Chapter 59: The Road to Anhui-6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: The Road to Anhui-6
Crackle, pop. The campfire made a pleasant sound.
But In-ho was in no state to enjoy it.
"Here, please eat."
He was forced to look at the face of a woman whose life story he would never know.
How had this monster killed her?
In a single stroke, so she wouldn't feel pain?
Or slowly, with agonizing cruelty?
Had she driven the woman to the brink of despair with false hope before ending it?
The dead woman said nothing; her lifeless face was simply turned toward In-ho.
"Ugh..."
Nausea surged within him, and In-ho clamped a hand over his mouth.
But his physical reaction to this loathsome situation was stronger than his self-control. He retched, vomiting up the meager lunch he had barely managed to eat.
The sick splattered onto the ground.
"What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?"
She asked with feigned concern, as if she truly couldn't fathom the reason.
After retching for a long while, In-ho let out a ragged breath and tried to steady his breathing. Every time he caught the metallic, fishy scent of blood, another wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
During the long walk from the Black Sky Cult to this spot, he had learned the timing of when Namgung So-yeon would lose her mind and resort to torture.
He knew exactly how much he had to defy her wishes before she turned violent.
He knew which words triggered her most sensitive reactions.
Having been strangled and slammed into the dirt countless times, In-ho had come to understand where her boundaries lay.
That was how he managed to walk the fine line of rebellion, just as he was doing now. He felt it was the minimum amount of loyalty he owed to the slaughtered members of the Black Sky Cult.
However, the resolve In-ho had made—to resist without crossing the line—finally shattered.
"Just stop it already!!!"
In-ho screamed, his voice thick with tears.
The sorrowful, resentful sound pierced through the trees and echoed across the entire forest. The chirping of the crickets and the hooting of nocturnal birds vanished instantly, as if a candle had been blown out by a sudden gust of wind.
"Young Master Kang?"
"Just... why are you doing this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You weren't like this... You were normal... You were kind!"
"...Young Master?"
"How did you change so much in such a short time... Why did you change...?"
Overwhelmed by a sense of grief he couldn't name, he slammed his fist into the ground.
Namgung So-yeon’s face distorted grotesquely as she watched him.
"You said you were part of the Orthodox Sect, that you stood for justice! You said you liked using your martial arts to help people!"
Even as Namgung So-yeon’s expression reached a breaking point, In-ho did not stop.
"Why did you do it? Why?! Killing innocent people! Attacking the Black Sky Cult!!!"
"SHUT UP!!!!"
A roar, amplified by internal energy, shook the forest.
Hit by the sheer force of the sound, In-ho was blown backward. The pressure of her internal energy caused the capillaries in his eyes to burst, and bloody tears began to stream down his face.
Namgung So-yeon strode forward, grabbed him by the collar, and hoisted him into the air.
"Gah!... Ack!"
As In-ho struggled, dangling in mid-air, Namgung So-yeon’s face became a mask of madness and sorrow.
"What do you know? You don't know anything, you know nothing, hee-hee-hee... I came to protect you. I said I’d protect you. I told you I love you. But why, for what reason? Ah... I'm cold. I'm hungry. I have to cultivate. Ah...! Ah... Blood, yes, blood! Ah, I'm sorry, Young Master. I didn't do this on purpose. Ah, I'll be a good So-yeon. Please don't hate me. You fucking bastard. How dare you reject me? Do you have any idea how many, how many people I've killed because of you? Heh, heh, but it doesn't matter. I only need you by my side, Young Master. Ah... I love you. I love you! I love you!!! I said I love you!!! We've been connected since our past lives. No one can tear us apart. Not even you!"
Her head tilted at unnatural angles with every syllable as she poured out words like a rapid-fire barrage.
"Let... go! You crazy... bitch!!"
Suspended in the air, In-ho kicked at her body, but it felt like kicking a massive boulder; his efforts had no effect.
Namgung So-yeon, who had been glaring at him with unfocused eyes, suddenly let out a bright "Ha!"
"Oh! I completely forgot."
As if all the previous madness had been an act, she began to beam. Her face looked like someone who had just found the answer to a difficult puzzle.
"You don't have any of your memories, Young Master. I think I was asking too much of you."
"What... what are you talking about!"
"I'll explain it to you slowly. Now, try to remember."
In her free hand, Namgung So-yeon held the severed head of the woman she had killed earlier.
"Just a mo~ment."
Tilting her head back, she greedily drank the blood dripping from the victim's neck. The thick blood didn't go down her throat immediately; she held it in her mouth.
With her mouth full of blood, she pulled In-ho toward her and pressed her lips against his.
"!!!!!"
The metallic scent flooded his senses as another person's blood flowed into his mouth.
"Mmph! Mmmph!!!"
In-ho thrashed in horror and disgust, but Namgung So-yeon’s kiss only grew more persistent.
Blood that couldn't be forced down In-ho’s throat spilled out, staining their clothes and the ground.
After aggressively exploring his mouth and delivering the blood, she thrust her tongue inside to savor every corner. She gathered the remaining blood from his mouth and swallowed it with an ecstatic expression, as if she were tasting the sweetest honey.
She shuddered once, as if the taste were truly divine.
"Ah..."
Her body writhed with heat.
Her first kiss tasted of blood.