Chapter 89: Slightly Proficient in Fisticuffs

The quiet desolation of the port was short-lived.

Following the directional signs, the orderly berths and polished plazas soon gave way to a different kind of landscape. The path ahead was a winding canyon walled by towering stacks of cargo containers, piled so high they seemed to scrape the artificial sky.

“This place… it looks like a cargo storage yard,” March 7th whispered, his voice low as his gaze darted around, scanning every shadow and corner with a practiced alertness.

Ms. Welt Yang, walking at the vanguard, raised a hand in a silent command, signaling for everyone to lighten their steps. Her expression was focused; she had already detected movement up ahead.

It wasn’t long before the sounds reached the rest of them—a frantic cacophony of desperate shouts tangled with guttural, inhuman roars, echoing from a junction between the steel mountains.

The group quickened their pace, hugging the metal walls until they reached the corner. Cautiously, they peered around the edge.

The source of the noise was a small clearing, an unloading zone now turned into a battlefield. Several Cloud Knight soldiers, their armor rent and battered, were fighting with a terrifying frenzy. Their eyes burned a malevolent, blood-red, their faces twisted into masks of pure rage. Inhuman rasps tore from their throats as they relentlessly attacked a small group trapped in the center.

Their movements were stiff, almost puppet-like, yet possessed an unnatural strength. A sickly black-green aura coiled around their weapons as they swung.

These were the Mara-Struck, the very affliction that the people of the Xianzhou spoke of with such hushed dread.

Besieged by these monsters were three, perhaps four, other Cloud Knights who still retained their sanity. They fought desperately, struggling to maintain a defensive formation against their fallen comrades.

And in their midst, the person they were protecting.

He was a Foxian man, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe that seemed utterly out of place in the chaos. A pair of fox ears, the same shade as his short, burgundy hair, twitched atop his head. His features were handsome, and a shrewd, calculating intelligence—the kind one associates with a seasoned merchant—was etched between his brows.

At this moment, however, those brows were furrowed in a tight knot of concern.

Chen recognized him instantly. Tingyun!

He remembered the delicate Foxian girl from the game, the one who called everyone ‘Benefactor’ with a sweet, endearing charm.

But now… where was his delicate Miss Tingyun, the one who would have sweetly called him ‘Benefactor’? She was gone, just like that. A pang of genuine regret echoed in his heart.

Hiss— A thought suddenly struck him, cold and sharp. Wait a minute. According to the original plot, the Tingyun at this point in the story is supposed to be… Phantylia in disguise, right?

His eyes widened.

So, this Mr. Tingyun I’m looking at… is actually Ms. Phantylia in disguise? No, that’s not right either. It should be Mr. Phantylia. On that note, do Emanators even have genders?

And if I rush up and touch him right now… will the system unlock Tingyun’s icon? Or Phantylia’s?

It was a question that plunged him into a dual contemplation of metaphysics and game mechanics. Just as the CPU in Chen’s brain was about to overheat and start smoking, the situation on the field took a sharp turn.

With a furious roar, one of the Mara-Struck Cloud Knights shattered the defensive line, lunging straight for the finely dressed Foxian in the center!

The Cloud Knights protecting him cried out in shock and fury, but they were pinned down by the other monsters, unable to intervene.

Faced with the pouncing, hideous creature, Mr. Tingyun’s expression underwent a startling transformation. The flicker of panic on his face vanished, replaced by a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He didn’t retreat. Instead, he took a deep, centering breath, shifted his footing, and settled into… a rather standard boxing stance?

“Tsk. What a disappointing business deal,” he muttered. His voice was clear, laced with a hint of exasperated helplessness, but utterly devoid of fear.

In the next instant, he twisted his waist and threw his shoulder. A punch shot out!

The movement was clean, fluid, and fast as lightning, whistling through the air with a sharp crack.

BANG!

A sickeningly dull thud echoed through the clearing.

The pouncing Mara-Struck soldier was sent flying backward, moving even faster than it had charged in. With a deafening clang, it slammed into a nearby cargo container, its body leaving a deep impression in the thick metal. It twitched twice, then went still.

Mr. Tingyun calmly withdrew his fist and gave his wrist a little shake.

The warm, affable smile of a businessman returned to his face as he called out to the stunned Cloud Knights.

“Pardon the unsightly display, everyone,” he said, his tone smooth as silk. “I’ve traveled far and wide in my line of work. As for self-defense fisticuffs, I suppose you could say I’m slightly proficient in a thing or two.”

His gaze swept over the remaining Mara-Struck, who were still snarling and clawing at the defensive line. His smile remained, but his eyes grew deadly serious.

“It seems today’s shipment is proving to be a bit troublesome.”

He cracked his knuckles with a sharp kaba sound, then sank his breath deep into his dantian and let out a sharp, piercing cry.

“Wata—!!!”

Before the sound even faded, his figure blurred, sweeping out like a phantom to actively engage another Mara-Struck.

A flurry of fist-shadows and lightning-fast kicks erupted. He moved with a fierce, swift grace, actually fighting the inhuman monster to a standstill and even, impossibly, beginning to gain the upper hand.

A flash of surprise crossed Ms. Welt Yang’s face. She leaned in and whispered to March 7th and Chen, “Prepare to provide support.”

Watching Mr. Tingyun’s impossibly smooth fisticuffs, Chen felt the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

Good grief! Brother Tingyun, it’s true what they say: one must look at you with new eyes after a brief absence! The fragile girl from the game who got winded after walking two steps has become a martial arts master just by being a guy? And you have the nerve to call that ‘slightly proficient’? You’re being a little too humble, aren’t you? That punch just now caved in a shipping container!

But then he thought about it… and it almost made a twisted kind of sense.

Tingyun is a merchant who travels between different worlds. The universe is filled with all sorts of monsters. Learning some self-defense is perfectly reasonable. And as a man… with greater physical strength… practicing fisticuffs would certainly be more convenient, wouldn’t it?

He sighed. I’m completely convinced. The logical self-consistency of this gender-swapped universe is flawless!

While a storm of bullet comments flew through his mind, the situation on the battlefield was still far from optimistic. Though Tingyun’s moves were agile and powerful, the Mara-Struck were numerous, and they felt no pain. The few remaining Cloud Knights were flagging, their strength failing. The defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

“Auntie Welt!” March 7th called out, his bow already drawn and aimed.

“Mm.”

Ms. Welt Yang was done observing. She took a single step forward and, with an air of utter nonchalance, raised her right hand.

The very air in the clearing seemed to thicken, and an invisible pressure descended upon the battlefield.

The frantically attacking Mara-Struck instantly slowed, their movements becoming sluggish and labored as if they were bound by invisible shackles. They roared and struggled against the unseen force, but even lifting their weapons became an monumental effort.

Immediately after, Ms. Welt Yang lightly clenched her five fingers into a fist.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Several dull, concussive impacts rang out almost simultaneously.

The space around each of the Mara-Struck seemed to twist and compress, squeezed by an immense, invisible power. Then, men and armor alike were slammed violently into the ground.

They lost all ability to move, their bodies giving only the faintest residual twitches.

The entire process had taken no more than two or three breaths. It was so fast, so effortless, that it was simply stunning.

Mr. Tingyun, who had just parried an enemy’s strike, froze mid-motion, his follow-up punch forgotten. He looked around to find that every one of his assailants had been neutralized.

He relaxed his stance, his breathing slightly heavy, and turned his gaze toward Ms. Welt Yang. His handsome face was a mask of unconcealed shock and admiration.

“This… lady, such powerful methods!”

Tingyun smoothed the slightly wrinkled cuffs of his brocade robe, his composure returning in an instant. He strode forward and offered Ms. Welt Yang a formal salute, cupping his hands together. He then nodded graciously to March 7th, Chen, and Caelus, his smile becoming much more sincere.

“Thank you all for your righteous intervention!” he declared. “I am Tingyun. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If not for your timely assistance, I fear my crude skills would have met their end here today.”

As he spoke, his gaze quickly swept over Ms. Welt Yang, March 7th, and Caelus. When his eyes finally landed on Chen, he paused. A flicker of bemusement crossed his features, his curiosity piqued by the utterly undisguised, almost analytical stare Chen was giving him.

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]