Book 3 Chapter 13

Two men, Dang Cheolgi of the Sicheon Dang Clan and Cheon Sohae of the Cheongi Clan, entered the building of the Aesojohye. Both wore mischievous smiles. They seemed like people who couldn't stay still for a moment. Judging by Im Seongjin's warm welcome, they were likely members of the organization.

"Let me introduce them. Dang Cheolgi of the Sicheon Dang Clan and Cheon Sohae of the Cheongi Clan. Both are masters of mechanical formations, known to others as the Twin Ghostly Shadows of Heavenly Martial Arts, a pair of notorious troublemakers and headaches. Say hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Dang Cheolgi and Cheon Sohae waved and greeted them playfully. Manners didn't seem to be their priority. Dang Cheolgi, with a bright smile, pulled out a piece of paper and proudly announced, "We've finally found out Byeon Gyeom Baek's three sizes! It was a rare achievement."

"Oh, really?" A satisfied smile spread across Byeon Tae's thick lips.

"And moreover…" Dang Cheolgi's hand went into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of light green silk with a butterfly pattern, the same kind he'd seen among Byeon Tae's collection earlier.

"Ooh, this… this is?"

Dang Cheolgi and Cheon Sohae boasted about how they obtained it, like heroes recounting their heroic deeds. Bi Ryuyeon, who had been listening quietly, suddenly asked, "Don't people around you dislike it when you do things like that?"

"They intensely dislike it," Dang Cheolgi replied matter-of-factly.

"And yet you continue?"

"Of course." Dang Cheolgi clenched his fist and said resolutely. Was this something that would inspire such determination? "If one were to care about every trivial glance from others, how could they accomplish anything great? We've been living without caring about such things from the start."

"That's true." At last, Bi Ryuyeon realized that the people before him were partly his kind. People who, without regard for others' opinions, pushed forward in their own way. Thinking so, he suddenly felt a sense of kinship with them. He thought it would be fun to stay with them in this place. He felt a spark of hope that they might bring vitality to his current, rather dull life.

"We will not give up until the day we discover everything about the world's most beautiful woman." He was once again pouring his passion into something useless. Since there was no point in trying to stop him, Bi Ryuyeon decided to take a spectator's stance.

"Heh heh heh… But this kind of information can be quite valuable." Dang Cheolgi whispered conspiratorially. Bi Ryuyeon's ears suddenly perked up.

"Does this really make money?"

"Of course. You might not know, but countless men are desperate for such information. We help them satisfy those urges as a form of community service. Of course, a small fee is unavoidable."

"I'll join." Bi Ryuyeon replied immediately. The Twin Ghosts were surprised by Bi Ryuyeon's sudden change in attitude. Bi Ryuyeon, who quickly filled out the membership application, even threatened his companions into signing up. It all happened in an instant.

After completing the membership procedures, Bi Ryuyeon asked Dang Cheolgi out of pure curiosity, "So, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" As a man, even though he was new to the martial world, Bi Ryuyeon was curious about who the universally acknowledged "most beautiful woman in the world" was, a topic that had been constantly brought up. But the answer was unexpected.

"We don't know that." What kind of nonsensical talk was this? Bi Ryuyeon and his companions were all bewildered by Dang Cheolgi's answer.

"What? Does that even make sense? How can the Aesojohye, which investigates the affairs of all beautiful women in the martial world, not know that?" It was a part that was hard to fathom, no matter how logically he thought about it. They were people with twisted desires, who found joy in collecting every detail of women in a perverted and obsessive manner. Of course, the degree varied… But how could it be possible that there was no information about the most beautiful woman in the world, when they should have investigated the most and collected a considerable amount of data?

"We regret that as well. But we are not fortune tellers." Bi Ryuyeon wanted to know about the most beautiful woman in the world, not to have his fortune told. He couldn't understand what the connection between a fortune teller and the most beautiful woman in the world could be.

Dang Cheolgi continued his explanation. "The most beautiful woman in the world has not yet been decided. It means that a woman who is praised as the most beautiful in the world, receiving absolute and overwhelming support, has not yet appeared. In other words, it's something that will happen in the future." Therefore, unless one is a fortune teller, they cannot know who the future most beautiful woman in the world will be.

"Ah, I see." He nodded his head with a look of understanding. He had thought that if she were already decided, it wouldn't be bad to try to court her, but he was only disappointed that she wasn't.

"But she will surely be decided in the future. The flower among flowers, the queen of beauty. Our Cheongwan also has quite a few women who are the pinnacle of beauty, contenders for the most beautiful woman in the world. Among them, Miss Bingbaifeng (Ice Hundred Phoenix), Nang, is a very strong candidate. Her beauty is truly breathtaking." Just imagining it made Cheon Sohae's eyes gleam hazily. It was a testament to her incredible beauty.

"Huh?" At that moment, Bi Ryuyeon suddenly felt a strange energy and felt bewildered. Looking around, it seemed he wasn't the only one who felt it. Especially, the expressions of Dang Cheolgi and Cheon Sohae, the Twin Ghostly Shadows, which seemed like they would never darken, became somber.

"Who is she, radiating such killing intent that it penetrates the walls?" Bi Ryuyeon asked Dang Cheolgi out of curiosity. He seemed to know the woman outside.

"Oh ho, it's amazing that you immediately realized the person outside is a woman. Who knows, perhaps it's a mysterious woman madly in love with me."

"That's definitely not it. I forgot she's close friends with Miss Baek." Cheon Sohae, standing beside him, said with a wry smile. But even if he knew, he wouldn't have given up.

"In any case, it seems wise to offer yourself up before our only club building is destroyed." The killing intent that pierced through the thick stone walls was so fierce it could shatter the building if not appeased. Dang Cheolgi and Cheon Sohae, not wanting to damage their many treasured collectibles, decided to go outside beforehand.

As the Twin Ghosts opened the door and went outside, Im Seongjin and Bi Ryuyeon's group followed. Outside the Aesojohye building, a surprisingly beautiful woman stood, radiating biting killing intent like frost.

"My, my, why would Miss Dokgo visit such a humble place?" Dang Cheolgi greeted her with feigned familiarity.

"You rascal! Don't ask what you already know." Dokgo Ryeong was not in the mood to be greeted.

"If you keep getting angry, wrinkles will form around your only eye. You should think about your beauty." Dang Cheolgi said slyly, unfazed by her chilling aura. The Twin Ghostly Shadows were not the type to be easily intimidated. The apology letters they had written alone would fill over ten volumes if compiled into a book. Furthermore, they had broken dozens of mechanical devices through unauthorized use. That was the kind of people they were.

"I'll kill you." Freezing killing intent, like the ice of the Northern Sea, emanated from her. There was a single blemish marring her beautiful face: a black eyepatch covering her left eye. She was, remarkably, a one-eyed woman.

"Who is she?" Bi Ryuyeon asked Im Seongjin about the fascinating woman before him.

"You don't know? She's Dokgo Ryeong, also known as Dokanbong (One-Eyed Phoenix), one of the most famous women in Cheongwan. She's an unusual and formidable woman, with a contrasting personality of an icy heart and a fiery temper. If you make her your enemy, she's one of the most troublesome opponents you could have."

"Hmm… But judging by the situation, it seems you've made her an enemy?" No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like a friendly relationship. Bi Ryuyeon's judgment was accurate.

"That's right. The group she hates the most is our Aesojohye. She considers us enemies of all women." Im Seongjin admitted readily with a wry smile. They were ranked among her top five enemies to be eliminated.

"Stop throwing a tantrum. If you keep puffing yourself up like that, your chest will bounce and make people around you feel awkward. Though we don't mind." Dang Cheolgi's words were recklessly excessive.

"I'll kill you." Her body was filled with dense killing intent.

"Hey, isn't that too much? She's a person of interest." It was like throwing gunpowder onto a burning house. It was a demonstration of recklessness, but those around him didn't feel inclined to praise his novel—and courageous—action.

'That guy, he might be amused by her reaction. What a scary fellow.' In Im Seongjin's opinion, the possibility was high, given such a reckless provocation.

'If he likes putting his neck on the chopping block in such a perilous situation, it's not a healthy hobby.' However, he was of the belief that one shouldn't interfere with others' hobbies, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

"What will happen?"

"Surely they won't fight. There's nothing to gain from fighting her. It'll be the usual Thirty-Six Stratagems: run away."

"The usual?"

"Well, it's not like this is the first or second time. Don't worry, their skill in manipulating mechanisms and their running speed are unparalleled. Besides, we don't fight women or children under sixteen."

"Do you fight the elderly?"

"Of course. Most of the top martial artists in the martial world are elderly… no, old masters, so it's unavoidable. How many old monsters grow stronger with age? We have plenty in our Cheonmu Academy too. So, the elderly are an exception!"

"Yes!" As Im Seongjin said, the average age of those considered peak martial artists in the martial world was 52, and the average age of those considered ultimate masters, super experts, was around 90.

Cheon Sohae signaled Dang Cheolgi with her eyes, and Dang Cheolgi, as if understanding, took something from his pocket and threw it in front of her one eye, which was poised to draw its sword.

"Boom!" With the sound of an explosion, thick smoke rose, obscuring her vision. Not only the smoke but also the pungent and irritating smell further disoriented her senses. Her eyes stung, and her nose burned. It was truly a malicious smoke bomb tear gas.

"Cough cough. Is it a smoke bomb…?" She fumbled to wipe away her watering eyes and unstoppable runny nose, but it was too late. Soon, the smoke dissipated with the afternoon breeze, and the smell spread, but her only right eye was still teary. The Twin Ghostly Shadows had already vanished without a trace.

"You… you scoundrels… I've been tricked again." This was already the fifth time. But she was not one to give up. She was not so merciful as to overlook such villains. Furthermore, she had a unique stubbornness. While she was reaffirming her resolve, Bi Ryuyeon and his companions, knowing they would be in for a bad time if they stayed, quietly slipped away. They feared that she might vent her anger over being outsmarted by the Twin Ghostly Shadows on them. Wishing for the safe survival of Dang Cheolgi and Cheon Sohae in her future pursuit, they left the scene.

Thus, after much twists and turns, Bi Ryuyeon, Hyo Ryong, Jang Hong, and even Yun Jun Ho, who joined them unexpectedly, became members of the Aesojohye.