Reaper of the Drifting Moon

When the cloth was unwrapped, a pair of wrist armors appeared.

The form was simple, but he could tell that it was high-quality work.

Pyo-wol wore his wrist armor without saying a word. The cold touch of metal was not felt because of the leather.

Pyo-wol moved his arms back and forth while wearing the armor. There was no sense of alienation or suffocation. It felt light and comfortable to move in as if he was wearing silk clothes.

Tang Sochu explained,

“There will be no inconvenience in moving with the wrist armor, and if you use your internal energy, you will be able to easily block any number of weapons.”

“Well made. This is really nice.”

“Of course. I put a lot of effort into making it.”

When Pyo-wol seemed satisfied, Tang Sochu smiled lightly.

The happiest moment for the artisan was when the client was satisfied. More so if the client could draw more than ten percent of the use of the work he had made. If it was Pyo-wol, he would surely be able to properly use his work he put so much effort into.

Tang Sochu was satisfied with that.

“What more do you need?”

“Nothing for now.”

“Take this.”

Tang Sochu pulled out a thread from his arms and handed it to Pyo-wol.

“What is this?”

“It’s the leftovers from making the wrist armor. It’s very elastic and strong, so it’ll definitely be useful.”

Pyo-wol received the thread.

Wielding the Soul-Reaping Thread did not require any special thread. However, if he has such a piece of equipment, there will surely come a day when it will come in handy.

Pyo-wol confirmed the strength and elasticity of the thread. As Tang Sochu said, it seemed like the thread could be used at any time. Pyo-wol said as he put thread in his bosom,

“Good! I’ll use it well.”

“Okay then. I’ll go ahead now.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“There’s an uninvited guest at home. I’ll go and check what’s going on.”

“Uninvited customer?”

“Something like that. I’ll go now.”

Tang Sochu smiled slightly at Pyo-wol and left the guest house. Pyo-wol looked at the back of Tang Sochu as he left the door without a word.

That was then.

“Do you know him well?”

The strong body odor along with the unfamiliar voice stimulated Pyo-wol’s senses. Pyo-wol turned around and saw a woman with a slender body and a sensual appearance who was looking and smiling at him.

It was Yo Sulyeong, a member of the Seven Stars. With the Iron Dwarf right beside her.

The Iron Dwarf was glaring at Pyo-wol with fierce eyes. However, perhaps because of the previous day’s humiliation, he could not easily provoke Pyo-wol and he had to forcibly suppress his anger.

Yo Sulyeong left behind the Iron Dwarf and sat across from Pyo-wol. Then, she placed her chin on her palm and looked at Pyo-wol with a deep expression.

The moment she expressed her interest in Pyo-wol, the Iron Dwarf became furious.

“Sister! Why are you talking to someone like him?!”

“Shut up, dwarf! Why does it matter who I talk to?”

“Ha, but–”

“It’s okay, so be quiet.”

“Alright.”

The Iron Dwarf could only reply helplessly to Yo Sulyeong Yo’s harsh words.

To some extent, the appearance of the Iron Dwarf looked pitiful. Anyone could see that he had a crush on Yo Sulyeong. On the other hand, Yo Sulyeong was completely set in ignoring him, saying that she had no interest in the Iron Dwarf.

As the Iron Dwarf was quiet, Yo Sulyeong gave Pyo-wol a gentle gaze again.

“I’m sorry for making so much noise–”

“What is it?”

“Oh! You have a quick temper. Are you going to be so blunt even if a beautiful woman like me is talking to you?”

“If you’re going to keep saying such useless things, go away.”

“You have a very rough personality. I’ll forgive you because you’re handsome though.”

“………..”

“We recently found out that you’re an amazing person. I apologize on behalf of this dwarf who did not recognize such a great master.”

Yo Sulyeong revealed her white teeth and smiled lightly.

It has already been several days since the Seven Stars entered the city. That was enough time for them to know about the identity of Pyo-wol.

Outside of Sichuan, Pyo-wol was close to unknown, but within the city, he was a celebrity. It’s just that the warriors are reluctant to mention his name because of their fear.

However, the pointed awl would always come out of the pocket, and with a little care, it was not difficult to hear rumors about Pyo-wol.

“You really don’t believe in such false rumors, do you?”

Although the Iron Dwarf considered the rumors to be false, Sa Hyo-kyung, the leader of the Seven Stars, thought that the rumors were true to some extent.

It was because he could see the visible fear on the faces of the warriors he was talking to.

Sa Hyo-kyung urged his sister and brothers to be extra careful when dealing with Pyo-wol.

The reason why the Seven Stars secretly entered Chengdu was to fulfill someone’s request, not to cause a conflict.

It was unexpected for the Emei sect and Qingcheng sect to lock their doors and stop their external activities, but on the other hand, it was also an opportunity for them.

Because if those two great sects were active, it would have been impossible for them to act so freely within Chengdu.

Yo Sulyeong looked at Pyo-wol with curious eyes.

She wasn’t still fully convinced by the rumors, but even if she only half-believed it, it was clear that Pyo-wol was a great warrior.

The Iron Dwarf who was standing right next to her might have a hunchback figure, but he was still a great warrior. And for Pyo-wol to easily subdue such a warrior proves that the rumors about him were true to some extent.

Yo Sulyeong leaned closer to Pyo-wol.

“Don’t worry about that dwarf. He’s no good at all.”

“Is he different from you?”

“Ho-ho! Are you kidding me? I would be sad if you treated me the same as that dwarf.”

Yo Sulyeong broke into laughter.

With every move she makes, her big breasts would sway greatly, making the Iron Dwarf beside her look at her with ecstasy. Just by looking at the Iron Dwarf, a person could tell how much he longed for Yo Sulyeong.

But Yo Sulyeong didn’t think and care about him as much as he did.

“If you want, I’ll let you experience how helpful I can be. How about it?”‘

“That’s interesting.”

“Ho-ho! You have an eye for people, too.”

Yo Sulyeong’s smile deepened, while the Iron Dwarf had a miserable expression.

‘That bastard dares to—’

The Iron Dwarf’s eyes were full of anger as he stared at Pyo-wol.

If he could kill a person with just his eyes, he would have already killed Pyo-wol dozens of times. However, Pyo-wol did not care about his gaze and asked Yo Sulyeong.

“Why did you come to Chengdu?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Who?”

“Ho-ho! Do you want to hear the secret of our group? I’ll tell you when you join the Seven Stars.”

“No thanks.”

“Why? Don’t you like me?”

“I like you, but I think I’ll be beaten to death by the Iron Dwarf if I get close to you.”

Pyo-wol pointed the tip of his chin at the Iron Dwarf Then Yo Sulyeong burst into laughter.

“Ho-ho! Are you afraid of that dwarf? You’re good at making funny jokes.”

“You can think of it as a joke, but don’t bother me anymore.”

“Why? Am I annoying?”

“Yes.”

Yo Sulyeong froze as she didn’t expect Pyo-wol’s words.

It was the first time she had been treated like this. All the men tried to look good to her in some way, but there was not a single one who ignored her like this.

Pyo-wol got up from his seat and said,

“I don’t know why you came to Chengdu, but stay quiet. Don’t let me get involved in troublesome things for nothing.”

“What if I don’t like it?”

“You’ll find out then. How the Qingcheng and Emei sect ended in that state.”

At Pyo-wol’s words, Yo Sulyeong closed her lips firmly.

Her face was full of humiliation.

“How dare you talk like that to Yo Sulyeong!”

The Iron Dwarf was furious and tried to attack Pyo-wol. But Yo Sulyeong raised her hand and stopped him.

“Don’t get too excited, you idiot!”

“Sister!”

“If you keep getting involved in my business like this, I won’t go with you.”

“I…O, Okay.”

The Iron Dwarf answered weakly.

Yo Sulyeong looked at Pyo-wol while smiling as if she didn’t feel humiliated.

“Okay. I’ll keep your words in mind. But just know this one thing. This little guy is by no means easy-going. The day will surely come when you will kneel at my feet and crave for my affection.”

“When you’re done talking, go ahead. I want some quiet.”

“See you next time.”

Yo Sulyeong got up from her seat with a bewitching smile.

When she left, the hall became quiet.

Pyo-wol, who was left alone, murmured.

“Did she come here to test me?”

Yo Sulyeong acted as if she had been hurt by Pyo-wol, but Pyo-wol managed to see through her facade. Yo Sulyeong was blocking Pyo-wol’s intervention by showing that she had a crush on Pyo-wol.

Because no man will interfere with the work of a woman who has a crush on him. Moreover, it goes without saying if the woman was as beautiful as Yo Sulyeong.

In short, it means that everything Yo Sulyeong showed was thoroughly calculated.

“She’s planning something.”

There was a slight crease in the middle of Pyo-wol’s forehead.

He wanted to avoid getting involved in useless things as much as possible. So, in matters not related to him, he took the attitude of a bystander thoroughly. But this time, he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen.

Pyo-wol knew that his intuition was very good.

In particular, the more it was related to him, the more his premonition was right. Pyo-wol thought that he should find out more about the Seven Stars.

Although he knew well about the warriors of Sichuan through the Chengdu’s Directory of Martial Artist, he knew nothing about the warriors from the outside.

Pyo-wol got up from his seat.

He came out of the guest house and walked towards the street where the lanterns were dyed red.

“Ho-ho! Come here, three of you. I’ll take good care of you.”

“Come this way. I’ll send you to paradise.”

It was the red light district where the laughter of prostitutes did not stop.

The red light district was full of men.

Still, those who had better pockets went into the brothel exhilaratingly, while those who were timid had to bargain with the receptionist in front of the brothel.

The red light district heated up the desires of men and the seduction of prostitutes. However, as soon as Pyo-wol appeared on the street, the heated air quickly cooled.

“What? That guy…”

“Ah! Oh my…”

The prostitutes who propped their upper body out of the window, looked at Pyo-wol’s inhuman appearance, deeply mesmerized.

“What? Where are you looking? These bitches…”

“Fuck! That’s dirty—”

The men who suddenly lost the attention of the prostitutes to Pyo-wol burst out in anger. However, they could not do anything against Pyo-wol.

They knew it too.

How deadly that beautiful man was.

In Chengdu, the existence of Pyo-wol was associated with fear itself.

Pyo-wol entered Water Lily Pavilion¹, the largest brothel in the red light district.

When Pyo-wol came in, the entire Water Lily Pavilion was in an uproar.

Most of the courtesans were fighting to enter Pyo-wol’s room, while the general secretary was sweating profusely.

Others were sweating in a different way.

It was the Water Lily Pavilion’s Luju.

‘Why did he come here? He probably didn’t come here knowing that this is the Hao clan’s base, right?’

There were only a few who knew that the Water Lily Pavilion was one of the Hao-clan’s bases.

In particular, only a few people in Chengdu knew about it. For the safety of prostitutes, the only one who knew the truth about base made sure to keep quiet about it.

Luju thought Pyo-wol’s appearance was just a coincidence and called a courtesan named Cho Hyang.

Cho Hyang was the most popular prostitute in the Water Lily Pavilion these days. Not only is she beautiful in appearance, she is also full of aegyo, and if she had a drink at least once, hundreds of men would fall for her.

She was also proficient in the Four Arts² and was worthy of being called the best courtesan in the Water Lily Pavilion.

Cho Hyang bowed her head towards Luju.

“You called for me, Luju?”

“Did you hear that a man named Pyo-wol has arrived?”

“Because of him, the whole Water Lily Pavilion was buzzing. Everyone is busy talking about him.”

“You should take care of the man.”

“Me? But I have a reservation for another guest tonight.”

“Hand over that reservation to another child. You should focus on Pyo-wol. Find out at least one more thing about him, anything about his purpose, future course of action, inner intentions or others. That’s what you have to do today.”

“Alright.”

It was then that Cho Hyang realized the seriousness of the situation and nodded.

“I believe in you, Cho Hyang!”

“Just leave it to me. I’ll bring out all his secrets hidden with my underwear.”

“Yes. I only trust you.”

“Do not worry.”

Cho Hyang made a confident expression.

No one has ever stayed in the right with her.

Everyone struggled to get into her skirt, and involuntarily revealed all their secrets.

“That man is mine now.”

SoundlessWind21’s Notes

Hope you enjoy the chapter~

1. Water Lily Pavilion. Raws: 수연루(水蓮楼)
   • 水 water, liquid
   • 蓮 lotus, water lily
   • 楼 building of two or more stories
2. Four Arts. Raws: 금기서화(琴棋書畫). This refers to the four arts of the Chinese scholar: chinese lute, chess, calligraphy and painting.
   • 琴 chinese lute, guitar
   • 棋 chess, any game
   • 書 book, letter
   • 毒 painting, picture