CHAPTER~25
*
The moment Woo-hee returned to the inn, she devoured a dinner even more luxurious than the lunch before, then patted her full belly in satisfaction before heading to the bathhouse.
Freshly washed and feeling lighter than air, she climbed the stairs to her room, her steps practically bouncing.
Of course, that peace lasted only until she remembered who was waiting inside.
The instant she thought of Yeong-ho, her forehead twitched and her jaw clenched. That fleeting moment of happiness would vanish the second she opened the door.
After all, they had only booked one room.
Did he think she’d sneak off in the middle of the night to assassinate the leader of the Martial Alliance or something?
If she were going to kill him, she would’ve done it while she was out earlier, alone.
Woo-hee scowled as she pushed open the door and spotted Yeong-ho sitting by the window, staring out at the street.
What an eyesore.
Pretending she hadn’t seen him, she slipped out of her outer robes in one swift motion and dove straight into bed.
No greetings, no “I’m back,” nothing.
She’d told him she was going out earlier just so he wouldn’t follow her, but now that she was back, the less conversation, the better—for both their sakes.
At least, that’s what Woo-hee firmly believed.
“Ah, see? People really should live under a roof.”
Her voice melted into a lazy hum of contentment as she stretched across the bed, basking in the bliss of lying somewhere warm and soft.
It was paradise compared to sleeping like a beast in the wild.
And yet… strangely enough, despite lying on a real bed for the first time in nearly a week, her mind wouldn’t quiet down.
She tried closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, but instead of sleep, only her thoughts came rushing in.
“Oh, right.”
Still keeping her eyes closed, Woo-hee suddenly called out to Yeong-ho.
Since she wasn’t the least bit sleepy, her mouth decided to start flapping on its own.
“You know, I should ask Baek-ho exactly what kind of grudge he’s got against the Murong clan.”
She could tell from his faint presence that Yeong-ho was still sitting by the window, awake and listening.
“I need to find out if this whole chase thing is really that serious—or if he’s just imagining it. I don’t know much about the Central Plains, so I can’t tell how much trouble those bastards could actually cause.”
Of course, it wasn’t that she feared losing to them.
It was just… even a swarm of flies is annoying when there are thousands of them buzzing around. And if they got in the way of her main goal—eating, drinking, and having fun in the Central Plains—that would be unacceptable.
“But seriously, what’s the reason orthodox sects go all the way to wipe out a family line? From what I heard up north, it doesn’t match at all. Maybe we were just too isolated, but nothing adds up.”
Woo-hee muttered irritably, remembering the so-called righteous sects she’d encountered.
If their name carried the word righteous, shouldn’t they try a few words before acting like butchers?
It really didn’t make sense.
“You’d think even infamy should be built strategically. If you just act without thinking, you end up a pathetic villain—and then the Ice Palace gets slandered for nothing! That, I won’t tolerate!”
She had an impressive list of things she couldn’t tolerate.
Just as she was starting to get fired up again, Yeong-ho’s refined voice drifted across the room.
“Junior sister, forgive me for asking, but who exactly are you trying to impress with this pointless show of diligence?”
“…Show?”
“You used that excuse just to get out of the palace, didn’t you? Heaven knows, the earth knows, I know, the whole Ice Palace knows. You could laze around all you want and no one would scold you for it.”
“…”
Woo-hee twitched.
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Still—
“No! I was genuinely upset! I was furious at that ridiculous third-rate martial novel! We’ve never done the things it accused us of!”
“I did think that part was strange,” Yeong-ho replied calmly. “Not just me—everyone at the palace wondered the same.”
“What now?!”
“Why would someone from the demonic sect get angry about being treated like a villain?”
Woo-hee blinked, thrown off.
“Junior sister… surely you do know what ‘sa’ in ‘Sapa’ means, right?”
He gave her a look usually reserved for illiterates.
“Of course I know! It means dog, doesn’t it? Like the dog-bastard ‘sa’!”
…Not quite. It meant evil, but close enough in spirit.
“Amazing,” Yeong-ho said dryly. “So you knew, and you’re still angry people treat you like a villain? Remarkable.”
That was definitely not a compliment.
Woo-hee shot up in bed, wide awake now.
“No! They wrote about us doing things we didn’t even do! If they’re going to insult us, at least get the crimes right! There are plenty of real bad things to choose from—we’re the demonic sect! We’re supposed to be the top villains under heaven!”
Yeong-ho blinked, speechless, as if watching a child throw a tantrum.
He truly couldn’t comprehend the younger generation.
So she didn’t mind being called a villain—she just wanted credit for the right villainy?
What difference did that even make?
“I went out representing our sect’s honor,” Woo-hee went on, puffing her chest. “Sure, I wanted to see the world, I won’t deny that. But that’s just a lucky bonus. The real mission is to turn that fake reputation into a real one and make those Central Plains fools regret ever mocking us. You get it, right?”
Not at all.
Yeong-ho didn’t understand a single word.
It just sounded like she’d come up with a fancy excuse to go sightseeing.
“Well, fine. I’ll go along with that,” he said finally.
“Right! So while we’re at it, we’ll enjoy ourselves and raise our infamy at the same time! That’s the plan!”
“…Then, do you have a specific idea of where we’ll go first? You don’t know the Central Plains well, so I’ll need to check your route. I’ll be accompanying you, after all.”
He pulled a detailed map from his robes with alarming seriousness.
Was he really pulling out a map now?
Was this supposed to be a travel itinerary?
“…No, no, you misunderstood again. Having fun’s just the reward for being a diligent villain, got it?”
“Yes, yes. I understand. So—when that subordinate wakes up, what will you do for fun first?”
“….”
This bastard.
Woo-hee glared at him, honestly tempted to kill him on the spot.
But if she acted on that impulse every time she felt murderous, Yeong-ho would’ve died about six billion times already.
She took a deep breath, silently reciting the mantra of stillness used before drawing her sword.
“Phew… fine. I’ll be the bigger person here.”
“Ah, yes. If you kill every adult in the Central Plains, that statement will indeed be true someday…”
“Do you want to be the first adult I kill tonight?”
Yeong-ho just shrugged, as if to say, Go ahead, try me.
But Woo-hee held it in again, mentally carving the word patience three times over.
Three times, and you’re supposed to be free of murder, right?
…Wait. Why should she be free of murder again?
“Anyway,” she muttered, pushing aside the thought, “I’ll clear the Ice Palace’s name and build a proper reputation for us. Infamy has to be earned smartly—fast, big, and far-reaching. We’ve already been slandered once; this time, we’ll do it right.”
She recalled the way Central Plains novels painted the Ice Palace—an infamous name even street kids gossiped about.
“Petty, small-scale evil isn’t enough. We need something huge, something shocking—something they’ll never forget.”
Yeong-ho sighed. “And what exactly would that be?”
“Something so impressive it’ll stick in their memories forever.”
“You mean like one of your usual insane stunts?”
“Yeah, exactly th—wait, hey! What the hell did you just say?!”
