Chapter 458: Showing the Captured Salhon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 458: Showing the Captured Salhon
Squeeze, squeeze.
Sun-woo began to knead Kang Ha-yoon’s breasts.
"Ah... stop touching them."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a coquettish whimper, sounding embarrassed. Even though he had been touching her like that all day, being fondled again made her feel shy.
"Do you hate it when I touch them, Ha-yoon?"
"It’s not that I... hate it... it’s just embarrassing..."
"This isn't my fault. It’s all your fault, Ha-yoon. They’re so big and soft... how could I possibly resist?"
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
"...You’re so mean."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a flushed face. His blatant groping seemed to have pushed her bashfulness to the limit.
"But... Sun-woo... it’s already been three days. Shouldn't we be heading back?"
Squeeze, knead.
"...Hmm, I don't want to go."
Sun-woo replied with a troubled expression.
"But we can't stay here forever. If we’re gone for too long, they might think I’ve run away..."
"...That’s true."
Sun-woo nodded in agreement. A significant amount of time had indeed passed. Initially, he had intended to leave as soon as his internal injuries were treated, but they had unintentionally spent their days like a honeymoon. If they delayed any further, there was no telling what kind of trouble might arise.
"Besides... you have things to settle at the Tang Clan."
"..........."
Sun-woo fell silent, his lips pressed thin. Facts he had tried to push to the back of his mind came rushing back—specifically, the fact that he had essentially become their dog.
Sigh.
Sun-woo let out a heavy internal sigh. His head was already starting to ache at the thought of cleaning up the aftermath.
"So... let’s start moving soon. Your internal injuries are almost completely healed now."
"...Fine, let’s do that."
Sun-woo nodded. It seemed their happy honeymoon life was over.
"Then, shall we go one more round before we leave?" Sun-woo asked, sounding reluctant to let go.
"...After we’ve done it so much? Don't you ever get tired of it?" Kang Ha-yoon asked, her face turning even redder.
"How could I ever get tired of your body? I want more... I want to devour you... over and over."
Sun-woo looked at Kang Ha-yoon with lustful eyes.
"..........That’s so lewd... Sun-woo..."
"I’ll make it even lewder for you..."
Sun-woo slowly reached out his hand. He intended to engage in one last bout with her.
"But... Sun-woo..."
"Yeah?" Sun-woo asked with a gentle smile.
"...Um... there’s something I’m curious about."
"What is it?"
"About Salhon."
"Yeah."
"If we leave him like that, won't he die?"
"........Ah."
Flash.
Sun-woo’s dazed eyes suddenly snapped wide open. He had completely forgotten about Salhon’s existence.
"...You’re right."
Sun-woo replied with a flustered expression. It looked like the "one more round" would have to be postponed.
*
Finally, I can die.
Salhon thought to himself. He could feel his life force fading away.
The Scorching Poison inside his body had grown uncontrollably. Normally, Sun-woo would have alternated between the antidote and the poison, but he had been left neglected for two days. Furthermore, because he was hanging upside down from a tree, all the blood had rushed to his head, sending his blood pressure to the absolute limit.
His life was in critical danger. Death was right before his eyes.
Salhon began to feel a sense of bliss. An ordinary person would have been seized by frantic terror at the prospect of imminent death. They would feel a transcendent fear at the thought that everything they had seen, heard, felt, and done in life would never be repeated. Death was the end of life, the termination of all things.
However, Salhon was far from ordinary. To him, death was not an end, but a beginning.
The Soul Transfer Technique.
A forbidden secret art of soul migration that originated from the Manichaean Cult. To Salhon, who had mastered this technique, death was merely the starting point where he could discard his mangled body and move into a new one.
He had been suppressed by Jang Sun-woo, trapped in a state between life and death, experiencing the agonizing torture of Scorching Poison for what felt like an eternity. But now, the opportunity to die had finally arrived.
How could he not be happy?
Jang Sun-woo! Kang Ha-yoon! I will use everything I have to kill you both!
Salhon vowed. If he could just meet his end, he would exact a blood-soaked revenge on the man and woman who had reduced him to this state.
I’ll start by killing everyone you know... then your lovers... then your families! I’ll kill everything!
Salhon wore a blissful smile. Despite the excruciating pain from the Scorching Poison that had spread through his entire system, he could laugh. The mere thought of revenge brought him insane happiness.
Salhon waited and waited, drafting the perfect plan for revenge in his mind while his life force flickered.
After some time had passed...
Salhon naturally began to feel the thread of his life snapping. He was finally dying.
Ah... ah... ah...
An overwhelming sense of pleasure surged through his mind. He was thrilled at the thought of being liberated from this shameful, irresistible agony.
Here it comes...
Just as he was about to let go of the thread of life completely—
Thump.
Vrooooooom.
Suddenly, a clear and pure energy began to permeate his body in an instant. It circulated through him with incredible speed before stimulating the internal energy in his Dantian.
What?! ...What is this!
The thread of life that had been on the verge of snapping began to thicken and was soon completely mended. His vitality was surging back.
No!!!!!!
Salhon screamed internally. The death he had longed for so desperately had been canceled.
Aaaaaaaagh!
Moreover, as his vitality returned, the scorching pain that had grown faint became agonizingly sharp once again. His sense of pain had fully returned.
"Whew, that was close. You almost died."
A very familiar male voice reached his ears. Salhon knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
Jang Sun-woo!!!!!!!!!!
It was Jang Sun-woo. The very man who had put him in this miserable state.
You absolute bastard!
Salhon cursed him. He resented the man’s cruelty for not even allowing him the mercy of death.
Aaaaaaaagh!
But soon, even his resentment vanished, replaced by an indescribable, massive wave of agony.
Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
Having failed to escape through death, Salhon was once again relegated to a state of perpetual suffering.
*
The Inn
"Why on earth are you not searching for them?!"
Gal Ji-cheon, the White Tiger Hall Master, raised his voice and roared. He was furious to the point of explosion.
"We have not yet received specific orders from the higher-ups," Tang Jin replied in a calm tone.
"Even so, can't you act on your own initiative and conduct a search? How can you just sit here with your hands tied?!"
"Because no orders have been given. We are a guard force, not a search party. Conducting a search arbitrarily would be a dereliction of duty," Tang Jin explained with a troubled expression.
"The Phoenix Hall Master is missing!"
"Young Master Jang disappeared with her. Surely nothing bad has happened?"
"You never know what might happen! If they were ambushed, this is a serious matter!"
"Could such a thing really happen? Young Master Jang is a rising star of the Murim and a peak expert who stands out among his peers. Who would dare ambush such a person?"
"Do assassins fear martial power? They are gamblers who stake their lives! If he encountered skilled assassins who disregard even their own lives, even Young Master Jang could be in danger!"
"Please just wait. I have sent a letter to the higher-ups. I intend to wait until a reply arrives."
"Ugh! How can you be so inflexible?!"
"Following principles and rules ensures that, at the very least, we suffer no losses."
"But they are in danger right now!"
"Even so, I cannot allow it," Tang Jin said firmly.
Rotten bastard.
Watching him, Gal Ji-cheon scowled deeply. He thought the man was far too rigid. This was a situation that should be handled with flexibility, smoothing things over like water. Yet, the man remained stubbornly bureaucratic, even after a direct plea from the White Tiger Hall Master himself.
Sigh... now that my body is crippled, even a guy like this looks down on me.
Gal Ji-cheon lamented. The realization that even a mere guard leader ignored his words made him sigh in self-pity.
"I know you are uncomfortable, and I fully understand your anxiety. However, we cannot move recklessly. As long as we operate under the Alliance's orders, our stance remains unchanged. Please understand."
Tang Jin bowed his head deeply.
"Dammit!"
Seeing that attitude, Gal Ji-cheon grimaced and spat out a curse. His irritation flared at his inability to get his way.
Regardless, Tang Jin’s expression didn't change, and he didn't budge an inch. He acted as if the other man's opinion didn't matter at all.
A heavy silence began to flow between the two.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, someone began to knock violently on the door.
"Who is it?" Tang Jin asked in a cold voice, looking toward the door.
"Unit Leader! It’s Ma!"
"What is it?" Tang Jin asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"The Divine Dragon and the Phoenix Unit Leader have returned!"
"What?!"
Tang Jin’s eyes widened in shock as he asked again. He had just heard something utterly unbelievable.
Jang Sun-woo and Kang Ha-yoon had returned together? How was this possible?
Doubt began to fill Tang Jin’s eyes.
*
"I’m sorry."
"We’re sorry."
Sun-woo and Kang Ha-yoon apologized to the White Tiger Hall Master and Tang Jin first. It was an apology for being absent for three days.
"What on earth happened?"
The White Tiger Hall Master, who was lying down, looked at them with questioning eyes and spoke.
"We went out for some fresh air and were ambushed," Kang Ha-yoon replied in a calm tone.
"An ambush?"
"Yes. A large number of assassins attacked me all at once."
"Are you hurt anywhere?" the White Tiger Hall Master asked, looking at Kang Ha-yoon with a shocked expression.
"Fortunately, Young Master Jang arrived just in time, so I was able to escape without any serious injuries."
"Young Master Jang did?"
"Yes. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be standing here right now," Kang Ha-yoon said calmly.
"I see... so that’s why the two of you..."
Gal Ji-cheon nodded as if he understood.
"But how did Young Master Jang realize the Phoenix Hall Master was being ambushed?" Tang Jin interjected.
"It was a coincidence. The moon was so beautiful that I was walking around enjoying the atmosphere when I witnessed the Phoenix Hall Master being attacked. I rushed over and rescued her," Sun-woo replied smoothly.
"...It was a stroke of heavenly luck," Gal Ji-cheon remarked, looking impressed.
"But why were you gone for three days?" Tang Jin asked, cutting in again.
"While dealing with the assassins and trying to evade them, we ended up deep in an unnamed mountain. After a fierce battle with the assassins there, I had to recuperate my injured body. Since we were quite far from the inn, it was difficult to return immediately."
Sun-woo rattled off the story he and Kang Ha-yoon had agreed upon. It was a setting full of holes, but he didn't care. If the people involved said so, what could the others do?
".......I see."
"By the way, what is that sack you’re carrying on your shoulder?" Tang Jin asked, his curiosity piqued.
He had been wondering about the sack Sun-woo had been carrying since he walked in. The sack was stained with dark red blotches. He was dying to know what was inside.
"Ah, I haven't shown you this yet."
Sun-woo smirked.
Thud.
He dropped the sack he was carrying onto the floor.
"Open it up," he said, looking at Tang Jin.
"..........."
Tang Jin looked hesitant. He slowly approached the sack and began to untie the twine at the opening.
Slide.
Before long, the mouth of the sack was wide open. Tang Jin gasped in horror.
Something completely unexpected was inside the sack.
It was a man. A hideous man with a vacant expression, dripping with tears, snot, and drool.
"...Young Master... what on earth is... this..." Tang Jin asked, looking bewildered.
"He’s the leader of the assassins," Sun-woo replied, watching Tang Jin’s shocked face with amusement.
"He called himself Salhon."
At those words, Tang Jin’s face turned from pale to ghostly white.