Vol. 1 Chapter 2.8

CRACK!

“Aaah!”

As fists collided, the one sent flying with a scream was Namgung Ji-hyun. It wasn’t a matter of martial arts superiority, it was a difference in physical condition.

Grabbing her wrist in bone-shattering pain, Ji-hyun shouted.

“How can this be!”

Her belief that Namgung’s martial arts couldn’t be inferior to Hwangbo’s, her twisted pride in her clan was her downfall. The important thing wasn’t the martial art, but the person using it…

Her shaken mind was reflected in her eyes, which had lost their fighting spirit. What remained was denial of reality.

“This doesn’t make sense!”

“Yes, it does!”

Launching herself like a bullet, Yeon unleashed a flurry of blows. With her left hand useless, Ji-hyun had no way to block them.

“Huff!”

Gasping for breath, Ji-hyun’s right hand shot up to guard her face. Even in this situation, she was still worried about protecting her looks. Smiling bitterly, Yeon ruthlessly struck her wide-open side.

THWACK!

“Guh!”

Yeon held back her internal energy and deliberately avoided aiming for her ribs. No matter how much of a bully she was, she couldn’t kill her. But she showed no mercy when it came to the gut-wrenching pain.

“Kruh…”

Curling up like a shrimp, Ji-hyun rolled on the ground. The face she had tried so desperately to protect was now a mess, drool spilling from her mouth. The saying that body shots leave no one unscathed held true here too.

“Ji-hyun!”

“Kyaaah!”

The henchwomen came running. They made a huge fuss as if something terrible had happened, but none had the nerve to actually confront Yeon.

“Tch.”

She hadn’t expected it to end so easily. Bored now, Yeon turned her back. Just as she was about to say something to Tang Xiao-xiao.

“Xiao-xiao, now-”

“unni!”

At Xiao-xiao’s warning, Yeon spun around like she was drifting. Into her field of vision came Namgung Ji-hyun, suspended in mid-air. A sword had somehow appeared in her hand, its surface glowing faintly with heavily infused internal energy.

“Hwangbo Yeon!”

With a demonic face, Ji-hyun scattered her sword strikes. It was a clear killing technique, dripping with bloodlust. At the critical moment, Yeon suddenly recalled something Peng Dong-hu had said. Was this how that bastard had felt?

“She’s the type who only cries when she sees a real coffin.”

Her eyes sharpening, Yeon protected her fists with internal energy. Who would have thought that a modern person like her would ever face a sword with bare hands? But that was exactly the kind of world the martial arts world was.

CLANG!

As fist and sword collided, the sound of metal striking metal rang out. Ji-hyun staggered back, but this time her momentum didn’t waver. Because the sword was her specialty.

“Die!”

As Ji-hyun charged, the mysteries of the Namgung Clan’s unique martial art, the Sword of the Boundless Sky, unfolded from her hand. Without a single step backward, Yeon countered with the Thunderclap Divine Fist.

Sword and fist. Both carried enough power that it wouldn’t be strange if one of them died. Just before the irreversible attacks collided-

“Stop!”

Someone suddenly jumped between them. It was a highly dangerous act, but they deflected both attacks as if drawing a circle. A feat absolutely impossible without considerable skill.

Shwaaa.

The violently flowing energy gradually subsided, and the person’s identity was revealed. A man in white robes Lee Cheon-gang.

He spoke to Yeon.

“At a martial arts gathering, using killing techniques results in immediate expulsion.”

“Move aside.”

Namgung Ji-hyun stepped forward, but Cheon-gang didn’t budge.

“I said move aside. Why are you suddenly interfering?”

“If I hadn’t, you would have been badly hurt.”

Who?

Yeon was curious, but she didn’t ask. Because Cheon-gang’s gaze was now directed at Namgung Ji-hyun.

Her hand gripping the sword hilt trembled violently. The way she bit her lip seemed to force down her rising emotions.

Wait. Rising emotions?

Was Ji-hyun’s anger really just because of Cheon-gang’s attitude, which implied her defeat? Yeon had a hunch it was more than that, a sixth sense that only women could feel.

What is it?

Just then, Namgung Ji-hyun spoke.

“Weren’t you not interested in other people’s business?”

“I never said that.”

“You never said that?”

“That’s right.”

“…Fine. I suppose. That’s always how you are.”

Huh?

At her voice, tinged with sorrow, just as Yeon was questioning her ears, a hypothesis crossed her mind.

Could Namgung Ji-hyun have feelings for Cheon-gang…?

A crush? It was hard to explain, otherwise her current behavior. It was completely incompatible with the murderous attitude she’d had just moments ago.

“What brings you here? You never show your face at gatherings.”

“…”

“You don’t even want to answer?”

“I had a promise to keep.”

At Cheon-gang’s consistently blunt attitude, Yeon felt a strange emotion. So this was his real personality. At the same time, her hatred for Namgung Ji-hyun dimmed. She too was thinking, So this is how he is.

“A promise? You?”

Sending him a doubtful look, Ji-hyun suddenly flinched. Then, her head slowly turned. Toward where Yeon was standing.

“No way…”

Ji-hyun’s eyes as she looked at Yeon were filled with disbelief. Her eyelids were trembling visibly.

Having seen enough, Yeon stepped in.

“Let’s stop here.”

Those words carried multiple meanings. She didn’t want to suddenly become part of a love triangle drama, and more than anything, she no longer wanted to make Ji-hyun a spectacle.

Ji-hyun, looking toward Yeon, couldn’t see it, but behind her, the henchwomen were busily rolling their eyes. Their amused expressions looked like they were watching a morning drama. If popcorn existed in this world, they’d probably be holding it.

Yeon disliked the main bullies, but she disliked the minions even more. Especially those without any loyalty.

Just a moment ago, they were clinging to Ji-hyun as if they’d do anything for her. Those minions…

The word “minions” felt particularly fitting today. Yeon walked toward Cheon-gang.

“As you can see, strolling through the forest isn’t going to work. Let’s postpone our promise for another time.”

Cheon-gang’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He seemed about to say something, but then simply gave a short reply.

“…Understood.”

With that, Yeon left the scene. This time, even Namgung Ji-hyun didn’t try to stop her. Only Tang Xiao-xiao, after glancing around hesitantly, belatedly followed after Yeon. The situation was over.

 

* * *

 

Yeon and Tang Xiao-xiao left the forest and headed to a quiet spot. After settling onto a suitable bench, Tang Xiao-xiao, on the verge of tears, spoke.

“U-unni, are you alright? Because of me…”

“It wasn’t because of you. You heard me earlier.. there was something between us to settle.”

Waving her hand as if to say it was nothing, Yeon added with a grin.

“We had a round yesterday at the Guest House.”

“Huh? Ah, I see…”

The conversation paused for a moment. Tang Xiao-xiao was as timid as the original Hwangbo Yeon had been, and Yeon found herself thinking about Cheon-gang, whom she had left behind.

Her last exchange with him lingered in her mind.

“Let’s postpone our promise for another time.”

“…Understood.”

The regret buried in that short reply bothered her. And the look on his face, like a puppy caught in the rain.

Ah, this is bothering me. It was because Xiao-xiao was there, but was I acting too cool? Surely Namgung Ji-hyun won’t make a move on him, right?

“With me, not that Hwangbo Yeon woman.”

Imaginary wings sprouted from her shoulders, and her hips wiggled. She might have gotten up and gone back right then, if not for Tang Xiao-xiao’s voice.

“Um unni.”

“Huh?”

“What I’m about to say might sound strange…”

“What is it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Tang Xiao-xiao asked.

“Are you really Hwangbo Yeon unni?”

Ah, right. She must have been surprised too.

“Well, there were some circumstances. Actually, when I was sick this time, it was pretty serious. They say people can change completely after a near-death experience. So… yeah.”

Yeon made excuses with an awkward laugh, and Tang Xiao-xiao didn’t even suspect anything. Instead, she nodded with wide eyes.

“Wow… I guess that can happen.”

That actually worked.

Between So-jin and Xiao-xiao, Yeon felt fortunate that the people around her were so innocent.

“Uh yeah.”

“…I want to go through one too. A near-death experience.”

“What?”

Tang Xiao-xiao quietly closed her mouth. After looking at her for a moment, Yeon changed the subject.

“Where are your brothers?”

“They went back to the clan first.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

Hesitating, Tang Xiao-xiao explained. She said there had been some trouble at the Guest House before Yeon arrived. The Tang Clan twins had been disrespected.

“There are always people who clash with my brothers whenever we come to these gatherings. Actually, most people except for a few, but anyway, things got tense because of something that was said. About our Clan being in-between.”

“In-between?”

It meant neither orthodox nor unorthodox, the middle ground. In this age of the orthodox factions, the term had almost disappeared, but it clearly carried a negative connotation. Especially when directed at the Sichuan Tang Clan.

“Because our clan mainly uses poison and hidden weapons.”

So, in simple terms, it meant they didn’t acknowledge using poison as a cowardly method. Then why invite them to the gathering at all? Yeon, who roughly knew the background of this world, Martial Supreme : The Peak of Martial Arts, found it absurd.

This is why you got wrecked by the Baehwa Cult leader. When you should be uniting forces because you’re barely enough, you’re busy ostracizing people.

Yeon’s thoughts turned to the fate of the Tang Clan Twin Heroes. The twins who would kill countless orthodox martial artists with their ruthless skills and eventually become the Twin Demons. She didn’t know the exact reason, but wasn’t it related to this kind of discrimination?

That seems a bit too simplistic to be the whole reason, though…

Thinking of them, Yeon asked.

“Then why didn’t you go with them, Xiao-xiao?”

“Well, actually…”

An unexpected answer came from Tang Xiao-xiao.

〜End of Chapter 2〜