Chapter 86: The Struggle (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: The Struggle (5)
When Jeong Yeon-shin first saw Namgung Mi, the Changryeong Hwaju, from a distance, he had told Namgung Hwa-shin it would take ten moves.
Even against the famed Namgung Young Master, he had already gauged their combat distance. He had faced her before.
He had wondered if he could break her spirit first.
But the situation had changed.
Just as he was about to proceed with the martial duel according to his mission, Namgung Mi had framed the servants of Hyeonsa Gate as members of the Unorthodox Factions, all to bolster her own reputation.
She had twisted the situation to her advantage, winning the hearts of the people of Wuchang.
This made it difficult to simply cut her down in a life-or-death duel between the Desolate Fortress and the Namgung Clan.
A warrior of the Desolate Fortress must always have the support of the common people.
That was why he had taken out the Pure Blood Robe and brought up the mask. Jeong Yeon-shin stared quietly at Namgung Hwa-shin.
“Mercy in one's hands…” Namgung Hwa-shin trailed off, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. “...But you have the order reversed.”
He raised his head. The distant sunlight cast a warm glow over his handsome features. As he spoke, his face a perfect match for his title of “White Qilin,” his eyes were fixed steadfastly on Jeong Yeon-shin.
His expression was one of genuine concern for his companion.
“Namgung Mi is a rising star of the direct line. Judging by her energy wave, she must have recently consumed a peerless spirit medicine. The claim that she is the foremost among the younger generation is likely no exaggeration. Yin-Cold Energy, Cold Ice Energy… it goes by many names, but Yin-attribute internal energy is extremely tricky to deal with.”
Namgung Hwa-shin continued, “Her energy will freeze your meridians first. It rapidly decreases the fluidity of your qi circulation through your acupoints. The speed at which you can manifest your internal energy will slow down significantly, and the explosive power of your muscles will plummet. The longer you exchange blows, the more sluggish your body will become. The power of True Qi specialized in the properties of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements is truly terrifying.”
His tone was as serious as his expression. He was speaking of compatibility and counters, even before considering their respective levels of martial arts.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded.
“To forge such internal energy through a spirit medicine… If the clan’s capabilities are that great, I can understand the Desolate Fortress's strategy of using the Namgung Clan to oppose the Unorthodox Factions after merely lopping off its leadership.”
“They must have procured a heart cultivation art perfectly suited to assimilate the spirit medicine given to the Changryeong Hwaju, Namgung Mi. Or perhaps they invited a trustworthy expert of internal cultivation to assist her. They are a family with the power to do so.”
Influence, wealth, or martial might—they would have used any means necessary to nurture the only two direct descendants of the Namgung Clan.
“Skipping the process of accumulating qi through a spirit medicine…” Jeong Yeon-shin muttered.
Accumulating qi. Building one’s energy. The Jianghu was filled with those who spent decades accumulating True Qi through heart cultivation arts like qi circulation and breathing techniques. It was common for people to speak of a single sixty-year cycle of cultivation.
For a martial artist, gaining enlightenment in a heart cultivation art meant finding a mental focus better suited for absorbing energy than before.
I’m always lacking in accumulated qi.
It was true even though he had consumed what was considered a high-grade spirit elixir. Even Namgung Hwa-shin, standing right before him, possessed deeper internal energy. It was a gap born of innate limitations.
That was why he was currently striving to create a heart cultivation art with a rapid rate of qi accumulation.
“It is not just skipping the process; they obtain far greater power,” Namgung Hwa-shin said, turning his head slightly with a bitter look on his face.
He continued, “This is the advantage of a noble family that exists solely for its direct bloodline. It is different from the Desolate Fortress. The peerless spirit medicines that pass through our headquarters inevitably end up in the hands of the imperial family, though it is done in absolute secrecy.”
“...The spirit elixir I received wasn't small either.”
“Hers would be far beyond that. It is only natural.”
Perhaps because he was thinking of facing his half-sister, Namgung Hwa-shin's lips trembled once more.
“The Changryeong Hwaju and the Azure Qilin are no different from World Trees nurtured by the great mountain that is the Namgung Clan. I do not mean to look down on you, Young Hero Jeong. I am merely saying that there are martial arts that are difficult to counter, even if your levels of martial attainment are equal. I am a prime example. I volunteered for this mission to overcome my heart demon, but I do not know if I can conquer it in time.”
Clasping his trembling hand with the other, Namgung Hwa-shin smiled awkwardly.
This mission holds many different meanings, Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
The Desolate Fortress headquarters had issued this mission to govern the Jianghu. Jeong Yeon-shin—whose very life was on the line—had volunteered to accumulate merits. And the once-despised Namgung Hwa-shin had come to cast off his past and avenge his mother.
During the selection contest, he tried to defeat me so he could fight the Young Master. Does he have a grudge against the Azure Qilin as well?
The boy stared blankly at Namgung Hwa-shin. After a moment, he slowly parted his lips.
“While I cannot lift your spirits, Young Hero Namgung…”
“Haha, I do not expect such things from you, Young Hero Jeong.”
Following Namgung Hwa-shin's soft chuckle, Jeong Yeon-shin’s words continued.
“I believe I can drag Namgung Mi down.”
* * *
A woman with porcelain-white skin slowly bit into a peach.
The grandmaster's chair she sat on was adorned with luxurious tiger skin, and the way she draped her arm over the armrest like a monarch suited her perfectly.
Moving her small mouth leisurely, she spoke.
“Do it.”
Namgung Mi's command fell. To some, it was a death knell.
The bodies of those remaining at Wuchang's Hyeonsa Gate trembled with uncontrollable terror. The servants had already been crippled. Next were the attendants.
The warriors of the Namgung Clan's Changryeong Hwa approached, an energy wave rippling over their bare hands. The eyes looking down at the attendants were utterly indifferent, not the gaze one directed at an equal.
“Spare us! Please, spare us!”
“I was dragged here against my will!”
The laws of the Great Ming Dynasty forbade private torture. In the Great Ming, the commoners were the Emperor's property. No one was allowed to defy this.
Yet the Central Plains were vast, a land too immense for the imperial court to oversee every nook and cranny.
At this moment, Namgung Mi's command stood above the Great Ming Code. This was especially true in the lands surrounding the Namgung Clan.
“I won't kill you,” she said with a thin smile, one that even possessed a touch of elegance. “I am merely destroying your dantians. You all practiced the wicked heart cultivation arts of the Unorthodox Factions. Since you served as the loyal dogs of this wretched Hyeonsa Gate, who knows what atrocities you might commit against the common folk once you leave your ruined sect behind?”
“I have never practiced martial arts— Aaargh!”
The moment the hands of the Changryeong Hwa warriors moved, screams erupted from all sides.
The pain of a destroyed dantian is immense. It was the act of tearing apart the Qihai Point in the lower abdomen with the Internal Heavy Hand Technique. How could anyone endure the sensation of their vital channels being utterly severed? They would never be whole again.
Over a dozen attendants writhed on the ground, bleeding from their lower bodies while simultaneously coughing up blood. Stains began to smear across the floor of Hyeonsa Gate's central pavilion.
Some of Hyeonsa Gate's laborers had been fortunate enough to be chosen as Namgung Mi's new servants. They stood to one side, not daring to make a sound. Their faces were stiff, and they could barely even breathe.
“Clean this up and call the people,” Namgung Mi said. “We will use the wealth of this worthless unorthodox sect to throw a feast.”
Indeed, her command stood above the Great Ming Code within the Namgung Clan's territory. What she spoke was immediately carried out.
It was dusk. The early summer sun cast long, orange shadows of twilight and people across the ground.
Under the watchful eye of a Changryeong Hwa warrior, the attendants dared not act rashly. The training ground of Hyeonsa Gate was soon transformed into a banquet hall for the people of Wuchang.
The news that experts of the Namgung Clan had annihilated Hyeonsa Gate was no ordinary matter. Even without invitations, local influential figures gathered of their own accord.
“How refreshing!”
“Serves those Hyeonsa Gate bastards right!”
“The Snow Mountain Fairy has descended in the name of Namgung! Look at that alabaster skin. She is no mere mortal like us.”
“Her martial arts are profound as well. We are truly grateful.”
The tables dragged out from inside Hyeonsa Gate were massive. Dozens of people sat around them, eating and drinking. They were mostly owners of merchant groups, escort agencies, and martial arts academies based in Wuchang.
Even the head of the local academy who taught academics in Wuchang gently stroked his beard.
“Then, does this mean a branch of the Namgung Clan will be established on this site?” a bald, middle-aged man asked. Despite being the leader of a mid-sized escort agency, his demeanor was highly deferential, as if addressing a superior.
Namgung Mi slowly nodded. “We have witnessed the atrocious deeds of Hyeonsa Gate. Though we are lacking, we wish to govern the public order of Wuchang's Jianghu…”
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. “But perhaps we might be causing you all some trouble?”
“Absolutely not!”
“On the contrary, we are deeply grateful.”
Many in the crowd waved their hands in denial. This was the work of the Namgung Clan's precious daughter. Even if they truly felt otherwise, they had to say it.
“Mmh, be grateful then.”
The smile on Namgung Mi's lips deepened. A young warrior who had been staring blankly at her raised his hand.
“Lady Namgung! I heard you are to duel a warrior from the Desolate Fortress!”
“Oh my, are you worried about me?”
When she smiled as if delighted, his face flushed red. It was a reaction she never grew tired of.
Such was the Jianghu Namgung Mi had experienced.
Though the various princes and princesses of the imperial family, who carried the blood of the Brightfolk, were noble, she—having grown up as a member of a prominent clan no less powerful than royalty in the free Murim—did not envy them. She believed herself to possess the refinement to be content with her lot. She merely wished to protect what she had.
Namgung Mi tilted her head slightly, her glossy hair cascading over her shoulder. It was a calculated movement.
“Why did the Desolate Fortress leave Hyeonsa Gate be, when so many commoners were suffering?”
Those present immediately caught on. It was obvious what kind of response she wanted.
“They are people itching to choke the life out of the Jianghu. Who knows what they are plotting?”
“They probably left them alone on purpose! Because of those unorthodox bastards, the orthodox factions of Wuchang couldn't even hold their heads high! Isn't the Desolate Fortress just a bunch of martial artists who oppress the Jianghu? Just look at what happened with the Hwangbo Clan…”
“They sent a challenge for a life-and-death duel to the Namgung Clan, which had just fought a fierce battle against the Blood Flame Cult. They're the sort to drag the morals of the Jianghu through the mud.”
Their denunciations were fierce. They truly seemed to believe what they were saying.
Namgung Mi stared at them. The martial artists of the Jianghu were no different from the commoners. They flattered whoever was stronger. In truth, there were likely some who held different opinions.
It did not matter. Such was her Jianghu.
No one denied her existence. It was a world laid out smoothly before her like a carpet.
That was why she wished to protect it.
That was the reason the elders of her clan had stood by and watched the newcomer from the Desolate Fortress who had appeared with astonishing Sound Arts. Had he been a rising star of the Nine Sects, things would have been different. The law of the jungle.
In the eyes of a noble family that expanded its influence through the ways of the Jianghu, the Desolate Fortress was an absurd group. They meddled in every single affair of the Murim, riding on the coattails of the pretext of the people's livelihood.
I must nip him in the bud. This time, for sure.
She had easily won the battle of justifications. She had seized the hearts of the Wuchang people in an instant. The Desolate Fortress, which spoke of a life-and-death duel, was a group that walked on eggshells around the common people.
Even if they fought in a simple martial duel, there was no way Namgung Mi would lose, but she had done everything she could as a member of a great sect of the Jianghu.
The world belongs to the meticulous.
She smiled gracefully and was about to reach for a peach on the side of the table when—
“Who…”
Everyone froze. It was not a voice that could be ignored. The power carried within it was immense.
“…dared speak the name of our Cult?”
A boyish, beautiful voice and the harsh crackle of True Qi rang out as one. It seemed he had infused internal energy into his Lianquan Point, located just above his vocal cords.
Along with the fluttering of robes, a red figure crossed over the wall. It was an incredibly profound mastery of movement techniques.
Thud.
With a soft footstep, he landed in the banquet area. Not a single speck of dust was stirred.
Namgung Mi quickly activated her eye technique and looked up. Her eyes, bearing the sky-blue glow of the Namgung Clan's secret technique, the Azure Sky Eye Technique, swept down from the intruder's head. She was confident she could detect even the slightest tremor of his body.
The uninvited guest who had spoken of "our Cult."
He wore a Demon Mask that grinned like a dragon with its mouth wide open. He was even shrouded in an energy wave that swirled like a gale around the hem of his crimson robe, which draped down to his wrists. His very appearance was overwhelming.
“The… Blood Flame Cult?” someone murmured in a daze.
Namgung Mi did not break her gaze.
The eerie fluctuations were unusual. The energy brushing against her skin like ripples spoke of an extremely delicate manipulation of True Qi. His control over his power was terrifying. It didn't seem as though he was revealing his full internal energy at all.
“You,” the Demon Mask in the crimson robe spoke.
“Are you the Namgung trash?”
For a moment, no one dared to open their mouth. It was a truly shocking entrance.