Chapter v8c12

“Good luck!”

Bi Ryu yeon patted Mo Yong hwi’s shoulder in encouragement.

“???”

Mo Yong hwi, unable to understand, just blinked blankly. Whenever he was with these friends, he felt like he was falling into a trance of confusion. Indeed, having such incomprehensible beings by his side was a tiresome affair.

“I’m jealous! So jealous!”

Jang Hong also came over and patted him on the back. Jang Hong seemed too cheerful for an old man, unable to hide his envy.

“What are you talking about?”

Mo Yong hwi was still clueless, feeling frustrated. It seemed all too easy to make a fool of someone this way.

“Huh? Haven’t you heard the rumor?”

Bi Ryu yeon and Jang Hong asked with surprised expressions. However, they had only just learned the rumor themselves after visiting the Ae Sojeo Hwe. It was a bit of showing off.

“What rumor?”

Mo Yong hwi asked.

“To think you haven’t heard the famous rumor that’s been stirring up Cheonmu Academy already! Your ears seem to have neglected their natural duty!”

Bi Ryu yeon’s words made Jang Hong nod without hesitation.

“My ears exist to hear the noble teachings of the elders, not to listen to groundless and scandalous rumors or light gossip floating around the academy. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mistake that!”

Jang Hong’s face momentarily showed disgust at Mo Yong hwi’s righteous and exemplary young man’s response, but he quickly recovered.

“The more I see you, the more you seem as hard as granite that has lasted a thousand years. And as constipated as a colon, so blocked that it’s suffocating just to look at. It’s almost admirable.”

Jang Hong wondered what kind of educational environment had shaped him. He couldn’t recall any stories about such an oddity among the direct descendants of the Moyong family. It seemed more a matter of nature than nurture.

“I don’t want such admiration. I’ve never wished for it, so please don’t respect me out of your own accord. I’m not so idle that I can afford to receive such pointless admiration. I still have thirty six books left to read. If you’re done, would you please stop disturbing my studies?”

Jang Hong quietly raised both hands above his head in surrender. However, he continued to speak. He was someone who had to say what he wanted to say, whether Mo Yong hwi liked to hear it or not.

“Everything you hear can become blood and flesh. You can’t say that only studying through books is true learning, right, Hwi? Didn’t you say you were assigned to escort the investigator this time?”

“That’s true, but what does that have to do with the rumor?”

Mo Yong hwi asked with a puzzled face. Jang Hong smiled triumphantly.

“As expected, you didn’t know. The rumor is that the investigator dispatched from the Dark Heaven Alliance is a ‘woman’! And a very, very young woman at that!”

Mo Yong hwi surely hadn’t heard it, Jang Hong was certain. His prediction was correct, and Mo Yong hwi even showed a surprised reaction. It was a great harvest. Such a reaction was necessary to feel the satisfaction of spreading a rumor. For Mo Yong hwi, who always had a poker face, showing any emotional change was very unusual.

“You’re joking, right?”

Mo Yong hwi asked seriously. Jang Hong grinned mischievously, silently cheering for his victory.

“Not at all! It’s a genuine and clear fact! Moreover, there’s a rumor that she’s a very, very beautiful woman. There are already more than a few people murmuring about her beauty! Isn’t that why I’m congratulating you, have you finally realized the deep friendship of your friends?”

Mo Yong hwi’s expression changed strangely after hearing Jang Hong’s words.

“I sincerely hope that rumor is just an exaggerated hearsay. Women don’t suit me…”

Mo Yong hwi sighed. Women had always been an enigma to him. Hundreds of women had clung to him, but he had never given his heart to any of them. He certainly never considered them lightly for amusement. Mo Yong hwi truly thought of women as respectable individuals and acted accordingly. However, the excessive reactions most women showed towards him were incomprehensible and mysterious phenomena to him.

Thus, women were difficult beings for him to deal with.

“Who knows? Maybe even a stone like you will fall for the beautiful investigator at first sight. Isn’t that so?”

Jang Hong teased Mo Yong hwi with a mischievous smile.

“Even if the sky splits in two, that would be impossible!”

Mo Yong hwi declared confidently.

“I’m worried about what’s to come.”

Jang Hong shook his head.

The task of escorting the investigator was a request and command given directly by the honorable Cheonmu Academy’s head, Ma Jin ga. Mo Yong hwi was fully prepared to carry it out with all his heart and effort. But the fact that the investigator was a woman, around his age, and moreover, a beauty, was an unexpected event he had never imagined. The most unrealistic and impossible assumption had suddenly become reality. It felt like being hit on the back of the head while walking down the street. It was like being stabbed in a vulnerability exposed by carelessness.

Mo Yong hwi was already getting a headache thinking about how to deal with the beautiful woman. It was clearly an unwelcome task for him.

But it was not something he could avoid.

And then the moment of fate arrived. First impressions!

It is said that first impressions are incredibly important in human relationships. Perhaps because it is the first feeling that is etched into the brain. Some say that this first impression can dictate one’s entire life. Especially in male female relationships, the first impression can often be fatal enough to influence a lifetime. But Mo Yong hwi’s first impression of her was quite complex and subtle.

“beautiful!”

Mo Yong hwi was startled by his own murmur. It happened at the place where Ma Jin ga was introducing him to the mysterious investigator for the first time.

It was an indescribable strange feeling. He couldn’t explain specifically what about her he found beautiful. It was as if his soul was being drawn to her… It was a mysterious experience he was having for the first time in his life.

“Yes?”

Fortunately, it seemed that Mo Yong hwi’s words had not reached her.

“Ah! It’s nothing.”

Mo Yong hwi quickly made an excuse. It was the first time Mo Yong hwi had ever found a woman beautiful. It was the very first time a woman had been recognized not just as a person but as the opposite s*x. Mo Yong hwi couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was very strange today.

Before meeting her, Mo Yong hwi had been quite dismissive of women. He had quite a history of being troubled by them. He especially disliked overly enthusiastic women.

‘Could I be sick?’

It was the most plausible and rational thought he could come up with. For Mo Yong hwi, this was normal thinking. Eun Seol ran sa jeong hwa !

As a woman called the flower of the evil sect, there would be few in Cheonmu Academy who could match her beauty.

However, the good first impression he had of her was shattered by Eun Seol ran’s next words.

“Oh my! What an honor to have such a beauty escorting me. Ho ho ho!”

Eun Seol ran said with a laugh as if a million flowers were blooming.

“Excuse me?”

After looking around once more and confirming that there were no women around him, Mo Yong hwi asked with a stern expression.

“Who are you calling a beauty?”

“Oh, are you upset?”

She made a ‘Oh, it’s hot!’ expression. But she didn’t seem to be reflecting on it.

“Ho ho ho! But even your angry face is cute.”

Mo Yong hwi suddenly felt the world spinning. It wasn’t that the world was actually spinning in chaos, but he felt disoriented. He couldn’t figure out how to react to Eun Seol ran’s unpredictable words and actions.

And he started to feel very anxious.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I am Eun Seol ran from the Dark Heaven Alliance. People usually call me jeong hwa. I look forward to your escort.”

Her greeting was so dignified that it felt like her frivolous behavior just moments ago was a lie. Mo Yong hwi couldn’t grasp her true nature. He quickly returned the greeting with a bow.

“Nice to meet you. I am Mo Yong hwi from the Moyong family.”

It was a simple and straightforward greeting, typical of Mo Yong hwi.

“Oh my! You’re the famous chil jeol singeom Mo Yong hwi, renowned even among the women of the dark path. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Eun Seol ran was also surprised to learn of Mo Yong hwi’s identity. It seemed that Cheonmu Academy had prepared a very strong hand.

It was only upon standing here that they finally learned each other’s identities.

Ma Jin ga had delayed the introductions so that they could introduce themselves to each other at this moment. As Ma Jin ga had hoped, Eun Seol ran was surprised. It was no exaggeration, Mo Yong hwi’s reputation as chil jeol singeom was well known even in the dark path. Especially among women, he was particularly popular.

“Ha ha ha! It seems Mo Yong hwi’s fame has even reached the Dark Heaven Alliance.”

Ma Jin ga burst into laughter.

“Of course. How popular he is among women! Most of the dark path’s later stage practitioners wouldn’t dare to mention their names. Considering that, I must be very fortunate to be escorted by the famous chil jeol singeom Mo Yong hwi. Thank you, Master Ma!”

Eun Seol ran greeted him with charming affection. No one could resist such a charming greeting, even if they were as stoic as a rock.

“Ha ha ha! No need to mention it! It’s an honor for this young man to escort a peerless beauty like you.”

“Oh my! Calling me a peerless beauty is too much praise.”

Ma Jin ga’s laughter grew louder at Eun Seol ran’s cute and coquettish voice. The more he saw Eun Seol ran, the more he liked her. She gave him a comfortable feeling, like a granddaughter.

Mo Yong hwi was not pleased at all.

‘Sigh… women…’

The more he looked at her, the more puzzled Mo Yong hwi became about women. Mo Yong hwi finally had to admit that the woman before him was more than he could handle alone. Moreover, being a woman’s bodyguard was embarrassing for him. And finally, after considering all the surrounding circumstances, Mo Yong hwi concluded that he was probably not the right person for this job.

Ma Jin ga, the head of Cheonmu Academy, must have been very surprised to see that the investigator was a young girl. It must have felt like being hit on the back of the head while walking down the street. Of course, now he was wearing a pleasant smile.

“There must be someone more suitable than me!”

Finally, Mo Yong hwi came to the conclusion that he should resign from this position. He thought it was the best and most sensible choice. But life is a very capricious and mean creature that doesn’t quietly follow one’s plans.