Volume 4 Chapter 24 – Opening

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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It was impossible for people like the Special Duty members, of all people, not to feel the release of murderous intent right in front of their headquarters.

“What is it? What is it? A fight?”

“Is it a duel? A martial match?”

As the confrontation between Jeong-ah and the Three Absolute Warrior began, all the Special Duty members who were awake at the headquarters rushed out without exception.

Among them, those with outstanding movement technique did not even bother coming out the door, some appearing by leaping lightly over the roof of the three-story building.

How could those who called themselves warriors miss watching a fight?

Lastly, unlike the others, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, dressed fully in his official uniform, strolled out.

“What’s going on?”

At his words, the Special Duty member called Mr. Hwang replied.

“It seems the Chief Maid of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment and the Three Absolute Warrior of the Third Young Master are about to clash.”

“The Chief Maid…?”

“We know the Chief Maid has learned martial arts, but the Three Absolute Warrior is not an easy opponent.”

“Hmm. I guess we only need to intervene in the worst-case scenario.”

The Special Duty members widened the gap to make room for the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword.

Sure enough, the sight of the man and woman, who had not yet drawn their swords, confronting each other was revealed.

“Heh…”

At the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword’s sigh that bordered on a lament, Mr. Hwang spoke while looking at the man and woman in a touch-and-go state.

“You usually cherish the Chief Maid like your own daughter, did you teach her some sword techniques?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword flatly shook his head.

“Never.”

Then, another Special Duty member asked the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword.

“If possible, I would prefer the Chief Maid to win over that dark fellow, do you think she has a chance?”

Though phrased indirectly, there was no Special Duty member who disliked the women of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

Their gazes gathered upon the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword.

Ignoring those gazes, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword muttered.

“If one is unilaterally defeated in front of so many people, it will deal a severe mental blow as well…”

As he clicked his tongue softly, Mr. Hwang asked.

“Unilaterally? Who do you mean?”

When the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword was about to reply, the Three Absolute Warrior spoke to Jeong-ah first.

“Wench. Since enough onlookers seem to have gathered now, I shall thoroughly correct that bad habit of yours.”

Although surrounded by individuals of obviously extraordinary caliber, the Three Absolute Warrior did not care.

Because the warriors of the Main Family would not interfere in a duel.

Rather, it was a good opportunity.

If he taught her a proper lesson, she would never be able to go around bragging about being a warrior anywhere again.

“If you are prepared, draw your sword now, wench.”

He warned Jeong-ah, who was still just resting her left hand on the pommel of her sword.

Because within the scope of his knowledge, no starting stance with such a careless posture existed.

However, Jeong-ah merely looked at him relaxedly and maintained the same posture, showing no intention of drawing her sword at all.

He lowered his stance, releasing thick murderous intent.

“If you have no such preparation, throw away your sword even now, and apologize to the seniors here and me for spouting nonsense about being a warrior…”

Jeong-ah, who had been silent, sighed softly.

“Do all the Third Young Master’s warriors fight with their mouths like that?”

“What…?!”

Now, consideration for the novice was over.

As the enraged man gripped the leather-wrapped hilt as if twisting it, the sword shrieked inside its scabbard.

As he lowered his stance to the limit and twisted his body as if hiding the sword behind him, his internal energy concentrated rapidly.

“Ho…!”

The Special Duty members watching him marvelled softly.

“He has mastered the Sword Drawing Stance to the limit…!”

“Excellent posture.”

“It seems one of his three absolutes is the Sword Drawing Stance.”

Conversely, their gazes turned to Jeong-ah.

Even in a state where tension soared to the limit, Jeong-ah merely maintained a relaxed, in a way even arrogant, posture with her left hand resting on the pommel.

“If he is one who has mastered the Sword Drawing Stance, what comes out from here should be the ultimate technique…”

“I don’t know if that Chief Maid can endure the first strike with that posture.”

“First of all, she is too close.”

At that moment, Mr. Hwang, who was quietly watching Jeong-ah’s posture, smacked his lips and tilted his head.

“That posture, I’ve seen it somewhere…”

Right then, the lightning-like strike of the Three Absolute Warrior severed everyone’s breath.

It was a sword launched as if firing, as if shattering the scabbard.

That was precisely Ripple, the ultimate technique of the Sword Drawing Stance from Sword Heart, Sword Ring!

The Special Duty members who saw that perfect strike felt the Chief Maid’s defeat.

Except for just two men, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword and Mr. Hwang.

Along with a deafening metallic clang, a sword soared high into the air.

Spinning round and round, the sword swam through the empty air.

Then it fell as it was, bounced once or twice on the paving stones of the floor, and lay discarded.

Crimson blood dripped down from the Three Absolute Warrior’s miserably torn palm.

His gaze directed toward the cold blade thrust below his neck.

He could not believe it.

He could not even tell what had happened.

His eyes shook uncontrollably.

A Special Duty member who saw Jeong-ah’s posture muttered with an absurd expression.

“Left-handed reverse sword?”

Jeong-ah was holding the blade to the Three Absolute Warrior’s neck with her left hand, and that too in a reverse grip.

“She has mastered the unorthodox path of unorthodox paths…?”

Left-handed swordplay and reverse grip swordplay had been called unorthodox since the past, but in the Sword Family, that was a general expression and by no means meant contempt.

The maids, who had kept quiet until now without doubting her victory, applauded in unison.

“Clearly, the drawing of the sword on the Three Absolute Warrior’s side was faster…?”

“To think it is the beauty of striking second but arriving first in a match of this level?”

“What on earth happened?”

The Special Duty members doubted their own eyes.

They were individuals who had reached high realms and had definitely seen Jeong-ah’s counterattack, yet they could not comprehend what they had witnessed.

Just then, Mr. Hwang spoke with a hollow smile.

“Do you all still not know what that sword technique is?”

Everyone’s gazes directed toward him.

Shaking his head, Mr. Hwang spoke as if he could not believe it himself.

“Is that not the Flash of Shadow and Instant, the Secret Sword of the Sword Family?”

At his words, absurd expressions rose on everyone’s faces at first.

“The Flash of Shadow and Instant…?”

But in the next moment, their expressions turned to astonishment.

“The Flash of Shadow and Instant?!”

There was no Special Duty member here who had not been called a genius in his youth.

And they had all eventually crossed the wall without exception.

Yet there was none among them who had not tried to learn the Flash of Shadow and Instant, which was known as the most difficult in the Sword Family.

A secret sword that any warrior of the Luoyang Sword Family with talent above a certain level would try to learn.

But a secret sword that was extremely rare to achieve great mastery in, even among all those talented individuals.

Striking second but arriving first, a counter-sword of one-hit-kill.

A sword that implemented the extreme of those two concepts in the real world, and a sword whose eight forms existed solely for those two purposes.

That was precisely the Flash of Shadow and Instant.

While the Special Duty members wore blank expressions, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword gave a bitter smile.

“Left-handed reverse sword. It is the sixth form of the Flash of Shadow and Instant, Evil King’s Predation.”

He shook his head.

It was the most complete form of Evil King’s Predation he had seen so far.

‘To have mastered the Flash of Shadow and Instant in the meantime…’

He looked at Jeong-ah with an expression of seeing something incomprehensible.

‘Chief Maid. Just what is your identity?’

* * *

“T-The Flash of Shadow and Instant…!”

The Three Absolute Warrior shouted as if having a fit.

Although his neck was grazed by Jeong-ah’s sword and blood seeped out, he did not even care and shouted.

“Do not lie! This is sorcery! It is sorcery!”

Jeong-ah sheathed her sword with a look of having seen something absurd.

“It cannot be! Once more! Let’s match once more! I-I was just careless for a moment!”

Pacing unsteadily, he approached the sword and tried to grip the sword fallen on the floor.

However, his right hand, whose ligaments were damaged, dropped the sword, so he picked up the sword with his left hand.

“I shall deal with you properly this time! C-Come at me at once!”

The Howon Butler, not even knowing what was going on, hastily shouted.

“Y-Yes! Clash once more!”

But Jeong-ah had no intention of doing so.

“It is time for the guests to arrive, so all of you withdraw.”

At her words, the Three Absolute Warrior shouted.

“Why would guests come to a place like this! Are you running away like a coward?!”

The Howon Butler also shouted.

“There is no way guests of the Eldest Young Master would come, but even if they did, what of it?!”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword turned his gaze in the direction Jeong-ah was looking.

It was the other side of the main road.

“Those among the Special Duty members whose uniforms are not neat, return to the headquarters immediately!”

“What do you mean, Captain?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword pointed to the other side.

“The guests are coming.”

* * *

As expected, the ones who arrived first were the people from inside the Luoyang Sword Family.

“I have brought gifts along with a letter of congratulations by the order of the Chief of the Operations Pavilion under the Supreme Operations Committee!”

“We have come to convey congratulations and present gifts to the Eldest Young Master, representing the will of the entire Elders’ Council!”

“I am the Fifth Manager of the Inner Courtyard, who has brought the letter of congratulations from the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard.”

With those holding gifts and letters sent by people whom anyone of the Luoyang Sword Family was bound to know, the area in front of the main gate began to turn like an uproar in an instant.

The maids Jeong-ah had brought guided them to the waiting room or led them inside Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment in an orderly fashion.

Next, congratulatory envoys dispatched from the vassal families and branch families of the Luoyang Sword Family began to arrive one after another.

“We are the envoys from the Kaifeng Yeon family, a branch family of the Luoyang Sword Family. Please guide us to the Eldest Young Master.”

“I am the envoy of the Patriarch from the Sagong family of Taiyuan, Shanxi.”

However, that was only the beginning.

“We are from the Mae family of the Imperial Capital. We wish to see the Eldest Young Master and deliver the gifts and letter from the former Patriarch.”

“I am one who serves the Grand Tutor, who is currently retired.”

Letters of congratulations and gifts sent by those of tremendous status who held personal relationships with Yeon So-hyeon lined up on carts and backpacks.

“Sent by Master Ham, who serves as the External Advisor to the Imperial Secretariat.”

Looking at that sight, the Howon Butler wore a expression of disbelief.

“The former Patriarch of the Mae family? The Grand Tutor of the Imperial Court? The External Advisor to the Imperial Secretariat…?”

That was a network of connections even the Second Young Master did not possess.

No. That was not all.

From those already guided inside Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, those heading to the waiting room, and even those currently pushing in in a line from far behind.

Among them, there was not a single name that a mere butler would dare lift his head to greet.

The Three Absolute Warrior, dragged out by the Special Duty members and stuck in a corner, merely stared blankly at that endless procession.

And what decorated its finale was a loud shout containing internal energy.

“Everyone, clear the way!”

Everyone’s gazes directed toward the rear.

“The Deputy Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, carrying the imperial decree of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, arrives!”

At the words ‘imperial decree of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor’, everyone lay prostrate on the ground.

“…An imperial decree of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor?”

The Howon Butler, who was just standing and muttering with a stupid expression, was grabbed by those around him in surprise and forced onto his knees.

‘What is it? Just what on earth is happening? Have I perhaps not yet woken from last night’s dream?’