Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 42: Auction (2)

Jang Yeong-ok, an inner disciple of the Dark Moon Sect, was in a good mood for the first time in a while.

It wasn’t because of the disciples flattering him nearby, nor because he had bought a trinket to woo a female disciple.

He simply enjoyed the leisurely outing outside the sect.

The inner and outer disciples following him chattered, trying to gauge Yeong-ok’s mood.

“Senior Brother Jang, you seem to be in a good mood. Isn’t it refreshing to be outside? The Sect can feel so stifling.”

“The Sect is too confining. Thanks to Senior Brother Jang, we get to go out, and it’s wonderful.”

“Senior Brother Jang, Senior Brother Jang! Look at this! They say the sweets are only one copper!”

Yeong-ok turned his gaze away from his pathetic followers.

They wouldn’t receive much favor in the Dark Moon Sect without him. Yeong-ok enjoyed the attention and admiration they gave him and kept them around. They had benefited quite a bit thanks to him.

The reason for his good mood upon coming outside…

He disliked the feeling of being cooped up with someone he couldn’t stand in the Sect.

That someone was the Jang family’s Two Spiritual Root owner, Jang Yi-bo. An inner disciple of the Dark Moon Sect, and Yeong-ok’s cousin.

Both of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage and of a similar age. One was the son of the family head, and the other was from a collateral branch in the mundane world.

The two had comparable conditions, making them easy to compare beyond their status.

Originally, Yeong-ok, the son of the family head, would have been more highly regarded, overshadowing the collateral branch-born and growing with attention and focus.

However, the problem was that this collateral family-born had the exceptional talent of being a Two Spiritual Root owner.

Even if he trained, he did it better, he accumulated levels faster, and his future seemed brighter. Yeong-ok, who had nothing but his status, was constantly compared to him.

So Yeong-ok always lived under Yi-bo’s shadow.

Yeong-ok was the son of the family head, while Yi-bo was from a collateral line, yet the family valued Yi-bo more.

Yeong-ok always wanted to be in his father’s favor.

He struggled for it.

Every time he advanced a level during the Qi Condensation stage, he hoped for a word of praise from his father, but his father’s eyes were always on Yi-bo, who was one step ahead.

Whenever Yeong-ok advanced one level, Yi-bo would advance one and a half more.

‘A child of a collateral branch. Taking all the attention that should be mine?’

But he couldn’t show it.

“You child of a collateral branch. This is the main house, not a place for you to strut around. Get lost back to the mundane world you belong to.”

He remembered saying this calmly, only to be beaten by his father until he was near death.

Thwack thwack!

“You,”

Thud!

“dare,”

Thwack thwack!

“to hinder,”

Thud!

“the future of the family?”

Thud!

“Phew, consider yourself lucky it ended like this. Never treat that child like that again.”

His father, the head of the Jang family, said this while fiercely beating Yeong-ok.

Yeong-ok had to recuperate for a month after being beaten by his father. His father hit him so harshly that even a month after recovery, he couldn’t walk properly for a long time.

Yeong-ok’s mother wasn’t particularly affectionate towards him either.

She would just have casual conversations when he came to greet her. She didn’t protest or anything about his father’s harsh beatings, as if discipline wasn’t her concern.

Still, Yeong-ok grew up steadfastly.

The reputation of the Jang family, the status of being the son of the family head, was very useful to Yeong-ok. It greatly facilitated his interactions with people and activities within the sect.

That’s why Yeong-ok loved his family. He loved his family as much as it was useful to him.

‘Even if he’s a collateral bastard, he has decent qualities, so since he’s helpful to the family, I shouldn’t mess with him.’

With such a mindset, Yeong-ok grew up maintaining a distant relationship with Yi-bo, the collateral-branch child.

Yi-bo treated Yeong-ok as the son of the family head, and Yeong-ok treated Yi-bo as he would any other family member. In other words, they lived with no interest in each other.

This continued until now.

Until he became an inner disciple of the Dark Moon Sect.

Yi-bo became the direct disciple of the Severed Will Peak peak master and strutted around, while Yeong-ok remained as a named disciple of the Severed Will Peak elder, continuing his training.

Occasionally, when they met from afar, they only looked at each other with transparent eyes.

Yeong-ok’s heart was burning with the flames of jealousy, though he didn’t know what Yi-bo was thinking when he looked at him.

‘If only I had become the disciple of the late Core Formation stage Elder Geum… If I had, would I be in a similar position to that collateral bastard?’

It’s all meaningless speculation.

Yeong-ok would soon become the direct disciple of the Elder and take over all responsibilities anyway.

“Senior Brother Jang, what do you plan to buy at this auction?”

“The elders want the Warm Yang Grass, so I should buy that. If there’s a decent magical tool, it wouldn’t hurt to purchase one.”

“As expected of Senior Brother, you’re so decisive. With the Jang family’s financial power, you should have no problem purchasing the Warm Yang Grass.”

The followers clapped and cheered over trivial things. While Yeong-ok thought it was pathetic, he couldn’t hide the fact that he felt good inside.

The reason Jang Yeong-ok went out this time was because of the auction held in the Manho cultivation world.

Even if it was an auction held by a rogue group that didn’t have official permission and didn’t pay proper taxes to the three major sects, if the items on display were outstanding, people would gather.

Yeong-ok had no qualms.

After all, he had a prevailing reputation for doing whatever he wanted. So, attending a dark auction wouldn’t damage his reputation.

Jang Yeong-ok. A handsome inner disciple who does whatever he wants.

That was the reputation Yeong-ok had built within the Dark Moon Sect.

This reputation was very convenient.

“Did you hear? Senior Brother Jang harassed another female disciple. But she actually liked it?”

“That’s just Senior Brother Jang. It’s not the first time he’s done something like this.”

No matter what eccentricities he had, it was brushed off with, “Because it’s Senior Brother Jang.”

So Yeong-ok didn’t think of hiding his face at the dark auction.

Even if he showed his face and someone saw Jang Yeong-ok at the dark auction, there was no one to point fingers at him.

Yeong-ok confidently entered the auction.

Proudly displaying the handsome face he was confident in.

Yeong-ok thought there would be no one as unique as him at the auction.

Someone who boldly walked around a dark auction with their face exposed. And a handsome one at that.

Yeong-ok was waiting for the attention to pour onto him…

Who is that guy?

Wearing such a peculiar jade mask?

The jade mask-wearing Jade-Faced Scholar,

Yuk-gyeong, found the auction unfamiliar.

In his past life, he had lived a life far removed from auctions.

High-end auctions like art auctions were out of the question; he was a jobless man who made do with instant noodles.

Fish or meat auctions were also out of the question since he was a city boy from Seoul who found it hard to even touch live fish with his bare hands.

So Yuk-gyeong discreetly looked around under his mask and sat in any available seat.

The first thing that caught Yuk-gyeong’s eye was the podium directly in front of the seats. It was clear to anyone that this was where the items would appear and the auction would take place.

And the seats in front of it…were the wooden chairs where Yuk-gyeong was sitting.

The auction house, divided like a stage and audience seating, wasn’t particularly special.

Yuk-gyeong then observed the people coming in.

Most of them covered their faces with veils, scarves, or crude masks.

While their faces were similarly concealed, none had a disguise as elaborate as Yuk-gyeong’s jade mask. It was clear they were only making a half-hearted attempt to cover themselves.

As a result, Yuk-gyeong, with his intricately crafted jade mask and the rest of his body wrapped in cloth, inevitably stood out.

“Why go to such lengths? What’s with that jade mask?”

“Exactly. It’s a place tolerated by Manho, so you can just come casually.”

“Maybe it’s a truly heinous demonic cultivator. Someone who must never reveal their face.”

He heard murmurs around him, but Yuk-gyeong ignored them.

I am the Jade-Faced Scholar, the ruthless demonic cultivator, Jade-Faced Scholar. I don’t care about others’ gazes.

The Jade-Faced Scholar, Lee Yuk-gyeong, tried to keep his gaze fixed on the auction stage, attempting to appear indifferent.

Is the jade mask too conspicuous? Maybe I should’ve just worn any old mask. All this fuss just to change my identity.

Still, outwardly, Yuk-gyeong perfectly embodied the image of a splendid demonic cultivator, the Jade-Faced Scholar.

‘Anyway, I was meant to become a demonic cultivator. A ruthless demonic cultivator! What’s the harm in pretending to be one while wearing a mask?’

Playing the role of a disciple of the Dark Moon Sect had its conveniences, but it also required careful behavior.

But as a demonic cultivator, there were no such constraints.

In that sense, the identity of the Jade-Faced Scholar was incredibly convenient and useful.

It allowed him to freely attend dark auctions like this one.

Yuk-gyeong settled himself comfortably, waiting for the auction to begin.

At that moment, a man in dark robes with a half-mask appeared on the stage.

He stood skillfully on the platform and, under everyone’s gaze, began to speak.

“We will now commence the auction.”