NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 130
130th Chapter: The Girl’s Struggle
At the same time.
Shaolin Temple Guest Hall.
Yeom-hee Neungwolhyang, or rather Jeoksawol, had not left Shaolin Temple but continued to stay at the guest hall.
Damn those girls…
The Orthodox faction’s first sect, a thousand-year-old Shaolin. Famous for the Heavenly Academy’s departure from the Temple.
For her, the number one of the unorthodox sect, to be lodging here was… ridiculous.
Especially after directly facing Sinseung and obtaining permission.
It was humiliating.
That damn monk. Why is he smiling like a fool?
Jeoksawol’s hands trembled.
Last night, when she went to ask Sinseung for permission to stay longer at Shaolin, his composed smile lingered in her mind. His serene smile, as if he had transcended the mundane, was annoyingly infuriating.
[The temple cannot choose its guests. You may stay until the benefactor’s mind is fulfilled. Amitabha. I will pray to my Buddha that the benefactor’s heart is realized.]
Even spinning the beads directly.
Every time Sinseung’s face popped into her head, Jeoksawol grew even angrier.
Yet, she couldn’t leave Shaolin.
If it weren’t for that bastard…!
Jeoksawol bit her lip. Thoughts of what had happened yesterday flooded her mind.
Jeoksawol had faced humiliation. As Neungwolhyang, she faced not only humiliation but rejection.
Her hands trembled. Her cheeks shook.
Please…
Lee Cheol-soo’s words echoed in Jeoksawol’s ear.
Yes. His request was to protect Hwajeong County. Thus, she summoned her disciple, Baek Myeon-am-gun, and instructed him to protect Hwajeong County during her absence.
It was amusing that the number one of the unorthodox sect was even worried about the White Path Martial World’s Gongdong Sect.
But she couldn’t ignore it.
If something happened to Gongdong Sect while she was away, she would definitely feel uneasy.
However, Lee Cheol-soo alleged that she had betrayed his request. At that, Jeoksawol was left with no choice but to remain silent. She couldn’t reply that she had just sat down Baek Myeon-am-gun in her place and that she needn’t worry.
Baek Myeon-am-gun was the leader of Hao Mun and a master of Hwakyung.
Yeom-hee Neungwolhyang’s nominal superior. Neungwolhyang couldn’t act recklessly. So saying she sat Baek Myeon-am-gun in place of Neungwolhyang would mean admitting that Neungwolhyang and Jeoksawol were the same person.
That can’t be…
Jeoksawol’s face flushed red. Her hands trembled.
Right, it couldn’t be. She still couldn’t fully trust Lee Cheol-soo.
What reason did she have to reveal her true identity?
No, perhaps…
If I reveal my disguise now…
Lee Cheol-soo might think he was deceived.
Not just Lee Cheol-soo. Anyone would think that. For the unorthodox master she bonded with until now to be the same person.
She had no rebuttal even if someone accused her of playing with their feelings.
“Ugh…”
Jeoksawol let out a groan.
Her mind became tangled. Disguising herself was the basic norm in Hao Mun. Especially for her, the world’s most beautiful, whose transcendent beauty felt more like a curse than a blessing, disguising was a necessity.
It was impossible for Jeoksawol, the world’s most beautiful, to live a normal life.
So, she hadn’t paid attention. Until Lee Cheol-soo showed unflinching composure in front of her beauty.
…He might end up hating me.
If she revealed everything, he might distance himself from her.
The moment that thought occurred, a terrifying fear surged inside Jeoksawol. She clenched her fists.
Is my heart genuinely shaken by something as trivial as that?
She was more than 40 years his senior, a post-stimulation indicator. It was absurd for her, the number one of the unorthodox sect, to be unsettled by a boy from the White Path.
Yet her emotions felt differently. Her heart raced with fear. Her complexion paled, and her hands and feet trembled.
She recalled that day. The day Lee Cheol-soo had coldly turned away from her. It was a nightmare that she had only managed to get forgiveness for after climbing to Gongdong Sect’s main base.
And Lee Cheol-soo’s icy gaze from yesterday flashed in her mind.
Because she hadn’t honored his request. What if she confessed her entire disguise?
She might never find forgiveness again, just like that time.
Perhaps this time… forever.
That can’t happen!
Jeoksawol felt the wound in her heart, which she had carried for 62 years, deepen. She felt a pain as though her heart was being sliced with a knife.
She clutched her chest.
It was hard to breathe. It was suffocating.
Yeah.
How could she have come this far and retreat now? For the sake of her pride, she needed to capture Lee Cheol-soo’s heart. So…
When she fully captured his heart, to the point where he couldn’t leave her side.
When Lee Cheol-soo couldn’t abandon Neungwolhyang, the courtesan, no matter the situation.
That’s when I’ll confess…
Then she would finally reveal that Neungwolhyang, Ye Yeoryeong, and Jeoksawol were the same person.
If that happened, Lee Cheol-soo could never abandon her.
So until then…
She had to capture his heart as Neungwolhyang. Jeoksawol thought this as she bit her lip.
First… I should apologize to Gaga…
The moment Jeoksawol resolved to do that and stood up.
Her heightened senses reached a presence that wasn’t Gaga. Jeoksawol quickly collected herself.
…It’s not Gaga.
But it was a familiar presence.
Yeom-hee Neungwolhyang was publicly known to have only reached the first-class realm of martial arts for self-defense.
As she adjusted her posture to match the first-class level, she wiped away the tears that had briefly welled up and quickly organized her facial expression when a voice called from beyond the door.
“It’s Eun Seol-ran. Can I come in, Lady Neungwolhyang?”
Eun Seol-ran.
Hearing that name made Jeoksawol’s hands tremble violently. The humiliation from earlier still vivid in her mind.
But she didn’t show it.
What business does that young girl have coming to meet me? I need to check it out.
Jeoksawol thought and then spoke.
“Come in, Lady Eun.”
As permission was granted, the sliding door opened. Ethereal silver hair swirled as she entered.
Geumhu Eun Seol-ran.
Her silver eyes sparkled.
In Eun Seol-ran’s silver gaze was Neungwolhyang. Like Neungwolhyang, Eun Seol-ran also hadn’t forgotten what happened in front of Shaolin Temple.
A brief silence fell between them.
Creek.
The Geumhu pulled out a chair and sat across from Jeoksawol.
Breaking the silence first was Jeoksawol, who took on the form of Neungwolhyang.
“…What brings the leader of the competing Hangshan Sect to a humble place like this to speak to a lowly courtesan like me?”
Jeoksawol’s words made Eun Seol-ran’s eyes tremble. She bit her lip.
Last night, she had anxiously debated whether to visit Neungwolhyang today.
Moreover, today was the day of the Yongbong Society. Her beloved Sangong, Lee Cheol-soo, would be battling the first-born son of the Namgung Family. As the ideal wife, she needed to attend the Yongbong Society to support him.
If it weren’t for Neungwolhyang…
The Geumhu bit her lip. Not oblivious to the blade embedded in Jeoksawol’s words, the Geumhu was not foolish. Living for 48 years, the old martial expert who battled over everything in the White Path Martial World knew how to hold her own.
“I hear Lady Neungwolhyang finished her offerings yesterday yet still remains at Shaolin. Is the accommodation uncomfortable for our temple?”
The Geumhu said with a light smile.
Though Neungwolhyang was mentioned as the next world’s most beautiful, she hadn’t yet reached even her thirties. In contrast, the Geumhu had experienced years nearing her sixtieth and was not to be underestimated in experience.
And with experience, Jeoksawol’s anger burned against Eun Seol-ran.
That arrogant girl… teasing me like I’m younger!
Excluding Sinseung, there was no one in the martial world that matched her skill at her level.
Before her, being as condescending as Eun Seol-ran was a first. It was humiliating. But she had no choice but to hide it.
…Yes. I’m currently Neungwolhyang. I’m younger than her, so let’s see how that feels.
Remembering that she was younger than Eun Seol-ran made Jeoksawol feel better.
She spoke.
“Of course, I finished my offerings yesterday. But the rituals are still not done. I plan to pray for the victory of my beloved Yongbong Society starting from today until the ceremonies end.”
Hearing Neungwolhyang’s words, Eun Seol-ran’s eyes trembled.
Interpreting Neungwolhyang’s words meant:
I am in love with Lee Cheol-soo, but you have no relationship with him, do you? So why come here to threaten me with your status?
Eun Seol-ran felt a boiling anger inside her.
But she calmed her mind.
…Lady Neungwolhyang. This arrogance ends today.
If Neungwolhyang had youth, Eun Seol-ran possessed the backing of the leader of the Nine-Palace Alliance and the Geumhu’s renown.
Eun Seol-ran looked at Jeoksawol and said.
“…Cutting to the chase, Lady Neungwolhyang. Do not entrap my benefactor in desires.”
In other words, she told Neungwolhyang to keep her distance from Lee Cheol-soo.
Jeoksawol smiled.
So, it comes to this at last.
It was the development she had anticipated. Jeoksawol remained unphased.
“This is not desire, it’s love. Lady Eun. It’s disappointing to mistake my pure feelings for desire. Furthermore, I don’t think you, without any relationship with Gaga, should interfere with me.”
Jeoksawol winked mischievously.
At this moment, Eun Seol-ran can’t acknowledge her feelings for Lee Cheol-soo openly. Therefore, this was a battle Jeoksawol was bound to win.
Eun Seol-ran’s silver gaze fixed on Jeoksawol.
Her heart pounded painfully. Eun Seol-ran bit her lip.
She had heard those words yesterday too. But unlike then, Eun Seol-ran was now fully prepared to respond.
Sangong… please forgive this petty jealousy of mine…
Eun Seol-ran apologized to Sangong in her heart while glowering at Neungwolhyang and said.
“We’re not without ties.”
“What kind of ties? Do you mean to say that the renowned Geumhu Eun Seol-ran is genuinely in love with this girl three decades younger?”
Jeoksawol laughed.
For the orthodox faction, credibility and facade were as precious as life.
So, there was no way the Geumhu could sincerely acknowledge feelings for a person just born from the White Path.
If the Geumhu admitted her affection, the entire White Path Martial World would label her foolish, a disgrace to her age, and that she had become mad from being single too long.
Eun Seol-ran’s eyes trembled.
“The benefactor is…”
Her silver gaze locked straight onto Jeoksawol.
Eun Seol-ran declared.
“…He will become my husband.”
The moment Geumhu’s words fell.
Jeoksawol’s face turned pale.