Chapter 75: The Ma Clan (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: The Ma Clan (3)
"What of the Flash Art's movements?"
"He remains confined to the main headquarters of the Demonlight Wing, never stepping foot outside."
A sword-bearing subordinate reported to Ju Yeon-jeong, who sat at the seat of honor.
This was an annex of the Desolate Ma Clan within the Desolate Fortress. The guest room, originally meant to be a master bedroom, had been transformed into an office at Ju Yeon-jeong's behest.
"I heard his internal injuries are severe. Would he accept healing medicine if I sent it?" she murmured to herself.
Ju Yeon-jeong tapped her fingers against the desk, sinking deep into thought.
She paid no heed to the kneeling warrior—a trusted confidant who had served her since childhood.
She was of imperial blood. She could easily dismiss the Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing's background as lowly. Originally, that had been the case.
There are rumors that he received a heart cultivation art from the Castle Lord.
But circumstances had changed. The difference between receiving guidance on a few martial forms and being taught an inner cultivation method was vast.
The Flash Art's value grew with each passing day.
There were even rumors that he had played a major role in destroying the main stronghold of the Blood Flame Cult during his recent travels in the Jianghu.
His achievements defied belief, and his young age made them even more absurd.
"If we are to fully embrace the Ma Clan, we cannot cast the Flash Art aside. No matter how much I think on it, I cannot find a way around him. Even after pondering it for days... Do you feel the same?"
"...Yes, my lady," the confidant replied. He was a swordsman whose aura was tempered like steel.
With martial prowess no less than that of an ordinary Blue-Ranked expert, he was someone who had weathered many political battles alongside Ju Yeon-jeong.
Ju Yeon-jeong stroked the desk with her fingertips and lightly closed her eyes.
The Flash Art. Is he a vessel worthy of being embraced?
It was said that the imperial clan of Emperor Taizu of Ming was of an unprecedented scale in the history of the Central Plains.
Emperor Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang, had twenty-six sons.
Except for those invested as the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson, all of them took wives and concubines. The imperial relatives multiplied endlessly.
By this point, the number of people surnamed Zhu who traced their lineage back to the founder on the family register exceeded several thousand.
Those who received titles such as Imperial Prince, Grand Princess, or Commandery Prince were rare.
This meant it was difficult to reign even as a local overlord. There were simply too many imperial relatives.
Most lived in various manors near Beijing.
Ju Yeon-jeong's father was no exception. He held nothing but a nominal rank.
Ju Yeon-jeong was both noble and insignificant. Since she was not the daughter of an Imperial Prince or a Commandery Prince, she could become neither a princess nor a county princess.
That was why she had come to the Desolate Fortress. Because the Commander of the Demonlight Wing was impotent, she married his cousin.
Thanks to her son's excellent talent, she was acknowledged as a daughter-in-law by the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
This was because the direct lineage, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, was sterile. She, too, had served Ma Yeon-jeok with the utmost devotion.
"I have spoken to the Flash Art. Now, I will no longer be able to hide my background from the other factions. But since the succession rights are shaking, this is actually for the best. Was it not our plan to overcome this crisis by revealing it at such a time?"
"Indeed, my lady."
"However, it is only a temporary measure. The boy named Flash Art possesses both legitimacy and martial power. He will torment Se-in until the day he dies. Even if he does not intend to, it will turn out that way."
Sometimes, speaking aloud was merely a way to organize one's thoughts. This was not a situation where she sought her confidant's opinion.
Since she held no title, she could not become a warlord.
Realizing her situation at a young age, she had yearned for only one thing: proof of her identity and worth.
She sought a way to be reborn as a true imperial noble elsewhere.
She wished to grasp one of the precious swords that the imperial court aimed at the martial world. The armory was the Desolate Fortress, and the precious sword was the Desolate Ma Clan.
She spoke.
"I heard that a life-and-death duel with the leadership of the Namgung Clan has become a hot topic. I heard it is in the form of a martial duel. Will the Flash Art be able to pass the main fortress's selection and be assigned the mission?"
"It is difficult to gauge his martial prowess. He seems to possess the skill to exchange twenty clashes with me, but I heard that the aura he showed previously was not at his full strength."
"It is just as I felt. To be at that level even while suffering from internal injuries... He is truly difficult to fathom."
"Using an assassin..."
"You will quickly realize how absurd your suggestion is. Secretly assassinating the Castle Lord's direct disciple...? That is a thought only fit for the short-sighted martial artists of the Jianghu. Rather than leaving the Divine Sword of Great Ming as a future threat, I would rather live in quiet contentment alone."
She chuckled softly and said, "I can neither kill him nor cast him aside. There is no other way."
"..."
"Let us measure the Flash Art's vessel. How much sincerity must we pour into him?"
Her mind was made up. She would become his patron.
It was better to bring him into her embrace and control his actions. Making an enemy of him was a novice's move.
He was a rising star whom the Lord of the Desolate Fortress favored. She only needed to shower him with enough support to make his head spin.
Her task was clear.
Let us measure his vessel.
She needed to see how much wealth and manpower it would take to place him in the palm of her hand.
Dismissing her confidant, she lay down on her bed. Her office was also her bedroom.
As the prospective matriarch of the Desolate Ma Clan, she already managed many affairs both internally and externally.
I should pay him a personal visit once dawn breaks.
However, she could not sleep. She heard a bizarre sound. For the first time in her life, the highly ambitious collateral imperial relative doubted her own ears.
"Yeon-jeong-ah—!"
It was a tremendous sound, both in its volume and its implication.
Ju Yeon-jeong momentarily wondered if there was another Yeon-jeong nearby.
"Yeon-jeong-ah! Yeon-jeong-ah—!"
The shouts did not ring out just once or twice. They spread far and wide, as if determined to wake the night across the entire vast main fortress.
Contrary to the frivolous tone of the voice, it seemed to carry incredibly deep internal energy.
"What kind of crazy bastard..."
Vulgar words slipped past her elegant lips.
Swish.
She stepped out, wearing only a robe over her nightclothes.
Though she spoke of imperial authority, she was already a true powerhouse of the Jianghu.
Her family's martial arts were none other than the imperial martial arts. She had trained in them properly since childhood.
Even her father-in-law had praised her high level of mastery.
"Who is that bastard?!"
"For someone to be so insolent within the main fortress...!"
"The Demonlight Wing? Is it truly the Demonlight Wing?!"
When she stepped outside, it was already a spectacle. Chaos had broken out.
The movements of over a dozen low-ranking warriors were tangled up in their attempt to catch a single White-Ranked expert. Even so, they were unable to subdue him.
"Such insolence..."
"Should we not step in immediately?"
"Wait. Eyes are watching."
"That is true. Even if the elders support Lady Ju, to damage the main family's dignity by clashing with a mere youngster? And in the main fortress, of all places. Do not act rashly."
The elders, divided into factions, did not move. Even the patrons of Ma Se-in and Ju Yeon-jeong could not bring themselves to step forward hastily.
The scuffle continued. It was not because the Ma Clan's warriors were incompetent.
The problem was the agile movements of the bastard with the hero's headband fluttering on his forehead.
His body protection scripture alone had already surpassed the White Rank. He was silently fluid, as if he had mastered some secret assassin technique.
"The Flash Art?"
Ju Yeon-jeong muttered. A boy standing off to the side had caught her eye.
The man and woman standing with him were also familiar. Cheong-myeong, the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword, and Baek Mi-ryeo, the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress.
They were the vanguard of the Demonlight Wing. They were counted among the core experts of the Divine Sword Corps' 17th Unit.
Ju Yeon-jeong's fine brow furrowed.
"Where is Yeon-jeong?!"
Because the lowly wretch's shouts were so loud, people began to gather. The Desolate Fortress was a cluster of numerous pavilions.
This meant there were a vast number of residents. A disturbance in the middle of the night was bound to become a spectacle.
Are they trying to make this a public issue?
Ju Yeon-jeong caught a glimpse of their intentions. It seemed they were determined to blow this out of proportion by any means necessary.
The Flash Art and the Desolate Ma Clan. If one dug deep into the story, the latter would draw public resentment. It would also be difficult to craftily mislead others with lies.
This was because the Brightfolk, who could see through to the truth, were scattered all over the main fortress.
Her course of action was clear.
I must subdue him first.
He had called her out by name. Her justification was solid.
Thud!
Ju Yeon-jeong immediately kicked off the ground. The internal energy gathered in the Yongquan point of her sole exploded.
The footwork of the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, an imperial martial art, closed the distance instantly.
With a roaring boom, a long, straight line of dust kicked up.
She arrived at the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
The White-Ranked youth of the Demonlight Wing, who had been employing fluid movement techniques, smirked.
Since he was a handsome fellow, he was quite decent to look at. Ju Yeon-jeong did not take her eyes off him as she murmured,
"Withdraw."
The Ma Clan warriors retreated in perfect order. Their movements were disciplined—a military-like order that would shine in group combat.
Ju Yeon-jeong immediately gathered her internal energy into her right arm. It was a palm technique of the Golden Immortal Eight Methods.
Among the twelve meridians in her body, the Large Intestine Meridian, which ran directly from her shoulder to her index finger, flared with heat.
In an instant, it was filled with internal power.
Whoosh!
A storm-like shockwave gathered on her outstretched palm.
It was a martial art that heavily utilized the meridians of the entire body. Even though it unleashed a massive amount of true qi, it was incredibly precise.
It was a strike capable of killing a mere White-Ranked warrior who dared insult imperial royalty in a single blow.
It was then.
Whoosh!
Her vision was suddenly filled with a blue sleeve. Her eyes widened.
A boy with calm eyes had blocked her path.
The Flash Art?
She had missed his approach. It was no one's fault. His movement technique, which resembled the steps of the Brightfolk, was exceptionally profound.
The distance was too close. If she struck the Flash Art here, everything would go awry.
She desperately tried to withdraw her true qi. In an instant, she drained a significant portion of her power.
Just enough for the Flash Art, as rumored, to easily withstand.
Done.
She could not completely withdraw her strength. A small amount of internal power remained.
To completely recall true qi the moment the intent was unleashed? That was a realm comparable to the Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
Her internal energy control had not yet reached the achievement of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak.
Thud!
Thus, the sound was loud. Her palm struck the Flash Art's solar plexus.
The cool texture of the Desolate Fortress's Blue-Ranked martial uniform pressed against her palm.
At that moment, Ju Yeon-jeong's eyes widened even further.
The imperial family's Golden Immortal Eight Methods was said to be a martial art that tempered the meridians of the entire body. It was specialized in longevity and defending against sneak attacks.
It granted a sense so sharp that she could fully perceive the opponent's qi and blood the moment they exchanged a blow.
Her precise forms originated from her highly sensitive five senses.
Therefore, she felt it.
True qi sprouted from the solar plexus of the Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin. It was his middle dantian.
The internal energy channeled within him gently pressed the Bongan point at the edge of his lungs.
He was drawing up blood, yet his internal organs remained undamaged. It was an incredibly fast yet astoundingly delicate manipulation.
He was an unparalleled genius. He was born with the perfect vessel for martial arts.
But Ju Yeon-jeong could not afford to marvel. The moment she pulled her hand back in that split second, she felt the blood rising up the Flash Art's airway.
It meant he was about to spit blood. He had intentionally induced the coughing up of blood.
Cough.
Along with Jeong Yeon-shin's cough, blood sprayed into the air.
He then stumbled and collapsed. To anyone watching, it was clearly because Ju Yeon-jeong had used excessive force.
Her eyebrows shot up.
"This audacious brat..."
"Stay your hand."
Baek Mi-ryeo, the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, spoke as she stepped forward.
She was shrouded in a pitch-black, ink-colored current of energy. Its nature was extremely bleak and chilling.
It was an internal qi gong whose origin would be difficult for anyone to fathom. The materialization of true qi was an uncommon level of attainment. It immediately drew everyone's attention.
"A demonic art?"
"No. The energy wave is pure."
"Do you not know the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress?"
These were the onlookers.
Before anyone knew it, they had lined up in front of the Desolate Ma Clan's pavilion. They were all martial artists of the Desolate Fortress.
Those who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion in the main fortress numbered in the dozens.
There was also an expert who drew people's attention even more than Baek Mi-ryeo.
It was Cheong-myeong, who had drawn his sword before the pitch-black energy wave could even spread.
A hazy wind surged along the lowered sword of the hooded, one-eyed Brightfolk.
Even though he had not unleashed a strike, a shockwave arose. It was an eerie, sinister wind of the sword.
He parted his lips.
"Back off."
He was the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword, a swordsman said to be capable of contending for supremacy in the world in the future.
He had perfectly woven his clan's innate abilities with his martial arts. It was said that his reputation as an expert of the Demonlight Wing was second only to the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
"Are you two out of your minds? Think of the disciplinary action. That 'Ju Yeon-jeong of the Desolate Ma Clan' over there will not let this slide."
Heonwon Chang, who stood beside them, scolded his two seniors.
But his words and expression did not match. The distinct aura of a killing sword practitioner gleamed in his eyes.
His internal power, imbued with intent, conjured an aura like a malevolent spirit, making him look truly inhuman.
Anyone would mistake him for a warrior glaring at his comrade's enemy.
"The moral code of the Jianghu has fallen to the ground—!"
Gently nudging his seniors aside, Heonwon Chang stepped forward and spoke.
His voice was booming. It was as if he had channeled his true qi into his vocal cords instead of his sword.
A voice like a Buddhist Lion's Roar clawed through the air.
"To treat the Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing, who has won great renown through his missions, in such a manner? These insolent wretches know no shame! Are you not embarrassed before your parents in heaven? Desolate Ma Clan! If there is anyone who wishes to discuss righteousness with this Hero of the Desolate Fortress, step forward!"
His control of true qi, which softened only when he mentioned his parents, was remarkable.
Yet his entire body exuded a powerful, imposing spirit.
Ju Yeon-jeong glanced down and took a step back.
"The Flash Art? The rising star of the Demonlight Wing?"
"I heard he was already suffering from internal injuries."
The onlookers gradually drew closer, craning their necks.
The sight of the Flash Art curled up on the ground with his head bowed low did not look pathetic.
Rather, the bravery of the young expert, who had taken a hit from a high-level martial art on behalf of his comrade, was immense.
"Parents in heaven?"
Ju Yeon-jeong muttered coldly.
"Are not the imperial family those who look down upon their subjects from the blue sky?"
Replying slyly, Heonwon Chang quickly knelt by Jeong Yeon-shin's head.
After appearing to examine the wound on the solar plexus for a few breaths, he soon supported the boy's upper body and began to wail aloud.
"Aigo, aigoo!"
It was an absurd sight.
Ju Yeon-jeong lowered her hand. It felt like watching a popular Beijing opera. This was something she had never anticipated.