Chapter 65

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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And the stern principle set by Qing was that as the victor, one must show proper respect to the defeated.

This was a noble act of continuing the will of the vanquished and inheriting their legacy.

So, Qing did just that.

But.

The money bag… it’s not here?

…No way, how could this happen?

Qing was furious.

This was a serious betrayal.

No matter how much of a villain one presents themselves to be, if a person puts effort into something good, why is there no reward?

Such a reality should not exist.

Qing, perhaps unsure, thoroughly searched her body again.

In the midst of it, she felt something in her hand.

It was something she had hidden inside her inner garment and stitched up.

It wasn’t the money bag all tightly rolled up.

But since it was hidden like this, it had to be something valuable.

Yes, this is it! I believed in this!

With a bright expression, Qing ripped apart her inner garment.

And the moment she grasped something—

Suddenly, the Martial Arts Inventory demanded to be opened.

From Qing’s experience, this only happened when she touched a complete secret manual or received a secret technique.

Qing opened the Martial Arts Inventory.

A newly added, sparkling martial art caught her eye.

**Girl’s Joyful Palace.** The border was gold.

Gold, huh? That comes after purple.

And it has the Inner Strength Meditation Technique?

The more Inner Strength, the better.

I’ll just swing by and ask Master if it’s a decent martial art and learn it.

That’s right.

Qing was finally growing!

But before that.

Qing recalled Seomun Sulin’s instruction.

As a disciple, since she frequently encountered martial arts, she was advised that if she obtained a secret manual to memorize it all before burning it, and simply burn the evil ones.

For a secret manual alone could sow the seeds of discord.

Discord? I’m tired of that already.

Qing took out her **Hwasubja.**

The **Hwasubja** was a container meant for holding igniting flames.

It was a rather pricey item, but Seomun Sulin had prepared it for her delicate disciple who hadn’t even managed to cultivate the **Sammae Jinwa** yet.

For your information, **Sammae Jinwa** referred to a technique of raising the temperature at a point using a principle of intense focus, which the supreme martial artists could perform.

Smashing True Energy clumsily might only yield a spark, but it was a skill recognized for its convenience.

Of course, Qing was still at the peak level, so she was just holding the **Hwasubja** and trying to start a fire.

Gathering some dry leaves from spring, she placed them in the **Hwasubja**, and soon a fire flared up.

The secret manual of the Girl’s Joyful Palace was a parchment stiffened with oil, but in the end, it was just wood.

How long could it possibly endure?

The secret manual of the Girl’s Joyful Palace burned.

The vision that had been preserved and passed down through generations in the Joyful Palace flared up wildly.

Next to it lay the corpse of the princess.

It was the moment when the thread of the vision kept by a sect was severed.

After glancing around once, Qing continued on her way.

She had no idea what the villain intended to do.

But with over four hundred evil deeds, it couldn’t be anything good.

It must be some trap, right?

I shouldn’t get caught up and end up like Dongjeong-ho.

—-

“…So.”

Ji Seung-ju blankly finished compiling the report.

“Seomun Qing ambushed and killed the Hwanhui Princess, then burned the secret manual before heading toward the Divine Maiden Sect?”

“Yes. I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”

The assassin belonging to the **Maggyeo Oydang** replied.

Hameol had taken the task of leading them and had sent this group along to help.

From the assassin’s perspective, Qing was on par with the top experts in the same industry.

There was no trace of malice, and every move was seamless.

Even an adept at the later stages of supreme levels couldn’t react in time and was slain, so if this assassin had been on the scene, she would have already made a name in the Central Plain.

It was truly something that couldn’t be achieved without skill.

“And she didn’t even look at the secret manual?”

“She showed no interest whatsoever in the manual of the demon.”

“Seems she’s tougher than expected. Truly a disciple of Seomun Sulin.”

Ji Seung-ju clicked his tongue.

Seomun Sulin’s hatred for demons was notorious.

That hatred knew no gender.

Male demons were trash that should never exist.

Female demons were trash that shamed women everywhere.

And she burned the corpses of any trash she encountered.

Of course, at just fifteen, Ji Seung-ju hadn’t experienced the strenuous tasks the older masters had gone through.

But from the remaining records, he understood that Seomun Sulin was definitely a **Flesh Demon**.

At some point, she had stopped roaming the martial world and holed herself up in the Divine Maiden Sect, becoming gentler than before.

It seemed she had passed down her hatred directly to her disciple.

Indeed, otherwise, how would that disciple recognize and deal with the face of the ancient monster hidden in a distant corner of the Central Plain?

“A righteous woman with a venomous heart… giving me quite the headache. And now the Magic Flute has flowed into her hands as well.”

The Magic Flute imprinted with the Master’s Inner Strength would take at least forty years to shake off that trace completely.

And that was a conservative estimate.

Just when one might think the great mission was within reach, that key falls into the hands of an orthodox warrior.

“What shall we do?”

“I’ll take command myself. Mobilize all disciples and set out to secure Seomun Qing before Seomun Sulin catches on.”

The assassin swallowed hard.

Could he really witness that beautiful command in action!

Ji Seung-ju’s martial arts were now barely passable.

However, the true excellence of a commander wasn’t in their martial skills.

The **Heavenly Net** orchestrated directly by the commander of the clan was…

“Master! I need to report!”

At that moment, another assassin burst in, shouting.

Ji Seung-ju wore a blank expression but somehow looked at the second assassin with a scolding tone.

“If you’re here, then who’s keeping track of the target?”

The second assassin replied.

“The Supreme Being has directly captured her.”

—-

“Hey, you there.”

It was a woman’s voice.

Qing jumped in surprise and turned her head.

It was a man with impressive long hair down to his waist.

His strong jaw gave his stubborn-looking face an air of mischief as he grinned at Qing.

Qing’s expression hardened.

She was a master.

Deceiving the attention of a master wasn’t something one could easily do.

Not noticing someone so close was abnormal.

Qing quickly assessed the aura of her opponent.

-998.

Qing instantly regretted it.

Damn. Why did I check?

If I’m not careful, I might just fill that meter up myself.

Qing, fundamentally, was strong against villains and weak against the good.

Yet she was also weak against strong villains and strong against weak ones.

After all, dying would be a pity.

She had clawed her way through garbage, eating rotten food and using bugs as sides, barely surviving.

Having developed a connection to this world might finally be happening.

Qing decided to attempt conversation.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I’m the ‘One’.”

Oh, come on.

Qing’s expression soured.

Someone calling themselves ‘The One’ had to be completely off their rocker.

“Strictly speaking, I’d be more like your creditor, given you have my possession.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s a flute about this long. Does that ring a bell?”

The man spread his arms wide.

It was a length she was quite familiar with.

Qing briefly glanced at the man’s eyes.

Despite being right in her line of sight, he seemed somehow blurry, not quite like a person.

Either he wasn’t human or he was an extraordinarily skilled master.

Qing quickly made up her mind.

“Aha. I found it while walking. I had no idea it belonged to someone. Shall I return it?”

No need to act stubborn.

Qing promptly retrieved the **Magic Flute** and held it out.

The man smiled broadly.

“Good. A thieving cat that knows the rules.”

Chills ran down Qing’s arm.

A ‘thieving cat’?

Did he just call himself that?

Can someone in their right mind say such a thing?

He had to be clearly out of his mind.

Qing resolved once more.

I should not get entangled.

Just as she steeled her heart, the man asked.

“But by the way, did you blow into it?”

I heard it’s a magic flute that, once blown into once, unlocks itself for use thereafter.

Will he fall for it?

What if I get stabbed for lying?

Qing’s pupils spun as she thought that through.

The man chuckled.

“You did blow into it?”

“…If I did, what then?”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done. Since you’ve taken my possession without permission and now made it yours, I have no choice but to claim you as my item.”

How can every line of yours be so golden?

Qing took a deep breath.

Then exhaled deeply to calm her insides.

“Sorry for the trouble on our first meeting, but could you tell me your level of mastery…?”

“Me? I’m at the brink of reaching the Natural Realm.”

The Natural Realm was a legendary stage believed to have been reached by the last legendary swordsman.

According to Seomun Sulin, no one in the world has ever reached that state, and it was merely a roundabout falsehood created by people.

Still, being on the brink of reaching the Natural Realm?

Would that be just below it?

“Oh, so you’re at the **Qichen Realm?**”

“No. I’ll soon reach the **Qichen Realm**.”

“Then you’re at the **Life and Death Realm**…?”