Want It? Then Take It
Yeop Hyeon froze for a moment.
'That I'm not ruthless enough?'
No matter how much he thought about it, Yeop Hyeon felt he was plenty cruel.
It was just that the woman in front of him was far more brutal.
At that moment, the princess, who had taken a few steps ahead, whipped her head around and shouted at him.
"What are you standing there like an idiot for? Come on, let's go kill them!"
"......"
Only then did Yeop Hyeon start following after the princess.
Right before leaving, he searched the man's corpse and claimed several mid-grade spiritual stones as spoils. Including what the man had originally carried, he now possessed a total of fifteen spiritual stones. On top of that, he found around a hundred gold coins.
It was no small haul for Yeop Hyeon.
They might look meager, but right now, spiritual stones and gold coins were more precious to him than anything.
Not for himself. For Canglan Academy. He had to buy liquor for Dean Ji, prepare food for Ji An Zhi who was always sucking on chopsticks, and for Mu Yun Qi and Bai Ze who trained tirelessly.
Above all, he needed to ensure his beloved little sister, Yeop Ryeong, could live comfortably.
After trekking deep into the forest for a while, the pair spotted two martial artists by a stream.
Their attire marked them unmistakably as men from the imperial authorities.
The authorities and Jiang Kingdom differed greatly in customs, clothing—especially speech patterns.
Their gazes, fixed on Yeop Hyeon and the princess, suddenly locked onto the severed head in her hand.
In that instant, their faces turned ice-cold.
Right then! The princess hurled the head at them and shot forward like the wind.
'Fast!'
Yeop Hyeon's eyes widened. Her movements surpassed his wildest imagination.
Without hesitation, Yeop Hyeon charged the remaining warrior and unleashed Fist Collapse.
Fist Power!
The punch shattered nearby stones with sheer wind pressure alone. The opponent crossed his arms to shield himself.
In that moment, the ground where the man stood cracked open, and his arms turned a ruddy gold, hardening like the metal itself.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed through the area as both the man and Yeop Hyeon staggered back several zhang.
Coming to a halt, Yeop Hyeon saw his fist had reddened.
His expression grew deadly serious. This foe was no pushover.
Just then, the man leaped forward in a massive stride, closing in on Yeop Hyeon in an instant.
As he swung his arms, qi exploded with ferocious force.
'Strong!'
Yeop Hyeon tensed. He gathered his full power into his right fist, slowly.
The instant the man prepared to strike—something flashed before Yeop Hyeon's eyes.
It happened in a blink. The opponent's head rolled across the ground.
The princess appeared before the dazed Yeop Hyeon, who stared blankly ahead, sheathing her saber.
'She killed him... in just one breath!?'
She approached the stunned Yeop Hyeon and asked casually, as if she hadn't just taken a life.
"Why didn't you go all out?"
"......"
"You're a sword cultivator. If you'd fought at full strength from the start, you could've crushed him in one go. Why hold back? Remember where you are. If you don't end fights quickly, you'll get swarmed and die."
Yeop Hyeon had no retort. She was right. Dean Ji had warned him never to let his guard down here.
"This isn't a training ground. If you don't kill, you die."
The princess shot him a cold glare and strode onward.
Yeop Hyeon gave a wry smile.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Be serious about it!"
"Got it!"
"At least you answer well. Follow me!"
This time, Yeop Hyeon looted five more mid-grade spiritual stones and fifty gold coins from the corpses.
He patted his bulging pouch with a foolish grin. He pictured the joy on his Canglan Academy comrades' faces.
'Oh crap!'
Snapping to his senses, he hurried after the princess.
'Stay sharp, Yeop Hyeon!'
Soon, they reached a cave in the mountainside. The princess sat, kindled a fire, and—like magic—produced a chicken from nowhere, roasting it over the flames.
Yeop Hyeon was baffled. She'd been empty-handed the whole time. Where had the chicken come from?
"What, surprised?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
She showed him the ring on her finger.
"It's called a Napgye. Stores anything except living things."
Yeop Hyeon's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Can I take a look?"
Shrugging nonchalantly, she slipped off the ring and tossed it to him. Yeop Hyeon examined it closely, wonder filling his gaze.
"How much can it hold?"
"Mm, about the size of a small room."
Yeop Hyeon gasped, firing off more questions.
"How much to buy one?"
She replied flatly.
"Around five hundred thousand taels. Or whatever the seller demands."
"Five hundred thousand!?"
Frozen like a statue, Yeop Hyeon handed the ring back.
'Five hundred thousand taels? No way! I'd have to sell myself!'
She glanced at the Napgye and said to him.
"Want it? Then take it."
Yeop Hyeon shook his head at her offer.
Surprised, she asked.
"Why?"
"There's no such thing as a free gift."
She eyed him seriously.
"Sharp one, aren't you? Join me. I'll carve out a spot for you in my army."
Yeop Hyeon smiled awkwardly.
"I've already promised Dean Ji to become a Canglan Academy student. I have to keep my word."
She nodded and dropped the subject.
If he'd made up his mind, she wouldn't push. Talent mattered, but so did trust and loyalty.
Yeop Hyeon glanced outside the cave.
"When do we enter the Sword Lord Caverns?"
"Tomorrow. Last day to get in, so it'll be packed."
He turned to her.
"By the way, Your Highness's skills back there were incredible."
"You haven't met real geniuses yet. Jiang Kingdom's just a tiny player in vast Qingzhou. Tomorrow, you'll see how many powerhouses lurk out there. Scariest part? They work insanely hard."
Yeop Hyeon plopped down before her.
"You and An Ranxiu are amazing too."
She tore off a well-roasted chicken leg and handed it over.
"That girl's from Jiang Kingdom, but her background's no joke. Befriending her alone spawns enemies. Better than making an enemy of An Ranxiu, though."
"Get strong enough, and it all sorts itself out!"
"Aren't you scared of anything?"
"I have to get strong. Otherwise, I'm dead anyway."
Her lips twitched at his confident words.
"I like that attitude."
She spread out bedding on one side and flopped down.
"Eat up and sleep. More killing tomorrow!"
"......"
The next morning, they emerged from the cave and plunged into the dense forest.
After wandering awhile, a massive mountain loomed ahead. Midway up its flank yawned a broad cave entrance, surrounded by sword gleams flashing in all directions.
"That's...?"
Yeop Hyeon trailed off. The princess nodded.
"Two Penetrating Nether Realm experts died breaching that entrance. Inside, watch for humans and unknown beasts."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Understood."
As they hurried toward the cave, a black-robed man overtook them at blinding speed.
Yeop Hyeon was startled inwardly. The man's pace rivaled Mu Yun Qi's.
But then the warrior turned toward Yeop Hyeon, flashing a cold grin and slashing his thumb across his throat in a taunt.
'What's his deal?'
The man accelerated and vanished from sight.
Yeop Hyeon opened his mouth to speak—
"Argh—!"
A agonized scream rang out, followed by a severed head rolling toward them from afar.
Staring at the bloodied head, Yeop Hyeon went speechless.
It belonged to the black-robed man who'd just passed them!
'Even he was an expert, taken down so easily!?'
"Looks like a show-off. If you're weak, keep your head down and stay quiet. That's how you survive."
Yeop Hyeon nodded vigorously.
"I can do that!"
The princess whipped around.
"Head down? Only when you should! Hold it high when you should! Otherwise, you're just trash. Got it?"
Suddenly, she drew her golden saber and slashed toward the distance.
Slash!
Saber qi erupted, splintering a massive tree dozens of zhang away. A human silhouette flew back from the shockwave.
The princess barked in an icy voice.
"Scram!"
The figure trembled and fled without a word.
She scanned the surroundings coldly.
"Trash, stay hidden. Don't make me waste saber qi!"
"......"
"Let's go!"
Climbing onward, they finally reached the cave mouth. As they arrived, a long-haired man awaited them. His locks, longer than most women's, shrouded half his face.
In his hand gleamed a saber redder than blood. At his feet rolled several bloodied heads.
The long-haired man turned to Yeop Hyeon and the princess with a grin. His yellowed teeth filled a spine-chilling smile.
His features were grotesquely ugly.
He tapped his saber on the ground with a raspy voice.
"Toll: hundred mid-grade spiritual stones!"
The princess eyed him dismissively.
"Ugliness isn't your fault, but you still make me nauseous."
She shouted at Yeop Hyeon.
"Kill him!"
"......Pardon?"