Chapter 112: The Human-Faced Spider Gets Scolded
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: The Human-Faced Spider Gets Scolded
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Un-jeok-ja’s sword and Bulheo Satae’s spear collided fiercely as they began to exchange blows.
Both wore expressions of absolute gravity, as if they had finally encountered a mortal enemy.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Ten Thousand Manifestations Return to One Sword Technique, one of the greatest sword arts of the Qingcheng Sect, unfolded from Un-jeok-ja’s hand, beginning to pressure Bulheo Satae.
"Urgh."
Bulheo Satae let out a low groan at the sword force, which was as fluid as it was devastatingly powerful.
A smirk played on Un-jeok-ja’s lips at the sight.
Though he had been outmatched by the Tang Clan Head, he was still the First Sword of Qingcheng. He wasn't about to lose to the likes of Bulheo Satae.
His sword momentum caught a rhythm, growing even more ferocious.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bulheo Satae grew flustered as she parried Un-jeok-ja’s relentless strikes.
She knew he was strong, but facing him in person was beyond her expectations. Moreover, there wasn't a shred of hesitation in Un-jeok-ja’s blade.
No matter how the fight had started, weren't they both members of the Orthodox Faction? To use such lethal techniques as if he were facing a sworn enemy...
Fury welled up within her.
Murderous aura began to seep into Bulheo Satae’s spear. She thrust forward with the Seven Killing Spear, an Emei secret art that had been practically buried because its killing intent was deemed too excessive.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Un-jeok-ja was taken aback by Bulheo Satae’s sudden change.
Her spear, which had been supple until a moment ago, was now imbued with a savage, murderous energy. Un-jeok-ja tensed. It seemed today would result in more losses than gains.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every time Un-jeok-ja’s sword met Bulheo Satae’s spear, a thunderous roar erupted. It was likely the aftermath of the collision between the Ten Thousand Manifestations Qi and the Guanyin Nine-Yin Qi.
It was then.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The sound of applause began to drift toward them.
The source of the clapping was the Human-Faced Spider, who had been watching their fight from a distance. She was clapping enthusiastically, a wide grin plastered across her face.
She was in an excellent mood.
As the two powerful energies clashed, refined essence was being scattered into the surroundings in abundance. She was absorbing this scattered energy to restore her inner core.
She could feel that the more they fought with lethal intent, the higher the purity of the energy they released. The Human-Faced Spider was even clapping to encourage the fight.
Who wouldn't be happy when someone was handing out free energy?
Every time her clapping grew louder, the fight seemed to grow more intense for some reason.
"Hehehehehehe!"
She burst into laughter.
She thought humans were kind, yet strange. They were so willing to do her favors, yet why did they become so desperate to kill each other the moment they met someone else?
It was bizarre.
However, she didn't dwell on it. The more violently they fought, the more energy there was for her to absorb.
"Who’s stronger?" she shouted toward them, throwing out a provocation of her own.
At her words, their energies surged even higher, and Astral Qi began to whirl violently.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
"Hehehehehehehe!"
She continued to laugh and clap. It was hilarious to see them fighting so hard over a single sentence. Where else could she find such entertaining play?
She prayed and prayed that their fight would last a long, long time.
Rolling around on a bed while eating mooncakes and sweets wasn't bad, but watching a blood-pumping fight like this was also fun. Moreover, since both were masters who reminded her of Sun-woo in the past, the spectacle was even more intriguing.
It was then.
Shiver.
A sudden chill ran down her spine, and she felt as if something was crawling up her back.
What is this?
She was utterly bewildered. She felt an energy that was both terrifying and strangely familiar. What was the identity of this terrifying familiarity?
Anxious, she quickly turned her head to scan her surroundings.
And there, she saw Sun-woo running toward them from the distance.
She panicked. Why was the human she feared most in the world suddenly appearing here?
She spun around instantly. If she got caught here, she was bound to get a beating. She had to run.
She drew power from her inner core, enhancing her physical abilities to the limit. But the moment she tried to bolt forward—
Grab.
Dangle.
Sun-woo, who had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, leaving her dangling in the air.
Her face began to turn pale. She had been caught the very instant she tried to leap away.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sun-woo asked in a chilling tone, staring at her.
He looked extremely displeased.
"Ha... hahahaha."
The only response she could muster to Sun-woo’s question was a nervous laugh.
*
"So! I just asked him to swing his sword, and then he went whoosh and then he got tired and went thud! Then I went to say hello to that lady with the weird hair, and she suddenly grabbed my hand and yelled 'Lotus!' and hugged me! Then that man came, and she suddenly pulled out a stick and they went clang, clang, clang!"
After listening to the Human-Faced Spider’s explanation, Sun-woo lowered his head slightly and pressed his hand to his forehead.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Sun-woo reached out with both hands and grabbed her soft cheeks.
Streeeeetch.
He began to pull them sideways with all his might.
"Aaaagh!! It hurts! It hurts!"
"You're trying to play dumb to get out of this again, aren't you? Talk straight before I rip your cheeks off."
"Aaaaaagh! Okay, okay! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Only after seeing her frantic reaction did Sun-woo release her cheeks.
Nearly two weeks had passed since Sun-woo began living with the Human-Faced Spider. During that time, he had realized a few things about her.
While she was ignorant of the world, she was cunningly intelligent, and she often used that cleverness to pretend to be stupid when it suited her. This devious creature would put on an innocent face and act like she didn't know anything or ramble like a child whenever she found herself in a disadvantageous situation.
Of course, she might genuinely be confused sometimes, but Sun-woo fundamentally didn't trust her. He believed she had grown far too bold.
"Start by telling me why you're here when you're supposed to be by the Great Matriarch's side."
"That's... the Great Matriarch went to the office."
"Then why didn't you follow her!" Sun-woo barked at her.
"The office is boring! It's full of gross smells, and the people there don't play with me!"
"Then you should have stayed put! Why did you crawl out here!"
"I was bored!"
Whack!
Sun-woo gave the Human-Faced Spider a sharp flick to the forehead.
"Are you going to talk properly or not?"
Based on his observations over the past two weeks, the Human-Faced Spider was fundamentally lazy. Extremely so. She wasn't the type to move her body just because she was bored. There had to be a reason she crawled out.
"I told you that you're going to get a beating if you lie, didn't I? Do you want to die today?"
Sun-woo continued, releasing a sliver of murderous aura. Now that she had grown bold, she wouldn't listen unless he showed real intent.
"........."
Exposed to the murderous aura, her face turned pale. Sun-woo had shown killing intent before, but never this thick or concentrated enough to truly terrify her.
She was suddenly struck with fear. If he decided to beat her in earnest, all the recovery she had managed so far would go down the drain.
"Ac... actually..."
Terrified, she began to confess the truth to Sun-woo. She explained how she had chased the refined nature qi and met the man, how she had urged him to release more energy so she could absorb it, and how she had made the same request to the woman with the shaved head.
"Then why are those two fighting?"
"I don't know?"
She answered Sun-woo’s question with a question of her own. She truly didn't know the reason. They had just started swinging their sword and spear the moment they saw each other; how was she supposed to know why?
"They just showed up and started fighting."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo felt his irritation peak. It was obvious the fight had broken out because of the Human-Faced Spider, yet the culprit herself claimed to be clueless.
Sun-woo stared at her suspiciously, wondering if she was lying.
"W-why are you looking at me like that?" the Human-Faced Spider stammered, feeling the weight of his gaze.
"I definitely need to hit you."
"Why?!"
"Because I don't believe a word you're saying."
"I'm really not lying!" the Human-Faced Spider protested indignantly. She had told the truth, so why was he still going to hit her?
"Anyway, didn't you promise not to leave the Great Matriarch's side? That alone is enough reason for a beating."
"We didn't pinky-swear!"
Wiggle, wiggle.
The Human-Faced Spider held up her pinky and wiggled it at Sun-woo. It was her way of arguing that it wasn't a "real" promise since they hadn't locked fingers.
"So what? Either way, it's your fault they're like that."
Sun-woo pointed at Un-jeok-ja and Bulheo Satae, who were still fighting with their Astral Qi flared. The two seemed so focused on each other that they hadn't even noticed Sun-woo’s presence.
"It's not my fault!"
She felt genuinely wronged. All she had done was comfort a crying man and greet a dazed woman. Why was he blaming her for them choosing to fight each other?
"It is your fault."
Whack!
Sun-woo infused his fist with internal energy and struck her on the head. A loud thud echoed from her skull.
"Urgh."
The Human-Faced Spider felt tears welling up after taking the direct hit. She knew she shouldn't have snuck out, but she didn't think she had done anything to deserve this. It was unfair.
"Why are you hitting me!"
She began to lung at Sun-woo. She couldn't just take this lying down.
Whack!
Despite her protest, Sun-woo’s fist was merciless.
"Uuuugh..."
She was on the verge of bursting into tears.
Whack!
Sun-woo’s fist struck her head once more.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!!!"
Finally, she broke down and started wailing.
She was miserable. So, so miserable. She had acted on her own, sure, but she hadn't eaten any humans or harmed anyone. Why did he refuse to acknowledge her efforts and just keep hitting her?
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Once the floodgates opened, her crying became even more sorrowful.
"Ugh."
Sun-woo, standing right in front of her, covered his ears. Her voice was so loud that her wailing felt like it was hammering his eardrums.
"Stop crying!"
Sun-woo spoke in a threatening tone, but her crying only grew louder, showing no sign of stopping.
It was then.
"Tang Clan Head! What do you think you are doing?!"
From a distance, Un-jeok-ja shouted, his face flushed red with anger.
"To make a child cry like that—what is the meaning of this!"
Bulheo Satae also shouted in a sharp voice, her face heated.
Sun-woo felt a headache coming on. This was a complete mess.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
"What are you doing to that small, fragile woman?!"
"Tang Clan Head, are you harming a girl who is about to become a disciple of Emei?"
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Joining Emei? Why would you turn a perfectly fine woman into a nun?!"
"What's wrong with being a nun?! Are you insulting Emei right now?"
"That's not what I meant!"
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
Sun-woo felt his mind turning into a chaotic blur. The Human-Faced Spider’s wailing and the bickering between Un-jeok-ja and Bulheo Satae mixed together, echoing through the area. He didn't even know where to start fixing this.
If Tang Seo-yoon were here, what would she have done?
He didn't know. She would have had some wise solution, but he wasn't her. There was no way he had a "wise" method.
Then, a single person came to mind.
If the Yin-Yang Demon were in this situation, what would he have done?
That, he thought he knew. Although he wasn't the Yin-Yang Demon himself, the man he had experienced for a short time wasn't one for complicated thoughts.
Shring.
Sun-woo drew the sword from his waist.
"From this moment on, I will cut down anyone who opens their mouth."
Drawing his sword, Sun-woo pushed his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi to its peak. He released his momentum, beginning to pressure everyone present.
Hic.
Exposed to that pressure, the Human-Faced Spider stopped crying as if by magic. She realized it. She realized that Sun-woo was truly, genuinely angry. She was upset, but she wasn't upset enough to risk her life.
Unfortunately, it seemed the Human-Faced Spider was the only one who noticed the change in Sun-woo.
"Tang Clan Head, what kind of nonsense is—!"
Boom!
Sun-woo swung his sword directly at Un-jeok-ja. Un-jeok-ja barely managed to block the strike, but he couldn't withstand the internal energy behind it. He was sent flying backward, crashing into a wall.
"Does the Satae wish to speak as well?"
Sun-woo stared at Bulheo Satae with gleaming eyes.
"................"
The moment she met those eyes, Bulheo Satae shut her mouth like a mute. She knew that if she uttered a single word, she would end up just like Un-jeok-ja.
"Finally, some peace and quiet."
Only then did Sun-woo smile with satisfaction. It was violent, but he thought that occasionally acting out like the Yin-Yang Demon wasn't such a bad idea.