HDCLSSRS Ch 87

Chapter 87 Do You Like Me? (1)

“It’s puzzling how the elders keep giving the same punishments when we never learn from them in the first place.”

He sauntered over with a cocky swagger. He looked healthy, as if the aftereffects of his qi deviation¹ had completely worn off.

Even though he’d been utterly crushed in an official sparring match and clearly wasn’t in his best condition, he never passed up a chance to pick a fight with Baek Ryeoil. That level of persistence was almost admirable.

Regardless, for the first time ever, Baek Ryeoil actually found this annoying junior brother somewhat welcome. Smiling brightly, he gestured to him.

“Jang Sajil! Just the person I wanted to see! Come here for a second!”

Jang Hansu instinctively took a few steps back. That dazzling smile of his sent inexplicable chills up his spine. But he quickly shook it off and composed himself.

Being afraid of Baek Ryeoil would’ve been a huge hit to his pride, so he deliberately walked up slowly and confidently.

The one who felt his heart drop seeing that pairing was Wang Hojun, who was secretly watching them from his hiding place.

Why is Senior Jang provoking him again for no reason?

A lover of peace and someone who hated conflict, Wang Hojun shut his eyes tightly.

It looked like another disaster was about to erupt.

Since joining Mount Hua, he’d spent over a decade suffering collateral damage every time those two butted heads. How many tears of sorrow had he shed because of it? He still deeply regretted choosing the wrong sect.

Jang Hansu kicked at some fallen leaves with his foot.

“Are you even sweeping properly? You missed a spot here.”

Despite the obvious mockery, Baek Ryeoil didn’t bat an eye.

“Sure, sure. Just come a bit closer, will you?”

“What for? You gonna beat me up again?”

“What a hurtful thing to say. Why would I hit my fellow disciple? I just have something to say. Closer. A little closer.”

Jang Hansu stepped up boldly, as if daring him to try something, and Baek Ryeoil grabbed him by the collar.

Ah, no…

It was a tense moment, so nerve-wracking that Wang Hojun had started chewing on his nails.

Baek Ryeoil’s gaze suddenly shot to the side.

At the end of that glance stood Seong Muyeon, who he’d been so desperate to see. He was awkwardly frozen in place, like someone caught in the act. But he didn’t look sick at all. On the contrary, he seemed like he’d been trying to sneak away and got caught red-handed.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A breeze swept silently between the three of them.

“Pulling another scam, huh?! Hey! Seong Muyeon! Get over here right now!”

“W-Why, why, why?! Don’t come any closer!”

Baek Ryeoil threw down his broom, and Seong Muyeon shrieked and bolted.

“Stop right there!”

“Oh come on, why are you flipping out again?! I didn’t even do anything!”

…

And just like that, the two vanished from sight.

Jang Hansu, left behind, looked confused and dazed, as if he couldn’t process what had just happened.

Wang Hojun was equally stunned.

What the hell is this?

The Baek Ryeoil he knew never let go once he fixated on something. Jang Hansu knew this too, which is why he would often deliberately provoke Baek to get punished himself.

And now he’s just letting it go?

Jang Hansu stood in a daze for a while, kicked the broom a couple more times, then finally walked off. Wang Hojun crawled out of the bushes.

I should go report this to Elder Ma…

After all, it was undeniable that Baek Ryeoil had left in the middle of his punishment.

“Arghhh!”

As expected, it didn’t take long for Baek Ryeoil to catch Seong Muyeon. He slammed him up against the wall and blocked off his escape by placing a hand beside his head.

“What kind of trouble did you get into this time? Start talking, now!”

“Me? I didn’t do anything!”

“Then why were you running?”

To Baek Ryeoil, Seong Muyeon was guilty until proven innocent. If he hadn’t done anything, why would he be sweating bullets and looking for a way out like a cornered animal?

“Because you were chasing after me like a madman!”

“You were the one sneaking around all suspicious like someone hiding a crime! What was it this time? Lying about being sick, too?!”

Seong Muyeon let out a deep sigh.

“I was definitely avoiding someone, but it wasn’t you. Actually…”

He went on to explain what had happened with Seomun Yuha. Baek Ryeoil practically exploded.

“What?! That punk pulled that again?! I’m going to go wring his neck—”

“Whoa, whoa! Take it easy. He’s just a kid. You’re older and wiser. Let it go. What’s the point in fighting a child?”

“Point? The point is it’d be satisfying as hell! A child, my ass. He’s tall as a tree. Did you catch something from his mom too?!”

“N-No, it’s not like that.”

Even without the bewitching nature of his lineage, Seomun Yuha had this way of stirring people’s protective instincts. So even when he did something infuriating, it was easy to forgive him with a “He’s just young and doesn’t know better.”

Seong Muyeon shook his head tiredly.

“Anyway, that’s why I’ve been avoiding him the past few days.”

“So the ‘I’m sick’ excuse was a lie?”

“Yes… I figured if I faked it, he’d give up quickly. But he was so damn persistent.”

So it was an act.

A quiet wave of warmth and relief washed over Baek Ryeoil. Without even realizing it, he’d been worried about Seong Muyeon.

But Seong Muyeon had other thoughts on his mind.

I probably shouldn’t mention that part.

The proposal Seomun Yuha had made that night…

〈I can heal you! I mean, I’m from Hwajeong Valley, remember?〉

〈…Come again?〉

Seong Muyeon stared at Seomun Yuha, thinking he must’ve misheard something absurd. Yuha clutched his chest dramatically.

〈You do know how popular Hwajeong Valley was with people in the Central Plains, right? People used to say that just eating our flesh could bring someone back from the dead! Still don’t get it?〉

He said that horrifying fact like it was a brag.

〈So what, you gonna chop off a finger for me or something?〉

〈No, no! Of course not! Don’t tell me… are you interested in this perfect body of mine? I didn’t take you for that type!〉

Then, like a drama queen, he stepped back while covering his chest before breaking into laughter. He looked absolutely unhinged.

〈Haha, I’m joking. Joking. Of course I know you’re not that kind of guy. I’m proposing something else entirely.〉

〈Something… else?〉

Seomun Yuha’s gaze turned sultry. He leaned in and whispered like he was sharing a secret.

〈If we practice bedroom arts² together, your blocked meridians will be nothing. I’ll fix you up in no time.〉

Not this again…

In the original story, there were plenty of people who craved the flesh of the Hwajeonggui,³ which meant he was constantly under threat of assassination. That’s how he developed insomnia and became an even more sensitive lunatic.

From that perspective, yes, someone from Hwajeong Valley would help. But Seong Muyeon flatly turned away.

〈No, thank you.〉

〈Why not? Aren’t you dying? You’re not actually hoping to die, are you?〉

〈Of course not. I don’t want to die either.〉

〈Then what’s the problem? Is it because of some future wife you plan to stay chaste for? How old-fashioned.〉

〈That’s not it either.〉

He had already lost his chastity. Nothing to protect anymore… and to someone absolutely brutal, at that. A tear welled up in Seong Muyeon’s eye.

〈Then… it must be that you hate me. You’d rather die than sleep with me. That’s it, isn’t it?〉

Seomun Yuha’s eyes welled up, a single tear trailing down his cheek. He looked so pitiful that Seong Muyeon’s pity instantly turned to cold disgust.

〈Drop the act. It’s pissing me off.〉

〈Got it.〉

Yuha instantly returned to his normal smug self. Who knows how many people he’d duped with that fake sob story? Just thinking about it made Seong Muyeon’s blood boil.

〈Anyway, I’m not in immediate danger, so I don’t feel the need to do something like that. That answer should be enough, right?〉

Having had his chastity stolen against his will once was already more than enough.

He turned away, but Yuha followed closely, still chatting away.

〈It wouldn’t be so bad. I’m actually really good at it. You wouldn’t even know what happened — it’d be over in a flash. I’ll make you feel amazing.〉

The way he whispered made Seong Muyeon’s insides churn. There truly wasn’t a single sane person in the martial world.

Only Paeng Wongeum, warm and reasonable, was the lone ray of hope in this den of lunatics.

That night, Seong Muyeon had slammed the door in Yuha’s face to show how fed up he was. But Yuha wasn’t the type to give up easily.

He started sneaking into Seong Muyeon’s quarters at random, forcing him to keep moving from place to place.

Just a short while ago, he saw Yuha entering through the back door, so he ran out the front — and that’s how he ran into Baek Ryeoil.

Back in the present, Seong Muyeon clutched his chest, boiling with frustration.

“Why is Lord Seomun doing this to me? What am I to him?! He keeps saying he owes me for saving him, but you were the one who actually saved him, Master Baek! Why’s he only bothering me?!”

“Well…”

Baek Ryeoil started to speak but suddenly shut his mouth like a clam.

Seong Muyeon tilted his head.

“…Why’d you go quiet all of a sudden? Do you know something?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“Suspicious…”

But once he shut up, he didn’t say another word.

Despite his calm face, Baek Ryeoil was sweating buckets behind his back.

…Seong Muyeon still doesn’t know we were there that day.

The day Seong Muyeon killed Wirim — both Baek Ryeoil and Seomun Yuha had been there, watching everything unfold. That’s how Yuha learned his secret and came to idolize him like a hero.

Footnotes:

1. Qi deviation (주화입마, juhwaipma): A condition in martial arts fiction where one’s internal energy becomes unstable, often causing madness or physical/mental collapse. It’s considered a severe consequence of improper training or mental disturbance. 
2. Bedroom arts (방중술, bangjung-sul): Traditional Taoist sexual practices believed to help with energy circulation or healing. Often used in martial arts or xianxia/wuxia fiction for “spiritual dual cultivation.” 
3. Hwajeonggui (화화귀, “fire flower ghost”): A bloodline known for their powerful or mystical attributes. In context, their bodies are treated like rare medicines.