Chapter 482: I Should Give You a Reward....
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 482: I Should Give You a Reward....
"I asked you what you think you're doing!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon shouted, her brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
It was a sight that made it clear to anyone that her temper had reached its boiling point.
"Hmph. I am merely delivering punishment to a wicked murderous ghost."
In response to her question, Joo So-yang spoke with an air of nonchalance.
"What kind of nonsense is that! A murderous ghost?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon shot back, her expression one of utter absurdity.
A murderous ghost? Who on earth was she calling a murderous ghost?
"He unleashed a lethal technique within the sacred Cheonmu Alliance. How can I call him anything but a murderous ghost?"
"Duels can get heated! Lethal techniques can be unleashed unintentionally in the heat of the moment, can't they? Seol-ah isn't some weakling who can't defend herself, so how can you lay hands on such a junior yourself? This is overprotection!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon raised her voice, screaming. She simply couldn't contain her rage.
Kang Myeong and Lee Ye-seol.
Both were the top Rising Stars representing the Cheonmu Alliance. The general consensus was that they were equals, with neither clearly superior to the other.
Yet, just because a lethal technique was used, Joo So-yang—someone who had reached an incomparably higher realm—had personally intervened?
It was preposterous. It was clear she was trying to ruin Kang Myeong by seizing on any excuse.
"This man used Astral Qi to unleash a killing sword! If I hadn't stepped in, Seol-ah's life would surely have been in danger!"
Faced with the protest, Joo So-yang raised her own voice and shouted back.
"Astral Qi!?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked, stunned by the revelation.
"Yes! Astral Qi! Do you still intend to call this overprotection!?"
Joo So-yang screamed, her face contorted with anger.
"............"
Hearing this, Paeng Ga-ryeon fell into a heavy silence, her lips pressed firmly together.
She had never imagined that Kang Myeong had broken through the wall.
Astral Qi... You've broken through the wall, Kang Myeong.
She had thought he was merely being persecuted by Joo So-yang, but it seemed that wasn't the case. If he truly had used Astral Qi to swing a killing sword at Lee Ye-seol, then Joo So-yang's intervention was understandable.
To Lee Ye-seol, who was still only in the Peak Realm, Astral Qi would have been incredibly dangerous.
What a shame... If only Joo So-yang had arrived a little later...
She lamented inwardly. She felt as though a perfect opportunity to get rid of a nuisance without lifting a finger had slipped through her grasp.
"It is an undeniable fact that Seol-ah's life was in danger! I cannot forgive this man! Madam!"
Joo So-yang shouted with a determined expression, as if there were absolutely no room for compromise.
"It was merely an accident that occurred unintentionally!" Paeng Ga-ryeon immediately countered.
"An accident? He clearly harbored a murderous heart!"
"It wasn't a murderous heart, but a competitive spirit. It's only natural for young people to pour out excessive competitive spirit in their desire to win. To the Great Matriarch's eyes, that must have looked like murderous intent."
"Do I look like a fool who can't distinguish between competitive spirit and murderous intent?"
"Times have changed, Great Matriarch. Isn't it natural for standards to differ between the past and the present?"
"Then how do you explain him trying to kill Seol-ah using Astral Qi?"
"That, too, was nothing more than an accident. An accident caused by the intersection of excessive competitive spirit and an unexpected enlightenment."
Paeng Ga-ryeon met Joo So-yang's gaze with a steady look as she spoke.
"He was originally a martial artist at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm. How could such a man manifest Astral Qi? He clearly gained enlightenment through his duel with Seol-ah. The accident happened because he continued the duel in an unstable state, having just reached that new realization. It was by no means intentional!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon delivered her impassioned speech, her eyes smoldering as she glared at Joo So-yang.
"Sophistry! How can you defend Kang Myeong with such nonsense? He was clearly harboring murderous intent and waiting for his chance! Waiting for the moment to kill Seol-ah! And today, under the guise of a duel, he tried to murder her! This was no accident!"
Joo So-yang fired back, refusing to back down, fuming like an enraged bull.
"It is you who are spouting sophistry, Great Matriarch! No, it's a conspiracy theory not even worth listening to! How do you live such a difficult life? I wonder if you're even capable of functioning in daily society."
Paeng Ga-ryeon criticized Joo So-yang scathingly, a mocking expression on her face.
"And you, for the head of the Law Enforcement Hall—the one who should uphold and execute the law—your head is certainly full of flowers. How can you live in such a beautiful world when reality is so cruel?"
Joo So-yang glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon with cold eyes, hurling her own accusations.
Whoooooosh.
A chilling frost began to flow between the two women.
"Regardless, I must deal with that man."
"The Cheonmu Alliance prohibits independent punishment. The Law Enforcement Hall will handle it."
"Hmph, do you think I don't know you're just trying to protect your own?"
"How can you be so distrustful of the very institution that enforces the law!?"
"Since the head is untrustworthy, the Law Enforcement Hall is naturally untrustworthy as well!"
"Are you quite finished?"
"And if I'm not?"
Joo So-yang glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon with icy eyes. Paeng Ga-ryeon glared back with a burning gaze, refusing to yield.
Crackle.
A psychological war, like sparks flying, erupted between the two. It was a clash between Joo So-yang, who wanted to cripple Kang Myeong, and Paeng Ga-ryeon, who sought to protect him at all costs.
"Are you that afraid?" Paeng Ga-ryeon finally spoke, her words slow and deliberate.
"Afraid of what?"
"I'm asking if you're that afraid of Kang Myeong."
"Why would I fear a mere fledgling like him? Even if he's reached the Super-Peak Realm, he's just someone who's barely taken his first steps."
Joo So-yang asked, her expression one of confusion.
"The succession competition."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a perfectly calm face.
"I'm asking if you're doing this because you're afraid of the role Kang Myeong will play there."
"What?! Are you saying I'm persecuting Kang Myeong because of the succession competition?"
"That's how it looks to me. Well, I understand. This promising Rising Star, who reached the Super-Peak Realm that even Seol-ah couldn't attain, must feel like a stumbling block. But still, to persecute him so blatantly? How can the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance commit such an unprincipled act!"
"This has nothing to do with the succession competition! Stop trying to distract from the point!"
"No! It's not unrelated at all! You're trying to crush Kang Myeong right now because you're conscious of the succession competition! All to win that contest!"
"You really do hear only what you want to hear!"
"If that weren't the case, would you really try to kill Kang Myeong over a trivial matter like this?"
"I would have done the same to anyone!"
"We'll never know that, will we? How can I trust the Great Matriarch's word?"
"What did you say!?"
"The human heart is inherently cunning. How can you guarantee that you've completely excluded your personal feelings?"
"He tried to kill my daughter!"
"And yet, is there a dead person here? All I see is a child injured by a single palm strike from a senior who is like the heavens to him."
"Do you not even know the meaning of attempted murder?"
"We don't even know if it was attempted murder or not, do we? Even if he used Astral Qi, who's to say he wouldn't have stopped it before it hit Seol-ah's throat?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon glared at Joo So-yang as she continued to defend Kang Myeong.
"That's impossible to know..."
"Exactly! It's impossible to know! But isn't the same true for you? You tried to kill Kang Myeong based on a mere assumption about something that may or may not have been attempted murder!"
"Sophistry! Anyone could see it was a situation where he intended to kill!"
"And who can prove that besides the Great Matriarch?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke, her expression one of feigned ignorance.
"You there!"
Hearing her words, Joo So-yang called out to the warriors of the Law Enforcement Hall who were watching their fight from a corner.
""D-Did you call for us!?""
The warriors answered in unison at her call.
"You tell her. Tell her exactly what you saw with your own two eyes!"
"......T-That... well..."
Faced with her furious momentum, the Law Enforcement warriors began to stammer, agonizing over their response.
It was a difficult position. To their eyes, Kang Myeong's murderous intent had certainly been excessive. He had been a mass of pure desire to kill Lee Ye-seol.
But they couldn't easily say that here. Their direct superior, Paeng Ga-ryeon—who was more terrifying than a tiger—was standing right there.
"Yes, you men tell her. Tell her the truth, exactly as it happened."
Paeng Ga-ryeon also pressed for an answer, her expression stiff. She shot them a look that was incredibly cold.
Flinch.
The Law Enforcement warriors shuddered. Fear washed over them at her frost-like gaze.
What do we do?
What should we say?
They were caught in a dilemma. If they told the truth, Paeng Ga-ryeon wouldn't let them off easily. But if they lied, they would have to face Joo So-yang's wrath.
In short, they were between a rock and a hard place. It was impossible not to worry.
"Don't worry about who's watching and tell the truth!"
"Tell it exactly as it was!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon and Joo So-yang pressed them again. They seemed displeased by the warriors' hesitant, shifty behavior.
To hell with it!
At their urging, one warrior made up his mind.
"To my eyes, it did not look like he had the intent to kill."
"I feel the same. His competitive spirit was excessive, but it didn't look like murderous intent at all."
The other warrior followed suit and made his decision.
"What! How can you say that!?"
Joo So-yang's voice rose in a flare of temper. She was incensed by their blatant lies.
"So they say. Well, Great Matriarch?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a satisfied smile. She seemed very pleased with the warriors' answers.
"Don't lie! Didn't you see it too? The way that man lunged with murderous intent!"
Joo So-yang shouted, pointing a finger at Kang Myeong, unable to accept it. Her anger toward the two warriors telling obvious lies was peaking.
"This is unsightly, Great Matriarch. How can you be so incapable of admitting the truth?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued, her voice dripping with mockery.
"What did you say!?"
Joo So-yang's temper flared, her voice rising as her anger boiled over.
"Mother... stop it."
Just then, Lee Ye-seol, who had been standing behind her, spoke up weakly.
"Seol-ah, but!"
Joo So-yang turned to look at her daughter.
"Please stop... please."
Lee Ye-seol's face was flushed deep red as she pleaded. It seemed that, in this public place where everyone was watching, she was overwhelmed by the shame of her humiliating defeat and the disgrace of hiding behind her mother's skirts.
".........Seol-ah."
Joo So-yang looked at her daughter with pitying eyes. she realized her daughter's state of mind was precarious.
"I will back down for now, but I will make sure this matter is brought to public attention."
Joo So-yang glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon, her tone cold and warning.
"By all means."
Paeng Ga-ryeon replied with a very relaxed expression. She felt she had won this battle of nerves.
"Let's go."
Joo So-yang turned her back and began to walk away. Lee Ye-seol followed behind her mother's back.
Paeng Ga-ryeon watched the pathetic retreating figures of the mother and daughter with great satisfaction. It was exhilarating to have landed a blow on those arrogant women.
Stupid bitches.
A winner's smile played on her lips.
"Unit Leader!"
"Unit Leader!"
Just then, the voices of the Law Enforcement warriors reached her ears.
"Ah!"
As if suddenly remembering, Paeng Ga-ryeon turned her head to look back. There, she saw Kang Myeong being supported by the warriors.
"Move him to the Medical Pavilion immediately!"
"Understood!"
The warriors answered in unison and began to move quickly.
Paeng Ga-ryeon watched Kang Myeong's disappearing back in silence.
To think... he actually reached the Super-Peak Realm.
Her eyes were filled with admiration. Admiration for Kang Myeong, who had reached the sublime Super-Peak Realm at the young age of twenty-five.
The Super-Peak Realm was a stage one could never reach without talent, no matter how old they got. Yet, he had reached that lofty height at just twenty-five. How could she not be impressed?
Furthermore, once this fact became known, the number of people trying to align themselves with her faction would increase. She now held a promising prospect who was a Super-Peak master.
I should give you a reward... Kang Myeong.
A burning heat began to well up in Paeng Ga-ryeon's eyes. A heat so intense it felt as though it could melt one's entire body just by meeting her gaze.