Vol. 1 Chapter 1.5

Right then, the retainer’s voice boomed across the courtyard, signaling the start of the match.

“Let the duel commence!”

As the fight officially began a strangled groan escaped Hwangbo Jeong-gun’s lips.

“Yeon-ah…”

Though he had allowed the match to proceed, his blood was running cold. His posture unconsciously shifted into a half-crouch, his calf muscles coiled tight with tension so he could leap into the ring the split second things went south.

Yeon completely tuned out his agonizing display and the judging eyes of the crowd. Locking her focus entirely onto Peng Dong-hu, she began to bounce on the balls of her feet, maintaining a light rhythmic step.

Peng Dong-hu uncrossed his arms and lazily sauntered forward. Watching her bounce around, a vicious, mocking sneer contorted his features.

“How should I butcher you? Let’s see…”

With a twisted playful grin, Peng Dong-hu suddenly lunged directly at her. Throwing his arms wide, his clear intention was to intimidate her right out of the gate.

“N-No! Yeon-ah!”

Hwangbo Jeong-gun’s body pitched forward, entirely prepared to intervene. However, the scene that unfolded next was the exact opposite of what anyone in the courtyard had anticipated.

Bam! Crack! Thud!

“Argh!”

A crisp, satisfying crunch echoed through the air, followed immediately by a pathetic shriek. It was Peng Dong-hu, crying out in agony after taking Yeon’s clean one-two combo straight to the face.

Having sustained a heavy blow he never saw coming, Peng Dong-hu’s fragile composure shattered into dust. His nose throbbed with a blinding sting and his vision blurred instantly. More than anything, the fact that the very first punch had landed directly on his eye forced hot tears to spill down his cheek, a humiliating detail that irritated him to the point of madness. Though, of course, that had been exactly what Yeon intended.

“You crazy bitch…!”

Peng Dong-hu aggressively rubbed at his eyes. He was willingly blinding himself. It was a fatal mistake no one would dare commit in a life-or-death duel and Yeon was not the type to let such a blunder slide.

Thump, thump.

Bouncing in a steady rhythmic cadence, Yeon suddenly exploded forward with fluid grace. Peng Dong-hu instinctively raised his arms to guard his head but her target this time was down low.

Thwack!

A kick that snapped like a whip struck Peng Dong-hu’s thigh without mercy. Sweeping in at a bizarre, unfamiliar trajectory, it was a textbook low kick the essence of modern striking.

To a martial artist born and bred in the Central Plains like Peng Dong-hu, the technique was entirely foreign. While the martial world possessed footwork designed to stomp knees or target joints, it lacked the specialized mechanics of a modern leg kick.

“Argh!”

As he staggered from the impact, Yeon’s fists descended upon him in a merciless volley. Having already calibrated the exact distance with her initial combo and the low kick, she was perfectly in her element.

You’re finished, you bastard.

Following a piercing one-two, a sharp left uppercut connected flawlessly with the tip of Peng Dong-hu’s jaw. Not even a martial artist could withstand a concussive rattle delivered directly to the brain especially when internal energy was strictly banned.

As Peng Dong-hu’s head bounced back and forth like a speed bag, a rush of pure, intoxicating exhilaration flooded Yeon’s entire body. Her limbs felt incredibly elastic, overflowing with dynamic springiness.

This is even better than I imagined!

Hwangbo Yeon’s physical vessel was a masterpiece of divine talent. The moment her mind willed an action, the body executed it flawlessly. It felt like trading a clunky rowboat for a high-performance jet ski.

To be fair, Yeon’s original self had been exceptionally talented too. However, her strengths had always lied in the mental aspect of combat, an innate comprehension of fighting mechanics, superior psychological warfare and a fierce spirit that refused to back down against any gender.

In other words, the ultimate software had just been installed into the ultimate hardware.

Hwangbo Yeon, it turns out you and I make a pretty terrifying team.

The unfortunate guinea pig of their historic merger was currently trapped in a state of a grogginess.

Yeon figured it was time to wrap things up. If she kept pummeling him, she might actually break something permanently. Then again, she might have already done so.

“Stop the duel immediately!”

Catching sight of the Peng Clan retainers rushing forward in utter horror, Yeon tightly clenched her right fist. A surge of power resembling molten lava rippled through her forearm and radiated across her entire body.

This should keep you bedridden for a good while to reflect on your life. Goodbye, Peng Dong-hu.

Boom!

A devastating right hook brutally collided with Peng Dong-hu’s face. Taking the definitive finishing blow, his body spun violently in place like a top that had lost its momentum. The moment he crashed heavily into the dirt, the advancing Peng retainers froze in sheer disbelief.

“……!”

A clean, undeniable knockout. The courtyard fell into a stunned breathless silence. The onlookers were forced to process a reality they deemed utterly impossible.

Standing tall in the center of the ring, Yeon swept a cold glance over the retainers who had been whispering about her just moments prior. Delightfully, their faces were now completely frozen in shock.

“Heh. Spun around like a toy. Serves him right,” she muttered under her breath, quite pleased with her performance.

With an intentional flourish, she dusted off her hands for everyone to see.

“As expected of a pervert. Weak as paper.”

Tossing the cold remark over her shoulder, she strolled back toward Hwangbo Jeong-gun. Her father’s eyes were opened so incredibly wide that the blood vessels were practically bursting.

“Well, Father? It went exactly as I said it would, didn’t it?”

As his daughter playfully rolled her shoulders, Hwangbo Jeong-gun stood with his jaw slack, completely tongue-tied.

From the clan’s white elephant to the rising star destined to shake the foundations of the martial world, this was the exact moment the brand-new history of Hwangbo Yeon began.