Muga’s consideration ran so deep that they hadn’t brought much liquor.

Maybe it was their way of being thoughtful, not wanting us to get drunk and collapse.

After the Four Great Villains and I emptied the bamboo flasks, we looked out at the sun slowly setting.

"...The sun’s going down."

It was a beautiful scene, as always.

Though the sun was setting, the street wasn’t dark—maybe because this was the kind of place that never really slept.

There weren’t many people walking around, but it still wasn’t dim.

Of course, the only darkness was in the hearts of the four of us.

From the perspective of the Number One of the Evil Path, he must have thought we’d barged into Dongho, tearing through the place, slaughtering indiscriminately, threatening boatmen to drift around the islands.

But I didn’t want that.

It’s too much of a hassle.

If someone’s hiding that well, you’ll only meet them when the time is right anyway.

Not long after, some ordinary people approached and carefully asked if they could clear away the corpses.

I’d already decided I’d allow it even if some shady types tried, so I told them to go ahead.

As we watched the now-cleared street, I spoke.

"Wow, it’s finally clean enough to be pleasant."

From the quiet street, made so by the fight, a woman whose face was covered by a veil passed by.

Before I realized it, she had walked up to the store I’d illegally acquired and bowed deeply.

"Lord of Haomun, I am Mok A-eon."

The Lecher said in a surprised tone,

"Huh?"

I glanced between the woman and the Lecher.

As all of us turned to look, the Lecher cleared his throat and looked at Mok A-eon.

"I’ve heard of her. She’s Lady Mok of Dongho."

Mok A-eon gave the Lecher a slight bow.

"Young Master Mong, thank you for recognizing me."

I asked,

"Who is she?"

The Lecher hesitated, then said in a flat tone,

"Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman."

"You know some weird stuff."

The Sword Demon sighed beside me.

"Impressive, disciple."

The Lecher scratched the back of his head.

"I’m not even sure where I heard it... it just came to mind."

"Sure it did."

I looked at Mok A-eon, the so-called Beauty of Dongho.

It was hard to guess her age because of the veil, but she seemed like someone who had learned martial arts.

"Lady Mok, what brings you to our freshly-acquired inn?"

Mok A-eon said to me,

"Lord of Haomun, the Number One of the Evil Path is hiding on Saryang Island. I will provide a boat and guide you there."

It was such an abrupt suggestion that all four of the Great Villains turned to look at me.

"..."

I asked Mok A-eon,

"You have a boat ready?"

"Yes."

"Your tone’s vague. Are you asking us to go kill someone? Or did that bastard send you as a messenger?"

Mok A-eon said,

"My family has suffered under him for years."

"Why?"

"Because of me. I rejected a marriage proposal and hid at a relative’s house. Still, he went around calling my family his in-laws. I don’t know if he actually thinks that, but while he didn’t kill anyone, he made our lives miserable. In Dongho, people treat me like someone you’re not even allowed to speak to. Other beautiful women from Dongho have already been taken to Saryang Island. I don’t want to live like that."

I clicked my tongue.

"So that kind of Left Guardian Mongrang bastard exists in Dongho too?"

"Yes."

Ignoring the Lecher’s glaring eyes, I replied.

"If you’re asking for a favor, take off the veil first. I have no way of knowing whether you’re the Beauty of Dongho or stir-fried squid legs."

"Yes."

Mok A-eon came closer to the inn and lifted her veil.

We were silent for a moment.

Because the woman standing before us really was the Beauty of Dongho.

If she had been in West Lake, she probably would’ve been the Beauty of West Lake.

Suddenly, the Lecher stood up as if aroused and placed a chair in front of us.

Mok A-eon sat on the chair and gave the Lecher a bow.

"Thank you, Young Master Mong."

As he returned to his seat, the Lecher answered,

"Don’t mention it."

I laughed.

"Lady Mok."

"Yes."

"You’re quite fearless. Coming this close to men like us. So if we get on the boat with you and head for Saryang Island, we’ll be able to meet the Number One?"

"The island isn’t very large."

"So whether we kill him or not, that’s up to us, huh? Are you coming too?"

"A trustworthy servant will guide you. I don’t want to see him."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Mok A-eon stared at me with clear eyes.

"Why do you say that?"

"Maybe because you’re confident in your looks, but your story is flimsy. You can’t trust a beauty’s words during wartime. Historically, there have been too many honey traps. But luckily, we have the Lecher. What do you think?"

I looked at the Lecher.

He was too busy admiring Mok A-eon’s face to have heard a word I said.

"...What? What did you say?"

I said to him,

"You son of a bitch."

The Lecher widened his eyes and finally looked at me.

"Why the sudden insult?"

"What did I just call you?"

"You said ‘son of a bitch.’"

"..."

The rest of us sighed together.

Yes.

It seemed the Lecher had already fallen for the honey trap before even arriving in Dongho.

I don’t know why.

I’d forgotten that wherever he follows along without complaining, a stunning beauty is likely to appear.

That was my mistake.

But I’d never seen anyone fall for one this badly before, and it left me a little stunned.

I asked Mok A-eon,

"Are you famous around here?"

With a bold expression, she replied,

"It’s not something I wanted."

"Do all the men in Dongho know you?"

"Most likely."

I looked into Mok A-eon’s eyes.

"Then if I were to hit you, I’d earn the hatred of all Dongho’s men."

"Excuse me?"

I spoke with a serious expression.

"If I trust you and get on the boat, we sink under Dongho. If I hit you, I become public enemy number one. That’s what fame is. Same with being a beauty. No matter what, I’m automatically in the wrong. That’s just how men are. It’s the psychology of the crowd."

Mok A-eon replied,

"Are you saying I work for the Number One? It’s widely known in Dongho that he harassed me."

I shook my head.

"Lies aren’t made up of just lies. They’re mixed with truth. Why do you believe the four of us can kill the Number One? You don’t even know our abilities, yet you’re commissioning an assassination? Are you stupid? Did he promise to stop bothering you if you helped him this time? That promise was probably a lie too."

The Lecher chimed in,

"Why are you so distrustful?"

The Sword Demon said in an annoyed tone,

"Mongrang, shut your mouth."

"Ah, yes, Master. I’m sorry."

I looked at Mok A-eon and spoke.

"There’s no way I’d take on a half-baked mission like this and get on your boat. We’d row deeper into Dongho, a hole would appear in the boat, and the oarsmen would jump into the water. Boats under the Number One’s command would appear from every side, shooting fire arrows and throwing hidden weapons. The boat would sink, and then we’d realize—it was a honey trap. But I’d swim to shore, soaked to the bone, track you down, and slap you across the face. Then I’d become the villain again to all the men of Dongho. That won’t do. You wicked thing."

"..."

"Am I wrong? Tell me I’m wrong."

Mok A-eon stood up from her seat.

"I’m sorry. I came to the wrong place."

"Lady Mok, I never said I’d let you go. If you want to race, go ahead. If you get ten steps ahead, I’ll start running. I can give you that much of a head start."

Mok A-eon sat back down.

"Are you treating me like a prisoner now?"

Her face was full of frustration, and the Lecher sitting next to her looked heartbroken. Round two had already begun, and he’d lost again.

I glared at Mok A-eon.

"Don’t open your eyes like that. Even if it makes me the enemy of all Dongho men, I’ll still slap you. Just look at this mood. The moment I threaten a beauty, I come off as petty. What am I supposed to do with this cursed mood?"

I opened my mouth to say more, then reached out and struck her pressure point.

Tap!

Mok A-eon had learned martial arts, but even as she instinctively raised a hand, she stiffened completely.

I pulled her chair next to mine and turned it in the same direction we were facing.

Right then, the sunset spread across the sky.

"Captured a prisoner. Lucky day. Though this isn’t a prisoner of love, right?"

The Lecher looked at me.

"What the hell are you talking about, you lunatic?"

I ignored him, went inside, and came back with jerky from the relief supplies.

I handed jerky to the Four Great Villains, then sat down and chewed.

"Man, it got dark fast."

The Drunk replied as he chewed,

"Seriously. The sun went down quick."

The Lecher sniffed around and said to Mok A-eon,

"Lady Mok, you smell nice. Did you just bathe?"

Mok A-eon let out an unintelligible squeak.

The Sword Demon spoke in a steady tone.

"Disciple."

"Yes, Master."

"Go buy some liquor. Since this situation’s unusual, have whoever vouches for it take a sip first."

"Ah, understood."

"While you’re at it, learn more about Lady Mok."

"Yes."

The Lecher, chewing jerky like a cow, wandered off to find an inn.

His jerky-chewing, head-swinging posture felt especially pathetic today.

As I chewed my jerky, I said,

"The saltiness really makes me crave a drink."

Suddenly, a woman’s voice spoke.

"Lord of Haomun."

"Jesus, you scared me."

I looked at Mok A-eon and realized,

"Crap, I didn’t block her mute point. Damn, that gave me chills. I thought a ghost girl was calling me. What? Why? What do you want with a guy chewing jerky? Why, why, why, why? Is it something serious?"

Mok A-eon said,

"I need to use the toilet."

"You should learn to hold it. Now’s not the time. There’s no one to guide you either."

A short while later, the Lecher returned, muttering,

"Why are so many places closed? I finally found one."

I asked,

"Poison?"

"Jomsoi got annoyed and took a sip himself."

"Yeah? Let’s see."

I took the bottle, poured a bit into a bamboo cup.

"Lady first. Liquor goes to the beauty."

I gently raised her chin, pressed her cheeks, and opened her mouth to pour the drink in.

Gulp gulp gulp—

As the drink went down, her complexion paled.

I asked politely,

"Lady, any poison? No? Please answer."

"There’s none."

"How’s the taste?"

"It’s not bad."

"Good."

Then I poured drinks for the Four Great Villains and said,

"When else are we going to sit next to such a beautiful woman and drink? Second, it’s your first time too, right? You’re lucky."

The Drunk looked at me.

"How did you know?"

"You can just tell. Don’t ask."

I was going to joke with the Sword Demon too, but stopped when I saw his face.

Lastly, I poured the Lecher a drink and said,

"Why are your eyes moving so fast, you bastard? Drink up."

I looked at Mok A-eon again and casually introduced the man next to her.

"The guy next to you? His nickname is the Lecher."

When I smiled, Mok A-eon’s expression stiffened.

"..."

Seeing her face change, I said,

"Don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll make you drink more and not let you use the toilet. Got it? Answer—"

"Yes."

After taking a sip, the Drunk asked with a puzzled look,

"But why doesn’t the honey trap work on the third guy at all? Lady Mok is stunning, even I almost fell for it."

Honey traps didn’t work on me in my past life either, so this was nothing new.

But since the others found it odd, I figured I’d explain.

Looking at Mok A-eon, I said,

"She’s not my woman. What does it matter to me if she’s beautiful or not?"

Sitting °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° there, I raised my cup toward Dongho’s night sky and improvised a poem.

In a Dongho inn, men drink beneath the night sky with Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman.

That’s us.

With us here, who dares claim the title of Dongho’s Greatest Sword?

Impossible.

That title is given to one who defeats an opponent.

Who did he defeat?

Maybe he got the title chopping fish heads.

The Lord of Haomun came to Dongho seeking a duel, yet the Number One never showed.

Unlike the rumors, he drove his subordinates to death, threw hidden weapons from windows, poisoned dumplings, laced knives with toxins.

Never in Jianghu has such a filthy Greatest Sword existed.

If the day ends like this, his disgrace will spread throughout the martial world.

The shame of Dongho’s men is that their Greatest Sword is the biggest embarrassment.

One dusky evening,

Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman sought out the Lord of Haomun, asking him to kill the Greatest Sword of Dongho.

When asked why, she replied—because an ugly man dared to like her.

Had he been the second ugliest, she might’ve accepted his confession.

How tragic.

A man who confesses recklessly and torments a maiden—that is Dongho’s Greatest Sword.

The Sword Demon and the Drunk looked at me, clapped a few times slowly, and stopped.

I nodded, then looked at Mok A-eon. She was crying, overwhelmed.

Tears dripping, she said,

"Lord of Haomun, I never said anything like that."

"Don’t cry. Don’t. If you cry, it makes people dislike me. Stop. Damn it."

Because of what I’d said earlier, I grabbed her cheeks, opened her mouth, and poured more liquor in.

The drink gurgled into the mouth of Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman.

"Still, what a meaningful day. Drinking with such a beauty."

I handed the bottle to the Drunk and nodded.

"How satisfying."