Chapter 88

• An Unexpected Guest at the Young Lady Lovers' Society

The night of the Baekhyang-gwan infiltration incident was very noisy.
And the next day, a visitor visited the Young Lady Lovers' Society
without notice. The door opened silently,
welcoming the guest. The protagonist of the surprise visit,
without any notice or announcement, was surprisingly the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin.

The extremely holy Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, and the Young Lady Lovers' Society, which was no different from a den of perverted wolves, were a relationship that could never get along.

"Hey, Tang-ga. Are my eyes wrong right now? I'm suddenly seeing things."

"Cheon-ga, you're not wrong. I'm seeing things just like you. My eyes must be wrong like yours. I'll have to take some restorative medicine and rest for a while. Open your family's medicine warehouse."

"Hey, I don't even have enough medicinal herbs to make restorative medicine for myself, so where would there be any for you?"

"You cheapskate."

All the members of the Young Lady Lovers' Society were busy putting their dislocated jaws back in place, repeating their astonishment. One of the top targets of their gloomy collection desire had appeared right in front of their eyes. The person who had caused a lot of trouble in their information gathering because it was difficult to approach her at close range due to those strange idiots called the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard had now appeared alone by herself.

The Young Lady Lovers' Society's vice-president, Bi Yeon-tae, Jin Seong-gon, Im Seong-jin, and the Cheonmu Twin Ghost Shadows, Tang Cheol-gi and Cheon So-hae, stared at her with their eyes wide open, as if their eyeballs would fall out and the corners of their eyes would tear, as if to engrave her ecstatic and even sacred, and reverent figure in their eyes and minds without missing a single detail.

Now, a fairy who was so distant that she could not be reached even if they wanted to, had appeared on her own two feet (for reasons unknown). If they missed this opportunity, they would not be qualified to be members of the world's Young Lady Lovers' Society.

"Miss... Miss Na, what... what brings you to... such a humble place?"

Bi Yeon-tae's voice, as he asked the question, was trembling severely. It was natural. The beauty that overwhelmed the viewer, the sacred beauty that made the viewer feel a sense of guilt like a lowly commoner who had coveted divinity and was even reverent, the sacred beauty that took away the viewer's soul in an instant, was not an exaggeration to say that it was a concise explanation of her ultimate beauty.

Those who saw the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, up close for the first time would hastily bow their heads after looking at her, and then once again gently raise their heads to look at her. Those who had lost their souls to her beauty would even check once more to see if a halo was shining behind her head.

This was generally the common reaction, but just as there are exceptions to everything in the world, there was also an exception here. In other words, it was not that the eyes of all who looked at her were colored with reverence and holiness. Among them, there were sometimes cases where the admiration for her went too far and became twisted. A small number of men, stained with madness, had given themselves over to the desire to make her beauty and holiness their personal possession and the dark, corrupt desire to defile her dazzlingly clear purity, and there had been those who had tried to harm her body. Because the world was so wide and the personalities contained within it were so diverse, there were actually those who were called perverts, madmen, or psychos, who felt sexual pleasure by defiling and trampling on holiness and purity. Her beauty, because of its greatness, had created ten thousand followers and a thousand harms. It was all because of her beauty. It was even more serious when she was a young girl.

From a young age, Na Ye-rin's amazing beauty had been the target of many people. There had been countless times when she had faced the danger of kidnapping, rape, and strangulation. The fact that she had been subjected to such harsh things frequently from a young age was because there were also perverts in the world who harbored dark intentions towards female children under the age of twelve. They were the ones who were commonly referred to as pedophiles.

Having been threatened under the teeth of numerous male perverted wolves from a young age, and to make matters worse, as if heaven were either heartless or mindful, as the years were absorbed into her body, her beauty became more and more brilliant. The more that happened, the more the hands of darkness that were after her increased. Because her beauty could not lose its light no matter where it was in the world, and that light always attracted people.

If it were not for her amazing status and the strict and severe security that came with it, she would have been violated under more than a thousand dangers by now. Fortunately, her status was that of the biological Daughter of the current leader of the Murim Alliance, the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword God, Na Baek-cheon, who could be called the strongest in the righteous path Murim. Therefore, she was fortunately able to be protected from the desires of kidnapping and rape of numerous wolf-like men under the shadow of her invincible and strongest Father.

The current leader of the righteous path Murim, Na Baek-cheon, could not help but find his Daughter, who had a cute beauty and was even intelligent from a young age, adorable. It was not an exaggeration to say that Na Baek-cheon's love for his Daughter was extreme. If it were a request from his Daughter, who was a precious jewel that would be ecstatic rather than painful even if he put her in his eyes, he might not have hesitated to have a showdown with the Black Path Murim Alliance. To that extent (although there was some exaggeration), the love of the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword God, Na Baek-cheon, for his Daughter was extreme.

The greater the love, the greater the worries and anxieties. Even Na Baek-cheon, the leader of the righteous path, who had nothing to envy, had a worry in his later years... What made him worry so much that the sky would fall and the earth would sink was none other than the matter concerning his most cherished and beloved Daughter, the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin. His worry was about his Daughter, Na Ye-rin, whom the wolves were constantly targeting without giving her a moment's rest. For Na Ye-rin, who was the owner of a beauty and charm that could not be described in words, martial arts were essential for her personal protection and self-defense.

Na Baek-cheon, who had felt a sense of alarm at her beauty, which became more radiant as she aged, had unsparingly taught her the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword Style, which was called his best ultimate technique, and had also used spiritual medicines and elixirs without knowing what it was to be stingy, for the increase of her internal energy. For the safety and martial arts improvement of his pretty and lovely Daughter, Na Baek-cheon had nothing to be stingy about. As if he had felt that that was not enough, with the single-mindedness of having her learn a sword method that was suitable for a woman's body rather than his own male-oriented sword method, he had mobilized all his abilities and connections to invite the Sword Empress, Lee Ok-sang, one of the Three Sages of Cheonmu, and had her form a master-disciple relationship with Na Ye-rin.

The Sword Empress, Lee Ok-sang, who maintained the beauty of her thirties without a single wrinkle despite being over a hundred years old, had fallen in love with Na Ye-rin's dazzling beauty, amazing talent, and outstanding understanding as soon as she saw her. And so, without even thinking about it, she had formed a master-disciple relationship with her in one breath. Thus, Na Ye-rin had become the successor of the Sword Empress.

The leader, Na Baek-cheon, did not refuse the Sword Empress's request to take Na Ye-rin to the Sword Pavilion and teach her directly. Although he was sorry to be separated from his lovely Daughter even for a short time, he was also relieved that she would be under the protection of the Sword Empress, one of the Three Sages of Cheonmu, in the Sword Pavilion, which was a sacred ground forbidden to men.

The place where Na Ye-rin, who had almost closed her heart to her surroundings, had met the One-Eyed Phoenix, Dokgo-ryeong, was this very Sword Pavilion. Of course, at that time, since both of her eyes were perfectly fine, the term One-Eyed Phoenix was not appropriate. Dokgo-ryeong was also a disciple whom the Sword Empress had taken in her later years, and her talent was extremely extraordinary. Even Na Ye-rin, who did not easily give her heart to others, had made an exception and opened her heart to Dokgo-ryeong and the Sword Empress, Lee Ok-sang. For Na Baek-cheon, who had been worried about his Daughter's autism, it was a very fortunate thing.

The Sword Empress, Lee Ok-sang, had seen an infinite potential in her intelligence, and Na Ye-rin also did not disappoint the Sword Empress's expectations. As expected, she was intelligent and showed an excellent progress in her martial arts improvement. The speed was second to none. Her high achievement was something that made the heart of Na Baek-cheon, who was waiting for his Daughter's news from afar, happy. But a problem arose. The higher her martial arts level went, the more the dark dangers to her personal safety continued, the deeper the rift of her distrust of men became, and recently, she had completely closed the door of her heart.

There was also the responsibility of Na Baek-cheon, who had isolated her from the world and had her concentrate only on her martial arts training because he was worried about his Daughter's well-being, but the most ultimate cause was her ability, which was gradually blooming as she aged and her martial arts improved, that is, the Dragon's Eye, which could read even a person's mind without wanting to. Only a very few knew that she had this ability of the Dragon's Eye.

For her, who had been exposed to numerous dangers due to the dark desires of perverted men and had gradually deepened her distrust of men, to be able to read even their twisted and contorted dark, black desires with the ability of the Dragon's Eye, it was like adding frost to snow. Also, the problem was that she had found out that there was always a twisted, black desire for her in the hearts of the men around her who followed and admired her, not just the action-oriented wolves who had extended their evil hands to her. It was the thing called a man's instinct.

The only difference between them and the action-oriented perverts was that they suppressed their desires, or pretended not to have them even though they did, or gave up because they lacked the strength and ability even though they wanted to. It was not unreasonable for her, who had found out that all the men around her (regardless of their age) were potential wolf-like beasts, to have fallen into a human distrust close to autism. For her, the patience of the men, which was as small as half a millet seed, who suppressed their surging desires of young blood, was not a consideration at all.

Na Baek-cheon, who had later realized his Daughter's strange change, had then looked for a countermeasure for it, but it was already too late, so there was no particular clever plan. From then on, the girl had lost her liveliness, cheerfulness, and speech. She had almost closed her heart to her surroundings, except for the minimum communication.

Na Baek-cheon, whose worries were like a mountain, had then realized that he should no longer keep the girl under his shadow. Fortunately, Na Ye-rin, who seemed to have closed her heart to everyone, had opened her heart only to her senior sister, Dokgo-ryeong, so he had decided to send Na Ye-rin to her side. At this time, the One-Eyed Phoenix, Dokgo-ryeong, had already entered the Cheonmu Academy. Of course, her grades were by far the best among the female masters.

Since the Cheonmu Academy was a gateway that any child of a prestigious martial family had to go through, Na Ye-rin also had to go there someday. And so, Na Ye-rin had taken the entrance exam for the Cheonmu Academy. It was the year just before Bi Ryu-yeon had entered the academy. For her, who was the successor of the Sword Empress, one of the Three Sages of Cheonmu, and also the successor of the Murim Alliance leader, Na Baek-cheon, the entrance exam was nothing. Na Ye-rin, who had easily passed the entrance exam for the Cheonmu Academy at the top of her class, had started her life in the women's dormitory, the Baekhyang-gwan, with Dokgo-ryeong.

Besides, since her beauty had not changed here either, numerous followers had emerged and followed her just like before. This time, there were overwhelmingly more followers than desirers.

Among them, the one who had followed her the most fervently was the Swift Wind Sword Dragon, Wi Ji-cheon, who had just been chosen as one of the Nine Dragons at that time and was receiving everyone's attention. And what was organized under his leadership was the Ice Phoenix Flower Guard. But even they, who followed her like a goddess, were after all a group of men. There was no way she, who had already closed her heart to men, would open her heart to them. But they did not budge at Na Ye-rin's cold treatment and followed her, as if they were just happy. Even Dokgo-ryeong, who was watching, did not find their existence welcome, but she decided to turn a blind eye to them, considering that they blocked the approach of other wolves. Because Wi Ji-cheon's status was at least trustworthy. He was the son of the vice-leader of the righteous path united Murim Alliance, the Heavenly Cry Sword, Wi Ji-dae-myeong. But even so, she had left the other half with a sharp gaze for them, who might turn into beasts at any moment.

Since the Baekhyang-gwan was a forbidden place for men, which boasted an iron-clad security and a triple and quadruple mechanism formation defense for male wolf intruders, Na Baek-cheon could also be at ease. But that ease had been broken by yesterday's incident, and the Baekhyang-gwan, which had boasted of being a sacred ground absolutely forbidden to men for the past hundred years, had allowed the first footprint of a man. Fortunately, the Baekhyang-gwan's greatest sacred ground, the Sword Empress's quarters, was safe, and there were no stolen items, and no major problems had occurred, but the fact that the Baekhyang-gwan's defense system had been absurdly breached was a huge incident in itself. Besides, the fact that the culprit's final destination was the Sword Empress's quarters was an even bigger problem. Naturally, the Cheonmu Academy was turned upside down, and they had set out to find the culprit, but they could not help but have a headache at the culprit's clean work, which had not left a single trace.

But there was someone who knew the trace that the culprit, or to be precise, one of them, Bi Ryu-yeon, had left, and that person was none other than Na Ye-rin.

Her sword was drawn smoothly like a fantasy. It was a smooth sword drawing without any waste. The tip of the sword blade, which emitted a chilling, sharp edge, was aimed directly at Bi Ryu-yeon's Adam's apple. Bi Ryu-yeon did not move an inch from his spot until the cold sword blade touched his neck. Rather, he smiled and laughed.

"This is a pity, it doesn't seem to be a friendly visit, does it?"

Of course it wasn't.

"I will ask just one thing."

"Yes, anything."

"Was it you, young hero, who infiltrated the Baekhyang-gwan yesterday?"

It was a very direct question. No one would answer such a question truthfully. Even if they were really the culprit. But for Na Ye-rin, that was enough to find out the truth.

"Well?"

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a faint smile. His answer, depending on how one heard it, could not be a more ambiguous answer.

'I can't read anything?'

As expected, she could not read his thoughts. It was the same phenomenon as last time. Her suspicion deepened more and more. But there was no conclusive evidence. The matter was too big to be handled with just a feeling.

'So... what should I do about this?'

Bi Ryu-yeon was now in a very difficult situation. He had blocked Jin Ryeong's mouth with his skill, but he was worried about what to block Na Ye-rin's mouth with. She was now standing right in front of him, pointing her sword at his throat.

'This is a disaster. Should I use my mouth again?'

If he used his tongue, it might be even more effective. It would block her mouth and feel good, killing two birds with one stone. But Bi Ryu-yeon had to soon fold that delusion. It seemed that today was not the day.

Besides, seeing that she was not getting angry and asking questions right away, it seemed that she was not sure. And in fact, there was no evidence, was there? Except for the fact that a piece of cloth that was embarrassing to tell others about was missing.

It was really so. As it happened, Bi Ryu-yeon's prediction had hit the mark, and the fact that 'she was not sure' was something that was astonishing for her. What was her ability? It was the peerless, absolute sense, the Dragon's Eye, which could read even a person's mind in an instant and predict the opponent's next attack. Although she could not read the detailed parts in detail as long as she was not a god, she could lightly find out the truth of the opponent's words with a rough feeling. But Bi Ryu-yeon's mind was opaque, as if it were covered in a thick fog.

'It's the same as that time.'

The fact that she had given her first lip contact to Bi Ryu-yeon at the Unhyangjeong last time was in the same context as today. Her heart, which had always been calm and had not lost its composure, began to stir a little.

The force on her sword, which was aimed at Bi Ryu-yeon, was increased.

"Why are you doing this?"

Bi Ryu-yeon asked without losing his composure.

"Is it really not you?"

She asked once more. The question of whether he was the one who had infiltrated the Baekhyang-gwan yesterday. There was no way Bi Ryu-yeon, who had even taken her secret undergarment as evidence of the infiltration, would not know the meaning inherent in the question. But he deliberately pretended not to know.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

Bi Ryu-yeon asked back slyly. If it were others, it would have been revealed at once under her eyes, but Bi Ryu-yeon was an exception.

"As I said before, I asked if it was you, young hero, who had infiltrated the Baekhyang-gwan's Sword Empress's quarters yesterday."

Although she had been shaken for a moment, she had not yet lost her composure.

'The Sword Empress's quarters?'

Since he had seen and studied the internal floor plan of the Baekhyang-gwan as part of the preliminary investigation for the Baekhyang-gwan infiltration, he knew well where that place was, what it was, and what it was for, but Bi Ryu-yeon had not even been near that place last night. It was not that he had drunk a lot of alcohol and had lost his memory, so how could he not remember such a thing and make a mistake? It was the same for the Sun-Hiding Shadowless, Chu Il-tae, who had made a bet with him. His target was the breastplate of the One-Eyed Phoenix, Dokgo-ryeong, which was said to be twice as big as others.

The Sword Empress's quarters were a place that belonged to the highest floor of the Baekhyang-gwan, and it was the best forbidden place of the Baekhyang-gwan, where the insights of the Sword Empress, the best master among women, were sealed. No matter how much they had made a bet, if they touched that place, the matter would become so big that it could not be resolved. Since neither Bi Ryu-yeon nor Chu Il-tae were fools, would they be crazy enough to make that place their target?

If so...

'Does that mean a third person infiltrated the Baekhyang-gwan that day? Using us as bait... surely...'