Lord of the Court

On a night when the silver crescent moon illuminated the city of Green Sword, the Namjung family hosted a dinner gathering the head of the family, the elders, the lady of the family, Fan, Hao Lin, and some of the heads of families belonging to the Namjung clan.

Fan and Hao Lin sat at a simple table away from the crowd, with light refreshments and tea in front of them.

They were quieter than usual, perhaps because of a great story they had heard, or because of beautiful memories that had suddenly awakened.

Hao Lin spoke with a slight smile as he stared at his teacup:

"Family is truly a great thing. I hope you get to see your family too, Court Master."

Fan remained silent, his expression unchanged.

Then the scene shifts to Zhao Nan, the second leader of the Red Tiger Sect, hiding above a tree, watching the scene from afar and thinking to himself:

(It seems to be bigger than I thought... That young man must be the Sixth Judge, known to be from the Namgung family. But the strange thing is... that masked man...)

Meanwhile, Fan stood up from his table and moved away from the crowd a little, standing in front of a pool of water that reflected the shape of the crescent moon, located a short distance from the gathering.

Zao Nan followed him discreetly and stood watching from afar.

Suddenly, Fan spoke in a clear tone:

"The crescent moon is beautiful tonight... Why do you want to spoil it by watching me? ... That's sad."

Zao Nan froze in his tracks; even most great warriors would not have sensed him. He decided to flee immediately.

But Fan raised his hand in the air and grabbed it as if he were holding something invisible... .

Suddenly, Zhao Nan found himself being violently pulled by the neck!

He was now in the hands of that masked man, a mysterious aura of darkness and light bursting from his body in a frightening combination that overwhelmed everything.

Zao Nan tried to speak, but his mouth would not respond... It was as if his body itself had frozen in fear, even his feet would not move.

Fan said calmly, but with a faint tone of anger in his voice:

"I really... don't like being watched.

But I'm in a good mood tonight."

Fan left Zhao Nan and said in a heavy voice:

"Go... but know that if you come back, I will burn you and your sect... and make it really red."

He said this as a thick white and black mist exploded from his body with an overwhelming aura.

Zao Nan gasped and began to run with his trembling legs, his breath coming in gasps as he thought of only one sentence:

"Monster... He's really a monster..."

Fan turned calmly and returned to the table next to Hao Lin.

Hao Lin said sarcastically:

"It looks like you've been doing some exercises. My father tried to help you with your exercises, but I stopped him... because that insect was a matter for the Supreme Court."

Fan replied with a very serious expression:

"Hao Lin... I want a bath."

Hao Lin replied immediately:

" Yes, of course."...

A short time later, in the basement of the palace, in the Golden Waterfall Bath—a luxurious bath shared by important guests—small waterfalls of warm water flowed from rock cavities, emitting a fragrant steam similar to the smell of incense in the family patriarch's office.

Hao Lin entered and sat under one of the small waterfalls, a towel covering his waist, his chest muscles and strong body clearly visible, with a small wound on his shoulder. He was enjoying the warm water.

Fan entered next, still wearing his mask, but revealing his chest, which had seven deep stab wounds, distributed in places that were uncomfortable to look at.

The stab wounds were precise, made by an expert... but it seemed that he had hesitated when he inflicted them.

Hao Lin noticed the scars, but he didn't ask any questions; there were limits that no member of the court should cross.

Fan sat under the waterfall and let out a deep sigh, as if he hadn't touched water in a century.

Fan looked at Hao Lin and asked him:

"When is your brother's wedding?"

Hao Lin replied with annoyance:

"Actually, it looks like it will be held in a month, because of the Phoenix and Dragon Tournament."

Fan raised his eyebrows in surprise:

"Tournament?"

Hao Lin said:

"Yes, it's a tournament for young leaders from major families and great sects. My older brother will be supervising it because of his position as the leader of the First Division of the Morim Alliance—the most important division there."

Fan looked ahead and commented:

"Hmm... It seems your brother is a very important person."

Hao Lin laughed sarcastically:

"Look who's talking, hehe."

Fan slapped him on the head and said:

"Don't mock your master, you bastard."

Then he continued:

"Since it's a tournament for young people..."

Hao Lin quickly interrupted:

"No, no, sir, I won't participate! This tournament is for the Morim Alliance, and I'm considered part of the court. Besides, I'm too strong compared to those kids!"

Fan slapped him again and said:

"Don't get cocky, you bastard."

Then he stood up and said:

"I'm the one who will participate, you fool."

Hao Lin froze and said in astonishment:

"What...?"

To be continued...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)