Chapter 41

The martial artists were all experts in outer arts.

Naturally, their bodies were very well-developed. Unlike the man, who had no visible muscles, they boasted brawny physiques.

“Drag that bastard out!”

“Son of a bitch!”

The martial artists were angry for no reason.

From the moment they first saw the man, they found themselves strangely unable to control their anger.

They thought they would drag the man out and give him a proper beating.

“It’d be best if you came along quietly.”

The martial artists grabbed both of the man’s arms and used their strength. But no matter how much force they applied, the man remained completely still.

“Hngh!”

“What the?”

Veins popped on the martial artists’ foreheads. They strained until their faces turned red, but the man didn’t budge an inch.

Only then did they realize something was wrong.

“You?”

“What the hell? This bastard!”

At that moment, the man spoke for the first time.

“I’d appreciate it if you let go of my hands.”

The man’s voice was incredibly low. But strangely, it was also distinctly clear.

The moment they heard his voice, the martial artists felt a shiver run down their spines.

Their entire bodies tensed up, and the hair on their heads stood on end.

Their instincts whispered that they should stop here. But their pride would not allow them to back down.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Get up, now.”

The martial artists tried to use their Internal Energy to pull Pyo Wol up. But the man’s body still wouldn’t move.

His body was certainly slender, but it felt as if it were filled with a boulder. Only then did the martial artists feel a sense of crisis and try to let go of the man.

It was at that moment.

“Keuk!”

“Kuhuk!”

The martial artists who had touched the man’s body suddenly collapsed with a single scream.

They were foaming at the mouth, their eyes rolled back in their heads.

Seeing this, the remaining martial artists drew their swords and shouted.

“What did you do?”

“You must want to die.”

At that moment, the man rose to his feet.

A red silk robe descended upon his naked body, which was not wearing a single thread.

“My lord!”

Seol-hyang had dressed him, embracing him from behind.

Seol-hyang clung to the man from behind, refusing to let go. To anyone watching, she was clearly not in her right mind.

If she had any proper judgment, Seol-hyang should have sided with the martial artists. But Seol-hyang didn’t even glance at them, remaining attached to the man’s back.

The man spoke for the first time.

“I’m only staying for three days. I’ll be quiet, so don’t bother me.”

His voice was a low, quiet rumble, like the whisper of a snake.

The martial artists and Geum Si-yeon felt the illusion that a great serpent was looking down on them.

Their bodies trembled on their own, and their palms broke out in a cold sweat.

They had never felt anything like this before in their lives.

The man looking down on them was none other than Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol was not in a good mood right now.

Because his rest had been disturbed.

For the past three days, Pyo Wol had spent his time in Seol-hyang’s room, indulging in her.

Seven years of training as an Assassin, and then another seven years spent in the underground cavern after being caught by Mujeong Jin-in.

In total, he had spent fourteen years in an empty underground cavern.

The only time he had seen the light was for a brief period when he assassinated Gun-sang and was pursued by the Celestial Net. He had spent most of his time in darkness.

An ordinary person would have gone mad without lasting even a few days. Having spent such a long time in darkness, Pyo Wol was starved.

Pyo Wol himself was unaware, but a scent that could bewitch women was emanating from his entire body.

The more intense his emotions became, the stronger the scent grew, and women would be lost in it without thinking.

The moment Seol-hyang had pulled him into her room was one such moment.

He had asked around and learned that he had been trapped in the underground cavern for another seven years.

He was now twenty-eight years old. When he thought about how he had wasted half his life trapped in pitch-black darkness, his emotions couldn’t help but intensify.

The one who got caught in it then was Seol-hyang.

For the past three days, Pyo Wol had indulged in her without a single thought. It was a kind of psychological compensation.

Pyo Wol possessed tireless stamina and an unquenchable sexual desire.

Seol-hyang had been completely tamed by such a Pyo Wol.

It had reached the point where she could no longer think of any man other than Pyo Wol.

As Pyo Wol was about to close the door, the older martial artist shouted.

“What nonsense are you spouting? What have you done to my colleagues? Hurry up and return them to normal!”

“They’ll recover after suffering for about three days. So don’t bother me and back off.”

The seven years in the underground cavern had been a time to study death.

During that long time, Pyo Wol had researched only ways to kill his opponents. Among them was a method to kill a person without leaving any trace.

The technique he had used on the men who were foaming at the mouth and writhing in pain was a weaker application of one of those methods.

If Pyo Wol had truly intended to kill them, they would have died without even realizing it.

“Do you know who you’ve just messed with? Do you think you can get away with injuring a martial artist from the Blue Jade Hall in Padang?”

“Blue Jade Hall?”

Pyo Wol tilted his head.

It was the first time he had heard the name.

All the renowned sects in Sichuan Province had participated in the Celestial Net that targeted him. But he had never heard the name Blue Jade Hall anywhere. That meant there was a high probability that the Blue Jade Hall the martial artist before him was so proudly proclaiming was actually nothing special.

Even if it were a great place, it didn’t matter.

He was not the man he used to be.

He was no longer the rookie Assassin who had to choose Escape because he lacked power.

Even back then, he had fought for his life against the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect; there was no way he would be intimidated by an unknown sect called the Blue Jade Hall.

At Pyo Wol’s attitude, which seemed to disregard the Blue Jade Hall, the older martial artist became incensed and shouted.

“How dare you ignore the Blue Jade Hall? I don’t know what kind of evil arts you used, but it won’t work on me.”

The martial artist charged, swinging his sword.

The other martial artists followed behind him.

The Crimson Light in Pyo Wol’s eyes deepened.

He suddenly spread his palm wide and thrust it forward.

A look of doubt crossed Geum Si-yeon’s face.

She couldn’t understand what kind of random action Pyo Wol was taking in this urgent moment.

‘Surely he doesn’t think the Blue Jade Hall martial artists will stop just because of that?’

It was at that moment.

“Keuk!”

“Heueup!”

As if by a lie, the martial artists who were rushing toward Pyo Wol clutched their chests and collapsed.

They writhed on the floor, clutching their chests with pained expressions.

The faces of some had already turned pitch black.

“Huk!”

At the unbelievable sight, Geum Si-yeon covered her mouth with both hands.

‘An Expert!’

To be able to fell an opponent without touching them, he was clearly an Expert who had reached a level where he could release his Qi externally.

There were not many experts in Sichuan Province who had reached such a level.

Although Geum Si-yeon knew nothing of martial arts, her insight was vast.

As far as she knew, even the Hall Master of the Blue Jade Hall, Yu Jin-san, had not reached such a state.

‘An Expert like this was in Sichuan?’

Moreover, Pyo Wol was strikingly handsome. It was unbelievable that a man with such looks and such martial prowess had remained unknown until now.

Geum Si-yeon’s eyes trembled with anxiety.

From experience, she knew that turmoil constantly followed those who suddenly rose to prominence like this.

“Kkeueueu!”

“H-help me!”

The martial artists writhed on the floor in agony.

The veins on their faces looked as if they would burst at any moment.

Geum Si-yeon realized she had to do something.

“M-my lord! Please forgive them at this point.”

“Forgive?”

“Yes! Not knowing a distinguished person had arrived, this lowly one and these men have been rude. We will see to your comfort during your stay, so how about you forgive them at this point?”

Geum Si-yeon knelt and begged.

One of her greatest strengths was her uncanny perceptiveness.

Until she arrived here, she had been thinking of giving Seol-hyang and Pyo Wol a stern lesson, but the moment she realized Pyo Wol was not someone she could handle, she changed her attitude in an instant.

Not just anyone could conduct themselves in such a way.

Pyo Wol stared blankly at Geum Si-yeon.

At that moment, a hand as white as a silverfish burrowed into Pyo Wol’s chest.

When he turned his head, Seol-hyang was looking at him with a sticky gaze.

“For my sake, please forgive Hall Mistress Unnie. Hall Mistress Unnie is not a bad person.”

It wasn’t just because of Seol-hyang’s plea; he had no desire to cause any more trouble.

He wanted to rest more for now.

He would have to end this life someday, but not for a while.

Pyo Wol casually waved his hand. The martial artists writhing on the floor then shot their eyes wide open and took a deep breath. The pain had suddenly vanished.

Pyo Wol looked at them and said.

“Three days. I’m asking you, please don’t disturb me. Tell your Hall Master that as well.”

The martial artists just stared at Pyo Wol with terrified expressions, unable to say a word.

The martial artists had already felt it in their bones that Pyo Wol was a different kind of being from them.

It wasn’t simply because his martial arts were far superior to theirs.

The man before them was something different.

There was something about him that made them freeze, like a frog before a snake. Of course, they were the frogs.

When Pyo Wol waved his hand, they scrambled to flee, leaving only Geum Si-yeon behind.

Geum Si-yeon, her face pale, asked cautiously.

“Then what should I do? Please let me know if you need anything.”

“I told you. Don’t disturb me for three days.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

“I understand. If you need more girls, please let me know. The Red Sky Tower has many pretty girls besides Seol-hyang.”

“I will!”

Pyo Wol nodded.

It wasn’t that he was tired of Seol-hyang or that she was ugly.

It was just that his desires were too strong right now. Even Seol-hyang couldn’t fully handle him.

Seol-hyang knew this fact, so she didn’t say anything in particular.

Seol-hyang knew instinctively.

That she could not monopolize the man who so tenaciously desired her.

Pyo Wol was by no means a man who would settle down with one woman. To him, she was merely an object to satisfy a momentary desire.

Seol-hyang thought that was fine.

The masculine scent flowing from Pyo Wol was too intense for her to think complex thoughts.

Thak!

Seol-hyang closed the door.

Once Pyo Wol was out of sight, Geum Si-yeon let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoo!”

She felt like she could finally breathe.

From beyond the door, Seol-hyang’s aroused breathing could already be heard. She didn’t need to see with her own eyes to know what was happening.

‘That was almost a disaster. To think he was such an Expert.’

An Expert of that caliber would be too much for even the Blue Jade Hall’s Hall Master, Yu Jin-san, to handle if he came in person. Although Yu Jin-san acted powerful as an Expert, his influence did not extend beyond Padang.

In the end, the best course of action was not to get on the man’s bad side while he was staying.

‘I just hope Hall Master Yu doesn’t do anything foolish…’

Geum Si-yeon turned to leave, thinking that Yu Jin-san would at least have some sense.

For the next three days, Pyo Wol remained holed up in Seol-hyang’s residence and did not come out. And during that time, the Red Sky Tower bolted its doors. This was because the Courtesans that the Red Sky Tower prided itself on entered Seol-hyang’s room and did not come out.

Many rumors spread throughout Padang about this incident.

Rumors that the God of Fortune had graced them with his presence and had all the Courtesans attend to him, or that a big shot from the Jianghu had visited and the Red Sky Tower had voluntarily closed for business, spread widely in Padang. However, the Red Sky Tower offered no explanation and kept its doors closed.

Finally, after three days had passed, the door to Seol-hyang’s room opened.

Seol-hyang stood behind Pyo Wol, combing his hair. She combed it with such care with a fine-toothed comb that her eyes were filled with tender affection.

Finally, after she finished arranging Pyo Wol’s hair, Seol-hyang carefully dressed him.

It was not the shabby clothes he had been wearing when he left the underground cavern.

It was an Arrow Garment that Seol-hyang had specially ordered from a renowned artisan in Padang.

The Arrow Garment was an attire mainly worn by warriors for hunting or war, but the one Seol-hyang had ordered had magnificent patterns embroidered in various places, giving it a dignified look.

The Arrow Garment fit Pyo Wol’s body perfectly.

Seol-hyang caressed the chest of Pyo Wol, who was dressed in the Arrow Garment. Her touch was filled with deep affection.

She asked cautiously.

“My lord, I will be able to see you again, won’t I?”

“If the opportunity arises…”

“I truly wish to serve you again. Please, do not forget this girl.”

“I won’t forget.”

At Pyo Wol’s calm words, a bright smile spread across Seol-hyang’s lips.

Though tears welled up in her eyes, she could smile because she had heard the words she wanted to hear.

Pyo Wol looked at her for a moment before turning away. Waiting for him outside was a middle-aged martial artist with a powerful impression and his subordinates.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

The middle-aged martial artist approached Pyo Wol.