Chwiseonru's Loaded, Huh? Wanna Rob the Place?
‘Is this the side effect?’
This was the last thought that flashed through Yeop Hyeon's mind.
Meanwhile, Yeon Man Ri's head went completely blank at the sudden calamity, leaving her no time to react. By the time she snapped out of it, something scorching, ferocious, and utterly savage was surging relentlessly into her body...
Boom!
Yeop Hyeon's body was hurled hundreds of zhang away, crashing into the ground outside the grand hall. The spot where he landed spiderwebbed with cracks radiating outward.
Not only that, but his entire body was split open like parched earth, blood overflowing from the fissures to dye him crimson, making him look like a man of blood.
At that moment, Yeon Man Ri appeared at the entrance to the hall, draped in a flowing red robe. In her hand was a massive Azure Dragon Blade, over nine chi long—easily weighing thousands of catty at a glance—with an azure dragon devouring the moon etched into its blade.
Yeon Man Ri slowly advanced toward Yeop Hyeon.
The Azure Dragon Blade, taller than she was, dragged along the ground, carving a furrow into the earth.
Right then, Cheok Bal-soyo appeared out of nowhere, hoisted Yeop Hyeon onto her back, and bolted away.
As Yeon Man Ri furrowed her brow to give chase, A Ryeong rushed in to block her path.
"Did that bastard touch you, my lord?"
Yeon Man Ri turned to A Ryeong and said,
"Why did he suddenly turn like that?"
Her voice was ice-cold, thick with killing intent.
Sensing her genuine fury, A Ryeong paled and bowed her head low.
"My lord, there's a spirit蛟 essence in Yeop Hyeon's body right now. It contains the world's most potent aphrodisiac. If a woman gets too close, it automatically spreads through her bloodline. And once that happens..."
Yeon Man Ri's brow creased deeper.
"Why the hell did you shove something like that into him?"
A Ryeong looked up at her and murmured softly,
"My lord, didn't you tell me to give him something with side effects... but not too extreme...?"
Her voice trailed off to near inaudibility.
But Yeon Man Ri heard every word.
Having heard the explanation, she said nothing, simply shouldered her Azure Dragon Blade and turned away.
Once Yeon Man Ri was gone, A Ryeong let out a sigh of relief. She had no idea what Yeop Hyeon had done, but she'd never seen her lord that furious.
Meanwhile, Cheok Bal-soyo had carried Yeop Hyeon out of the imperial palace in a flash. Thanks to Yeon Man Ri's prior orders to the guards, no one obstructed her path.
Leaving the palace behind, she slipped into an abandoned manor in a deserted area and gently laid Yeop Hyeon down. From a violet vial, she took out a single pill and slipped it into his mouth.
A faint purple mist rose over his body, and the wounds covering him began healing rapidly.
Relieved at the sight, Cheok Bal-soyo glanced toward the palace and muttered to herself,
"Sis is one scary lady!"
She turned back to Yeop Hyeon.
"Sword cultivator, what bad thing did you do to her?"
In truth, Yeop Hyeon had already regained consciousness but showed no reaction.
Back in the palace, he'd faced a brush with death. Without the Golden Divine Scripture, he might not be in this world anymore.
Yeon Man Ri had truly meant to kill him.
Of course, Yeop Hyeon had plenty to say about that.
The side effect had hit him too fast to control, especially with his body already depleted from the recent battle.
Plus, he had no memory of what he'd actually done to her.
Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon shot to his feet, his sword eyes scanning the surroundings. Confirming Yeon Man Ri wasn't nearby, he sighed in relief and sat back down.
That's when Cheok Bal-soyo pointed at his lower body.
"Sword cultivator, you're bleeding down there!"
Yeop Hyeon hurriedly threw on his clothes. This little girl truly knew nothing of modesty between men and women.
Cheok Bal-soyo pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Jeez! It's not like it'll wear out if I see it once."
Yeop Hyeon was speechless again.
‘What kind of upbringing did this brat have?!’
Ignoring her, he focused on tending his body. That's when he realized most of the cracks and bleeding had healed.
"Soyo! What pill did you just feed me?"
Cheok Bal-soyo puffed up proudly.
"It's called the Purple Spirit Pill—worth two million top-grade spirit stones a pop. Super rare; even Dad only gives me five a month. I've got four left now!"
‘Two million top-grade spirit stones?!’
Yeop Hyeon's jaw dropped. But it was worth every penny—the effect was incredible.
"By the way, Soyo, how long have you been away from home?"
She thought for a moment before replying,
"Friends don't need to spell stuff out, right?"
Yeop Hyeon's face darkened. He felt the urge to slap some sense into this nonsense-spouting girl.
Suddenly, Cheok Bal-soyo squatted down, hugged her knees, and grumbled glumly,
"Anyway, I'm not going back!"
"Why?"
"Dad said I'd ruin the family!"
"Uh... did you lose something?"
Looking wronged, she shot back,
"It was no big deal. I just lost one heavenly realm treasure that was lounging around the house."
Yeop Hyeon nearly dropped his jaw.
‘Lost a heavenly realm treasure...? Are you insane?’
"Argh, whatever! I took it out for a bit, and it just ran off on its own. It escaped, so it's not like I lost it, right? But Dad only yelled at me! Does that make any sense?"
"......"
Still fuming, she plopped down beside him and asked sulkily,
"Sword cultivator, be honest. Am I the weird one? I didn't even tell it to go, but it vanished! I'm the real victim here!"
Yeop Hyeon pondered his response before speaking.
"Listen up. This isn't all your fault. The real culprit's that runaway heavenly realm treasure. If it hadn't bolted, nothing would've happened, right?"
She stared at him seriously.
"If Dad had half your logic, I wouldn't have run away."
Yeop Hyeon smiled helplessly. But he'd already decided to send her home.
"Soyo, it's been a while since you left. Your father's probably worried sick. Don't you think?"
"Hmph! Unless he comes looking for me, I'm not going back!"
"Why?"
He looked puzzled.
"I stormed out on my own two feet—going back on my own would be too embarrassing! No way I'm walking back!"
"......"
She waved it off.
"Ugh, enough of this depressing crap! Anyway, your wounds feel better now, right?"
Yeop Hyeon checked himself over. Over eighty percent of the gashes had healed.
"Yeah... Hey, Soyo, wanna come with me to Canglan Academy in Jiang Kingdom? I'm the dean there."
"Dean?"
Her eyes lit up.
"You're the dean?"
"Yep. With your skills, you'd start as vice dean at least. What do you say?"
She looked baffled.
"Why only vice dean?"
Straight-faced, he replied,
"Vice dean's better than dean, actually. Deans drown in paperwork every day and stay exhausted. Vice deans get the fancy title but no real work—just chill."
She still seemed reluctant.
"Vice dean's still vice, and dean's dean!"
"Haha! Don't worry—Canglan's full of fun stuff. Come check it out first!"
With that, they left the abandoned manor and headed straight for Chwiseonru.
Meanwhile, after the clash at Changmok Academy, all of Qingzhou buzzed with tales of Yeop Hyeon and the Sword Immortal for a time.
But the spiritual energy depletion crisis stole the spotlight. No one paid Yeop Hyeon any mind anymore. Qingzhou was in turmoil.
Martial artists extended their lives through cultivation. No spiritual energy meant no cultivation—which meant lifespans like ordinary folk.
Without it, they could only sit and await death.
Spirit stone prices skyrocketed across Qingzhou. Three thousand taels of gold barely bought one top-grade stone.
Gold crashed while spirit stones soared, making them the new currency over gold.
As chaos spread, bandits, murders, and inhuman crimes erupted everywhere. Casualties mounted.
That's why Yeop Hyeon had to hurry back to Jiang Kingdom.
At Chwiseonru, the steward greeted them warmly.
Recognizing Yeop Hyeon, he bowed deeply.
"Young Master Yeop, what brings you here today?"
"I need a cloud ship. Heading back to Jiang Kingdom right now."
The steward nodded.
"Please wait here, Young Master Yeop. We'll prepare it shortly."
Once he left, Cheok Bal-soyo sat quietly, lost in thought.
"What're you thinking?"
Yeop Hyeon asked. She sprang up and declared,
"Chwiseonru's got tons of money, right? Wanna rob 'em?"
"......"
In that instant, both their faces changed. They bolted out of Chwiseonru.
As they crossed the threshold, the entire building collapsed.
High above the ruins hovered a cloaked man. In his grip dangled an old man—the very steward who'd greeted them.
He yanked the elder to his face and sneered darkly,
"I come all the way from Jungto Sinju, and that's all you got? Two million top-grade spirit stones? You mocking me?"
With that, he crushed the elder's throat. The steward's face turned blue, then limp.
Released, he crumpled lifeless to the ground. The cloaked man turned a nasty grin on Yeop Hyeon and said,