Chapter 290. I Am the Lecher.

In truth, the poem I recited was not heard only by us.

It was heard in the house ahead and in the house next door. Because I had recited it imbued with subtle internal energy. Of course, if the contents of the poem spread far and wide, Dongho’s Greatest Beauty, Mok Ayeon, would be put in a difficult position, but that was none of my concern.

Still, perhaps because the person in question was in quite a bind, her face flushed from drinking as she squeezed out more tears.

There are times when crying is unsightly to behold, and now was one such time. I stared blankly at the weeping Mok Ayeon and spoke.

“You really are ugly when you cry.”

Gwima suddenly burst into laughter before covering his mouth with his hand. Could the word ‘ugly’ really be that amusing?

I chewed on a strip of jerky while roasting Mok Ayeon.

“It is said that long ago, Xishi was beautiful even when she frowned from a stomachache, but you are not at that level. Seeing you wield tears like a weapon is disgustingly unsightly. Stop crying.”

“…….”

I coolly drank the iced wine made by lightly freezing the liquor Saekma had brought, then pondered for a moment. With my hands clasped behind my back, I walked to the center of the street and paced this way and that, calmly sorting out my thoughts.

Whenever I glanced toward the inn, I could see the Four Great Evils drinking and Mok Ayeon, who had ceased her crying.

Gwima asked me,

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

I pointed at Mok Ayeon with my finger.

“This honey trap is a layered sowing of discord.”

Geomma spoke as if curious.

“What is layered about it?”

“If I follow Mok Ayeon and board the boat, I will be attacked. If I see through the honey trap and torment Mok Ayeon, I will be condemned. This is the first layer.”

I presented my next speculation.

“If these two fail, Dongho’s Greatest Sword might instead kill Mok Ayeon and pin the crime on me. Every man in Dongho who can hold a sword will rush at me. Look at the situation. We are detaining her, after all. If his forces barge in as things stand and kill Mok Ayeon, it will most certainly be taken as my doing. Rumors of Mok Ayeon’s beauty have spread as far as Baek-eungji, so if that happens, not only Dongho but the lechers of the gangho will condemn me. Ridiculously enough, that lecher over there will be the first to resent me. Isn’t that right?”

Saekma answered.

“Are you saying we should release her?”

I looked at Mok Ayeon.

“If we send her off like this, she will most likely be kidnapped. The culprit would end up being the Haomun Sect Leader. Or rumors might spread that Young Lord Mong, who is with us, ravished and harmed her. Right now it is merely a nickname I playfully attached, but if that happens, you will officially become a lecher. If you are branded a real lecher in the gangho, you will not even be able to exchange greetings with beauties henceforth. Am I wrong?”

Saekma looked at me with a surprised expression. To stop Saekma from acting like a lecher, I had no choice but to warn him that he could become one.

I fixed my gaze on Mok Ayeon.

“Miss Mok, there is now a high chance that you will die at the hands of Dongho’s Greatest Sword. So that the crime can be pinned on us four. What do you think?”

Mok Ayeon looked at me.

“……Surely that cannot be.”

I nodded.

“Yes. That is why you cannot act cocky just because you trust your face. You are not the greatest beauty under heaven. You are not Xishi. Unless you are a beauty who can topple nations, Dongho’s Greatest Sword will not abandon Dongho. It was quite a fierce gambit, but it is also merely a disposable stone. If you do not speak the truth, I cannot help you. Undo her Gyeongjeonghyeol.”

When Saekma released her acupoint and even touched her shoulder, Mok Ayeon slapped away his hand.

Saekma said,

“I am clumsy at acupoint sealing.”

Mok Ayeon replied,

“It is all undone.”

“I did not know.”

Mok Ayeon asked me,

“What should I do? Are the Sect Leader’s words true?”

“Whether they are true or not is not the important thing. Once you are entangled in gangho affairs, letting your guard down means ascending to heaven. That is the law. You are no exception. Dongho’s Greatest Sword, where is he? I need to stop his mastermind games. Only then will many people not be toyed with. I shall consider your situation depending on your answer.”

Truthfully, I did not hold high expectations for Mok Ayeon. If she knew the location of Dongho’s Greatest Sword, it meant she truly was his concubine, and if she did not know, she was merely a woman sacrificed to the honey trap under coercion.

In fact, I was asking because I did not know that myself.

Mok Ayeon answered.

“It may be difficult to believe, but I do not know. It is precisely because no one knows that people fear him.”

About to say something to Mok Ayeon, I looked to the right.

A man who seemed familiar was approaching with his subordinates.

Where had I seen that man before?

The man smiled the instant he spotted me and called out in an extremely friendly tone.

“Sect Leader, have you been well?”

To the question of the man who had brought roughly thirty men with him, I could not remember and answered roughly.

“What brings you here?”

The man who approached close spoke with a disappointed expression.

“It is me.”

“I know.”

“Then who am I?”

“What does this fellow take me for. Tch.”

I noticed that the bravado in the expression of the man before me was tremendous. Running through the list of people with bluster, I spoke.

“It has been quite some time.”

“Do you remember now?”

“I knew the moment I laid eyes on you. The Righteous Guest of Jinmokhyeon, the Leader of the Daeeo Group, my comrade of the wilderness, is it not?”

He had originally been a prisoner of the Haomun Sect, but since he had brought subordinates along, I omitted that fact. At any rate, Hwang Gao, the Leader of the Daeeo Group who had beaten the demonic Jamunhonggwi together with us last time, had arrived.

Hwang Gao said with a smile,

“What else would I have come for? Hearing news of the Sect Leader, I selected only the elite and rushed here at once.”

It was an unexpected visit, so I was flustered as well.

The martial artists of the Daeeo Group all took cupped-fist salutes toward me at once.

“We greet the Haomun Sect Leader.”

I returned the greeting simply, then folded my arms and looked at the Four Great Evils, then at Hwang Gao.

“So, Leader Hwang, did you come to help?”

“Hearing that you would fight Dongho’s Greatest Sword, as expected of the Sect Leader. You are incredible. I simply could not sit still, so I rushed here. Where are the Haomun martial artists? If you are to fight Dongho’s Greatest Sword, you must have mobilized your entire force.”

I scratched my cheek and answered.

“Mmm, they are already scattered here and there.”

“I see. If there is anything in which I may assist, please tell me anytime.”

I approached Mok Ayeon, lowered her veil, and then called for Leader Hwang.

“Leader Hwang.”

“Yes.”

“This is a woman called Mok Ayeon, Dongho’s Greatest Beauty, who was used in a honey trap. The situation is somewhat complicated. If Mok Ayeon falls, I will be forced to bear the crime. Escort her and see her safely home for now. My honor is at stake, so it is no easy task. Can you do it?”

Hwang Gao nodded and looked at Mok Ayeon.

“Miss Mok, let us go. The Sect Leader has issued orders to see you safely home.”

I looked at Hwang Gao.

“By the way, Leader Hwang, this is a dangerous place, yet you came running all the way here. I didn’t know you had such loyalty in you. I misjudged you.”

Hwang Gao smiled.

“For some reason, I wanted to come.”

I nodded.

“Many experts may appear. Fighting is important, but helping the people who get caught up in this fight and suffer harm is important, too. You’re a righteous hero of Jinmok County, after all.”

Understanding what I meant, Hwang Gao nodded.

“I’ll be careful as well.”

I looked at Mok Aeon.

“Go with him. I didn’t disregard you simply because you’re a woman. When men like us fight, there’s no need for a honey trap. Don’t ever get involved in something like this again.”

Mok Aeon walked into the ranks of the Daeo Gang, then turned around and stared silently at me.

I bade farewell to Mok Aeon in an indifferent tone.

“Miss Mok.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t use that pretty face of yours to swindle people ever again. You’re no different from that Evil Path bastard. If I catch you again, I’ll make sure you can never live as a beauty again. That is my promise.”

“Sect Leader.”

“Shut that ugly mouth of yours and disappear.”

Hwang Gao said to Mok Aeon,

“Miss Mok, don’t say anything unnecessary. Let’s go.”

Mok Aeon soon disappeared from the street with the Daeo Gang.

Once Mok Aeon was gone, the Lust Demon asked me,

“Is that man really a righteous hero? I’m worried.”

“The look in your eyes worries me more.”

The Ghost Demon also tilted his head.

“How strange. Leader Hwang doesn’t look like a righteous hero at all.”

“Don’t judge people by their faces, you ugly bastard.”

“Pick one.”

Strangely enough, the inn we had occupied had already become my forward base. This time, the next person with a report strode over and spoke to me in a casual tone.

“Sect Leader, you must be busy. It’s been a while.”

I looked the young man in ordinary clothes up and down.

‘Wow, this is driving me mad. I’ve seen this man somewhere, too…’

Whether I recognized him or not, the man started with the important report.

“…As soon as a dozen or so boats arrived at the northwestern dock, troops poured out and are forming ranks. I asked the people nearby, and they said those boats belong to the river pirates who originally operated there. They’re probably under the foremost man of the Evil Path, and the leader of the Waterway Stronghold should be there.”

“About how many got off each boat?”

“Twenty or thirty.”

That meant two to three hundred river pirates would soon come pouring in.

“Quite a lot.”

“That’s not all. Jianghu people whose identities we can’t determine are also gathering in Dongho one after another. We can’t distinguish friend from foe at all, so we’re having a lot of trouble as well. We can’t tell whether they’re Haomun or subordinates of the foremost man of the Evil Path. We’ll probably only be able to tell friend from foe after the confrontation begins. It’s turning into a rather strange battlefield.”

It seemed Dongho was gradually becoming a complete mess.

I asked,

“That must be because I’m strange. In any case, if we fight like this, the damage to the surroundings will be great. What should we do?”

“That’s what we’re worried about, too. That’s why the foremost man of the Evil Path has always had the advantage. He’s a shameless bastard capable of taking all of Dongho hostage.”

Only then did I remember that this man had come from the Martial Alliance, and that he was Dan Hyeoksan of the Seven Swords Unit, whom I had seen before.

“Warrior Dan, have you been promoted recently?”

Dan Hyeoksan grinned and shook his head.

“It isn’t a promotion. I volunteered for the Dongho Special Operations Unit and have been staying here.”

“Dongho Special Operations Unit?”

“Yes. Since your skills surpass ours, Sect Leader, we’ve been focusing on gathering information rather than the escort mission we were originally given. For now, I’ll go inform my comrades that the boats have arrived.”

Dan Hyeoksan held out a small Martial Alliance signal flare to me.

“Sect Leader, set this off in the air when there’s an emergency. We’ll judge it as an urgent situation and all gather without fail.”

I took the signal flare and nodded.

“Warrior Dan, keep up the good work.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

The Sword Demon rose and said,

“The Alliance Leader sent support. We’ve filled our bellies, so let’s go. We may not be able to return here, so pack some more jerky.”

The Lust Demon answered,

“Understood.”

The Ghost Demon said,

“Two hundred men coming here to die. I can’t understand what they’re thinking.”

The Sword Demon replied,

“It’s because our infamy still hasn’t reached that Evil Path bastard.”

I waited for the Lust Demon to come out with the jerky, then we broke through the night streets and headed for the dock.

It seemed better to make the deserted dock our front line than to fight in a place where many people made their living.

Once there were more than two hundred of them, it would be hard to talk them down. If they really were river pirates, there was no need to spare them either.

The northwestern dock was not very far, so we abruptly encountered the group of river pirates trying to enter the busy streets in an empty place.

As the four of us blocked the troops in a rather dark area,

a solemn voice flowed out from among the river pirates.

“Out of the way, you trash.”

There were far too many troops, so under cover of darkness, I said to the Lust Demon,

“…Hmm. Haomun Sect Leader, what will you do?”

“…What?”

The Lust Demon looked at me, but perhaps because he was so flustered, he couldn’t immediately continue. In the meantime, a brief silence fell, and then the river pirates drew their weapons and charged all at once with a roar.

As expected, they were indeed here to kill me. But there were far too many of them, so I strategically stepped backward.

“Wow, damn.”

The vanguard charged bravely as if they had become a spear, rushing all at once toward the Lust Demon.

“Wait a moment!”

Before the Lust Demon could say anything more, he swung both palms, and a thunderous roar soon erupted as part of the vanguard was sent flying like scarecrows caught in a storm.

Kwwaaaaaaang!

I stepped back and let out a brief sigh of relief.

“Phew.”

In an instant, the Lust Demon fiercely swung both palms while spewing curses, and the Sword Demon and Ghost Demon also drew their swords and began killing the river pirates.

“What a mess, what a shitshow, squid, damn it all.”

Why was everyone so desperate to kill me?

I left the river pirates to the three of them for a moment and looked around to see where the enemy leader was. Perhaps they had been given strict orders to kill only the Haomun Sect Leader, because a large number of river pirates surrounded the Lust Demon completely and attacked him, while the Sword Demon and Ghost Demon, on the contrary, fought with ease without being trapped in the encirclement.

The Lecherous Demon was rampaging like a wild beast, bellowing something impossible to make out.

He wasn’t some third-rate fool who would die in a place like this, so I wasn’t worried.

I moved this way and that, twisted and snapped the arm of some unlucky bastard who came at me, then grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him at a man standing still, just like me.

A man watching the troops fight from a short distance away saw the river bandit flying through the air and drew the blade at his waist.

Pwaak!

As the corpse split in midair and sprayed blood while separating left and right, the leader, now drenched in blood, glared at me.

“Are you the Hao Sect Leader?”

I wrapped both hands in the Moon Shadow Heartless Art and answered in a solemn tone.

“I am the Lecherous Demon of Baekeungji.”

From somewhere in the midst of the fighting, the Lecherous Demon shouted at the top of his lungs.

“I’m the Lecherous Demon. Me!”

It was truly an astonishing confession beneath the moonlight, so an exclamation escaped me on its own.

“Wow.”