Chapter 54
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Blazing Flower Fist
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Seol Hwa-un brought Hwangbo Tae-seong to his room. Soon, sitting face-to-face with him, Hwangbo Tae-seong opened his mouth.
“I knew it from the martial exchange, but the Young Palace Lord's skills from the Four Directions Heavenly Gate were truly astonishing. I've never thought myself inferior to anyone in fist techniques, yet the North Sea Ice Palace's ultimate arts have opened my eyes greatly.”
Seol Hwa-un gave a faint smile.
“Enough of that. Now tell me your business.”
“…….”
After a moment of silence, Hwangbo Tae-seong cautiously spoke.
“First, my question comes from pure curiosity, not suspicion or doubt. If you answer properly, I'll keep it secret.”
“Why such a grand preamble for what you're about to ask?”
Hwangbo Tae-seong's eyes sparkled.
“I'm talking about the fist technique you used against the Blood Yin Four Armies. Not the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist, but the one that emitted Yang Gang True Qi. Can you tell me what it was?”
Seol Hwa-un felt a jolt inside but responded calmly.
“It was a martial art I found in our palace's secret repository. Something like a manual collected by our predecessors, though I don't know its origin. I picked it up while practicing fist techniques and got interested, so I learned it.”
“What's the name of that fist technique?”
“The manual was old, and the cover was faded. I could barely make out the character for 'Fire (火).'”
It was a story he'd hastily made up, but it seemed plausible enough. However, Hwangbo Tae-seong thought differently.
“Young Palace Lord, as I said before, I have no other intentions. I'm just curious about the truth. Is that really the case?”
Faced with Hwangbo Tae-seong's eyes full of longing, Seol Hwa-un found it hard to speak.
‘Did he figure it out?’
He subtly dodged the answer and countered with a question.
“……Then what do you think that fist technique was, Heavenly King Brigade Leader?”
“If my eyes aren't mistaken, that was…….”
Hwangbo Tae-seong trembled as if in agitation. He soon continued.
“The Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor's signature ultimate technique, Blazing Flower Fist. Isn't it?”
Seol Hwa-un's face stiffened.
‘How in the world did he recognize it?’
“I can tell from your expression even without an answer, Young Palace Lord. My guess was right after all.”
Seol Hwa-un let out a deep sigh. As if he had no choice, he confessed.
“Whew. Yes. The technique I used was Blazing Flower Fist.”
“As I thought……!”
Hwangbo Tae-seong nodded repeatedly.
“The Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor was last seen in the North Sea. Did the North Sea Ice Palace recover his legacy?”
“……You could say that.”
“I suspected as much when the Young Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace used Blazing Flower Fist.”
It wasn't exactly wrong. He couldn't reveal that he himself was the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor.
“Don't worry, Young Palace Lord. This will remain a secret between us. I'm satisfied just having seen the true ultimate art used by the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor with my own eyes.”
“……Thank you.”
“Perhaps someday you could show me the completed Blazing Flower Fist?”
“If the opportunity arises, I will.”
With the conversation roughly wrapped up, Seol Hwa-un asked what had been on his mind.
“But how in the world did you recognize it?”
And well he might ask, for it had been over two hundred years since Blazing Flower Fist had appeared in the world.
More than a hundred years had passed since those who had seen it firsthand had died.
Hwangbo Tae-seong smiled faintly.
“It might be different for the North Sea Ice Palace…… but the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor is the idol of all fist practitioners.”
“…….”
“Especially for our family, which specializes in fist techniques, that admiration is even greater, never lacking.”
At his words, something occurred to Seol Hwa-un.
‘Come to think of it, that young sprout from the Hwangbo Family was particularly interested in me back then.’
That ‘young sprout’ was named Hwangbo Yun. He had been the young head of the Hwangbo Family when Seol Hwa-un, as the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor, had become the Martial Alliance Leader.
The boy had followed him around, gazing with eyes full of admiration, so he had given him some advice on fist techniques. He remembered it now.
“Two hundred years ago, our family head at the time, the Mount Tai Fist Tiger, served closely by the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor's side and was active in many ways. Thus, he left behind many stories about the Emperor's martial arts.”
“Was that Mount Tai Fist Tiger's name Hwangbo Yun?”
Hwangbo Tae-seong's eyes widened.
“Amazing. How do you know his name?”
‘It matches.’
“I happened to learn it.”
Hwangbo Tae-seong burst into delighted laughter.
“Hahaha, the Young Palace Lord is more interested in our family than I thought. He is one of the most renowned heads in our family's history.”
“…….”
“Anyway, through the records and oral traditions he left behind, I often imagined the form of Blazing Flower Fist in my mind. And it matched exactly the fist technique you demonstrated, Young Palace Lord. You can't imagine how shocked I was.”
“So that's how it was.”
“Don't worry too much. I recognized it because it was me. Other martial artists wouldn't even dream of it.”
* * *
Hwangbo Eun-hye and Hwangbo Seon-hye.
The twins were called the Hwangbo Twin Phoenixes and were prodigies who received the expectations of the Hwangbo Family.
In particular, their joint techniques were worthy of being called ultimate arts. As twins, their thoughts seemed to connect, making their synergy exceptional.
But at this moment, even they couldn't gain the upper hand against the man before them.
They had unleashed attacks for nearly fifty exchanges, but hadn't even grazed the hem of his robe.
That man was Seol Hwa-un.
‘Ugh! Infuriating!’
The two women exchanged glances.
‘Sister, let's use that!’
‘Good!’
Suddenly, the two stopped their attacks and split to the left and right. Seol Hwa-un watched them with an intrigued expression.
‘They must be planning something.’
“Yaap!”
Hwangbo Seon-hye charged in with a clear shout, thrusting out both hands. It was the Hwangbo Family's Fast and Lively Thirty Palms.
Pa-pa-pa-pa!
The flashy palm strikes targeted Seol Hwa-un's upper body.
As Seol Hwa-un turned his head toward her, Hwangbo Eun-hye moved as well.
“Hahp!”
She slid in like silk, her legs crossing repeatedly to target his lower body.
It was the Hwangbo Family's leg technique, Heavenly King Linked Legs. Simple in form but with powerful force and relentless follow-ups, it was worthy of being called an ultimate art.
“Hmm.”
It was certainly sharp—this joint attack where one targeted the upper body from one side and the other the lower body from the opposite side.
An average expert would have been overwhelmed without properly responding.
However, Seol Hwa-un was no average expert.
He lightly tilted his body to evade the attack range, then thrust out fists to both sides.
Puk!
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
The two women cried out and were pushed back. It had been a light attack, but the impact they received was considerable. He had struck their openings perfectly.
Still, thanks to their extremely trained bodies absorbing most of the shock, they quickly straightened up.
Seol Hwa-un looked at them and spoke calmly.
“Dividing the attacks between upper and lower body from both sides was good. However, you focused too much on attacking and exposed too many openings.”
Hwangbo Eun-hye made a sulky face.
“This doesn't make sense! Everyone who's withstood our joint attack so far was too busy defending…….”
“I acknowledge that your joint techniques work against top experts. However, they don't work against someone of my level.”
This time, Hwangbo Seon-hye protested.
“How common are experts on the Young Palace Lord's level?”
“Not that rare. You seem to have focused too much on joint techniques because they've worked well. It would be better to pay more attention to improving your individual strength.”
The two women reluctantly clasped their fists in salute.
“Yes, thank you for the guidance.”
“Don't get too discouraged. Very few at your age have built up such skills. You can be confident.”
But it didn't seem to resonate much with the twins. Hwangbo Eun-hye grumbled.
“Well, if they're so rare, how come there are already four in our house right now.”
She was referring to Seol Hwa-un, Dang Cheong, Eom Mu-hwi, and Dong Ho-won.
Seol Hwa-un chuckled.
“Heh, they're all older than you two. If you work hard, you could surpass that at our age.”
“……I can't imagine surpassing the Young Palace Lord, even if not the others.”
“Possibility is open to everyone. There's no absolute in the world.”
“Really?”
As Seol Hwa-un continued to encourage them, their faces gradually brightened, as if regaining energy.
But soon, they looked dejected again, as if struck by some thought.
“Does this…… mean our sparring is over?”
“Yes. We're leaving early tomorrow.”
“Can't you stay just a little longer?”
It had already been five days since he had been guiding and sparring with the twin sisters.
This had come about because the twins had begged and pleaded with Hwangbo Un-gyeong, but on the first day, it hadn't gone properly.
They had flirted with Seol Hwa-un and been shocked to learn he had a fiancée.
But as if born martial artists, from the next day they sparred with full effort.
Seol Hwa-un didn't dislike the twins like this. They were playful and sometimes flirtatious usually, but their attitude toward martial arts was as serious as anyone's.
It was a different kind of fun from guiding Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won, who were focused on personal training to consolidate their insights.
The reason they had stayed in the Hwangbo Family that whole time was due to the injured from the battle with the Four Directions Heavenly Gate, but using the Five Elements Pills had sped up recovery more than expected.
Thanks to that, the injured could move around somewhat, so they had decided to depart tomorrow.
After parting with the twins, Seol Hwa-un met Hwangbo Un-gyeong, who had come to find him.
“I heard you're leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes. We've imposed on you too long.”
“Imposed? It's nothing compared to the grace our family has received.”
“If that's the case, I've already repaid it handsomely.”
“Hohoho, this old man thinks it's still insufficient. Probably anyone who knows will think the same.”
“…….”
As the two exchanged various stories, a commotion arose outside.
“Hm?”
And soon, a figure rushed toward Hwangbo Un-gyeong.
“You…….”
A man boasting a massive build clasped his fists.
“I see the Grand Elder!”
“You've finally returned.”
Hwangbo Un-gyeong's expression looked a bit awkward as he regarded him.
“I report the full return of the Fist Tiger Brigade, excluding Squads One and Two! No need to worry now! We'll smash the Four Directions Heavenly Gate bastards!”
The man shouting boldly was the leader of the Fist Tiger Brigade, one of the Hwangbo Family's three great combat units.
The Hwangbo Family retainers nearby murmured in low voices.
“Too late.”
“Way too late.”
Hwangbo Un-gyeong, frowning, said.
“No need for that.”
At his words, the Fist Tiger Brigade Leader looked bewildered.
“Pardon?”
Hwangbo Un-gyeong shook his head.