Chapter 398: The Demotion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 398: The Demotion
"Sinner Kang Ha-yoon, hear my words!"
Lee Jae-won shouted, his eyes wide with authority.
"Despite your exalted status as the Phoenix Hall Master of the Cheonmu Alliance, you have tarnished the Alliance's honor with your disgraceful conduct. Furthermore, you have inflicted injuries upon the Law Enforcement Hall Master, who upholds and executes our laws, and caused permanent damage to Gal Ji-cheon, the Master of the White Tiger Hall, which has long served as the Alliance's primary martial force. This is a blatant disregard for the solemn Alliance Law, and it has been determined that you deserve a severe punishment."
Lee Jae-won glared at Kang Ha-yoon with a sharp gaze before continuing.
"Ordinarily, it would be proper to imprison you for attempted murder, assault, battery, destruction of property, and defamation, along with bribery. However, the Alliance is currently desperate for masters. The Sword Emperor, Yang Tae-san, has been murdered, and the Sword King, Gal Ji-cheon, has been crippled. In such a situation, leaving a combat asset like the Phoenix Hall Master to rot in a cell would be ill-suited for the times. Therefore, I have decided it is more appropriate to alter your sentence to something more beneficial to the Alliance."
Lee Jae-won continued in a calm tone.
"For the next twenty years, you shall work for the Alliance without pay. Should a war with the Demonic Cult break out, you will stand at the absolute front as the vanguard, and unless you suffer a wound as severe as a lost limb, you shall never be permitted to retreat! Do you have any objections?"
"…I am merely grateful that you have spared my life."
Kang Ha-yoon replied calmly to Lee Jae-won’s words.
She believed Lee Jae-won had been generous. While the charges of bribery and abuse of power might have been fabrications, she had undeniably committed the other crimes. She had ended Gal Ji-cheon’s life as a martial artist by crippling him—the leader of the White Tiger Hall, a core force of the Alliance—and she had leveled two pavilions, which were Alliance property.
Damage to buildings could be settled with compensation, but crippling Gal Ji-cheon was a grave sin. It was said that a martial artist valued their martial arts more than their own life. To render him unable to ever use his skills again—especially skills at the Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm—was no small matter. She wouldn't have been able to complain even if she were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Thus, when the sentence was commuted to unpaid labor, she felt thankful for the leniency. She thought that, despite his coldness, he was looking out for her as his wife.
Or he really is just that desperate for military strength.
Kang Ha-yoon accepted the punishment with a stoic expression.
"Good! From this moment forward, you are no longer the Phoenix Hall Master, Kang Ha-yoon! You shall serve the Alliance as the sinner, Kang Ha-yoon!"
Lee Jae-won spoke with a dignified air.
"I shall follow your command humbly."
Kang Ha-yoon lowered her head slightly.
"Then, sinner Kang Ha-yoon, listen! As the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, I give you your first command!"
Lee Jae-won raised his voice, looking at her with a majestic expression.
"Tomorrow, you are to take the severely injured White Tiger Hall Master, Gal Ji-cheon, and depart for the Tang Clan! If it is the Sichuan Tang Clan, known as the greatest medical sect under heaven, they may have a way to treat him. You shall guard him until he is healed and use that time to reflect on your misdeeds!"
"I accept your command."
Kang Ha-yoon bowed deeply in response. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in her attitude.
Lee Jae-won watched her with a satisfied expression. Seeing this incredibly stiff and proud woman bow her head in submission gave him an inexplicable sense of pleasure.
Ah… is this what they call catharsis?
She was a woman who had always held her head high and barked back at him. Seeing her become so compliant brought him a sense of peace.
Well, I suppose even she didn't expect the White Tiger Hall Master to end up a cripple.
Lee Jae-won smirked inwardly. If it had only been about bribery and abuse of power, she wouldn't have been this submissive. She would have screamed about the injustice and demanded a correction. But because of the "unfortunate incidents" that occurred during her arrest, she was in no position to speak. She had committed undeniable wrongs.
Heh heh, you dug your own grave, you stupid bitch.
Lee Jae-won chuckled incessantly to himself. It felt incredibly satisfying. Of course, he felt a bit sorry for Gal Ji-cheon, who had been crippled because of her, but it didn't matter. His sacrifice had broken Kang Ha-yoon’s spirit.
"Then, I declare this trial concluded."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a solemn face.
"Wait a moment!"
At that moment, Paeng Ga-ryeon, who had been watching the trial in silence, rushed forward and interrupted.
"What is it?"
Lee Jae-won asked, looking puzzled at Paeng Ga-ryeon, whose face was still swollen.
"I cannot accept this!"
She raised her voice in anger, expressing her opinion.
"What exactly can you not accept!?"
"Her punishment is far too light!"
"Light?"
"Yes!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued in a voice filled with rage.
"She ruthlessly assaulted me, the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, which protects and executes the laws of the Cheonmu Alliance, and she inflicted permanent damage on the Master of the White Tiger Hall. How can you let her off so easily after seeing this? It is preposterous!"
"I believe I made myself clear. Given the current state of affairs, I am commuting her sentence to unpaid labor."
"Even so, I cannot accept it! How can you leave a felon who exercised such ruthless violence so free!?"
"What is it you want?"
"I request that a restriction be placed upon her."
"A restriction?"
"I believe the reason she committed such mindless violence is because she has no consideration for the weak. I believe we should place a restriction on her so she can experience for herself what it feels like to be weak."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a confident tone.
"But if her internal energy is restricted, she will suffer quite a bit in many ways."
"That is exactly why the restriction must be applied. She needs the opportunity to reflect on herself through hardship. If the sinner Kang Ha-yoon is left unrestrained, another violent incident may occur. She won't repent otherwise. Therefore, her internal energy must be sealed, at least for the duration of her stay with the Tang Clan."
"Hmm."
Hearing her words, Lee Jae-won feigned a look of contemplation. It did seem to make sense. His goal from the start was to fix Kang Ha-yoon’s attitude. Right now, she was keeping her head down because of her crimes, but there was no telling when she might snap again. He thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her experience some hardship.
"That is reasonable. Indeed, as the Law Enforcement Hall Master says, it is inappropriate to leave someone who committed attempted murder completely free."
Lee Jae-won nodded and spoke.
"Sinner Kang Ha-yoon, listen. Your internal energy shall be restricted. You will have to attend to Gal Ji-cheon with nothing but your bare body, devoid of internal energy! Do you have any objections?"
"…I have none."
Kang Ha-yoon nodded slightly and replied.
"Good!"
Whoosh!
Thud, thud, thud.
Finger Wind flew from Lee Jae-won’s fingertips as he finished speaking.
"Ugh!"
The Finger Wind struck Kang Ha-yoon’s acupoints, delivering a significant shock to her system.
"Gah…"
Kang Ha-yoon let out a dry cough. She felt the strength suddenly drain from her body.
"From this moment on, your body is no different from that of an ordinary woman who has never learned martial arts. I hope you realize your wrongs through living the life of the weak."
"............"
Kang Ha-yoon remained silent at Lee Jae-won’s words.
Bang, bang, bang!
"With this, the trial is adjourned. Law Enforcement Hall warriors, untie Kang Ha-yoon’s ropes! And sinner Kang Ha-yoon, prepare to depart immediately!"
Lee Jae-won struck his gavel as he spoke.
"Understood!"
As soon as Lee Jae-won finished, everyone in the hall responded in unison. Lee Jae-won smiled inwardly at the sight.
Damn, I’m so charismatic.
He even impressed himself with how authoritative he felt.
*
Slither.
Kang Ha-yoon’s body was freed as the ropes were removed. The Law Enforcement Hall warriors had stepped forward to untie her.
Stand.
As soon as the ropes were off, Kang Ha-yoon stood up immediately. She didn't want to stay in the disgusting Law Enforcement Hall a moment longer.
"You're lucky."
At that moment, a nauseating voice rang in her ear. Kang Ha-yoon glanced toward the source of the voice. There stood Paeng Ga-ryeon, radiating murderous aura.
"You're the lucky one."
Kang Ha-yoon retorted with a cold expression.
"If it weren't for the White Tiger Hall Master, you would have been the one in that state."
Kang Ha-yoon glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon with murderous eyes. Her words were true. On the day the fight had escalated, Kang Ha-yoon had relentlessly targeted only Paeng Ga-ryeon to vent her frustration. Gal Ji-cheon had been injured while trying to protect her. If Gal Ji-cheon hadn't been there, it would have been Paeng Ga-ryeon who ended up a cripple.
Slap!
Paeng Ga-ryeon, who had closed the distance, suddenly struck Kang Ha-yoon across the cheek.
Snap.
Kang Ha-yoon’s head snapped to the side.
"Ah."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a dull sound of pain.
Slap!
Snap.
Her other cheek was struck, sending her head flying in the opposite direction. Paeng Ga-ryeon had slapped her again.
"How arrogant. What kind of nerve do you have when your internal energy is sealed?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a vile smirk.
Ptu.
Kang Ha-yoon spat blood-stained saliva directly onto Paeng Ga-ryeon’s face.
"Get lost."
She then glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon with a ferocious gaze.
"You really must want to die."
Paeng Ga-ryeon gathered her internal energy, her murderous aura intensifying.
"Do it if you can. I'm not sure you're even capable of it."
"Kang Ha-yoon, you're restricted right now. Do you still think you're some absolute master?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon reminded her of her situation. She felt that Kang Ha-yoon hadn't properly grasped reality.
"Even with my internal energy sealed, I'm not afraid of a bitch like you. Besides, you can't kill me anyway, can you?"
Kang Ha-yoon spoke in a calm tone.
"Is that so? Who knows? I might just lose my temper and kill you."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke, her killing intent thick.
"Unlikely. I am under the Alliance Leader's orders. Orders to escort the White Tiger Hall Master, Gal Ji-cheon, to the Tang Clan. If you kill me or cripple me here, I won't be able to carry out those orders, will I? Do you think the Alliance Leader will just sit by?"
"............"
"You've served the Alliance Leader for twenty years, so you should know. You know what he hates most. He'll think you've ignored him and he'll punish you. Very thoroughly. Is that what you want?"
"..........."
Kang Ha-yoon slowly raised her hand.
Pat, pat.
She began to stroke Paeng Ga-ryeon’s head.
"If you can't bite, don't bark. It just makes it obvious how weak you are."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a cold smile.
Smack.
Paeng Ga-ryeon roughly brushed Kang Ha-yoon’s hand away.
"You…! How… dare you!"
She trembled with rage, her body shaking. Kang Ha-yoon’s provocation had pushed her over the edge.
"Do you think I'll just let you be!?"
"Go ahead and try. The moment you hit me even once, I'm going to drop right here."
Kang Ha-yoon continued calmly.
"I'm not like you noble ladies who act all fake and pretentious. I'm perfectly willing to lie down, exaggerate my pain, and act dirty. So, unless you're actually going to kill me, don't come at me. You'll be the one getting bitten."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke as if giving a warning, then turned her back.
"I warned you. Clearly."
She then began to walk slowly toward the exit of the Law Enforcement Hall.
Grit.
Paeng Ga-ryeon ground her teeth, watching Kang Ha-yoon’s retreating back with eyes full of hatred.
Kang Ha-yoon! Kang Ha-yoon! GU HA-YOON!!!!
A terrifying murderous aura began to swirl in Paeng Ga-ryeon’s eyes.
*
"That rotten bitch."
Once outside the Law Enforcement Hall, Kang Ha-yoon touched her bruised cheeks. Although she had acted unfazed in front of Paeng Ga-ryeon, she was actually in considerable pain. There was no way it wouldn't hurt when a Super-Peak master like Paeng Ga-ryeon struck her with intent while her own internal energy was sealed.
At this rate, I might actually die.
Recalling Paeng Ga-ryeon’s reaction, Kang Ha-yoon fell into thought. She realized she might truly be killed. She had provoked Paeng Ga-ryeon as much as possible. She had beaten her face into a mess and subjected her to extreme humiliation in front of many people. The resentment against her must have piled up to an enormous degree.
What should I do?
Kang Ha-yoon was troubled. At this rate, she might be assassinated the moment she left the Cheonmu Alliance. No, Paeng Ga-ryeon would definitely send assassins to kill her. Knowing how vicious she was, it was a certainty.
She needed a way. A way to reach the Tang Clan safely.