Chapter 18
Episode 18
“I want to ask you something.”
“So, is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Are you not planning on taking on a disciple?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. “There are already many disciples.”
“I’m not talking about teaching students as a martial arts leader.”
“…What do you want to say?”
“I’m asking whether you need the next successor to continue the clan’s legacy.”
Dokgo Woojin’s eyebrows narrowed.
A terrifying energy wave erupted and engulfed the entire room.
A look that demands an explanation.
I took a breath and continued talking.
“I know that Gyodu is the contemporary successor to the Heavenly Thunder Gate, a one-man tradition sect.”
“Where did you hear about that?”
“What’s important is not how the information was obtained.”
“It’s important to me. “I’m telling you, if you don’t answer, you won’t be able to get out of here safely.”
“Before that, please answer my question first. “Have you any intention of taking on disciples?”
“does not exist.”
“Why?”
“Do I even have to tell you that?”
“You wouldn’t want the clan’s legacy to end, right?”
“It doesn’t matter if it gets cut off. No, I think it should be cut off.”
“yes?”
“Now answer my question. “How did you know this about me?”
“I asked Hao Wen to buy information.”
I sold Hao Wen’s name without hesitation.
Isn’t it impossible to explain everything about regression in detail?
“Haomun?”
Dokgo Woo-jin’s face was distorted like a vicious murderer.
Even if he is the future King of Power, he cannot do anything about Hao Wen.
No matter how sharp the sword is, what does it do?
I can’t cut water with a blade.
Phew!
The energy waves emanating from Dokgo Woojin’s body became even more ferocious.
It didn’t stop there, and the energy even exerted direct physical force.
‘crazy.’
I took a deep breath.
An eerie sensation as if something sharp had touched the back of my neck.
Although it wasn’t visible to the naked eye, I was sure that something was threatening my life.
‘I vaguely thought that the Dokgo Woojin of this period might not be as good as the Dokgo Woojin of his previous life, who was nicknamed King Gwon… but I was wrong.’
Conscious energy.
A technique that is a symbol of an absolute master.
It is often called the state of mind-killing because it is possible to harm an opponent simply by activating the will.
Dokgo Woojin was already a strong player.
‘Just maintaining the posture is difficult.’
Is this what it feels like to face a cliff a thousand miles away?
My back was wet with cold sweat.
The pressure pressing down on the entire body and the ceremonial belt giving off a strong presence as if showing off caused extreme tension.
‘But we can’t stop here. ‘If I was going to quit because I was scared, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.’
It was already a step taken.
Whether it’s porridge or rice, I have no choice but to push through.
I opened my mouth, pretending to be as calm as possible.
“Actually, the reason I tried to enter the Hwangryongmugwan was to meet the leader.”
“I know that without having to say it.”
“I want to learn the martial arts of Tenreimun.”
“I can’t teach you. “The talent that reached its peak at that age is amazing, but the martial arts of a monk cannot be learned through talent alone.”
“…!”
“I feel like I want to make you pay for prying into other people’s lives, but I don’t want to cause trouble at work, so I’ll just let it pass this time. “In return, I must promise here that you will not reveal anything about me to anyone else.”
“I promise. This was not information purchased in the first place to spread around. Instead, if you could give us some time to talk…”
“I am a busy person. Let’s go back now. “I hope we never run into each other again.”
“Chief.”
“I will warn you, if people around me hear about my recluse, they will conclude that it was you who did it and punish you. “If your life is precious, don’t make fun of your mouth.”
“…….”
“Now that you have achieved your goal of meeting me, there will be no more need to see the Hwangryongmugwan. “I will report to the governor that you gave up on taking the exam and returned.”
Dokgo Woojin left after finishing what he had to say.
“Whoa.”
Left alone, I let out the breath I had been holding and relaxed my stiff shoulders.
When I wiped my mouth with my sleeve, red blood came out.
It seemed like he had suffered some internal injuries.
Soon the gatekeeper reappeared in the reception hall, and while he was still there, he was kicked out of the building.
I scratched the back of my head and muttered.
“I didn’t think it would be easy, but…”
Still, I didn’t expect such a harsh reaction.
Since they refused to give us any room at all, there was no time to negotiate or anything.
‘Still, it’s not like there’s really no income.’
I recalled the conversation I just had with Dokgo Woojin.
[It doesn’t matter if it gets cut off. No, on the contrary, I think it should be discontinued.]
[The martial arts of the Four Gates are not something that can be learned through talent alone.]
There seemed to be a secret hidden in the martial arts of the Heavenly Gate that I did not know about.
It seems that Dokgo Woo-jin felt skeptical about him and decided not to appoint a successor.
‘I didn’t think that I could cut down a huge tree with one ax blow anyway.’
I had no intention of stopping here and retreating.
Rather, it was more dangerous to quit carelessly.
Dokgo Woo-jin said he would keep the events of today confidential, but I couldn’t tell if he was sincere or if it was a deception to reassure me.
It’s called Yeokjisaji (易地思之).
From Dokgo Woojin’s perspective, I was not a candidate for disciple, but rather a threat that would interfere with his life in seclusion.
What if Dokgo Woojin is a person with a colder personality than is known to the public?
In the worst case, we might face extinction.
‘It was the right decision to choose Hwangryongmugwan as the place for our first meeting. ‘If I had made contact quietly, avoiding the gaze of others, or had gone directly to someone’s home, I would have been in a much more dangerous situation.’
After glaring at the front door of the Hwangryongmugwan for a while, I patted both cheeks loudly and turned around.
It seemed like things were going to get busy in the future.
* * *
“Whoa.”
At the man’s sigh, the boys and girls lined up in rows flinched and trembled their shoulders.
I had no idea what had happened to make that ghost look so distraught.
The company’s Dokgo Woojin stepped down from the podium with slow steps.
As he scanned the surroundings with grim eyes, his students swallowed their dry saliva.
“From now on, at the command, we will perform the swordsmanship we learned today.”
“…….”
“Not being able to keep up with the beat, taking the wrong posture, being out of order, or not having enough energy. “Please note that if you receive more than two warnings from me for any reason, you will remain separately for supplementary training.”
“…….”
“What is the answer?”
“yes!”
“Then let’s begin. one!”
When Dokgo Woo-jin walked among the students and shouted commands, the students took a stance with their faces filled with evil and cheered.
A look of sadness appeared on the cadets’ faces, perhaps because they had been told that if they received two warnings, they would have to undergo supplementary training.
“one!”
Dokgo Woojin mechanically shouted commands and recalled the events of the day.
I was quite taken aback when a boy I had never seen before suddenly mentioned the recluse.
Maybe that’s why I ended up reacting so strongly without even realizing it.
However, this does not mean that the response at the time was wrong.
On the contrary, I was worried that I had responded too leniently.
[You wouldn’t want the clan’s legacy to be cut off, right?]
Yeonsun’s voice keeps circling in my head.
Dokgo Woojin felt his mood sinking.
‘I almost gave up my mind.’
Is there any sect in the world who sincerely wishes for the sect’s reputation to be cut off?
There was a time when the entire midfield was searched like this to find a successor.
However, finding a needle in the sand was never easy.
The hopeless journey continues for fifteen years.
Eventually he got tired.
And when I was despairing of not being able to find the right person, I met the partner I would spend the rest of my life with.
It was a relationship that occurred at a late age.
The age difference alone is a whopping twenty.
He could not bear to put his wife, who had sacrificed a lot for him, through hardships, and eventually decided to end the long journey and settle down.
I also did not forget to organize my past financial resources to ensure peace at home.
Thanks to the help of the connections I made along the way, I was able to settle down in Sacheon with a new nickname and a new identity.
‘That’s funny… … .’
A bitter smile appeared on Dokgo Woojin’s lips.
I thought I had shaken off all my regrets.
The last words left behind by his teacher were like an incantation that bound his spirit to this day.
“Good work. Let’s just disperse.”
“yes!”
After completing all scheduled training.
Dokgo Woojin, who was watching the students leaving the training hall in a hurry, nodded as if he had decided on something.
In the blink of an eye, he moved to a corner of the training ground, kicked off the wall, and soared high into the sky.
‘No matter how much I think about it, it’s uneasy to take it easy with just a light warning. I have to meet you again.’
As I quickly jumped between the pavilions, I was able to quickly reach the main gate of the military officer.
The surprising thing was that no one could sense him even though he was moving at such high speed.
It makes no noise and leaves no trace.
It was a supernormal ability that was revealed when the flow and cloud body law was fully unfolded.
“…!”
However, Dokgo Woojin soon had no choice but to stop.
His new brother, who looked like he was about to jump over the gate and head outside, stopped right in place.
My gaze was fixed on the two men walking toward the front door.
‘What is this!’
He frowned and went down the hall.
Just then, two men who had opened the front door and entered the military building saw him and approached him.
“Governor.”
“Oh, isn’t that our Dokgo Bridge?”
A middle-aged man with a flushed face spread his arms wide with a happy expression.
He said he went to a social gathering hosted by Mr. Lee and came back after drinking heavily.
There was nothing new about it, as it was Gwanju, who was known to be a lover of alcoholic beverages, but the problem was the boy with a familiar face standing next to him.
When the governor headed to the Lee family, he did not bring any attendants with him.
“The boy next to me…”
“I met him on the way. After chatting with him, I found out that he had a nice personality and was very talented in martial arts. “I thought this was fate, so I decided to accept him at Hwangryongmugwan.”
“yes?”
“There is no need to take a separate test. “I will guarantee your skills.”
“What do you mean!”
“Oh my, I’m surprised. Why are you suddenly doing this? “I’m not deaf, so please speak softly.”
“…….”
Dokgo Woojin glared at the boy with harsh eyes.
What was so enjoyable about it was that the boy just smiled with a sly expression on his face.
“Now, this is Dokgo Woojin, the chief bridgehead of our military attaché. People in the world call him Cheon Kwon (天拳). “He is the person who will teach you from now on, so please show respect.”
“It’s called Yeonsoun. Please take care of me in the future, Mr. Gyodu.”
The boy, Yeonsun, politely raised his arms.
Baek Sang-hoo, the Emperor of the Yellow Dragon, gazed at the profile with a satisfied expression.
‘Damn it.’
Dokgo Woojin internally gritted his teeth.
I never thought they would declare war so blatantly like this.
‘I thought he wouldn’t back down easily, but…’ I can’t
believe that the governor, who was known for being strict, showed such kindness to a stranger he had never met before.
I couldn’t figure out what kind of magic they were doing.
“Since you came in as a transfer student, there are probably still a lot of things you don’t know. “Please take me with you and teach me various things.”
“……All right.”
* * *
Same time.
On the road located on the outskirts of Chengdu.
“Ha, we arrived at Chengdu and resumed our journey without even being able to rest for a single day.”
“It can’t be helped, right? “Because the schedule is tight.”
The ambassadors of Seopungpyoguk were hastening their steps to finish the unfinished mission.
“Enough with the complaining. There is not much time left until the final destination, A-an. “You can take a break after completing your journey.”
“…….”
“Instead, after you complete your punishment, we will lift the ban on drinking and give you three days of rest.”
“I understand, Pyodu!”
At the leader’s declaration, the faces of the dying warriors and warriors turned bright colors.
Pyodu burst into laughter at that blatant change in attitude.
“Kihihi.”
At that time, there was a strange person who suddenly appeared and blocked the way of the group.
Pyodu, who instinctively sensed something ominous, placed his hand on the sword.
The monster had rags on his hair and had a sword at his waist.
Long scars under the left eye and on the right cheek added to the bloody atmosphere.
“Heeheehee!”
“No way…”
“I’ll kill you all!”
“shit! It’s Mine! “The messengers form a circle to protect the target and the messengers! Everyone be careful!”
The monster rushed towards me, letting out a howl like an animal, and strongly lowered the sword he held with both hands.
Demonic energy rippling along the surface of the sword.
Sigh!
In the blink of an eye, Pyodu’s body was cut in half.
Blood gushed like a fountain from the body, which was split in a straight line from the head to the groin.
“Pyodu!”
“This is crazy!”
The monster immediately entered the circle and began ruthlessly slaughtering the group.
A harsh metallic sound and a scream echoed.
Blood and flesh splattered, the carriage was broken, and the frightened horses became silent.
It took less than a moment from the start of the battle for the Pyohaengdan to be completely annihilated.
“Whoa… … .”
A monster standing in the middle of a road covered in corpses wiped his blood-soaked face and sighed.
He looked calm and calm, as if his previous crazy appearance had been a lie.
He muttered as he rummaged through the trash that had spilled under the broken carriage and pulled out valuables.
“It’s not easy to play a crazy person.”