Chapter 237

모용 Joo-hee had been holding back her screams the whole time.

Or maybe she just couldn’t hold them in.

The terrible sensation tearing through her flesh. The guard was continuously screaming. Her ears felt stuffed, like being submerged underwater. Was her own scream mixed in with his? Mo Yong Joo-hee couldn’t tell.

Dismembering a person was dirty and horrifying.

Even if it was that enemy she had wanted to kill so badly.

Yet, amidst this horrific place, this utterly terrible world filled with awful things, terrible times, the terrible “me,” and terrible memories, a pure voice whispered sweetly in her ear.

“You’re doing so well. Next, let’s take a look at the torso. Well then, shall we?”

A long, beautiful finger glided over the guard’s belly, like a sharp knife splitting flesh, revealing the insides.

Fat, yellow, and soft oozed out.

After the finger passed, the insides, throbbing organs, were soon soaked in a thin layer of blood.

“Ugh.”

“Goodness. Mo Yong Young Lady, you’re quite sensitive.”

“No, no, I’m fine. I can bear it.”

No, I can’t look weak.

Mo Yong Joo-hee desperately fought back her nausea.

Seomun Young Lady had come to save me. If I looked pitiful, she would abandon me, just like everyone else had.

“Even if it looks disgusting, if you look closely, it’s strangely endearing. This is what they call internal organs, right? The organs.”

“Ugh, bleh…”

Mo Yong Joo-hee finally couldn’t hold back the rising bile anymore. A clear, acidic fluid spilled out.

But the guard, covered in the acidic liquid, twitched like a broken toy.

In that violent moment, his already loosened bones flailed, and with a slap, his arm weakly struck Mo Yong Joo-hee’s cheek—

Ah, no…

“Hi-! Ha… I’m sorry, sorry. I’m sorry for the mess.”

“It’s all right. It’s okay. Yes, it’s fine. Those filthy things should at least leave a chamber pot for you.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee squirmed, trying to escape from Qing’s warm embrace. No, I can’t.

“It’s fine. It could happen. It’s not your fault, Mo Yong Young Lady. You did nothing wrong.”

“Let go! Let me go! No, I’m sorry, please let go of me. It’s dirty. I—”

“Shh. Mo Yong Young Lady, you aren’t dirty. You told me you’ve never done anything filthy or disgraceful. You’re holding on so well. Excellent job.”

Such warm reassurance made her feel like tears would spill out. Yes, if I just listen, if I just behave—

“Now, I think I’m about to lose consciousness. Shall we watch this cockroach die together? The one who tormented Mo Yong Young Lady was just this pathetic little creature. No need to be afraid.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee watched the dying guard.

His limbs were flipped inside out, and his skin was now laid bare, with his belly and chest wide open, barely breathing with a dying, rattling sound.

“Look. Look into his eyes. That’s a desperate plea for help, isn’t it? Isn’t it funny that such a horrible person is begging for help in the face of death?”

“Ugh…!”

Mo Yong Joo-hee could only desperately swallow her screams as she gazed into his pleading, bloodshot eyes.

—-

In a distant past, Qing’s psychology class had the highest score.

It could never be said that Qing was enthusiastic, eager to learn, or had exceptional comprehension skills; more like, he had barely made it through the notoriously dull class by managing to stay awake in the graveyard of misfit students who bombed their course registrations.

Had the psychology professor seen Qing now, they would have regretted it for life and cursed the ground beneath them.

Counseling a client involves unconditional acceptance and positivity, healing a wounded heart.

The biggest taboo among them is to suggest alternatives. If that was possible, they wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.

Qing was confused and did the exact opposite.

In his own way, he tried to think things through.

Revenge usually becomes empty when it loses momentum, and then life becomes meaningless, doesn’t it?

Rather than simply killing him, it’d be better to get some gratification from watching his suffering, as much consolation as possible.

Since people naturally tend to assume their thoughts are universal, Qing thought that the gruesome anatomy of Heaven’s Kill would surely help Mo Yong Joo-hee too.

“Mo Yong Young Lady, how are you doing now?”

But if extreme anatomy were to heal the heart, Mo Yong Joo-hee must have also been born with some horrific malignancy, at least something like the viciousness of a Soul Killer.

If only Qing had left the enemy to be killed, maybe there would’ve been a sense of release, but offering his own brand of kindness only became another ordeal for Mo Yong Joo-hee to endure.

“Yeah, I did well, right? I did everything Seomun Young Lady asked of me. You won’t abandon me, right? You won’t leave me behind, will you?”

“Leave you behind? Don’t say such things. Of course, Mo Yong Young Lady was a bit bothersome—”

“I’m sorry. I apologize. I’m sorry. I messed everything up, didn’t I? No, it’s your fault! It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you! It’s because of you! Take responsibility! You should have to!”

Oh no. Qing thought, realizing she hadn’t fully grasped her situation yet.

I can’t even joke anymore.

No, if it goes like this, what will become of me?

Qing let out a deep sigh.

Mo Yong Joo-hee gasped at that.

Then she crawled over, looking like she might scrape her knees, and grabbed his leg again.

“No, no. I didn’t mean it. Please don’t abandon me? Huh? Now, there’s only Seomun Young Lady left. I did everything she asked. I’ll obey from now on too. What should I do? If it’s breaking something, you like that, right? Should I smash my head? Or if I pull out an eyeball, will you believe what I say?”

“Don’t play around with a corpse.”

“Ah. Then, then what should I do? Just say it, I’ll do anything…”

Qing pulled Mo Yong Joo-hee tightly back into his embrace.

“I’m sorry. I was joking. I’m not abandoning you, so don’t worry. Now, hush.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Qing tried to let out another sigh but swallowed it.

After all, how terrified must it feel to even think about leaving her behind?

“Hmm. For now, we need to get back to the surface. Mo Yong Young Lady, could you wait here for a moment? I need to deal with some Blood Sect scum on the way out—”

“Let’s go together! You can’t leave me behind!”

“If they summon the Blood Sect again, you’ll get hurt. You don’t want to get hurt, right? Just wait a moment; I’ll quickly clear the way—”

“It’s okay! It’s fine, so let’s go together. I can bear the pain. I’ll endure it, just don’t leave me behind! Don’t leave me alone…”

Qing scratched his head in frustration.

Why is she being such a bother?

“The poison of solitude hurts, but it won’t endanger your life. Are you really sure you can endure this?”

“Yes! I can endure it. So—”

“Okay. Let’s get up. Let’s talk while we go.”

With that, Mo Yong Joo-hee took Qing’s hand and wobbled to her feet. But as she took a few shaky steps, she stumbled, and Qing hurriedly caught her from falling.

“Mo Yong Young Lady? Your foot, those filthy bastards—”

“I’m fine. I can walk. Just a bit of pain.”

“How can you walk with all your toenails ripped off? That won’t do.”

“No, I can walk! I can!”

“Calm down. Yes, you might be able to walk, but it will hurt too much. I’ll carry you.”

In the end, Qing tied Mo Yong Joo-hee securely to his back using the guard’s clothes.

Hmm. This must be the greatest invention of the Han people in human history that astonishes the world and earns its respect: the baby carrier.

Why is it turning out like this again?

—-

I heard that the Great Lord hasn’t been seen since last night and that the Deputy Lord left this morning after something happened, which makes it a perfect time to sneak Mo Yong Joo-hee away.

Qing had heard about the underground paths vaguely, but finding his way based on verbal descriptions was not that easy.

Yet, Qing wasn’t particularly worried, since if he didn’t know, he could just look for someone who did. Smart people know how to utilize others.

As he concentrated slowly, searching for movement, he finally found his target.

“W-Who’s there! Here, ugh.”

With a stomp of his foot, a shadow lunged forth, swiftly clamping the Blood Sect warrior’s mouth shut.

However, solitude isn’t something you control with words.

When frustration burns at the solar plexus—

“Ugh…!”

Along with the painful groan by his ear, a flare of fire suddenly sprang up in Qing’s head.

Once a person’s pain surpasses the limit they can endure, reflexively they’ll grab anything and squeeze it with all their might, ready to burst it.

Even at the risk of injuring their ligaments.

It was raw power that ignored the limits usually set unconsciously by the brain to protect against injury.

Since Mo Yong Joo-hee was on Qing’s back, just at that moment, a huge handle was perfectly positioned for him to grasp.

“Ugh.”

Qing’s head turned white.

It was as painful as training Yulryu Yeonryeon.

Female warriors have more vital points than men, after all.

Qing instinctively tightened his grip while holding the Blood Sect warrior’s jaw to silence him.

In the end, the upper and lower jaws of the Blood Sect warrior were crushed, and in an instant, breath was stolen.

And Qing collapsed as well.

Mo Yong Joo-hee was a warrior, and coincidentally, one that used dual swords. With both hands handling a sword, her grip strength was far more powerful than that of an ordinary swordsman.

That powerful grip was exerting a force beyond her usual output, squeezing Qing’s vital points.

Qing was too stunned to even voice a complaint and collapsed, writhing in agony.

Though the Blood Sect warrior was dead, solitude continued to send signals of stimulus, so the horrifying pain persisted until the host realized the master was gone and calmed down.

This is what karma is.

Receiving back the sin of forcing Mo Yong Joo-hee to go through a terrible experience of brutal murder.

“I’m sorry. I apologize. I’m sorry. Please don’t abandon me. I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to, and you can hit me! Ah! Seomun Young Lady likes pulling nails, right? If she wants, I’ve got ten of them…”

But now, he couldn’t even get mad.

Qing cautiously lifted his shirt.

It didn’t seem to have been torn off. Was it possibly bruised?

The relentless throbbing was too painful. Is this alright? It hurts too much…

“Haah. It’s fine. And who says they like pulling nails? Of course, I do. Still…”

Qing tore the sleeves of the Blood Sect warrior and handed them to Mo Yong Joo-hee neatly to avoid a repeat of that incident.

Thanks to one trial and error, the second attempt succeeded.

After the parasite-removal procedure left a gaping hole in the stomach of the Blood Sect warrior, he became so moved that he changed professions to a friendly guide.

“Head this way, and it’ll get you to the northwestern road. So then, as promised…”

“You must keep your promise. But you never made one with Mo Yong Young Lady, did you? Mo Yong Young Lady? Just a little favor.”

With that, Mo Yong Joo-hee stretched out her arms and snapped the Blood Sect warrior’s neck.

Leaving the warrior with his head turned at a ninety-degree angle, Qing ascended the stairs confidently.

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