Jin Mu-Won cut down a redwood tree. Using a whittling knife, he slowly carved the wood into the shape he desired. When he was finished, a perfect wooden sword appeared in his hands. He waved it around to test its balance and see if there were any parts he didn’t like.
Eun Ha-Seol, who was sitting beside him, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Are you having fun?”
“No, not at all.”
“Why did you cut down the tree yourself?”
“Because no one will do it for me.”
“Then why did you make a wooden sword?”
“I recently started to learn the sword.”
Eun Ha-Seol’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“You’ve never learned martial arts before?”
“Is that weird?”
“You’re the heir to the Northern Army. Isn’t it weird for the heir to not know any martial arts?”
“As you can see, there is no Northern Army anymore. Also, I was too busy trying to survive each day. Where would I find the time to learn martial arts?”
Eun Ha-Seol ignored Jin Mu-Won’s replies and looked around, confused.
They were inside the Grand Library. The bookshelves had been filled with the books that Hwang Cheol had brought, but everything still looked extremely shabby. This pathetic sight didn’t live up to the name of the Northern Army at all.
The only martial arts left on the shelves were third-rate ones like the Six-Directions Fist (六合拳), The Three Foundations of Swordsmanship (三才劍法), and Cloud Steps (風雲步). Eun Ha-Seol couldn’t understand why Jin Mu-Won would bother learning such inferior martial arts.
Jin Mu-Won didn’t care what she thought about it, though. He examined his sword, smiling all the while, before finally standing up in satisfaction. The ground beneath his feet was covered in wood shavings.
He swung the sword.
WHOOSH!
It was his first time making a wooden sword, but the weight and balance felt good in his hands.
He continued swinging the sword with a serious expression. Eun Ha-Seol looked at him like he was out of his mind.
“The Three Foundations of Swordsmanship?”
Jin Mu-Won was practicing the Three Foundations of Swordsmanship that even third-rate martial artists wouldn’t bother learning. It was so funny that she couldn’t even laugh.
“Do you really not know any better martial arts than this? If you want, I can teach you.”
“You know a lot about martial arts?”
“Uh, I know a little bit…”
“Thank you, but no thank you.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Eun Ha-Seol scrunched up her face and went outside. Jin Mu-Won grinned naughtily as he watched her go, but a moment later, he resumed practicing his swordsmanship.
Slash, chop, stab…
In no time, his entire body was dripping with sweat.
“Hmph! He just helped me a little, so I wanted to thank him, that’s all.”
Eun Ha-Seol turned back to look at the exterior of the Grand Library. The tower was barely maintaining its original shape, just like the rest of the Northern Army Fortress.
She walked toward the mansion which had now become her home. Even though she could move normally now, she still hadn’t been able to completely remove the poison in her body.
After her strength had recovered to a certain extent, her recovery speed had slowed to a crawl. Her body was like a ceramic vase that could shatter at any moment, so she didn’t dare expel the poison as the procedure would place a heavy burden on her body.
“Who are you?”
Eun Ha-Seol was lost in thought when suddenly, the voice of a stranger startled her. She turned to see Jang Pae-San and the Third Company standing in the middle of the plaza.
Seo Mu-Sang hadn’t told the mercenaries about Eun Ha-Seol yet, so they had no idea she was here. He immediately whispered in Jang Pae-San’s ear, telling him the stuff he’d heard about the girl from Jin Mu-Won. An odd light lit up in Jang Pae-San’s eyes.
“She’s Hwang Cheol’s niece, you say?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm…”
Jang Pae-San ogled Eun Ha-Seol’s entire figure, a lecherous look on his face. Eun Ha-Seol frowned. She felt as if a thousand worms were crawling under her skin.
“How dare you? Quit staring at me like that, or you can wave your fucking eyesight goodbye!”
Jang Pae-San’s face turned beet red. He did not expect Eun Ha-Seol to reply in such a vulgar tone.
“You’ve got quite the mouth, girl.”
“Don’t talk to me, you horny motherfucker.”
“I see you need some taming, you little bitch! Good. I haven’t tasted the flesh of a woman for far too long. I should fix that problem right now.”
“Wahahahaha!” laughed the men of the Third Company, with the exception of Seo Mu-Sang. Eun Ha-Seol might have been a little too young for their tastes, but she was beautiful. Heck, they were so deprived, they would be satisfied with even a sixty-year-old grandma.
Eun Ha-Seol could clearly see the perverted desires written all over the faces of Jang Pae-San and his men. She knew that she was in grave danger.
Jang Pae-San and his lackeys slowly closed in on Eun Ha-Seol. Seo Mu-Sang furrowed his brows and was just about to stop them when…
Suddenly, Eun Ha-Seol moved.
SWOOSH!
She charged at Jang Pae-San so quickly she was like a silvery-white streak. In her hands, she held a small and dainty dagger.
“Wha!” exclaimed Jang Pae-San. Before he could react, there was already a dagger touching his neck. If Eun Ha-Seol put any more force behind the dagger, his blood would come spurting out and he’d probably breathe his last right then and there.
“You, you…”
“Now say it again. What you want to do to a little bitch like me.”
Seeing the deranged look in Eun Ha-Seol’s eyes, Jang Pae-San snapped his mouth shut like a clam.
This little bitch’s eyes… She’s fucking insane!
Jin Mu-Won has a few screws loose, but this girl is even worse.
“Captain, are you alright? Girl, how about you put that dagger away now?”
“Looks like this bitch really wants to die!”
The men of the Third Company finally came to their senses and took out their weapons.
Eun Ha-Seol narrowed her eyes. Right now, she was in a state where she was unable to utilize her chi. If the mercenaries all ganged up on her at once, she wouldn’t be able to deal with them. Thus, she had taken a gamble and chosen to first subdue Jang Pae-San.
The instant they sense my weakness, they’ll pounce on me like wild beasts.
She understood these types of people all too well.
In front of those stronger than themselves, they readily lowered their heads and licked their boots. On the other hand, when they saw someone weaker, they would latch onto them like leeches and suck them dry.
Eun Ha-Seol tightened her grip on the dagger and increased the pressure on Jang Pae-San’s throat.
“W-Wait!”
“What? Are you going to turn over a new leaf if I let you go?”
“Do you think you can get away with killing me? There are more than ten of us here.”
“I don’t care.”
“What?”
“I want to kill you. I don’t care what happens afterwards.”
“Crazy bitch!”
How could a little girl possibly be this insane? Jang Pae-San felt that Eun Ha-Seol’s brain wasn’t normal. She was like a tiger with bared fangs; if he did anything wrong, he would die for sure.
Drip, drip…
Blood began to drip down Jang Pae-San’s neck. The dagger had pierced through his skin.
“Wait, wait wait! Let’s make a deal.”
“What deal?”
“If you let me go now, I swear that I won’t touch you again.”
“Hmph! And how am I supposed to believe you?”
“I am the Captain of Heaven's Summit’s Third Company. I don’t tell lies.”
Jang Pae-San raised his voice, but the only reply he got from Eun Ha-Seol was a snigger.
She didn’t believe him. However, now that the situation had gotten to this point, it was near impossible to resolve things peacefully. She really wanted to dig out Jang Pae-San’s eyes, but then she would definitely be captured, raped, and killed by the others.
If only my chi had recovered, trash like this would never…
Eun Ha-Seol weighed her options and came to a decision. She put on an act and made a cold and emotionless expression.
“Hmph! I guess today is your lucky day. I was just wondering if I should slice off your cock.”
“Gah!”
Eun Ha-Seol kicked Jang Pae-San’s butt and used the recoil to leap backwards. As the mercenaries rushed forward to check on Jang Pae-San’s condition, she snorted coldly and left the plaza.
Seo Mu-Sang clicked his tongue as he watched her go. Honestly speaking, he hadn’t found her martial arts very impressive. It was the animal-like agility that took down Jang Pae-San in one move, her quick-thinking, and sharp-tongue that impressed him the most.
“Fuck! I’ll definitely get back at her for this humiliation.”
Seo Mu-Sang heard Jang Pae-San’s frenzied scream coming from behind him, but he chose to ignore it.
Suddenly, one of the Grand Library’s windows caught his attention. Jin Mu-Won was leaning against the windowsill, watching them.
“You’ve been watching this entire scene unfold since the very beginning, haven’t you?”
Seo Mu-Sang only managed to exchange a glance with Jin Mu-Won before the young man disappeared into the shadows.
[]