Chapter 23

With the screams and cries, the three of them couldn't just pass by.

Pushing through the crowd and moving forward, they saw a woman weeping pitifully. Her face, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, was beautiful.

And around that beautiful woman, two martial artists were furious, their faces red with anger. They were from influential righteous factions, their sects and clans identifiable by the embroidery on their clothes. One of them was even someone Cheong-ra had a connection with. Geum-hye, instantly recognizing the two, sighed.

"Aren't those Jang Sa-eop of the South Reverence Sect and Namgung Hyeon-sang! What are they doing on the street, forgetting their dignity?"

Cheong-ra had a history with Jang Sa-eop, having joined forces to eradicate mountain bandits when he was actively traveling around the Central Plains. So he couldn't just ignore the situation. Moreover, the pitiful woman was crying and trembling in fear between the martial artists who were threatening each other as if they would draw their swords at any moment.

"Young Master Jang, we meet again here."

As Cheong-ra removed his veil and called out his name while stepping forward, Jang Sa-eop turned his head in surprise. Soon, forgetting the situation for a moment, his face lit up with joy.

"Oh, Young Master Baek Ri! Meeting you here, how delightful."

"I'm also glad to see you again. But Young Master Jang, you seem to be in a predicament."

Namgung Hyeon-sang, who had never seen a man as beautiful and handsome as Cheong-ra, gaped for a moment in a daze. Then, quickly coming to his senses, he asked Cheong-ra gruffly while being wary of him.

"Who are you, Young Master, to interfere in someone else's business like this?"

Despite Namgung Hyeon-sang's gruff attitude, Cheong-ra didn't get angry and calmly cupped his hands in greeting as he replied.

"I am Baek Ri Cheong-ra of Moon Lake Sect."

"Baek Ri Cheong-ra of Moon Lake Sect... The Moonlight Beauty Sword!"

Upon hearing the self-introduction, Namgung Hyeon-sang was surprised and stared at Cheong-ra's face again, rudely. Unconsciously admiring him, he quickly hardened his expression again, as the situation was what it was. Cheong-ra continued.

"As Young Master Jang's friend, I couldn't just pass by this situation. What on earth is going on that two grown men are fighting over a woman in front of everyone? Don't you pity the woman?"

As Cheong-ra said this, the two men finally realized their shame and blushed. However, no one explained how they ended up fighting. In fact, at a glance, it looked like a love affair. So they couldn't easily speak out of embarrassment. Cheong-ra clicked his tongue inwardly.

Thanks to his appropriate intervention, the two men who had regained their senses seemed to be calming down. The crowd that had gathered to watch the fight between martial artists was also slowly dispersing, smacking their lips in disappointment. Just when it seemed to be wrapping up, the situation took an unexpected turn.

"Sob, Young Master Baek Ri!"

The woman suddenly rushed towards Cheong-ra. Cheong-ra, who had put his veil back on, quickly stepped back. He was used to women suddenly rushing at him, so he dodged skillfully, but even Cheong-ra's face, usually indifferent to such situations, cracked. It was because the woman, who had pitifully collapsed on the spot, wailed loudly and said this.

"Young Masters, please let me go now! The truth is... I have admired Young Master Baek Ri for a long time! I have no reason to think of anyone other than Young Master Baek Ri."

"What!"

Namgung Hyeon-sang widened his eyes and soon his face turned red as if it would burst. Jang Sa-eop was left dumbfounded. Amidst the murmuring of the onlookers, Geum-hye and Mu-gwang let out a deep sigh. As Cheong-ra remained unperturbed and said nothing, only exuding a cold atmosphere, the woman said pitifully, shedding tears.

"Young Master Baek Ri, how can you pretend not to know me so indifferently even in this difficult situation, after the days we spent together?"

"I'm seeing you for the first time today, Miss."

Cheong-ra, who was also used to situations where women falsely claimed to be his lover, flatly cut her off in a calm voice. Then the woman, sobbing pathetically, took something out of her bosom.

"Even with this token... will you pretend not to know me?"

What the woman took out was a jade tablet of a familiar shape. Someone with keen eyes exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, it looks exactly the same as the jade tablet hanging from the Moonlight Beauty Sword's waist!"

Geum-hye and Mu-gwang, who had been calm, thinking it was a usual occurrence, also widened their eyes this time. It was indeed identical in shape to the jade tablet hanging from Cheong-ra's waist. Cheong-ra's face also froze coldly. He couldn't understand how an object identical to the precious jade tablet his uncle had gifted him was in that woman's hands.

In the meantime, the woman got up abruptly as if she couldn't bear to be there any longer, looking heartbroken, and disappeared into the crowd. Geum-hye tried to catch her belatedly, but she vanished like a ghost, and Geum-hye ended up losing her.

"Y-You bastards dare to toy with me!"

As the woman disappeared, Namgung Hyeon-sang became furious. Not only had he lost face in front of many people, but the woman he liked claimed to be in a relationship with Baek Ri Cheong-ra, so he seemed unable to contain his anger any longer. Instead of the vanished woman, Namgung Hyeon-sang directed his anger towards Cheong-ra. He pointed his finger and shouted loudly.

"I-I will never forget this humiliation! I won't let this slide!"

Then, before Cheong-ra could say anything, he left the scene with hurried steps, filled with resentment. With both the woman and Namgung Hyeon-sang gone, the only ones left were Jang Sa-eop, who was at a loss for words, and Cheong-ra. The onlookers watched with eyes expecting the two to fight, but fortunately, Jang Sa-eop was more rational than Namgung Hyeon-sang.

"Young Master Baek Ri, shall we move to a different place for now?"

Cheong-ra, who had been perplexed, finally managed to put his veil on properly and followed Jang Sa-eop's lead. People tried to follow them, so they had to use light footwork to finally reach a place with few people. The first to speak was Geum-hye, whose face was flushed red with anger.

"This is absurd. Your jade tablet is a unique item that Elder Baek Ri personally commissioned from a craftsman. How did that woman get her hands on it?"

"Someone must have maliciously orchestrated this!"

Both Song Geum-hye and Ju Mu-gwang didn't doubt for a moment that Cheong-ra had secretly met the woman and exchanged tokens. Feeling grateful to them inwardly, Cheong-ra explained in detail to Jang Sa-eop, who was standing stiffly with a stern face. He didn't want his friend to misunderstand.

"Young Master Jang, please don't misunderstand. This jade tablet was a gift from my uncle when I turned twelve. Moreover, I saw that woman for the first time today and have never exchanged any tokens with her."

Hearing Cheong-ra's explanation, Jang Sa-eop let out a deep sigh and fiddled with the ornament hanging from his waist. It was a jade tablet ornament with a crescent moon engraved on it. Rubbing the crescent moon part, Jang Sa-eop muttered blankly.

"Mi-a said she cherished me and we shared this ornament as a token... Could it all be a lie?"

"Is that lady's name Mi-a?"

Jang Sa-eop nodded at Cheong-ra's question. Sighing repeatedly, he soon began to explain what had happened in the past.

He had met Mi-a about three months ago. He had come here to meet a close friend and helped Mi-a, who was in trouble, which was the beginning of their relationship. They weren't exactly in a proper romantic relationship, but Jang Sa-eop believed without a doubt that they had shared their hearts.

"But a month ago, that Namgung Hyeon-sang suddenly appeared and claimed that Mi-a was his lover."

Jang Sa-eop spoke with a face still filled with resentment. Namgung Hyeon-sang had come to confront Jang Sa-eop, saying he couldn't tolerate his lover Mi-a meeting and going out with another man. When Jang Sa-eop sent Namgung Hyeon-sang away and asked Mi-a, she said in tears that Namgung Hyeon-sang was unilaterally forcing his feelings on her.

Jang Sa-eop stayed close to Mi-a to protect her. While living like that, he accidentally encountered Namgung Hyeon-sang in the market today. And as soon as Cheong-ra appeared, Mi-a transformed into Cheong-ra's lover. Jang Sa-eop sighed deeply again and said.

"I can understand Namgung Hyeon-sang, but seeing her involve even Young Master Baek Ri, I know now. Mi-a has completely toyed with me."

"Young Master Jang..."

Jang Sa-eop's eyes were filled with sorrow. After comforting the greatly discouraged Jang Sa-eop, they discussed this absurd situation.

"She must have seen the jade tablet on Junior Brother Baek Ri's waist after he arrived here and made a fake one. And when Cheong-ra appeared at the right moment, she took it out as if she had been waiting."

"She must be greedy, trying to make Cheong-ra hers too, not satisfied with just one or two men."

While Geum-hye and Mu-gwang made their own speculations in outrage, Cheong-ra pondered for a moment and replied.

"It would be best to ignore it this time as well. We're not going to settle in this city anyway, and even if we clear this false accusation, the rumors won't disappear."

It was quite unpleasant to be involved in a scandal with Jang Sa-eop and Namgung Hyeon-sang. However, it was just that; it wasn't the first or second time Cheong-ra had been involved in a severe rumor with a woman. Rumors related to love affairs were embarrassing but not fatal to his prestige. If ignored, the rumors would eventually die down.

However, there was something that bothered him. Cheong-ra felt a strange uneasiness in this situation, but he couldn't specifically identify the reason.