Chapter 54

Hwangbo Family (2)

Jeong Yeonshin looked down at Hwangbo Myeongrin's body and then raised his head.

"This guy didn't even resist."

Cheongmyeong said, shrugging his shoulders and kicking Taeyeonryong's groin.

Taeyeonryong, who had fallen to his knees, smiled and looked up at Jeong Yeonshin.

"The game is up. If you knew everything, it means the family is doomed. A Blue Warrior? I never imagined your true identity."

From the first time they met, he was clearly not in his right mind, chewing on opium in a drunken state.

He didn't seem to care much about his half-sister's death.

It was unclear whether it was because he had been despised as a bastard and the young master, or simply because he was insane.

Solar Heart Meridian.

The pain of having one's meridians sealed must be unimaginable. Even at first glance, Taeyeonryong was truly a madman.

As the young master of the Hwangbo Family, he seemed to have lived by inertia.

"What was that sword technique? I've never heard of it. What cultivation method did you learn? Tell me."

"Your sister just crossed over to the other side by my sword."

"Your dull companions wouldn't understand. They lived in a different world. They probably didn't even consider me a sibling, and neither did I. With the family on the brink of ruin, there's no need to consider the elders' opinions. Gugwa, or rather, Seomye! I want to know all your martial arts!"

Taeyeonryong smiled with a shadowy look in his eyes.

Now it was certain. He was completely mad, obsessed with martial arts and pain.

Jeong Yeonshin, ignoring his words, used the sword techniques of the Iphwang Sword and the Bukmyeong Sword in succession.

The Hwangbo Family's guard unit was just the vanguard. The main mission was just beginning: to take down the Eight Great Families.

'They said a decisive battle won't lead to the family's destruction.'

The Hwangbo Family is a massive local clan. It's not just one main house in Jinan, Shandong Province.

With branches and sub-families, they could control Jinan like royalty and secretly exploit the people.

A guard unit alone can't be the measure. They said it's a group with a council and elite experts.

I heard the same about the Eight Great Families and the Nine Sects. They are formidable, possessing a variety of martial arts, enough to please Jeong Yeonshin.

'A sword technique to deflect Thunderbolt Bombs, a cultivation method that accelerates energy, a sword style effective in one-on-many battles...'

The sword style has already established its system as a martial art. Only practical adaptation remains.

In the chaos, Jeong Yeonshin closed his eyes slightly.

He hoped to perfect the sword technique to counter Thunderbolt Bombs and a new cultivation method in one mission.

* * *

"You've done a lot of hard work."

"Thanks to you, I can finally complete this old mission."

Senior experts tousled Jeong Yeonshin, Heon Wonchang, and Shin Sobin's hair.

While Shin Sobin grimaced, Jeong Yeonshin asked Cheongmyeong and Baek Milyeo about recent events.

He had already been examined by Baek Milyeo, who had checked his injuries by holding his shoulders.

"We were shocked to hear about the Dragon Phoenix Assembly. Who would have thought you'd use Thunderbolt Bombs like that? We ran here as fast as we could with our lightness skills, sweating all the way."

"Once you reach Blue, you should be able to handle fire bombs. I'll show you how to use the Maguang Jue technique."

Cheongmyeong and Baek Milyeo said.

Even without a master-disciple relationship in Iphwang City, human connections were different.

Jeong Yeonshin felt a genuine bond with Maguang Jue. It started with Cheongmyeong's playful face.

After demonstrating a soft palm technique that drew circles in the air, Baek Milyeo, who was looking at him, was no different.

"This is the technique of Harmony (和境). It's different from the method of forcefully emitting energy (發勁). You've probably heard of 'softness overcoming hardness' (柔能制剛). By creating an internal energy barrier with your sword or palm, you can deflect fire bombs. I'll show you several times, so feel free to ask until you master it."

"I've already thought about it."

"Hmm?"

"I have a few questions about the application techniques, but I think you already know, so I'd like you to show me once."

"..."

The surroundings were chaotic. The dantians of the Hwangbo Family's guard unit members who surrendered and didn't die were shattered.

The lower dantian affects the entire body's meridians and blood vessels. It wouldn't just scatter their internal energy.

"Kuh, kuh!"

"Ugh!"

Many were rolling on the ground, but no one paid attention.

They were the ones who didn't fight to the death with their comrades and surrendered with a white flag. The looks they received wouldn't be favorable.

Cheongmyeong and Baek Milyeo, among others, were excluded from the miscellaneous tasks. They said it was because they had been on reconnaissance.

Jeong Yeonshin, Heon Wonchang, and Shin Sobin were the same. Their contributions from the Dragon Phoenix Assembly to now were officially recognized.

"Shattering the dantian isn't something just anyone can do. A Blue with deep cultivation is required. It's a tedious task. After it's done, they become prisoners, so we can't kill them. During the battle, we have the discretion, but afterward, we hand them over to the authorities. We follow the imperial court's decisions."

Cheongmyeong said. Jeong Yeonshin and Heon Wonchang slowly nodded.

Iphwang City was a sect with a clear hierarchy.

The task of dealing with surviving enemies was handled by the late-arriving White Warriors.

Gathering bodies, searching for identity tokens, and temporarily burying them were not easy tasks after the battle.

Meanwhile, the young talents of other families gathered in silence.

There was no lack of envious glances at Jeong Yeonshin and others, who were part of Maguang Jue.

Their faces were pale, like those who had died at the hands of Maguang Jue, such as the sword user Hwangbo Jun.

"Truly admirable. It feels like we fought together in Iphwang City just yesterday, and now you're my superior, Jeong Xiaohao."

Heon Wonchang shook his head, looking at the bodies. If he hadn't been assigned a different task, he might have had to handle them.

Jeong Yeonshin stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Can I say a word as a Blue?"

"Hmm?"

"About this tearing. You don't have to do it for me. I was embarrassed to do it myself, but it's a bit awkward. I'll do it myself."

Jeong Yeonshin patted his shoulder, where the rough 'Hwang' character was carved. Heon Wonchang's face visibly fell.

"This is one of the few joys in my life... Do you have to take everything?"

"What...?"

There was a rare moment of leisure. It was an unusually pleasant time.

As the dry plains of spring were heated by the midday sun, the issue of dealing with Taeyeonryong and I Gongzi arose.

"I think we should kill them."

Cheongmyeong said with a smile. Perhaps because they were a noble clan in the Central Plains, he showed no hesitation even in front of the three leaders. Jeong Yeonshin thought it was typical of him.

"They could be a future threat. The Solar Heart Meridian has seen the martial arts of three Iphwang City forces. If we capture them carelessly and they escape, it could cause problems. They might even develop a counter-technique."

"There's a point to that."

A solemn-looking swordsman nodded. He was Changcheon Dazhu.

Tall and long-armed, he was said to be destined to be a sword expert.

At that moment,

"Maguang Jue!"

Taeyeonryong raised his head and shouted.

His gleaming eyes were fixed on Jeong Yeonshin.

"I want to join Maguang Jue! I'll complete the Jima Jiro! I'll crawl like a dog, just let me stay by Seomye's side!"

"What nonsense?"

Heon Wonchang muttered in disbelief.

There was no way he would be accepted. The bastard of a family about