Episode 659: Let Go.
Bihyeonhwa.
Her realm is somewhere between Peak and Perfected Peak.
She is classified as a Dark Guest, but her proficiency in assassination is on the lower side.
Separate from that, her success rate is quite high, but unless the situation called for it, she never took on those kinds of missions.
What she was primarily tasked with was mostly information gathering.
As a woman called the Hidden Flower of the Murim Alliance, Bihyeonhwa possessed a beautiful appearance.
Knowing this very well herself, she was someone who utilized her beauty to execute honey traps.
"Are you okay...? I'm so sorry..."
With eyes full of moisture, she carefully inspected if he was really hurt anywhere.
I quietly watched her act.
'So that's what she was doing.'
I had sensed her approaching a while ago.
I also knew she had intentionally bumped into me.
I just went along with it once to see what she was trying to pull.
'I didn't expect her to pull this.'
Bihyeonhwa is so fragrant that anyone who smells her scent is bound to be bewitched by her.
That was the famous saying spread throughout the Central Plains.
'Tsk.'
It was too nauseating to be called fragrant.
She had applied so much powder that just smelling it made my stomach churn.
However, I had to try not to show it.
"How should I compensate for this... Aah..."
Bihyeonhwa pressed her body against him with a sticky, sweet voice.
Her chest brushed against him slightly.
I looked down at Bihyeonhwa.
What a seductive face. It's true that she's beautiful enough to be called the Flower of the Murim Alliance, but.
'Fucking bitch.'
That was the extent of my impression.
At this point, knowing Bihyeonhwa's true nature, she was nothing more or less than a stone to me.
-You trash-like bastard, how dare you look at me with those eyes?
It flashed through my mind.
This crazy bitch used to pick fights with me at the slightest provocation.
-Do you think someone like you can covet me? Hmph. Know your place... Don't get in my sight, I don't even want to breathe the same air as you.
I never coveted her. I wasn't interested in the first place.
I might have looked at her occasionally because she was somewhat pretty, but I felt nothing beyond that.
At that time, the title of the Flower of the Murim Alliance was closer to an empty name anyway.
'Because... she was in the Alliance.'
Sogeomseong Wi Seol-a.
Ever since she joined the Murim Alliance, the Flower of the Alliance belonged to Wi Seol-a.
A flower that withers after blooming.
That was how I saw Bihyeonhwa. A flower that began to harbor poison because she couldn't accept her own status.
Would it be any different now?
I quietly stared at Bihyeonhwa.
Her voluptuous cleavage and seductive gaze were directed at me.
Seeing that, I thought.
'Should I kill her?'
It's annoying, should I just kill her?
Such a thought crossed my mind, but.
'Not yet.'
Not yet. So I decided to endure it.
I smirked and said to Bihyeonhwa.
"I am fine. I hope you are not hurt anywhere, Miss."
"Ah, yes...!"
At my words, Bihyeonhwa smiled seductively.
Usually, when I smile, most people flinch, but as someone well-versed in this field, she showed no reaction.
It's funny that I'm judging her based on this.
'I guess I left quite an impression on her.'
Bihyeonhwa is not someone who can be moved easily.
She is a woman only deployed for highly important missions, and the fact that such a woman came all the way here means.
'Did Beomdong take notice of me?'
It means that the Azure Dragon Corps Leader, that old man, specifically pointed me out.
'That's really fast.'
The fact that she approached me as soon as I entered the streets. This means Beomdong sent Bihyeonhwa as soon as he returned.
It's no different from her having been waiting on the street.
'I should suppress my qi sense.'
I thought about slightly expanding my qi sense, but I had to hold back on this too.
'It would be troublesome if I get caught expanding it.'
The probability of someone nearby being able to detect my qi sense is very low.
But there was no telling what could happen.
'If it's Beomdong, he might be lying in ambush nearby.'
If it's someone of his caliber, he would be able to notice even the slightest trace, so I had to be careful right now.
'He sent Bihyeonhwa in that short amount of time. He could be lying in ambush somewhere... Or.'
I also kept in mind the possibility that he didn't approach at all, in case I might notice him.
'Now, then.'
I thought as I met Bihyeonhwa's eyes.
'How should I play with her.'
How should I use this bitch.
Recalling this, I slightly distanced myself.
"Since we both seem fine, I will take my leave now. I wish you peace, Miss."
I intentionally created distance. At this, Bihyeonhwa slightly widened her eyes in surprise.
That's probably an act too.
I don't know much about Bihyeonhwa, but I have a rough idea of how she approaches her targets.
She has a loose mouth for a woman of her reputation and is quite low-class, so she had boasted about a few things herself.
Step.
Just as I was about to walk away without any lingering attachment.
Swish!
I felt a hand grab my collar.
"E-Excuse me!"
I turned around at the voice.
Red ears and a flushed face. She looked like she was going crazy from embarrassment.
It was an appearance adjusted using inner qi.
If I had no resistance to beauty and didn't know these facts, my heart would have probably skipped a beat.
"I'm really... so sorry, but... C-could I perhaps... buy you a cup of tea...?"
Hearing those words, I suppressed the corners of my mouth that were about to curl up.
What a relief.
Her method was exactly the same, which was truly a relief.
I was actually lacking a little something, to begin with.
"Then, I shall."
A very good 'bait' had appeared on its own two feet.
******************
Recently, a famous inn had emerged in Henan.
It was a place visited recently by the daughters of prestigious families and wealthy noblewomen, as not only the food and liquor, but the atmosphere itself was pretty, and the food was beautiful.
A building that had erased the typically rustic atmosphere of an inn.
Flowers were planted to decorate the ground, the interior was delicately furnished, and a pleasant scent could be smelled.
I heard it was an inn created by the Baekhwa Merchant Group.
Contrary to the saying that this kind of atmosphere wouldn't succeed, women who heard the rumors came from far away, filling the inn to the brim.
In one corner of such an inn.
A man and a woman sat at a seat with a good view of the outside.
The guests inside the inn kept glancing at the pair.
The woman was surprisingly beautiful and captivating.
The young man sitting across from her was surprisingly....
'Scary...?'
'He looks scary.'
'But why is a woman like that with him...??'
It was because he looked sharp and intimidating.
The young man had an appearance that completely didn't suit such a pretty woman, but.
The woman continued the conversation as if that didn't matter.
"My, really?"
The woman, Bihyeonhwa, continued the conversation with her characteristic pretty smile.
"So you will be taking over that sect?"
"Roughly, yes."
"That's really amazing...!"
The young man took a sip of tea and continued to answer in a dry tone.
Bihyeonhwa, dealing with the young man, maintained an attitude of attentive listening.
However.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Her thoughts rising behind her pretty smile were quite the opposite.
Bihyeonhwa continued the conversation with a smile, but she couldn't erase the sense of alienation she felt.
Hehe.
She let out a laugh.
The young man also didn't avoid her gaze.
But.
'Why does it seem like he's not bewitched?'
Bihyeonhwa smiled with her eyes and observed the young man beyond it.
Black from head to toe.
Loosely tied hair and a black martial arts uniform, and while his pale skin for a man was impressive, his eyes were exceedingly sharp.
His age seemed to be just past twenty, according to the information.
'What kind of man is he?'
Usually, men of that age group lose their minds and become bewitched just by her smiling at them.
If one were to ask if it's different because they are older, even that is not the case.
All men simply end up beneath her feet.
'Something's weird.'
Bihyeonhwa had to secretly hide her annoyance at the aura she was feeling.
"Then, what brings you to Henan?"
"I heard there's a martial arts tournament, so I came to check it out."
"Ah."
The conversation was certainly continuing.
It was mostly Bihyeonhwa initiating the conversation and the young man answering, though.
"Then, are you participating in the tournament to revive your sect?"
"Well, yes."
"My, that's truly amazing."
She kept talking to prevent the conversation from cutting off, but that was it.
She was making eye contact, smiling, and subtly showing off her figure.
The young man's gaze didn't change.
He wasn't avoiding her eyes, and he was speaking properly. But his eyes were telling her.
He didn't show a single trace of emotion while looking at Bihyeonhwa.
Anyone could see it. That he had no interest in her.
'Is he perhaps impotent?'
If things were that bad, even such a thought crossed her mind.
If that wasn't the case, the situation made no sense.
'...A man has no interest in me?'
Crunch.
Bihyeonhwa clenched her fist under the unseen table.
'That can't be.'
She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be.
Who was she?
'I am the fairest beauty in Henan.'
The Flower of the Murim Alliance, and perhaps the one who would be called the Fairest Beauty in the Central Plains once she left Henan, was herself.
Look right now.
The men visible outside the window were glancing at her.
The desire seeping from their eyes.
Bihyeonhwa knew it all too well.
She was delighted by that vulgar desire. Because it existed, she could play with men.
However.
The man in front of her was different.
'The Azure Dragon Corps Leader told me to be careful, so was this why?'
The martial arts tournament was just around the corner, and Bihyeonhwa was on standby. She was thinking of getting some proper rest and secretly playing with some high-quality men.
[A mission has been assigned.]
A mission came down to Bihyeonhwa, who was staying at the Alliance, early in the morning.
It was none other than the Azure Dragon Corps Leader who personally gave the mission.
It was to stick to an unidentified master who appeared in Henan and extract information.
Just as she was about to refuse, saying it was annoying, she saw the information she received and became interested.
'The age is between twenty and thirty. But the realm is ridiculously high.'
It was assumed he wasn't wearing a disguise mask, meaning he reached the level of a master at a young age.
There was even a warning to be extra careful.
A young supreme master... How could she not be interested?
'If it's not just a mission, wouldn't my life bloom if I just catch him?'
Even if he's a master, he's still a man.
He would obviously lose his mind to her, so she thought she might seduce him if he was decent, using the mission as an excuse.
'He's an annoying guy.'
The man she met based on his description was a weirdo, contrary to Bihyeonhwa's expectations.
'They said he was a master, but I don't feel anything.'
Contrary to the warning to be careful, she couldn't feel the aura that masters possess.
Absolutely nothing, not even a sliver of energy could be felt.
'...Isn't something wrong?'
At the very least, she could feel a unique aura from the Divine Dragon, the youngest to reach the Transformation Realm, as well as from the late geniuses of prestigious families.
This man had nothing.
Just nothingness (無).
To the point of being no different from an ordinary person, so why did the Azure Dragon Corps Leader request such caution?
'Also, he's not from a prestigious family, but the sole successor of a small sect.'
The successor of a sect called Pacheonmun, which she had never heard of.
He said he came to make his presence known, using the martial arts tournament as an opportunity.
His name was Pajeolyeop, if she recalled correctly.
She had truly never heard of him even once until now.
If he was a strong enough master for the Azure Dragon Corps Leader to warn her about, she should have at least heard his name.
The fact that she hadn't... usually led to one conclusion.
'Did he spout lies to me?'
It was a suspicion, but also a conviction.
Bihyeonhwa realized through their not-so-long conversation that the man was spouting lies to her.
'Look at him, he does have something to hide.'
It wasn't a very surprising thing. How many people in the Central Plains had no secrets? Bihyeonhwa was certain there wasn't a single one.
Besides, finding out such information was her role.
'Yes, keep up that pride. Let's see how long you last.'
Even if it wasn't Bihyeonhwa, the Intelligence Department would have moved anyway.
They would find out information about the man within a day at the very least.
What she had to do within that time was...
'Extract unknown information, and seduce him to lay him beneath me.'
It was what Bihyeonhwa did better than anyone else.
There had been men before who flaunted their pride like this, but they were always busy falling into her skirt hem in the end.
This time would be no different.
Bihyeonhwa was certain of that.
"Excuse me... Young Master Pa."
At Bihyeonhwa's call, the man shifted his gaze.
He looked utterly insolent.
To show such an attitude to her, her stomach twisted for a moment, but Bihyeonhwa recalled her professionalism and endured it.
"We... seem to have talked a lot, but..."
"I don't think we've even exchanged ten sentences. How is that a lot?"
'That's because you speak like shit, you bastard.'
Bihyeonhwa barely tied down the words threatening to burst out.
Endure it.
I must endure it.
'Anyway, once the board is set, he'll be smiling like an idiot.'
Even if he acts tough like that, all men are the same.
Once their skin touches, he'll break down with a sloppy grin.
If it were a normal mission, she wouldn't use this method, but...
'If the Azure Dragon Corps Leader's words are true, he's an incredible man regardless, right?'
The words that he was a master at such a young age.
That alone was enough to pique Bihyeonhwa's interest.
'The Divine Dragon is a monk, so he was impossible. But this one, I could swallow up whole.'
The Divine Dragon, called the next greatest under the heavens and the one to lead the Central Plains.
He is protected by Shaolin, so he's out of the question.
But this man wasn't. So, staking a claim, whatever he was, wouldn't be a bad idea.
Thinking that, Bihyeonhwa moved her body.
She slowly slid over to sit next to the man called Pajeolyeop.
"You know... Young Master Pa..."
She called out to him with a sticky, sweet voice.
Calling him, she traced her fingertips up his forearm. Sweeping upward at a distance that seemed like it would touch but didn't.
After that, she pressed her body against him.
As she pressed her chest against the man's arm, his eyebrows twitched.
Seeing that, Bihyeonhwa grew a bit bolder.
"Rather than talking in a place like this... shouldn't we go somewhere a little quieter...?"
"Somewhere quiet. Where?"
She moved the hand that was sweeping his arm.
Bihyeonhwa's hand slowly headed toward the man's chest.
Just as her sticky touch was about to sweep his upper body.
Squeeze.
Pajeolyeop grabbed Bihyeonhwa's wrist.
It was a rough movement. Feeling this, Bihyeonhwa smiled.
Got him. She thought.
Sure enough.
"...Ah, it's going to be harder to hold back like this."
The man spoke as if he was already half-bewitched.
Did he actually succumb earlier than she worried?
'Men really are all the same.'
Bihyeonhwa smiled with conviction.
So she probably didn't see it.
Pajeolyeop's eyes growing colder and colder.
Like that, just as Bihyeonhwa had, Pajeolyeop's hand was about to move toward her.
Flinch.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Pajeolyeop stopped his hand, let out a sound, and looked somewhere with wide eyes.
Outside the window.
"Young Master Pa...?"
As Bihyeonhwa was about to react to that.
Saaaaah-!
"...!!"
Bihyeonhwa's body suddenly froze.
"Gasp..."
She couldn't even scream.
She hadn't been acupointed or subdued.
Roll.
A drop of sweat rolled down Bihyeonhwa's forehead.
'This is... This is...'
She rolled her trembling eyes around.
She couldn't see anything around her, but she knew instinctively.
Sreung.
A blade was resting against her throat.
There was nothing there, but it was definitely there. She didn't know what contradictory statement this was.
But reality was just that.
It wasn't just her throat.
Sharp sword tips from all directions were aiming at Bihyeonhwa.
The scent of death brushed the tip of her nose.
Just as Bihyeonhwa swallowed dry saliva with a trembling body.
Creak.
The door of the inn opened, and someone entered.
Following this, Pajeolyeop's gaze also moved.
"Welco—gulp...!?"
A well-dressed waiter tried to greet them, but stiffened when he saw the guests.
The person who entered was a woman.
The woman looked around the interior of the inn, her long hair swaying.
Jewel-like eyes scanned the surroundings.
At her gaze, the previously buzzing sounds quietly died down.
Was it an illusion?
The moment the woman entered, it felt as if a subtle flower scent had mixed into the inn.
"Oh my..."
"How... can she be so...!"
Those who saw the woman held their breaths and let out exclamations of admiration.
A flower in full bloom was right there.
When expressing a human as a flower, would there be another who fits it as perfectly as her?
The woman was exactly such an existence.
Not only the guests inside, but even passersby all looked at the woman.
Even the gazes that were focused on Bihyeonhwa were all swept away at once.
Just from her entrance alone.
"..."
Piercing through the gazes full of admiration, the woman slowly shifted her gaze.
Her moving eyes soon headed in one direction.
The woman met Bihyeonhwa's eyes.
A sight of her pressed closely against a young man.
Seeing that, the woman's brows furrowed beautifully.
Step.
The woman took a step forward.
As she did, the flower scent grew a bit stronger.
Light and swaying steps, yet without any wobbling.
The woman slowly walked and approached Bihyeonhwa.
'Who is she...?'
Bihyeonhwa was flustered as she saw the woman approaching.
The current situation was already fluster-worthy, but the woman's very appearance was a problem for Bihyeonhwa.
'How... is she so pretty?'
It was a word she had never dared to think of in her head.
Bihyeonhwa's stomach twisted and strength entered her eyes. She didn't want to admit it. But the moment she saw her, she had to admit it.
Halt.
"..."
The woman finally came in front of Bihyeonhwa.
With pretty eyes, she looked her up and down, and then the woman said to Bihyeonhwa.
"Let go."
"...Yes?"
When Bihyeonhwa answered with doubt, the woman's eyes turned cold.
Shiver--!!
In an instant, at the killing intent engulfing her entire body, Bihyeonhwa's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Gasp...!"
Out of fear, Bihyeonhwa groaned softly, but the woman simply continued speaking as if she didn't care about such things.
"I'll say it again."
Golden hair swayed.
Golden eyes containing killing intent struck Bihyeonhwa down.
Just as her presence slowly began to devour Bihyeonhwa, the woman, Wi Seol-a, said to Bihyeonhwa.
"Let go."
Before I kill you.
Wi Seol-a's eyes were clearly saying just that.