Chapter 142
Chapter 142
To Tang Yan, everything in creation was a teacher, a channel through which he could awaken to the martial arts. Today's duel was important enough to decide the fate of the Count of Jinhai's Estate, but Tang Yan paid it no mind. He didn't even know where he was or who his opponent was.
‘It doesn't matter who my opponent is. No matter how great they are, they can't be greater than me. I don't ask who my opponent is, only where they are. I, Tang Yan, will give them no chance of victory and subdue them in a single strike.’
‘What's that? A man too exceptional leads a lonely life? Is there anyone in this world who doesn't live a lonely life? What's so interesting about women, money, or power? The most interesting thing is, of course, the sword.’
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, said.
“Yan, your opponent this time is Jin Mulan. You must use your full strength to…”
Tang Lun stopped mid-sentence. Whether Tang Yan faced his opponent with all his might or with indifference, the result would be the same. The Count of Jinhai corrected himself.
“Yan, remember this. Defeat her in an instant, but do not kill her. Do you understand?”
Tang Yan nodded.
“Yes, I will not kill her.”
“But you must destroy her martial arts. That way, when powerful men try to claim her later, she won't be able to resist.”
“Yes, I will destroy her martial arts.”
“When you destroy Jin Mulan’s martial arts, you must not mar her appearance. Even if you must wound her, the injury must be small. You must not leave any large scars on her skin.”
The great figures would likely want a flawless beauty. If she had a large scar on her body, their enjoyment would surely diminish. They had not only divided all the assets of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, but also treated the peerless beauty Jin Mulan as a valuable asset to be offered to some powerful man.
Tang Yan furrowed his brow and asked with a hint of annoyance.
“Is a wound the size of a strand of hair acceptable?”
“That is acceptable.”
“Understood. How very troublesome.”
And then, Tang Yan went back to observing the mosquito. This time, he focused on its wings, carefully counting how many times they flapped.
‘It flaps its wings over five hundred times?’
Tang Yan was astonished, thinking the mosquito was truly remarkable.
“It is time. Young Master Tang, please proceed to the dueling grounds.”
“Very well!”
Tang Yan took his black iron sword and walked outside. The image of the mosquito's flapping wings still lingered in his mind.
* * *
Inside the great hall.
Several hundred people filled the seats in an orderly fashion. The Royal Uncle Ning Qi, the former Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Suo Xuan, and Duke Weiwu Bian Xiao—these three sat at the central judging table, exuding an air of supreme authority. The family of the Count of Xuanwu sat to their right, with only a few spectators behind them. The only notable person among them was Su Jianting, the son of Marquis Zhenyuan. He too believed Jin Mulan would be utterly defeated, but as a relative of the Jin Clan, he was only there to put on a show for others.
The family of the Count of Jinhai was seated to the left of the judging table, with a dense crowd of people behind them. Among them were not only the newly influential families but also nobles from long-established houses. This was less about currying favor with the Tang Clan and more about making a political statement.
‘Your Majesty, we have not opposed the new policies. Please do not turn the blade of your new administration against us.’
They only supported the unfortunately targeted Count of Xuanwu's Estate inwardly, mentally. To declare their neutrality and impartiality, figures like Zhang Chong, Governor Zhu Rong, and members of the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate sat in a third section, awaiting the outcome. Zhang Jin and Chi Yu sat side by side, with Zhang Chunhua between them.
“There is nothing to worry about with this match. Jin Mulan’s swordsmanship is two levels below Tang Yan’s; she will be crushed in an instant.”
Zhang Jin spoke as if intending for Chi Yu to hear, and Chi Yu nodded.
“I’ve seen Tang Yan’s swordsmanship before. The Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style truly has no counter.”
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Jin Mulan.
‘So beautiful! Such an exquisite figure, what a waste.’
She was destined to lose the upcoming match, and with the fate of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, her freedom would also be lost. Being too beautiful was, in the end, a sin. Only when the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was powerful could such beauty be protected; once the Jin Clan fell, it would only invite disaster.
*Clang!*
The sound of the bell signaling the start of the match echoed, and the first duel began. Everyone's eyes widened, as if afraid to miss a single moment. The outcome would be decided in the blink of an eye. Countless young masters had challenged Tang Yan before, and each time, the match ended in an instant. Since Jin Mulan's martial arts were inferior to even Su Jianting's, it was highly likely this duel would also end in a flash.
Tang Yan never looked at his opponents, but this time, unlike his usual self, he glanced at her and was slightly surprised.
‘Th-this is that woman? Why is she so beautiful? I don't remember her being this pretty before. Fine. Then when I destroy your martial arts, I will make the wound very small. Smaller than a strand of hair.’
Tang Yan raised his black iron sword and executed his technique—the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style. For fourteen years, he had practiced this single style hundreds, thousands of times. Whenever the sword was in his hand, his technique reached its zenith. Today was no different; it was an astonishingly brilliant display of swordsmanship that sent shivers down everyone's spines. The onlookers felt their hair stand on end, able to feel the immense power of the technique even from a distance. It seemed impossible to face, impossible to counter.
In response, Mulan’s sword moved forward. Her style was incredibly simple, one never seen before, so concise compared to the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style that it was almost moving. Moreover, she held a wooden sword not even worth a single coin. Mulan used no flashy moves; she simply stared at one spot and then thrust her sword forward. It was the eye of the storm—the sole opening in the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style, its most vulnerable point.
*Clink!*
The next moment, Mulan’s sword lightly passed through the terrifying aura of the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style and struck Tang Yan in the chest. Struck by the sword, Tang Yan felt his internal energy surge backward.
*Pfft!*
Tang Yan spat out a mouthful of bright red blood and was sent flying backward. The match was over in the blink of an eye!
‘Heavens! What just happened? Am I dreaming?’
This was the common reaction of everyone present. The outcome had been so sudden there was no time to react. Everyone had watched the beginning and the process, but the result was completely different from their expectations. The match had indeed been decided in the blink of an eye, but the one who was instantly defeated was Tang Yan.
‘This is unbelievable!’
Tang Yan was peerless among the young masters of his generation, and the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style was supposedly unbeatable. Yet, Jin Mulan had just defeated him with a single strike. With a wooden sword, no less. If this wasn't some trick of the heavens, what was it?
Struck in the chest by Mulan, Tang Yan flew several meters back. He landed on the floor and coughed up blood several times. Mulan could have rushed forward and finished him off, but after seeing the look in his eyes, she gave up the idea. His gaze resembled that of a dazed Jin Mucong or the innocent Big Dummy; she couldn't bring herself to kill him. Besides, there was no guarantee he would become an enemy in the future.
Moreover, after winning the match, she trembled inwardly. It was all the result of Shen Lang's planning. He had analyzed the *Meteor from Beyond the Heavens* Sword Style, found its counter, and taught it to her. She hadn't figured it out herself. To be honest, Mulan had lacked confidence the entire time. She had never fought Tang Yan, nor had she ever witnessed the true form of his sword style. She had only heard of his legend of invincibility. There were young masters with martial arts or internal energy superior to Tang Yan's, but none of them had ever managed to counter his technique. Yet, she had just broken it with ease.
Mulan looked at her own hands and the wooden sword, wondering to herself.
‘A-am I really that amazing?’
Then, she looked at her husband. He was the one who had truly created this miracle. Mulan felt as if she and her husband had become one. He was the mind, and she was the body. The mind had commanded the body.
‘But thinking like that makes me, Jin Mulan, seem dim-witted, doesn't it? I’m a very smart woman, too!’
But it didn't matter. Theirs was a very happy and sweet relationship. Feeling as if two people had become one was perhaps the most beautiful stage of love. However, the moment Mulan looked at Shen Lang, she witnessed a scene that made her want to explode. Wasn't her husband exchanging glances with that lewd woman, Zhang Chunhua?
‘A-at such a crucial moment, you're flirting with another woman? You're letting your eyes wander at a time like this? And I was just thinking we had become one body, one person. You trash, you human garbage! Stabbing you ten million times wouldn't be enough!’
Shen Lang truly hadn't done it on purpose. Even if he was a philanderer, he wasn't such trash as to do it at a critical moment. This was the important duel between his wife and Tang Yan, so of course, he was focused on the fight. But as he watched his wife, he noticed the gaze of a certain beauty directed at him. As mentioned before, handsome men generally have a keen intuition.
In the great hall today, numerous beauties were staring at Shen Lang, their faces flushed red. However, Shen Lang paid their gazes no mind and showed no reaction. If he were to return every single glance, he would die of exhaustion. When the bell signaling the start of the duel rang, everyone turned to watch Mulan and Tang Yan. This match was the most crucial, capable of deciding the entire confrontation. But one pair of eyes was still fixed on Shen Lang.
Shen Lang unconsciously glanced in that direction and realized it was Zhang Chunhua. She pursed her flower-like lips and blew him a kiss. The gesture was incredibly subtle, but Shen Lang caught it instantly.
‘This woman is so audacious. Seducing me in the middle of a crowd?’
Shen Lang’s attention was momentarily diverted by the scene, and in that brief instant, his wife’s battle ended. And so, the scoundrel Shen Lang was caught exchanging glances with Zhang Chunhua by Mulan.
Feeling his wife’s murderous gaze, the fine hairs on the back of Shen Lang's neck stood on end, and a chill ran through his entire body.
‘I-I’m finished!’
To recover, Shen Lang quickly jumped to his feet, clapped, and shouted loudly.
“Well done! My wife is truly magnificent!”
Shen Lang’s applause seemed to break the spell that had frozen everyone, and they finally began to react. The ones who found the result most unbelievable were the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, and his heir, Tang Yun. They had witnessed Tang Yan’s duels firsthand. Over two hundred people had challenged him, and all had been defeated in an instant. Frankly, they had seen it so many times that Tang Yan’s victories had become mundane. But for Tang Yan to lose? And to be defeated so swiftly by Jin Mulan!
‘H-how is this possible? Did the sun rise in the west today?’
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, felt as if his mind had been struck by lightning. At first, he felt only absurdity and unreality. Only after a long moment did the reality of the match’s outcome sink in.
‘This is the dispute over Gold Mountain Island. To lose the very first match, one we had to win! What in the world just happened?’
His gaze turned to his son, Tang Yan.
‘Could it be that my son was moved by the woman’s beauty? Did he go easy on Jin Mulan? No, that’s impossible. The word ‘woman’ doesn't even exist in Tang Yan’s vocabulary. Is he not in his right state of mind?’
Tang Lun had seen Tang Yan perform the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens Sword Style tens of thousands of times, so he knew instantly that there had been no flaw in his execution. Tang Yun said from the side.
“Father, aren’t we confident we can win the remaining two of the three matches? Losing the first one is not a big deal.”
At Tang Yun's words, the Count of Jinhai let out a sigh, calming his agitated heart, and nodded.
“Yes, yes. We are certain we will win the remaining matches. But I simply cannot understand how this happened.”