38. The Peerless Beauty.

38. Peerless Handsome Young Master (絶世美公子).

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Yu-eun and Kim Su-hyeon’s party emerged from the Pear Blossom Palace (梨花宮).

Though it was a short week-long trip, it was still a precious vacation for them.

Especially for Kim Su-hyeon, who was one of the busiest people as the First Military Advisor of the Pear Blossom Palace.

Perhaps that’s why Su-hyeon, more than Yu-eun, felt a sense of liberation looking at the wide sea.

Gazing at the open view made her feel as if all the old grudges were melting away, and she felt good.

The Pear Blossom Swordswomen (梨花劍手) and maids who followed them felt the same way.

Having come out of the splendid but stifling palace to enjoy a vacation, nothing could be better.

“Ah~ It would be perfect if there were men here too~.”

At a Jurou called Pungnyudowon near Hangzhou Bay, warriors glanced at Yu-eun.

It was because they had rented the entire 4th floor, so he wasn’t wearing his veil.

“Stop it. You might get in trouble if the Military Advisor-nim hears about it.”

“Can’t we even join them? Seriously, isn’t that too much!”

Of course, Yu-eun and Su-hyeon were sitting alone by the window with the best view.

It wasn’t exactly that Su-hyeon liked him, but it was a measure to protect him from the lecherous women even a little bit.

The problem is that it doesn’t look that way at all externally….

“I didn’t see the Military Advisor-nim like that. I was kind of rooting for her for keeping her chastity for 15 years. But what is this?”

“Honestly, he’s handsome enough, right?”

“…That’s true.”

“Anyway, the Military Advisor-nim is living the dream. They even booked a room together.”

“I heard they sleep in the same bedroom even inside the Pear Blossom Seven Palaces (梨花七宮).”

“That’s right….”

Everyone looked at Su-hyeon with envious eyes.

Su-hyeon, who was the person in question, didn’t notice because she was looking out the window.

-Rent the whole thing? The 4th floor of Pungnyudowon?

-Yes… there are already guests….

-I’ll go up and see.

-No, I mean… there are already guests-,

Suddenly, the lower floors became noisy.

The women of the Pear Blossom Palace looked at each other and exchanged glances that roughly meant, ‘Go down if you think it’s you,’ and then some of the swordswomen got up and headed downstairs.

-The Ghost Merchant Guild has rented the 4th floor. We paid a fair price, so please leave.

-Ghost Merchant Guild? I’ve never heard of it.

-…Does that matter?

-It does. Renting the entire 4th floor here isn’t something you can do with just a few coins, so if a merchant guild I’ve never heard of did it, of course I’d be suspicious, wouldn’t I?

-So?

-I’ll have to check.

It doesn’t seem to be getting any quieter.

If they revealed that they were from the Pear Blossom Palace (梨花宮), things might be resolved easily, but since it’s a Demonic (邪派) Murim, they can’t reveal it easily. Besides, Yu-eun is here too.

The argument continued, and eventually, Kim Su-hyeon sighed and stood up.

She wanted to enjoy the scenery in peace, but they’re disturbing her like this.

The moment she stood up, she heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

-Hey!

It seems they’re coming up recklessly.

Soon, a group of young women appeared.

They were all wearing the same kind of clothes, which looked like monastic robes, and the swords they wore at their waists told her that they were Murim people (武林人).

However, the overall atmosphere they exuded was rather gentle. It was a sight rarely seen in Murim people.

“….”

“Hmm.”

The woman who seemed to be the leader examined the Pear Blossom Swordswomen (梨花劍手) who were getting up menacingly, and Kim Su-hyeon, who had a frown on her face.

“Well, they seem like noble people. But the smell is a bit off. Don’t you think so?”

“I smell the scent of demons.”

“They’re too strong to be just a merchant guild.”

She looked around like that, and then stared at Yu-eun, who was gazing blankly.

Absolute beauty.

A man with a bewitching charm that could even seduce a monk (僧) who had trained himself for a long time.

She had never seen a man like this before, but she had heard some of the rumors circulating recently.

“…I have a hypothesis, would you like to hear it? Chief Yu.”

“I just thought of one too, why don’t you go ahead.”

“Recently, Kim Su-hyeon, the First Military Advisor of the Pear Blossom Palace, has been running around with a peerless handsome young master while the Palace Lord is away.”

“I heard that too.”

“And I heard they went on a picnic a while ago.”

“That’s right.”

“But it just so happens that a martial arts group of women who are not far from the Pear Blossom Palace have rented the entire 4th floor of Pungnyudowon? While using the name of a merchant guild that no one has ever heard of.”

“And it just so happens that there’s a peerless handsome man there.”

“That’s right.”

The women’s gazes turned sharp as they finished speaking.

“Kim Su-hyeon, the First Military Advisor (一軍師) of the Pear Blossom Palace (梨花宮). How brazen. You claimed to keep your chastity so well, but in the end, you’re just playing around with a poor young master?”

“Chief, she’s just a person from the Pear Blossom Palace anyway.”

“…That’s right. I thought she was a bit different, though.”

“….”

Kim Su-hyeon sighed.

It was a situation she had been worried about.

Perhaps it was the worst possible situation.

‘In this wide Hangzhou, why did it have to be….’

“Young Master, don’t be afraid. I, Woo Su-rin (友輸隣) of the Sword Pavilion (劍閣), have come to save you.”

“Huh…?”

Seureureung!

As Chief Woo Su-rin and the women drew their swords at the same time, the Pear Blossom Swordswomen also drew their swords almost simultaneously.

In the brutal scene, the Jurou owner clutched his head and despaired.

“The Pear Blossom Swordswomen’s skills are good, but our Sword Pavilion members are no match for them either. Besides, the Pear Blossom Palace’s pride, the Pear Blossom Seventeen Elders, are not here now.”

A desperate situation.

Generally, if the Pear Blossom Palace and the Bota Sect fought, the Pear Blossom Palace would almost always win, but now there were no Elder-level martial artists, and only 10 Pear Blossom Swordswomen had been brought.

In comparison, the Bota Sect not only had the Sword Pavilion’s Chief personally leading, but also had about a dozen members mobilized.

‘Judging by their demeanor, it seems like they knew in advance… then are there more troops?’

As she subtly released her energy, she felt a large number of auras on the 1st and 2nd floors.

They were weaker than Su-hyeon, who had taken the Spirit Pill, but they were strong enough to match each individual Pear Blossom Swordswoman.

“…Would you… not just pretend you didn’t see anything?”

“Of course not. Ah, right. Su-hyeon-ssi. I still rated you somewhat highly. Keeping your conscience and chastity in that den of evil for 15 years is not an easy thing to do. Some people said it was a lie, but I believed it.”

“….”

“So if you prove it here, I might let you go.”

“Chief?”

“Just let go of the Peerless Handsome Young Master (絶世美公子). Then you can get out of here without bloodshed (流血).”

“That. Chief! Absolutely not! The First Military Advisor is an important force for the Pear Blossom Palace!”

The Chief was absolutely against it and was in an uproar, but Woo Su-rin only looked at Su-hyeon.

Su-hyeon wavered for a moment.

It wasn’t because she was afraid of losing her life, but because if she thought about Yu-eun’s life, it would be a hundred times better to let him go.

Because she thought it was impossible for Yu-eun to be happy in the Pear Blossom Palace.

No matter how much the Palace Lord, Yeo Se-rin, liked him and tried to accommodate him, there were always Elders who were constantly aiming for his body, and it was a permanent farewell to his precious people.

And if things went wrong, he might end up in a ranch, so it was far from happiness.

As a human being, she felt that she had to let Yu-eun go.

But in the end, she shook her head.

She felt sorry for Yu-eun, but the only person she was loyal to was Yeo Se-rin.

She loves Yu-eun. She wants to have Yu-eun.

So she can’t let him go.

Absolutely.

“I can’t do that.”

“……That’s a pity. Sincerely. In the end, you were also a Pear Blossom person.”

“Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? She’s just a person from the Pear Blossom Palace.”

“Yes.”

Woo Su-rin nodded.

Regret was evident.

“There’s no choice then. We have no choice but to use force.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the women of the Sword Pavilion behind her rushed forward all at once.

A clash between a dozen Sword Pavilion members and ten Pear Blossom Swordswomen.

In an instant, the surroundings became a mess, and food and wood chips flew in all directions.

“Iyaaah!!”

In the midst of the dancing swords, the stench of blood soon began to spread thickly.

The sound of flesh being cut along with the pale skin.

The scarlet lines and the sprinkling of hot liquid heightened the excitement of the battle.

Kim Su-hyeon protected Yu-eun behind her and faced the rushing Woo Su-rin.

If it hadn’t been for Yeo Se-rin, Woo Su-rin would have taken the title of Sword Queen (劍后).

It was that hard to find a master as good as her among female martial artists.

No matter how much Kim Su-hyeon had increased her inner strength by taking the Spirit Pill, there was such a thing as basic skill.

It wasn’t easy to shake off Woo Su-rin, let alone beat her.

Besides, she was holding Yu-eun.

It was unlikely that Woo Su-rin would hurt him, but she still had to protect him.