Chapter 340

In this world, there’s something called “suspicion without evidence.”

It’s that conviction that even without any proof, one believes someone is definitely guilty in their heart.

Suddenly, the Blood Sect shows up?

It’s a trick even a child wouldn’t fall for!

But, of course, it has to be the Blood Sect.

This vile and cunning woman thinks everyone is a fool when it comes to the Blood Sect—they’re truly the kind of people who would pull something like this.

There’s absolutely no reason for the Blood Sect to go on a rampage.

They might just happen to find a vacant house and think, “Why not?” or just because they can—they’re the types who gather to kill and torture just for fun, stirring up chaos wherever they go.

It’s clearly infuriating and downright unjust!

But who can I blame? No one can call out to their enemies in anger!

Wang Cheol-gun’s heart is crumbling.

And so, Cheol-gun shed tears of blood once again.

“Gasp. Lord Cheol-gun.”

“Ugh…”

Whether it was the work of Seomun Qing or the Blood Sect, his precious daughter—his girl whom he wouldn’t hurt even if he placed her in his eye—was dead.

“No, it has to be Seomun Qing. It’s definitely Qing.”

Even if that was the case, what of it? Whose fault was it that his main house was empty?

Seomun Qing! It had to be Seomun Qing!

Ajan Deok realized that shedding tears of blood wasn’t just a figure of speech. When rage and sorrow reach their peak, all the blood vessels in your eyes burst, and blood tears flow down.

He could only stand there in shock.

And he felt doubly shocked seeing those lowly human scum, who cared for their children.

Dou Sam had already seen those blood tears once before.

At first, he thought it was an injustice, but the second time, he felt indifferent to it.

If this keeps up, are those tears going to turn into blood every time? Shouldn’t they get a nickname like “Blood Tear Masacre” instead of just “Green Forest”?

He had the luxury of thinking about such things.

And indeed, he did think about them.

Honestly, Dou Sam, who had no family, barely understood.

Those guys didn’t even have skills but relied on their fathers’ prestige to act like bullies, probably thinking they wouldn’t die an early death.

Dou Sam had only seen those blood tears twice.

Yet still, the impact had diminished significantly.

The initial impact of anything is powerful.

But the second time, it drops below half.

However, when it came to the third time, he figured, “Surely they wouldn’t do it three times in a row,” and let down his guard, only to have the impact soar again.

By the fourth time, though, it’s just, “What? Again? Not falling for that anymore,” and the feelings fade away.

That’s why they say to stop after three times.

Once it hits four, it just earns you scorn.

But people always repeat the same mistakes.

Once they get away with it once, twice, then three times, they think they’ve got it all figured out.

“Oh, so this is how it goes,” they feel they’ve grasped the trick.

Qing had beauty that could be called the most beautiful in the world, transcendent strength beyond any human, and mastery over realms that seemed totally incompatible with her age, so much so that she was referred to as a celestial maiden.

But Qing was still human, after all.

Wait, could I burn more now?

If I take this opportunity, I should really make those Green Forest fools look like idiots to eliminate future trouble!

Qing had already burned down the main house on the first day, and the side mountain and the secondary area down below on the second.

That was the extent of this temple.

However, Ajan Deok, fearing it might be an act of the Blood Sect, concluded that other mountain houses could also be at risk. The next morning, two charred mountain houses were found.

And that day, the adjacent house—the fourth house—and the forward decoration facilities of the main house burned as well.

This was discovered on that very day.

Now, on to the fourth day of the arson.

The much-anticipated fourth house.

Qing was making holes in the walls again using Sword Aura.

What’s going on? No signs of life?

Did they pull out all the people since the fire couldn’t be stopped?

Oh dear, this isn’t right.

I need to reduce the number of bandits as much as possible, but if I burn it, I’ll be retreating.

If I’m going to do that? Then just burn them all!

At this point, Qing could confidently be called an arsonist who could burn down an entire house for one person.

Having roughly seen the structure of the mountain houses, she quickly found the sleeping quarters of the chief.

Oh, the smell.

Seriously. Bandits need to air out their places!

With a stench strong enough to make her nose wrinkle, Qing opened wardrobes and blanket chests, dragging out the filthy things and piling them onto the bed.

This garbage won’t come clean even if washed.

It’s trash that can’t even go into a clothing collection bin and should just be burned.

Afterward, she lit a lamp and knocked it over onto the pile; that would be the end of it.

This was the essence of Qing’s learned method of arson.

Trying to set fire to a fine house won’t work well.

Gathering things that burn well and causing a big blaze inside will eventually allow everything to catch fire nicely.

Thus, Qing lit the lamp with the flame.

“Unbelievable.”

“Gasp.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

Qing inhaled sharply and hurriedly drew her sword.

How? There were no signs of anyone at all?

Her senses were beyond human.

Yet if she didn’t notice them, it wasn’t due to being careless but because they had the ability to deceive her sharp senses.

As she stood there, frozen, Dou Sam couldn’t help but admire the speed at which Qing drew her blade at him.

And it wasn’t just that. Her revealed face was indeed stunning—beautiful enough to earn her reputation as the most beautiful in the world.

Even Dou Sam, who had no interest in women, found it breathtaking and couldn’t tear his gaze away.

But he concealed his feelings and opened his mouth, sarcastically flooding out.

“You’re that notorious lady from the Orthodox Sect, and you’re so despicably low. Your hands are more terrifying than even Heaven’s Kill, and now you’re slapping the name of the Blood Sect around carelessly, and to boot, burning down others’ homes!”

Yet Qing stood her ground.

“They always say that. The orthodox ladies can’t be like that! What do you think, all the Orthodox Warriors are just fools?”

She continued speaking.

Why should being from the Orthodox Sect mean that one has to keep promises with enemies?

Must they avoid all cowardly means and only charge in through the front door, announcing their attack well in advance during the daytime?

No torture? No cruelty?

Even killing should be done swiftly and mercifully, without pain?

That’s not being orthodox; that’s just being foolish, isn’t it?

“Precisely. Without that, what’s the point of being orthodox? If the orthodox acted like the heterodox or the Blood Sect, then what’s the reason for being orthodox?”

“Oh, come on. Means are means. You’re orthodox because you’re decent. The heterodox merely exists to be useless trash!”

“That’s a dangerously naive line of thinking. Not every Sapa warrior is worthless trash.”

“Well, that may be, but they aren’t part of the Green Forest, are they? They’re parasites, and killing them benefits the world.”

“So you killed them cruelly? They deserved to die.”

“I have to kill them brutally. The world should know the miserable deaths they meet, so people would think, ‘Ah, those bandits got their just desserts! I should avoid banditry.’”

“Hmm.”

“I am proud, just, and performing good deeds for the world. The best they can do for the world is to die as soon as possible.”

At this point, Dou Sam felt unwell.

“Do you have a grudge against bandits or something?”

“Not really? But when you see a flea or a bug, don’t you squash it? If you’re bored, you might burn it or drown it just for fun. Who could call that cruel or evil?”

No one in the Central Plains would.

There was, however, that scholar Yi Gyu-bo from the east who said such nonsense about fleas and dogs being equally precious.

But Yi Gyu-bo was a man who boasted about how he had destroyed his servant’s hut and used it for firewood, proudly thinking he was such a fantastic person.

Servants are supposed to be cold, miserable, and without comfort, while scholars should huddle in warm rooms, exploiting the poor, which he proudly espoused as natural and obvious logic.

Thus, his doctrines were nothing more than a façade to feed his intellectual vanity.

He himself referred to himself as a great man, comparing himself to Confucius and Mencius.

With this level of awareness, how could a filthy bandit possibly retort against Qing?

All he felt was greatly offended.

So he made an effort to counter her.

“Sounds like you’re the judge of what’s a flea or a bug.”

“Do I really need to judge? If the Green Forest serves some benefit to the world, please, enlighten me about even one!”

“That’s…”

Dou Sam found his words failing him.

What could possibly be beneficial about bandits to this world?

“See? Even a three-year-old child knows that those in the Green Forest are worthless trash. Isn’t it the job of the Orthodox Sect’s lady to clean them up?”

Hearing that filled him with self-loathing.

A master in the Realm of Transformation should command respect and wealth anywhere, yet here he was, laboring in this remote mountain, being insulted by a girl barely older than a child, all because he was a bandit.

It was truly Dou Sam’s fault for instigating Qing with words in the first place.

“Ahem. Enough. Let me make a suggestion. If you do me a small favor, you’ll be able to go back unscathed.”

“What is it?”

“Give me a son.”

This time, Qing was left speechless.

What the heck is he talking about? Is he crazy?

“I get it after hearing you now. I’ll raise my son to be someone decent, not a bandit, so no need to worry.”

When he said “my son,” Qing felt chills running down her spine.

“W-What in the world are you talking about?”

“You said you’re a supreme martial artist, right? If my son inherits even half your talent, won’t he become one of the finest in the world?”

“What about my opinions in this?”

“If you want to live, you have to give me a son. You’re desperately trying to pretend you’re fine, but I know you’ve exhausted all your strength. Just so you know, I’m at the Realm of Transformation, so even in good shape, you won’t stand a chance.”

“Uh. I don’t really want to fight, but maybe it’s time to escape. But I have confidence in my evasion.”

“Outside, there are elite members of the Green Forest all around. If it’s with a single arrow, even the Great Chief would charge in! You think you can escape fighting off two high-level martial artists? Think again!”

Qing broke out in cold sweat.

Oh dear. This feels like a big deal.

“Brother? Just like you said, the trap is set…”

Before one of Dou Sam’s men could report, he suddenly clutched his throat and collapsed.

Qing was taken aback.

Wasn’t that the high-level martial artist from the Imperial Palace they fought before? Due to some law, he had a slow body which affected his movement.

Old Grandpa could only use one strong hit due to lack of inner strength, so all he did was stand back and calculate the angle.

So seeing the true speed of a genuine expert in the Realm of Transformation for the first time, the alarming speed appeared to be a blur even to Qing’s keen eyesight.

Thinking she could manage against one expert didn’t hold up to reality.

This was way faster than she had anticipated.

Qing’s expression stiffened.

Dou Sam, though, was feeling confident.

“See? I’m serious. I’d kill a subordinate to prove it. If you give me a son, I’ll let you walk free. Just give me a good-looking son, and you can leave.”

“Are you asking me to believe a man who just killed his subordinate?”

“That’s how serious I am. Once you give birth to my child, would I really kill you? You can even become my wife! I swear I won’t betray you for my whole life. I won’t even dare to look at another woman. But I’m not expecting anything that grand.”

“Ugh.”

“Just so you know, it’s better to kill yourself if you get captured by the Great Chief. They say he’d chew off your limbs and make a meal of you, sharing you around with every man. Wouldn’t it be better to have one child and leave rather than face that? I won’t even demand breastfeeding; just leave right after giving birth or take care of yourself and leave.”

Qing started calculating in her mind.

She could go around setting fires, killing bandits, and digging traps until she could pick people off one by one.

But what if she tried making a baby?

With one strike from Buddha’s Physical Body, wouldn’t she at least be able to take down one person and start from there?

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