Chapter 49

Torture was extremely ineffective in terms of extracting information.

Torture only breeds hostility from the opponent.

How can any information be trusted from someone whose animosity has been stoked by torture?

Moreover, the subject of torture is forced to read the tormentor’s mood in a desperate attempt to escape.

Instead of conveying accurate facts, they end up saying what the torturer wishes to hear.

But Qing was ignorant of the matter anyway.

Even if he knew, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

Deep down, there was malice ingrained in him.

A powerful impulse that always whispered with tenacity.

Blood and more blood.

Screams, the wails of anguish, the sound of blood gurgling. Breath barely held together, choking back sobs.

Eyes, vacant and unfocused, trembling violently without a place to settle, expanding into nihilism/disbelief in front of the instinct of death, all with diverse charms.

Every single moment of torment was so beautiful.

My body trembled, and I could hardly contain my rapid breathing, as every nerve, bone, and muscle seemed to ignite with horrific ecstasy.

Ah, this is why artists live in madness.

They paint while inhaling mercury vapors, and write while coughing up blood from tuberculosis.

A short life wouldn’t be unfortunate then.

They must have been happy all their lives.

Thus, Qing’s attitude was different from that of a torturer.

It resembled more of an inquiry into the truth or a religious ritual of worship.

Ripping through flesh and turning muscles inside out, he instinctively gauged the damage inflicted with moans, screams, and breaths.

It was a quest to figure out how to keep that life alive while dissecting it alive.

To prolong life in order to inflict more agony.

That’s why Qing’s touch was delicate and cautious.

It was his only teaching material he had acquired after much effort.

Suddenly, Qing’s hand froze.

Ah. What if I touch something else here and it becomes dangerous?

It was a baseless intuition.

Ugh, it was going so well.

Qing licked his lips and stepped back.

“Please, please, just kill me already…”

Wang Son-man, now a person shaped by blood, pleaded.

His vocal cords were ravaged from screams, producing sounds akin to scraping sand, and his lungs were unable to function properly.

“You, you’ve done something bad, haven’t you?”

Qing chuckled.

“We’re secret friends, right? Won’t you tell me what kind of deeds could net you over three hundred points?”

Yeah. I should’ve figured this out sooner.

I carelessly threw my neck away.

Have I been living too thoughtlessly?

I admit it and reflect.

But still, this world is the one that’s wrong.

Just abducting someone who was living well.

“I—I deceived people…”

“Ah. The missing people?”

Qing cocked his head.

“Nah, that can’t make you a minus three hundred points, can it? Deceiving a few people is that bad?”

“I knew they wouldn’t come back…”

“Ah. So you sent them to their deaths despite knowing? That makes some sense. How long ago?”

“Two or three each week. It’s been over half a year now.”

“What? So this jerk here, a mere five points? Ten people a week means over sixty in half a year? Hmm. Hmm. That’s passing grade, I guess.”

Qing nodded.

If you’ve driven at least sixty people to their deaths, I guess that’s about three hundred points of evil karma.

No, wait. Is that not right? Killing bad guys is good karma?

“Is that all?”

“I learned Demonic Arts too.”

“Demonic Arts? What Demonic Arts?”

“Heart Consumption Technique…”

But Qing didn’t know martial arts anyway.

However, just hearing the name, it seemed like he understood.

Heart Consumption Technique. Isn’t that the martial art that consumes hearts?

In truth, it was an even more heinous Demonic Art than Qing expected.

The Heart Consumption Technique was derived from the distorted vision of esoteric Buddhism, consuming refined hearts through altar rituals to achieve inner strength.

To complete the dark heart of the Heart Consumption Technique, the essence of a nine-year-old child had to be transferred via the heart, a process fraught with excruciating pain.

Moreover, regardless of the practitioner’s aptitude or physique, merely the number of hearts consumed would denote mastery.

In reality, achieving great success didn’t lead to a significant improvement in inner strength.

It was merely the appalling cultivation method and the potential to churn out skilled practitioners that posed a problem.

This was why the Heart Consumption Technique was widely renowned as a horrifying Demonic Art in the world.

“So, you ate some hearts?”

“They brought them to me…”

“They?”

“I don’t know their identities, really, really don’t.”

It didn’t sound like a lie.

Qing rubbed the back of his neck gently.

“But why? Why learn Demonic Arts with people you don’t know? Eating human hearts too, is that fresh? Sounds a bit tasty?”

“What…”

Qing slapped his own cheek.

“Damn it, cannibalism isn’t right. Sorry, my mind is a bit all over the place. But seriously, why go through all that?”

“I wanted to become a Sect Leader…”

Hearing that, he sounded worse than he thought.

Those folks were abducting common people for some scheme, planning to raid the Great Justice Gate afterward.

At that time, the eldest son Wang Son-seok would get gravely injured while the second son Wang Son-man would heroically defeat the enemies.

It was then that joy blossomed in Qing’s heart.

Ah. This evil deed is doing evil deed things?

After all, they were scummy bastards; glad they’re dead.

I confirmed that my recent hobby contributed to world peace.

I felt a sudden sense of pride and satisfaction.

“Then now that you’ve said it all, spare me.”

“What? You just asked for death a moment ago?”

“Please…”

An opponent who doesn’t communicate is terrifying.

Qing, who was busy self-teaching the mysteries of the human body with remarkable focus, was in such a state.

However, now that the conversation was flowing, a sly desire to live began to bud.

“Well, I’ve shown some compassion. Thanks to that, we solved a dilemma.”

“Please spare me…”

Despite having the skin peeled from his face, a bright hope emerged on his countenance.

The will of a person to cling to life was indeed remarkable.

Of course, the people he sold out must have felt the same.

Thus, he couldn’t die just yet.

If he forced himself to stay alive with meticulous care but then killed him off, it would all be for nothing.

“Alright. This time, I’ll let it slide. So forever be grateful, got it?”

And just like that, another fun time came to an end!

Why do enjoyable times slip away so quickly?

Qing, feeling a bit regretful, carelessly tossed Wang Son-man onto the blanket and dragged him out.

Although it was not the way Wang Son-man expected, at least he ended up lying on a blanket.

So, in a small way, that was a goal achieved.

Qing opened the iron door and stepped outside.

It was already blazing bright outside.

Thinking back, the clue that led me to this shady basement confirmed that this guy was a tad suspicious from the start.

He must have secretly met unknown figures after munching on hearts.

Surprisingly, Qing was in quite decent shape.

Of course, his sleeves were sticky and his face rubbed raw, and his neck was coated with dried blood flakes.

Yet, compared to the usual disheveled state, he looked relatively tidy.

The basement wasn’t far from the Great Justice Gate, so Qing quickly came across the gatekeepers.

—-

The Great Justice Gate was bustling from early morning.

A precious guest had gone missing, and the second son wasn’t in sight either.

Keeping an eye on the guests, they loosened the guards to conduct a search.

However, Wang Gae-yuk, the lord of the Great Justice Gate, wasn’t particularly worried.

Surely he had just gone out for some morning business or something.

The young masters of the Hidden Dragon Gathering were looking anxious, but the city of Hwangcheon wasn’t inherently treacherous.

Wang Gae-yuk held that belief firmly.

So when the dragged figure claimed to be Wang Son-man, he nearly fainted from shock.

People are weak to unexpected blows.

But that was just the beginning.

After urgently sending the second son away, it was the guest’s next statement that really shook things up.

“He deceived the missing people and led them away. I heard it directly. He’s teaming up with some nasty folks, killing his brother to take the position of heir.”

“That’s absurd! Is there any proof or evidence? Even if he does have a grumpy demeanor, he isn’t the kind of kid to concoct such evil schemes…”

“They say he learned the Heart Consumption Technique! If we summon a master, they might recognize him, right?”

“Heart Consumption Technique!”

Wang Gae-yuk sighed and staggered.

Wang Son-seok, who was next to him, hurriedly supported him.

“What, what…”

If Wang Son-man had truly learned the Demonic Art, confirming it wouldn’t be hard.

Would he make such easily verifiable statements?

It was solid evidence backing the situation.

At that point, Qing clapped his hands to grab attention.

“Well, I found out where the unknown group has been taking people, you know?”

Qing stared intently at Wang Gae-yuk, continuing.

“You understand the Great Justice Gate is ultimately responsible, right? So shouldn’t you join in on the rescue?”

The abducted individuals were those with lives hardly worth worrying about.

So, it wasn’t like they had to urgently save them! But if they happen to be alive, perhaps they could rescue them?

Honestly, I wouldn’t want to exert effort rescuing a guy who sold his wife after gambling away all his money.

But what about those left behind?

Qing called to mind the face of the grandmother who wanted her grandchild found, her earnest expression engraved in his memory.

Even though life was short, she deserved to live out what remained of it, not spending her days begging the half-hearted swordsmen to find her grown son.

Perhaps, Lee Ha-sam could finally shake off his burdens and live happily with his wife.

Or maybe he was a gambling scoundrel, stuck in the depths of hell in Gangwon-do, selling his family again.

However, it was unacceptable for the remaining people to be shackled by such low-lifes.

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