Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Debut in the Jianghu, and the Enchantress (5)
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The top floor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion.
Hwa Seo looked down at Mok Ri-won, who was kneeling before her.
What a sight he made.
The blue silk robe she had given him was half-undressed, stained here and there with what looked like food and sauce, while his hair stuck out in all directions like a bird's nest.
Not only that, but there were scratches on the back of his neck, as if from fingernails.
Yet despite all that, his handsome features made him look so pitiful that it was almost comical how that thought came first.
Hwa Seo let out a deep sigh, her head throbbing, before opening her mouth.
"First things first. Why did you run away?"
"...That little miss tried to rape me."
"With your skills, Young Hero, you could have stopped her easily."
"How could I use martial arts on a commoner? Besides, she was dead drunk, so I didn't think I could just touch her carelessly."
He glanced at her slyly, but still said his piece.
Hwa Seo found it utterly absurd and followed up with another question.
"If you care so much about commoners, why didn't you just let her have her way?"
"Wh-what kind of...! How could I share my bed with someone I don't love? I'm not some lecher!"
Hwa Seo's lips pressed into a thin line.
'So getting done in by seduction arts is fine?'
What kind of nonsense was this? Being all smiles at the thought of falling to seduction techniques was okay, but sleeping with a woman who showed him affection was not?
Hwa Seo had to bite back the question that sprang to mind.
"Yes, let's leave it at that."
Arguing further would just hurt her mouth, and she hadn't expected him to be competent in matters like this anyway, so she decided not to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Mok Ri-won flinched at Hwa Seo's curt reply and responded.
"I'm sorry... I messed up the task you entrusted to me."
"It's fine. It couldn't be helped."
"But the damage to the pavilion..."
"No way. Do you think a noble lady from a famed family would let rumors spread that she tried to rape a man in a brothel and got beaten for it? Even without us doing anything, they'll seal their own lips first."
Truth be told, that was the biggest reason Hwa Seo wasn't worried about today's incident.
The girl she'd assigned Mok Ri-won to entertain was the daughter of a renowned noble house in Suyang County.
In other words, she was a commodity to be sold on the marriage market.
Noble houses didn't want any blemishes added to their goods, so Hwa Seo had no concerns on that front.
"But that doesn't mean we can let it go without any punishment."
"P-Punishment?"
"The pavilion's safety is secure, but from another angle, we've lost a major patron. Think about it, Young Hero. Would you ever return to a place where you suffered such humiliation?"
Mok Ri-won's mouth fell open.
"Oh no...!"
"That customer won't dare show her face here out of shame. Sigh... She accounted for over eighty percent of our daily earnings every time she visited."
Cold sweat poured down Mok Ri-won's body.
Hwa Seo could tell her ploy had worked perfectly.
'The more debt I pile on him, the better.'
With such innocence, exploiting him was all too easy.
"Now, are you prepared?"
"Th-that..."
Hwa Seo smirked crookedly.
Mok Ri-won's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Even as he thought disaster had struck, Mok Ri-won couldn't help thinking,
'Ah, how beautiful...!'
That even her crooked smirk was utterly beautiful.
*
The punishment was just a scare, but what Mok Ri-won actually had to do was hardly any trouble for him.
"Will this do?"
"Yes, that's fine."
On the top floor of Gyeonghwa Pavilion.
Mok Ri-won had changed out of the now-ragged silk robe and back into his original gray martial artist's uniform.
Hwa Seo glanced at the warrior who had returned to form, then shifted her gaze back to the book she was reading.
"Even with guards, more precautions are better. In case the One Wheel Society has hired outside experts, stay by my side and protect me."
"But..."
"What is it?"
Mok Ri-won hesitated, mulling over his words.
'It doesn't feel like punishment...'
Being asked to guard her as a warrior felt more like a reward than a penalty, which pricked at his conscience.
As Mok Ri-won squirmed uncomfortably from guilt,
Hwa Seo sighed heavily at his groaning.
"Guarding me won't be easy."
"Hm?"
"People who want to see me cause a ruckus right away. If the One Wheel Society hired an expert, they'll hide him among them to get him in here. You'll have to spot the warrior amid the chaos, so stay sharp."
"People causing a ruckus, you say..."
"Plenty. Outsiders drawn by rumors of me being an enchantress, street merchants, unsatisfied brothel patrons..."
Mok Ri-won examined Hwa Seo's face again and muttered.
"...Yeah, I can see that."
Though new to the world, Mok Ri-won was certain she was a rare beauty not easily found.
If such a woman who dazed the mind just by looking were common in the jianghu, the world would be full of fools instead of heroes.
Since heroes outnumbered fools in his knowledge of the world, by that logic, Hwa Seo was definitely a beauty.
"Understood."
Mok Ri-won nodded with a resolute expression.
Then he asked,
"Shall I start now?"
"When a rowdy customer arrives. That's what I said."
Mok Ri-won sat demurely in his spot.
"Got it."
Hwa Seo felt a twinge of unease at the way he gazed at her, eyes sparkling like an obedient puppy.
'...Is this okay?'
Maybe she should train him more and send him out as an entertainer.
Regret began to well up belatedly.
*
Three more days passed.
In that time, aside from sleeping and cultivating, Mok Ri-won spent every moment by Hwa Seo's side, observing her.
His conclusion about her was that she was a truly exemplary person, worthy of being called a "great one" by the world.
'Miss Yeon-hwa has such a kind heart!'
Her days were busy.
From late afternoon until just before dawn, she managed the brothel, never stopping until the staff finished their work.
She swiftly handled messy letters and issued precise orders, while worrying about her underlings' hardships and taking on the tough tasks herself.
Even her own meals were squeezed in amid work, yet she gave the staff ample time to eat—Mok Ri-won could think of no better word for her than "great one."
Admiration shone in Mok Ri-won's eyes.
In the midst of overseeing work, Hwa Seo turned at his piercing gaze.
"What?"
"I was just thinking Miss Yeon-hwa seems like an incredible person!"
"Suddenly?"
He rambled on in response to her narrowed eyes.
Mostly praises for her.
Whether he had skin of iron or not, Hwa Seo felt embarrassed herself at Mok Ri-won's beaming smile, unable to see it as mere flattery.
She had already realized over the past few days with him that he wasn't capable of lying.
"Enough...!"
As her face flushed and she cut him off, Mok Ri-won finally stopped.
Hwa Seo huffed, shaking off the heat from her body.
'What kind of person is this...!'
She wanted to curse him out properly, but it wasn't easy.
Of course, it was because of his face.
His actions were frustrating enough to burst a vein, but his damn good looks made curses stick in her throat the moment she saw him.
The past few days had taught her just how crucial a handsome face was in cooling her anger.
"If you have nothing to do, meditate or read a book."
She said it because his stare made it hard to work.
Mok Ri-won exclaimed "Ah!" and asked,
"May I read a book?"
"Do whatever if there's no urgent business. Just stay in position."
Loves books despite everything, does he?
Hwa Seo observed him with such thoughts.
The moment permission was given, Mok Ri-won pulled a book from his bosom.
"...Tales of the Jianghu Heroes?"
"Oh! You know it too, Miss?"
Hwa Seo nodded.
It was quite famous in the martial world.
"It's popular among kids from noble houses."
Of course, once they grew a bit wiser, they realized its exaggerations and distanced themselves.
She swallowed the latter part.
Mok Ri-won beamed at her words.
"Yes! It's worthy of its popularity! I've reread it for over ten years, and it gives new thrills every time!"
"...That book?"
"It's the one and only book of my life!"
"One and only" surely meant it literally.
Enlightenment dawned on Hwa Seo belatedly.
'They say someone who's read one book is scarier than someone who reads none—old sayings never miss the mark.'
She could instantly see the source of Mok Ri-won's ignorance and density.
Hwa Seo shook her head at Mok Ri-won, who opened Tales of the Jianghu Heroes and dove in eagerly.
'Definitely not the type to live long.'
With that level of stupidity, how could he avoid dying on the road?
Such worries began to creep in unbidden.
Hwa Seo didn't realize it.
That at some point, her reactions to his ignorance had shifted from mockery to concern.
*
Two more days later, the moment for Mok Ri-won to act finally arrived.
"Bring out the pavilion mistressss—!"
A drunkard's shout echoed through the entire five-story building.
Hwa Seo looked up.
"Looks like what we've been waiting for has arrived."
"Shall I go?"
"Wait a bit longer."
Hwa Seo closed her book and stood.
By her side, her close aide So Hyang knelt.
"They've come in a group. Drunks make up seven parts, with street merchants mixing in for the remaining three amid the chaos."
"They must think I'm some neighborhood mutt. Do they really believe I'll come quietly just because?"
She had already figured out the One Wheel Society's method.
First, double the protection fees to stir merchants' resentment and direct it at her, narrowing her position.
If she didn't yield, they'd use force to subdue her next.
'As long as no clan gets involved.'
That was why she'd endured until now.
She had to play the greedy, martial arts-ignorant brothel madam—a petty villain anyone might find anywhere.
But that was over now.
She now had a rather satisfying sword at her disposal.
Hwa Seo glanced at Mok Ri-won.
"Find the warrior. Their hired expert is probably just at the edge of first-rate at best. You and a few of my guards can handle that much."
Once the One Wheel Society was gone, her identity would be fully laundered.
As she thought that and spoke, Mok Ri-won opened his previously closed eyes and said,
"Pinnacle Realm."
She froze.
Her eyes widened hugely.
"...What?"
Her dazed question.
Mok Ri-won emanated a chilling aura unlike any she'd seen before and murmured again.
"Down there. A Pinnacle Realm warrior."