Chapter 283 – Lotus (2)

Only then.

With a thud, dust rose.

The four headless corpses collapsed in disarray in an instant.

The sparse, dry wind mingled with the ochre gusts swirling over their bodies.

The air currents, spiraling dozens of ways in place, seemed to flash faint teeth.

The wilderness emptied into silence. Until the Radiant Demon Wing Leader withdrew his hand.

Clatter.

Four swords fell to the dirt. As if they had never been tools of divine skill, they lay powerlessly coated in dust.

Only the scholar, standing alone, snatched his blade and gazed at the Radiant Demon Wing Leader with disbelief.

“…”

The Sharp Peak Merchant Group’s members froze. Completely rigid.

The escort warriors only whispered among themselves, as if a loud noise might provoke a strike.

Their voices trembled thinly. What was that? Sword control? Was there not a weightier term? Divine Sword Group, that Radiant Demon Wing Leader…? Mad, mad…!

Even the merchant, who had been reciting tunes, fell silent. His calculating eyes darted keenly.

His gaze, scanning the intruders, held shock. Soon, it began to tint with despair.

“What are you?”

Suddenly, a black-robed girl stepped from the dust.

Standing beside the Radiant Demon Wing Leader, she stared at him. Her short black hair swayed faintly with her exaggerated breaths.

Utterly comical. The mischief on her face was plain.

“I can accept sensing the Nether Stream Unit kid, but why and how did you get so fast all of a sudden? That was no ordinary lightness skill. I broke a sweat chasing you.”

“Your breathing is uneven.”

“I was entranced by your back. The energy waves of your footwork were too pretty.”

Her eyes curved with satisfaction. Her tone’s pitch swung dramatically.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader, Jeong Yeon-shin, deliberately avoided turning to her. Like a child playing tricks for a grandmother he had never met.

A senior with a youthful face whose antics were routine. She had spoken of rivalry.

‘Good thing Senior Jin is here.’

Three black-ranks of Desolate Fortress. A force fearsome enough to claim invincibility in most cases, yet as a team, he had no experience to gauge it.

Especially since one was the notorious Desolate Fortress Divine Spear, famed for odd conduct.

A stabilizing presence was needed.

Fortunately, there was Divine Blood Extreme Demon. Blood Guardian Squad Leader Senior Jin ranked first among black-ranks he had seen for reliability.

A flawless warrior, seamless as heaven. Comparable to cloth with no visible stitches. Even the scene before him proved it.

“Mo Jun-pyeong of the Sharp Peak Merchant Group greets the esteemed ancients of Desolate Fortress.”

The merchant raised both hands in a refined bow.

Rustle.

His smooth yellow sleeves slid down. A gesture steeped in dignity.

As if he had never reveled in tarnishing Desolate Fortress’s honor, even his voice steadied.

He thoroughly concealed his intent to offer the Nether Stream Unit’s white-rank spy to Zhuge Clan Leader.

“I acknowledge this situation allows no excuses. Thus, I propose a deal.”

Merchants of chaotic times were said to master survival.

Amassing wealth in famine and gathering warriors required a fierce, valiant spirit.

Merchant Mo Jun-pyeong was one chosen by Zhuge Clan Leader in Shanxi. He would not yield his life easily.

Mo Jun-pyeong spoke again. Looking at Jeong Yeon-shin’s youthful face with a pleading air.

“You seem to have caught wind of Shanxi’s affairs. You could use me to lure out Zhuge Clan Leader instead. Shanxi’s officials are steadily losing power. This is no longer land friendly to the government you once trod.”

His voice rang clear and pleasing.

The more Jeong Yeon-shin and Yue Shou-lin stared, the thicker the cold sweat on his smooth brow, yet his smiling lips betrayed fear of irresistible beings.

Unprecedentedly intense.

“But if I aid you, before Zhuge Clan Leader shows himself…”

The man who had grasped the world through Zhuge Clan Leader continued. He seemed to realize one foot was already in the River Styx.

His voice, tying syllables like a song, raced to escape death.

A fleeting moment.

He appeared unaware of the dark shadow passing over him.

Nor did the servants and escorts surrounding him under the canopy.

Crack.

Five pale fingers gripped the merchant’s crown. A hand strikingly white, with blue veins stark against it.

The air above it was eerily still, and no one reacted until the chilling grasp struck.

Only Mo Jun-pyeong’s eyes widened to tearing, his neck tensing.

His head was ripped upward.

Crunch—Spurt!

Flesh tore brutally. Crimson blood sprayed in a rough torrent. As if his tale had turned to steady rain.

Blood droplets scattered across the wilderness, briefly filling the silence, before the head was carelessly tossed aside like trash.

Swish.

The figure shook off their arm and tucked their hand back into their robe. A supremely refined protective skill and golden hand technique.

A tall, lean man wrapped in black robes, his form and aura reminiscent of a bat folding its wings elegantly.

“Desolate Fortress does not negotiate with enemies.”

Divine Blood Extreme Demon Jin Myeong-jo’s voice was smooth and cold.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Even the Sharp Peak Merchant Group’s escorts were slaughtered.

No mercy lay in the Blood Guardian Squad Leader’s hands. He beheaded them all, sparing only the merchant’s closest aide.

Pressing the death points on the napes of those who dropped their swords and knelt revealed his character.

Like a sword forged in frost.

The valor of a general with clear friend-foe lines. Jeong Yeon-shin took it as such.

“It seems Senior Jin dirtied his hands alone. I should have lent a hand.”

He said.

The Blood Guardian Squad Leader shook his head slightly. Wiping his spotless hand on a cloth, as if cleansing something foul.

“Useless talk. No black-rank would make the youngest of Wish for Peace Sword Hall do this.”

A voice devoid of inflection.

Jeong Yeon-shin admired it.

“I learn a senior’s duty from the Blood Guardian Squad Leader. I will show the same conduct to future juniors.”

“…Good.”

Even his reticence felt refined. So did his containment of power waves to the extreme.

Divine Blood Extreme Demon displayed a return-to-simplicity realm daily.

A state where honed martial arts showed no trace. Not a thread of energy waves tangled with Jeong Yeon-shin. Thus, his limits were hard to fathom.

The scholar-like white-rank warrior nearby gazed at Jeong Yeon-shin oddly.

The sort of look the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader often received at the fortress. Each time he showcased his prowess in rank tests.

The scholar-dressed warrior spoke.

“I am Han Jin. At the Gongya Family, I go by Gao Jin. I owe my life to the squad leaders’ grace.”

His clasped salute was courteous again. Even the rustle of his robes sounded refined.

His scholar guise suited him so well, he seemed fit to teach the Gongya Family’s eldest daughter in a renowned household.

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

“It is because you sent the pigeons on time. You saved the four.”

“I will inform the magistrate vouching for my identity. What should I say?”

“The administration office has handled that.”

Yue Shou-lin, chuckling as she watched Jeong Yeon-shin, clasped her hands behind her.

Shrugging her small shoulders amid the stench of blood felt natural.

“We must hide the imperial banner until we cut off Zhuge Clan Leader’s head. Three black-ranks are a force unmatched anywhere. We need to check Yan Clan First Fist, who will be with us, and possibly the Thirteen Evil Sects if they are linked.”

It was already settled. She continued.

“Yeon-ah is now the young sect leader of the lone Sky-Jade Sect. Name’s Geom Woon-bi. A genius Gao Jin met while heading to the exams, who dispatched forest bandits in one move. They kept in touch after bonding.”

“Understood. Greetings to Sect Leader Geom.”

Han Jin of the Nether Stream Unit, Gao Jin of the Gongya Family, saluted again.

His clean aura made even playful conduct seem proper. A peculiar figure.

As Jeong Yeon-shin nodded somewhat dazedly, Yue Shou-lin spoke.

“Yeon-ah will seclude himself at the Gongya Family. Avoid showing yourself unless necessary, and focus only on making the eldest daughter win. Blood Guardian and I will roam widely to scout the area. On joint missions, the youngest gets the comfy bed.”

“The issue is whether the Gongya Family will accept a wildling like Geom Woon-bi…”

Jeong Yeon-shin trailed off. Suddenly, Yue Shou-lin gently reached out and toyed with his hair ends.

The sound of her fingers rubbing his black locks was playful. When the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader recoiled in distaste, a curve graced her lips.

“You are a black-rank any would acknowledge. You can move freely within the mission.”

“Freely, you say?”

“Yes! Do as you see fit, Yeon-ah. Other black-ranks turn escort missions into enemy sect purges. If there’s no need to protect, why bother, they say. Of course, they get disciplined… but it has little effect. Everyone shrugs it off. That’s what black-rank is.”

“I decided to emulate Senior Jin, the Blood Guardian Squad Leader. That will not happen.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s adult words were earnest. Yue Shou-lin’s mouth twitched faintly.

“Good, good. Anyway, Zhuge Clan Leader will not appear publicly. No good comes from drawing eyes with a sect’s secrets. The alliance has started reorganizing.”

“The Martial Alliance?”

“Yes. At least they are not fools who’d hesitate to strike now that an eight-clan leader’s shame has been dragged out by a Desolate Fortress squad leader. The anti-Desolate Fortress banner has faded under Sword Star and Zhuge Clan’s alliance, they say. Those who’d hinder hitting Zhuge Clan Leader are long gone…”

“He will have to watch himself too.”

“He will quietly summon the sparring tournament’s proven winner. Tell them where to go. Founding a new great sect is tough, after all.”

“Why did the administration office specifically pick the Gongya Family’s eldest daughter?”

“First, it is the only Shanxi martial family with our white-rank infiltrated. Second, she is a top contender for the tournament.”

“Her talent must be certain.”

Jeong Yeon-shin recalled a monkey on a grand chair.

“Yes, probably? There is a strong rival, but I hear he is hard to track.”

“Who?”

“The young master of Blazing Moon Great Slaughter Sect. A renowned libertine, but like all assassin sects, his whereabouts are vague in peacetime. Nicknamed Slaughter Hero. Kills only martial artists who torment the masses.”

“The mission means dropping such a one.”

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader treated success as fact.

Anyone seeing Radiant Demon masters’ lightness skill charge in Radiant Wild Slash would think so. A natural confidence.

“Then… I will go in alone. The signal will be shattering the command jade. I will send it with thick power.”

“Yes! Go, our Woon-bi!”

“Fare well.”

He parted from the scouting seniors. They would reunite at the decisive moment. It was necessary to counter a peerless master’s gaze.

Yue Shou-lin and Jin Myeong-jo encouraged their junior in their own ways before departing. The Blood Guardian Squad Leader Divine Blood Extreme Demon’s speed stood out.

Even to Jeong Yeon-shin, creator of Ten Li Gentle Light, it seemed supreme. Born of rare blood, it recalled the Seventh Apostle’s protective skill.

“Let us go.”

“Yes, Sect Leader Geom.”

Jeong Yeon-shin stepped toward Shanxi’s Pingyang Prefecture. With his subordinate posing as the Gongya Family’s literature tutor.

He had to be Geom Woon-bi of Sky-Jade Gate for now. Until Zhuge Clan Leader was drawn out.

Rustle.

Their footsteps left blackened earth behind.

Corpses steaming under the wilderness sun were eerie.

Blood, once red within, turned dark as it seeped into the dirt. Like the predatory ambitions their vigor birthed.

***

Half a day later.

Jeong Yeon-shin reached the Gongya Family in Shanxi.

A place where antique halls stood under clear sunlight. Even a glance showed grandeur tinged with freshness.

Perhaps due to the fine site. Or the family members’ exceptional vigor.

“Who goes there!”

Male and female warriors guarded the gate. Clad in red robes that sharply caught the light.

The man on the left gripped a thick silver spear, the woman on the right leaned on a massive greatsword.

Their lines from shoulder to arm were sleek, showcasing equally honed muscles.

A stern aura radiated from them. Their black hair, flowing to their backs, swayed on its own.

The family discipline seemed strict. Neither internal nor external skills were neglected.

Even mere gatekeepers were this caliber.

A striking sight. It hinted at the Gongya Family’s might.

‘I overlooked Hye-ah’s words. One must stay humble.’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyebrow rose. As he approached the gate.

He had lowered expectations of the world beyond Desolate Fortress, but he had misjudged entirely. The eldest daughter would outstrip these gatekeepers by far.

That was fine. Quite encouraging.

“Oh!”

Gao Jin, walking beside him, waved cheerfully. He seemed to know the guards, suggesting no need for pointless banter.

As famine persisted, noble families’ wariness thickened. A good start.

“Eldest Lady! Second Young Master! Why are you out here!”

He called toward the gatekeepers.