Chapter 119: Dragon and Phoenix Gathering-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: Dragon and Phoenix Gathering-3
BOOM!
Furniture inside Pungcheonru was smashed into splinters, debris scattering in every direction.
"Hwa Un-san!"
"Hwangbo Ak!"
CRASH!
Hwa Un-san’s sword clashed with Hwangbo Ak’s fist, letting out a thunderous roar.
The Rising Stars of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering watched the scene with troubled expressions, unsure of how to intervene. They had been enjoying a fine meal and drinks just moments ago—what on earth was this sudden madness?
Even Taoist Priest Cheongmyeong, the guest of honor for the celebration, looked on with a distressed face, unable to take proper action. He had no justification to stop them.
To a martial artist, pride was something more precious than life itself. Having had their pride wounded so deeply, the two men were likely seeing red. Furthermore, they were the Rising Stars of the Mount Hua Sect and the Hwangbo Clan—prestigious sects and families, respectively. This was no longer just a personal spat; the reputations of their great organizations were on the line.
Who would dare interfere in such a fight?
While the "Dragons and Phoenixes" hesitated, the battle grew even more intense.
THWACK!
"Gah!"
Hwangbo Ak’s fist slammed into Hwa Un-san’s chest.
WHOOSH—CRASH!
Hwa Un-san was sent flying through the air, slamming hard into the back wall.
"You bastard!"
Hwa Un-san scrambled to his feet immediately, shouting in a fit of rage.
"You claim to be the master of the Dragon and Phoenix with such pathetic skills? Even a passing dog would laugh at you!"
"So you really want to see this through to the end!"
As Hwa Un-san spoke, a shimmering blue energy began to radiate from his sword. It was Sword Qi.
"Sword Qi, is it...? Do you think you can handle what's coming?"
Hwangbo Ak’s fists also began to glow with a shimmering blue light. It was Fist Qi. Both men were now drawing upon their full strength.
Seeing this, Cheongmyeong cried out in alarm.
"Brother Hwa! Brother Hwangbo! Calm yourselves! If you keep this up, neither of you will come out of this unscathed!"
Sword Qi and Fist Qi? This meant they were prepared to fight to the death. This couldn't happen. Especially not today, on the day they had gathered to celebrate his birthday. He couldn't allow blood to be spilled on such an occasion.
SHRING.
Cheongmyeong drew the sword he had kept by his side. He had to stop them right now.
But before he could move, Hwangbo Ak and Hwa Un-san were already charging at each other.
"Die!"
"You first!"
It was then. Just as the Fist Qi and Sword Qi were about to collide—
SWISH!
A single sword flew through the air, slicing between the two men.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
Startled by the sudden projectile, Hwangbo Ak and Hwa Un-san reflexively twisted their bodies away.
THUD!
The sword had been thrown with such immense force that it buried itself into the wall up to the hilt.
Hwa Un-san and Hwangbo Ak felt a chill run down their spines. If they had moved even one step further, that sword would have skewered them. Their fear quickly turned to fury as they whirled around toward the direction the sword had come from.
Standing there was an unexpected figure.
"...Lee Ye-seol."
"...The Heavenly Sword Phoenix."
Indeed, the one who had intervened by throwing the sword was none other than the Heavenly Sword Phoenix, Lee Ye-seol. She was glaring at them, her fine brows furrowed in a deep scowl.
"Lady Lee! What do you think you're doing?"
"Interfering in a duel between martial artists! Even for you, Lady Lee, this is crossing the line!"
Hwa Un-san and Hwangbo Ak began to shout at her. This wasn't just about their personal pride anymore; it was about the honor of their sects. To interfere in such a grave matter—even if she was the daughter of the Absolute Martial God, Lee Jae-won—was going too far.
"The ones crossing the line are you two," Lee Ye-seol replied, her voice cold. "What kind of occasion is this? Did we gather at Pungcheonru today just to watch you two bicker like children?"
It was not. This was a regular meeting of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering and a banquet to celebrate Cheongmyeong’s birthday.
"Young Master Hwangbo, Young Master Hwa... I was quite displeased earlier. How dare you take it upon yourselves to invite a woman no one knows to this banquet without consulting anyone else?"
She pierced them with a sharp gaze. Hwangbo Ak lowered his head, seemingly speechless, but Hwa Un-san’s face flushed red with indignation.
"Lady Lee, I am the leader of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering. I believe I have at least that much authority!" Hwa Un-san snapped back.
"Since when did the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, a social circle, develop a hierarchy and power structure? I remember agreeing to a social gathering, but I don't recall ever agreeing to serve under someone and take orders."
She was right. From the beginning, the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was meant for the "Dragons and Phoenixes" to socialize; it was never intended to be a paramilitary or political organization.
"Of course, I am well aware that Young Master Hwa has handled many matters while serving as the leader, and we are all sufficiently grateful. However, if you wish to invite someone to Pungcheonru—a place we all paid for with our collective dues—shouldn't you at least ask for permission?"
Her argument was perfectly logical.
"..."
They couldn't even offer a rebuttal. In their hearts, they wanted to scold her for a mere woman interfering in a sacred duel between men, but she was no "mere woman." She was the precious daughter of Lee Jae-won, the leader of the massive Cheonmu Alliance, a power far greater than anyone else in Pungcheonru. Since she was countering them with sound logic, they had nothing to say.
"Both of you, stand down. It’s natural for men to get a bit rowdy when the alcohol starts talking, but if it goes too far, it becomes a pathetic display."
She calmly mediated between the two. Regardless of the friction, they were all part of the Orthodox Faction and needed to maintain good relations. Moreover, hadn't the Demonic Cult recently risen and stirred up trouble for the Tang Clan? At a time when they should be united, they couldn't afford to ruin the relationship between two great powers over a petty romantic dispute involving some random girl.
"I have heard my father say that a true man should be able to wash away past petty grievances over a single cup of wine. Young Master Hwangbo, Young Master Hwa, why don't you both head up to the second floor, have a drink, and let these old feelings flow away?"
Of course, that was nonsense. But since there was no method more effective than using her father’s name, Lee Ye-seol lied without hesitation. The Absolute Martial God, Lee Jae-won, was an idol not just to young martial artists, but to all who walked the path of the sword.
Perhaps her words worked, for Hwangbo Ak and Hwa Un-san both withdrew their energy and turned to head up to the second floor. After hearing Lee Ye-seol’s words and reflecting, they realized they had been incredibly rash.
Lee Ye-seol smiled with satisfaction once she confirmed they had stood down.
Step, step.
Then, she began to walk slowly toward the root cause of this entire incident. If she didn't deal with this source of trouble, the same thing might happen again.
'Tsk, men.'
Clicking her tongue inwardly, she stopped in front of the culprit.
"Miss."
Lee Ye-seol called out to the woman who had been the center of the storm.
"Hm? Why?"
The woman, Yorang, tilted her head and asked with a bright, innocent smile.
"As you can see, our Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was nearly ruined because of you. How do you intend to take responsibility for this?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Yorang asked, looking puzzled.
"Simply leaving Pungcheonru would be one way, but I doubt Young Master Hwa and Young Master Hwangbo’s pride would allow you to just walk away."
"Then?"
"How about you serve the 'Dragons' of our gathering some wine today?"
She was suggesting Yorang act as a hostess. Though she had calmed Hwa Un-san and Hwangbo Ak with words, it was only a temporary fix. If she made the woman they were infatuated with serve them drinks, their wounded pride would be somewhat mollified.
Furthermore, Lee Ye-seol simply didn't like the woman in front of her. Hwa Un-san, who had been showing interest in her, had immediately ditched his seat the moment this woman appeared. Even though she didn't have a shred of interest in Hwa Un-san, her pride was deeply stung. Moreover, the woman possessed a beauty that was breathtaking even to another woman, which only fueled her irritation.
Thus, while using her as a tool for reconciliation, she also wanted to degrade this stunning beauty into a lowly woman who serves drinks. She intended to show the men the difference between a stupid, low-born girl with nothing but a pretty face and her own noble self.
It was a fragment of ugly jealousy, but she didn't care. What mattered to her was restoring her pride, which had been cracked because of another woman.
"Mmm..."
At her words, Yorang stroked her chin, falling into a contemplative pose. It was a habit Sun-woo often displayed when he was deep in thought. Before long, she opened her mouth.
"Why should I do that?"
Yorang asked, expressing her confusion. Though she wasn't perfectly fluent in the language of the Central Plains, she knew that "serving drinks" was a bad thing. Madam Un Ga-ryeo, worried about her peerless beauty, had warned her repeatedly before she left. She told her that if anyone ever tried to force her to serve drinks or attend to them at night, she should slap them across the face immediately.
She didn't know the exact meaning, but it was clearly something unpleasant. So, she was genuinely curious. What had she done wrong that this woman was telling her to serve drinks?
"Didn't I just say? The atmosphere of the party was ruined because of you."
"What did I do?"
"Did you not enter Pungcheonru, which we rented out, and take a seat without permission?"
"I got permission, though?" Yorang said, pointing a finger at Hwangbo Ak.
"That was not a collective agreement. It was Young Master Hwangbo’s unilateral decision. Furthermore, because of that, Young Master Hwa and Young Master Hwangbo ended up in a duel."
"Is it my fault they fought, too?" Yorang continued, feeling the situation was absurd. No matter how much she thought about it, she didn't think she was in the wrong. Why did they keep blaming her?
"If you look at the cause, the fault lies with you. If you hadn't entered Pungcheonru in the first place, things wouldn't have escalated like this."
Lee Ye-seol pushed her forced logic. In truth, it was the fault of Hwangbo Ak and Hwa Un-san for engaging in a power struggle over her that turned into a pride war, but Lee Ye-seol shifted all the blame onto Yorang. She felt it was wiser to blame a third party rather than faulting Hwa Un-san and Hwangbo Ak here.
"By that logic, shouldn't you all have just not come here in the first place?" Yorang shot back, incredulous.
They were the ones fighting amongst themselves; why was she suddenly being blamed? She had just been sitting there quietly after ordering her food. If responsibility was assigned that way, one could blame someone for being born from their mother's womb.
Yorang didn't know much about the world, but she wasn't an idiot. She was fully aware that this woman was being unreasonable.
"Sigh, you really don't listen, do you?"
Lee Ye-seol let out a deep sigh and stepped closer. She realized that words weren't going to work.
Grab.
Lee Ye-seol seized Yorang’s wrist. She intended to drag her away.
"Huh?"
However, no matter how much strength she used, Yorang’s body didn't budge.
Flick.
Yorang simply shook off Lee Ye-seol’s hand.
"What do you think you're doing!"
"You have some skill, I see."
Lee Ye-seol, her hand having been brushed aside, spoke with an irritated tone. It seemed this stunning woman was a martial artist. This made her even more suspicious. If she was a woman who practiced martial arts, she should know full well who the members of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering were and what kind of influence they held in the Murim. To act so clueless, like a complete airhead, was surely an act.
She began to circulate her internal energy. She felt there was no need to hold back if the woman was a martial artist.
Tap, tap, tap!
Her hands rapidly darted toward Yorang. Yorang quickly raised her hands to parry the strikes. Compared to Sun-woo, this woman’s movements were like a child’s, and Yorang had no intention of letting herself be hit.
Lee Ye-seol’s temper flared. Even though she wasn't using her full strength, all of her attacks were being blocked with ease. Her pride was wounded. She began to draw her internal energy to its peak. She intended to suppress the woman with overwhelming power.
Tap, tap, tap!
Her hands became faster and stronger, pressing Yorang. Yorang was managing to block them, but she was starting to feel the strain. She had only recovered about half of her strength. Moreover, she was currently trying her best to control her power so as not to launch a counterattack, even instinctively.
Her true nature was that of a Human-Faced Spider, a spiritual being hundreds of years old. And the nature of a spiritual being was that of a beast. Beasts didn't have a concept of "holding back." From hunting prey to defending territory from predators, everything they did was a desperate struggle for survival.
The same applied to her. If she used her full power, she might actually kill this woman. Even at half-strength, she was definitely stronger than Lee Ye-seol, who was only at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm. However, the gap wasn't so astronomical that she could easily defend herself while holding back.
For Yorang, who had never learned a single martial arts technique, facing a Peak Realm master who was going all out while trying to control her own strength was a difficult task.
'So annoying!'
Yorang vented her frustration inwardly.