The Black Kitchen's Cat-astrophe
People in the Black Kitchen say Hefei has no major sects.
Back when the Namgoong family was at the height of its power, there was no need to invite any. No shady scum from the unorthodox sects or demonic cults would dare run wild in the Namgoong's front yard.
And now that the Namgoong had weakened, most sects had already staked their claims in the region. Anhui Province itself had strong government influence too. Even weakened, the Namgoong treasured Hefei fiercely, so anyone trying to set up shop there openly would have to prepare for a brutal bloodbath.
But there are always these kinds of bastards.
"If it's awkward to set up openly, just do it in secret, right?"
That was also the thinking of Geum Seongje, the Black Kitchen's newly established branch leader in Hefei.
The Black Kitchen was a sect heavily influenced by the Jinju Alliance, Mosan Sect, Blood Cult, Demonic Cult, and so on. In other words, it was a sorcery-focused sect rather than one centered on martial arts.
Geum Seongje was skilled in various sorceries and never slacked on gathering intel about them. That's how he recently acquired some new ones, including the Myeolhyeol Art.
A sorcery using the "cat" radical and "blood" radical. The details went like this.
First, steadily infuse stray cats with blood qi and inner power. Then release them into the streets to hone their wild instincts. This fills the cats' hearts with inner power, making them veritable spirit elixirs. The cats used had to be ones that had been somewhat tamed by human hands.
The primitive, barbaric Central Plains had no such thing as animal rights—let alone human rights.
The Black Kitchen leader immediately rounded up every stray cat in the village. And then, a few days later.
"What? All the cats were released?"
"Yes... that's right. Some woman trashed the manor and took every last one."
"...? The guards. Weren't they 1st Rate experts stationed to protect the place?"
"That's just it... they all got killed."
"What?"
Geum Seongje blinked at the absurd report.
No way. He'd posted ten 1st Rate experts as guards, and they all died? In Hefei, where experts were rare, that was impossible.
Hell, it wouldn't make sense even in a place crawling with them. What lunatic picks a fight with multiple 1st Rates? And for what—releasing cats? Suspicious as hell.
There was nothing the Black Kitchen could do. Tracking down the mystery expert would be hard enough; killing them, even harder. Whoever took out multiple 1st Rates had to be at least Peak realm. Better to assume a transcendent master.
"...Put the cat blood art on hold for now."
"Yes! Should we continue the seduction art as planned?"
"Yeah. We have to get this one right."
The Seduction Art.
A sorcery Geum Seongje had created himself.
It made married men stray their eyes to other women. That bred guilt and thrill in their hearts. Manipulate it right, and the emotional dregs gathered vital essence, locking it tight in the dantian. A living elixir.
The sorcery that lifted Geum Seongje from the bottom ranks to branch leader. The Black Kitchen was familiar with it, and its success rate was high. Men were creatures who lost their minds at the sight of women, after all. And so, a few days later.
"It failed."
"...? Why? Are all the men in Hefei loyal husbands?"
"No, it's..."
"Spit it out properly."
"Some crazy bitch is interfering. She patrols every night, and any man she spots gets no mercy from her sword."
"What, there's bitches like that?"
"So there are no men out at night anymore. Makes it impossible."
The report from the chief steward was downright bizarre.
The Central Plains did have a night curfew law. Anyone wandering after dark was treated as a potential criminal—an utterly ruthless rule.
Sure, men were sex-crazed beasts who'd brave the "potential criminal" stigma. But a woman patrolling at night? What the hell?
A woman out at night meant she was an expert. But didn't experts have better things to do? Why patrol like that? Geum Seongje couldn't wrap his head around it.
Second failure.
But it was still fine. Just a couple plans gone wrong. The gambling dens and brothels—the Black Kitchen's main cash cows—were untouched.
Or so Geum Seongje thought.
"Hongunru and Cheon Geumgak are done for."
"...What?"
"That crazy bitch again. Losers in the gambling halls get chopsticks to the face, and she smashed all the brothels yelling about 'women's rights exercise'..."
"Wha—what bullshit is this! Fuck! What kind of! What rag-whore slut would pull that reckless crap...! Urk!"
Geum Seongje clutched his neck.
Why me? He'd lived a virtuous life. Worst sins? Animal abuse, running brothels, murder, gambling halls, rape, non-consensual sex, assault, embezzlement, etc. For an unorthodox sect leader, pretty saintly. In his mind, anyway.
"Wh-who...! Who is it! What bitch!"
Geum Seongje ranted without collapsing. Fat rolls jiggling as he gripped the chair—it was quite the sight.
"That bitch who ruined the cat blood and seduction arts too! Right?"
"You're right, Branch Leader. All the witnesses mentioned red hair. Has to be her."
"Red hair...! Besides those two in Hefei, any others?"
There were more. Ming-era Nanjing was already a global hub. Redheads weren't common, but not unseen.
But famous redheaded women? Two: Yi Hayeon and the fox-masked lunatic. Geum Seongje was dead sure it was the latter.
Reason? Pathetic. Too scared of the fallout from touching Yi Hayeon.
If it wasn't the fox mask? He'd just say,
"Whatever."
Pure unorthodox sect mentality.
"That fox-mask bitch! Drag her fox-masked ass here now. Got it?"
"How much force should we use?"
"Why ask that? Fuck, mobilize everyone. Hyeok and Du too!"
"Hyeok and Du?"
"Yeah, time those two earned their keep. How long they gonna pig out on brothel girls!"
The Black Kitchen's forces: two Peak, three 1st Rate, ten 2nd Rate, loads of 3rd Rate. Even after losing five 1st Rates guarding the cats.
Strong enough to wipe a single Peak.
"Chief steward!"
"Yes! Shall I tell Hyeok and Du to bring silver needles?"
"Handle that yourself. And when you drag her in, don't just drag."
"You mean..."
"Rape's fine. Stretch her holes, whatever. Just keep her alive, got it?"
The chief steward nodded at Geum Seongje's orders.
Whoever she was, poor girl.
The world's most pointless worry.
...
Ah, shit. Who the hell.
Namgoong Juhee tabled the question for now. Who cared who it was? Just data scraps anyway.
"Yeah. Honestly, didn't wanna know."
It was the warmth she'd felt in Hefei over the past month. Felt too real, too cozy—fooled her into thinking they were people. But nah, NPCs and trash mobs.
Namgoong Juhee steeled herself.
"Come at me all at once. I'll kill you all."
"Kuh, bitch got balls, I'll give her that."
"Why not hide that sex-bomb body and lower your voice?"
"Ah."
Come to think of it, she had tits. Fox mask and neutral voice didn't make her a guy. Third realization after Emperor Sword Form and Instant Kill Throw.
"Good point. Thanks."
"Wha—!"
"Reward: chopsticks. Fresh from the source, straight to your mouths."
"No way! What the—!"
The chopsticks Namgoong Juhee flung were like a starting gun. Cyclops after cyclops charged her, the scene straight out of an AV—if she'd gotten caught and spread 'em.
Flick! Flick! Flick! Flick!
Her sleeves fluttered, and in a blink, chopsticks flew into four mouths. Instant Kill Throw mastery. Two 1st Rates, two 2nd Rates—dead.
"Guh... Kek!"
Wait, one 2nd Rate still breathing. Tongue and uvula shredded—porridge for life. Meatless hell.
"What, that's it? Now for the sword."
The cyclops crew went pale. One flick, and their operation's core was gone. Not darts or needles—chopsticks. Overwhelming skill gap.
And now she drew her sword. The pressure hit like sudden weight, wrapping them. Death-row faces only.
"Hm?"
Then, from behind: fierce aura, faint night-bloom scent.
"Heh, boss called us out, and look—a crazy bitch."
"Bro! Her tits look prime. Can I go first? You've been hogging lately."
"Tch. Turning greedy on me, bro. Fine, let's peel that mask first. Gotta see the face."
From her decade-plus gamer life, Namgoong Juhee knew.
These two were the round's mid-bosses.