SWNOVELXO Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Lukewarm Bandages
After parting ways with Yeon Sowol, Yujinhwi immediately sought out her disciple and grabbed her wrist.
“Disciple.”
“Senior, what’s the matter?”
Upon hearing the disciple’s voice, Yujinhwi felt her racing heart calm down.
A smile crept onto her lips.
Indeed, only the disciple could do that.
Yujinhwi spoke to the disciple in a gentle voice.
“Shall we head back to our lodgings now?”
But it was too early to relax.
Yeon Sowol.
It was because the mysterious woman was targeting the disciple.
Yeon Sowol claimed that her feelings were genuine. It wasn’t that Yujinhwi didn’t believe her, but if those feelings were true, it posed a separate problem. A genuine feeling is different from mere attraction. Yujinhwi understood this concept well.
Especially with a woman like Yeon Sowol, with such piercing eyes, caution was paramount.
If those feelings were sincere, it meant she might resort to any means necessary.
A kind-hearted and naive man like the disciple, who knew little about women, would easily be swayed by Yeon Sowol.
As Yujinhwi contemplated this, she heard the disciple’s voice in her ear.
“Are you bored of the banquet?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that…”
At the disciple’s words, Yujinhwi shook her head vigorously, her face flushed.
She had to be wary of Yeon Sowol. That was what she should say, but her lips simply refused to move.
Thump, thump.
Her heart continued to race.
“…Then it seems you’re feeling uncomfortable. Since the banquet is held right in the heart of the Demon Sect, it’s natural for you to feel uneasy.”
Upon hearing the disciple’s following words, Yujinhwi nodded silently.
The Demon Sect was indeed uncomfortable.
Yujinhwi partially agreed with the disciple’s words. After all, the Demon Sect was the sworn enemy of the Orthodox Faction. They had effectively annihilated the sect fifty years ago during the Great War of Justice and Evil. It was no wonder she felt uneasy. Had the sect’s martial arts not been held hostage, she would not have come here unless it was with the disciple.
But right now, keeping an eye on Yeon Sowol was also important. She had no idea when the woman would strike again. They had to cut off any contact between the disciple and that woman.
That was her duty as an elder sister.
“Alright then. Let’s return to our lodgings.”
“Thank you, Disciple.”
Squeak.
Yujinhwi smiled as she grasped the disciple’s hand. A rosy hue spread across her cheeks. As always, the disciple was considerate of her. The moment permission was granted, Yujinhwi seized the disciple’s wrist and stealthily slipped away from the banquet hall.
After they arrived at their lodgings in a flash, Yujinhwi locked the door to the separate residence.
“Senior?”
“Disciple. We need to be careful of Yeon Sowol.”
Grab.
Yujinhwi held the disciple’s hands tightly and continued.
“While Lady Sojo seems safe, Lady Yeon is dangerous. I had this feeling, though it’s just a gut feeling…”
Yujinhwi blushed as she rambled on.
Yeon Sowol was dangerous.
Yujinhwi was convinced of that, but without any solid proof, it was possible the disciple might scold her for being overly cautious.
Just then, as Yujinhwi’s eyelids quivered anxiously,
“I see. Your intuition is correct, Senior.”
The disciple’s voice echoed in Yujinhwi’s ears.
*
That she seemed to be hiding something.
Though the senior might lack quick wits, her intuition was sharp. After all, she had been born with heightened sensitivity from the start.
While ordinary people, including myself, had five senses, the senior possessed a sixth sense called intuition naturally.
That’s probably why she noticed. Perhaps she was even aware that Yeon Sowol was Jeoksawol. Though it seemed she wasn’t aware of the name just yet.
But that didn’t matter.
It was just about time for the Ceremony of Martial Arts to the Heavenly Horse to begin, and my interactions with Jeoksawol should end here. She still wasn’t revealing her true intentions.
“It’s best to be on guard for now. I, too, found Lady Yeon a bit suspicious.”
I should drop a subtle hint to Jeoksawol.
A nudge to come out as her true self.
Hearing my words, the senior’s face brightened.
“Really? Is that so? My feelings turned out to be right!”
Thud.
The senior hugged me tightly. A fragrant scent drifted from her body. I stroked her hair and said,
“Yes, indeed.”
“I’m relieved. Disciple, shall we have a snack now? I ordered some earlier to eat with you. I even brewed tea myself.”
While staying at the separate residence, the Heavenly Horse had been graciously treating us as guests.
They provided three meals a day, plus snacks that could be ordered freely, which the senior had taken advantage of.
“Sounds good.”
She glanced around and initiated the Reverse Transformation Technique and Bone-Wasting Technique. Swish. The sound of rustling clothes accompanied the unravelling of bandages that flowed down from beneath her clothing.
Soon after, her chest, which had been pressed by the bandages, returned to its original state, causing her top to inflate.
Though not as ample as the voluptuous Jeoksawol or Seoharin, it was surely enough to claim a decent bust size.
No matter how you looked at it, those were not the kinds of breasts you could contain with bandages. She had likely employed the Bone-Wasting Technique too.
Transformed fully into a woman, the senior innocently smiled bashfully.
She was already beautiful, and with that smile, I was almost mesmerized for a second.
As she handed me the bandage with a whisper, she said,
“Disciple, do you want this? I have extras and don’t need it. During the Heavenly Horse Ceremony, there might be a need for first aid…”
This was the very bandage that had wrapped around her generous chest. It was still warm from her body heat.
Wait, is she really giving this to me? The Heavenly Horse Ceremony took a survival format, not a martial arts contest. Moreover, the battlefield of the Heavenly Horse Ceremony, the Demon Realm, was a special field where all kinds of demons gathered. The Demon Realm was shrouded in demonic fog that could even disrupt the intuition of top-tier experts all year round. Not to mention, it was crawling with monsters mutated by magical influences.
There was no problem with her saying she needed emergency medicine, but…
Usually, wouldn’t they just buy a new one to give? Why was she handing over the one she used? It wasn’t a bad feeling, but… something felt a bit off.
“Disciple, don’t you like my bandage?”
The senior gave me a sparkling look.
With eyes like that, how could I refuse?
If it was when we first met, I would have freaked out, but after spending time together like family, I had grown accustomed to her behavior.
“Oh, no, no. It’s not like that. I’ll take it. Thank you for thinking of me.”
I thanked her and accepted the bandage she handed over.
I had no idea what it meant, but it might come in handy somehow.
As I took the bandage, the senior’s face lit up.
She said, “Great. Disciple, let’s go eat snacks together.”
Grab. The senior took my hand. I was led by the senior towards the snacks.
It was the night as the Heavenly Horse Ceremony drew near.
*
From that day onward.
I began to intentionally avoid Yeon Sowol. In truth, I didn’t really need to avoid her since the senior was already keeping a watchful eye on Yeon Sowol.
Thus, the delicate tug-of-war I had with Yeon Sowol, or rather Jeoksawol, had come to an end as of today.
It was the day the Heavenly Horse Ceremony was set to commence.
In the plaza established by the Demon Sect Headquarters.
There, I stood with the senior on the stage.
The square was crowded with Demon Sect members, not a single spot to place a foot.
As I glanced around, I spotted Jeoksawol in her true form alongside Heuksaryong.
[Oh, esteemed sir. Will you truly not accept the young lady’s heart?]
As soon as my eyes met Jeoksawol’s, she sent a message to me.
My head began to throb.
During the time I was avoiding Jeoksawol, she had persistently sent me messages, and today was no different.
[Please don’t abandon me… young sir..]
Jeoksawol, who had slight dark circles under her eyes, pleaded with a sorrowful tone.
I ignored Jeoksawol as I surveyed the surroundings.
Two Post-Stimulation Indicators of the Orthodox Faction, two from the Evil Faction.
So naturally, there had to be two from the Demon Sect as well.
“Humph.”
As our eyes met, So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa turned her head away.
Next to her stood a cold-looking youth wielding a spear. It was Makdaewon, the son of Changma, known as the Violet Thunder Demon Spear.
‘The son of Changma, huh?’
Changma.
He was the most veteran among the Demon Sect, having fought actively for the longest. Just over fifty years ago during the Great War of Justice and Evil, he was just beyond youth but had reached an exceptional level, serving as the advanced commander who stealthily led an assault against the Orthodox Faction.
Changma burned the Orthodox Sect to the ground, killing not only the sect leader but also disciples and even the third-rate disciples and family members hidden in Gansu.
Indeed.
The true enemy of the Orthodox Faction fifty years ago and the mastermind of the joint blood temple was Changma. So back then, even though the previous elder sister didn’t kill the other entity, she had personally slain Changma.
In my past life, the journey of Geomseong Yujinhwi to the Demon Sect was a mythical act that marked the pinnacle of her title as the best in the world. Having triumphed against the Heavenly Horse, the Geomseong reclaimed all the martial arts of the Orthodox Sect and gracefully made her exit from the Demon Sect.
After Geomseong’s visit to the Demon Sect, the authority of the Heavenly Horse was severely compromised following their humiliating defeat to the Orthodox Faction. Although the Heavenly Horse was satisfied enough to accept the results, the internal atmosphere of the Demon Sect became tumultuous.
When So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa rebelled against the Heavenly Horse and sparked a civil war within the Demon Sect, this chaos was the reason behind that division.
Within that civil war, Makdaewon had actively supported Baek Cheon-hwa under the alias of his father Changma.
My gaze narrowed, recalling all this from my past life.
‘Could it be that the traitor among the five factions is Changma?’
Before heading to the Demon Sect, the information agent of the Heavenly Alliance had provided just one piece of intel.
One of the five factions has a traitor and has joined hands with the Blood Sect.
Comparing the records of my past life with the information of the present, the most likely candidate for a traitor appeared to be Changma. He was the right-hand man of the previous Blood Sect leader and a key player in the joint blood temple.
The joint blood temple was undoubtedly the blood demon’s scheme to sever the Orthodox Sect’s link. Having dealt a critical blow to the blood demon, he likely yearned to eliminate the Orthodox Sect, which still had ties to the martial arts.
Moreover, his son Makdaewon was the instigator who encouraged Baek Cheon-hwa’s rebellion.
Of course, even without the Blood Sect’s involvement, the actions of Makdaewon and Changma could easily be explained by their motives. Yet, something just felt fishy.
It was like a warning from my intuition.
‘If Changma is indeed the traitor, then the reason he sent his son into the Heavenly Horse Ceremony must be… to deal with me or the elder sister, or perhaps both?’
Unless the Blood Demon was a fool, he would have already realized that someone took away the key martial arts of the Honwon Geomje.
And if he was able to think logically, he’d narrow it down to either me or the elder sister, or perhaps even both.
The blood demon is afraid of the honwon mugukdo. For such a demon, the Demon Realm, with its demonic fog that dulls even the intuition of absolute masters all year round, would serve as an excellent hunting ground.
Of course, getting rid of both me and the elder sister by Makdaewon’s capabilities would be challenging; however, one could never rule out the possibility of allies.
‘Finally, it seems I’ll get a glimpse of the Blood Sect’s schemes.’
But crisis often presents an opportunity too. It was a chance to lure the reclusive, scheming Blood Sect members out into the daylight and bring them to justice.
As I pondered this and smiled, at that moment.
“The Supreme Being graces us with their presence!”
“Heavenly Horse descends! The great demon grants us abundance! New Religion reigns! Long live, long live, long long live!!”
With booming voices, all the gathered Demon Sect members prostrated themselves on the ground.
The arrival of the Heavenly Horse marked the beginning signal of the Heavenly Horse Ceremony.