Chapter 51. Bao Si

The old geezer called Bao Si the greatest beauty, saying it was because she captivated the King of Yu without even smiling.

Gently curved eyes and lips. Rosy cheeks raised like peaches, and a ticklish laugh.

These naturally disturbed a person’s senses.

Especially when placed on the face of a beauty, they would, as if by nature, draw the favor of whoever looked upon them.

The old geezer, being abnormal, considered such things impure.

The Blood Demon believed a face that attracted favor through its original, unaltered form was true beauty. He would often claim that beauties should be compared with corpse-like, expressionless faces.

Thus, the Blood Demon said that among all the women he had seen, Bao Si was the most beautiful.

Haerak put down the paper and recalled that face again.

The first color that came to mind was red. It left a strong impression because of the red lips that barely moved. Then came the white face and nape, spreading like an afterimage. Ebony-like hair and black pupils followed.

But Haerak felt more curiosity in sensations beyond the visual.

Haerak tightened his grip on the letter.

The Blood Demon was obsessed with forms. He would inject his blood into the forms he favored or gather those born with peculiar constitutions to create new forms, breeding them like beasts. Occasionally, if he found a beauty that suited his taste, he would take the woman and pass on his blood directly.

With countless offspring, the Blood Demon had no sense of fatherhood. He even once gathered the children he found beautiful and sent them to the Central Plains, the land of strife. They swiftly infiltrated the upper echelons of society there, but fate, as it often does, had other plans.

That was a truth that applied even to the Blood Demon, who considered himself a god.

Haerak folded his fan with a darkened face.

“Uh, young master.”

At that moment, the attendant who had returned with the box spoke cautiously.

“Uh, um, well, she said she appreciates it, but she’ll just accept the sentiment.”

Haerak asked in a low voice.

“Isn’t that strange?”

“Yes, there were quite a few strange aspects!”

As the attendant let out a sigh, seemingly waiting for that prompt, Haerak looked at him. The attendant continued with a serious expression.

“These days, noble young ladies from prestigious families or well-earning courtesans are obsessed with coral ornaments. But she didn’t even glance at it—really strange.”

“And?”

“And? Hmm…”

Isn’t that already strange enough?

The attendant glanced at the second son of the merchant group leader, confused.

Haerak smiled and opened his fan.

Didn’t you notice a strange scent?”

“Huh? Scent? I didn’t notice anything like that.”

Actually, the smell was pleasa—wait, how did she smell?

The attendant grew flustered as he tried to recall.

“Now that you mention it… there wasn’t really any smell at all.”

The shop was located on a street frequented by traveling merchants. Most visitors were outsiders, so it was hard for the attendant to know much about them. He usually judged their purchasing power based on appearance. Clothing, weapons carried, and scent were his main criteria.

People who travel long distances often reek due to not being able to wash, and those who care about themselves use scented sachets to cover the stench. Because of that, the attendant would guess that those who smelled strongly were bodyguards, and those with even stronger scents were likely merchants.

But that young lady had no scent whatsoever.

Not even the distinctive fragrance of noble clans—she didn’t even have a body odor.

She must have bathed thoroughly before coming to the shop. One might think it was because she cared about others’ gazes and kept herself clean, but for such a meticulous woman not to use perfume or a sachet was strange.

While the attendant was lost in thought, Haerak lightly tapped his palm with the fan, recalling someone.

He remembered the unpleasant old geezer who used scentlessness to control his sense of smell.

Haerak’s gaze sank into darkness.

‘Could that daughter of the Tang Clan also sense internal energy through smell?’

“He had never believed the claim that Tang So-hwa had deduced Fire Art through medicine. She must have a special sense that allowed her to detect others’ internal energy

But for now, it was just a guess—he couldn’t be sure.

‘I might be able to figure it out if I see her again.’

Turning his eyes, Haerak looked at the box the attendant brought and relaxed his expression.

Inside was the precious jade ring, untouched.

Whether it was a good thing or not, it seemed that, willing or not, he would be seeing that woman again soon.

***

The Hubei Branch had two branch leaders.

Because the Zhuge Clan and the Wudang Sect operated the branch independently, the Hubei Branch was divided into East and West Quarters.

Naturally, the basis for this division was the Zhuge Clan and Wudang.

The branch leader of the East Quarter was from the Zhuge Clan.

The branch leader of the West Quarter was from Wudang.

Thus, the number of attendees at meetings was double that of other branches, and the meetings lasted correspondingly longer.

The Zhuge Clan’s branch leader, seated at the table, stroked his white beard and spoke.

“We received word from the Shaanxi Branch, but no matter how I look at it, it’s hard to believe. A martial artist from the Great Desert Solar Palace in Central Plains?”

As the Zhuge Clan’s branch leader clicked his tongue, the Wudang branch leader sitting beside him pulled the book on the table toward himself.

“If it’s so hard to believe, then we of the West Quarter shall keep the treatment method and the Extreme Ice Grass.”

Startled, the Zhuge Clan’s branch leader grabbed the corner of the book to stop the movement.

“What are you saying! Of course, it should be kept in the East Quarter. We have more personnel, and security can be maintained more thoroughly.”

“Security? Haha. Branch Leader, do you not know who is currently in the West Quarter?”

The Wudang branch leader chuckled and glanced at the martial artist sitting beside him. Receiving that gaze, the Tai Chi Sword Saint straightened his shoulders.

Filled with pride in his sect, the Wudang branch leader, his eyes gleaming, spoke in a confident voice.

“According to Young Lady Tang, the key to the treatment lies in manipulating internal energy. So, who among us is most capable of wielding it with precision? Yes, it is undoubtedly the Tai Chi Sword Saint.”

“Come now, please don’t say such embarrassing things in a place like this.”

At the Wudang branch leader’s words, the massive martial artist—like a bear—laughed and slammed the table. The impact made the book jump a span into the air. The Wudang branch leader looked at the Sword Saint with eyes full of respect before turning his gaze forward and continuing his argument.

“The Extreme Ice Grass and treatment method will be stored in our West Quarter.”

Then, the martial artist seated beside the Zhuge Clan branch leader spoke softly.

“We may not compare to the Tai Chi Sword Saint, but since the East Quarter has more people, it also has more individuals with excellent internal arts. Therefore, it would be more efficient in many ways for the East Quarter to handle it. And besides, the Tai Chi Sword Saint won’t be staying at the branch forever, will he?”

Zhuge Hyang softly curved his narrow eyes as he looked at the Tai Chi Sword Saint. The Sword Saint let out a faint chuckle and responded.

“I won’t be leaving that soon.”

“In times like this, even a month might reasonably be considered ‘soon,’ wouldn’t you say?”

As the gentle voice continued, the expressions of the Zhuge Clan members grew brighter.

They seemed very pleased that Zhuge Hyang had spoken.

Before the Tai Chi Sword Saint could say anything else, Zhuge Hyang asked,

“Isn’t your direct disciple participating in this year’s Martial Arts Tournament?”

“How did you know that?”

“It’s widely rumored. That a late bloomer prodigy, blessed with talent from the heavens, is being taught martial arts by the Sword Saint—everyone says it’s Wudang’s fortune. Apparently, there are more spectators than usual this year, all hoping to catch a glimpse of your disciple.”

At those words, the corners of the Tai Chi Sword Saint’s mouth twitched. He had a feeling that slippery snake was up to something, but he couldn’t help feeling pleased at the praise for his disciple.

‘Indeed, anyone with an interest in the Murim would do well to attend this year’s tournament.’

A once-in-a-lifetime genius.

The disciple of this very Tai Chi Sword Saint would be showcasing their skill.

Tap.

At that moment, the branch leader beside him tapped the Sword Saint on the arm.

Though he wore a warm smile, his eyes were sharp—it was a warning to pick up on the mood.

The Sword Saint responded with his eyes.

‘What? It’s true, isn’t it? Our Jeom-chil is outstanding.’

‘Hey, read the room! These bastards aren’t praising Jeom-chil — they’re trying to hoard all that Extreme Ice Grass for themselves and pretend Martial Uncle doesn’t even exist!’

Snapping back to awareness, the Tai Chi Sword Saint cleared his throat.

“Well, in any case, the Murim Alliance headquarters is also located in Hubei. I’ll only be stepping away during the Martial Arts Tournament, so it should be fine.”

Zhuge Hyang narrowed his delicate eyes and asked,

“When you say ‘stepping away,’ do you mean about ten days?”

“Isn’t ten days a bit short? The tournament alone will run for ten days, and I’ll need to get there early and observe the situation…”

“Ahem.”

The Wudang branch leader let out a quiet cough, prompting the Sword Saint to shut his mouth.

Zhuge Hyang didn’t miss the opportunity to sigh regretfully.

“Perhaps it would be fine under normal circumstances, but right now, even ten days is a long absence. As you know, the Young Taoist Myungdan suffered an incident just half a day into the mission. If the Sword Saint is away for ten days, the West Quarter will be left with a significant gap in its defenses.”

“Well, by that logic, is the East Quarter any different? Are none of the East Quarter members attending the tournament?”

At that, Zhuge Hyang smiled.

“No, by order of our Clan Head, all those affiliated with the Hubei Branch will refrain from attending—for the safety of the branch.”

It seemed the mood was tilting in favor of the Zhuge Clan. The Zhuge branch leader’s proud gaze toward Zhuge Hyang made that much clearer.

With tired eyes, So-hwa watched the heated debate and let out a silent sigh.

‘… How tedious.’

She had intended to deliver the items quickly and return right away, but the sun was already setting.

Deliver the goods, receive thanks, then leave.

Looking up at the reddened Hubei sky, So-hwa gave up on her simple plan.

The meeting didn’t end even as the sunset faded and the hour of sul (7–9 PM) arrived.

It seemed she would have to stay the night.

In the end, the two branch leaders agreed to copy the treatment method into two volumes and split the Extreme Ice Grass in half. Then they launched into a second round of debate over who would get the copy and the larger portion of the herb.

Thankfully, that conversation was concluded before the day ended.

“Today, we’ll store it in the East Quarter, and transfer it to the West Quarter tomorrow during the si hour (1–3 PM).”

For the time being, they decided to alternate storage between the two sides.

So-hwa had thought that managing the Hubei Branch by dividing it into zones would make it efficient, but it turned out to be the most inefficient branch she’d seen.

Still, she said nothing.

She was simply relieved that the discussion had come to an end.

Thinking to return to Sichuan first thing in the morning, she descended from the pavilion.

“Young Lady Tang.”

Unluckily, someone called out to her. She turned to see the Tai Chi Sword Saint standing there.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep