NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 142
Chapter 142: Auntie
Thud, thud, thud
Jeoksawol and Sahyeong.
Seeing the two women, both masters of Hyeongyeong and Hwakyung, bickering childishly made me sigh.
I worry for the future of the Martial World.
As I touched the kiss marks all over my shoulders, I gathered my half-disrobed clothes back on.
“B-b-b-b-bare! Who do you think you are to claim to be this gentleman’s partner?”
Jeoksawol’s voice echoed. Just as Sahyeong was about to give a seductive smile…
“Stop.”
I pressed my temples and ended their childish squabble.
“Let’s save the pointless talk for later. First, let’s clean up the scene, Senior Dang.”
I glanced at Dang Yeong-ryeong, who was anxiously caught between Jeoksawol and Sahyeong.
Dang Yeong-ryeong nodded in response to my words.
“Yeah! Oppa is right! We need to secure these drugs as evidence and report them to the Martial Alliance!”
It was as if a dam had burst, and Dang Yeong-ryeong spoke excitedly.
[Thank you! Oppa!]
It seemed she felt quite uncomfortable being stuck between the two like a shrimp among whales earlier.
I hadn’t expected Dang Yeong-ryeong to be a member of the Heavenly Alliance.
Though she was a quack, her mastery had reached the heights of Hwakyung.
This meant she had a good knack in battle.
With both Sinseung and Jeoksawol, masters of Hyeongyeong, belonging to the Heavenly Alliance…
Even though the Blood Sect only mobilizes when the Blood Sect appears and cooperates with nothing outside of hunting them down, if the Heavenly Alliance had this level of strength and intelligence…
They might just become a pretty useful pawn.
“…That mysterious statement must be clarified next time.”
Swish.
Jeoksawol took a step back. Sahyeong’s expression turned slightly smug at that sight.
Sahyeong was indeed someone with a variety of expressions.
“While I’m not a partner yet, it’s true I’m a guest of the Gongdong Sect. Under Senior Yeomwang’s arrangement, I’ve decided to stay with the Gongdong Sect.”
Sahyeong stood beside me, looking at Jeoksawol as she spoke.
Isn’t Yujinhwi and Jin Soso all her, though? I never expected our Sahyeong to become obsessed with this strange double character play.
In any case, since Sahyeong had blurted that out, it had to be dealt with. Well, since Ilgeumyuhee Jin Soso and Gongdong’s Yujinhwi were the same person, and some of the mysterious master Jin Soso’s information had been revealed during Yongbong Jiyeon, giving Soso the status of a guest of the Gongdong Sect might actually be more convenient for Sahyeong.
“…I’ve also never heard about a partner before, but it’s true that under Sahyeong’s recommendation, Jin Soso has become a guest of our sect.”
Thus, I guaranteed the identity of Sahyeong, or rather, Ilgeumyuhee. Jeoksawol’s expression trembled upon hearing my words. I had no idea what kind of expression she was making behind that face…
“…I see. Understood. As you say, now is not the time to dilly-dally over such trivial matters. Senior Dang. Restrain Lady Gu and… collect all the drugs here to use as evidence.”
“Understood, Master.”
Bowing her head, Dang Yeong-ryeong approached the various drugs at the scene, like Spring Drugs and Unmarried Fragrance, and then headed toward Lady Gu.
“You’ve taken quite a variety, from Spring Drugs to Unmarried Fragrance. Right, Lady Gu?”
Lady Gu’s eyes trembled. Her pupils turned blood-red. But with her a혈 and 마혈 suppressed, she couldn’t move or speak.
Dang Yeong-ryeong touched her blood flow. As she released the a혈, Lady Gu’s mouth opened.
“L-lady? I-I don’t understand what you’re saying. Senior Dang, aren’t you older than a young girl?”
“Shut up! Hmph! You look older than Yeong-ryeong, so I’ll revoke the title of sister. You’re Auntie now. Auntie Gu.”
Dang Yeong-ryeong laughed.
To be fair, both Dang Yeong-ryeong and Jeoksawol were older than Gu Ok-ryeon. Both had risen to the level of Hwakyung, keeping their physical ages fixed in their prime, so they looked much younger than Lady Gu.
Isn’t this not a healthy way to relieve stress?
“What are you talking about…”
“Enough. Yeong-ryeong is disappointed with you today, Auntie. I knew Auntie Gu had become the de facto power of the Moryongsega, but I never thought you’d be the Blood Sect’s pawn.”
Dang Yeong-ryeong’s eyes turned cold. It was rare to see that quack get serious.
“Wha-what do you mean the Blood Sect’s pawn?! That’s outrageous!”
Lady Gu tried to defend herself, but at that moment, Dang Yeong-ryeong took out a needle and stabbed Lady Gu’s blood point.
A sinister aura rose from Lady Gu’s face. Her sclera turned red. The effects of the Blood Technique that Blood Sect members train became evident on Lady Gu’s face.
As the thick makeup she had on her face began to drip away, her previously somewhat youthful appearance aged as if struck by time itself. Her exposed belly rolled.
“The makeup covering Auntie’s old age has worn off, and the signs of the Blood Technique are showing. This is proof that Auntie Gu is a pawn of the Blood Sect. Are you still going to deny it? Yeong-ryeong knows everything.”
Hmph.
Dang Yeong-ryeong smiled triumphantly.
Lady Gu’s face trembled. Dang Yeong-ryeong took out a mirror from her pocket and reflected it back at Lady Gu.
“Look, this is Auntie Gu’s true face…”
“Ugghhh… so what! Is it a crime to spread pleasure to everyone?! I didn’t kill anyone! I just gave them pleasure! Those participating in this banquet came here by their own choice, not because I forced them! Hahahaha! This is the true face of you Orthodox Faction hypocrites who claim to follow the White Path! I merely nudged their desires a little! Their lewd actions were their choice…”
Lady Gu laughed like a third-rate villain.
Well, lust is one of the innate human desires. It’s a desire everyone has. Moreover, the Post-Stimulation Indicators are certainly at that age of strong desires, right? Since ancient times, Yongbong Jiyeon has been akin to the animal kingdom.
Even without Lady Gu, they would’ve done all sorts of things drinking together.
Of course, it had nothing to do with me. The path I must walk is the Color Spectrum. I had to be the master of lust, not its slave.
“You sure do talk a lot for a loser, Auntie.”
“Shut it! You too! There, even the top rank of the Sa faction, aren’t you all older than me! I wanted to live young just like you! Is that a crime?!”
Tears streamed down Lady Gu’s wrinkled face.
“Hmm. Yeong-ryeong is older than Auntie Gu? What are you talking about? Yeong-ryeong is eternal 16!”
Eternal sixteen?
Is she really claiming to be eternally sixteen? That quack must really have something wrong with her head.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Yeah! I’m eternally in my prime! How dare you say otherwise, you pawn of the Blood Sect?!”
Following that, Jeoksawol’s voice chimed in.
From eternal sixteen to prime…
I found it ridiculous. I wouldn’t mind if they just honestly revealed their ages…
I had no idea why they were acting like this.
“Hmph. Undermining your own words is quite a sight to behold… In any case, I’m not at fault. The real mistake is with you Orthodox Faction hypocrites who chose lust…”
Lady Gu’s eyes glinted with blood light. She continued speaking.
I took a step closer to Lady Gu.
“Lady Gu, you are mistaken. While it’s true that everyone has lust, and young men and women might naturally fall for each other, the youth gathering at Yongbong Jiyeon is merely that—a gathering of fine young men and women. It’s quite natural for men and women to connect. However…”
I spoke while looking at Lady Gu.
“The issue arises when substances like Spring Drugs and Unmarried Fragrance interfere with that process. You can’t just call it a natural meeting of people… It’s hypocritical to amplify human desire through denial and turn it into a monster of lust that can’t be suppressed by reason while preaching about hypocrisy.”
The memory of that time still lingered vividly in my mind.
“…Lee Cheol-soo… are you still preaching that nonsense? Saying that a heart swaying like a reed must connect for true pleasure is ridiculous…”
“Physical pleasure, regardless of quality, seeks only quantity. Cloud and Rain Pleasure without a willing heart has no value. You don’t have to accept the truth I’ve discovered. After all, your words don’t change the path I’ve established.”
I gazed at Lady Gu.
“Eeep…”
Lady Gu tried to say something, but I touched her a혈. Continuing that verbal spar with her was just a waste of time.
“What are your plans for cleanup from here on out, Senior Dang?”
“That? Hmm… First, the Heavenly Alliance should collect evidence and report it to the Martial Alliance before conducting audits on Moryongsega. Naturally, Lady Gu and the instigators will be trapped in the batteries… If information about the Blood Sect comes out during the process, the Martial Alliance will share their intelligence with our Heavenly Alliance. As for those Post-Stimulation Indicators who participated in the Cheongdam Meeting…”
If what she said was true, the Cheongdam Meeting would suffer a blow so significant it could never rise again.
The shadow organization that had secretly dominated the future Orthodox Faction Martial World would be dismantled at its budding stage.
Sure, you must crush competitors before they can rise.
This is the true strategy of suppression.
Dang Yeong-ryeong continued.
“First and foremost, they’ll be stripped of their participation rights in Yongbong Jiyeon.”
Upon hearing Dang Yeong-ryeong’s words, I laughed.
Since the Cheongdam Meeting was held under the name of Moryongsega, almost all of the Post-Stimulation Indicators present were from prestigious clans. If all of them were stripped of their participation rights in Yongbong Jiyeon…
Hehehehe…
A man’s laugh escaped my lips.
Victory was as good as secured.
The name Sword Dragon glimmered in front of my eyes.
At last.
The chance to rid myself of this troublesome alias was right in front of me.
*
In a completely darkened chamber.
Only darkness dwelled within, and a pair of crimson blood lights emerged.
“Lady Gu has failed.”
Swish.
The blood light of the cloaked figure trembled as they looked over the ciphertext on the table.
Lady Gu.
She was a secret agent sent by the Blood Sect to infiltrate the Orthodox Faction Martial World through Moryongsega long ago.
For many years, Lady Gu captivated the minds and bodies of Moryongsega leaders, finally launching the Cheongdam Meeting to gather the Post-Stimulation Indicators, gradually corrupting the Orthodox Faction Martial World over decades until they had grown to take key positions in the Orthodox Faction Martial World.
And when all of the plans were finally complete, she intended to drop the entire Orthodox Faction Martial World into the hands of the Blood Sect.
At this very moment, where the long-term scheme had just begun to take shape, everything had fallen apart.
“…As a disciple of our sect… I have no face to meet the Supreme.”
The cloaked figure was the chief architect of this plan and an apostle, a high-ranking official of the Blood Sect who existed in a count of thirteen.
Aside from the vice-chancellor, he practically was the core of the Blood Sect. With such a position, the burden of failure weighed heavily on him.
Yet at this point, he couldn’t provoke the Orthodox Faction Martial World any further. The Heavenly Alliance, those irritating beings, were orchestrating this whole situation.
The apostle shut his eyes and opened them again. Malicious blood light continued to flicker in his eyes.
“…The plan of the Orthodox has failed. Then the plan for the Mount Baekdusan must… succeed at all costs.”
At the end of his flickering gaze was the Mount Baekdusan clearly marked on the map.