Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 102

Author: Cireng

Chapter 102

That person truly looked like nothing other than a fairy descended from the heavens.

No, was this person even human?

From head to toe, he was completely white.

The clothes he wore underneath were white, as was the long robe draped over them. A pibak was hanging from his arms, and whenever the pibak fluttered and drifted through the air, the pure white mass dazzled my eyes.

The only thing that could be called black was his long hair, which gleamed smoothly and traced soft, flowing arcs. Beneath it was…

‘A blindfold?’

The person was wearing a blindfold. Despite already having a pale face, his eyes were wrapped in cloth that was even whiter than his skin.

Although his eyes were hidden, there was no concealing the fact that he was beautiful. His high, sharp nose, slightly pink lips, sculpted chin, and overall slender face made it immediately obvious that he was an unparalleled beauty.

He would probably look even more fantastical if he removed the cloth covering his eyes.

I unconsciously examined him as if mesmerized, then… I soon let out a sigh.

‘…He’s a man.’

That fairy… He was unmistakably a man.

There was no room for doubt.

At first glance, I had mistaken him for a woman, but when I saw his body as he climbed through the window, I realized he was larger than I had expected.

I wasn’t short myself, but he was a tall man, at least a head taller than me, and his broad shoulders made him look even more imposing. Yet his overall build was slender, and his frame was lean, so he wasn’t particularly overwhelming.

Rather, the phrase jade bones and an immortal’s bearing suited him perfectly.

I stared blankly at the beauty before belatedly coming to my senses.

‘Oops! I’m in the middle of a battle right now.’

Worried that I might be ambushed while distracted, I turned to the side. But then I spotted Bang Chang-seung standing there with his mouth hanging open just like mine, and all the tension drained out of me.

‘As expected, the most dangerous thing in the world really is a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.’

Right. What did an immovable mind or a heart as calm as water matter?

The moment a peerless beauty appeared, all of it flew right out the window!

Just then, the beauty opened his mouth.

“Are you the chieftain of Yongcheok Stronghold?”

Perhaps only then did Bang Chang-seung come to his senses. He stammered,

“I-I am… But who are you?”

“…”

However, the beauty did not answer.

There was no need for him to answer, anyway.

Someone soon came up from below.

“Captain! If you go ahead first… Young Master Paeng, Young Master Zhuge!”

A Taoist appeared.

He was a Taoist wearing a cap and robes, and as he climbed the stairs, he spotted Paeng Ga and Zhuge Ye slammed against the wall.

Startled, he immediately ran toward them.

Only then did I think I understood who they were. Pengga and Zhuge Ye were members of the Inspection Unit, so these people who seemed to know them well must also be…

‘The Inspection Unit.’

Then did that mean this beauty was the leader of the Inspection Unit?

I looked at the beauty in surprise.

Judging by his appearance, he looked like the type who would elegantly pluck a geum, yet it seemed he was quite a formidable martial artist.

Sure enough, the beauty began interrogating Bang Chang-seung.

“Bang Chang-seung, chieftain of Yongcheok Stronghold. What connection do you have with the Demonic Cult?”

“The Demonic Cult?”

Bang Chang-seung’s eyes widened.

“We received a report that you traded goods with an agent of the Demonic Cult. I heard you purchased a large quantity of gunpowder along with all sorts of illegal drugs. What were you planning to do with that gunpowder?”

“Gunpowder? What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever buy gunpowder…!”

“Look.”

The beauty suddenly took something out from inside his robes. It was a long bamboo tube. When he opened the lid and tilted it, black gunpowder residue really did spill out from inside.

Bang Chang-seung’s mouth fell open. The beauty spoke coldly.

“It was found among the goods you purchased. Are you still going to deny it?”

“When, when did something like that…? It’s unjust! I never bought gunpowder. I didn’t even know that the person I traded with was an agent of the Demonic Cult!”

“Does claiming ignorance make everything forgivable? Why did you purchase those drugs in the first place? They were all substances used to brainwash someone, too.”

“…”

At those words, Bang Chang-seung could say nothing.

I secretly snorted as I looked at him.

‘Obviously he bought them to use on women.’

In the end, rather than telling the truth, Bang Chang-seung chose to raise his weapon. He pointed the chained iron mace at the beauty and threatened him in a low voice.

“In any case, I have absolutely nothing to do with the Demonic Cult! No matter how much you interrogate me, you won’t find anything, so stop wasting your strength and get the hell out!”

“And if I refuse to leave?”

“Then…”

Bang Chang-seung grinned.

“I’ll have no choice but to make that pretty face look like mine.”

“…”

“Captain, I’ll join you…”

“No.”

The beauty smiled coldly.

“There’s no need for two people to deal with a small fry.”

Those arrogant words ended up hitting Bang Chang-seung’s pride. His face turned bright red, and he finally charged forward with a roar.

“I’ll make you regret that!”

Whoosh!

The beauty easily dodged the iron mace Bang Chang-seung swung at him. The hem of his clothes fluttered, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

I had already moved into a corner and was watching the two of them with great interest.

How would the beauty respond?

Judging from the sword at his waist, it seemed like he would use swordsmanship. But my guess was wrong.

The beauty didn’t draw his sword. Nor did he take out any other weapon.

What the beauty actually grabbed was…

‘The pibak?’

The pibak hanging from his arms. The very pibak that looked like it had been worn purely for decoration. But that pibak was somehow different from an ordinary pibak. Not only was its material thinner and more delicate than a normal pibak, but there was also a bell attached to each end. Strangely enough, however, the bells made no sound.

Just as I began to wonder about it, the beauty started swinging the pibak. Seeing this, Bang Chang-seung laughed as if he found it ridiculous.

“You intend to fight me with that scrap of cloth? You’re not some woman sitting in her boudoir doing embroidery. What a ridiculous sight!”

‘It suits him even better than a woman in a boudoir.’

Truly, the beauty looked incredibly beautiful.

His appearance already perfectly embodied the image of jade bones and an immortal’s bearing, and seeing him flutter his pure-white robes while wielding the pibak, I almost felt as though an immortal had descended from the celestial realm.

Still, I couldn’t afford to underestimate him.

The moment Bang Chang-seung let his guard down, the bell attached to the pibak shot out like lightning. The pibak moved as though it possessed a will of its own.

At times, it merely fluttered lightly like silk, but whenever the beauty flicked his hand, it whipped around like a flexible whip and attacked vital points.

Judging by its speed and the force of the wind it generated, it didn’t seem to be carrying ordinary internal energy, either.

Bang Chang-seung noticed it as well and became serious.

Whoosh!

Bang Chang-seung immediately swung his iron mace, intending to sever the pibak.

But wasn’t it said that softness overcomes hardness, and flexibility overcomes rigidity?

Even when the pibak collided with the iron mace, it didn’t tear. Instead, it wrapped around it softly, rendering it immobile.

Meanwhile, the other pibak shot toward the vital point at Bang Chang-seung’s waist. Bang Chang-seung hurriedly pulled back his iron mace and dodged. At the same time, a sound began to ring out.

Jingle.

It was the sound of a bell.

Jingle, jingle.

The bells that had clearly made no sound at first had, at some point, begun to ring. The sound was like the tinkling of bells, yet it could also have been the sound of a musical instrument.

As the pibak’s movements grew more intense, the bells began keeping rhythm, and soon they created a delicate melody. It was as though the beauty were playing a geum with the pibak.

I unconsciously focused on the sound of the bells, then soon realized.

‘This is a type of sonic technique!’

A technique that deliberately controlled the sound of the bells to disrupt the opponent’s mind.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one entranced by the sound of the bells, because Bang Chang-seung’s movements became disordered.

To avoid the bells, he needed to perform his footwork properly, but he had become caught up in the rhythm of the bells, causing his feet to tangle.

And just as Bang Chang-seung finally swung his iron mace toward empty air instead of at the beauty…

Jingle!

“Ugh…!”

The bell struck the Taeyeon acupoint on the inside of Bang Chang-seung’s wrist. Bang Chang-seung’s hand trembled with a tingling sensation, and in the end, he dropped the chained iron mace.

At the same time, the other pibak shot forward and struck the Wichung acupoint behind Bang Chang-seung’s knee. The strength drained from Bang Chang-seung’s leg, and he finally fell to his knees.

Thud.

The beauty lightly descended in front of Bang Chang-seung.

Then he spoke in a cold tone.

“Do you feel like admitting defeat now?”

“…”

“Bang Chang-seung, you said you had no connection with the Demonic Cult, but now that the circumstances have come to light, you must go to the main headquarters of the Murim Alliance for an investigation. If, after the investigation, it turns out you truly committed no wrongdoing, we will release you and apologize for this discourtesy.”

“…I…”

“Coming along quietly would be… what?”

“I refuse to admit defeat!”

At some point, there was a sword in Bang Chang-seung’s hand. It seemed he had hidden it inside his clothes just in case.

Bang Chang-seung raised the sword and brought it down. The beauty’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist.

My eyes widened.

Without thinking, I reached out my hand. And just as the sword was partially drawn from the beauty’s scabbard…

Slash!

A single streak of light flashed past.

Before I knew it, the beauty was standing behind Bang Chang-seung.

Bang Chang-seung froze in the exact position he had been in while bringing his sword down. Then he slowly began to collapse.

His chest was stained red with blood.