Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: First Steps into Jianghu, and the Bewitching Woman (1)
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Bright daylight.
Mok Ri-won stood on the porch of the thatched house, wrapping his fist in his palm and extending it forward.
The Fist-Wrapping Salute.
It was the greeting used in the martial world to show respect to an opponent.
“Farewell.”
Mok Ri-won, dressed in gray training robes, had a bundle strapped to his back.
An old iron sword hung at his waist, and tucked in his bosom was the book *Tales of the Jianghu Heroes*, which had accompanied him through his long childhood.
Mok Seon-o sat on the porch, smiling warmly as he replied to Mok Ri-won.
“Yes, you're heading out into Jianghu.”
How could he not know of his disciple's achievements?
Sensing his energy, Mok Seon-o realized he had reached the Pinnacle Realm and said no more.
He simply felt proud—immensely so—and directed that question to the young man who was no longer a child.
“Ri-won.”
“Yes!”
“Jianghu will be perilous. Sometimes merciless, sometimes cruel, and at times even vicious. Can you overcome those trials?”
A question probing his resolve.
Mok Ri-won smiled confidently in response.
“I shall triumph over all those trials with righteous heroism.”
“An excellent answer.”
Mok Seon-o nodded.
Beside him, arms crossed, stood the elderly Ma Il-seok, whose hair was now half white. He spoke up.
“You sure talk well.”
Eleven years had passed, but Ma Il-seok's demeanor remained gruff.
However, that didn't reflect his true feelings.
After living together for so long, a bond had formed.
Ma Il-seok felt a pang in his chest at Mok Ri-won's confident figure and pulled a plaque from his bosom, tossing it to him.
“What is this?”
“If you ever need help, show it to the beggars in the city. Ah, to one with a belt like this around his waist.”
Ma Il-seok patted the belt around his own waist.
“They'll help if it's not too difficult.”
Though he had stepped down as Beggars' Sect Leader and retired, it didn't mean the power of the name Beggar King had waned in the Central Plains martial world.
In other words, possessing his plaque alone made Mok Ri-won a guest of the Beggars' Sect.
Mok Ri-won gazed at Ma Il-seok with a grateful expression.
“Thank you!”
“Thank my ass.”
Ma Il-seok snorted derisively.
Yet, mismatched with his expression, he poured out words of concern.
“You've probably heard it so often your ears have calluses, but hear it once more.”
“Yes!”
“Jianghu won't take kindly to you.”
Thud—.
A bitter smile bloomed on Mok Ri-won's face.
“…I know.”
“Yes, you are the Heavenly Slaughter Star. And one with an Extreme Demonic Body. If you can keep that hidden safely, all is well, but surely some will recall your senior brother through your martial arts.”
“And through those arts, some will suspect your true identity.”
“Don't interrupt.”
Ma Il-seok's face crumpled.
Mok Ri-won burst into laughter.
“I'll keep it in mind.”
“Cheeky brat.”
Mok Seon-o smiled at their bickering.
Then, looking at Mok Ri-won, he said,
“Go now.”
It would be a lie to say there was no regret.
But holding back a disciple setting out on his own path was not the way of a master.
Suppressing his rising reluctance, he urged him on.
Mok Ri-won felt a swell of emotion gazing at his master.
He widened his gaze, taking in the house one last time with his eyes.
A secluded valley deep in wooded mountains.
A modest thatched house nestled within.
And two masters like family.
Now, he would leave this place for a world no longer warm to him.
Feeling both excitement and worry, Mok Ri-won slowly knelt and began to bow.
The Nine Bows Rite.
Finishing the profound bow of utmost respect to his master, Mok Ri-won rose and declared,
“I shall return bearing a renowned name!”
Then he turned.
He did not look back as he departed.
He knew it would only deepen the longing.
*
Descending the mountain took about three days.
Mok Ri-won, bundle on his back, had strolled leisurely the whole way. Now, at the sight of the great city before him, he let out an exclamation.
“A city at last!”
He had nearly thought he'd lost his way.
Understandably so—nothing but mountain valleys in sight, and the settlement he'd sought below turned out to be ruins. Anxiety had welled up.
Luckily, no first-time Jianghu traveler starves lost in the mountains, he thought gratefully as he entered the city.
“Ooh…!”
Mok Ri-won's fists clenched tightly.
His eyes sparkled with longing.
‘So many people!’
People everywhere he looked.
Of all ages and genders.
To Mok Ri-won, who had only ever known Mok Seon-o and Ma Il-seok in his life, it was a fresh shock.
Amid it all.
Gurgle—.
Blushing at the rumble from his stomach, Mok Ri-won glanced around sheepishly.
Fortunately, no one else seemed to hear.
“Ahem, cough!”
Feeling awkward, he cleared his throat pointlessly for a moment.
Soon, he started walking again.
‘Food first.’
His destination: an inn.
The menu was already decided.
‘Noodles with bamboo leaf liquor!’
The dish of heroes from *Tales of the Jianghu Heroes*—not one master hadn't savored it.
Mok Ri-won, on his martial debut, searched for an inn with eager steps.
*
On the main street of Suyang County in Jiangxi Province.
A small inn called Little Flower Inn was shrouded in an unusual dazed atmosphere.
The reason was simple.
In a corner seat, a young man was ‘sipping’ noodles, and his appearance created that mood.
His gray training robes and bundle against the wall were shabby.
The sword at his waist looked like something scavenged from a market stall.
Yet, he radiated brilliance.
Skin fairer than a woman's.
A high nose bridge, slender facial lines, and long eyelashes.
An aristocratic grace clashing with his attire.
That was what made the inn's atmosphere peculiar.
People mistook him for a scion of a prestigious clan traveling incognito.
A thug in the opposite corner muttered about his looks.
“That guy looks just like a gisaeng's boy toy, doesn't he?”
“Yeah, that… what's his name, the Jade Dragon or Fake Dragon from the Jegal Clan?”
“Jegal Clan? Nah, bro. Why would their kid be in a dump like this?”
“You don't know? Rumors say the guy's an eccentric, spread all over Jianghu.”
The thugs' conversation continued.
Behind them, the waiter gaped at Mok Ri-won.
In another spot, a few women stole dreamy glances at him.
Exceptional looks had that effect.
They drew eyes effortlessly and made any action seem positive.
Thus, the women's whispers fit that pattern.
“How gracefully he eats….”
Wrong.
He was devouring it.
“Bamboo leaf liquor dripping down his chin… so dashing….”
Not dashing—he was spilling it on purpose.
Because *Tales of the Jianghu Heroes* described: [Bamboo leaf liquor dripped down his chin].
“Surely a young master traveling incognito from a great clan.”
Nonsense.
Mok Ri-won was a country bumpkin born and raised in the mountains.
Utterly clueless about the world.
The misunderstanding deepened, but no one corrected it.
Meanwhile, lost in romance, Mok Ri-won grinned obliviously, ears closed to the world.
‘Delicious!’
Thrilling!
‘This is the taste of a hero!’
How romantic, doubled.
The noodles were perfectly soft, and the bamboo leaf liquor's spicy burn down his throat was exquisite.
Compared to mountain herbs, this worldly flavor nearly brought tears to Mok Ri-won's eyes.
‘Wonderful…!’
He could do this Jianghu life forever, he thought, laughing heartily. Gasps erupted from around the room.
Only then did Mok Ri-won notice his surroundings.
‘Hm?’
Whipping his head around, everyone startled and buried their faces in their tables.
The sudden clamor died down.
Tilting his head at the odd reactions, he heard a sigh.
“Haa….”
His gaze flicked to the source.
An elderly man and a middle-aged man sitting before him with a deathly pallor.
Curiosity piqued Mok Ri-won.
No particular reason—just that they looked like they needed help.
Inner energy rose from his dantian, enveloping his ears.
A minor technique to heighten hearing.
Taught by the Beggar King.
“Because of Gyeonghwa Pavilion, we're done for.”
“That's what I mean. How can they be so heartless? Monopolizing all the trade like this….”
‘Gyeonghwa Pavilion?’
Mok Ri-won furrowed his brow, focusing on the name.
‘Sounds like a tavern or brothel….’
As he pondered, the ashen-faced middle-aged man slammed the table.
Bang!
“It's all because of that bewitching woman!”
“H-Hey!”
“Did I say wrong? You think the same deep down! Ever since that witch joined Gyeonghwa Pavilion, the streets changed! Black Dao protection fees doubled, and unknown warriors started appearing everywhere! At this rate, we'll all lose our heads!”
The excited man's voice filled the inn.
Yet, oddly, no one intervened despite his fervor—unusual for a crowd.
Or more precisely,
‘…They're avoiding his gaze.’
Everyone in the inn averted their eyes from him.
Mok Ri-won’s eyes gleamed at the strange scene.
‘Time for heroic action!’
The clueless bumpkin thought that amid the tension.
*
To gather information, certain factors must be considered.
Secrecy and caution, for instance.
But Mok Ri-won knew none of that.
He simply assumed anyone on the street would answer if asked.
That naivety was all he had.
…Call it fortunate.
Even so, his attempt succeeded.
Thanks to his handsome face, mismatched to his station.
“Thanks, miss! I'll never forget this kindness.”
“N-No, not at all!”
The blushing women fled after his fist salute.
Unquestioning, Mok Ri-won straightened and continued thinking.
‘The bewitching woman!’
That's what the girls had told him.
One day, a woman suddenly appeared in Suyang County.
Her bewitchingly beautiful figure acted thus.
‘She visited the Red Flower Brothel owner, played an instrument, and he fell for it, dubbing her the top courtesan….’
Mok Ri-won narrowed his eyes.
‘Suspicious.’
It could be just masterful playing, but he recalled Ma Il-seok's warning first.
-The martial world teems with bizarre sorceries. Among the most vicious is the Soul Capturing Technique, which seizes hearts.
-Soul Capturing Technique?
-Yes, a spell that clouds the mind and turns people into puppets.
The bewitching woman's deed might be Soul Capturing.
And with Black Dao activity intensifying since her arrival, she could be a scout sent to devour Suyang for a Black Dao group.
‘Definitely called her the bewitching woman.’
Mok Ri-won racked his seldom-used brains.
Soul Capturing Technique.
A spell seizing hearts to make puppets.
Even if not, some heart-capturing martial art.
And he knew something about that.
‘Lust Arts…!’
Mok Ri-won's face flushed.
Unlike at seven, he now had knowledge of such things and knew the truth of the fight between Ma Il-seok and Blue Blood Enchantress.
Thus, how Lust Arts ensnared people.
“Ehem—!”
Mok Ri-won spun toward the Gyeonghwa Pavilion he'd just heard about.
‘Lust Arts!’
…The moment "Lust Arts" crossed his mind, he was convinced the bewitching woman's trick wasn't sorcery but Lust Arts.
Of course, no reason.
Crack—!
‘Dangerous!’
Mok Ri-won dashed toward Gyeonghwa Pavilion.
Lust Arts were truly perilous; commoners mustn't fall victim.
If they did, their qi might be sucked dry, leading to death.
‘Better if it's me!’
He could endure with his cultivation!
Find an opening!
His steps quickened.
A goofy grin spread across his flushed face.
‘Lust Arts!’
He vowed not to let it stand, thinking only that as he ran.