Chapter 347: A Battle of Wills-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 347: A Battle of Wills-1
"I’m asking you. Do you want to die?"
Bukgung Yeon glared at Neung So-hwa with eyes full of killing intent as she spoke.
"Who in this world would ever wish for death!"
Neung So-hwa, who had been momentarily overwhelmed, quickly regained her composure and raised her voice in response.
"So you're saying you don't want to die?"
"That is correct!"
"Then why did you do something that warrants death?" Bukgung Yeon continued, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"What exactly have I done to deserve death!" Neung So-hwa snapped, her voice rising in indignation.
She couldn't understand it. What could she have possibly done to deserve being glared at with such murderous intensity?
"I heard you slept with Sun-woo?"
"I did!"
"That’s why you deserve to die."
"What kind of nonsense is that!"
"I happen to extremely dislike it when someone touches what belongs to me."
"And since when did Sun-woo belong to you!"
"Because I decided he does," Bukgung Yeon replied in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.
"I cannot accept that!" Neung So-hwa shook her head violently.
It was utterly incomprehensible to her. Sun-woo belonged to her. He was hers and hers alone.
"I don't need your acceptance. I’ve made my decision, and I will act accordingly." Bukgung Yeon spoke with an expression of utter indifference. "So, get lost. You vulgar sow."
Bukgung Yeon spat out the venomous words, her gaze as piercing as a bitter cold northern wind. Her insults made Neung So-hwa’s blood boil.
"How dare you!" Neung So-hwa screamed, her face flushed with rage as she glared back.
She felt an unbearable sense of shame welling up inside her. Throughout her life, she had only ever heard refined and proper language. Even when she was serving as a general and capturing those plotting treason, she had never heard such filthy and vulgar words.
Yet today, she had been insulted with language that reached the very depths of vulgarity. How could she not be overcome with shame?
"And if I’m not finished?" Bukgung Yeon countered, her expression freezing.
"There is no need to say more! Your vulgar words aren't even worth listening to!"
"You're the vulgar one, aren't you? You sow."
"I am warning you. If you call me a whore one more time, I will not let it slide." Neung So-hwa warned in a chilling voice. It was a cold, suppressed fury, entirely different from her usual fiery temper.
"And what are you going to do if I don't let it slide? You slut."
Despite the warning, Bukgung Yeon spat out another harsh insult.
Whoosh!
At that moment, flames began to erupt from Neung So-hwa’s body.
"I have always thought this. You truly have no manners."
Fwoosh!
The flames rising from Neung So-hwa’s body grew even more intense.
"Until now, I was able to overlook it through my broad generosity. How could I find fault with someone so uneducated, living in a place where people struggle just to make ends meet?" Neung So-hwa spoke, her eyes smoldering as she glared at Bukgung Yeon. "But it seems I was mistaken. If someone lacks manners, they must be taught. I should not have consistently ignored it."
"You say the most amusing things. I’m uneducated?"
"It’s not as if you’re overflowing with learning, is it?" Neung So-hwa added mockingly.
"So you know how to be sarcastic too?"
"I am merely lowering myself to your pathetic level."
"Interesting." Bukgung Yeon let out a cold laugh.
Whirrrrrrr!
Simultaneously, a freezing snow wind began to swirl around her.
"Say that again. What did you say?"
"I said your level is utterly pathetic."
"The only thing pathetic here is your vulgar nature."
"I am not vulgar. I was merely whispering words of love to my lover. Though, I suppose someone like you, who has no lover, wouldn't understand."
"So, did the two of you get married or something?"
"............"
"A virgin who isn't even married is talking so vulgarly while shaking that big ass of hers? The Emperor would be saddened if he knew." Bukgung Yeon continued with a sneer.
"His Imperial Majesty has nothing to do with this!"
"How could he not? His granddaughter has become such a vulgar whore."
"You’ve finally crossed the line!"
"You were the one who crossed the line first, you vulgar girl!"
"You despicable woman!"
Fwoosh!
The flames blooming from Neung So-hwa’s body suddenly surged toward Bukgung Yeon.
Swaaaaaa!
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Bukgung Yeon snorted and countered by unleashing a blast of frigid energy.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted as the two opposing energies instantly neutralized each other. Being polar opposites, they seemed to vanish upon impact.
"Today, I shall teach you just how terrifying the crime of mockery is," Neung So-hwa said, her gaze burning with heat as she glared at Bukgung Yeon.
"Go ahead. I’m curious. How exactly do you plan to teach me?" Bukgung Yeon replied, her eyes icy as she stared back.
Enormous amounts of energy began to swirl around the two women.
"Stop it!"
At that moment, Sun-woo quickly stood up and stepped between them.
"What do you think you're doing!" Sun-woo shouted, his voice raised. What on earth was this sudden madness?
"Sun-woo! Did you not hear? That woman called me a whore!" Neung So-hwa appealed to Sun-woo, her expression full of grievance.
"That woman called me an uneducated bitch!" Bukgung Yeon also raised her voice, refusing to back down.
"I was merely stating the truth! If you were properly raised, you wouldn't be spitting out such low-class words so casually!"
"I was also just stating the truth. Who else but a whore would so blatantly seduce a man she isn't even married to?"
"I was whispering sweet nothings!"
"It might sound like that to you, but it certainly didn't to me."
"That is because you are uneducated!"
"See? She’s even resorting to personal attacks, just like the whore she is."
"You despicable woman!"
"Then don't associate with me!"
Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon began to bicker once again. Sun-woo felt a massive headache coming on. How could they start fighting again so soon after he tried to stop them?
"Both of you, stop!"
Sun-woo infused his voice with internal energy and roared. His shout echoed throughout the room.
"............"
"..........."
Hearing that shout, both Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon fell silent, startled by Sun-woo's sudden outburst.
"What do you think you're doing! Do I not even exist in your eyes?" Sun-woo spoke, his voice thick with anger. "Palace Master!"
Sun-woo glared at Bukgung Yeon as he continued.
"What kind of behavior is it to break down a locked door and barge in?"
"........I could hear that sow's voice from inside." Bukgung Yeon muttered, her voice shrinking.
"Even so, that is not how you handle things! You should have knocked and told us you could hear everything! Breaking the door down like that looks like nothing but an invitation to a fight!" Sun-woo spoke with an incredibly serious expression. "And calling So-hwa a sow! How can you use such foul language? So-hwa and I have shared our love. She is my woman. How can you disparage the sweet words whispered to a lover as something low-class? It’s nonsensical. It is incredibly rude."
Sun-woo continued, his tone brimming with irritation.
"................"
Hearing this, Bukgung Yeon fell into a quiet silence. Being treated so coldly by the man she liked made her lose her nerve.
"Furthermore, I am not an object. I am a human being with my own free will. Just because you've 'claimed' me, Palace Master, doesn't mean I become your property!"
".............."
At Sun-woo's words, Bukgung Yeon silently lowered her head.
Good! Keep going! Scold her more! Insult her even more!
Meanwhile, Neung So-hwa, who had been watching the scene, cheered Sun-woo on internally with a satisfied expression. She was feeling quite gratified. Seeing that cat-like woman lose her spirit and hang her head made her feel as if a ten-year-old blockage in her chest had finally cleared.
It was refreshing. So refreshing, in fact, that the snow wind Bukgung Yeon had conjured felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"And Neung So-hwa!"
Then, Sun-woo’s sharp voice pierced her ears.
"You’re a problem too!"
"What... what problem could I possibly be!" Startled by Sun-woo's sudden call, Neung So-hwa quickly raised her voice.
"No matter how angry you are, calling someone an uneducated bitch?"
"That woman called me vulgar first!"
"That’s no reason for you to insult her back!"
"That woman even brought up His Imperial Majesty!" Neung So-hwa cried out in frustration. No matter how vulgar someone was, bringing up family was crossing the line, wasn't it?
"But if you respond like that, you're no better than she is."
"..........."
Neung So-hwa fell silent. she realized that his words weren't entirely wrong. But she felt wronged. Wasn't Sun-woo hers? Wasn't he her lover? Then shouldn't he unconditionally take her side? Why was he taking the side of such an ignorant woman?
Teary-eyed.
Moisture began to gather in Neung So-hwa’s eyes. She felt deeply, deeply hurt.
"I want to rest. I don't want to watch you two fight. If you're going to keep fighting, get out."
Sun-woo spoke with an utterly serious expression. Feeling even more hurt by his attitude, Neung So-hwa finally burst into tears.
Drip.
"How... could you... hic... say such things... hic... to me... hic..." Neung So-hwa spoke through her sobs. "Shouldn't you... hic... unconditionally take my side!"
Neung So-hwa wept, intending to pour out all her hurt feelings.
"Crybaby."
...If only that irritating voice hadn't reached her ears.
"Ice block, do you want to die?" Neung So-hwa spat out in a sharp voice after hearing Bukgung Yeon’s mockery.
"Should I call you something else then? How about 'spoiled brat'?"
"I am not a child!"
"You look like a three-year-old to me," Bukgung Yeon added sarcastically.
"Bukgung Yeon." Neung So-hwa spoke in an infinitely cold tone. "This is my final warning. Do not provoke me any further. If you do, I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself."
"You stupid girl who thinks crying solves everything."
Boom!
Neung So-hwa lunged at Bukgung Yeon, thrusting forward a palm filled with intense heat. It was the Super Heat Extreme Flame Palm, a technique of the Extreme Yang Flame Emperor Demonic Art.
Seeing this, Bukgung Yeon also thrust forward a palm, gathering a massive amount of frigid energy.
"Bukgung Yeon!!!!!"
It was the Ice White Divine Palm, a secret technique of the Haneum Ice Soul Divine Art and a hidden treasure of the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Neung So-hwa!!!"
KABOOM!
The two women's palms collided, and a thunderous roar erupted simultaneously.
'Ah, fuck.'
Watching this, Sun-woo cursed inwardly. He realized that no matter what he said, they weren't going to listen.
Thud.
'Fine, fight. Just fight.'
Sun-woo sat down, looking completely defeated. He didn't even feel like trying to stop them anymore. Furniture flew through the air, and immense energies were unleashed, turning the room into a total disaster.
"What do you think you're doing right now!"
Just then, a very sharp voice rang out from outside.
Freeze.
Stop.
Hearing that voice, Bukgung Yeon and Neung So-hwa instantly halted their mid-strike palms. They slowly turned their heads toward the door.
There stood a very angry-looking Seol-hyang.
"Sisters! What are you doing!"
"This woman insulted me!"
"I was only stating the truth!"
Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon pointed at each other, making excuses.
"I don't care about your personal emotional squabbles. What matters is why you're fighting here," Seol-hyang said in a firm, clear voice. "Didn't I clearly say? Brother Sun-woo is trying to rest, so please be considerate. Is this your idea of consideration?"
".............."
".............."
Hearing her words, Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon shut their mouths. They had nothing to say.
"Look at the mess you've made. How is Brother supposed to rest properly in this?" Seol-hyang continued, looking around the room.
Following her gaze, Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon also glanced around. The room was indeed a wreck, just as Seol-hyang said. The floor, ceiling, and walls, not to mention all the furniture, were clearly burned or smashed. It was evidence of the violent struggle that had taken place.
"................."
"................"
The two women hung their heads low. They realized the situation was more serious than they had thought.
"If you're going to fight, don't do it here. Go out to the empty lot and fight there. Stop bothering Brother."
Seol-hyang spoke in a sharp, scolding tone. The two women nodded slightly in agreement. They felt that she was right—they had been inconsiderate of Sun-woo.
Step, step.
Thud, thud.
The two women gave Sun-woo a slight bow and began to head outside, still glaring at each other with smoldering eyes.
Sun-woo watched them go, his mouth hanging open in surprise. He never imagined that Seol-hyang could subdue those fierce women with just words.
Suddenly, Seol-hyang seemed quite impressive.