Chapter 57

Hwangbo Clan (5)

The Hwangbo Clan was an old establishment.

The Hwangbo bloodline, which rose up in Shandong during the late Yuan Dynasty, settled in the heart of Shandong Province, in Jinan.

Over the years, there were grandmasters who honed the family's martial arts.

The martial arts of the gathered bloodline grew increasingly powerful. It was a turbulent era, and they seized vast lands from the Yuan Dynasty.

This continued even when the illustrious Ming clan, said to have descended from the light, rose to prominence.

The Hwangbo family began to be called a local gentry in exchange for their compliance with the new Ming dynasty.

This marked the birth of a martial arts family. They ruled Jinan as its overlords for generations.

“Mom, when is my brother coming back?”

A girl, about a dozen years old, planted her axe with a thud next to the household items.

Her family had been chopping wood in Pingyin County, Jinan, for generations.

Although martial arts are not easy to learn, those who can read often keep books on breathing techniques.

The Three Talents Heart Method, published by the imperial court, increased the workforce.

It was said that even the ignorant could gradually draw in the energy of the air.

It was a famous secret technique of the illustrious clan, which infused strength into the body and the earth, creating great warriors and fertile fields.

A middle-aged woman, who was sitting and twisting a rope, spoke.

Despite her tattered hemp clothes, her tone was dignified and her pronunciation clear.

“The Hwangbo Clan took him away, didn’t they? Let’s wait patiently. Your brother might come back as a martial artist. If he becomes a gatekeeper for a powerful family, we won’t go hungry.”

“The trees on the back mountain aren’t good lately. Mr. Ma is cutting the price. Why didn’t he get taken away?”

The girl complained.

For her age, she was quite skilled with the axe, but she wasn’t a true warrior.

The Three Talents Heart Method was wondrous but closer to a health practice. The girl could do as much work as the men because of her exceptional talent.

Mr. Ma, who seemed to have connections with the Hwangbo Clan, had started to pressure her to join.

Her startled mother whispered.

“Taken away? Be careful what you say. They say the warriors have ears as sharp as bats.”

“They’re all probably at a feast with Zhiyan. I’m glad the rascals who used to hit on me are gone, but we might starve. The trees are cheap, and there’s not much to eat. Whatever we get, Zhiyan and the Hwangbo guys take it all.”

“Be careful what you say!”

The middle-aged woman, who had let out a scream in her breath, composed herself and said.

“The Hwangbo Clan is a prestigious family that protects us. Even when your grandfather passed the imperial exams, it was the same.”

“Always talking about Grandpa!”

“He said that people outside Jinan are often robbed by martial artists. At least we don’t have that problem. If your father hadn’t been a gambler, we would have lived comfortably.”

“Being robbed? The Hwangbo guys do it. If my brother were here, he’d bring in a lot of money.”

“You really! Cursing the righteous will bring disaster!”

The girl, who had been hit on the back, grumbled and left the house.

“Killing all the chivalrous people, what kind of righteous are they! Mom, you write characters strangely! When are you going to teach me?”

Her mother’s scolding leaked through the crack in the closed door. The girl ignored it and set off down the road.

Perhaps because she walked aimlessly, she arrived at the largest residence in the village, the Pingyin Hwangbo residence.

As the girl glanced up at the large manor, she quickly turned around.

“Eh?”

“You came just in time.”

A deep, resonant voice. A strong hand grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her up.

“I thought one of the branches had been wiped out by the Wandering Thugs of the Sun Rising City.”

“Mr. Ma, Mr. Ma?”

The girl’s body was spun around. A middle-aged man in a yellow silk robe stood with an indifferent expression.

He moved towards the broken gate, muttering to himself.

“You might be able to ask them a question. What is chivalry?”

* * *

The Sword Family. The power of the sword's sound technique was overwhelming.

“What is this...”

Shenshoujian Hwangbo Mimi looked around the manor in a daze.

The dead and unconscious were strewn everywhere.

The battle had stopped. It only resumed when the servants, who had retreated leaving the feast untouched, cautiously showed their faces.

“What, what is this?”

“Why are they lying there? They’re bleeding.”

“They’re not moving. Are they dead?”

Their shrill screams echoed as they saw the carnage.

A wave of energy flowed from Shenshoujian’s hand, which was attached to the sword school.

Despite all the adornments, her hands bore the marks of rigorous training.

She was indeed a rare swordswoman. Even the slightest movement of her lips exuded a killing aura.

“Dare to.”

“...Sound techniques are one of the rarest martial arts in the world.”

Zhiyan muttered. The refined idler who had wanted to watch the bloodshed with music was gone.

His eyes, now heavy and serious, were fixed on Magwangyi and the others.

A few breaths passed. Zheng Yanshen took a long, deep breath.

The Moon Ling Harmony Technique was also a method of breathing.

Recalling the long, thin breaths of the Sun Rising City Lord when he had learned the technique, his mind calmed.

‘I overdid it.’

The method of using true energy in the Sword Family technique was incredibly intricate. It had pushed his senses to their limits.

It involved loading dispersive true energy onto the sound created by his inner energy.

It was a powerful martial art that utilized the upper dantian to a great extent. It was almost a divine skill.

“While we were discussing elegance? Why are you not saying more?”

Zheng Yanshen spoke calmly, but he felt extreme fatigue.

His mind felt as if it were filled with a wet cloth.

This was the first time he had used the Sword Family technique at full power. To instantly kill a martial artist, he had to.

Even if the opponent was weaker than him, it was the same.

The natural defensive energy was a solid barrier of inner energy, so to kill with the sound of the sword, it was inevitable.

‘I can’t use it twice. Even once was difficult.’

His body, which had been in excellent condition, was now stretched to the limit. In the world of high-level martial artists, a slight difference could mean life or death.

If there was an opponent of equal or greater strength among the enemies, he would have to continue the difficult battle.

‘Hmm?’

At the moment he observed his internal state through the Moon Ling Harmony Technique, Zheng Yanshen was momentarily lost in thought.

Above his head, at the crown of his head.

It was clearly different from the morning. He could sense the difference in a day with his innate perception.

The Baihui point had expanded. It seemed to have grown by four days.

‘My hand.’

In the midst of the battle, his index finger trembled. It wasn’t due to lack of strength.

It was a moment of panic.

An instinctive fear of death suddenly came over him. A deep abyss momentarily enveloped him.

Moving true energy was like using physical strength.

If one could freely control their power without exerting mental effort, they were considered a supreme master.

The inner energy realms known as Sanhua Juzheng (Three Flowers Gather at the Crown), Wuqi Chaoyuan (Five Qi Converge at the Origin), and Dengfeng Zaoji (Reach the Peak) were part of this process.

Zheng Yanshen’s innate perception was different. It was like climbing a huge mountain.

‘I’ll think about it later.’

He was facing a life-or-death situation.

He forced his consciousness to return. He isolated his anxiety in one corner of his mind.

Just like he had stuffed the shock of his first kill during the destruction of the Zheng family.

‘First, think about martial arts. To avoid backlash, I need to reach the black realm, at least.’

Zheng Yanshen’s control of his inner energy was largely due to his innate upper dantian.

He operated true energy based on his senses without a fundamental change in his inner energy realm.

Exceeding the limits inevitably had a backlash.

“Golden sleeve. A disciple of the Sun Rising City Lord.”

Shenshoujian Hwangbo Mimi slowly approached, muttering.

The scene around her was the reward for Zheng Yanshen’s efforts.

The collapsed encirclement was truly overwhelming.

A blue-robed warrior had single-handedly destroyed one of the branch forces of the Eight Great Clans.

“...”

How did Zheng Yanshen, standing still and silent, appear?

Shenshoujian’s steps were cautious. Even though she had started to move, there was no particular aura.

Zheng Yanshen simply stared.

‘Shenshoujian Hwangbo Mimi.’

She was the head of a branch family.

The affectionate displays with her many concubines and her husband had to be seen separately.

Her accumulated martial arts were not to be underestimated.

Zheng Yanshen had reached this position by taking advantage of the enemies’ complacency. He could not be in