Chapter 18 Tainted with Evil (2)

“Wh-what the .... did you do to my body?”

In response to his question, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said,

“Who knows? What could I have done?”

-Shudder!

His mouth was clearly smiling.

But his eyes, like those of a dead person, didn’t move at all.

Seeing this, Jo Il-sang felt a chill for the first time in his life.

‘Is this fellow… really that Mok Gyeong-un?’

The Mok Gyeong-un he knew was, without exaggeration, the most pathetic among the brothers of the Mok family.

But he never expected to see him like this.

The atmosphere was completely different.

It felt like he was facing a being that was on a different level, not an ordinary human.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un approached him and spoke.

“You seem to be trembling a lot. Well… don’t worry. If it were the usual method, I would have started by cutting somewhere, but now I’ve used Dispersion Powder.”

“Dispersion Powder?”

In response to Jo Il-sang’s question, Mok Gyeong-un pointed upwards with his finger and said,

“This is a really good place.”

“What?”

“Previously, when I needed medicinal herbs, I had to search the mountains thoroughly to find them, but with so many medicinal herbs here, I can combine them as much as I need.”

“Combining medicinal herbs? What did you do to me?”

“It’s nothing much. If you grind and mix the toxic Rosebay^[1], Soul-Numbing Powder, and the roots of Trillium, you can paralyze everything except the head.”

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un spoke nonchalantly.

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un like this, Jo Il-sang swallowed his saliva with trembling eyes.

what the .... was this fellow?

Since when did he have such knowledge of medicinal herbs?

Mok Gyeong-un, who was puzzled, slightly bent his knees, met his gaze, grabbed his hair, and said,

-Grab!

“Actually, these things aren’t that important. What’s important is why the second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong, sent you.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Jo Il-sang closed his mouth.

If he was going to tell him that, he wouldn’t have worn a mask from the beginning.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

“You’ve become tight-lipped. Of course, since you came wearing a mask, you have no intention of talking nicely, right? What should I do?”

***

Just a moment ago.

[…This person is Jo Il-sang, an escort of the second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong. But Young Master, what will you do with him?]

Go Chan was dumbfounded.

Jo Il-sang was a skilled martial artist approaching the level of a first-rate expert.

Did Mok Gyeong-un, who couldn’t even move properly due to his pierced thigh, subdue such a person?

Just how much was this fellow hiding?

It was beyond comprehension.

[He’s a man of the second young master?]

[That’s right.]

[Why did he send him?]

[I don’t know either. Judging from the fact that he even wore a mask, it doesn’t seem to be for a good reason.]

[I guess there’s no clue?]

[Even if he’s the second young master, it’s unlikely that he would have made a reckless assassination attempt while the leader is still alive. But I really don’t know why he sent him.]

[Then I’ll have to find out directly.]

[What? You don’t mean you’re going to torture him or something, right?]

[That would be a good method too.]

[Y-Young Master! It’s better to let him go.]

[Let him go?]

Go Chan warned the puzzled Mok Gyeong-un.

[The second young master has retainers who follow him and has built his own power base. If we carelessly provoke him by mistreating his man…]

[There could be consequences, you mean?]

[…Yes. I apologize for angering you, but if we provoke him carelessly, it could become dangerous.]

[Hmm.]

‘Hmm?’

Go Chan looked at Mok Gyeong-un with an uneasy expression.

Judging by his thought process, he was terrifyingly cunning, but it was unpredictable where he would go off to.

But one thing he could say with certainty.

No matter what the second young master’s motive was for sending a masked night visitor, there was nothing Mok Gyeong-un could do in his current situation.

Other than enduring it.

[Well, I’ll think about it.]

[…You really shouldn’t touch him.]

[Yes, I understand what you’re saying, Guard Go Chan.]

Right.

No matter how unpredictable he was, as long as he was aware of the current situation, he thought Mok Gyeong-un wouldn’t do anything reckless to make enemies.

Unlike the First Madam, who was cautious in everything despite being arrogant, the second young master was cunning but still young and emotional.

***

Jo Il-sang, who had been tense, seemed to have calmed down a bit as he caught his breath and spoke.

“What do you intend to do, and what can you do?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Since you know who I am, it would be better to let me go.”

“It would be better to let you go?”

“That’s right. Even if you’ve already done it, if you further harm me, do you think the second young master will stay still?”

Jo Il-sang deliberately mentioned his backing.

He didn’t know what Mok Gyeong-un’s intentions were for capturing him like this, but this was the end.

What difference would it make even if he knew his identity?

Wearing a mask was simply to handle the matter quietly.

The second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong, had a strong sense of pride, so he would never forgive anyone who touched his men.

Jo Il-sang said to Mok Gyeong-un, whose one eyebrow had raised.

“Since it has come to this, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes. If you let me go and give me the secret manual of Ignited Wood Sword Formation, I will speak to the young master and ask him to leave you alone, the third young master.”

“Leave me alone means…”

“It means you will be able to live safely even if the young master becomes the leader.”

“And the price is the secret manual of Ignited Wood Sword Formation, right?”

“That’s right.”

Although he was inwardly tense due to the unfavorable situation, Jo Il-sang took a strong stance.

He thought that in such a situation, it was necessary to establish a clear hierarchy.

If he showed weakness, he thought Mok Gyeong-un would come on strong instead.

‘In the end, he’ll have no choice but to yield.’

Ignited Wood Sword Formation was a pearl in the pig’s throat for Mok Gyeong-un.

His maternal family was ruined, and none of the retainers supported him.

If it was an item that was too much for him anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad condition at all to hand it over like this and use it to preserve his life…

-Grip!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed Jo Il-sang’s hair that he was holding.

“Huh? You?”

“Interesting. In a situation where your body may not remain intact, you trust your backing and make a reverse proposal.”

“You bastard…”

“I’ve heard enough, and from now on, I’ll start with your fingers one by one.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un took out a peculiarly shaped blade.

‘!?’

“This is a blade called Hasak, used for trimming medicinal herbs. It’s for cutting hard things, so it can easily cut fingers or toes.”

“What?”

“You can trust me because it’s been verified.”

He had used it quite a lot.

Startled by this, Jo Il-sang hurriedly said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“Y-you! Did you not understand what I said? I came under the orders of the second young master. If you harm me, he will…”

“Yes, you talk too much, so I’ll cut one and start.”

Saying that, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed one of Jo Il-sang’s paralyzed and limp wrists.

Then he inserted his right index finger into the hole of the Hasak.

Seeing this, Jo Il-sang’s face turned deathly pale.

“S-stop. Are you really insane? Like this…”

-Crunch!

At that moment, the sound of something hard being cut off was heard.

Jo Il-sang moved his head with a stiff expression and looked at something that had fallen on the floor.

It was the two joints of his index finger.

“…”

Jo Il-sang was speechless.

In the first place, he had no sensation anywhere except his head, so it didn’t hurt.

But seeing his severed finger, he was dumbfounded and at a loss for words.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile,

“It doesn’t hurt, so it doesn’t feel real, right? That’s why when using Hasak, I usually don’t paralyze the body with Dispersion Powder and just tie them up. That way, they can feel some pain. But since you’ve learned martial arts, I had no choice.”

That’s why Mok Gyeong-un had to use Dispersion Powder.

So, to give at least a visual effect, he brought it right in front of him and cut off his finger.

“I’ve rambled on for too long. From now on, I’ll just cut one by one until you talk.”

-Grab!

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed Jo Il-sang’s second finger.

It was the middle finger of his right hand.

Jo Il-sang, whose middle finger was grabbed, was momentarily dazed, then said in a panic,

“S-stop!”

“…”

-Crunch!

Despite his plea to stop, Mok Gyeong-un cut off Jo Il-sang’s middle finger with the Hasak.

The severed middle finger could be seen twitching on the floor.

Jo Il-sang, who had to stare at it, felt like his mind was going to turn upside down.

Then, he heard Mok Gyeong-un’s voice.

“Shall we do the thumb this time?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the thumb and inserted it directly into the hole of the Hasak.

Seeing this, Jo Il-sang couldn’t hide his perplexity.

He was right-handed.

If his thumb was cut off here, he wouldn’t be able to do anything with his right hand anymore.

“S-sto…”

He couldn’t finish his words.

No matter what he said, this madman would cut it off no matter what.

-Squeeze!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s hand holding the Hasak was about to exert force.

At that instant, a voice burst out of Jo Il-sang’s mouth.

“young master Eun-pyeong sent me to confirm whether you really lost your martial arts or not!”

At those words, the force in Mok Gyeong-un’s hand holding the Hasak loosened.

It had slightly dug into the flesh of his thumb, but fortunately, it wasn’t cut off.

-Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Although his body was paralyzed, Jo Il-sang felt his heartbeat strongly.

It was strange.

He had been tortured in the past as well.

But Mok Gyeong-un’s method had pushed him to the brink of death too quickly.

“Haa… Haa…”

“He sent you to confirm whether I lost my martial arts or not?”

“Th-that’s right.”

Jo Il-sang, whose fear had grown, didn’t realize it, but his manner of speaking had become quite polite.

Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t hide his puzzlement.

That was because he hadn’t been exposed as a fake, so he became suspicious when he heard that Jo Il-sang had received such an order.

‘Hmm.’

At this point, Mok Gyeong-un’s thoughts quickly approached the truth.

‘If he received such an order without being exposed as a fake, it means he obtained that information from someone. But there are only two people who know that I’m a fake.’

Guard Go Chan and Guard Gam.

Among them, Guard Go Chan had been with him continuously.

The corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth rose.

‘He switched sides quickly.’

Mok Gyeong-un was convinced that the source of this information was Guard Gam.

His betrayal was predetermined from the beginning.

But he didn’t expect him to switch sides so quickly.

Thanks to that, things had become troublesome.

‘But at least he used his brain.’

In case he had to take responsibility, he must have informed them in a way that suggested Mok Gyeong-un had lost his martial arts while switching sides, so as not to expose the fact that he was a fake.

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said to Jo Il-sang,

“By any chance, was the person who told you this Guard Gam?”

Jo Il-sang’s eyes slightly widened.

Until now, Mok Gyeong-un shouldn’t have known that Guard Gam had pledged loyalty to his lord, so how did he guess it in one go?

‘Did he suspect it from the beginning?’

Jo Il-sang, who was puzzled, soon answered.

“…That’s right.”

“As expected.”

It didn’t deviate from his expectations.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been nodding his head, stared intently at Jo Il-sang.

“Now, what should I do?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Jo Il-sang spoke in a pleading voice.

“P-please spare me. I will definitely keep today’s events a secret. I won’t tell young master Eun-pyeong, so…”

“Ah… What should I do about this?”

“Pardon?”

“I think I’ve inflicted too many wounds for that.”

Although Jo Il-sang himself wasn’t aware of it, his face was almost completely battered.

His nose bone was broken and depressed, and his cheekbones and forehead were grotesquely protruding, as if the bones had been fractured.

Moreover, two of his fingers had been cut off.

One way or another, Mok Eun-pyeong would find out and become greatly enraged.

“Y-Young Master… Even if I disappear, young master Eun-pyeong will surely seek revenge.”

“Well, probably. But you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Why?”

“Everyone seems to dread the secret manual of Ignited Wood Sword Formation, so if need be, I can use it to negotiate. Isn’t that okay?”

“…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Jo Il-sang’s mind went blank.

It was because, as Mok Gyeong-un said, if he negotiated using Ignited Wood Sword Formation, the leader’s exclusive sword technique, even Mok Eun-pyeong, who cherished his subordinates, would likely let it pass.

Jo Il-sang, who was dazed and perplexed, hurriedly said,

“Young Master… I had no idea you were so brilliant and outstanding. So, like Guard Gam, I also want to pledge my loyalty to you.”

“To me?”

“Y-yes. Please give me a chance. I will dedicate my life to you.”

All sorts of words came out.

It was to save his life.

“You’ll even dedicate your life?”

“Th-that’s right. So please…”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Seeing Jo Il-sang like this, Mok Gyeong-un slightly tilted his head and went somewhere.

“Young Master? Young Master?”

Feeling uneasy, Jo Il-sang called out to Mok Gyeong-un.

It didn’t take long.

After a while, Mok Gyeong-un appeared with a wooden box in his hand, which had traces of something peculiar attached to it.

Mok Gyeong-un placed the wooden box under Jo Il-sang’s head, who was hanging upside down.

“What’s this?”

When he expressed his puzzlement, Mok Gyeong-un soon opened the lid of the wooden box.

Upon opening the lid, something that looked like an old book tied with an old rosary was revealed.

Why is he showing this to me? While Jo Il-sang was completely clueless, his eyes soon trembled.

‘Could it be?’

It was because he realized that the material of the book was not paper.

To the perplexed Jo Il-sang, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Before you woke up, I tried to read this book, but strangely, the part tied with the rosary was fixed, and no matter what I did, it couldn’t be removed.”

“That… How will you…”

“I saw in the Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang that there is something overflowing with spiritual energy that seals evil things. This rosary seems to be one of them.”

“Young Master, please…”

Mok Gyeong-un ignored his words and continued his own.

“But it says that if there’s another evil thing added to that sealing item, its power weakens.”

“Wh-what are you trying to do?”

“Like this.”

-Slice!

“Ack!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mok Gyeong-un swiftly cut Jo Il-sang’s throat with something sharp.

The last scream was the final sound Jo Il-sang made.

As if his vocal cords had been cut, only gurgling sounds came from Jo Il-sang’s mouth.

Mok Gyeong-un said with a bright smile,

“You said you could even dedicate your life, right?”

‘You… You son of a bitch…’

Who said they would dedicate their life in this way?

Jo Il-sang glared at Mok Gyeong-un with eyes full of resentment.

It was too much of a shame to lose his life like this.

-Whoosh!

The red blood flowing from Jo Il-sang’s sliced throat.

That blood poured onto the book made of human skin tied with a rosary inside the wooden box.

And it soaked the rosary and the book.

The blood of a dying man.

Blood filled with resentment.

As it soaked the book, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.

-Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat sound that could be heard without even directly touching the book grew louder.

As if it were a heart, something like blood vessels bulged on the outer surface of the book.

‘Oho.’

-Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Soon, the heartbeat sound grew even louder and faster,

-Crack crack crack crack!

The rosaries that were tying the book began to crack.

Then,

-Crunch crunch crunch crunch!

The rosaries that were trembling as if in agony were suddenly compressed as if something had grabbed them, and they shattered.

The shattered pieces were sucked into the blood pooled inside the wooden box.

Along with that, a bizarre incident occurred in the cavity.

-Gush gush gush!

Blood began to fall like a waterfall from the entire wall of the cavity, flowing along the ceiling.

It was a sight that made one doubt their own eyes.

The corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth reached his ears as he watched this.

[The fifth level, Green ghost… extremely dangerous. At least ten or more diviners are required for exorcism. An old wandering spirit that has existed for over a hundred years. It can exert an enormous influence within a set radius and even cause auditory and visual hallucinations, inflicting pain.]