NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Master of Purification
The expressions of the two Heukdo hardened at my words.
“Ugh…”
Only one of them, with chopsticks stuck in his hand, let out a groan.
A man’s groan, ugh, I didn’t want to hear that.
For me, a groan should only be the joyful cry a woman lets out when reaching paradise on a bed.
No other groans are needed.
Once everything is over, I’ll go wash my ears by the stream like Heoyu, a recluse from the Yosun era, and reenact the tale of Gisan Yeongsu.
I’ve heard enough filthy words.
“What did you say, newbie?”
The thug who overturned the table twisted his ugly face.
As if his already poor looks had become even more monstrous.
“Looks like you Heukdo thugs, ugly and petty, are deaf as well. You’re asking for a fight? Am I right to assume you’re scared of a fourteen-year-old kid? Come at me, all three of you if you want. I’m ready to mess you up. You guys have no right to call yourselves men. I’ll personally make sure to take your… manhood.”
I shrugged my shoulders and flicked my fingers.
Nice! This should look cool enough.
Upon hearing my words, the faces of the three Heukdo turned bright red, a colorful spectacle like fireworks.
“How dare you wander the night of Hwajeong County, stealing the purity of countless women, you impotent Wangchung! A little kid has got the guts to insult me! You’ll be crying over your coffin soon!”
The face of the thug who overturned the table turned bright red, charging at me immediately.
His sword shot toward me, swift as light.
The other two Heukdo, following suit, drew their swords and swung them.
“Disciple!”
My Sahyeong, who had been silent until now, called out to me in a frantic voice.
I gritted my teeth, staring at them.
“How dare these filthy Heukdo brutes… draw swords in the sacred inn of the Gongdong Sect!”
My sword hand trembled.
The original plan was to confront them outside in the marketplace.
Though the inn is synonymous with battlegrounds, it was not just any inn; it was the last lifeline of the Gongdong Sect.
Fighting in a venue owned by the sect and damaging property would be downright foolish.
Because repairing that would cost money—lots of money.
Moreover, the important thing is that damaging property might leave a bad impression on Seo Dae-in and Seoharin.
I had finally earned points with my charming dialogue and spirited heroism.
I could lose it all.
So, I had planned to fight outside.
But suddenly, the three enraged Heukdo thugs charged in, ruining my efforts.
I mean, why are they so worked up over the term ‘impotent’? Is it really such a big insult that they charge in without thinking?
Are they making fun of me, who had 50 years of experience as an impotent in my past life?
_Rage swells._
“I’ll personally perform a purification surgery on you today!”
Kurugugugugug!
I activated the Three Yin True Formula, boosting my internal energy instantly.
The foundation of the Gongdong Sect lies in Yin-Yang Reversal.
The principle of Yin-Yang Reversal manifests through reversed blood.
Thus, the internal energy of the Gongdong Sect is speedy and destructive. Even now, it responded quickly as I decided to awaken it—my dantian reacted immediately, and my energy flowed swiftly through my body’s meridians.
The problem was that, unlike the Minor Yang Heart Method, the Three Yin True Formula deals with Yin energy.
As the unique, melancholic energy surged through me, my already sour mood soured even further.
Making me use the damn Gay martial art, the Yin Cold Energy Circulation Method, that I had sworn off after the Regulation Preservation…
I swung my sword, deflecting the Heukdo thugs’ swords with a single move.
Chachachachan!
With a clang of metal, their swords flew off course.
Panic colored their faces.
The swordsmanship I used was the Mysterious Heaven Sword.
It was a defensive sword technique operated with the Yin energy from the Three Yin True Formula, focused entirely on defense.
“Y-you’re pretty good for a kid…!”
“Shut it.”
I cut the shocked thug off mid-sentence.
Right now, I’m not feeling good at all.
It’s infuriating to be provoked into a brawl because of the term ‘impotent’, ending up fighting in the inn.
But thanks to their audacity of launching a surprise attack, I had no choice but to resort to the Yin Cold Energy Circulation Method.
I quickly switched the flow of energy from the Three Yin True Formula to the Minor Yang Heart Method.
Under normal circumstances, changing energy styles quickly is nearly impossible.
Yet having achieved the supreme level of Hyun-gyeong with the Yin Cold Energy Circulation Method made it possible for me.
Gogogogogogo!
Hot Yang energy began to surge from my dantian, the opposite of the previous melancholic energy.
Yes, this is my power.
Feeling the surging vigor, I lunged at the Heukdo thugs like a bolt of lightning.
Bzzz!
Seven Kill Sword!
A technique powered by the Minor Yang Heart Method, unlike the Mysterious Heaven Sword, it was fast and fiercely offensive.
A thrust of the Seven Kill Sword sliced through the groins of the three Heukdo.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Three flashes of the sword shone like flowers blooming on the inn’s floor.
Thud!
One Heukdo kneeled, the same Wangchung who had bragged about being a big shot earlier.
His pants were already stained with blood.
“G-gah! Aaaah! Aaaahhhhhh!”
Blood and foam flowed from the Heukdo’s mouth with his scream.
His severed thing and testicles, soaked in blood, fell to the ground.
That’s right.
Thanks to the meticulous operation of the Seven Kill Sword and controlling my energy with the Minor Yang Heart Method, I had successfully severed their manhood and testicles precisely.
Soon after, the other Heukdo thugs, grasping their trousers, screamed out loud.
“What big shot? You’re tiny!”
I looked down at their severed parts and chuckled.
That’s pretty small for full-grown men, smaller than a fourteen-year-old me.
But they still commit crimes against women every night?
They deserve to be castrated!
The ones with severed manhood lost all will to fight, collapsing in agony, foam spilling from their mouths as they fainted.
Securing my weapon, I wiped my hands clean.
“D-disciple…”
Sahyeong looked at me with a slightly shocked expression.
Behind her, Jeonyeong pressed his temples, grimacing in discomfort.
I looked around.
Though I had finished the fight quickly, using internal energy left the inn in shambles.
There were gashes in the walls, and tables, chairs, and dishes were already shattered to bits.
My gaze landed on Seoharin.
Her body trembled as our eyes met.
Thud.
Perhaps due to her knees giving out, she collapsed on the ground.
Moments later, the inn’s floor became a warm puddle. Seoharin had peed.
Looking at me with puppy-like eyes, she shook.
Was this too violent for a fourteen-year-old kid? I kinda feel sorry.
It’s all because of those Heukdo guys.
“Hey, get up. Come on.”
Splat!
I slapped Wangchung’s cheek hard.
A few teeth flew out.
“Ugh, uhhhh…”
“Because of you, the mood is ruined.”
It would have been great if I had stuck to the plan of fighting outside.
Seoharin wouldn’t have been scared, and we wouldn’t have broken any inn property.
It was those thugs who turned down a good deal for them and me.
“U-uhhh…”
Wangchung tried to speak with his swollen lips, but I ignored his words.
They’re just Heukdo thugs, anyway.
No need for excuses. I poured a bottle of intact Baekgeun-ah over the puddle Seoharin made.
Gurgle gurgle gurgle.
The liquor mixed with urine.
“Thanks to you, the drink got spilled. This brat doesn’t know the value of liquor.”
“Ugh!?”
He looked at me with an indignant expression.
It was obvious I’d spilled the drink, so why was he glaring at him?
Of course, I had no intention of listening to his protest.
In front of this child, he had just peed himself.
How embarrassing could that be?
Even if you secretly draw on the blanket at night, you’d feel ashamed. Here, in broad daylight, he had committed a shameful act in front of everyone.
To dilute her embarrassment, there was no choice but to make this something other than pee.
So it’s liquor, and the one who spilled it was the Heukdo thugs.
With that, I slammed his face into the ground, knocking him out.
“Heukdo brutes are useless. Not even worth recycling.”
I grumbled as I pulled out a cloth handkerchief I always carried and wiped up the mixture of urine and liquor from the floor.
Now, the only thing left is to wipe this up and score points with Seo Dae-in and Seoharin.
Swipe, swipe, swish swish. Scrub scrub.
The sound of me cleaning echoed through the quiet inn.
I didn’t think it was disgusting.
I had been taking care of the princess since she was ten. This is a secret, but the Hwang Sang had once painted a map on a blanket when he was eleven. That time, he emphasized that this needed to remain a secret, so no other eunuchs or maids did it; I had to clean it up secretly myself.
All eyes were on me.
Using the entirety of my handkerchief to clean the floor, I stood up, dusted off my hands, and approached Seoharin.
Seoharin was still trembling. But unlike earlier, her sky-blue eyes held a bit of life in them.
I extended my clean left hand to her, who was still sitting on the floor.
“Get up.”
“…”
Seoharin stared at both me and my outstretched left hand with her blank gaze.
She remained silent.
But I’m a patient man.
I’ll wait until she takes my hand to stand up.
After a little while, Seoharin finally reached out with her tiny hand and grabbed mine.
Her warmth felt nice.
I pulled her up.
Once Seoharin stood fully, she released my hand and dashed to hide behind Seo Dae-in.
I approached Seo Dae-in, bowed respectfully, and said, “I’m sorry, Seo Dae-in. I unintentionally caused a great deal of damage in the inn.”
“It’s alright. No worries. If it weren’t for you, it’s terrifying to even imagine what could have happened here.”
I could see Seo Dae-in shaking his hand and sighing in exasperation at my words.
“Seo Dae-in, is there something going on?”
Upon his remark, Jeonyeong coughed lightly and asked in a serious voice.
“Well, it’s…”
Seo Dae-in hesitated a bit before starting to explain.
His lengthy explanation bore little difference from the information I had acquired in my past life but with a few more details added.
The Sayeong Hoe, the Heukdo branch that monopolized the interests of Hwajeong County, had pressured local merchants, cutting off the supply of cooking ingredients.
After all the suppliers had been shut down, they had no choice but to buy low-quality ingredients from the Sayeong Hoe at exorbitant prices.
As the flavors of the food changed, customers left, and sales dropped, making it impossible to cover the costs of the raw ingredients. Consequently, they had gone into debt to buy raw materials on credit.
With their debts piling up, the Sayeong Hoe was demanding that they hand over the inn instead of paying back the debts.
“… As business difficulties arose, Rin-a selflessly offered to help out at the shop, but now I regret it. I had no idea they’d speak those horrid words to Rin-a…”
“A typical brutal method from the gang of Sado Palmun. I should deal with them myself…”
“Don’t, Great Hero. There are rumors of the Heukryongbang backing the Sayeong Hoe. Their influence, ranking among the Eight Palaces of Sado, is so strong that it would be exceedingly difficult for you and the Gongdong Sect to contend against. I can protect myself, so don’t worry. But Rin-a…”
“Rin-a will be entrusted to our sect. No matter how much they claim to have the Heukryongbang behind them, there’s no way they’d invade our main base…”
A conversation passed between Jeonyeong and Seo Dae-in.
At this rate, just like in my past life, Seoharin would join the Gongdong Sect, becoming my Samae.
But is that really the best choice?
Is it the right decision for her?
I looked at Seoharin.
I saw the little girl, trembling behind her father.
The current Seoharin reminded me of the Hwang Sang when I first met her.
Back when I was assigned as the caretaker of the third princess, who had just lost her caregiver and was ignored by both her father, the emperor, and her mother, the concubine. The third princess had looked at me with empty eyes, hiding behind the bed.
The current Seoharin bore too many similarities to the Hwang Sang of then.
That’s why I didn’t want to stop here.
Because I knew this wasn’t the best course of action for Seoharin.
“Master.”
I stepped forward.
“We’re in the middle of something important. Wait.”
“Eyes are for seeing, and ears are for listening; ignoring them goes against their purpose.”
“Chul-soo.”
“If I turn a blind eye to the sufferings of those who feel like family, how can our sect still be called the White Path?”
Upon hearing my words, the expression of my master hardened.
I looked at him and smirked inwardly.
The Sayeong Hoe? The Heukryongbang?
I’ll ensure they are all made impotent.