Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Attempted Rape
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After the martial tournament concluded, there was another place holding an afterparty.
That was none other than the inner sect disciples who had overseen the event.
Having successfully wrapped up the tournament under their watch, it was only natural for them to celebrate among themselves.
All the inner sect disciples who supervised the tournament, those who served as judges, and the other disciples who assisted them had gathered together.
They were all disciples of Iron Citadel Peak.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. Let's raise a glass in commemoration of successfully concluding Iron Citadel Peak's annual event."
Huang Bo-kyung, the named disciple of the Iron Citadel Peak Lord, lifted his cup and said.
If Yuk-gyeong had seen it, he would have thought, 'He's toasting like the department head.' The atmosphere was that subdued and dull. And it made sense—everyone here was in senior-junior disciple relationships. Who could enjoy drinking with their seniors right in front of them? It was just like a company dinner.
But the topic of their conversation was plenty heated.
It was about the single spiritual root disciple, Yi Yuk-gyeong.
Yi Yuk-gyeong, who had only joined a week ago. It was astonishing enough that he had already reached the 8th stage of the Response Qi Realm, but winning the Response Qi Realm tournament was even more shocking.
"Senior Brother, is it true that Yi Yuk-gyeong was really a mortal before entering the main sect?"
One inner sect disciple asked the one who had supervised the entrance exam.
"Yeah. Ten Junior Brothers checked him personally. They said his body had no prior cultivation."
"No way. So he really reached the 8th stage of Response Qi in just one week after joining? How could such a genius exist? Are you saying his aptitude is off the charts?"
"The Response Qi Realm is a stage where anyone with a body suited to accepting heaven-earth spiritual energy can quickly advance all the way to Great Perfection. Of course, not everyone receives that kind of blessing."
"Even so, for him to accomplish in a week what takes others 30 or 40 years... How could we not be amazed?"
"That's true. Junior Brother Yi Yuk-gyeong must have exceptional aptitude. His future looks bright."
At that moment, an inner sect disciple who was their senior cut in.
"We have to wait and see. Countless geniuses have knelt before the Gathering Qi Realm. I don't think a single spiritual root makes him immune."
"Of course, Senior Brother Geun. You're right. Is the Gathering Qi Realm that easy? Look how hard we struggled to reach it. Without enlightenment, you can't even attempt it."
"Senior Brother Geun... Still, you can't deny that a single spiritual root hold's great promise..."
And so, Yuk-gyeong's name spread among the inner sect disciples, his fame growing by the day.
Of course, this was hardly welcome news for the Jang family.
Meanwhile, A-young wasn't drinking alcohol despite it being available; she sipped tea instead.
Stuck to her side was Hyeon-nam, trying overly familiarly to cozy up to her, which was clearly annoying her. Her expression wasn't great as a result.
Hyeon-nam waited until A-young finished her tea.
"Junior Sister A-young, I have something to discuss. Could you step outside with me for a moment?"
Hyeon-nam suddenly claimed he had something to say to her and coaxed her outside.
A-young wanted to refuse, but he begged so earnestly that she relented. She figured she'd give him a stern talking-to this time so he wouldn't pull something like this again.
Thus, A-young and Hyeon-nam stood under the moonlight.
The faintly glowing moon cast a pallid light that made people's complexions look unhealthy.
Of course,
Yu A-young's complexion had genuinely worsened.
A-young sensed something was wrong with her body. Even at the Gathering Qi Realm, where she could inwardly inspect her body with inner power, it was only now that she noticed her condition deteriorating. Someone must have schemed against her.
Her vision spun.
"What is... Jang Hyeon-nam...!"
Yu A-young instinctively realized who had done this to her, cried out his name one last time, and lost consciousness.
Hyeon-nam grinned sinisterly, as if he'd expected as much.
"Heh, hehehe, Junior Sister, you shouldn't have messed with me like that. I, I didn't want it to come to this."
Hyeon-nam recalled the street vendor hawking his wares: 'Fast-acting aphrodisiac! Just put it in their mouth for instant effect! Women melt, men rise!'
He was right. After slipping it into her tea, Junior Sister Yu was out cold, unable to move. That vendor... was pretty capable.
The fat middle-aged monk proudly waving a flag that read 'Aphrodisiac Sales' as he wandered the markets. He looked more suited to running an inn, which made him seem untrustworthy.
After buying it, Hyeon-nam tested it on dogs and cats, and the effects were incredible. He'd bought it figuring he had nothing to lose, but it turned out to be a jackpot!
Powerful enough to work on a Gathering Qi Realm expert like Junior Sister A-young, no less.
"Junior Sister, we're going to become one. Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"
Hyeon-nam breathed raggedly. His heart raced with excitement, his breaths coming short. The crude panting sounds were utterly vulgar.
Hyeon-nam kept talking. His obsessive muttering revealed an unhealthy fixation.
"No one in the family treated me kindly amid all the abuse—except you, Junior Sister. They just nagged me daily to cultivate and advance my realm. No one cared about me. They only doted on that bastard Jang Yeong-ok. But you're different, Junior Sister. All the other girls fawn over Jang Yeong-ok, but not you. You're mine."
Seeing A-young, whom he idolized like a goddess, lying defenseless, Hyeon-nam grew rock-hard.
He began casting a spell to remove her clothes. Touching her directly felt sacrilegious, so he used magic instead. Truth be told, he was afraid he'd get too excited and finish prematurely if he used his hands.
Whoosh—!
Hyeon-nam had reached the Gathering Qi Realm, but it was all thanks to family resources. Even his 2nd stage of Gathering Qi was forcibly achieved with drugs, earning him the label of a half-baked Gathering Qi senior brother.
As such, Hyeon-nam was clumsy with spells. His casting looked no better than a Response Qi cultivator's.
Thus, undressing her took forever, agonizingly slow. But Hyeon-nam got even more aroused from the drawn-out process.
At that moment!
The flow of spiritual energy suddenly twisted, churning his insides! Spell backlash!
Urk!
"Kuhk!"
Hyeon-nam spat blood from the violent surge of spiritual energy ravaging his meridians. Heaven-earth spiritual energy flooded back into his body in reverse, wrecking his internals.
His organs tangled, his guts twisting in agony. Unaccustomed to pain, Hyeon-nam collapsed, dry-heaving wretchedly.
What the hell? Even if Hyeon-nam was inept with spells, backlash with no apparent cause was abnormal.
This was someone's doing!
"Who are you?!"
Still, Hyeon-nam was at the Gathering Qi Realm. A single backlash didn't neutralize him.
Gathering Qi was Gathering Qi. Even if propped up by drugs and family power, the condensed inner power within him soothed his turmoil while dominating the surrounding heaven-earth spiritual energy.
Someone emerged from behind Hyeon-nam.
A handsome face, eyes flowing with an enigmatic allure, lips curved in an almost smiling line that oozed charm—
Yi Yuk-gyeong!
On his way back to his quarters after the afterparty, he'd witnessed Hyeon-nam's attempted rape and ambushed him from behind.
Yuk-gyeong's reason for ambushing Hyeon-nam was simple.
Rape is bad? Wrongdoers shouldn't do bad things? The girl is pitiful? It's violating her autonomy?
No. None of that.
I don't like other guys eating a woman I should be eating.
A very straightforward reason.
There aren't enough women for me as it is—others forcing themselves on them is unacceptable. If it's consensual between two people who like each other, fine.
So Yuk-gyeong couldn't let this insolent senior brother get away with it. He hadn't wanted to tangle with someone of higher realm—a Gathering Qi senior brother, no less—but the guy's aura felt weaker than expected, boosting his confidence.
Especially since the woman about to be raped was an acquaintance's older sister.
Yuk-gyeong surged his aura and attacked Hyeon-nam as he recovered from the backlash.
A battle for control over the heaven-earth spiritual energy erupted.
Yuk-gyeong's single spiritual root and 9th stage Response Qi mastery greedily seized the spiritual energy. It was a small area, but the struggle was fierce.
Hyeon-nam's inner power subjugated the nearby spiritual energy, but it paled before Yuk-gyeong's control.
Whoosh—!
A gust of spiritual wind blew in, Yuk-gyeong's energy swirling violently like a tempest. Hyeon-nam seemed on the verge of succumbing to Yuk-gyeong's spell attack. Though in truth, Yuk-gyeong had no intention of using one.
Hyeon-nam was on the defensive.
Realizing he couldn't hold out like this, Hyeon-nam drew a magic tool.
"Go! Kill him!"
No more foolish questions or shouting. He pulled a magic tool from his robes and activated it immediately.
The magic tool Hyeon-nam drew was a dagger-shaped artifact.
Its razor-sharp blade gleamed menacingly, lacking a guard and with a roughly finished hilt—designed to be levitated and wielded with magic power rather than held by hand.
Shing!
The dagger sliced through the air, hurtling toward Yuk-gyeong.
Its speed was tremendous, beyond what Yuk-gyeong could dodge or block. Clearly no ordinary magic tool.
Just as it threatened to bisect Yuk-gyeong's body!
Clang!
The sharp clash of two hard objects rang out, and Hyeon-nam's dagger was repelled.
Hyeon-nam was stunned. What kind of magic tool was this?!
"What the hell?!"
A turtle shell-shaped shield had casually materialized before Yuk-gyeong. It hovered proudly in the air, forming a barrier of spiritual energy.
That barrier had blocked Hyeon-nam's dagger.
Yuk-gyeong recalled his conversation with Elder Bu before the tournament.
'Just in case, lend me a magic tool anyway.'
'Magic tools are banned. What tool?'
'Still. I want to try using one.'
'Here. It's called Turtle Shell Shield, a defensive tool. Infuse it with magic power, and it forms a protective barrier. It should handle Gathering Qi Realm-level attacks.'
'Tch, give me an offensive one.'
'Tch my ass! Give it back! Hand it over! Get lost!'
Lucky. Without Elder Bu, this would have been my grave.
He hadn't used it in the tournament, but in a real fight like this, there was no reason not to.
Meanwhile, Hyeon-nam reeled in shock. The ultra-fast dagger—a coming-of-age gift that no cultivator below Gathering Qi could block or even see—had failed to kill a mere Response Qi nobody.
Not only did that Response Qi scrub have a magic tool, but one capable of blocking his own? Unbelievable!
Yuk-gyeong marveled at how the defensive tool Elder Bu lent him outperformed his expectations.
He saw the Turtle Shell Shield flicker and waver after blocking the dagger, but it was fine.
It had done its job perfectly.
It might need soaking in spiritual energy for a while to recover, but was that more precious than his life?
With Hyeon-nam's offensive tool repelled, it was Yuk-gyeong's turn.
Yuk-gyeong extended his hand, tossing out a bell-shaped magic tool as he shouted.
"Go! Pika—no, Soul Subduing Spirit!"