Chapter 32 : The Slacker’s Divine Might (1)

Chapter 32: The Slacker’s Divine Might (1)

It was a mistake.

He should have considered how Nok Gi would act before coming here.

‘To think he even predicted my movements.’

The fact that Nok Gi had been able to grasp the actions of someone under the protection of the Inner Court Guards meant his abilities were far beyond what had been assumed. And the price of not realizing that was dire.

It meant all these people would die because of him alone.

His own death wasn’t the issue. If he were to die like this, the Confucian Forest would suffer a massive blow, and the royal court would carry out a sweeping purge.

In the end, it could result in Nok Gi taking full control of the royal family.

Realizing all of this, the Second Prince trembled with fury.

“Heaven will never forgive you!”

“Sure, go ahead and pray all you want.”

Nok Mokpung cackled as he laughed.

“And...”

With a cruel look on his face, Nok Mokpung glared at someone.

“There’s someone here who needs to die first.”

His eyes were fixed on Mun Eunji.

“Mun Eunji.”

Mun Eunji met Nok Mokpung’s gaze with icy eyes.

“I warned you. I told you I’d handle things my way. This is the result of you rejecting me. Because of you, everyone here is going to die.”

Nok Mokpung slowly leaned in, bringing his face right in front of hers.

“How about now, if you just—”

“Ptooey!”

Spitting in his face, Mun Eunji shouted with a piercing voice.

“I’d rather die here than marry a bastard like you!”

Without a change in expression, Nok Mokpung wiped the spit from his face.

Then, after staring at her silently for a moment, his expression softened into a twisted grin.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

“……”

“I’ll just make you wish you were dead. Think of the worst thing you can imagine. I’ll give you pain ten, no, dozens of times worse than that.”

“Hmph, and you think I’ll just let that happen? I’d rather die than suffer humiliation from the likes of you.”

Nok Mokpung cut her off.

“If you kill yourself, your father will suffer instead.”

Mun Eunji stared at Nok Mokpung with trembling eyes. Slowly, he turned his gaze toward Mun Yuhwan.

“And if you choose to die, someone else will pay the price.”

Mun Yuhwan’s face turned deathly pale.

“Don’t think the people here are all there is. Treason means extermination of the entire clan. If you want to kill yourself, go ahead. Then others will bear the consequences of your sin. Hahahahaha!”

Nok Mokpung burst into laughter that shook the whole manor.

Mun Eunji trembled, her face gone completely pale. Just as he said, she couldn’t even take her own life. If she did, innocent people would suffer.

“Go on. Try killing yourself. Honestly, I’d rather have more fun with more toys than just you. Kekeke.”

Nok Mokpung grabbed her by the hair.

“Kyaaah!”

“Eunji!”

Yanking her by the hair, he dragged her forward.

“I said, go ahead and kill yourself.”

Mun Eunji didn’t respond, glaring at Nok Mokpung with eyes full of venom. Even under her burning gaze, Nok Mokpung only laughed with a twisted grin.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Riiip!

Her upper garment tore open, exposing her snow-white shoulder. Mun Eunji instantly knew what was coming.

Her mind went blank in horror.

If only she could bite off her tongue...

Tears fell from Mun Eunji’s eyes.

“You vile monster! That’s my daughter!”

Thud!

As Mun Yuhwan rushed forward, one of the black-clad men kicked him hard, sending him rolling across the floor.

“Father!”

“Ugh... Eunji...”

Mun Eunji wept in utter despair.

“Heh heh, maybe it would’ve been easier if you’d just killed yourself and blamed it all on the dead. But where’s the fun in that? So I’ll make you a promise. If you don’t commit suicide until the very end... I’ll let your father live.”

Mun Eunji stared blankly at Nok Mokpung.

How much more cruel could this man possibly become?

Just then, his hand snaked in like a viper, creeping into the front of her robe.

With a resigned expression, Mun Eunji turned her face away. Tears streamed from her eyes, and blood seeped from her tightly clenched lips.

At that moment, a strange sight entered her vision.

It was so surreal, so absurd, it felt like watching a scene from an opera. A man was approaching quickly with an incredibly annoyed expression on his face.

He looked like he was about to yell something, but then flinched and shut his mouth, sneaking a glance at the situation.

As he grasped what was happening, his face slowly stiffened.

The man began to retreat step by step, reaching behind to grab the wall.

He was trying to climb over and escape.

Seeing that, Mun Eunji couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted.

“Wi Yeonho!”

All eyes turned toward one spot.

“You! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

With one leg already thrown over the wall, Wi Yeonho looked back with an awkward expression.

“Ha, hahaha, ha...”

His awkward laugh echoed across the manor.

The sight was so ridiculous that everyone fell into stunned silence.

Snapping out of it, Nok Mokpung pulled his hand away from Mun Eunji and turned around with a furious look.

At the same time, a black-clad man quickly rushed to stand in front of him.

“Didn’t I say to catch them all?”

“My apologies.”

“Are your eyes just for decoration?”

The man lowered his head, his face tense.

But how could they have possibly known someone was hiding beneath the bed?

If he were just an ordinary person, there should have at least been some trace of presence, but Wi Yeonho had suppressed even that in order to avoid Mun Eunji’s notice. It was impossible for them to detect him.

Nok Mokpung snapped sharply and turned to glare at Wi Yeonho.

Wi Yeonho gave a sheepish smile, then pressed himself back against the wall.

Mun Eunji shouted at him sharply.

“What are you doing?!”

Wi Yeonho twisted his face into a scowl.

“Can’t you tell? I’m trying to run!”

“And you have the nerve to say that out loud?!”

Wi Yeonho shot back, annoyed.

“So what! Why can’t I say I’m running away? I guess you don’t like how I phrase things ‘cause you’re from a fancy family? Want me to call it one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems?”

Mun Eunji’s face flushed red with anger.

She stared at him in disbelief. Even in a situation like this, he could say things like that so easily.

“You’re supposed to help us!”

“Help who?! I can barely keep myself alive!”

“You’ve learned martial arts!”

Mun Eunji gasped as she spoke.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew.

The strange abilities he’d shown.

And putting together what he’d said before to the Second Prince and her father, the conclusion was obvious.

Wi Yeonho had definitely trained in martial arts.

“You’ve trained in martial arts! You can help!”

Wi Yeonho, still with one leg hooked over the wall, waved his hands.

“Forget it. If you get cocky just because of a bit of skill, you won’t live long. In times like this, the secret to survival is pretending you didn’t see anything, even if you did.”

He gave a groveling smile and nodded toward Nok Mokpung.

“I didn’t see anything. Please, carry on.”

With that, Wi Yeonho began climbing over the wall.

Seeing that, Mun Eunji was so furious she screamed.

“Hey, you rotten bastard!”

But Wi Yeonho scratched his ear like he didn’t hear a thing.

“Hmm? Thought I heard something just now…”

The Second Prince was nearly on the verge of fainting from the absurdity of it all.

If he didn’t want to help, he could’ve just left.

No one could blame him for not wanting to risk his life.

But if he was going to go, he could’ve done it quietly. Why go out of his way to infuriate people to the bitter end?

There were rotten people in the world, but none as rotten as this.

Still, the Second Prince Yi, having seen his share of wars and politics, kept his composure.

“Let him be.”

“But still—!”

“These are people even the Inner Court Guards and the Royal Inspectorate’s martial officers couldn’t handle. What could that young man possibly do alone? It would be better for him to preserve his life.”

Life is precious to anyone.

So in vain situations like this, it’s best to reduce the bloodshed as much as possible…

Just then, Wi Yeonho flashed a grin.

“You’re a wise one, old man.”

The Second Prince reconsidered his thoughts.

Maybe the world would be better off if that man died here, too.

Wi Yeonho pretended not to hear and kept climbing.

Mun Eunji, furious beyond measure, screamed again.

“If I die, I’ll haunt you as a ghost!”

“I know a really good shaman.”

“Argh!”

Mun Eunji wanted nothing more than to grab the back of her neck and collapse right there. How could he be so gifted at saying only the most infuriating things?

Finally, Nok Mokpung couldn’t stand it and shouted.

“Stop right there!”

Wi Yeonho flinched and turned to him.

“…I didn’t see anything, though?”

Nok Mokpung gave a chilling smile.

“Then how about leaving your eyes behind?”

It was a cruel line.

“And if you could leave that impudent tongue of yours too, I’ll let you go.”

Wi Yeonho glanced back.

“I feel like I could just leave…”

Nok Mokpung laughed.

“Leave? You’re already involved in treason. The world will hunt you down, and there’s nowhere in the world you can hide.”

Wi Yeonho chuckled.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out once I try.”

“You think there’s a single place in the world without government officials? Finding someone like you is nothing.”

“Right, right. Then go ahead and look for me later. I’ll be going first.”

Veins bulged on Nok Mokpung’s forehead.

He jerked his chin toward Wi Yeonho.

“Seize him.”

“Sir!”

The moment Nok Mokpung gave the order, a black-clad man standing behind him gestured.

One of the black-clad men surrounding the hostages shot toward Wi Yeonho at blinding speed.

“Huh?”

Wi Yeonho stared blankly as the man came flying toward him.

Mun Eunji, without realizing it herself, shouted.

“Run!”

After begging for help this whole time, now that it came down to it, she was telling him to run. Wi Yeonho found it amusing and chuckled as he looked at her.

“What a strange woman.”

In an instant, the black-clad man closed the distance and threw a punch at Wi Yeonho.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

With a heavy thud, the black-clad man—not Wi Yeonho—was the one who went flying and crashed to the ground.

Wi Yeonho looked down at the man sprawled out on the floor and gasped.

“You okay?!”

Nok Mokpung groaned aloud.

“What the…?”

Why was his subordinate lying there?

He was sure he saw the man punch down toward Wi Yeonho’s head. What on earth happened in that brief moment?

And why was that bastard showing concern for someone he just knocked down?

If he cared that much, he shouldn’t have hit him in the first place!

Wi Yeonho sighed.

“I grew up getting beaten half to death by some conman, so when someone tries to hit me, I reflexively fight back. It’s not intentional, so I hope you understand.”

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