Blazing Blade was dumbfounded.
He couldn't believe that a newbie brat still wet behind the ears had interfered with his hand.
Blazing Blade was provoked. So he couldn't hold back from saying something to that ignorant brat standing over there.
"You're just a snot-nosed kid. Have you lost your mind?"
"No I haven't."
Bi Ryu-yeon's reply was even more amusing, leaving Blazing Blade more speechless.
"Heh. I don't know whose kid you are, but you're just a fearless little squirt. A fluffy-cheeked kid dares to stand before my saber? You're trying to be a shield blocking my blade? Is that what you're saying?"
Blazing Blade spoke as if he was too dumbfounded for this to even be funny. Then the corners of Bi Ryu-yeon's mouth, who had been assessed as a fearless wet-behind-the-ears squirt, turned up slightly. Soon, brimming confidence and mischief filled up his eyes that glimmered like silver scales. His pupils clearly conveyed an arrogance that didn't even consider Blazing Blade to be worth noting.
"You could say that."
A frank and calm acknowledgement. But the content was anything but calm and ordinary. Definitely extraordinary content. Naturally, Bi Ryu-yeon's reply made the fury in Blazing Blade's eyes even more darkly coated in crimson rage. Thus making the waves of his anger swell even more violently.
Blazing Blade's piercing red glare was extremely fierce. Its level and intensity were vicious enough to stuff Bi Ryu-yeon in his mouth and gulp him down with a bowl of cold water. His merciless glare itself would be hard for anyone in the martial world to stare straight at, and ordinary people would probably get goosebumps and have difficulty even standing properly.
Anyway, judging by his flickering red eyes, Blazing Blade had undoubtedly come to some decision.
'I've already decided to catch one guy, and I'm about to execute my plan soon. Even though he's an extra variable, while I'm at it, let me take a bit more effort to catch this punk together with the other one. I'll let them keep each other company and send them off happily to the afterlife!'
That was clearly the meaning and determination conveyed through his scorching gaze. Such determination was represented by the violent snorts through his nose, his flushed and mottled complexion, and the numerous bulging veins on his forehead.
"Heh… You dare to charge at me? Do you think that's even possible? Do you think there's even a one in a thousand, or one in ten thousand chance you can do that? An ignorant puppy unaware of the fierceness of a tiger, having stepped out of line. You brat!"
Blazing Blade spoke as if these were nonsensical words. But Bi Ryu-yeon's reply completely turned his insides upside down five times over.
"Ah, yes. Of course. With my meager talents, I'm fully confident I can at least handle one weird old man that sounds like a girl's name. How can one survive in this harsh world without that level of skills, right old man? Ah, if you can't believe it, feel free to test me out. I won't complain one bit. *grin*."
Bi Ryu-yeon fearlessly poked at a spot that should never have been disturbed. He brazenly trampled all over Blazing Blade's absolute forbidden zone, one that had a history of drawing blood from several people.
"Ahem, cough, ahem, ugh!"
The sounds that burst out when hurriedly catching one's breath, combining together into a cacophony. If there was a blind person present, they might have mistakenly believed all the guests in Flower Cloud Pavilion to be suffering from respiratory illnesses. Everyone was swallowing their breath so hurriedly that it got caught in their throats. The interior of Flower Cloud Pavilion had been plunged into a highly tense, hair-trigger state.
It resembled a zither string pulled tautly, as if it would snap with a mere touch. The thing plucking dangerously at that string of extreme tension on the verge of snapping was the acrid laughter flowing from Blazing Blade's mouth, one of the parties who had pulled the string taut.
"Hehehe, test? Oh my, please test me. Go ahead, test and evaluate me. Hehehe, not only will I let you test me, I'll even generously throw in scoring and evaluations for free. But of course, there will be a hefty price to pay for those scores and evaluations."
Blazing Blade's both eyes had already been slit open with a rustling sound, stretching horizontally to the sides. His pair of coarse, crimson brows were trembling with rage as they shot up towards the sky. On the back of his tightly clenched fists, comparable in size to pot lids, thick veins resembling green vipers targeting their prey had begun popping up visibly to the surface.
However, Bi Ryu-yeon remained utterly relaxed even as he directly watched Blazing Blade's state, as if nothing would make him kneel. No hint of tension could be found on his face no matter how hard one looked. Perhaps he hadn't shed it at all to begin with.
"Ah, that's good. I'm always ready to undergo the old man's evaluations any time. Feel free to test me out if you can't believe it. Of course, that's assuming the old man is confident enough."
While wearing an annoying smile somehow irritating to Blazing Blade, an expression that made him feel quite vexed, as well as an insolent look, Bi Ryu-yeon delivered the final strike to Blazing Blade.
"Since it's assumed that you have enough confidence, don't worry too much. We don't have to do it if you feel you might lose. Wanna bet on it?"
"Snap!"
Something snapped somewhere. Of course, that someone was Blazing Blade, and what had snapped was the string of patience that hadn't seemed too taut to begin with. At the same time, a massive explosion occurred within Blazing Blade, and the power unleashed by that blast bursted recklessly outward.
Was that the aftermath? In that instant, with a 'crack' sound, intricate web-like cracks spread out from around the spot where Blazing Blade had been standing on Flower Cloud Pavilion's beautiful, solid-looking wooden floor. Just how powerful was the force exerted here?
The floor had broken, unable to withstand the tremendous force of the energy shockwave emitted from Blazing Blade's body. Though unknown for sure, fixing the Flower Cloud Pavilion floor damaged by Blazing Blade's aura right now would probably require its owner to swallow tears while spending a considerable sum.
"Hehehe, good. A bet? Excellent, very good. But as compensation for that bet, you'll have to wager something with significantly great value."
Despite the scorching, murderous intent suffusing an overwhelming pressure that even martial artists confident in their skills sitting around them were having a hard time enduring, Bi Ryu-yeon remained utterly composed. No, he nearly wanted to call out cheers of excitement thinking, 'Wow, you sure have guts!'. As expected, the eternally unavoidable truth since ancient times is that those who simply possess brute force without brains are simpletons.
The fish he had waited for had bitten the bait hanging on the hook, and Bi Ryu-yeon cautiously began to reel in his fishing rod. The fish having bitten the bait had already been pulled up to the water's edge. Now the fisherman merely needed to scoop it up with his net to complete the finish.
"Ah, I'll wager my life on it. If that's not enough, I can even throw in all of Central Armed Escort Agency's assets."
Bi Ryu-yeon's words, casually placing the entirety of the Central Armed Escort Agency on the gambling table as though it were his own, were enough to instantly stun leader Jang Woo-yang speechless. It wouldn't be odd at all if Jang Woo-yang's soul left his body to wander the firmament. Fortunately, Jang Woo-yang, who had somehow managed to retain his sanity, continued to remain silent.
"Hmph, and you're in a position to dispose of the Central Armed Escort Agency's entire fortune?"
Blazing Blade spoke with an expression that said not to joke around, but Bi Ryu-yeon fearlessly retorted.
"Ah, of course. Since the Central Armed Escort Agency is obviously about to get wiped out if left alone, wouldn't it basically be my asset if I save it? It'll disappear if left alone, but if I lay my hands on it and it remains, it's practically mine. Well, don't worry about it. The leader over there has agreed to it too. Right? Agency leader Jang!"
While Bi Ryu-yeon might have thought he had an innocent, pure smile, to leader Jang Woo-yang it looked like a disgusting, sinister grin. However, as though consenting, leader Jang Woo-yang didn't say a word and only continued sitting there silently. Why did he do that? Why didn't Jang Woo-yang immediately reject him and instead quietly remained still? While everyone was puzzled, no one noticed the fine needle pierced into the nape of his neck.
"See that? The agency leader has agreed too. So are we good now? Shall we begin our wager?"
"Heh heh heh, excellent. I'll make you regret it for all eternity in the afterlife."
As Blazing Blade's coarse, thick hand grabbed the crimson handle, scorching heat began gushing out like a storm. It was the moment his ultimate technique, Blazing Flame qi, was about to activate.
***
Blazing Blade, Disgrace to His Family
Blazing Blade was merely grasping the handle of his saber.
But just this simple movement changed everything around him.
He had become a volatile volcano as if he could erupt at any moment.
A mighty volcano possessing devastating power capable of sweeping away all things…
ㅤ
The gathered and concentrated power was about to transform into a huge, formidable destructive force. Now his beloved Crimson Flame would leap forth from its sheath and pounce upon his opponent with tremendous might and speed, cleaving them in half, shattering them to pieces, incinerating them to black ash. Ultimately leaving behind only a handful of residue. That was how it always happened. Except ….
"Ah, wait a moment."
Blazing Blade's body, just about to unleash his crimson saber to instantly incinerate Bi Ryu-yeon, stiffened at Bi Ryu-yeon's sudden unexpected words. With a quizzical gaze that seemed to say "why bother interfering when you can just scram", Blazing Blade spoke towards Bi Ryu-yeon.
"Could it be… you were about to draw your saber here? An esteemed expert of the Murim world wouldn't possibly commit such reckless actions, right? I must have seen it incorrectly."
"Hehehe, of course I was just about to draw it. Don't tell me you're afraid now at this timing? Even if you begged for mercy, it is already too late. You will die the most wretched death possible in this world."
Blazing Blade replied in a chilling voice. Now that he was furious to the point flames were shooting out his head, there was no way he'd say "Oh, very well then." and forgive the other party if they pleaded for mercy at this point. However, it seemed that wasn't Bi Ryu-yeon's intention.
"Ah, that's not it. For an expert of an old man like yours whose level to not even consider the aftermath and impact that the release of his power could have on the surrounding environment… I'd be truly disappointed. If an expert of old man's caliber drew their sword, could the guests inside Flower Cloud Pavilion possibly come out unscathed? Absolutely impossible. Shrouded by that imposing aura and sword qi, they would certainly all die. An esteemed gentleman of your age and reputation shouldn't take such reckless actions. Ahem, yes indeed."
Shaking his head left and right as if it were truly absurd, Bi Ryu-yeon spoke. Meanwhile, Blazing Blade became like a mute person who'd eaten honey – left speechless because he lacked any rebuttals. This was greatly damaging to Blazing Blade's pride. While Blazing Blade did tend to act indiscriminately without caring about such trivial matters around him due to his personality, when directly called out in front of so many people, he couldn't just do as he pleased.
Indeed, those were fair words that required little thought to realize upon reflecting by reason for a bit. It was obvious that if a master who had reached the pinnacle in skill, technique and power unleashed their martial strength just once, the aftermath would bring dreadful, merciless devastation to the surroundings. It was absolutely improbable that the sword swung by an apex expert like Blazing Blade – who was already raging to the point flames were shooting from his head – would show any restraint or care inside the narrow, fully occupied Flower Cloud Pavilion. As such, if Blazing Blade had not stopped the drawing sword motion from earlier and instead continued swinging his beloved Crimson Flame at Bi Ryu-yeon, the impact's aftermath would have certainly led to grisly carnage beyond imagination.
Blazing Blade had no choice but to think "oh crap!". No matter how notorious he was for having a nasty temper and being rash, as a famous expert of Jianghu who openly touted the orthodox path, he was at least aware of what should and shouldn't be done, as well as what required caution. Just now, he had almost made a terrible mistake. If he considered the potential loss of lives and assets that were nearly caused by his rampaging Crimson Flame, it made his heart thump madly just thinking about it. Moreover, the condemnation from everyone around was frightening just to imagine. Blazing Blade felt relief welling up that such a tragedy had been averted beforehand.
'I almost made a grave error. I nearly brought utter humiliation upon myself.'
Patting his chest, Blazing Blade heaved a sigh of relief.
"Ah, I'm fine betting on anything. But this place feels too cramped and narrow for assessing truth from lies properly. It prevents both sides from sufficiently exerting their full strengths. We also have to consider the nuisance imposed upon bystanders. How about we relocate the test location to a more spacious secluded area and have our evaluation match there instead? What is your opinion on this? You wouldn't refuse, would you? There's no way the renowned master Blazing Blade would commit the shameless deed of disregarding troubles caused upon bystanders. The one famed as the Crimson Flaming Dao surely wouldn't act as such… Right? *chuckle*"
Bi Ryu-yeon revealed that annoying smile of his towards Blazing Blade once more. He spewed words at Blazing Blade like a hot-tempered youth, but there was no falsehood in what he said. His only flaw was having no tact whatsoever.
'This guy…!'
While Blazing Blade could only rage internally, he was unable to act rashly. Although Bi Ryu-yeon's words were aggravating, they were coherent and right. From Blazing Blade's position, he had no choice but to say "Fine!" and change locations. With how the other party had emphasized his name, fame and status as an expert of Gangho in such a loud voice before so many people, his course of action was virtually set in stone already. How could he tarnish the reputation that had been stressed to such a degree?
"Very well. I will gladly oblige and move locations with you."
"Naturally, that's what you should do."
As Bi Ryu-yeon kept grinning mischievously in a way that made onlookers' moods turn foul, it was a smile of delight. His opponent had finally fallen completely into his trap. From Bi Ryu-yeon's perspective, Blazing Blade was already reduced to the state of a rat caught in an inescapable snare. Bi Ryu-yeon first turned his body and exited Flower Cloud Pavilion, with Blazing Blade following behind him.
ㅤ
At the same time, sighs of relief burst forth everywhere throughout Flower Cloud Pavilion. The moment the two disappeared, the overbearing pressure that had been heavily weighing down Flower Cloud Pavilion's interior vanished like it had been washed away, leaving only faint echoes remaining.
'Finally I can breathe easy!' – that was the unanimous sentiment shared by all the guests still inside Flower Cloud Pavilion. Blazing Blade had emitted such an astonishing imposing aura that the people around hadn't even been able to breathe properly. And even after he left, that domineering atmosphere's remnants had lingered. Of course, there wasn't a single person who felt any imposing presence, overbearing aura, or oppressive coercion from Bi Ryu-yeon whatsoever. All of the coercion and imposing airs had originated exclusively from Blazing Blade.
As such, everyone in the building unanimously predicted that Bi Ryu-yeon's life would soon reach a wretched, ghastly end of utter misery.
"Guess I'll have to prepare to tidy up another corpse today. We were nearly dragged in to die as well."
"Will there even be a corpse left to clean up? There won't be anything but a handful of ashes."
"At least we needn't worry about funeral costs."
"That's the only consolation. Tsk tsk… Dying so young, what a pity."
Everyone in Flower Cloud Pavilion shared the same expectation – complete incineration without a single drop of blood or shred of flesh remaining. There were even some who quietly mourned Bi Ryu-yeon's untimely passing.
"Well then, shall we begin? *step!*"
In a remote open space. After leaving Flower Cloud Pavilion and scouting around several places, Bi Ryu-yeon's left toe lightly tapped the ground the moment his sentence 'shall we' concluded.