Chapter 243

In fact, there’s probably no difference in intelligence between primitive humans of the past and modern people.

But there’s a stark contrast in one area: modern folks are way weaker physically than their ancestors. However, they have gained flexibility with tools.

At least modern people get the hang of using tools after fiddling with them for a bit.

This goes for Qing too; despite his teacher being all tough on him (“Oh come on, you can’t even memorize this? I’m going to chop off your arms and legs later! Ah, Shintu really has it rough too.”), he slowly learned to handle the Yulryu Yeonryeon training station.

As someone with a background in manual work, dealing with these primitive mechanical devices was simple; they wouldn’t break as long as one principle was followed.

Don’t force it. Just one move is all it takes.

Thanks to that, after twisting and turning and trying his hand at it, Qing became pretty skilled at operating the training station.

Unfortunately, through his clumsy handling, he ended up breaking three precious fingers without even getting to enjoy the slow sensation of pain.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

“Grandfather, do you have something to say?”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Gyeongdamgan replied fervently.

Qing pondered for a moment.

Hmm, should I let him go? But what if he bites his tongue? Hmm, should he bite?

With that thought, Qing smacked his palm into a fist and removed Gyeongdamgan’s gag.

“What the hell is this? A warrior from Zhengpai—”

Qing held onto Gyeongdamgan’s jaw, causing the rest of his words to jumble up.

“Thinking about it, the gag was to prevent you from biting your teeth or tongue. But we’re not here to look after each other’s dental health, are we?”

Then Qing started shoving his fingers into Gyeongdamgan’s mouth.

Gyeongdamgan bit down with all his might, but for someone feared across the world for his Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat, getting his beautiful hands hurt by teeth would be downright ridiculous.

“Oh. What I’m going to do is pull all your remaining teeth out. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting hurt without a gag, right?”

“Ahhh!”

“I should give the teeth I pull out as a gift to Young Lady Mo Yong. I heard you love pulling teeth, old man. You pulled out four of Young Lady Mo Yong’s molars! I need to repay this a hundredfold, so I’ll just pull them all and bring them to her, right? Alright. One tooth.”

“Aah!”

“Two teeth.”

“Aah!!”

“Hey, why are you licking someone else’s hand? Are you a dog? Oh wait, you really are a dog! Doesn’t licking my fingers just make it worse? Just give up and accept your penalty for your sins in your old age.”

“Aah!”

“Alright. Here comes four! Wow, you old man really have strong teeth. I wonder why masters have such good dental health. Is it the mysterious power of inner strength?”

Qing pulled out Gyeongdamgan’s teeth one by one.

Technically, human teeth are called ‘ichi’, while animal teeth are called ‘ipeol’. So it would be more fitting to call Gyeongdamgan’s teeth ‘ipeol’.

Qing thought they would pop out like a set of toy blocks, but surprisingly there were strong tendons holding them in place. Oh boy.

Well, since the roots were firmly attached, when Qing applied force, they stubbornly pulled out along with flesh, delivering quite the satisfying sensation.

When in pain, creatures instinctively wriggle around to distract from the discomfort.

Conversely, not being able to wriggle around just amplifies the pain.

“Ghhh! How can someone be this cruel! You heartless witch! How can someone like you be a hardworking warrior of Zhengpai?”

Of course, Gyeongdamgan’s pronunciation was severely off with all his teeth gone, but Qing understood.

“Oh no, you’ll kill me! You’ll kill me!”

“Hmm. You’re wrong. It’s not ‘I’ll kill you’; it’s ‘please kill me’. Say it nicely now. Begging while shedding tears won’t get you anywhere, mind you. I won’t grant any wishes anyway.”

Qing said with a bright smile.

Gyeongdamgan was still confused.

Is this a violent warrior’s revenge from Zhengpai that insists villains must die in excruciating pain?

Or is it merely an event for the pleasure of enjoying someone else’s suffering?

And now he realized.

This dude is, well, kinda similar to me.

“Oh. Now I see you’re starting to show some fear. Hmm. Respect usually comes from fear, you know. Can you speak a little more politely now? It’s disgraceful for an old man, white-haired and all, to speak rudely to someone so much younger than him. Seriously, these old folks nowadays have no sense of hierarchy.”

That sounded almost like a world where ages were reversed.

But since he blurted it out as it came, Qing didn’t even know what he was saying.

He was just filled with childlike glee as he rambled on.

“Please, help me… help me…”

“Oh come on. You really can’t get this? It’s not ‘help me’, it’s ‘kill me’. Old man, that’s how you should be begging. But of course, I won’t grant it. Hehe, it’s frustrating, huh? But what can you do, old man? You have no teeth, so are you going to bite your tongue?”

“I am—”

Qing interrupted Gyeongdamgan with a bright smile.

“Think of this as a rehearsal before going to hell. Oh, and the soundproofing here is great! I really love hearing screams, so don’t hold back and scream your heart out. So, shall we start playing for real?”

A noisy and cheerful time passed.

Qing deepened his understanding of the human body.

He learned how far joints and tendons could stretch and what kind of resistance came when reaching the limits of motion. He completely mastered how much force it takes to break them completely after numerous attempts.

Once all the joints of Ji-tan Gwangma became disabled, Qing too was exhausted and sprawled out on the floor.

But if all the joints are gone, bones and flesh still remained intact, so there were still plenty of enjoyable things left.

The Yulryu Yeonryeon training station was undoubtedly the best equipment in the Central Plain; Qing could confidently say that.

Then Qing did whatever he pleased. The only disappointing part was that the once loud screams of the Great Demon Lord gradually grew quieter after a certain point.

Qing even tried pouring salt water into Ji-tan Gwangma’s mouth as a form of encouragement, but it was only a temporary respite.

“Please kill me… please, I beg you. Kill me, kill me. I’m a sinner who deserves to die. So please…”

“Seriously, can’t a guy just take a break without creating all this noise?”

“Huh.”

“I’ll kill you, so just wait. The game is over now.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

To that, Qing chuckled in response.

“The game is over, and now we must start in earnest. It’s just boring when there isn’t blood involved. I’ll untie you, so if you don’t want to be vivisected alive, you’d better run. If you don’t run, I’ll assume you consent, and I’ll start skinning you bit by bit from your fingertips.”

Ji-tan Gwangma, the Great Demon Lord of Blood Sect, now had no tendons left attached to his bones.

Even if he was untied now, all he could do was squirm.

“Eek, kill me, kill me, please!”

“You already answered that earlier, didn’t you? You probably won’t get your wish anyway. You’ve been torturing others your whole life; how could you not withstand this for a bit? Ugh.”

As someone who has endured, Qing had every right to say that; he had superbly held out through the long process of three hours.

With a smile on his face, Qing unsheathed his sword.

It was the sharp new weapon he received back through the Blood Sect Warrior’s cooperation.

And then.

You know how in movies, torture usually happens in the bathroom? It’s because they can wash right after for a nice clean finish. Everyone knows what’s good.

Qing stepped out of the bath with clear eyes.

Not a trace of desire left, but rather an expression of serene enlightenment, like a Buddha who had reached nirvana.

—-

Qing’s next opponent was Wang Nofil, a master of chair warfare.

But due to the aftereffects of having his belly sliced open and toxic salamanders extracted, he had to forfeit the match.

“You didn’t have to forfeit. I could’ve taken it easy on you. You know, just make a grand flourish with the chair and leave.”

“Haha.”

Wang Nofil tried to laugh manfully but ended up clutching his solar plexus. Who knew that a hearty laugh could so heavily strain the abs? His belly throbbed painfully.

“Isn’t it only after a match that you truly know who’s longer?”

“No need to bother measuring bamboo shoots against each other to see which one’s longer, is there? This is purely an honorable loss.”

“Honorable loss?”

“Since I was destined to lose anyway, I can just say I couldn’t compete because of the operation. Isn’t that a bit of an honorable loss? If my belly hadn’t been punctured, I could have easily won the competition.”

At that, Wang Nofil chuckled before ruefully grimacing.

“You take the victory for granted.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Qing, after wrapping up his unauthorized visit to the sickos residing at Muchen Pavilion, climbed the stairs towards the top floor.

In the finest guest hall of the Martial Alliance that he shared with Seomun Sulin, another unauthorized resident awaited.

“Young Lady Mo Yong. How are you feeling?”

“Eek.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee jumped, pulling the blanket all the way over her head.

Then, slowly peeking out, she looked at Qing with just her eyes visible.

Qing watched her with compassion.

“What, what is it? That look! It’s creepy!”

“It’s alright. I understand everything. Well, I don’t know if this will comfort you, but it’s a gift.”

Qing handed her a beautiful silk bundle.

Mo Yong Joo-hee unwrapped the bundle with half suspicion and half shock, gasping as the beautifully polished teeth of Gyeongdamgan flew everywhere.

“What are you doing! Why are you doing this to me!”

“Those are the teeth of Ji-tan Gwangma. I hoped they would comfort you a little, Young Lady Mo Yong. Of course, I pulled them all out while he was still alive.”

“I don’t need this, this kind of thing! Why! Why are you doing this to me! What did I do wrong! Just go away! I hate you! I find you disgusting! I don’t even want to see you!”

Mo Yong Joo-hee screamed as if having a fit.

No, it was indeed a fit.

Qing’s eyebrows twitched.

Geez, even when trying to help, they still throw a tantrum.

But he could understand.

After going through such harsh experiences, it’s no wonder one’s psyche gets battered.

So Qing offered his own form of consolation.

It was a comfort he had received back when he was having a tough time in the Demon Sect from his uncle, and it had really brought him great comfort.

Qing forcibly embraced Mo Yong Joo-hee.

“Let go! Let me go! What are you doing!”

“It’s fine. Shhh, it’s alright. Young Lady Mo Yong did nothing wrong. All the bad guys have been dealt with by me. Think of it as a terrible nightmare; you can cast it aside. You’re a strong person, so I believe you can shake it off. You’re strong in both body and mind.”

“Let go, let go…”

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s voice was moist.

“Everything’s okay. And don’t worry, no one in the world will ever know about what happened to you. Only four people know, me, Seomun Sulin, Tang Nan-ah, and Gramps. They’ll all keep their mouths shut, so rest easy.”

The only ones who knew about Mo Yong Joo-hee’s kidnapping were Qing, Seomun Sulin, Tang Nan-ah, and Old Man Gu, just those four.

“So relax and focus on recovering. Ugh! Ah!”

Qing suddenly screamed mid-consolation due to a surge of pain.

His voice, filled with anguish, quivered delicately.