Chapter 150

Dang Ran-yeong gave the crow, which had circled above the villa before landing on his arm, an entire bundle full of food as a reward. The crow quickly grasped the bundle and perched on a nearby tree.

Dang Ran-yeong, having climbed the cliff, approached closer. From the outside, it appeared to be just an empty hut with no signs of human presence.

However, Dang Ran-yeong stopped a short distance away and kicked a pebble with his toe. Bang! With a loud noise, something that had formed a formation shattered. Soon, what appeared in its place was a pavilion. Its familiar appearance was as if a building from Moon Lake Sect had been transplanted intact. He could read the guy's obsession with Baek Ri Cheong-ra.

"Hey there, a guest has arrived, so the host should show himself quickly."

As he shouted loudly, the two presences inside the pavilion stopped moving. One remained completely still, while the other paced anxiously. Soon, as the door slowly opened, Dang Ran-yeong's eyes curved into crescents. He stepped into the pavilion without hesitation.

Dang Ran-yeong raised his head, and his gaze met someone's.

Cheong-ra was looking down at Dang Ran-yeong from the second floor of the pavilion. The clothes he had put on him last time were nowhere to be seen, replaced by unfamiliar attire, which greatly irritated him. The sparkling gaze looking at him didn't seem much different from usual.

"Young Master Dang."

He called Dang Ran-yeong's name and even smiled slightly. However, upon closer inspection, there was something vaguely confused about his pupils. Dang Ran-yeong clicked his tongue.

"Beauty, what are you doing here without my permission? Know that you'll receive a severe punishment when we return."

"Don't talk as if you're Cheong-ra's owner!"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Yeon Jeok-san revealed himself. His face was burning with jealousy as he wrapped his arm around the other's waist and pulled him towards himself. Cheong-ra obediently allowed himself to be pulled into Yeon Jeok-san's embrace.

It would be nice to chop off that arm, Dang Ran-yeong thought as he raised his sleeve to blatantly cover his nose.

"Yuheng, your entire body reeks of a disgusting bloody stench!"

He sneered with contempt. Where there should have been an empty space from being cut off last time, an arm had regrown. However, judging by the slightly different skin color, it was clearly someone else's arm that had been attached. Given the strong smell of blood, he must have taken quite a few lives.

Dang Ran-yeong took out his whip. Thwack! He struck the floor with such force that fragments scattered in all directions. Seeing this, Yeon Jeok-san's complexion changed immediately. Although he was trying to appear calm, fear and despair could be seen flickering in his eyes. His face clearly showed that he was wondering how Dang Ran-yeong could have pursued him here so quickly.

"Come down here, and I'll personally cut off your other arm for you. It must feel awkward with only one arm a different color. Beauty dislikes things that don't match, you know."

As he grated on his nerves, sparks flew from Yeon Jeok-san's eyes. However, true to being a coward, he couldn't come down to the first floor and just gritted his teeth before forcing a smile.

"Even so... Cheong-ra only listens to me. If he disobeys my words from now on, I'll order him to commit suicide!"

Then, as if to prove his point, Yeon Jeok-san ordered Cheong-ra. Watching this, Dang Ran-yeong's eyebrow twitched.

"Put the dagger to your neck."

"Okay, San-san."

Cheong-ra obediently took out a dagger from his bosom. It was the one Dang Ran-yeong had personally forged and given him. He pressed it close to his neck and, with a face not much different from usual, turned to look at Yeon Jeok-san and asked,

"Is this alright?"

"Yes, that's good..."

Yeon Jeok-san's face was filled with ecstasy at seeing him obey his orders so readily. San-san? Seeing him make Cheong-ra call him by a pet name, Dang Ran-yeong smirked. Yeon Jeok-san looked down at Dang Ran-yeong triumphantly and ordered in an excited voice,

"Now, if you don't want to see Cheong-ra lose his life... Drop your weapon and kneel immediately!"

Dang Ran-yeong looked up at Yeon Jeok-san with an expressionless face. The strength seemed to leave his hand holding the whip, but soon a sneer appeared on his face. Gripping the whip tightly, he leaped up to the second floor, causing Yeon Jeok-san to stumble back in panic as if he had seen a tiger.

"Wh-what are you doing! If you don't drop your weapon and kneel..."

"If I don't kneel? Go ahead, try it if you dare."

With just a slight twist of his wrist, the whip lashed out at Yeon Jeok-san in the blink of an eye. As Yeon Jeok-san screamed and tumbled down to the first floor, Dang Ran-yeong jumped down after him. He landed on the spot where Yeon Jeok-san had hurriedly rolled aside, leaving deep footprints with a thud. If he hadn't dodged, his chest would have been crushed.

The whip struck Yeon Jeok-san's back as he tried to get up. His clothes tore instantly, and his back split open, sending droplets of blood flying in all directions.

"Aaaagh!"

Like a snake's venomous fangs, the whip viciously tore Yeon Jeok-san's body to shreds. By striking only non-vital areas and bursting all the skin, he was covered in blood in an instant. Finally, he lashed at his face, leaving a deep gash on his cheek.

Yeon Jeok-san screamed and covered his bleeding face with his hands. His entire body was trembling with shock and fear.

"Why! If you chased me all the way here, doesn't that mean you care for him quite a bit! Don't you care if Cheong-ra dies!"

Yeon Jeok-san shouted in a voice of utter disbelief. Dang Ran-yeong cracked his whip, and it was amusing to see Yeon Jeok-san stumble backward in fear even though it hadn't touched him.

Dang Ran-yeong had thought that the Blood Cult would have guessed that he cared for Cheong-ra. That guy who had sent such intense killing intent towards Cheong-ra at the mountain stronghold in Anping last time... He clearly had martial arts skills surpassing even the executives, so he must hold quite a high position in the Blood Cult. Since then, he couldn't shake the feeling that they had been subtly probing his intentions.

As his mood soured, a smile like a poisonous flower bloomed on Dang Ran-yeong's face.

"I know your kind very well. You'd choose to kill with your own hands rather than let someone else do it."

And usually, that "someone else" includes even letting them commit suicide.

As expected, even while being one-sidedly beaten, Yeon Jeok-san didn't order Cheong-ra to commit suicide. No, he couldn't. He probably couldn't bring himself to do it. From Dang Ran-yeong's perspective, awakening Cheong-ra's Demon Soul Insects now was clearly against the Blood Cult's wishes. Would he easily order suicide when he was so obsessed that he would go this far to steal him away?

"The only reason I'm keeping you alive now is to find out how to control him."

Or it was also because he didn't know what orders Yeon Jeok-san might have given Cheong-ra. For example, if he had given an order like "If I die, you die too," it would be difficult for him to act. Yeon Jeok-san, who had been panting excitedly, flinched.

"Wh-when did you..."

Yeon Jeok-san, belatedly realizing he had been poisoned, staggered and leaned against the wall. Dang Ran-yeong clicked his tongue in displeasure. What he wanted was for him to lose consciousness and collapse immediately, but he was still maintaining his senses. The more humans one has devoured, the less easily they succumb to poison. He must have sacrificed at least dozens of lives.

Yeon Jeok-san suddenly raised his head. Then he ordered Cheong-ra, who was still holding the dagger to his neck and looking down at him blankly,

"Attack him! Ki-kill... kill..."

However, as if under some kind of restriction, the word "kill" wouldn't come out of his mouth. His pupils were already red, and now even the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, making him look ghastly. After breaking out in a cold sweat, Yeon Jeok-san ordered,

"Stab Dang Ran-yeong! If you can't stab him, cut off your tongue!"

"Okay, San-san."

Cheong-ra, who had answered lightly, gracefully jumped down to the first floor. He could be seen moving his tongue between his teeth inside his mouth. It looked like he would bite off his tongue in one go if he couldn't stab. He rushed forward, holding the dagger.

Dang Ran-yeong dodged by a hair's breadth. The tip of the dagger barely cut his clothes as it passed through the air. Just as his jaw was about to tense, he allowed his body to be stabbed by the dagger tip in the abdomen. When Cheong-ra applied force, he dodged again by a narrow margin.

It looked like there were openings where he could be stabbed, but when actually stabbed, it only grazed him. However, he repeated the act of allowing the blade to touch his body the next moment to prevent Cheong-ra from biting off his tongue. A confused expression flashed across the beautiful face. At a glance, it looked like they were playing an intense game of tag.

"Ah!"

The next moment, a cry burst from Cheong-ra's mouth. It was because Dang Ran-yeong had quickly moved behind Cheong-ra and suddenly bit his defenseless nape. Then, before he could bite his tongue, Dang Ran-yeong pulled Cheong-ra's wrist. His body spun around.

As the tip of the dagger sank into his abdomen, he kissed him. Cheong-ra's eyes widened, and a dazed "Ah" escaped between his lips.

"Know that it's an honor to have wounded my body."