am-books Chapter 436 : Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung in Danger (2)
Chapter 436 : Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung in Danger (2)
Chapter 436: Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung in Danger (2)
Namgung Yoo had drawn out nearly all of her internal energy to kill Jeok Gwang.
She was running toward Cheong Geonmin, but she couldn’t be sure if she could face him.
She sensed that only a sliver of energy remained.
But Cheong Geonmin, gripped by fear, quickly retreated as if fleeing.
With that, the encirclement loosened, and a path opened.
‘This is it!’
As Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung broke through the encirclement and fled, Cheong Geonmin shouted.
"Catch them! If you let them escape, you're as good as dead!"
Spewing such childish threats, Cheong Geonmin pulled seven daggers from his coat.
He thought he might be able to catch Namgung Yoo by throwing the Seven-Star Daggers at her back.
Then, he suddenly froze.
A group had appeared to block Namgung Yoo's path.
Namgung Yoo’s face twisted at the sight of who stood in her way.
And behind her, Hoi Unkyung muttered in a near-horrified voice.
"Soyu? Is that really Soyu?"
With the appearance of Man Inhwa and Hoi Soyu, the situation inside the area shifted once again.
"Useless bastards. What a mess."
Seeing Cheong Geonmin and Jeok Gwang being taken down, Man Inhwa felt foolish for having had expectations.
She had planned to take Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung as an unexpected gain, but now that Namgung Yoo was fleeing, she cursed and blocked the path.
One had been beheaded by Namgung Yoo, and the other ran away in fear—it was absurd.
With no choice, she stepped forward to resolve the situation herself.
Hoi Unkyung called out to Hoi Soyu, who had appeared, but her expression was completely void of emotion.
Hoi Soyu had already lost her reason after mastering the Glass Divine Art.
Now, Hoi Soyu only obeyed Man Inhwa’s commands.
“Glass Saintess! Kill everyone here! And capture those two wenches alive.”
At Man Inhwa’s command, Hoi Soyu swept her gaze around.
It was the look of a predator surveying its prey.
Then she charged in like a beast and began attacking everyone in sight.
“Stop her!”
A warrior from the Bloodgreen Battalion rushed in to intercept Hoi Soyu’s terrifying charge, but his neck was severed in less than three seconds.
Seeing how easily she killed members of the Bloodgreen Battalion, Namgung Yoo reconsidered.
“We need to run.”
As Namgung Yoo grabbed Hoi Unkyung’s hand and ran, Cheong Geonmin yelled.
“Don’t let them escape! Catch them!”
As warriors of the Muhuomun chased after them in unison, Namgung Yoo suddenly changed direction and ran toward Hoi Soyu.
She was trying to exploit Man Inhwa’s command to kill everyone but leave them alive.
As expected, when the Muhuomun warriors came close to Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung, Hoi Soyu unleashed her wrath.
Puff, puff, puff!
Hoi Soyu’s transparent hands shattered swords and snapped necks.
When her transparent hand pierced into a chest, it came back out holding a heart. When it entered the abdomen, it pulled out warm, steaming entrails.
“Guaaaagh!”
In an instant, over a dozen Muhuomun warriors met a grim end, and Namgung Yoo once again ran toward Cheong Geonmin.
Hoi Soyu, having slaughtered the Muhuomun warriors in a flash, now rushed toward Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung.
Seeing Hoi Soyu chasing after Hoi Unkyung and heading toward him, Cheong Geonmin panicked and fled.
“Stop those bitches!”
Muhuomun warriors blocked the front, but Namgung Yoo leapt right over them.
Screams erupted behind them.
Hoi Soyu, who was following close behind, mercilessly slaughtered the Muhuomun warriors.
Seeing Hoi Soyu wasting time on others and losing track of Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung, Man Inhwa shouted.
“Glass Saintess! Catch those two wenches first!”
Hoi Soyu suddenly leapt into the air and landed in front of Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung.
Namgung Yoo looked at Hoi Soyu with hopeless eyes.
She knew there was no way she could escape from this monster with her current strength.
When Hoi Soyu charged without hesitation, Namgung Yoo had no choice.
She exploded all the internal energy within her body at once to resist Hoi Soyu’s transparent glass hands.
Boom!
Namgung Yoo barely managed to hold onto her sword, but her palms tore open, and blood streamed down.
The internal injuries were even worse.
Though she didn’t spit blood, her legs trembled like aspen leaves.
She was barely managing to stay upright.
When Hoi Soyu charged again, Namgung Yoo realized her end was near.
Just then, two warriors from the Bloodgreen Battalion rushed in from either side.
—“Please, you two must escape. We’re going to detonate the Explosive Thunder Pellet.”
As the telepathic message came through, Namgung Yoo grabbed Hoi Unkyung’s hand and soared into the air.
But she couldn’t go far and faltered, falling to the ground.
“Run!”
Her energy was completely depleted, making it hard to even move. But knowing it was now or never, Namgung Yoo gritted her teeth and carried Hoi Unkyung in her arms, running.
When Hoi Soyu tried to chase after them, the two Bloodgreen Battalion warriors grabbed her arms and waist.
They had resolved to die and take Hoi Soyu with them.
They had prepared the Explosive Thunder Pellet for a strong enemy—but never imagined they’d use it on Hoi Soyu.
Crack!
Hoi Soyu crushed the heads of the two Bloodgreen Battalion warriors who had grabbed her.
But a burning smell rose, and when she looked down, flames were rising from the warriors’ bodies, and a flash of light exploded.
KABOOM!
Cheong Geonmin ran down the path Namgung Yoo had escaped through.
He thought now was his chance to catch both Namgung Yoo and Hoi Unkyung.
“Glass Saintess!”
As a deafening blast engulfed the area in red flames that covered five jang, Man Inhwa shouted.
She didn’t think Hoi Soyu would die from that—but she feared she might be seriously injured.
Once the flames and smoke cleared, Hoi Soyu’s figure appeared.
Her clothing had been burned to a crisp, leaving her nearly naked, her pale skin peeled away to reveal raw, red flesh.
Her hair had been completely scorched, leaving her looking like a shaven monk, and the skin on her flank and one arm hung in tatters.
Seeing that, Man Inhwa erupted in rage.
“You filthy dogs dare harm the Glass Saintess?!”
She stomped on the remains of the Bloodgreen Battalion warriors, now unrecognizable.
Only when her shoes were soaked in blood did Man Inhwa regain her composure and pull out a pill from her robe.
“Take this and circulate your qi.”
Hoi Soyu took the pill Man Inhwa offered and began focusing her energy.
“To think we let our prey slip away… Still, once the Glass Saintess recovers, we’ll catch them again.”
Man Inhwa turned her gaze in the direction Namgung Yoo had fled, her eyes gleaming with malice.
Even as she fled, Namgung Yoo kept glancing behind her.
The Bloodgreen Battalion warriors had blown themselves up to open a path.
She couldn’t let that sacrifice go to waste, so even though her internal energy raged in turmoil, she endured it and used her movement arts to run.
But even that had now reached its limit.
“Cough!”
Suddenly, Namgung Yoo, who had been running, collapsed and vomited an entire mouthful of blood.
Hoi Unkyung, who knew well how dire her condition was, looked at her with worried eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. But we must leave here quickly. Man Inhwa will be chasing us soon.”
When Namgung Yoo tried to stand again, Hoi Unkyung grabbed her hand and gently pushed her back down.
“Let’s rest a bit first. If we keep going like this, Namgung Sojeo won’t last much longer. It’s better if you circulate your qi to regain your strength.”
Namgung Yoo gave a faint, sorrowful smile and nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll circulate my qi for about one gak. That should be enough to use my movement arts.”
In truth, she didn’t have the luxury to meditate here, but if she didn’t do so now, she wouldn’t be able to control her internal energy and might die from Qi Deviation (주화입마).
She needed to take at least a brief moment to regulate her breathing and circulation.
After about one gak of meditation, she barely managed to calm the rampaging flow of her qi.
It was possible only because her clan’s cultivation technique was exceptionally profound.
If it hadn’t been for the Sky-Cleaving Grand Divine Art (창궁대연신공), she would never have been able to stabilize her qi within such a short time.
Her internal energy had settled enough that she no longer risked falling into qi deviation.
Now, she only needed to store the refined qi within her Dantian (단전) to regain stability and use her movement arts again.
But then, suddenly—
something white and powdery like flour rained down from above the trees.
As she inhaled during her breathing cycle, Namgung Yoo accidentally breathed it in and immediately snapped out of her meditation.
Hoi Unkyung also inhaled some of the powder and started coughing.
“Cough! Cough!”
When Hoi Unkyung looked up, she saw Cheong Geonmin smirking atop the tree.
Namgung Yoo leaped to her feet, snapping out of her focus.
Cheong Geonmin lightly kicked the air and landed gracefully on the ground.
“What is this?”
Namgung Yoo asked sharply, and Cheong Geonmin swept his lecherous gaze over both women.
“Heh heh heh… This, you see, is called Dream-Soul Spring Powder (몽혼춘분). Quite a grand name, isn’t it? It’s also known as the Passion King’s Thousand-Men Frenzy Poison (색왕천남광분독)—an aphrodisiac poison.”
Though Namgung Yoo had never heard of such a drug before, the name alone revealed how vile it was.
A poison that could only be neutralized after sleeping with a thousand men.
“You carry around such a filthy poison and still dare call yourself a gentleman?!”
“Stop spewing useless words and start thinking about how you and I are going to enjoy this together.”
“I’d rather die than let a dog like you lay a hand on me!”
Namgung Yoo shouted and charged toward Cheong Geonmin.
But since she had only just stabilized her qi, the moment she tried to draw more, the aphrodisiac spread violently through her entire body.
Namgung Yoo froze, trembling as if ants were crawling all over her skin.
Seeing her falter mid-attack, Cheong Geonmin smirked slyly.
He had always fantasized about holding Namgung Yoo in his arms.
Now that the chance was before him, he felt an uncontrollable rush of excitement.
Hoi Unkyung, who had no martial energy to resist, already had her face flushed red like a blooming peach blossom.
Namgung Yoo realized that if she did nothing, she’d soon be defiled by Cheong Geonmin.
Pretending to collapse, she suddenly swept her sword low toward his groin.
Though the movement looked simple, it was in fact a lethal strike from the Sky-Cleaving Unhindered Sword Art (창궁무애검법) known as “Swallow Flies, Bamboo Splits (연비절죽)”.
Falling forward as if collapsing, she thrust ahead, aiming to sever Cheong Geonmin’s lower body.
Even if she couldn’t kill him, at least she could cut away his ability to violate her.
It was an act of desperate defiance—her final strike.
Clang!
But instead of slicing Cheong Geonmin’s groin, her sword cut only through his waistband.
By chance, Cheong Geonmin had hidden a Soft Sword (연검) inside his waistband, and Namgung Yoo’s Poisoned Sword (독검) happened to strike it.
Startled, Cheong Geonmin jumped back.
He knew from their earlier clashes that even the slightest cut from Namgung Yoo’s poison-infused blade meant certain death.
“You damn wench!”
Thud!
Namgung Yoo was struck hard in the abdomen and rolled several times across the ground.
Cheong Geonmin exhaled heavily, patting his chest.
Her sudden counterattack had nearly severed his waist.
It was pure luck.
Had the sword not been blocked by the soft sword hidden at his waist, the result would have been unthinkable.
“I’ll make sure to savor you slowly.”
Having failed even her final move, Namgung Yoo turned her gaze to Hoi Unkyung with a hollow expression.
Hoi Unkyung, overcome by the poison, was already lost in delirium.
She kept caressing her own chest and moaning faintly.
And then, Namgung Yoo herself felt an uncontrollable wave of lust rising from within—an unbearable, burning urge to throw herself at any man nearby.
‘Rather than show such disgrace… I’d rather die.’
Namgung Yoo raised her sword, intending to kill Hoi Unkyung and then take her own life.
Swish!
But as she aimed to pierce Hoi Unkyung’s heart, the sword froze midair.
“You shouldn’t let your guard down.”
Cheong Geonmin had struck their acupoints (혈도), sealing their movements, then lifted both women under his arms and left the area.
Once Man Inhwa and Hoi Soyu arrived, escape would be impossible. He intended to get as far away as possible before defiling them.
Cheong Geonmin didn’t care whether his subordinates lived or died—his mind was consumed only by the two women in his grasp.
Originally, Cheong Geonmin hadn’t planned to violate Namgung Yoo or Hoi Unkyung.
At first, he had wanted to use them to survive the crisis facing his clan. But now, that thought was long gone.
At this moment, he was nothing more than a beast driven by lust.
Tears rolled down Namgung Yoo’s cheeks as she realized even suicide was impossible.
‘Once that bastard defiles me… how will I go on living? Even in death, how could I forget such shame?’
And in that moment, Namgung Yoo realized whose face her heart longed for most.
‘Even in such a wretched situation, it’s Hwarin who comes to mind first… I—I don’t deserve to call myself his friend.’
In her drugged haze, Namgung Yoo saw a vision of Yong Hwarin, tenderly embracing her in passion.
She wept at her own weakness and the depravity of her imagination— yet, deep down, part of her didn’t wish to wake from that dream.