Chapter 866: Discipline
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 866: Discipline
Swish. Swish. Swish.
The brush began to move without hesitation.
It was as natural and swift as flowing water.
How long had it been moving like that?
Tap.
Finally, the final dot was placed, and the moving brush came to a complete halt.
"…It’s… it’s over…"
Lee Hyun-kyung wore an expression of overwhelming emotion.
She had finally finished the calculation formulas that had felt endless.
"……I can sleep now.."
She was happy.
Happy that she could sleep.
Happy that she could finally rest.
Slide.
She slowly pushed herself up.
Stagger. Stagger. Stagger.
She began to shuffle forward with unsteady steps.
Toward the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She began to tap on the door slowly.
"What is it?"
An impassive voice pierced her ears.
It was the voice of Yorang, the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion.
"…..The calculations… they’re all… finished…"
Lee Hyun-kyung spoke in a voice that was barely a crawl.
Creeeeeak.
The door slowly opened, and Yorang, the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion, revealed herself.
"Did you double-check everything?"
Yorang asked, looking down at Lee Hyun-kyung.
"Yes…. Yes… I checked… everything… three times."
"Is that so? Then shall we see?"
Yorang spoke with a thick smile playing on her lips.
Step. Step.
She began to look through the stacks of documents.
Thud.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-kyung collapsed right there on the floor.
She intended to catch some shut-eye while the other woman was reviewing the work.
Given the sheer volume, it would surely take a considerable amount of time.
Flutter.
Lee Hyun-kyung’s eyes drifted shut.
She began to sink deeper and deeper.
Into a world of dreams so sweet she was afraid to wake up.
"Hey, you got five of them wrong."
Snap!
In an instant, Lee Hyun-kyung, who had been drifting through her dreams, felt her mind snap back to reality.
The voice of the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion—more terrifying than the Grim Reaper—had pierced her ears.
"…..That… can’t be.."
Opening her eyes, Lee Hyun-kyung began to desperately deny it.
These were formulas she had double-checked three times.
And yet, five were wrong?
No, more importantly, how much time had even passed since she started reviewing?
To find the errors already…
It was impossible.
"It’s true. Read it yourself."
Flip. Flip.
Yorang tossed a few sheets of paper at her.
Lee Hyun-kyung began to re-calculate one of the formulas she had been given.
She racked her exhausted brain as hard as she could.
How much time passed?
'T-This… can’t be…'
Lee Hyun-kyung was struck with horror.
The number she had written and the calculated number were completely different.
The woman had been telling the truth.
"Can't you do anything right? Who told you to solve them so carelessly?"
Yorang began to berate her with a furrowed brow.
She seemed genuinely displeased that the calculations were wrong.
"….T-That’s… well… I didn’t… solve them… carelessly."
Lee Hyun-kyung began to stammer out excuses with a flustered expression.
She felt like she had to say something.
"If you didn't do it carelessly, how did you get five wrong out of five thousand?"
"That’s only a point-one percent error rate!"
Lee Hyun-kyung raised her voice as if it were unfair.
Five out of five thousand meant the error rate was a mere point-one percent.
Not ten percent.
Not even one percent. Point-one percent.
How could she say she had solved them carelessly?
"Point-one percent is enormous! Do you have any idea how much of a loss we would have taken if these calculations went through? Five thousand silver taels! A whole five thousand! Do you have five thousand taels? Do you!?"
Yorang began to berate her relentlessly.
"…..I don't have five thousand taels, but.."
"I told you, didn't I? I don't care if it takes time, just solve them accurately! Is this accurate? Is it!?"
"………………"
Lee Hyun-kyung clamped her mouth shut.
Because the woman wasn't wrong.
"If you made a mistake, you should start by saying you're sorry! What gives you the right to raise your voice? Are you proud of your mistake?"
Yorang continued to scold her without pause, her expression stern.
"……….I am sorry."
Lee Hyun-kyung apologized immediately.
She realized that an apology was what the woman wanted.
"It’s not like I’m begging for a favor! What does saying sorry now change? Does it change anything!?"
But Yorang began to nitpick and berate her again.
It seemed she had no intention of letting her go.
"………Hic…"
Under Yorang’s relentless scolding, Lee Hyun-kyung felt a surge of sorrow welling up within her.
When had she ever been treated like this?
She was the daughter of Lee Jae-won, the Alliance Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance—the Greatest of All Time and the head of the most powerful force in the Murim—and Tang Jin-seol, a direct-line descendant of the Tang Clan.
She had always been catered to.
She had been treated with respect.
She had grown up being both envied and admired.
How could someone like her be subjected to such extreme berating in a place like this…
Just because she got a few calculations wrong?
It was miserable.
She was so miserable that tears began to well up involuntarily.
"Hic… hic… ugh… ugh."
Soon, tears began to stream down Lee Hyun-kyung’s face.
Her feelings of sorrow had finally exploded.
"What are you crying for? Does crying solve anything? Stop it!"
Yorang spoke with a look of pure disgust.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
But perhaps Yorang’s attitude only made her more emotional.
She began to wail at the top of her lungs.
She simply couldn't control her emotions anymore.
"Hmm…."
Seeing this, Yorang fell into deep thought.
She wasn't sure if she should smack her across the head to shut her up or try to soothe her with words.
Her heart wanted to go with the former.
But as someone in the position of providing discipline, she thought the latter might be better.
'What to do…'
It was while Yorang was seriously contemplating.
"Waaaaaaaah!! Call my mother!! Let me see my mother, please!!"
Lee Hyun-kyung’s crying grew even louder.
'I heard that squeezing out tears is a bad habit…'
In the past, the Yin-Yang Demon had told Yorang:
A woman who has no will to try, no ability to do anything, and no intention of doing anything uses tears as her weapon.
The more often those tears fall, the more they become a habit, so they must be corrected with the rod.
Seeing Lee Hyun-kyung cry brought those words back to her.
'I should fix this.'
Yorang curled her middle finger over her thumb.
Then, she slowly brought it toward the forehead of the crying Lee Hyun-kyung.
And she gave it a light flick.
"Aaaagh!"
BOOM!
Whoosh!
In that instant, a thunderous sound erupted, and Lee Hyun-kyung’s body was launched into the air.
Crash!
She flew straight back and slammed into the wall.
"Are you alive?"
Yorang asked, looking at her embedded in the wall.
Nod, nod, nod, nod.
Lee Hyun-kyung’s eyes went wide with shock as she began to nod her head violently.
"Sorry. You kept crying, so my hand just moved on its own."
"………………"
"I don't really like crying. Crying is a way to release emotions, not a way to solve problems, right? Putting your own feelings before the work feels irresponsible, and it makes me angry."
Yorang looked at her with a sharp gaze as she asked.
"…….I’m sorry…. I… I won’t… cry… again…. Please don’t be angry….. Please… please forgive me.."
Lee Hyun-kyung began to plead in a desperate voice.
"No, I’m not angry. See? I’m smiling."
Yorang spoke with a smile on her lips.
"But….. if you start wailing again…. I think I’ll get angry…."
Yorang began to glare at her with a piercing gaze.
Shiver.
Lee Hyun-kyung felt a chill run down her spine.
The coldness in the woman’s eyes filled her with an indescribable sense of terror.
"Do you understand what I’m saying?"
"I understand……. I will… never… never… cry again!"
"Is that so?"
Yorang looked at her with a gentle smile.
Step. Step. Step.
She began to walk slowly toward her.
Pat. Pat.
"Good girl."
Then, she began to gently stroke her hair.
As if praising a well-behaved puppy.
"…..Th-Thank you."
Lee Hyun-kyung felt a sense of shame, but she immediately expressed her gratitude.
She felt that if she showed any emotion, she might get hit again.
"If you keep being this good…… I won’t have any reason to make your life difficult….."
Yorang spoke, looking at Lee Hyun-kyung with a calm, settled gaze.
"..But… if… you do something that irritates me.."
Vroooooom.
A massive aura began to emanate from Yorang’s body.
"Ugh… gasp.."
A groan escaped Lee Hyun-kyung’s lips.
An immense pressure had enveloped her entire body.
"I’ll leave what happens next to your imagination."
Yorang spoke with a bright smile.
"…..Y-Yes… I will… make sure… that never happens."
Pat. Pat. Pat.
"Yes, yes. Our Kyung-ah is such a good girl, isn't she?"
Yorang’s hand began to move even more gently.
Lee Hyun-kyung accepted Yorang’s touch obediently, her face filled with fear.
She didn't want to do anything to get on her nerves.
After stroking her for a while, Yorang finally pulled her hand away.
"Now then, shall we receive the punishment for the five mistakes?"
She spoke, looking at her.
"….Wasn't… being hit on the forehead… the punishment?"
"That was for crying like a brat."
Yorang shook her head as she spoke.
"Th-Then… what kind of… punishment?"
Lee Hyun-kyung asked in a trembling voice.
"Since Kyung-ah is a good girl, I’ll give you a choice."
Yorang spoke with a bright laugh.
"A… choice?"
"Yes. There are two types of corporal punishment. One is getting flicked on the forehead again, and the other is solving five hundred calculation formulas."
Yorang spoke with an amused expression.
"…………Five hundred?"
"Because there were five mistakes. Multiply by a hundred, and that’s five hundred."
Yorang spoke as she looked at her.
"Now, which one will it be?"
"………………………"
Lee Hyun-kyung fell into deep thought at Yorang’s proposal.
She had no idea which one to choose.
Being hit on the forehead was absolutely horrific.
She never wanted to feel that dizzying sensation of her mind going blank again.
'But… I don't want to solve formulas either.'
Five hundred formulas would take at least four hours to solve.
In her current state, where her mental fatigue was near its limit, it wasn't an easy choice to make.
She agonized over it.
Searching for the best option.
"Just so you know, if you get any of those five hundred wrong, it’s the number of errors multiplied by a hundred again."
"I’ll take the hit."
Lee Hyun-kyung answered instantly.
She didn't have a single doubt.
"Really? Then show me your forehead."
"………Yes."
Lee Hyun-kyung gently lifted her bangs and exposed her forehead.
There, a lump was already forming on her smooth forehead.
Seeing that, Yorang smiled as if she were having the time of her life.
She curled her middle finger over her thumb.
Then, she slowly brought it toward the girl's smooth forehead.
BOOM!
"Aaaagh!"
Soon, a thunderous sound and Lee Hyun-kyung’s scream echoed through the room.
*
Step. Step. Step.
Tang Seo-yoon began to slowly descend the stairs.
The stairs were so dark that the end was nowhere in sight.
How long had she been descending?
Thud.
Finally, her feet touched the floor.
She had reached the bottom of the long, long staircase.
Step. Step.
Once on the floor, she began to walk forward in a straight line.
She moved without any hesitation.
After about fifteen minutes had passed, something began to come into view.
Disheveled hair.
A slumped body.
Shackles binding both wrists and ankles.
It was an appearance that anyone could tell belonged to a prisoner.
"………What brings you here?"
A sharp voice pierced Tang Seo-yoon’s ears.
"Does a younger sister need a reason to see her older sister?"
Tang Seo-yoon spoke in a calm tone.
"Hah… sister? You dare call yourself my sister now? After doing this to your own flesh and blood!"
The prisoner, Tang Jin-seol, began to scream at the top of her lungs, her voice filled with venom.
She had been trapped here for nearly three months.
During that time, she had been subjected to endless torture by Tang Seo-yoon and had screamed in pain without ceasing.
And now she calls herself a sister? An older sister?
How could she be so shameless?
"Didn't you do enough to deserve this?"
"What did I do wrong! What! What did I do!"
Tang Jin-seol began to scream as if she refused to back down.
"Creating the Ghost Merchant Guild to embezzle the clan's funds, going to the Jaegyeong Pavilion and overstepping your authority, assaulting a member because things didn't go your way, trying to pressure the Tang Clan by using the Cheonmu Alliance as your backing, bringing in Eon Jung-gi, the Head of the Eon Family, to try and assassinate the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace—a guest of the Tang Clan—and even hiring demonic practitioners to kidnap me. I could go on forever, Sister."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke in a composed tone.
"It wasn't my fault! I said it wasn't my fault! Creating the Ghost Merchant Guild and embezzling was done with Brother's tacit consent! Overstepping authority and assaulting the member at the Jaegyeong Pavilion was just me exercising my rightful authority as a direct-line descendant! I wasn't trying to persecute the Tang Clan! I was trying to persuade them so we could move in a better direction! I wasn't the one who brought in Eon Jung-gi! It was Lee Jae-won! And I don't know those demonic practitioners! How could I, a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction, know any demonic practitioners!?"
Tang Jin-seol began to make excuses for every single point.
In her mind, she had a reason for everything.
"Sigh…… You still haven't reflected on your actions, Sister."
Tang Seo-yoon sighed as she spoke.
Tang Jin-seol had been tortured for nearly three months.
But during that time, she hadn't admitted to a single charge.
She was only shouting about how unfair it was, justifying herself and blaming others.
"What did I do wrong!!!!! What!!! Is it a crime to try and make the Tang Clan prosper!?"
"You’re wrong. You weren't trying to make the Tang Clan prosper. You just wanted to keep it under your thumb."
"What do you know! What could you possibly know! You, who are obsessed with martial arts and know nothing of the world!"
Tang Jin-seol screamed in a frenzy.
"Even I, who have been hidden in the family's shadow for a long time, know right from wrong."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with an expressionless face.
"You are wrong, Sister."
She spoke firmly.
"You arrogant bitch! You dog! You deserve to die!"
Hearing her words, Tang Jin-seol’s face turned bright red as she began to shriek.
The thought of being looked down upon by her much younger sister filled her with unbearable rage.
"Admit to the charges now and tell the truth. I will try to see if I can get you some leniency."
"I have done nothing wrong! So what charges do you want me to admit to!?"
"……Sister……. Aren't you ashamed to face Kyung-ah?"
"Wh-Why are you bringing up Kyung-ah all of a sudden!?"
At her words, Tang Jin-seol wore a flustered expression.
"Kyung-ah came to the Tang Clan."
"Wh-What!?"
"She was asking about your whereabouts."
It was a lie, of course.
The girl was currently confined in the Jaegyeong Pavilion for etiquette training.
There was no way she could have asked about her whereabouts.
"S-So… what… what did you tell her?"
"I was vague about it…. But… I can't keep being vague forever."
"……..Are you planning to tell Kyung-ah?"
"If the opportunity arises."
"No! You can't!"
Tang Jin-seol began to react violently.
"I have no choice, do I? I can't tell a child looking for her mother that she’s locked in a torture chamber, can I?"
"Just tell her I’m dead! Tell her I died of an illness!"
"I’m not very good at lying."
"You venomous snake!"
"Didn't you say that calling a woman of the Tang Clan a venomous snake is a compliment?"
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with a cold smile.
Grind.
Hearing those words, Tang Jin-seol began to grind her teeth.
Her heart was filled with rage.
"What… do you want…?"
"You know very well, don't you?"
Tang Seo-yoon spoke, looking at her with cold eyes.
"Admitting to all charges and giving a truthful statement. That is what I want."
"………………"
Hearing her words, Tang Jin-seol glared at Tang Seo-yoon in silence.
Her gaze was filled with pure malice.
And soon, Tang Seo-yoon’s cold gaze and Tang Jin-seol’s malicious gaze began to clash.