Chapter 29 – Meditation…? (6)

Her anxious heart quickly settled down after parting ways with Eunjuwon.

Paengsoso recommended a dish she had enjoyed before, so they ordered it and waited for the food to arrive.

Hong Yeonhwa swung her feet back and forth, her ample chest resting on the table.

…The chair is a bit high. Or is Hong Yeonhwa just too cute?

“Hm~ Huh~ Hmhmhm~”

Despite Hong Yeonhwa humming a simple tune to the name of the dish, she didn’t seem to care about anything else.

After a while, Hong Yeonhwa suddenly turned her head towards Paengsoso.

“You said his name was Eunjuwon. It’s surprising how friendly you are with someone who gives you discomfort due to his drinking habits.”

“What? Oh, yes. My family has always had good relations with his family since we’re both located in the same region of Hahoe Province. In the grand scheme of things, our families either become allies or enemies…and we chose to be allies.”

Of course, it wasn’t just any group, but two giant families. Hahoe Province may be vast, but conflicts are inevitable.

Both families are legitimate and receive both surveillance and protection from the royal family, so it’s not surprising that they formed an alliance.

If they were rivals, they would have fought over power and influence.

“Plus, I’m the youngest, so it felt like I had gained a younger sibling, and Juwon, who only had an older brother, treated me like an older sister and followed me around.”

Paengsoso sighed deeply and continued.

“Actually, at first, there was talk of Juwon being my fiancé.”

Since they were both in the martial arts world and also from a management household, it made sense to drop Paengsoso from the martial arts world.

But at some point, that talk disappeared completely, and in the end, she was engaged to someone from another household.

Paengsoso waved her hand as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“That’s it. Nothing special happened. By the way, how did you two meet? You seem to get along so well, so there must have been some intense event, right?”

“Oh? Are you curious about that? Of course. There was and wasn’t. Let’s see, where should I start explaining…?”

For some reason, Hong Yeonhwa suddenly put her index finger on her chin and started tilting her head.

“I lost consciousness for a moment due to some circumstances, and when I opened my eyes…I saw a man, my current husband, taking off my clothes.”

“What?!”

“Don’t say it like that! You’ll be misunderstood!”

She rolled her eyes slightly and studied Paengsoso’s expression, feeling shocked, contemptuous, and slightly aroused.

…Arousal?

Hong Yeonhwa looked at Paengsoso with interest, as if watching a morning drama.

Was it just my imagination?

Hong Yeonhwa giggled, seeming to enjoy our intense reactions.

“So, what should I say? From my perspective, it’s the truth. Do you want to explain it for me?”

“You want me to speak for you?”

“It means explain it from your perspective, in your own words.”

“First of all, why are you suddenly passing it off to me? You know what happened to me too, Yeonhwa.”

“I just got curious about what you thought of me all of a sudden!”

“….”

It’s not like I can’t do it, but it’s a bit embarrassing to set the stage and talk like this.

I could mix in a few of my own opinions from when I explained Hong Yeonhwa’s existence to the martial arts world in the past.

“So…I went to the river to fetch water as usual, and then…”

***

After a decent chat and finishing our meal, we were naturally on our way to the borrowed room.

Hong Yeonhwa stuck to my side and puffed up her cheeks like the dumplings we had just eaten, speaking in a low, husky voice.

“Hey. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Forgetting something? Did I forget something? I looked around for a moment.

Paengsoso had already gone to her room, and there were no guests wandering around the empty inn.

Maybe?

I leaned down and kissed Hong Yeonhwa’s puffy cheek.

“Muah…”

The air went out of her cheek. It was no longer puffy, but her expression remained the same.

So I kissed the other cheek too.

“Mmm…”

Hong Yeonhwa craned her neck as if it tickled. But it wasn’t enough.

I used my own hand to tighten the facial muscles that kept loosening and started glaring at me again.

Is the answer really the lips?

As I prepared to put my tongue in for the last time and lowered my head…

Smack.

Hong Yeonhwa, who had lifted her chin, gave me a short kiss on the lips. Then she raised her index finger and opened her mouth like a teacher.

“Today’s training isn’t over yet.”

“Oh.”

When we entered the inn, we had ordered dinner right away, but originally, we had planned to finish the Chul-wang-ho-sim-gyeol’s training, which Hong Yeonhwa had interpreted, and then have dinner.

I must have thought that I had finished today’s training because my body was already tired.

I want to hug Hong Yeonhwa right now and fall asleep with my nose buried in her warm and fragrant neck while practicing my martial arts. But a promise is a promise. I obediently followed Hong Yeonhwa to the open space behind the inn.

Until now, it had been too dark to do anything after sunset, but this place wasn’t too dark even in the middle of the night. Bright lanterns were shining here and there, proving that this was a bustling city. The light indirectly illuminated the open space, making it dimly lit.

Standing in the center, I stretched my body while Hong Yeonhwa walked towards me with quick steps.

“Let’s start with a simple sparring match.”

“Not a vegetarian training?”

“That was to get used to moving while using the Muryeong Shin Gong. You don’t need to carry me on your back anymore, so we can skip that part.”

Hong Yeonhwa added that the form of vegetarianism itself was fine, but she was lacking in knowing when, where, and how to use it.

I’ve been wielding the Samjae Geombeop for over ten years, so I should be able to handle that.

I drew my sword from my waist and took a stance.

“Be careful. Don’t think of me as the same person I was before.”

Through my inner chest… no, through my spirit, I have learned how to handle my determination, so I can now use Muryeong Shin Gong according to my will.

“Hehehe… Did you tell me to be careful? Good. If you even graze my clothes, I’ll grant you anything you want as a reward.”

“Anything…?”

Hong Yeonhwa opened her chest with a confident expression. Maybe it was because of the dark lighting, but her breasts looked even bigger as they swayed.

“Right. I’ll do anything that I can do.”

“Is that promise unbreakable?”

A proposal I heard once before. At that time, the contents of the wish were practically decided, but the situation is different now.

Even if it’s Hong Yeonhwa, I can make her do things that she would never do out of embarrassment!

Countless plays I saw in my previous life flashed through my mind.

It would be difficult to rely on tools in this world. So what would be good?

I was lost in happy thoughts for a moment. I was momentarily distracted by the sweet reward, but when I thought about it carefully, it was still almost impossible to touch Hong Yeonhwa.

The “be careful” from earlier was half a joke.

It wasn’t about how I could make my woman hurt with my own hands, but rather that the skill gap was too big, making it impossible for me to land a valid hit no matter what I did.

…But there’s always a way.

If my current strength isn’t enough, then I just have to surpass that limit. It should be possible for a moment.

Instead of suppressing my boiling passion, I let it grow even bigger and more magnificent.

Soon, an intangible column rose along my spine. The heat that spread out invigorated my tired body with inner energy.

“Hoo…”

I succeeded in using Muryeong Shin Gong much faster and stronger than before.

However, Hong Yeonhwa was staring at me with narrow eyes, as if she didn’t like something.

“That’s… no. It’s just good to experience it once. Come and attack me.”

As soon as Hong Yeonhwa flicked her hand, she charged forward.

“Hup!”

Although I couldn’t use my posture properly from the beginning, I aimed for her shoulder with a fast thrust. But…

“You’re fast. But what’s the point if the momentum moves before you even move your arm?”

The black tip of her sword blocked my finger that was trembling with the intention of moving the sword.

“Kuk…”

I tried to shake the sword off or move it to the side, but there was no shaking, as if it was stuck in a rock.

“Come again.”

When Hong Yeonhwa slightly removed her hand, an irresistible force flowed through the sword, as if it was flowing back. And then, the scenery rewound.

“Ugh?”

When I came to my senses, I was standing in the exact same position as when I first charged.

Did Hong Yeonhwa send me flying here?

In a strange sensation, as if rewinding, I blinked my eyes, but Hong Yeonhwa flicked her finger again.

“Don’t space out. Didn’t I tell you to come again?”