My whisper was quiet enough for only him to hear, but the weight of my words pierced his heart more cruelly than any sword.
The color drained from Jin Myeong-woo’s face.
His hand, still gripping his sword, trembled violently.
It was the moment his last shred of pride was shattered into pieces.
Without another word, he left the training ground.
His retreating figure looked utterly pathetic.
“Your skills have improved beyond recognition.”
The Family Head approached and said.
A faint hint of satisfaction crossed his stoic face.
Jang Seo-young, standing behind him, had a cold expression.
The disappointment of a mother who had just watched her son lose was plain to see.
But an even greater wariness was present in her eyes.
“I still have a long way to go.”
I replied, feigning humility.
“You truly have changed.
Take this.”
The Family Head took a small box from his robes and handed it to me.
“What is this?”
“An elixir.
I originally intended to give it to Myeong-woo, but it seems you need it more now.”
Jang Seo-young’s face twisted.
She was clearly displeased that the elixir she had prepared for her son was being given to this ruffian.
“Thank you, Father.”
I accepted the elixir.
The small box felt heavy in my palm.
It was a precious medicine that could increase my internal energy.
Jang Seo-young looked at the Family Head, her eyes filled with resentment and complaint.
But he ignored her gaze and left the training ground.
‘I didn’t expect this…’
I knew about the elixir, but I never thought it would fall into my hands so easily.
The Family Head led Jang Seo-young out of the training ground.
Her gaze remained fixed on me until the very end.
“Young Master!
Are you hurt anywhere?”
Seol-hee ran up to me and checked my body.
“I’m fine.”
“Whew, you have no idea how nervous I was watching.”
Her voice was filled with relief.
I tucked the elixir into my robes, wrapped an arm around Seol-hee’s waist, and pulled her into my embrace.
“Ah… Young Master… isn’t it dangerous out here…?”
“Shall we go to my room?”
“Yes…!”
A quiet anticipation laced Seol-hee’s reply.
With my arm still around her waist, I left the training ground.
As we walked down the corridor, Seol-hee kept her head shyly lowered, but her body was growing hotter and hotter.
*
Man Chu-sam, the Sect Leader of the Black Dragon Gate, listened to the report while being attended to by naked women.
“So.
How are things with the Jin family in Jilin?”
“There have been no unusual movements, sir.
It seems they haven’t noticed anything.”
“Hmm, I hear that Jin fellow’s wife and daughter are such great beauties.
I can’t wait to have a taste.”
Man Chu-sam’s hand caressed the waist of the woman beside him.
Her body trembled in terror.
“Also, Sect Leader, I discovered a stunning beauty at the Jin residence.”
“Oh?
Describe her in detail.”
“She was an incredible beauty with faintly glowing white hair and pure white skin.
Her beauty surpassed even that of the Jin family’s wife and daughter, so much so that I doubted my own eyes.”
“Haha.
From your description, she sounds more beautiful than any of the Four Great Beauties of Murim.”
“Thinking you might be curious, Sect Leader, I had one of my more artistically skilled men draw her likeness.
Here it is.”
The subordinate handed over a drawing, which Man Chu-sam examined.
It was a delicately drawn portrait of a beautiful woman.
An immense greed filled Man Chu-sam’s eyes.
“…What a desirable face…”
His voice grew rough.
The women around him trembled in fear. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Heh heh… I was planning to devour them slowly… but I can’t hold back any longer.
To think such a beauty exists in Jilin!
Summon the Black Wolf Grand Commander at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
The subordinate quickly departed.
Man Chu-sam licked his lips, staring greedily at Seol-hee’s portrait.
A cruel madness glinted in his eyes.
“Sect Leader… this deviates from our plan…”
The voice that came from behind Man Chu-sam was difficult to identify as male or female.
A figure whose face was covered by a black mask stood like a shadow.
“Don’t you worry.
Do you really think we’d lose to the likes of the Jin family and the Jangbaek Gate?
The Black Dragon Gate, led by me, Man Chu-sam of the Iron Light Twin Axes, can crush insignificant families and sects from the frontier and still have strength to spare.”
Man Chu-sam said, his eyes still fixed greedily on the woman in the portrait.
The masked figure looked at him as if he were pathetic.
The Black Dragon Gate, for all its power, was still just a frontier force.
Though it dominated the entire Black Dragon Fortress region, it wasn’t a particularly strong power when considering the Central Plains as a whole.
‘It can’t be helped.
This man is beyond my control.’
With a deep sigh, the masked figure took a small pillbox from their robes and handed it to Man Chu-sam.
“Hm?
What’s this?”
“It’s the elixir I mentioned before.”
“Oho!
So this is the medicine that can advance one’s realm!”
Man Chu-sam opened the box and peered inside greedily.
A reddish pill glowed faintly.
Endless avarice overflowed from his eyes.
“I’ve included a generous amount.
You can give them to your most trusted disciples or subordinates.”
“Hahaha, I’ll put them to good use!”
Man Chu-sam’s laughter echoed through the room.
The masked figure simply watched him with a blank expression.