Chapter 6: The Prodigal Returns (5)

Creak!

To everyone's surprise, it was Yeon Jipyeong who sprang up from his seat.

"Isn't it too harsh, don't you think?"

"What?!"

"Even if she is a daughter of the Namgung family, there are things that should be said and things that shouldn't!"

Yeon Jipyeong shouted as if scolding someone.

"Apologize to Yang Woo!"

Namgung Sang-hwa, who was about to spew a mouthful of curses, tilted her head in confusion.

She thought she was being told to apologize to her. But now she was being told to apologize to the fallen trash.

What does this mean?

"Striking an innocent person's face, is that the way of a noble family? Was the etiquette of the Namgung family so rude?"

"…What?"

"Words that violate etiquette and unprovoked violence! It is clearly your fault! Apologize to Yang Woo immediately!"

He was resolute.

Yeon Jipyeong, standing straight and shouting, reminded one of a bamboo tree, albeit a bit awkward.

Yang Woo looked at Yeon Jipyeong with trembling eyes. The look in Lee Jeong-hak's eyes who was watching Yeon Jipyeong also became strange.

Namgung Sang-hwa muttered in disbelief.

"What are you saying, you idiot?"

To her, Yang Woo was no different from a commoner in the martial world.

Even a dog she raised would wag its tail. But this guy not only didn't wag his tail but also barked presumptuously.

She had already shown enough mercy by not breaking his legs.

"If you don't apologize, you'll be humiliated. This is my last warning. Apologize."

"Humiliation?"

Namgung Sang-hwa burst into laughter.

Her high, sharp laughter carried a tone of ridicule. Of course, her anger didn't dissipate just because she was laughing.

"Are you so puffed up because people praise the Seven Great Families?"

"Even if he is the son of a declining martial family, if his education was solid, he would have acted like me. Because that's what he was taught was right."

Yeon Jipyeong's eyes didn't waver.

"It seems you haven't been taught properly."

Namgung Sang-hwa's laughter stopped.

Rumble!

"You insolent brat!"

Killer intent flickered in her eyes.

The atmosphere on the fourth floor of Juru became twice as cold as before.

A heated argument could be overlooked, but when killer intent was released, it was a different story.

Yeon Jipyeong's face stiffened.

"What a disgrace."

"Shut up!"

There was no point in continuing the conversation; it would only pile up more anger.

Namgung Sang-hwa, breathing heavily, shouted at Lee Jeong-hak.

"Make that guy kneel in front of me right now!"

"Me? Me?"

Lee Jeong-hak's eyes widened.

Namgung Sang-hwa's cheeks twitched.

"Shall I make your family unable to set foot in Anhui?"

Lee Jeong-hak was genuinely flustered.

He had redirected his anger towards the Yan family to avoid it. But he never imagined the situation would escalate like this.

"What are you doing? Move now!"

"Miss! Even if it's like this, fighting with a Yan family member is a problem…!"

Rip!

Blood trickled from the corner of Lee Jeong-hak's mouth. It was a much harsher slap than when she hit Yang Woo.

"If you dare to provoke me one more time, you and your family will taste hell."

"…"

"Kneel."

Yang Woo's face was filled with shock.

Although he was a bit lower in status, he never thought Lee Jeong-hak would be treated like this by Namgung Sang-hwa. The Yan family, though not as powerful as the Namgung family, was still a prestigious family in Anhui.

To be slapped and unable to say anything was unimaginable.

Lee Jeong-hak turned his body.

His eyes, looking at Yeon Jipyeong, were twisted with shame and anger.

Thud, thud.

Lee Jeong-hak slowly walked towards Yeon Jipyeong.

Yeon Jipyeong sighed.

He had a lot to say, but he also kept his mouth shut.

Namgung Sang-hwa shouted again.

"Stop dilly-dallying and bring that guy to me quickly!"

At that moment,

"The taste of the drink is gone."

Yeon Hojeong stood up from his seat.

Namgung Sang-hwa growled.

"Fine, I was going to deal with you anyway…!"

Whack!

Everyone's eyes widened in an instant.

"Keh!"

Lee Jeong-hak staggered back.

He was hit in the abdomen without any defense. His stomach churned, and his legs went limp.

Yeon Hojeong's left hand moved towards Lee Jeong-hak's head.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

His hair was grabbed.

It was the kind of action one would expect from a street thug, not someone who had learned the martial arts of the White Way.

The flustered Lee Jeong-hak grabbed Yeon Hojeong's wrist.

"Let go, can't you?!"

At that moment, Yeon Hojeong twisted his wrist.

Lee Jeong-hak's body, spinning in the air, hit the ground with his back first.

Thud! Bang!

"Ugh!"

Yeon Hojeong lifted his foot coldly.

Lee Jeong-hak's face, distorted with pain, showed a look of disbelief.

Crack!

"Ah!"

Lee Jeong-hak screamed and rolled on the ground. His nose was broken, and his front teeth were knocked out.

Yeon Hojeong wiped the blood from his trousers and said,

"You can't transfer the consequences of your actions to others."

"Cough! Cough!"

"I'll consider this as settling your debt."

Everyone's faces were filled with shock.

Yeon Jipyeong was no exception. Even though he had been watching closely, he couldn't understand what technique Yeon Hojeong had used.

It was the first time he couldn't understand the principle of a martial art he had seen. This made him flustered and surprised by his brother's fierce attack.

"Brother!"

"Jipyeong."

"Yes?"

"If such a situation arises in the future, unless it's absolutely necessary, don't waste time with pointless conversations."

"…?"

"Would you think these people would listen to reason and behave like this in front of others? They are already wrong."

Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.

"If you really want to correct them or give them a lecture, knock them down first, then do it."

It was a brutally harsh statement.

Yeon Hojeong walked towards Namgung Sang-hwa. Their eyes met briefly, but his indifferent gaze proved he had no interest in Yang Woo.

Namgung Sang-hwa's face twisted.

"What have you done, you bastard?"

Yeon Hojeong remained silent. He continued walking towards Namgung Sang-hwa at the same pace and stride, as if he were out for a stroll.

It was a complete disregard. Namgung Sang-hwa's eyes turned red.

"You damn brat! How dare you ignore me?!"

Sss!

A menacing aura spread from Namgung Sang-hwa's body.

It was a qualitatively different energy from what Lee Jeong-hak possessed. Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.

'Blue Sky Qi (Cang Qiong Qi).'

One of the internal cultivation techniques that the Namgung family prided itself on, the energy of the Blue Sky Heart Method. It was a top-tier technique that encompassed all the martial arts of the Namgung family and was of a high level.

'She definitely has talent.'

Was she already eighteen?

At that age, it was difficult to emit such excellent true qi. It was worthy of being called top-tier.

However, Namgung Sang-hwa had a serious problem.

"Kneel right now! If you do, I might spare you the humiliation…"

Whoosh!

"Ah!"

Namgung Sang-hwa was startled.

Yeon Hojeong, who had been walking at a steady pace, suddenly increased his speed. Such a movement would naturally catch someone off guard if they weren't prepared.

Namgung Sang-hwa's right hand swung instinctively.

Rip!

The gesture that tore through the air was extremely fierce. Although she was arrogant, she had learned martial arts properly.

Yeon Hojeong's hand moved to meet hers.

A triumphant light appeared in Namgung Sang-hwa's eyes.

'Idiot!'

She thought it was foolish to dare to face the Heaven Wind Palm. With her current strength, she could split a log with one strike of the Heaven Wind Palm.

Facing it bare-handed? His hand would be shattered from the wrist to the shoulder.

Namgung Sang-hwa infused more Blue Sky Qi into her hand.

At that moment,

Whirl!

'What?'

Yeon Hojeong's hand moved like a snake, sliding up her wrist.

It seemed to have no joints. Although it was slower than the Heaven Wind Palm, it was perfectly timed, making it impossible to pull away.

Yeon Hojeong's fingers pressed hard on Namgung Sang-hwa's elbow, the Quchi acupoint.

Crack!

"Aah!"

Namgung Sang-hwa screamed and took a step back.

The Blue Sky Qi flowing through her hand was abruptly cut off. She lost all sensation in her right arm.

"What kind of sorcery is this…!"

Crack!

"…Huh?"

Namgung Sang-hwa looked down at her leg in a daze.

Her left leg was bent inward in a position that was impossible for a human joint.

Only then did she realize her leg was broken.

"Ah!"

Thud!

Namgung Sang-hwa lost her balance and fell to the ground.

This was not due to carelessness. Even though she could have avoided it, she didn't.

She thought the opponent would wait if she stepped back. That's what she had learned from her sparring sessions.

But Yeon Hojeong's fighting style was not so soft.

Once engaged, he would relentlessly attack until one side acknowledged defeat or died. That was the way of the Black Path.

"Ugh! Bastard! You broke my leg?! Now you and your family are dead!"

Crack!

"Ah!"

Namgung Sang-hwa screamed again. Her left arm was also broken.

Just as she was about to curse again, she felt her body stiffen.

A cold, emotionless gaze was looking down at her. It was a gaze devoid of any human emotion.

It was as if she was looking at an object. That was how Yeon Hojeong looked at Namgung Sang-hwa.

"What are you going to do?"

"Ugh! What, what are you saying?"

"How do you plan to kill me and my family?"

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

Seeing that smile, both Namgung Sang-hwa and Yang Woo felt a chill run down their spines.

"You're an interesting kid. Are you saying you'll come back as a ghost?"

It was a more chilling statement than the smile.

A ghost? That meant he was going to kill Namgung Sang-hwa.

Only then did she realize she had provoked someone she couldn't handle.

She stammered,

"If what you did to me is known, the main family won't forgive you!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes! So let me go…!"

Bang!

Yeon Hojeong, who had broken a chair with a kick, picked up one of the broken chair legs.

"Then I'll have to kill you and bury you. That way, the Namgung family won't know, right?"

Namgung Sang-hwa's face turned pale.

"You…!"

Whack!

This time, there was no scream. Namgung Sang-hwa, hit on the head, fell to the side.

In a situation where she should have been unconscious, her mind became even clearer, making the pain more intense.

Fear filled Namgung Sang-hwa's face.

She realized this madman might really kill her.

Sss, sss, sss.

Behind that fear-inducing face, the killing intent of the great master who created the legend of the Black Path slowly rose.

If you smile first, I'll smile back. But if you provoke me first, I'll crush you so you can never provoke me again.

Whether you push me with your hand or stab me with a knife, I don't care. Once I suffer, I'll attack relentlessly until I tear you apart.

That was the Black Path Emperor, the Black City Lord, and the reason all the Black Path masters bowed their heads to the Black Path Great Master.

"Now, instead of what you want to say, say what I want to hear."

Yeon Hojeong smiled and lifted the club.

And he swung it mercilessly.

Whack, whack, whack!