Chapter 229: Teaching Someone Their Place - 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: Teaching Someone Their Place - 2
Tremble, tremble.
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Bulheo Satae’s entire body shook violently.
The demand to get on her knees and apologize provoked an overwhelming sense of humiliation within her.
Who did he think she was?
She was a master at the Upper Stage of the Super-Peak Realm, standing on the very threshold of the Transcendent Realm. Moreover, she was an Elder of the great Emei Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, and its greatest powerhouse.
And he was telling her to kneel?
It was unthinkable.
For her to kneel was a matter of the Emei Sect’s entire pride. It would be no different from admitting total defeat to the Tang Clan.
She could not possibly do it.
"Kneel," Sun-woo said, staring at her as he repeated his demand.
"I... I can't..."
Bulheo Satae managed to squeeze the words out through her quivering lips.
"You can't?" Sun-woo asked back, sounding genuinely surprised.
The Scorching Poison possessed a lethality that even Joo So-yang, who had reached the Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm, had shuddered at in fear. Yet, this woman was maintaining such a stiff attitude.
It was certainly unexpected.
I suppose she really is a disciple of the Buddha, given how much they value mental discipline.
As expected of an Emei disciple, her mental fortitude seemed to be quite sturdy.
"My knees carry not only my own pride but the pride of the great Emei Sect. I can never, ever kneel."
She calmed her trembling mouth and spoke her mind plainly.
"If you are a martial artist who understands honor, then end this here. I believe I have humbled myself enough."
Once she started talking, she regained her eloquence and stood her ground. Of course, the content of her speech was far from pleasing to Sun-woo’s ears.
"Hah."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh, find her words absurd.
The victim hadn't forgiven her yet, so who was she to decide when it was over?
Sun-woo realized then that Bulheo Satae was more stubborn than he had thought and still hadn't come to her senses.
"I haven't forgiven you, so why are you deciding when this ends? I believe I made myself clear. I told you I would extract an apology."
"I have already apologized."
She spoke with a brazen expression.
"No. I do not accept that apology. If you intend to apologize properly, get on your knees."
Sun-woo shook his head as he spoke to her.
"Young Master Jang, do not be unreasonable. As a senior much older than you, I have already shown sufficient remorse."
Snap.
Sun-woo felt a vein throb in his forehead.
It seemed the pain from the Scorching Poison had faded enough for her to start acting stubborn again.
Shit, I should have broken her more thoroughly.
Sun-woo felt a pang of regret.
Fearing she might actually go insane, he had applied the poison for a shorter duration than he had with Joo So-yang, but that seemed to have backfired. Seeing her still acting like a dog, he knew he'd been too lenient.
"Aren't you the one being unreasonable, Bulheo Satae? You are the one who committed the fault, so why do you keep dragging Emei into this? This isn't a fight between the Tang Clan and Emei. This is between you and me."
Sun-woo drew a firm line against her nonsense.
Why the hell was she bringing her sect into her own personal blunder?
Wasn't she the one who had insulted the entire Tang Clan in the first place? And now she was asking him to respect the honor of Emei?
Crazy bitch.
Sun-woo internally passed judgment on Bulheo Satae. It was clear as day how selfishly she had lived, hiding behind the shadow of a giant sect like Emei.
"No, this is a matter of the Emei Sect's honor! How can an Elder of Emei kneel before a mere member of the younger generation!"
"So, you're saying you won't kneel?"
"I will not."
"Then I have no choice."
Sun-woo replied in a calm voice.
As he finished speaking, a massive amount of Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to radiate from his body.
Swoooooosh!
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi erupting from him formed a massive barrier of qi, sealing the two of them inside.
Step. Step.
Sun-woo began to walk slowly toward her.
"W-Wait! Why are you coming closer!"
Sensing Sun-woo’s approach, Bulheo Satae shouted as she scrambled backward.
"I believe I told you," Sun-woo said, his eyes fixed on her. "That I would extract it by force."
"The duel is already over! Are you saying you're going to torture me in this situation?!"
"I don't see why not."
"You are a pillar of the Orthodox Faction! How can you commit such a cruel and heartless act!"
Bulheo screamed in shock.
Torturing an Elder of the Emei Sect was something a rising star of the Orthodox Faction should never even consider, let alone do. How could he commit an act that only the wicked followers of the Demonic Cult would perform?
"Didn't I ask you? If you could take responsibility for the words you used to insult the Tang Clan. And you, Satae, clearly said you would."
"T-That...!"
"I intend to hold you to that responsibility. Please understand."
Having finished his piece, Sun-woo quickened his pace.
Step, step, step.
"W-Wait!"
Bulheo Satae shouted desperately, but it was useless. Before she knew it, Sun-woo was right in front of her.
"This is going to hurt a lot."
Sun-woo spoke with a cold smile. He rapidly circulated his internal energy.
Whirring!
Soon, a deep red energy began to coalesce in his palm.
It was the Scorching Poisonous Qi.
Let's make it a bit spicier.
Sun-woo mixed the toxins within him, making the concentration of the Scorching Poison even denser. The red energy in his palm deepened in color.
Whoosh!
Thud!
He thrust his Poison Palm forward, striking her squarely in the chest.
"Aaaagh!"
Bulheo Satae screamed as she took the hit directly. A terrifying amount of poisonous qi surged into her body through the strike.
She tried to circulate her Guanyin Nine-Yin Divine Art, but it was futile. The poison spread far too quickly.
The poison that entered through Sun-woo’s hand blanketed her entire body before she could even move her internal energy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"
Covered in poison, Bulheo Satae began to scream in agony once more. An incomprehensible, overwhelming pain assaulted her.
Thump.
She collapsed onto the ground, her body twisting and writhing in a desperate struggle against the pain.
"Haaaaagh! Haaaaagh!"
It hurt. It hurt far too much.
The sensation of her entire body burning passed through her skin, through her bones, and seemed to reach her very organs.
Would jumping into a pit of fire feel like this? Would jumping into the lava of a massive volcano feel like this? Would jumping into the scorching sun feel like this?
She didn't know. She had never experienced any of those things.
But she was certain of one thing: the pain she was feeling now was worse than all of those combined.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!"
Tears began to pour from her eyes. She wailed and wailed, writhing in agony.
How long did she cry? By the time her tear ducts had run dry, she began to weep tears of blood. Her tear ducts had ruptured, and blood began to flow.
"AAAAAAAAGH!!"
Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.
She began to claw at the ground. She felt like she would go insane if she didn't vent the pain somehow. She clawed so hard that all her fingernails were torn off, leaving her fingertips a bloody mess.
Yet, she didn't stop. She realized that if she stopped now, her mind would snap completely.
She regretted it.
She regretted challenging Sun-woo.
She regretted her arrogance.
She regretted not kneeling before him earlier.
She regretted saying she would take responsibility.
"KYAAAAAAAAGH!"
Amidst her regrets, she screamed even louder, praying for the pain to end.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed in that agonizing struggle?
She felt the poisonous qi that had blanketed her body slowly begin to withdraw. The poison that had spread from her fingertips to her toes began to move slowly through her acupoints.
Though the process itself was excruciatingly painful, she didn't care. She knew well that the poison was being extracted.
She began to weep tears of blood once more.
A sense of gratitude toward him welled up—gratitude for forgiving a piece of trash like her, someone so arrogant and misguided.
"Hau... uuuh... ah... uu..."
Her voice wouldn't even come out, likely because her vocal cords were damaged, but she still expressed her thanks to Sun-woo.
Thank you for taking the poison out.
Thank you for forgiving me.
As soon as the last of the poison was gone, she went limp. The poison, which hadn't even allowed her the mercy of fainting, was gone, and she lost consciousness immediately.
A bright, happy smile was etched onto her lips.
*
She fainted again.
Sun-woo clicked his tongue as he looked down at the unconscious Bulheo Satae. He wanted to get the apology over with so he could go to sleep, but her constant fainting was starting to annoy him.
Sun-woo approached her, grabbed her pulse point, and funneled his internal energy into her.
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi within Sun-woo’s body moved slowly through her pulse point and began to circulate through her entire system.
Hummmmmm.
The acupoints that had been ravaged by the Scorching Poison began to slowly repair themselves. Her shredded meridians gradually healed, and her cracked dantian began to knit back together.
After some time, her ragged, heavy breathing began to stabilize.
Seeing this, Sun-woo slowly let go of her wrist. It looked like she would wake up soon.
Sun-woo stood up and waited for her to regain consciousness.
A short while later...
"Ugh..."
She groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
"Are you awake?" Sun-woo asked, looking down at her.
"Hieeeek!"
At the sound of Sun-woo’s voice, Bulheo Satae flinched in terror and curled into a ball.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Then, she threw herself flat on the ground and began to slam her head against the floor.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Please spare me! Please spare me! No, you can even kill me! Just please, never let me feel that pain again! Please!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Blood poured from her forehead as she slammed it into the ground. Her forehead had likely split open against the hard floor.
But she didn't care. She just begged and begged Sun-woo.
Wait.
Sun-woo was genuinely flustered by the sight. He had never imagined the "medicine" would work this well.
What happened?
He had only increased the concentration slightly more than what he'd used on Joo So-yang, but the reaction was far more extreme than expected.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Bulheo Satae’s head-banging grew even faster. Since Sun-woo hadn't responded, she felt her sincerity was lacking. Blood splattered, and skin began to peel away. If she kept this up much longer, her white skull would surely become visible.
"S-Stop!"
Sun-woo hurriedly stopped her. All he wanted was for the arrogant woman to bow her head once, not for her to bash her brains out and die.
As soon as Sun-woo intervened, she stopped her self-mutilation instantly.
Phew.
Only then did Sun-woo let out a sigh of relief. It seemed she wouldn't be slamming her head anymore.
"Stand up."
Spring!
At Sun-woo’s command, Bulheo Satae stood up immediately. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in her movement.
"I will consider the apology accepted."
Sun-woo spoke in a calm voice as he looked at her. He felt this was more than enough.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Bulheo Satae bowed her waist over and over again, thanking him for his forgiveness.
Sun-woo watched her with a complicated expression. Just how incredible was the effect of the Scorching Poison that it could break even this stubborn nun?
Sun-woo shook his head. He felt like he should probably refrain from using the Scorching Poison in the future.
"We will keep today's events a secret. It wouldn't do either of us any good if this got out."
"Of course! I will never, ever speak of this to anyone!"
She vowed to Sun-woo with resolute determination.
Sun-woo scratched his head at her attitude. He wondered if a human being could really change this much in such a short amount of time.
But he soon nodded. Even though she had suffered like a dog, the result was good. Now that he had "fixed" her, she wouldn't be picking fights or getting on his nerves anymore.
"Then, I'll be going."
Sun-woo turned around and began to walk away. He didn't particularly want to stay with her any longer. He was also quite sleepy.
Bulheo Satae just watched Sun-woo’s retreating back in silence.
Once Sun-woo had disappeared from her sight, her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. The terror she had been suppressing came flooding back.
"Haa... haa... haa... haa..."
She began to pant heavily. Just thinking about it made her feel as if the agonizing pain was tightening its grip on her body again.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Her heart began to race madly.
She was terrified. Her heart beat faster and faster at the primal fear she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
Regret washed over her—why had she ever opposed such a monster? And fear followed—if he was this much of a monster, how strong must his master, the Poison King, be?
She regretted it deeply. Like a newborn pup that didn't know to fear the tiger, she had made an enemy of the Tang Clan.
Her eyes were filled with nothing but absolute regret.