Chapter 16

This was the first time he had experienced such a situation since joining Moon Lake Sect. Of course, it wasn't the first time he had faced someone stronger than himself. However, those opponents were usually people like his master, the Great Senior Brother, or righteous faction martial artists who had a favorable impression of him. No one had ever pushed him to this extent, as it was not the conduct of a member of a prestigious righteous faction.

Then what about facing evil factions?

There were certainly times when he encountered evil factions stronger than himself during his chivalrous journeys. However, most evil faction members were ugly. When he saw the typical appearance associated with the underworld, it only incited anger rather than arousal. Moreover, in the past, he had always traveled with his senior brothers, so he had never been in a predicament like this.

However, Dang Ran-yeong didn't belong to either side. Although from a righteous faction, his temperament was so rough and cruel that he was treated like an evil faction. He was strong enough to overpower Cheong-ra, and above all, his appearance was exceptionally handsome. The pain from the whip strikes was unpleasant, but even that unpleasantness made Cheong-ra's heart race.

'A little more......'

A little more what? What was he wanting here? Even in a situation where he had such doubts, Cheong-ra liked it. He liked it so much that his manhood started to swell. He wished this situation would last a little longer.

The excitement between his legs rose to his face, causing a flush to appear on his beautiful features. Fortunately, no one thought he was sexually aroused from seeing his flushed face and ears. His expression was so cold, and it was a situation that any martial artist would find humiliating. Everyone assumed Cheong-ra was furious.

Dang Ran-yeong seemed to think the same, as the smile on his lips deepened. With just a slight increase in wrist strength, somehow the whip became faster, and the attacks became even more vicious than before. Moreover, unlike earlier when he had been going easy, it was now more difficult to evade.

Eventually, a situation arose where Cheong-ra had to fully expose his body to the whip strikes.

Attacks that had to be absolutely avoided were filled with fierce killing intent. If he dodged the threatening strikes that caused the wood wrapped around the whip to splinter and fall, the whip would immediately follow up by striking his shoulders, back, or limbs. The force wasn't enough to cause serious injury, but the unbearable pain pierced him to the bone. Blood seeped from his tightly bitten lips as he suppressed his screams.

Watching Cheong-ra helplessly thrashed by the whip, Dang Ran-yeong laughed out loud. It was a laugh that truly enjoyed the other's suffering. Lim Jeong's face turned pale with guilt as he watched his senior brother being attacked in his place, and sighs of pity came from the onlookers.

Even though he could have finished off his opponent in one go, Dang Ran-yeong prolonged the enjoyment, toying with him like a cat with a mouse. Eventually, Cheong-ra, who had reached his physical limit, let out ragged breaths. His limbs ached from resisting with all his might, and his body swayed. Almost pushed to the brink, his concentration wavered for a moment, and Dang Ran-yeong's whip struck his abdomen.

"...!"

This attack was more than just inflicting pain. The whip, struck with vicious force, jolted his internal organs, causing internal injuries. In the end, Cheong-ra could no longer endure and had no choice but to drive his sword into the ground and kneel. Blood flowed, staining his lips red. For Cheong-ra, not letting go of the sword hilt was the most he could do.

"Senior Brother!"

Unable to hold back any longer, the junior brothers tried to rush over, but Cheong-ra raised his hand to stop them. The junior brothers, who had halted in their tracks, shuffled their feet in anguish.

Cheong-ra caught his breath, but his body wouldn't regain its strength. Dang Ran-yeong then didn't continue his attacks. His shuffling footsteps grew closer, and soon a vicious hand grabbed Cheong-ra's hair, forcing his head up.

Beads of cold sweat glistened on Cheong-ra's pale, straight forehead. Contorting his beautiful eyes in pain, he glared fiercely at the other person. His red lips parted as he panted, letting out agonized groans. While everyone watched his pitiful state with pity, a few people felt an odd stirring and swallowed hard.

Dang Ran-yeong stepped on Cheong-ra's thigh with his shoe. When the thigh, which had been viciously whipped several times, was crushed, Cheong-ra's body flinched. Dang Ran-yeong narrowed his eyes, savoring the other's suffering.

The fingers that had been grabbing his hair trailed down, gently scratching under his chin. At the mocking action, Cheong-ra's manhood swelled even more. He bit his lip, trying not to show his arousal. The confined object caused such discomfort that his eyebrows involuntarily twitched.

"Why don't you give up now?"

Just as he had done with Shim Ryang, Dang Ran-yeong's smooth, silk-like voice tempted him. Cheong-ra didn't answer. From a young age, he had been accustomed to enduring pain and suffering. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he swung the sword he was still gripping, but Dang Ran-yeong immediately kicked his arm away. His arm, struck on the meridian point, went numb and eventually dropped the sword powerlessly.

"If you give up now, I might forgive you by just cutting off your junior brother's fingers."

"Hah, ugh...!"

As the sole of the shoe ground into the wound on his thigh, a low scream finally escaped Cheong-ra's lips. His eyes squeezed shut as he endured the pain. The head tilted slightly as if puzzled while looking down at Cheong-ra's expression. The dark gaze scrutinized Cheong-ra's face intently.

Soon, dismissing his puzzlement, Dang Ran-yeong released the grip on Cheong-ra's hair and tossed him aside. When the fallen Cheong-ra glared at him with fierce eyes, Dang Ran-yeong smiled. However, his words were different from his satisfied gaze.

"Your gaze is still insolent."

The tip of the other person's shoe lifted Cheong-ra's chin. Although it appeared to be made of leather, the toe was extremely hard, as if something had been inserted.

This action deeply impressed Cheong-ra to the point of stirring his heart. No matter where he had learned such vile behavior, every mocking and disdainful word and action perfectly matched his taste. Cheong-ra admitted it. He was clearly enjoying this situation to the point of feeling sorry for the junior brothers.

And it seemed Cheong-ra wasn't the only one enjoying the situation. The right corner of Dang Ran-yeong's handsome mouth curved upward. For a moment, the whites of his eyes flickered.

"...But looking at your face, it does arouse me a bit."

This time, his voice was so low that only Cheong-ra could hear. When he quickly looked up at those words, contrary to what was said, the gaze looking at him was cold and heartless. The chilling gaze was so cold that it sent a chill down to his chest, slightly dampening his arousal.

Even in his wretched state, Cheong-ra didn't cower and glared sharply, causing a momentary flicker in the other person's eyes.

Biting his lip and turning his head away, Cheong-ra swung his fist instead of answering. With all his might, he struck the thigh that had been crushed, making a loud thud, but it was as hard as a rock and didn't budge. Dang Ran-yeong easily ignored the fist swung by the person lying on the ground.

Dang Ran-yeong, who had ruthlessly stepped on the arm that persistently resisted, raised the whip handle as if he would strike Cheong-ra several more times in that spot. However, for some reason, he seemed to change his mind and lowered his hand again. The moment Cheong-ra looked up in puzzlement, a strong impact hit his abdomen.

Having his solar plexus kicked, Cheong-ra couldn't even let out a groan as his breath was knocked out. A shock ran through him as if his internal organs were being torn apart, and blood surged up his throat. He could barely breathe properly. Dang Ran-yeong pushed Cheong-ra's shoulder with his foot, flipping his body over, and his gaze meticulously scanned Cheong-ra's agonized face.

After a while, the sound of shuffling footsteps grew distant. Cheong-ra tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids twitched and closed again.

In his fading consciousness, he vaguely heard Lim Jeong's agonized scream. Hearing the scream, it felt like all the blood drained from his body. Cheong-ra tried to hold onto his senses, but soon his vision faded into the distance.

Chapter 2

Cheong-ra opened his eyes to the soft sensation of a damp cloth wiping his forehead. The movement of the cloth stopped, and soon an urgent voice called out.

"Cheong-cheong, are you awake?"

"Un...cle..."

Reflexively answering the familiar voice, a hoarse voice escaped. After blinking his eyes a few times, the blurry vision revealed Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon's face looking down at him with great concern. When Cheong-ra groaned from the severe pain as he tried to get up, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon gently pushed his shoulder down.

"You have internal injuries, so don't move. Just lie still."

He took Cheong-ra's wrist and checked his pulse. Deep wrinkles formed on his brow, and after letting out a sigh, he stood up and went somewhere. In the meantime, Cheong-ra slowly looked around. The last thing he remembered was being in Dragon Spring, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar ceiling. It was his own quarters. He had no recollection of when he had returned to the main sect, causing his pale face to turn even whiter as he urgently asked his uncle, who had returned with a medicinal brew.

"Uncle, what happened to Junior Brother Lim?"

"Your junior brothers are all safe, so don't worry. But first, we need to take care of your body."

"But that person Dang Ran-yeong, he was going to cut off Junior Brother Lim's arm..."

Unable to even finish the sentence as it was too dreadful, Cheong-ra paused for breath. Recalling the person's history of crippling many people with guilt and fear, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon carefully helped Cheong-ra sit up. Letting his nephew lean against him, he sighed as he tended to him.

"Lim Jeong will also need to undergo healing for a while. With his right arm broken that severely, he won't be able to properly grip a sword for some time."

Upon hearing that Lim Jeong's arm was broken, Cheong-ra felt deeply relieved. Fortunately, it seemed that because he had confronted Dang Ran-yeong, Lim Jeong's arm wasn't cut off.