Book 23 Chapter 10

Ryu Eun-kyung finally meets Namgung Sang after many twists and turns.

—Namgung Sang, a hair's breadth from danger!

"Um… May I ask you a question…?"

After waiting for a long time, the silver-haired boy finally managed to speak to Na Yerim and Yeonbi. The atmosphere had been completely unsuitable for conversation for a while. Then, as the mood finally seemed to calm down, he mustered up the courage to speak.

"Ask away."

Yeonbi replied.

"Do you happen to know who the person who just helped me was?"

The silver-haired boy's question was a bit unexpected.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Since that person helped me, I wanted to thank them later. I was too flustered to even say hello…"

"Heh heh, you're a strange person to ask us that after seeing what just happened. Or are you naive? Or just dense?"

Regardless, it was certainly an unexpected reaction.

"That person… is my lion."

The one who answered was Na Yerim, who was still silently gazing in the direction the spirit had disappeared.

"You mean that person wasn't…"

But Ryu Eun-kyung couldn't finish her sentence.

"No. That person is undoubtedly my lion. I will prove that this is the only truth in this world soon."

Na Yerim said in a resolute tone.

"Um… Is it rude to ask just one more thing?"

Ryu Eun-kyung asked hesitantly.

"What is it this time?"

Yeonbi asked. The silver-haired boy hesitated before speaking.

"Um… Who are you two?"

Come to think of it, they were three people who hadn't even introduced themselves yet.

"We're just two people passing by."

Yeonbi replied with a smile. She felt like she should introduce herself first. The silver-haired boy quickly bowed and said,

"Excuse me. I am Ryu Eun-ryong from Hubei. What are your honorable names, young ladies?"

Yeonbi couldn't help but chuckle at his awkward speech.

"Hahahaha!"

As Yeonbi burst into laughter, holding her stomach, Na Yerim smiled a strange smile, looking embarrassed. The boy's face turned red in an instant.

"Um… why are you laughing, young lady?"

Yeonbi finally calmed down after laughing for a long time. Then she asked directly,

"You're actually a woman, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

The silver-haired boy's eyes widened like saucers.

"You're a woman, right?"

Yeonbi pressed again with a strong tone.

"Th-that is…"

Seeing how noticeably flustered he was, Yeonbi chuckled.

"There's no need to hide it between women, is there? Tell me honestly. You're a woman, right?"

Under Yeonbi's resolute attitude, the silver-haired boy had no choice but to nod.

"Yes… no, that's right."

By then, his voice had returned from an awkward boy's voice to that of a young girl.

"Yeonbi was right."

When Na Yerim admitted it readily, Yeonbi gave her a thumbs-up. She seemed to have recovered from the shock a little.

"Then, what is your young lady's real name?"

"It's nice to meet you. I am Ryu Eun-kyung from Seryubo."

"Have you heard of it?"

Yeonbi asked, looking at Na Yerim.

"No, it's the first time."

It meant she wasn't very famous.

"Could you tell us your names, you two young ladies?"

Ryu Eun-kyung asked in a hesitant voice.

"I'm Yeonbi, and this is Rin."

Yeonbi briefly introduced themselves. She didn't reveal their real names or nicknames.

"By the way, you were in great danger. Are you alright?"

In response to Yeonbi's question, Ryu Eun-kyung nodded and said,

"Yes. Fortunately, that woman helped me, so I'm fine."

When the topic of the spirit came up again, Na Yerim's expression visibly worsened. Yeonbi quickly changed the subject.

"So, you want to participate in the Tugi Competition?"

Then Ryu Eun-kyung remembered why she was here.

"Yes, that's right. I must participate in the Tugi Competition and win."

Her eyes were too serious to be taken as a joke.

"It seems you're serious…"

"Of course, I'm serious."

"Can you win, young lady? Against Chil Sang-heon?"

"Th-that…"

The silver-haired girl couldn't answer rashly.

"It seems you know his skill level."

"I've only heard rumors. I've never seen it myself."

The girl's shoulders slumped as she answered. The rumors she had heard were terrifying: Danmok Woo, the third patriarch of the Danmok family, along with Ho-geom and Jan-do, the other two of the Three Heroes of Shinpoong, had attacked Chil Sang-heon and been defeated. Even without seeing it, she could roughly guess the skill level of the three patriarchs of the Eight Great Families.

"B-but it'll be fine if I find someone to help me. This person was introduced by my master."

Ryu Eun-kyung said, as if trying to encourage herself.

"So you have a helper? Who is it?"

"Th-that…"

As Ryu Eun-kyung hesitated for a moment, Yeonbi said,

"Tell me. Who knows, maybe a path will open."

Ryu Eun-kyung's heart was moved by Yeonbi's confident smile. Not knowing it was a trap, the girl blurted out the name.

"He is the son of the Namgung family, known as the Thunder Sword Dragon, Gongja Namgung Sang."

Yeonbi was surprised by the unexpected name from an unexpected person. However, her reaction was as follows.

"Pfft!"

Yeonbi barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter.

"Th-that's another unexpected name."

Yeonbi said with a look of wonder.

"Do you know him?"

Ryu Eun-kyung, who hadn't expected her to know him, asked in surprise.

"I know him to some extent."

Yeonbi scratched her right eye with her finger and gave an ambiguous smile.

"Is that so? He was that great…"

She wasn't very interested in the powers and famous figures of the martial world, so she didn't know much. After vaguely hearing about Thunder Sword Dragon Namgung Sang from Yeonbi, Ryu Eun-kyung was already overwhelmed.

'He doesn't seem that great?'

She thought that, but she didn't say it out loud. She couldn't take off the mask she was wearing.

"But would such a famous person help someone like me?"

Ryu Eun-kyung muttered with an unsure voice.

'Was he that famous?'

Of course, she didn't say this out loud either.

"Perhaps he might help?"

However, given the current situation, it didn't seem like he would easily agree.

"But I'll have to pay a price, won't I?"

"Well, that…"

It wasn't a bad thing to repay someone after receiving their help. It was something she had to decide for herself. In Yeonbi's opinion, Namgung Sang wasn't the calculating type to demand a price for help.

"Then, what price should I pay?"

Ryu Eun-kyung asked abruptly. Her eyes, fixed on Yeonbi, were quite serious. Yeonbi was puzzled as to why she was looking at her with such a serious expression.

"Price? Well, if you ask nicely, he might just do it?"

"No. That's impossible. He'll definitely demand a price. For example, my body…"

"Pfft!"

Yeonbi almost coughed up blood. If she had something in her mouth, she would have spit it out immediately.

"That's a funny joke."

Yeonbi commented on Ryu Eun-kyung, who was lost in absurd fantasies. Ryu Eun-kyung, thinking of Yeonbi as the same woman, felt she could ask a little more comfortably. In that regard, she didn't completely distrust humans. Or she distrusted them clumsily. Clumsy distrust was just as dangerous as clumsy trust. Especially when the other person was someone like Yeonbi.

"A joke? I'm serious."

Anyone would say she was seriously ill at this point. Nevertheless, since they had some kind of connection, she decided to make an excuse.

"Well? Although he looks a bit pathetic, he didn't seem like such a scoundrel?"

In Yeonbi's view, Namgung Sang, who still seemed soft and weak, would undoubtedly agree to a tearful plea from a young girl like this without even thinking twice. Of course, that was assuming he had the presence of mind to do so now. No matter how pathetic, kind, diligent, honest, and timid Namgung Sang was, he was currently the leader of the delegation and was already struggling to figure out how to resolve the great crisis the delegation faced—which should rightfully be called self-inflicted.

"No, he definitely will. It's a common story! Aren't all men like that? Look at those three people from a moment ago. He'll be like that too. He's a man, isn't he? And he's famous! He'll definitely be like that."

"You say he's even more so because he's famous, that seems like a prejudice."

However, Ryu Eun-kyung wasn't listening anymore.

*Sparkle!*

At that moment, Yeonbi suddenly felt mischievous. Seeing such a distrustful young lady, she felt an overwhelming sense of obligation to play a prank on her at a time like this. Overwhelmed by that strong sense of obligation—which should rightfully be called temptation—Yeonbi beckoned Ryu Eun-kyung with a light gesture and whispered in her ear,

"Then I'll tell you a secret plan to persuade that person, Namgung Sang."

"Really?"

Ryu Eun-kyung's eyes widened, her ears fixed on Yeonbi.

"Of course, of course. Believe it or not, I know that pathetic… no, Namgung Sang a bit."

However, Ryu Eun-kyung, whose gaze was already on Yeonbi's shoulder, could only feel Yeonbi's breath tickling her ear, and she didn't notice that the amber eyes with red lips and long eyelashes were smiling mischievously.

"Yeonbi…"

Na Yerim called out to Yeonbi in a slightly flustered, hesitant tone. Yeonbi turned to her and put her index finger to her lips.

*Shh!*

Yeonbi's amber eyes, signaling her to be quiet, twinkled with mischief.

"Can you really tell me the secret plan?"

Yeonbi turned back to Ryu Eun-kyung and said, her mouth close to her ear,

"Of course. Just trust me. In a word, it's the ultimate secret plan to get help without giving your body. This will definitely work."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Yeonbi answered in a confident voice. Drawn by the sweet whisper and an unknown power, Ryu Eun-kyung listened. The whisper echoed in her ears.

"So, what you do is…"

Yeonbi whispered what was called a secret plan into Ryu Eun-kyung's ear with her hot breath. Ryu Eun-kyung did not realize at the time that this whisper was the devil's whisper. She just listened with wide eyes, dumbfounded.

How could she neglect a secret plan that could get help without giving her body? Ryu Eun-kyung was completely absorbed in the sweet whisper. Her occasional nods and the way she listened intently without missing a word showed a formidable obsession. It was a terrifying concentration.

"This is where that person is."

Ryu Eun-kyung murmured quietly, looking up at the signboard that read "Gangneung Inn." After hesitating at the door for a moment, Ryu Eun-kyung seemed to make up her mind and stepped into the inn. Through her encounter with Yeonbi earlier, she had learned where Namgung Sang was staying. She could find it without the help of the staff, so Ryu Eun-kyung walked with firm steps toward her destination.

"Young lady Ryu, what is your relationship with senior Lee Yak-bing?"

Namgung Sang asked politely, accepting the letter of introduction given by Ryu Eun-kyung.

"He is my unworthy master. He is too good for me."

Upon hearing that, Namgung Sang's eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded.

"Senior Lee has finally found a disciple. I saw him when he occasionally visited our family. He is a friend of my mother's. He looked very frail, and I was severely reprimanded by my father for judging him by his appearance. Hahaha!"

Namgung Sang, reminiscing with a wistful look, burst into laughter as he recalled the past. Then he opened the letter of introduction and began to read it carefully. Beyond being an acquaintance of his mother, he was a swordsman he respected, so he couldn't be negligent.

After reading all the letters of introduction, Namgung Sang fell into thought for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating something. For Ryu Eun-kyung, that brief moment, less than a flicker of an eye, felt like fifteen years. After much deliberation, Namgung Sang finally opened his mouth.

"I understand the situation well."

"So?"

Ryu Eun-kyung asked back, with a glimmer of hope. But Namgung Sang shook his head.

"I'm sorry, young lady Ryu. I want to help, but it seems difficult right now. It might be different normally, but this is an emergency. I am not in a position to help others when I can barely take care of myself."

Namgung Sang was already bent double with the tasks he had to handle. Even if he wanted to help others, he needed the capacity to do so.

"So it's not possible…"

Ryu Eun-kyung said in a dejected voice, her shoulders slumped.

"As expected… you said it wouldn't be easy… it was true."

Ryu Eun-kyung muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Yes? What did you just say?"

Ignoring Namgung Sang's question, Ryu Eun-kyung said in a resolute tone.

"Don't worry. I didn't expect you to help me for free. It's unreasonable to ask for free help. I will pay the price. I heard from a woman I met earlier that you like… women."

Her voice gradually became fainter, like a mosquito, as if she was embarrassed by the latter part.

"What? Women?"

Namgung Sang exclaimed in surprise at a single word that came out in the middle. If there was any misunderstanding, he had to correct it.

"That's a misunderstanding…"

But Namgung Sang couldn't finish his sentence. His tongue became numb at the sight unfolding before his eyes.

*Swoosh!*

Ryu Eun-kyung, after hesitating slightly, untied her clothes. The untied ties slid down. Enduring shame and humiliation, Ryu Eun-kyung desperately uttered words. She managed to hold back tears and said in a trembling voice, moving her hands slowly to her unbuttoned top and clutching the fabric with her small hands,

"Please help me. If you help me… if you help me… even my body…"

When she suddenly tried to take off her top with both hands, the timid delegation leader's heart almost jumped out of his throat in shock.

"Hoo-euk!"

Screaming a strange cry, Namgung Sang, startled, grabbed Ryu Eun-kyung's hands with both of his as she tried to go further down. However, by then, Ryu Eun-kyung's pale shoulder flesh had already been exposed to the air. Thanks to Namgung Sang's quick actions, further descent was narrowly prevented. Still, it was a relief that there was no more… just as he was about to think that…

*Creak!*

The door burst open without a sound.

"Hoo-geok!"

Namgung Sang, flustered by the sudden unexpected event, his eyes widened in shock. His body froze like a block of ice. Ryu Eun-kyung's face showed confusion at his appearance. Namgung Sang's face was like he had met King Yama himself. She slowly turned her head to look at the door. A woman in a red silk dress stood there. The woman who had suddenly opened the door and entered was also frozen like a statue, just like Namgung Sang.

She was Jin-ryeong.

What is this? What am I seeing? Is this a dream? Dreams are so strange these days. Am I becoming more paranoid these days? But this ominous and vivid feeling that I can feel with my five senses is shouting with all its might that this is not a dream, no matter how much I try to deny reality.

'Then what on earth is this absurd scene?'

Jin-ryeong squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to cover her ears. However, her gaze was fixed on one spot.

A woman she had never seen before, with her clothes undone, was awkwardly exposing her shoulders, and it was her lover's hands that were holding the top that was about to be taken off. The scene looked like a man trying to forcibly, or by agreement, take off a stranger's clothes. Jin-ryeong's face turned pale. Jin-ryeong wasn't the only one who turned pale.

"N-no, Ryeong, this is, you see…"

Namgung Sang seemed to be talking earnestly, but it didn't enter her ears at all. Her mind was too complicated to listen and judge each word.

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Namgung Sang shouted desperately.

"A misunderstanding? What am I misunderstanding?"

Jin-ryeong asked in a trembling voice. She was very confused at the moment.

"So, Ryeong, this scene you're seeing is a misunderstanding."

"There doesn't seem to be much to misunderstand."

No matter how she looked at it, the situation was clear.

"Young lady Ryu, say something too!"

Namgung Sang desperately pleaded for help. In this situation, Ryu Eun-kyung was the only one he could rely on.

"Um…"

Ryu Eun-kyung looked back and forth between Namgung Sang's horrified face and the woman trembling with anger.

'Please… please…'

Namgung Sang's gaze, as he looked at her, was filled with desperation.

*Thump!*

Ryu Eun-kyung, not knowing what to do and fidgeting, collapsed onto the floor. And then…

"Waaaaaaah!"

A childlike cry burst from Ryu Eun-kyung's mouth.

'Hoo! What is this…!'

Namgung Sang's mind went blank. That sudden action drained all the remaining blue tinge from Namgung Sang's face.

'There's no room for excuses now!! Aaaaack!'

He screamed inwardly, but it was beyond repair.

Namgung Sang, sweating profusely, nervously glanced at Jin-ryeong's reaction with fear. He could only steal glances, not daring to look her in the eye, but it didn't hinder his understanding of the situation.

*Kii-kiii-gi-gi-gi!*

Jin-ryeong's trembling jade hand struggled to draw her trembling sword from its scabbard.

"W-wait a minute! Wait! Please wait!"

Namgung Sang waved his hands violently, completely flustered.

"No questions asked!"

Dismissing Namgung Sang's words with a single phrase, Jin-ryeong quietly drew her sword.

I'll kill him first and think later!

Jin-ryeong decided.

"Huff, huff! Why… why didn't you explain? Why? I almost died!"

Namgung Sang, who had narrowly escaped death at the hands of his lover, rebuked Ryu Eun-kyung in a resentful tone. If his evasion skills had been even slightly less, this year would have been his memorial day. In fact, he felt as if he were dead even though he was alive.

"Go and explain immediately! That it was a misunderstanding, an accident!"

Jin-ryeong had already rushed out of the room with tears in her eyes.

"Sob, sob, sob, do I really have to do that?"

Namgung Sang was utterly bewildered by Ryu Eun-kyung's sudden question.

"It's all because of you, young lady! If you hadn't made such a sudden move, this wouldn't have happened!"

"But that's the most effective way to ask a man…"

She thought, 'What do I have to lose?' Yeonbi's tip that just pretending to undress would be enough to fluster him and be very effective was indeed true. However, she didn't mention that she had received help from Yeonbi.

"Ha, effective my foot. In any case, I don't want to talk much. Go and explain quickly."

Then Ryu Eun-kyung remembered what the woman in black clothes she met on the street had told her.

"Never back down. When they are flustered, that's the opportunity. Seize it!"

"How do I do that?"

"Just cry your heart out."

Ryu Eun-kyung made a decision in her heart. She then sat down on the floor again and began to wail.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

Hearing her sorrowful and bitter cries, Namgung Sang couldn't help but be flustered.

"Why, why are you crying? I'm the one who wants to cry!"

But Ryu Eun-kyung's crying didn't stop.

"But… but… you keep badgering me… sob sob!"

Her crying was so full of sorrow that he even felt guilty for pushing her too hard.

"Ah, stop crying. Even I feel sad watching you. Alright, let's hear your story first. What do you want?"

Being timid, he often sympathized easily with others' emotions. Therefore, he really disliked it when someone cried sadly in front of him. At that one sentence, Ryu Eun-kyung's crying stopped as if by magic.

"Please form a team with me!"

Ryu Eun-kyung exclaimed in a desperate voice.

"A team? You mean a team for the Tugi Competition?"

Ryu Eun-kyung immediately nodded.

"Heh heh, what an incredible turn of events…"

Namgung Sang, who hadn't expected the seemingly timid young lady to suddenly become so bold, was taken aback.

"What if you refuse?"

In fact, he wasn't in a position to do so right now. The biggest issue for him was how and with whom to participate in the Tugi Competition, the only way to clear the huge gambling debt the delegation had incurred overnight.

"Sob, sob, I can't help it. I'll have to go to that person and tell them in detail how I felt threatened by the loss of my purity. Sob, sob!"

"Wh-whoever hears this will be shocked! That's a baseless rumor!"

Namgung Sang shouted in excitement, his heart suddenly chilling as if dipped in ice water. Ryu Eun-kyung began to cry again, looking scared. So Namgung Sang had to pacify her once more. This was the greatest hardship for him.

"Sob, sob, sob, that person may not think so. I hope Gongja Namgung's judgment will be wise, sob, sob!"

"Ho ho… well…"

It seemed he had no choice. He was thoroughly caught. Namgung Sang felt suddenly empty.

'How did it come to this?'

Namgung Sang suspected that someone's prank had intervened.

'Is someone playing with my fate?'

Namgung Sang, who was still too slow to realize that fact even after three years. If he were to find out who the mastermind behind this incident was, he would surely be astonished.