Wun Ching Yeung flicked his wrist and drew his black sword. Soul energy surged forth and he immediately used a martial technique upon summoning his martial soul, “Lethality: Mistparting Dawnwatcher.”
A single slash parts the mist, such that the dawn may be seen.
A gentle sword blast shot forward and struck Wun Siu Lan’s sword, negating the force behind it. An invisible thread seemed to have been attached between Wun Ching Yeung’s sword and Wun Siu Lan’s sword. He pulled firmly and her sword slipped from her grip. Wun Ching Yeung swung his sword again and yet another sword blast rushed forward, attempting to attach itself to Wun Siu Lan’s body and neutralize her attack.
However, no one expected Wun Siu Lan to go blind with rage. She seemed to have lost all rational thought. She saw Wun Ching Yeung’s attack coming, but she wanted to keep attacking Leung Ming. The soul energy in her erupted once more as her aura grew in ferocity. The unnatural red color in her left eye abruptly faded, replaced with a dark green shade in her right eye. She could not hold back her fury as she shouted, “The second flame, Black Warrior Spirit1 is its name, the emperors’ tomb it staunchly frames.”
“Lethality: Black Warrior’s Tomb Guardian Flame,” dark green flames started all over her body, faintly assuming the form of the legendary creature, a tortoise entwined with a serpent. The flames guarded Siu Lan’s entire body. Wun Ching Yeung’s sword blast ignited visibly when it came into contact with the flames. Meanwhile, Wun Siu Lan appeared completely untouched at the center of the flames. In fact, she continued pressing toward Leung Ming by taking advantage of the flames’ power.
A Martial Mortal’s technique had actually managed to block a Martial Colonel’s technique. Wun Ching Yeung had been holding back, but blocking that attack was still an incredible feat. Most people would dismiss it as baseless rumors if they heard it on the street.
Wun Siu Lan completely ignored his words and continued her attack. Wun Ching Yeung was furious and was prepared to go all-out and knock her unconscious. Just then, a feminine male voice drifted over from the gates, “Oh my, a girl shouldn’t be so quick to anger. Whatever shall you do if you end up with a headache?”
“Why is he here?” Wun Ching Yeung was befuddled to hear this voice and he felt a little embarrassed.
Wun Siu Lan also stopped in her tracks when she heard that voice. She was very curious to know where she had heard this voice before.
There were several cuts on Wun Fan’s forehead and blood was streaming down his eyes, blurring his vision. He barely made out the silhouette of a man striding over the mansion’s gates. The man walked in tiny steps, but he moved through the arena very quickly. His upright posture, tiny steps and rapid movement speed gave the illusion that he was drifting across the arena.
It reminded Wun Fan of the way that Peking Opera actors moved.
Wun Fan saw that Wun Ching Yeung showed no signs of hostility towards this person. In fact, he seemed a little awkward and ashamed. Wun Fan couldn’t help but wonder who exactly it was that had come to visit.
“Ching Yeung, I hope you don’t fault me for intervening,” the man wore black robes and a red and purple cloak over it. He was also wearing an official’s hat. His face was white and smooth as jade, unusually pretty for a man. He had well-shaped eyebrows and beautiful eyes whose corners curved up. His voice was very androgynous, soft and gentle but firm and magnetic.
“Not at all. It was probably more appropriate for you to have stopped the fight, Mayor,” Wun Ching Yeung placed one hand over a fist in greeting as he spoke with a respectful tone, “I couldn’t thank you more.”
It was the Mayor of Green Sea Town, Hung Yun Zaak!
It was rumored that he was even more powerful than Wun Ching Yeung. No one knew if this rumor was true or false, but judging from Wun Ching Yeung’s genuine respect towards him, he was probably quite the formidable martial artist.
“Martial soul, descend,” soul energy radiated from Hung Yun Zaak. A pleasant fragrance found its way to everyone’s nose when his soul energy erupted. Wun Fan took a good sniff. The fragrance seemed floral in nature, but there was something unusual about it that was hard to describe. If Wun Fan had to say something about it, he would say that the fragrance had a certain lustful nature hidden in it. Moreover, though this was strange, Wun Fan’s sixth sense told him that there was something murderous to the fragrance.
Wun Fan felt his vigor surge when he sniffed the fragrance. His blood pumped faster and filled every extremity in his body.
That’s right, every extremity.
Wun Siu Lan stared at Hung Yun Zaak. She could only vaguely feel him becoming several times more dangerous, but she leapt back and raised her sword warily.
“Don’t, Siu Lan!” Wun Fan was also feeling nervous now. Retaliating against Wun Ching Yeung earlier was already an outrageous act. If she was to strike at the mayor, Wun Ching Yeung’s reputation would almost definitely suffer for it.
“How old are you, girl?” Hung Yun Zaak drifted forward with a gentle expression on his face. As he passed by Wun Pung, he casually patted him on his arm and Wun Ping immediately fell unconscious. His eyes lost focus and he crumpled to the ground. He repeated the same thing as he passed by everyone else, knocking them out with a single pat on the arm. No one was able to put up any resistance.
“Kid, be careful of that fragrance. Keep your mind guarded. There’s something strange about this fellow,” Old Lei’s voice rang out, his tone more solemn than ever before, “This man’s a Martial General, but he’s used some sort of strange method to suppress his powers to create the illusion that he’s only a Martial Colonel.”
“A Martial General?!” Wun Fan was shocked to hear this. He recalled the martial realm progression in his mind, Disciple, Mortal, Vassal, Scholar, Master, Innate, Colonel, General, Spirit, Baron. A Martial General would be even more powerful than the great elder! Converted to the Grade system used for pills, a Martial General would be equivalent to an Eighth Grade pill!
Hung Yun Zaak raised his hand and touched Wun Fan’s arm when he approached. An intense and overpowering floral fragrance rushed into Wun Fan’s nose when the mayor touched his arm. The fragrance surged into his lungs and moved through his blood towards his head. Wun Fan felt his head turn as heavy as metal. He was very dizzy. Just then, the Spiritstartler Ring seemed to have been provoked. It rang out loud in Wun Fan’s body and a powerful suction force was emitted, separating and drawing out the fragrance from his body. It was only because of that that Wun Fan managed to stay conscious.
“Hm?” Hung Yun Zaak was perplexed by this turn of events. He frowned slightly. Who would’ve thought a Martial Disciple would be able to resist his ability? However, as the mayor of the town, he knew how to behave as his status demanded. He gave Wun Fan a look of approval, but did not try anything else. In his own mind, Hung Yun Zaak made a mental note of Wun Fan, This kid seems to be quite unusual.
He slowly walked before the Martial Mortal disciples. Perhaps because they were stronger, Hung Yun Zaak had to release an even thicker fragrance with his soul energy. The energy was so intense that Wun Fan could visibly see his soul energy turn into a cloud of gas which dissipated into the air. All the Martial Mortals were knocked out before Hung Yun Zaak even touched them, without any exception.
Only Wun Siu Lan remained unaffected by Hung Yun Zaak, her dark green flames burning around her. However, Siu Lan’s eyes were unfocused, without any of her usual liveliness. Wun Fan didn’t understand why Siu Lan had lost control of her emotions today when she was usually so smart and logical.
“Could it be that her powers went out of control2?” Wun Fan’s concern deepened at the thought of this.
Meanwhile, Wun Ching Yeung looked at Wun Siu Lan with worry in his eyes. In particular, he was very afraid Wun Siu Lan would impulsively attack the mayor when he saw how wary of him she appeared to be. That would make things very hard and awkward for him.
“Alright, girl, it’s time to calm down,” Hung Yun Zaak’s eyes gleamed. He raised his hand and chuckled, “Lethality: Cherry Blossoms for the Drunken Dreamer.”
Soul energy burst from his palm, transforming into a wave of cherry blossoms that blew toward Wun Siu Lan. The first few blossoms burned when they came into contact with the flames, but as the number of cherry blossoms continued to grow and engulf Wun Siu Lan, the green flames were no longer able to hold out. Siu Lan’s eyes started to turn dull and absent, until finally, she closed her eyes and fell to the ground. The flames around her were completely extinguished.
Wun Fan felt a weight lifted from his chest when he saw that Wun Siu Lan had finally stopped moving. He let out a breath of relief.
“Sorry for the trouble, Mayor,” Wun Ching Yeung put one hand over his fist again to express his gratitude. He then hastily instructed the servants to carry the unconscious disciples back to their own rooms.
Hung Yun Zaak wasn’t in a rush to talk with Wun Ching Yeung. Instead, he seemed quite curious about Wun Fan. Appreciative of talent, he walked over, slightly covering his nose as he smiled and asked, “Handsome little boy, what’s your name?”
Wun Fan was planning to fix his dishevelled clothes, but now…ah, it’s fine. He pulled his robes straight and greeted the mayor as a younger person like himself should, “Greetings, Mayor. I am lineage disciple Wun Fan of the Wun Clan. Thank you very much for your aid, Mayor.”
“Haha, why so stiff and formal? You’re eleven years old,” Hung Yun Zaak then took a good look at Wun Fan before smiling again. There was a gleam in his eyes as he said, “Moreover, your martial level doesn’t match what the rumors say.”
Hung Yun Zaak couldn’t help but muse a little to himself. It seemed like his information-gathering work needed some improvements.297Please respect copyright.PENANAD69nELkx2v
T/N Notes:
- Black Warrior Spirit is a bit of a literal translation; what is actually being referenced here is Xuanwu, (or Genbu in Japanese for the weebs). Xuanwu is the guardian spirit of the North, and is usually depicted as a black tortoise conjoined or entwined with a snake. In popular culture, it is usually associated with defensive prowess or water powers.
- “her powers went out of control” is a more figurative translation for a very common phrase found in wuxia and xianxia novels. The phrase is “走火入魔”. Translated very, very literally, each of the four characters means “walk”, “fire”, “enter” and “demon” respectively. However, it’s a phrase used to describe someone losing control of themselves over an obsession, sort of like how a spreading fire usually goes out of control. In the context of wuxia and xianxia novels, this phrase is usually used for cultivators who lose control of their cultivation methods and end up hurting themselves or causing other side effects. It’s kind of like an athlete training too hard every day and pulling their muscle, but fantasy.
Sorry for the long translator’s note, but these are just things I think the readers might find interesting. Let me know if you guys like this and I’ll try and do more of them!297Please respect copyright.PENANAZZoDWuEUiS