The Scent of Blood and a Yandere's Smile
The waves of the Yangtze River crashed endlessly against the hull, but inside the cabin, a far more dangerous current was swirling.
“So. Is it really true?”
“What is?”
Cheong’s answer came out curt. That soft, gentle voice wrapped around her ears like silk, and yet the person it belonged to was, of all things, the absolute worst fucking bitch in the world…
To Cheong, an evildoer was some kind of creature that ranked somewhere above or below a beast that was perfectly fine to kill. Evildoers gifted her with joy during the process of dying. Once dead, they added to her good karma, and if a sudden quest popped up, they even handed over a generous amount of cultivation points. They were flawless, beneficial toys.
On top of that, it was like picking up trash from the roadside—doing the world a tiny bit of good in the process! The only catch was that they weren’t necessarily enemies who absolutely had to die. If they didn’t pick a fight with her first, Cheong would simply think, Oh, another bad guy, and move on.
“You said you were going to slaughter them all, didn’t you?”
“That was just me talking to myself.”
“I see.”
Cheong’s reply was blunt. It was also a clear signal that she didn’t want to be spoken to. Eon Yeonyeong tilted her head, an undeniably elegant gesture.
“But.”
Why does she keep talking to me? Was she lonely being by herself? Or was she just an unbelievably dense bitch who couldn’t read the room? The disappointment from her earlier expectations had sharpened Cheong’s thoughts that much more.
Then the next leisurely remark snapped her fully awake.
“Why are you so disappointed?”
“…Pardon?”
“At first, you see. Hmm. How should I put it. Hmm…… You fell for me? Yes. You fell for me, young lady. Isn’t that right?”
“That never happened.”
Cheong averted her gaze as she spoke.
“Lady Seomun. You know, a person’s reaction ultimately shows through the body’s signals. A suddenly racing heart. Pupils that dilate dramatically. That faint blush spreading across your lovely face. The gentle smile drawn by muscles that have softly relaxed—those kinds of signals.”
At this point, goosebumps were inevitable.
“You fell for me. Didn’t you?”
“Look, why don’t we both just stay quiet and go our separate—”
“But. Love can cool so suddenly, can’t it? But. Do you know something?”
Eon Yeonyeong stepped right up to Cheong.
“You really do smell wonderful.”
“This is seriously giving me the creeps, so can you please—”
“Why is that, I wonder? How can such a scent come from a living person? How……”
Eon Yeonyeong took a deep breath. Cheong hadn’t properly washed in a week because of the shipwreck. All she’d managed was wiping herself down a few times with a cloth soaked in the yellow river water. Even that had left her feeling unbearably sticky. And now this woman was talking about a scent? This bitch was completely out of her mind.
Cheong despaired at her own judgment. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Do I really need to hold back? If some random bastard had acted like this, would she have stayed quiet? Had she been too influenced by her master’s feminist ideology? That couldn’t be allowed.
Cheong switched her stance completely.
“If you don’t stop right there, things are going to get bloody……”
“My, my. Are you going to bare your claws? How adorable.”
Countless sword silhouettes rose inside the cabin. Blue sword energy gleamed as it aimed at Cheong from the air—two, four, six, eight……
“There’s no need to count. I can make as many as I want.”
“Haha. You really are a high-level expert. Wow. Sword energy. So cool.”
“Really now. Such insincere words.”
Cheong immediately lost all will to fight. And then she understood the situation.
So these bastards didn’t lock me up to hand me over to that inspector or whatever. It made no sense for an absolute master to be imprisoned in a place like this anyway. Even Cheong was confident she could escape this confinement immediately if she wanted. What came after that was another story, though.
In other words, they had thrown her in as a sacrifice for this completely insane, ultra-high-level murderess. Something to keep her entertained whenever she got bored.
From Cheong’s perspective, it was a fairly reasonable deduction. Still, there was no way she was going to die at the hands of a psychotic killer in a place like this.
“Aren’t you feeling a bit stuffy? Shall I open the door for you? There are quite a lot of people outside.”
“Well. Could I borrow your hand for a moment?”
“Uh, that’s……”
One of the sword energies slid forward and pressed its tip just beneath Cheong’s chin. Cheong quickly thrust her hand out.
“Here! Right here. It’s just that I felt a bit hesitant to extend my humble front paw toward such an esteemed expert. It’s absolutely not that I dislike the idea.”
“There. It might sting a little. Just a sting.”
“Wah! Uwaaaaah! Stop! Stop the sword energy!”
Cheong put on every exaggerated act of distress she could muster. But anyone watching a blue sword energy flying straight at their fingers would probably react the same way.
This bitch is aiming for my fingers! Just because I was a little cold to her, she’s going this far!
Cheong drew up her internal energy with all her might. With the Sosu Magong and her overflowing true qi, maybe she could deflect even sword energy? She regretted not saving more free practice points. She should have mastered Sosu Magong instead of the Juyang Seisim Classic.
Fortunately, the sword energy that looked ready to slice her finger clean off only tapped the tip before slowly melting away and disappearing.
“My, my. This is… Sosu Magong, isn’t it? But. How strange. The Sosu Divine Sect has never taken in any disciples. I wonder how Lady Seomun learned it? I heard all your meridians had been completely cleared.”
“That’s, um……”
“There’s no need to answer. It was just. A thought spoken aloud. Just like you did earlier.”
Is this payback? Did that one remark really bruise her ego that much?
Cheong could only tremble. Eon Yeonyeong gently took Cheong’s finger and stroked it. Blood welled up, drawing a pretty arc. Eon Yeonyeong wiped the blood with her thumb and licked it off her tongue with a quick flick.
“Ah. I understand now. So that’s how it is. I never thought it would actually exist. No wonder you smell so sweet.”
What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bitch! Don’t talk about stuff only you understand!
Cheong barely managed to swallow the roar that wanted to burst out. She had no choice; talking back would get her killed. She just really, really wanted to shed some blood today. Ah, I want to cut some people!
Fortunately, all the sword energies faded away after that. Cheong’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor. She heard the murderess’s low, quiet laugh.
Thus began the strange cohabitation of two people. Or more accurately, an extremely uncomfortable cohabitation for one of them.
“Don’t be. So uncomfortable. I am. Not harmful to you at all, Lady Seomun?”
“Then can I leave now?”
“No.”
“……Yes.”
Ah. I’m dying to slaughter something. Cheong sighed. But humans were creatures of adaptation. And among them, Cheong was the type who adapted quite quickly.
Even without her unique ability to read people, anyone could tell that the other party held no hostility whatsoever. Still, casually acting cute and playful in front of an unidentified absolute master was something only Cheong could pull off.
“Why are you doing this to me, exactly?”
“Really. You don’t know?”
“What do you want from me?”
“Your heart?”
“We can never be together.”
“Goodness. There is no hardship in this world that cannot be overcome.”
“I don’t like bad people.”
“Let’s. Work on it together.”
“You’re not even going to say you’ll become a good person?”
“There are. Things in this world that are simply impossible.”
Cheong unconsciously nodded. The villain had a karma score of a whopping 1,700. On top of that, it was currently sitting at –1732, and even though she was just sitting there doing nothing, the negative karma kept rising.
One option was to stick with her for three or four years, pointing at targets and shouting ‘That bastard is harmful! Dispatch, Eon Yeonyeong!’ But that was something Cheong politely declined. It didn’t seem like the other woman would let her do that anyway. This bitch had terrifying persistence.
“Fine. Don’t you have preferences too, Lady Seomun? Tell me. I’ll match them for you. Do you like seductive women? Or perhaps. A bold woman like a great hero? Or. An innocent and lively girl?”
“You already failed at the ‘not a bad woman’ part.”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s a preference that can overcome even that?”
Cheong deliberately picked the type of woman that seemed the least compatible with this villain.
“I like a carefree, easygoing woman.”
“Hmm.”
Eon Yeonyeong thought for a moment before answering.
“I can’t do that.”
“You said you’d match anything.”
“A person’s abilities. Have limits, you know? Instead. I’ll try for the next best thing.”
“Then an innocent and lively girl is……”
“That’s. Also impossible.”
“A bold woman like a great hero……”
“Now that I think about it. That would be difficult.”
“You’re not doing the seductive woman either?”
“Correct.”
“Then what exactly are you going to match?”
“But. If I win your heart with a fabricated appearance, wouldn’t that be meaningless?”
“……I’m going to lose my mind, seriously.”
“If you’re going to lose your mind. Why not do it with me?”
“Agh, I really hate this! Go away, seriously!”
It was the morning of the fifth day since Cheong had been confined.
The government army swarmed onto the Dragon King Ship and formed a defensive formation in front of the boarding deck. Behind them appeared Chashundan, the Hubei Provincial Inspector. The waterway stronghold leader, Bok Ha-un, personally came out to greet the high official.
“My lord, you’ve come all this way, so—”
“Bring that bitch, that bitch who deserves to be torn apart, right now!”
However, the father who had lost his son was already blind with rage. Upon receiving news of his son’s death along with word that the culprit had been captured, he had immediately led his troops here.
Bok Ha-un was just about to signal his subordinate when—
“Father! This son is Bok Heum-cheok! I am Bok Heum-cheok, son of the waterway stronghold leader Bok Ha-un! I have come to complete the mission you commanded! I am Bok Heum-cheok!”
The son he thought had run away after a severe scolding suddenly came running, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“What the— that bastard……!”
“Aigoo, young master, why are you acting like this all of a sudden! When such an honored guest has arrived……”
“I am Bok Heum-cheok! I am Bok Heum-cheok! I am the son of the waterway stronghold leader Bok Ha-un! Father! This son Bok Heum-cheok has come! I am Bok Heum-cheok! I have come to complete the mission you commanded!”
“What in the world……”
There was no time to stop him. As if someone had shoved him, Bok Heum-cheok flew through the air and shot straight toward Chashundan. Bok Heum-cheok’s arm drew a wide arc, and Chashundan’s arm was severed cleanly, falling onto the deck.
The head of the guard quickly pulled Chashundan into his arms and shouted urgently.
“It’s an ambush! Guards, protect His Lordship! General Jang! We must protect His Lordship!”
General Jang Cheon-ho, a commander from the north, moved immediately as well.
“It’s an attack by the water bandits! Form the defensive formation!”
“Protect His Lordship! Defensive formation! Defensive formation!”
The soldiers hurriedly thrust out their spears. In their midst, Bok Heum-cheok swung his limbs wildly in a frenzy. Even when spears struck his bare body, the spears shattered instead. It was as if a single man was facing an entire army. Soldiers flew in every direction, vomiting blood as chaos unfolded.
Even in the middle of it all, Bok Heum-cheok never stopped talking.
“I have completed the mission you commanded! I have completed the mission you commanded! Hehe, hehehehe, hihihuhuhahahaha! Long live the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold! Long live the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold!”
The suddenness of the event left Bok Ha-un momentarily dazed. What was this? What on earth was happening……
“Lady Seomun?”
At the voice calling her, Cheong turned her head. And she witnessed the exact moment the karma value changed.
The negative karma that had been rising little by little while they were in the same room now shot up dramatically right before her eyes.
-1814
What the hell is that thing even doing? Cheong frowned.
“What now? Instead of annoying people, why don’t you just fuck off—”
“Thanks to you. I was able to save quite a bit of time. Thank you. In many ways.”
There she goes again, talking about stuff only she understands. I seriously want to kill her.
A genuine murderous intent leaked out from Cheong’s body. Eon Yeonyeong simply smiled sweetly in response.