Chapter 7: Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress

xx

Slap! Slap!

It was definitely a whip.

However, it was not the kind of whip used as a weapon by martial artists, but rather something closer to an SM tool one might see in modern society.

“Yah!”

Slap!

“Ugh!”

The man, presumed to be the Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress, lashed the whip, and the Golden Bell Tower man groaned in pain.

Bound with ropes all over his body, he was even panting, a truly bizarre sight.

The Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress, who had been wielding the whip, said to the Golden Bell Tower man,

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“A little more...”

“My lord is in a bad mood because you messed up the job.”

“Hua Mei...”

‘I can’t stand this.’

The magnificent sight of him relying on his father and family’s wealth was gone, and now he was stripped naked and being whipped.

I felt ashamed of my past when I tried every trick to befriend the wealthy Golden Bell Tower man during the Ascension Pavilion era.

“Tomorrow, I will use any means necessary to change that girl’s mind.”

‘Miaoxiang?’

My ears twitched at the familiar name.

“Is that true? But is it possible? If she resists, things might go wrong...”

“I will persuade her younger brother in Nanjing. If I tell him to collect the debt, she won’t be able to resist and will have to follow our orders.”

“Indeed, you have a plan, Master Jin!”

“What do you mean?”

I didn’t understand what he meant, but one thing was certain.

These two were plotting something involving Miaoxiang.

‘These bastards!’

As anger welled up inside me, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of killing intent.

This was a side effect of the martial arts technique given to me by the city lord.

The problem was that these two were martial artists.

“Who’s there!”

The Golden Bell Tower man, known for his heavy in-game spending, possessed a significant amount of inner energy, making him unmatched among his peers.

Even though he was bound, he accurately looked in my direction.

‘Damn it!’

Normally, the best course of action would be to run.

But if I did, something might happen to Miaoxiang tomorrow.

In the end,

Crack!

“I am Sailor Moon. You bastards.”

Deciding to break through, I intruded into their space.

“S-Sailor? What?”

I immediately lunged at the Mistress, and a throwing knife flew towards my forehead.

Swish. Bang.

I dodged by twisting my head, and the knife cut a few strands of my hair before embedding itself in the pillar.

The Mistress took a step back and tried to open the door, presumably to call for help.

‘I can’t let that happen!’

If the martial artists and courtesans outside came, I would have to worry about escaping, let alone kidnapping.

I took a decisive step.

Zhan Wang Bu (Battle King Step)

This was a movement technique included in the Zhan Wang martial arts technique given to me by the city lord, allowing me to move with lightning speed in a single step.

Whoosh!

In an instant, I felt my speed accelerate, and I punched the Mistress in the chest.

Thud!

“Who’s there...!”

Thud.

The Mistress, unable to adapt to my sudden increase in speed, couldn’t defend herself at all.

‘He won’t die, right?’

I tried to control my strength, but the acceleration made me a bit uneasy.

If he died, it would be the city lord’s fault for teaching me such a strange martial arts technique, not mine.

“Hua, Hua Mei!”

The Golden Bell Tower man, startled by the scene, called out to the Mistress.

I quickly pressed the dagger I had brought to his throat. Bound as he was, he couldn’t resist and offered his neck.

“I’ll cut your throat if you don’t answer my questions.”

“...”

“What was the conversation you two were having just now?”

“...What conversation?”

“Didn’t you mention something about Miaoxiang?”

“T-That...”

The Golden Bell Tower man hesitated, as if there was a secret, and I tightened my grip on the dagger.

Drip.

As blood flowed, the Golden Bell Tower man’s body began to tremble.

He then spoke urgently.

“There’s someone who wants to take Miaoxiang as a concubine. We agreed to sell her according to his wishes.”

“Who is this person?”

“...Bai Xiazhen.”

A familiar name.

A month ago, he was the youngest son of the White Dragon Hall’s leader who picked a fight with me during my guard duty at the South Gate.

Reading the signs that I knew him, the Golden Bell Tower man changed his tone.

“You know him!”

“So what?”

“Do you think someone affiliated with the Nine Dragon City can survive after doing this?! Put away your knife immediately!”

“Hmm? I don’t think you, stripped and bound, have much to worry about.”

The Golden Bell Tower man’s face turned red, feeling exposed.

“Why do you keep saying ‘Ugh’ while being whipped? It’s disgusting.”

“Eek!”

“Quiet. If people come, you won’t be able to handle it.”

“I’m sorry.”

When a man is in trouble, he formats his hard drive out of fear.

If this situation were seen by others, the Golden Bell Tower man’s reputation would be buried in the underground mantle in no time.

“I’ll tell you everything, so please untie me. As you know...”

I cut off his urgent plea.

“But...”

“...?”

“It’s too late, isn’t it?”

“What?”

I immediately picked up the Mistress, who had fallen on the floor, and carried her.

I could feel the Golden Flower Pavilion’s personnel gathering due to the commotion.

The Golden Bell Tower man called out urgently.

“Wait! Untie me before you go!”

“There’s an old saying that if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Maybe you’ll discover a new hobby this time.”

Crack!

With those words, I leaped from the fourth floor of the pavilion.

Boom!

Despite using the movement technique to make myself as light as possible, the weight of the Mistress made the landing heavy.

‘Oh, my knees.’

In a world without artificial joints...

At that moment, the Golden Bell Tower man’s voice came from the top of the pavilion.

“Wait! No one enter!”

Good, keep it up. Just hold on a bit longer.

***

“Huff! Huff!”

After escaping the Golden Flower Pavilion, I ran at full speed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

I ran as hard as I did for my last bell kick in elementary school.

If I had put in this much effort back then, I might have succeeded in my 723rd bell kick and become a legend at Myeongdong Elementary School.

Thud! Thud!

At such a high speed, the Mistress’s head shook and hit various things.

Crack!

‘Is he really dying?’

His condition seems worse than before... Oh? Blood is coming from his head?

I wanted to lay him down and check his condition, but I couldn’t do that now.

In the Nine Dragon City, a martial arts stronghold, any expert could appear at any time.

That’s why I didn’t go straight to the Red Flower Pavilion but ran outside the outer city.

After running for about half an hour,

With my breath nearly gone, I stopped and laid the Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress down.

“Pant! Pant!”

If I had known I would get involved in such a situation, I would have practiced more.

Checking my surroundings, it seemed no one was chasing me. It was worth running so hard.

‘Is he alive?’

I put my hand to the Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress’s nose to check her breathing and sat down, relieved.

“I’m exhausted.”

I haven’t run this much in a long time.

After resting for about half an hour,

I sensed something.

‘Damn it.’

It was a pursuit, and not just any expert.

‘What should I do?’

If I tried to carry and run again, I would surely be caught.

In the end, there was only one option: to fight and win.

As soon as I made up my mind, I quickly surveyed the surroundings, examined the terrain, and dug a few holes.

I was preparing to fight as much as I could since I couldn’t escape.

After a moment,

“Did you run away?”

An old man, who looked to be in his sixties, stood in front of me, panting.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Martial arts require a strong foundation of qi, spirit, and vitality to achieve their full power.

Even if one’s inner energy is deep and understanding of martial arts is high, without a strong body, the power is limited.

However, the fact that the old man appeared means...

He has reached the pinnacle of martial arts, the Xing Qi Shang Ren (Form Qi Injure Person) level, where he can form qi to injure people.

Of course, his power may have declined compared to his prime, but one cannot be complacent.

The saying that old ginger is spicy is not just a cliché in martial arts novels.

Every old expert has a trick or two up their sleeve.

The old man looked at me and said,

“If you leave the Golden Flower Pavilion Mistress, I won’t chase you.”

“How can I be sure of that?”

“I guarantee it on my honor.”

“Who are you, old man?”

“Ha ha, I am from the Golden Dragon Hall...”

Taking advantage of his pause, I kicked up dirt.

“Ugh!”

‘First strike, win!’

Whoosh!

I immediately used the Zhan Wang Bu I had prepared.

The old man, who had raised his arm to block the dirt, was startled and leaped.

But my punch had already hit his abdomen.

Thud!

“Gasp!”

‘Not deep enough,’

Originally, his ribs should have broken, but at the moment of impact, the old man twisted his body to disperse the force.

Then he extended his fingers towards my eyes.

‘Jin Zhong Zha!’

One of the representative martial arts of the Golden Dragon Hall and part of the Ascension Pavilion’s common curriculum.

I only learned the basics, but knowing the martial arts means knowing the counter.

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

I extended my forehead towards his fingers to misalign the target and reduce the force.

Squish!

With a tearing sound, my vision turned red from the blood that flowed from my forehead.

But it was worth it.

The old man, unable to land his attack, exposed a weakness.

And my front kick hit his chest.

Thud!

The old man was thrown back a considerable distance.

Whoosh!

I used the Zhan Wang Bu again.

I turned my body and rammed into the old man’s side with my back.

It was a street fighting technique from the Iron Mountain Fist.

“You scoundrel!”

Despite his age, the old man’s experience was evident. Even as he flew back, he threw a flying kick.

It wasn’t an ordinary kick.

It was the rare item, the Golden Chain Sword, used by the martial artists of the Ten Thousand Gold Hall.

“Whoa!”

I barely dodged the sudden attack by tilting my head back.

‘Almost got a face full of sword.’

I was already working for the Nine Dragon City, a nationwide violent organization, and almost ended up tied up for life.

“You’re quite something.”

“A typical villain’s line.”

“What?!”

“A typical villain’s reaction.”

“What nonsense!”

The old man, enraged, moved his sword.

He swung it relentlessly from left to right and diagonally.

And.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Golden sword qi flowed from the Golden Chain Sword, sweeping the surroundings.

‘!!!’

Whoosh! Whoosh!

It was faster and more fierce than before.

The trunk of a large tree was cleanly cut.

The one fortunate thing was that...

“Pant! Pant!”

The old man was rapidly tiring, a testament to the fact that age cannot be overcome, no matter how deep one’s inner energy.

“Can’t you come over here?!”

Swish. Whoosh!

The old man, more enraged, swung his sword wildly.

‘Ugh!’

My hair was cut by the more fierce sword path.

After several seconds,

Several sharp sword strikes came at me, but I barely dodged them using the Zhan Wang Bu.

After a while,

“Ugh...”

“Are you tired? Why don’t you stop? You might end up a corpse.”

“Y-You scoundrel!”

Gang Zhang Zhi Jie.

The old man, already drained of his inner energy and physical strength, moved fiercely in a desperate attempt.

Several dozen sword strikes were unleashed.

The power was formidable, and it seemed he was using a life-saving technique he had saved.

However, I had anticipated this.

I lured the old man towards the holes I had dug earlier.

And.

“Ugh!”

The old man, chasing me, lost his footing in one of the holes and lost his balance.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have fallen, but he was already exhausted.

‘Got him!’

Whoosh!

I used the Zhan Wang Bu again to get close to the old man.

The old man, startled, thrust the Golden Chain Sword, but due to his loss of balance, it was slow and weak.

I dodged the thrust and extended my fist, filled with the Zhan Wang Qi, a profound technique of the Zhan Wang martial arts, stopping just before the old man’s chest.

And.

Boom! Bang!

A thunderous storm erupted, enveloping the old man.

It was the first move of the Zhan Wang martial arts, the Explosive Death Technique.

“Cough!”

The old man only expelled qi and avoided direct impact, so he didn’t die.

No matter how much we fought to kill each other, we were still part of the Nine Dragon City.

Taking his life would be awkward.

Instead, with his injuries at this age, he would find it difficult to use martial arts in the future.

But I didn’t feel any pity.

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