Competition
"Now then, we shall begin the interrogation of the One-eyed Dragon, Kang Su-gong."
Kang Su-gong, the One-eyed Dragon. Along with Kang So-ye, the Sneering Ghost Girl, and Kang Ha-yeon, the Red Flame Bird, he was one of the three primary candidates to become the next Family Head—and the one who had been leading the race.
"Ooh, how exciting. I wonder what kind of mess our eldest brother made to get himself dragged all the way to the Law Enforcement Hall."
Depending on how this interrogation ended, it would determine whether his two younger sisters, who had been snapping at his heels, could finally overtake him.
Summoned as a witness, I looked at the giant of a man with a deep scar over his left eye, and the woman with water-blue hair who was giggling to herself.
They certainly looked their parts. Both of them matched their reputations with striking accuracy.
How does one end up with the moniker 'Mismatch-Eyed Lizard' and the other 'Giggling Goblin Girl'?
One was called a dragon just because 'cockeyed' didn't sound cool enough, and the other was dubbed the Sneering Ghost Girl simply because she smirked every time you looked at her. Compared to them, wasn't 'Red Flame Bird' actually quite elegant?
Tsk. Though Hayeon herself had complained to me that she hated her epithet, claiming it sounded far too weak.
Anyway. Somehow, the three main candidates had gathered, making this look like a miniature war for succession. But the core of this interrogation was strictly the questioning of the eldest son, Kang Su-gong. I understood why Hayeon and I were here, but why did Kang So-ye show up?
"She's always been like that," Hayeon whispered.
"Ah."
Ah, she was that type—the kind of person found in every corner of the world who would throw themselves into anything as long as it looked entertaining. I understood perfectly.
Still, everyone in this family is incredibly good-looking. I glanced at Kang So-ye, who was staring at Kang Su-gong with an amused smirk. Her hair was a fluttering, brilliant shade of water-blue, but her clothes were rather plain and dreary.
And her body is incredibly hot. But none of that seemed to matter; her natural beauty and voluptuous figure made even those drab clothes look like high fashion. Hayeon, Soye, Jeongha... how on earth did they all end up with such insanely seductive faces and bodies? With looks like these, even if we were blood-related, anyone would understand the temptation.
And in my case, we don't share a single drop of blood. The justification to claim them all was practically overflowing.
As I mentally added Kang So-ye to my list of women to conquer, her head suddenly snapped toward me, breaking her gaze from Kang Su-gong.
"Hehehe. Hello there~ What are you looking at?"
But the way she did it... how should I describe it?
"Tsk. Still as bizarre as ever. You look like a vulgar water ghost, stop embarrassing yourself," Hayeon muttered.
It was as if she had twisted her neck grotesquely like a virgin ghost. With her head tilted at an unrealistic angle, combined with her pale, translucent skin and that eerie smile, she looked like something straight out of a horror game.
Just then.
"Silence. Although the Sneering Ghost Girl was not officially invited to this interrogation, we have deemed her presence relevant to the evaluation of the succession. You may observe, but bear in mind that any further disruptions will result in your immediate expulsion."
"Yes, sir~"
At that, Kang So-ye surprisingly wiped the smirk off her face and demurely folded her hands. What the hell, so her madness was just an act?
Before the stern warning of the Law Enforcement Hall Head—a master of the Samgeuk realm—the terrifying virgin ghost instantly turned into a well-behaved maiden.
When would I ever reach Samgeuk? No, before that, I had to pass this evaluation or whatever it was.
Kang Cha-go, the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall, whose sharp, chiseled features and neatly trimmed beard perfectly matched his authoritative title, looked at Kang Su-gong and spoke.
"Eldest Young Master, One-eyed Dragon Kang Su-gong. Hear me."
"I am listening."
"Following investigations by the Law Enforcement Hall and various members of the family, traces of the Blood God Art were discovered in the village where the headquarters of the Golden Frog Merchant Alliance was located, as well as on the structures and the slaughtered corpses. Furthermore, Kang Ha-yeon has accused you of being the culprit behind this."
"..."
"The Blood God Art is the very symbol of the Honghui faction, one of the four branches of Nata Paryeo. Though it is merely a single faction, even one of their four branches possesses power rivaling the entire military might of Yagwi City. This is an external threat we cannot afford to overlook. Do you have any arguments to refute this charge?"
Kang Su-gong's single eye gleamed. He had only one eye left, but that only made his dark, intense gaze feel all the more unyielding and powerful.
"I do."
"Speak."
"First of all, I merely recruited that individual."
"Meaning, you did not bring in an external force, but rather recruited a rogue cultivator who acted as an individual?"
This was unexpected. Instead of denying it, he was admitting to the presence of the Blood God Art. He had to know this would put him at a disadvantage. A direct breakthrough—not an easy choice to make.
Either he has something up his sleeve, or...
Did he choose to confess early and take a lighter beating because hiding it would lead to ruin? The fact that he had joined hands with Ryeo-ah was undeniable, and once exposed, he probably realized it would be impossible to conceal. Quite bold of him. Stepping into a path that offered nothing but losses wasn't easy. Then again, maybe the Kang family possessed some terrifying interrogation techniques.
"Indeed. I recognized his utility and utilized his abilities strictly within limits that would not harm the family."
"Can you prove this?"
"I shall submit documents detailing all the operations I conducted with him. Once you review his track record, you will see that I have never done anything to harm the family."
But at least one thing was clear: the Kang family was extremely wary of external forces, particularly the organization known as Nata Paryeo.
"Hmm." Kang Cha-go fell into contemplation. He looked around at the other elders seated nearby; some nodded, some shook their heads, but the majority remained silent. Finally, the Law Enforcement Hall Head glared at Kang Su-gong and spoke.
"Are you certain there is not a single lie in your words?" His tone carried a clear warning that if this turned out to be bullshit, he would personally tear him apart.
"I am certain."
"Then write down every single operation you have conducted and submit it to me right this instant."
"Understood."
Well, then. It seemed this interrogation was going to end rather anticlimactically. There were no dramatic twists or sudden upsets; everything flowed smoothly, but behind the scenes, Kang Su-gong wasn't just taking this lying down. The Law Enforcement Hall Head nodded as he scanned the documents Kang Su-gong submitted.
"Until all investigations are complete, all movement of factions and resources under the One-eyed Dragon's control is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, if there is any discrepancy, omission, or attempt to deceive in the documents submitted, I shall personally execute your punishment."
"I shall obey."
"Separately, for causing such a severe disturbance within the family and for your lack of caution, you are fined one hundred thousand Contribution Points. That is all."
Though he had been on the defensive throughout the entire trial, he ultimately got off with minimal damage. He had successfully downgraded a sensitive matter that could have been interpreted as outright treason to a mere personal lapse in judgment. He took a heavy blow, but managed a miraculous save to prevent himself from sinking any lower.
Soon after the trial-like interrogation concluded.
"Good job, little brother!"
I was pulled into Hayeon's embrace, taking a deep breath of her sweet scent as I casually wrapped my arm around her waist.
In truth, the implications of this event were massive. First and foremost, the frontrunner who had been sitting comfortably in first place had been dragged down.
"Now is our chance."
With all his assets frozen during the investigation, the remaining competitors could do more than just run ahead while he was stalled—they could tear massive chunks of flesh out of a bound and gagged Kang Su-gong. Hayeon whispered this to me as she held me close.
"The playing field is finally level. Only now can we call this a fair competition, don't you think?"
In other words, the gap created by Kang Su-gong's solo run had been incredibly vast until now.
"Little brother, we have a lot of work ahead of us. First, we'll tear apart Kang Su-gong's most threatening factions alongside that bitch Kang So-ye, and then..."
"One-on-one. A death race until one of you falls."
For the second and third place contenders who feasted on the corpse of the first, all that remained was a deadly race to the finish. But would it be that easy? The frontrunner wasn't in first place for nothing. Even if they bit off a huge chunk of his flesh now, completely finishing him off would be a monumental task.
"I promise I will make good use of you. You've had a lot on your plate lately, so rest for a while. Consider this your reward."
"My, thank you so much, sister!"
"Things are going to get really, really busy."
Well, it wasn't my problem to worry about. As I always said, chaos was the perfect breeding ground for an underdog like me to thrive.
A faltering leader. Second and third place clawing their way up from below, and a shifting balance of power.
Just as a general couldn't earn military merit without a war, the greater the chaos, the more valuable my achievements would become. I hoped things would shake up even more. With that thought, I headed back home.
"Ah, I need to get laid." Maybe it was the tension from today, but I felt an especially strong urge to hold a woman.
***
Where should she go? Jeongha pondered for a moment, only to realize there was only one place she could return to.
If she wanted to run away from that man, there was only one option. Like it or not, she had to return to her home, and to her mother, the master of that house. She had been away for too long anyway.
Slap!
"Why are you only returning now?"
"..."
It hurts. That was the first thought that crossed Jeongha's mind. Both in her heart and her body.
"I heard everything. You were defiled by some lowborn bastard, and now you're trailing behind him like his personal maid? Tell me, how many times did you spread your legs like a whore while following him around? Instead of training, did you spend your time playing around, blushing like some cheap girl?"
"..."
Jeongha silently glared at her mother. Late-stage Core Condensation. The absolute limit of what an ordinary mortal could achieve in their lifetime. But her mother's husband had been far from ordinary. The finest cultivation techniques, elixirs, and training environments... everything Jeongha had received from her father and mother were privileges her mother had enjoyed first. Though, seeing as she was still stuck in the Late-stage Core Condensation realm, her talent was painfully obvious.
"Go on, make an excuse."
An excuse... what was there to excuse? And did she even have a reason to? Her mother was a woman who had sought to compensate for her own lack of talent through Kang Baek-jin's seed. Jeongha's mother was projecting a powerful version of herself—one possessing Kang Baek-jin's talent and martial might—onto Jeongha.
Like a twisted portrait, she was filling the canvas of Jeongha with the deficiencies she herself lacked. Forcing her to grow her broken wings and horns, hardening her expression, and ensuring her hands were always calloused like a warrior's. All to escape the miserable reality of being a mere concubine who could only leave behind a concubine's child—so that the projection of herself would never resemble her true, pathetic self.
"An excuse..."
"Yes. What do you plan to do now? Do you intend to carry some lowborn bastard's seed and get pregnant? To think you wagered your own body in a bet... it's absolutely preposterous."
A woman who had once dreamed of the heights just like Jeongha, only to have her wings clipped and be reduced to a man's concubine. There was nothing more repulsive to her than seeing the idealized portrait she had painted turn into a mirror reflecting raw, ugly reality. Her hand rose once more.
"I will never allow it! Being bred like a pig and spitting out a child just like yourself? Doing that once was more than enough! Ahhh!"
Yes. This was exactly what she hated. Because she knew where that superficial kindness and occasional disgust originated, she had despised her mother. From the moment her mother viewed her as a portrait, their relationship as parent and child had been broken.
If her mother viewed her as a portrait, Jeongha viewed her mother as a mirror. So this is how a person rots when they lack power. I must never become like her. That was why, at some point, she had picked up the sword and swung it on her own, even without her mother's orders.
When she realized that all the attention and affection her mother gave her was not for Jeongha the daughter, but rather self-consolation for her mother herself... Jeongha realized she had never been loved, not even once, since the day she was born.
"You! Even if you get pregnant, don't you dare think of giving birth to that brat... I will absolutely not tolerate you becoming like me!"
Jeongha's eyes turned ice-cold. How could someone choose words so perfectly calculated to irritate?
"..."
It hurts. Even in her childhood, when she still believed her mother loved her, it had only ever been a few slaps to the calves. She had never been struck across the face so blatantly.
"You. Come here."
"?"
Her mother grabbed her arm and pulled. Fine, let's see how far you'll go. Ever since the slap, it had been hard to breathe, making it difficult to resist. Her body felt incredibly cold, too. Still, she felt she had to ask what her mother was doing. Her mother's eyes, which looked ready to roll back into her head at any moment, were clearly not sane.
"What... are you trying to do?"
"Isn't it obvious? First, we must check if you've conceived."
"And if I have?"
Her mother's head tilted.
"Isn't it obvious? If you are harboring a useless piece of meat inside you, I will tear it out of you myself..."
"...!"
Slap!
Her hand flew out in an instant. No matter how much her mother had pierced her with a sharp tongue or a switch in the past, Jeongha had always brushed it off like passing clouds. Yet, at those words, she had struck her mother without a single shred of hesitation.
Stumble, stumble, thud!
Her mother stumbled back several paces before collapsing clumsily onto the floor.
"You..."
"I-I don't care. I'm leaving. I'm going."
She ran blindly, so frantic that she could barely remember what had happened next. In the midst of that chaos, the only things that lingered in her memory were her mother screaming in pure malice.
"Get out! You are no daughter of mine! Just go live like that and die! Go die!"
The venomous words that made her already freezing body feel even colder were the only things that remained.
"It's cold."
It was cold. So cold that she just wanted to fall asleep like this. Wounds never truly disappear; they are merely covered. Beneath the newly grown skin, scars pile up layer by layer, festering endlessly in the dark.
Then, she suddenly caressed the bulging wooden box kept safely in her robes.
The Qi-Circulating Pill. A symbol of humiliation, handed to her by that wretched man as if it were payment for her body. To think she was holding onto such a thing as if it were precious... she really had hit rock bottom. She had started cultivating precisely because she didn't want to end up like her mother, yet here she was, cradling this item like a broody hen.
"..."
But if there was at least one thing that bastard did better than her mother... at least that dickhead pervert actually liked Jeongha for who she was.
Her steps momentarily halted in the direction of the Gaju Hall where Kang Baek-jin resided, but she quickly shook her head.
She needed someone. Anyone, as long as they would accept her without requiring her to say a word.
"Ugh..."
And so, Jeongha dragged her feet, heading toward the man who, if nothing else, was exceptionally good at licking her.
"Goddammit..."
There was nowhere else to go. Absolutely nowhere. She didn't want to go, she really didn't, but if she didn't go to him, there was no one else in the world who would take her in. It was driving her absolutely insane.