Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1123: Smoke Without Wounds

With force, Song Haoran shoved away a piece of debris pressing on him and glanced at Princess Chuyang lying on the ground—not visibly injured.

But one thing wasn’t so good… the Suihou Pearl had somehow ended up in Princess Chuyang’s hand.

Probably during the moment he leapt and tackled her—Princess Chuyang was now looking at Song Haoran with an amused expression.

Young Master Song took a deep breath and said affectionately, “Princess, now that you’ve seen my body… you have to take responsibility.”

“If you don’t get up now, I’ll tear you to pieces,” Princess Chuyang sneered coldly.

Song Haoran shrugged, pushing off more rubble from his body while surveying the medical station hall. No doubt, the sudden arrival of the white-clothed sword-wielding woman had caused quite a stir.

Still, applying the logic that “the enemy of my enemy might be a friend,” Song Haoran chose not to act for now. In the corridor, several of the Song family temp guards remained hidden; after seeing Song Haoran’s signal, they became even more cautious.

Elsewhere, the small movements between Song Haoran and Princess Chuyang hadn’t escaped the notice of the man in the yellow robe, Gongsun Wuwei, and Gong Fanxing—but they had no time to worry about it.

The oppressive presence of this white-robed woman—Qin Chuyu—made the yellow-robed man frown. “Who is this woman?”

Gong Fanxing smiled faintly. “My lord, she is the disciple of Taibai I once mentioned. It's said she was once part of the Celestial Fox Clan of the Demon race, originally an eight-tailed celestial fox, yet willingly shed her demon body to become mortal. I have a bit of a grudge with her, and I didn’t expect this little fox to chase so relentlessly.”The yellow-robed man nodded slightly. “In that case, I’ll leave her to you.”

Gong Fanxing nodded and turned to Qin Chuyu, smiling seductively. “Little girl, back to spar with me again? You've learned a bit of Taibai’s sword, but your mastery is still lacking.”

Qin Chuyu let out a cold laugh without emotion and gently swung her ancient sword, Green Lotus Sword Song.

A clear sword hum echoed like bamboo tapping a clear spring. Countless streaks of green sword energy began swimming through the air, tangible and sharp.

Song Haoran simply found them dazzling, sensing their sharpness vaguely. But Princess Chuyang's expression shifted slightly, her gaze turning serious.

Gong Fanxing and Gongsun Wuwei also picked up on the unusual nature of these sword auras.

“She’s improved again in such a short time…” Gong Fanxing narrowed her eyes.

Qin Chuyu responded calmly, “There’s something you’ve misunderstood… this sword still belongs to my master. At most, I can only unleash ten to twenty percent of its power—right now, maybe even less.”

“Oh? Planning to go all out, little girl?” Gong Fanxing said coolly. Back in Penglai Treasure Vault, Qin Chuyu hadn’t been able to activate Green Lotus Sword Song to this extent. This intensity now made Gong Fanxing wonder if Qin Chuyu had used some secret technique to forcibly raise her power—though such methods often came with heavy side effects.

“Going all out?” Qin Chuyu shook her head. “I said you misunderstood… because you don’t even know who was present outside Penglai Palace Plaza that day.”

Back then, it wasn’t that she couldn’t wield the sword’s full power—but the sword itself was resisting, extremely reluctant.

Though Qin Chuyu had scolded Green Lotus Sword Song inwardly for its stubbornness, it was still her master’s sword—she couldn’t say much.

But this time was different. Since a certain boss wasn’t present, the sword’s pride suddenly reawakened.

“That time? Less than one-thousandth of its power…” Qin Chuyu snorted and slashed.

The green sword energies hovering around instantly froze in place and pivoted—all aiming at Gong Fanxing!

“Hmph… Let’s see how much of Taibai’s teachings his beloved disciple actually inherited.” Gong Fanxing’s body burst with powerful true force fluctuations.

Her sect had also been one of the rare martial paths that used martial arts to attain the Dao.

“Wuwei, guard His Majesty. I’ll handle the little girl!” Gong Fanxing shot up through the ceiling, rising into the air above the medical station.

Qin Chuyu followed closely, and hundreds of green sword auras soared skyward in a spectacular display.

Song Haoran whistled and dropped his hand from his brow. “Looks like real trouble just walked in.”

He was good at reading situations—missions often went sideways. Though he acted lazy at times, he always prioritized protecting his own, which was why he’d earned the Song family warriors’ trust.

The white-robed woman drawing away one of the enemy’s forces was a relief for Song Haoran. Now only the yellow-robed “ancestor” and Gongsun Wuwei remained.

Though Qin Chuyu seemed much stronger than during the Penglai encounter, Gongsun Wuwei still believed Gong Fanxing could handle her. Following the yellow-robed man’s command, he continued his mission.

He needed the yellow-robed man to survive.

Gongsun Wuwei sneered and disappeared in a flash—going from total stillness to full motion in an instant, catching Song Haoran completely off guard. The next moment, a powerful force swept toward his side.

Gongsun Wuwei launched a simple whip kick. Song Haoran barely raised his arms in defense—only because of his exceptional instincts.

His intuition had already surpassed his reflexes—otherwise, he wouldn’t have blocked the surprise attack.

“You’re a decent warrior!” Gongsun Wuwei grinned savagely. “Don’t worry, I won’t break you… after all, you still have to offer everything to His Majesty. It’d be a shame if you died!”

Song Haoran took the hit but couldn’t resist Gongsun Wuwei’s overwhelming strength—he was again sent crashing into a wall.

Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he said, “Cat and mouse, huh… I guess I’m the mouse this time.”

Gongsun Wuwei clenched his fists and quietly kept an eye on Princess Chuyang—but she showed no concern, appearing utterly indifferent to Song Haoran’s fate.

He struck again.

Song Haoran braced himself, ready to take the blow—but just then, he heard Princess Chuyang’s voice in his ear.

—Relax your mind. Don’t think about anything.

To Gongsun Wuwei’s surprise, this time Song Haoran blocked the attack again—and not only that, he twisted his body in a bizarre angle and punched at Gongsun Wuwei’s Qi Sea Acupoint!

Though the strike didn’t break through his protective true force, it made Gongsun Wuwei freeze.

He had felt nine layers of internal force stacked in that punch—powerful and unexpected.

“Phoenix Dance Nine Strikes?” Gongsun Wuwei frowned in shock. “You… you also know Xuanyuan Palace martial arts?”

Song Haoran didn’t reply. Instead, he launched another punch using an incredibly subtle and skillful technique—once again catching Gongsun Wuwei off guard. For the first time, Song Haoran managed to force Gongsun Wuwei back.

But Young Master Song wasn’t the least bit happy—because even though he was the one attacking, it wasn’t his will in control.

It was… Princess Chuyang, secretly manipulating his body!

It felt like another person—Princess Chuyang—had moved into his brain. Her consciousness had invaded and fully seized control of his body. The flow of true force in his meridians, the techniques used against Gongsun Wuwei… everything was as polished and refined as if honed through countless battles!

Under Princess Chuyang’s control, Song Haoran’s palms danced rapidly, creating countless palm shadows.

Faced with this barrage, Gongsun Wuwei’s expression turned serious for the first time. “Linglong Palm, Heaven-Dominating Dragon Claw, Nine-Turn Flying Star Seal, Innate Eight Trigrams Universe Palm…”

One after another, Gongsun Wuwei rattled off over a dozen martial arts names—and even recognized some he’d never seen before. But what thrilled him most was that these weren’t just flashy displays—each palm strike had reached true mastery!

He was a martial arts fanatic. To witness over a dozen exquisitely refined palm techniques used simultaneously—and all fused with Phoenix Dance Nine Strikes—was more than enough to ignite his fighting instincts!

With a burst of laughter, Gongsun Wuwei punched out fiercely. His domineering aura roared like a tiger devouring the heavens, crushing many of the palm strikes in its path.

Yet Song Haoran’s palm strikes only grew more intricate and dense, forming what seemed like an endless net of attacks. Though pure power couldn’t stop Gongsun Wuwei’s punch, the highly refined techniques intertwined to form a web that slowed him down and denied him the chance to unleash his full power.

“You little punk! What kind of girly fighting style is this?! If you’re a man, fight me head-on for 300 rounds!!” Gongsun Wuwei roared and exploded with true force, finally breaking free from the web of palms.

It IS a girl fighting you, dumbass… Song Haoran muttered to himself. But there was no time for banter.

Even though Princess Chuyang was controlling his movements, the true force circulating was still his own. All the intricate palm techniques were performed by his body.

Young Master Song was using his astonishing memory to frantically record every move and every trace of force flow—he couldn’t afford to focus on anything else.

He suddenly stopped attacking and began weaving around Gongsun Wuwei, displaying a dazzling variety of footwork. Each step flowed smoothly into the next, like drifting clouds and flowing water—impossible to predict or trace!

Gongsun Wuwei had never fought such a frustrating battle. He had overwhelming strength, yet was being toyed with by someone at least two levels below him. He was furious.

“FUCK YOU!!!”

With a roar, Gongsun Wuwei suddenly slammed his fist into the ground instead of at Song Haoran!

Boom! Half of the medical station collapsed. The shattered floor disrupted Song Haoran’s footwork, and Gongsun Wuwei seized the moment, delivering a brutal punch straight into Song Haoran’s chest!

He couldn’t dodge. The punch landed clean, sending him crashing deep into the rubble of the medical station.

Gongsun Wuwei, now fully bloodthirsty, charged into the ruins with a savage grin. “Hahaha! Didn’t you love showing off?! Come on! Let’s see how many more tricks you’ve got!!”

At the edge of the wrecked medical station, Princess Chuyang opened her eyes and let out a long breath. “To have trained Shattering Fist to this level… what a talent. A path of sheer dominance, huh?”

As for Song Haoran, she no longer cared.

Sure, he’d brought her out of the underground palace, but to her, he was nothing more than a tool with some value.

So what if he had an imperial aura or strange powers? If he couldn’t survive, it all meant nothing. Throughout history, many had the bearing of an emperor, but in every age, only one ever sat the throne.

Without surviving, all potential was wasted.

Gongsun Wuwei’s punch had shattered all of Song Haoran’s meridians, which was why Princess Chuyang had withdrawn her consciousness.

She looked up at the yellow-robed man standing calmly at the other end. Her brows furrowed slightly, lost in thought.

The yellow-robed man stood with hands behind his back, expressionless—completely indifferent to the life or death of those below.

…

“Where are you hiding, brat? Here, maybe?”

Now fully feral, Gongsun Wuwei began hurling boulders aside, searching the intact sections of the medical station.

He could easily lock onto Song Haoran’s position via qi-sense—but he liked to toy with his prey.

“Found you…”

His overwhelming aura filled the corridor like a suffocating fog. Each breath of air was heavy with his presence.

At the corridor’s end, Song Haoran slumped against the wall, spitting blood and watching Gongsun Wuwei approach step by step.

“Not running anymore, brat?”

“I’m tired… don’t wanna move.” Song Haoran shrugged weakly, bloodied and beaten but still refusing to beg. “It’s only been a few minutes and I’m already drained.”

“Then die obediently,” Gongsun Wuwei sneered. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you… So give me more fun!”

BANG—!

Suddenly, a loud blast erupted outside the corridor window. Gongsun Wuwei’s head jerked sideways!

But he quickly straightened—and a deformed bullet clinked to the floor from his temple!

Song Haoran’s eyes widened—this was the sniper he’d arranged earlier.

They’d used a high-powered sniper rifle!

In the stairwell, the sniper, now horrified, rapidly pulled the trigger again and again. With every gunshot, Gongsun Wuwei’s body shook slightly—but he remained unscathed.

On the next shot, Gongsun Wuwei raised his hand and caught the bullet mid-air!

He flicked it back—and a scream rang out from the stairwell. The sniper was clearly dead.

Song Haoran narrowed his eyes. Seeing Gongsun Wuwei advance again, he suddenly took a deep breath, rolled to the side—

And BOOM! The hallway was engulfed in an explosion.

It was the best-grade explosive the Song family could get their hands on.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!

Amid the thick smoke and collapsed hallway, Song Haoran coughed as he struggled to stand. His face was grim.

Because from within the smoke… a figure slowly walked out.

“Damn it… whoever said ‘where there’s smoke, there’s no injury’—LIED!”

(End of Chapter)