Chapter 324: Taking Hostages
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 324: Taking Hostages
"Please, you must evacuate!"
Un-hye spoke, looking at the elderly woman with a frustrated expression.
"...What’d you say?"
The old woman cupped a hand to her ear as if she couldn't hear well.
"I! Said! You! Need! To! E-vac-u-ate!"
Thump.
Suddenly, the old woman rapped Un-hye on the head with her fist and shouted.
"I'm not deaf!"
"Ow... Grandma, you really have to leave!"
Rubbing her head where she’d been struck, Un-hye tried to continue.
"What’d you say?"
But the old woman only asked again.
"Ugh, forget it!"
Losing her patience, Un-hye simply picked the old woman up and tucked her under her arm.
"What in the world! What are you doing?!"
Caught off guard by being suddenly hoisted up, the old woman shrieked in panic.
"You're not my type! I've got no interest in women with shaved heads!"
"Neither do I!"
Un-hye snapped back, her voice rising in irritation. She was trying to save the woman's life, and this was the nonsense she had to deal with?
"Aigo! Husband! Look at this! The chastity I’ve kept so faithfully since you died is about to be stolen by a bald girl!"
The old woman wailed toward the sky as if she were being deeply wronged. Un-hye furrowed her fine brows as she looked at her.
Should I just knock her out?
The wicked thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head. No matter how annoying the old woman was, Un-hye was a disciple of the Emei Sect. How could she lay rough hands on a commoner?
"Neighbors, come out and see! There’s a bald rapist right here!"
Still held in Un-hye’s arms, the old woman screamed toward the empty air again.
"Urgh!"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Unable to take it anymore, Un-hye quickly struck the old woman’s Sleep-Inducing Pressure Point.
"Zzzzz..."
The old woman immediately began to snore, falling fast asleep.
"Whew."
Only then did Un-hye let out a sigh of relief. She began to move quickly. The situation was already dire, and she had wasted far too much time dealing with the old woman. She had to move fast to make up for it.
Dash. Dash.
"Evacuate! We're under attack!"
Un-hye shouted as she ran through the village with the old woman on her back, trying to ensure as many people as possible made it to safety.
After some time had passed, the once-bustling village fell silent. It was as if no one was left. Everyone had likely evacuated.
"Phew."
Un-hye sighed, finally feeling a sense of relief. It seemed there was no one left in the village except for the old woman on her back.
Time to move.
Un-hye turned toward the North Sea Ice Palace and began to run at full speed to deliver the last evacuee. Her figure blurred as she shot forward.
*
After a while, Un-hye reached the central area where the Ice Palace was located.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Stopping right in front of the palace, she gasped for breath. She had pushed herself too hard in her haste.
Why does it have to be so far?
She complained inwardly while catching her breath. The Ice Palace, situated in the center, was quite a distance from the village. While the village was only about an il-gak from the main gates, the palace required nearly half a shijin of non-stop running to reach.
Un-hye was frustrated by this. If the palace had been closer to the village, she wouldn't have had to struggle so much. Grumbling to herself, she stepped inside. As she entered, the grand marble facade of the Ice Palace came into view.
Wow.
She couldn't help but marvel. Though she had seen it the day before, its beauty was still breathtaking.
Clack. Clack.
Un-hye began to walk across the marble floors of the palace.
Clack. Clack.
After walking for a while, a sense of unease began to creep over her. The interior of the palace was quiet—far too quiet.
What's going on?
She and the other Emei disciples had supposedly evacuated all the villagers into the palace. Even if the village was small, there should have been at least several hundred people. Yet the palace, which should have been crowded, was as silent as a grave.
It was impossible not to feel suspicious.
Gulp.
Tension flickered in Un-hye’s eyes. She worried that something might have happened. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought as impossible.
She was the last person to check the village for stragglers. That meant all the other Emei disciples were already gathered here—dozens of first-class and second-class experts, along with Bulheo Satae, the greatest master of Emei.
What could possibly have happened? They were likely just staying quiet in the designated shelter.
Un-hye tried to push down her anxiety as she moved forward. Soon, the entrance to the Great Hall, which had been designated as the refuge, came into view. Her face brightened.
Click.
She hurried to the door and grabbed the handle.
Creeeeeak.
As she slowly pushed the door open, the old hinges groaned, and the entrance swung wide.
"I'm back—"
The moment the door was fully open, Un-hye started to announce her arrival. Or rather, she tried to. But the words died in her throat when she saw the person lying on the floor, drenched in blood.
"......"
Un-hye was momentarily speechless. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The greatest expert of Emei, a woman who could rival even the Sect Leader... her respected sago, who had reached the exalted Upper Stage of the Super-Peak Realm at the age of forty... was lying motionless on the cold floor, covered in blood.
She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. How could Bulheo Satae be sprawled on the cold ground like that? And in such a bloody state?
Un-hye stared blankly at the surreal scene.
"Ta-da!"
Suddenly, a playful voice broke through her shock.
Flinch.
Snapping back to her senses, Un-hye whipped her head around. There, she saw a man looking at her with a deeply sinister smile.
"You're finally here, aren't you? You cute little thing."
The man spoke, his smile oozing with grease.
Shiver.
Meeting that smile sent a chill down Un-hye’s spine.
"Who... who are you?" she managed to squeeze out, her voice trembling.
"Me? Who do you think?"
The man’s smile grew even more predatory at her question.
"I... I don't know."
Un-hye shook her head. She couldn't imagine who this man was, why he was here, or why he was looking at her with such a revolting grin.
"If you don't know, I suppose I should tell you."
The man’s lips curled into a smirk.
"My name is Ju Do-san."
His eyes glinted with a murderous light as he continued.
"The world calls me the Evil Demon."
At those words, Un-hye’s face turned deathly pale.
*
"The... the Evil Demon!"
Un-hye cried out in shock. Her entire body began to shake with terror.
"Hehehe, you look like a little chick when you're scared."
The Evil Demon spoke with a playful grin, as if he found her reaction adorable.
"I don't treat women poorly. Especially not small, cute ones like you."
He scanned Un-hye with a lecherous gaze.
Shudder.
Under his gaze, Un-hye felt as if snakes were crawling all over her skin.
"Even the way you tremble is lovely."
The Evil Demon continued to spout sweet words that were nothing short of horrific to Un-hye’s ears.
"Did... did you do this to my Master?"
Un-hye finally managed to find the courage to speak.
"Master? You mean this woman lying here?"
Thud.
The Evil Demon kicked the unconscious Bulheo Satae.
"Ugh...!"
Perhaps feeling the pain even in her unconscious state, Bulheo Satae let out a low groan.
"Master!"
Un-hye screamed, her heart clenching for her senior.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted, emboldened by her anger at his brutality.
"I didn't like her," the Evil Demon replied nonchalantly. "How could I be in a good mood when some old hag tried to stand against me?"
"What... what did you say?!"
"But I feel much better now. Because I met you."
The Evil Demon looked at Un-hye with a disgusting smile.
"You're beautiful. The most beautiful of all the baldies I've ever seen."
Step. Step.
He began to walk toward her.
"You're a virgin, aren't you? No, you definitely are. I can smell it... I have a very sensitive nose when it comes to tracking down virgins."
He spoke with a face flushed with excitement.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!"
Un-hye’s face turned bright red with embarrassment and shock at his blatant words.
"Most of you Emei women are virgins, it seems."
The Evil Demon licked his lips.
Shiver.
The sight was so repulsive and terrifying that Un-hye felt a chill run down her spine.
Step. Step.
The Evil Demon quickened his pace until he was standing right in front of her.
Stroke.
He reached out and slowly stroked her peach-colored cheek.
"Haah... wonderful... You are definitely a virgin in Mind, Body, and Technique."
"......"
Un-hye trembled violently, staring at the man who was whispering such skin-crawling things.
"Ah... ah... I'm getting hard..."
The Evil Demon began to rub his throbbing crotch against Un-hye’s arm. Tears began to well in her eyes from the sheer shame of the filthy sensation.
"Don't cry. Seeing you cry only makes me want to fuck you more. Hehehe."
Seeing her tears, the Evil Demon’s excitement seemed to peak, and he let out a low chuckle.
"That's enough."
A calm voice suddenly reached the Evil Demon’s ears from behind.
Scowl.
The Evil Demon’s expression crumpled into a frown. He turned his head to glare at the speaker.
Standing there was a man with a rugged, rock-solid face. It was Kang-pae, Lee Yeon’s subordinate and the second-in-command of the Northern Army.
"What's your problem?!" the Evil Demon snapped at Kang-pae.
"Save that nonsense for after the mission is complete."
"I wasn't going to do anything!"
"Weren't you just thrusting your filthy crotch at her?"
"I didn't put it in, did I?"
"If you had, I would have cut your head off right then and there."
"What?!"
"How can I stand by while you disobey the General's orders?"
"I am not Lee Yeon’s subordinate!"
"No, from the moment you agreed to be in the same boat, you became the General's subordinate."
"You...!"
The Evil Demon shouted, his voice rising in fury. Who did this man think he was calling a subordinate?
"Save those petty urges for when everything is over. The Ice Palace will be yours eventually. Why are you acting like a madman already?"
"I haven't had any in a month!" the Evil Demon complained.
Kang-pae looked at him with a stoic expression. "One more day won't kill you."
"You wooden bastard!"
The Evil Demon spat out a curse. To him, this man seemed utterly incapable of understanding human emotion or pleasure.
"Anyway, we've captured the Ice Palace as planned. We'll take a few hostages and head to the city gate."
Kang-pae spoke with his usual calm.
"Go by yourself. I'm staying here to guard this place," the Evil Demon said shamelessly.
"I'd sooner lend money to a gambler."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means stop talking bullshit. Your subordinates are more than enough to guard the palace. You are coming with me to the gate."
"That's ridiculous! Do you know how crazy the Demon Troops are? If I'm not here to control them, they'll ravage every woman and kill every man in this place!"
The Evil Demon shouted, showing he didn't have a shred of trust in his own men.
Kang-pae furrowed his brow. It was a headache trying to communicate with a madman who thought of nothing but sex.
"Then make them a promise."
"What promise?"
"Tell them that once the job is done, each of them can choose any woman they want."
"No way! All the virgins are mine!" the Evil Demon roared.
"Then are you prepared to lose everything? If you won't come to the gate, I'll settle this with a duel to the death right here. Can you handle that?"
"......"
The Evil Demon fell silent at Kang-pae’s question. He didn't want to cause a problem with him unnecessarily.
"Dammit!"
Cursing, the Evil Demon walked over to his Demon Troops. He made them a deal: if everything went according to plan, he would let each man have one virgin. However, if even one of them touched a woman before then, they would lose not just the girl, but an arm as well.
The members of the Demon Troops cheered at his words. With a heavy heart, the Evil Demon began to move toward the city gate with Kang-pae, bringing along those who would serve as hostages.