Episode 285
“······.”
I tilted my head as I stared at Dok-go-seong’s frozen figure like a stone.
Is this something to be that shocked by?
I just changed the way I spoke.
“Brother, aren’t you in pain somewhere?”
“He is currently recovering from illness.”
Dokgo-seong was at a loss for words as he answered indifferently.
To brighten up the awkward atmosphere, he offered some light encouragement.
“Training hard.”
“······.”
“If you want to work under me, you don’t have to have average skills.”
In the end, Dok Go-seong’s face became grotesquely distorted.
Now I couldn’t even tell what kind of emotion the expression contained.
Feeling uncomfortable, I turned around, waved my hand, and left the training ground.
As I was walking away, I felt my face getting hot.
‘Was it this difficult to treat others poorly?’
* * *
“long time no see.”
The woman who entered the office, Cheon Ga-ryeong, spoke to me in a bright voice.
While I was away from the branch and went to Gansu, she handled some work that had been requested in advance.
Naturally, she could not participate in the rescue team as she had not yet taken the literacy test.
Especially since Sogeolgae, the elder of openness, was circling around me.
“You came later than expected.”
“It took longer than expected to process the requested work. “Anyway, I heard you were seriously injured. Are you feeling okay?”
“With my current physical condition, even if I were to fight a child walking down the street, I’m confident I would lose.”
“······Do you usually express confidence in such things?”
“And you? “Did the matter go well?”
“It worked out somehow. “I will write a report soon and hand it to you.”
Let’s chat for a while.
Cheon Ga-ryeong, who was sitting on a leather chair and sipping the tea brewed by Woo Hwayeon, looked back at me with a surprised face.
“for a moment.”
“why?”
“Are you talking to me informally?”
“Because you wanted it.”
“When I repeatedly suggested that we talk to each other, we ignored each other!”
“I’ve had a bit of a change of heart recently.”
Cheon Ji-ryeong blinked with an expression of disbelief.
Dokgo-seong is like that, and Cheon Ga-ryeong is like that.
I don’t know why they’re making such a fuss about how a change in speech is such a big deal.
“Are you in any pain?”
“It doesn’t hurt. “Because the internal injuries haven’t healed yet.”
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Haven’t we had a similar conversation recently?
Cheon Ga-ryeong, who put down the teacup on the table, looked back at Woo Hwa-yeon with a serious expression and asked.
“Princess. “It’s not like that friend picked up or ate anything strange these days or anything, right?”
“Gossip very openly.”
“If you don’t do that, people can’t change this much.”
“Is it really that surprising?”
“······.”
Cheon Ji-ryeong’s expression became strange.
It was an expression that felt similar to the one Dok Go-seong had made before.
“What on earth happened in Gansu? I heard some rough news. “There was a big change in my state of mind while I was on the brink of death, is it something like that?”
“It’s similar.”
“It’s something I will live to see for a long time. “Days like this always come.”
Cheon Ji-ryeong looked me up and down with a strange exclamation.
A reaction like that of an old man who has lived the rest of the world.
How on earth has she been looking at me all this time?
“It’s something I’ve been hoping for, but now that I see you using informal language, I have a hard time getting used to it.”
“If it’s uncomfortable, will you respect me again?”
“I’m begging you, please don’t do that. “I feel uncomfortable because it feels like I’m dealing with an old man.”
Because he is young and old.
It wasn’t a particularly wrong expression.
In my current life, I am a 21-year-old young man, but in terms of mental age, I am a man who has passed the age of 19.
I scratched the back of my head and changed the subject.
“What about blindness?”
“I have received Master Moon’s permission. I’m currently in the process of preparing a suitable disguise. “I plan to take the official exam soon.”
Before returning to Gansu.
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I recommended Cheon Ga-ryeong to join the alliance.
Because I decided that it would be better for her to officially become a leader and come under my command rather than staying at the Sacheon branch as an outsider.
Of course, no matter how much Chen Jialing was the leader of Hao Wen, he could not make such an important decision on his own.
So I didn’t agree right away and said I would ask Moonju for permission, but it seemed to work out well.
“After taking the entrance exam, do I have to use the title branch manager when I call you?”
“At least on official occasions, it should be like that. “It’s okay to call me comfortably in a private setting.”
“hmm······.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong’s lips slowly drew an arc.
It was a smile that gave me a strangely unpleasant feeling.
What kind of plan does that woman have up her sleeve that makes her look like that?
* * *
As he left the office and crossed the hallway, Cheon Ga-ryeong let out a long sigh.
At first, I didn’t even notice because it seemed so natural.
That Yeonsun is flattering himself.
After I found out, I was so embarrassed that I started talking gibberish.
It was to the point where I couldn’t even remember exactly what I said.
‘It wouldn’t have been obvious, right?’
For a while, I pressed my hands against my face to soothe it.
Cheon Ga-ryeong, with narrowed eyes, glanced in the direction of the office and muttered.
‘What kind of change of heart did you go through?’
A long time ago, when she was suffering from a mental demon, a conversation she had with Yeon-woon flashed through her mind.
[Thank you for today, Yeon Sohyeop.]
[Make sure to memorize the phrases taught. Now that the acupuncture points are damaged, it will be difficult to use internal energy without external help, but in the end, for complete cure, you must be able to use Taeeul Shingong on your own.]
[All right.]
[You can just leave now.]
[I… small cooperative.]
[Do you have anything to say?]
[It’s fate that led us to interact like this, so why don’t we start talking to each other little by little? Since we happen to be the same age…]
[I don’t really care about things like titles or tone of voice. It’s okay if you treat me comfortably.]
[Then I will do that. We ask well.]
[Please take care of me.]
[······?]
[Why do you see it that way?]
[Didn’t you decide to stop talking…?]
[As I said a little while ago, please be comfortable with me. Regardless of age or distribution, it is my long-standing habit to treat others with respect, so you do not need to worry.]
[······.]
I don’t know how absurd I felt at the time.
Until now, there was an invisible wall surrounding the man named Yeonsun.
Not only he, but everyone around him felt it.
I’ve tried various ways to become closer to him.
I dressed up nicely and showed off the world of beauty, approached her without any shame like an old friend, and even begged her for a gift like a lover.
They even tried to win his favor by taking him to a dark city or giving him precious gifts.
Nevertheless, the man named Yeonsun was always the same.
Always maintained a certain distance from others.
It was literally a strong fortress as if surrounded by iron walls.
‘But.’
People have changed so much even when we haven’t seen each other.
The atmosphere was noticeably different from before.
Should I say that I feel more mature and relaxed?
It seemed like it would be possible to make progress in a relationship that had become so tight now.
“······.”
Cheon Ji-ryeong’s eyes narrowed.
A hum naturally came out.
The steps I take also become lighter.
‘Well, I think the new look is closer to my taste than before.’
* * *
A month has passed since I returned to the Sacheon branch.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I received permission from God. “He said it wouldn’t matter if I went on a long trip as long as I didn’t practice martial arts.”
“Health is health, but aren’t you currently being targeted by the Demon Cult leader?”
“Is there any danger in moving with Master? We hired enough escorts and people to do miscellaneous work for us. “You don’t have to worry.”
“Your stubbornness remains the same.”
“Didn’t I tell you when I asked you to teach me the White Lightning God Technique? “I am stubborn.”
I went on a trip to Honam with my teacher.
The reason I decided to follow him was partly to accommodate my teacher, who would soon join the academy, but it was also because I had some personal business to attend to.
Taking the entrance exam did not mean that Master would just sit in Honam.
First, I planned to decide which department I would work in after joining and find a place to live.
It would be later that the Dokgo family moved to Honam.
“Then, let’s leave.”
Jang Ryangguk, the leader of the party and the head of Haeulpyoguk (遐鳦鏢局), announced the start of the journey.
In addition to the hired masters and masters, there were many masters with outstanding skills.
From the followers of the Sichuan branch to the disciples of the Huashan Sect.
For your information, it didn’t cost a penny to hire the disciples of the Volcano Sect.
[I’m thinking of going to Maeng’s headquarters for a while. So, I would like to ask you to escort me in case of any unexpected situation…]
[If that’s the case, I’ll help as much as I can.]
[Whose request would you refuse?]
I visited the monks who were sitting in the branch eating nothing but food and asked them to accompany me, and they accepted me, thinking it was a good idea.
No one was talking, but they seemed to be aching because they had nothing to do.
The journey went smoothly.
Let alone being attacked by demonic cultists, I never once encountered the common bandits.
This was because the rumor that Cheonryong and his teacher were heading to Maeng’s headquarters had spread widely.
If I were to choose the two most famous people in today’s martial arts world, they would be none other than myself and Master.
Even though he borrowed the power of Geumgong, he single-handedly defeated the Blood Flower Witch.
And the teacher of Heavenly Dragon, who displayed the might of an absolute expert on the battlefield.
It was a popular topic on the lips of wealthy people.
Even though more than two months have passed since the subjugation operation was completed, the world’s interest shows no signs of abating.
‘One of the two vacant seats of the Ten Heavenly Emperors will soon belong to you, Master.’
I hope that the comfortable journey will continue for about 10 days, with the helpers taking care of all the miscellaneous tasks.
Finally, the group crossed the border of Gwiju and reached Honam.
Doo doo doo doo!
‘hmm?’
While I was staring outside the carriage with a blank expression, I tilted my head when I heard the sound of horses’ hooves coming from ahead.
Because my senses had lost their proper function, I couldn’t figure out the identity of those approaching me.
I just guessed that they were not enemies based on the messengers’ reactions.
Sweet.
The carriage stopped in place.
When I opened the door and got down to the ground, I saw the face of the old man at the head of the horsemen and opened my eyes wide.
“Seniors?”
“It’s been a while.”
An unexpected face was there.
Sohyeongeom (昭賢劍), an elder of the Meng, led his direct military unit and came out to meet the group.
martial arts,
