"Ugh…!!"
Thud! Thud! The blanket looked like it might tear apart any second.
"Hey, Geum Chun-bong, take it easy!"
"Argh…!!!"
Wham! Kicking wildly like a machine gun, Chun-bong finally shredded the blanket into pieces. Seo-jun nodded approvingly as he watched her.
"Hang in there, girl. Adolescence will pass quickly."
"Shut your mouth…!"
With a leap, Chun-bong launched herself like a missile, driving her knee into Seo-jun's stomach.
"Ugh…!"
"If only you were gone, no one would know about what happened…!"
"Killing your own brother is a crime, you little brat!"
"Die, Lee Seo-jun…!"
Pow! Pow! Chun-bong's rapid punches pelted Seo-jun's chest like kitten swipes. They didn’t hurt at all.
"Aaaahhh—"
Her voice broke like someone playing with a fan, vibrating strangely as she kept going. After wearing herself out, Chun-bong collapsed on top of Seo-jun, breathing heavily.
“Ugh…”
She was clearly dying of embarrassment. How amusing. What a funny age she’s at.
"Alright, Chun-bong. How about we go for a little walk with your oppa?"
"...Where to?"
"The red-light district?"
"Are you out of your mind…?"
Even though he was her brother, that expression hurt his feelings.
Seo-jun sighed and scooped Chun-bong up under his arm, standing up.
"Let’s get something to eat first. We’ll head to the red-light district when the sun sets."
"Why the red-light district…?"
Even though she was grumbling, Seo-jun knew she’d follow him.
He started walking, sauntering casually along.
The Black Tiger Sect had been wealthy.
Naturally, after Seo-jun raided their vaults, he was pretty well off too.
Now, they could dine lavishly at the inn every day without a care in the world.
"Come on, Chun-bong, have a drink."
“Mmm. It smells nice.”
"You can smell the aroma from water? You’re a true master!"
“…Let’s stop. This is getting stupid.”
“Okay.”
The table was filled with dishes, all thanks to Chun-bong’s efforts. San-ni-bai-rok , tang-cho-li-cheok , gyeong-jang-yuk-sa , and some kind of fried chicken. Every dish was a meat dish.
It would be perfect with a bottle of liquor.
Why not order one? Obviously, because Chun-bong is still a kid. She had to be protected.
Seo-jun picked at the food while scanning the surroundings.
“What are you looking at?”
Chun-bong was also munching away, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed. She glanced at him as Seo-jun leaned in closer.
When she leaned in to listen, Seo-jun whispered, "You’ve got to be careful in inns. One of the top three danger zones in the martial arts world is the inn."
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Think about it. Remember how we ran into the Cheongha Sect at the inn before?”
“That was because you beat up the fabric shop owner.”
“Whatever. I’m telling you, inns are trouble magnets.”
In half the martial arts stories, events kicked off at inns.
Who knew how many inns across the central plains closed daily because martial artists caused trouble? What choice did they have but to shut down, when it was better than getting stabbed? Unless the innkeeper was some hidden Heavenly Demon, but what kind of Heavenly Demon would run an inn?
“Mmm, I’m full.”
Chun-bong patted her now bulging belly.
Seo-jun scratched his head, realizing nothing had happened. “Weird, nothing happened.”
“Stop being an idiot.”
“Hmmph.”
Chun-bong looked horrified as Seo-jun tried to act cute. He paid the bill with silver coins and left the inn.
It was still broad daylight. No way the brothels would be open at this hour, right?
“Hey, Chun-bong.”
“What now?”
"Are you the kind of person who knows how to have fun?"
"I wouldn’t know. As a kid, I was always training. Then my family and home were wiped out when I got older."
"..."
How was Seo-jun supposed to respond to that?
Scratching his chin awkwardly, Seo-jun scooped Chun-bong up onto his shoulders.
“Ugh…!”
“Let’s go, Chun-bong…!”
Today, they were going to have some real fun.
There was something Seo-jun realized.
The martial arts world? There's nothing to do here.
Now he understood why martial artists were so obsessed with martial arts. There was literally nothing else to do in this world.
"Ugh… I feel like I’m going to puke."
They ended up eating everything in sight out of sheer boredom. Chun-bong’s favorite, bing-tang-hulu , was delicious, but after eating so many, his mouth felt sore.
"Hehe…”
But Chun-bong seemed to have had a great time. Her smiling face was adorable, but still—
‘How outrageous.’
Because of her, Seo-jun had eaten five bing-tang-hulu .
Suddenly, Seo-jun grabbed Chun-bong’s waist and lifted her into the air like Simba from The Lion King .
“People of the village! Look at our Chun-bong!”
“What, what, what are you doing, you crazy idiot?! Put me down!”
“She’s the cutest girl in the entire central plains! Look at her, Chun-bong!”
“Y-you jerk…! I said stop…!”
Passersby chuckled as they watched the scene. Chun-bong’s face was now as red as a tomato, looking like it might pop if you poked it.
“Whew, I feel much better now.”
“You jerk!”
As soon as Seo-jun set her down, Chun-bong unleashed her tiny fists in a flurry of punches.
“Ahhh…!”
It actually hurt this time. These weren’t her usual light taps; there was a solid thud with each hit.
After venting her frustration, Chun-bong stormed off, stomping angrily. Even her small, determined steps seemed oddly cute.
‘Is she feeling better now?’
She seemed much more like her normal self. Smiling to himself, Seo-jun ran up and grabbed the top of her head.
“Hey, Chun-bong, wait up.”
“Get lost!”
“Aw, come on.”
“Argh…!”
“Arka.”
“Stop with that dumb reference! Enough already!”
“Have I been found out? You’re a true master!”
“Shut up.”
In the end, it was a fun day for him too.
As dusk began to settle, Seo-jun made his way toward the red-light district.
“You’re not tired of this?”
“Nope. It’s delicious.”
Beside him, Chun-bong was still munching on yet another bing-tang-hulu , her sugar intake through the roof.
“Hm.”
Looking around at the scattered brothels, he saw places like Hongwolru , a large establishment, and others that were small, shabby houses barely passing for brothels.
Most of them fell into the latter category. That’s just how back alleys were.
“What do you think we should do?”
“About what?”
“I’ve got an idea.”
“Wait, what idea? Tell me first!”
Without answering, Seo-jun smirked and kicked open the door of a brothel near the start of the district.
“Hey, everyone!”
All eyes turned toward him.
There were courtesans, clients, and some thuggish-looking men from the Black Path.
A young boy, no older than twelve, scurried up to Seo-jun and asked, “Are you here for business?”
“Nope.”
“Uh… what?”
Apparently, that wasn’t in the boy’s script, as he looked completely bewildered.
Seo-jun patted the boy on the shoulder and walked over to one of the thugs nearby.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“…Living Ghost. What brings you here?”
“Where’s your boss?”
“Do you think I’d just tell you?”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
Scratching his chin, Seo-jun suddenly stomped his foot hard on the ground.
Boom—!
With a loud crash, the area around his foot was instantly frozen solid.
The thug’s face stiffened as his feet froze to the ground.
“Are you picking a fight?”
“The sun’s already down. Shouldn’t I be talking about the moon instead?”
Behind him, Chun-bong sighed in exasperation.
“Seriously, that wasn’t even funny.”
"Ah.”
Anyway, that’s not the point.
“So, where’s your boss?”
“…I’ll take you to him.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard.”
They met some nameless leader of the Black Path, and Seo-jun informed him.
A week from now, he’d be taking the courtesans, so he expected cooperation.
Of course, there was some pushback.
“You’re taking the courtesans? Says who?!”
“Well… the martial arts expert standing in front of you?”
“You think you can survive with all of the Black Path against you?”
“Obviously.”
Seo-jun fired a Qi blast at a nearby tree. The thug leader snorted.
“You think your internal energy is limitless?”
Seo-jun silently fired another blast.
BOOM—!!!
The tree exploded into splinters, showering the thug leader in wood shards. He quickly nodded his head in submission.
“Y-yes! Of course! You can take whoever you want!”
With the thug leader bowing at a 90-degree angle, Seo-jun walked away, muttering to himself.
“What should I call this move? Yin-Yang Blast? Yin-Yang Finger? Hmm… No, maybe Merged Sun-Moon Finger ?”
“That sounds lame.”
“Then how about Golden Dragon God Finger ? No, wait… That’s even worse. Golden Dragon Divine Blast ?”
“…That one’s actually not bad.”
Haha, too obvious, Chun-bong!
Smirking, Seo-jun was about to settle on the name Golden Dragon Divine Blast when Chun-bong, perhaps feeling a bit guilty, spoke up.
“…Actually, Merged Sun-Moon Finger sounds better.”
“Really?”
“The name of your technique influences your mindset. The more direct, the better.”
“Aw, you’re so cute!”
“W-what?”
And so, it was decided.
After some thought, Seo-jun decided against going into another brothel and made his way back to Hongwolru .
After visiting just one place, he realized it would be too much hassle to barge into every brothel and physically “convince” people.
“Let’s just make it the day after tomorrow. If you gather only the courtesans who were with the Black Tiger Sect, I’ll swing by and collect them all at once.”
Mae-wol , who greeted him at Hongwolru , smiled sweetly and nodded.
“Very well. And by the way, there’s no need for you to speak so formally to me. Like before, please feel free to speak casually.”
“No thanks.”
“Understood.”
Not sure what she meant by that, but Seo-jun just nodded. Next to him, he felt Chun-bong’s sharp gaze.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Chun-bong?”
“Was this the place you visited yesterday?”
“Uh…”
Seo-jun quickly covered his mouth. Mae-wol, noticing the tension, stepped in with a teasing comment.
“It’s perfectly healthy for a man to express his vitality. If you keep him too caged, he might just fly away.”
“Stay out of this.”
Chun-bong bared her teeth like a growling animal.
What’s gotten into her?
“My Chun-bong doesn’t bite.”
“Yes, of course, sir. So… what about tonight?”
Mae-wol boldly threw another flirtatious remark his way. But Seo-jun, stepping back a bit, shook his head.
“Uh, no thanks. I feel like I’d catch something…”
“Ho-ho… is that so?”
Mae-wol’s smile twitched slightly.
“Well, then. Goodbye!”
With that, Seo-jun scooped up Chun-bong and quickly exited Hongwolru .
“Whew, the price of being popular.”
“…You’re insane.”
Chun-bong was looking at him as if he were a certified lunatic.
“Hey! I was on your side!”
“Sigh. Never mind.”
But even as she shook her head, Chun-bong didn’t seem all that upset.
“Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of Hao-men ?”