4
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“……A foreigner?”
Contrary to his rude opening remark, the man flinched upon seeing me. He recoiled, scanned me from head to toe, and then spoke with caution.
“I do not know which clan’s daughter you are, but this is a private matter concerning the Yu Family Manor. A lowly wretch dared to steal from the young master of the house and fled; shouldn’t we be setting things right?”
“N-no, it’s not! It’s mine. The Great Hero of the Sword of Radiant Light gave it to me……!”
Perhaps it was because they had just seen me deflect the sword. The men did not act as recklessly as they had with the child, speaking with a measure of politeness instead. Given the emphasis they placed on the “Yu Family Manor,” it seemed they were a faction with some standing in this region.
Unfortunately, the only clans I knew in the Central Plains murim were the Namgung Clan, the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Hebei Peng Clan, the Zhuge Clan, and the Murim-based Murong Clan. In other words, if they weren’t among the top five, I didn’t know them. I looked up toward the second floor, wondering if Great Hall Master Baek-woong might know, but.
“…….”
He merely sparkled his eyes with a meaningful smile. He didn’t know either.
“If a child doesn’t know the way, you should teach them, but do you always decide punishments so arbitrarily? If that’s the case, since you’ve ruined my appetite, I suppose I could just cut off your arms, couldn’t I?”
“That is……!”
The man who appeared to be the leader sensed the unusual atmosphere and glanced at me, but.
“No matter who you are, young lady, you cannot interfere with the affairs of the Yu Family Manor!”
The one I had subdued in an instant jumped up and lunged at me.
Hmm, is this my first real-life sparring match against a martial artist with hostile intent? They looked weaker compared to the palace guards I usually traded blows with. But in martial arts novels, the successors of prestigious clans often get caught off guard exactly like this. I calmly analyzed the man’s footwork and.
*Ta-at!*
I raised my finger.
“Kuh-eok!”
*Cold Yin Finger.* A technique that injects cold energy into the acupoints to alter the flow of qi and blood. It was a technique my father taught me, specifically for me, as my internal energy kept increasing just by using basic ice techniques. It was a skill that subdued an opponent by moving only the slightest amount of energy.
“What kind of evil art is this!”
The man, having had the *Yin-Cold Qi* injected into the *Ren-Zhong* acupoint in the center of his forehead—where Yang energy should normally flow—screamed and vomited blood. Seeing him collapse from such a simple trick, he clearly wasn’t much of a master.
“I didn’t even see it…….”
I clutched my bundle and gestured for the boy who was muttering to himself to go under the table.
“Y-you subdued Liu-Hu with a single finger?”
The leader soon stepped forward, widening the distance between us as he drew his sword in one motion. He signaled the remaining warriors, and the five of them formed a decent-looking formation.
“W-what trick did you use!”
One of them barked in anger, but the leader ignored him, staring at me with a fearful gaze before speaking cautiously.
“……I did not know a master was present, and I have committed a grave discourtesy.”
“Oh?”
“However, would it not be burdensome for you, Great Hero, to make an enemy of the entire Yu Family Manor? I shall apologize for interrupting your meal and quietly take the child away, so I would be grateful if you would step aside.”
Great Hall Master Baek-woong had said that ruffians flee the moment they see someone even slightly stronger than themselves, and this was exactly that. The Great Hall Master himself was leaning against the railing, watching the scene with great interest. The way he grinned even when I caught his eye suggested he had no intention of helping and was just watching for fun.
*I guess it’s not that burdensome to make an enemy of them.*
I looked around. Everyone in the inn, including the owner, had either fled far away when the men drew their swords or were pressed against the walls, keeping their mouths shut like mice. The distance was sufficient.
“Pointing a blade and making threats is not the proper way to hold a conversation.”
They talked so much about “the way” and “principles,” yet they didn’t know the most basic etiquette. Even if I intended to teach them, I would first have to make them capable of holding a conversation.
The leader took a middle-guard stance. He had decided that I had no intention of backing down and chose to strike first. The first man had been subdued easily, but the leader’s stance was quite decent.
*Whoosh.*
He lunged toward me and swung his sword downward. The blade was pointed low. Had there been a bundle of rice stalks here, it would have been sliced in half.
*Slow.*
But unlike his clean stance, his speed was embarrassingly slow. I took a light step. As I dodged to the side, his sword sliced through the empty air with a clean *swish*.
*There is absolutely no need to use the Ice Soul Divine Palm.*
My father had told me that since my internal energy had increased to a point where I could handle it, I should use ice techniques when necessary. But since I hadn’t yet obtained the supreme Yang medicinal herb, I intended to refrain as much as possible.
Of course, surviving was more important than worrying about a slightly shortened lifespan due to increased Yin energy, so I would have to use the Ice Soul Divine Palm in a truly dangerous situation. But for these third-rate nobodies, I didn’t even need to draw a sword.
*Swoosh.*
I raised my finger once more, and.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
……Before I could even use the finger technique, the leader clutched his head and screamed.
*Thud.*
I caught him from behind and struck the same *Cold Yin Finger* into the *Da-Zhui* acupoint at the back of his neck, where Yang energy gathers.
“Kuh-eok!”
Unable to dodge or block, he collapsed on the spot.
“A-an incredible master……!”
With the leader down, the rest were nothing but a disorganized rabble. Their formation, which they had worked so hard to set up, fell apart instantly.
“*Cough!*”
“*Ugh!*”
“*Kuh-aaagh!*”
I subdued the remaining four with a few flicks of my finger.
*Hmm, that wasn’t much.*
Six men lay sprawled on the floor. I let out a sigh of relief inwardly. I had thought I could win since Great Hall Master Baek-woong hadn’t stepped in, but since it was my first real combat experience, I had been a little nervous. Am I considered quite strong even in the Central Plains?
“A-amazing! How did you do that?”
“To subdue the Six Swords of the Willow Tiger with a single finger!”
As the fight ended, those who had been watching from the walls approached one by one. Some were still wary of the men, but one person praised me in a particularly loud voice.
“Were they famous enough to have a nickname?”
“Of course!”
“You aren’t from around here, are you? If a beauty like you, or rather, a Great Hero like you, had been here, we would have heard the rumors…… Where did you come from?”
“Kuh-e-e-e-eok!”
Just as I was about to answer, the leader suddenly vomited a large amount of blood, staining the inn floor.
“W-what will happen to those people?”
The boy, who had emerged from under the table, asked. He had been beaten mercilessly just a moment ago, but since he knew them, he seemed worried about their lives.
“Don’t worry. I only planted a bit of *Yin-Cold Qi* in their acupoints. I’m not sure if you’d understand if I called it similar to sealing an acupoint…… but in any case, there will be no problem if I remove it in a little while.”
I spoke softly to reassure the boy, but.
“T-the Manor Master will not let this slide!”
One of the men, who still hadn’t learned his manners, suddenly shouted.
“……Of course, if I don’t remove it, there will be a big problem. If the *Du* meridian remains blocked by Yin energy, they will die within half an hour. As for the two who kept trying to force their internal energy, they might not even have a quarter of an hour left, right?”
There are always people who take you lightly if you speak too kindly, aren’t there?
“So, it means you have all become terminally ill.”
I said with a gentle smile. Of course, the *Cold Yin Finger* was merely a minor technique; a martial artist stronger than me or one skilled in manipulating internal energy could easily push it out, much like unsealing an acupoint. But with their meager internal energy, which could hardly be said to be stored in their *Dantian*, it would be impossible.
At my declaration of their impending deaths, the six men clamped their mouths shut.
“Please spare us, Great Hero!”
Their attitudes changed to extreme politeness in an instant. As expected, the *Cold Yin Finger* is the most useful tool for instantly softening the atmosphere.
“Now you are ready to talk. Come, sit over here. If you don’t needlessly agitate your internal energy, it won’t be painful.”
I politely proposed a peace treaty, and.
“Y-yes, yes.”
“Of course, we shall.”
They accepted it. And about half a *gak* later.
“I apologize. It is true that the token was given to So-woon by the Great Hero of the Sword of Radiant Light. The Manor Master said that a servant’s son would have no use for the academy, so he intended to send Young Master Il instead.”
“The Manor Master ordered us to retrieve the token, so we had no choice.”
“We didn’t want to hit a child either…….”
The truth of the incident was brought to light. No wonder the boy had been so aggrieved from the start. Someone had given the child a token, the Manor Master had forcibly taken it away, and the child had been caught while trying to steal it back to run away.
“Please, spare us.”
“We did not recognize a true master!”
“We will follow the way, look after the weak, and live by righteousness and chivalry!”
The men all bowed their heads desperately, begging me to remove the *Yin-Cold Qi*. Well, I hadn’t really intended to kill them anyway.
“Hmm, So-woon? You can just say you didn’t find him here.”
“Yes, yes. Of course, we will do that.”
“We didn’t see anything.”
The one who had been hit first, and who had vomited blood several times while trying to force his internal energy, was trembling and kowtowing on the floor.
“Please spare me, please, please.”
Is it the cold? Or the fear of death? Well, since there’s not even a quarter of an hour left, I suppose it’s scary.
“Hmm…….”
I crossed my legs and hesitated on purpose.
“Fine. Let’s leave after you pay for the broken table, the cleaning fee for the floor stained with blood, and the compensation for ruining the meal atmosphere for the other guests today.”
I added one more condition to the negotiation.
“Of course, if you don’t like it, you can just leave.”
Sensing that death was right under their chins, the men didn’t argue and hurriedly took out their money pouches. Even though I hadn’t said I wouldn’t spare the last one, the other five scrambled to detach their pouches from their sleeves and waists, not wanting to be outdone.
“U-ugh. Ugh.”
But as it turned out, one of them didn’t seem to have brought a money pouch.
*Click, click-clack. Click-clack.*
His teeth were chattering rapidly. He looked at his companions desperately, but they had all already thrown their pouches.
“Listen here, proprietor. I will pay you back, I swear…”
Oh, come now. Is it really appropriate to try and borrow money from a commoner?
“You can pay with your labor. Scrub the floor until every last drop of blood is gone, and I shall forgive you.”
“Th-thank you, Great Hero!”
As I collected the Yin-Cold Qi from each of them in the order they had surrendered their money pouches, the men bowed deeply and scrambled out of the inn.
“Great Hero, if I may… might I ask for your name?”
Perhaps the leader was different from the rest. Unlike his subordinates, who had fled without a word, he had the audacity to add one more.
“My name?”
“Yes. I wish to remember the honor of having crossed swords with you for the rest of my life.”
I hadn’t even drawn my sword, so what was he babbling about? Still, there was no need to hide it. If they thought I was some nobody, they might just gather more people and come back to annoy me again.
“I am Seol Sool-ryeo, daughter of the North Sea Ice Palace Master.”
I declared my name with pride.
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