Chapter 480

Qing stared curiously at Ahn Yoon-juk.

Ahn Yoon-juk rolled his eyes nervously.

Out of nowhere, here comes a woman who looked like she could snap someone up.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly started swinging a sword.

And sure enough, Qing pulled out his sword with a serious expression.

In that instant, Ahn Yoon-juk’s head was spinning like crazy.

Should he just rush her like a madman?

But the hand gripping his hair was as unyielding as steel, so whether he had inner strength or not, it was clear she was an extraordinary martial artist.

Ahn Yoon-juk wasn’t even on the same level with his inner strength or external skills.

Besides, it was five against one.

Subtracting the famous Jo Ah-yo and even more famous slaves, it was still five against one.

It was a gamble as hopeless as an ant fighting against a person.

Yet, he couldn’t just surrender his neck.

Ahn Yoon-juk’s mind raced with countless possibilities, thousands of scenarios flashing by.

Finally, he found a single possibility and steeled himself for it.

Just as Qing was about to speak—

Ahn Yoon-juk launched himself with every ounce of strength he had.

Towards the ground!

“Oh dear! This Ahn Yoon-juk is certainly not one to know his place. My martial skills may be lacking, but if you ask me, I can handle all chores like cooking, laundry, and tidying up the tavern!”

Qing thought to himself,

“What?”

“Let me through, will you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Get out of my way. I want to see the door.”

Qing was examining a real automatic door present in the Central Plain.

Some guy was bustling around in front of him, suddenly asking to be treated like a dog or horse.

“Oh. You were looking at the door…”

Feeling embarrassed, Ahn Yoon-juk stepped back and plastered himself against the wall.

Qing approached the stone door and began inspecting it closely.

Wasn’t it just an ordinary stone door?

What mechanism could possibly make it slide up and down?

It seemed like the stone door was coming down and settling into place through pre-carved grooves.

It was unbelievably astonishing, and yet, Dayeoreum, the absolute supreme being of mechanical systems, was a complete fraud!

She only had a basic understanding of how machinery worked!

If anyone would know why she did, it’s because anyone from Qing’s hometown couldn’t miss the basic principles of machinery from the reports.

It was a matter of familiarity, not intelligence.

What complicated devices could possibly be inside a solid stone door?

Even if it just operated on pulleys or something simple, it would still be a remarkable technological innovation for the Central Plain.

But according to the master’s words, wasn’t the last master of the mysterious temple, Sin, dead for over a hundred years?

Honestly, after a hundred years, even in Qing’s hometown, that would have been a rusting old relic.

Yet here, in this undeveloped land of the Central Plain?

Qing subtly extended his sword.

Like a six-lane highway stretched out, qi surged forth at maximum output.

On the already thick blade of the Moonlight Sword, almost an inch thick, raw sword energy began to emanate.

The sword looked like it was doubling in size, becoming a grotesque sight.

The fearsome sharp edge began to silently dig into the stone door.

Slowly. Gently…

Qing concentrated all his senses on the feel at his fingertips.

As it sliced through the soft insides of a person, he could discern the texture of muscle, tendons, bones, intestines, lungs, and kidneys…

How much more could he comprehend while cutting through stone?

What’s this? It’s just all stone?

Then, the sword tip felt loose.

It had hit air after piercing through the stone.

Qing immediately drew back his sword and brought his face to the hole it made.

It was a tiny pinpoint of light visible beyond the dark corridor, like it had been made with a needle.

What was that? A way through?

He could just break out of here.

Feeling reassured, Qing relaxed.

Now that he had secured an escape route, he thought he could go wild inside without a care.

If someone found out, they might wonder why this girl suddenly got so clever; maybe she ate something bad.

But Qing was naturally a cautious person.

Despite seeming reckless, he always made sure to have at least one route to escape!

However, having disguised herself and acted like someone else, she had unwittingly become engrossed in the role.

Either way, whether Unyeonjeong or Dayeoreum was gone, she had no care for the future.

Qing wasn’t slow; this was human instinct!

The essence of anonymity!

Originally, when people were anonymous, they feared nothing and could accomplish anything. In anonymity, anyone could be the most authoritative scholar or a monumental genius!

Then, suddenly, the stone door slammed down behind her.

It was a matter of life and death!

Instantly, the instinct to survive kicked in, as her intelligence shot through the roof!

What a cockroach!

Of course, there’s no scientific basis for cockroaches increasing their intelligence when facing a crisis.

In that sense, Qing could be seen as even more of a cockroach than a real cockroach.

Qing turned around.

Her actions were always based on escape.

That is, if it’s not doable, run, no questions asked.

And if it’s do or die, then she could escape.

Running was her divine mission, and Qing was invincible!

“Ahn Miss. Can I start calling you that? No, it seems a bit weird to talk formally to a servant, right?”

“Y-yes?”

“What? You seem a bit sour-faced?”

Well, it would make sense seeing as Ahn Yoon-juk had just declared himself a servant after tripping over his own pride.

But as we say, a man’s word is as heavy as gold, or so they say.

This shows that a woman’s words aren’t worth much to a Central Plain man.

So it didn’t matter if Qing spouted nonsense; her words could be disregarded.

“Didn’t you see me stick my sword in the stone wall? Ahn, is your body stronger than stone? Then, would you rather be a sword sheath instead of a servant? Hmm, where’s the right place to stick a sword?”

A sword sheath holds a sword, of course.

Naturally, a human servant is much better than a human sheath!

“No! It’s an honor to serve!”

“Right?”

“Yes!”

“Good. I like a loud voice. You gonna do well?”

“Yes! I’ll do well!”

What exactly was she going to do well at? No one knew, not even Qing or Ahn Yoon-juk.

But they had a vague sense of understanding, so whatever.

“Okay, so there’s a reason why I said we need ten people, right? Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m gonna go with a flashy name.”

Ahn Yoon-juk’s expression turned blank.

Gonna go flashy? Why flashy?

“And this old man over here is a thief.”

Then Cheon Yu-hak averted his gaze.

Jo Ah-yo’s mind momentarily stopped processing.

A thief?

That might be the case, but why reveal it?

While Lee Hye-hye was confused, Qing continued without a care.

“This little kid here is my little brother, Makja-geum.”

Jin Jangmyung’s expression turned fierce.

“Little kid” was essentially a summary emphasizing his small stature.

Wasn’t Jin Jangmyung always conscious about his height?

“Here is Mo Yong So-jeo, and here’s my swordsmanship buddy, Geom-i-jang.”

At that, Mo Yong Joo-hee’s eyes narrowed disappointedly.

An old man, a brother, a swordsmanship friend.

But here! Here, you say?

While Mo Yong Joo-hee despaired, Lee Hye-hye finally grasped Qing’s bizarre logic.

What was she talking about? It was an introduction!

“Well, if you’re gonna use a pseudonym, wouldn’t it be better to have a little sincerity?”

If anyone heard it, it’d be the kind of official name to boast about.

Qing boldly tossed out names like they were nothing.

“Hey now. A pseudonym? That’s not something to mess with. I mean, my name stands for Jo Ah-yo, or maybe like ‘yes, I like it.’”

That made Lee Hye-hye furrow her brow.

“Jo Ah-yo is not a name; it’s a nickname.”

“And so I’m joking about it with my nickname.”

Now that an escape route was secured, Qing was grinning ear to ear, diving back into anonymity.

This means he was just rambling nonsense.

“What the heck, I mean, okay, fine… So anyway, I’m Jo Ah-yo, Lee Hye-hye.”

Using ‘Jo’ to mean claw and ‘Ah’ for a dog is where Jo Ah comes from.

And if you think ‘Ah’ suggests a young lady, well, that’s usually used for young women too.

“Here are Il-no, Yi-no, and Sam-no.”

Now eyes narrowed at the companions.

How could people’s names be First No- Slave, Second No- Slave, Third No- Slave?

As the companions blinked, Jo Ah-yo raised her eyebrows in displeasure.

“I didn’t come up with that. These filthy brats named themselves!”

“Indeed. My only destiny is to serve the master, ever since I met the master, I resolved to live as a mere slave, hence, I discarded my name.”

“Hmm.” “That’s right.”

Upon hearing Il-no’s words, the remaining two nodded in agreement.

Qing glanced back at Jo Ah-yo.

What? A succubus?

With her upwards curve and fierce mouth, she looked both lethal and super temperamental.

“Cough, I’m Ahn Yoon-juk—”

*Smack!* Qing suddenly slapped the back of Ahn Yoon-juk’s head.

“Hey, Ahn! What now? This is my servant from earlier, Ahn!”

Qing patted Ahn Yoon-juk’s head firmly.

Ahn Yoon-juk’s unusually flat back of his head suggested he must be one who sleeps like the dead!

“…I’m Ahn, the servant of Young Lady Mak.”

“What? A bit slow on the answers, are we? And what’s this ‘young lady’ nonsense; I’m not that precious!”

A precious lady, in fact, was Qing (the emperor’s daughter).

“Then how about ‘my lady’?”

“My lady? Do I look that old to you?”

“Then what should I call you…?”

“Just casually call me master. You said you’d serve like a dog, right? I’ll treat you like a dog too.”

Better than lady or madam.

Calling her master meant he’d be in worse servitude than a mere servant.

But somehow, Ahn Yoon-juk felt her senses returning.

What a misfortune! She had hooked herself to a truly terrible person!

This could really turn into a sword sheath situation!

“Yes, heh heh, master, please treat me like a dog! Heh heh.”

“Yeah. Let’s do well.”

“Yes! I will do well!”

What exactly was she going to do well at? No one knew, not even Qing or Ahn Yoon-juk.

“Uh, master? But it appears that Young Lady over there is glaring at me rather intensely; I hope I didn’t offend her or anything.”

Qing glanced back at Mo Yong So-jeo.

Her eyes were filled with warmth as she looked at Qing.

It was like a large dog wishing for a treat.

Qing smacked the back of Ahn Yoon-juk’s head.

“Stop with the nonsense. Who’s glaring?”

“Ugh…”

Ahn Yoon-juk felt wronged.

He had spoken the truth and then got hit for it.

When Qing had turned, it was by Mo Yong Joo-hee’s sharp glare that he had felt cowered.

But Qing was unconcerned with Ahn Yoon-juk’s grievances.

From the start, why had she brought Ahn Yoon-juk?

He looked like a nice target for mischief.

He had chosen a trifle who was high in evil deeds, and if necessary, he was easy to ditch!

“Okay, Ahn! Let’s go!”

“Um, me?”

“Couldn’t you just understand a bit? You failing to see the situation? If you’re unhappy, you can run off on your own. It’s not like I’ll be chasing after you, right? That would put you in danger, but having a dependable ally isn’t a bad idea.”

After all, if she were to be kicked out of the group, she’d still be at the forefront.

Ahn Yoon-juk’s vision turned dark.

Did she expect him to be the flag bearer?

What a miscalculation!

Finding himself mixed up with this madwoman!

Ahn Yoon-juk stepped forward, with Jo Ah-yo and the slaves taking up the rear.

The strangely angled corridor had a sharp bend.

Qing realized why Cheon Yu-hak sighed about the complicated structure.

It wasn’t just the unclear directions; they couldn’t see what lay ahead at all.

So how did Ahn Yoon-juk feel?

Each step felt heavier like a trap could spring up at any moment.

Qing smacked Ahn Yoon-juk on the back of the head.

Because it was flat, it was a perfect angle for it.

“Lady, hurry it up! What good is a man who’s that timid?”

“I-it could be a trap…”

“Oh, traps! Right. Old man, toss me a rope. We wouldn’t want our servant to fall into danger!”

Qing tied a rope around Ahn Yoon-juk’s neck.

“Done! Now you can relax and get going!”

“Um… What is this?”

“It’s a lifeline. If a trap springs, I’ll pull you back! This way, no matter what trap shows up, you’ll be safe, right?”

Ahn Yoon-juk, now with an accidental lifeline (collar), desperately masked her expression.

If a trap really activated and she was pulled back, her neck would be the first to go!

Was she outright trying to kill him?

“Uh, master? Would it be alright to add a towel or something here?”

“Oh! That’s a great idea. Wow, Ahn. Didn’t see that side of you!”

“Heh. Heh heh…”

Ahn Yoon-juk was sweating coldly.

Was it not an intent to kill but rather a careless attitude?

And the only thing chilling Ahn Yoon-juk was Qing’s demeanor.

“Look, I genuinely don’t know what’s going on, but about that Mo Yong So-jeo? If there’s something I did wrong, I’d like to apologize. If I unintentionally offended, could you spare my life…?”

“Eh?”

Qing turned around.

Catching the sweet smile of Mo Yong Joo-hee made Qing smack Ahn Yoon-juk in the back of the head again.

“What? Ahn, are you seeing things already?”

“Ugh…!”

Ahn Yoon-juk truly felt wronged.

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