episode_0012

At the heart of the Inner Court is the Sujeonggak (修政閣).

While the buildings of the Geumryongjeon are generally large and extravagant, the Sujeonggak is small and simple.

To those seeing it for the first time, with its awkward and lacking appearance, they might have thought it was a storage room.

However, it was the office of Jangju right there in the Sujeonggak.

It was a building steeped in the deep meaning of Jangju’s invitation to never lose sight of the sincerity of his impoverished past.

The door to Jangju’s office in the Sujeonggak was roughly pushed open.

Bang!

“Ouch!”

Bang So-un, startled, gestured by pulling his chair back slightly and sitting down, signaling to Jang Il standing beside him.

It was an instruction to act when the opportunity arose.

“Isn’t this the Left-Handed Law? Why such a sudden visit?”

“You’re quite cheeky.”

Yeonsurin walked steadily without sitting down. She stopped at a distance where she could draw her sword and slit a throat with a single stroke.

Bang So-un, suspecting that she had been poisoned, felt a chill down his spine at her presence.

Reflexively, he tightly gripped the sword placed beside him, ready to draw it at any moment.

“Seol, what did that child do to you?”

Yeonsurin’s voice carried a chilling intensity.

“W-what did she do? Why would the master’s wife do anything to me?”

Goodness.

He faltered, his words faltering. The aura of a master at the peak was not something a third-rate ruffian like himself could handle.

“San. Gong. Dok.”

Yeonsurin spat out each word like a curse.

Bang So-un, who had not expected her to be so blatant, was quite taken aback.

She realized she had been poisoned, yet she came here?

Was it boldness, or recklessness…

Well, if she hadn’t come, they would have gone to her.

But deep down, he quietly worried that the medicine might not have taken effect properly.

Next time, they would have to use a more discreet and effective poison.

“…San Gong Dok? What is that?”

“That kind child thought she could catch me by using San Gong Dok. You know that, don’t you?”

Bang So-un gritted his teeth.

This was a mess.

“Haha, yes. I ordered it. I ordered it to devour you. What will you do?”

“You thought that by using San Gong Dok, you could devour me. This Yeonsurin?”

Thud.

Yeonsurin drew her sword.

It was as swift as lightning.

Bang So-un fell over his chair, rolling backward.

He had prepared well in advance, otherwise his throat would have been slit.

“What are you doing, Jang Il!”

“My skills haven’t completely dispersed yet. I need to make sure.”

Saying so, Jang Il moved to a corner, keeping his distance.

So, are you asking me to stall until this woman’s skills completely disperse?

“Damn it!”

From Yeonsurin’s hands unfolded the Flying Swallow Swordsmanship that had given her a reputation.

It was a swift sword technique that had overcome numerous opponents.

She focused solely on Bang So-un, paying no attention to Jang Il.

Bang So-un rolled around like a donkey, sometimes blocking with his sword, barely holding on.

Normally, it would have been impossible to withstand three strikes.

Yeonsurin, unable to properly use her skills, was barely holding on.

Sizzle.

“Ongh…”

On the sixth strike, his left shoulder was grazed, blood spurting out.

Dizziness set in, and his breathing became rough.

“I will definitely kill you.”

Using underhanded tactics with the Yellow Cloth Charm and even using San Gong Dok, the opponent ran away like a scared mouse without any courage.

That even the Murim warriors were reluctant to unfold the Narita-gun, writing it without hesitation.

The transfer of the Hwangbo clan to such a despicable man was truly pitiful.

He had to die.

Such human trash had to be killed here.

She unleashed the first form of the Biyeon Swordsmanship, the Flying Bird Throwing Forest, which contained the essence of the Illusion Sword, Hwangum.

She intended to completely trap Bang So-un with the sword shadow of the Hwangum, who was only trying to escape.

“Ugh…!”

Caught off guard by Yeonsoo-rin’s intentions, Bang So-un was at a loss in front of the waves of sword shadows, and finally reached for his sword.

With all his might, he grabbed the sword he had and threw it.

As she was about to strike Bang So-un, she sheathed her sword and took two steps back.

There was no reason to take Bang So-un’s life, even if she was injured.

Clang!

The sword trembled as it deeply embedded itself in the wall. In the meantime, Jang-il stood in front of Bang So-un.

“Oh, I see. You were that man’s bodyguard. But what now? Can you defeat me even without a weapon?”

Yeonsoo-rin flashed a sly smile.

Having just realized that he was tall but lacking in skill, Jang-il clenched his hands tightly.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“Quickly transfer your inner energy to me.”

“Uh… okay.”

I see.

He seemed to understand Jang-il’s intentions.

If his inner energy alone was insufficient, what if he added one more inner energy? It might work on Yeonsoo-rin now.

Both of them were well-versed in the same martial arts. They could easily transfer inner energy without any resistance.

Bang So-un urgently placed his palm on Jang-il’s back and transferred his inner energy.

“What crazy thing are you doing…”

Yeonsoo-rin’s expression froze in shock.

Transferring inner energy in front of an enemy was equivalent to asking to be killed.

That’s what he was doing.

With just a reach of his hand, he could easily kill her. But she didn’t move.

Feeling a surge of anger that seemed to crush even the last strand of hope, she was about to brutally kill them, but an impulse stopped her. That impulse saved Bang So-un and Jang-il, and cast Yeonsoo-rin into the abyss.

As soon as the inner energy transfer was complete, Jang-il’s eyes widened.

“Look into my eyes, Yeonsoo-rin!”

“What…?”

Reflexively staring into Jang-il’s eyes, Yeonsoo-rin, who was known for her bold personality, showed a surprised expression for the first time since entering this room.

She felt a chilling sense of dread emanating from his eyes. It was a black abyss with no end, filled with a dangerous and eerie aura.

She even felt as if her body was being sucked into that dark abyss.

“You’re frightening. Very frightening. This Jang-il is very frightening and terrifying. Of course. You’re just a weak and fragile woman. Pretending to be strong, but ultimately, a woman is an animal who seeks to submit to a strong man. To someone like me.”

“You…!”

Unable to finish her sentence, she was shocked to the core. Her feet faltered. No, her whole body trembled. She tried to resist somehow, but the intense fear and dread slowly but surely crept into her heart.

And those feelings of fear and dread were coming from the man in front of her.

It was getting strange.

It was getting stranger like this.

This petty trick…

“I, I’m not… afraid. Did I… did I scare you, a third-rate… coward? Nonsense…”

Her tongue stumbled as if frozen in fear, and her words came out like a fool.

She forced herself to put strength into her arm and unleash a sword strike.

However, the Cheonggangjang sword, which she had always thought was light as a feather, felt infinitely heavy, making it difficult for her to even lift it.

Her arm trembled like a quivering aspen tree.

The blade extended slower than any blunt sword.

“Stammering like a fool and making cute noises like a little girl, why are you deceiving your instincts? Didn’t you say that it’s natural for a small and fragile woman like you to submit to a man like me? Your endless fear and terror arise from your resistance to me. Why resist? If you obediently submit to me, you won’t feel those terrible emotions and you’ll be at ease.”

“Nonsense… please… stop…”

She managed to speak with great effort, but Eonsurin’s heart was completely engulfed by extreme fear and terror.

Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.

She wanted to throw away the sword immediately, hide it where no one could find it, and disappear.

Standing in front of Jangil was terrifying and frightening.

Jangil smirked at her state.

Then, in a voice that sounded like it came from the depths of hell, she shouted, “Can’t you let go of your weapon right now?”

Clang.

The sword fell from Eonsurin’s hand.

She trembled with a frightened expression, on the verge of tears.

Such a sight of Dansimhyeopnyeo was unbelievable to anyone who knew her usual self.

“Kneel!”

Thud.

As if all the strength had left her legs, Eonsurin knelt down.

Unable to bear the fear, she involuntarily urinated between her legs.

It was a humiliation that was unimaginable under normal circumstances.

“You can’t see anything. You can’t feel anything. Your will disappears. Your emotions disappear. Your thoughts disappear.”

The moment she knelt down, her mind was almost completely overwhelmed by Jangil’s power, and Eonsurin lost the strength to resist even in the slightest.

Her eyes became empty, devoid of emotion.

The fear-soaked expression on her face disappeared.

Her lips lost strength and slightly parted.

In an instant, the vitality that had been flowing through her body disappeared, making her look like a sophisticated doll.

“How is this?”

As Eonsurin knelt down and completely surrendered to the hypnosis, Jangil asked Bangsowoon with a satisfied expression.

“Truly remarkable. Is this even possible?”

Bangsowoon looked genuinely surprised.

“Haha, I haven’t been idle all this time. To survive in the martial world, you need various skills, right? Besides, that girl seems to have a very weak constitution to hypnosis. She’s highly suggestible. Such a girl doesn’t take much to complete.”

“Are there really constitutions that are weak to hypnosis and strong?”

“Of course. Aren’t people all different? Utilizing such differences is basic in education.”

After explaining that, Jangil immediately continued.

“Then shall we start with the first disciple of the Jeolhwa Division as the leader and give her some polite mental education? Hehe.”

Approaching the dazed Eonsurin slowly, he whispered in her ear with a joyful voice.

“I am Jangil, the leader of the Jeolhwa Division. And you are the honored girl chosen as the first disciple of the Jeolhwa Division. But you can’t become a disciple right away. You need sufficient mental education. You are now receiving that mental education. You can look forward to it.”