Chapter 29

"You're declining?"

"Rumors related to love affairs will naturally die down over time anyway. It's not the first or second time I've been involved in such scandals."

It wasn't even that surprising that Namgung Hyeon-sang had sent assassins. Cheong-ra had experienced all sorts of things because of his appearance. Confessions from people of all ages and genders were no longer surprising to him. People who threatened to kill him for stealing their lovers, those who wanted to die together because they loved him too much, those who drugged his food, those who attempted to kidnap him, and so on. There were really all sorts of strange people in the world.

"I don't feel the need to accept such a proposal."

Saying that, Cheong-ra turned his body, intending to leave the mansion for real this time, but Dang Ran-yeong spoke in a leisurely voice.

"You'll regret it, though?"

At that, Cheong-ra's steps faltered. He tried to ignore it and move on, but Dang Ran-yeong spoke again.

"I said you'll definitely regret it."

Only then did Cheong-ra remember that Dang Ran-yeong had said he doesn't warn twice. He turned around, thinking Dang Ran-yeong might break his legs now, but Dang Ran-yeong was just smiling ominously. Leaving his uneasy feelings behind, Cheong-ra left the luxurious mansion that seemed fit for kings and nobles.

***

Cheong-ra returned to the inn with an anxious heart, even using his lightness skill. As expected, Geum-hye and Mu-gwang, who had been pacing on the first floor of the inn without getting a wink of sleep, ran up to him excitedly.

"Junior Brother Baek Ri! Where have you been all night!"

"You brat, do you know how worried Martial Sister and I were!"

They had imagined all sorts of ominous things when Cheong-ra, who had already been attacked by assassins, didn't return to the inn. Mu-gwang, who had a soft and tender heart, even had tears welling up in his fierce-looking face. Cheong-ra felt so sorry that he apologized first.

"I'm sorry, Martial Sister. I'm sorry, Mu-gwang."

"But it's a relief that you seem to be safe."

As Ju Mu-gwang said that and patted his back vigorously, it happened to be the spot where Dang Ran-yeong had hit him hard, and he unknowingly let out a painful groan and staggered. Unlike usual, Cheong-ra was in so much pain that Ju Mu-gwang was startled.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"No, Junior Brother Baek Ri. Now that I think about it, your walking is a bit strange too."

Geum-hye, who thought that although he looked fine on the outside, he must be injured on the inside, dragged Cheong-ra to the room. Cheong-ra said he was just a little hurt and that he was fine, but the two didn't believe him at all. At Geum-hye's glance, Ju Mu-gwang cornered Cheong-ra.

"Mu-gwang, don't do this..."

When Cheong-ra spoke weakly after going through various hardships, it looked exactly like Mu-gwang was bullying and yelling at him. His face, which he had intentionally made look miserable, was so beautiful that it would move anyone.

However, since they had been friends for more than a day or two, Mu-gwang didn't even blink an eye and felt around Cheong-ra's body and lifted his clothes. In the end, Cheong-ra's face turned red with shame when several bruises from Dang Ran-yeong's fists were discovered.

"What on earth happened! What kind of humiliation did you suffer all night? Did the assassins come again?"

Geum-hye, who confirmed that the body of her junior brother, whom she cherished like a younger brother, was battered, was furious, her momentum like an angry tiger.

Cheong-ra barely stopped Song Geum-hye from rushing out to catch the culprit and Ju Mu-gwang from immediately calling a doctor. He had no choice but to honestly confess what had happened last night.

"Actually, on my way back to the inn yesterday, I ran into Dang Ran-yeong. And shamefully, I was defeated again..."

He confessed that he had no choice but to hide his injuries. He omitted the part about being dragged to Dang Ran-yeong's mansion and receiving a lavish meal until morning. As expected, Geum-hye became furious again.

"No! Why does he keep appearing and tormenting you like this, both in Dragon Spring and here? If he doesn't have a grudge against you, he must be the most perverted person in the world!"

There were reasons why Geum-hye treated Dang Ran-yeong as a scoundrel. She had cherished and cared for young Cheong-ra like a younger brother since childhood. And in the process, she had directly witnessed incidents involving young Cheong-ra, who looked so soft, lovely, and pretty that he seemed to melt in one's mouth.

Cheong-ra liked his beautiful appearance and had benefited from it many times. However, there were also frequent tiring and troublesome incidents, and all sorts of strange people constantly bothered him. It was the same when he was young.

Most people treated beautiful people well, but as Geum-hye said, there were a few who couldn't help but harass them.

They weren't simply harassing Cheong-ra because they disliked him, but they were the type to flirt with him, saying they wanted to see him cry. After he became famous as the Moonlight Beauty Sword, he rarely encountered such people, but Geum-hye was always wary of those who clung to Cheong-ra. Especially in that regard, she was more worried about men than women.

However, in this case... Dang Ran-yeong just had hidden intentions, and he was simply the most perverted person in the world, as Geum-hye said.

Moreover, there was something Cheong-ra hadn't fully revealed yet, and he unknowingly sighed. Mu-gwang, who was searching for an ointment for bruises in Cheong-ra's travel bag, keenly caught that sigh.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me something else happened?"

"Well..."

Dang Ran-yeong's words, saying he would regret it if he refused the proposal, kept echoing in his ears. Since it could harm the two of them, Cheong-ra had no choice but to honestly say.

"Dang Ran-yeong made a certain proposal... And because I refused, something bad might happen starting from today."

Even though Cheong-ra was proud of his appearance, he was too embarrassed to say that he had received a proposal to participate in the World's Greatest Beauty Contest, so he kept it vague. However, after saying that, the expressions of Geum-hye and Mu-gwang were really not good. Knowing what they were thinking without even looking, Cheong-ra hurriedly denied their thoughts.

"Martial Sister, it's not what you're thinking. Mu-gwang, it's not like that. Nothing happened."

"Yeah, sure. It's not."

Ju Mu-gwang replied indifferently, but it was evident that he was holding back his anger. And he neatly folded his sleeves and started applying ointment to the bruised areas. Geum-hye had already accepted it as a fact that Cheong-ra had been threatened by Dang Ran-yeong, and instead became very quiet. It was a behavior she showed only when she was extremely angry. To make matters worse, she climbed onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and started meditating.

Cheong-ra was grateful that the two cherished him so much and got angry on his behalf, but he was inwardly troubled. He didn't care about being repeatedly defeated by Dang Ran-yeong or being beaten up. However, imagining the two becoming mortal enemies with Dang Ran-yeong and getting hurt while attacking him made him feel uneasy.

So now, he just wanted to quickly find the expelled criminals and return to the sect.

'It's not often that I have the opportunity to enter Dang Ran-yeong's mansion. I should have searched to see if the criminals were there.'

Cheong-ra recalled how the person he was chasing had headed to the mountains with few people, as if luring him, how Dang Ran-yeong had appeared as if he had been waiting, and how Namgung Hyeon-sang's assassins had appeared. At first, he thought Dang Ran-yeong was hiding those criminals, but now he saw it differently.

'If Dang Ran-yeong wasn't the one who orchestrated this, then it means the criminal deliberately lured me, knowing that Namgung Hyeon-sang would send assassins.'

However, how could a fleeing criminal know in advance that Namgung Hyeon-sang would send assassins?

Thinking it might be an excessive speculation, he pondered back and forth, but only speculations grew, so he sighed. For now, he comforted Geum-hye and Mu-gwang, who hadn't slept a wink, and put them to bed. Then he contacted the Beggar Sect and obtained information about the expelled disciples again. Naturally, they seemed to have changed their residence in the meantime, but strangely, they didn't seem to be trying to leave the city.

As if they had a reason they couldn't leave this city.

Cheong-ra stayed at the inn all day to rest and recover from his injuries. Fortunately, nothing happened that day. The incidents started the next day.

When he went down to the first floor for breakfast, people were whispering while looking at Cheong-ra. Geum-hye, whose mood was already bad and her nerves were particularly sensitive, grabbed a martial artist by the collar and fiercely yelled at him. The martial artist, whose neck was being strangled, made a choking sound and was startled.

"Is our Junior Brother Baek Ri a spectacle for you? Why are you all staring and making a fuss!"

"Th-that's because there was a ru-rumor this morning..."

Only after hearing the martial artist's words did Cheong-ra understand why people had been staring at him like that. Last night, several people had witnessed someone who looked like Cheong-ra affectionately holding hands with a woman named Mi-a and secretly entering an inn.