Chapter 199: You Know It, I Know It!
Yeop Hyeon lay motionless on the bed, his face blank as if his soul had fled. There wasn't a shred of lingering attachment to life left on his features.
Cheok Bal-eon hung her head near him, idly drawing circles on the floor with her finger.
After a long silence, she approached the bed where Yeop Hyeon lay and lightly kicked the edge with her foot, muttering softly.
"You're freaking out over just two eggs? Just bite the bullet and deal with it!"
Better to say nothing at all.
Yeop Hyeon's face twisted in fury at her words, and he bellowed.
"Just two eggs!? Damn it, you think those are ordinary eggs? Huh!? Do these look like ordinary eggs to you!?"
Cheok Bal-eon pouted.
"Pfft, you can just pay her back with tiger eggs later..."
"......"
Yeop Hyeon gave up trying to talk any sense into her. Cheok Bal-eon didn't even grasp what the problem was.
To her, what Yeop Hyeon had lost was nothing more than a couple of ordinary eggs.
At that moment, Yeon Man Ri opened the door and entered the room. She wore a thin skirt that trailed along the floor, embroidered on the back with a majestic black phoenix spreading its wings to soar through the skies.
Her beautiful hair was neatly combed and draped over her shoulders, tied at the very end with a purple silk ribbon that swayed gracefully with each step, lending her an air of refined elegance.
Approaching Yeop Hyeon's bedside, Yeon Man Ri looked down at him with a smile.
"Don't worry. I've already consulted the most skilled royal physician in the palace, and he says it's nothing to fret over. He'll be here shortly. However, there's one issue—the cost. At minimum, two million high-grade spiritual stones."
Two million high-grade spiritual stones?
Yeop Hyeon's face hardened like stone.
Yeon Man Ri blinked innocently.
"The physician said if treatment is delayed even slightly, you could end up... impotent."
"Do it!"
Yeop Hyeon shouted without a moment's hesitation.
"Right now—!"
There were many important things in the world, but right now, the most crucial was saving his "eggs"(?).
At that moment, Yeon Man Ri extended her hand with a meaningful smile.
"Upfront payment!"
"......"
Yeop Hyeon realized he'd fallen into a trap, but he had no choice. Trembling with rage, he handed over two million spiritual stones.
He couldn't let the Ye family line end so pathetically!
The root of all this chaos was none other than Cheok Bal-eon.
Yeop Hyeon felt an urge to spank her backside raw right then and there. But considering her strength, enduring was his only option.
Having pocketed the spiritual stones, Yeon Man Ri extended her hand again.
"And I need another million high-grade spiritual stones!"
Yeop Hyeon exploded.
"Another million? Be honest—are you a bandit!? Even bandits have some code of honor. You've already taken my balls(?), and now you want to strip me of my entire fortune!?"
Yeon Man Ri patted his shoulder lightly.
"Calm down. I'm not the type to kick a man when he's down. The first two million covers materials for your treatment. This is the fee for the physician. He's a renowned master of the medical arts, top graduate of Qingzhou's finest academy. His consultations start at a minimum of one million spiritual stones each. Of course..."
Yeon Man Ri cleared her throat and continued.
"If you don't want it, I can refund one point five million."
"One point five million? I just paid two million!"
"The five hundred thousand is a cancellation fee."
"......"
Yeon Man Ri picked up a piece of fruit from beside Yeop Hyeon's bed and popped it into her mouth.
"And it's best not to get angry. The physician warned that if your current condition builds up more heat, you could be permanently disabled."
"Permanently disabled?"
Cheok Bal-eon asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Sister, what's 'permanently disabled' mean?"
Yeon Man Ri pondered how to explain before speaking.
"Mm, it means the thing that should get hard stays floppy forever."
Cheok Bal-eon blinked.
"It gets hard?"
"It should in a normal state, but since you smashed it with a hammer, it might stay floppy forever."
"Ah..."
Cheok Bal-eon's gaze drifted to Yeop Hyeon's crotch, her eyes brimming with curiosity about how it got hard.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon, listening quietly from the bed, felt like he was going insane. How could they discuss hardness and floppiness right in front of him!?
These are the end times, the end times...
Yeon Man Ri leaned in close to Yeop Hyeon with a beaming smile.
"So, National Scholar Yeop, treatment or... lifelong cripple? If you're passing, I'll head out!"
"No need!"
Yeop Hyeon whipped his head toward Cheok Bal-eon in shock. It was she who had shouted, not him.
Cheok Bal-eon stared coldly at his crotch.
"Sword cultivator, your little worm(?) looks disgustingly gross. Better not to treat it!"
"......"
An hour passed, and in the end, Yeop Hyeon chose treatment.
He couldn't bear to burden the woman he would one day bond with over this.
Yeon Man Ri's face bloomed with a smile as she extracted another million high-grade spiritual stones from him.
"Someone! Summon the physician!"
Moments later, a woman entered the room.
Clad in deep indigo palace robes cinched at the waist with a thick maroon sash that accentuated her impossibly slender figure, she exuded ethereal purity. Her unpainted face was strikingly refined, and her hair, bound in white silk, fluttered like spring breeze.
Yet her cold, emotionless eyes instilled a profound sense of distance, as if she were untouchable.
Yeon Man Ri greeted the approaching woman with a smile.
"A-ryeong, take good care of this patient."
The woman called A-ryeong bowed slightly, moved to Yeop Hyeon's side, parted his legs, and sat facing his groin. Yeop Hyeon jolted in alarm.
"A—a woman!?"
Yeon Man Ri chuckled.
"She's my personal physician, so of course she's a woman. Any issue?"
As Yeop Hyeon opened his mouth to protest, A-ryeong produced two needles and mercilessly jabbed them into his thighs. Instantly, sensation vanished from his legs.
"Wh-what are you—gah!"
Before he could finish, a warm sensation enveloped his lower body.
A-ryeong looked up at him impassively.
"I merely grasped your manhood—nothing to fuss over. Besides, your essence has already leaked, so you've lost your virginity. What shame is there?"
"......"
Curiosity piqued, Cheok Bal-eon sidled right up to A-ryeong.
"What's that mean, essence leaked and virginity lost?"
"......"
A-ryeong turned to eye Cheok Bal-eon.
"You truly don't know?"
Cheok Bal-eon nodded vigorously.
"No clue! Father just said if a man tries to strip in front of me, kill him!"
A-ryeong pointed at Yeop Hyeon.
"Then why haven't you killed this one?"
Cheok Bal-eon blinked once.
"He only dropped his pants—he hasn't fully stripped!"
Yeop Hyeon was speechless.
Even Yeon Man Ri's eyes widened.
"I'm getting a proper education today!"
A-ryeong stared intently at Cheok Bal-eon before speaking gravely.
"Do you know the difference between men and women?"
"Of course!"
"What is it?"
Cheok Bal-eon blinked rapidly, stammering.
"Uh, um... I know, I know it, but... can't say it. You get it?"
A-ryeong nodded slightly, then abruptly gripped Yeop Hyeon's member bare-handed and lifted it.
"Know what this is?"
"......"
Cheok Bal-eon glanced at it, then whipped her head toward Yeon Man Ri. The latter replied confidently.
"I am well-versed in astronomy and geography—how could I not know? Records call it the 'root.' It sometimes hardens, sometimes softens, and changes size freely!"
"Do you know its function?"
At A-ryeong's sudden question, Yeon Man Ri blinked.
"Func—tion?"
She turned to Cheok Bal-eon, who grew serious.
"Its function is... well, ahem..."
Cheok Bal-eon eyed A-ryeong.
"Anyway, you know it, I know it!"
"......"
As A-ryeong tried to explain further, Yeop Hyeon interrupted.
"Miss, please, I beg you—treat me first!"
A-ryeong replied coolly.
"Worry not. With me here, your tool won't be ruined."
A-ryeong opened the box she carried. Inside lay two red eggs, each egg-sized, with crimson energy flickering on their surfaces—they seemed intensely hot.
She placed them on her palm and addressed Yeop Hyeon.
"These are eggs from a Demon King-grade spirit serpent. They contain immense power. But fear not—your body is extraordinarily tough, so it should endure."
Yeop Hyeon nodded solemnly.
"Bring it on!"
If it meant returning to normal, he'd shove anything inside him. Better than being a eunuch!
A-ryeong nodded once and drew a sharp surgical blade, beginning her work.
Cheok Bal-eon and Yeon Man Ri watched every step with rapt curiosity from either side of the bed.
Anesthetized, Yeop Hyeon felt no real pain—just odd sensations of cold, heat, and itchiness.
Half an hour later, Yeon Man Ri quietly slipped out. Waiting outside the hall was a woman in armor.
She bowed briefly and spoke.
"My liege, spiritual energy depletion is rampant across Qingzhou. Our Great Prosperity Realm suffers worst. Without it, martial artists are like fish flopping on dry land. Prices for spiritual stones and energy sources are skyrocketing."
She drew a breath and continued.
"At this rate, spiritual energy will vanish soon, plunging all of Qingzhou into chaos. You must decide before then."
Yeon Man Ri bowed her head in deep thought. An hour later, she looked skyward decisively.
"Two paths lie ahead, and we must walk both. First, find spirit veins to quench the immediate fire. Second, solve the root cause."
Her face darkened.
"That one sword damaged the Qingcang Realm's core, throwing not just Qingzhou but the entire realm into turmoil. When chaos descends, humans shed their masks and reveal their ugly faces. But no matter—my Azure Dragon Blade is already red-hot!"
"......"