Chapter 411

“Swoosh.”

The unspoken words about it being a forceful blow were forcibly skipped.

Gyeon Pohee delivers a fierce strike to the solar plexus.

With a hard thud, the soldier, whose chest was caved in, barely managed to go an inch before coming to a sudden halt.

This was thanks to the grip that clenched his clothing tightly as well.

While it seemed quite tender to lay him down on the ground like that, one might wonder what kind of shenanigans this was.

In truth, it was simply to ensure that the broken ribs remained settled without piercing any organs, so he could suffer a long time without dying.

Though Qing had long ago recognized the ruthless brutality of the Flesh Demon, his focus was now entirely on cooling off the boiling anger inside.

Bang! The great gate shook violently and swung open.

Two women entered.

Qing was now clutching the plaque of the Gwangju Seonbang tightly, so it was quite a sight.

“Who goes there?!”

Unfortunately, a warrior nearby, caught off guard, hurriedly grabbed the handle of the gate.

But he was a moment too late.

The edge of the plaque was already crashing down towards his crown.

Thud! A sound like a watermelon cracking open echoed as the salty, oily plaque sunk into the disciple’s head.

Red and white stains spread across the Gwangju Seonbang lettering.

While observing the fallen soldier, Qing looked at him like a mere pebble on the road.

She simply thought about how, during the earlier ruckus in the market, she had spotted a few fleeing rascals trying to slip away.

It made her wonder how highly they regarded the lives of others, that they could remain so calm even after witnessing such a sight.

Of course, the Gwangju Seonbang was a sanctuary.

It was a collective of the ship owners, construction leaders, and fishing community heads from Gwangju.

The true cowards had already scampered off to report to their respective faction heads, so the news of the commotion had yet to reach the main estate of the Gwangju Seonbang.

But what did Qing understand of this situation?

She merely closed her eyes, thinking others were joyfully pushing themselves during their morning training amidst a chorus of shouts.

Qing, holding the plaque, strode towards the noise.

In the training area behind the stone courtyard, Gwangju Seonbang warriors were surprisingly engaged in serious training.

“One! Move out!”

“Move out!”

“Two! Soaring High!”

“Soaring High!”

“Three! Get out. Huh!”

The instructor, shouting the command, suddenly panicked and swung the great sword.

Clang! The sword clashed with the hammerhead and shattered, raining pieces upon the instructor.

As if that wasn’t enough, the jagged fragments grazed across the instructor’s face, painting trails of blood.

“Who the hell?!”

But all that flew back was the desperate shrieks of the disciples.

One disciple, whose forearm had vanished, wailed as if he were dying.

It was a contagious cry.

The fallen disciple’s screams echoed, knees bending awkwardly, as he begged for mercy while clutching his spilling guts.

With every swing that occurred, screams would rise high, and the plaque of the Gwangju Seonbang was increasingly stained, leaving red drops to drip into the sandy training grounds.

“Stop!”

The instructor yelled again.

Yet, the result was only more mayhem.

As soon as the command to stop rang out, the disciples recoiled in shock, but Qing and Gyeon Pohee charged in silently, ripping, breaking, and piercing through the next opponent, and then the next, and the one after that.

Finally, the instructor rushed in.

Gripping a great sword tightly from the weapon rack at one side of the training area, his expression was rather grim.

“I’ll take this on.”

The uncle said this and dashed past Qing.

Qing nodded slightly, her acknowledgment substituting words, and then swung the plaque towards the warriors.

The Gwangju Seonbang plaque, which had once been yellow with red lettering, was now red all over, making it hard to read.

Screams and moans permeated the training area.

In other words, it also meant no one was dead.

Those who were dead could not speak.

This was simply because Qing did not aim for fatal pressure points with her strikes.

“Aaaah! Die!”

One warrior charged in, burning with fury.

Perhaps it was because someone he recognized had been harmed, but he was brimming with rage.

Qing glanced at the warrior through the veil of her stance.

From the feet, she measured the distance when he took a step; from the arms, she understood when the weapon would be lunged; from the eyes, she knew where he aimed to cut.

Knowing the distance, timing, and position, wasn’t it just easy to make a counter move?

It merely seemed like she was flailing about aimlessly.

But at the moment the warrior grounded himself for a pose, the plaque drove in at just the right angle and struck beneath his thigh, bending his knee.

The laziest sword in the world, the essence of a royal blade, unfolded in the moments of their hostile faction’s signboard.

Crack! The sensation of breaking bone.

The warrior’s trajectory twisted sharply to Qing’s right side, smashing down hard on his hapless comrade’s shoulder with the great sword.

Nonetheless, the indifferent line sliced continuously through the air.

The soldiers collapsed on the ground, not dead but fated to be seriously hurt or left disabled.

After all, what were the skills of disciples engaging in group training since morning?

Moreover, it wasn’t long before Gyeon Pohee returned to back Qing up.

Thus the training area soon filled with blood and tears.

“Stop! Stop it!”

Someone else shouted.

The voice was heavy, imbued with significant inner strength.

Yet why did all the words from those Sapa folk sound so similar?

Qing tilted her head and glanced at the approaching master with skepticism.

She wanted to see what nonsense would fly out of his mouth.

Covered in talismans on her sides and back, the moment their gazes locked, the respectable master awkwardly adopted a stance.

“I do not know who you are, but please temper your anger—”

“So, you wish to talk it out? With such a fine sword in hand?”

With an annoyed voice, the chief instructor Biseong Nak broke into a cold sweat.

Already, the training hall was a hell of despair, filled with groans and cries of distress as bodies rolled on the ground, yet remarkably, there were not many dead.

It’s easy to kill, but it takes much more skill to leave someone crippled and incapacitated.

To further complicate matters, standing before her were not one but two completely unfazed masters.

Biseong Nak carefully pondered his words.

But what could the Sapa folks possibly have to say?

Regrettably, the same old half-hearted threats came spilling out.

“Our faction is under the protection of the Sado Sect.”

Qing scoffed.

“And so? Is that illustrious Sapa going to protect you? You might as well call for your ancestors. Where is your Sapa group, anyway?”

Sado Sect was far away, but Qing was right here and now.

Realizing that Sado Sect’s authority had no hold here, Biseong Nak quickly changed his tone.

“That’s not it; I was wondering if we had done something disrespectful.”

“Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Civil Engineering Fairy. Today, several laborers, including carpenters, have died. You still don’t understand if you’ve been rude or not?”

“What does that have to do with us—”

“I already came here knowing everything, so don’t waste your energy on pointless lies.”

Biseong Nak felt a chill wash over him.

While there might be a leader, it’s more accurate to say he was a representative among the group, which meant there had to be a few heads calling the shots.

One of the guys must have made a mistake.

Biseong Nak, explaining this situation, nearly sounded like he was begging.

“We’ll locate and hand over the errant official to you. Please, temper your anger.”

“I was bitten by a mosquito.”

Qing made an absurd statement.

Biseong Nak raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Qing calmly continued her words.

“Should I find and kill the mosquito that bit me? Or should I just swat down every visible one?”

Biseong Nak’s expression hardened.

Then Qing casually waved her hand.

“Well then. I’ll give you three chances. You better put your all into it.”

Biseong Nak silently drew his saber.

With a whoosh, the saber exuded an aura of Qi as it throbbed with the weight of an esteemed Supreme Martial Artist.

Qing had already expressed her intentions, leaving only the collision of their will to occur.

Biseong Nak reflected on his martial arts, which he had accumulated over a long time.

Whether it was the moment of life or death, the form of Tao, that had only barely been discernable in the past now emerged vividly in his mind on this day.

Biseong Nak’s heart raced.

As if from today onwards, overcoming this crisis would lead him to leap a step higher.

Thus, Biseong Nak grasped the form of Tao that surfaced in his thoughts.

Then, bang! With all his might, he stomped down fiercely—

And Qing sent a dagger flying.

Biseong Nak flew off as if launched, soaring through the air, crashing down furiously along the ground.

He must have been launched at considerable speed, reaching Qing’s feet in an instant.

Qing swiftly lifted her foot to clear away whatever debris was clambering towards her.

Right after, the unrelenting Demon Energy of the Heavenly Demon surged up from her centered sole, crushing down and pulverizing Biseong Nak’s elbow.

“Gah! Gwaaaah!”

Two screams echoed out.

Nearby, Gyeon Pohee stomped down mercilessly on Biseong Nak’s remaining arm.

“Ack! You coward! You said you’d give me three chances!”

“I don’t talk to bugs.”

Qing’s foot filled Biseong Nak’s vision.

The extermination of the bug nest turned out to be more anticlimactic than expected.

Perhaps that’s why, despite having beaten, smashed, and torn things apart today, she felt utterly no joy.

Why had she postponed this easy task, allowing so many innocent lives to perish before finally acting now?

Before the great gate of the Gwangju Seonbang, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered in droves.

Only screams rang out, echoing foes over the stone wall, and there were more than a few Gwangju Seonbang warriors fleeing in a panic, too frightened to cross the gate, merely milling around in front of it.

So when Qing kicked down the swaying gate, producing a crash, exuberant cheers erupted from the spectators.

But Gyeon Pohee, who stuck close to Qing, appeared bright-eyed but did not dare venture any closer.

This was because she was still tightly gripping the hair of a man.

A limp, lifeless man, like a dead octopus, was none other than Biseong Nak.

Though she wouldn’t approach, someone called out to check on Qing.

“Fairy! You’re unharmed!”

To which Qing snorted, a genuine smile creeping onto her face for the first time today.

Yet contrary to her cheerful expression, she scolded with a mocking tone.

“What’s with all this excitement? Why are you just standing around gawking?”

Qing said this as she tossed the plaque down.

The four characters of Gwangju Seonbang, stained in blood, flopped onto the wooden floor of the central pier.

“Do whatever you want with it! Burn it or throw it away. There’s nobody left inside, so if you want to gather any valuables, do it or just leave it.”

At that, the crowd surged eagerly into the Gwangju Seonbang.

Right this moment, they were probably planning to snatch up as much as they could.

After all, the Sapa folks were just in it for the money, collecting debts just to turn a profit.

Thinking of the trash crawling across the floor, they might figure that a fair bit of payback was owed.

Qing watched the scene with distant eyes before turning her gaze back to Biseong Nak.

“Weren’t you feeling awfully hard-done to? Being the only fool left when there are others behind the curtains? How unfortunate for a hunting dog to be unlucky enough to run into the wrong master.”

Qing chuckled mischievously, then continued her mockery.

“So, let’s go hunt down those rascals who sent you. Oh, but wait a minute. If there’s still some loyalty left in you, feel free to keep your mouth shut. Why would I let a guy who wants to die guide me? Now, what’s it going to be? Where do I go? Preferably somewhere close without wasting a trip.”

Biseong Nak’s expression twisted violently.

Regardless, he answered without hesitation.

“To the west from here, there’s a big establishment named Haegung Dae Seonbang.”

Qing, reaching out her hand for an open palm, encouraged Gyeon Pohee to position the grasped hair perfectly for a light smack, and Qing cheerfully began to pat Biseong Nak’s cheek.

“Good thinking. Even if your limbs are broken, a survivor still has to live.”

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