Chapter 216

Swish...

Cheongwol brushed the fallen strand of hair behind her ear and slowly leaned forward.

Her heart pounded wildly. Han Seojin's face, which she hadn't seen in so long.

But before she could even feel joy at seeing him again, the emotions and desires she had suppressed came bursting out all at once.

Every time the tips of her hair brushed against his face, Han Seojin's body trembled faintly.

Each time it happened, Cheongwol's heart sank.

What if he opened his eyes? What if he saw her ugly side? Fear made her fingertips stiffen.

A touch without permission.

An act that imposed only her own feelings, with not a shred of consideration left.

She knew how dangerous it was. If he caught her like this, she couldn't say a word even if he came to despise her.

But she couldn't stop.

The very fact that it was dangerous turned into pleasure. This act was a gamble intertwined with immorality and ecstasy.

If he hadn't closed his eyes like this from the start, she wouldn't have mustered even a shred of courage. In other words, it was possible only because he was asleep, lost in drunken stupor.

Two months.

How much she had longed for him during that not-so-short time.

How many nights she had spent crying until dawn, how much her body had trembled with jealousy imagining him by Dang Soran's side.

All that accumulated patience had led to this moment. She couldn't bear to let this golden opportunity slip away.

Opportunities to even meet him were rare, chances to get this close were even rarer, and moments to pour out her desires unilaterally... far more precious still.

Yet, the last fragment of her reason held her back.

No matter how far gone she was, she couldn't be unaware that this was wrong.

“...”

But in the end, she surrendered.

She closed her eyes quietly, swept back the hair from his forehead, and pressed her lips to it.

Who could have imagined a day like this would come?

That she would one day harbor feelings for a mere man.

When they first met on the back mountain of Emei, Han Seojin was nothing more than the owner of a poor leather shop.

She had even considered whether to deal with him.

When she encountered the tools in his basement, she had suspected he might be a remnant of the Black Path.

Yet he was the only person in this world who truly understood her.

The only one who had looked into her pain.

To him, she wasn't the senior disciple of Emei Sect, nor the promising talent everyone expected her to be, nor the nun called Thousand-Year Flower.

She was just Cha Hwa.

He was the only one who allowed her to exist as a woman.

Because of him, she could remember not Cheongwol, but... Cha Hwa. If he disappeared, Cha Hwa would surely vanish too.

How precious he was—could anyone understand? Probably not a soul in the world.

Like cradling a treasured possession, Cheongwol pressed her lips longingly to his forehead.

Her excited breaths flowed through her nose.

Even though she was the one kissing him, she couldn't imagine being happier.

It felt as if she had lived solely for this day.

She knew all of Central Plains would be horrified if they saw her like this.

Wasn't she a nun who should keep even men at a distance, let alone kisses?

A practitioner who must purify her body and empty her mind.

Everyone sang praises of her beauty, the reason no one dared approach was right here.

For a nun to harbor feelings for a man was taboo.

But the truth was different. Cheongwol had long harbored deep feelings for a man.

She, known as the purest in the world, desired him more madly than anyone.

She, who was strong before everyone else, was endlessly weak before Han Seojin.

It was her secret that no one should ever know. Yet this one secret sustained her.

...Haa.

She peeled her lips from his forehead and steadied her heart.

Her heart still throbbed relentlessly. She scolded herself.

This sin is enough once. No more greed.

As planned from the beginning, she had etched his face into her eyes—now she should be satisfied. It had to end here.

But when she came to her senses, Cheongwol's lips were already touching his cheek again.

Like worshiping the sleeping man, she carefully left a kiss on his cheek.

He was asleep and wouldn't notice, but she wanted to leave a trace that she harbored him in her heart like this.

Her body wouldn't obey. No matter how much she scolded herself, it was the same.

The suppressed emotions, the desires leaking through the thin cracks, swallowed her whole.

If she stayed still, it felt like something would burst inside her chest.

Tormented by an unquenchable thirst, Cheongwol's gaze naturally drifted to his lips.

“...”

Was it right to do this when he wasn't even awake?

...Asking such a question was foolish.

Of course it wasn't right.

...And yet.

Cheongwol slowly lowered her head.

And gingerly pressed her lips to Han Seojin's.

It wasn't so much a lover's kiss as a dry, cautious peck like a child giving to a parent's cheek.

Yet the sensation of his teeth beyond her lips set her entire body ablaze.

Just having their faces so close made her breathless with happiness.

In this vast Central Plains, only Han Seojin. He was right here, so near.

The meaning of life wasn't something grand. Even a single moment like this gave reason to live.

In the quiet room, only the sound of her kisses echoed hollowly.

Smack, smack...

The sound was strangely lonely.

And oddly, the deeper that loneliness grew, the thicker her desire became.

The lonelier the sound felt, the deeper her longing grew.

Perhaps this was a thirst that could never be quenched.

Love wasn't an emotion filled just by giving.

Like food shared to be tasty, beauty shared to be truly beautiful, affection too must be reciprocated to be complete.

But she knew.

He would never return this kind of kiss to her.

So she had to fill it like this.

She kissed him again, quietly yet desperately.

The first time was hard, but the second was easy.

And the third felt utterly natural.

Hoping desperately that Han Seojin would never wake, she continued the kisses.

She rubbed her forehead against his, her nose against his, her cheek against his, pressing close as if overlaying her existence onto him.

She even thought of merging their bodies into one.

Then her imperfect self might finally become whole.

Isn't Han Seojin the other half she had lost? Only with him did the world seem right.

It was frustrating that she couldn't express this blooming heart with words or actions.

Suddenly, the impurities between her and him felt utterly hateful.

The impurity of flesh. And the obstacle of Emei Sect.

Because she was a nun, because she was a martial artist, because he wasn't, because of their differing statuses in Central Plains...

If none of that existed, things would have been so much easier.

What if she had met him before joining Emei Sect? Life wouldn't have been this tormenting.

No, better yet, if she had been born as his little sister. Then they would surely be even closer now.

“...Haa.”

But such worries were meaningless. Right now, he was before her, and she was by his side.

It was her first time with a man’s lips, so she knew nothing.

Her senior brothers were well-versed in such knowledge, but Cheongwol wasn’t close to them and was truly ignorant.

Instinct alone guided her.

She knew overlapping her lips with his would feel good.

As her clumsy motions overlapped their lips, a sudden urge to nibble surged.

Cheongwol nudged her head lightly, parting her mouth just a bit, and gently bit his upper lip.

To bite, her lips naturally parted, and Han Seojin’s did too from the nibble.

Saliva beneath their lips exchanged softly, and the dry pecks soon grew moist.

Stiff at first, they soon softened.

And in that softness, Cheongwol realized she was crumbling.

“...Ugh!”

Cheongwol gasped and jerked her head up.

For an instant, blood rushed to her head. Her face burned, her ears rang.

She knew instinctively.

...This was too dangerous.

This sensation was intense enough to lead her to ruin.

In that fear, she couldn’t go further.

The pleasure was so vivid that guilt surged alongside it.

Cheongwol feared Han Seojin, who was precious beyond measure. Fearing she’d lose him, she wanted to possess him more.

Just...

Just hide him away where no one, not a soul, could see.

Make him look only at her. Make it so he could never leave her.

But this was precisely the emotion Han Seojin hated.

At that thought, Cheongwol restrained herself. Her breath caught.

If she stayed longer, the heart demon would return.

So for the last time, she pressed her forehead to his.

Feeling his body heat wordlessly for a while, she rose with an expression of near-death agony.

That was it for today. She had seen Han Seojin—now it was time to go.

Cheongwol carefully laid him back on the bed and stroked her hair for a long time.

Her fingertips trembled.

By the time she resolved herself, much time had passed.

She gazed one last time at his peacefully sleeping face, then slowly opened the door.

“...See you next time, shopkeeper.”

Cheongwol whispered, nearly swallowing her tears.

Thud.

The door closed.

****

“What in the world were you doing last night!!”

Dang Soran rarely lost her temper.

Entering her quarters, I scratched my disheveled hair. Hangover nausea surged.

“Ugh... I’m truly sorry, but... maybe later...”

“Do you know how worried I was!”

I desperately needed sleep, but looking closely, tears glistened at the corners of Dang Soran’s eyes.

She didn’t hide them. Wiping them roughly, she said firmly.

“No more pocket money from now on! Got it?”

“Ah... Y-yes. S-Soran. No, miss... That’s...”

...Is that it? No, it wasn’t...

Only then did I grasp the severity and gauged her mood.

“You disappear without a word, and I have to get help from Beggars’ Sect beggars and Hao Gate...! Where the hell were you?”

I felt wronged. I had definitely held my wits until the point where Tang Clan of Sichuan came into view.

That Namgung Yeon girl was the problem. Who could’ve thought she couldn’t handle her liquor?

I kept matching her drinks because she seemed to have so much pent-up frustration while drinking.

By then, I’d drunk more than my limit, and while escorting the staggering her home, the intoxication hit full force.

…Still, I definitely saw the Tang Clan gates?

Did I black out the moment I let my guard down?

Knowing excuses wouldn't help, I just watched her mood.

I bit my lower lip briefly—it was oddly swollen, like I'd bumped it somewhere.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“Still no pocket money!!”

“P-please, anything but that…”

“Where were you? We checked every brothel!”

“Why would I go to a bro— No, uh. I woke up in an inn nearby. I definitely made it this far…”

Dang Soran huffed without responding.

She seemed to expect something from me.

I hesitated, then awkwardly stroked her arm.

My own cowering apology.

“I’m really sorry for worrying you. I’m fine. I won’t let it happen again. The drinks got to me since it had been so long.”

Only then did Dang Soran press her eyes with her palm to compose herself, then pointed aside.

“...Honey water’s there. Drink some.”

That only deepened my guilt.

Damn, I’m sorry enough to die... But why was I so wasted?

I don’t usually black out like that...

“ …”

Suddenly, recalling last night brought a certain warmth to mind.

A distinctive floral scent too. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

.

.

.

A week passed like that.

I sensed something had happened from the suddenly bustling atmosphere in Tang Clan of Sichuan.

Someone was causing a huge commotion at the main gate.

“Clan Leader! Where is the Clan Leader!”

All the servants gathered. Even the streets filled with onlookers.

I naturally joined the spectacle, and for some reason, I felt like I could guess the news.

But foreseeing it didn't make it any less shocking. My heart sank stickily.

Through the open gates entered a warrior clad in robes marked with the character for Alliance.

He was drenched in sweat from his urgency.

Clan Leader Dang Jeokcheon and young clan leader Dang Jiun appeared.

Dang Soran was already with them.

Even the rarely seen Tang Clan elders and workshop artisans showed themselves.

Everyone anticipated that the commotion this warrior caused was far from normal.

The warrior seemed to be making the fuss deliberately for all to hear.

“What’s the matter.”

Dang Jeokcheon asked quietly.

All eyes turned to the Murim Alliance warrior.

“Clan Leader, forgive my urgent arrival—”

“—Enough. Speak. What’s happened.”

The Murim Alliance warrior's eyes twitched at that moment.

He delivered the news.

“The Murim Alliance’s sword squads, from First Sword Squad to Fifth, dispatched to the Blue Sea to exterminate the Demonic Cult... have all been wiped out.”

Everyone stirred in an instant. I squeezed my eyes shut.

The warrior’s voice echoed through my closed ears.

“Total annihilation, Clan Leader.”

Mukryong went too.

...May he rest in peace. Who else was in the squads?

What about Namgung Yeon?

As unanswered questions swirled in my head, the warrior continued.

“Thus, the Alliance Leader summons everyone. You must attend.”

The day had finally come.

The moment I had feared my whole life.

I knew the story of Blood Path had begun.