Chapter 18

It was a movement as swift as any seasoned warrior of the Jianghu.

"That was a nice dance."

Jeok Leegeon seized her wrist.

"But not enough to die for."

The moment her wrist was caught, the woman's strength drained from her body, and she collapsed to the ground.

Donhwang was shocked and jumped to his feet.

"The Ecstasy Bliss Dance didn't work? Why?"

Jeok Leegeon readily released her wrist.

The woman looked at him with bewildered eyes, wondering why he didn't kill her.

Jeok Leegeon picked up his clothes and slowly put them on.

"I don't fight women. So, of course, I won't kill one."

He grinned and added,

"Women are beings you should be too busy loving, aren't they?"

Donhwang's face turned ashen.

The Ecstasy Bliss Dance had nothing to do with the level of Martial arts of the person it was used against. Any man, especially a young man like Jeok Leegeon, would be ensnared. The Ecstasy Bliss Dance was among the highest-ranking seduction techniques used by women to entice men.

"Why didn't it work?"

Jeok Leegeon sneered.

"You think that Ecstasy Bliss Dance is the best, don't you?"

Donhwang swallowed hard.

"We don't use dances to take care of someone."

Jeok Leegeon glanced at the woman he had just subdued.

In the instant that Donhwang thought he saw a red glow flicker in Jeok Leegeon's eyes,

the woman rose to her feet. And, like an obedient servant, she said respectfully,

"What are your orders?"

With just a single glance, the woman had instantly lost her reason.

Donhwang, who was watching, as well as the other women, were astonished.

They felt it; the Martial arts that Jeok Leegeon had just used was an ultimate skill that couldn't be compared to something like the Ecstasy Bliss Dance.

Swoosh.

Again, this time a blue light flickered in Jeok Leegeon's eyes before disappearing.

In an instant, the woman regained her senses.

The woman looked around, bewildered, surprised by the attention focused on her.

Jeok Leegeon said calmly,

"In the realm of Demonic Arts, the food chain is even more rigid than in orthodox Martial arts. It's even worse with Devil Arts. In short, once you master a higher-level skill, lower-level skills will never work. The principle of higher-level skill dominance. You didn't know that, did you?"

Only silence filled the room.

Jeok Leegeon added,

"Personally, I have no interest in this kind of skill. I just learned it because I thought it would be awful to be on the receiving end."

Donhwang's expression was utterly despondent. All sorts of thoughts filled his head. Most of them were ominous and frightening.

Jeok Leegeon quietly gazed at each of the women.

"Anyone here because they like that lump of flesh?"

The women glanced at Donhwang, fear and terror evident in their eyes.

That alone was enough to guess their situation. Which woman would genuinely like someone like him and stay? They were dragged here as children, subjected to sexual abuse and all sorts of humiliation, raised like livestock.

"Yeah, I guess not. I don't think so."

Jeok Leegeon stepped aside.

"Go."

The women were startled. Judging from Jeok Leegeon's earlier actions, they had expected him to kill them all.

"Just leave. Don't worry about what happens afterward."

The women looked at each other, conflicted. They glanced at Donhwang.

Jeok Leegeon said coldly,

"No need to worry about a guy who's about to die."

Donhwang's flesh trembled with rage.

Perhaps because they had been trained for so long, the women couldn't easily muster the courage.

"Why not kill him and send us away safely?"

The women waited for Jeok Leegeon's answer.

"Going now and going then are worlds apart."

He meant they should go of their own volition.

"If you can go now... maybe you can live well?"

The women looked back and forth between Donhwang and Jeok Leegeon.

Donhwang's murderous gaze hindered their decision.

The women were deeply conflicted. Donhwang's Martial arts, though seemingly dull and slow, were terrifying. They knew it from experience. Could that young Jeok Leegeon really kill him?

Jeok Leegeon smiled at the woman closest to him.

"You're too pretty to be in a place like this."

Had it been too long since she had heard such words? The woman's heart welled up.

"You must have had dreams when you were young. Dreams you wanted to pursue even if it meant risking your life. Was this life all you got?"

The woman closed her eyes silently. There was no need for further persuasion.

The woman had just remembered her dream.

Rustle.

The woman took a step. One step, two steps. As she really walked towards the door, Donhwang shouted,

"If you leave, I'll kill you!"

Jeok Leegeon smiled and said,

"You can go. Go while you can."

The woman took another step.

"I'll tear your legs apart and kill you!"

The woman gained strength from Donhwang's scream-like roar.

Rustle, rustle.

Another woman moved.

Is fear the most contagious of all emotions?

Maybe. But at least not here. The desire for freedom overcame fear.

One by one, the women began to move.

When the last woman moved, Donhwang stepped forward roughly.

Thump! Thump!

The women squeezed their eyes shut at the sound of his heavy footsteps.

That's when Jeok Leegeon shouted,

"You!"

Hooaaah!

The building shook once more from the majestic Inner Force contained in his voice.

Donhwang's clothes fluttered in the force.

"From now on, if you even twitch a finger..."

A chilling murderous intent poured out of Jeok Leegeon's eyes.

"I'll mince you alive."

Donhwang's movements froze.

The murderous intent emanating from Jeok Leegeon's eyes resembled that of the demonic face tattooed on the back of his hand.

It was the most intense murderous intent he had ever felt in his life.

Mince him alive? He had no doubt that he would carry it out.

Donhwang couldn't move from the spot.

He was no longer interested in the women who had already changed their minds. They were women he was tired of anyway. With money, he could always find new women. Donhwang consoled himself that way.

Meanwhile, all the women stood at the entrance.

The first woman to move bowed respectfully.

"I believe the day will come when we can repay your kindness, benefactor."

All the women bowed respectfully.

Jeok Leegeon took out vouchers from his leather pouch and threw them. A bundle of vouchers flew to each of them. It was a large sum of ten thousand nyang per person.

"You'll need it to start anew."

The women were moved. It was a great kindness they hadn't expected. With this money, they could forget the past misfortunes and live on. If they pooled their money together, it would be enough to open a large House of courtesans or inn.

The women bowed respectfully once more.

"Goodbye, ladies! Live well!"

One of the women, perhaps still lingering with regret, turned her head towards Jeok Leegeon.

Jeok Leegeon shook his head.

"Someone starting anew should never look back. Live only looking forward from now on."

The woman gave a grateful smile once more.

Her lips moved. She conveyed a few words to Jeok Leegeon via Telepathic Transmission.

With her as the last, all the women left the place.

Jeok Leegeon turned to look at Donhwang. Donhwang stood there with a truly complicated expression.

Jeok Leegeon grinned and said,

"Now, shall we talk about your value again?"

Donhwang sighed.

This feeling of helplessness, filled with terror, and even this strange feeling of being played by a brat who seemed like he would burst into laughter if poked in the side. The final feeling that combined the two was this:

"This feels really awful."

Donhwang moved his feet heavily. Jeok Leegeon didn't stop him.

Donhwang passed the hunchbacked man and went to where the liquor bottles were. And he drank the liquor straight from the bottle.

"It's not because I was afraid of you that I let those women go."

"Sure, it isn't."

The last bastion Donhwang believed in was himself.

The unique Martial arts and peerless divine skill that only he had mastered in this Jianghu.

Donhwang Body Protection Skill.

Since the day he mastered the Martial arts, Donhwang had abandoned his original name and called himself Donhwang. The day his name changed, his fate also changed.

Donhwang looked at the hunchbacked man standing blankly and asked,

"Why does someone like you need that guy?"

Jeok Leegeon shrugged his shoulders and answered with an indifferent face,

"As you can see, I'm still young."

"What?"

Donhwang was startled because it was an unexpected answer. It was an incomprehensible statement.

Jeok Leegeon said as if it were obvious,

"I need a lot of adults for the things I'm going to do in the future."

Donhwang said urgently,

"How about me? I'll help. I'd be a great help."

Jeok Leegeon chuckled.

"Just because there are a lot of mouths to feed doesn't mean they're all adults. I need proper adults."

Donhwang could never understand why he was inferior to the hunchbacked man.

"Why? Why am I worse than that guy? Why?"

Donhwang, who was ranting alone, unleashed his murderous intent on the hunchbacked man.

"I'll kill that guy."

"That's why you're not good enough."

Donhwang's face turned slightly red. He secretly began to stir his Inner Force.

"Could it be that you're trusting in that Donhwang Body Protection Skill?"

"Cough!"

Donhwang spat out a mouthful of blood. He was so surprised that his Martial arts name was guessed so easily that his Inner Force momentarily tangled. It was a Martial arts that so few people knew.

"H-How did you know?"

"The person who taught you that Martial arts said so, didn't he? That no Martial arts in the Jianghu can penetrate that Body Protection Skill."

Donhwang wore a gloomy expression. Indeed, that was the case. Not only that, but no one who had actually fought him had been able to break through his thick Body Protection Skill.

Jeok Leegeon held out his fist and said,

"The person who taught me this fist said this, that no Body Protection Skill can ever block it. Look, two adults have gathered, and there's already one liar. That's why I'm careful about choosing adults."

Jeok Leegeon clenched the fist he had extended, making a sound.

Squeeze.

At the same time, Jeok Leegeon's eyes sharpened.

"I hate guys like you. Guys who do all sorts of dirty things just to fill their own bellies. Guys who are worth less than five nyang but think they're worth five hundred thousand nyang. Okay, fine. It's not like you're the only villain in the Jianghu... Let's say I can tolerate that much. But the one thing I can never forgive is, what's with grabbing women and doing that? Imagine your sister being dragged away by a bastard like you and suffering that humiliation. You wouldn't like it, would you? Well, guys like you can't stand being on the receiving end. You have no conscience."

Donhwang's face flushed with shame.

As he continued to draw up his Inner Force, his fat body swelled up even more.

Phew, phew.

His body grew larger and larger.

Donhwang's body doubled in size from its already large bulk.

For an ordinary expert, that sight alone would be enough to startle them and make their hands and feet go numb. Of course, Jeok Leegeon was different.

"You need to be hit a lot, so you can get even bigger."

Donhwang bounced once in place and then flew in like a bolt of lightning.

Swoosh!

It was a terrifying speed.

Bang!

Jeok Leegeon mercilessly kicked his body. Jeok Leegeon's foot, which should have been broken, was still bouncing on the ground, and Donhwang's body, which should have crushed Jeok Leegeon and passed by, was bounced backward.

Crash!

Donhwang, who had crashed into the wall, bounced back out. The wall he had crashed into collapsed.

Donhwang's body was spinning at an incredible speed.

Whirl, whirl, whirl!

For an ordinary expert, the rotational force alone would be enough to crush their bones. But Jeok Leegeon kicked Donhwang's body as if he were kicking a bladder ball made by children.

Thud--

"Ugh!"

Donhwang's expression contorted. It shouldn't have hurt in the first place. But it hurt so much.

Thud-- Thud--

It wasn't Martial arts. Jeok Leegeon kicked and punched indiscriminately.

Once again, with the feeling of 'maybe this time,' he pushed his Inner Force to the limit, but Donhwang felt it in his body, that even if his proud Master came back to life, he wouldn't be able to win.

Donhwang changed his target.

He decided to kill the hunchbacked man.

Just as he was about to blow the hunchbacked man away,

Jeok Leegeon, who had leaped across the air, blocked his path like a thunderbolt.

The playfulness disappeared, and Jeok Leegeon's face became frightening.

"Let's end this now? Let's do it."

Jeok Leegeon mercilessly swung his right fist at Donhwang.

Swoosh!

It was a fist thrown with all his heart.

Pow, pow, pow, pow!

Donhwang's body was crushed and deeply gouged by the Strong Energy that rotated like a whirlwind.

His body, which should have bounced back with rubber-like elasticity, continued to be mangled. Donhwang's flesh tore and flew in all directions.