Chapter 41

Cheong-ra frowned as he slowly looked around. There wasn't a single place where he could comfortably rest his eyes. The naked bodies of others were more unsightly than exciting to him, so he glared at Dang Ran-yeong and said in a voice that had naturally turned cold.

"Don't tell me this is what you wanted to show me?"

"No, of course not. Watching pigs wallowing around is just unpleasant."

The owner who had created such a space called those playing here pigs and moved on. The people in the banquet hall seemed unaware of Dang Ran-yeong and Cheong-ra's presence, busy moaning in ecstasy. In some ways, they looked as if they were under the influence of drugs.

After passing through the banquet hall and going further inside, a quiet corridor appeared. With each step, the wood twisted, making a creepy creaking sound. It seemed to have been intentionally designed to make such sounds. On both sides of each corridor, there was a guest room door, but it was as quiet as if there was no one there. Dang Ran-yeong, who had reached the end of the corridor, opened the last guest room door.

In front of the door, someone was kneeling. It looked like they were either being punished or waiting like a servant.

'A slave?'

Cheong-ra thought this because of the person's terrible attire. Or rather, lack of attire. The man was barely wearing a thin undergarment, curling up tightly from the cold. It was just transitioning into spring, and the air was chilly underground. However, contrary to his poor clothing, his face exuded nobility.

"...Ah!"

The man's face brightened when he raised his head at the sound and saw Dang Ran-yeong. He approached on his knees, almost crawling, and bowed his head carefully in greeting. It was a surprisingly cautious attitude, even for a slave.

"L-Lord Owner Dang. You've come..."

The greeting was cut short. As soon as the person approached, Dang Ran-yeong mercilessly kicked him in the side. Cheong-ra was startled and stood rooted to the spot. Regardless of whether the person was coughing and gasping in pain, Dang Ran-yeong spoke indifferently.

"You're in the way."

"Ugh, I-I'm sorry."

The man groveled to the point of being servile, crawling on the floor. He hurriedly opened another inner door before Dang Ran-yeong reached it, then pressed his head to the floor, waiting for the other to pass. Cheong-ra followed Dang Ran-yeong inside, wondering what crime this person had committed to receive such harsh treatment.

Unlike the splendid and luxurious banquet hall, this place felt solemn and restrained, like a place for holding a funeral. In contrast to the banquet hall's frivolous and extravagant red and gold decorations, here long black and red silk hangings draped from the ceiling.

It was as spacious as the previous banquet hall, but silk curtains hung at intervals, dividing the space into sections. In each section, human silhouettes could be vaguely seen. Incense burned in censers, rising like a faint mist. For Cheong-ra, it was a strange atmosphere he had never experienced before.

As Dang Ran-yeong entered, all eyes seemed to turn towards him at once. The soft murmurs of conversation disappeared simultaneously, replaced by a heavy silence. Although the noise soon resumed as if nothing had happened, that moment of silence left a strong impression on Cheong-ra.

At the head of this place was a large chair. It obviously seemed to be a seat reserved for the owner, so Cheong-ra had no intention of sitting there. However, unexpectedly, Dang Ran-yeong offered the seat to Cheong-ra.

"Sit."

"...You want me to sit here?"

Didn't it look like a seat Dang Ran-yeong should occupy? However, since the owner of this place offered it, Cheong-ra hesitated but reluctantly sat down. Surprisingly, as soon as he did, the man who had been kicked by Dang Ran-yeong earlier brought another large chair, grunting with effort, and placed it beside him. Since he wasn't a martial artist, it must have been quite heavy, and sure enough, his face was red from exertion.

"Wine."

As Dang Ran-yeong sat in the chair and spoke, the man hurriedly ran off and carefully brought wine and cups. With trembling hands, he placed them on the table and respectfully poured wine into the cups. Then, as he lay flat on the floor again, a scream erupted from the man's mouth. Dang Ran-yeong had stepped on the hand he had carefully placed on the floor.

"Drink. It's good wine."

As Dang Ran-yeong said, the wine gave off a fragrant aroma as soon as it was poured. However, Cheong-ra felt so uncomfortable in this situation that he didn't touch the wine cup. He frowned and glanced at the person who didn't even dare to pull his hand out from under Dang Ran-yeong's foot. Not feeling like drinking anything, Cheong-ra pushed the wine cup away with the back of his hand and said.

"Isn't this treatment too harsh, even for a slave?"

As soon as Cheong-ra said this, Dang Ran-yeong burst into laughter, to Cheong-ra's embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Young Master Neung, did you hear that? He's calling you a slave."

A sound like air escaping came from the mouth of the person lying flat on the floor, his hand still stepped on. He was clearly terrified of the other. He had his face completely pressed to the floor, but at Dang Ran-yeong's next words, he suddenly lifted his head.

"This person is the second son of the Neung family, Young Master Jeong-dong, who has a hobby of being mocked and beaten."

"Ah! No, no... that's not... I'm not... that kind of person..."

When his identity was revealed in front of a stranger, the man called Neung Jeong-dong looked at Cheong-ra in panic, shaking his head vigorously. Then he looked up at Dang Ran-yeong desperately, but was kicked in the chest by the foot that had been stepping on his hand, rolling backwards.

Surprisingly, it was as Dang Ran-yeong had said. Clear signs of excitement were visible through the thin undergarment, shocking Cheong-ra. Seeing this expression, Neung Jeong-dong's face turned completely red with shame.

"Ugh, hic..."

He quickly curled up to cover his private parts, but it was already too late. The man buried his face in the floor, unable to bear the shame, and sobbed. However, Dang Ran-yeong showed no mercy. He spoke in an even indifferent voice.

"Like a slave? This one is worse than a slave. He's a dog who walked in here on his own, begging desperately to be allowed to lick my shoes even if he gets beaten. What was it? He even dared to babble about paying money in front of me, the owner of the White Jade Merchant Group."

The man's ears turned even redder at the scathing criticism. Yet surprisingly, he slowly crawled forward, as if trying to lick the shoes despite the contempt. However, not having received Dang Ran-yeong's permission, he could only whimper desperately while rubbing his forehead just in front of the shoes. Cheong-ra's gaze wavered, seeing someone behave so servilely for the first time.

Dang Ran-yeong didn't allow the other to dare lick his shoes. He stepped on Neung Jeong-dong's head, immobilizing him.

"Now, does anyone want to take this dog?"

At Dang Ran-yeong's words, Neung Jeong-dong's body flinched greatly. He seemed to want to say something, but with his face pressed to the floor, only desperate muffled sounds could be heard.

"Would it be alright if I take him?"

Finally, someone appeared, pulling back a silk curtain. It was a man dressed elegantly from head to toe like a scholar. Only then did Cheong-ra realize the difference between those properly dressed and those almost naked among the people here. It was like seeing masters and slaves. In fact, their treatment and attitudes were similar.

"Fine."

When Dang Ran-yeong removed his foot from the head he had been stepping on, Neung Jeong-dong sprang up. He begged and pleaded as he was dragged away by the scholarly-looking man.

"L-Lord Owner! I don't want anyone but you, Lord Owner. The reason I came here, here was to see you...! Aagh! Don't touch me!"

Neung Jeong-dong's screams, as he was dragged along the floor and thrown down, soon stopped. It was because the man who had mounted him slapped his cheek hard. Slap! Slap! With each loud impact, Neung Jeong-dong's head whipped to one side.

Cheong-ra sat frozen in the chair, watching the cruel scene unfolding before his eyes. His mind was numb with shock, as if he had been hit on the back of the head.

Neung Jeong-dong tried to resist and escape, but he couldn't avoid the kicks from the fully clothed men in any direction. Dragged back again, this time his other cheek was struck. What little undergarment he had been wearing was torn to shreds.

The sight was so pitiful that Cheong-ra unknowingly turned his head away. Neung Jeong-dong's screams were so heart-wrenching that Cheong-ra's hand instinctively moved towards his sword hilt, but soon a strong hand grabbed his chin and turned it forward.

"I said I'd show you something interesting, Young Master Baek Ri. Watch carefully."