Chapter 255: Advent of the Divine Dragon (11)

Sima Chunfeng thinks there are grand flows in all things. No, to be precise, she claimed there are grand flows in the world, and only a very few geniuses notice them.

And since Sima Chunfeng thinks she’s a super beauty among the extreme masters even within that small group, she thought only she could see the big picture while everyone else only saw fragments of events.

So she gathered and compiled information collected from the Murim Conference events, and picked out people whose whereabouts were very unclear before the Kaifeng serial murders.

And focusing on the connections between such people, she concluded that one group, the entire group of finalists from vagabond backgrounds, was extremely suspicious.

This was because these poor beggar bastards, who had been excited drinking every day at cheap restaurants after advancing to the finals, suddenly cut off all outside contact and secluded themselves in the Murim Alliance, with records of them going outside disappearing.

In fact, Sima Chunfeng is actually smart.

The alias Wise Flower with a Wisdom Pouch wasn’t given for nothing, it wasn’t just casually attaching one characteristic to each of the Five Flowers of Murim like “Sima means strategy, right? Then let’s just call her Wise Flower or something”.

A wise flower with an outstanding wisdom pouch.

Though the name is a bit tacky.

Anyway, at a young age, and as a woman at that, she had the capability to easily handle the workload given as the Murim Alliance Assistant Deputy Chief and focus on other things.

Sima Chunfeng, who had accurately caught the tail of the case, made a huhu sinister laugh.

By revealing the truth of this case, she would take a step closer to her grand dream of becoming the first female and youngest Chief Military Official of the Murim Alliance.

And the vagabond group started going to cheap restaurants again at some point, so she had just confirmed that fact with the gate guard today.

“Right. It was a strange thing from the start. When you say vagabond, isn’t that just a nice way of calling them? It wouldn’t be strange to call them beggars, paupers, bums, rolling dog bones instead. How is it possible for such rootless things to advance to the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition finals in such numbers, and achieve miraculous results with this outcome?”

Sima Chunfeng muttered like a madwoman.

Of course, she claimed that voicing the reasoning process aloud was the true quality of a wise person, so it was always muttering to herself.

“No. It’s impossible. This must be related to some behind-the-scenes force trying to plant spies in the orthodox martial arts world. So I, Miss Wise Flower Sima, must uncover this terrible and vile plot and make my brilliant mind known to the world. Hmm. Yes.”

Though the intention and process of her deduction were very impure, Sima Chunfeng had pierced through to the exact truth anyway.

So she dressed up nicely and even put on makeup before heading to the market, where loud boisterous voices could be heard from outside a cheap restaurant with “Yuyou Restaurant” written on it.

“Honey trap is also a noble trap that’s like the fate of a woman born as a wise person. Let’s go. Miss Sima. To lead this world overflowing with fools with wisdom, I must endure the humiliation of catering to those vulgar things.”

At that solemn and serious monologue, a passing child expressed his impression:

“Mommy mommy. That big sister. She’s muttering to herself.”

“Shh. Don’t say that. There are people with sick minds too. Tsk tsk. Such a pretty girl, what happened to her?”

Anyway, Sima Chunfeng, who had steeled her resolve, was about to lift the curtain of the restaurant when she hesitated.

“Wait. How can this be? It’s strange. Could it be a trap? How, how can people eat food in such a filthy pigsty? This is called a restaurant? Isn’t it a front business set up by some behind-the-scenes force? It’s suspicious, suspicious.”

Sima Chunfeng hesitated for a moment.

She had heard the mysterious rumor that commoners in the Central Plains live for a month on just a few silver taels, but it didn’t seem like even the poor, dirty and stupid commoners of the Central Plains would eat in such an ugly place.

“No. I can do it. I must do it.”

For the peace of the martial arts world.

No, for the honor of the Wise Flower!

“What operation is without danger?”

Sima Chunfeng made a grand decision and carefully pushed aside the dirty curtain with her fingertips, infiltrating the suspicious restaurant very carefully so it wouldn’t touch her body.

The restaurant was already fully rented by the vagabond martial artists, so as soon as the Wise Flower entered, all the vagabonds’ gazes focused on her at once.

Originally, they were all glancing to see who it was since the lower body hidden by the curtain was hesitating and blocking the door.

So when a flower-like beauty appeared, though her eyes were quite fierce and her pupils were small like beans giving a somewhat vicious and evil impression, the vagabonds all gaped with their mouths wide open.

Fully enjoying those gazes, Sima Chunfeng politely greeted them:

“Oh my. Aren’t you the heroes… well, not heroes, um. Not great experts either, um. Young experts of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition whose fame is resounding… well, not resounding, but there’s a possibility it might not be impossible for it to resound in the future?”

At this somewhat polite greeting, the expressions of the vagabond martial artists became subtle.

What’s this, is she picking a fight now? they thought.

“Excuse me, but who might you be…?”

“Ah. This girl is called Miss Sima. The wise ones of the martial arts world rightly call this unignorant me Wise Flower.”

And one, two.

“Wise Flower with a Wisdom Pouch!” “Sima Chunfeng!” “Three-Part Beauty!”

The angle of Sima Chunfeng’s eyebrows became subtly steeper.

Among those, the only words Sima Chunfeng acknowledged were Wise Flower, Sima, and beauty.

Three-Part Beauty was one of Sima Chunfeng’s many aliases. Because Sima Chunfeng had many aliases.

Three-Part Beauty means a beauty with three outstanding parts, and this was also an alias Sima Chunfeng very much disliked.

It’s not Ten Thousand-Part Beauty or All-Part Beauty with everything perfect, but just three, which is nonsense.

Moreover, one is strategy, and the other two are humiliating mockery she doesn’t even want to think about.

A few other minor nicknames were called together, but she considered them not worth responding to and acted like she didn’t hear.

Originally, Sima Chunfeng was someone who acted like she didn’t hear things she didn’t like even if she did hear them.

“You flatter me. Just Wise Flower is enough. Or call me Miss Sima.”

At this, Ma Yeongjeon, the eldest of the unaffiliated martial artists and master of the Earth-Lying Fist, asked as a representative:

“Hmm. Excuse me, but is this really you? You seem a bit different from what we’ve heard.”

“Yes. That’s very rude of you.”

Sima Chunfeng snorted and continued:

“We’re about to become family in the orthodox martial arts world, why would this Wise Flower deceive you? If you’re really suspicious, come to the Military Department and request a meeting with the Assistant Deputy Chief. Of course, humble people like you wouldn’t dare to do that.”

“Hmm. Though the appearance seems a bit different, it certainly seems to be Miss Sima, the sharp-tongued beauty.”

She was rumored to be a sharp-tongued person throughout the world, and indeed she was.

Moreover, not only was her mouth vicious, but her face was said to be fierce too, so that evil woman-like beauty was also convincing.

The biggest characteristic, well, could be hidden.

“So, why have you come to this gathering of humble young experts?”

The vagabonds’ reactions were not good at all.

Sima Chunfeng was flustered.

Why? Shouldn’t they be kneeling and licking like dogs before this beauty?

In fact, it was all because of Qing.

If they hadn’t received Qing’s heavenly beauty, they might have just let it pass thinking “Well, pretty people can be a bit rude”, but since they had already become friends with an even greater beauty, there was nothing to be envious of.

“Ahem. Ahem. This Wise Flower’s words are naturally direct, so I hope you’ll understand with generosity. Truth is bitter by nature.”

“Ahem.”

“Come now, let’s not do this. Didn’t this girl come today to congratulate you humble young experts on successfully becoming members of the orthodox martial arts world? It’s truly a case of a dragon rising from a small stream, so you won’t continue to be humble in the future, right? Though the probability is low.”

Though her way of speaking was completely messed up, since she said she came to congratulate them, it was awkward to coldly reject her.

Moreover, since the Wise Flower with a Wisdom Pouch was said to be a strong candidate for the next Murim Alliance Chief Military Official, what a great opportunity to build connections.

Ma Yeongjeon looked around at his vagabond comrades with that meaning in his eyes.

The vagabond comrades also agreed with that intention.

“We’re sorry for this humble gathering.”

“It certainly is humble.”

“…”

Anyway, she came over willingly and personally poured drinks for everyone.

Though her words were rude, her actions themselves were polite and her face was beautiful.

A high-ranking woman approached first and poured drinks, so the resentment from the first impression melted away.

This is what it’s like to become famous and belong to the orthodox martial arts world, it really hit home.

So with the unexpectedly ordinary toast “To all our success”, they were about to down their drinks when-

“Oh my! Everyone put down your cups! The alcohol is sour, smells terrible, and tastes awful! I think even dog urine would taste better than this, so this must surely be poisoned!”

There’s no way the alcohol they’ve been drinking all along would suddenly be poisoned.

“…We’re sorry. The alcohol is cheap.”

“Oh my. Goodness. How can this. What kind of miserable life must you have lived to be able to drink this alcohol, no, this sewage water that’s an insult to call alcohol?”

“…”

At this, the vagabonds started to regret a bit.

We should have just refused and drank by ourselves.

But that regret soon disappeared.

“Haah. This won’t do. Today, this Wise Flower will properly show you humble young experts of low birth who don’t know the taste of alcohol what proper alcohol is. First, throw out or demolish or get rid of this pigsty, and let’s go to a tavern.”

Though her way of speaking was completely messed up, it was a bold declaration of “I’ll treat”.

At this, the vagabonds all cheered in unison.

Sima Chunfeng smiled evilly at this.

As expected, since their origins are lowly and they’re ignorant, they’re so simple-minded.

Now then, it’s time to dig out all the truths entangled in this case, she thought.

And Sima Chunfeng achieved her goal.

But there was no need to curse the vagabonds for having loose lips.

In fact, the stories they revealed were 90% praise for Qing, already coordinated and edited.

Originally, when they wanted to shout out praise for Qing to repay her grace, and a beauty was buying expensive alcohol and food while asking, it was like being slapped on the cheek when you wanted to cry, so they had no choice but to say “Hoo, this is a secret, but.”

Gongson Yoye seems busy today too.

And Namgung Shinjae and the Peng siblings are never busy at all.

Especially when Namgung Shinjae and Peng Chaorye stick together, the heat of training reaches its peak, so by sunset Qing was already drenched in sweat.

Tang Nanah, who was neither particularly busy nor free, grumbled while handing over a cotton cloth:

“Ha. She’s still like that. Doesn’t she go home? Doesn’t she walk around normally now?”

Murong Juhui was still in the state of burying her head between her knees under that wall over there.

Her toenails hadn’t all grown back, but they had healed well with the Tang clan’s miraculous medicine.

Though having four molars pulled out was a lot in number, one each from the very back on the top and bottom, left and right was pulled, so it wasn’t noticeable.

Originally, Ximen Surin’s opinion was that the Murong clan should know, but Qing opposed saying it was for her to decide.

Saying everyone has things they don’t want to reveal, and there are even things that can’t be said especially because they’re family.

At this, Ximen Surin said she didn’t know how her disciple’s heart could be so beautiful and thoughtful as she gently stroked her head.

However, Tang Nanah really doesn’t like it.

Even if she suffered severe torture and her heart was hurt, how could she take it out on others saying she’s in pain? And why specifically on the chest?

Thinking about it, it seems like she took it out on the chest specifically because it was Sword Flower.

Qing smiled awkwardly at this.

“Hm? Miss Murong? Don’t do that. Miss Murong is in pain.”

“Hmph. Why don’t you be that devoted to me too?”

“Nanah has already passed that stage. We’re old friends sharing true friendship, right? Are we going to put on airs and act solemn between us? We’ve eaten together, right? Bathed together, slept together, done everything.”

“Ahem. Well, if you put it that way…”

Tang Nanah turned her head in embarrassment.

How can she say such things without even changing her facial expression?

Then a thought suddenly occurred to Qing:

Tang Nanah is one of the Five Flowers of Murim. So is Murong Juhui.

Miss Jin Seol’s exposure is extreme, and I want to get close to Miss Seol Iri but haven’t had the chance…

Then, isn’t one missing?

“Hmm. Come to think of it, they were called the Five Flowers of Murim. I haven’t seen the Wise Flower person. What’s she like?”

“Hm? Excessive?”

“Too much is worse than not enough? That’s the evaluation? Why?”

“No, it’s one of her nicknames.”

“What on earth is she like? What’s excessive?”

“It means ‘milk’. They say her chest is this big.”

Tang Nanah made a gesture of hugging a tree. The circumference was just about where her fingertips would touch.

“What? Really?”

“I’ve only heard about it. They say she really hates it so she wraps it up tightly so she can barely breathe. I’ve only seen her twice, but maybe because of that, it doesn’t particularly stand out in her clothes?”

Then she continued:

“Three-Part Beauty. The outstanding parts are her head and here and here, three places. They call her Wise Flower with a Wisdom Pouch, right? Wisdom pouch, they say. Pft. They say it holds enough wisdom for ten thousand books. She knows that too so she hates it and always tells people to drop the wisdom pouch and just call her Wise Flower with two characters.”

“No, just how big are they?”

Hmm. What kind of size must she have for such words to come out?

Hmm. I really want to see.

I really, really want to see.

Qing gulped.