Chapter 659: Hands off.

Bi Hyeonhwa.

Her cultivation level was somewhere between Peak and Perfected Peak.

By classification, she was listed as a Shadow Guest, but her proficiency in assassination was on the lower side.

Separately, her success rate was quite high, but she didn’t take on those kinds of missions unless absolutely necessary.

Her main assignments were mostly information gathering.

As a woman known as the Hidden Flower of the Murim Alliance, Bi Hyeonhwa possessed a beautiful appearance.

She knew this well herself, and thus, she was someone who used it to employ honey traps.

“Are you alright…? I’m truly sorry….”

With eyes full of moisture, she carefully checked if I was actually injured anywhere.

I just watched that pathetic sight.

‘So that’s what this was about.’

I had sensed her approaching long ago.

I also knew she had bumped into me on purpose.

I had simply let her have her way once, wondering what she was trying to do.

‘To think I’d actually fall for this.’

Bi Hyeonhwa was so fragrant that anyone who smelled her scent was bound to be enchanted by her.

This was a famous saying spread throughout the Central Plains.

‘Tsk.’

To call it fragrant was too much; it was utterly repulsive.

I don’t know how much makeup she’d put on, but just smelling it made my stomach churn.

However, I had to try not to show it.

“How can I possibly compensate for this…. Ahhh…”

Bi Hyeonhwa pressed herself against me subtly with her alluring voice.

Her chest brushed against me here and there.

I lowered my gaze and looked at Bi Hyeonhwa.

What a seductive face. It was true that she was beautiful enough to be called the Flower of the Murim Alliance, but.

‘Fucking bitch.’

That was all my impression was.

Knowing Bi Hyeonhwa’s true nature, she was nothing more than a pebble to me, neither more nor less.

-You worm, how dare you look at me like that?

It flashed through my mind.

This crazy bitch used to pick fights with me all the time.

-Do you think someone like you could ever look up to me? Hmph. Not knowing your place…. Don’t let me see you again, I don’t even want to breathe the same air.

I never looked up to her. I had no interest in her in the first place.

Perhaps I glanced at her occasionally because she was somewhat pretty, but that was it. No other feelings.

Back then, the title ‘Flower of the Murim Alliance’ was practically just an empty reputation.

‘In the Alliance… she was there.’

The Sword Sage, Wi Seol-ah.

Ever since she joined the Murim Alliance, the Flower of the Murim Alliance had been Wi Seol-ah’s.

A flower that bloomed only to wither.

That was how I saw Bi Hyeonhwa; a flower that couldn’t accept its own place and began to harbor poison.

Would that really be any different now?

I quietly watched Bi Hyeonhwa.

Her ample cleavage and seductive gaze were directed at me.

Watching that, I thought.

‘Should I kill her?’

Should I just kill her since she’s annoying?

Such thoughts flashed by, but.

‘Not yet.’

It wasn’t time yet. So, I decided to hold back.

I chuckled and said to Bi Hyeonhwa.

“I’m fine. Are you perhaps injured, Sojeo?”

“Ah, yes…!”

At my words, Bi Hyeonhwa smiled seductively.

Usually, when I smiled, most people flinched, but true to her experienced nature, she showed no reaction.

It was funny that I was judging based on something like this, but.

‘I must have made quite an impression.’

Bi Hyeonhwa wasn’t someone who could move around freely.

She was a woman deployed only for missions of considerable importance, so the fact that she came all the way here meant.

‘Beom-dong must have taken notice of me.’

It meant that old man, the Dragon Soaring Hall Master, had specifically pointed me out.

‘He’s fast.’

The fact that she approached me the moment I entered the street meant Beom-dong sent Bi Hyeonhwa as soon as he returned.

It was practically no different than her waiting in the street.

‘I should suppress my aura.’

I considered subtly expanding my aura, but I had to restrain myself from that too.

‘It would be troublesome if I got caught after expanding it.’

The probability of someone being nearby who could sense my aura was slim.

But one could never be too sure.

‘Beom-dong might have people ambushing nearby.’

Someone like him could notice even the slightest disturbance, so I had to be cautious now.

‘He was capable of sending Bi Hyeonhwa in such a short time. Either he’s ambushing somewhere… or.’

Conversely, I also considered the possibility that he hadn’t approached at all, perhaps fearing I’d notice.

‘Alright. Now then.’

Making eye contact with Bi Hyeonhwa, I thought.

‘How should I play with her?’

How could I make use of this woman?

Thinking this, I slightly increased the distance between us.

“Since we both seem to be alright, I shall take my leave now. May you also be well, Sojeo.”

I deliberately created distance. In response, Bi Hyeonhwa’s eyes widened slightly as if surprised.

That too, was likely an act.

While I didn’t know Bi Hyeonhwa thoroughly, I had a vague idea of how she approached people.

She was a cheap and vulgar woman compared to her reputation; she had boasted a few things herself.

Thump.

As I was about to walk away without further ado.

Rustle!

I felt a hand grab my collar.

“Um, excuse me!”

At the sound, I turned around.

Her ears were flushed, her face bright red. She looked as if she were about to die of embarrassment.

This was an appearance manipulated using her charm.

If one had no resistance to beauty and didn’t know these facts, they probably would have felt their heart skip a beat.

“I’m truly… sorry…. Could I perhaps… buy you a cup of tea…?”

Hearing that, I suppressed the corners of my mouth that were starting to rise.

How fortunate.

It was fortunate that her method was the same.

I was lacking something just a little, and now.

“Then, by all means.”

A very good ‘bait’ had appeared on its own.

---

Recently, a famous inn had opened in Hanam.

It wasn’t just the food or drinks; the atmosphere itself was lovely, and the food was beautiful, making it a place recently frequented by daughters of noble families or wealthy ladies.

A building that had shed the rough atmosphere typical of inns.

Flowers were planted to decorate the grounds, the interior was delicately arranged, and a pleasant scent lingered.

I heard it was an inn established by the Hundred Flowers Merchant Guild.

Contrary to predictions that such an atmosphere wouldn’t succeed, women who heard the rumors came from afar, filling the inn.

In one corner of such an inn.

A man and a woman sat in a spot with a good view of the outside.

The customers inside the inn were stealing glances at the pair.

The woman was astonishingly beautiful and captivating.

The young man sitting opposite her was astonishingly….

‘Scary…?’

‘He looks scary.’

‘But why is a woman like that…??’

It was because he looked sharp and scary.

He was a young man who looked completely mismatched with the lovely woman, but.

The woman continued the conversation as if that didn’t matter.

“Oh, really?”

The woman, Bi Hyeonhwa, continued talking with the young man, wearing her signature lovely smile.

“So, Gongzi is inheriting that sect?”

“Roughly, yes.”

“That’s truly amazing…!”

The young man took a sip of tea and continued to answer in a dry tone.

Bi Hyeonhwa maintained an attentive attitude while interacting with the young man.

However.

‘What on earth is this person…?’

The thoughts surfacing behind her pretty smile were quite different.

Bi Hyeonhwa continued the conversation with a smile, but she couldn’t shake off the sense of strangeness.

Hoho.

She let out a laugh.

The young man wasn’t avoiding her gaze either.

But.

‘Why doesn’t he seem enchanted?’

Bi Hyeonhwa smiled coyly, examining the young man beyond it.

He was dressed entirely in black, from head to toe.

He had loosely tied hair and wore a dark-colored martial arts uniform; his skin was strikingly fair for a man, but his eyes were incredibly sharp.

His age seemed to be just past the age of majority, according to the information.

‘What kind of man is he?’

Normally, men his age would lose their composure and be enchanted just by her smiling at them.

And if you asked if older men were any different, that wasn’t the case either.

All men were simply destined to be beneath her.

‘Something is strange.’

Bi Hyeonhwa had to secretly hide her irritation at the feeling she sensed.

“Then, what brings you to Hanam?”

“I came because there’s a martial arts tournament.”

“Ah, I see.”

The conversation was indeed continuing.

Although it was mostly Bi Hyeonhwa asking questions and the young man answering.

“So, are you participating in the tournament for the revival of your sect?”

“Well, yes.”

“Oh my. That’s truly amazing.”

She kept the conversation flowing by asking questions, but that was all.

She made eye contact, smiled, and subtly showed off her figure, yet.

The young man’s gaze remained unchanged.

He wasn’t avoiding her eyes or failing to speak properly, but the young man’s eyes told the story.

He showed not the slightest flicker of interest while looking at Bi Hyeonhwa.

Anyone could tell. He was not interested in her.

‘Could he be… impotent?’

She even had such thoughts cross her mind.

‘…A man isn’t interested in me?’

Squeeze.

Beneath the table, unseen, Bi Hyeonhwa clenched her fist.

‘It can’t be.’

She couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t possible.

Who was she?

‘I am the Number One Beauty of Hanam.’

She was the Flower of the Murim Alliance, and perhaps, leaving Hanam, she would be called the Number One Beauty of the Central Plains.

Look even now.

The men outside the window were stealing glances at her.

The desire reflected in their eyes.

Bi Hyeonhwa knew that all too well.

She relished that base desire. It was because of that she could play with men.

But.

The man before her was different.

‘The Dragon Soaring Hall Master warned me to be careful, was this why?’

With the martial arts tournament just around the corner, Bi Hyeonhwa was in a waiting period. She thought she should rest properly and perhaps secretly play with some fine men.

[A mission has been assigned.]

From early morning, a mission was given to Bi Hyeonhwa, who was staying at the Alliance.

It was a mission personally assigned by none other than the Dragon Soaring Hall Master.

It was to stick close to an unknown master who appeared in Hanam and gather information.

Just as she was about to refuse out of annoyance, she became interested upon receiving the information.

‘His age is between the age of majority and thirty, but his cultivation level is unbelievably high.’

It was presumed he wasn’t wearing a mask, meaning he was a master who reached his level at a young age.

There was even a warning attached, advising special caution.

A young top master… How could she not be interested?

‘Isn’t it just the mission, but wouldn’t my life bloom if I just managed to capture him?’

Even a master is still a man.

Since it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to keep his composure around her anyway, she thought she might try to seduce him under the guise of the mission.

‘What an annoying person.’

The person she met based on the description was, unlike Bi Hyeonhwa’s expectations, a peculiar man.

‘They said he was a master, but I don’t feel anything at all.’

Considering the warning about needing caution, I couldn’t feel the aura typical of masters.

Truly nothing, not even a speck of energy could be felt.

‘…Is something wrong?’

Even the Young Dragon, said to be the youngest to reach the Hua Jing realm, let alone the later disciples of noble families, possessed a distinct aura.

This person had nothing.

Just nothingness (無).

He was practically no different from an ordinary person, so why did the Dragon Soaring Hall Master urge such caution?

‘Moreover, they say he’s the sole successor of a minor sect, not a noble family.’

The successor of a sect called the Shattering Heaven Gate, a sect I’d never heard of.

He said he came to showcase his presence using the martial arts tournament as an opportunity.

His name was Pa Jeolyub, wasn’t it?

He was someone I had truly never heard of before.

If he were a strong individual worthy of the Dragon Soaring Hall Master’s warning, I should have at least heard his name.

The fact that I hadn’t… usually led to one conclusion.

‘Did he lie to me?’

It was suspicion, but it felt like certainty.

In their brief conversation, Bi Hyeonhwa sensed that the man was lying to her.

‘He seems to be hiding something, doesn’t he?’

It wasn’t particularly surprising. How many people in the Central Plains were without secrets? Bi Hyeonhwa was certain there wasn’t even one.

Furthermore, uncovering such information was also her role.

‘Yes, keep showing off that pride. Let’s see how long you last.’

Regardless, the Investigation Department would have moved even if it weren’t Bi Hyeonhwa.

At most, they would uncover information about the man within a day.

What she had to do within that time was.

‘Obtain the unknown information, and seduce him to get him under me.’

It was something Bi Hyeonhwa excelled at.

There had been men like that before, who acted proud, but they all ended up falling into her embrace.

This time would be no different.

Bi Hyeonhwa was convinced of it.

“Excuse me…. Gongzi Pa.”

At Bi Hyeonhwa’s call, the man flicked his gaze.

It was an utterly insolent manner.

Such an attitude towards her made her insides twist momentarily, but Bi Hyeonhwa endured, recalling her professional duty.

“We’ve… talked quite a bit, haven’t we…?”

“We haven’t even exchanged ten words in total. What do you mean ‘talked quite a bit’?”

‘That’s because you speak like a dog, you bastard.’

Bi Hyeonhwa barely managed to restrain the words about to burst out.

Endure.

I must endure.

‘Anyway, once I set the stage, he’ll probably grin like an idiot.’

No matter how tough he acts, men are all the same anyway.

As soon as skin touches skin, he’ll drool and fall apart.

For a normal mission, I wouldn’t resort to this, but….

‘If the Dragon Soaring Hall Master is right, then he’s an amazing man anyway, right?’

The fact that he’s a master at such a young age.

That alone made Bi Hyeonhwa intrigued.

‘The Young Dragon was a monk, so it was impossible. But this guy… I could probably swallow him whole.’

The Young Dragon, called the next number one under heaven and destined to lead the Central Plains.

He was protected by the Shaolin Temple, so it was impossible, but.

This man wasn’t. Therefore, whatever it was, it wouldn’t hurt to mark my territory.

Thinking so, Bi Hyeonhwa moved her body.

She slowly and subtly moved to sit next to the man named Pa Jeolyub.

“You know…. Gongzi Pa…”

She called the man in a seductive voice.

As she called him, she moved her fingertips towards the man’s forearm, brushing up as if about to touch but not quite.

Then, she pressed her body close.

As she pressed her chest against the man’s arm, his eyebrows twitched.

Seeing that, Bi Hyeonhwa became a little bolder.

“Shouldn’t we…. talk somewhere quieter than here…?”

“Somewhere quieter? Where?”

She moved the hand that had been brushing his arm.

Bi Hyeonhwa’s hand slowly moved towards the man’s chest.

Just as her sticky touch was about to brush his upper body.

Grip.

Pa Jeolyub grabbed Bi Hyeonhwa’s wrist.

It was a rough movement. Feeling this, Bi Hyeonhwa smiled.

He was caught. She thought.

As expected.

“…Ah, this makes it even harder to resist.”

The man spoke as if he were already half-enchanted.

Could it be that, contrary to my worries, he had already fallen for it?

‘As expected, all men are the same.’

Bi Hyeonhwa smiled with conviction.

That’s why she couldn’t see.

Pa Jeolyub’s eyes were gradually growing colder.

Just as Pa Jeolyub’s hand was about to move towards her, just as Bi Hyeonhwa had done.

Twitch.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Pa Jeolyub stopped his hand, made a sound, and stared somewhere with wide eyes.

It was outside the window.

“Gongzi Pa…?”

As Bi Hyeonhwa tried to react to his appearance.

Swoosh-!

“…!”

Bi Hyeonhwa’s body suddenly froze.

“Gak…”

She couldn’t even scream.

She hadn’t been acupoint-sealed or subdued.

Drip.

A drop of sweat trickled down Bi Hyeonhwa’s forehead.

‘What… what is this….’

She rolled her trembling eyes around.

Although nothing was visible around her, she instinctively knew.

Sring.

That a blade was placed at the base of her neck.

There was nothing, yet it was definitely there. She didn’t understand how this contradiction was possible.

But, that was the reality.

Not just her neck.

From all directions, sharp sword tips were aimed at Bi Hyeonhwa.

The scent of death brushed against her nose.

Just as Bi Hyeonhwa swallowed nervously, her body trembling.

Creak.

The inn’s door opened, and someone entered.

Following this, Pa Jeolyub’s gaze also shifted.

“Welcome… Huk…?!”

The well-dressed waiter, seeing this, tried to greet them but froze stiff upon seeing the guest.

The newly arrived person was a woman.

The woman let her long hair sway as she surveyed the inn’s interior.

Her jewel-like eyes scanned the surroundings.

At her gaze, the murmuring sounds somewhere fell silent.

Was it an illusion?

The moment the woman entered, it felt as if a strange floral scent mingled into the inn.

“Oh my…”

“…Ah, how… like that!”

Those who saw the woman gasped in admiration, holding their breath.

A fully bloomed flower was there.

When describing a human as a flower, could there be anyone who fit the description better than her?

The woman was precisely that kind of being.

Not only the customers inside but even passersby were all looking at the woman.

All the attention that had been focused on Bi Hyeonhwa was swept away.

Just by appearing.

“…”

Piercing through the gazes full of admiration, the woman slowly shifted her eyes.

Her eyes, which had been moving briefly, eventually focused on one spot.

The woman made eye contact with Bi Hyeonhwa.

The sight of her clinging tightly to a young man.

Seeing that, the woman’s brow furrowed delicately.

Thump.

The woman took a step.

Then, the floral scent intensified slightly.

Her steps were light and graceful, yet unwavering.

The woman slowly walked towards Bi Hyeonhwa.

‘Who is she…?’

Bi Hyeonhwa was flustered seeing the approaching woman.

Her current situation was already bewildering, but the woman’s appearance itself was a problem for Bi Hyeonhwa.

‘What… how is she so beautiful?’

It was a thought she had never dared to entertain in her mind.

Bi Hyeonhwa’s insides twisted, and her eyes hardened. She didn’t want to admit it, but the moment she saw her, she had to.

Thud.

“…”

The woman finally approached Bi Hyeonhwa.

After examining her up and down with beautiful eyes, the woman spoke to Bi Hyeonhwa.

“Take your hands off.”

“…Yes…?”

As Bi Hyeonhwa replied with confusion.

The woman’s pupils grew cold.

Chills-!!

In an instant, Bi Hyeonhwa’s body began to tremble involuntarily from the killing intent that enveloped her.

“Hngh…!”

Bi Hyeonhwa whimpered in fear, but the woman continued speaking as if she didn’t care at all.

“I’ll say it again.”

Her golden hair swayed.

Her golden eyes (金眼), filled with killing intent, glared down at Bi Hyeonhwa.

As her presence slowly began to consume Bi Hyeonhwa,

The woman. Wi Seol-ah said to Bi Hyeonhwa.

“Take your hands off.”

Before I kill you.

Wi Seol-ah’s eyes were clearly saying just that.