Chapter 236: I Definitely Need to Hit Him More.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 236: I Definitely Need to Hit Him More.
"Tell me."
Seol-hyang looked at Cheongsu, her voice chillingly cold.
"Who did you say slept with whom?"
Her tone was so frigid it felt as if she had brought the Bitter Cold Northern Wind itself into the room.
Gulp.
Hearing her icy words, Cheongsu involuntarily swallowed hard.
"…What… do you mean…"
Cheongsu steadied his trembling voice and spoke slowly.
His plan, for now, was to play dumb.
"No need to play dumb. I heard everything."
"…Heard what?"
"Didn't you say Young Master Jang and I slept together?"
"N-no! I didn't mean you slept together, I meant—"
Cheongsu shouted in a panic at her blunt phrasing.
He was utterly bewildered. How could a disciple of the Emei Sect—women known for looking at men as if they were mere stones—speak so explicitly?
"That’s strange. It certainly sounded like that was your intention."
Hearing his denial, Seol-hyang let out a cold smile and continued.
"Didn't you call it 'lewd conduct'?"
"…Well… lewd conduct doesn't necessarily mean sleeping together…"
Cheongsu stammered out a pathetic excuse.
"Bullshit."
Seol-hyang cut him off instantly. She decided his excuses weren't even worth listening to.
Whoosh!
As soon as she finished speaking, she swung her hand.
Slap!
With a crisp sound, Cheongsu’s head snapped to the side.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Cheongsu, having been slapped out of nowhere, shouted in shock. What was this sudden, senseless violence?
Slap!
Seol-hyang struck his other cheek.
Snap!
This time, his head snapped in the opposite direction.
"What do you think you're—"
Slap!
After being slapped several times, Cheongsu felt a surge of rage. How could a disciple of a prestigious sect resort to violence without even listening to a word he had to say?
Cheongsu focused his internal energy and quickly swept his hand forward.
Great strength surged into his palm, moving in a profound, intricate pattern. It was the Great Luo Loose Hand, a signature technique of the Qingcheng Sect.
"You bitch!!!"
Cheongsu roared as he unleashed the Great Luo Loose Hand. His hand was fueled by fury. He intended to slap her right back.
Thud.
Unfortunately, his Great Luo Loose Hand failed to reach its target.
Seol-hyang caught his hand with ease and twisted it. It was the Golden Peak Nine Styles, one of Emei’s specialized grappling techniques.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Cheongsu screamed as his arm was wrenched back. An excruciating pain surged through him.
Creeeak.
"What should I do with this naughty hand?"
Seol-hyang asked with a bright smile while still pinning his arm. Hearing her words, Cheongsu began to feel a primal fear. He was terrified that she might actually snap his arm off.
No… she wouldn't… surely… she wouldn't…
He shook his head, trying desperately to deny the possibility. There was no way she would break it completely. The arm she was holding was his right arm—the most vital limb for a swordsman. If it broke here, he would suffer an injury that would require months of recuperation.
It couldn't happen. No matter what he had done wrong, he was a valuable asset who had reached the Peak Realm. They wouldn't discard such a powerful martial artist over a mere spat with a maidservant.
Crunch!
"Kuaaaaaaaaagh!"
Contrary to his expectations, Seol-hyang began to twist his already contorted arm even further.
Grind!
"Stooooop!!!! Stop it!"
The distinct sound of bone and sinew being wrenched apart echoed in his ears. That sound brought Cheongsu an unparalleled sense of horror.
Snap!
It happened then.
A sound entirely different from the previous twisting noises rang out. Suddenly, his arm felt strangely free.
Cheongsu realized it instantly. This crazy woman had completely snapped his arm.
"Guaaaaaagh!"
Cheongsu let out a horrific scream. The moment he realized his arm was broken, an overwhelming wave of agony crashed over him.
It hurt. It hurt far too much. It was a level of pain he hadn't known existed in this world.
"Oh dear… did that hurt?"
As he writhed in agony, Seol-hyang’s voice drifted down to him.
Her tone was incredibly playful, and that playfulness terrified Cheongsu even more. To act like that after breaking a man's arm—it was impossible not to be afraid.
"Ugh… aaah… hhh…"
Cheongsu could only mumble incoherently, unable to speak through the extreme pain.
"That’s why you should have watched your tongue."
Seol-hyang looked down at him and smiled brightly. It seemed her anger had finally subsided a little.
"I don't care if you insult me. But I will never forgive you for dragging my sect and the people around me into it."
She continued in a firm, resolute voice.
"It hurts, doesn't it? I'm sure it does… but you know, Young Master Jang, who was slandered by your wagging tongue, must hurt even more. How could you frame a man who already has a fiancée like that?"
As Seol-hyang spoke, she felt her anger rising again. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became.
"This won't do."
Having said her piece, she lunged her hand toward Cheongsu’s cheek.
Slap!
With a sharp crack, his head snapped back again.
"I definitely need to hit him more."
Slap!
"Ugh!"
Cheongsu screamed at the burning pain on his cheek.
Slap!
"Kuh-heeeek!"
His cheeks swelled up like balloons, and soon the skin began to split. Raw, red flesh was exposed where the skin had torn.
Slap!
"…St-stop!"
Cheongsu pleaded with her. Being hit again on the torn skin sent a maddening surge of pain through his body.
Slap!
"…Please…"
Slap!
Despite his pleas, Seol-hyang’s hand showed no sign of stopping.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
How much time had passed?
Seol-hyang’s hand finally stopped only after Cheongsu’s entire face was covered in blood.
Stopping her assault, Seol-hyang looked at her palm. Her fair hand was stained dark with Cheongsu’s blood.
"Ugh, it got everywhere."
Seeing the blood on her hand, Seol-hyang slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.
Swish, swish.
She immediately began to flick her hand through the air to shake off the blood.
Flinch.
Cheongsu’s body jerked in terror. He had grown so frightened that he flinched just from her waving her hand.
"Um… Senior Sister…"
At that moment, Un-hye, who had been standing behind Cheongsu, spoke up.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Is it really okay to leave him like this?"
Un-hye pointed a finger at Cheongsu.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Seol-hyang replied as if it were no big deal.
"But he’s a third-generation disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Now that you've made him like this, Qingcheng definitely won't let this slide."
Un-hye’s face hardened with worry.
"Junior Sister."
Seol-hyang looked at her with a serious expression.
"Don't worry. Emei won't let it slide either."
"What?"
"It means the war has already begun."
Seol-hyang continued with a cold smile.
"W-war!?"
Un-hye looked bewildered. What did she mean, a war had begun?
"Yes, war."
Seol-hyang’s expression turned grim.
"Emei was insulted because of that man's wagging tongue. You don't think we can just overlook that, do you?"
"…What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to make this public."
Seol-hyang replied in a calm tone.
"If you do that, you'll become the subject of gossip."
Un-hye looked pained. If this matter was made public, Seol-hyang would be the one everyone talked about. Her name would be dragged through the mud by countless people.
"I don't care. What matters to me right now is restoring Emei's honor."
"Are you really going to be okay?"
Un-hye asked again, wondering if she was truly alright or just pretending to be.
"This happened because of me. It's my responsibility to clean up the mess."
Seol-hyang spoke with a composed face.
Technically, it was her fault for not behaving more carefully. Of course, the man who used that as an excuse to blabber and spread false rumors was more to blame, but she wasn't entirely blameless either.
Though she had been looking for any opportunity to leave the sect, she was still a disciple of Emei. She didn't want to see the honor of the place where she had spent half her life tarnished. So, she intended to take the lead and resolve it, even if it meant her own reputation would be shredded by gossip.
"…Senior Sister."
Un-hye looked at Seol-hyang with sad eyes. If this became public, Seol-hyang wouldn't escape punishment. She was in a position where her every action reflected the sect's honor. If it became known that she had spent the night with a man who had a fiancée, the old-fashioned leadership of Emei would not stay quiet.
Un-hye’s gaze grew even more intense.
"Don't look at me like that. This is my choice."
Perhaps feeling burdened by the gaze, Seol-hyang shrugged her shoulders.
"But…"
"I told you, I'm really fine. Besides, I'll get enough of my frustration out, so it's okay."
Seol-hyang waved her off.
"Huh? Get your frustration out?"
Un-hye felt a sense of dissonance. What did she mean by getting her frustration out?
"Like this."
Crunch!
"Kuaaaaaaaaagh!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Seol-hyang grabbed Cheongsu’s left arm and snapped it.
"Senior Sister! What are you doing?!"
Un-hye cried out, shocked by the sudden action. What on earth was she doing to a man whose arm was already broken and whose face was a bloody mess?
"Well… I thought about it, and wouldn't it be awkward if only one arm was broken?"
"How is that awkward?! If his right arm is broken, he has to use his left!"
Un-hye argued back, her voice rising at Seol-hyang’s nonsensical excuse. What kind of crazy woman breaks both arms just to "balance things out"?
"If someone who has used their right hand their whole life suddenly has to use their left, think of how awkward that would be. I'm just breaking both so he can cleanly become someone who needs to be waited on hand and foot."
"Don't lie! You just said it was to get your frustration out!"
Un-hye shouted, refuting Seol-hyang’s shameless excuse.
"Hehe, you caught me."
Finding nothing to say in response, Seol-hyang gave a sheepish grin.
"Anyway, Emei and Qingcheng are going to war, and this guy deserves to die, so what's the harm in breaking him a little more?"
"Senior Sister! We are Buddhists who spread the Dharma! How can a Buddhist commit such a cruel act!"
Un-hye raised her voice. How could a follower of the Buddha torture someone who was already defenseless? It was unthinkable.
"It's fine. For a piece of shit like this, even the Buddha would pat me on the back and say I did a good job."
"There's no way he'd do that!"
Un-hye shook her head vigorously.
"…Really? I can't?"
Seol-hyang asked with a pout.
"No!"
"Really, really?"
"Really, really no!"
"Really, really, really…"
"Stop it!"
Angered by the continued playfulness, Un-hye shouted. How could she joke in such a serious situation?
"Fine, fine."
As Un-hye’s voice grew louder, Seol-hyang let go of Cheongsu’s arm.
"Whew."
Seeing this, Un-hye let out a sigh of relief. The man’s arm was already broken and his face was ruined. Moreover, he seemed to have lost all will to fight, as he was simply shivering instead of resisting. If she used more violence on him, many would criticize Emei.
"Then I'll end it with this."
Seol-hyang infused her leg with internal energy and kicked Cheongsu squarely in the Dantian.
Thud!
"Guh-huuuk!"
Cheongsu let out a scream of pure agony.
"KYAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!"
It was a pain incomparable to anything he had felt so far.
"S-Senior Sister!"
Startled by the sudden move, Un-hye hurriedly called out.
"This much is fine, right?"
Seol-hyang asked with a bright smile.
"This is already more than enough trouble!"
Un-hye practically screamed.
"If this gets out, everyone will curse Emei!"
"It's okay. As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will know."
"What about his mouth?!"
"That’s fine too. No one is going to believe a word he says."
Seol-hyang spoke with absolute certainty.
"What!?"
Un-hye looked confused. What did that mean?
"It might take decades to build trust, but a single moment is enough to destroy it."
Seol-hyang continued with a cold smile.
"Today, I intend to destroy every bit of trust this man has ever built. So, you have to cooperate with me. Got it?"
Seol-hyang finished, looking at Un-hye with a beaming face.
Un-hye gave a slow, hesitant nod.