NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 129
Chapter 129: Her Counterattack
Hearing the premonition from the disciple, I froze on the spot.
She’s standing there looking at a man?
No way, is that face even a man?
The feminine face and figure she has, looking just like the perfect beauty I dreamed about in my sleep…
Is that really the disciple I know?
I recited the incantation for the Minor Yang Heart Method. A surge of inner energy shot up from my lower dantian and headed straight to my eyes. I enhanced my martial power with inner strength as I thoroughly analyzed the face of this idealized figure claiming to be the disciple.
And I realized.
There was something I hadn’t noticed at all because of her breathtaking beauty. Her features could indeed be called world-shattering, but if you scrutinized them closely, they bore a resemblance to the disciple’s.
You could even say she looks like the disciple’s younger sister.
But what about her body?
I know my disciple has a lilting figure. But if it’s not some trash martial art like Regulation Preservation, then any lilting condition can be cured through the Transformation of Flesh and Bone. Didn’t I myself treat a lilting condition by reaching the level of Hyun-gyeong in my past life?
But the current disciple was hiding a pair of voluptuous peaches—plump and luscious—beneath her black martial outfit that looked like any real woman would believe.
Could it all be fake?
It didn’t stop there. The silhouette of her body was completely that of a woman. Of course, disguises and reverse transformation techniques are the basics of covert missions, so I knew quite a few disguise techniques myself.
But has my disciple really mastered such high-level reverse transformation techniques?
My mind was in confusion. Really.
Is my disciple truly a man?
But a Heavenly Body is born only as a man, and in the cross-validation with Dongchang and Seochang, I was told she’s a man!
Objective information from my past life floated to the surface of my mind.
At the same time, I felt the heavy presence of my stiff lower regions under the visual information I was currently processing.
I am not gay. I don’t like men. My yang only responds to breathtaking beauties.
Even though I discovered that my disciple was cross-dressing, my yang remained stiff.
The instincts of my alpha male whispered to me. The disciple is not a man; she’s a woman. There’s no way my lower region would react to a man.
Reason and emotion, subjectivity and objectivity clashed.
My head spun. Am I going to fall into a heart devil state like this?
Now, what are you saying about a heart devil?!
Me, with a perfected mind of Hyun-gyeong? A heart devil? That can’t be!
Yet, it became impossible to completely dispel the doubts rising from deep within my heart.
Is my disciple really a man?
Before heading to Yongbong Jiyeon.
The fundamental question I had since acquiring information regarding Ilgeumyuhee at Hao Mun rose again.
The probability that the information from Dongchang and Seochang was wrong is slim, yet it exists.
If so…
[Disciple? You don’t look so well. Are you okay?]
At that moment.
I heard the voice of my disciple whispering in my ear.
As she approached me slowly—not knowing whether to refer to her as he or she—a sharp voice rang out next to me. It was Seomun Cheong-ha. Her gaze was directed at my disciple.
Upon receiving Seomun Cheong-ha’s gaze, my disciple smiled. It was a killer smile of stunning beauty that made my heart tremble even though I knew she was a man.
“Nice to meet you. I am Jin Soso, a friend of Yujinhwi. Among the folks of the Martial World, I am called by the grand nickname of Ilgeumyuhee.”
A perfect woman’s melodious voice flowed out of my disciple’s lips, not the androgynous voice I usually heard. It was so enchanting that it could be called jade sound, shaking the hearts of the listeners.
Jin Soso? Isn’t that a rather casual pseudonym?
And why does her voice sound like that? This is maddening.
I struggled to calm my still-stiff lower region.
Ugh…
But my lower region refused to listen. It was due to the lingering energy of manly flowers that hadn’t fully assimilated. The residual yang energy in my body was continuously stimulating my lower region.
There’s no helping it. I recited the incantation for the Three Yin True Formula. The cold and somewhat gay energy surged from my lower dantian through my four limbs and skin. Slowly, my lower region started to settle down.
Damn it.
“I’ve heard rumors about the stunning beauty concealed by the examination of the mysterious female minister known as Ilgeumyuhee, and I wasn’t expecting it to be to this extent. So, why is the stunning female minister here?”
Seomun Cheong-ha scrutinized my disciple with sharp eyes.
My disciple smiled softly and naturally hooked her arm in mine, saying, “Yujinhwi has some pressing matters to attend to today and cannot accompany me to Yongbong Jiyeon, so I have come to escort him instead upon Yujinhwi’s request.”
Thud.
My disciple’s chest pressed against my arm. I could feel the soft sensation of her breast on my bicep. Is this fake? No matter how you look at it, it feels real.
The suspicion nesting in my heart began to grow.
Regardless, the nerve-wracking exchange between the two women continued.
“But why are you clinging to my lord?! How shameless for a lady to cling to an outsider’s arm!”
Seomun Cheong-ha shouted, glaring at my disciple.
As she said, my disciple remained firmly clinging to my arm, not letting go. Normally, I would have pushed her away, but…
Right now, it felt somehow impossible. The sweet fragrance of wildflowers brushing against the tip of my nose intensified.
The smile lingered on my disciple’s lips deepened.
“I’ve admired the reputation of the Gongdong Alliance since I heard about it. I’m merely expressing my admiration. Besides, for today, I am his escort. I don’t see any issue with staying close to the one I’m meant to guard. What kind of relationship do you have with him, Seomun-soja, to raise your voice so at me?”
My disciple looked calmly at Seomun Cheong-ha, a coy smile gracing her lips.
Wait.
Is this really the disciple I know? That timid disciple?
Could she be someone else?
“…Hmph! I am the exclusive maid of my lord! Therefore…
Seomun Cheong-ha bit her lip, flustered as her face turned red.
Just as she tried to say something more.
“I understand. Seomun-soja. I look forward to spending the day together. Now, let’s go, my companion.”
My disciple cut her off and led me away with her arm firmly entwined around mine.
“Hey, wait! We’re going together! Together! What the heck is this!”
Seomun Cheong-ha’s voice echoed from behind.
[Disciple. Leave everything to her today!]
Shortly after, my disciple’s voice resonated in my ear.
What does she mean by “leave everything to her”?
Really.
This is driving me mad.
*
Deungbong County Marketplace.
In the middle of a bustling street unusually crowded due to the Yongbong Society, a young girl with mixed silver and black hair stood there, making a disgruntled face that would catch anyone’s eye.
The chief disciple of the Hangshan Sect, So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin.
“…Why are they so late?”
Cheon Sobin pouted her lips.
Today was the day.
Today, at Yongbong Jiyeon, Lee Cheol-soo and Namgung Cheong would be fighting without her.
Cheon Sobin doesn’t particularly like Lee Cheol-soo yet. However, to completely cut off the advances of the even more disliked Pungyurung* Namgung Cheong, she needed to act as if she was Lee Cheol-soo’s official concubine today.
I can’t afford to lose face anymore!
Since the public confession that day.
There was no longer any face for So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin to lose. The rumors about her secret meetings with Lee Cheol-soo and their cohabitation had spread like wildfire.
Rumors exploding out of control—something an ordinary girl would find detrimental to her marriage prospects, but Cheon Sobin didn’t care.
In fact, those rumors worked in her favor.
Her ultimate goal was to marry Lee Cheol-soo.
Just wait. In front of the post-stimulation indicators from the Orthodox Faction Martial World, I will proudly affirm that Lee Cheol-soo and I are officially an item!
Just as Cheon Sobin reaffirmed this in her heart, she spotted Lee Cheol-soo in the vicinity.
“Why the hell are you late…”
The moment Cheon Sobin spotted Lee Cheol-soo and called out to him.
Her eye caught sight of the enchanting beauty beside him, with their arms intertwined.
A beauty so overwhelmingly charming that it could only be described as a heavenly masterpiece—a girl so stunning she would make the beauty of others pale in comparison.
…
At the moment she faced this beauty, Cheon Sobin froze on the spot.
It’s not like Cheon Sobin wasn’t pretty in her own right. In fact, among the Hangshan Sect and the post-stimulation indicators, her beauty stood unrivaled. She could easily claim to be the most beautiful woman in Shanxi after the previous guard.
So, Cheon Sobin took pride in her looks. While Seomun Cheong-ha and Seoharin were beautiful as well, they weren’t vastly superior to her.
But this beauty before her? The moment she confronted the head-spinningly enchanting visage…
Cheon Sobin felt despair. This wasn’t just mortal beauty. How could such a figure exist in the world? And how could that beauty be at Lee Cheol-soo’s side?
The overwhelming difference left Cheon Sobin asking with a trembling voice.
“…W-Who are you…?”
At Cheon Sobin’s question, Yujinhwi’s lips curled into a smile.
When the peerless beauty, Yujinhwi, smiled, it felt as if the surroundings lit up with brilliance.
The bustling marketplace fell silent, everyone—men and women, young and old—turned to gaze at Yujinhwi.
Receiving all the attention, Yujinhwi smiled.
Thump.
Her heart raced.
Only today. Just today…
Today, the only chance she could personally be a woman beside the disciple. Therefore, Yujinhwi wished not to be separated from him.
Her heart pounded painfully. A smile crept onto her lips as she felt good. Even if it were a lie… It felt wonderful to exist as a woman beside the disciple. She was happy.
Yujinhwi tightly clung to the disciple’s arm and smiled as she introduced herself, “I am Jin Soso, here today as the escort for Yujinhwi’s request. Among the folks of the martial world, they call me Ilgeumyuhee.”
Ilgeumyuhee.
The mysterious beauty hiding behind a veil, performing martial arts with elegance. The rumors about her beauty had circulated, but Yujinhwi hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
Cheon Sobin bit her lip.
Stay strong, Cheon Sobin! You’re Lee Cheol-soo’s official concubine!
That’s right.
Today, she would firmly affirm her title as Lee Cheol-soo’s official concubine in front of the post-stimulation indicators of the Orthodox Faction Martial World. But why was she shrinking back before Ilgeumyuhee?
Cheon Sobin smiled.
“I see. Pleased to meet you. I am So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin from the Hangshan Sect.”
As she looked toward Yujinhwi, she naturally hooked her arm in the vacant left arm of Lee Cheol-soo.
“I admire him. Please take care of me.”
A smile curved on Cheon Sobin’s lips.
Yujinhwi’s face hardened as she watched Cheon Sobin while her hand trembled ever so slightly.
…She doesn’t even genuinely like the disciple…
Yujinhwi couldn’t stand Cheon Sobin. While she verbally expressed admiration for the disciple, she knew it was insincere.
Yujinhwi was well aware of her position.
…I can never be his official concubine…
She was infertile. That was a certain diagnosis from none other than Dang Yeong-ryeong, the number one physician in the world.
Being unable to have a child, Yujinhwi could never be Lee Cheol-soo’s official concubine.
I’m prepared for the position of a concubine… No, the position of a mistress is what I’m ready for. As long as I can be his woman, even in a lesser status, I’ll accept it. But… As a disciple… I cannot forgive any woman that deceives him.
Thus, she was resolved.
To accept that she could never be his first. Yet somehow that was okay. Second, third… No, even a lesser status would suffice. She thought to herself that she wanted to become his woman somehow.
But as a disciple, a woman who doesn’t even genuinely love him was unacceptable.
She couldn’t stand Cheon Sobin, who spoke of admiration without true feelings.
Yujinhwi glared at Cheon Sobin and said, “…I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.”
At that moment, as the gazes of Yujinhwi and Cheon Sobin intersected in the air.
“What are you two doing?! A woman clinging to a man like this in public is just shameful! Hmph! Let’s go!”
Seomun Cheong-ha appeared from behind and disrupted the tense standoff.
Thus, Lee Cheol-soo found himself surrounded by three beautiful women and sighed inwardly as he headed toward the Hero’s Hall where Yongbong Jiyeon would be held.