Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: If the Master is Three Times, the Help is Also Three Times (4)
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Getting beaten unjustly was bad enough.
But the words from this crazy woman right in front of me had polluted my brain, leaving me momentarily at a complete loss for words.
A virgin body? What...?
They say people blurt out unexpectedly honest reactions when hit with an overwhelmingly massive shock.
"Um, sorry, but non-virgins are a bit..."
My mouth went there.
It was such a brutal remark that even I suspected I'd lost my mind after spitting it out.
Moyong Taek and Unhak shot me twin looks of disgust, like Are you two crazy bastards as well?
And the most outrageous part?
"Oh my, oh my oh my... Young master, that was obviously a joke, right? This humble girl is a virgin. Eum, for real. If you wish, you can check for yourself? Hehehu."
Was the crazy woman's response.
When words fail, it's best not to engage.
"I see... Actually, I'm not Geum Sihyeon; I'm Geum Sirang. I hope you find Geum Sihyeon and have a lovely romance. Well then."
A sharp pang stabbed at my heart like a premonition of doom, so I tried to bolt from the scene.
But alas.
"Hng...?"
This woman had no intention of letting us go nicely.
The instant she took the slightest step forward.
"...!"
"──!"
Blood-red spiderwebs spread out in all directions from her at the center.
And an unprecedented pressure crushed down on my entire body from every side.
In that crushing weight where I couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Hehehu. It's fine. You had to witness this much at least to qualify as my young master, right? It seems our acquaintance is still too short for you to understand this humble girl's boundless affection. We'll take it slow from here, getting to know each other bit by bit. Ah! This humble girl's name is Hongryeon."
The crazy woman, with her sinister smile smeared across her lips, began walking toward me slowly.
I poured all my focus into circulating the Northern Bright Divine Art.
The energy binding my body gradually absorbed into me.
Only then did I realize the source of that intense sense of déjà vu.
The energy I'd felt in the barrier at Mount Taebaek.
It matched that peculiarly alien inner energy from the mountain bandit scum—sticky, viscous, endlessly clinging.
This bitch.
Blood Cult.
I cautiously flexed my slightly recovered right hand and firmly pressed the smartphone's volume button three times: press, hold, press.
After the Mount Taebaek incident, a feature my eldest brother had urgently developed for our family.
Emergency rescue request.
I didn't fully understand the principle, but it sent my current coordinates to pre-set contacts.
I hadn't expected to use it this soon.
I'd have to visit the Zhuge family later and kowtow in gratitude.
The inner energy flooding my dantian was sucked into the smartphone in a rush.
"Hng? Something... I feel something. Young master? What have you done?"
I kept my composure, pretending to be a frozen man who couldn't move a muscle.
The crazy woman, now close to me.
"Sniiiiif..."
Buried her nose in my nape and inhaled deeply.
I'd really run afoul of a total lunatic...
A chill raced up my spine, followed by a sense of wrongness.
Her breath touched my neck, but what emanated wasn't vital energy—it was deathly yin.
She didn't feel like a living person.
No way... a jiangshi?
She lifted her face from my nape, her eyes gazing deeply into mine.
Similar to Luri's color.
But while Luri's were a clear red, Hongryeon's pupils were muddied crimson, thick as Marx.
As my mind spun in circles, the crazy bitch kept staring intently while groping my body clumsily.
When Sister Seol touched me, it felt a bit pervy and clingy, but not that bad.
But thinking she was non-virgin made it feel like centipedes crawling over me.
My horns hurt... my horns hurt...!
No.
Why should my horns hurt? She's not even my woman.
My heart lightened.
Before the fire trucks arrived, ignoring red lights.
Before this crazy bitch committed the atrocity of tampering with my gear stick.
I unleashed the Northern Bright Divine Art at full power, broke the binding, shoved Hongryeon away, and created distance.
A gleam flashed in her eyes.
"As expected! Young master is amazing! How can your resolve be so firm! Ung, I see it clearly now. Not pure yang energy? What is it, exactly what? What's your true nature? Why are you so alluring?"
Hongryeon muttered to herself.
Then flashed a chilling smile.
"Well, to uncover that, those pesky arms and legs might just get in the way, right? It'd be a shame not to feel your caresses, but as long as the face and manhood remain, you can still fulfill a man's role, don't you think?"
She was a bona fide madwoman.
Sensing danger, I drew my sword just as sword energy flickered vividly in her hand.
"Th-that... um... are you perhaps in the Flower Realm?"
"Hehehu. That's right? I'll cut them off painlessly, so stay still?"
I obediently sheathed my sword.
"W-without hands, you couldn't caress, would that be inconvenient?"
I barked nonsense to buy time.
But surprisingly, the nonsense worked a bit on the madwoman.
"True enough? Hehehu. You already want to caress this humble girl? Then, well, maybe just the legs."
"Without legs, wouldn't the positions for our union be a bit awkward?"
"Oh my, oh my oh my... How bold... Young master has a naughty side too."
Imagining it, perhaps, Hongryeon crossed and uncrossed her legs with a lewd expression.
Of course, my horns remained limply broken.
Having pondered, Hongryeon approached again, her hands gleaming with sword energy.
"Hehehu. Then what to do... Ah! Though we just met today, eum, no choice. Young sirs? Big brothers? If you die in his place, that should do!"
Shit.
"What are you doing! Run, you idiots!"
I'd been subtly spreading Northern Bright Divine Art energy around earlier, loosening the bindings on Moyong Taek and Unhak.
Her target seemed to be just me, so I wanted to keep them out of it as much as possible──
Ching!
Thud!
"Think you can just run, moron?"
"It's uncomfortable drawing lethal intent on a woman, but I can't overlook harm to a close friend."
The two Peak-level idiots drew twin swords and slammed down an iron club, standing by my side.
"Oh my, oh my oh my... Quite the brotherhood? How does our young master have such great fortune with people...?"
"We've never had a hag like you as a sister-in-law."
At Moyong Taek's words.
Hongryeon's face, which had maintained composure with a seductive expression, twisted completely.
"Hehehu. Hehehu... No one's ever called me that and lived? You impudent young sir?"
Whoa.
She was pissed.
Even knowing she was Flower Realm, shoving "old hag" in her face—bravo to Yongtaek's guts.
No, but why aren't Master Chicken and Master Turkey here yet!
My disciple's gonna die!
The moment I stepped forward courageously, screaming internally.
Kuuung!
The hatchet handle thrown by my revered Master Seo Dohee embedded itself before the madwoman.
Joy bloomed on our three faces.
And then.
"What the hell are you, daring to threaten my disciples?"
Today, looking three times more beautiful, Master's majestic figure landed between Hongryeon and us.
I quickly slapped my own cheek.
"Are you crazy, Geum Sihyeon?"
"No, I'm perfectly sane."
I'd nearly fallen for the suspension bridge effect.
I mustn't harbor such lowly feelings toward my sky-like master.
"Ha, what's this vulgar, dignity-less wench who rolled down from the mountains? Young master? Added another woman already?"
"...Young master?"
"I swear on Eunrang—first time seeing this woman today, Master."
Tears in my eyes, renaming my little brother saved the day, steadily building Master's trust.
As Master furrowed her brow and infused qi into the hatchet.
Slice──
"Gasp."
A single sword flew in, cleanly severing Hongryeon's head.
Roll──
Not a drop of blood, the head detached from the neck and tumbled once on the ground.
"Hmph. No wonder I smelled blood—that you again, Hong Sundok?"
"...Wijiryang! I told you not to call me by that name! I'll kill you, kill you, kill you for real!"
Hongryeon's head rolling on the floor bellowed.
It should've been a horrific sight, human torso separated from head... but somehow, the situation itself was hilarious.
How's her name Sundok?
Since I'd sensed deathly yin earlier, knowing she wasn't human helped me stay calm.
Unhak and Moyong Taek's faces were pale as ghosts.
"Grow old gracefully, Sundok. Still clinging to that tenacious life? Always fiddling with jiangshi like a creep—that's why you're in this state."
"Hoo, haa, haa..."
Unlike when toying with us, her composure shattered, face wretchedly distorted.
But.
The moment her eyes met mine, her expression brightened sunnily again, as if nothing happened.
"Young master, young master, how do you have such vicious fiends around you? I'm sorry I couldn't serve you today, but next time for sure──"
Before Hong Sundok could finish.
Master Seo swung her hatchet, cleaving the Sundok=jiangshi's neck in two.
Then.
Whoosh...
Head and torso crumbled to ash simultaneously.
Master Seo spat on it.
"How the hell do you conduct yourself to attract vermin like that?"
She gave me a slightly reproachful look.
I felt wronged.
Savoring the thrill of being a Peak newbie adored by two Flower Realm experts, we headed back to the academy.
"What the hell was that woman just now?"
I asked my Sword Demon Master.
Yongtaek, Unhak, even Master Seo who'd been grilling them—all perked up their ears curiously.
"Hong Sundok. One of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's traitors. Utterly sinister, obsessed with jiangshi arts and soul-seizing techniques. Her true body is probably far away. If she were near, this seat would sense it."
"She had sword energy in her hand earlier..."
"It's inferior to true Flower Realm stuff, so don't fear it next time. Keep your eyes closed to avoid soul-seizing, dodge what you can, and lop off the head. Didn't she just yap endlessly after her head was cut?"
Master Seo nodded along.
Dodge and kill.
What kind of Bob Ross explanation is that?
"She introduced herself as Hongryeon earlier..."
"Hong Sundok's right. She's hated that name forever. Kinda funny. For someone over a century old."
A century?
Totally rotten...
Compared to Granny Sundok, even Master Seo is a chick, not a hen...
"Then she's definitely not a virgin, right?"
Unhak awkwardly interjected from the side.
"Hm. Judging by Sundok's personality, she'd never be popular with men. So probably never bedded one."
What.
Just a dried-up old hag whore?
"Instead, having mastered Yin Absorption Art, she's devoured countless women."
Hm...
A polar bear-slaying old whore, huh.
A slight short-circuit in my unicorn wiring.
Unhak tilted his head similarly.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Guhk."
"Keurk."
"Ugh, why me...?"
"Grow up, you pathetic lot."
Master Seo smacked each of our noggins and gave us pitiful looks.
Yeah.
Pretty pathetic thoughts.
A real man admits when he's wrong.
That's me.
"Sis. I'm here."
"Huh? What brings you all the way here?"
Moyong Seol, lounging leisurely in the instructor's office, sat up to greet Moyong Taek.
Back when he was little, he'd trailed after her like "Sis? Sis?" so obediently, but now that he'd grown stubborn, it irked her.
Still, he was her precious little brother, so a smile unwittingly tugged at Moyong Seol's lips.
"Found this on the way. I'm off."
Unaware or uncaring of her feelings.
Moyong Taek tossed a bundle indifferently and quickly exited the office.
Moyong Seol puzzledly unwrapped it.
"Uh..."
Inside was glacial spirit essence.
Extremely pure yin energy, rare even near the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
"Found on the way," he said, but where'd he get it?
Couldn't have been easy.
And despite practicing ice arts herself, he'd yielded it to her.
"...Not from some gambling den, I hope."
The perfectly logical suspicion slipped out briefly.
But her brother knew boundaries, so probably not.
Lately, she'd been stuck at the early Superpeak threshold, no progress in sight.
Though blaming insufficient inner energy, inwardly bittersweet.
She felt deep gratitude for her brother's quiet affection.
She wanted to ingest the glacial essence and meditate right away.
But there was a minor issue.
To fully assimilate it by melting it down.
For peak efficiency, she needed someone to assist with qi circulation beside her.
Ideally, a martial artist brimming with yang energy, skilled in yang-dominant qi.
Before, without one, she'd forced it alone, losing thirty percent efficiency.
But now, Moyong Seol knew someone quite proficient in yang-dominant arts.
Geum Sihyeon.
After considerable hesitation and reluctance.
Moyong Seol picked up her smartphone.