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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Mistress of the Golden Flower Pavilion
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Smack! Smack!
A whip. That was definitely a whip.
However, it wasn't the kind of whip used as a weapon by martial artists, but something more akin to an SM tool you'd see in modern society.
"Yaaah!"
Smack!
"Ughn!"
Geum Jong-dae, struck by the whip wielded by the woman presumed to be the Mistress of the Golden Flower Pavilion, let out a moan.
Not only was his entire body bound by ropes, but he was also panting for breath, creating a truly bizarre scene.
The Mistress of the Golden Flower Pavilion, who had been swinging the whip, spoke to Geum Jong-dae.
"That's enough for today."
"J-just a little more…"
"The young master ruined things, so I'm not in the mood."
"Hwa-mae…"
'I can't bear to watch this.'
Where was the grand figure who acted so high and mighty, trusting in his father's and his family's wealth? Now he was stripped naked, taking a whipping.
I felt ashamed of my past self from my days in the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, who had tried every trick in the book to get close to the wealthy Geum Jong-dae.
"Tomorrow, by any means necessary, I will change that wench Myo Hyang's mind."
'Myo Hyang?'
My ears twitched at the familiar name.
"Really? Is that even possible? If she decides to take her own life, things will get complicated…"
"We can persuade her using her younger sibling in Nanjing. If we threaten to collect her sibling's debt, she won't be able to kill herself and will have no choice but to obey us."
"As expected, Young Master Geum, you had a plan all along!"
"Of course."
I had no idea what they were talking about, but one thing was certain.
These two were scheming something despicable with Myo Hyang at the center of it.
'These bastards!'
As rage boiled within me, killing intent unknowingly emanated from my body.
It was a side effect of the War King Arts, the martial art given to me by the Lord.
The problem was.
Both of them were martial artists who had trained in martial arts.
"Who's there!"
Geum Jong-dae, a notorious whale, possessed so much internal energy that he had no equal among his peers.
Despite the peculiar situation of being tied up, Geum Jong-dae looked directly in my direction.
'Damn it!'
Normally, the best course of action would be to run.
But if I did, I couldn't know what would happen to Myo Hyang tomorrow.
In the end.
*Crack!*
"It's the moon fairy, Sailor Moon, you bastard."
Having decided to force my way through, I burst into their room.
"Sai-Sailor? What?"
I lunged straight for the Mistress, and a throwing dagger flew toward my forehead.
*Swish. Thunk.*
I twisted my head to dodge it, and the dagger cut a few strands of my bangs before embedding itself in a pillar.
The Mistress backed away and tried to open the door, likely to call for help.
'I can't let that happen!'
If the martial artists and courtesans outside swarmed in, I'd be worried about escaping, let alone kidnapping anyone.
I took my trump card step.
War King Step.
It was a footwork technique included in the War King Arts bestowed by the Lord, allowing me to move at lightning speed in a single step.
*Fwoosh!*
In an instant, I felt my speed accelerate.
And with that speed, I slammed my fist into the Mistress's solar plexus.
*Thwack!*
"Who's there—!"
*Thud.*
Unable to adapt to my sudden burst of speed, the Mistress couldn't defend herself at all.
'She's not dead, is she?'
I tried to control my strength, but the acceleration made me a little worried.
If she died, it would be the Lord's fault for teaching me such a strange martial art, not mine.
"H-Hwa-mae!"
Seeing this, a startled Geum Jong-dae called out to the Mistress.
I quickly pressed the dagger I'd brought to his throat. Since he was tied up, the bastard couldn't resist and exposed his neck.
"Answer my questions, or I'll put a hole in your throat."
"..."
"What was that conversation you two were having earlier?"
"...What conversation?"
"Weren't you talking about some girl named Myo Hyang?"
"Th-that's…"
Geum Jong-dae hesitated as if there was a secret, so I applied pressure with the hand holding the dagger.
*Drip.*
As the blade cut his flesh and blood trickled down, Geum Jong-dae's body began to tremble.
Geum Jong-dae hastily started talking.
"There's someone who wants to take that girl, Myo Hyang, as a concubine. We agreed to sell her to him as he wishes."
"Who is it?"
"...Baek Ha-jin."
A name I knew.
He was the youngest son of the White Dragon Hall Master, the one who picked a fight with me a month ago while I was on guard duty at the south gate.
Sensing that I recognized the name, Geum Jong-dae's demeanor changed.
"You know him!"
"So what if I do?"
"Do you think someone from the Nine Dragons Fortress can get away with something like this and live?! Move that blade away right now!"
"I don't know. Doesn't seem like something a naked, tied-up bastard like you should be worried about."
Geum Jong-dae's face flushed, the remark having hit its mark.
"By the way, why were you moaning 'yaaah' while getting whipped? It's disgusting."
"Eek!"
"Quiet. Can you handle it if people come barging in?"
"I'm sorry."
A man's first instinct when he thinks he's sick is to format his hard drive, just in case.
If anyone saw him in this state, it was only a matter of time before Geum Jong-dae's reputation was buried deep in the earth's mantle.
"I'll tell you everything, just untie me. As you know…"
I cut off Geum Jong-dae's urgent plea.
"But you see…"
"...?"
"I think it's already too late."
"What?"
I immediately hoisted the Mistress, who was lying on the floor, over my shoulder.
I could feel the people of the Golden Flower Pavilion gathering due to the earlier commotion.
At my action, Geum Jong-dae urgently shouted.
"Wait! Untie me before you go!"
"There's an old saying: if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. Who knows? Maybe you'll discover a new fetish."
*Crack!*
With those words, I leaped from the fourth-floor pavilion.
*Thump!*
Even though I used a movement technique to make myself as light as possible, the Mistress's weight made for a heavy landing.
'Oof, my knees.'
And in a world without artificial joints…
Just then, Geum Jong-dae's voice echoed from the top of the pavilion.
"W-wait! Nobody come in!"
*Yeah, you're doing great. Just hold on a little longer.*
***
"Hah! Hah!"
After leaving the Golden Flower Pavilion, I ran at full speed.
*Pat-pat-pat-pat.*
I ran harder than I ever had since my last game of ding-dong ditch in elementary school.
If I'd run with this much effort back then, I would have succeeded on my 723rd attempt and become a legend at Myeondong Elementary.
*Clatter! Thud!*
At such a high speed, the Mistress's head was shaking and bumping into things.
*Crack!*
'Is she actually going to die?'
Somehow, her condition seems worse than before… Huh? She's even bleeding from her head?
I wanted to lay her down and check on her right away, but I couldn't do that now.
In the Nine Dragons Fortress, a veritable dragon's lair and tiger's den, you never knew when or where a master might appear.
That was why I hadn't headed straight for the Red Blossom Pavilion, but had instead run toward the outer fortress walls.
After running for about an hour…
Out of breath, I stopped and set the Mistress of the Golden Flower Pavilion down.
"Gasp! Gasp!"
If I'd known I'd get caught up in something like this, I would have trained more.
Catching my breath, I scanned my surroundings. There seemed to be no pursuers yet. My desperate sprint had paid off.
'Is she alive?'
I placed a hand under the Mistress's nose to check her breathing, then sat down in relief.
"I'm dying."
I don't know how long it's been since I've run this much.
After resting for about fifteen minutes…
Something registered on my senses.
'Damn it.'
A pursuer. And a formidable master at that.
'What should I do?'
If I picked her up and started running again, I'd obviously be caught.
In the end, there was only one option: fight and win.
As soon as I made up my mind, I quickly scanned the terrain and dug a few pits.
Since I couldn't run away, I might as well prepare a little before fighting back.
An instant-like amount of time passed.
"Are you done running?"
An old man who looked to be in his sixties stood before me, panting.
'This won't be easy.'
Martial arts require essence, spirit, and vitality to unleash their true power.
With age, one's internal energy deepens and understanding of martial arts grows, but if the body lacks strength, the techniques become feeble.
Nevertheless, the fact that this old man had appeared meant…
He was a peak expert who had reached the realm of Projecting Qi to Harm, where one could form and project their energy to injure others.
Of course, his power would have diminished from his prime, but I couldn't let my guard down.
The saying 'old ginger is spicier' isn't a staple in martial arts novels for nothing.
After all, what old master doesn't have a life-saving ultimate technique up their sleeve?
The old man looked at me and spoke.
"Leave the Mistress of the Golden Flower Pavilion and I won't pursue you."
"How can you guarantee that?"
"I swear on my honor."
"And who exactly are you, old man?"
"Haha, I am from the Gold Dragon Hall…"
Taking advantage of the moment he spoke, I kicked dirt at him.
The old man raised his arm to block the dirt.
"Ugh!"
'First strike wins!'
*Fwoosh!*
At the same time, I executed the War King Step I had prepared.
The old man, who had raised his arm to block the dirt, leaped back in alarm.
But my fist had already buried itself in his abdomen.
*Thud!*
"Keuk!"
'Not deep enough.'
Normally, his ribs should have broken, but at the moment of impact, the old man twisted his body to disperse the force of the blow.
Then, the old man thrust his fingers toward my eyes.
'Golden Bell Claw!'
It was the Golden Bell Claw, one of the representative techniques of the Gold Dragon Hall and part of the common curriculum at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
I had only learned the basics, but knowing the technique meant I also knew how to counter it.
It was a fierce attack, but one I could handle.
I thrust my forehead toward the old man's fingers.
The goal was to throw off his aim and reduce the force of the blow.
*Screech!*
With the sound of tearing flesh, my vision turned red.
I hadn't closed my eyes, and the blood from my forehead had flowed into them.
But it was worth it.
Having failed to land his attack, the old man had revealed an opening.
And my front kick, aimed at that opening, slammed into the old man's chest.
*Bam!*
The old man was sent flying backward.
*Fwoosh!*
I used the War King Step again.
I spun around and rammed my back into the old man's side.
It was a move from Iron Mountain Charge, a street fighting technique.
"You brat!"
Still, experience was experience; even as he was sent flying, the old man's belt flew at me.
It wasn't an ordinary belt.
It was the Gold Chain Sword, a rare item used by the warriors of the Ten Thousand Gold Bank.
"Whoa!"
*Shriik.*
I barely dodged the sudden attack by snapping my head back.
'I almost got a knife scar on my face.'
I was already working for the Nine Dragons Fortress, a nationwide criminal organization, and I almost got myself permanently branded.
"You're quite skilled."
"A classic villain line."
"What?!"
"And a classic villain reaction."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
The enraged old man's sword moved.
I moved frantically, dodging the sword that swung relentlessly left, right, and diagonally.
And then.
*Zzzing.*
A golden sword energy flowed from the Gold Chain Sword, sweeping through the surroundings.
'!!!'
*Swish! Swish!*
Faster and fiercer than before.
The base of a large tree was sliced clean through.
One fortunate thing was.
"Hah! Hah!"
I could see the old man was tiring rapidly.
It was proof that no matter how much internal energy one had, age could not be defied.
"Why don't you come here?!"
*Slice. Swish!*
The old man swung his sword even more furiously.
'Yikes!'
The even fiercer sword path cut off some of my hair.
This went on for several tens of seconds.
Sharp sword strikes came at me several times, but I managed to evade them using the subtleties of the War King Step.
A moment later.
"Ugh…"
"If you're tired, why don't you just stop? You might end up as a corpse if you're not careful."
"Y-you brat!"
A goading tactic.
The old man, already drained of internal energy and stamina, flew into a rage and moved violently.
Once again, dozens of sword strikes exploded forth.
Their power was extraordinary; it seemed to be a life-saving ultimate technique he had been saving.
However, I had anticipated all of this.
I lured the old man toward the pit I had dug earlier.
And then.
"Ugh!"
The pursuing old man missed his step in the pit and lost his balance.
Normally, he would never have fallen for it, but now he was completely exhausted.
'Got him!'
*Fwoosh!*
I used the War King Step once more to close in on the old man.
The old man thrust his Gold Chain Sword in alarm, but because he had lost his balance, its speed and power were pathetic.
Dodging the incoming Gold Chain Sword, I extended a fist filled with War King Ki, the true energy of the War King Arts, and stopped it right in front of the old man's chest.
And then.
*Rumble! Boom!*
A thunderous storm erupted, engulfing the old man.
It was the first form of the War King Arts, the Explosive Death Force.
"Keoheok!"
I had only unleashed the force without making direct contact, so the old man didn't die.
Even though we had fought to kill, we were both members of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Taking his life felt rather awkward.
Instead, having sustained a serious injury at his age, it would be difficult for him to use martial arts in the future.
Not that I felt any pity for him.
After all, this was the ruthless world of Murim.