Ri-won asked, fist clenched tight.
Hwa Seo stared at his face for a long moment, pondering, then said.
"Wait for now. If you're bored, help out around the brothel."
Mok Ri-won's head tilted.
*
Helping out at the brothel.
It didn't take long for Mok Ri-won to grasp what that meant.
"...What is this?"
"Clothes."
On the top floor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion, Mok Ri-won stared blankly at the garment laid out before him.
A blue silk robe, intricately embroidered with lavish patterns and adorned with gleaming gold ornaments.
Yes, clothes.
But why so flashy?
Why did he have to wear them?
Confused, Mok Ri-won looked at Hwa Seo.
She shrugged.
"Didn't I ask you to help with the brothel? I mean entertain the guests a bit."
"Entertain?"
"There's no rule saying only courtesans can be at a brothel. To aim for the top, you have to cater to all kinds of patrons, right? We actually have quite a few female customers."
Hwa Seo thought.
'Gotta squeeze every drop of value.'
His worth as a martial artist went without saying.
But setting that aside, that pretty face was quite appetizing from a brothel owner's perspective.
He'd surely appeal to the daughters of prominent families in Suyang County.
'Demure, my ass.'
Hwa Seo knew.
No one played as wild as the rich girls.
A handsome man like him could empty their purses dry.
"It won't be hard. Just pour drinks, nod, smile, and chat a bit."
Shame burned Mok Ri-won's face red.
He wanted to refuse outright, but he couldn't—because he owed her a debt of conscience.
No, even before that, just seeing her made his heart quake, sapping his courage to say no.
He wanted to grant any request she made, a feeling bubbling up unbidden.
'I...!'
A righteous hero.
A warrior feared by Jianghu's villains.
His body trembled.
Mok Ri-won swallowed his aching sadness and nodded vigorously.
But forcing it down had its limits.
"Take it off, you—!"
"Eeek—!"
The moment of his first entertainment.
Mok Ri-won fled, screaming like a girl from a woman drunk on liquor trying to ravish him.