Chapter 118

“Why my master?”

“Ah! I’m not here to hold him responsible for what happened to that scoundrel. Rest assured.”

“Then why?”

Su-hyang’s eyes were full of vigilance.

She smelled a dangerous scent from the beautiful woman before her. A woman who was not only beautiful but also armed with a sharp intellect was more than enough to make her wary. Moreover, Won Gayoung seemed to have learned Martial Arts.

She was what is commonly called a talented woman in Jianghu.

Su-hyang was particularly wary of the talented women of Jianghu.

It wasn’t simply because a woman’s enemy is another woman, but because their greatest weapon, a courtesan’s coquetry, did not work on them.

To the talented women of Jianghu, the glamorous adornments that captivated men were merely objects of contempt.

Fortunately, Won Gayoung did not openly show any signs of contempt, but her unwavering gaze shone sharply, as if it could see right through Su-hyang.

Won Gayoung gave a slight smile.

“I’m just curious about who did that to the scoundrel. I promise on my honor. I will never cause any harm to your master.”

—Let her in.

Just then, Pyo Wol’s voice reached Su-hyang’s ears. He had whispered using Telepathy.

Though startled, Su-hyang was not so naive as to show her agitation. She answered calmly.

“I will show you inside.”

“Thank you.”

Won Gayoung smiled with her eyes and followed Su-hyang toward the annex.

The annex, separate from the main building, had a tranquil atmosphere. In contrast to the splendid main building, the annex was even simple, and Won Gayoung’s eyes shone sharply at the sight.

It looked more like it had been touched by a woman’s hand than a man’s.

‘The owner of this annex is most likely this courtesan. The person inside now probably stays elsewhere most of the time and only comes here when there’s business.’

Su-hyang’s attitude as she entered the annex was extremely polite. It was clear how devotedly she thought of her master.

“Please come in.”

Su-hyang said as she opened the door.

Won Gayoung nodded and entered the room.

As she had guessed, the room was filled with a woman’s fragrance. It matched the scent she had smelled from Su-hyang. But the person in the room was a man. It was Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol greeted Won Gayoung, reclining on a cushion.

The current Pyo Wol did not have his original face.

It was the face he had when he dealt with Ximen Pyeong.

A slightly more handsome than average appearance. Among the renowned prodigies of Jianghu, men with such looks were very common. And Won Gayoung wouldn’t even give such men a second glance. But for some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol had something that captivated a person’s gaze.

‘A snake?’

The image that came to Won Gayoung’s mind at that moment was a large snake.

A snake with an incredibly beautiful pattern.

It felt as if a snake with a fatal beauty—one that seemed repulsive at first glance, but would mesmerize you if you kept looking—was coiled before her.

Just looking at him felt like her mind would be bewitched.

Won Gayoung bit her lip without realizing it. As she felt the pain on her lips, her senses returned.

She forced a cool expression and said.

“Are you the master of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion?”

“The master is Su-hyang. I merely gave her a little financial help so she could run the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion.”

“In any case, you’re the owner. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Hwan-geom Seon-ja, Won Gayoung. Have you perhaps heard my name?”

“No!”

“I’ll have to try harder. I thought I was quite famous in Jianghu, but it seems my name hasn’t reached this far.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just not very interested in outside affairs, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Then have you never left Sichuan Province?”

“Never.”

“I see. Then I can understand to some extent.”

Won Gayoung smiled faintly.

Her smile was deadly.

When an ice-cold woman gave an innocent smile, her charm exploded.

It was a smile with a magical power that could instantly captivate most men. But Pyo Wol was not captivated by her smile. This level of charm could not warm his cold heart.

Won Gayoung asked.

“What is your name?”

Pyo Wol frowned slightly.

There was no reason to give his real name while wearing a different face.

“Ya…ju. Call me Night Lord.”Night Lord?” The master of the night? What about your real name?”

“We’re not close enough to share real names, are we?”

“I told you mine, but you won’t tell me yours. This seems too unfair.”

“If you don’t like it, you can just turn around and leave. It’s not a difficult thing to do.”

“Hmph!”

Won Gayoung crossed her arms and looked at Pyo Wol.

Since her debut in Jianghu, Pyo Wol was the first person to treat her so rudely.

Some women might feel a flutter in their hearts at a time like this, but she, on the contrary, became more vigilant.

‘This man is used to women. A honey trap won’t work.’

Indeed, Su-hyang right beside him was also a rare beauty. If he wanted, he could embrace such courtesans at any time; there was no way he would fall for a woman’s beauty.

Moreover, she herself was not skilled in honey traps, nor did she like them.

She had come here today not to seduce Pyo Wol, but because there was something she wanted to find out.

“Fine, Night Lord! I came here because I have something to ask you.”

“If there’s something you want to know, you’d be better off finding the Hao Clan.”

“You’re close with the courtesans, so you must be well-informed about the rumors here, right?”

“And if I refuse?”

“It will get troublesome. Although Ximen Pyeong is a complete scoundrel, he is a member of the Golden Sky Society.”

“So you’ll get revenge?”

“Revenge? It’s just a suggestion to be a little careful so that we don’t cause each other troublesome problems.”

Won Gayoung smiled brightly.

Pyo Wol looked at Won Gayoung without a word.

For a moment, Won Gayoung flinched. It felt as if Pyo Wol’s gaze was digging into her entire body like a Flying Dagger. But Won Gayoung was also a renowned Expert in Jianghu, and she had a history of navigating through quite a few Asura Fields.

Thanks to that, she was able to hold onto her faltering heart and maintain a composed expression.

Pyo Wol asked.

“What is it you want to know?”

“The assassin!”

“Assassin?”

“The assassin who caused the great Blood Mist in Sichuan Province last year. Could it be you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Just… shall we call it a woman’s intuition?”

“Intuition is just intuition, nothing more.”

“Is that so?”

“So why are you looking for him?”

“There’s something I want to know.”

“What is it?”

“I can only say it when I meet the person himself. If you’re not him, there’s no reason to tell you.”

“Then you’d better just go back.”

“Are you saying you’re not him?”

“I’m not.”

Pyo Wol lied without batting an eye.

Won Gayoung looked at Pyo Wol with suspicious eyes. Pyo Wol did not avoid her gaze and met it head-on.

Won Gayoung believed she could read people’s minds by looking into their eyes. At her level, she could read a person’s mind to some extent just by looking at their eyes. But her confidence was utterly shattered under Pyo Wol’s indifferent gaze.

‘I can’t read him.’

No matter how hard she focused her eyes, she couldn’t determine the truth from Pyo Wol’s eyes.

It was the first time she had experienced this, and she couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.

‘Is he really not him?’

Won Gayoung looked into Pyo Wol’s eyes once more. But again, she couldn’t read the truth.

Rather, it felt as if Pyo Wol was reading her thoughts through her own eyes. In the end, Won Gayoung was the first to turn her head away, avoiding Pyo Wol’s gaze.

Feeling that she would be completely exposed if she stayed any longer, Won Gayoung quickly rose to her feet.

Before she went outside, she looked at Pyo Wol one last time.

“May I visit again?”

“No!”

“How heartless.”

“As you can see, this is not my residence. A guest can’t keep occupying the owner’s place, can he?”

“Then when will you come here again?”

“When I feel like it.”

Pyo Wol wrapped his arm around the waist of Su-hyang, who was sitting right beside him. Su-hyang did not resist and let herself be held in Pyo Wol’s embrace.

At Pyo Wol’s seemingly dismissive attitude, the corners of Won Gayoung’s eyes trembled.

She suppressed her surging anger with an effort and said.

“I’m staying at the Four Seas Pavilion, so if you happen to change your mind, contact me.”

Pyo Wol buried his face in Su-hyang’s neck and gestured with his hand as if to tell her to leave. At that, Won Gayoung’s face turned red, and she hurried outside.

“Haah!”

From beyond the closed door, Su-hyang’s breathy, nasal moan could be heard.

“How crude.”

Won Gayoung bit her lip hard in shame.

She regretted coming here.

The suspicion that Pyo Wol might be the assassin she was looking for no longer even crossed her mind.

Feeling as if she were covered in filth, she shivered and hurriedly left the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol sat up.

Right next to him, Su-hyang’s dazzling naked body was revealed. Pyo Wol covered her with a blanket and then got up.

When he released his Disguise Technique, his original face returned.

Pyo Wol carefully got dressed so as not to wake Su-hyang, then went outside.

The dawn had not yet broken, so the streets were very dark. Pyo Wol walked alone on the deserted streets.

‘So they came to Chengdu to find me after all.’

Through his conversation with Won Gayoung, he could easily deduce the purpose of the Golden Sky Society’s arrival in Chengdu.

The problem was why they were looking for him.

The area of his activities was strictly confined to Sichuan Province. Since he had never gone outside Sichuan Province, he had never made any outside connections or grudges.

Of course, among the people he had dealt with in Chengdu or Sichuan Province, there might have been someone with outside connections. The possibility of an outsider rushing in to avenge them could not be ruled out.

However, Pyo Wol thought that possibility was extremely low.

Above all, he had not felt any hostility in his conversation with Won Gayoung. If she were trying to meet him for revenge, he should have felt intense hostility or Killing Intent, but no such emotions were detected at all.

‘In the end, it means there’s some other business…’

Pyo Wol frowned.

Uncertainty was the word he hated most.

Pyo Wol liked things to be clear.

To him, the Golden Sky Society, which had suddenly appeared and was inquiring about his whereabouts, was a very uncomfortable presence.

Pyo Wol shook his head and continued walking.

His head ached, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. It wasn’t so urgent that he had to find a solution immediately.

For now, the best course of action was to take some time and observe them.

Having organized his thoughts, Pyo Wol entered the Red Pine Manor.

As Pyo Wol came inside, Go Chonggwan was the first to run up to him.

Go Chonggwan bowed his head to Pyo Wol.

His expression seemed more urgent than usual, so Pyo Wol asked.

“Is something wrong?”

Unable to speak, Go Chonggwan took out a pre-written letter from his robes and offered it to Pyo Wol.

After reading the entire contents of the letter, Pyo Wol asked Go Chonggwan.

“Suspicious movements have been detected from the Thunder Clan?”

Go Chonggwan nodded his head in place of an answer.

After losing both its Sect Leader and young Sect Leader, the Thunder Clan had completely fallen. It was by no means an easy task for a Sect without a central figure to rise again.

‘Does this mean a martial artist who could become a central figure has appeared?’

Pyo Wol frowned.

If such a person had existed, the Thunder Clan would not have collapsed so quickly in the first place.

Pyo Wol returned the letter to Go Chonggwan and said.

“Monitor the movements of the Thunder Clan. Grasp everything that happens without fail and report back to me.”

Go Chonggwan bowed his head.

Pyo Wol looked up at the dawn sky, which was beginning to break.

It felt as if the letter reeked of a rotten smell.