麻豆工作室

 Mok Riwon was oblivious to women.

 No, not just women; he was fundamentally unaware of the concept of ‘others’ itself.

 This stemmed from his abnormal upbringing.

 The place he had grown up was hidden deep in a mountain valley somewhere in Jiangxi Province.

 The only individuals he had ever encountered in his life were Mok Seon-oh and Ma Il-seok, who raised him.

 For Mok Riwon, anyone other than these two were mere figments of his imagination, existing solely in stories. This instilled in him an odd preconception towards the concept of ‘others’.

 In Mok Riwon’s worldview, there were three types of people – the chivalrous heroes who upheld righteousness and justice, the common folk who expressed gratitude for their actions, and the evil villains who opposed those heroes.

 Thus, Mok Riwon had no choice but to categorize her, who seemed like neither a hero nor a commoner, as a villain.

 In other words, he concluded that the fluttering in his heart was caused by her sorcery.

 ‘A seductress! Yes, she must be a seductress!’

 It was, in truth, a misunderstanding.

However, sadly, there was no kind and patient soul present to resolve this mistake.

 The woman before him, Hwa-seo, was a fugitive hiding her status.

 Furthermore, the hidden assassins guarding her were all on high alert regarding Mok Riwon’s background as well.

 To those fugitives, the mysterious martial arts master who suddenly drew his blade was a threat.

 “Attack–!” Hwa-seo shouted.

 The ceiling came crashing down as seven assassins lunged at him.

 It was clearly a well-coordinated joint attack that had been practiced for a long time.

 However, for the opponent they were up against, it wasn’t enough.

  Slam–!

 Mok Riwon slammed the flat side of his sword into an assassin’s shoulder, disrupting their joint maneuver.

Given the inherent fragility of joint attacks which required seamless coordination, the enormous opening in their formation naturally threw the remaining six into temporary chaos.

 Mok Riwon’s sword didn’t stop there.

Thwack–!

 After regaining his composure, he struck the waist of an assassin who attempted to stab him from behind, sending the body crashing into another oncoming foe. Capitalizing on that opportunity, Mok Riwon dealt with the enemies on the other side.

 What followed were merely two moves.

 With movements aiming for each of their vital points, all the assassins were forced to the ground.

 Hwa-seo made a stunned expression.

 ‘What…?!’

 Ridiculous.

 Regardless of how recent their advancements, every single one of them was a first rate master.

 It wasn’t only that.

Their joint attack was not some mediocre martial arts from a market street, but a technique considered the secret arts of even the clan they had ran away from.

 ‘…This isn’t good.’

 Hwa-seo looked around.

 The only escape route was the window behind him that he was currently standing in the way of.

 Though it seemed she could slip past and leap out if she found an opening…

 ‘…I cannot abandon them.’

 These were people who had fled the clan and risked their lives alongside her.

She could not simply discard them to save her own life.

 ‘What should I do…?!’

 As Hwa-seo agonized, there was heavy thud as the door was smashed apart, and a masked figure burst into the room – her closest confidante, Sohyang.

 “My lady, run!”

 With that shout, she drew a shortsword and charged at Mok Riwon, but he had already anticipated that and she soon followed suit, collapsing to the floor.

  Slam–!

 “Cough…!”

 “Hyang!”

 Along with her frightened scream, Hwa-seo made an irrational decision, driven by emotion.

 Hwa-seo glared at him, drawing upon her qi center.

 Clenching her fist, she charged towards Mok Riwon.

 “Wha-?!”

 Mok Riwon was momentarily taken aback. As soon as he noticed her approaching, a thought occurred to him regarding their closing distance.

 ‘T-That powder smell…!’

 If she came any closer, he feared she might give off the same scent as the courtesans below and he might end up writhing in embarrassment.

 It was just a split second hesitation, yet more than enough for a late-stage first rate master like Hwa-seo. Her eyes blazed as she opened the palm of her right hand.

 It was a good attempt.

If only her opponent wasn’t Mok Riwon.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

 Instinctively, Mok Riwon thrust his index finger at her body thrice. They weren’t mere thrusts, but rather qi-infused strikes. It was a pressure point attack to seal her meridians, blocking her qi and immobilizing her.

 “Kuh…!”

  Thud!

 Hwa-seo collapsed where she stood.

 Her surging qi was abruptly sealed and her body had been paralyzed to the point she could not even lift a finger.

 Rage and despair intensified within Hwa-seo as she glared at him with hatred.

Mok Riwon averted his gaze, unable to meet that piercing stare.

 ‘W-What should I do…?!’

 Something felt amiss.

The seductress should have revealed her true colors by now, bewitching his mind with her seduction arts. Yet at the last second, she had opted for a claw technique, had she not? Even setting aside that minor detail, despite her qi flow being sealed, his heart continued pounding as rapidly as before.

 Mok Riwon’s eyes darted about, his mouth wide open.

  –Head upstairs! There’s a commotion on the upper floor!

 Mok Riwon’s distress was short-lived as he soon caught wind of a distant shout coming from below.

 Torn between bewilderment, excitement, and an inexplicable shyness, Mok Riwon’s mind was in total disarray. 

 Therefore, upon hearing that shout he simply–

  Grab–!

 With Hwa-seo slung over his shoulder and his eyes firmly shut, he leapt out of the window.

 “My lady–!”

 Indeed.

 It was an abduction.

* * *

 An hour passed before Mok Riwon, who had utilized a movement technique while on the run, finally halted.

 ‘This is…’

The surroundings had unknowingly become a forest during his frantic escape. Having realized only now, his mouth opened wide in surprise.

 ‘I went too far!”

 After running senselessly for an hour, he had no idea how to return to Suyang County.

 The thought of having lost his way back drained the color from his face.

 As that happened, a voice startled him even further.

 “…Release me.”

 The woman on his shoulder, Hwa-seo, whispered directly in his ear, her warm breath and sweet scent catching him off guard. Suddenly aware of her presence, he startlingly threw her to the ground.

  Thud!

 “Ugh…!”

 The woman let out a stifled groan.

Mok Riwon, feeling his heart pound fiercely, took deep breaths to calm himself.

 Hwa-seo clenched her teeth.

“Bastard, where did you come from?”

 Her voice carried a chilling tone, and the intensity of her burning gaze had yet to fade. Yet Mok Riwon, far from his normal self, remained oblivious.

 “I-I came from a mountain valley behind there!”

 Squeezing his eyes shut, he roughly pointed somewhere in the mountain range.

 Hwa-seo’s eyes turned bloodshot as she stared daggers at him.

 “Stop your tricks! What clan are you from? Or are you a martial artist of the Unorthodox Path? Filthy vermin, do not think for even a moment I will bend to your will!”

 “T-That’s not…!”

 “So you’re going to play dumb until the end?”

 Shivering uncontrollably beneath her sharp icy gaze, he snuck quick glances at her.

 ‘W-Why is she so angry…?!’

 Even though his methods were extreme, she was hardly in a position to complain. After all, was she not a wicked seductress exploiting the common folk?

 There was not even a single shred of doubt in his mind.

 If she were not a seductress but merely an ordinary songstress, she would have no knowledge of martial arts, nor would she caused such turmoil inside him.

 Mok Riwon felt mortified that she was accusing him and immediately pointed his finger at her.

 “A-Aha! You talk too much, you seductress! I’ve heard everything already from the people here! Ever since you arrived, the Unorthodox Path’s protection fees have doubled! And not only that you bitch, are you not currently recruiting martial art masters from outside to raid the government office?!”

 “What?”

 “I may be an inexperienced martial artist venturing into the outside world for the first time today, but I understand the importance of benevolence, righteousness, and helping others! Do not even think of deceiving me!”

 Feeling quite pleased with his grandiose speech, Mok Riwon snorted proudly with a smirk.

 Only then did Hwa-seo realize that something had gone terribly wrong.

 ‘What is this…’

 In that instant, something flashed across her mind.

  –…He is being entertained, albeit… visibly frightened.

 Sohyang’s report that he was cowering while being entertained by the courtesans.

  –You’re trying to bewitch me with your seduction arts! However, I, Mok Riwon, will not fall so easily! Wicked seductress, reveal your true nature at once!

 His nonsensical outburst, accusing her of bewitching him with seductions arts out of nowhere. And his claim just moments ago that he had come from a mountain valley.

 Hwa-seo laughed bitterly, her hollow laughter laced with resignation.

 ‘Wait, could he really be…’

 No way, seriously?

 Was he really just a mountain boy and not from a different group?

 Then, what about his martial arts?

 ‘…personally taught by a hidden master?’

 It was a story that belonged in a children’s book.

 However, Hwa-seo could not dismiss the possibility outright.

 Given the circumstances, Hwa-seo’s common sense dictated that there was no reason for such a powerful martial artist to infiltrate a courtesan house as a guest, reveal his skills, and then abduct her.

 In other words.

 ‘His actions make no sense.’

 If it was an infiltration, then stick to an infiltration. If it was causing chaos, then leave it as that.

But that man was unnecessarily complicating that could have been straightforward.

 ‘…He has no formal training.’

 His behavior especially, looking so pleased with himself after spouting nonsense looked exactly like something a child would do.

 “Go ahead, try explaining yourself!”

 As he pointed his finger at her so energetically, she felt a sense of self-pity for herself.

 ‘To think that, I…’

 It wasn’t her clan who had been pursuing her, nor the Unorthodox Path of Suyang County.

 She, Hwa-seo, had been kidnapped by this backwater bumpkin with nothing but strong martial arts.

 The bitter truth pierced deeply into her heart.

* * *

 Exhausted, Hwa-seo sighed and tried to clear up the misunderstanding.

 Or rather, she had another underlying objective.

 ‘Recruitment.’

 A martial arts master with no affiliation.

 On top of that, he was an utter fool oblivious to the ways of the world and seemed to have a crush on her.

 If she managed to use him well, he would help her greatly in resolving her predicament.

 With a calculative personality, Hwa-seo continued speaking.

 However, as she did so, Mok Riwon’s expression grew odd.

 “S-So you see…”

 Though ignorant and prone to foolish acts from his secluded upbringing, Mok Riwon was a man praised time and again by Mok Seon-oh for his outstanding intellect.

 In short, it took him no time at all to grasp the implication behind Hwa-seo’s words.

 “You became the Pavilion Lord because you paid the previous owner for the establishment…”

 “Correct.”

 “And the reason the Unorthodox Path gangs began collecting double the protection fees is because they want to steal the courtesan house from you, Young Lady.”

 “You understand well.”

 “Then, those mysterious martial artists are…”

 “Just outsiders, correct? Starting with you, are you not a martial artist who came from another place?”

 There weren’t only random outsiders of course.

Among them were surely subordinates sent by her clan to pursue her.

 However, Hwa-seo saw no need to enlighten him on the full details, cutting her explanation short.

 And it worked.

 “Then, the seduction arts…?”

 “Again with the seduction arts this, seduction arts that. What is your obsession with seduction arts? Or did you come seeking me out hoping to experience ‘sex arts’ yourself?”

 “…”

 Mok Riwon averted his gaze from Hwa-seo. In response, Hwa-seo scowled with disgust, casting a look of contempt at him.

 At last, the misunderstanding had been somewhat cleared up. While Hwa-seo was preoccupied with contemplating how to best capitalize on this situation, Mok Riwon’s body shivered continuously.

 ‘If she’s not a seductress…’

 In sudden realization, Mok Riwon’s eyes widened in terror, his back drenched in sweat.

 ‘I-I kidnapped a woman!’

 Only then did he realize that he was a villain who had kidnapped an innocent woman.

 …Of course, it was far too late for such realizations.

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