Episode 103

Kwaang!

Yu Jinsan, thrown somewhere, fell disgracefully.

The White Bone Witch’s left foot was planted on his stomach.

Chuk!

“Kuak!”

He couldn’t utter a word as his breath was abruptly cut off.

Curled up like a shrimp, he barely managed to lift his head to examine her.

Arms and legs with only bones remaining.

Just looking at her thin face and wide red eyes was creepy.

‘Is that a human or a ghost?’

He had never even imagined that such a ferocious-looking woman existed in the world.

At that moment, something strange came out of the White Bone Witch’s mouth.

“Ahh…”

She seemed to be in pain as she clutched her side. It must have been a wound she received while fighting Yu Seol.

Seeing the red blood on her hand, it appeared she had been hit.

“Ehehehe, I will kill you.”

She let out this creepy laugh, her face contorting like a demon’s.

Yu Jinsan, who was watching her, felt anxious.

As expected, the woman soon began to assault him.

Kuak! Kuak! Ack!!

He couldn’t even come to his senses because of her kicks.

“Kuak!”

It was as if she was taking out her anger on him for the way his granddaughter had treated her.

Her ankle, though nothing but bone, contained enough force to crush rocks.

The pain pierced through his defensive qi.

Any decent warrior would have fainted right away.

Immediately after, the sound of a whip being used followed.

Kwak!

A tree trunk with a reddish tint. It was the tool used to kidnap him.

“I have something to tell you, so calm down for a moment now!”

Contrary to his hope, she was never one to converse with from the start. She just continued to hit Yu Jinsan with the tree trunk.

Slam! Slam!

“Kuaak!!”

His skin tore, and blood-soaked the ground wherever the tree trunk passed. He was beaten mercilessly and couldn’t endure long as his body went limp.

“…”

Had her mood finally improved?

She placed her face close to Yu Jinsan’s, her creepy smile and fang-like teeth exposed.

“Am I pretty?”

What nonsense is this now?

He wanted to curse but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Y-yes…”

“How pretty?”

“V-very…”

At that moment, the smile vanished from her face, and her nails dug into the back of his neck.

Kuak!

Yu Jinsan’s face turned red from the tremendous grip. He was dragged again and brought to a shabby cabin.

Slash!

Without even having time to look inside, Yu Jinsan was struck.

Kwang!

“Kuak…”

“Mom will prepare dinner for you, so wait a moment~”

Even though he was in shock, he felt this was too much. Even the apostate monk in Shaolin wasn’t like this.

Before Yu Jinsan could react, she closed the door.

Kwang!

He was beaten so much that he couldn’t even move a finger.

He rolled to the side and noticed the stench of something rotting.

And bone fragments that looked human.

What on earth had she done here?

As he struggled to turn his head to the other side, his eyes widened. There was someone else here besides him.

“…?”

An old man with messy hair and wrinkles.

Horrifyingly, he only had his left arm; his right arm and both legs seemed to have been severed, leaving behind only scars.

Seeing his internal qi, it seemed like he was a warrior too.

The man stared at him with sad eyes.

“Tsk tsk, how did someone as young as you get dragged here?”

“You… were caught too…?”

Was it because of the way he spoke? The man looked at him carefully and nodded as if he had noticed something.

“You are a warrior who turned back, so you are the kind of prey this insane witch would like.”

“What do you mean by prey.”

He sighed and spoke softly.

“Where do you think my right arm and both legs have gone?”

Could it be that the witch had eaten them? There were too many questions, but it was not the time to inquire about personal matters.

It was unclear how long he had been captive here, but given his survival, it seemed he knew much.

“If you know a way to escape, please tell me. Right now, my child is alone in the forest, waiting. I need to go…”

Even though he knew it was a long shot, he still had to ask.

Even at this moment, his only concern was for his granddaughter. Even though he had left indications, he wasn’t sure if she would be able to find them.

“If it was that easy to get out, why would I still be here?”

The answer he received wasn’t so unexpected, and yet Yu Jinsan didn’t give up.

First, he needed to gather information to devise a plan.

“How long have you been held here?”

“I have forgotten the passage of time. Probably a few years.”

The old man seemed glad to have someone to talk to after a long time and readily answered his questions.

“Can you tell me who she is?”

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he lowered his voice and said,

“A long time ago, that day when the Demonic Cult collapsed, there was one demon of extreme evil who broke through the siege of the Murim Alliance and escaped. She was the Flying Killing Maiden troops, Ok Ryun-hwa, the leader.”

The old man’s words held many meanings.

By inference, he would have been a member of the Murim Alliance chasing after Ok Ryun-hwa.

And Yu Jinsan had also heard of Ok Ryun-hwa’s name because she was a warrior who was active before he retired.

But something was odd. According to the rumors at the time, she was the head of the troops, known as the most beautiful woman in the Demonic Cult.

“How did a member of the Demonic Cult end up like this? And she doesn’t seem sane either.”

“At that time, she was cornered by the pursuit and swallowed the Thousand Dragon Centipede that she was carrying. I should have withdrawn right then…”

The Thousand Dragon Centipede was the name of a worm that was a thousand years old.

It was known to be an extremely poisonous insect, and it was clearly classified as a spiritual beast, so the Twin Dragon Spears reacted to it.

“Are you saying it’s because of the side effects of it?”

The old man nodded once.

“Right. She went from beautiful to ugly in an instant and became so insane that she didn’t step out of the forest even once.”

It only confirmed that she was no ghost.

Yu Jinsan looked around.

Bone fragments scattered here and there, clearly not from just one or two people.

Judging by their condition, some of them didn’t seem to be too old.

“Then how are you still alive?”

“There is a way. Are you curious?”

“Please tell me. My granddaughter is waiting all alone; I cannot die like this.”

The old man seemed to be thinking and spoke with a lowered voice.

“That insane witch comes to me several times a day and asks if she is pretty. As long as you cater to her whims, she won’t harm you, but anger her and you’ll be torn limb from limb.”

While distasteful, it was nothing he couldn’t do if it meant seizing an opportunity.

“…Is that all?”

“If it were that easy, why do you think those captured after me died first? You always have to praise her beauty in new ways. Repeat yourself, and you’ll suffer terribly.”

“So you’ve been praising her in different ways for years?”

“Yes. I’ve made three mistakes during that time…”

It seemed there might be a chance to create an opportunity.

But it still felt lacking.

“Did you find any weaknesses while observing her?”

The old man put his remaining hand to his lips, signaling caution.

And the answer came.

-There is one thing. A way to beat that witch. That is how I have been enduring without dying till now.

-Will you tell me?

The old man nodded without hesitation.

-I needed someone to help carry out the plan anyway. Before my body ended up like this, that is.

He lifted a small wooden plank from the floor, revealing folded paper containing a fine, white powder.

Yu Jinsan’s eyes widened as he inspected it.

-Alum powder?

Alum powder was made from alum stone, which was often used as a material to make jewelry.

It was known to be effective against centipedes, which could mean it would work on the White Bone Witch who had swallowed the Thousand Dragon Centipede.

If he were the old man in front of him, he should have tested it once indirectly at least.

-You have no idea how long it took for me to collect that much powder. I caused quite a commotion, secretly grinding down jewelry from the corpses.

-You’ve been through a lot. Will you entrust it to me?

-Of course, just sprinkle it in her eyes because I want to see that, the last revenge before I die.

-Thank you very much.

-There is no need to be thankful. Hurry up now. Tomorrow, you will lose a limb or two, so today is the only day you have a chance.

What a chilling curse.

Yu Jinsan hid the powder in his sleeve and sat cross-legged. This was because he had to recover his body before she came.

The old man seemed to understand and didn’t interfere.

It was after some time had passed.

Swish!

The White Bone Witch came carrying a blue liquid pot. What could it be made from? The stench was revolting.

While holding the pot, she went to the old man and asked.

“Am I pretty?”

A thin, bony face with red eyes.

Just looking at her made one want to scream, but the man was smiling brightly.

“Your body is that of a saint, and your skin, as fair as snow, is truly a jewel. Those red eyes are red like plum blossoms in spring. How can I find words to express your beauty?”

How could he speak so many lies without even frowning? Yu Jinsan clicked his tongue at this, and the witch was pleased.

“Open your mouth, baby.”

She scooped something out of the pot and then placed it in the man’s mouth.

As if this happened every day, he swallowed it without chewing.

Next was Yu Jinsan’s turn.

Even before she approached, the smell of it made him want to puke.

Soon, the White Bone Witch came and put her ugly face close to him.

“Am I pretty?”

Yu Jinsan lacked the confidence to respond as the old man did.

Was it because of nervousness? After pursing his lips, he let out a trembling voice.

“Du…”

She leaned in closer, eager for the next word.

“Du…?”

Yu Jinsan took a deep breath and then screamed.

“You dumpling-looking wench!”

Although he didn’t curse, the anger he harbored came out as a swear without him realizing it.

The smiling witch’s expression turned horrifying at that moment.

But there was no reason for Yu Jinsan to be afraid, because he believed in something.

He sprinkled the lump of powder he had hidden.

Paaak!!

Since she was right in front of him, she couldn’t possibly avoid it.

And the room fluttered with the powder, but something seemed odd.

She, who should be screaming and falling down, didn’t even blink an eye. This made him realize that things had gone awfully wrong.

For a split second, Yu Jinsan made eye contact with the old man.

“…?”

Seeing the old man shocked, he seemed surprised as well.

And his urgent voice came.

-I am sorry, I thought it would work.

What madness was this?

Yu Jinsan was losing his mind.

Her red eyes which said she wanted to kill him.

And her contorted face.

At that moment, there was a flash of light, and then something hit his pale face.

Slap!!!

Yu Jinsan, whose neck bent as if it would break, rose up. Soon, he flew through the wall of the cabin and rolled on the ground.

Bang!!

“Kuak!”

He was out of breath, but he couldn’t control it at all.

Unable to breathe or move, his despair-filled eyes watched her approach through the broken wall.

“… I will kill you.”

Yu Jinsan felt the fear of death.

Until a moment ago.

He had been looking at this witch with disdain, but then his expression changed as he noticed someone right behind her.

From there, a low, angry voice came.

“You goblin, come here now.”