Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: How Dare You?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was just as I was about to rise from my seat.
“What’s this?”
The gazes of the Fifteen Protectors turned in that direction as well.
Suddenly, an overwhelming aura began to rise up to this floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed.
The entire tower shook.
“W-what’s that!?”
“I-is it an earthquake?”
The eyes of those enjoying their tea naturally turned that way.
“N-no, sir! That area is—”
“Out of my way.”
A group of martial artists was making their way up toward us.
The server boy tried desperately to block them, but he couldn’t hold back the rough strides of the warriors.
The top floor was soon packed with thirty of them.
They made no effort to conceal their murderous intent.
They were ferocious, like beasts of prey.
「They appear to be saber wielders from the Lion Gate.」
The Lion Gate was a sect rampant in the Guizhou region, renowned for its sharp, aggressive nature, just like its name.
Terrified guests began leaving one by one.
The saber wielders didn’t bother stopping them.
Their attitude suggested they saw claiming this space as entirely natural.
A lion’s territory could not tolerate other beasts.
“Pardon me, are you Lady Sima Seon-ui, the White Sword Plum Orchid of the Azure Blossom Manor?”
At that moment, the burliest man among the saber wielders stepped forward and cupped his fists in salute.
My eyes and the plain-looking man’s turned toward them.
It was that woman who had been staring piercingly at me.
‘Azure Blossom Manor?’
「I’ve heard rumors that the Sword Emperor of the Clear Sky had a late daughter with his concubine in his later years. This woman must be that precious daughter.」
The Sword Emperor was one of the Ten Great Masters of the world, alongside my master and the Dark Lord.
I knew he’d had a late child at an age where grandchildren wouldn’t be surprising, and that her talent had him utterly enamored.
I hadn’t realized she was this grown up.
But over six years had passed since my death, so it wasn’t strange for her to be an adult now.
「The Lion Blade King, sect leader of the Lion Gate, challenged the Sword Emperor to a duel a year ago, claiming he was qualified for a seat among the Ten Great Masters.」
‘He must have been utterly crushed.’
「Indeed. Word is it ended in ten moves.」
That was only natural.
No matter how much the Lion Blade King proclaimed himself the supreme in Guizhou’s martial world, he was nowhere near the level of the Ten Great Masters.
‘Looks like they want revenge for their sect leader.’
It was a common occurrence in the martial world.
The grudges of disciples applied equally to their sect.
So it was perfectly normal for another disciple to settle the score on their behalf.
Bringing so many along suggested they aimed to flaunt the Lion Gate’s prestige while crushing Lady Sima Seon-ui’s spirit.
The problem was that the person in question didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
Truly befitting the cherished daughter of the Sword Emperor.
The one who looked intimidated was our still-nameless plain-looking man.
He was rolling his eyes furtively, seemingly calculating how to escape unscathed.
“If so?”
Lady Sima Seon-ui, who had been statue-still until then, finally spoke.
Her eyes had turned icy cold—she clearly grasped the Lion Gate’s intentions.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cho Do-yang of the Lion Gate.”
“The Red Lion Blade!”
“The sect leader’s second disciple has come all this way—”
“Is he here to avenge his master’s past defeat?”
The crowd buzzed.
「The Lion Blade King’s disciples are all infamous for their savage and cruel temperaments, much like their master. Especially his second disciple, Cho Do-yang, whose brutality earned him the moniker Red Lion, as he’s said to live drenched in blood.」
Cho Do-yang seemed to relish the attention.
The more eyes on him, the greater the impact when he defeated Lady Sima Seon-ui.
“So what?”
“On behalf of the Lion Gate, I formally challenge Lady Sima Seon-ui of the Azure Blossom Manor to a duel.”
At that moment, another woman stood from her seat.
“Isn’t that rude? Barging in without warning and demanding a duel out of nowhere.”
“Seeing you with Lady Sima, you must be Lady Yu Su-min of the Emei Sect.”
“Does my identity matter?”
“It does.”
“What?”
“This is a matter between the Lion Gate and the Azure Blossom Manor. The Emei Sect has no business interfering.”
One corner of Cho Do-yang’s mouth curled up.
“Well, if Lady Sima finds it difficult alone, Lady Yu may join her in a joint assault. I won’t mind.”
“!!”
Lady Yu Su-min’s face stiffened.
What could be more insulting than permitting a joint attack in a duel?
Nothing belittled an opponent’s skill more.
Lady Sima Seon-ui, who had been silently staring at Cho Do-yang, slowly rose from her seat.
“Fine. Let’s do this duel.”
“Sister Sima!”
“Don’t worry. If I’d dodged every such challenge, I couldn’t call myself my father’s daughter.”
Lady Yu Su-min looked worried, but Lady Sima Seon-ui calmly shook her head.
Cho Do-yang burst into roaring laughter.
“Ha! As expected of the Sword Emperor’s blood—straightforward! Then let’s move. The pavilion’s rear courtyard is spacious enough for crossing blades.”
“But I have a condition.”
“A condition?”
“If you lose the duel, apologize to Sister Min.”
“A mere apology? Easy.”
“Bow your head and apologize sincerely.”
“Sincerely...”
Cho Do-yang stroked his chin, then grinned wickedly.
“Then I’ll add a condition of my own. Fair is fair, right?”
“What is it?”
“If Lady Sima loses, crawl under my pant leg. And apologize most politely.”
Lady Sima Seon-ui’s face hardened for the first time.
Lady Yu Su-min urgently grabbed her arm.
“That’s outrageous! I’m fine, so don’t mind me—”
“No. Leave it to me.”
Lady Sima Seon-ui patted Lady Yu Su-min’s shoulder while glaring coldly at Cho Do-yang.
His smile only widened.
“Still want to set terms?”
“Fine. But you’d better be prepared for the same.”
“Excellent! Ha! Perfect!”
The wager seemed settled that way.
「Young Lord.」
‘Yeah. Let’s go.’
I had no more reason to linger.
As I turned toward the stairs to head out, one of the saber wielders suddenly blocked my path.
What the hell is this guy?
“Apologies, young master, but you must remain seated until the duel between Lady Sima and myself concludes.”
「How insolent!」
His tone was polite, but his eyes were utterly murderous.
He had no intention of letting me leave.
I glanced at Cho Do-yang.
“Ah, the guests here must stay and witness this humble Cho and Lady Sima’s duel to the end. Especially Lady Sima’s companions—I must insist.”
It was phrased as a request, but it was pure intimidation.
He wanted as many spectators as possible.
Or to prevent anyone from slipping out to seek help.
The atmosphere chilled like ice water had been poured.
Lady Yu Su-min and the plain-looking man fell silent.
Meanwhile, irritation boiled up inside me.
My followers were cornered in a dead-end alley outside, waiting for rescue, and these idiots were holding me back?
“Move.”
I tried to brush past, but the saber wielder drew his blade partway and growled.
“Sit down. Until the young master speaks—”
No need to hear more.
I reached out, seized his face, and slammed him headfirst into the table behind.
Boom!
The table shattered, splinters flying everywhere.
It happened in an instant.
All eyes turned my way.
「Fools, picking the one moment when the Young Lord is on edge.」
I heard the Fifteen Protectors clicking their tongues.
“You bastard—”
“How dare—”
Whoosh—
Two nearby saber wielders drew their blades and charged.
“How dare you?”
Flash!
Sparks flew from my eyes.
At the same instant, a gale erupted from my toes.
I tensed my hand into a blade and slapped aside the saber thrusting straight at me.
“!!”
My hand blade carried considerable force.
The saber snapped from the rebound, shards flying upward, revealing the saber wielder’s shocked face.
Twisting my body half around, I shot out my left hand and clamped his face.
Crunch!
I clenched hard.
My five fingers pierced his skull in one go, crushing his head like a watermelon.
“Hae-an!!”
Must’ve been the dead man’s name.
But I unleashed Gale Slash Kick at the one charging from the other side.
A razor-sharp energy sliced diagonally through his torso like a drawn blade.
Slash!
Thud!
His upper body slid along the bloody line and hit the floor.
“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
The bout ended in just two moves.
The gale scattered bloody mist everywhere.
The metallic tang hit my nose.
Clang clang clang!
The other Lion Gate saber wielders leaped toward me in unison.
Eager for revenge on their fallen comrades, no doubt.
I unleashed a greater gale.
Normally, I’d have just subdued them and left, but right now, I was seriously pissed.
These worthless pests kept getting in my way—I just wanted to sweep them aside.
Gale Wind Dance
Gale Wind Fury
So I shrugged my shoulders and launched Shadow Step.
The indoor space was too cramped for thirty to maneuver together, so overwhelming destructive power to crush them all was far more effective.
Kablooey!
The vanguard turned to bloody pulp and flew back.
Sabers flew at me from all sides, but they couldn’t pierce the gale’s fierce winds and bounced off repeatedly.
Then Iron Mountain Charge’s mighty breakthrough power smashed them to pieces without fail.
“Fall back!!”
As seven or eight shattered and trampled in seconds, they scattered desperately to create distance.
Hoping to escape my attack range and regroup.
But they couldn’t fully escape my demonic grasp.
My current form was Tang Yun-hwi of the Tang Clan of Sichuan.
What was a Tang clansman’s specialty? Hidden weapons.
I released Iron Mountain Charge and stomped hard.
A small shockwave sent shattered saber fragments flying into the air.
I flicked my hand lightly.
The gale swirled violently, scattering the shards everywhere.
Each fragment brimmed with Shrinking Wind Blade energy.
Fleeing foes lost limbs or had their foreheads riddled with holes.
Pop pop pop—
Thud thud thud!
Two-thirds of the thirty saber wielders died in a blink.
Delayed flesh scraps rained down.
Blood pooled thick on the floor, like a shower of blood.
“What in the world...!”
Cho Do-yang gaped at me, utterly dumbfounded.
His elites massacred—it looked like a nightmare.
The nameless plain-looking man ducked his head, trembling lest our eyes meet.
Lady Yu Su-min and Lady Sima Seon-ui stared at me, faces frozen.
Drenched in red blood, I growled coldly.
“Do you still intend to block my path?”