Episode 348
“I don’t know, but are you planning to hand over the place of the ark to the disciple who escaped? “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Is that possible? “No matter how weak I was, my judgment was not impaired to that extent.”
Geulwang answered firmly and shook his head.
Capturing a disciple who ran away in the middle of the night and placing him in a seat on the ark?
It would have been difficult to expect such good results.
Isn’t he a person who threw away both his loyalty to the recluse and his responsibility as the next Ark?
There was no way that I would have any motivation that wasn’t there just because I was forced to put on a mask.
I tilted my head and continued asking questions.
“Then why are you asking me that?”
“There are two main things. Firstly, it is to obtain a promise not to leak the vision, and secondly, it is necessary to have a master to help Wani grow.”
To put it simply, it meant that it was a measure for his student, Jang Wan.
Only now could I clearly understand the King’s intentions.
The reason he wanted to find his runaway disciple was to obtain some kind of insurance, so to speak.
“Thanks to God’s treatment, my life expectancy has increased a bit, but I won’t be able to hold out for very long.”
“Don’t say that. “If you take good care of yourself, you will be able to regain your health in no time.”
“It’s a hopeful observation. Don’t you know that too? “The higher a martial artist is, the greater the reaction when he loses his dantian.”
“······.”
“Even after all this, he was still the one who occupied the first seat of the Ten Heavenly Emperors until recently. “I guess my death was confirmed when I lost my dantian.”
A calm and calm expression.
No matter where I looked, I couldn’t see the face of an old man about to die.
I kept my mouth shut and listened to the girl king.
“After I die, it will be Wan who takes the place of the Ark. “This has already been decided, and there is no room for change.”
“······.”
“But as I said a little while ago, there are still many aspects of Wan that are immature. “If it only takes ten, or even five years, he will be reborn as a talented person capable of leading Bangpa…”
At least not now.
Even though he didn’t say anything, it was easy to guess what he was trying to say.
“The lack of experience can be compensated to some extent with the help of the elders. However, the visions that only the Ark of Openness can learn are a different story.”
Even if the King of Geol died, the spirit of martial arts would not be cut off.
However, the difference in efficiency between self-studying with martial arts books and training with teachings and advice from a teacher was as great as heaven and earth.
No matter how great Wonryong’s talents were, there would have been limits to his ability to practice martial arts alone.
This was the reason why Jiewang wanted to capture the runaway disciple and have him help Wonryong grow.
“Meng Kyung. It’s true that he’s a bad guy, but he’s not a villain who doesn’t even know the bare minimum. “I will not refuse even my teacher’s last request.”
A request, not an order.
Since he was a person who betrayed a monk, he should have been severely punished, but it seemed like they wanted to take into account the situation.
“Is the name of the disciple who ran away Meng Gyeong?”
“I see. “A friend waiting outside the door will tell you in detail about your appearance and characteristics.”
There was probably quite a bit of openness opposing the King’s decision.
Even though it is not enough to catch the traitor, abolish his military service, and prosecute him for his crime, he is willing to take on the role of leader of the next Ark.
Although the decision was made out of concern for the future of openness, it was an outrage from the perspective of the provincial government.
In a way, I didn’t know that the person who would benefit the most from King Jie’s death was none other than Meng Gyeong.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“Then let’s talk about compensation. “If you grant my request, I will repay you in kind.”
“How specifically do you plan to repay me?”
“Years ago, when Su Geogae (笑乞丐) offered to come under your command, you refused, right? He said he wanted me to help his teacher, not him.”
“It was like that.”
“When I heard that story, I thought: Was it really right to refuse for the sake of my teacher? Could there be another reason besides that? For example, he could not accept Open Tao under his command because he was concerned that his relationship with Hao Wen would be strained.”
I stared at the Geulwang with narrowed eyes and then slowly nodded.
Even if it were denied here, it wouldn’t have much meaning.
“Naturally, questions followed. Then, why did he prioritize his relationship with Hao Wen rather than opening up? Haomun is a member of the Sadomun sect (邪道門派). An ordinary person would want to join hands with Gong Kai-shek, who will cooperate without compensation, rather than Hao Mun, whose relationship is just a transaction.”
“······.”
“I guess it’s one of two things. Either you have such a strong relationship with Hao Mun, or you feel burdened by the openness that requires so much coordination with the Murim Alliance. “Maybe it’s both.”
Should we really call it the Ark of Openness?
The insight could not be ignored.
An exclamation of admiration flowed out of me as I saw the point being pointed out accurately.
As he said, the reason I prioritized my relationship with Hao Wen over openness was because I judged that side would allow me to move more freely.
Openness means affiliation.
It was a representative martial arts faction belonging to the pro-Maengju faction.
Of course, many of the open provinces had ties to high-ranking figures of the Maengju faction.
In particular, did you say that there are a lot of things that are done in conjunction with the military department of the Meng?
It might not have been known to a teacher who never did anything behind the scenes, but for me, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about opening up.
“This is just my opinion, but your goal is not simply to take revenge on the Demonic Cult as a survivor of Wolhwajang. “He must be planning something that is not in line with the wishes of the Murim lord of the time, Hwabaek Joo.”
The Geolwang’s breathing became heavy.
He seemed to have run out of energy because he talked too much.
“If you grant my request, the future opening will completely conceal what you are trying to hide. If you wish, I will make it so that not even the leader and general can find out your intentions. “As long as it’s not something that deviates significantly from the right path.”
“······!”
“What can I do? Would you accept it?”
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I said goodbye to Geolwang and left the medical room.
I decided to accept the request.
Just being able to bestow silver on Wonryong, the next ark, is meaningful, but the promise of the Jie King is added to it.
The terms were too attractive to refuse.
I rolled up the corners of my mouth and took a step forward.
I felt like I was going to be blown away by receiving this unexpected income.
‘The question is whether Hao Wen will obediently reveal Meng Jing’s location…’
Jiewang said that despite mobilizing all of the intelligence power of the government, he was unable to find Meng Jing’s location.
Opening is the best information group in Baekdo Moorim, both in name and reality.
There was no way that an individual could find a person that such openness could not find.
The Girl King probably doesn’t want me to run out and find the target myself.
‘It’s clear what needs to be done.’
In all likelihood, he had to negotiate with Hao Mun, who was protecting Meng Jing, and hand him over.
The point was whether Hao Moon’s side would obediently accept my request.
‘If you were simply weighing the importance, you would take my hand and not Meng Kyung’s.’
Of course, there was a good chance that they would remain ignorant or try to ask for my understanding.
First, I planned to tell the story to Cheon Ga-ryeong and ask for his cooperation.
The most ideal picture is for Hao Wen to hand over Meng Jing obediently.
It will not be too late to think about your response when a negative response comes back.
“······.”
It was a time when I was organizing my thoughts and taking steps.
A woman with a long sword at her waist appeared across from me.
It was Peng Yanji, a direct blood relative of the Hebei Peng family.
“Small cooperative.”
“What’s going on?”
Judging from the fact that he appeared from the direction of the guest accommodations, it seemed like he had come to meet me in the first place.
It seemed like our paths diverged because I was away on my way to the medical room.
“I heard you’re leaving Sega tomorrow, so I wanted to say hello.”
“Now that I think about it, other than exchanging greetings on the first day, I haven’t even had a proper conversation with Sojeo.”
“That’s too bad. “I was looking forward to the day when the Yeon Sohyeop would visit Paengga.”
“I would like to take a leisurely rest, but I can’t because I have to carry out my mission.”
I answered politely and drew a soft smile on my lips.
I didn’t bother to mention that I was trying to run away before the King of Swords got up from his hospital bed.
“Next time you visit, I will treat you kindly.”
“I look forward to it.”
“By the way, you haven’t forgotten, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you would tell me what to ask of me when you visit Hebei Paengga.”
“······ah.”
Now that I think about it, I’ve said something like that before.
A conversation I had with her in the past at Namgung House flashed through my mind.
[Have you decided what to ask of me?]
[yes.]
[What kind of request would you like?]
[It’s not right to tell you right now, but we’ll talk about it later when we visit Panga.]
Originally, I had planned to contact Peng Kun-hu, the owner of Zhang Baodou, through her.
However, unexpectedly, he ran into Peng Kun-hu at Meng’s headquarters, and achieved his goal by purchasing mother-of-pearl lacquerware for fifty gold coins.
So, I had completely forgotten about the promise.
Because I had nothing else to ask her for.
“Judging by your reaction, it looks like you really forgot.”
Peng Yeonji said with a slightly sad expression on his face.
I couldn’t understand why he bothered to mention a topic that was disadvantageous to him.
Is he being unnecessarily honest, or is he the type of person who can’t live with debt?
‘What should I ask for?’
I apologized with a bitter smile and was lost in thought for a moment.
While this was happening, the thought of proposing to recruit Paeng Yeon-ji also occurred to me.
‘No, that’s too much to ask.’
I couldn’t ask him to become my subordinate after only winning one battle.
It’s not like I received a thank you card like I did from Cheonwoo Dojang.
‘There is nothing good about showing an overly calculating side.’
Above all, there was no way the head of the Peng family would have allowed Peng Yeon-ji to join the family.
It was a very special case when Kwon Ryong of the Hwangbo family came under my command.
Peng Yeon-ji had a different position from Hwang Bo-jin.
Hebeuk is an area adjacent to the front line.
It was extremely unlikely that the Paeng family would let go of Paeng Yeon-ji, one of the main warriors of the family, even though it was unfortunate that one expert was missing.
“Then could you give me a moment?”
“You mean from now on?”
“yes. Now that I’m all the way to Hebei, I’m thinking of taking a look around Jeoja Street, and I hope Sojeo, a local native, will accompany me. “While I’m getting directions, I’d also like some help.”
“What can I help you with?”
“I’m planning to buy her a gift, but I don’t know much about women’s tastes, so I’d like to ask Sojeo for her opinion.”
“·····So, are you asking me to choose a gift for the woman?”
“yes.”
Peng Yanji’s expression became depressed.
Take a moment to stare at me with eyes full of complex emotions.
She quickly regained her composure and walked ahead.
“all right. “Just trust me.”
martial arts,
