◈ Episode 38. Poison
That evening, a small bonfire was lit in front of Gwangpyeongjang’s lodgings.
The Gwangryongdae sat around in a circle surrounded by soft lights.
“I thought they’d all be left behind. Everyone’s determination is amazing.”
Jeon-yu smiled softly at Poong-yeon’s words.
“The opportunity to work with someone like Daeju doesn’t come often. If you’ve decided to live a life of isolation, how could you pass up an opportunity like this?”
Everyone was talking calmly in the night air permeated with lights, but there was one person who was particularly quiet.
Hankyung is crouching down, hiding behind Joocho’s back.
Huyoung said.
“Hey. If you crouch down there, will time go back?”
“Don’t talk to me. I want to die.”
“······.”
I couldn’t say anything more because of the worn-out feeling in his voice.
Hooyoung changed the subject.
“Where did the major and minor shareholders go after gathering them all like this?”
Poongyeon answered.
“The deputy commander has been in the underground training grounds since the afternoon, and the great commander······. He’s coming over there.”
When Jinmu Rip appeared from the shadows of the bamboo grove, the Gwangryongdae all stood up from their seats.
“Is everyone here?”
“yes.”
Soon, Yongchu appeared from the darkness, holding a large jug of wine and a pig with a long, slaughtered body.
‘I never thought I’d do something like this.’
Danryehwa shook her head and sighed.
Jin Mu-rip noticed her feelings and smiled faintly as he spoke to his subordinates.
“This is a gift from me. From now on, you will take a final break for two weeks. After two weeks, a hellish training awaits you, so play as much as you can while you can.”
Now that we have decided to bury our bones in Madorim, we have no choice but to look forward.
“yes!”
A different kind of bond was felt in the loud shouts of Gwangryongdae.
Jin Mu-rip, who served drinks to his subordinates and left Gwangpyeongjang, headed to Madorim’s military warehouse.
Jin Mu-rip entered the dark room, with the cool air and the strong smell of food in the air. As if he had planned it out in advance, he took four volumes of secret medicine with him.
Swordsmanship, spearmanship, swordsmanship and the art of the staff.
It was not long after arriving in Madorim that I had just supplemented my martial arts skills with the books I had read while wandering around the area, and I could become much stronger than theirs.
‘They are meaningless unless they become stronger through Madorim’s martial arts.’
Jin Mu-rip returned to his lodgings and began to revise the secret prescription while copying the book.
For Jinmu Rip, who was born with the outstanding five qualities of the Cheon-eum-ji-che, improving the shortcomings of the emergency was not difficult.
After two weeks of being locked in his room as if he was practicing closed doors, Jinmu-rip, who had received permission from Chomugang, left Chungking with Gwangryongdae.
***
The ripe autumn birds are as beautiful as if painted on a canvas.
Gwangryongdae rose into the air of the cool morning.
Unlike their previous missions, they followed Jinmu-rip on foot, their faces a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Danryehwa, who was following Jinmurip, asked.
“Where are you going?”
Jinmu-rip smiled brightly and looked back as he shouted.
“You are now entering the gates of hell! Run!”
As Jinmu-rip’s new form, shot like an arrow, leaped up the mountain as if flying, Gwangryongdae hurriedly chased after it.
Yongchu, who was following closely behind, sent a message.
[Oh my God. Are you going to meet Bugokchaeju?]
[We have to go to the Holy Land. He is the only one who can instill poison in these people on my behalf.]
Yongchu’s expression was gloomy.
[Can I not go?]
Baek Chae-ryun, the daughter of Bugokchaeju, was the only person in Sangcheon who Yongchu, who had a dull personality, found difficult.
He was the youngest of the eight great lenders known as the Eight Great Creditors of the Heavenly Kingdom. To put it nicely, he was a man with a deep mind, no less than Jin Mu-rip. To put it badly, he was a sinister man whose inner thoughts were hard to read.
[Shut up and follow me.]
[Ugh.]
Yongchu reluctantly followed behind with a sad expression on his face.
There was no distinction between day and night in the movements of Jinmu-rip and Gwangryongdae.
Except for the time spent replenishing the stamina consumed by the new method, even the time spent sleeping, eating, and excreting was reduced to a minimum.
Even Dan Ryeo-hwa, who learned martial arts from Emperor Cheonyeong, was astonished.
Gwangryongdae was literally to die for.
It was difficult to maintain my sanity as I ran through the difficult mountain road that was not even well-maintained.
The thought of taking a short break for the first three days rose to the surface.
For the next three days, I thought I might die.
But no one cried in the end.
Jinmu Rip did not force them, because they were the ones who chose it.
And six days passed.
Gwangryongdae began to be surprised by himself little by little.
Even though I thought it was my limit at every moment, my arms and legs moved better than I thought.
They realized that what they thought were limits were not limits at all.
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That was exactly what Jinmu Rip was aiming for.
The training they will face in the future will be an unimaginably difficult and difficult experience.
If you hesitate and judge your limitations during the process, you will not be able to win the difficult fight.
As Jinmu Rip had intended, venom began to appear in Gwangryongdae’s eyes.
‘Let’s see how far we can go.’
They desperately pursued Jinmu Rip.
It had been ten days since I left Chongqing.
With the feet of all soldiers swollen and blood seeping from their clenched teeth, the hellish march of the Gwangryongdae finally came to an end.
Gwangryongdae stopped on a high cliff that seemed to be falling apart.
Yudae, who was out of breath, doubted his own eyes.
“Is this really the right place?”
All that was visible were cliffs and high mountains, and the valley right below was shrouded in fog and nothing could be seen.
A strange bitterness passed over Jinmu-rip’s face as he stared into the thick fog.
“It’s below.”
It was a place I never wanted to come back to, but I had no choice.
If you want to train Gwangryongdae while avoiding other people’s eyes, there is no other place but this place near Bugokchae.
If it’s him, he’ll definitely instill in them the venom they lack.
Danryehwa, who read the pain in Jinmurip’s eyes, noticed where this place was.
‘Eun-gok.’
It’s probably a silver valley with no survivors.
‘Why did they bring them here?’
Jinmu-rip didn’t give her time to think.
“Let’s go down.”
Jinmu-rip, with his back to the cliff, stopped in front of a rock about ten feet away.
“Open it.”
“yes.”
The dragon that hugged the rock planted both feet firmly on the ground and exerted strength.
Then, the large rock began to move little by little, and after a while, a cave big enough for an adult to barely pass through appeared.
“A place like this······.”
“Follow me.”
Jinmu Rip entered first, and Gwangryongdae followed in turn.
Closing the entrance was much easier than opening it.
As the last dragon to enter activated the engine in the wall, the rocks moved with a squeak, casting a thick darkness into the cave.
“This is a place where not a single ray of light can penetrate, so no matter how good your eyesight is, you won’t be able to see ahead. Grab the collar of the person in front of you and follow them slowly.”
“yes.”
A soft echo spreads endlessly.
The cave was sometimes curved and there were places where you had to hold on to the wall and jump down.
In the pitch-black darkness, Poongyeon, who was holding onto Yudaeha’s collar, couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
‘What’s at the end of this?’
They followed Jinmu-rip with a mixture of worry and anticipation, and after just an hour, they encountered a dim light.
Then the blowing wind began to grow stronger, and a pure white fog outside the cave enveloped the group.
“Just like that. Hold on to the clothes of the person in front of you and follow them.”
Jinmu-rip stepped forward silently without looking back.
As we walked along in heavy silence, the fog finally cleared and a small village appeared.
“There’s a village in a place like this······.”
If there had been an easy way in and out, we wouldn’t have had such a hard time entering the cave.
I thought it was Jewish.
‘Do people live in a place like this?’
But that thought soon had to be corrected.
The broken pieces of sword scattered on the floor gave evidence of a fierce battle.
The clothes and the child’s shoes lying on the collapsed stone wall brought to mind the devastation of that time.
No one lives there now.
Danryehwa felt her heart ache for some reason.
‘I never thought I’d have to spend my whole life in a place like this······.’
If it weren’t for Jinmu-rip, they might still be living in hiding in places like this.
They slowly entered the village amidst a heavy silence.
The village looked much larger from the inside than from the outside.
There were houses at the end of narrow alleys on both sides of the main road, and each house had a well.
When Jinmu-rip finally stopped walking after reaching the center of the village, someone asked.
“Where on earth am I?”
An unusually sad smile spread across Jinmu-rip’s lips.
“A place that was hell a long time ago.”
The smile disappeared as if washed away as the hand on his forehead passed over his face.
“From now on, this place will be hell for you.”
Yongchu, who was standing at the very back, lowered his voice in an unusually heavy tone.
“I swear that I will keep everything I see, hear, and experience here in my head. If I don’t, I will die.”
Gwangryongdae swallowed their saliva at Yongchu’s threat and nodded their heads in unison.
As the heavy air showed no sign of going away, Jinmu-rip tried to smile brightly.
“Don’t be so discouraged. I believe you guys can survive hell. The leaders, come forward.”
“yes.”
“I will now go to the saints. When your course here is over, come find me.”
“Weren’t you with us?”
“There is something I have to do first.”
Jinmu Rip took out five volumes of secret documents.
“Starting today, practice this with your subordinates.”
“What is this?”
“It would be nonsense for a Madorim warrior to not know Madorim’s martial arts. Even if it is not a new martial arts, if it becomes fully developed, it will be able to reach a higher level than it is now.”
Huyoung asked.
“Did Madorim have archery?”
“Give me a bow.”
“yes.”
Huyeong untied his bow and handed it to Jinmu Rip.
“Everyone step aside except the leader.”
Hooyoung noticed what Jinmurip was trying to do.
“Have you ever used a bow?”
“My father was a hunter.”
“······.”
“Step back and watch carefully.”
“Do you also give me arrows?”
“Then they die.”
As Jin Mu-rip stepped forward with a grin, Hu-young moved to a good spot.
‘If it’s Daejoo, he’ll definitely show something.’
I had a feeling that it would be like that······. No, I was sure that it would be like that.
Jinmu-rip spoke to the four leaders while Huyeong opened her eyes wide.
“From now on, kill me by any means necessary.”
The commanders also knew that Jinmu Rip’s words were not mere bluff.
Poongyeon, who had lowered his posture greatly, drew his sword.
‘If it was just a bluff, there’s no way he’d be spewing out such speculation. He’s really going there with the intention of killing.’
After the leaders exchanged glances, the first to fly was the large-sized Jucho.
“The bow is the simplest yet most complex weapon.”
Jinmu-rip’s voice pierced Hu-yeong’s ears, and the new form sliding backwards was captured in his eyes.
The hand that had been sweeping the empty waist moved to the bowstring.
‘Three generations. Shoot.’
The moment the empty bowstring was pulled, the commanders scattered in all directions, feeling as if arrows were flying.
Hankyung’s eyes widened.
‘What the heck is this?’
That’s because I clearly felt something like a goblin flying towards me.
Danryeonhwa’s eyes narrowed.
‘Palace’s illusion arrow?’
The current best archery expert in the martial arts world is Gung Hwang Tuwolcho.
Dan Ryeo-hwa, who heard the story of the Great Battle of Cheonha directly from him, thought that the move that Jin Mu-rip showed was similar to the martial arts that she had heard of.
As the gap between the leaders widened due to Jinmu-rip’s attack, Jinmu-rip jumped into their midst without hesitation.
Huyoung’s eyes widened.
‘Jump in? With a bow?’
As Jeon Yu’s sword barely passed over his head, Jin Mu-rip’s bow caught his ankle.
“100 million!”
The moment Jeon Yu’s body rose, Ju Cho’s spear was shot from the right.
Jinmu-rip’s empty right hand, which had been rolling on the floor, brushed past Jucho’s ankle.
Huyoung realized the meaning of the movement.
‘It’s an arrow.’
If he had an arrow in his hand, the tendon in his ankle would have been severed.
Jinmu-rip’s message reached Huyeong’s ears.
[No warrior would hesitate to approach an archer who knows he will retreat. But what if he shows that he can fight by sticking close?]
I’m not talking about engaging in close combat.
If your opponent hesitates even once, thinking about the possibility of a close combat, you can fire one more arrow during that gap.
Fortunately, Hooyoung wasn’t that stupid.
Jinmu-rip, who dodged Poongyeon’s attack by strongly pushing Joocho’s ankle, slid while lying down and deflected the arrow.
‘It looks like you’re using your back to spread your wings. You can shoot like that too.’
Huyoung’s eyes sparkled as if he had encountered a new world.
The breathless, continuous rain stopped after a moment.
Although it was a duel without arrows, the leaders clearly knew who would win.
‘If I had arrows, I would have died three times.’
‘This is no joke. Not only can you use a sword, you can also use a bow?’
‘How far does the Grand Master’s ability extend?’
Jinmu Rip’s archery was precise and sharp, as if he had trained only in it his entire life.
While they were replaying the story, Jinmu-rip approached Huyeong.
“Close combat is poison to an archer. But there are times when he must drink that poison.”
“I know what you want to show me.”
“The secret weapon I gave you is a secret weapon used by the sage. But it would be difficult to delve into it alone.”
Jin Mu-rip, who pulled out an arrow in the tradition of Houying, turned his body and deflected the arrow.
The arrow flew so secretly that even the sound of the whistle could not be heard, and lodged in a rock twenty feet away.
‘mouse?’
The thing that was hit by the arrow was a mouse the size of a palm.
The process of turning my body, waving my sword, and shooting the arrow took only a split second.
It is impossible to detect a mouse twenty feet away while talking to yourself.
Then, the moment you turn around and shoot, you will have decided on a target.
‘Your father was a hunter?’
This is not a level that can be reached simply through hunting.
The more I get to know him, the more I realize he is truly an amazing person.
Jinmu Lip said.
“The enemy won’t always be waiting for you. Don’t just think about the target you see. Always be ready to shoot even in your sleep.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Jinmu Rip looked around at the other leaders and said.
“It’s impossible to master the secrets perfectly, but keep them in your head. You won’t have time to look at them in three months.”
“What do you mean?”
Just then, the wind blew and Jinmu-rip’s voice could be heard eerily.
“Exactly three months later, the messenger will come looking for you.”
