Let's get out of here quickly.
Just like Cheongwol, the fact that I'd stepped inside the Phoenix Hall terrified me too.
Let's run away fast.
My legs trembled, and my heart raced with prickles of fear.
I never forgot for a moment what this place was.
It had to be the absolute worst spot in the Central Plains for any SM play.
Pretending to be calm on the outside, I inwardly hurried to leave the pavilion.
But then, an object caught my eye, halting my gaze for a moment.
“...”
Cheongwol was too focused on the leash around her own neck to notice my actions.
Leaving her reaction to chance, I started walking.
I had no idea if she'd suddenly snap the leash here or fly into a rage.
But this was the best option I had.
Kneeling, apologizing, and making a fuss wouldn't calm her anger...
On the contrary, she'd get even madder and more sadistic—that was my only shot at survival.
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
The infiltration was a success, so now I needed an escape plan.
Fortunately, no nuns were in sight nearby.
I straightened my back and led Cheongwol confidently.
We descended the tall pavilion steps one by one.
“Eungh...! Ugh!”
Cheongwol followed behind me, letting out groans that sounded utterly humiliated and disgusted.
I never thought I'd feel this way, but I pitied her a little.
Wasn't I exploiting her heart demon resolution as leverage to do this?
...No, it really does resolve her heart demon, so it's not leverage.
...Whatever. She must hate having to follow me right now when she doesn't want to. Her position was pitiful.
Especially seeing her whimpering not as the murderous ghost, but in such a fragile state.
On the surface, I looked like a lunatic who'd shown up at the Emei Sect temple, leashed one nun around the neck, and taken her for a walk.
And that nun was groaning on the verge of tears.
She'd been meditating so nobly just moments ago.
But I had no choice but to be selfish too, right?
If I don't do this, I'll die soon...!
Half of my plan had succeeded already.
The fact that Cheongwol hadn't palm-struck my neck the moment she saw my face meant half the battle was won.
To resolve the conflict, seeing each other's faces was priority one—and we'd done that, and her rage was subdued for now.
Ultimately, it came down to how satisfied I could make her with the ensuing SM play.
This is tough. So tough.
Keeping the intensity low was hard enough, but keeping it only low wouldn't work either.
She's not the type to get shy now just because I splashed her with some water.
Tolerance builds to stimuli. To keep it stimulating, I had to gradually ramp up the intensity.
Progressive overload, right?
And this was the turning point where the intensity would rise.
If I had to compare, like hitting a 300kg bench press milestone?
Could she handle what I'd planned and prepared for?
“...”
I let out a long internal sigh.
How did my life turn into a nonstop gamble?
We came down from the pavilion and strolled across the wide plaza.
The path to the crumbled wall was far, so far away.
I wanted to drop all pride and run ugly toward the wall, but that wouldn't do.
I had no choice but to chant focus inwardly and proceed step by step.
“Please, Clan Leader... come on...”
Cheongwol whispered from behind.
I glanced back at her. She was rubbing her thighs together, dangling from the leash.
I tried not to look at her expression too much. Didn't want it affecting me.
“Why? This is your home turf. Walk comfortably, Wol-ah.”
“Eungh...! Cl-Clan Leader, you'll be in big trouble if you're caught too! Don't you know this is a strict no-men zone?”
“It's a space full of nuns. Kinda romantic, isn't it? I wanna stay longer?”
The tension on the leash increased.
She must not have liked what I just said.
“But whatever. If my Wol wants a walk, no helping it. Let's go out.”
“...”
After a moment of resistance, Cheongwol suddenly closed the distance between us.
She pressed right up against my back.
Why.
Why is she doing that.
“...What are you doing?”
“...Hiding... the leash...”
...Phew. For a second, I thought she was gonna kill me.
But no, that won't do. It defeats the purpose.
The leash has to dangle long for the play to mean anything.
We needed a consistent distance between us.
That long, clearly visible leash dangling was the source of the humiliation.
“Who said you could?”
“Eungh...”
“Stay right there.”
“Clan Leader...!”
“Don't move.”
I gave Cheongwol the order and stepped a few paces away from her.
Cheongwol fidgeted, unable to keep her toes still... but she didn't defy my command.
The farther I got from her, the longer the leash dangled between us.
Cheongwol grew even more humiliated as it dangled openly, like it was her underwear or something.
I looked at the leash in my hand.
I hadn't realized amid the fear and tension... but wasn't this the moment I'd dreamed of?
This moment of leashing and owning a beautiful masochist.
I slowly traced the long leash from my hand with my eyes.
The hand-braided rope dangled long. At its end was my possession, tethered there.
A possession that couldn't move away or closer without my command.
The Demonic Cult's Seven Heavens, the Life-Pursuing Ghost Cheongwol.
Behind her, the temple. Above, the moon in the sky.
Chills ran through my body at that dreamlike scene.
And Cheongwol, as if sharing my senses, suddenly shuddered violently.
“...Me...”
Cheongwol whispered.
“...What did you do to my body, Clan Leader?”
A chilling sensation overtook me.
Blood rushed to my neck.
“I-I can move now?”
“...Ah.”
Then I snapped back to reality.
This wasn't the time to indulge my mood.
This was the moment to soothe Cheongwol's anger and apologize.
Come to think of it, was heading straight like this okay?
If things went wrong, I'd die— was this fine?
I looked straight at Cheongwol's face for the first time, having been too scared to before.
...And then, I understood.
“Haa... haa...”
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Wol-ah.”
“Eung... Wh-Why... why?”
The guilt I felt toward her lightened a bit.
“...You say you hate it, hate it.”
“Ah...! Eung!”
Cheongwol suddenly covered her face with the back of her hand.
For real.
...This crazy masochist bitch.
“If you make that excited face, who would believe you?”
****
Following Han Seojin's lead, Cheongwol left the Phoenix Hall.
Every step of the walk was humiliating.
She had to follow him without knowing where they were going.
Trust Han Seojin and give up her freedom.
It was exactly like a pet being taken for a walk—no room for her own will.
Even if she wanted to say no and run here, the leash held her back.
Even if she wanted to go another way, she couldn't.
Just moments of following Han Seojin like some slave.
Not something to do in Emei Sect robes.
The gap was too extreme, going from serene meditation to this suddenly.
I shouldn't.
Cheongwol repeated to herself.
Stop it. What are you doing? You're supposed to be in confinement. Why leave the Phoenix Hall?
‘...It's the leash. What can I do when Han Seojin is leading me?’
You can cut it easily. It's just some rope—what's the big deal?
‘My qi won't circulate. No strength in my body.’
Does it make sense for the Emei Sect's successor to be leashed and walked? You're the face of Emei Sect!
‘Successor? Right now, I'm just Han Seojin's...’
Snap out of it.
‘...’
...Snap out of it. You wanted to be a heroine like the Sect Leader.
‘...I don't even know what my goal is anymore.’
Cheongwol-ah. This is disgusting.
‘...Disgusting? But...’
...It excites me.
‘...!!’
Cheongwol suddenly stopped walking.
“Eung!”
A jolt hit her neck.
Midway up the lush, wooded Emei Mountain.
Trees enclosed the area, making it feel like stepping into a small room.
The Phoenix Hall was out of sight now.
Han Seojin turned to look at her.
“What? Come on, hurry.”
“...”
Cheongwol fidgeted with her fingers.
The more she felt this sense of depravity.
The more excited she got by the act, the more that pleasure terrified her into hesitation.
Her reason instinctively told her this was something she shouldn't know more about.
And each time she snapped to like this, she was shocked by her own state.
Just dozens of days ago, could she have imagined changing like this?
Where had the pride she felt as a proud heroine gone?
She never imagined she'd wear a leash fit for a dog.
She never thought she'd submit to a man.
Let alone the owner of that leather shop on the village outskirts she'd always ignored.
Above all... she still couldn't accept that she was truly getting excited by this act.
Such a vulgar, humiliating act.
Pretending not to follow it, feigning ignorance while enjoying it— she loathed that side of herself.
Even as Han Seojin showed her this was her true self... Cheongwol struggled to admit she was a pervert like that.
This isn't me.
I'm an Emei Sect nun. The successor. The talent the entire Central Plains expects.
...Then what the hell is this mess?
“Wol-ah. I said come on, hurry.”
Han Seojin shook the leash.
Cheongwol frowned.
Then, with great difficulty, she opened her mouth... and made a big decision.
“...Untie me.”
She whispered.
“What?”
“Untie me. I-I... thought about it, and I'm in confinement. This isn't the time for this with you.”
“...”
“Th-The Sect Leader will get even madder if she finds out I left my post.”
Han Seojin stared at her silently.
Cheongwol grew inexplicably anxious in that silence.
Weirdly scared he'd get mad again.
Han Seojin approached slowly.
Unconsciously, Cheongwol averted her eyes and stepped back.
“Ugh!”
The leash stopped her from backing away.
She felt anew, every moment, how bound she was to him.
Couldn't escape, couldn't run.
...Why did that feel so good?
“Why worry about the Sect Leader? You're my possession right now.”
Cheongwol felt her cheeks flush.
She tried to resist, but physiological reactions couldn't be stopped.
It made no sense.
Mentioning Emei Sect Leader Muwol Satae would make anyone in the Central Plains back off.
But conversely, Han Seojin acted like it made no sense either.
No matter who Muwol Satae was, she couldn't just take his possession, right?
Cheongwol shook her head vigorously.
Pushing him away once more.
“If you want a walk...! Do it with Dang Soran...! I can't!”
Words she didn't mean slipped out.
But this was the only way to vent her grievance, betrayal, and anger.
She hadn't forgiven Han Seojin yet.
She still couldn't forget the red marks left on Dang Soran's butt.
“Untie me. I'm going back.”
“...”
“Why doesn't the Clan Leader... stay with Dang Soran you like so much? Be honest. You prefer Dang Soran, right?”
...Tell me no. You're my one and only friend.
“I can't give any gifts, just throw tantrums. Dang Soran has money, feeds you— she's better, right.”
She was the one speaking, but she was the one getting hurt.
“I get it all, so leave me alone now and go to Dang Soran. Go adore her more.”
...But this was the right thing.
As she said, she was Emei Sect's successor. She couldn't get swept up in this anymore.
It'd be more beneficial for Han Seojin to be with Dang Soran, who had so much to offer.
It meant he didn't need to look after her.
And above all, Cheongwol didn't want Han Seojin's pity.
She didn't want playtime out of feeling sorry for her.
Cheongwol knew it too.
Dang Soran was prettier. She understood that.
She would've thought the same in her shoes.
...Then what was this stuffiness in her chest?
I hate it. I really hate poor Emei Sect.
An insurmountable gap existed between her and Dang Soran.
Han Seojin let go of the leash with a flick.
The end of the rope fell to the ground.
“...Ah.”
Cheongwol's heart sank too.
Contrary to her bold claims, being released felt like being discarded— tears welled up.
She wanted to hand the leash back to his hand.
That's when Han Seojin spoke.
“I like the ones who obey my words better. They're prettier.”
Those words ignited something in Cheongwol's chest.
It bridged the gap between Dang Soran and her.
“...What?”
It had always been that way from the start.
This domineering, rough man lavished praise and joy when his orders were obeyed— generously.
“More than someone feeding me... a pet that doesn't disobey my commands is cuter.”
Her heartbeat grew louder.
Then, what about her right now?
“You two really hate each other consistently. Mad at Dang Soran?”
“...Eungh...”
“Then, I'll give you a chance for revenge.”
“...Huh?”
Han Seojin pulled something from his pocket.
One was a small Buddha statue from the pavilion.
“Wh-What are you doing bringing Buddha here!”
It was a broken statue, but for a moment, Cheongwol felt like Buddha was watching her— chills rose.
But Han Seojin ignored her, casually dropping the statue on the ground.
“Ah...!”
Cheongwol reflexively bent to pick it up and dust off the dirt.
But—
Han Seojin grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.
“...I didn't tell you to pick it up, did I?”
‘I like the ones who obey my words better. They're prettier.’
“Ugh!”
Cheongwol's body froze unnaturally at that.
She kept glancing at the Buddha statue.
It felt like it was scolding her.
What was that shameful sight?
But even so, Cheongwol didn't move carelessly.
For now, Han Seojin's presence overwhelmed it.
Meanwhile, Han Seojin pulled out another item.
“...Ah.”
“Leather knife I got from Dang Soran.”
Cheongwol already knew.
She'd prepared a leather knife too, but it paled next to the Tang Clan masterpiece.
She'd felt the gap starkly in that shabbiness.
It was the gift from Dang Soran that turned Cheongwol's leather knife to trash.
“It's well-made. Cuts leather easy. As expected of Sichuan Tang Clan craftsmanship.”
Watching him delight in Dang Soran's gift twisted Cheongwol's expression against her will.
Even this, Han Seojin tossed to the ground.
Cheongwol couldn't understand the act.
Was he throwing away those two items?
Symbols of Emei Sect and Dang Soran.
It might feel a bit relieving... but was that revenge?
Han Seojin glanced around briefly.
Naturally, no one was nearby.
“Easing a pet's anger is the owner's duty too.”
“...So you think this will make me... Ah, no, more importantly, why are you my owner?”
“Kyaa!”
Han Seojin arbitrarily placed his hand on Cheongwol's lower abdomen.
Cheongwol freaked out and swatted his arm away.
“D-Do you wanna die for real!”
Han Seojin calmly withdrew his hand and said,
“You drank a lot of tea earlier, right? Gotta pee?”
“...What?”
He nodded toward Dang Soran's leather knife and the Buddha statue.
“On these...”
Cheongwol looked down at the two items.
Han Seojin whispered commandingly.
“...Pee on them, Wol-ah.”