Chapter 118
Episode 118
Instinctively distancing myself from Beopgong, I screamed.
“What are you doing!”
“Punching.”
“No, why are you suddenly throwing punches when we were having a good time drinking! You old man!”
“Yeon-ryang is an 'Oppa,' but why am I an 'old man'? It's strangely unpleasant.”
“I’m more upset, okay? Is your drinking habit punching people?”
Beopgong didn't even bat an eye at my temper.
He nimbly leaped over the table, belying his large frame.
I hurriedly ducked my head, and Beopgong's right foot brushed past my ear.
The chillingly fierce sound of the wind made my mind snap awake.
If I get hit by that properly, I'll really die, won't I?
“Whoa, whoa. Just a moment, Monk. Calm down……”
“Tsk. Brat. When someone throws a punch, you shouldn't try to persuade them with words, you should throw a punch back.”
Clicking his tongue, Beopgong twisted his body and slammed his other leg down.
“What nonsense!”
“You're good at dodging. Stop dodging and fight back. What are you saving your Hidden Weapons for?”
“How can I throw Hidden Weapons here! Oppa! Stop sleeping and stop this guy!”
At my shout, Yeon-ryang groggily raised his body and rubbed his eyes.
“……What are you doing?”
“Playing with your sister.”
“Ah……. Play moderately.”
Yeon-ryang blinked and then slammed his head back onto the table. He seemed to be still drunk.
I urgently shouted.
“Does that look like playing to you, Oppa? Stop him!”
“Beopgong……. Do it moderately……”
“I am doing it moderately. Your sister is whining, but she hasn't been hit once. She's dodging nimbly like a flying squirrel.”
“Stop it, I said!”
“Try fighting back. Is it too cramped? Should I take you outside the inn?”
Then, the Jeomsoi, who had been trembling in fear of being hit by a stray blade, ran to open the door of the inn. It seemed like he wanted us to go out and fight.
As I dashed out of the inn as if fleeing, Beopgong chuckled and chased after me.
The madness that reminded me of Dang Juhee made me gasp for breath.
All Martial Artists are crazy!
Swallowing curses, I threw a Flying Dagger, but it was useless. Beopgong flicked away the Flying Dagger that touched his body without even using his hands, and clicked his tongue.
“You can't use Hidden Weapons like that.”
“Wh-What was that? How did you flick it away?”
“Want me to show you?”
Beopgong, grinning as if teasing me, began to take off his top.
Flustered, I rolled my eyes and stepped back, faltering.
“N-No! Why are you taking off your clothes?”
“Watch closely.”
“Huh?”
What am I supposed to watch? This old man, is he out of his mind?
I screamed and covered my eyes, but then I heard Yeon-ryang's voice.
“He's telling you to watch how a body covered in a Protective Aura deflects Hidden Weapons.”
He seemed to have woken up from the commotion, scratching his head as he walked out of the inn.
“You need to explain it properly, Bald Monk. You're scaring my sister. What are you doing taking your clothes off in the middle of the night?”
“Are you awake?”
“I told you to do it moderately, but you're having too much fun. You crazy bastard.”
“The brat's movements are quite good, so I got excited. She's much better than any Dragon Phoenix Unit rookie. They couldn't even withstand it. They were knocked out with one punch.”
Beopgong waved his hand at Yeon-ryang and then looked at me again.
“Brat. Throw more. You have a lot of Hidden Weapons, right?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Think of me as your enemy and throw them.”
Beopgong grinned and beckoned with his finger. His golden eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, twisted eerily.
He wasn't going to let me go until I played along.
I exhaled and put my hand into my sleeve, and Beopgong lowered his stance and began to gather his Qi.
The pressure, as if his hand was strangling my neck, made my fingertips tremble slightly.
Feeling overwhelmed by his force, I gritted my teeth and scattered Feather Needles.
Even with the pouring Feather Needles, Beopgong was full of composure.
“Ugh!”
Rather, I had to scream and step back. This was because the Poison Needles deflected by the Protective Aura poured back at me.
Wow, is this a scam?
As I deflected the Hidden Weapons with my Flying Dagger in shock, Beopgong, grinning slyly, swung his fist.
The movements were so fast that afterimages remained, making it feel as if several people were attacking me at the same time.
I hesitated and changed the trajectory of my Flying Dagger, which I was about to grip in reverse and slam down.
I almost stabbed Beopgong's shoulder with the blade.
As I stepped back in embarrassment and threw an Insignia, Beopgong caught it lightly and asked.
“Brat. How long are you going to keep running away? Stop doing that and hit me once.”
“How can I do anything when you deflect everything!”
“Then use your fists!”
“How can I use my fists on you! What crazy person would have a fistfight with a Shaolin disciple! Oppa! Do something about this old man!”
“……Sorry. Oppa is still not fully sober.”
“Ugh, come on!”
I screamed and rolled on the ground to avoid Beopgong. Every time he swung his arm, large palm-shaped pits were dug into the ground.
When I couldn't counterattack, Beopgong seemed to lose interest and tripped me, causing me to fall.
Beopgong sat on my back, which was lying on the ground, and pressed down on me with force.
“Agh! Why is this old man so heavy!”
“To withstand the Thousand-Weight Drop, you're quite something? Brat, you're sturdy.”
“Ah! Ahhh! Stop pressing down!”
“Heh. You still won't break.”
Beopgong, who was chuckling and pressing down on me, asked in a low voice.
“Dang Clan brat.”
“What.”
“Why did you change the trajectory? You could have stabbed me. What made you hesitate?”
Beopgong asked as if he couldn't understand. I turned my head and looked at him at the strange question.
“If I slammed it down like that, the Monk would get hurt.”
“Do I look like someone who would get hurt by your clumsy attack?”
“That's not it……”
“Even if I wasn't your Oppa's friend, and I was after your life, would you still act so soft?”
“Of course not.”
“Really? If I became your enemy, you could use your hands without hesitation?”
Beopgong, who had asked back in a serious voice, got up. I rubbed my stiff waist and met his gaze.
For some reason, his eyes seemed to be scolding me, and my shoulders shrank involuntarily.
“Let's change the situation. What if it wasn't me, but Yeon-ryang? What if Yeon-ryang betrayed you? You wouldn't be able to stab him, would you?”
“What are you…….”
“Wow. You haven't been chased enough yet. You're hesitating about this.”
At Beopgong's sarcasm, Yeon-ryang stood in front of me.
“Beopgong. Stop it.”
“There are guys like you sometimes. They have talent, and their physique is good. They're smart and follow instructions well, right? But when you actually tell them to use their hands on someone, they hesitate.”
“I told you to stop.”
Ignoring Yeon-ryang's dissuasion, Beopgong continued to speak.
“Do you know why? Because they know their Martial Prowess, so they're afraid. They vividly imagine the situation where blood and flesh are splattering. So they just give up.”
“I…….”
I moved my lips, but avoided Beopgong's gaze.
……There's no way I'd be happy to hurt someone.
“You know, if you use your hands half-heartedly because you're reluctant to kill, you'll only accumulate grudges. That's the stupidest thing to do.”
“Beopgong!”
“Be quiet. I'm talking to your sister. Brat, I'm not going to argue about your morality. But you can be a little less kind. There's no need to think too deeply.”
Beopgong, who had paused for a moment, shook his fist.
“First, overwhelm them with force. If you overwhelm them so that they can't even think about revenge, everything will be fine.”
“Overwhelm them?”
“Yes. Martial Artists are all blockheads who only communicate with force. They don't care what kind of person the other person is. All they care about is whether you're stronger than them or not.”
It was a confident voice.
“If you want to have a rational conversation, beat them up first. If you beat them up just enough, they'll all listen to you.”
“Don't teach the kid weird things……”
Yeon-ryang rubbed his forehead as if he was going crazy.
I stroked my chin, pondering Beopgong's advice. The expression was rough, but it wasn't wrong.
Yeon-ryang also told me to destroy their weapons first. Isn't it the same context? It means that if you make them lose their will to fight, you can solve it through conversation.
“So-hye-ya. That's not it. Don't be tempted.”
“It's not?”
“Yes. It's not.”
Yeon-ryang shook his head firmly and glared at Beopgong.
“Bald Monk. Watch your words.”
“What's there to watch out for? I've said it nicely enough. Anyway, it's not that your temperament is bad, brat. Knowing exactly what power you have and what you can do is an advantage. It's much better than running wild without knowing your place.”
“…….”
“You're not the only one who loses your mind in actual combat. All the Orthodox Faction brats are like that too. They only know how to do the obvious sparring that the adults have set up for them. Even if they get cut a little, they make a fuss and take them to the medical room to pour Wound Remedy, so there's no way they can develop a sense of actual combat. You're younger than them, so the situation is better.”
Beopgong, who patted my shoulder as if comforting me, laughed playfully.
“Don't worry. I can solve your problem. This is my specialty.”
“Solve it? How?”
“First, retrieve your Hidden Weapons. We have somewhere to go.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. Come on. You too, Yeon-ryang.”
“Beopgong. It's late. It's time for the kid to sleep.”
“……Heh. This guy, he's really become a dad while I wasn't looking. One night without sleep won't kill her.”
Beopgong, who was disgusted by Yeon-ryang's words, beckoned with his chin.
While I was retrieving my Hidden Weapons, Yeon-ryang was whispering something to Beopgong with an unwilling face. As I approached the two, Beopgong gestured.
“Let's go.”
Beopgong seemed to know the surrounding area well, striding confidently down the dark road.
Just when I was starting to get anxious about how far we were going, Beopgong, who had stopped in front of a road leading to a narrow valley, opened his mouth.
“Brat. You know the saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot,' right?”
“I know.”
“Now is exactly that moment.”
“Huh?”
As I blinked at the incomprehensible words, Beopgong gestured towards the valley across the way.
“That's Ghost Spirit Valley. It's where the Unorthodox bastards live in droves.”
“Ah. Yes. But why are we going to an Unorthodox den at this hour……?”
“If you face those guys, you'll get a sense of what you need to do. Now, go! Brat!”
Then, he lifted me up and threw me into the valley.
The feeling of my body floating in the air made me scream involuntarily.
“Aaaaaah!”
This old man is really crazy!
