Sahyeon’s eyes, visible above the face veil, gradually dimmed and darkened. His cheek and the edge of his ear, where Moyong Yeonhwa’s touch had brushed past, still didn’t feel like his own. In fact, the sensation lingered—tingling, almost numb.
That was when a voice, bright with amusement like a child who’d found a shiny new toy, rang out.
“Well then, let’s begin!”
It was the Sharp-Crane King.
This was Sahyeon’s first time seeing him in person. But he’d heard about the man plenty.
The Sharp-Crane King was infamous for his violent nature, which naturally earned him plenty of enemies. As a result, he was known to travel with an absurd number of bodyguards. His exile from the capital seemed to be a calculated move to signal he had no ambitions toward the throne.
The problem was, for someone who surrounded himself with that many guards, he held martial artists in absolute contempt. This entire dueling match was probably just entertainment for him—no different than a dog fight.
That’s why, even if someone got butchered in the ring, he wouldn’t bat an eye. He’d just sip his wine and enjoy the spectacle.
“Martial artists really are fascinating,”
the Sharp-Crane King drawled lazily, and the words dug sharply into Sahyeon’s ear. His whole body tensed instinctively.
‘Should I stop her now?’
The unease was clawing its way up his throat.
Even as his rational mind insisted this was a chance to gauge the woman’s real skill, part of him wanted nothing more than to leap into the ring and drag Moyong Yeonhwa back down by the wrist.
Seeing her jump into danger without a second thought made him irrationally anxious—and fucking pissed.
Meanwhile, Yeonhwa stood casually in the dueling ring, completely unbothered. Her face was hidden behind the veil hat, but the ease in her posture made it obvious—no stiffness, no tension, just light, effortless movements.
“Don’t come crying when you die!”
It was the brute, Greatblade Demon Hwang Ik, who moved first. He wasn’t exactly famous, but Sahyeon had heard the name before.
The blade he wielded had to weigh far more than Yeonhwa herself. His size matched the weapon—massive, hulking—and yet, when he began to move, he was surprisingly quick.
There was a reason those other martial artists had been thrown out like rag dolls.
Whoosh.
The giant blade cut through the air with a threatening roar. It was aimed to cleave Yeonhwa in half.
But when it struck—she was gone. Vanished. Her footwork was so light she slipped away with barely any movement. That monstrous blow had missed completely.
The blood-streaked blade slammed into the dueling floor with a thunderous thud. One of the women clinging to the Sharp-Crane King let out a shrill scream.
“With that kind of speed, will you even manage to touch me by sundown?”
Yeonhwa’s voice was full of laughter. A blatant taunt.
But Hwang Ik—who looked like a thick-skulled brute—surprisingly didn’t charge in again right away. He wasn’t a nobody; he’d clearly fought his way up the ranks in the Martial World.
“Getting cocky over dodging one swing, are we?”
“Well, let’s see if it ends at one.”
This time, Yeonhwa struck first. She moved so fast it looked like she vanished.
Sahyeon approved. Moyong Yeonhwa hadn’t built up much internal energy yet, and in objective terms, her martial arts were barely developed.
Hwang Ik, on the other hand, had lived through the roughest parts of the Martial World. Of course he had the strength and energy advantage. Which meant Yeonhwa’s only option was to lean into her own strengths—agility and speed.
“Oh no, still staring that way?”
Her voice practically sang with mockery as her twin swords slashed forward. The movement was so fast the afterimages shimmered blue.
Hwang Ik clearly hadn’t expected such a clean strike. He faltered, lifting his massive blade to block at the last second.
CLANG!
The jarring clash rang out. Not just Hwang Ik—everyone in the crowd reacted. They’d assumed she was just some dainty girl barely strong enough to lift a blade.
“Did she say her name?”
“No, didn’t catch it. Let’s wait and see. Maybe she just got lucky.”
“Still, there’s no way Hwang Ik loses to some clueless little girl.”
“Could be someone like Seol Danhae.”
“She died going mad from energy deviation, didn’t she? If she’s back, that’s a damn catastrophe.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd, part curious, part disbelieving. Meanwhile, Sahyeon’s eyes sharpened.
“HYAAAAAH!”
Hwang Ik roared and charged with his blade held high. He was using his height advantage to try and crush Yeonhwa from above.
She darted forward, weight shifting in an instant to build momentum. Some of the less experienced martial artists gasped just watching it.
Her twin blades crossed and lashed out in one swift motion. As Hwang Ik lifted his arms to strike, she slipped into the opening and unleashed a flurry of shallow cuts.
Nothing fatal. But they would build.
Guys like Hwang Ik who wielded massive weapons often ignored minor wounds. But what happens when those wounds pile up?
“Grrgh…!”
Greatblade Demon Hwang Ik snarled, blood soaking through the tattered fabric clinging to his bulk.
Yeonhwa, meanwhile, had closed the distance completely without a single scratch. Every one of Hwang Ik’s wild attacks missed by a hair. It was like she was toying with him.
Sahyeon flinched with every dodge. Yeonhwa wouldn’t know, but his fingers were twitching the whole time.
Again, the brute’s blade missed and slammed into the ground.
“Ugh, this is boring. No wonder you’re so slow—you only know how to swing with brute strength.”
Yeonhwa laughed, casually adjusting her slightly crooked veil hat.
To Sahyeon, that laugh sounded like the ringing of silver bells.
Her movements were strange. She was clearly lacking strength and energy, yet she moved like someone who’d seen hundreds of fights. Like someone who could see where the gaps would form.
No one who hadn’t danced along the edge of death more than a few times could move like that.
She might be far more dangerous than he thought.
And to stand so confidently in front of a hulking opponent like this? Most people would be terrified. She looked like she was just playing with an oversized dog.
‘What a strange woman.’
Even as he thought that, Sahyeon was smiling under his veil. He didn’t even realize.
By now, Hwang Ik was well and truly pissed. He knew she was provoking him—but the rage boiled over anyway.
That first hit she dodged had been overconfidence. But the next ones? Not so much. He could tell now from her movement—she wasn’t a beginner.
The problem was, she was too fast. He couldn’t pin her down. Couldn’t even push her hard enough to make her slip.
If he could just clash with her once. Just once, weapon to weapon—he could win. Malice flashed through his eyes.
It didn’t matter how. Just needed her to hesitate.
Sahyeon’s eyes narrowed. In that split second, he saw Hwang Ik pull something from his sleeve.
“Yeon—!”
He tried to shout, feet already moving—but Yeonhwa was faster.
She kicked off the ground with a soft thud and launched into the air. She moved so fast some people actually lost sight of her.
The thing Hwang Ik had thrown exploded midair.
Everyone—including Sahyeon—yanked up their sleeves to cover their noses and mouths.
It was a paralysis powder. Not strong, but if inhaled deeply, it would’ve frozen her body.
But Yeonhwa somehow knew. She dodged it entirely. Her laughter echoed in the air.
“Idiots like you always think the same old tricks. So fucking predictable.”
Panicked, Hwang Ik started swinging his massive blade wildly at the sky.
Then—his blade stopped.
“Come on, want to try again?”
Yeonhwa had landed squarely on the flat of his blade. Twin swords pointed directly at Hwang Ik’s throat. The edges kissed either side of his neck, sharp and deadly.
He stood frozen, face hard.
“You’d probably lose face if you backed out now, huh?”
“You bitch…”
“If you die, I promise it won’t hurt your pride. Should I help you out with that?”
The blades pressed deeper. Blood beaded at his neck. Just a bit more force and—well, there goes the head.
He’d already lost. He couldn’t move without getting his throat slit.
Finally, after turning purple with rage, Hwang Ik bit out:
“I yield.”
The way he clenched his jaw—Sahyeon thought he might break it.
Yeonhwa laughed lightly and hopped off, spinning her swords into their sheaths in one fluid motion. Even as she offered the martial salute, she had that casual, mocking tilt to her posture.
“Thanks for the lesson.”
Even that was dripping with sarcasm.
Cheers and gasps burst from the crowd.
Who the hell could’ve predicted this? Even the Sharp-Crane King, who’d been watching like it was a cockfight, looked stunned.
Of course he was. Even Sahyeon hadn’t expected Yeonhwa to dominate this hard.
His eyes stayed locked on her. Only after Hwang Ik formally surrendered did he realize he’d been clenching his fists. His palms were soaked with sweat.
He’d watched Moyong Yeonhwa train many times. And every time, he’d felt something off.
She might look like a beginner—but her instincts weren’t.
She wasn’t just gifted. She knew how to fight. Even with unorthodox clans. That wasn’t something you could fake.
No way in hell the real Moyong Yeonhwa, who’d grown up pampered inside the Moyong Clan, had ever fought the unorthodox.
And her fighting style—it didn’t match the Moyong Clan’s at all. If anything… it was closer to unorthodox.
But how the fuck was that possible?
“I won. I assume I can take the prize now?”
“…Quite amusing. If no other challengers remain, then yes.”
The Sharp-Crane King grinned down at her. A normal person would’ve flinched under that gaze. But not her.
Even covered head to toe, she shone. In the middle of this dark night, she stood like a star.
Sahyeon suddenly felt like his heart had dropped. He took a deep breath. She was dazzling.
He’d spent years wandering. His instincts were sharp, honed to spot liars and fakes.
But he couldn’t read Moyong Yeonhwa at all.
He’d even wondered—was she possessed? Was this some demonic illusion?
But no. That wasn’t it.
She was just… ungraspable.
“Anyone else want to try me?”
Maybe it was because they’d just seen her wipe the floor with him, but no one stepped up. Not one.
In the sea of onlookers, Sahyeon quietly stared up at her—arrogant and triumphant.
Out of nowhere, Moyong Yeonhwa had swept in and claimed victory.
She raised both arms and waved cheerfully. Her face was hidden, but she knew he was watching.
They were the only two here who knew each other’s faces. Even behind her veil, he could see those big, honest eyes.
They sparkled with joy.
And for a moment, Sahyeon’s noisy mind went quiet.
He found himself smiling. Again.
He never thought he’d find something this bright after losing everything.
🫰🏼🍓🍓🍓💜🍓🍓🍓🫰🏼
Hey All! I hope you like this translation!
My updates may be slow, but I do read/edit my chapters!
If you’re enjoying it, show me some love?
💕💗 https://ko-fi.com/stanrofanscans💗💕
✨Wanna read more of my translations?✨
💖https://linktr.ee/stanrofanscans💖
