WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 6: Evil-Infused (2)
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“What... What did you do to my body?”
Mok GyeongUn smiled faintly at the question.
“Who knows? What do you think I did?”
Shudder!
His lips were smiling.
Yet his eyes remained motionless, like those of a dead man.
For the first time in Jo Il-sang’s life, Jo Il-sang felt a chill.
‘Is this bastard really Mok GyeongUn?’
The Mok GyeongUn known to Jo Il-sang could have been called the most pathetic of the Mok Family’s brothers.
Yet this was nothing like what he had expected.
His entire demeanor was different.
It felt as though Jo Il-sang stood before something beyond an ordinary human.
Mok GyeongUn approached him and spoke.
“You must be trembling badly. Well... don’t worry. Normally, I would begin by cutting off a part of you, but I used Mochwi Powder this time.”
“Mochwi Powder?”
Mok GyeongUn pointed upward.
“This is a wonderful place.”
“What?”
“Before, whenever I needed medicinal ingredients, I had to scour the mountains for them. Here, there are so many that I can combine them however I need.”
“Combine medicinal ingredients? What did you do to me?”
“It’s nothing much. If you finely grind Bigwi, Yeongmasan, and spirit herb roots, then mix them properly, you can paralyze everything except your head.”
‘!?’
Mok GyeongUn said it as though it were nothing.
Jo Il-sang swallowed, his eyes trembling.
What was this bastard?
Since when had he possessed such knowledge of medicinal ingredients?
Mok GyeongUn, puzzled, bent his knees slightly to meet Jo Il-sang’s gaze, then grabbed his hair.
Grip!
“None of that is particularly important. What matters is why my second brother, Mok EunPyeong, sent you.”
Jo Il-sang closed his mouth.
Had Jo Il-sang intended to tell Mok GyeongUn that, Jo Il-sang would not have worn a mask from the start.
Mok GyeongUn gave a small laugh.
“You’re keeping your mouth shut. Naturally, since you came masked, you had no intention of speaking nicely. Now, what should I do?”
* * *
Only a gak earlier.
[...This person is Jo Il-sang, a guard serving Second Young Master Mok EunPyeong. But Young Master, how did you subdue someone like this?]
Go Chan was dumbfounded.
Jo Il-sang was a warrior on the verge of reaching Advanced.
Yet Mok GyeongUn, whose thigh had been pierced and who could barely move properly, had subdued such a person?
Just how much had Mok GyeongUn been hiding?
Go Chan could not understand it at all.
[He serves the second young master?]
[Yes.]
[Why did he send him?]
[I don’t know either. Since he came wearing a mask, it does not seem to be for a good reason.]
[You have no idea why?]
[The Manor Lord has not yet passed away. Even the second young master would not have rashly attempted something like an assassination. But I truly do not know why he sent him.]
[Then I’ll have to find out myself.]
[What? You don’t mean to torture him, do you?]
[That seems like a good method.]
[Y-Young Master! It would be better to release him.]
[Release him?]
Go Chan warned the puzzled Mok GyeongUn.
[The second young master has retainers who follow him and has built a power base of his own. If you provoke one of his people carelessly...]
[There may be consequences, is that it?]
[...Yes. You may be angry, but provoking him unnecessarily could be dangerous.]
[Hmm.]
‘Hmm?’
Go Chan watched Mok GyeongUn uneasily.
The young master was frighteningly clever, yet impossible to predict.
Still, one thing was certain.
Even if the second young master had sent a masked intruder, Mok GyeongUn could do nothing in his current state.
[Well, I’ll think about it.]
[...You really must not touch him.]
[Yes. I understand very well what you’re saying, Guard Go Chan.]
Right. No matter how unpredictable Mok GyeongUn was, now that he understood the situation, Go Chan believed he would no longer recklessly make enemies.
Unlike First Madam, who was cautious in all matters despite her arrogance, the second young master was young and emotional, however clever he might be.
* * *
Jo Il-sang seemed to have calmed down somewhat and steadied their breathing before speaking.
“What do you think you can do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Now that you know who I am, it would be better to release me.”
“Better to release you?”
“That’s right. You have already done this much, but if you harm me further, do you think the second young master will remain still?”
Jo Il-sang deliberately invoked the person backing them.
Jo Il-sang did not know why Mok GyeongUn had captured them like this, but this was as far as it would go.
What would change just because Mok GyeongUn knew Jo Il-sang’s identity?
Jo Il-sang had only worn the mask to handle things quietly.
Second Young Master Mok EunPyeong was proud. If anyone harmed one of his people, he would never forgive them.
Jo Il-sang spoke to Mok GyeongUn, whose eyebrow had risen.
“Since things have come to this, let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Yes. Release me and give me the secret manual of the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula. Then I’ll report to the young master and tell him to leave you, Third Young Master, alone.”
“Leave me alone...”
“It means you’ll be able to live safely even after the young master becomes Manor Lord.”
“So the price is the secret manual of the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula.”
“That is right.”
Though the disadvantage made Jo Il-sang inwardly tense, Jo Il-sang pressed forward firmly.
Jo Il-sang believed that this sort of person needed to be shown the hierarchy clearly.
If Jo Il-sang acted weak, Mok GyeongUn would only become more forceful.
‘In the end, he’ll have no choice but to yield.’
The Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula was pearls before swine for Mok GyeongUn.
His maternal family had fallen, and none of the retainers supported him.
If it was an item beyond his means anyway, handing it over to preserve his own life was not a bad deal at all...
Grip!
Then Mok GyeongUn yanked Jo Il-sang’s hair.
“Urk! You?”
“It’s amusing. You’re in a situation where your body may not remain whole, yet you trust in the one backing you and make demands instead.”
“You bastard...”
“I’ve heard enough. I’ll start with your fingers, one by one.”
With those words, Mok GyeongUn took out an unusual bladed tool.
‘!?’
“This is a pair of herb shears, a tool used to trim medicinal herbs. It is meant to cut hard things, so it can easily cut through fingers and toes as well.”
“What?”
“You can trust me. It has been tested.”
He had used it quite often.
Startled, Jo Il-sang hurriedly spoke.
“Y-You! Did you not understand what I said? I came under the second young master’s orders. If you harm my body, he will...”
“Yes, you talk too much. I’ll cut one first.”
Mok GyeongUn seized one of Jo Il-sang’s limp, paralyzed wrists.
Then he inserted the index finger of Jo Il-sang’s right hand into the opening of the herb shears.
Jo Il-sang’s face turned pale as he watched.
“S-Stop. Are you truly insane? This...”
Crunch!
Something hard was cut apart.
Jo Il-sang stiffened and turned his head to look at what had fallen to the floor.
It was two joints of his index finger.
“...”
No words came from Jo Il-sang’s mouth.
Nothing below Jo Il-sang’s head had any sensation to begin with, so it did not hurt.
But seeing the severed finger left him so shocked and dumbfounded that he could not speak.
Mok GyeongUn smiled at him.
“You can’t truly grasp it because it doesn’t hurt, can you? That’s why, when I normally use herb shears, I don’t paralyze the body with Mochwi Powder. I simply tie them up. That way, they can feel some pain. But since you practice Martial Arts, I had no choice.”
That was why Mok GyeongUn had needed to use Mochwi Powder.
To at least create a visual effect, he had cut the finger right before Jo Il-sang’s eyes.
“I have gone on too long. From now on, I’ll just cut one off at a time until you speak.”
Tap!
Mok GyeongUn grabbed Jo Il-sang’s second finger.
It was the middle finger of his right hand.
Jo Il-sang blanked out for a moment when Mok GyeongUn gripped it, then cried out in panic.
“S-Stop!”
“...”
Crunch!
Despite being told to stop, Mok GyeongUn cut off Jo Il-sang’s middle finger with the herb shears.
The severed finger twitched on the floor.
Jo Il-sang had to stare at it, and it felt as though his mind would shatter.
Then Mok GyeongUn’s voice reached his ears.
“Shall I do your thumb next?”
As soon as the words ended, Mok GyeongUn seized Jo Il-sang’s thumb and slipped it into the opening of the herb shears.
Jo Il-sang could not hide his panic.
Jo Il-sang was right-handed.
If even his thumb was cut off, he would no longer be able to do anything with his right hand.
S-Stop...
The rest of the words would not come.
No matter what he said, this madman would cut it off.
Press!
Mok GyeongUn was about to tighten his grip on the herb shears.
At that moment, Jo Il-sang shouted.
“Y-Young Master EunPyeong sent me to confirm whether you had really lost your Martial Arts!”
The strength left Mok GyeongUn’s hand.
The blades had slightly pierced the flesh of Jo Il-sang’s thumb, but fortunately, it had not been cut off.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Though Jo Il-sang’s body was paralyzed, Jo Il-sang could feel their heartbeat pounding loudly.
It was strange.
Jo Il-sang had been tortured before.
But Mok GyeongUn’s method had driven Jo Il-sang to the brink far too quickly.
“Haa... Haa...”
“He told you to confirm whether I had lost my Martial Arts?”
“Y-Yes.”
Jo Il-sang’s fear had grown so great that, without realizing it, Jo Il-sang’s speech had become much more polite.
Regardless, Mok GyeongUn could not hide his puzzlement.
His identity as a fake had not been discovered. Yet receiving such an order raised doubts.
‘Hmm.’
Mok GyeongUn’s thoughts rapidly approached the truth.
‘If my identity has not been discovered, then someone must have provided that information. But only two people know that I am a fake.’
Guard Go Chan and Guard Gam.
Go Chan had remained by his side the entire time.
The corner of Mok GyeongUn’s mouth rose.
‘You changed sides quickly.’
Mok GyeongUn became certain that Guard Gam was the source of this information.
Gam’s betrayal had been inevitable from the start.
Still, he had not expected Gam to change allegiance so quickly.
It made things troublesome.
‘At least he gave it some thought.’
Perhaps Guard Gam had informed them that Mok GyeongUn had lost his Martial Arts rather than revealing he was a fake, so that responsibility would not fall on Gam later.
Mok GyeongUn gave a small laugh and asked Jo Il-sang,
“Was the person who told you that Guard Gam?”
Jo Il-sang’s eyes widened slightly.
Mok GyeongUn should not yet know that Guard Gam had sworn loyalty to his lord. How had he guessed it at once?
‘Had he suspected him from the beginning?’
After a moment of confusion, Jo Il-sang answered.
“...Yes.”
“As expected.”
It had not strayed from his expectations.
Mok GyeongUn nodded, then stared at Jo Il-sang.
“What should I do now?”
Jo Il-sang pleaded in a desperate voice.
“P-Please forgive me. I will keep today’s events absolutely secret. I will never tell Young Master EunPyeong either...”
“Ah... What should I do?”
“What?”
“I think I have injured you too badly for that.”
Though Jo Il-sang did not realize it, Jo Il-sang’s face was nearly ruined.
Jo Il-sang’s broken nose had been crushed flat, and the facial bones appeared to be fractured as well, causing the brow and the area beneath the eyes to bulge strangely.
On top of that, two of his fingers had been cut off.
Mok EunPyeong would learn of it somehow and be furious.
“Young Master... Even if I disappear, Young Master EunPyeong will surely seek revenge.”
“Probably. But you need not worry about that.”
“Why?”
“Everyone seems to value the secret manual of the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula greatly. If necessary, I can bargain with it. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“...”
Jo Il-sang’s mind went blank.
As Mok GyeongUn said, if he bargained with the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula, the sword style reserved for the Manor Lord, then even Mok EunPyeong, who cherished his retainers, would likely let it go.
Jo Il-sang stood frozen in shock before hurriedly speaking.
“Young Master... I did not realize you were so wise and exceptional. I wish to swear loyalty to you as Guard Gam did.”
“To me?”
“Y-Yes. Please give me a chance. I will devote this one life to you.”
He said anything he could.
It was to save his life.
“You would even give your life?”
“Y-Yes. So please...”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Mok GyeongUn tilted his head slightly, then walked away.
“Young Master? Young Master?”
Growing anxious, Jo Il-sang called after him.
It did not take long.
Before long, Mok GyeongUn returned holding a wooden box that bore traces of something unusual having once been attached to it.
Mok GyeongUn placed the wooden box beneath Jo Il-sang’s upside-down head.
“This is...?”
As Jo Il-sang looked on in confusion, Mok GyeongUn opened the box.
Inside lay something like a book bound with old prayer beads.
Why show me this? Jo Il-sang wondered, but then his eyes shook.
‘Could it be?’
He realized the book was not made of paper.
Mok GyeongUn spoke to the flustered Jo Il-sang.
“Before I woke up earlier, I tried to read this book. Strangely, the part bound by the prayer beads was fixed in place, and I could not remove them no matter what I did.”
“H-How did you...”
“I saw it in the Fundamental Text of the Yin-Yang School. It said there are things brimming with righteous spirit that seal unclean things. I believe these prayer beads are one of them.”
“Y-Young Master?”
Mok GyeongUn ignored him and continued.
“But it also said that if another unclean thing is placed on something used to seal one, its power weakens.”
“W-What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Like this.”
Slash!
“Ghk!”
Before the words had even finished, Mok GyeongUn slashed Jo Il-sang’s throat with something sharp.
Jo Il-sang’s final death cry was the last sound he made.
Perhaps his larynx had been cut, for only wet choking sounds came from his mouth.
Mok GyeongUn smiled faintly.
“You said you could even give your life, didn’t you?”
‘Y-You bastard...’
Who had said they would give it this way?
Jo Il-sang glared at Mok GyeongUn with eyes full of resentment.
He bitterly regretted losing his life like this.
Gush!
Red blood flowed from Jo Il-sang’s cut throat.
It poured over the human-skin book bound with prayer beads inside the wooden box.
The blood soaked the beads and the book.
The blood of a dying person.
Blood brimming with resentment.
As it soaked the book, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Thump! Thump!
Though no one had touched the book, the sound of a heartbeat grew louder.
Vein-like lines rose across its surface, as though it were a heart.
‘Oh?’
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound grew faster and louder.
Creaaak!
Cracks began to spread through the prayer beads binding the book.
Then,
Crack!
The trembling prayer beads compressed as though something had gripped them, then shattered.
The broken fragments were sucked into the pool of blood within the wooden box.
At the same time, something strange happened throughout the cave.
Rushhh!
Blood began to pour from the ceiling and walls like waterfalls.
It was a sight that made one doubt their own eyes.
Mok GyeongUn’s smile stretched to his ears as he watched.
[Fifth Blue Spirit... Extremely dangerous. Exorcism requires no fewer than ten Taoist occultists. An ancient vengeful spirit that has existed for over a hundred years. It can severely affect a set radius and cause auditory and visual hallucinations, inflicting suffering.]
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