Chapter 203

Hong Ye-seol was a woman of strange charm.

At a glance, she seemed ordinary, but she possessed the power to draw people’s gazes. On top of that, she had the bewitching Heavenly Sound. In many ways, she had all the elements to captivate people.

The way she walked lightly was as beautiful as the flutter of a shy butterfly’s wings, and her eyes, as she looked at Pyo Wol, seemed to be dripping with honey.

Any man would be captivated by this side of Hong Ye-seol. She knew well which of her qualities men found attractive.

Hong Ye-seol said with a slightly shy expression.

“May I know your name?”

“Pyo Wol!”

“Ah!”

She suddenly let out a gasp.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just that your name and face suit each other well.”

A slight blush appeared on Hong Ye-seol’s face. To anyone watching, she looked like a shy woman.

The people nearby who saw Hong Ye-seol and Pyo Wol talking sent them looks of jealousy.

Among them was Sang Gwan-yeok.

Sang Gwan-yeok was the young lord of the Military horse ranch, and he had come in his father’s stead to celebrate the birthday of the Wudang Sect’s Sect Master.

The moment he heard Hong Ye-seol’s song, he fell in love.

Hong Ye-seol’s voice felt like a heavenly jade sound. A desire to hear that voice for himself alone blossomed from deep within his heart.

Sang Gwan-yeok hovered around Hong Ye-seol, looking for a chance to speak to her. He had to be cautious because there were too many competitors around to approach her recklessly.

Among those hovering around Hong Ye-seol was Bang Ju-san, the young Boss of the Great Dragon Room.

A naturally gifted businessman, Bang Ju-san was by no means an easy opponent.

Having met him several times for business, Sang Gwan-yeok knew well how quick Bang Ju-san was with his calculations and actions.

Bang Ju-san was also smitten with Hong Ye-seol.

A man of his wealth would not be easily refused by Hong Ye-seol.

They were keeping each other in check, unable to rashly speak to Hong Ye-seol. But then, Hong Ye-seol, her face full of blush, was speaking first to a man who looked like a pretty boy.

Anyone could see she had feelings for Pyo Wol.

Seeing the woman he had his eyes on speak to another man first, Sang Gwan-yeok felt something surge up from the depths of his chest.

Oblivious to this, Hong Ye-seol continued to speak with the pretty boy-like man.

“Great Hero Pyo, how long will you be staying at the Wudang Sect?”

“I won’t be here long.”

“I suppose you plan to leave right after the birthday banquet?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m curious. Who knows? This connection we have now might last for a long time.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled gently.

When she smiled, a sensual allure colored her ordinary face.

Her sensuality was surprisingly captivating.

It was fatal enough to instantly mesmerize an ordinary person. However, there was no wavering in Pyo Wol’s expression as he looked at Hong Ye-seol.

That fact made Hong Ye-seol’s eyes tremble slightly.

In that moment, Pyo Wol was certain.

That Hong Ye-seol had approached him with a purpose.

“A connection…”

“I believe there are no coincidences in this world. I think the reason we met like this is because our fates are connected.”

“How romantic.”

“Well, artists are the type to live on romance.”

“Did you learn to sing separately?”

“I had a Master. He taught me harshly. Thanks to him, I can sing at least this well.”

“If I get the chance, I’d like to receive teachings from your Master as well. It’s impressive.”

“Unfortunately, my Master has already passed away. So he can no longer teach anyone else.”

“That’s a shame.”

“How about learning to sing from me? I’m not as good as my Master, but I’m confident I can teach you well.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to die just yet.”

Pyo Wol shrugged and looked around.

The area was filled with men glaring at him as if they wanted to eat him alive.

Hong Ye-seol smiled gently.

“That’s a pity.”

“Instead, if I get the chance later, I’ll teach you the zither.”

“You know how to play?”

“A little!”

“You play with these hands?”

Hong Ye-seol naturally took Pyo Wol’s hand.

Pyo Wol’s hand was as fine and white as her own.

There wasn’t even a single common callus on Pyo Wol’s hand. It was hard to believe it was the hand of someone who played the zither.

Hong Ye-seol fiddled with Pyo Wol’s hand for a long time.

At that, sparks flew even more intensely from the eyes of the men nearby.

Pyo Wol also took her hand in his.

“Why, you find it hard to believe?”

For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared in Hong Ye-seol’s eyes.

Usually, when a woman took a man’s hand first, it was natural for him to be startled and pull his hand away, but instead, he was kneading her hand like a piece of dough.

“No. I believe you.”

Just as Hong Ye-seol shook her head.

“Let go of that hand.”

With a cold voice, someone approached them.

It was none other than Sang Gwan-yeok, the young lord of the Military horse ranch.

He said to Hong Ye-seol.

“Are you alright, Miss Hong?”

“Who might you be?”

“I am Sang Gwan-yeok, the young lord of the Military horse ranch. I will protect you from this ruffian, so do not worry.”

Sang Gwan-yeok said haughtily with his hands clasped behind his back.

Sang Gwan-yeok’s eyes, as he looked at Pyo Wol, were filled with jealousy.

It was Hong Ye-seol who had taken Pyo Wol’s hand first, but that fact was not very important to him.

What was important to him was that Hong Ye-seol had a bewildered expression. That alone gave him a reason to intervene.

“Have you no shame? To grab a respectable lady’s hand as you please.”

“What about it?”

“What do you mean, ‘what about it’? You grabbed a lady’s hand without permission, and you ask ‘what about it’?”

Sang Gwan-yeok raised his voice.

Just then, Hong Ye-seol spoke.

“I’m really fine. So please, Young Hero Sang, calm your anger. He is not someone Young Hero Sang can treat carelessly.”

Hong Ye-seol had meant to stop Sang Gwan-yeok, but her words only provoked his jealousy.

“There is no need to defend him, Miss Hong! I don’t know why you fear him, but as long as I, Sang Gwan-yeok, am here, you have no need to be afraid in the slightest. I will protect you, so please rest assured.”

Sang Gwan-yeok unleashed an explosive aura and glared at Pyo Wol.

He looked ready to strike at any moment.

“What is this outrage in the sacred Daoist Temple of Wudang?”

If that stern voice hadn’t been heard just then, Sang Gwan-yeok would have made his move.

The owner of the voice was none other than Woo Pyeong Dojang.

At his appearance, Sang Gwan-yeok couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

Woo Pyeong Dojang was a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect.

Although Sang Gwan-yeok was the young lord of the Military horse ranch, he could not be free from the influence of the Wudang Sect. If he got on Woo Pyeong Dojang’s bad side, he didn’t know what disadvantages might befall the Military horse ranch.

He quickly changed his expression and said.

“It’s nothing, Daoist Master Woo-pyeong.”

“What do you mean, it’s nothing? I saw you picking a fight with my own two eyes.”

Sang Gwan-yeok’s shoulders slumped at Woo Pyeong Dojang’s stern rebuke.

“I just thought Miss Hong was in trouble…”

“Who was in trouble? Did Great Hero Pyo perhaps harass Miss Hong? It didn’t look that way to me at all…”

“That is…”

“I heard the young lord of the Military horse ranch was very wise, but it seems the rumors were wrong.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang made a face of blatant disappointment.

Only then did Sang Gwan-yeok realize the seriousness of the problem and look around. He was hoping someone might help him. But everyone around him averted their eyes.

In particular, Bang Ju-san, whom Sang Gwan-yeok had considered a potential rival, was sneering openly.

‘Idiot! I knew it when he acted so rashly. No matter how impatient you are, you should consider the place before you act. To be so thoughtless inside the Wudang Sect. Serves you right.’

It was as if a strong competitor had acted recklessly and exhausted himself into dropping out.

For Bang Ju-san, it was like blowing his nose without even lifting a finger.

Woo Pyeong Dojang gave Sang Gwan-yeok a strong warning.

“Our Sect Master’s birthday banquet is tomorrow, so conduct yourself with restraint. If you cause trouble again, I will have you forcibly sent down the mountain. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

In the end, Sang Gwan-yeok had no choice but to turn away, his head hanging low.

As Sang Gwan-yeok disappeared into the crowd, Hong Ye-seol bowed her head and said.

“I’m sorry. This happened because of me… I’ll take my leave now as well.”

As Hong Ye-seol also left, Woo Pyeong Dojang approached Pyo Wol.

“Are you alright?”

“You did something unnecessary.”

“Because I didn’t want his blood spilled in the Wudang Sect.”

Sang Gwan-yeok would never know.

The fact that Woo Pyeong Dojang had actually saved his life.

His actions were no different from sticking his head into a tiger’s mouth and provoking it.

“Anyway, I never imagined such a commotion would arise because of a mere singer.”

“Because she’s no ordinary singer.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’d do well to keep a close eye on her. If you don’t want to experience a difficult situation because of her later.”

Pyo Wol looked down at his own hand.

The hand that had held Hong Ye-seol’s still faintly carried her scent.

“The scent of wild chrysanthemums.”

It was a subtle fragrance, one that you wouldn’t notice unless you were consciously aware of it.

It didn’t suit those who wanted to make their presence known to all under heaven. Rather, it was a scent that suited those with a tendency to hide something.

＊＊＊

Hong Ye-seol returned to her quarters.

Her residence was a wooden building where the artists invited to this event were staying.

Not only was it far from the Clear Stream Palace where the martial artists were staying, but it also differed greatly in scale.

Hong Ye-seol’s room was at the very end of the wooden building.

It seemed they had assigned her a place out of people’s sight, considering she was a woman. Thanks to this, Hong Ye-seol could act freely without worrying about the gazes of others.

“Pyo Wol…”

Hong Ye-seol looked down at her hand.

It was a fine hand without a single blemish or callus.

There were many women in Jianghu, but it was rare to find one with such fine hands.

Especially among women who practiced martial arts, there were almost none with pretty hands.

This was because tough training would cause calluses to form and the joints of the hands to become deformed. But Hong Ye-seol’s hands had none of that.

Anyone would see it as the hand of an artist who had never done a day of hard work.

No one would ever imagine from this hand alone that she was a martial artist who had undergone harsh training.

It was the Great Yin Hand, obtained after tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of repetitions of training.

It was known to be as powerful as the legendary White Lotus Hand of Jianghu.

Her hand bones had been broken and healed dozens of times, and her skin had been so covered in scars that it was unbearable to look at.

If she hadn’t gone through several sheddings of her skin, her hands would still be covered in a web of scars.

After obtaining the Great Yin Hand, she had never once felt fear or apprehension.

But today, for the first time, she felt such an emotion.

It was from Pyo Wol.

“Pyo Wol, to think I would hear that name here…”

Most of Jianghu didn’t even know his name, let alone his existence.

This was because his unconventional actions were not yet widely known to the public. However, she and a few others had a more accurate grasp of information about him than anyone else.

They never took even the smallest piece of information for granted and gathered it tenaciously, and as a result, they were able to get close to the truth of the Blood Mist incident in Sichuan Province.

The closer they got to the truth, the more they couldn’t help but be astonished.

Pyo Wol’s actions were that surprising.

What astonished them most was that Pyo Wol did not shy away from any means or methods.

He employed methods that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine and didn’t hesitate to use tactics that others would condemn as cowardly.

He did not place great importance on honor.

That made him even more unsettling.

No matter how strong one’s martial arts were, if they valued honor, they were bound to have an unconscious weakness, but Pyo Wol had no such thing.

“But is it really him?”

Hong Ye-seol furrowed her brow deeply.

When she had held Pyo Wol’s hand, she had secretly injected her internal power.

Even if people learned the same martial art, the nature of the internal power accumulated in their bodies was different. The properties would change slightly depending on their constitution or achievements. But there was also a commonality.

It was the repulsive force shown against another person’s internal energy being injected from the outside. Even when practicing the same type of Internal Energy Mind Method, there was a slight repulsion, and if one practiced a completely different Internal Energy Mind Method, the repulsive force was bound to be greater.

However, she felt no such repulsive force from Pyo Wol.

Without any resistance, her internal energy had momentarily swirled through Pyo Wol’s hand and disappeared. That’s why she was even more confused.

Because if he was the Pyo Wol she knew, it was an impossible event.

Just then, Sang Gwan-yeok had stepped forward, so she had intended to use him, but even that was thwarted by Woo Pyeong Dojang.

“Since it has come to this, it would be better to proceed quickly.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled brightly.

A good idea had just come to mind.

Hong Ye-seol knew well how to use her charms.

“Shall I try using him?”