An Unavoidable Choice

As Baek Geon-ha said, some secrets are dangerous just by knowing them. Seol Ah-heon wanted nothing more than to forget this secret he had involuntarily learned. However, Baek Geon-ha did not stop talking.

“You likely know that humans require both Yang and Yin energy, correct?”

“…….”

“But in this body of mine, there is only Yang. Under such circumstances, what choice do I have? I have no option but to obtain Yin energy, even if it must be through affairs with women.”

‘I can’t hear a thing, I can’t hear a thing.’

Seol Ah-heon kept his mouth tightly shut and quickened his pace. Just then, Baek Geon-ha draped an arm over Seol Ah-heon’s shoulder. Suddenly forced into a friendly posture with the Young Leader of the Demonic Cult, Seol Ah-heon froze stiff.

“Why don’t you answer? Haha……. It feels like I’m talking to myself, doesn’t it?”

His tone was like a thug dragging someone into a dark alley to ask, ‘Got any money?’ Seol Ah-heon forced his voice out.

“I-I’m listening.”

“Are you listening properly?”

“Of course. So, um, Young Leader… were you born with a Severed Meridian Condition?”

He tossed out a question to show he was listening intently. He was also curious. Was the imbalance of Yin and Yang due to a unique constitution Baek Geon-ha was born with?

‘Like Bing So-yu, who had the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.’

The Nine Yin Severed Meridians was a type of incurable disease where excessively strong Yin energy blocked the blood vessels and hindered the circulation of Qi. Conversely, there was also a Nine Yang Severed Meridians condition, where the excess of Yang energy caused problems.

“No.”

“Perhaps the Sun Physique…….”

“The Sun Physique. If I had been born with such a convenient body, things would have been much easier.”

The Sun Physique is a constitution that allows one to add Solar Qi to any martial art except for ice-based ones. Even though Baek Geon-ha was a monstrous genius without it, he clicked his tongue as if he were dissatisfied.

“Anything else?”

“Pardon? Anything else…….”

“Can’t you think of anything else?”

The arm draped over his shoulder felt heavy. He wished the man would let go, but Baek Geon-ha was leaning his weight into it, subtly applying pressure.

Seol Ah-heon spoke while breaking into a cold sweat.

“Is it perhaps due to the influence of the martial arts you’ve mastered?”

“Hmm……. That isn’t entirely without influence.”

Baek Geon-ha replied listlessly. It seemed this wasn’t a particularly grave secret. After all, it was a well-known fact that Baek Geon-ha had mastered the Thunderbolt Demonic Art, an Extreme Yang martial art.

‘Is it a kind of occupational hazard?’

Farmers are prone to musculoskeletal issues, and miners are vulnerable to silicosis. In a way, Baek Geon-ha’s symptoms seemed like a professional illness. If he hadn’t packed his entire body with Extreme Yang internal energy, the balance of Yin and Yang might never have broken.

“Little mouse, tell me. What do you think I should do?”

“……I’m not sure.”

Actually, he did have a few thoughts.

If it were him, he wouldn’t have learned the Thunderbolt Demonic Art in the first place. Demonic arts are known to bring fast and powerful results but cause fatal side effects. No matter how important martial arts were, they were nothing compared to one’s health.

But what could be done for someone who had already mastered it? Telling a martial artist to abandon the skills they’ve cultivated is no different from telling them to end their life. Furthermore, given Baek Geon-ha’s situation, abandoning his power would literally put his life at risk.

‘In the end, is the Yin-Harvesting Art the only answer?’

Using powerful martial arts as much as he wanted, then periodically obtaining Yin energy from others. It felt like a bizarre method. But looking at it closely, it wasn’t all bad.

It wasn’t just beneficial for Baek Geon-ha; the women involved seemed satisfied as well. From what Seol Ah-heon had seen, Baek Geon-ha never made the first move. The women were always the ones to seduce him, and they would leave the next morning with faces full of vitality.

‘It’s a win-win.’

Since it was advantageous for all parties involved, there was no need for him, a third party, to nitpick. Having finished his thoughts, Seol Ah-heon spoke.

“Shouldn’t you just continue as you have been?”

“You don’t condemn the Yin-Harvesting Art as a wicked practice, then.”

“I’ve mastered an unorthodox martial art myself, so how could I? And well, it doesn’t seem like anyone is being harmed. It actually seemed good for the women…….”

He trailed off, lacking confidence as there might be side effects he was unaware of. Fortunately, Baek Geon-ha affirmed in a languid voice.

“Correct. The modified version of the art I use is beneficial to the partner as well. Moreover, it brings them to ecstasy multiple times, so isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?”

Is he bragging about his skills in bed all of a sudden?

Naturally, lewd images began to fill his mind—Baek Geon-ha, completely nude, arching his waist… an angry member glistening with moisture…

‘Crap!’

Seol Ah-heon squeezed his eyes shut. But that didn’t stop the video playing in his head. He felt like he was going crazy because of his own imagination.

“Ugh, haa, haa…….”

“……Has a fit of madness suddenly struck you?”

“It’s…… it’s nothing. My physical condition is just poor…….”

Baek Geon-ha withdrew his arm from Seol Ah-heon’s shoulder with a look of contempt. Did the man think he was some pervert panting while imagining someone else’s s*x life?

……It was frustrating because it was half-true, but since Baek Geon-ha had stepped away, he didn’t care.

“I’ve heard your opinion well.”

“Ah, yes…….”

“However, it seems I must obtain pure Yin energy today. The problem is that I cannot find a suitable partner.”

“I see.”

“It is a pity. So, I suppose I shall have to embrace you.”

Baek Geon-ha uttered this nonsense in a beautiful, melodic voice.

Unfortunately, the surroundings were so quiet that he couldn’t even pretend he had misheard. Seol Ah-heon barely managed to find his voice.

“……Pardon?”

“You don’t have to be so moved. It is merely an unfortunate accident.”

That was complete nonsense. An accident is something that happens unexpectedly, but this was entirely Baek Geon-ha’s decision. And yet, the man had the nerve to let out a long sigh as if he were the one enduring a great loss.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse.”

Honestly, he wasn’t sorry at all. Seol Ah-heon continued while shuddering.

“You don’t want to either, Young Leader. Didn’t you say there was no way you would embrace a man?”

“That is why I call it an unfortunate accident. If my Yin energy were sufficient, would I even bother reaching out to someone like you?”

“No, but weren’t you fine until just a moment ago? Why did the Yin energy suddenly…….”

He stopped mid-sentence. He realized why Baek Geon-ha suddenly needed Yin energy.

‘Is it because of the battle?’

It wasn’t a case of “with great power comes great responsibility,” but rather “with great power comes a great need for intimacy.” Seol Ah-heon did not want to participate in this madness.

But he did have a sin on his conscience…….

‘Indeed, you were wrong. If I had the Soul-Freezing Pill, I wouldn’t be lacking in Yin energy.’

Baek Geon-ha’s words came back to him. That’s right; if he hadn’t gulped down that pill, Baek Geon-ha wouldn’t have needed to rely on the Yin-Harvesting Art.

If he had been a bit more immoral or strong enough to oppose Baek Geon-ha, he would have played dumb. But since he wasn’t, he couldn’t just ignore it. In the end, this situation happened because of him.

Seol Ah-heon spoke gloomily.

“……I understand. Then, what do I need to do?”

“You have two choices. First: as soon as we descend the mountain, find an inn, wash yourself clean, and accept me. And second.”

“…….”

“Be taken by me by force.”

His mood sank into a deep depression. He wondered why the man had given him two choices; in reality, his own will hadn’t mattered from the beginning.

“I’ll go with the first one.”

“Oh? How unexpected. I thought being taken by force would be more your style?”

“What?!”

He was so dumbfounded that his face flushed with heat. Forgetting his fear of Baek Geon-ha, Seol Ah-heon raised his voice.

“What exactly about me made you think that?”

“Because you’re a pervert.”

“I am not!”

“A guy who proposes s*x the moment we’re trapped in a secret room isn’t a pervert?”

“T-that was a suggestion I made solely for the purpose of escaping that place!”

Right now, Baek Geon-ha was the one forcing intimacy on him. If one had to choose the pervert between them, it was definitely Baek Geon-ha.

“Such a proposal flows naturally only when one harbors dark intentions normally. It was as if you had been waiting for the chance.”

“I said that’s not it!”

“Do not forget that my laying a hand on you is strictly because of this damn Yin energy.”

Words like ‘Do you think I don’t know that?’ or ‘You should remember that the only reason I’m going along with this is because of the sin I committed!’ rose to his throat. But the only thing Seol Ah-heon uttered was:

“Of course.”

“That is a relief, then. At least you know your place.”

Once again, a surge of anger rose. But Seol Ah-heon desperately rationalized his decision.

‘This is Chivalry. This is the very Chivalry that Kang Seon emphasized so much!’

Would Kang Seon really consider throwing one’s body away to replenish the Yin energy of a Demonic Young Leader as “Chivalry”? A fundamental doubt arose, but Seol Ah-heon tried not to dwell on it. These kinds of problems only made his head ache the more he thought about them.

Only Mu Il-young, walking a few paces behind them, had an expression that looked utterly sour.