Young-Sik adopted a more assertive position, gripping his sword with both hands, holding it at eye level with the blade angled skyward, its tip aimed directly at Xun Ju. The Guiong captain was the first to make a move, charging forward. Young-Sik remained steadfast, biding his time for the perfect moment to counter. Just as Xun Ju swung horizontally, Young-Sik deftly crouched, evading the blow, and then swiftly redirected his sword upward, slicing into Xun Ju's shoulder—the very spot where Jin-Ri had been injured.
Xun Ju stopped a couple of steps away, ever the proud soldier, laughed derisively at the prince's pathetic attempts. "What's this? Another swing and a miss? You really are pitiful, aren't you? It's almost laughable how you can't inflict any real damage on me. Or maybe it's just that I'm on an entirely different level than you?" His taunts dripped with condescension, reveling in his supposed superiority.
Instead of replying, Young-Sik adopted a different stance, he turned his back on Xun Ju. This made the arrogant captain stop laughing. "What is that stance? Are you surrendering your life?" But Young-Sik did not respond, not even a whisper, "Are you insulting me? Turn around and face me! I said Face me! Damn you Chiong dog!" He charged at the prince, who was just standing there, not even paying him any attention. Xun-Ju thrusts his blade aimed at Young-Sik's back, but just like his other attempts, just before his sword could reach the prince, Young-Sik crouched, pivoting with his left foot, and he slashed at Xun-Ju's exposed abdomen, but only dealt a shallow cut.
Young-Sik continued with this pattern of counter-attack, dodging at the last second and then dealing a shallow cut on Xun Ju. The arrogant captain was going to laugh at the prince's skills, but by the tenth cut, he started to notice the pain.
Young-Sik noticed Xun Ju starting to grimace, it was then that he explained the method to his madness, "I guess you are starting to notice something now. While one or three cuts mean nothing, the pain of several cuts is starting to get to you." Young-Sik walks around Xun Ju, who is beginning to understand that he is not the hunter; rather, he is the hunted. "This is a form of Chiongsun punishment, reserved only for the vilest of individuals. It is called...."
"*The hundred strike death!*" Empress Pai suddenly blurted out.
"*What? What are you talking about?*" Emperor Yuan asked, his curiosity piqued as he sought clarification.
Empress Pai's eyes remained glued to her cousin as he viciously attacked the vulnerable Guiong soldier. "*It's the most horrific death penalty in the Chiongsun justice system,*" she said, inhaling deeply with a twisted smile. "*The victim endures cuts all over their body, again and again, until they perish, but not before their mind completely breaks down from the unending torment.*" She explained to the Emperor.
Xun Ju reeled back after receiving his twentieth cut. "Where is that laughter, where is that bravado?" The prince taunted his prey, dashing at his target, he gave Xun Ju five more cuts this time on the neck and face. "Here is a Chiongsun historical fact for you, the longest time a condemned endured this punishment is with seventy cuts, you already have twenty-five, let's see if we can break that record," Young-Sik gave a bone-chilling smile that sent a wave of fear all over Xun Ju's body.
The prince dashed towards the man; it may have seemed to be a brief moment, but he delivered fifteen more cuts all over his prey's body. "Mercy, please..." Xun Ju weakly said, "The pain, I can't take it anymore, please...please...let me live! I'm sorry...I'm sorry for hurting and disrespecting your woman."
Young-Sik closed his eyes as he breathed deeply, taking in the smell of fear emanating from the once arrogant Xun Ju. When the prince opened his eyes, they were burning with the fury of hatred and loathing towards the Guiong soldier "You should have listened when you had the chance, you will watch as your emperor is powerless to save you, you will suffer an agonizing death knowing you were abandoned by your country" Young-Sik instilling fear determined to break the mind and heart of his prey and not just the body.
Young-Sik dashed again at the severely weakened Xun Ju, adding more cuts, "Fifty! Come on, you can hold on to another twenty-one, right? You are, after all, as you said, physically superior." Young-Sik dashed repeatedly at his helpless victim. Even the battle-hardened Guiong soldiers turned their eyes away, unable to stomach the brutal and savage punishment Xun Ju was receiving. Their once-proud captain was reduced to what looked like a walking corpse, his entire body covered with dozens of cuts, blood oozing from the wounds.
"Eighty! Congratulations, you officially beat the record!" Young-Sik said, taunting the man who was barely clinging to life. His opponent was kneeling, his arms hanging limp on his sides. Bright red blood flowed freely over his eyes, his breathing shallow and raspy. The prince approached the man and raised his sword. "This will be the fatal cut, but don't celebrate yet, because it will not be a swift end, you will stay alive long enough to see all of your blood exit your body!" With those words, Young-Sik slashed the jugular area of the neck, but only nicking the vein, to ensure prolonged pain and suffering.
Xun Ju fell face first, and as he felt his life ebb away, he was reminded of the instance that led him to his gruesome demise.
Two days ago, a Chiongsun soldier snuck away from the main group and headed to his office.
The soldier bowed to him and handed a rolled-up parchment. He then exited to rejoin the Chiongsun delegation. "Kill the prince?" He continued to the bottom of the letter, "A thousand gold bars for the prince's head...You sly old man. You wanted an incident so you could have your war. Don't worry, you will have your war after I kill the prince."
Xun-Ju looked out of his office and saw Young-Sik carefully helping Jin-Ri get off her horse. "Like all great wars, this one will start because of a girl," he thought to himself.
"War...war...w-war...wa..." Xun Ju breathed his last breath, and he died in a pool of blood. His eyes were wide open, and they reflected the torturous pain he had endured during his final moments.
When Guiong soldiers saw their Captain die through torture, they pulled out their weapons and shouted angrily at the Chiongsun prince, ready to charge and avenge their leader. But Emperor Yuan intervened, "*Stay your swords!*" He shouted "*Captain Xun Ju died by the rules of the challenge that he issued. We will honor those rules!*" The emperor then glared at the victorious prince. this was the first time he witnessed the results when savagery, speed, accuracy, skills, and hatred were used on the battlefield. He knew that he did not have anyone who could match Young-Sik's skills with the sword, and he had no choice but to return the prince to Chiongsun, alive.
"* Take all of your people, leave Guiong, and never come back! For if you step on our land ever again, even if you are here on diplomatic missions, I will have you beheaded! *" He warned the prince before turning around to leave.
Young-Sik looked at her cousin Empress Pai, who discreetly smiled at him. She then gracefully gestured with her hand for the prince and his party to leave immediately. Young-Sik bowed to his cousin with the utmost respect before turning around to leave. The wall of soldiers parted and allowed him to leave. He went straight to the mansion where they were staying.
Young-Sik was not even near the mansion when Jin-Ri came running toward the prince. The couple greeted each other with an embrace. Young-Sik lifted Jin-Ri, and while in an embrace, they twirled around. "Were you worried about me?" he asked the court maiden
Jin-Ri shook her head and, with a smile, she replied, "Not even one bit." She kissed the prince, who then carefully lowered her down. "I don't want to sound indelicate, but I hope you didn't make him suffer and just ended it quickly."
Young-Sik bit on his lower lip and clicked with his tongue, "Well...uhm about that...well it's done, if that is what you mean," he said with a silly grin
"Yong...what did you do?" she asked, her demeanor changing from happy to concerned
"That's not important right now," Young-Saik explained, changing the subject. he took Jin-Ri by the hand and pulled her back to the mansion.
Once inside, he was greeted with cheers by the rest of his party, but the prince had to cut their celebration short. "Listen, we have to leave now, so Captain Gi, take some soldiers with you and get our horses and carriages." He then turned his attention towards the court maidens, "Jin-Ri...take the court maidens and collect all our things, start stuffing them in the carts, will sort them out once we are back in Pyeongchaek. The rest come with me we will secure our passage out of here, we must be out of Guiong in one hour!" The groups quickly made their way to do their designated tasks.
Captain Gi and several Chiongsun soldiers quickly went to the stables and collected their horses. The rest got their carriages and attached them to the horses.
Jin-Ri leads the court maidens in collecting all of their things and dumping them on the carts that have just arrived. After loading them, Jin-Ri personally made a head count of the court maidens as they boarded the carriages, and she made sure that everyone was accounted for.
Once Jin-Ri had mounted her horse and the court maidens had boarded, Captain Gi and his contingent of soldiers led the horse-drawn carriages toward the palace gates. Once they reached the gates, they were joined by Young-Sik, who mounted his horse and led the party out of the palace. At the city gates, Young-Sik lets everyone go out first. once he is assured that his party is safely out of the city, he takes one more look at Guiong before whipping his horse's reins and exiting the city himself.
Back in the Imperial palace, Emperor Yuan was seething in fury "*Why did you not tell me of your cousin's skills?*" He shouted at Empress Pai.
The empress calmly drank her tea before answering, "*The last time I saw that boy was when he was just ten years old. I have not set foot in my native Chiongsun since the day we got married*" She takes another sip of her tea "*So I wouldn't know what he is capable of, can I?*"
The emperor toppled the table, but the Empress did not flinch even as the emperor shouted at her. Seeing that the Empress was apathetic to his dilemma, he stormed off. Along the hallways of the Imperial Palace, he is met by one of his bodyguards.
The bodyguard bows to the emperor. "* What are your orders, your Highness? *"
"* Gather my guards, all of them. I want the Chiongsun party killed, but bring the prince back alive so that I can kill him myself! *" He angrily commanded. The bodyguard bowed, and the emperor turned around and walked alone along the corridors.
It was almost dusk when the prince's group passed the Chiongsun-Guiong border. The party members all sighed in relief once they were in Chiongsun's land. The prince, however, kept looking over his shoulders as if expecting something to happen.
As the Chiongsun party approached the looming eastern mountain ranges, Prince Young-Sik abruptly halted his horse, his gaze darting in every direction, panic etched across his face. Though his unease went unnoticed by most, Jin-Ri sensed the tension. "Yong...what's the matter? Is something wrong?"
Without a word, the prince leaped from his mount, landing with urgency. "Your Highness, what troubles you?" Kwan inquired, concern lacing his voice. Instead of responding, Young-Sik raised a finger, signaling for silence. He knelt, pressing his ear to the ground, eyes shut tight. When he finally opened them, they were clouded with dread. Gasping for breath, he rose, peering into the distance. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a cloud of dust rising ominously, revealing the approach of galloping horsemen.
Young-Sik quickly mounted his horse and shouted, "Guiong soldiers, move quickly!" The others all looked back, and when they saw the charging Guiong soldiers from a distance, they quickly scampered away. The drivers of the horse carriages called everyone to board and whipped the reins to make the horses run.