Chapter 37. Think First, Act Later (1)

“What, what is this...?!”

Bang!

The table shattered and all sorts of furniture flew into the air.

Dowei Jing, who wanted to demonstrate how one should act when faced with an unbearable reality, fainted.

That wasn't all.

The waiters exclaimed in shock and fled through the back door, and the chefs hurriedly hid in the kitchen.

The problem was the demonic guards who filled the second and third floors.

“What, what is this? Is it a real fight?”

“Aaaaah! Is the leader and the Third Young Master really going at it?!”

“Shit!”

Although he was usually quite benevolent, they all knew that once the leader's eyes turned, she became the most insane woman in the world.

How else could she be considered the most suitable person for the title of leader among all the previous demonic guards, like Wei Honglian?

‘Even so, this is too much!’

He never imagined that she would fight with the leader's disciple and one of the candidates for the next leader. His usual temper had nowhere to go.

“Aaaaah!”

Wei Honglian's face, distorted with a scream, was truly a sight to behold.

One eye was swollen, and her hair was disheveled.

Xu Liang smirked.

“She really is insane.”

Whoosh!

Wei Honglian charged forward.

Despite the wide space, it was still a tavern. Charging with all her might in such a place, she truly couldn't see anything.

Xu Liang's eyes flashed.

‘Fast.’

Unlike before when he had taken a few hits, now he pushed the Qingxian Magic Power (青玹魔功) to its peak, causing broken furniture to fly in all directions.

Whoosh!

Wei Honglian's eyes sparkled.

Her punch, aimed with determination, was easily blocked by Xu Liang. And quite simply at that.

“The impact feels good.”

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, his leg came up. A strike aimed at the jaw from the upper right.

His leg technique emphasized speed and sharpness over weight. It was a powerful strike that also considered follow-up attacks.

‘Look at this.’

Even with her eyes red with anger, she could still execute such a strike. It showed that her martial skills were deeply ingrained in her instincts.

In other words, she knew how to fight properly.

The two of them moved their fists and feet wildly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shockwaves that burst out caused the wind to howl.

They delivered dozens of powerful strikes that could shatter stone walls. The intense exchange left cracks on the floor and shattered the walls.

Rumble!

A fine blue light emanated from Wei Honglian's fist.

Xu Liang's eyes widened.

Crack!

“Guh!”

Wei Honglian's head snapped to the side.

Sparks flew before his eyes. The leg technique that struck her jaw and ear caused the demonic aura rising from her hand to retreat.

“To use fist energy in this narrow space? You're crazy, this is.”

“Aaaaah!”

Whoosh!

Xu Liang staggered back.

But that was all. Wei Honglian's powerful strike only made him take three steps back without causing any damage.

‘Indeed.’

Her appearance, as she charged with a roar that was indistinguishable from a scream, was like that of a mad beast.

‘A useful one, indeed.’

Now he understood why Hong Weimin had given her money.

While she might be difficult to befriend, once a relationship was established, she could be useful in many ways.

‘Hong Weimin, the more I see, the more I want to use you as bait.’

Rumble!

A blue light once again rose from Wei Honglian's hand.

Xu Liang frowned.

‘Except for her lack of restraint, of course.’

Crack!

“Crack!”

The blue light disappeared again.

A peak expert like her wouldn't have difficulty in the flow of inner energy just because of a hit. It was because Xu Liang's leg technique had shaken her from the upper dantian to the middle dantian.

In other words, he could knock her down whenever he wanted.

Though she was half-mad with anger, she couldn't be unaware of this.

“This brat!”

Whoosh!

Xu Liang's body jolted. This strike was quite powerful.

“I'm a joke, you bastard?!”

Rumble!

Xu Liang's body broke through three tables and was pushed against the wall.

It was the most powerful martial technique he had received so far. If she had intended to kill, it would be one thing, but just receiving it was quite burdensome.

‘Indeed.’

There's always a reason why someone is called the best. Even if it was infamy rather than martial prowess, it wasn't something a weak organization could achieve.

“...Good.”

Xu Liang, who was about to relax his stance and receive another strike, hesitated.

Wei Honglian's face, which had been glaring at him, had turned expressionless.

‘She's completely lost it.’

At that moment, Xu Liang saw Jin Hu sitting by the window, staring at him blankly.

Despite the chaos, the little fox hadn't run away but was wagging its tail and watching the situation with curious eyes.

‘This kid, what is he doing there?’

What? When did he get there? Why did I forget about him?

Wei Honglian's gaze also followed Xu Liang to the window.

She frowned.

‘What is this?’

She hadn't noticed Jin Hu, who was right next to Xu Liang, due to the sudden appearance of the Third Young Master.

Whoosh.

She waved her hand.

She was using a gentle palm force to drive Jin Hu out the window. Even in her deranged state, she didn't want to cause unnecessary harm.

She was a true rational person. Despite being the leader of a notorious organization, she respected life to a certain extent.

The problem was how her actions appeared to Xu Liang...

Flash!

As soon as Wei Honglian's palm force was released, Xu Liang's body moved like a flash of light.

Whoosh!

With a loud noise, the window frame shattered. A hole was punched through the solid tavern wall.

Even Wei Honglian was startled by the sudden shockwave. Was my palm force that strong?

Rustle.

Wood debris and dust fell from the broken ceiling. A few unfortunate demonic guards who were in the way were thrown to the first floor, quickly regaining their composure.

Everyone's gaze turned to the window.

Whoosh.

As the wind blew away the dust, Xu Liang, crouched there, became visible.

His back was turned, so his face couldn't be seen.

Wei Honglian's lips twitched.

“Your agility is good.”

Xu Liang slowly stood up.

His disheveled hair made him look similar to Wei Honglian. Even with his back turned, anyone could tell he was in a pretty rough state.

Wei Honglian swung her fists wildly in the air and shouted.

“You brat! Turn around! If you try to fight me again, I'll kill you...”

At that moment.

Crack!

“Third Young Master! Are you alright?! Third Young Master! Third...”

Madong Phi, who had broken through the first-floor door in a hurry, froze.

‘What? What?’

The first floor was a mess. More than half the tables were broken, and cracks ran across the floor. The atmosphere was even more ominous than the scene before them. The air was stifling.

And there, amidst the chaos, was a woman radiating madness, a few men, and Xu Liang, who was standing with his back to the broken window.

Wei Honglian's eyes widened.

“What are you doing here?!”

Madong Phi didn't even look at her.

“Third Young Master! Are you alright?!”

“...”

There was no response from Xu Liang.

Wei Honglian, who had been glaring at Madong Phi, shouted.

“What are you, you brat?!”

“Shut up!”

“What?”

“Do you know who he is and still cause this chaos? He is the Third Young Master of our sect!”

“So what?!”

“...Huh?”

What are you trying to do?

Madong Phi, taken aback by her ignorant response, was momentarily speechless.

“Even knowing he's the Third Young Master, you still do this?!”

“Shut up! Stay out of this, you irrelevant brat!”

What a crazy woman.

Madong Phi's eyes blazed with fury.

“Demonic Guard Leader! Do you want to be executed for disrespecting the sect?!”

Swoosh!

Suddenly, killing intent began to pour out from all directions. It wasn't Wei Honglian's, but the demonic guards'.

They had been tolerating it because the opponent was the Third Young Master, but being called a disrespectful leader was too much.

“What did he say?”

“Kill him! Rip out his tongue!”

Rumble!

The overwhelming killing intent was like thunder. Even Madong Phi, who was usually composed, found it hard to withstand the combined intent of two hundred people.

Under normal circumstances, he would have retreated, tense and cautious.

But not now.

Madong Phi shouted.

“You scum! Who do you think you are to release killing intent?!”

Swoosh!

A powerful shout, imbued with inner energy.

It was a more formidable aura than that of any of the guards present. Madong Phi was now almost as strong as the leaders of the internal combat units.

A truly impressive display of inner energy and aura.

But his shout only made things worse.

“What do you think you're doing, you scum?!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

“Tear him to pieces, you bastard!”

Rumble!

The killing intent, which should have subsided, became even more intense.

Even Madong Phi was taken aback by this level of chaos.

‘These lunatics!’

They were called the demonic guards, but he hadn't expected them to be this bad. Even with basic common sense, one could see how serious the situation was, yet they were making it worse.

Wei Honglian, glaring at Xu Liang, said.

“Kids. Get rid of this new idiot.”

“Yes, ma'am!”

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The demonic guards charged.

The atmosphere of a banquet was long gone. They drew their weapons and ran towards Madong Phi, their eyes filled with genuine killing intent.

Madong Phi gritted his teeth, realizing that further conversation was pointless.

Clang!

A clean draw of the sword, followed by a swift sword technique.

It was a truly impressive display of swordsmanship, but there was no one to appreciate it.

Clang!

A few guards were sent flying back by his sword and weapons.

One sword against many experts. Madong Phi's martial skills were truly at a high level.

But to the demonic guards, he posed no threat at all.

“Aaaaah!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

They were like a pack of dogs.

With bloodshot eyes, they charged like a wave. The combined killing intent, more than the sheer number, was terrifying.

Madong Phi shouted one last time.

“Demonic Guard Leader! Are you really going to see this through?!”

It was a futile cry. He was no longer in Wei Honglian's thoughts.

‘Damn it! In this situation, at least the Third Young Master...’

Madong Phi glanced at Xu Liang.

Instantly, his eyes widened.

Swoosh.

A faint light rose from Xu Liang's back. Not the usual fiery red demonic aura, but a thick, blood-like aura.

Wei Honglian smiled coldly.

“Brat, you're finally going to do it properly...”

“Get out of the way!”

This shout couldn't be ignored. The urgency and fear in his voice were too intense.

Wei Honglian frowned.

“Shut that mouth of yours...”

“Get out of the way! You'll die!”

“What?”

Crack!

Madong Phi, who had sent two guards flying with a reckless punch, rushed towards Xu Liang.

“Third Young Master! Third Young Master! Even you can't...!”

At that moment, Xu Liang's body flashed.

Whoosh!

A sound so intense it could drown out the guards' cries.

Wei Honglian's body, spewing blood, flew into the kitchen, breaking through the wall. She didn't even scream from the impact.

“...I wanted to see what this woman was like.”

Boil! Boil!

Dark Shadow Magic Power, seething like boiling blood, erupted from his entire body.

Xu Liang, holding the unharmed Jin Hu in one hand, roared like an injured mother tiger.

“How dare you touch Jin Hu!!”

Whoosh!

Xu Liang charged into the kitchen at an incredible speed.

And a terrifying sound echoed.

Crack! Crack!