Chapter 7 - Darkmtl
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Chapter 7

The beauty standards of the Central Plains aren’t much different from modern times.

Fair complexion, full chest.

Slim waist, light body.

Black, glossy, long hair.

Clear eyes with distinct pupils.

Red lips and white teeth.

Among these, the top priority was a slender, petite figure and demeanor.

In modern terms, an obsessive preference for slimness.

Especially for short, slim figures.

But having no chest was unacceptable.

A full chest.

There was also an ideal size for this.

About the size of two adult male fists.

Anything larger was considered vulgar.

That was a requirement for concubines, not the main wife.

So, men often lived with concubines rather than their wives.

It was a society where you couldn’t openly admit what you liked.

In the end, the beauty standards of the Central Plains were the same as modern ones.

Or rather, the Central Plains’ beauty standards are embedded within modern beauty standards.

And then, the world’s most handsome man, Oki-rin, arrived in Luoyang.

People who witnessed his radiant, jade-like face spread the news quickly, asking, “Have you seen him? I have!”

The Central Plains’ most eligible bachelor has arrived!

The beauties of Luoyang gathered in one place.

And what they saw was—

A cheap, half-baked courtesan daring to cling to the noble Oki-rin, wagging her tail beside him.

A-Qing created her character as per the guide.

In “Martial World Life Chronicles,” stats increase as you learn martial arts, and you can master all martial arts in the game.

So, initial stats don’t matter much in the later stages.

She dumped all her points into stamina and strength, leaving her appearance stat at zero.

It was a build to easily get through the early game.

Thus, when A-Qing first appeared in the martial world, she was the epitome of ugliness.

Martial arts belonging to the “Fairy Arts” category increase appearance stats based on mastery.

The Moon Lady’s Three Techniques (Moon Woman Sword Technique) are part of the Fairy Arts and, being a purple-tier martial art, gave a significant boost to stats.

So now, A-Qing isn’t ugly.

But she’s not exactly a beauty either.

She’s just… average-looking.

Yet, there she was, clinging to Oki-rin.

It was a total mismatch. The relativity squid theory in action.

Her cheap, bargain-bin outfit was the cherry on top.

Instantly, hostile gazes rained down on her.

But A-Qing’s true self is a single, production-line gamer.

She had no major complaints about her life.

At most, she wished all the golden spoons would just die.

A single, production-line gamer.

Romance was already just an annoying emotional labor.

Even if the dolled-up young ladies glared at her venomously, she could brush it off with a sly smile.

With ample wealth and hobbies to enjoy alone, marriage was never on her mind.

As a result, A-Qing paid no mind to the hostile gazes at the gate.

She just whistled at the sudden “World’s Most Beautiful Woman Contest” unfolding in Luoyang.

Since Luoyang wasn’t an Amazonian women’s kingdom, A-Qing understood why they’d gathered here.

She poked Pang Dae-san’s side with her elbow.

“Ooh, San. You’re living up to your face, huh?”

“It’s just annoying.”

“You’re so cool! Oh, our San, so handsome! A cold man! But warm to my woman, right? Kya-!”

A-Qing’s words brushed against Pang Dae-san’s nerves in a very ambiguous way.

It was fine, just a light bounce-off.

Normally, he’d have been stern, but strangely, he didn’t feel upset. Why?

Pang Dae-san pondered this phenomenon for a moment.

It was because A-Qing’s words and actions were playful banter based on male camaraderie.

Truthfully, men also like handsome men.

You might think, “That guy’s face is ridiculously good-looking,” but deep down, there’s a basic level of admiration.

What men dislike isn’t good-looking people.

It’s the 20-something driving a Benz.

Or the boss flaunting their golden spoon and acting all high and mighty.

“Just now…”

“So, since we’re in Luoyang, where should we go? What kind of place is this? It’s broad daylight, but we can’t eat dinner yet, right?”

Pang Dae-san was about to ask something, but A-Qing’s words slipped into the gap like a ghost, and he immediately forgot.

It probably wasn’t an important question anyway, so Pang Dae-san let it go.

“…White Horse Temple. Or the Dragon Gate Grottoes.”

“A temple and a cave? Then the cave sounds better, right?”

Pang Dae-san didn’t hide his disdainful expression.

“What, why?”

“You’re the only person in the world who’d call White Horse Temple and Dragon Gate Grottoes a temple and a cave.”

“So? Temple? Cave?”

“Don’t say that in Luoyang. The locals are crazy about their city pride. You’ll get stabbed.”

Surprisingly, it was true.

“Then I guess we have no choice. Let’s go to Dragon Gate Grottoes.”

“…Dragon Gate Grottoes are far.”

“How far?”

“A good distance outside the South Gate.”

A-Qing also thought that was too far.

“But the temple seems like there’s nothing to see…”

“If there’s nothing to see, we’ll just leave.”

“Really? Come on, friend, show some enthusiasm.”

“I never had any to begin with.”

“Let’s go. White Horse Temple. Ready, San?”

“…”

“You really don’t know how to match the mood. Mlerneuz. Tsk.”

A-Qing deepened her voice, mimicking someone.

Pang Dae-san let out a deep sigh.

Personal travel preferences vary widely, but they can be categorized into a few types.

First, there are the planners.

They systematize every detail and move according to a pre-made plan.

The more relaxed planners are the best travel companions, as they significantly boost travel satisfaction.

However, superhuman planners who break down their schedules into ten-minute intervals exist.

Be careful, as you might end up seeing, hearing, and eating a lot but retaining no memorable experiences afterward.

Then there are the recluses.

For recluses, travel is just about not working and staying somewhere far from home for a few days.

Their satisfaction comes from not going to work and staying home, not from delicious food,新奇的事物, or famous sights.

Recluses prioritize comfort.

They tend to hole up when slightly tired.

High chances of conflict with the wanderer type.

“If you’re going to be like this, why did you come?” “I came to relax, not to suffer.”

Next are the wanderers.

They simply enjoy wandering around.

They get along well with planners but should travel separately from recluses to avoid ruining friendships.

They enjoy eating and seeing everything but lose interest quickly and want to leave as soon as they’re bored.

They see sightseeing as akin to a pilgrimage.

Additionally, there’s the golden spoon type, the best travel companion.

There’s also the type that seeks encounters during travel, but since they stick to their own group, there’s little interaction unless you’re part of it.

A-Qing’s tendencies leaned toward the wanderer type.

Specifically, the “foodie” subtype among wanderers.

When it came to food, she’d shoot glances at Pang Dae-san.

She was collecting her friend tax in full.

From Pang Dae-san’s perspective, the amount was trivial, barely pocket change, but seeing her enjoy everything so heartily made it unexpectedly satisfying to treat her.

Her impression of White Horse Temple was a bit ambiguous.

To A-Qing, White Horse Temple was just a red Gyeongbokgung Palace-like? Something familiar.

A large red Bulguksa Temple, minus Seokguram Grotto.

She had no eye for or interest in the pinnacle of Buddhist art of the time, so the only thing worth seeing was the Cloud-Supporting Pagoda.

But she did see the pagoda well.

Then, true to her wanderer nature, she quickly lost interest.

Coming outside, the timing was awkward.

Pang Dae-san caught A-Qing, who was about to wander off again, and sat her down in a tea house.

The golden spoon type’s characteristic is solving everything with money while avoiding hassle at all costs.

Pang Dae-san was already tired from wandering around for about an hour.

So, he thought sitting A-Qing down and feeding her would make things easier.

And it worked.

He ordered a bunch of snacks and sat her by the window, where she could eat and watch the outside, and A-Qing quieted down.

Pang Dae-san, satisfied, quietly sank into thought.

The journey would continue to Yongseong, and from Yongseong, Hwasan was about five days away. Pang Dae-san’s destination.

The Sword Cliff of Hwasan had opened.

The reason the previous generation’s Number One in the World, Great Master Mucheondae, was respected was that he truly loved the martial world.

Even the imperial palace raid was a warning to the imperial family, who sought to wield the martial world for northern conquest.

His affection for the Nine Sects was particularly strong.

Thus, he left behind teachings for each, though, as always, Mucheondae’s methods were a bit extreme.

With a single sword strike, he split a cliff and carved six sword marks. A kind of enlightenment left by Mucheondae.

Only the Nine Sects received his teachings.

Not the One Faction or the Five Great Families.

Mucheondae’s disdain for the Beggar Sect was famous.

He called them worse than beggars, a bunch of incompetents.

As for the Five Great Families, he simply had no interest.

He merely remarked that prioritizing family over greater causes wasn’t wrong.

Mucheondae’s enlightenment was shared only among the Nine Sects and the One Faction.

Straightforward and outspoken, Mucheondae.

If he wanted his enlightenment to be public, he would’ve just said so, but he didn’t.

It was a message to do as you please.

In this context, a letter arrived at the Five Great Families.

It roughly spoke of greater causes and harmony, announcing that the Sword Cliff would be opened to the next generation of martial leaders.

Two things could be inferred from this.

First, even peak martial artists staring at the Sword Cliff’s enlightenment would gain little.

This was evident from the fact that the number of known masters in Hwasan hadn’t changed much over time.

Second, Hwasan must be in dire need of something significant.

Nothing in the world is free.

You must pay the price to witness Mucheondae’s enlightenment.

But what could it be?

Especially if it’s something that requires borrowing strength from the martial families, not the Nine Sects or the One Faction.

As Pang Dae-san pondered this—

“San. Look at this.”

When A-Qing called Pang Dae-san “San,” it always meant she wanted something.

He was gradually understanding her behavior patterns.

A-Qing tapped an empty porcelain plate.

“What is it?”

“Someone said it’s rude if the plate is empty.”

A-Qing tapped the plate, urging him.

Pang Dae-san was reminded of the black dog raised by the Five Great Families.

The black dog, a lion-like beast reaching up to Pang Dae-san’s waist, would bring its food bowl and nudge it with its paw when hungry.

Despite having someone else to feed it, it always sought out Pang Dae-san. A clever creature.

“How bold.”

“Friend tax.”

A-Qing puffed out her chest with a bold attitude.

Her unnecessarily bold demeanor was just like the black dog’s.

It was an attitude of, “You should naturally feed me.”

“But is illegal trash dumping popular in Luoyang?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are they dumping it everywhere?”

In front of the tea house, the street was littered with illegal trash dumping.

Colorful handkerchiefs, scent pouches, scattered shoes, and even underwear adorned the stone pavement.

It was truly beautiful trash.

A-Qing marveled.

Truly, trash tossing is a unique tradition of the Chinese people!


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I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

이 무림의 미친년은 나야
Score 8.6
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: , Released: 2023 Native Language: Korean
I became a female character in a wuxia game I’ve played for the first time. I know absolutely nothing about Murim, though…

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