Chapter 7 Golden Flower Pavilion Master

Chapter 7: Golden Flower Pavilion Master

#Chapter 007: Golden Flower Pavilion Master

Smack! Smack!

A whip—that was definitely a whip.

Only, it wasn’t the kind of weapon-like whip used by martial artists, but rather closer to an SM tool you’d expect to see in modern society.

“Yaaah!”

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Jin Jong-dae, struck by the whip wielded by the woman presumed to be Geumhwaru-ju, let out a groan.

His entire body was bound in ropes, and his labored breathing made the scene truly grotesque.

The whip-wielding woman addressed Jin Jong-dae.

“That’s enough for today.”

“Just… a little more…”

“His Majesty ruined things, so I’m in a terrible mood.”

“Huamei…”

‘I simply can’t bear to watch this.’

Where had that splendid figure gone, the one who flaunted his wealth and family connections? Now he was naked, being whipped.

My past, when I’d tried every trick to befriend the wealthy Geum Jong-dae during my time at the Ascension Pavilion, suddenly felt shameful.

“Tomorrow, no matter what it takes, I’ll make that woman change her mind.”

‘Myohyang?’

My ears pricked at the familiar name.

“Really? But is that even possible? If she commits suicide, everything will go wrong…”

“We can persuade her by threatening her brother in Nanjing. If we say we’ll collect the debt from him, she won’t dare commit suicide and will have no choice but to obey us.”

“As expected, Lord Geumga had everything planned!”

“Is that so?”

I didn’t understand a word of it, but one thing was certain.

These two bastards were scheming, using Myohyang as their pawn.

‘These bastards!’

Rage surged within me, and a killing intent rose uncontrollably from my body.

It was the curse of the Zhenwang style martial arts bestowed by the City Lord.

The problem was.

Both of them were martial artists who had mastered their skills.

“Who are you?!”

Geum Jongdae, the famously deep-pocketed player, possessed such immense inner strength that he had no equal among his peers.

Despite being bound, Geum Jongdae fixed his gaze precisely on my location.

‘Damn it!’

Normally, running away would be the smart move.

But if I did that, who knew what might happen to Myohyang tomorrow.

In the end.

Crack!

“I’m Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess. You little bastard.”

I decided to force my way through and burst into the space between the two.

“Sa-Sail? What?”

I aimed for Lu Zhu first and lunged straight in, but a dagger flew toward my forehead.

Swish. Clang.

I twisted my head to dodge, and the dagger sliced through a few strands of my bangs before embedding itself in the pillar.

Lu Zhu stumbled backward, trying to open the door. It seemed he intended to gather people.

‘I can’t let that happen!’

If the unarmed men and courtesans outside swarmed in, I’d have to worry about escape, let alone the kidnapping.

I took my decisive step.

War King Step

A footwork technique included in the War King Style martial arts bestowed by the castle lord, allowing a single step to be taken at lightning speed.

Thud!

In an instant, I felt my speed accelerate.

That speed drove my fist into Rujoo’s solar plexus.

Thud!

“Who’s there…!”

Thud.

Unable to adapt to my sudden burst of speed, Lu Zhu offered no defense whatsoever.

‘He won’t die, right?’

I’d intended to control my strength, but the sheer acceleration made me slightly uneasy.

If he had died, it would be the fault of the Lord who taught me this strange martial art, not mine.

“Hwa, Hwa Mae!”

Seeing this, Geum Jong-dae gasped in shock and called out to Ruju.

I swiftly pressed the dagger I’d brought to his throat. Bound and restrained, the bastard offered his neck without resistance.

“Answer my question, or I’ll make a hole in your neck.”

“…”

“What did those two mean by their conversation earlier?”

“… What conversation are you talking about?“

”Didn’t you mention something about that woman, Myohyang?“

”Th-that… .”

Geumjongdae hesitated, as if hiding a secret, and I tightened my grip on the dagger.

Splash.

As the blade sliced like flesh and blood flowed, Geumjongdae’s body began to tremble violently.

Then, Geumjongdae urgently opened his mouth.

“There’s someone who wants that woman, Myohyang, as his concubine. We agreed to sell her to him.”

“Who is it?”

“…Baek Hajin.”

A name I knew.

The youngest son of the Baekryongdang leader who had picked a fight with me during the South Gate guard duty a month ago.

Sensing I recognized the name, Geumjongdae’s expression changed abruptly.

“You know him!”

“So what if I do?”

“Do you think someone belonging to Guryongseong can get away with this and live?! Can’t you put your sword away right now?!”

“Well? It doesn’t seem like something you, naked and bound, should be worrying about?”

Struck at the heart of the matter, Geumjongdae’s face flushed red.

“But why the hell are you whimpering ‘Eek’ while getting whipped? Disgusting.”

“Eeek!”

“Quiet. If people come rushing in, do you think you can handle it?”

“I’m sorry.”

When a man gets sick, he formats his hard drive first, just in case.

If anyone saw him like this, Geum Jong-dae’s honor would be buried in the mantle layer in no time.

“I’ll tell you everything, just untie me. You know…”

I cut off Geum Jong-dae’s desperate plea.

“But listen…”

“,,,?”

“Isn’t it already too late?”

“What?”

I immediately hoisted Lu Zhu, who was collapsed on the floor.

I could sense Geumhwaru’s personnel gathering due to the recent commotion.

Seeing my action, Geum Jong-dae urgently shouted.

“Wait! Untie these things first before you go!”

” There’s an old saying: if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll discover a new taste this time.”

Swoosh!

With those words, he leapt from the fourth-floor pavilion.

Thud!

Despite using his divine technique to make himself as light as possible, Lu Zhu’s weight made for a heavy landing.

‘Ouch, my joints.’

In a world without artificial joints…

Then, from the top of the pavilion, Geumjongdae’s voice rang out.

“Hey, wait! No one else come in!”

Yeah, you’re doing great. Just hold on a little longer.

***

“Huff! Huff!”

Escaping Geumhwaru, I sprinted at full speed.

Paf-paf-paf.

I ran harder than I had since my last bell-jumping attempt back in elementary school.

If I’d run this hard back then, I could’ve succeeded on my 723rd attempt and become a legend at Myeondong Elementary.

Clunk! Thud!

My head bounced around at this insane speed, smacking into things left and right.

Crack!

‘Is this kid actually gonna die?’

Somehow, he looks worse off than before… Huh? Blood’s even coming out of her head?

I wanted to lay her down on the ground right now to check her condition, but I couldn’t do that now.

In the Dragon-Daring Blood-Shedding Nine Dragons Fortress, you never knew when, where, or what kind of master would suddenly appear.

That was also why I hadn’t gone straight into the Red Flower Tower, but had dashed towards the outer perimeter instead.

Had I been running like that for about half an hour?

Breathless, I stopped and set down the Golden Flower Pavilion wine.

“Haah! Haah!”

If I’d known I’d get caught up in something like this, I should’ve trained more.

Catching my breath and scanning my surroundings, it seemed no pursuers were in sight yet. Running for my life had paid off.

‘Is he alive?’

Placing my hand near the Golden Flower Rooster’s nose to check its breath, I relaxed and sat down.

“I’m dead.”

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d run like this.

Had I rested for half an hour?

Something caught my attention.

‘Damn it.’

It was pursuit. And by a master who was definitely not to be underestimated.

‘What do I do?’

Even now, picking him up and running again would only get us caught.

In the end, there was only one option. Fight and win.

The moment I made up my mind, I quickly scanned the surroundings, studying the terrain, and dug several pits.

Since escape was impossible anyway, he prepared as best he could to face the fight.

That fleeting moment passed.

“Did they all escape?”

An old man who looked to be in his sixties stood before him, panting heavily.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Martial prowess requires the support of vital energy and spirit to unleash its true power.

Even if one’s internal energy deepens with age and their understanding of martial arts grows, without a strong body to wield it, the power becomes pitiful.

Yet, the fact that this old man appeared meant something.

It meant he was a peak master who had reached the realm of ‘Shape-Energy Wounding People’ (形氣傷人), capable of forming energy to injure others.

Of course, his strength might have declined from his prime, but he couldn’t afford to be careless.

The saying “old ginger is spicy” didn’t become a staple line in martial arts novels for nothing.

Whatever else he was, an old master would surely have at least one life-saving herb.

That old man looked at me and said.

“If you leave only the Golden Flower Wine, I won’t chase you.”

“How can you guarantee that?”

“I guarantee it on my honor.”

“And who exactly are you, old man?”

“Heh heh, I am from the Golden Dragon Sect…”

Seizing the moment he spoke, I swung my foot, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The old man raised his arm to block the dust.

“Ugh!”

‘Strike first, win!’

Whack!

Simultaneously, I unfurled the pre-prepared Zhen Wangbao.

The old man, who had raised his arm to block the dirt, recoiled in shock and flew backward.

But my fist had already slammed into his abdomen.

Thud!

“Gah!”

‘Not deep,’

Normally, his ribs should have broken, but at the moment of impact, the old man twisted his body, dispersing the punch’s force.

Then, the old man extended his finger toward my eye.

‘Golden Dragon Palm!’

It was the Golden Dragon Palm, one of the representative martial arts of the Golden Dragon Sect and a common training technique at the Ascension Pavilion.

Though I’d only learned the basics, knowing the martial art meant I also knew its countermeasures.

It was a fierce attack, but one I could handle.

I thrust my forehead toward the old man’s finger.

To prevent him from landing the strike and halve its force.

Zzzzt!

The sound of tearing fabric filled the air as redness flooded my vision.

I hadn’t closed my eyes, so blood from my forehead entered them.

But it was worth it.

The old man, having failed his attack, showed an opening.

And my front leg, aiming for that opening, slammed into the old man’s chest.

Thwack!

The old man was sent flying backward quite a distance.

Whack!

I unfolded the Zhen Wang Bo again.

I spun around and rammed my back into the old man’s side.

It was a move from the street fighting technique, Iron Mountain Strike.

“You bastard!”

But experience is experience. Even as he flew through the air, the old man’s belt flew towards me.

It wasn’t an ordinary belt.

It was the Golden Smoke Sword, a rare item used by warriors on the battlefield of ten thousand gold.

“Whoa!”

Shriiiick.

The sudden attack sent my head flying back, barely dodging it.

‘That was close—almost got stabbed in the face.’

As if working for the Nine Dragons, a nationwide violent organization, wasn’t bad enough, I nearly got forced into a lifetime of servitude.

“Not bad.”

“Classic villain dialogue.”

“What?!”

“Classic villain reaction.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

The enraged old man’s sword moved.

I dodged the relentless swings to the left, right, and diagonally, moving frantically myself.

And then.

Ziiing.

Golden sword energy flowed from the Golden Sword, sweeping across the surroundings.

‘!!!’

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Faster and fiercer than before.

The base of a large tree was cleanly severed.

One fortunate thing.

“Gasp! Gasp!”

It was clear the old man was rapidly tiring.

Proof that even at the peak of his internal energy, he couldn’t transcend his age.

“Can’t you come here?!”

Swing. Whack!

The old man swung his sword even more wildly.

‘Ugh!’

His hair was cut off by an even fiercer sword strike.

This went on for tens of seconds.

The sharp sword slashed at him several times, but he barely dodged them using the subtleties of the Zhen Wangbo technique.

A moment later.

“Ugh…”

“Why don’t you quit while you’re ahead? You might end up as a corpse if you keep this up.”

“You, you bastard!”

A desperate gambit.

The old man, already drained of energy and stamina, moved wildly in fury.

Dozens more sword strikes erupted once more.

Their power seemed extraordinary—likely his reserved life-saving sword techniques.

However, I had anticipated this entire situation.

I lured the old man towards the pit I had dug in advance.

And then.

“Ugh!”

The old man, chasing after me, stumbled into the pit, losing his balance.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have fallen for this, but now he was utterly exhausted.

‘Got him!’

Thud!

I unfurled the Zhenwangbo once more, closing in on the old man’s full power.

The old man, startled, thrust his Golden Smoke Sword forward, but having lost his balance, its speed and force were pitiful.

Dodging the thrusting sword, I simultaneously extended a fist packed with the Zhenwang Qi, the true essence of the Zhenwang style, stopping it inches from the old man’s chest.

And then.

CRACK! BOOM!

A thunderous storm erupted, engulfing the old man.

It was the first technique of the Zhenwang style: the Exploding Death Force.

“Gah!”

He had only expelled his internal energy; avoiding the direct strike meant the old man wasn’t killed.

No matter how fiercely they fought to kill each other, they were still family of the Nine Dragons Sect.

Taking his life felt utterly wrong.

Instead, at his age, suffering such severe injuries would make it difficult for him to wield martial arts in the future.

But that didn’t mean pity arose.

After all, this was the ruthless world of the martial arts.