Chapter 250: Advent of the Divine Dragon (6)

“Miss Ximen, you’re so, so beautiful. My goodness. How can you be…”

Gongson Yoye couldn’t take her eyes off Qing after seeing her.

She stared with eyes full of envy to the point of boring holes, making even Qing feel embarrassed.

“Ye, what’s this, why are you bare-faced?”

“Well, as a martial artist appearing before the world, makeup seemed a bit womanly, ah, I don’t mean Miss Ximen, since Miss Ximen is such a beauty it’s different, but for an unsightly person like me to wear makeup would only invite mockery…”

“Come on, martial artists can’t wear makeup? Female martial artists trying to imitate male martial artists is just pretending. Didn’t my master say so too?”

Qing expounded on the reasons why female masters need beauty, in the style of Ximen Surin.

“For me to be a representative of female masters, that’s too much…”

“Why? Aren’t you already the best among young masters? Of course, this body exists, but kukuk, it’s become unfortunate. Here, look at me. Good thing I brought this just in case. Hey, wait a moment! Just one ke!”

Qing, who had received the beauty act training from Ximen Surin, was already a master of hair styling and makeup. However, unlike her hair which she always paid attention to out of habit, she never actually wore makeup.

There were as many makeup methods in the Central Plains as there were clothing styles. The type Qing preferred was quite a classical makeup style.

Sumi. Thin eyebrows, slightly furrowed.

Then, thickly emphasizing the eyelids to enlarge the eyes. Adding a light blush only below the lower eyelid called jeijang, painted to look flushed as if after crying.

Light blush on the cheeks.

Then for the lips, she didn’t prefer drawing a clear cherry shape in the center, so she spread it out to the sides, creating a natural gradation that faded gently at the corners of the mouth.

“Oh my, so pretty. I might fall in love.”

“Even Miss Ximen says such things…”

“Well, I’m just riding on the Fairy Arts. Ye is a beauty without even learning Fairy Arts, so why don’t you learn one? It’s a waste. Your base is so good.”

“Later, later…”

Though only her eyes, cheeks and lips were colored, for some reason Gongson Yoye’s entire face turned bright red as she bowed her head deeply.

At that moment, a Murim Alliance staff member urged them:

“Are you not ready yet?”

“Ah! We’re ready now! Ye, let’s go.”

“Y-yes.”

Then she walked out with her joints stiff as if creaking.

Why did she freeze up like this again?

Qing gently held Gongson Yoye’s hand.

“What’s this, are you nervous? Why are you nervous when we’re not even going to swing swords?”

“Aren’t you nervous, Miss Ximen? I’m, well, not really someone people like much from the start.”

“So what? I’m totally fed up with those people out there too. But they’re all strangers we’ll never know anyway, so what does it matter if they like us or not? Isn’t it enough if our friends like us?”

“Then! I, that, no.”

Gongson Yoye suddenly raised her voice, then made a tiny ant-like sound afterwards.

“Why? Why did you stop mid-sentence? Have you heard that story? There are two ways to make people angry, and one is stopping mid-sentence.”

At this, Gongson Yoye quietly waited for Qing’s next words. But Qing just smiled brightly, so she tilted her head wondering what it was.

“See. When you stop mid-sentence, it’s like this. So what were you going to say? Why hide things between us?”

“Ah… Well, I… MissXimenhasmanyfriendssoI’mnotreallyanythingspecialjustsomeoneyouassociatewith…”

Again, the volume of the latter part decreased drastically.

“How could that be? Aren’t we friends who shared a bed? I only have Nanah and Ye.”

“Ah, then half…”

“Oh, there’s also Jangmyeong and my sworn sister.”

At this, Gongson Yoye’s expression became pitiful.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Half of half, two-tenths, no, no. Um, Miss Ximen? Perhaps, um, with other people how many times- No! No! Shouldn’t we hurry since we’re late? They’ve already been waiting.”

“Ah. You’re right.”

Though her words were strange, her movements became natural, so it seems her nervousness eased a bit.

Qing held Gongson Yoye’s hand tightly as they climbed the stairs towards the stage.

The spectators in the arena were more accurately described as anticipating rather than expecting.

Just how pretty could she be for even a Shaolin monk to act so shamefully while making a fuss?

However, most opinions were that since he’s still a young monk, he must be a virgin who would ejaculate just from slightly brushing a woman’s collar.

Moreover, they said she covered her face because her beauty was a hindrance (Qing never said this), but how great could her face be to need covering?

They snorted, asking if she was afraid everyone would fall in love and drop their weapons in surrender if they saw her face.

Plus, if she was really a beauty, would she have endured being called the Ugly Veiled Sword Woman, pockmarked, or so ugly it makes you vomit the food you ate?

So when Qing stepped onto the stage, people just nodded in unison.

Right. Even if it wasn’t a young monk but a highly virtuous senior monk, he would have made a fuss. Yep.

Yes. At that level, it’s right to cover up. How could anyone dare think of touching such a beauty?

Well. There’s no point in insulting a peerless beauty as ugly, she wouldn’t even pretend to listen.

And then they just gaped at the graceful beauty, completely absorbed in exploring the wonder of how this could be achieved with just the same number of two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, just with different shapes and arrangements.

Thus, people were intently describing Qing’s beauty in their minds.

Because boasting about such an experience was all they had to brag about.

The typical entertainment in the primitive ancient Central Plains was village competitions throwing stones at each other and plundering warehouses and women.

If not that, then boasting about or listening to tales of martial exploits.

So they were preparing to eagerly talk about it later, saying “Let me tell you, I saw the world’s greatest beauty, and she was like this…”

The martial arts world knows that one supreme technique of the world called the Buddha’s Palm was lost.

In fact, this is a very strange thing.

Usually when a technique is said to be lost, it means the sect has lost power, so even for Shaolin which is full of divine arts, or in Qing’s words “purple martial arts everywhere you look”, it’s not something they would easily announce to others.

Ximen Surin dismissed it saying the Buddha’s Palm disappeared because there was no successor, but this is the opinion of a female warrior who has resentment towards Shaolin (the Central Plains’ greatest sect being male-only).

If we must distinguish between truth and falsehood it’s clearly a fact, but there’s also a sad story passed down about it.

In the past, there was a great flood that could overturn the world. Shaolin Temple on the mountaintop wasn’t much affected, but the damage to the commoners below the mountain was unspeakable.

So Shaolin actively worked to save sentient beings.

They opened wide the huge warehouses they had prepared by earning through alms, earning as landlords of all the surrounding land, and selling elixirs on top of that, to provide relief.

Those warehouses seemed endless no matter how much they gave out, greatly easing the worries of people in the world, so everyone praised Shaolin’s compassion.

And the Son of Heaven was displeased.

How could lowly monks receive praise when the Son of Heaven who upholds Heaven’s will and rules the center of the world (Central Plains) exists?

During the relief efforts he sucked his thumb saying natural disasters are Heaven’s will so how could the Son of Heaven go against it while holding feasts and playing all the time, but then he pointed cannons at Shaolin saying they harbored rebellious intentions with their relief efforts.

Meanwhile, the Buddha’s Palm naturally had a secret manual.

There was also a backup copy made just in case.

The secret manual was kept in the Sutra Repository, the most famous martial arts library in the world, along with other divine arts.

And the backup copy was kept in the Secret Sutra Repository prepared for any disasters.

Shaolin monks couldn’t do anything about the Hundred Steps Divine Fist being more popular than the Buddha’s Palm.

If you want to learn palm techniques, it’s easier to learn the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, and it also goes well with Shaolin’s techniques.

There are outstanding qi techniques like the Great Power Vajra Palm or Primordial Palm, so the Internal Explosive Qi Strike isn’t a very good choice.

So they just quietly enshrined the secret manual in the Sutra Repository and made a handwritten copy, thinking someone would learn it someday.

They can’t force someone to learn and develop the Buddha’s Palm.

If it’s not their destiny, then it’s not.

Would Shaolin, which follows such Buddhist teachings, forcibly make someone learn a martial art?

So they thought someone with the right destiny would learn it someday, but then the Sutra Repository burned under government cannons.

The Secret Sutra Repository, the backup library, also burned.

In the end, the destiny flew away forever.

They just soothed their aching hearts thinking it wasn’t meant to be preserved in the first place.

But now, that destiny has been revived.

“We must get the divine art back!”

“Isn’t it the origin of our sect’s teachings that we must find no matter what price we pay!”

“We must thoroughly investigate this! How could a technique that can’t be passed down to outsiders be displayed in an outsider’s hands!”

“We should send someone to the Divine Maiden Sect immediately… No, I’ll go myself.”

The Shaolin warrior monks raised their voices.

Wuxue Dashi clicked his tongue.

“I know the Matriarch’s temperament. If the divine art was in the Divine Maiden Sect, she would have returned it long ago and taken all our Great Return Pills. Since that didn’t happen, it means the child personally encountered the destiny.”

“But, isn’t she the Supreme Sect Leader of a sect? There’s no way she wouldn’t take such a divine art-“

“I’m telling you, she’s not the type to keep it even if she had it. Really, ignorant ones making a fuss. Hmm. Of course we should retrieve a lost family treasure if we see it. However, would they accept if we suddenly claim something lost over 200 years ago is ours? Right, what should we give? What should be the price for the divine art? If we’re not careful, we’ll make the mistake of putting a price on a priceless treasure.”

Priceless treasures have no price because their value can’t be calculated. Conversely, once a price is attached, that solemn materiality is lost.

If we give 10,000 gold and get it back, it becomes a 10,000 gold martial art.

“How about Great Return Pills, if we offer all the quantities currently in the Medicine Hall?”

“Aish. Selling it for Great Return Pills is ridiculous too. Are we saying we’ll exchange the divine art for 10 Great Return Pills?”

“Then, how about divine art for divine art? If we just get a promise not to pass it on…”

“How can we give the essence of our sect to an outsider, Master, please say something that makes sense.”

“What? You think everything this monk says goes? Then do you have anything to give? Or will the Master come serve for fifty years and receive it through ascetic practice?”

“Hmm.”

So they discussed among themselves, muttering about whether to give the Yijin Cleansing Method, Immortal Crane Steps, Lotus Sutra, White Lotus Divine Fist, or something like that.

At this, Wuxue Dashi clicked his tongue.

“Oh my. You lacking ones. Now I see you’re not monks but merchants. Why did you enter the temple when you’re just thinking of buying it by putting a price on it? All the talent to become great merchants gathered here. Tsk tsk.”

“Then, what should we do?”

“We should buy it with grace, not price. Just give them all the Great Return Pills, Lesser Return Pills, divine arts, everything. If people know, they’ll say ‘As expected of Shaolin’, and even if they have Shaolin’s things in the future, won’t they look for us first to return them, expecting grace?”

“But, if it leaks out…”

“Then it will be the day all 108 Arhats descend the mountain at once. That too can be a great lesson to the world on what happens if you try to take advantage of Shaolin’s grace in reverse, but well, we can worry about leaks when it happens, no need to groan and fear from now.”

At this, some monks exhaled in admiration as if enlightened, while some still couldn’t hide their dissatisfied, sullen expressions.

But if Wuxue says so, that’s how it will be.

“If you’re really worried, let’s see what that child is like. If she’s frivolous and greedy, we shouldn’t give her the divine art, but then wouldn’t she also be swayed by wealth?”