Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Gold Spider
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“Hey, can you seriously just stop already?”
The leader didn’t want to pile on more headaches.
Just looking at her clothes and appearance, she was clearly a young lady from a noble house, yet she refused to listen at all.
“Fuck.”
Finally, his patience ran out.
“Warning’s over, bitch.”
With a wave of his hand, one of his underlings lunged forward.
Low stance, low center of gravity—his already quick speed seemed even faster.
He figured she might block one strike with that metal rod, but he planned to slam into her and pin her down in one go.
‘Got her...!’
Jeong-a’s body shifted exactly one step to the side, dodging the man.
A little faster, and he would’ve adjusted his trajectory; a little slower, and she’d have been caught.
“Urk...!”
The tip of the rod she thrust out pierced his solar plexus precisely before withdrawing.
Jeong-a then swung the raised rod down onto the back of his neck, knocking him out.
Had it been a sword, it would’ve pierced his heart and severed his throat—a terrifyingly precise form.
Only then did the men’s eyes change.
“She’s no ordinary bitch! No mercy!”
Men charged at Jeong-a from both sides.
She naturally retreated, reducing the angle where she could be attacked by both at once.
“Hup!”
The first man’s fist grazed her face.
The next punch he swung also skimmed past her nose.
In that gap, the rod rising from below shattered the man’s lower jaw.
“Gah...!”
The second man rushed in during that moment, but Jeong-a had already backed away, widening the gap.
“Fuck!”
Losing distance repeatedly, he switched tactics.
He wildly swung his arms to grab her fluttering hem.
If he could snag anything, he could seal her movements.
But no matter how he grabbed, her hem fluttered just out of his reach.
‘No way, this is ridiculous...!’
Just as the front man’s strikes had all missed, this one’s attempts to grab her hem sliced only air.
The woman before him wasn’t moving at superhuman speeds beyond imagination like some martial artist—why were all attacks missing?
“Urk...!”
The man charging mindlessly tripped over his fainted comrade without noticing.
‘How...?’
Clearly, this woman had been facing him while stepping back.
Her gaze fixed on him—how had she avoided the fainted body while retreating?
As his mind reeled in confusion, the rod flew toward the back of his head.
“...Impressive.”
Se-ah, who had been staring blankly at the scene, unconsciously let out a gasp of admiration.
Even if they were unarmed against her rod, these weren’t random thugs.
They hadn’t mastered qi-requiring ‘martial arts,’ but they were Black Bone Gang elites honed by ‘martial techniques.’
As their dozens of skull tattoos proclaimed, they’d built experience and proven their skills by taking dozens of lives.
“...Crazy.”
There was no choice now.
The lone remaining leader drew a gleaming dagger from his bosom.
“Bitch. This is all on you.”
To an ordinary eye, it would’ve just been a flash of blade.
But Jeong-a’s ‘eyes’ saw the blade clearly.
Not just the blade, but its edge, the worn leather grip, the blackened nails untrimmed, even the dirty pores from poor washing—
All visible to her.
She casually raised her rod to intercept its path, and the dagger sparked as it bounced away.
The second strike followed immediately.
Even seeing it all, without a scrap of qi, she couldn’t dodge every follow-up.
But she heard his breathing and felt his muscles move.
‘Senses heightened by her eyes turned the impossible possible.
It felt good.
Jeong-a realized she was smiling.
Seeing her smile flipped the leader’s eyes in rage.
“You dog-bitch...!”
Thwack.
A strike that stole his breath completely.
Until now defensive, Jeong-a had slipped in during his words in one breath.
The man, struck hard on the philtrum by the rod, rolled back with eyes rolled up.
Psychologically and physically, a perfect single-point thrust.
“Haa, haa.”
Jeong-a exhaled roughly, propping herself on the rod against the ground.
Sweat dripping from her face pattered to the floor.
Even she couldn’t overcome her physical limits.
“Jeong-a!”
Se-ah rushed over and supported her.
In her sister’s arms, Jeong-a steadied her rough breaths and shook her head.
“Sister, this is tough.”
Se-ah let out a hollow laugh.
“No, didn’t you learn swordsmanship from the Sword Clan?”
Jeong-a shook her head.
“No.”
“Then?”
Jeong-a smiled faintly.
“I just ‘saw’ it here and there over my shoulder.”
Se-ah couldn’t comprehend.
“Jeong-a, what does that mean...?”
Then Jeong-a pulled away from her support and straightened her posture.
“Has an hour passed yet?”
“Not yet.”
Jeong-a frowned toward the doorway.
“This time, even I can’t handle it.”
Then the door burst open, and Se-ah’s subordinate from earlier tumbled in covered in blood.
“L-Lady, r-run...!”
A jingling feminine laugh echoed from the hallway.
The ear-piercing volume clearly marked her as a qi-using martial artist.
“So boring. Where’d everyone go, leaving only pathetic bugs like these?”
Se-ah knew the voice.
“...Gold Spider.”
Striding through the open door was a beauty in flashy clothes and heavy makeup.
The woman’s outfit was all bright red, her face powder in red tones—her impression overwhelmingly intense.
Behind her, three variously attired figures appeared armed.
Faces nearly covered in black skull tattoos—they were unmistakably martial artists, all three.
The hallway filled with Black Bone Gang rank-and-file.
“What’s this?”
Gold Spider, who’d entered in good spirits, looked down at her sprawled, unconscious underlings on the floor.
Grasping the situation from Jeong-a and her rod, she pressed a hand to her forehead.
“To think I fed and raised trash like this as elites...”
Among the three behind her, the one in monk robes fluttered his sleeve.
“......”
Jeong-a hurriedly blocked Se-ah, but the monk’s stance had already reset.
Fortunately, the attack wasn’t aimed at them.
The needles from his sleeve had pierced the vital points of the fainted men.
‘Couldn’t react after all...!’
Jeong-a bit her lip.
Her ‘eyes’ sensed the sign, saw the incoming needles, but the speed gap was too vast—meaningless.
The limit of a qi-less ordinary person.
If those needles had been aimed at them...
“Gold Spider, what the hell is this?”
Se-ah stepped forward past Jeong-a, brushing back her hair and asking in a low voice.
“You know this’ll bring repercussions.”
Gold Spider shrugged.
“Hospitality here sucks. Not even a cup of tea.”
Then one of her underlings in the hall dashed in.
He rummaged where Se-ah and Jeong-a had sat, finding the tea leaves.
The ones Se-ah had specially prepared for Jeong-a.
“...Guests? You’re joking.”
At Se-ah’s words, Gold Spider snorted.
“You who always act smart—has your brain gone stiff?”
She crossed her arms and continued.
“If they were enemies, would you still be standing there fine?”
Se-ah shook her pipe.
“Since you’re spouting nonsense, you’re clearly not here as enemies.”
She snatched the teacup from Gold Spider’s subordinate brewing the tea.
His boldness left the man staring blankly.
“Then speak.”
Se-ah crossed her legs on the chair, savoring the tea’s aroma.
“Ha. Seriously.”
Gold Spider burst into hollow laughter.
“That guts—wish my kids learned some.”
Gold Spider flicked her hand, and the monk robes fluttered again.
Needles whistled past, severing a few strands of Se-ah’s hair.
But Se-ah didn’t blink, glaring at Gold Spider with her one remaining eye.
“Tch.”
Gold Spider clicked her tongue in boredom and got to the point.
“Lately, some decent kids of mine keep getting ambushed—a lot.”
“Isn’t that the price of aggressive expansion?”
“But I’ve got a strong feeling you’re behind these attacks.”
Se-ah eyed Gold Spider incredulously.
“...That’s why you caused this mess? Just a hunch?”
Gold Spider waved it off.
“No, I heard something.”
Se-ah sipped her tea and replied.
“Rumors pop up anywhere there’s a mouth.”
Gold Spider bared her teeth at Se-ah’s calm demeanor.
“Don’t you wonder how I showed up right at this moment? When your defenses were thin?”
Se-ah set down her cup and relit her pipe.
The long puff of smoke dispersed toward the ceiling.
“Spies, probably.”
Gold Spider wagged her finger.
“No, no. Don’t deflect.”
Her voice lowered, infused with qi.
“I’ve got a real source for solid info now.”
The teacup’s contents vibrated faintly from her voice carrying inner power.
“No more getting played by half-assed kid gangs like yours.”
Her aura pressed heavily on the entire space.
“So?”
Se-ah sighed nonchalantly.
“That ‘real deal’ intel group says I’m behind it?”
“Not quite yet. But something’s off in what you said...”
Gold Spider rummaged in her wide sleeve and pulled out a circular token.
“This isn’t some real deal. It’s the strongest in Luoyang, Henan, the Central Plains entire.”
The gleaming metal round token bore the embossed characters for Luoyang Sword Clan.
“Sword Clan Bronze Token...?!”
Jeong-a cried out the item’s name.
Gold Spider eyed her curiously.
“You know it? Who are you?”
“......”
But Jeong-a clamped her mouth shut.
“Whatever.”
Gold Spider shook the Sword Clan Bronze Token toward Se-ah.
“Now you get it? Why I’d cause a ruckus on a hunch alone? Why no worry about backlash?”
Gold Spider smiled broadly, flashing white teeth.
“Can I take a look at that?”
The sudden voice.
Jeong-a’s face brightened at the familiar tone.