Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Evil Demons and Outlaws 1
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Baek Moo-jin parted ways with Jin So-hye reluctantly and only belatedly realized he'd taken the wrong path as he walked. Having followed Left Envoy Lee Gon here using lightness skill without a second thought, the way back felt utterly unfamiliar. On top of that, he hadn't set out from their arrival point but from somewhere near the inn.
The path Jin So-hye had taken had already fallen silent.
In stark contrast, the street Baek Moo-jin had wandered into was a blazing night district of revelry and vice. There were no visible homes where people lived—just endless rows of mysterious commercial buildings lining both sides. Staggering drunks, people striding quickly with hardened expressions, those idly peering about here and there, and folks like Baek Moo-jin simply watching the crowds. But more than anything, women were everywhere. They clustered in groups of twos and threes, chatting away before grabbing passing men to solicit them. These must have been the courtesans he'd only heard about in stories.
Everything Baek Moo-jin laid eyes on felt utterly alien. As he navigated the chaotic street, a single thought bubbled up unbidden.
Jin So-hye's spirited expression, her bold speech, and that piercing gaze.
Unlike his own, her intense eyes burned with desire, longing, and an unyielding drive to press forward.
Without realizing it, Baek Moo-jin shook his head slowly.
Then, as he turned into a somewhat quieter alley, he heard women's laughter and glanced over.
"Where's the carriage?"
"Almost there."
Their giggling voices stretched out from a side alley on the right. The laughter sounded so frivolously light. It was impossible to tell if it was forced duty or genuine mirth. Perhaps it rang awkward precisely because it hovered somewhere between obligation and pleasure.
Baek Moo-jin left the flighty laughter behind and took a few more steps.
This time, a man's guffaw exploded from behind him.
This laugh was no less grating. If the women's had been frivolous, this one's assaulted the nerves like a deliberate irritant.
The man approaching with that repulsive cackle spotted Baek Moo-jin walking alone and called out to the women.
"Look over there. Tall and handsome. Should we call him to join us? It'll be tough for me to satisfy you two all night by myself."
"Go ask him."
"Ask? You think I won't?"
Baek Moo-jin halted his steps quietly and turned back, intending at least to get a look at the bastard's face.
2.
The man's outfit was a spectacle in itself. He wore a purple robe emblazoned with rare, intricate patterns, but the upper half hung open, baring his chest.
His facial features were generally thin and sharp, but what stood out most was his long, flowing black hair—darker and longer even than that of the women flanking him. Yet somehow, it didn't suit a man at all.
He had a woman on each arm. Their heavy makeup and overpowering scent of powder screamed courtesans to anyone who saw them.
As Baek Moo-jin stared, the man met his eyes with a snickering grin and sauntered past.
"If you're interested, just say the word. I'll spot you one."
Baek Moo-jin's gaze trailed the man slowly.
The man's right hand plunged straight into the right woman's bosom.
"This one's got quite the ample chest."
Then his left hand clamped down hard on the left woman's rear.
"And this one's packing it back here. Tempted yet?"
The two women shrieked amid his groping but still giggled along. The man sneered.
"Guess he's not interested. Looks like I'll have to flex a bit tonight."
Baek Moo-jin found himself double-checking the pattern on the man's purple robe.
'What the hell is this guy's deal?'
With Baek Moo-jin offering no response, the man seemed intrigued, stopping in his tracks to turn back.
Only then did their eyes lock squarely.
Something about Baek Moo-jin's calm aura caught the man's attention.
'Huh? This is the vibe my senior likes. Pure blood, no doubt. Should I drag him along...'
In that instant, Baek Moo-jin sensed something grotesque in the man's eyes. It wasn't clear in the dim light, but they seemed faintly tinged red overall.
Suddenly, the man's tongue extended unnaturally long, flicking toward the woman. He'd done it deliberately to provoke Baek Moo-jin, erupting into that snickering laugh before resuming his walk.
This wasn't some ordinary drunk. He was a martial artist. And the vibe he gave off grated on Baek Moo-jin intensely.
'Is this creep one of those Evil Demons and Outlaws you only hear about?'
There was no real reason for Baek Moo-jin to bristle at a stranger flicking his tongue. Yet, in a way that wasn't like him at all—when he would normally stay composed—he spat a harsh curse at the man's retreating back.
"I ought to rip that tongue right out."
Even Baek Moo-jin couldn't fathom why such venom had spilled from his lips.
'Because of those women hanging off him?'
For some reason, the two courtesans trailing after that slimeball stirred pity in him.
What kind of lives had those courtesans led?
Jin So-hye's existence stood in stark, polar opposition to theirs.
A woman cherished in love versus one discarded like trash.
'This mood is foul.'
The man walking ahead overheard Baek Moo-jin's words and turned to the women.
"Did I hear that wrong? Sounded like some dog barking from behind."
The flustered women struggled to stay composed as they replied.
"What are you talking about? No way. Come on, it's a nice night—why get mad? Look, the carriage is right there. Let's go."
"No way? I definitely heard it. You did too."
"Oh, I didn't hear a thing."
As the man grew irate, the women only seemed more terrified. But he flashed a bizarre smile and spoke even more cheerily.
"Nah, no way you misheard. I clearly caught 'rip out the tongue'—my tongue, specifically. Got plenty of use for it tonight too...... Right?"
He jerked his chin toward the waiting carriage.
"Head to Red Pleasure Manor first. The coachman'll get you there."
"Aw, sir...... Come with us. Please."
"Thought you two were smart, but you keep mouthing off."
The courtesans exchanged glances, swallowed hard, and nodded.
"Hurry and come."
"I will."
As the women hurried toward the carriage, the man held up three fingers to the coachman lingering behind. The coachman gave a silent nod.
Baek Moo-jin watched the whole display without a word.
'Three... does that include me?'
The man glared briefly at the carriage departing toward Red Pleasure Manor before finally calling out to Baek Moo-jin.
"Hey, time to rip that tongue."
He approached with his head cocked at an odd angle.
"Pretty damn confident, aren't you? Who the hell are you? Spot me and say that on purpose?"
Baek Moo-jin stared back without answering. The man grinned.
"Not even gonna ask if you know who I am?"
Now standing right in front of him, the man sized Baek Moo-jin up and down. His eyes lingered briefly on the sword in Baek Moo-jin's left hand before returning to his face.
"Some Baekli Family young master? You scream sect disciple no matter how I look at it......"
Baek Moo-jin caught a faint, fishy tang of blood wafting from the man's body. In a perfectly even tone, he asked,
"What's Red Pleasure Manor?"
"Huh?"
The visible age gap alone was four or five years. For Baek Moo-jin to speak so casually, the man couldn't help but feel baffled. He'd already sent the women ahead with plans to drag Baek Moo-jin along—and he knew better than anyone that a fight was inevitable.
The man clasped his hands behind his back, then dropped a dagger from his elbow into his grip.
In that instant, Baek Moo-jin shimmered white in the man's vision.
What followed was a choked gasp.
"Guhk."
Baek Moo-jin's right hand clamped around the man's throat.
"What's Red Pleasure Manor?"
Baek Moo-jin couldn't comprehend his own surging rage. The man's provocations, his sleaziness, those bloodshot eyes, the women's fear, the signal to the coachman, the name Red Pleasure—all of it, perhaps.
'So this is what Evil Demons and Outlaws are like.'
He could've yanked the jaw clean off without batting an eye. Having gauged Baek Moo-jin's grip strength and internal energy, the man had no way to resist—and with his throat crushed, he couldn't even speak. Yet here Baek Moo-jin was, still asking about the manor. All the man could do was flail in excruciating agony.
Baek Moo-jin spoke.
"Stick out your tongue."
As Baek Moo-jin squeezed, the man gurgled helplessly and thrust out his tongue in confusion. With a flick of his finger, Baek Moo-jin injected cold qi into it.
"Gaaaahk!"
The man let out a grotesque scream. His tongue remained protruded, frozen solid white.
Baek Moo-jin gave the man's rear a half-hearted kick.
"To Red Pleasure Manor. Lead the way."
He crouched beside the man, who had collapsed and was desperately trying to deal with his tongue, meeting his eyes.
"We going to Red Pleasure Manor? Or should I rip it out here and find it myself? Your buddies will be there, right? Might even give you a shot at living."
Hearing that, the man—unable to speak, just enduring the pain—bolted toward Red Pleasure Manor.
'If only senior's there, I can live. I'll kill him. Make him regret it. Shred him to bits and dump him in Purple Blood Soup!'
Suddenly realizing no footsteps trailed him, the man startled and whipped around.
Baek Moo-jin's hand cracked across his cheek. His head snapped to the side with a sharp smack. Baek Moo-jin followed up in that flat tone, simply:
"Run."