Episode 85
I knew it the moment I saw it.
What is the identity of the other person?
‘Sohyeongeom (昭賢劍).’
One of the two elders mentioned by Hwang Bo-jin.
The apparent age, the plum blossoms on the sleeves, and the way he spoke as if he knew me made it impossible for me not to know.
My heart was pounding.
I felt nervous for a different reason than when I faced the Plum God Sword.
‘Elder of Meng!’
Life goals.
The senior who achieved that goal first was standing in front of me.
My fists suddenly clenched.
“I send my greetings to Yeonsun and Senior Noh, the late martial arts scholars.”
I put both my trembling hands together and politely bowed.
Sohyeongeom nodded with a happy expression.
“I heard that the child of the Hwangbo family was rude to you and your group.”
“There was a minor argument.”
“Besides, the Hwangjangdae members are not like that.”
“······.”
“I’m not specifically trying to criticize you. “On the contrary, it was fun to see that old man running wild with all his might.”
At first glance, it seemed like words of encouragement, but the meaning behind them was different.
Sohyeongeom warned me like this.
I knew it intuitively.
That the old man in front of me has a crush on me.
It wasn’t that difficult to guess why.
Perhaps he didn’t have a very good relationship with Wan Li Quan, or he knew that I was accompanying a disciple of the Plum Blossom God Sword.
Maybe it’s both.
‘······I guess I’ll have to be kind to Dojo Cheonwoo for a while.’
If it becomes known that I went around with Dojang Cheonwoo and beat him up from time to time, the kindness that Sohyeongeom is currently showing may turn into hostility.
If you think about it, isn’t it true that we’ve been treating people who are disciples of the Plum Blossom God Sword too harshly so far?
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment, can you give me some time?”
“I’ll give you as much as I want.”
“Contrary to what I heard from the Hwangbo family’s child, he is a polite friend.”
“I don’t know what Hwangbo Sohyeop said, but he probably didn’t convey what happened during the day as it is.”
“I know that without you having to say it. “That sneaky guy has always been like that.”
Sohyeongeom and I headed that way to a nearby ship.
After paying the rent to the boatman, we rented a small ferry and moved to the middle of the lake.
It is the boatman’s job to drive the boat, but Sohyeongeom said he wanted to talk quietly just the two of us, so I had to row the boat.
Moonlight poured down on the dark lake, creating a dreamy atmosphere.
Sohyeongeom took out a bottle of alcohol and two glasses from his chest.
He said, offering me a drink.
“Take a drink.”
“I understand that Taoists of the Volcano Sect are not allowed to drink alcohol.”
“It doesn’t matter if no one sees it, right? This is a secret, but among the elders, there is one who shaves his head and wears a monk’s robe, but still drinks alcohol and eats meat. “I’m literally going crazy.”
I drew a faint smile on my lips.
yes.
If you are an elder of the Meng, you should be able to do this.
Isn’t it such a waste to waste the joy of life by becoming entangled in old-fashioned rules and regulations?
I tipped my glass and looked at Sohyeongeom out of the corner of my eye.
If Maehwashingeom gave off the feeling of a hermit, Sohyeongeom had the profound charm of an experienced old scholar.
In terms of personal likes and dislikes, I liked Sohyeongeom a hundred times more.
The brazen Taoist monk who lived his entire life in abstinence was far from my taste.
The alcohol was very delicious.
Even though it was not indoors, the scent of alcohol filled the area.
It didn’t seem like it was an ordinary drink.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised.”
“······?”
“It looks like he single-handedly defeated Hwang Bo-jin and Hwang Jang-dae’s warriors.”
“Did Hwangbo Sohyeop say that?”
“Is that possible? There’s no way a guy with such high self-esteem would say such an embarrassing thing. “He just saw the beating and realized that it was the work of one person.”
“I was lucky.”
“I was lucky enough to take down eight peak masters by myself? Without getting hurt? Say something that makes sense. “Excessive humility can lead to deception.”
“······.”
“Ask me straight. Are you planning to join the Yongbong branch?”
“yes.”
“Do you have any intention of joining?”
“That’s right.”
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“Then do you have any intention of joining my faction?”
“······?”
“This is an offer based on your ability and potential.”
I met Sohyeongeom’s gaze with a slightly surprised expression.
Sohyeongeom’s lips drew a thin line.
“With your skills, it won’t be that difficult to get into the top ranks of the Yongbong branch. “If you have the skills to take on eight top experts on your own, you can even aim for the championship.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“One problem will be after joining the membership. Manpowerwon. “It won’t be easy for him to get a chance to fully demonstrate his abilities since he was hated by the old man who was like the incarnation of him.”
“Maybe so.”
“That’s why I’m proposing it. If it were me, I could raise you properly. “It can prevent Man-Ryeok-Gwon from committing unfair acts using the power of the elders.”
“······.”
“It would be an offer with no harm to you. All you have to do is to give off an atmosphere around people that you implicitly support me.”
“What do you gain by doing that?”
“A contribution made by a subordinate is the same as a contribution made by a superior. You get a chance to make a contribution with my support, and I raise my standing through your performance. “I don’t think it would be a bad relationship for either of us. What do you think?”
“I think it’s an attractive proposition.”
I filled Sohyeongeom’s glass with alcohol and nodded.
A feeling of fondness for the old man in front of me quickly grew.
An eye for recognizing talent, decisiveness in proposing recruitment to opponents who have not yet joined the team, and excellent communication skills.
He was a person who was missing nothing.
It was hard to believe that he was from the same clan as Cheonwoo Dojo.
‘It’s like watching the second execution of a previous life.’
To be honest, I didn’t want to be hostile to him.
Personal likability is also likable, but this type of person gets very tired when they become enemies.
I felt that fact to the point where I was sick of my past life.
“Thank you for looking highly at me, even though I have no reputation or achievements yet. But I think that offer is unacceptable.”
However, I could not accept Sohyeongeom’s proposal.
Because it goes against the plan I made.
The ultimate goal I wanted to achieve was to become an elder of the Meng.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have success with the support of the elders.
However, if you are blinded by short-sighted benefits, you will not be able to envision the future.
‘There is no such thing as free food in this world. There will be restrictions commensurate with the great benefits.’
No superior in the world wants a subordinate to rise to the same level as him.
It would be the same for Sohyeongeom.
“I want to hear why.”
“It would be a lie if I said I didn’t find your suggestion attractive. But I also have my own plans. “What department should I apply to and what should I do there?”
“You’re talking as if it’s natural for you to win the competition.”
“If I wasn’t confident of winning, I wouldn’t have even thought about participating in the competition in the first place.”
The winner of the Yongbong Branch is given the privilege of applying to any of the dozens of departments in the organization.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the reason I had delayed joining the union until now was to obtain that privilege.
“I promise you one thing for sure. “I will not belong to your faction or anyone else’s faction.”
“Well, it’s nice that it scratches the itch on its own before you even ask.”
“sorry.”
“no. If that’s what you mean, there’s nothing you can do about it. Rather, it feels good to see a junior who has clear convictions for the first time in a while. Now, take another drink.”
After that, Sohyeongeom and I exchanged drinks and talked about various things for half an hour.
As I sipped my wine with the pouring moonlight and beautiful scenery as an accompaniment, I felt like I was a immortal.
“It’s already gone.”
Sohyeongeom shook the empty bottle and made a sad expression.
“How about going to a nearby base? “I will buy it.”
“It is done. I can’t make my junior pay for the drinks. “I will leave for today.”
“My junior has more money than he looks.”
“Are you trying to brag about your money in front of me right now?”
Sohyeongeom let out a chuckle.
It must have been absurd to see Ji-su Ji, an unknown person, suddenly boasting about money during Kangho’s first appearance.
Wasn’t the Senate to which he belonged a symbol of wealth and power?
“I have enough wealth to give a small gift to the elders of the village to wish them good care in the future.”
However, my wealth was not as great as he thought.
When I took out a bill with Hwayang Sangdan’s seal from my pocket and handed it to him, Sohyeongeom’s eyes became watery.
I don’t know if it was because I was nervous or drunk, but the hand holding the note was shaking.
“Do you like the gift?
“To be honest, I felt a little sorry for my junior who turned down a good offer. “But now it’s completely blown away.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
Through half-a-hour conversations, we figured out who the bribe attack would be effective against.
That’s why I paid a lot of money without hesitation.
So that it leaves a deep impression on the other person.
“What on earth are you? “I thought he wasn’t an average talent, but I didn’t expect him to be this big.”
“I am nothing more than an unknown minor. Not yet.”
“Not yet? “It means that soon that won’t be the case.”
“······.”
“I hope we can maintain a good relationship in the future.”
“Please take care of me.”
The youthful favor in Sohyeongeom’s eyes became even deeper.
In my past life, my second brother-in-law said.
There is nothing as strong as a relationship connected by money.
There would be a day when the current investment would return with great profits in the future.
Sigh! Sigh!
Some time to row to get back to the ship.
Suddenly an idea occurred to me and I blurted out:
“Oh, and there is one thing I would like to ask you.”
“ask?”
“I would like you to arrange a meeting.”
“Seeing as you are asking me a favor, it seems that the person you want to meet is a member of the group.”
“To be exact, he is a person who belonged to the Meng. He is retired now.”
“It’s not that difficult at all. “Who do you want to meet?”
“Former Blue Dragon Commander, Lee Kang-hak.”
“Lee Kang-hak? Isn’t he an old man who has retired from the front line and is focusing on nurturing younger generations? “Why him?”
“His beloved granddaughter is probably dying from a strange disease of unknown cause.”
“is it? “No matter how much I do, I don’t know much about the family history of retired monks.”
“I happen to know the cure for that strange disease.”
“So, would you like me to tell you that?”
“That’s right.”
martial arts,
