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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Falling into the Conspiracy (2)
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Seon-u, unable to properly straighten his clothes, was being dragged limply by the hands of the Law Enforcement Hall warriors in a naked state.
He had considered resisting, but the thought of taking on Lee Ye-seol, who was far stronger than him, and the first-rate warriors of the Law Enforcement Hall made him give up on the idea. So he obediently let himself be taken away.
"Those are Law Enforcement Hall warriors. Who's the one they're dragging off?"
"Yeah, who are they hauling away at the crack of dawn?"
The appearance of the Law Enforcement Hall, the organization within the Heavenly Martial Alliance responsible for executing offenders, drew the attention of many passersby.
"Isn't that guy tied up there the Heavenly Heavy Sword Jang Sam?"
"What did the Heavenly Heavy Sword do wrong? Looks like he took a beating."
"Being dragged off naked without even a chance to get dressed? Must be a serious crime."
The murmurs of the alliance members watching him being led away bound and naked reached Seon-u's ears.
His face burned with shame, and he hung his head low.
He couldn't even begin to grasp how things had spiraled into this mess.
He remembered Paeng Ji-yun and Yeol-hwa—wait, no, it was Paeng Ji-yun who had come to console him last night, and they had spent the night together. But why had Paeng Ji-yun ended up dead beside him? How had Lee Ye-seol and the Law Enforcement Hall known about her death and burst in? He had no answers.
One thing was clear: the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
No matter that he was the Alliance Leader's prized disciple, the crimes of raping and murdering a fellow member were too grave.
Moreover, though she was from a branch family, Paeng Ji-yun carried the blood of the Northern Hebei Paeng Clan, so their backlash had to be considered as well.
'Fuck, I'm screwed.'
Letting out repeated sighs in his mind, Seon-u soon arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall.
Upon arrival, a group of people was waiting for him.
Leading them was a familiar face.
It was Paeng Ga-ryeon, the Hall Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall and the fourth wife of Heavenly Martial Alliance Leader Lee Jae-won.
"It's been a while, Jang Sam."
"I hope you've been well, Hall Leader."
Despite his ridiculous appearance, Seon-u greeted Paeng Ga-ryeon with as much courtesy as he could muster.
"I didn't expect we'd meet again like this, but here we are."
"It's a misunderstanding, Hall Leader. I haven't committed any crime."
"Ji-yun was my beloved niece. For the Alliance Leader's chief disciple to commit such an outrageous act... I can hardly believe it."
"No, please hear me out! This is all a conspiracy! I'm innocent!"
"I don't think you're capable of something like that. The Law Enforcement Hall will determine your guilt. Just cooperate fully with the investigation, and don't worry."
Despite Seon-u's desperate pleas, Paeng Ga-ryeon continued with a benevolent smile.
Seeing her smile eased Seon-u's mind somewhat.
After all, wasn't he the chief disciple of the Heavenly Martial Alliance Leader?
The authority that came with his guaranteed status wasn't insignificant. Calming his rattled nerves, Seon-u slowly entered the Law Enforcement Hall.
The deeper one went inside, the fewer floors there were, descending into underground levels.
The gravest offenders were interrogated on the lowest levels, and Seon-u was assigned to a room at the very end.
Inside the room sat a man with a stern, rugged face.
He was Joo Gwang, the Vice Hall Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall.
"Sit down, Jang Sam."
No sooner had Joo Gwang spoken than everyone except him and Jang Sam left the room, and the interrogation chamber door slammed shut.
Bang!
Perhaps because it was underground, the air in the interrogation room felt oppressively stuffy.
"Name."
"Pardon!?"
"Come on, Vice Hall Leader, don't joke around. It's me."
"I said name, you punk!"
No sooner had Seon-u finished speaking than Joo Gwang unleashed his full intimidating aura, pressing him with a rough tone.
The Joo Gwang in Jang Sam's memories was gruff but never this overbearing or dismissive.
Now a transcendent expert beyond the Peak realm, Joo Gwang's pressure was too much for Seon-u to bear.
"Jang Sam!"
Thoroughly cowed, Seon-u's eyes widened like a rabbit's as he answered quickly.
"Age."
"Twenty-seven this year."
"Position."
"Currently serving as Squad Leader in the Black Tortoise Hall."
Hearing Seon-u's responses, Joo Gwang scribbled them down on a sheet of paper.
"What did you do last night?"
"You know, don't you? I got beaten half to death by Lee Ye-seol and went straight back to my room!"
"That can't be all. What did you do in your room?"
"Well... even so, personal matters of affection..."
Before Seon-u could finish, Joo Gwang grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head onto the table.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Once wasn't enough; he repeated it several times before releasing his grip.
"Listen, Jang Sam, do I look like I'm playing around? I'm not your training instructor who guided you or your bodyguard who protected you. I'm Joo Gwang, Vice Hall Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall conducting this interrogation. If you don't answer properly, you might as well prepare to lose an arm or a leg."
Intensifying his aura even further, Joo Gwang growled his threat at Seon-u.
"Last night, Paeng Ji-yun came to my room, and we made love. Then we fell asleep right away. I didn't kill her."
Cowed by the display, Seon-u answered the questions with utmost sincerity.
"No, that's not it."
Joo Gwang grimaced and shook his head.
"After being thoroughly beaten by your junior sister who's seven years younger, you must have been consumed by immense frustration and inferiority."
".........."
"To vent that frustration and sense of inferiority, you looked for a suitable target—someone around Lee Ye-seol's age, weaker than you, someone who couldn't defy you. That was Paeng Ji-yun."
"No!"
"No, you'd always looked down on her as mere branch family blood of the Paeng Clan, biding your time for a chance to strike. And last night, you called her over under the pretense of feeling down and raped her by force."
"No! We did it because we liked each other! She came to me first!"
"Suspects in cases like this all react the same way. 'We were lovers.' 'We liked each other.' 'She seduced me.' But in the end, they all confessed and ended up as dust on the execution ground."
Joo Gwang showed no intention of believing Seon-u. No matter what he said, Joo Gwang cut him off and pressed on with his own narrative.
"No matter what you say, that's the truth! Isn't her coming to my room proof enough?"
"A letter in your handwriting was found in Paeng Ji-yun's room."
"What!?"
"It ordered her to come to your room by midnight."
"That can't be!"
At Joo Gwang's words, Seon-u felt his head spinning. Doubting it, he searched Jang Sam's memories, but there was no recollection of ever sending Paeng Ji-yun a letter.
"This is all a conspiracy. How did the Law Enforcement Hall even know we spent the night together and show up right then? The killer who murdered Paeng Ji-yun must be framing me. Whoever reported me to the Hall is the prime suspect!"
Seon-u hurriedly poured out everything on his mind.
How could they have known he and Paeng Ji-yun spent the night together, only to "discover" her dead body at that exact moment?
The timely arrival of the Law Enforcement Hall warriors was suspicious, and so was Lee Ye-seol appearing with them.
"The one who reported you was Hall Leader Paeng Ga-ryeon."
"What!?"
"She was worried about her niece who hadn't returned late at night, searched her room, and found your letter."
"No way...!!?"
"After confirming the letter, the Hall Leader dispatched the Law Enforcement Hall warriors to your room."
Seon-u's head reeled.
Of all people, the one who reported him was Hall Leader Paeng Ga-ryeon!?
Just moments ago, she had gazed at him with that compassionate expression, and now she was the one who had accused him and sent the warriors!?
Seon-u struggled to accept the shocking truth.
"Are you suspecting Hall Leader Paeng Ga-ryeon?"
Seon-u couldn't respond to Joo Gwang's question.
His gut screamed that she was framing him, but voicing it now would make countless enemies.
No matter his status as chief disciple, she was the fourth wife of Heavenly Martial Alliance Leader Lee Jae-won and held the heavy position of Law Enforcement Hall Leader.
The difference in authority was immense.
Opposing her would spell his end.
"No, that's not it. There must be some misunderstanding. I didn't kill Paeng Ji-yun!"
"No, that's not the answer I want."
Joo Gwang repeated himself like a broken wind-up doll.
"Consumed by frustration and inferiority, you'd always looked down on her as mere branch family blood of the Paeng Clan, biding your time to strike. And last night, you called her over under the pretense of feeling down and raped her by force. Isn't that right?"
"No! No, I didn't!!!"
"That's not the answer I want either. Listen carefully one more time. Let me explain exactly why you killed Paeng Ji-yun."
Joo Gwang ignored Seon-u's words entirely.
He just kept repeating the same lines like brainwashing.
His attitude screamed that the conclusion was already set—Seon-u just needed to give the desired response.
Seon-u had no choice but to endure the relentless barrage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Law Enforcement Hall Leader's Office
Knock knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing Joo Gwang, who had been interrogating Jang Sam.
"How did it go? Did he confess?"
"He resisted so stubbornly that I couldn't get the response we wanted."
"Hmph, that's the problem with lowly scum—they can't read the room."
Law Enforcement Hall Leader Paeng Ga-ryeon scoffed mockingly at Jang Sam.
The sight created a strange sense of dissonance.
When they had met at the Law Enforcement Hall, she had worn that benevolent smile, reassuring Jang Sam: "I believe you. It couldn't be you." That compassionate aunt was gone, replaced only by the venomous Hall Leader.
"Hall Leader, do we really have to kill him? Just sever his meridians and exile him from the Heavenly Martial Alliance."
Joo Gwang mustered his courage to speak up.
Though involved in this plot, Jang Sam was like a nephew and disciple to the childless Joo Gwang. He didn't want to see him die like this.
Paeng Ga-ryeon shook her head at Joo Gwang's plea.
"Joo Gwang, you need to choose wisely. As long as the chief disciple Jang Sam exists, he's a stumbling block to our Gi-yeon becoming the next Alliance Leader. If we just sever his meridians and exile him, what happens if his innocence comes to light later?"
Seated in her chair, she crossed her legs and continued.
Joo Gwang felt his heart race at the sight of her slender legs, but he quickly suppressed it.
Lee Gi-yeon was the daughter of Lee Jae-won and Paeng Ga-ryeon. At just nineteen, her martial prowess had already reached the brink of the Peak realm—a prodigy among prodigies, like Lee Ye-seol.
For her daughter, she had chosen to eliminate Jang Sam, the rival heir—and even sacrificed her own niece to do it.
"Joo Gwang, I want our Yeon to sit on the Alliance Leader's throne no matter what. And I want the Paeng Clan at the center of power for a thousand, ten thousand years. You understand, right?"
Sensing Joo Gwang's gaze on her legs, Paeng Ga-ryeon parted them slightly, adjusting her posture to give him a clear view between them.
Through the gap, a dense thicket of black hair peeked out subtly, framing a tightly closed slit like that of a virgin.
Seeing it, Joo Gwang felt a surge in his loins.
For over twenty years, he had yearned for Paeng Ga-ryeon's most intimate place. The uncontrollable excitement overwhelmed him.
"Come here. Today, I'll give the Vice Hall Leader a special reward."
"My lady... we can't."
It was problematic to carry on like this with the fourth wife of his lord, the Absolute Martial God Lee Jae-won. But she was too alluring to refuse outright.
Even after bearing a child, her skin was flawless, without a single wrinkle or blemish. Her once-renowned beauty as Northern Hebei's top beauty had deepened with maturity.
Her breasts and hips, grown even more voluptuous after childbirth, swayed seductively, tempting him.
"Lick it."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spread her legs wide and pulled apart her intimate folds with both hands.
Revealed was a glistening entrance brimming with nectar.
Joo Gwang approached slowly and began licking her sex with his tongue.
"Ah... ahng... hng... ang."
The Law Enforcement Hall filled with Paeng Ga-ryeon's moans.
"More... more... a bit more... faster."
Joo Gwang's tongue worked even more fervently.
He started from her clitoris, licking slowly around the entrance.
For the clit, he grazed it lightly with his teeth, then focused his tongue's assault there.
"Aaaang... ang ang... ang ang."
Gulp gulp.
Paeng Ga-ryeon screamed wildly at his tongue work, squirting her juices from her sex.
It was the love nectar of Paeng Ga-ryeon, whom he had admired his whole life.
Sucking down every drop, Joo Gwang drowned in bliss.
"M-my lady... I can't hold back anymore."
Joo Gwang pointed to his fully erect member as he spoke.
"No... Joo Gwang... but... if you wrap this up properly... I'll let you put it in."
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued, still flushed with excitement.
At her words, any lingering guilt he felt toward Jang Sam—his nephew-like disciple—vanished.
It was a night when the conspiracy deepened.