LD Vol.3 Chapter 16

Jang-hong clutched his head as if he knew something, seemingly suffering from a headache. A gigantic body that seemed difficult to even move, a chubby face that seemed to bury the eyes, nose, and mouth, a small and flat nose, a mouth that looked like it would drool at any moment, and a triple chin that looked hot just by looking at it. It was truly a face and body that tested the viewer’s stomach and patience. It seemed difficult for someone with a weak stomach to even look at him.

Fortunately, Bi Ryu-yeon had a very strong stomach and an extremely vigorous curiosity. The giant, whose flesh seemed to be devouring his body, was none other than Bi Yeon-tae, the leader of the Club for Loving Young Ladies. At first glance, his name could also be read as “pervert^[1].” This man was sitting gloomily in a corner of the building with an inscrutable face. His surroundings were gloomy and dismal, as if absorbing the sunlight encircling him. It was a mystery in itself how someone with such a gigantic body could dream of and practice the art of stealth. After a brief introduction through Im Seong-jin, Bi Ryu-yeon and his group sat down at Im Seong-jin’s invitation. The interior of the Club for Loving Young Ladies was plastered with hundreds of paintings of beautiful women, dazzling the eyes and hearts of the viewers.

“Are these paintings of celestial fairies?” Hyo-ryong asked, pointing to the hundreds of beauty portraits covering the walls and ceiling. Im Seong-jin shook his head.

“No, they’re not. We don’t deal with imaginary women, so all the paintings here are of real, existing women. With extremely rare exceptions, it’s customary to replace them with other paintings once they reach the age of 25.”

Indeed, upon examining the paintings, the age of the woman at the time of painting and the date of creation were written. They seemed to mercilessly remove and replace the paintings with new ones as soon as the subject turned 26.

“Is this celadon?” Bi Ryu-yeon asked, pointing to a round, blue-colored ceramic displayed on a shelf.

“No, that’s a chamber pot,” Im Seong-jin replied nonchalantly.

“What? Are you in the chamber pot business? Why are there so many chamber pots on display?”

“It’s a special chamber pot. It was used by a certain young lady. It was difficult to obtain.”

They even collected such things, truly absurd people.

‘Should I really admire them for sincerely collecting such things?’ Bi Ryu-yeon had to fall into serious contemplation for a moment.

“What’s this?” The contemplation was brief. Bi Ryu-yeon asked, pointing to a thoroughly sealed iron box placed separately on one side. He was curious about the contents that required such strict sealing.

“Don’t touch it.”

Until now, he had been sitting gloomily with his mouth shut, making one doubt if he was a living being, but seeing him speak, he seemed to be human after all.

“What is this?”

“It’s the crystallization of my blood and sweat, my treasure.”

Hearing that it was an object made from that giant’s blood and sweat, Hyo-ryong suddenly felt nauseous. ‘I will never open that,’ Hyo-ryong resolved.

“But I’m still curious.”

‘That bastard has a strong stomach too.’

Bi Ryu-yeon, who believed that locked boxes existed to be opened, couldn’t just overlook it. As Bi Ryu-yeon showed no sign of giving up, Im Seong-jin glanced at Bi Yeon-tae. It was a signal to show some generosity. After a moment of consideration, he seemed to have decided to be generous for once. Finally, the tightly sealed box creaked open.

“Wow, what is this?”

Bi Ryu-yeon pointed to the inside of the box with his index finger, his voice filled with disbelief. When Bi Yeon-tae, the leader of the Club for Loving Young Ladies, emphasized it so much and cherished it, Bi Ryu-yeon thought there would be something incredible inside, but as the box’s lid opened, he realized how absurd his guess had been.

Bi Yeon-tae acted as if it was nothing.

“How is it? Impressive, right? Besides this, we possess countless collectibles and information. These are objects imbued with the lingering fragrance and traces of women. Do you know how much sacrifice and effort it took to collect these?”

“I have no idea.”

Bi Ryu-yeon couldn’t understand what was so important about a few colorful silk cloths and bundles of documents. Seeing him holding a suspiciously thin silk rag with a string attached, constantly sniffing it while grinning ominously, gave him a creepy feeling. It was just curious how he could maintain that bizarre smile, holding a pretty but thin piece of silk with a string. But upon closer inspection, each silk cloth had a piece of paper attached to it. On the red silk cloth with a lotus pattern, the following was written:

Name: Jin Ga-hee of the Twin Swords Sect

Date of Acquisition: July 20, 99th year of the Martial Calendar

Location: Women’s Changing Room, 3rd Floor, Mu-yeong Pavilion

The Martial Calendar referred to the period after the establishment of the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy. In fact, Bi Ryu-yeon was unaware, but what Bi Yeon-tae was currently holding and looking pleased with was the undergarment of an unnamed woman. Moreover, it was an item used to cover something infinitely soft and elastic. Of course, the longer it went unwashed, the more valuable it became. The paper placed next to the silk cloth probably contained a detailed portrait and background of the owner.

‘Is that really a good thing? He’s not a dog, and there’s no need to find the owner by scent, so why does he keep sniffing like a dog?’

Personally, he wished he would refrain from doing so. Of course, it didn’t seem like such a request would be accepted.

“Our goal is to discover and nurture the number one beauty recognized by the entire martial arts world,” he said in a serious tone that didn’t match his actions, which were far from elegance and dignity.

“That’s impressive. Are you going to hold a beauty pageant?”

“That’s a great idea. I was thinking of holding a beauty pageant during this festival. It’s not an easy task,” Im Seong-jin said. He knew well that it was practically impossible in reality.

“We’ll gather all the beautiful women and ladies of the martial arts world and hold a contest. I’m not sure, but it would be a spectacular sight,” Bi Yeon-tae said, still not giving up. He had an unexpectedly persistent side.

“When you say all the beauties, does that include the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects?”

“Of course. Where is there a distinction between black and white for a beauty? Beauty is commonly beautiful regardless of the distinction between the righteous Orthodox Sect and the evil Unorthodox Sect.”

“I think that’s a dangerous idea,” Hyo-ryong interjected.

“As I’ve said many times, if you’re bound by the framework presented by society, you can’t accomplish anything. Originally, beauty is a universal value across the eight cardinal directions, no, the entire universe,” Im Seong-jin boasted as if it were something great. Trusting a man hugging undergarments like a treasure chest, in other words, a pervert, was absurd in the first place.

“No beauty can escape our eyes. We’ll chase them to the ends of the world until we know everything about them.”

“Isn’t that what they call a pervert?” Hyo-ryong whispered into Bi Ryu-yeon’s ear. Bi Ryu-yeon nodded in agreement.

“So this is a place filled with men’s twisted desires,” Bi Ryu-yeon said in a sharp critique. Hyo-ryong also nodded in agreement.

“Hey, hey, that seems like a harsh evaluation. All men are the same. Being captivated by women’s beauty is also a man’s duty,” Im Seong-jin refuted.

“If it’s to that extent, it becomes a disease,” Hyo-ryong retorted, not backing down.

“Hey, we’re here.”

Two men with childlike smiles entered the debate scene, where they had yet to narrow their differences and were still arguing.

1. His name literally sounds like a term for pervert.[↩]