Chapter 189 – Bond (4)

The sound of flowing liquid was clear.

“…”

Radiant Demon Wing Leader Jeong Yeon-shin tilted the liquor bottle gently. The Two Rivers liquor filled the cup very slowly.

A faint tremor arose in Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon’s cup. The liquor, infused with internal energy, approached with a powerful wave.

Cracks were being suppressed in the fingers of Yan Hwa-ryeon, who gripped the cup. It was a contest of internal energy control.

This was a battle of wits between supreme masters.

The boy had deliberately taken the initiative. He did so to conceal his disadvantage.

The speed at which masters who had achieved unity of spirit and energy could wield their power surpassed Jeong Yeon-shin.

It was said that the state where refined energy, a well-tempered body, and the spirituality of the upper dantian harmonized as one was called the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.

It was a condition where three flowers became one. Thus, martial monsters who could unleash internal energy at the speed of thought roamed the black-rank realm.

‘They are ones who have honed their skills for at least decades,’ he thought.

Thanks to the immense capacity of his upper dantian, Jeong Yeon-shin had reached his current level of martial prowess, facing black-rank foes with near-prescient senses.

He had to unleash his techniques faster than his opponents to stand on equal footing.

Every fight from Sichuan to this place had been like that.

Even if it seemed he fought evenly or overwhelmingly at a glance, a fierce intensity breathed within his moves.

Now, momentarily exhausted after using the Azure Flame Slash, he couldn’t afford to exchange blows.

A supreme master like the Yan Family’s First Fist could seek to trade techniques at any moment.

She was a powerhouse who roamed the perilous world freely. She ate well even in famine and trained relentlessly. There was no way she’d hold back with a rival before her.

That’s why he had induced a contest of internal energy under the guise of serving liquor. He didn’t want her to notice the new Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s weakness.

The density of the Luminous Wheel Technique surpassed that of most peers. It would be hard for her to gauge his other abilities.

“Hmph.”

A small snort escaped Yan Hwa-ryeon. It was a breath tinged with amusement.

A slender smile formed on her lips.

She looked up at Jeong Yeon-shin while sitting carelessly, and the energy wave spreading in a transparent ripple brushed her eyelashes upward.

It was the power wave of the Yan Family’s First Fist. The robustly surging energy kept the cup from shattering.

The blue veins pulsing on the back of her hand testified to the quiet intensity of this struggle.

Crack.

In an instant, a fissure appeared in the cup. A transparent stream of liquor flowed down along the line that spread from the bottom.

The sound of dripping liquor filled the silence in the room.

The young Radiant Demon Wing Leader silently righted the bottle.

Yue Yu-lin’s eyes widened slightly. The Yan Family’s First Fist had failed to hold the cup.

Would the same scene unfold if their positions were reversed? It was hard to tell for now.

“They’d argue about your age,” Yan Hwa-ryeon said.

She opened her mouth.

“I bet many were stunned beyond belief. I can tell without seeing it.”

“…”

“But I’m surprised for a different reason. I never thought a kid would lecture me on propriety in my presence. It’s truly a sight to live long and see. It’s obviously a trivial provocation, but hearing it from you feels strange. It’s a temperament suited to our family.”

“A provocation?” he asked.

“It means you’re a born fighter,” she replied. “A well-received taunt has always been a refined technique since ancient times. If you induce an attack and seize the follow-up properly, you can ultimately control the flow of the fight. You can predict the direction of your opponent’s moves and preselect a counter. With your power, that’d be a truly fearsome response. I’ll need to be cautious.”

She concluded her words leisurely.

Insight flashed in her languid voice. It was chillingly sharp.

The power of one of the Eight Great Families flowed through her flushed, drunken face. Unlike the orthodox sects, it wasn’t lofty.

It was closer to confidence that she could crush anything in her way.

The eyes of a renowned family’s master, who had amassed wealth, influence, and martial prowess in the secular world, were eerily precise. They were honed for combat.

“You’re gauging the shape of a fight from my words,” Jeong Yeon-shin said.

He responded with faint amusement. The figure before him felt refreshing.

He realized anew that other supreme masters could assess their opponents this way too.

The boy was a bit different. Just processing what his senses picked up was overwhelming. Yan Hwa-ryeon, the Yan Family’s First Fist.

The subtle rhythm of her emanating energy, the physique revealed by her sleeveless attire, and the flow of energy she used to hold the cup—all were clues to unravel this fist master.

‘She’s mastered straightforward martial arts. Her fist techniques must be incredibly fast. If she’s famed across the martial world as a fist expert, her protective energy must be exceptionally solid too,’ he deduced.

Swift martial arts and a tightly woven protective energy came to mind first.

As the Yan Family’s First Fist, a supreme master, she likely also wielded a secret technique opposite to her primary style.

He had to consider techniques like the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Fist principles or Shaolin’s Hundred Steps Divine Fist—methods of explosive force from the orthodox sects.

Jeong Yeon-shin tried to guess which muscles she mainly used. Nothing came to mind immediately.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s entire body was remarkably well-developed.

She exuded the aura of a perfected fist martial artist. No obvious weak points stood out.

He felt oddly pleased.

Revealing the same sword technique multiple times in hostile territory was foolish.

Even if the boy enjoyed seeing counters to his martial arts, it wasn’t something he could afford in a place with family heads of the Eight Great Families he couldn’t yet handle.

“I heard about your fist techniques,” Yan Hwa-ryeon said.

She spoke with a smile.

“I want to see the technique that severed the Namgung Family’s lineage. I plan to stick close so you can’t use something like an iron skewer. Unless you’ve mastered something like the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms, you’ll have to respond with fist techniques.”

Her intent was clear. She was referencing the Brilliant River.

She showed no hesitation even with Yue Yu-lin, once betrothed to the Namgung Family, present. It suited the phrase “solely self-respecting.”

She continued.

“You can take it as an honor. I’m saying I don’t mind clashing with you in close combat. If you were some sloppy-looking guy, it’d be different. With you, it’s worth going all out.”

Her double-edged words carried a playful tone.

The notion of gender distinction didn’t hold in the martial world. Since the prestigious families aided the founding of the Ming Dynasty, martial artists’ status transcended gender.

Mastering martial arts made one a powerhouse regardless of age or sex. In this world, the weak had to endure any provocation.

It was like the boy lecturing on propriety. Her words were a taunt.

“Now, receive my liquor,” she declared.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s Golden Hand technique unfolded. She extended her fingers long, disrupted Jeong Yeon-shin’s wrist, and took the bottle.

The series of movements was astonishingly smooth.

Even if he had resisted properly, it would’ve been hard to counter in one move, but the boy didn’t bother resisting.

He merely brushed his sword with his left hand to prevent her from seizing his pulse. A reverse sword strike would have sent her wrist flying.

She handed him a cup and laughed.

“Are you scared and just want to drink? The Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s gripping his sword like he’ll kill.”

“Giving my arm to a fist expert would be stupid,” he replied.

The boy answered calmly.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s lips curled up further as she tilted the bottle toward his cup.

Clear Two Rivers liquor flowed from the bottle’s mouth, clinking against the cup.

This time, there was no sign of anything. Unlike the boy, she seemed not to have infused it with energy.

“Kid, I don’t want to just bicker,” she said. “Life’s too short even to enjoy. Chivalry, etiquette—all of it’s fleeting. This martial world has too much baggage. You’ll realize it in ten years. You don’t seem like a naive child, so you’ll recall my words then.”

“Thanks.”

The boy answered. Words mentioning times after three years were usually words of blessing..

Having finished sizing up his final rival in the Opening Tournament, he was about to turn away when he heard her kind words.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s long eyebrows dipped and rose.

“If you appreciate my advice, down that drink,” she said. “I’m a bit miffed being the only one tipsy.”

At that moment, Lazy Flame Dragon suddenly reached out and grabbed Jeong Yeon-shin’s cup.

“Leader, let’s drink elsewhere,” he said. “I’ll teach you propriety.”

A white gleam flickered in the eyes of the Hwangbo Family’s opium addict.

It was a secret eye technique of the Hwangbo Family. Though not on par with Zhuge or Murong, it was a treasured skill of the Eight Great Families.

From years of libertine experience, Lazy Flame Dragon knew the tricks of drug-wielding internal energy masters.

The moment Yan Hwa-ryeon tilted the bottle, a white vapor unique to a sedative drug spread.

She had gripped a different part than Jeong Yeon-shin and applied energy.

It was an act of releasing pre-attached drugs with internal energy. If unnoticed, one might mistake it for steam and overlook it.

It wasn’t a deadly poison. It only induced sleep, unconsciousness, or numbness.

A lethal toxin that could instantly kill a supreme master couldn’t be administered so easily.

However, the moment one resisted with energy, their true internal power would be exposed defenselessly.

Unlike when Jeong Yeon-shin tested Yan Hwa-ryeon by locally releasing the Luminous Wheel Technique, this was different.

He nearly had his foundations exposed while scouting.

“When even healthy drinks aren’t enough, something this filthy…” Lazy Flame Dragon muttered.

Blazing Yang Energy surged from his hand. The liquor in the cup boiled and rose as a wisp of smoke.

The white vapor stretching to the ceiling mingled with the breeze and dissipated. Yue Yu-lin, off to the side, covered her lips with her hand.

Lazy Flame Dragon ignored it and sneered.

“You pull a cheap trick like that? Have you no shame?”

“The world’s not so kind, Living easy is tough.”

Yan Hwa-ryeon replied with an awkward smile. As if she’d slipped up in her drunkenness, the shameless yet languid grin suited her well.

“Let’s go,” Jeong Yeon-shin said.

He turned slowly. Trading words here would yield nothing. Hanzhong was the domain of the Zhuge Family and the Martial Alliance.

A minor trick like Yan Hwa-ryeon’s would easily be brushed off.

Making it public through Hyeon Won-chang would be a hassle.

Crushing her with martial prowess in the Opening Tournament and taking the Great Rejuvenation Pill would be the strongest retaliation.

Then she spoke.

“Kid, when you rescued the Mount Hua Sect’s head disciple…”

Yan Hwa-ryeon interjected suddenly.

“When that regional magistrate died, it caused a stir. She was an official on good terms with the main alliance.”

“…”

“They say her neck was severed in one stroke… Do you have any guesses? That Mount Hua disciple claimed he didn’t see the magistrate. Even though all the magistrate’s actions pointed to that remote island. It was quite suspicious. Just like your silence now.”

Her voice slithered like a snake. Her half-closed eyes, set against flushed cheeks, fixed on the black-robed boy.

Her waiting posture was odd. It resembled a fist master poised to deliver a condensed strike.

Her clear gaze swept over his nape. Though she seemed jovial and relaxed, Yan Hwa-ryeon was unmistakably of the Eight Great Families.

A letter the Zhuge Family Head had sent to the regional magistrate.

It said that they would overlook the pillaging of commoners in exchange for aiding resource trade between Hanzhong and Yunyang.

It was proof of collaboration between local officials and martial factions during famine. It seemed the alliance had desperately sought it after Yu Hyeon’s return.

There was no reason for a figure like the magistrate to destroy a document that could choke the alliance.

Eventually, they came to suspect the Radiant Demon Wing Leader who rescued Yu Hyeon.

“That island where they penned up commoners like livestock,” the boy said.

He turned his head slightly and spoke.

“The Yan Family’s First Fist’s words are laughable. If the magistrate was there, it means she aided in plundering the commoners. Even assuming that, seeking her out suggests some corrupt connection. What face do you have to interrogate me?”

“Your words got unusually long,” she remarked. “Is it because commoners are involved? That’s a tongue worthy of a Desolate Fortress martial artist.”

She chuckled and gestured.

“Go on, then,” she said. “Let’s meet on the sparring stage tomorrow.”

“I wonder how it feels to be hit by words and fists at once,” Lazy Flame Dragon added. “I’ve never experienced it… Well, Yan Family’s First Fist, please survive and let me know.”

With that, the two descended the stairs.

Yue Yu-lin pursed her lips with a complex expression.

Yan Hwa-ryeon, leaning diagonally against the wall, twirled the cracked cup with her fingers.

“My fists will have some spring,” she mused. “Those two sure know how to rile people up.”

“…”

“It’s been a while since I last pummeled someone into mush. Might as well grab the Great Rejuvenation Pill too… Hope the Alliance Leader goes easy.”

In the realm of peerless masters, self-assurance was near-essential. It was an exceedingly delicate world.

A technique swung without firm resolve couldn’t carry full strength.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s lips curved into an arc. It was a smile laced with anticipation.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***  

Bright sunlight settled on the pavilion’s roof.

Zhuge Qing-ya performed a ritual bath.

It was an important day. The means to cut down her father, the Zhuge Family Head’s, tyranny would be decided today.

If Radiant Demon Wing Leader Lightning Genius couldn’t handle Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon, she’d need a new plan.

The girl sincerely hoped that wouldn’t happen.

She tied her black hair, bound in sky-blue silk, behind her neck. She neatly adjusted her attire too.

The pale blue sleeves, closer to ceremonial robes than martial garb, softly brushed the air. The fabric resembled indigo.

Her elder brother, the Fan Dragon Zhuge Xian, knew nothing.

Fully engrossed in the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s spar, he’d left early to secure a good spot in the alliance’s command tent.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Qing-ya had checked that Azure Qilin’s body remained intact in its place.

The alliance’s affairs were convoluted, tangled with over a hundred factions.

There was no telling when the Namgung Family might whimsically reclaim the body.

‘I’m sorry. You’ll rest soon,’ she thought.

She mourned once more and headed to the Opening Tournament’s sparring stage.

The streets within the alliance were empty. The girl walked through swirling dust alone. Everyone seemed to have gone to broaden their horizons at the supreme masters’ bout.

The lack of anyone around felt profoundly desolate. It was like the gaze she’d once met from the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

‘He has to win,’ she thought.

Zhuge Qing-ya moved her feet while thinking.

He had to dominate the Opening Tournament. It was a plan that required a warrior, recognized by the masses, to rise in righteous fury.

He needed a just cause and the strength to uphold his convictions.

Yet, Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon’s fame was immense. The title of Yan Family’s First Fist was no exaggeration.

It was a well-known name among the Eight Great Families.

She had an affair with the widowed Zhuge Family Head without stirring major scandal. That’s how strong she was.

Everyone in the alliance was under her father’s sway.

‘Please,’ she prayed.

As Zhuge Qing-ya clasped her pale hands, cheers reached her ears. She saw a crowd completely surrounding the sparring stage.

Energy infused her steps. With lightness technique, she reached the stage in an instant.

Tap.

With nimble movements, she climbed a watchtower. It was a seat reserved for dignitaries.

Zhuge Qing-ya quickly turned her gaze.

Had they already exchanged a few moves? The two figures in the center of the stage came into view.

Yan Hwa-ryeon retreated with evasive steps, while Jeong Yeon-shin followed with ground-shaking strides.

A spiraling gale erupted from the young Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s hands. Colorless shockwaves swirled.

The scene unfolded explosively as he shattered and crushed the stage floor while advancing.

Even the black robe fluttering fiercely behind the boy felt menacing.

Everything visible seemed to proclaim the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s caliber.

Boom boom boom boom—!

In that tremendous moment, the girl had just arrived.

The Brilliant River, known only through rumors, was being unleashed before the crowd.