NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
Chapter 52: The Worst in the World
Upon hearing Lee Cheol-soo’s words, Neungwolhyang, or rather Jeoksawol, felt her pupils tremble.
‘You withstood the extreme Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique?’
Furthermore, not only did she show her true form—something only visible to those who had passed the test of shedding the veil—but she also broke the self-imposed rule of avoiding contact with men by personally extending her delicate, white hand to caress his.
Yet, Lee Cheol-soo’s expression remained unfazed.
She sensed his body trembling, but that was merely a physiological response.
Instead, the more potent the Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique became, the clearer and sharper his eyes grew.
‘This can’t be happening…’
This boy, who could make any man fall in love at first sight, bore a face that radiated absolute beauty, earning him the title of The Most Beautiful in the World—Jeoksawol’s true appearance.
However, Neungwolhyang’s beauty, which stirred the hearts of countless men, was undeniable as well.
The efficiency of the Beauty Temptation Technique escalates with the beauty of its subject. Thus, Jeoksawol was confident she could easily entice even Hwakyung’s Mastery with the combination of her beauty and the extraordinary Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique.
That was for sure.
But now, wasn’t she struggling against a mere boy who was hardly even in the second-rate category?
A sweet scent peculiar to the Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique brushed against the tip of Jeoksawol’s nose.
‘Could he be impotent? Or is it…nah.’
For a moment, she doubted his potency but quickly shook her head in her mind.
Lee Cheol-soo was not impotent.
Hadn’t she herself seen his impressive manhood standing tall that night?
It was unbelievable that such a substantial endowment belonged to a fourteen-year-old boy.
And yet, it wasn’t that Lee Cheol-soo was a homosexual.
His body certainly reacted to a woman’s allure.
Thump.
Jeoksawol’s heart raced at the memory of that night.
Her lips slightly pouted.
No!
Her heart must not race right now.
If it did, wouldn’t she become the one being seduced, flipping the roles?
That couldn’t happen.
With great effort, Jeoksawol suppressed her racing heart.
‘Is he Sinseung or Cheonma?
Among the men who were neither impotent nor homosexual, only two could escape her seduction— the foremost of the Orthodox Faction, the divine monk of the Shaolin Temple, and the leader of the Heavenly Horse Church, Cheonma.
He was a member of the Three Absolute Beings of the Xuánwǔ and reached the peak of both the Orthodox and Demonic Circles.
Yes, both Sinseung and Cheonma were of the same Hyun-gyeong’s Mastery, allowing them to resist her charms.
If a rookie like Lee Cheol-soo could withstand her seduction, it was unheard of.
It was something that should never happen.
Concealing her confusion, she wore a flirtatious smile she had honed to seduce the boy.
“Hohoho. Is that so? The girl merely used a little juggling to lighten the mood. If my juggling has disturbed the gentleman’s spirit, I sincerely apologize here.”
As Jeoksawol shot him a smile imbued with the essence of the Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique, she slightly bowed her head.
Her garment loosened naturally, revealing the ample curves of her bosom.
To any man, they were so tempting that they practically begged to be touched.
‘Men do love large breasts; it’s as natural as water flowing downhill.’
Jeoksawol had never experienced love or romance before, yet she fully understood the theory behind capturing a man’s heart.
Men love large breasts.
And Jeoksawol was a stunning beauty whose figure was just as flawless as her face.
Her bust was perfect in both size and shape, attracting attention from men since her late teens.
‘These breasts are just a burden, drawing only unwanted gazes…’
Of course, Jeoksawol did not particularly like her own bosoms.
From her teenage years, the lewd glances of men directed at her assets and their crude remarks were experiences she wished to never endure again.
If only they were a little smaller, perhaps she wouldn’t have stood out so much.
But this was not the case now.
At this moment, the breasts she had always thought of as cumbersome had become her secret weapon to entice Lee Cheol-soo.
‘Come on, take a good look.’
Jeoksawol smiled naturally.
It was a smile that could stir any man’s heart just by looking at it.
Her crimson eyes were fixed on Lee Cheol-soo.
However, his gaze remained heavy and sunk.
Emotionless and devoid of desire, his eyes resembled the icy calm of an iceberg in the Northern Sea.
On top of that, an enigmatic energy radiating from his body pressed down on Jeoksawol.
This was not the energy of martial arts. It was a natural aura only a sovereign, who had long dominated above the masses, could possess.
“I told you it wouldn’t work.”
The moment Lee Cheol-soo spoke with a hint of displeasure, Jeoksawol flinched involuntarily.
“And it’s still March. The cold hasn’t fully retreated, so it would be prudent to keep your front covered. You’ll catch a cold.”
But that pressure was brief.
The sovereign’s energy emanating from Lee Cheol-soo dissipated.
The aura around him changed.
A warm aura blossomed from Lee Cheol-soo like a spring day.
With his ability to fluidly shift expressions, energy, and tone, Jeoksawol realized far too late that she had already relinquished her control.
No matter how skilled one was in Hyun-gyeong’s Mastery, they would not be able to stand up to someone who had risen to the pinnacle of power like Lee Cheol-soo.
Lee Cheol-soo smiled gently and reached out, carefully redoing Jeoksawol’s garment while avoiding her chest.
‘Ugh…’
Thump.
Thump, thump.
Her heart thudded violently.
It was confirmed that Lee Cheol-soo was no madman who crazily wielded his no-strings-attached weapon at anyone.
He was the man who withstood the extreme Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique.
Not an absolute being of Hyun-gyeong transcending all desires, but a mere second-rate martial artist.
It could only be interpreted that Lee Cheol-soo possessed an extraordinary equanimity untouched by desire.
Even if a throng of stunning, naked beauties surged toward him, he would remain composed.
Not even an eminent monk or Daoist could escape the chains of desire.
Lee Cheol-soo’s self-restraint surpassed even theirs.
And a man untouched by desire—one who looked beyond a woman’s beauty and saw only her heart—was exactly the ideal type she craved.
Though Jeoksawol had yet to admit it, she was the one who got caught up in her own seduction attempt on Lee Cheol-soo.
Where his hand brushed against her bosom, it felt warm. If his fingers had actually touched her real breasts, then…
Imagining what would follow made Jeoksawol’s face turn crimson.
‘I can’t let it go that way! Not with a mere lad barely past his teenage years… I… that…’
Not yet.
Not yet…
Jeoksawol rejected her own feelings.
Furthermore, she was a master of Hyun-gyeong. No matter how much she invoked the Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique, she could not possibly be subdued by a mere rookie.
At the same time, a pang of pain clawed at her heart.
‘It was the same then, so why now…’
From a corner of Jeoksawol’s heart, a different emotion surged.
When they had first met as Hwa Myeon-ho-gyeom, she had clearly suggested discussing the duality of Yin and Yang.
But now, why was it that even when she hinted at spending the night, he refused?
That thought irked her.
No, it was resentful.
‘Could it be that my allure as a woman is lacking…?’
Was that why he hadn’t seen her favorably?
Absolutely not.
Hadn’t she already captured his heart as Hwa Myeon-ho-gyeom? They had nearly gone through with it.
Remembering that moment made Jeoksawol’s hands tremble again.
‘That bastard…’
He had ultimately not returned her feelings in kind for that invitation.
As memories of that day surfaced, a curse rose up in her throat.
What a scoundrel.
What a wicked man.
He was a boy hardly old enough to know better, completely opposite to the ideal type she had envisioned.
When they met as Hwa Myeon-ho-gyeom, he had bantered and teased so naturally, but now, facing Neungwolhyang, he was acting like a tender romantic gentleman.
Which of his personas was the real one? Even with the clearest discerning eyes, it was impossible to tell the truth from the lies.
Her crimson eyes, despite not swaying from temptation, judged the concerned countenance of Lee Cheol-soo as the reality.
Thump, thump.
Her heart raced.
Jeoksawol covered her now flushed face again with the veil, suppressing the Capturing the Heart and Bewitching the Soul Technique.
“I’m sorry, sir. It seems the girl has committed a rudeness. Please forgive me.”
With her trump card—the alluring bosom—not working anymore, it was pointless to continue seducing him.
Thus, she reined in the Beauty Temptation Technique.
‘It’s not that I absolutely don’t want my true face revealed.’
As she covered her face again with the veil, she silently justified herself while resting her hand over her heart.
Her face reddened further.
“If you could grant me one more request, I would apologize for my rudeness.”
“What is the request?”
Thump.
Jeoksawol felt her heart race.
A request, huh?
She was aware in her mind that there was no way he would agree, but her heart could not be contained.
Her face, covered by the veil, turned crimson, spilling over to her ears and neck.
What sort of request could it be?
If it were something as simple as asking to meet alone at Baekhwa Pavilion, she would pretend to agree.
A private audience with Neungwolhyang, desired by all the gallant gentlemen of the world. That request was more than ample.
Just as Jeoksawol began to swell with expectations—
“Once this letter reaches the six great houses of the Nine Provinces and Eight Monarchs, and our sect’s notary is appointed, I want the information disseminated widely through Hao Mun’s network. I want the battle between us and the Heukryongbang to be known far and wide, turning it into a confrontation between the Orthodox and Demonic Sects. After all, I hear Hao Mun is also joining as the notary. The bigger the rumor gets, the greater the benefits for both the Heukryongbang and Hao Mun.”
Hearing Lee Cheol-soo’s words left Jeoksawol’s expression hardened.
Creak.
Jeoksawol gritted her teeth softly, her fists clenching tightly.
A sweet sigh escaped her lips.
Lee Cheol-soo’s words were not wrong.
If there were no variables, the outcome of the contest would undoubtedly end in the Heukryongbang’s victory.
Thus, it was necessary to amplify the stakes before the competition began.
If the word spread throughout the martial world and it became known to all, rather than just a contest between the Heukryongbang and Gongdong Sect, but rather a showdown between the Orthodox and Demonic Sects, the implications of Heukryongbang’s victory would grow immensely.
Yes, as the Taesaengmun-ju of Hao Mun, even she could not refuse Lee Cheol-soo’s proposal.
But it wasn’t her heart that was in question.
‘That jerk…’
Jeoksawol bowed her head.
She, the Most Beautiful in the World.
This was the first time she had received such cold treatment from a man.
Cheonma and Sinseung were equally skilled and might not even be human, so she could let that slide.
But Lee Cheol-soo was different.
He had definitely seen Hwa Myeon-ho-gyeom and expressed a desire to enjoy the bliss of clouds and rain.
So why was he treating Neungwolhyang this way?
“Sir.”
Suddenly, Jeoksawol grabbed Lee Cheol-soo’s hand.
He flinched slightly at her unexpected grasp.
Gaining resolve, Jeoksawol reaffirmed her intentions.
Yes.
I am no longer Sado Ryeonju Jeoksawol.
I am Neungwolhyang, the foremost courtesan of Sichuan.
So, holding onto a man’s wrist and pleading a little is quite acceptable.
As Jeoksawol rationalized her actions, she turned her gaze to Lee Cheol-soo, forgetting her initial aim to prove her allure by seducing him just like other men.
“Sir, do you not find any allure in me as a woman?”
That truly is the worst in the world.
As Jeoksawol gazed at Lee Cheol-soo, she thought inwardly, attempting to hide her racing heart.
The eyes of the two clashed in the air.
As Lee Cheol-soo heard Jeoksawol’s query, his lips slowly parted.