Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A handsome man and a beautiful woman were seated in a place filled with a fresh floral fragrance. Of course, neither of the two sitting there was evaluating the person before them favorably.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Gakjeong. You are my junior sister. Shouldn’t you raise your level of speech a bit when addressing your senior brother?”

“You’re spouting Mount Songshan of Shaolin–level nonsense like Monk Malko.”

Seeing that Hong Gakjeong was far more irritated than expected, Baekcheong smiled and spoke.

“It’s true that it’s not really my usual way of speaking.”

“So what are you going to do? That bastard hasn’t taken a single step outside the house for six whole months already.”

At the mention of that bastard, Baekcheong seemed unable to contain his anger as well and spoke after taking a deep breath.

“Still, you know that it’s not good for us to step in personally.”

“That’s why we need to come up with a solution quickly.”

“I’m seriously troubled right now too. No matter how many assassins I send, he just won’t die. I thought he’d be dead on the first day, but seeing him survive means his luck is absurdly good.”

Baekcheong viewed the reason Youngho survived the assassins not as skill, but as luck.

Hong Gakjeong thought the same. On the day they sent the first assassin, it had been only a single day since Youngho had begun learning martial arts from his master.

Moreover, unlike themselves, who were occasionally visited by assassins, that day had been the first time Youngho ever faced one.

No matter how outstanding someone’s innate talent might be, they did not know how to deal with an assassin.

An assassin was a fundamentally different existence from an ordinary martial artist. And above all, they trusted their own experience.

Baekcheong and Hong Gakjeong still remembered the sensation of the first time they killed an assassin.

Back when an assassin first came for them, even they had survived by sheer luck. There was no way someone who had only learned martial arts for a single day could have killed an assassin through skill alone.

He must have been blessed by heaven’s fortune.

Unaware of Youngho’s true nature, Hong Gakjeong and Baekcheong thought as much.

Resting his chin on his hand, Baekcheong spoke.

“So what happened to the assassins?”

“Every single one of them lost contact.”

“So they’re dead.”

“That’s right.”

“So who’s the old martial artist that bastard brought in?”

“I’m not sure. Even the Hao Sect doesn’t want to give information lightly. But we did find out that he’s connected to the Blood Wolf Unit.”

“The Gold-Blood Hall?”

“Yeah.”

Thinking that the situation was taking an ominous turn, Baekcheong looked at Hong Gakjeong with a serious expression.

Seeing that, Hong Gakjeong sneered, thinking that Baekcheong had gotten scared.

“What, are you scared of that bastard? Is the time of death finally coming for the Third Young Master of all people?”

“What did you just say, you crazy bitch?”

“Why? Aren’t you scared?”

For a moment, the atmosphere almost turned violent. But both Hong Gakjeong and Baekcheong knew it well—there was nothing to gain from fighting each other right now.

No matter how much they disliked each other, they were in a cooperative relationship for the time being. As the killing intent they had been leaking gradually subsided, Hong Gakjeong frowned deeply, clearly displeased about something, and spoke.

“It looks like the Gold-Blood Hall is involved for some reason. Do you have any kind of method?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. Up until now, the assassins I recommended were skilled, but only just barely enough not to provoke Master’s attention. Sending higher-grade assassins would cause more harm than benefit.”

“On top of that, it looks like Chief Aide Cheongsol has quite an interest in that bastard…….”

“Did you find out how strong he is?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why do you know nothing?”

“Everything you’re asking, I don’t know.”

It meant she had no intention of giving her information to the likes of him.

At those words, Baekcheong raised the corner of his eyes, let out a long sigh, and said,

“If this goes on, we’ll both be in trouble.”

“Then you try to come up with a way to lure that bastard outside first.”

“There’s nothing strange about a senior brother meeting a junior brother, is there?”

“You think he’d come happily just because you called him, you ignorant bastard?”

Crunch.

Seeing the veins bulge on Baekcheong’s forehead, Hong Gakjeong smiled openly, clearly pleased.

But she couldn’t just keep smiling like this. The current situation was worse than expected.

The fact that Youngho had taken an interest in martial arts and was training diligently, and the fact that Hong Gakjeong and Baekcheong—who did not get along—had forcibly joined hands to eliminate a new rival.

‘Why won’t that bastard come outside!’

Just imagining Youngho holed up in his room even now, doing nothing but training in martial arts, made a burning anger well up from deep within her chest.

Somehow, they had to make Youngho come outside. Only then could they do anything at all.

While layering thought upon thought, Hong Gakjeong seemed to hit upon a good idea and spoke with a triumphant smile.

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way…….”

At her words, Baekcheong looked at her with eyes full of interest.

“Among your maids, wasn’t there a girl named Nanhyang?”

“So what?”

“Lend her to me.”

“No.”

“Why?”

At Hong Gakjeong’s questioning, Baekcheong pointed at her with an incredulous expression.

“Do you think I don’t know you’re trying to make Nanhyang yours? Nanhyang is my person.”

“Here comes the hopeless romantic.”

“I just don’t want what’s mine to be taken.”

“It seems our junior brother is weak when it comes to affection.”

“So?”

“If we kill the maid named Sopyung that bastard is keeping, won’t he come outside?”

“Hm?”

Finally intrigued by Hong Gakjeong’s words, Baekcheong interlaced his fingers as if telling her to continue.

However, Hong Gakjeong disliked that reaction and twisted her face into a vicious scowl.

“Now you think it through.”

“I get the gist of what you’re trying to do. You’re saying we use Nanhyang, the real power among the maids, to beat down that bitch named Sopyung, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then that bastard will get angry and rush out.”

“Exactly. He’s still not fully steeped in the Unorthodox Faction. He doesn’t yet understand the rules of this world.”

“Fine. I’ll lend her to you. But will it really go the way you think?”

“Think about when you were fifteen.”

“Alright. That sounds possible. But killing her would be too one-off, so wouldn’t it be better to cripple her instead?”

“I’ll break one arm or one leg.”

“Then it’ll be hard for her to go to where that bastard is.”

“The other servants who find her will help her. After all, she’s serving one of Master’s disciples, so she’s gained a fair bit of recognition.”

“Good. Nanhyang.”

At Baekcheong’s call, Nanhyang—who had been listening to their conversation from a short distance away—came and stood beside him.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Go pay a visit to where that bitch is, just for a moment.”

“Understood.”

With those words, Hong Gakjeong immediately left with Nanhyang. Watching her go, Baekcheong frowned and clicked his tongue.

“How rude. Well, manners aren’t exactly necessary among the Unorthodox Faction.”

Baekcheong muttered quietly.

“Because we’re beasts.”

In order not to disturb Youngho while he was training, Sopyung took the laundry and went out through the back door.

After arriving at a place where a stream flowed, Sopyung began washing the clothes, humming to herself as she diligently scrubbed Youngho’s garments.

It was while she was washing like that.

“Sopyung.”

At the voice—sinister like a snake, making her body instinctively tense—Sopyung slowly turned around, her nervousness plain to see.

“Na, Nanhyang unni?”

“Yes. Sopyung, do you have a moment?”

Sensing an inexplicable sense of foreboding at those words, Sopyung hurriedly shook her head and said,

“I, I don’t think I can. I’m busy right now.”

At that moment, Nanhyang’s expression hardened coldly. Seeing that expression, Sopyung felt she should say she could go after all, but the atmosphere was far too different from usual.

Instinctively sensing danger, Sopyung hurriedly bowed and spoke.

“I, I think I should get going now. Goodbye.”

Grab.

“Ugh!”

Nanhyang tightly seized Sopyung’s shoulder as she was about to leave with the laundry and said,

“Come with me for a moment.”

There was no trace of warmth left in Nanhyang’s voice as she spoke.

“I, I don’t want to!”

It was just as Sopyung, feeling that she might really die if this continued, shook off Nanhyang’s hand and tried to run.

Other maids blocked Sopyung’s path and said,

“Come with us for a moment.”

With people taller and much older than herself blocking her way, Sopyung instantly lost any will to flee and lowered her head deeply.

“Hurry up and come.”

Overwhelmed by that oppressive presence, Sopyung was dragged along without even being able to resist.

After entering a secluded place where no one would come, the maids surrounded Sopyung and spoke.

“I’m sorry. We don’t particularly bear you any ill will.”

“What?”

As if they had no intention of listening to Sopyung from the start, the maids said only what they wanted and began beating her unilaterally.

Thud! Crack!

Though they were not martial artists, their blows were so vicious that, as if they had made a pact, they struck only the vital points of the human body.

Her solar plexus, the area beneath her nose—her teeth were knocked out, the skin on her forehead split open, and blood began to flow.

After beating Sopyung to the point where she absolutely could not get back up, the maids finally grabbed one of her legs and crushed it outright.

She had screamed so much each time she was struck that she no longer had the strength to scream; only hoarse gusts of air escaped from Sopyung’s throat.

Tidying Sopyung’s disheveled hair with a look of feigned pity, Nanhyang brought her mouth close to Sopyung’s ear and said,

“This is all because of the Fifth Young Master you serve. If it weren’t for the Fifth Young Master, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

There was a hint of laughter mixed into Nanhyang’s voice as she spoke. After beating someone so indiscriminately, that laughter-laced voice was, at this moment, more terrifying to Sopyung than anything else.

Still, Sopyung gathered her courage and, despite having no strength left in her body, forced her vocal cords to speak.

“It’s… it’s not because of the Young Master…….”

At Sopyung’s unexpected response, Nanhyang’s face hardened even colder.

“Beat her more.”

“What? If we beat her any more, she’ll die…?”

“It doesn’t matter. Beat her more.”

One of the maids was just about to say that hitting her more would be dangerous.

Shiver—!

Receiving Nanhyang’s gaze, the maid instinctively lowered her head and avoided her eyes.

Nanhyang’s eyes seemed to be saying this to them.

If you don’t follow my orders, you’ll end up just like Sopyung lying there.

After seeing that gaze, the maids looked at Sopyung with pitiful eyes, then began beating her with all their strength.

Thud! Crack!

She was beaten so much that even ordinary punches inflicted internal injuries.

When clotted blood spilled from Sopyung’s mouth, only then did Nanhyang raise her hand and gesture for them to stop.

“That’s enough.”

At Nanhyang’s words, one of the maids cautiously opened her mouth.

“At this rate, even if someone supports her, she won’t be able to walk properly.”

“It’s fine. I’ve already arranged someone to take her.”

At Nanhyang’s chin gesture, two male servants appeared and, in an awkward posture, hoisted Sopyung onto their backs and began running.

“That’s enough. You can go now.”

“Understood.”

The maids treated Nanhyang with a level of deference they did not even show to Youngho and obeyed her command.

Thus, in this place, only a quiet stillness lingered, as if nothing at all had happened.

After checking her surroundings, Nanhyang smiled lightly and left the area.