Etiquette Education (1)
After finishing her bath, Dokgo Ryeong stepped out and got dressed with Baekri Sohyeon's help.
"Is this seriously all the clothes you've got?"
"Heehee…, but they're pretty. Why?"
"Haa…."
The fluttering sleeves kept getting in the way, and the wide-open skirt below was impossible to get used to.
Wearing crap like this and still managing to walk around….
More than anything, the loose fit around her chest pissed her off.
It felt like she was only half-dressed, leaving her thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Fuck…, go wash up. I'm gonna go eat."
"You're not eating with me?"
"Then hurry up and wash already."
"Okay."
As Baekri Sohyeon padded into the bath with a soft smile, Dokgo Ryeong headed down to the first floor of the inn, claimed a decent seat, and called for the waiter.
"Hey, waiter."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Tea… not booze. Just bring me some tea. I'll order food once my companions get here."
"Understood."
Watching the waiter disappear, Dokgo Ryeong scratched her head.
Fuck…, I'm too on edge to drink.
No matter how many times she reminded herself of her current body, it was pitifully frail compared to the overwhelming physique she'd possessed as the Mad Demon Dokgo Jin.
After suffering through hangovers and the unpleasant messes that always followed, Dokgo Ryeong deliberately ordered tea so she wouldn't repeat the same stupid mistakes.
"Here you are, miss."
"…Thanks."
"Just call me again when your companions arrive."
The moment Dokgo Ryeong poured tea into her cup and lifted it, someone new entered the inn.
The new customer went straight for the waiter.
"…Waiter."
"Yes, sir."
"Over here."
As the waiter approached, the customer leaned in and whispered something.
…What the hell?
Without thinking much of it, Dokgo Ryeong casually tuned her ears, and the customer's whisper came through crystal clear.
"…Has a red-haired woman who looks just past twenty, and a man, come looking for this place?"
"!!"
The instant she heard those words, Dokgo Ryeong whipped her head around.
That… that bastard, why the hell is he here?
The customer who had walked into the inn was No Geukmyeong.
After No Sunpyeong ordered him to capture Dokgo Ryeong, No Geukmyeong had put his mind to work.
Where would they run….
The first hideout that came to mind was the inn where they had originally met.
They said the darkest place was under the lamp; if they fled right back there, they might slip past the Moyong Clan's eyes.
But No Geukmyeong discarded the idea almost immediately.
No…, some of the clan's martial artists were wounded as well. That means our people would still be stationed there.
He thought again.
Where were they trying to go…, what's their destination….
When he first captured her, she had definitely been Dokgo Ryeong.
That foul mouth with zero manners from the inn.
Those eyes that seemed to look down on everything in the world.
But at some point, she had been switched out.
…Then their first destination really was the Pajeo River. Why?
Had they simply arranged to meet near the Pajeo River?
Or had they been trying to cross it?
If they were just meeting at the Pajeo River, where did they run after that? No….
No Geukmyeong shifted his perspective.
From the viewpoint of someone on the run, what place would they least want to stay right now?
Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang.
Those three were unmistakably Moyong Clan territory.
On top of that, right next to Liaoning sat Tianjin, the headquarters of the Beggar's Sect.
The Beggar's Sect held no small grudge against the Mad Demon either, so the Mad Demon's daughter would be reluctant to pass through there.
She didn't look like she possessed the martial arts to move while dodging a million beggars' eyes, and her appearance was far too eye-catching.
Once his thoughts reached that point, the fog in No Geukmyeong's head began to clear.
If they're dodging eyes… a boat is best!
Traveling by ship, he might not know their final destination, but at least they could safely pass through Moyong Clan and Beggar's Sect territory.
Having reached his conclusion, No Geukmyeong moved fast.
There are a few fishing villages along the coast. If I search every last one of them, I'll find them soon enough…!
And No Geukmyeong's reasoning proved correct.
The moment he stepped into the inn of the second place he visited—a tiny fishing village called Cheonniwa—he felt the fatigue, yet still sought out the waiter first.
"…Has a red-haired woman who looks just past twenty, and a man, come looking for this place?"
Right then, a woman seated in the inn spun around.
The instant their eyes met, he knew.
Those arrogant eyes that seemed to look down on the entire world.
The color had faded somewhat, but that flashy hair was still unmistakable.
There was no way he could be wrong.
"Heh…. Heheh. No, waiter…."
"Pardon?"
"I said no. Go do your job."
"…Yes, sir."
No Geukmyeong burst out laughing as he sat down across from Dokgo Ryeong.
"Well now… how long has it been, young lady?"
"Fuck. How the hell did you find me?"
"And what's with the hair this time? Ah…, used that sorcery again?"
No Geukmyeong casually picked up the teapot full of tea and dumped it straight into his mouth.
"Whoa, fuck…. Doesn't that burn?"
"Not at all."
Bang.
Slamming the teapot down roughly, No Geukmyeong snarled.
"Because of what you did to me, my insides are boiling with rage."
"Heh… heheh…, damn…. Impressive. Didn't know you could say 'I wanna die so bad' that eloquently."
"Keep running your mouth while relying on that pathetic sorcery of yours…."
No Geukmyeong drew up his inner energy.
Even if a master like the Lust Demon was protecting her, the clan's enemy was within arm's reach.
What his father No Sunpyeong wanted was her head anyway.
Taking the head of a woman who hadn't even properly learned martial arts was an easy job for No Geukmyeong.
"Die…!"
No Geukmyeong watched the sword strike fly in a clean arc—so clean he even admired himself for it.
But.
"…Huh?"
There was no satisfying feedback.
He couldn't feel the sensation of the blade sinking into Dokgo Ryeong's delicate flesh and cleaving her neck bones in a single stroke.
"Haa…, what the fuck. What the actual fuck…."
Dokgo Ryeong's voice came from under the table.
"Grr…!"
No Geukmyeong hastily raised his sword, intending to cut through both the table and Dokgo Ryeong's body.
Crack!
But once again, instead of the feel of slicing her flesh, he only felt wood splitting, and No Geukmyeong panicked.
"Wh… what kind of sorcery is this?!!"
Cold sweat began pouring down his back.
Up until their last meeting, Dokgo Ryeong had been an ordinary person who couldn't even handle a scrap of inner energy.
The way she had retched and reeled from his father No Sunpyeong's Six Harmonies Absolute Force proved it.
And when they met again at the Pajeo River.
After thrashing her a few times, he had been certain.
Her soft, tender flesh belonged to fragile muscles that had never properly moved, let alone trained in martial arts.
But…
"It's not sorcery, it's footwork, you idiot. Didn't No Sunpyeong even teach you the basics?"
"Grr…!"
Dokgo Ryeong's voice suddenly rang out from behind him. No Geukmyeong spun in panic and swung his sword.
Because he only twisted his upper body, his feet tangled, and Dokgo Ryeong sneered again.
"Oh my? A so-called swordsman tripping over his own feet."
"Guh!"
Dokgo Ryeong's foot stabbed into the back of No Geukmyeong's knee, and his balance collapsed.
As No Geukmyeong dropped to his knees, Dokgo Ryeong's body leapt on top of him.
"First, take a hit."
"Khak!"
Agony like his spine snapping tore through No Geukmyeong.
Dokgo Ryeong's fist crashed down like lightning, slamming into his back and driving him into the floor.
"You little shit…. You dare lay hands on me?"
"Guh… guhhh…!"
"That was just one hit, and you're already making dying noises?!"
Dokgo Ryeong spread her legs and stood over No Geukmyeong.
Crunch.
Her hand made a terrifying sound as she clenched her fist again.
Then once more. She brought it down on No Geukmyeong's back.
Boom!
"…"
No Geukmyeong's body sank into the floorboards of the inn.
He trembled faintly for a moment, then went still.
"…Huh?"
Startled by the sight, Dokgo Ryeong sat down beside him and poked his back with a finger.
"Hey…, hey hey."
"…"
"Ah, fuck. I screwed up…. Is he dead?"
Dokgo Ryeong held a finger under No Geukmyeong's nose and, thankfully, felt a faint breath.
"Fuck, that scared me."
Irritation rising for no good reason, Dokgo Ryeong slapped his unconscious cheeks a few times.
But when No Geukmyeong still showed no sign of getting up, she sat back in her chair, looked down at him, and said,
"Fuck, he's ridiculously weak…. I figured he'd last at least three days and nights of tendon-splitting bone-dislocating."
She casually muttered something that would have given No Geukmyeong a seizure if he'd heard it, then let out a sigh.
"Haa…, why the hell did this bastard come all the way out here… tsk. Hey! Waiter!"
"Y-yes…. Yes! P-please just spare me!"
"…Why would I kill you?"
"Huh…?"
"Just bring me some food. I'm hungry. The bill goes to… you know? Charge it to my companion."
"Yes…! I-I'll bring it right away!"
The waiter vanished into the kitchen, trembling from head to toe.
Having thrown a proper punch for the first time in a while, Dokgo Ryeong's shoulder felt a little stiff, so she rolled her arm to loosen it up.
"Ahh~, fuck. Moving my body a bit actually feels refreshi…ng?"
Something strange entered her field of vision.
"Ah… no, fuck…. Wh… why did it turn red again?"
Dokgo Ryeong grabbed the hair draped over her shoulder and panicked.
Right then, Baekri Sohyeon finished her bath, came out, and called to her.
"Ryeong Mae. I'm ba…ck?"
"Hey, Dummy. Look at this. My hair turned red, right? Right?"
"…Isn't there something more important than that?"
"No, fuck. Forget that bastard, my hair's red, right?! Right?!"
"…Yeah."
"Ha, fuck. What is this? I'm not some crazy bitch, but my hair color just keeps changing."
"Th… that person down there…"
"No Geukmyeong. No Sunpyeong's son."
"…Why is he like that?"
"I roughed him up for a bit. Weakling passed out after two hits. Ha, fuck, and I hadn't even fully warmed up…."
"…"
Baekri Sohyeon clutched her throbbing head.
Brother Wi…. Ryeong Mae really might be a walking disaster….
Wondering how on earth she was going to explain this to Wi Ilcheong, Baekri Sohyeon spoke.
"…I'm gonna head up to the room for a second."
"Why? Feeling sick?"
"…I need to tie him up with rope."
Unfortunately, Baekri Sohyeon had already adapted to this side of Dokgo Ryeong.
That was the full story of what happened before Wi Ilcheong and Eun Gwanyeong arrived.
"…You understand, Brother Wi?"
"Haa…, honestly."
Wi Ilcheong let out a deep sigh and pressed hard on his temples.
"Hey, Lust Demon."
"Yes, Miss Dokgo."
"Can't we just chop this bastard into pieces and dump him in the ocean?"
"…Are you planning to cross a river of no return with the Moyong Clan?"
"Tch."
"…"
Watching Dokgo Ryeong click her tongue with genuine regret, Wi Ilcheong felt the fatigue settle in.
…Elder Mad Demon. Just how did you raise your daughter….
Unaware of Dokgo Ryeong's true identity, Wi Ilcheong could only blame the Mad Demon Dokgo Jin.
"Brother Wi, how about we just leave him here and gooo?"
"…That would probably be the most reasonable option."
At that, Dokgo Ryeong shot to her feet like she was having a fit.
"No! Why the hell would we let him live and send him back?!"
"If you kill him, Senior No will chase you to the ends of hell."
"Let him chase! Damn it…."
"Miss Dokgooo~."
Eun Gwanyeong raised a hand and wiggled her fingers seductively.
"Let's only use pretty words, okayyy?"
"Kuhahah! Ah…, our Hao Sect's news is running a little slow."
"Huh?"
Dokgo Ryeong's reaction was nothing like what she had expected, and Eun Gwanyeong looked a little flustered.
Seeing that, Dokgo Ryeong grinned.
"Actions speak louder than words. Come on. Today I'll teach you some manners."
"…"
Dokgo Ryeong arrogantly lifted her chin and held out her palm toward Eun Gwanyeong.
Then she crooked a finger as if telling her to come first, and Eun Gwanyeong quietly glanced at Wi Ilcheong.
"…Brother Wi."
"Haa…, if it gets too serious I'll stop you, so the two of you work it out."
"Okaaay."
The moment Eun Gwanyeong settled into her stance, Dokgo Ryeong bared her teeth.
"First, take a light hit to start!"
Dokgo Ryeong was overflowing with confidence.
Beating No Geukmyeong had given her a precise measure of her current martial level.
And she was certain.
At this level, even if Eun Gwanyeong was a bit tough, she could subdue her just fine.
I'll rough her up a bit now and reset our relationship…!
Once she properly showed her the taste of her fists, the girl would never act up again.
Thinking that, Dokgo Ryeong swung her hand….
"Huh?"
"…Miss Dokgo. Were you doing bare-handed brawling without inner energy againnn?"
"Uh… uhh? Why is this…."
Dokgo Ryeong fell into confusion.
No… why isn't my inner energy….
The inner energy she had been able to use just fine earlier was completely gone.
"Haa…. Miss Dokgooo. Since we didn't make a promise this time, I'm gonna use inner energy, okayyy?"
"W-wait a second! This is…!"
"I'll put my all into your etiquette educationnn!"
Watching Eun Gwanyeong's fist fly at her like lightning, Dokgo Ryeong flinched.
She could see the fist, but her body wouldn't follow.
Bracing for the pain about to arrive, Dokgo Ryeong muttered,
"Fuck…."
Agony hit, and her consciousness blacked out.