episode_0017

“······.”

“You’ve decided not to speak? You must have a lot of questions, right?”

The smirk on his face was extremely irritating.

If only he had the strength, he wanted to punch that face.

With a voice that seemed to barely contain her discomfort, Yeon Soo Rin finally spoke.

“······What do you want from me?”

“What I want······. It’s because we need you. Lord Jang and I hold your abilities in high regard. Your martial arts skills, that enchanting body··· hehe, you know, right?”

“You bastard!”

His anger flared up again.

The worst kind of man, who enjoyed mocking and teasing a woman who couldn’t resist.

He didn’t even have the basic courtesy towards a human being.

“Oh, don’t get too worked up. Good things are good, right? Cheong Ah was quite cute, we should meet her again in good health, don’t you think?”

“What did you do to her?”

It felt like his rationality had snapped.

Yeon Soo Rin shouted uncontrollably, as if spitting out blood.

If looks could kill, Lord Jang would have died several times over.

“Calm down. I didn’t do anything. I’m not the kind of scum who would do anything to such a cute little girl.”

“If anything happens to Cheong Ah, I will tear you both apart, even if it’s in the Nine Heavens!”

“Oh, I really didn’t touch her. So, relax those scary eyes of yours.”

As if to ease the tense atmosphere, Jang Il waved his hand casually.

But when it came to Cheong Ah, her reverse scale, her anger, couldn’t easily be calmed.

After breathing heavily for a while with a red face, she was finally able to speak again.

“So, you need me? Should I work under you?”

“Yes. We need your help with our work.”

“Really? But in this state, how can I be of any help? Are you asking me to go out and use my skills?”

Referring to her current state of being without internal energy.

“Oh, of course, we’ll have to restore your body to normal. You’re a valuable asset to the Golden Dragon Sect.”

“Hah··· you have great confidence. Do you think I’ll just obediently follow you once I regain my internal energy?”

Yeon Soo Rin said with a sense of disbelief.

“Surely a reputable female martial artist like yourself wouldn’t break an agreement, right?”

“Nonsense. Do you think an agreement made under threat is valid?”

“Well, if it’s not, then maybe Cheong Ah···.”

“Don’t you dare mention that child’s name with your filthy mouth!”

“I was just joking, just joking.”

Jang Il smiled slyly at her.

“There’s a way. A way to handle strong women like you. You know the saying, ‘A woman and a drum should be beaten once every three days’? I didn’t know either, but it means that strong women need to be disciplined to listen obediently.”

“Such pathetic nonsense from men. Do you think I’ll succumb to violence?”

“Haha, it’s just a joke. Lord Jang says the Golden Dragon Sect should take the peaceful route for now, and I agree. Dialogue is better than violence, right? So, you should follow us willingly with your heart.”

“Stop the nonsense. If you want to control me, restore my internal energy. Once I regain my internal energy, I will kill you both.”

Yeon Soo Rin’s eyes sharpened.

Even in a state where she couldn’t raise her internal energy, a fierce momentum flowed from her.

Jang Il calmly met her gaze.

“Indeed, women like you won’t submit even in death. If it weren’t for Cheong Ah, you probably would have already surrendered, right?”

When Jang Il mentioned Cheong Ah again, she gritted her teeth, but this time she didn’t lose her composure.

“······Fine, I knew you would threaten me with Cheong Ah. I have no choice but to follow your words obediently. So, stop the damn mockery and tell me what I need to do.”

“I really don’t have any intention of threatening you. Well, even I don’t find the situation believable at all. Anyway, I’m telling you to get to the point. So, let’s do that. Oh, before that. Do you remember this room?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well… The owner of this room seems to be quite familiar with you.”

“What?”

Only then did Yeonsu Rin look around the room where he had been confined.

He had thought he was imprisoned somewhere in the Seomjeongak, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

As he had said, it was a room that he had seen somewhere before.

Judging by the size of the room, it wasn’t the room of a low-ranking official like a Sibi or a Pyeongmusa.

It was the room of someone holding a fairly high position.

However, contrary to such a person’s room, it had a neat and rather simple atmosphere.

Only the necessary furniture was neatly arranged, and various books were neatly lined up on the shelves.

And in front of the mirror, women’s grooming tools were also neatly arranged.

Could this be…?

“Judging by that expression, it seems like you remembered something. So, what happened to the owner of this room?”

With a sly smile, Jang Il snapped his fingers with a sharp sound.

“Come in.”

The door slowly opened, and a middle-aged woman in a simple white hanbok entered.

She looked to be in her forties, dressed in a modest white hanbok matching the simple atmosphere of the room.

She walked over with a somewhat weakened gait and stood in front of Jang Il.

“Oh, Yeonju…”

Yeonsu Rin let out a gasp with surprised eyes.

It was Yeonju Ewharin.

After the former owner, Hwang Bo Pyeong, divorced his wife eight years ago, she had taken over the inn almost like the owner herself.

She was trusted by Jang Il for her caution, enthusiasm, and wisdom in everything she did.

Moreover, possessing simplicity, her demeanor had earned the respect of many of the soldiers under General Geumryong.

But the Yeonju in front of him now seemed to have lost the brightness that always shone in her clear eyes.

Her gaze was clouded as she stared into empty space.

There was no expression on her face, as if her mind had emptied.

Her lips were slack and slightly parted.

Unbelievable.

Such an expression on Yeonju was something that those who knew her usual self could never imagine.

It seemed as if she had been possessed or lost her mind.

Why… How…?

A sudden ominous feeling passed through his spine.

“Are you wearing it on purpose?”

A question that didn’t fit the situation at all.

But to someone, it was a question that carried a weight as heavy as a mountain.

Ewharin replied in a voice devoid of emotion.

“If the master wishes, the servant must always lift her skirt and open the worn-out cloth… to accept the master’s noble member… The worn-out cloth hinders the opening… It will never be worn forever…”

Yeonsu Rin couldn’t believe the sound he was hearing now.

It felt like he was hearing a hallucination.

Everything that was happening now felt like a dream.

“Okay, take off your skirt and become a vessel.”

“Yes, master… Thank you for bestowing upon me the honor of serving your noble body as a useless vessel…”

Ewharin unhesitatingly threw off her skirt and crawled towards Jang Il.

Her slightly sagging body made her look like a flat board.

Jang Il pushed the cloth aside and sat on her bare buttocks.

It was the epitome of human depravity.

“What… What on earth…?”

It was witchcraft… A spell he had cast on himself…

Was that spell a binding spell…?

His entire body went cold with nerves.

He shivered like a bamboo tree.

Fear.

It was a fear bordering on madness.

If one falls under such sorcery, they can no longer remain human.

All human dignity is thoroughly trampled upon.

They become livestock.

Yeonsu-rin has become livestock.

“Don’t worry. This woman is so vulgar that she’s not worth transforming into art, so I left her alone like this. But you, you are a dignified piece.”

Squeeze.

As if teasing the underworld of Yeonsu-rin, who has become a human puppet, Jang-il poked her with his finger and continued speaking.

“You are truly being reborn as a piece of art today. No, not being reborn. Just realizing how a lowly woman should behave when meeting her master.”

“No! Don’t! Please! Stop! Stop!”

Terrified, she screamed like a madwoman.

She wet herself out of fear, but she couldn’t even remain conscious.

“Hahaha, why is the famous Yeonsu-rin so afraid? You will soon come to appreciate the joy of submitting to your master.”

“Please! I beg you… Please! Stop!”

Watching her beg as if she had lost her mind, Jang-il smirked like a predator.

“Oh, I feel a bit sorry seeing you beg like that. But now, what should we do? Lovely lady, [you are a broken flower].”

With a smirk, Jang-il uttered the final words of her fate.

With that, Yeonsu-rin’s fate was sealed, regardless of her own will.