"Oh? May I inquire as to what you find so regrettable?"
"…"
A viscous wave of murderous intent washed over me. For a moment, I felt as though my head had been severed. I slowly turned towards the voice, colder than a winter's snow.
Just then, clouds gathered, obscuring the sunlight.
I met Cheon Yeohwa's endlessly sunken eyes. Her crimson irises seemed to faintly glow.
The surrounding air instantly turned frigid. The sweat on my body rapidly cooled.
"Hyunwoo, I am asking you."
Cheon Yeohwa's fingertips drifted towards the sword hanging at her waist.
"What do you find so regrettable?"
"…Not being able to go to the market with you, Yeohwa?"
"Heh, that's a pleasant sound to hear."
A faint smile bloomed on Cheon Yeohwa's chilling expression, which had looked as though it could cut with a glance. But her eyes still didn't smile.
"However, it's the wrong answer."
Thwack!
Before I could even react, a blow struck my side, and I collapsed. I didn't even see her draw her sword from its scabbard, let alone which part of the blade struck me.
I was once again acutely aware of the difference in swordsmanship between Cheon Yeohwa and me. However, I wasn't able to remain conscious for long, as I soon passed out.
***
"Oh my, Miss Yeon-hee, you're back? But you're all sweaty…"
Bang! Jo Yeon-hee ignored the maids calling out to her and went straight into her room. She leaned against the door and slumped to the floor.
"Haa, haa, haa!"
Sweat trickled down her cheeks, soaking the floor, but Jo Yeon-hee was engrossed in touching her lips. Her face grew increasingly flushed with time.
Jo Yeon-hee recalled what had happened earlier.
As soon as she heard the news that there was a master of similar age to her who had reached the pinnacle, she evaded the maids' eyes from dawn and headed to the detached residence where the guests were staying.
She had never missed her dawn training until now, but today was an exception. Curiosity had overcome diligence.
Around dawn, at the training grounds of the detached residence, a man was engaged in physical training. He was shirtless.
-…Gulp.
Having trained in martial arts with other disciples of the sect since childhood, she had seen men shirtless hundreds of times.
But he was different somehow.
In fact, it wasn't easy for martial artists who trained under the scorching sun from a young age to be handsome.
In that respect, he was the most handsome martial artist she had ever met. He was on par with the well-bred sons of shipping agencies or merchant guilds.
His impression was slightly sharp, but even that looked good to her eyes. In addition, his skin was fair, and his overall proportions were good. He had a body well-suited for martial arts.
Of course, it wasn't just his appearance that caught her eye. To think that someone who looked four or five years younger than her had already reached the pinnacle?
Considering that her father, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Sect, had only just reached the entrance to the pinnacle, it was hard to believe.
For a while, she watched his training as if possessed. She knew that her actions were a grave offense against the principles of the martial world, but she couldn't take her eyes off him.
It was clearly just ordinary horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, and thrusts, but the more she watched, the more she felt drawn in.
From the sword moving along a fixed path, she could glimpse the fragments of talent he possessed. She could feel the gap between herself and him in the ordinary horizontal slash.
-How long are you going to keep peeking?
Perhaps because she had been staring too intently, she was quickly discovered. Her mouth went dry. Secretly observing someone else's training was a grave offense, and even if he requested a life-or-death duel, she would have to accept it.
The thought made her blood run cold.
But fortunately, he readily accepted her apology. Unlike his sharp impression, he was a generous person.
-Miss Jo.
And he smelled sweet. An indescribable scent emanated from him as he suddenly approached. It was a blissful scent that couldn't even be compared to unpleasant sweat. A scent that made her head spin just by smelling it.
His body, seen up close, was much better than she had thought. His firm abs and well-proportioned shoulders kept stealing her gaze. The scent emanating from him made her heart pound, and she felt as if her reason was paralyzed.
Even if he had forcibly embraced her, she wouldn't have been able to put up proper resistance. When he stole her first kiss, she hadn't resisted at all, but had unconsciously moved her tongue and even reciprocated.
"Hmph, eugh…♡"
Squish, squish♡
Jo Yeon-hee stroked her vulva as she recalled the moment when she had been embraced in Kang Hyunwoo's arms, overlapping her lips, sharing her tongue, and craving saliva. It was her first time masturbating.
To anyone's eyes, her self-pleasuring was clumsy. She didn't even attempt insertion and instead soothed herself by only rubbing her clitoris. Nevertheless, it was not enough to appease her heated body.
"Aah… Young Master… You mustn't…♡"
Jo Yeon-hee couldn't forget the sensation of her buttocks being fondled in Kang Hyunwoo's large grip.
She had never been interested in men, having only focused on training in martial arts, but from the moment she ran away from Kang Hyunwoo's embrace and arrived in her room, she couldn't forget Kang Hyunwoo for a single moment.
"Haaah…!!♡"
In the end, Jo Yeon-hee trembled as she experienced a light orgasm. She felt a sense of shame at the sight of herself, a courtesan-like figure soothing her vulva alone and recalling the touch of a strange man, but that didn't last long.
Jo Yeon-hee quickly immersed herself in self-pleasuring again. And she wondered.
If she hadn't run away when his hand touched her vulva, what would have happened to her?
A deep regret lingered on Jo Yeon-hee's face as she reminisced about the past that had already passed.
***
The day of departure for Jinhung Village finally arrived.
Departing from the Hundred Flowers Sect from early dawn, the investigation team crossed the forest southeast of Xi'an. As the entire investigation team was composed of martial artists, they ran without stopping, using their lightness skills.
They covered a distance that would normally take a day in half a day. That meant the schedule was tight.
For the record, I don't know how to use lightness skills. How can I use lightness skills when I haven't even mastered internal energy cultivation?
Instead, I strengthened my body with magical power and ran. That alone allowed me to move faster than most lightness skills, so there was no problem keeping up with the investigation team.
-Hyunwoo, from now on, run without using magical power.
-…
Of course, training didn't stop even during the move. Whenever the road became rough, Cheon Yeohwa used the walkie-talkie to tell me to refrain from using magical power. Thanks to that, my stamina improved day by day, but the other investigation team members looked at me with strange eyes.
They think I'm a master who has reached the pinnacle. How can such a master pant and wheeze after using lightness skills a little? It was an inconsistent situation, but no one dared to openly say anything to me.
[Remaining Matching Time: 77:27:52]
After much hardship and adversity, we were able to arrive at Jinhung Village. It would normally take three days to cover the distance, but we, who had run while using lightness skills, didn't even take a day.
Of course, as a result, there were members who fainted as soon as they arrived, retching. I wanted to collapse as well, but Cheon Yeohwa forcibly pulled me up.
She said that to survive in the martial world, which is ruled by the law of the jungle, you must never show weakness anytime, anywhere.
"Great Warrior Kang, can you come with us for a moment?"
The leader of the investigation team came to me.
"Where to?"
"We're going to pay our respects to the elders of the Mount Hua Sect."
Instantly, my brow furrowed.
"So what, you want me to pay my respects to the elders too?"
Although I participated in the investigation team at the request of the Hundred Flowers Sect, that didn't mean I would become a subordinate of the Mount Hua Sect like the Hundred Flowers Sect.
"N-No, that's not it. I'm the only one who will be paying my respects to the elders, and you're just going to hear about the plans for the upcoming ancient site exploration."
The investigation team leader waved his hands urgently at my distorted face. I was annoyed, but there was no harm in hearing the plans, so I followed the investigation team leader towards the Mount Hua Sect side.
I left Cheon Yeohwa to rest in the tent. Others may not know, but I could see Cheon Yeohwa's condition. The traces of sweat were clearly visible on her forehead and around her cheeks, which had never sweated before.
It was only natural that Cheon Yeohwa, who had not completely detoxified the poison, would have her condition worsen due to the arduous march.
"Here it is."
Following the investigation team leader, I entered a fairly large tent. Inside were an old man with a white beard that reached his sternum and middle-aged men who looked like thugs. For a moment, I thought it was a group of thugs rather than the Mount Hua Sect.
The investigation team leader politely clasped his hands towards them.
"I am Mak Yong-myeong, the leader of the Hundred Flowers Guard (白花團主) of the Hundred Flowers Sect and the leader of this investigation team. We have just arrived in response to the Mount Hua Sect's request for support."
"I am Hyeon-jin (玄鎭), the 6th elder of the Mount Hua Sect. Thank you for your hard work in coming so quickly."
"It's nothing."
The white-bearded old man stroked his chin with a friendly smile. He reminded me of the Shih Tzu that the old man in my neighborhood used to raise.
"But… who is this young warrior?"
A faint bewilderment flickered in the old man's eyes as he scanned me. Even though I was suppressing my magical power, he seemed to have roughly grasped my level.
"Ah, he is a guest of our Hundred Flowers Sect. He has readily agreed to participate in this investigation team at our request."
"…I am Kang Hyunwoo."
"Ho-oh…"
When I clasped my hands appropriately, the old man stroked his chin and marveled.
"How old are you?"
"I am 21 years old this year."
As a kind young man who knew how to respect the elderly, I couldn't bring myself to speak informally to an old man who looked like he would die a natural death if you poked him.
"Hmph…?! Are you saying that you have reached that realm at the young age of twenty?!"
"Yes, well… I guess so?"
"Primordial Celestial Venerable, Primordial Celestial Venerable… This is truly a blessing for the martial world…"
Ignoring the old man who was overreacting on his own, I looked around at the gazes I had been feeling since earlier. As expected, they were all middle-aged men.
'Didn't the owner of the fabric store say something about the Five Flowers of the Martial World a long time ago?'
In ordinary martial arts novels, it was only natural for beautiful women to appear from the Mount Hua Sect, like phoenixes or the Five Flowers of the Martial World, but it seemed that this world was not like that.
Suddenly, I felt unpleasant. Being among smelly middle-aged men made me feel unwell.
'…Let's just get out of here.'
I can ask the investigation team leader about the ancient site exploration plan later. To relieve this feeling, I need to bury my head in Cheon Yeohwa's large breasts.
I roughly excused myself to the investigation team leader, saying that I felt unwell, and left the tent. Of course, the middle-aged men inside glared at me with unpleasant eyes, but I didn't care.
"First, let's eat with Yeohwa and then have sex until they call me…"
"Miss!"
My brow furrowed involuntarily at the greasy voice that only made me feel worse. I wanted to ignore it, but the fact that the voice was coming from the direction of the tent where Cheon Yeohwa was was a problem I couldn't ignore.
I hurried towards the tent, and a very unpleasant sight unfolded before my eyes. A man was kneeling on one knee towards Cheon Yeohwa.
"Miss, who is as beautiful as a scattering plum blossom! Won't you grant me the honor of knowing your name?"
At the greasy words that seemed to defile my ears, magical power sparked like lightning and surged, and with a strange deja vu that made me feel bad, the Black Blood Demon Sword was suddenly in my hand.
The Mad Demon Sword spat out sword qi.