Episode 344
“Kaaak!”
“Aaaah!”
The screams of the bandits echoed throughout the area.
As we got closer to Hebei, the number of times we were attacked by bandits increased.
It was not like this even when Cheonan Gambu led the main force and crossed the border between Anhui and Shandong.
It may have been because the number of people was reduced and they were looked down upon, but there was a different fundamental reason.
‘This is a cross-section that reveals how poor public order is in the area bordering the front line.’
Of course, there were only so many of them, but thieves could not be a threat to the party.
Except for the bandits who left their mark in Nokrim (綠林), all were organized along the lines of Dokgo-seong and Lee Su-yeon.
“What are they doing! “No matter how many people we have, we’re having a hard time with kids who haven’t even had blood on their heads!”
“Chaeju! “Those guys are not normal!”
“If we continue like this, we will be wiped out!”
Cheon Ga-ryeong and I watched the two from behind, and if a dangerous situation arose, we provided support with cancer technology.
It took barely a moment for the bandits blocking the road to be wiped out.
Dokgo-seong and Lee Soo-yeon sat against a nearby rock and took a deep breath.
‘As expected, the burden of continuous warfare is great.’
No matter how skilled an expert was, he had physical limitations.
So far, I’ve used two people to make up for the lack of practical experience, but from now on, I feel like I’ll have to do it myself.
“receive.”
“······?”
“Even if you just change your clothes, you still have to wipe the blood off your face.”
Dok Go-seong wets the cloth he took out of his arms with water and hands it to Lee Soo-yeon.
Suyeon Lee expressed her gratitude with a glance.
Dok-go-seong woke up with a groan and came over to me and spoke.
“I will help.”
“It’s going to be hard, but I’m just resting. “I’ll at least clean up after myself.”
“Don’t worry, you’re still fine.”
“Then, can I leave it to you to deal with the thieves we encounter next?”
“······Please take a look.”
Unlike before, he did not seem to care at all about Lee Soo-yeon’s cold attitude.
It seemed like they decided that it would be better for both of them to maintain a reasonable distance rather than forcefully approach each other.
A conversation I had with Dok Go-seong at the camp some time ago flashed through my mind.
[If it’s that uncomfortable, how about just treating it like someone who doesn’t exist?]
[yes?]
[Is there any reason to force someone to please me? You can just stay in a relationship like everyone else.]
[······.]
[It’s just that there is no progress in your friendship, she hasn’t done anything wrong to you, right?]
[yes.]
[You haven’t done anything morally problematic, so you can’t forcefully change it. is not it?]
[Yes, that is true.]
[Still, is there any reason to complain? You may not associate with her except when carrying out her official duties. We’re both comfortable and good together.]
[that······.]
[Why don’t you want to do that?]
[yes.]
[Are you really interested in Sooyeon?]
[If you are interested, yes. I’m not sure if it’s interest in a rational sense.]
[What if it’s not a rational interest?]
[Hyung, have you never thought about that? This Sojeo resembles someone.]
[······?]
[From the first time I saw this person, I thought he overlapped with someone I knew well.]
When I remembered that incident, a bitter smile came out.
I had thought about it before, but Dok-go-seong was more clever than he seemed.
Would you say that you have a knack for confusing people?
It took me a while to understand what he meant.
[······Sooyeon looks like me?]
[To be exact, he resembles his older brother.]
[Was I that bad?]
[In the grand scheme of things, it was similar. Do you push it away openly or subtly? It’s just that much of a difference.]
[I have nothing to say.]
[You don’t know this, right? I wonder what kind of event will trigger this Sojeo to change like his older brother.]
[······.]
[But wouldn’t it be so sad if this changed Sojeo looked around and everyone turned their backs on her?]
[······.]
[I think someone should reach out to her in case that happens. Just like the people around her older brother.]
I felt like I had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
I never dreamed that Dok Go-seong had such thoughts.
The teacher said that Dokgo-seong was ‘big in body, but still a child in spirit’, but my thoughts were a little different.
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He was a much more mature person than Master thought.
Sometimes, he showed a much more mature side than me.
[I feel a little relieved when you say that.]
[also. What you said a little while ago wasn’t true, right?]
[Well, I’m also worried about Suyeon.]
[I thought so.]
[In that spirit, let me give you some light advice.]
[advice?]
[I’m not sure, but it’s highly likely that she developed that kind of personality as a side effect of learning ice skills.]
[Is there a connection between martial arts training and personality changes?]
[Otherwise, why would demons be so aggressive and faithful to their instincts?]
[That’s what I heard.]
[Anyway, what I want to say is simple. Don’t be too impatient. Because it’s not a tendency to change overnight.]
[······.]
[If you get tired first, neither porridge nor rice will work, right?]
[You have to prepare for a long-term battle.]
Dok-go-seong wiped his forehead with his sleeve after clearing up the corpses lying on the street.
As I looked at that, I felt a sense of pride.
Isn’t this how parents feel when they look at their grown children?
“······?”
Lee Soo-yeon, who changed her clothes inside the carriage and came outside, looked at me and Dok-go-seong in turns and tilted her head.
* * *
“What is this!”
“What a sword technique! Could it be that the Sword Demon or the Sword King came by?”
“Damn it! Run away! “We need to get out of here as quickly as possible!”
The greenery that blocked the front was swept away like fallen leaves in an autumn wind.
A sword floating in the air.
There was fear in the eyes of the bandits who raised their heads.
Sigh!
Every time the main palace moved, the bandits along its path lost their lives.
Of the bandits who numbered more than thirty, less than half survived.
Crumbling!
A pile of falling stones blocked the escape route.
Is it because escape has become impossible?
Most of the surviving bandits fell to the ground and begged for their lives.
Some of them rushed at me, swearing, but they were quickly broken in two and rolling around on the ground.
‘That’s difficult.’
I retrieved the sword, held it in my hand, and sighed inwardly.
I wasn’t completely satisfied.
Even though I concentrated as much as I could, I almost lost control a few times.
‘It’ll take a lot of effort to get used to it.’
The sword techniques that the Vampire Demon and the White Bone Demon had shown against me were much more powerful than this.
It wasn’t just that he was good at control.
The true fear of swordsmanship lies not in its destructive power but in its infinite utility.
In general, the trajectory drawn by a sword was bound to be affected by human physical limitations.
Body length, muscle flexibility, joint bending angle, etc.
However, there were no such restrictions in swordsmanship.
Depending on the caster’s capabilities, it was possible to create as many colorful and irregular sword paths as possible.
Because there was no set form, it was highly unexpected, and as such, it was easy to catch the opponent’s intention.
‘There’s a long way to go.’
He is still having a hard time maintaining his sword skills.
I thought it would take quite a long time to completely control the situation.
Did you ask the Sword King to give you some advice on sword techniques?
I felt regretful, but there was no point in regretting what had already happened.
After getting my fill of it, I swung my sword and mercilessly cut down the surrendered bandits.
“Oops!”
“You devil! “How can you deal with someone who doesn’t even resist?”
It may be unfortunate for the bandits, but I wasn’t the type of person to be compassionate enough to take the trouble of saving them and leading them to the government office.
“If you feel wronged, don’t commit mountaineering in the next life.”
The blood flowing from the bandits’ bodies dyed the ground red.
* * *
Finally, we reached Hebei Paengjia.
As soon as I got out of the carriage and saw my face, the warrior guarding the main gate bowed his head politely.
“It’s called Pengguun. “It is an honor to meet the Dragon King, who is renowned throughout the entire central plain.”
“This is Yeon-Woon, the head of the Cheonan Inspectorate. “Could you please put a message inside?”
“Please wait a moment.”
The gatekeeper runs into the front door.
After some time, a group of people appeared in front of me and my group.
The woman at the front, Dobong (刀鳳), greeted me with a happy expression.
“It’s been a while, Sohyeop.”
“Long time no see.”
Pengyeonji.
A direct blood relative of the Hebei Peng family.
It had been years since I last spoke to her.
‘Is it when I visited the Murim Alliance with Sega’s later exponents?’
It occurred to me that time flies so quickly.
After gauging her level based on the energy she was emitting, I internally exclaimed in admiration.
‘Talent is talent.’
A great achievement was achieved without anyone seeing him.
Although it was the same transcendental level, its capabilities were so high that they could not even be compared to Hwang Bo-jin.
Since he was working on the front line, he must have gone through a more difficult path than others.
“Follow me. “The head of the family is waiting for you.”
“All right.”
As I crossed the front gate and entered Seganae, I was met with eyes from all directions.
Everyone wore swords on their waists, as if to show that they were blood relatives of the Pan family.
“Is he the Dragon King?”
“You look younger than I vaguely imagined.”
“I’m sure you said you’re turning 25 this year, right?”
“To reach absolute heights in your mid-twenties. “I just can’t believe it.”
“If Taesangaju and the Dragon King fight, who will win?”
“Of course Taesanggaju will win. Even so, does the Dragon King, who only recently ascended to the prefecture, have the potential to be the opponent of Lord Taesang? “I don’t know if it will be a few years later.”
Eyes filled with envy and awe.
Is it because his reputation increased as he occupied the first seat of the Ten Heavenly Emperors?
I could clearly feel that people’s gaze towards me had changed from before.
Some people feel burdened and want to move on.
When I entered the office located on the first floor of Gajujeon, I was able to meet Paeng In-ho, the head of the Paeng family.
“Welcome.”
“See you, matriarch.”
Paeng In-ho, who had taken a bite of Paeng Yeonji with a wave of his hand, offered me a seat.
The maid waiting in the corner immediately brought out teaware.
“I heard you came after receiving the order of the lord.”
“yes. “I have come to see God’s elders.”
“Shin-ui is staying in his main room. “My daughter will show you the location of the medical room when you leave the office.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“It’s hard to believe it even when I see it in person. I can’t even estimate my capabilities. “Are you really a young man in his twenties?”
Paeng In-ho was a master of Hwagyeong and ranked high among the 100 great masters.
I trembled humbly with a faint smile on my face.
“We’ve just gotten over the wall. “It’s still not enough.”
“I was a little tired of trying to stop my father who was so excited.”
“yes?”
“He made such a fuss when he heard you were visiting.”
“······?”
I wondered if I had heard wrong.
A person who is the head of the Paeng family, one of the five great families, is very excited at the thought of meeting me?
martial arts,
