Baek Yisoo tried to ignore the scent of roses and focus on his inner world. He could feel the fine embroidery on his cheek. Although his heart raced because of the scent, he soon felt disgusted with himself. After this disgust, he regained an unprecedented calmness.
A few days ago, he had his own set of principles and followed them strictly. But now he realized that these principles were something imposed on him by others. Don't commit adultery, be respectful to your master, obey your elders, and be a good slave to avoid suffering. Yes, these were the rules for a slave. But Baek Yisoo was tired of these principles controlling his life. He knew he lacked much; he did not have heroic good looks, unparalleled talent, or a virtuous personality. But that couldn't stop him from wanting to direct his own life.
Thanks to the Seduction System, he was even more certain of this.
Such thoughts became Baek Yisoo's friends in the darkness.
A long time passed.
Just when he was about to give up, he heard a small click. The door to the room opened and a beautiful woman in a white dress entered.
Baek Yisoo held his breath. And he peeked into the room through the small opening in the wardrobe.
Her oval face looked as soft as butter. She was petite, but her body was well-developed. Her breasts were visible even under her white robe. Her hair was tied in a horsetail with a ribbon. Her tiny nose emphasized her almond-shaped eyes.
Baek Yisoo in an instant looked stupidly at this woman's face. She looked nothing like the cold-blooded bitch who killed him last night.
Baek Iseul sighed in distress.
The battle with the Bloody Monastery was growing in intensity by the day. Naturally, the Murim Union was on edge. It was impossible to predict the next move of such fanatics. They were so dangerous that all the surrounding sects were conducting a joint operation to destroy them.
The Namgung Family was at the helm of this operation. It was known that Songyuan was the place where the Blood Monastery first appeared. Such a threat undermined trust in the Namgung Family and had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
The Baek Family was one of Shaanxi's middle-upper families. They were considered noble, but their rank was very low. This was mainly because their influence was limited to Murim. They did not have an influence that reached every corner of the empire like the Namgung Family.
'I need to leave tomorrow at the latest. Maybe I can talk to the sect leader and persuade her to send a team to the front lines.'
The Hua Mountain Sect was a highly traditional sect. Given their strict adherence to Taoist principles, they would not interfere in matters that did not concern them, such as the Blood Monastery. Baek Iseul didn't even think about it. Her only thought was how to help Namgung Bong.
She gathered her thoughts and prepared to take them out on herself. She was tired from the invitations and guests. She was planning to put her head down and go to sleep as soon as possible.
"Hm?" she suddenly noticed the decorated letter on her bed. A strange excitement arose in her heart. Even though Namgung Bong was not a very romantic person, she secretly thought it was from him.
"A necklace?"
She was surprised to find a very elegant necklace. It was obvious that it was an expensive necklace. However, when she looked carefully, she noticed the strangeness in the necklace.
"It looks a lot like an image move."
Although she suspected it was a trap, she succumbed to her curiosity and transferred her inner energy to the stone in the center of the necklace. After a few seconds of channeling her energy, the stone trembled and an image seeped out. The vision stone was an incredibly rare treasure.
Even a fingernail-sized piece of it could be worth thousands of nyang. The top noble families like the Jaegal Family had very few in storage.
Baek Iseul looked at the reflected image with curiosity at first. At first she saw two shadows under a large and majestic oak tree. The oak tree was familiar, it was the oak tree in their garden. The two shadows became more and more distinct.
Zzz!
Baek Iseul's hand trembled.
She almost dropped the necklace on the ground.
The man and woman in the image were entangled, making sensual love. It was clear who the man and woman were.
'Is it me? Have we been caught? What's going on?!'
A thousand and one thoughts ran through her mind. Suddenly she started to drown in a flood of emotions; fear, excitement, hatred, disgust, and guilt. The fear in her heart grew.
She knew. For a woman her age to have a bad reputation, especially with a prominent figure like Namgung Bong, put the entire Baek Clan in danger. Not to mention that she was from the Mount Hua Sect, one of the most prominent Taoist sects. If something like this came to light, her life would be over.
At that moment, she felt a warm breath on the back of her neck.
Instinctively, she swung her hand with all her might, but the person behind she ducked and dodged the attack as if he was expecting it.
SSSS!
When she smelled a strange odor, all the strength in her body suddenly left her and she collapsed.
Baek Yisoo nervously grabbed the Image Move and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He was so scared!
If he hadn't ducked and dodged the attack a moment ago, his head would have split like a watermelon.
'I urgently need to learn martial arts.
He had to be strong if he wanted to have a place in this world. Martial arts were the only way to become strong.
Even today, the imperial family used its power to dominate everything. Although the art of seduction was the most beautiful form of power, Baek Yisoo had not yet developed himself enough to rely on it.
He took a deep breath and gathered his courage. At any other time, he could stare and praise this fairytale beauty in front of him for hours. But now he had neither the courage nor the time. Grabbing Iseul by the armpits, Baek Yisoo sat her in a chair at the desk. He tied her hands and feet together with a piece of cloth.
So everything was prepared.
He sat on the bed and waited for Baek Iseul to wake up.
The poison in the Thin-Waisted Red Bottle would prevent Baek Iseul from using internal energy for a while. In Murim, very few people exercised their bodies. No one else was much different from an ordinary person without inner energy.
He knew very well what could happen to him. He had taken a very big step. At the end of this, he would either be a vizier or a disgrace. He continued to wait without the slightest shred of fear. Finally, he didn't know how much time had passed, Baek Iseul's eyes moved.
Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked at him with frightening eyes.
"Who are you?"
Baek Yisoo shook his head from side to side, holding his head with his hand.
"My name is Yisoo."
"I don't know you," Baek Iseul said sternly. She hadn't lost her composure, trying to look as calm as possible.
"I'm one of the Baek Family's slaves. It's normal that you don't recognize me." He said and leaned forward, crossing his right leg over his left. This made his ugly face stand out even more. It also made Baek Iseul even more afraid.
"You are one of my family's slaves and you still haven't untied me? Do you want to die-"
SLAP!
Baek Yisoo's slap left the young woman stunned and unable to finish her sentence. Her eyes become watery, not from pain, but from humiliation.
"If you want a happy future with Namgung Bong, you need to move on. Do I have to remind you of that?"
Baek Yisoo held up the Image Move and showed it.
"You're having sex with your sister's fiancé. In the next few months, there will be no one who doesn't recognize you... Interesting."
Baek Yisoo knew that talking too much would diminish the effect of his intimidation. So he proceeded with very limited information and threats. Baek Iseul was smart, it was impossible for her not to understand the meaning behind his words.
He was right.
Baek Yisoo's words caused all the blood to drain from the young woman's face. Her face whitened like a ghost, her eyes lost their light. Her small, oval shoulders trembled with fear.
Only women knew that their lives depended on a single scandal. In Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, extramarital affairs were a grave sin for both sexes. It was completely against the principles of virtue, so it was impossible for a woman like Baek Iseul to find shelter in the Murim Union, also known as the Virtue Union.
Moreover, she lived in a noble household. This would have made the attacks against her much more fierce, increasing the chances of her being devastated by her enemies. There was nothing wrong with sinning because no one could judge if no one knew about it. But if sin was revealed, criticism would come from all sides.
Baek Iseul's cheeks grew wet as she realized the course of events.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why do you care about my relationship with Namgung Bong?!"
Baek Yisoo shrugged.
"It's none of my business. Who you fuck doesn't mean anything to me."
"Then why?"
Baek Yisoo was silent.
"What do you want from me?"
Although she looked tough and ruthless on the outside, Baek Yisoo realized how cowardly this woman was. He wrote this experience down in the back of his mind. He could use it in the future. How insecure those who appear confident on the outside really are.
"There are a few things only you can do."
The young woman shuddered as Baek looked Iseul up and down.
"Kill me!"
He closed his eyes as if accepting his death. Seeing her exaggerated behavior, Baek Yisoo didn't know what to do. He was misunderstood.
"Your body is the last thing in the world I notice. What I want is freedom. By tomorrow, make me a warrior of the Baek Family and put me through martial arts training."
He spoke so calmly that Baek Iseul shuddered more and more every second. With his evil face and unprecedented audacity, every word was like a sledgehammer blow to the young woman's mind. He didn't need to use extra words. Or threatening words, Baek Iseul knew it was blackmail.
"O-Okay... Okay, I'll do it!"
Baek Yisoo nodded.
He turned his wrist slightly and another Image Move appeared.
"I don't recommend cunning. If he doesn't hear from me in three days, a group is waiting in the city to deliver another Image Move to the Han Clan."
The Han Clan was the sworn enemy of the Baek Clan. Although they were behind them in strength, the gap between them was very small. For this revelation to fall into their hands was the worst possible outcome! Anyone could show mercy, but not the Han Clan.
Baek Yisoo threw the last image move into Baek Iseul's lap and stood up.
'The notification didn't come.'
He sighed and walked over to Baek Iseul, causing the young woman to convulse with fear, and she was about to scream when Baek Yisoo stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth.
[Mission Completed!]
Ignoring the notification in front of him, Baek whispered in Iseul's ear.
"Don't mess with me! I can do the same at any other time, just like I did today."