Book 27 Chapter 6

The Beauty of a Nation (傾國之色)

—A Honey Trap?

"Well, how about you retreat?"

"What are you talking about! It's you who should retreat, not me!"

"Oh, you want to fight, is that it?"

"As you wish."

"Chiyoung, you truly don't know the value of your own life, my friend."

"Ohyoung, you're the one with insatiable greed. Once was enough, why would you want to do it a second time?"

"We've both had our turn, so we're even. You and I have each had one."

And this was the second time. It was a golden opportunity to legally bring a peerlessly beautiful woman, imprisoned within the jade chambers, her meals.

Therefore, neither of them would back down. Both had already lost their hearts to her beauty.

Isn't that what they call the beauty of a nation?

Neither of them stepped back even half a step. The ten-year friendship was meaningless in the face of this moment.

"Alright, it's a showdown!"

They both staked everything they had and went into battle with all their might.

Rock, Paper, Scissors! Rock, Paper, Scissors!

Finally, the winner was decided.

Jang Oh-young was overjoyed. He had once again emerged victorious in the contest to decide who would bring the meal.

Gulp!

Strangely, he couldn't calm down. He was a most trusted confidant serving the 'Western Sky.' Unlike his colleague Lee Chiyoung, who had maintained his chastity for thirty years, he wasn't a virgin. He had experienced many women. Yet, his heart was pounding like a fifteen-year-old boy in love for the first time. He was worried the sound of his beating heart might damage his eardrums.

If he was on meal duty, he could at least steal a glance at her face once. Her appearance…

The very first time he opened the small peephole in the iron gate to peer inside was purely out of curiosity. What kind of woman could his lord be so obsessed with? A lord who could have hundreds of women if he pleased? Though he was a guard, though he was a man of a thousand lives, he had ears. The conversations between his lord and the woman inside the iron gate were clearly heard by them too. They just pretended not to hear. That was the wise thing to do.

'Just a quick look, a mere glance. Who would object?'

And Jang Oh-young couldn't tear his eyes away. He was rooted to the spot.

Even though her face was slightly turned away, making it hard to see clearly, her slightly bowed head, her flowing hair, her willow-like arms, and her long, slender legs caught his eye.

Barely visible, barely visible.

If only her hair would move a little more, he thought he could see her face properly.

Jang Oh-young was seized by a maddening thirst.

It felt as if he were being sucked into it. It was like a drug; once he saw it, he immediately wanted to see it again. He wanted to keep seeing it. He felt he could give his heart if he had to. But access to the jade chambers was forbidden.

So, he tried to create an opportunity by any means necessary.

And finally, that opportunity had returned once more.

Now, he could see her one more time…

One more time…

Like a man possessed, Jang Oh-young's eyes were unfocused.

"I've brought your meal, young lady."

A polite voice, unbefitting a vicious guard guarding a prison.

"…"

But there was no reply. He didn't expect to hear a voice—though if he did, it would feel like striking gold—but he didn't.

Even the common pleas of captured prisoners like 'Help me!', 'Let me out!', or 'Save me!', he had never heard from this woman. So, he abandoned such expectations and decided to just take a peek, just a peek. Just a peek at her figure sitting far away.

Gulp!

Jang Oh-young swallowed dryly and then opened the peephole.

And he froze on the spot.

As soon as he opened the peephole, two eyes met his, two black eyes as deep as the night sky.

She was looking straight at him, right in front of him, without looking away. She had walked to the limit of the chains binding her slender ankles and wrists, and stood there, looking at him with dignity.

Finally, Jang Oh-young could see Na Ye-rin's face properly for the first time. His mind had already turned completely blank.

"Is there something on my face?"

Na Ye-rin asked with an expressionless face, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Her tone was by no means gentle. Moreover, there was an aura of dignity about her.

"Ah, no. Of course not."

Jang Oh-young hastily shook his head.

"That's good. I'm glad."

Jang Oh-young was relieved that he hadn't displeased her. Although Na Ye-rin was imprisoned and Jang Oh-young was the guard, she seemed like an empress in the imperial palace. And this door felt like the gate of an imperial palace that dared not be opened.

"Is this… a meal?"

"Yes, yes! It's a meal!"

Perhaps due to nervousness, Jang Oh-young answered with his back perfectly straight.

"Is it? Was it you who brought all the meals recently?"

"Yes, of course, I brought them all."

Jang Oh-young said this, betraying his friend.

"Is that so? Thank you."

For a moment, Jang Oh-young was shocked as if he'd been hit on the head. What he saw…

It was a faint smile, barely gracing Na Ye-rin's lips.

'Ah, beautiful!'

He genuinely thought so. He lacked the linguistic ability to express anything more. There was no moment he regretted not studying harder more than this.

For a fleeting instant, it even felt like a white flower blooming on an ice rock.

Jang Oh-young was completely lost.

'Tell me anything, I will follow you for life. I am your eternal servant, ding-dong.'

Reason and command had long since been erased from his mind.

"However, the air here is a bit stuffy. It makes my chest feel heavy."

Na Ye-rin said with an expressionless face, as if nothing had happened.

In truth, although she had resolved to use her beauty as a weapon, she had no idea how to act seductively or what poses to strike. The best she could do was to try her hardest to smile and then say her chest felt heavy. Although she was trying hard inwardly, outwardly, there was not much change in her actions or tone. Yet, it was effective.

"C-c-chest? Did you say chest?"

Perhaps due to the inherent nature of a pathetic man, the word 'chest' caused Jang Oh-young to react with extreme intensity. His eyes were so bloodshot he feared they might pop out. His face looked like he was about to get a nosebleed.

"Yes, chest. Is there a problem?"

Na Ye-rin said in a blunt but dignified voice, looking straight into Jang Oh-young's eyes.

"A problem? Not at all. There's no problem, no problem at all."

Jang Oh-young felt as if his soul was being drawn into her clear, deep, and mysterious eyes, as vast as the night sky. No, it had already been drawn in long ago. The guard Jang Oh-young standing outside the iron gate now was merely a shell.

Ah, then how could there be a problem? Isn't it a very desirable thing?

Na Ye-rin stared at Jang Oh-young with an expressionless gaze and returned to the main topic.

"Anyway, it's so stuffy I can barely breathe."

Seeing the guard's vigilance greatly lowered, she thought it was somewhat effective, but it wasn't enough. She needed the guard to open the door himself without suspicion. She didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but it seemed that extreme measures, reminiscent of a honey trap, were necessary.

Now was the time to unleash a natural and incredibly alluring performance to lure the guard!

Na Ye-rin, not revealing her grave thoughts, put on her most bashful and alluring expression, making a full effort to compose her face.

As a result, Jang Oh-young, facing the full force of Na Ye-rin's acting skills, experienced a crisis of the soul that made his heart plummet.

'N-no way! D-did I do something wrong?! I made that beautiful face lose its expression! I-I must have done something wrong!'

Too engrossed in her acting to have any surplus energy, Na Ye-rin, without realizing why Jang Oh-young's eyes were widening in surprise, pressed on to the next step. She guessed her seductive acting had worked.

Now, only the final blow remained!

Na Ye-rin gathered all the acting power of her life and, with a blunt expression, slightly loosened the drawstring of her upper garment.

It was a move devoid of any sensuality. Or rather, her dialogue, actions, and expression were wildly out of sync.

But it was effective.

Extremely effective.

Jang Oh-young was practically suffocating in confusion and excitement.

'R-right! It's stuffy! That's why! I'm making her suffer so much! W-what should I do?!'

"I-I, really c-can't breathe. I-I, really. Yes, I really can't."

His mind was filled only with the urge to relieve her stuffiness as quickly as possible. The prohibition order he had received had long since vanished.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to open the door."

"You're feeling stuffy, aren't you?"

She didn't say "Especially my chest…"

"Well, it is stuffy. Yes, it's stuffy."

Jang Oh-young felt as if he were suffocating.

Pant, pant, pant!

If I'm having this much trouble breathing, there must be a problem.

"I-is that so? Then I'll open the door right away. You'll feel better instantly! Instantly!"

There was not a shred of reason left in Jang Oh-young's mind. He had to save her quickly.

Moreover, if he opened the door, he could see her with a clear view, not through this small, stuffy peephole. It was fine even if he couldn't touch her. At this moment, if he could just take one step, no, even half a step closer to see her, he would have no regrets. She said she was having trouble breathing. Wouldn't it be more refreshing to open this stuffy iron door? If something happened to this woman, it would be a disaster. He was doing the right thing. A perfectly right thing. The chains were attached to the wall anyway, so there wouldn't be much danger.

'I am merely faithfully following His orders.'

Having rationalized it that way, he reached for his waist and took out the key.

Then, he slowly brought the key to the lock of the prison cell.

Click!

With one turn of the key, the lock clicked open with a metallic sound. Jang Oh-young grabbed the handle of the iron door and slowly pulled it.

Grrr!

Finally, the prison door opened.

"It's a bit better. But this…"

"Yes? What is it?"

Jang Oh-young walked towards Na Ye-rin like a piece of metal drawn to a magnet. His posture was awkward, his mind half gone.

"These shackles are also quite stuffy."

Clang. As she raised the shackles on both hands, the chains rattled.

Swoosh!

Simultaneously, her sleeve slid down, revealing an arm as white as jade.

Gulp!

Jang Oh-young suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to grab that white arm. But it was an impossible dream.

Na Ye-rin saw Jang Oh-young hesitating and realized her mistake. It seemed too optimistic to even think about having the shackles removed. After all, now that he had entered, he was within her 'range.' If she didn't arouse his suspicion, she could subdue him the moment he turned his back.

"I-it's just that it's stuffy, I didn't mean anything by it. Um, you can leave now. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Na Ye-rin spoke coldly to the dazed Jang Oh-young, who stood there with his mind elsewhere, and withdrew her outstretched hand. Jang Oh-young felt his heart pierced by her cold words.

My white arm… my white wrist…

It's getting further away… it's getting further away…

"T-trouble? Not at all."

Flustered, Jang Oh-young waved his hands.

"No, it's fine. Whether it's stuffy or not is my problem, it has nothing to do with you."

Her words, "it has nothing to do with you," made Jang Oh-young feel like he was falling off a thousand-foot cliff.

"I-it has something to do with it! It's the duty of a guard to look after those inside! If you're stuffy, it's a big problem!"

The most terrifying thing to him now was to be hated by Na Ye-rin.

"No, it's fine. You can't remove the shackles anyway."

Na Ye-rin looked at Jang Oh-young as if to say, 'Our conversation is over, you should leave now.' Jang Oh-young felt his heart tear into a thousand pieces at that gaze. And so, he took an irrevocable step.

"I-I can! I have the key!"

"It's a key that can't be used."

"No. It can be used. It's a key that can be used. No, please let me use it!"

"There's no need for you to remove them."

After all, she only needed to subdue him. And she could remove them herself.

"No. I can remove them. No, please let me remove them, I beg you!"

Jang Oh-young pleaded. He felt like crying from sadness. To have offended her with his pathetic self, he wanted to hang himself right then and there. If those shackles were removed, if only those rough shackles were taken off, her white wrists connecting her white hands and white arms would be revealed. Her delicate wrists, which could be held with just the thumb and index finger…

Jang Oh-young was no longer in his right mind.

"Then, I have no choice."

Na Ye-rin extended her hands as if reluctantly. And she said coldly,

"You may remove them."

It was as if she was granting permission.

"Yes, yes! Thank you. Thank you."

With tears welling up in his eyes, Jang Oh-young bowed.

'Thank you for letting me remove them. Thank you for letting me remove them.'

Jang Oh-young muttered with a vacant expression, then rummaged through the keys he was still holding after opening the iron door, made of forever-cold iron. He picked out a smaller key and brought it towards the shackles on Na Ye-rin's wrists.

It was at that very moment that a shout was heard from outside the prison door.

"Hey, Jang Oh-young! What are you doing?!"

Startled by the shout, Jang Oh-young turned around.

Standing there was his colleague, the guard Lee Chiyoung.

Even before she had fully matured, Na Ye-rin of Bingbaek Peak was so exceptionally beautiful that she was often called 'the beauty of a nation' (傾國之色). Because of her beauty, she had been caught up in many calamities.

The beauty of a nation, in short, means a beauty that can topple a kingdom. The idea of a single woman bringing down a nation with her beauty might sound like an exaggeration, but history tells us such things have happened. Didn't the fall of the Yin Dynasty actually happen because of a beauty named Daji?

Then, what kind of beauty is it that can alter the fate of an entire nation? Wouldn't anyone want to see such beauty at least once? Wouldn't they want to touch the possessor of such beauty? Even without realizing it.

The fall of a nation is the last thing to happen. The first thing to fall is the human heart. The scholar falls, the official falls, the general falls, the king falls.

Then, what happens when the charm of the beauty of a nation, a beauty that steals a person's reason and emotions entirely, truly blossoms? Without needing any arcane arts like hypnosis, wouldn't a gentle flutter of eyelashes be enough to completely capture someone's heart, making them gaze only at her and think only of her?

For a long time, Na Ye-rin had considered her beauty a curse. To her, beauty was the source of all evil. Excessive beauty had brought her an overly harsh fate since childhood. The lecherous gazes from all directions, the constant threats of kidnapping, all because of her beauty.

To make matters worse, she was born with 'dragon eyes' (龍眼), allowing her to discern people's hearts, which made her life even more arduous. Knowing people's true intentions was by no means a good thing. People's hearts were sometimes the repository of the filthiest things in the world. Countless people covered that filth with a thin veil of pretense. For the young her, it was an unbearable shock. To protect her broken heart, she had to suppress her emotions as much as possible and lock her heart away. Cutting off interaction with others and becoming a cold ice doll was the only way she could survive.

It was Bilu-yeon who unlocked the locked door and took her out of that confined space. If she hadn't met him, she would still be trapped in an invisible prison.

Until now, she had feared her own beauty and charm. Therefore, only a part of that beauty was displayed, stirring dark lustful thoughts in people's hearts. Then, what would happen if she could control that charm completely? What would unfold?

If it was a charm that could even sway the fate of a nation, wouldn't capturing a single person's heart be not too much of a chore?

And so, she was able to open the prison door with surprisingly little difficulty, even surprising herself. If no one had interfered, she could have even removed the shackles.

Lee Chiyoung hadn't come because he was worried something had happened to Jang Oh-young, who hadn't returned for a long time, nor had he come because he heard the faint sound of the iron gate opening and became suspicious. He had purely come because he wanted to come, because he wanted to see. The iron gate being open and Jang Oh-young, with a vacant expression, trying to remove the woman's shackles was what happened next. And wasn't the drawstring of a woman dressed in white, like a celestial fairy, untied? Through the slightly open front, her fair skin and smooth collarbone were revealed, casting a shadow from her jawline over her bow-shaped collarbone. Lee Chiyoung's vision blurred, and he lost his senses.

Lick!

His eyes widened involuntarily, and drool dripped from his mouth. He thought the culprit behind the untied drawstring was the damned Jang Oh-young. How dare he, leaving his thirty-year virgin comrade behind, do it all by himself!

Rooooar!

How could he not let out a roar of anger?

That roar brought Jang Oh-young back to his senses slightly.

'Whoa, what was I doing?'

And then he realized he was holding a key and was about to insert it into the shackle's keyhole, and in a panic, he threw the key behind him. Lee Chiyoung hurriedly caught the flying key.

"What is going on…"

Jang Oh-young instinctively reached for the sword at his waist, as expected of a martial artist.

"What's wrong? You two? Is something happening?"

Na Ye-rin smiled. No, she tried to smile. But since she wasn't used to smiling at others, it only resulted in a slight tremor at the corner of her eye.

That was the best Na Ye-rin could do.

She wasn't used to smiling yet.

'Did I fail again?'

But she didn't need to smile completely. The effect was sufficient.

The moment the corner of her eye trembled, Jang Oh-young's momentarily regained consciousness left him again. Lee Chiyoung also became mesmerized by Na Ye-rin's 'smile.' Even though she hadn't smiled. Yet, Lee Chiyoung firmly believed that the slightly trembling corner of her eye and the twitching eyebrow were a smile directed at him.

Moreover, the gracefully curved collarbone was still repeatedly hidden and revealed by the fluttering hem of her clothes. His eyes were glued to it.

The two men completely froze.

Slam!

Jang Oh-young lost his grip due to a fierce blow from his right hand. But he was so out of it that he didn't even register being hit. The whip that struck the back of his hand was the drawstring Na Ye-rin had just untied. She had infused the ordinary drawstring with internal energy and swung it like a whip. Then, she quickly extended the drawstring and wrapped it around Lee Chiyoung's head, pulling him into the prison cell. Spinning like a top, Lee Chiyoung's body flew into the prison cell.

"You'll need to sleep for a while."

The two men answered simultaneously.

"Yes, if I can sleep by your side… even if I die…"

Slam! Slam!

Before they could finish speaking, they were struck in the vital points of their faces.

Stars flashed before their eyes, and they immediately fainted. The blow from the drawstring felt like being hit with an iron club, leaving them senseless.

Yet, strangely, their unconscious faces were filled with happiness.

"This is too simple…"

Na Ye-rin murmured, looking at the collapsed guards.

"Is this really okay…?"

The fact that things were going too easily, just as she had planned, made her uneasy. Was the honey trap always this effective? Or perhaps…

"Could there be another trap?"

She used her dragon eye ability again to scan her surroundings. Her consciousness expanded, but she felt no unusual presence. Only the sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling thundered in her ears. Now, all she had to do was use the key to remove the shackles.

"Huh?"

But they were gone.

The key pouch was nowhere on Lee Chiyoung's body. She had definitely had it just a moment ago, but now it was gone.

As Lee Chiyoung was dragged in by the drawstring in his daze, he hadn't held onto the key pouch tightly, and it had flown to the other side of the prison passage. It was too far for Na Ye-rin's drawstring to reach.

"…"

Na Ye-rin slowly stood up.

Her face was by no means one of defeat. A resolve appeared on her icy, noble face.

Zzzzzz!

As she injected intense energy, the drawstring in her hand straightened tautly like a sword. Na Ye-rin infused the silk fabric with her power. Then, the drawstring began to emit a white glow.

"Until now, I waited for someone to save me. But now, I will break these cursed chains that have bound me myself."

She swung the drawstring, now as hard as steel from the infused energy, towards the chains that confined her.

Whoosh!

Clang!

The energy-infused drawstring was sharper than any renowned sword. The shackles, made of Baekryeon Jeonggang, shattered into pieces and fell to the floor. Na Ye-rin touched her feet, which had been abused for so long. Faint marks of the shackles remained on her ankles.

But the marks were just marks. They were also proof that she had gained her freedom herself. The cursed shackles were no longer fastened to her ankles.

Na Ye-rin walked out on her own feet. Then, she found her beloved sword 'Bingru' standing where the guards had been stationed, and she was overjoyed. She had thought she might never find it again, but the sword had patiently waited for its owner.

She hadn't expected him to take this sword.

'Well, this sword wouldn't mean much to him…'

All he wanted was her.

"Let's hurry!"

There was no time to linger here. She had to escape before the evil one returned. Regaining her beloved sword 'Bingru' filled her with joy, like finding a lost companion, and also with a sense of security. A sharp sword offered comfort in such a dangerous place. At the end of the prison cell, there was a staircase leading upwards. It was the only staircase in this prison cell. As expected, the prison cell seemed to be located underground.

With her dragon eyes fully open, Na Ye-rin ran up the stairs. The prison was surprisingly deep. After climbing for quite some time, Na Ye-rin encountered an iron door blocking her path. The door was positioned above her head. Her dragon eye ability was still active, so she could immediately tell. This door led to the surface.

Fortunately, it didn't require a special key to open from the inside. As she activated the mechanism, the door above her head opened.

"This place…"

Na Ye-rin was surprised when she emerged. A scene completely beyond her imagination unfolded before her eyes. She had expected another guarded prison, but the surroundings were filled with sacks of rice, dried vegetables, various foodstuffs, and miscellaneous items. She could tell they were quite high-quality ingredients. This was a granary, and a rather luxurious one at that.

"This is a disaster. I need to get out of here quickly!"

A granary would have far more people coming and going than a prison. Staying here would be dangerous. She could worry about why the only exit from the prison she was confined in led to such a granary later.

"I really escaped."

Na Ye-rin joyfully pushed open the granary door. And she was shocked. Someone was outside the granary door.

"I didn't sense any presence… how?"

A man with hair as white as drawn silver stood alone, with a somewhat languid expression. His face conveyed that the affairs of the world were bothersome.

"Hm? A pretty young lady coming out of a granary? How strange. And speaking of which, you are indeed a beautiful young lady…"

The man also seemed surprised to see Na Ye-rin. It appeared he wasn't waiting to capture her.

This was Moomyung.

'I can't read him.'

Na Ye-rin was flustered by the unexpected encounter with Moomyung. She hadn't sensed anyone when she read the presence, yet someone was waiting when she opened the granary door, so how could she not be surprised? What was even more shocking was that she couldn't read the man's mind at all. No, it wasn't just his mind she couldn't read.

'Does this person really exist?'

She felt that way. She couldn't glean any information from him. He was like…

An empty 'nothingness.'

This was the first time her dragon eyes couldn't read someone since meeting Bilu-yeon.

'Why? Who is this person?'

Na Ye-rin had never encountered someone with such a disposition. Not being able to read thoughts, not being able to grasp his essence, was the same as Bilu-yeon, but this man was far more difficult to read. Where did such a person come from? Did he suddenly sprout from the ground?

"Who are you? Where did you suddenly appear from?"

At her words, Moomyung tilted his head.

"No, pretty young lady. You should speak properly, shouldn't you? You're the one who suddenly appeared. Not me. I was just waiting here, thirsty, for Sook-yi to bring me some water…"

Swoosh!

Na Ye-rin's beloved sword, Bingru, swung and cut straight through Moomyung's body.

'Did it go through?'

So easily?

That thought lasted only a moment before Moomyung's form, where the sword had passed, vanished like an illusion.

"Huh? Miss, no matter how pretty you are, interrupting someone's speech isn't a good habit. Most things are forgiven if you're pretty, but not everything."

The voice was now coming from a completely different direction.

'Behind me!'

Na Ye-rin quickly stamped her left foot and turned, unleashing her sword technique again.

'This person is dangerous!'

Her instincts screamed a fierce warning. This man before her was dangerous.

"You must let me pass. I'm going through!"

She had someone she needed to meet. She couldn't dally here.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I have something to ask you…"

Moomyung said with an expression devoid of any tension.

Zzzzzzz!

Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword Five Arts (奧義)

Snow Wind Chaotic Shadow (雪風亂影)

Na Ye-rin didn't wait any longer and launched her full-power attack.

"Oh dear. I told you to listen to me until the end…"

Na Ye-rin's figure grew faster, and a blizzard-like sword wind erupted from her pure white sword, mercilessly lashing at Moomyung's body.

"Hmm, ohh. This sword move looks familiar. I definitely have a memory of it. It was definitely Han Sang… something! Wow, I remember two characters of the sword technique name! This is surprising. But when did I see it…"

Even as an unusual sword energy, reminiscent of a winter storm, poured down from all directions, Moomyung's voice remained nonchalant. He seemed more surprised that he remembered two characters of the sword technique's name than by the power of the technique itself. To him, the mere fact that someone else's sword technique remained in his memory was a miracle.

"Hmm, there was a girl who used this sword technique before…"

Moomyung muttered, almost without moving, as he dodged the storm of sword energy that raged like a fierce blizzard. Recalling this memory seemed more important to him than anything else. He focused all his efforts on recalling the memory. He seemed utterly unconcerned with Na Ye-rin's sword striking him. Yet, his body, as if independent of his will or intention, dodged every sword move by a hair's breadth. As the sword barely grazed him but never touched him, Na Ye-rin's energy consumption became even more severe.

'What on earth is this person?'

Since her dragon eyes were ineffective, predicting his movements was impossible. He was like a thick fog covering the entire Dongting Lake. Her sword seemed lost in that dense, deep fog, unable to exert its full power.

'Such a master was at Matcheon Pavilion…'

She had never heard rumors of a person with such a young face, white hair, and who likely used a sword. But she couldn't give up like this.

Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword Five Arts (奧義)

Four Snow Flowers (四雪花)

Na Ye-rin's figure split into four, occupying Moomyung's north, south, east, and west simultaneously. Despite being cornered, he was still engrossed in recalling memories.

The characters that came after the two characters.

Because of that, his body was full of openings. Na Ye-rin didn't hesitate and thrust her sword into the gaps.

Swoosh!

"Ah, I finally remembered! That's right, I remembered. Hahaha, I remembered!"

The voice was heard again, from behind Na Ye-rin. Na Ye-rin tried to turn around. Just then, Moomyung reached out with a joyful expression.

Thwack!

Her wrist was caught by Moomyung's hand with surprising ease.

'Impossible! This is absurd!'

It felt as if she had regained her senses only to find herself already caught. With a beaming smile, he thrust his head in front of Na Ye-rin's face and said in a delighted voice,

"This is Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword, right? The one that a short girl named Han Sang used before? Right? Right?"

He seemed very proud that he, who suffered from severe forgetfulness, had remembered such a fact. Na Ye-rin was bewildered.

'Han Sang…'

Although she doubted it, what he was referring to could only be her master, Sword Marquis Lee Han-sang. He didn't seem much older, yet he dared to call her master's honorable name as if he were addressing a girl from the next house…

And furthermore…

'Short girl?'

He called the Sword Marquis, one of the Three Stars of Cheonmu, a little girl? Was this person sane? She couldn't imagine her master's expression if she heard herself called a little girl.

Not just little, but 'short girl'…

Na Ye-rin didn't want to imagine what would happen next.

"Let go, you impertinent fellow."

Na Ye-rin wrenched her hand away from Moomyung. He surprisingly let go of her readily.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't intend to be rude. I just have something to ask."

"I have nothing to answer."

"So you're going to attack without saying anything? Besides, you can't beat me with that anyway. I already know that. If I remember the names, I must remember the sword techniques too."

Slightly indignant at the insult to her sect's secret sword art, Na Ye-rin retorted.

"Well, whether it's possible or not, we'll have to test it. You said you knew everything just now? Then, I'll show you the Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword, which I've never seen before!"

Na Ye-rin decided to use the secret technique she had been taught. Although her current state, having expended considerable energy on breaking the seal and escaping, was depleted, escape was impossible without dealing with this person.

Na Ye-rin decided to expend her last drop of strength.

She would carve her own path with her sword.

"I'll say it again, move aside. I'm passing through!"

For a moment, Na Ye-rin's figure seemed to disappear, then split into more than a dozen afterimages, and a pure white sword flew.

Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword (寒霜玉靈神劍) Ultimate Secret Art (極奧義)

Seas Flying Birds Thousand Slashes (海上飛鳥千斬切)

The extreme secret art of Bisulbo and Han Sang Okryeong Divine Sword were simultaneously unleashed from Na Ye-rin's body. Sword energy, created to slice a thousand seabirds in an instant, filled the space.

Ever-changing, endlessly shifting forms.

And speed!

This was the ultimate sword art passed down to Na Ye-rin by her master, the Sword Marquis. Na Ye-rin's dozen split figures performed an endless sword dance.

"Beautiful…"

Even Moomyung couldn't just casually deflect this sword move and placed his hand on his sword hilt. Moomyung drew his sword as his subconscious dictated. As if to show respect for the sword art she displayed.

Click!

As the sword was drawn and a flash of light erupted, the dozens of afterimages of Na Ye-rin, and the sharp sword energy that filled the space, vanished like a mirage in an instant.

"How can this be…"

Na Ye-rin stood dumbfounded, sword in hand.

"Seas Flying Birds Thousand Slashes is broken… I can't believe it."

She had never dreamed that the ultimate secret art, directly passed down from the Sword Marquis, an sword art her revered master had created after more than ten years of rigorous training, would be broken so easily. However, Jang So-ok, who had rushed back with water and witnessed this scene, was even more astonished. He almost dropped the bottle of water he was carrying.

"Th-this… the Cap-Captain drew his sword…!"

He looked as if he had seen a terrible nightmare. It was no wonder, as he had never seen Moomyung draw his sword since taking on the role of deputy captain.

"You are truly amazing, young lady. I never thought I'd draw my sword, truly."

Moomyung muttered, looking down at his sword, which he couldn't remember when he last drew.

"And my clothes too…"

Perhaps due to the previous sword energy, the chest area of Moomyung's upper garment was diagonally and sharply cut.

"Hmm, to touch my clothes, you must have considerable talent, young lady. Very interesting. Although it's still an unfinished technique, I look forward to seeing what power it will display when completed."

However, Na Ye-rin, who had used her ultimate move, no longer had the strength to stand. As she collapsed, in her fading consciousness, Na Ye-rin thought.

'As expected, it's not enough if it's unfinished…'

She had thought she had grasped the essence of Seas Flying Birds Thousand Slashes, but it was still insufficient. With her last resort having failed, she had no moves left. She had already exhausted all her internal energy by recklessly deploying the ultimate secret art. Now, she didn't even have the strength to move a finger, let alone stand.

'Did I fail to break the chains again? Will I be imprisoned again…? I just escaped… Ryu-yeon… I'm sorry.'

And Na Ye-rin's consciousness faded.

A hand reached out to support her as she collapsed there, and the owner of that hand was Moomyung. Moomyung, who unexpectedly held the celestial beauty, scratched the back of his head.

"This has become quite troublesome."

Moomyung had no talent for medical care.

"What should I do, Sook-yi?"

When things became this troublesome, asking the deputy captain was the fastest way.

"What do you mean, 'what should I do'? You should show her to the Fourth Department Captain. Who told you to do it so severely?"

Jang So-ok exclaimed indignantly.

"Hmm, perhaps I got too carried away meeting such a wonderful sword art after so long. Oh dear."

He chuckled, as if he had made a mistake while trying to go easy on her.

"It's not a time to laugh it off, Captain!"

Thinking of the trouble he had endured because of his captain's attitude, tears threatened to pour down his face.

"Hahaha, I got scolded again."

Scratching the back of his head, Moomyung laughed loudly.

"Sigh, I'd rather die."

Confirming that his words, as usual, had no effect on the nonchalant captain, Jang So-ok sighed deeply.

"What do you intend to do? From the looks of it, she doesn't seem like someone from Matcheon Pavilion?"

Besides, what about this beauty? Jang So-ok felt his heart pounding just by looking at her up close. His face felt like it was about to turn bright red. 'Huh? Why am I like this?' he thought, but he couldn't understand why.

"But an intruder wouldn't come out of a warehouse, would she?"

"That's true. She seems to be one of the delegates from the Cheonmu Academy…"

Moreover, he recalled rumors of a woman with such beauty who favored wearing white robes. She was indeed called the undisputed number one beauty in the world.

"Could it be… Bingbaek Peak's Na Ye-rin?"

"Hm? Who is that?"

"No, you don't know? She's the number one beauty in the world! The Ice Phoenix. A cold and noble phoenix that no one can approach."

There were even rumors that it was the wish of young men in the martial world to see her just once.

"She is certainly pretty."

"Of course, she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

Seeing her up close, she was truly worthy of her reputation.

"Furthermore, she's the daughter of Jeongcheon Alliance Leader Na Baek-cheon. But why would the daughter of the White Path Alliance Leader be in a warehouse like this…"

The more he thought about it, the more mysterious it became.

"Perhaps she was hungry."

He said it indifferently.

"No, I'm telling you, she's the number one beauty in the world!"

"Sook-yi, do you know how many times you've repeated that phrase? Even the number one beauty in the world has to eat."

"But she wouldn't sneak into a food warehouse like this. There must be some reason for this."

He investigated the warehouse just in case, but found nothing unusual. He wasn't knowledgeable about mechanical devices.

"Hmm… let's go to the Fourth Department first. We can ask this young lady about the reason once she wakes up. By the way, she really is a beautiful young lady."

"This is the first time I've seen the Captain interested in a woman's appearance."

The Captain's interest had always been solely in martial arts. He didn't seem interested in becoming stronger, nor in expanding his power. His indifferent attitude extended to women as well. So, it was surprising that a woman had finally appeared who caught his Captain's attention.

'As expected, the number one beauty in the world…'

To avoid being teased, he thought it in his mind this time.

Indeed, the more he looked at her, the more he suspected she might be an enchantress. Just by looking at her up close, the less resistant Sook-yi felt his face turn bright red without realizing it.

"Hahaha, Sook-yi's face is red."

"It's not red!"

"Then it's blushing."

"I'm telling you, it's not."

Once again, Jang So-ok had given his untrustworthy captain something to tease him about.