A Flower Merchant (4)

At the end of the sword that had halted Kou's attack, was the hand of an elegant mage.

The mage was dressed in a simple black and blue mage robe embellished with refined floral patterns. It was simple enough to be suitable for swift movements, but also sophisticated enough to show the status of a powerful mage from a leading clan.

Her hair was restrained in a single braid with a ribbon at the bottom and flower accessories. There was no hair astray, indicating perfection.

The sharp features of her face reinstated her stern expression, but at the same time, her skin, her lips, her cheeks, and her eyebrows, they looked soft.

And Kou looked into her golden brown eyes. Something flickered in them. An unreadable emotion.

Kou broke into laughter.

"Shin Minji!"

Clang!

Shin Minji had lifted her sword and attacked. Her strike was blocked by Kou effortlessly. Her eyebrows had furrowed slightly, but somehow her face still seemed perfectly unwrinkled. 

Clang!

By her second strike that was blocked successfully by Kou, Shin Minji had a surprised look on her face.

The thief snickered.

The powerful mage frowned.

"You," she hissed.

"Me? What?"

Clang!

All of a sudden her strikes became heavier.

Shin Minji lunged forward. Her moves became faster, and her attacks were much stronger and sharper, aiming for Kou's vital points. However, not once did the sword manage to land a blow on him. 

Both Kou and Shin Minji's movements were extremely quick. Wherever Shin Minji's blade flashed with precision, Kou would parry it without fail, and as soon as Kou started on the offensive, the striking chime of Shin Minji's sword followed.

Their fight was on a world of their own without anyone being able to interrupt. Swift steps around the alley with their swords swinging.

Impressively, the fight did not damage anything else around them. Not the lanterns hung not far above their heads, not the merchant carts scattered on the side, not the passersby standing still, frozen in fear.

With a piercing clash, their swords disengaged. Both heaved heavy breaths, standing about two meters apart.

Shin Minji looked at Kou with…

Confusion? No, contempt? No…

Curiosity? Concern?

No, it's something different. It's something more like…

"Shin Minji," a voice called out.

Kou turned to see someone standing at the end of the alley. A mage wearing an extremely luxurious robe approached with wide strides, an air of arrogance surrounded him.

He looked to be younger than Kou and Shin Minji by about a few years.

The mage wore a headpiece which signified that he was a powerful mage, a clan head. On his belt, there hung a long sword, its hilt adorned with golden threads.

Behind him, the mage that pretended to be a flower merchant peeked out, tailing him reluctantly.

Shin Minji returned to a casual stance, lowering her sword, and greeted him, "Chen Rongguang."

Chen Rongguang stopped within two meters of Kou and Shin Minji. The mage stood beside him, slightly behind.

"I had hoped to welcome you better. My apologies that your arrival in the Peninsula is greeted by this… filthy pirate." He casted a disgusted gaze upon Kou. "It is unfortunate."

"Thief," Kou corrected. "Not a pirate."

"Not at all," Shin Minji replied, ignoring Kou.

She had a pleased smile on her face.

"I heard it is hard to even cross paths with this notorious pirate. I would say that I'm quite lucky."

Upon hearing her words, Kou broke into laughter. He twirled his sword, and pointed it towards her.

"It is actually my pleasure to cross swords with the most powerful mage of our time."

His words seem to intentionally offend Chen Rongguang, as everyone that has ever heard of him would know of his arrogance. However, Kou's words were truly genuine as he fully believed Shin Minji to be the most powerful mage as of now.

Chen Rongguang drew out his sword and stepped forward. His eyes narrowed, preparing to attack.

"Allow me."

As he lunged forward, the crisp sound of blade against blade can be heard throughout the alley.

Clang!

To his surprise, the sword that had countered his strike wasn't that of the thief's.

Shin Minji stood blocking his way, her posture was a lot more relaxed than when she dealt with Kou. Although she looked as if her counter was without effort, Chen Rongguang was holding back her sword with quite the struggle that he faltered back a step.

With a scowl, Chen Rongguang asked her.

"What's the meaning of this, Shin Minji?"

Shin Minji's face was calm, it didn't reveal her thoughts. She only responded by swinging her sword to her side, still standing to block his way to the thief. 

Chen Rongguang narrowed his eyes.

"Are you protecting the pirate?"

But his opponent wasn't in the mood to answer.

Shin Minji walked forward. Her steps were elegant, and the sword in her hand was held gracefully. On her face, plastered a smile, and her eyes had a glint that seemed to tell that she was joyful.

Chen Rongguang's grip on his sword tightened.

To show that he feared nothing, he charged ahead.

Before he could land a strike on her, Shin Minji had already swiftly swung her sword to entangle it with Chen Rongguang's sword. 

Shiiing!

The chilling sound of their scraping swords can be heard throughout the alley. It had even produced cracks to nearby windows and mirrors.

A lot more people suddenly gathered at the end of the street at a safe distance to watch the fight.

It was very rare for two clan heads of the main lands to duel directly. It was both mesmerizing and frightening to witness the extent of powerful mages' abilities. However, even with an inexperienced eye, anyone could see that there was a gap between the two mages' power.

Chen Rongguang is undoubtedly one of the most powerful known mages in the Southern Peninsula. Even the mage that faced the thief earlier was no match for him.

He was known for his flawless calligraphy and talisman craftworks, rumored that he once activated over a thousand talismans from his own spiritual energy alone. An event that gained his popularity throughout the magic world.

But now, facing Shin Minji, clan head of the West, Chen Rongguang was drawn back, struggling and sweating. On the other hand, His opponent seemed unbothered.

Shin Minji didn't look like she exerted any effort, instead it looked more like she was having fun.

To bystanders that were around, she seemed to resemble the thief when he was fighting against the other mage. The only difference was that she used fewer tricks and did not have any ridiculous mannerism.

With his reputation at risk, Chen Rongguang changed his tactics. He spoke threateningly.

"What are you trying to say with your actions? To ally yourself with an outlaw would mean to declare that you are against the governance of the main lands."

Shin Minji stopped her attacks, but her sword is still firmly pointing at Chen Rongguang.

"It is not my purpose to ally with him."

Her tone was cheeky. And along with the smile on her face, it made her look like a spoiled young mistress. Nevertheless, still preserving her elegance.

Chen Rongguang chuckled. He replied coldly.

"Then, why are you protecting him? From the beginning of our fight, not once have you let me slip pass. Surely blocking my path to him isn't just some coincidence such as preferring to keep me in my position. You are deliberately and actively defending that pirate!"

"You are mistaken," Shin Minji smiled pridefully. "My apologies, I should be more clear with my intentions. I want to enact a clan branding upon him and put a bounty."

"...Huh?"

Chen Rongguang was dumbfounded.

There were many criminals and rogue mages that exist across the main lands.

These rogues are often declared as an outlaw with a bounty on their heads depending on how big of a threat they are or how much danger they could cause to the civilians. The outlaws can be persecuted or executed in any land without trial.

Clan branding refers to a method for clans to exert authority over outlaws. That clan has the option to claim the outlaws as their clan's, essentially taking ownership of the pursuit and punishment. However, that clan must also put a bounty higher than the original amount. 

This rule is usually applied when an outlaw's actions have brought dishonor or disgrace upon a clan.

"Your clan is claiming that pirate? How much bounty are you going to put on his head?"

Shin Minji replied without a second thought, "77,600 gold bits."

Chen Rongguangs jaw dropped.

Did he hear that right? Of course he did, his ears were perfectly fine. However his brain didn't process it right.

It was because the original bounty on Kou was only 1,200 gold bits. Not even enough money to buy a decent house.

"Just…" His voice fell from the shock. "...what exactly did he do to your clan?"

"You don't need to know."

Shin Minji put down her sword as she saw that her opponent lost the motivation to continue their duel. Chen Rongguang stood there, unsure. He wanted to question further, but he didn't know if it was appropriate.

Seeing that it was safe to intrude the two clan heads, the mage that hid behind Chen Rongguang called out to him.

"Sir, t-the pirate! He's gone!"

Shin Minji turned around. It wasn't shown on her face, but she herself didn't expect the thief to disappear.

Chen Rongguang sheathed his sword and spoke calmly, "That's alright. All that matters now is that you've returned safely with my package."

The mage face paled.

"...That's the thing…"

"...Hm?"

Chen Rongguang suddenly had a bad feeling.

"T-The flower…" The mage stammered. "Um, it's gone."

Hm? What's that?

"What?"

Chen Rongguang suddenly had a light headache.

How did he do it?

When did he do it?

It couldn't be during the fight as he would have to pass by Shin Minji. He would've become an easy target for Chen Rongguang. And Shin Minji wouldn't have let him slip by.

It can't be before that either, as he didn't even touch the mage during his fight with Shin Minji.

It can't be when the girl and the man came crashing into them, right? Because he was weirdly preoccupied with the girl. 

Was it before that? Then why was he still fighting the mage? Just to toy around with him? That seemed unlikely.

So, when did it happen?