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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Morning.
“Hey, I’m here!”
A ringing voice woke me up.
“Ugh… you’re here?”
“What’s with the ‘Ugh, you’re here’? You should give me a grand welcome!”
She’s really energetic for this early in the morning.
Whoosh!
I immediately fixed my hair, jumped up, snapped to attention, and shouted.
“Welcome, Calamitous Fire Hibiscus! I shall attend to you with the utmost care!”
“Wow!”
“How’s that? My sincere hospitality.”
“I love it! Hahaha!”
Ha-yeong laughed heartily, seemingly pleased, and patted my arm repeatedly. Why does she like hitting people so much?
“Anyway, get ready. We need to go out.”
“Go out?”
“You said you wanted to eat more cores, right? A good monster extermination request just came in.”
“Ooh!”
Is this a hunt-it-yourself-and-eat situation?!
“Then we should hurry! What kind of monster is it?”
“A Kappa. They say its habitat is near Anhui Province.”
“Kappa? What’s that?”
“You know, those water monsters. They have turtle shells on their backs, and beaks like birds.”
Wait a minute.
No matter how I look at it, this sounds like the Japanese monster, Kappa.
“…!”
Now we even have Japanese monsters appearing in Ming Dynasty China…!
Where’s Inuyasha?!
I need to be with that guy!
“Why are you trembling so much? Did a Kappa give you a hard time before?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“If not that, then ah! Kappas are said to insert their hands into their prey’s anus and pull out the shirikodama. Are you scared of that?”
“No way, they’re that terrifying?!”
They stick their hands in your anus and pull something out?!
Aren’t they completely insane?!
Every single one of them needs to be killed!
“Chuckle, chuckle, you really didn’t know. Anyway, let’s go. Kappas aren’t that strong. Let’s try catching one. We might get some cores.”
“Right! Let’s get ready! We have to annihilate those monsters!”
These are such heinous creatures that I can understand Song’s hatred for the Gobulins.
I prepared to go out as if I were going to work, then left the mansion with Ha-yeong. Living in the same house and going out together… This felt exactly like a newlywed couple going to work together.
A wife who wears talismans instead of underwear…
So stimulating.
Clink, clink.
Ha-yeong, holding a seokjang, led the way.
I was still so bothered by the talisman that I felt like I was going crazy. According to my brief research, there were different types for wearing and using. The sizes were different, for starters.
But why does Ha-yeong wear that instead of underwear?
I couldn’t figure it out.
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We crossed over from Jiangsu Province to Anhui Province through a mountain path.
It was the same path I took when I first arrived here, so it was fairly familiar. If we followed this path, we could stop by the city I used to live in, resupply, and then head further west to reach our destination.
Once we arrive, I can have a drink with Jaemison and then move on.
That guy didn’t believe a word I said, so he’ll see how wrong he was. Abandon the Anhui Twin warriors? He’ll start believing me now.
“Ha-yeong, if we’re stopping by the city, I’ll contact my friend when we get there. I should let him know I’m here.”
“Sure. More importantly, can you tell me an interesting story? Walking with you is soooo boring. I need to listen to something to make it bearable.”
“Ah, what story should I tell?”
I have plenty of stories.
I was walking with Ha-yeong, lost in thought, when,
“Stop.”
Ha-yeong stopped me.
I didn’t ask what was wrong. Her demeanor told me something was amiss.
Instinctively sensing danger, I hid behind a tree and drew my Sky Thunder Sword.
“Good. Just like that.”
Ha-yeong praised me.
“What’s wrong?”
“It looks like there are Noklim bandits nearby.”
“Noklim?”
“Yeah. I’ve never seen them on this road before… I don’t know how many there are. We’re likely to encounter them soon, so be prepared.”
“Alright.”
I nodded heavily.
Tension boiled within me.
Noklim literally meant a group of bandits. Cruel and greedy murderers and robbers. If encountered, there was rarely a way to resolve the situation other than killing them.
“Noklim, huh.”
It’s a world overflowing with monsters outside the city walls.
In such a world, resorting to banditry in the mountains meant, in other words, they were cursed human scum with no other way to survive.
Outcasts from cities and villages, no, not even outcasts. They were vicious, high-profile criminals who would surely be executed the moment they were caught by the authorities.
This was on a different level from the Black Path members killing each other.
No one cared about the Black Path’s infighting, and they weren’t hunted by the government, but bandits were literally on the government’s extermination list.
Dangerous.
They were more dangerous and vile than any of the bastards I’d killed before.
“Chuckle, chuckle, are you nervous? Don’t worry. Who am I?”
A confident expression, as if telling me to trust her.
“I’m Calamitous Fire Hibiscus, the calamity of the Martial World. You think there haven’t been bandits or enemies trying to target me before?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Honestly, she was a prime target for such criminals.
She traveled alone, was incredibly beautiful, and had a great figure. On top of that, her clothes were revealing, so it wouldn’t be strange for someone to have ill intentions towards her.
“There have been quite a few. Of course, they all died without even laying a finger on me. So don’t worry. I’ve dealt with as many villains as I have monsters.”
“…”
I’m still worried.
No, it’s more than just worry. We might actually have to fight bandits. I mentally prepared myself to risk my life.
“What’s with that expression? Are you worrying too much?”
“I’m pretty nervous. And worried.”
“Chuckle, chuckle. Do you think I’ll get captured and assaulted?”
Ha-yeong spoke in a very gentle tone, as if trying to reassure me.
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. We just have to kill them all. Now, let’s kill all the bandits! Got it? Annihilate them on sight! Yahoo!”
She even raised her fist and shouted a cheerful slogan.
We might soon be fighting for our lives, but Ha-yeong was encouraging me as if she were used to this kind of thing.
I couldn’t lose face by being scared when a woman was acting like this.
“Hehehe, as expected of the Mosan Sect’s female warrior. Alright! I trust you!”
“Trust me. Do you want to just hide behind me? You might get hurt if you try to fight.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
I composed myself.
“I can’t hide behind you. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you. Understand? You’re my friend. I’ll protect you even if it costs me my life, so keep that in mind. Running away is out of the question!”
“Hmph, hmph… Big talk from a weakling.”
“That’s just the kind of man I am. Got it?”
“…”
We’d grown close while spending time together.
Protecting a friend.
That’s only natural.
Jaemison, even though it wasn’t his business, took up arms for me. Song, despite being a stranger, shared information about Gobulin extermination, saying friends should share information, and fought bravely at the forefront.
I have such friends.
So I, too, must take up arms for my friend.
“Well, alright. Let’s fight together. Watch me.”
“Trust me.”
We carefully moved along the mountain path.
We proceeded with extreme caution to avoid being ambushed, but it seemed overtaking bandits in the mountains was a difficult task.
“Boss!”
We finally encountered the bandits.
As soon as one of them shouted, bandits swarmed out. In an instant, more than ten bandits appeared.
“Khahaha!”
A guy who looked like the boss stepped forward. A tall, bare-chested man with messy hair. He was carrying an axe.
“Found you at last! Calamitous Fire Hibiscus!”
He knows me?
“Do you know me?”
Ha-yeong tilted her head, and the man laughed loudly.
“Puh huh! Of course! Who wouldn’t know the Calamity of the Martial World! I’ve been lying in wait ever since I heard rumors that you appeared in Anhui Province! I’ve been longing to see you…!”
Is this guy a stalker?
“Seeing you like this is truly a joy! As rumored, your beauty and those magnificent breasts! I’ve been waiting for the day I could fondle those breasts to my heart’s content and ram my shaft into your jade gate!”
This motherfucker.
“Kikikiki! Boss! She really looks like she’d be good to fuck!”
“Such huge tits…!”
“Kyah! I’d have no regrets if I could suck on those all day!”
“I want to lick that cunt all day long!”
“Kukuku, I could lick her asshole for a whole week.”
“You fools! We won’t even have time to poke her with our cocks! Kekekeke!”
The bandits reacted to their boss’s lewd comments, drooling and chiming in. Those bastards dared to insult Ha-yeong… I wanted to kill them all right then and there, but Ha-yeong simply looked at them with disdain.
“Surrender, Calamitous Fire Hibiscus! If you surrender now, I’ll make you my sex slave and treat you well! No beatings!”
“Hee, really?”
“Well, I’ll share you with my men, but I’ll prevent pregnancy. You’ll only bear my children. That’s a pretty good offer, don’t you think?”
That son of a bitch… talking like the Hayagriva.
I quietly counted the bandits. There were twelve in total. How strong was the boss? Could the two of us kill them all?
Frankly, I didn’t know Ha-yeong’s true strength yet. But if she was similar to Serin… there was no way Serin couldn’t handle this many bandits.
The problem was that Serin was a peak-level martial artist, and Ha-yeong was a Taoist. Aren’t Taoists weak in direct combat?
It would be best if I acted as her bodyguard.
“You motherfuckers!!!”
First, I shouted to get their attention.
“What…?”
“Go tell your mothers that fucking bullshit! They’ll love it!”
A light provocation.
“What, what did you say?!”
“That crazy bastard…!”
“Fuck, what’s he saying!”
The bandits’ faces turned red instantly.
“They’ll be shedding tears of joy that their sons are finally showing filial piety, but you don’t have time for this! Hurry up and go tell your mothers!”
“That son of a bitch!!! Uwaaaaah!”
The boss finally exploded and roared.
“I’ll tear you limb from limb and kill you, no, wait a second! Who the hell is this guy?”
The boss, who had been spewing curses, suddenly tilted his head.
Why?
“C, could it be…!”
Then he exclaimed in surprise.
“Calamitous Fire Hibiscus! Don’t tell me this punk is your lover! You, who should have offered your maidenhood to me, have taken a man! Uwaaaaah!”
Huh?
“You bastard! You! Did you defile Calamitous Fire Hibiscus!”
The boss pointed at me, fuming with rage. I was so dumbfounded by the situation that I couldn’t even speak.
What’s wrong with this lunatic?
He was just trying to violate Ha-yeong a moment ago, and now what?
Slide.
Just then, Ha-yeong clung to my arm and said,
“Well, I’ve been defiled quite a bit, haven’t I? Soooo, soooooo, soooooo much that your sexual harassment and lewd comments are just laughable.”
Hey, wait!
“What?! You, you fucking bitch! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuuck! You guys! Kill that guy and capture Calamitous Fire Hibiscus alive! If you hurt her, I’ll kill you! No, don’t kill that guy either! No matter what, he’ll pay for defiling my woman!”
This guy is completely insane!
“Get them!!!”
The battle began the moment the boss shouted.
“Uwaaaaah! Get that bastard!”
“That son of a bitch insulted my mother! Graaaaah!”
“That girl looks delicious!”
“This gentleman will pleasure you all day long!”
The bandits charged with gleaming eyes. Their fighting spirit seemed no different from the Ming Dynasty army. So these were the Noklim bandits?
“How dare you insult Ha-yeong! I’ll slice and dice you all!”
In this situation, I had to make the best use of the terrain. There was no other way to deal with such zealous opponents attacking all at once.
“Inhale!”
I was about to unleash the Great Flow Sword Technique using my enhanced inner energy and kill a few of them as brutally as possible to demoralize them when,
“Sigh.”
Ha-yeong sighed.
“You vermin. I’m sick and tired of being sexually harassed by you trash. Really. It’s always the same thing, touching me, sucking me, poking me. You all say the same shit.”
And then,
“Die.”
Whoosh!
Taoist magic unfolded.
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Thanks Simzy!