NOVEL WEB Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Future of Baekdojeilhwa
The rundown inn was as empty as a ghost town.
Crickets chirping…
Despite it being lunchtime, there were no customers at all. A bit odd.
“Welcome… Is that you, Great Hero Jeonyeong?”
As the door creaked open, a middle-aged man rushed out, bowing deeply in front of Jeonyeong.
It was Seo Won-gwang, the owner of Gongdong Inn, the innkeeper, the financial backer, and the father of Baekdojeilhwa.
He bore a certain dandy flair, though not as flashy as Yujinhwi, and with his chiselled features, he greeted us with a smile.
“It’s been a while, Great Hero. This is…?”
“This is my new disciple, Lee Cheol-soo. Cheol-soo, meet Seo, the esteemed proprietor who greatly aids our sect’s finances. Extend your greetings.”
“Hahaha, Great Hero, calling me ‘esteemed’ is too much flattery for a mere innkeeper.”
Seo waved his hands dismissively, laughing.
I took a step forward and politely cupped my hands in greeting.
“I’m Lee Cheol-soo. It’s an honor to meet the one responsible for our sect’s welfare, Master Seo. I look forward to your guidance.”
According to the records, Baekdojeilhwa grew up in a single-parent household. She was also a devoted daughter who cared deeply for her father.
To earn points with Baekdojeilhwa, I needed to charm her father first, following the age-old strategy of “capture the king by capturing the thief.”
“Ah, you must be the young master Lee Cheol-soo. I’ve heard about you through letters sent to Great Hero. A fine spirit indeed. It won’t be long before Gongdong Sect’s fame spreads across the martial world. Nice to meet you.”
Not seeming bothered by the title ‘esteemed’, Seo’s lips twitched happily at my respectful greeting.
“Too much praise, Master Seo! I too look forward to our collaboration.”
“I look forward to it as well.”
Seo nodded appreciatively at my words.
Under his guidance, we took a seat at the empty table.
My Master ordered three bowls of soba noodles and a platter of lamb meat for us, then asked Seo, “By the way, I don’t see your daughter today. I wanted to introduce her to Cheol-soo… Where is she?”
Finally, after all this anticipation, the mention of Baekdojeilhwa’s whereabouts came up.
Even before I could speak, my Master had already taken the initiative to introduce us.
I restrained my twitching lips with superhuman patience, maintaining a neutral expression.
Truly, Jeonyeong was an exceptional Master.
After all, a teacher’s grace is like the sky. May the bond between teacher and disciple last forever!
Feigning indifference, I opened my ears to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“If you’re referring to Rina, I sent her out on an errand just now. She should be arriving soon. Ah, there she is!”
As Seo spoke, all our gazes shifted to the inn’s entrance.
A foot stepped forward, and she appeared.
With snow-white skin, sky-blue eyes that looked different from the locals, and platinum blonde hair, a smile illuminated her striking beauty.
The future Baekdojeilhwa, Seo Harin, stood right there.
Gansu Province, where Gongdong Mountain is situated, lies on the outskirts of the Central Plains, at the start of the Silk Road.
Being an active trade hub, it was relatively easy to find half-breeds here.
Thus, Seo Harin was also a mixed blood between a local and a foreigner.
At first glance, she had chubby cheeks and a youthful face that made her look like a child, but already, the beauty akin to that of Baekdojeilhwa was blossoming within her.
In short, she was the textbook definition of a beautiful girl.
But…
Yikes, she’s so young!
Seo Harin was the same age as me—13 years old.
Quite obviously, she was still a child.
While I did pursue aesthetics, I was no scumbag to have ulterior motives toward a little girl.
Only the bastards of Samawaedo would do that.
Without a doubt, she would grow to be the most beautiful in her sect, but at this tender age, she stirred no thoughts within me.
She reminds me of Hwangje.
Rather, seeing her reminded me of Hwangje, the Third Princess. When we first met, she was exactly that age too.
For no good reason, I found myself reminiscing about that time in my life.
But looking after the princess had its own rewards. After all, she blossomed into a beauty, and she listened to me well enough.
That time spent with the princess was among the few pure, good memories within my pitiful 50-year celibate life.
Well, no matter how wonderful it was, it couldn’t compare to Cloud and Rain Pleasure.
Living as a celibate was worse than death.
In that sense, I really appreciated this second chance at life, complete with all the ‘goodies’.
As for the princess… although widely known as a mere puppet emperor, she was far from simple.
She was a crafty and shrewd political player with schemes rivaling mine.
So, I was sure she would do just fine without me, given that I had served as her aide for over 40 years.
Should she find herself in trouble, I could always lend a helping hand.
She needs to get married this lifetime, though. Tsk, tsk.
As I thought of Hwangje, who had never married during my previous life, I couldn’t help but click my tongue.
I would welcome any beautiful girl’s affections, but not that of an empress. She’s family. Families don’t do that kind of thing.
Anyways, as memories of Hwangje bubbled up, a warm smile crept onto my face.
Seo Harin and I made eye contact, and she flinched.
Her expressionless face, with its vacant eyes, locked onto me.
“…I’m back, Father.”
Seo Harin spoke to her father in a flat tone.
She placed the ingredients on the empty table.
“Good job, Rina. We have special guests from the Great Gongdong Sect here. Go greet them.”
At her father’s words, Seo Harin’s lifeless gaze turned toward us.
A glimmer of hostility flashed across her face for a brief moment.
I understood perfectly why she reacted that way.
Seo Harin came from a single-parent family. Her foreign mother had died in front of her when she was ten, killed by a violent skirmish instigated by the members of the Sayeong Hoe in the inn.
Since then, she had shut herself off emotionally. Blaming martial artists and feeling powerless against the tyranny of the private martial league, she harbored resentment toward Gongdong Sect.
Even now, her eyes held a heavy dose of hostility as they gazed at me.
The reason Seo Harin would eventually join this sect was an incident that would occur a year from now, where the Sayeong Hoe would raze the inn to the ground in Hwajeong County.
At that time, Gongdong Sect lacked the strength to protect the inn, and my Master was still consuming his elixirs and hadn’t been able to resolve the conflict, so Seo’s father brought her into the sect to safeguard her.
Having once hated the martial world and the Gongdong Sect, she was forced to comply with her father’s wishes and enter the sect.
It would be four years before the records noted Seo Harin would open her heart to the members of Gongdong Sect after Yujinhwi avenged her mother.
An elite, flawless gentleman taking revenge for her? Even I, if I were a girl, would have fallen for him!
Of course, since I’m a man, I could never fall for my Master. Damn Master!
All in all, Seo Harin stood before me now.
With a glare, shooting daggers at me.
Perhaps if it were any other situation, I might be annoyed at being glared at, but a beautiful girl glaring at me? That’s rather pleasant.
Better than indifference.
“Rina, please greet him. This is Lee Cheol-soo, the new disciple of our sect.”
Finally, under her father’s urging, Seo Harin reluctantly opened her mouth.
“…Seo Harin.”
In a cold voice that sent chills up my spine, she merely stated her name.
I looked at her and smiled.
“I am Lee Cheol-soo, a disciple of Gongdong Sect. It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Seo. I look forward to your guidance.”
While I warmly smiled and cupped my hands, Seo Harin looked down at me with her transparent green eyes.
She ignored my greeting.
“…”
After a moment of silence, Seo Harin turned sharply and entered the kitchen.
Seeing this, her father smiled awkwardly.
“Hahaha. My daughter can be rather… shy. I apologize for any discomfort caused.”
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Master said. “Cheol-soo, understand that Rina carries many emotional wounds, so be a broad-minded gentleman and accept her as she is.”
I nodded at my Master’s words.
“Yes, understood, Master.”
Well, it’s just a 13-year-old girl being a little distant; I shouldn’t let that ruffle my feathers too much.
After all, she was a beauty reminiscent of the empress.
“I’m glad to hear you both are understanding. I will keep an eye on Rina from now on. Oh, I’ve talked too much. I need to prepare the meal.”
With that, the introductory session came to an end, and Seo returned to the kitchen.
After a brief wait, he returned with three steaming bowls of soba noodles and a mountain of lamb meat.
“Let’s eat.”
After taking a piece of lamb, Master addressed us.
No sooner had he finished than I dove into the dish of lamb.
Gansu, known for its rugged terrain, had developed a pastoral lifestyle over agriculture.
The lamb dish, known as Sujo Yangyuk, along with Lanzhou Lamian, was representative of Gansu’s cuisine.
I took a piece of the warm lamb, dipped it in the sauce, and placed it in my mouth.
Chew, chew…
While there was a slight gamey flavor typical of lamb, it was tastier than expected.
The soba noodles were also quite delightful.
After dining, we bid farewell to Master Seo as we left Gongdong Inn.
On our way back to the main base.
“Master, did you enjoy our meal today?”
As I followed my Master, my sister whispered softly to me.
It was all good, but why bother whispering beside me?
Shivers down my spine…
The only one who should be whispering secrets like this is a stunning beauty!
I quickly increased my distance from her and replied, “Yes, it was great.”
Seeing the future Baekdojeilhwa and enjoying meat after a long time was fantastic.
While vegetables weren’t bad, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet for vitality.
A healthy diet shapes a healthy body, and a healthy body leads to healthy energy.
Thus, managing one’s diet was the foundation of being an alpha male.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it! Let’s eat out more often in the future!”
My sister smiled at me.
At long last, she spoke something worth agreeing to.
I wanted to go out to eat more often too.
It was essential to build rapport with Baekdojeilhwa ahead of what was to come in the future.
“Sounds good.”
As I nodded, my sister smiled brightly once more.
“Hahaha.”
Jeonyeong, who led the way, wore a warm smile.
Once we arrived at the Gongdong Sect’s main base, I finished the afternoon training and nighttime practices with my sister before returning to my personal quarters.
Thud.
Closing the sliding door, I pulled out the soft rope I had acquired from the marketplace and a one-kilogram stone I had picked up during night practice.
With rope in my left hand and stone in my right, I grinned and adjusted my pants.
Having honed my skills in the Foundational Technique of Jerk Exercise and Kegel Exercise to their limits, it was finally time to embark on the modern medical wonder, Hanging!