The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 31: That Was Pretty Shameless Just Now

Following Tang Soso’s furious outcry, the Baekha Escort Agency finally regained peace.

Apart from a few injured individuals, there were no fatalities. Even the two men who had tried to take Baek Ju-a hostage had long since surrendered.

Gongye, who had been awkwardly lingering after asking for alcohol, managed to obtain the antidote for the airborne poison from them. Then, he personally began sealing the pressure points of the unorthodox martial artists, carefully channeling his deep and refined inner energy into the task.

Once he was done, he turned toward Tang Soso, who was tending to the wounded.

“Ahem. Benefactor Tang, I have finished.”

“O-oh, I see?”

“Yes, they won’t be able to move for a while. In the meantime, someone should come to take care of them. Benefactor Baek said she already contacted the authorities.”

Even if the authorities were usually slow to act, this time would be different. They had already intervened once, and this incident involved clear-cut cases of murder and attempted kidnapping against civilians. Furthermore, the deceased Escort Chief was not an unknown figure to them.

“That’s... a relief.”

Tang Soso looked a little awkward, probably because she had shouted earlier. A brief silence settled between them until Baek Ju-a approached. Tang Soso quickly turned [N O V E L I G H T] to greet her.

“Miss Baek, are you all right? Your arm still hasn’t fully healed.”

Baek Ju-a shook her head as if it was nothing.

“How could a wound like this possibly hurt me? Especially when we had people who risked their lives to save us.”

Her warm gaze made Tang Soso blush. Even Gongye, for some reason, pretended to look elsewhere. But Baek Ju-a continued.

“I feel bad bringing this up, but I’m worried about Lady Hwang Bo. Given that they attacked the agency today, there must be something going on.”

“Ah! Y-you’re right! My sister...!”

Tang Soso and Baek Ju-a exchanged worried glances in midair before turning their eyes toward Gongye. He had been staring off into space but now blinked and tilted his head.

“Hm? What is it?”

He blinked a few more times before speaking.

“Eh, what could possibly happen? Lady Hwang Bo is far stronger than I am. And that other benefactor with her seems strong as well.”

“......”

“They’re probably on their way back as we speak. You two just don’t know—there’s hardly anyone who can stop that benefactor. Trust me. Haha!”

“......”

“Hahaha!”

He forced out a laugh, but the two women’s gazes remained fixed on him. Gongye finally let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well... what exactly are you suggesting?”

“We have to go rescue my sister.”

“Rescue her?”

Tang Soso’s eyes lit up at Gongye’s doubtful response. She looked even more determined than when they had been fighting earlier.

“Don’t worry, monk. I’m coming with you.”

“How is it?”

At Yeon’s question, Cheon Gang, who had been peeking out through the door crack, nodded.

“There’s no one outside. Let’s go.”

“Mmmph! Mmmmmmph!”

“Hrrrm! Hrrrng!”

Song Seonwoo and Hong let out garbled noises as if responding. What they were trying to do despite being paralyzed, Yeon had no idea.

She didn’t even dare to look back at them. Instead, she picked up her pace.

Thud.

The moment she stepped outside and shut the door, she felt like she could finally breathe again. It seemed the room was well soundproofed.

Yeon ignored the faint muffled noises behind her and scanned the surroundings. Strangely, there wasn’t a single person in sight. When she had followed Song Seonwoo in, it hadn’t been this deserted.

“Cheon Gang, what do you think happened?”

“Something’s definitely going on.”

As the two whispered, a man suddenly emerged from around the corner.

He had a blank expression, but upon spotting Yeon and Cheon Gang, his eyes widened in shock.

“You—you two...!”

Before Cheon Gang could react, Yeon moved like a flash of lightning. Her fist swung forward and slammed into the man’s stomach.

Thud!

“Gaaahk! Hkkk...!”

His eyes rolled back, foam forming at the corners of his mouth before he collapsed.

It was an extreme reaction for just getting punched. But that was because Yeon’s fist had been crackling with blue electricity.

‘In my rush, I instinctively used my lightning energy.’

This was the first time she had actually used it in a real fight. She had tested it during her sparring sessions with Cheon Gang, but he had ways to block or counteract it. He had never reacted like this after taking a hit.

“This is why lightning energy is dangerous,” Cheon Gang commented as he approached.

“But you didn’t react like this.”

“I had my internal energy to resist it. But even then, it was tricky to deal with, especially in prolonged fights.”

Yeon nodded in agreement.

“We should take a look around.”

“Yes.”

Keeping their presence hidden, the two made their way through the hallway. They checked several rooms, but all of them were empty.

“The banquet shouldn’t have ended so soon...”

After clearing the entire second floor, they moved downstairs. The once-crowded banquet hall was eerily empty. Only the cold, abandoned plates of food greeted them.

“It feels like everyone vanished mid-banquet. But... huh?”

Yeon suddenly stopped talking, sensing something.

Cheon Gang must have noticed too because his gaze shifted toward the same direction—toward the staircase leading down.

Exchanging a glance, they carefully crept forward. Lowering their bodies, they peeked down the stairs.

At the bottom, a figure was just barely visible.

A long sword hung at his waist. Yeon immediately recognized him.

‘That’s Jogan, the Red Flower Sword Captain.’

In the dim underground corridor, he stood in front of a large iron door. His right elbow was subtly moving—he seemed to be locking it.

After ensuring it was secure, he muttered to himself.

“They’re going to party all night again. Damn foolish merchants.”

Just as Yeon was about to move, Cheon Gang placed a hand on her shoulder.

This time, he was taking the lead.

With a single bound, he silently landed at the bottom of the stairs.

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Jogan turned around.

Their eyes met.

Thinking quickly, Cheon Gang spoke first.

“Good evening.”

“What the—?!”

Startled, Jogan instinctively reached for his sword. But then he hesitated.

Cheon Gang’s hands were relaxed at his sides, making no aggressive movements.

Frowning, Jogan studied his face. Without his mask, Cheon Gang’s real features were visible.

“...Who the hell are you? Some new young master from the Flowing Flowers Pavilion? Why are you still out here?”

Sounding annoyed, he pulled out a key.

Cheon Gang wordlessly extended something toward him.

It was his own sword.

Jogan’s mouth fell open in recognition of Cheon Gang’s sword—right before Cheon Gang abruptly thrust it forward.

“Guhk!”

The sword’s hilt smacked Jogan’s nose, sending his head jerking back. Seizing the moment, Cheon Gang drove his fist into the man’s solar plexus, forcing his body to double over. The perfect opening.

His palm came down in a sharp strike.

Thud!

The fight ended in an instant. As Yeon descended to the lower level, Cheon Gang was already dragging the unconscious Jogan into a dark corner.

“I was hoping to do this quietly. Almost didn’t manage it.”

“That was flawless.”

Yeon wasn’t just saying that to be polite—she was genuinely impressed by his quick thinking.

She had assumed he preferred straightforward, head-on fights, but this was a new side to him. When the situation called for it, he could be quite... shameless. Or maybe it was just the lingering effects of alcohol.

“So you had this side to you, huh?”

“...Pardon?”

“You were pretty shameless just now.”

“...Did it bother you?”

“No, not at all.”

“Then?”

“I actually liked it.”

“...What?”

Before he could question her further, Yeon snatched the key from his hand and jammed it into the lock. She turned it clockwise, and with a loud click, the iron door creaked open.

She stepped inside, her voice drifting over her shoulder.

“I said, it looked good on you.”

As soon as they entered, a wave of heat washed over them, accompanied by the faint strains of music. The unfamiliar blend of instruments—pipes, lutes, zithers—created a melody that was strangely unsettling.

A grand curtain blocked their view of the interior, its thick red fabric painted with an enormous flower.

Only one name came to mind.

“Red Flower...”

Behind her, Cheon Gang shut the door. The space enclosed once more, and a strange scent filled the air—a mix of dry herbs and something faintly sweet.

Yeon’s brows furrowed. For some reason, the aroma made her stomach churn.

Then, from beyond the curtain, the sound of men and women in the throes of passion echoed through the air—far more explicit than what she had overheard from Song Seonwoo and Hong earlier.

“...Cheon Gang, this is...”

Unlike before, the two of them exchanged serious looks. The atmosphere was undeniably ominous.

Yeon pressed her lips together and pulled the curtain aside.

The thick fabric felt unpleasant against her fingertips, as if it had absorbed the oppressive heat filling the room.

A decadent melody played.

A dim red glow illuminated a long hallway.

The doors lining both sides were all shut, but unlike before, these rooms were not empty. Signs of movement and muffled voices filtered through them.

In truth, "voices" was putting it lightly. From furious shouts to groaning, from high-pitched moans to the creaking of furniture—it was a cacophony of debauchery.

‘So that’s why the doors were locked.’

Yeon, now an intruder in this forbidden space, walked forward slowly. The occasional small windows in the walls allowed glimpses inside the rooms.

Then, as she accidentally caught sight of bare, entangled bodies through one of them, she instinctively turned her head away.

At that moment, a dark silhouette appeared at the end of the hall.

Yeon’s breath caught. Without thinking, she grabbed Cheon Gang’s wrist and pulled him into the narrow space between two doors.

For some reason, she felt afraid.

The space was barely wide enough for both of them. As they stood pressed close, Yeon lowered her head slightly, aware of just how near they were.

“...Lady Yeon.”

His deep voice resonated in her chest. Along with it came his scent—clean, but overwhelmingly close.

“There’s something mixed into the air. A foreign substance. Are you all right?”

A foreign substance? Was it similar to what Song Seonwoo had ingested earlier?

That would explain why her body suddenly felt unbearably warm. Her thoughts, too, kept drifting to strange places. The noises still echoing down the hallway, the vivid images burned into her mind—it all made it worse.

“I-I’m fine. What about you, Cheon Gang?”

Her gaze inadvertently landed on his lips.

The slight parting of his mouth as he spoke—the way they moved—was almost hypnotizing. So much so that her chest tightened painfully.

“I am fine. However...”

He shifted slightly, uncomfortable.

Their thighs brushed.

A jolt shot through Yeon’s body, making her gasp. She immediately straightened.

Noticing her reaction, Cheon Gang murmured,

“My apologies.”

“...There’s nothing to apologize for, Cheon Gang.”

Her voice came out quieter than she expected. Yet compared to it, the sound of her heartbeat was deafening. It pounded against her ribs, an embarrassing reminder of how flustered she was.

Unconsciously, she placed a hand over her chest, hoping to steady herself.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Then, she realized something was off.

The sound she heard...

It didn’t match her own heartbeat.

‘Wait. Then what—?’

She looked up.

Cheon Gang was watching her, his usually calm face betraying a storm of emotions.

‘No way... Is that his heartbeat?’

Just as the thought struck her, he spoke.

“Lady Yeon.”

His voice was rougher than usual, his normally clear eyes clouded. As if he were struggling to hold something back.

“You said... I was shameless earlier.”

“...Yes?”

“Then may I...”

His gaze lingered somewhere—right where her lips were slightly parted.

Yeon’s heart pounded. Hard enough that she could no longer tell whose heartbeat was whose.

In the confusion of mingled thoughts and emotions, Cheon Gang finally asked—

“May I be just a little more shameless?”