[The Age When You Don't Listen]

Hoehwa Brothel.

The Brothel Owner of Hoehwa Brothel sat on a chair with a face as fierce as a bandit.

"So, where is the woman I ordered you to bring? Why have only you come?"

One of the trembling thugs barely managed to speak.

"That… Yehwa seems to have really found a female master. Younggwak couldn't resist and was hit, and even then, she dodged attacks coming from behind like a ghost."

The Brothel Owner said,

"So you ran away?"

"Not exactly, they just let us go."

"Did they say anything when they let you go?"

"They said they would come looking for us, so wait."

The Brothel Owner looked around and said,

"What kind of female master is she? And what weapon does she use?"

The thugs couldn't say anything and just hung their heads. They couldn't bring themselves to say that they were beaten with bare hands.

"Answer when I ask."

"We were hit with bare hands."

The executives lined up around them burst into laughter at the same time.

"Hahahaha."

The Brothel Owner also sneered and looked at the thugs.

"You guys are even more stupid than I thought. What courage did you have to come back?"

"That's what I'm saying. Should we just bury them somewhere?"

Instead of continuing to sneer, the Brothel Owner suddenly got up from his seat and slapped a thug on the cheek. With a smack! the thug, who was suddenly slapped again, grabbed his face with one hand and lowered his head.

"How is it? Did that woman hit you harder than this?"

"……."

A suffocating silence fell. If they had any sense, they would have said that the Brothel Owner's attack was more painful.

The Brothel Owner frowned and slapped the thug's cheek again. This time, he put a little Inner Energy into it. The thwack echoed in the room.

"Sorry, I'm sorry."

But the man only repeated the word "sorry." Only then did the executives, who had noticed something strange, shut their mouths at once.

"Brothel Owner, didn't that woman use Inner Energy? She must have used some force."

"They say that if you get hit a lot, your senses become dull. He's so stupid that he doesn't even know it hurts."

At this point, the Brothel Owner's pride was piqued.

The Brothel Owner rolled up one sleeve and slapped the man's cheek. With a thud!

the man bounced all the way to the wall, and only then did the Brothel Owner return to his seat.

"I don't want to see his face, get him out of here."

"Yes, Brothel Owner."

The Brothel Owner watched the subordinates drag away the unconscious thug and pondered for a moment.

Since they sent the thugs back unharmed, it was unlikely to be Heukdo. If it were Heukdo, they would have cut off at least a finger or an ear, and sometimes the worse ones would even cut off an arm.

'Her methods are definitely righteous.'

He heard that her attire was like a Taoist. In the first place, if she were a Buddhist nun of the Emei Sect, there would be no reason to wear a veil.

The Brothel Owner scanned the faces of the executives one by one. He managed a total of three Liquor Stores. All of them were vaguely on the line between illegal and legal.

He had slight connections with the government officials. How could corrupt officials only exist in times of turmoil? No matter how strictly the Emperor tried to establish laws, Heukdo had its own ways.

First, they would try to bribe them with money, and if they refused, they would put a woman in the same room. Then, if they gently lit incense with Spring Medicine, nine out of ten would fall for it. From that moment on, the official was trapped. Records were all left in the ledger, so they had no choice but to quietly accept the money and keep quiet.

The Brothel Owner had lived like that until now. He had acted cleverly and despicably.

'What should I do?'

He didn't know if she was a real female master or not, but the fact that she had played with three burly men meant that she was definitely a martial artist who knew how to fight.

"Pavilion Lord Mae."

"Yes, Brothel Owner."

"I don't think we need to make a mess inside the house. What do you think?"

"If you leave it to me, I will finish it perfectly."

The Brothel Owner nodded.

"Then go. Take some subordinates with you."

"Yes."

"And Pavilion Lord Woon, have a few fast-footed guys follow Pavilion Lord Mae. Tell them to report if she's a master they can't handle."

"I will."

"I've said all I need to say, so you can all leave now."

"Yes, Brothel Owner."

The Brothel Owner sat still and looked around the room until all the executives had disappeared.

He was just thinking of planting some false hope by talking about a female master, but Yehwa, that stupid girl, actually did it.

'Next time, I should just beat her.'

The Brothel Owner clicked his tongue and went outside.

The reason Seo-yeon didn't go straight to Hoehwa Brothel and stopped by the Iron Workshop nearby was to buy a weapon. Although she had a fake Mind Sword, she judged that it was not a weapon to show off rashly.

She also calculated that just carrying a proper sword would prevent third-rate thugs from approaching easily.

When she opened the door of the Iron Workshop and entered, an elderly owner greeted Seo-yeon. His bronze muscles were clear, making him look like a martial artist who had practiced external martial arts for a long time.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Could you pick out a sword that a woman can use?"

"Are you talking about a soft sword, a long sword, or a short sword?"

"Please, a long sword."

The owner glanced over Seo-yeon's body and nodded. He seemed to be estimating her size.

"Come this way."

The further she went inside, the hotter the heat enveloped her body. After passing a place with the loud sound of a sledgehammer, she reached a table with several long swords placed on it.

"These are what was left over from when we supplied them for the Dragon Phoenix Assembly."

Seo-yeon nodded and examined the blades. Having had experience making wooden swords, she had a good eye for swords. This was definitely a top-quality product.

"I'll take this one."

At Seo-yeon's decision, the Iron Workshop owner asked her to wait a moment and turned the whetstone to sharpen the blade again. The already sharp sword shone so brightly that it gleamed in the light.

The Iron Workshop owner asked quietly without looking at Seo-yeon.

"I haven't seen you around here, did you just move in?"

"Yes."

"Having done this for a long time, I can roughly guess what kind of people you are just by looking at the eyes of those who come to buy swords. Some people just come to show off their new weapons, some people come without thinking, and some people come with the intention of harming someone. But very occasionally, people like you come."

The Iron Workshop owner said, putting the sword in a leather scabbard.

"I don't know who you're going to fight, but I wish you good luck."

"……."

Seo-yeon briefly met the Iron Workshop owner's eyes and slowly nodded. As expected, he was a person who had set foot in the Martial World, so his discernment was extraordinary.

Seo-yeon lightly swung the long sword. It was the first time she had held a sword, but its trajectory was truly beautiful.

'…….'

Was it because she was so angry? The mental state that would normally be filled with all sorts of worries was quiet. Is this the mindset of those who have something to protect?

Seo-yeon, who had heard about the level of Hoehwa Brothel from Yehwa, rated her chances of winning very high. Yehwa knew more than she thought. How many executives there were, what they looked like, what weapons they used, and what the internal structure was like.

Only then did Seo-yeon realize that Yehwa had also been sharpening her sword in her heart for a long time. However, she didn't have the ability to wield that sword, so she just endured being hit again and again.

This is the Martial World.

To protect loved ones, you have to step up and fight.

Seo-yeon sheathed her sword and nodded as if she had made up her mind.

When she stepped outside the Iron Workshop, Hwa-ryeon and Yehwa were standing side by side waiting for her. If she were alone, she could just follow Yehwa, but Hwa-ryeon was the problem. It was dangerous to take her, and if she left her here, she was worried that she might be harmed while climbing the mountain.

She thought it would be best to leave her in a suitable place for now.

'This is why it's good to have neighbors.'

Seo-yeon inwardly lamented her narrow circle of acquaintances. Perhaps they misunderstood her sigh, Hwa-ryeon and Yehwa just stood there looking at her.

Seo-yeon glanced around unnecessarily. She couldn't leave her alone in an inn, and there was no suitable place to leave her. She was even seriously considering asking Baek-ho.

At that moment, she noticed several martial artists walking silently in front of her. They were all wearing green uniforms, and the word "Alliance" was largely embroidered on their backs.

Whether the rumor that they were managing the security of the Henan area was true or not, the Alliance Members thoroughly checked the appearance of the passers-by as they moved. It was only at the level of glancing at them so as not to spread unnecessary anxiety, but even that was enough to feel the confidence that they could distinguish Heukdo from their gaze.

Perhaps sensing their gaze, the Alliance Members who were walking turned around at the same time. While Seo-yeon was staring at them, the man standing at the very back narrowed his eyes and stared at Seo-yeon intently.

"……I think that's her."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"A bamboo hat and veil, and a person accompanied by a young girl is not common."

Are they saying that for me to hear?

Soon, the man who had spoken first stepped forward and asked politely.

"Are you perhaps Seo-yeon?"

"I am, and?"

"I am Yeom Iseon. I heard the story from Team Leader Jangsan. I couldn't meet you in person at the time due to circumstances, but I am glad to meet you like this and greet you."

Seo-yeon also bowed her head in a daze. She heard that he had gone out to run errands at the time and had not met Seo-yeon.

"May I ask where you are heading? We will be happy to help if there is anything we can do."

"Aren't you busy?"

"We are on patrol now, so it's okay."

In fact, he had been threatened to drop everything and help if he happened to meet Seo-yeon, but he left that story out. The Martial Alliance Members had that much sense.

Seo-yeon was once again impressed by the nature of the Martial Alliance Members and cautiously opened her mouth.

"May I ask you to take care of my disciple for a while?"

"What do you mean by take care of?"

Seo-yeon briefly explained the situation from when she met Yehwa at Flying Dragon Pavilion until now.

"...So I'm going to Hoehwa Brothel, but there's no suitable place to leave my disciple."

"Does Hoehwa Brothel have anything to do with the Blood Sect or the Demon Sect?"

"Pardon?"

"……That was nonsense. You can ignore it."

Yeom Iseon stared at Hwa-ryeon with a troubled face. Taking care of a child who didn't seem to be even ten years old was not that difficult, but the next thing was the problem.

'I heard she's a very scary person.'

He was confused because she didn't seem to be that way when he actually met her. If she had exuded momentum from the first meeting, he would have bowed down and repeated that he understood. But now, he couldn't tell whether she really wanted to entrust her disciple to them, or whether she was blaming them for not being able to solve the problem and having to step in herself.

From experience, it was wiser to follow behind in this case than to accompany her. Originally, Heukdo had an amazing ability to detect danger, so they had a habit of running away if the opponent had more people than them or seemed even slightly stronger.

Surely Old Master also knew that and was trying to step in alone.

'I should report to the team leader first.'

Yeom Iseon, who had been watching Seo-yeon for a while, nodded.

"Then we will take care of your disciple."

"Thank you."

After saying that, Seo-yeon bent down and stroked Hwa-ryeon's head once.

"I'll be back."

Yeom Iseon and the Alliance Members watched Seo-yeon's disappearing figure, and only after Seo-yeon had completely disappeared did they open their mouths.

"It would be better to go and report first. And change into clothes that aren't so conspicuous."

It wouldn't take long if they ran with lightness skill. And they could carry the Old Master's disciple on their backs.

Hwa-ryeon, who had been quietly watching the Alliance Members discussing among themselves, said quietly.

"My name is Hwa-ryeon."

"My name is Yeom Iseon. I'll carry you on my back, so don't worry too much……."

Before Yeom Iseon could finish speaking, Hwa-ryeon jumped up and instantly climbed onto the wall. It wasn't the lightness skill that a young girl would show, but her eyes were full of contempt.

"Uh……."

"I don't want to."

Hwa-ryeon glared at Yeom Iseon with a wary expression, then narrowed the distance of more than one jang and returned to her original spot.

"I can go alone."

Yeom Iseon nodded with his mouth shut. Suddenly, his sharp-tongued youngest sister, who was more than ten years younger than him, appeared before his eyes. It was the age when she wouldn't listen to him.

'I think I know why she left her in our care.'