In truth, the poem I recited wasn’t only heard by us. The people in the house across the street and those next door heard it too. I had mixed in a subtle trace of internal energy. Of course, if the contents of the poem spread far and wide, Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman, Mok A-eon, would be in trouble—but that’s not my concern.

Still, she must’ve found it rather distressing, because her face, flushed from drinking, was once again wet with tears.

There are times when crying is just plain unpleasant to look at. This was one of them. I stared silently at Mok A-eon for a moment, then said, “You look really ugly when you cry.”

The Drunk suddenly burst out laughing, then covered his mouth with his hand. Was the word ugly really that funny?

Chewing on jerky, I continued needling Mok A-eon.

“They say Xishi still looked beautiful even when she grimaced from stomach pain. But you’re not even close. Watching you use tears like a weapon is disgusting. Cut it out.”

“......”

I took a cool sip of the ice wine I’d made by slightly freezing the Lecher’s liquor, then paused to think. With my hands behind my back, I walked into the center of the street, pacing back and forth while sorting out my thoughts.

Every time I glanced at the guesthouse, I saw the Four Great Villains drinking and Mok A-eon, who had stopped crying.

The Drunk asked, “What are you thinking so hard about?”

I pointed at Mok A-eon. “This beauty trap is layered misdirection.”

The Sword Demon sounded curious. “What’s layered about it?”

“If we follow Mok A-eon onto the ship, we’ll get ambushed. But if we see through the trap and give her a hard time, we’ll be criticized for bullying a woman. That’s one layer already.”

Then I shared the next possibility. “If both of those fail, Dongho’s Greatest Sword might kill Mok A-eon himself and pin it on me. Every swordsman in Dongho who can hold a sword will come after me. Look at the situation—we’re the ones holding her. If the bastard’s forces charge in and Mok A-eon ends up dead, it’s ten to one they’ll say I did it. Rumors about her beauty have already reached Baek Eung-ji. If that happens, not just Dongho, but all the lechers in Jianghu will criticize me. Pathetically enough, that Lecher over there will be the first to resent me. Am I wrong?”

The Lecher replied, “So you're saying we should let her go?”

I looked at Mok A-eon. “If we let her go as she is, she’ll most likely be kidnapped. Then they’ll say it was the Lord of Haomun who did it. Or spread a rumor that Lord Mong assaulted her and killed her. Right now, ‘Lecher’ is just a nickname I gave you as a joke, but if that happens, you’ll become the official Lecher. If you get labeled a real Lecher in Jianghu, you won’t even be able to greet pretty women anymore. Right?”

The Lecher stared at me with a shocked expression. To prevent the Lecher from doing lecherous things, you have to warn him that he might actually become one.

I turned my gaze ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to Mok A-eon.

“Miss Mok, you’re now in real danger of being killed by the Number One of the Evil Path. Just so they can pin the blame on the four of us. What do you think?”

Mok A-eon looked at me. “......Could they really do that?”

I nodded. “Yup. That’s why you shouldn’t act cocky just because of your looks. You’re not the most beautiful woman under the heavens. You’re no Xishi. If you’re not a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, even Dongho’s Greatest Sword won’t abandon Dongho for you. It was a clever move, but in the end, you’re just a disposable pawn. If you don’t speak the truth, I can’t help you. Lecher, release her pressure point.”

After unlocking her meridian, the Lecher kept fumbling around her shoulder, and Mok A-eon slapped his hand away.

The Lecher muttered, “I’m just bad at pressure points.”

Mok A-eon replied, “It’s already undone.”

“I didn’t know.”

Mok A-eon turned to me. “What should I do? Is what the Lord said true?”

“Whether it’s true or not isn’t the point. Once you’re entangled in Jianghu business, you’ll ascend to heaven if you let your guard down. You’re no exception. Where is Dongho’s Greatest Sword? I’m going to make sure he can’t keep playing puppet master. Only then will fewer people get manipulated. Your answer will determine your fate.”

I wasn’t expecting much from Mok A-eon. If she knew where Dongho’s Greatest Sword was, then she really was his lover. If she didn’t, she was just a woman forced into a honey trap.

Truthfully, I didn’t know either, so I asked.

Mok A-eon replied, “You may not believe it, but I really don’t know. That’s exactly why people fear him.”

I was about to say something to her but turned my gaze to the right.

A man I recognized was approaching with his subordinates.

Where had I seen that guy before?

The moment he spotted me, he smiled and greeted me in a warm tone.

“Lord, have you been well?”

He brought about thirty men with him, but I couldn’t recall who he was, so I answered vaguely.

“What brings you here?”

The man stepped closer, looking disappointed. “It’s me.”

“I know.”

“Then who am I?”

“You think I’m an idiot or something?”

I noticed from his face that this guy was full of bravado. I quickly cycled through flashy types in my head and said, “Been a while.”

“So you remember me now?”

“I knew the moment I saw you. The hero of Jinmok County, Lord of Daobang, comrade of the wasteland.”

I didn’t mention that he’d once been a prisoner of Haomun, since he had brought his subordinates. Anyway, Hwang Gao, the Lord of Daobang who once helped take down the demonic Ja Mong Hong-gwi, had arrived.

Hwang Gao grinned. “What else would I come for? As soon as I heard news of you, I gathered my best men and came running.”

It wasn’t a visit I expected, so I was genuinely surprised.

The Daobang warriors all bowed to me in unison.

“We greet the Lord of Haomun!”

I returned a simple salute, then crossed my arms and looked at both the Four Great Villains and Hwang Gao.

“So, Lord Hwang. You’ve come to help?”

“I heard you were fighting Dongho’s Greatest Sword. That’s so like you, Lord. I couldn’t sit still. Where is the Haomun army? You must have deployed your entire force.”

I scratched my cheek. “Hmm. They’re already spread out all over.”

“I see. If you need anything, just say the word.”

I approached Mok A-eon, pulled down her veil, and called to Lord Hwang.

“Lord Hwang.”

“Yes.”

“This is Mok A-eon, Dongho’s Most Beautiful Woman. She was used in a beauty trap. It’s a bit messy. If she falls, the blame lands on me. You escort her safely back. My reputation’s at stake, so it won’t be easy. Can you handle it?”

Hwang Gao nodded and looked at Mok A-eon.

“Miss Mok, let’s go. The Lord has ordered your safe return.”

I looked at Hwang Gao. “Still, Lord Hwang... You came despite the danger. I didn’t expect this kind of loyalty. I must’ve misjudged you.”

Hwang Gao smiled. “I just felt like I had to come.”

I nodded. “More experts may appear. Fighting is important, but helping civilians caught in the crossfire is just as important. You’re the hero of Jinmok County, after all.”

Understanding my words, Hwang Gao nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

I looked at Mok A-eon.

“Go with him. I didn’t look down on you because you’re a woman. When guys like us fight, we don’t need beauty traps. Don’t get involved in something like this ever again.”

Mok A-eon stepped into the Daobang formation, then turned back to look at me.

I said to her in a flat tone,

“Miss Mok.”

“Yes.”

“Stop using that pretty face to deceive people. You’re no different from that cult bastard. If you cross me again, I’ll make sure you never live as a beauty again. That’s my promise.”

“Lord.”

“Shut that ugly mouth and get lost.”

Hwang Gao said to her, “Miss Mok, no more nonsense. Let’s go.”

Mok A-eon disappeared down the street with the Daobang warriors.

Once she was gone, the Lecher asked, “Is that guy really a hero? I don’t feel good about this.”

“Your face makes me feel worse.”

The Drunk tilted his head. “Weird. Lord Hwang doesn’t look like a hero at all.”

“Don’t judge people by their faces. Ugly bastard.”

“Make up your mind.”

Strangely enough, the guesthouse we had seized had already become my forward base. This time, another informant approached with brisk steps and spoke to me in a casual tone.

“Lord, are you busy? Long time no see.”

I looked the young man up and down—he was dressed plainly. Damn it, I’ve seen this guy before too...

Regardless of whether I recognized him or not, he got straight to the important part.

“...As soon as about ten ships arrived at the northwestern dock, troops poured out and immediately formed up. Asking around the area, it seems they’re originally pirate vessels. Most likely under the Number One of the Evil Path. I suspect the leader of Su-ro-chae is among them.”

“How many men disembarked per ship?”

“Twenty to thirty, give or take.”

That meant two to three hundred pirates were now swarming the area.

“Quite a number.”

“That’s not all. Unknown Jianghu individuals are gathering in Dongho as well. We can’t tell who’s friend or foe, so we’re having a hard time. We can’t distinguish between Haomun and the Number One’s subordinates. We’ll only be able to tell once the battle breaks out. This battlefield’s turning strange.”

Dongho really was starting to spiral into chaos.

I asked, “Is that because I’m strange? Still, if we fight like this, there’ll be a lot of collateral damage. What do you suggest?”

“That’s what we’re worried about too. That’s why the Number One always had the advantage. He can shamelessly hold all of Dongho hostage.”

Only then did I remember who this man was—he was from the Martial Alliance, and I’d seen him before. Dan Hyuksan, of the Seven Swords Division.

“Warrior Dan, have you been promoted recently?”

Dan Hyuksan gave a sly grin and shook his head.

“No promotion. I volunteered for Dongho Special Task Force and was stationed here.”

“Dongho Special Task Force?”

“Yes. Since your skills are above ours, we’ve focused on intelligence gathering instead of guarding. Anyway, I’ll go inform the others that enemy ships have landed.”

Dan Hyuksan handed me a small Martial Alliance signal flare.

“Lord, if there’s an emergency, fire this into the sky. We’ll treat it as a critical situation and converge on your location immediately.”

I took the flare and nodded.

“Warrior Dan, good work.”

“Yes, Lord.”

The Sword Demon stood up and said, “So the Alliance Leader sent support. The ship’s full now, let’s go. We might not make it back here, so grab some extra jerky.”

The Lecher replied, “Got it.”

The Drunk said, “Two hundred men coming just to die... what on earth are they thinking?”

The Sword Demon answered, “Because our infamy still hasn’t reached the level of that bastard’s.”

I waited for the Lecher to come back with jerky, then broke through the night streets toward the dock.

Rather than fight in an area full of civilians, the empty dock seemed like the better battlefield.

With over two hundred enemies, there’d be no talking them down. If they were pirates, there was no need to spare them.

The northwestern dock wasn’t far, and we encountered a pirate force just before they could reach the busy district.

In the dim light, the four of us blocked their path.

A stern voice came from within the pirate ranks.

“Out of the way, you trash.”

There were too many of them, so I leaned into the darkness and spoke softly to the Lecher.

“...Hmm. Lord of Haomun, what will you do?”

“...What?”

The Lecher looked at me, too flustered to respond. In that short silence, the pirates drew their weapons and charged with a unified roar.

So they really were here to kill me.

But there were so many that I retreated strategically.

“Ah, shit.”

The vanguard surged forward like a spear formation, charging straight at the Lecher.

“Wait!”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Lecher swung his twin maces, and a thunderous boom exploded as part of the vanguard was blasted away like scarecrows caught in a storm.

Kwaaaaaang!

I stepped back and let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew.”

In an instant, the Lecher furiously spun his twin maces while cursing nonstop. The Sword Demon and the Drunk drew their swords and began cutting down pirates.

“Goddamn circus, goddamn mess, squid soup, son of a bitch...”

Why the hell is everyone so desperate to kill me?

I left the bulk of the pirate force to the other three and scanned for their leader. Judging by the way they focused entirely on the Lecher, they’d clearly been ordered to kill the Haomun Lord.

That meant the Sword Demon and the Drunk weren’t surrounded and could fight freely.

The Lecher roared incoherently as he rampaged like a beast.

I wasn’t worried—he wasn’t the type to die in a place like this.

As I moved around, a bastard lunged at me. I twisted his arm until it snapped and hurled him by the scruff of the neck at another man who had been standing still like me.

A short distance away, a man observing the battle drew his blade when he saw the flying body.

Splat!

The pirate split in two midair, blood spraying everywhere. The now blood-covered leader glared at me.

“You the Lord of Haomun?”

I wrapped Moonlight Cold Heart Technique around both arms and answered with solemn tone.

“I am the Lecher of Baek Eung-ji.”

From somewhere in the middle of battle, the real Lecher roared,

“I’m the Lecher! Me!”

It was such an absurd moonlit confession that I couldn’t help but admire it.

“Wow.”