Chapter 117

“Kuh!”

Ximen Pyeong groaned, his hand going to his waist where a sharp pain flared. He felt a hole the size of a finger.

Ximen Pyeong looked at Pyo Wol.

Dark red Fresh Blood dripped down Pyo Wol’s right index finger. Only then did Ximen Pyeong realize that the hole in his waist had been pierced by Pyo Wol’s finger.

“You bastard! You were hiding your level.”

Ximen Pyeong ground his teeth and straightened his back.

Fortunately, only the muscle had been pierced; his internal organs were unharmed. At this level, he could still move well enough.

Ximen Pyeong looked as if he had been blindsided by Pyo Wol.

He had guessed Pyo Wol had learned Martial Arts, but he hadn’t expected him to be so skilled as to approach him while completely deceiving his senses.

If he had known Pyo Wol’s level was that high, he would have been on guard and fully prepared.

“You picked the wrong opponent.”

Ximen Pyeong took a deep breath and tensed his muscles. The wire-like muscles constricted around the wound, stopping the bleeding.

It was a sight hard to believe even while seeing it.

Seven Steps Soul-Chasing Fist.

This fist art, with its terrifying name meaning to reap the opponent’s soul within seven steps, trained the body to its extreme limits, making feats impossible for ordinary people possible.

Ximen Pyeong constricting his muscles to stop the bleeding was one such feat.

His Alias, Little Fist King, was not given for nothing.

His truly immense physical abilities supported his projection of overwhelming martial power.

Pat!

Ximen Pyeong kicked off the corridor floor and rushed at Pyo Wol.

It was a terrifying charge, enough to create the illusion of a stampeding bison. He closed the distance in an instant, arriving right in front of Pyo Wol.

“Chaaat!”

His fist shot out like a cannonball.

A single punch, filled with condensed Internal Power, would, upon impact, crush the opponent’s body into an unrecognizable pulp of flesh and meat.

If it landed, that is.

“Kuh!”

Ximen Pyeong’s face contorted.

Pyo Wol had dodged his fist by a hair’s breadth.

By a mere finger’s breadth, at that.

If Pyo Wol had vanished in an instant, like when he had allowed the blow to his waist, his pride wouldn’t have been so wounded.

“Are you mocking me?”

Swoosh!

The second strike of the Seven Steps Soul-Chasing Fist was unleashed.

It was a second strike with even greater destructive power than the first. But this time too, Pyo Wol dodged his attack by a finger’s breadth.

“You bastard!”

Ximen Pyeong’s anger exploded.

He unleashed the third strike.

The Seven Steps Soul-Chasing Fist possessed the principle of layered ascension.

With each unfolding fist, the Internal Energy would stack, amplifying the power exponentially.

Because of this, the second strike was more fearsome than the first, and the third strike held even greater power than the second. The final seventh strike boasted more than ten times the power of the first.

‘A Strange Art!’

Pyo Wol instantly grasped the principle of the Seven Steps Soul-Chasing Fist.

It was because of the power that visibly increased with each swing of the fist.

Boom!

Even though Ximen Pyeong’s fist hadn’t made contact, the wall of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion exploded. It was as if a Thunderbolt Bomb had detonated.

Pyo Wol realized that if he let Ximen Pyeong run rampant like this, there would be nothing left of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion.

He had to subdue his opponent before his fist art reached its peak power.

Sssst!

Pyo Wol unfolded his Serpentine Steps.

Like a snake, Pyo Wol’s body undulated, evading Ximen Pyeong’s fourth strike as he closed in.

Seeing Pyo Wol reach him in an instant, Ximen Pyeong clenched his jaw.

‘His movements are bizarre.’

He was clearly seeing him, yet he couldn’t feel his presence at all.

The strange, snake-like Footwork, and the way he dodged his attacks by a finger’s breadth, were completely outside the realm of common sense.

No Martial Arts he knew of was even remotely similar to this.

It was a Martial Arts that thoroughly defied common sense.

Ximen Pyeong hastily withdrew his fourth strike and assumed a defensive stance. But Pyo Wol, like a snake, pierced through his defense.

Like a slender snake persistently burrowing into the smallest crevice, Pyo Wol forcibly wedged his way through Ximen Pyeong’s defense and seeped into his space.

“Kkht!”

Ximen Pyeong’s face turned deathly pale.

Tutututuk!

At that moment, Pyo Wol’s fists hammered Ximen Pyeong’s entire body.

Unlike Ximen Pyeong’s Seven Steps Soul-Chasing Fist, where each punch contained immense power, these were light punches that seemed to lack any force.

It looked as if he were just lightly tapping the opponent’s body. But the result of Pyo Wol’s light punches was utterly gruesome.

“Kraaack!”

Ximen Pyeong collapsed with a scream.

His body was bent at grotesque angles. The sight of his limbs twisted in different directions was horrifying.

“Kurg! You…”

Ximen Pyeong gritted his teeth and tried to get up. But he couldn’t put any strength into his arms and legs.

All of his joints had suffered a great shock, resulting in Bone Dislocation.

It was an attack applying the Human Body Destruction Art.

If he had put a little more force into it, the joints would not have been dislocated but utterly destroyed.

The only reason Pyo Wol had shown restraint was because this was the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion. If he killed Ximen Pyeong, he himself would be fine, but the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion would not be able to avoid trouble. He couldn’t afford to lose the base he had worked so hard to build.

For that reason, Pyo Wol stopped at temporarily incapacitating Ximen Pyeong instead of killing him.

But the shock Ximen Pyeong received was beyond words.

He had been so confident in his fists that he was called the Little Fist King in the Jianghu, but the fact that he had been subdued by Pyo Wol before he could even unleash half of his Special Technique drove him to despair.

“You, you…”

Ximen Pyeong barely managed to lift his head, glaring at Pyo Wol as if to devour him.

He couldn’t believe he had suffered such a crushing defeat at the hands of a mere Brothel owner. The unbelievable reality drove him to despair.

Pyo Wol looked at the Steward and said.

“Get rid of this.”

Pyo Wol treated Ximen Pyeong not as a person, but as an object.

“Yes!”

The Steward hastily bowed and, with the help of the servants, supported Ximen Pyeong to his feet.

Ximen Pyeong only glared at Pyo Wol, saying nothing. An unbearable sense of shame washed over him.

Even with ten mouths, he could not make excuses for his defeat.

Whatever strange trick his opponent had used, the fact that he had lost did not change.

Although he had lost his mind over a Courtesan and committed a shameful act, he was a Martial Artist to the bone.

At the very least, he did not commit the act of blaming others for his defeat.

Pyo Wol looked at Ximen Pyeong for a moment before taking Su-hyang and entering the annex.

“Kuh!”

Ximen Pyeong closed his eyes.

He had been utterly and inexcusably defeated.

Rage surged in his chest, but there was nothing he could do now.

The Steward and servants of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion dragged him away like a piece of luggage.

At the sudden commotion, all the Courtesans of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion opened their doors and looked at him.

These were the same Courtesans who had looked at him with admiration just yesterday. But now, their gazes seemed to be filled with disgust, as if they were looking at an insect.

It wasn’t actually so, but that was how Ximen Pyeong felt.

Perhaps it was due to his own inferiority complex.

This short moment of leaving the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion felt like hell to Ximen Pyeong.

The Steward and servants, grunting with effort, took Ximen Pyeong to his lodging, the Four Seas Pavilion.

As soon as they arrived at the Four Seas Pavilion, Neung Sowoon rushed out in surprise.

“What happened?”

“……”

“Who did this to you?”

Neung Sowoon asked as she embraced Ximen Pyeong, but he kept his lips tightly sealed and said nothing.

“Pyeong! Speak.”

“……”

Neung Sowoon asked once more, but again, Ximen Pyeong did not open his mouth. He even squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to answer no matter how much she asked.

In the end, Neung Sowoon gave up on questioning Ximen Pyeong and told the Inn owner to call for a Physician.

Ximen Pyeong’s condition looked serious.

“Then we’ll be on our way.”

The Steward of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion cautiously took his leave, reading the atmosphere.

The usual Neung Sowoon would have grilled the Steward to find out the cause, but she was in such a state of shock that she had no choice but to let him go.

Meanwhile, Won Gayoung was watching them from one side.

Won Gayoung frowned deeply, watching the backs of the Steward and servant as they left the Four Seas Pavilion.

Seeing the Steward and servant’s attire, Won Gayoung realized they were people who worked at a Brothel.

Even among servants, the attire of those who worked at a Brothel was slightly more flamboyant. And the unique smell of powder from the Brothel clung to their bodies.

A look of contempt crossed Won Gayoung’s face.

‘So the trouble happened at a Brothel.’

She knew without having to see it.

If a man got into a fight at a Brothel, it was definitely over a Courtesan.

He had clearly clashed with someone over a Courtesan.

Ximen Pyeong, a promising talent of the Jianghu, had returned in such a pathetic state over a single Courtesan.

Won Gayoung wondered who had reduced Ximen Pyeong to such a state.

Although he was an object of her contempt, she still acknowledged Ximen Pyeong’s Martial Arts to some extent.

To be able to reduce such a man to that state, she could guess how formidable the opponent’s Martial Arts must be.

‘Are there still such Experts left in Chengdu?’

As far as she knew, after last year’s Blood Mist, there were no notable Martial Artists in Chengdu. Most of the Martial Artists who could be called Experts were refraining from activity.

Won Gayoung frowned.

‘Could it be?’

A certain hypothesis came to mind.

＊＊＊

The restoration was proceeding quickly.

The workers of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion swiftly repaired the broken corridor. Fortunately, the place where Ximen Pyeong had rampaged was on the border between the main building and the annex, so the damage was relatively minor.

Su-hyang supervised the workers as they repaired the corridor.

“Hoo!”

She let out a sigh.

The collapsed wall could be rebuilt, but the paintings and ornaments that had been hanging on it had to be replaced. The truly difficult task was finding ornaments that suited the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion.

It was a job that required artistic sense and a discerning eye, so she couldn’t entrust it to others. She had no choice but to do the legwork herself.

A look of doubt clouded Su-hyang’s face.

It was strange that despite such a huge commotion, there was no agitation from the guests.

At least one person should have poked their head out to look, but strangely, none of the guests in the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion paid any attention to this place. It was the same with the other Courtesans. Not a single person had even screamed.

It was something Su-hyang couldn’t understand with her common sense. But she soon shook her head.

It was the work of the man she served as her master.

From the very beginning, his existence defied logic. His inhuman appearance and the mysterious abilities he occasionally showed.

Su-hyang thought that Pyo Wol must have worked some kind of magic this time as well.

It was then.

“So this must be the place?”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from behind her.

Su-hyang felt every hair on her body stand on end.

It was because she had just looked around and confirmed that there were only workers present.

Su-hyang quickly turned around. She saw a beautiful woman looking at the broken wall.

“Who… are you?”

“A colleague of the scoundrel who came back after being utterly humiliated here… let’s just say that. For now.”

The woman was none other than Won Gayoung.

She had inquired about the Steward’s whereabouts at the Four Seas Pavilion and had finally found this place.

The people, mesmerized by her beauty, had readily told her that the Steward worked at the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion. Thanks to them, she was able to find this place with ease.

Won Gayoung looked around and said.

“It’s quieter than I thought.”

“Pardon?”

“With this much damage, the guests should have all fled, but it’s quiet. Isn’t that strange?”

“Ah!”

Su-hyang let out an exclamation without realizing it. She had been thinking the exact same thing. But she soon realized her mistake.

She had just admitted to Won Gayoung what had happened here.

Won Gayoung possessed a brilliant mind. And she had a sharp eye.

No matter how many ups and downs Su-hyang had been through as a Courtesan, it was impossible for her to deceive Won Gayoung.

A deep smile formed on Won Gayoung’s lips.

“Now, will you guide me to the owner of this place?”