Chapter 98 : The Woman I Loved (2)

Chapter 98: The Woman I Loved (2)

“You’re the one who was looking for this bastard.”

“Did he come from Jeong Family Manor?”

When Yong Hwarin didn’t respond, Black Kill Sword Wonho spoke with certainty.

“You came from Shaolin Temple! Are you a Shaolin monk?!”

Yong Hwarin removed his headband and used it to blindfold Black Kill Sword Wonho.

“What are you doing?”

“He’s someone I have a lot of questions for.”

Yong Hwarin pressed even the pressure point of Black Kill Sword Wonho.

Maeng Yeongyeong flinched and stepped back, seemingly startled by Yong Hwarin’s sudden appearance.

“Don’t be alarmed. I’ve been chasing this bastard. As you know, he’s a notorious Withered Petal Sound Fiend degenerate who raped and murdered a maid I cherished. He also stole a treasure from my family and fled, so I came all the way here pursuing him.”

As Yong Hwarin calmly explained, Maeng Yeongyeong withdrew her suspicion.

She nodded as she looked at Yong Hwarin, who somehow felt strangely familiar.

“Rather, I should thank you. If not for you, this vile man…”

Maeng Yeongyeong couldn’t finish her sentence.

“What do you plan to do with this scum? He must be handed over to the authorities and punished. He even tried to molest me. He won’t survive.”

Yong Hwarin looked at Maeng Yeongyeong and spoke.

“As you know, this bastard is a martial artist. He’s been captured by the authorities several times, but his comrades always break him out. If he’s turned over again, he’ll surely escape once more. Besides, I have questions to ask him, so I can’t hand him over. I ask for your understanding.”

Although Maeng Yeongyeong was the daughter of Virtuous Magistrate, she had learned martial arts and understood the laws of the murim.

And she fully understood what Yong Hwarin was saying.

“You’ve saved me, so I’d like to help you in return.”

As Yong Hwarin spoke with Maeng Yeongyeong, he fell into a reverie, reminiscing as if tracing back long-lost memories.

‘Even back then, Yeongmae was kind and considerate like this. She hasn’t changed at all.’

At that moment, Maeng Yeongyeong asked,

“Have we met somewhere before? You feel strangely familiar…”

Yong Hwarin smiled.

In his previous life, he had heard the exact same words from her in the document archives of the Judicial Office.

“No, this is my first time meeting you. But for some reason, I don’t feel like a stranger.”

“Is… that so?”

It was strange.

Maeng Yeongyeong almost never had such long conversations with unfamiliar men. Even if she did, they were so few she could count them on one hand—and she remembered them all clearly.

But there was no such man in her memory.

‘Still, it’s the first time I’ve met him, yet he doesn’t feel unfamiliar. Is it because we met under such odd circumstances?’

Originally, Yong Hwarin had planned to leave after subduing Black Kill Sword.

But hearing Maeng Yeongyeong say she wanted to help gave him an idea.

‘Though Black Kill Sword Wonho became a Withered Petal Sound Fiend degenerate chasing after women, he’s still a member of the Sagaram Shadow Unit, meaning he’s tight-lipped. Normal torture won’t get him to talk. And taking him to the three sisters of Jeong Family Manor or Hoi Unkyung won’t get me the answers I want. In that case…’

Yong Hwarin’s thoughts began to drift toward cruelty. It was a line of thinking unthinkable for someone of his age.

‘Where did such brutality lie dormant in me?’

Through Black Kill Sword Wonho, Yong Hwarin had resolved to uncover the hideout of those who assassinated his father—and the whereabouts of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

‘These kinds of people are trained to withstand torture. I have to approach it not through physical methods, but through the mind.’

This was something Yong Hwarin had learned during his past life.

He also knew that no matter how strong the body, if the mind collapsed, the body would crumble with it.

“Then, forgive my rudeness, but I have one request. Please set up a banquet table in front of the prison so the guards stationed there can enjoy a meal.”

This was something he absolutely needed help with, so Maeng Yeongyeong’s permission was necessary.

After a moment of thought, Maeng Yeongyeong spoke.

“You’re not planning to free the prisoners, are you?”

“Young miss, my name is Yong Hwarin. I’m the Young Master of Heavenly Central Sect in Hayun County. If anything suspicious happens, feel free to bring my family to justice.”

“Ah! You’re the Heavenly Sword Hero.”

An expression of admiration flowed from Maeng Yeongyeong’s lips.

Yong Hwarin hadn’t expected Maeng Yeongyeong to recognize his alias.

She brightened and said,

“In some ways, I feel like we’re quite connected. Because of the Self-Revolving Blood Demon, the previous Virtuous Magistrate died and my father was transferred here. I never thought I’d meet the Heavenly Sword Hero here.”

Even if Maeng Yeongyeong had little contact with the outside, she knew exactly why her father had been assigned to Imyeong County.

Everyone in the government office gossiped about it; unless she were deaf, there was no way she wouldn’t know.

Yong Hwarin chuckled inwardly as he saw Maeng Yeongyeong speak with such a delighted expression.

‘Even in her past life, she had a fondness for stories of the murim. Now I see why.’

Since she had trained in martial arts, it made sense she longed for the world of martial artists.

But soon, bitterness crept in.

Not all his memories of Maeng Yeongyeong were pleasant.

‘So that was why she yearned for the murim. Maeng Yeongyeong was forced into a political marriage by her father and lived a miserable life. She probably learned martial arts to escape that fate, but in the end, she couldn’t go against his will.’

Maeng Yeongyeong entered into a political marriage and lived unhappily.

The man who became her husband was not only immoral in conduct but also vile in character, frequently beating her and taking concubines to live apart.

Perhaps because of that, she gradually wasted away and died.

‘Yeongmae wasn’t someone meant to live like that.’

It always pained Yong Hwarin the most whenever he thought of Maeng Yeongyeong.

‘Maybe she gave her heart to me back then because her own circumstances, being a victim of political marriage, made her more vulnerable to emotion.’

He understood that only later, after learning the truth.

Still, in that moment, the affection they shared had been real.

Both of them loved poetry, and their conversations flowed naturally. They met often, and that built their bond.

When Yong Hwarin revealed his origin and alias, Maeng Yeongyeong found his words believable.

“If you’re the Heavenly Sword Hero, then I can trust you. There are not many in the current murim who truly deserve the title of ‘Hero.’ I am someone who believes in that ‘Hero.’”

“How do you know I’m really Yong Hwarin?”

He teased her lightly, thinking she was too naive.

“I may not know much else, but I can read a person’s eyes. If someone with eyes like yours were lying, there’d be nothing I could do anyway. I won’t ask what you plan to do in the prison.”

Yong Hwarin offered a clasped-hands greeting.

“Thank you. I assure you, I will not bring you any trouble.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment. I’ll go and give the order.”

He watched Maeng Yeongyeong as she walked away briskly, then turned to glare at Black Kill Sword.

He released only the pressure point and asked one thing.

“There’s an answer I need from you.”

“Heh heh heh, torture me all you want. My body’s used to it. You’ll never get the answer you want! You’d be better off killing me. And if you’re really Yong Hwarin of Heavenly Central Sect, once I die, your life will be worse than death. My comrades will make sure of it.”

Even while captured, Black Kill Sword Wonho was brimming with confidence.

Hearing this, Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand. I don’t plan on torturing you.”

To Black Kill Sword Wonho, that smile felt sinister.

The same man who had just acted so gentle and kind toward Maeng Yeongyeong now emitted a gloomy energy as he smiled—enough to make Wonho’s hair stand on end.

Yong Hwarin leaned in and whispered quietly into Black Kill Sword’s ear.

“……!”

As soon as he heard it, Black Kill Sword Wonho trembled as if he had been harpooned.

“Y-You vile bastard! Can you even call yourself human?!”

“You’re one to talk. Do you not remember how many women died because of you? It’s time you felt the pain they did.”

“Just kill me!”

“Come on now. I’m not going to kill you. Not yet. This is just a little preview. I’m going to make sure you live until you're old—like this.”

“D-Did you think I’d talk just because of that?!”

Though trembling in terror, Black Kill Sword Wonho still shouted defiantly.

He could endure having his nails ripped off or his flesh seared with a branding iron. But the kind of torment Yong Hwarin referred to wasn’t something he had ever imagined.

“It's not too late even now. If you answer my questions, I’ll let you die quietly. Wouldn’t that be easier?”

Black Kill Sword sensed the cruelty hidden in the calm tone of his voice.

‘This little brat’s just repeating things he’s heard somewhere, thinking he can threaten me. There’s no way a kid like him can actually do something like that.’

As his mind recovered from the pressure of Yong Hwarin’s presence, Black Kill Sword sneered inwardly.

“Do as you please!”

Yong Hwarin gave a faint laugh and pressed his pressure point.

“You should know you just kicked away your final chance.”

Tucking Black Kill Sword under his arm, Yong Hwarin leapt toward a secluded area of the government office.

Because of the previous Virtuous Magistrate, Yong Hwarin had some familiarity with the layout of the Imyeong County government office.

In front of the prison, a lavish meal had been laid out, and the guards and wardens stationed there were all gathered, eating and drinking.

The prison guards praised the daughter of the beautiful Virtuous Magistrate as the only person who truly understood their plight, while enjoying their food.

Yong Hwarin slipped into the prison quietly as he listened to those words.

Upon entering, he headed straight for the deepest part of the prison, where only the most serious offenders were held.

There were no guards elsewhere, but the area for major criminals was protected by two guards.

Yong Hwarin set down Black Kill Sword, then swiftly closed in using Soaring Dragon Ascent and pressed their acupoints.

Without knowing what had happened, the guards fell into unconsciousness.

Black Kill Sword never imagined the brat would actually go through with it.

‘I thought he just said that “you should experience what you’ve done to women” to scare me. I didn’t think he’d actually bring me here.’

Instead of torturing Black Kill Sword himself, Yong Hwarin had decided to throw him to the major criminals.

After knocking out the guards, Yong Hwarin picked up the keys, and the prisoners surged toward him, thinking they might be freed.

The criminals stared at Yong Hwarin with vicious eyes as they approached.

“Not a guard, and not a prisoner either…”

One of the inmates murmured while looking at Yong Hwarin.

“I’ll leave this man with you for a while. Don’t kill him—just use him however you want.”

At those words, the criminals grinned, baring their teeth.

“Ha ha ha, haven’t seen a woman in years—this is a blessing.”

In an instant, all the prisoners in the cell stared holes through Black Kill Sword.

“Pretty face and all—just perfect.”