Chapter 177

Facing the women, Jo Hak-che, proudly guarding the alley, was taken aback.

This was because Pang Dae-san had suddenly appeared, lifting Qing into his arms.

Of course, the women screamed as well.

“Little sister? Why are you holding her so dearly? Was it that good?”

Pang Dae-san smiled and replied.

In truth, he was referring to Jo Hak-che, who was practically wailing like a river of tears at the scene unfolding before him.

The people mourning the death of the lord from Qing’s home country probably weren’t as sorrowful as this.

“It was absolutely delightful. Now that I realize it, I rather fancy filthy, stinky beggars. If this girl likes it, should I just take her as my wife and enjoy the night?”

Qing shyly buried her face and whispered close to his ear.

-What? A filthy, stinky beggar? People can be a bit unwashed, you know. Is that so terrible?

Pang Dae-san pretended not to hear.

With Pang Dae-san’s stunning revelation, hell seemed to descend in the middle of the city.

Primarily through sound.

If you bundled up the cries and wails of eternally burning sinners, filled with anguish and resentment, it would be akin to what was being heard right here and now.

Among them were many who fainted, some going into severe shock and twitching like epileptics.

Pang Dae-san relished the screams and collapses, a genuine smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.

It was a scene of pure exhilaration, washing away a lifetime of regrets even if only a little.

Seeing that relieved smile, Jo Hak-che smacked his lips.

“Well, I can’t help it. I can’t be the bad brother coveting his sister-in-law. Hmm. Have a good time. And you, Young Lady, um, don’t think Pang here was inexperienced on his first time; he’ll surely follow your lead, so don’t feel frustrated and enjoy your union, hey! This brat is trying to take advantage of me!?”

“Could you please stop with the unnecessary nonsense?”

Qing’s eyes flashed.

How could she endure this?

-Aha. A virgin, pure and innocent? Our San-i is very virtuous! Oh, preserving one’s chastity, that’s commendable. Amazing. The best. Should we perhaps change her title to Pure Goddess? Is that too blunt? Then how about Young Pure One? Pure Mind?

Pang Dae-san gritted his teeth.

A wave of regret flooded in late.

Right, she was that kind of girl.

Why did he choose to hold her and bring on this humiliation instead of simply saying they’d meet again at the Martial World Tournament?

-If not a Goddess, how about Daoist? Hmm, seems like a gamble, maybe I’ll go with Dao King? Pure Dao King? Young Dao King? Pure Hearted Dao King? Just say the word, and I’ll shout out a splendid title for you!

“Enough already.”

-Alright, I’ll stop. Gonna lower my voice again, huh? Want me to add a bass tone? Pure Bass Pang Dae-san, oh, doesn’t that sound good?

Pang Dae-san grit his teeth even more.

After that, he pushed through the chaos and headed straight for the tavern to secure a room.

In the tavern, Qing and Pang Dae-san soaked towels in hot water and wrung them out.

Qing scrubbed her face hard with the damp towel, making a sound that echoed, then tossed it into the used towel bin and grabbed another.

Originally, the bathing order was to wet the towel first to wash off the dirt before soaking in the tub.

“Ah, refreshing! When will the bathwater arrive? Wow, thinking about bathing after such a long time makes my heart race. This is why I don’t wash up!”

“What nonsense is that?”

“Why not? When I wash, it feels fantastic! Especially when washing my hair. The hot water pouring down while I scrub my scalp, oh, it completely makes my legs weak and sends chills racing up my spine. Honestly, this pleasure surpasses any carnal need! Just once a month is enough for me.”

“……What absurd nonsense are you talking about? You don’t wash regularly?”

“If there’s a chance, I wash up!”

Just, if there’s no chance, I’m not about to force it, is what she meant.

Totally a piece of unwanted information.

Pang Dae-san frowned.

“I don’t get it. How can someone sleep without washing? The thought of a dirty bed is just too…ugh, horrible.”

“Well, since you’re a Young Master, you probably always have a chance to wash. Besides, I just splash water on myself at the well. It’s not like I’m constantly dirty or anything.”

Qing said while continuing to scrub her body.

The staff, upon seeing her, piled up towels high.

She wiped her hands, then her arms, legs, and neck, non-stop tossing dirty towels into the bin.

“Ah. I’m going to wipe my torso now, could you turn around a bit? No wait, should I spin around instead?”

“I’ll turn.”

Pang Dae-san turned in his chair to face the wall.

Then he heard the soft rustle of fabric slipping.

A poet from Qing’s hometown once described this sound as the sound of snow piling up; indeed, for a man, there’s no more erotic sound in the world.

It’s worth noting that in the Central Plain, lacking modern media, there were only aesthetically pleasing but entirely unsexy spring paintings to satisfy visual lust.

Pang Dae-san’s face flushed red.

But with the ensuing sound, he quickly regained his composure.

“Wow, this is nothing short of heavenly bliss. This feels utterly otherworldly. Life feels so good. This is why we live!”

“What’s with the middle-aged man-like exclamations…”

“Isn’t this how you express joy? Then what sounds does a mountain make? A reflection on the water looking stunning, it’s not like I’m going to express that in some weirdo way!”

“Not exactly making sounds like that.”

“Ah, come on, that’s no fun!”

At the same time, Pang Dae-san thought.

What on earth is this tensionless conversation about?

Sharing a room with a girl and there’s not even a hint of nervousness? They’re just casually chatting while sitting back-to-back?

He understood why, too.

Since she doesn’t see him as a man at all, she feels completely safe.

In fact, it was thanks to this presumed safety that they were in such friendly banter.

If Qing ever showed even a hint of affection, she would’ve pushed him away in disgust right away.

But still…

How can you get so comfortable without a shred of caution?

In this dangerous Martial World, how could a woman trust a man alone in one room?

As for Pang Dae-san himself, he was practically friends with what resembled a woman, without a shred of feeling towards her, purely innocent camaraderie formed over time, almost like with a same-sex buddy.

Did he just trust anyone as a friend?

Yeah, like a knife-thrower.

Pang Dae-san had no clue that his expression was stiff and serious.

If Pang Choryeo had seen him, she would’ve asking why her brother looks so upset.

“Is it normal for you to just take off your clothes like that?”

“Huh? Well, when I’m at the Divine Maiden Sect, yeah. It’s uncomfortable to wear anything while sleeping. How can I rest?”

This was Qing’s response, who had slept in rags all day long.

Pang Dae-san was stunned.

What kind of response is that?

But considering the Divine Maiden Sect is a place for women only, there’s probably no worries about modesty among them.

But still, uncomfortable wearing something while sleeping? What does that mean…

Suddenly, Qing’s wronged voice chimed in.

“Hey, why’s your voice dropping?”

“It’s not.”

“It sounded a bit lower.”

“Nope.”

“That’s strange. It definitely went down about half a note.”

And then, Pang Dae-san smiled wryly at the wall.

“If I turn around now, I’ll see everything, huh?”

“Why are you being such a brat all of a sudden? Did I say something wrong? Hmm, that rumor about you being with a beggar was because you liked it too, you know. I might’ve been a bit dense. I’m really sorry…”

Qing casually apologized, her integrity shining through even while feeling wronged.

Upon hearing that, Pang Dae-san’s mind snapped into focus.

“Wait, a joke? Was that a joke? Just because I’m feeling guilty, it doesn’t seem like a joke. But I’ll take it as a joke, okay? San! Want to see my body? Have you finally opened your eyes to the mysteries of womanhood? Shall I show you?”

“That sort of utterly rude joke is not something you should be making. Where on earth did you learn to use such crude humor?”

Pang Dae-san firmly replied.

Qing, not about to fall for it this time, responded.

“You didn’t catch that, did you? I teased you into turning around; I’m the one under the blanket! So if you’re going to turn around, give me a heads-up and count down. I should at least be given time to wrap myself in a blanket, shouldn’t I?”

As a response, Pang Dae-san sighed facing the wall.

—

It was a bright spring day in the middle of April.

However, Wang’s spring atop the city wall was cold, thanks to Jo, who had just joined the ranks.

“Damn it. I still have a headache because of you, damn it. I wish I could have a cup of liquor.”

“Someone with a headache is a fool. Why would a flower thief keep working as a beggar after earning that much? He should just go buy some food and live normally!”

“Didn’t you also get fooled and ended up crying your eyes out? Oh, it’s all on Oh.”

“Ahem. Still better than that Oh bastard.”

Oh had gone with exactly twenty coins to the flower thief only to end up getting beaten up four times, questioning whether they were attempting to buy him at this point.

Even after enduring one hit, he’d had to suffer through the underworld for further on.

After enduring four hits, he was now facing at least a week of absence, as next month, he feared he would end up losing more than half his earnings.

Military law is strict; if you’re absent, you must pay not just your daily wage, but also a hefty fine.

“Look, isn’t that a flower thief?”

“Didn’t the flower thief sleep with Oki-rin yesterday? Why is she out here? But look at that height and those curves. Two swords, definitely not a flower thief.”

Qing had wrapped the Magic Flute in dirty cloth after the sword theft.

To others, it looked like three swords.

“Oh, what luck! If we strip her down completely and stand her out here… she’s definitely no flower thief.”

“Oh wow, she’s a fairy! A real fairy!”

As Qing drew closer, the guards changed their tune.

An absolute beauty who belonged in a fairy tale, with a graceful walk reminiscent of Seomun Sulin, exuding nobility in every movement.

As she gracefully passed through the city gate, her completely dazed eyes met the piercing gaze of someone nearby.

Qing slightly lowered her head to greet, then disappeared inside.

Meanwhile, Wang stood there in a daze, suddenly leaning on the city wall.

“Wait, where’s she going?”

“To the restroom. I can’t believe it, when her beauty is still vivid in my mind, I should slip away. Hey! Jo!”

“Haha, I’m going first, haha!”

And thus, it was the moment Seomun Qing officially visited Zhangyuan City.

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