Chapter 119
119
Whoosh!
Dust flew as one leg slid out a long way.
Unintentionally making a show of it, I steadied myself with a hand on the ground and quickly got up.
The two Gatekeepers guarding the entrance to the valley stared at me with dubious eyes.
"What is it? A girl?"
"Do you know where this is to be barging in like that?"
"Ahaha, hello. It's not that I came in on purpose, it's just..."
Just then, Beopgong mimicked a thin voice and shouted.
"I cannot live under the same sky as the evil villains who disturb my hometown! Today, this body will personally punish you!"
It's not my hometown! What is that old man talking about!
The Gatekeepers' faces turned grim at Beopgong's nonsense.
"These days, kids have no fear. They don't know their place and rush in like moths to a flame, talking about chivalry, chivalry."
"That's slander! I have no intention of acting chivalrous!"
While retreating and making excuses against the pouring murderous intent, the other Gatekeeper frantically shook the rope attached to a bell and shouted.
"Intruder! Intruder!"
Ding! Ding! Ding!
With the loud ringing of the bell, Martial Artists poured out from inside the narrow valley. There was nowhere to run.
I grimaced and grabbed a handful of Poison powder.
"Ah, Monk Beopgong! What is this all about!"
"Clean it up yourself! If you don't do it right, I won't take you to the Murim Alliance!"
"I'm going to put Poison in your morning rice!"
Just you wait. If I get out of here alive, I'll deal with that bald Monk first.
\ \ \
Yeon-ryang paced anxiously near the valley. The sounds coming from inside Ghost Spirit Valley were ominous.
"Kuaaak! It's Paralysis Poison! Be careful!"
"You rat-like thing!"
"The rat-like thing is your front teeth! Looks like they're good for gnawing radishes!"
"Can't you shut that mouth! I won't let you get away with this!"
Beopgong, who had been listening quietly, exclaimed in admiration and glanced at Yeon-ryang.
"Wow. Yeon-ryang. Your sister's Inciting Tactics are quite something. She's good at provoking people."
"...I think she's been corrupted because of me. She wasn't like this before."
"I don't know. I think that mouth is innate."
Unlike Beopgong, who replied nonchalantly, Yeon-ryang looked uneasy. After biting his lip for a while, Yeon-ryang seemed to have made up his mind and reached for the hilt of his sword.
"Beopgong. This doesn't seem right. I have to go in."
"Wait a bit. It hasn't even been an hour since she went in. You call her your sister, but why are you acting like a dad sending his daughter on her first errand?"
"I'm worried. There are too many of them. She's only sixteen."
"Sixteen is all grown up. When I was sixteen, the Abbot threw me into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and told me to come back alive."
"Are you and So-hye the same? You were a monster who went around crushing your own martial uncles."
Beopgong snorted at Yeon-ryang's irritation.
"Tsk. I wondered why that little one was so unusually docile, and it was because of you? Yeon-ryang, you deliberately kept the kid from using her hands, didn't you? Afraid she'd be shocked?"
"......"
"Don't do that. Just coddling her will ruin her. She won't die from just that much. Just watch quietly today. She'll wake up when a sword almost takes her head off a few times."
"Still..."
"When we get to the Alliance, Ak Ji-baek will interrogate you. He'll definitely check out anything related to the Demonic Sect. It's not a bad idea to build up her grit in advance if you want to face that level of expert. You're not going to keep her by your side forever, are you?"
At Beopgong's cold advice, Yeon-ryang sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Excuses rose to the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't argue because what he said wasn't entirely wrong.
No, in fact, Beopgong was right.
If everything was resolved, his sister would naturally return to the Tang Clan.
So, he had to start preparing to let her go.
But...
'Brother! Let's eat breakfast!'
Could he return to a life without the voice that called him every morning?
Could he wander the Jianghu alone again?
'Brother. How do you make a fire without Fire Tinder? I don't know what a flint is.'
Every time that child relied on him, every time he taught her something, Yeon-ryang felt like he had become a pretty decent adult.
Even a human being like him, who was useless except for wielding a blood-soaked sword and was a complete mess, could pretend to be an ordinary older brother taking care of his sister.
He wondered if this was what an ordinary family was like.
He really liked it.
But wanting more than this was Yeon-ryang's greed.
Even if he called himself her older brother, the child's real family was somewhere else, wasn't it?
Yeon-ryang smiled bitterly and quietly clenched his fist.
His mouth felt gritty, as if it was full of sand.
\ \ \
His breathing grew rapid.
His heart beat fast, and the muscles all over his body were stretched taut as if they would burst.
The enemies sprawled on the ground were motionless, as if completely overcome by the Poison.
He wanted to retreat at this point, but Beopgong was sitting in the retreat with a face that said it was impossible.
He shouted, sounding bored.
"Hey kid! When are you going to finish! It'll be dawn soon!"
"Is that what you say after suddenly throwing someone in here?"
"I thought you'd clean it up quickly, but you're too slow. Use some strength. You shouldn't tarnish your master's name."
"Why are you bringing up Grandpa? Are you trying to fight? Shut your mouth!"
"You were just running away a while ago. Now you want to fight me? I'm all for it."
"Ugh!"
He's so annoying, really!
How did Yeon-ryang become friends with an old man like that?
As I grumbled and wiped the sweat flowing down my forehead, my vision cleared.
I glared at the enemy in front of me and estimated how many Hidden Weapons I had left. I could probably handle about four more exchanges.
The swordsman, flinching at my gaze, hesitated and stepped back.
"Hmph, a young girl is quite something."
"Your tongue is quite long. You're barely standing, but you still have the energy to bluff? Should I put a Poison Needle in your tongue too?"
"You... insolent! Even if I have to die with you, I'll kill you!"
"Euhahahah!"
I heard Beopgong laughing and saying something to Yeon-ryang.
"Hey. That's not something you can learn. It's innate."
"It's all my fault..."
Ignoring the incomprehensible words, I put strength into my legs.
Since the opponent's center of gravity is shaking, don't give him a chance and push him all at once.
If I defeat this one, that's fourteen.
Next...
"Monk Beopgong, just wait a moment! I'm going to stick a Flying Dagger in that old man's crown!"
"Kuhahahaha, I'll be looking forward to it!"
That bald Monk makes fifteen!
I gritted my teeth and readjusted my Flying Dagger.
\ \ \
Beopgong laughed until his stomach hurt as he watched Dang So-hye's back.
"Keuhuk, what is it? That little one is funny. She was fussing about trying not to draw blood by forcibly twisting the trajectory of her Flying Dagger a while ago. Now she looks like she's about to beat me to death?"
"You provoked her."
"Your sister has quite the temper, doesn't she? She seems docile, but if you touch her the wrong way, she'll foam at the mouth and attack. I guess Tang Clan blood can't be hidden."
Beopgong chuckled and put his arm around Yeon-ryang's shoulder, pointing his finger.
"See? I'm right, aren't I? The way the kid moves is getting more and more different. Orthodox Faction kids need to be rolled around first. They grow as much as they're rolled around."
"It's annoying, but you're right."
Yeon-ryang scratched his head, replying gruffly.
It looked that way to him too. The more exchanges Dang So-hye had with the enemy, the more noticeably her movements improved.
"Is it because she's a Tang Clan kid? She definitely has a talent for one-on-many battles. Judging by the way she hits and runs, she knows exactly when the Poison is spreading in her body. She uses the terrain well too."
"She's had so much Poison fed to her, she has to know exactly. I've drunk gallons of it."
"What?"
"No. Just talking to myself."
Yeon-ryang waved his hand, smacking his lips. Beopgong snorted as if it was bland and said.
"So stop trembling and roll her around. If you can't roll her around, should I roll her around for you? It'll take some time to get to Mu Han, right?"
"Fourteen! I caught them all! Brother! Hold that Monk tight! I'm really not going to let him get away with this!"
Seeing Dang So-hye running towards him while shouting, Yeon-ryang smiled kindly and whispered as if confiding.
"Get lost. You bastard."
\ \ \
Im Seol-yak stood still and looked up at the high wall.
The Tang Clan manor built in the center of Chengdu was not much different from what Im Seol-yak remembered.
Was that why?
'If you come to Sichuan, be sure to stay. We will always provide Guest quarters for you.'
The unpleasant voice from long ago brushed past his ears and disappeared.
'Am I really getting old? My mind is wandering.'
Swallowing a sigh, Im Seol-yak slowly approached the city gate. Thanks to the hateful old man who cherished and cared for it for over a hundred years, the Tang Clan seemed to have prospered even more, rather than declining.
The Gatekeeper, intimidated by Im Seol-yak's arrogant attitude, asked politely.
"What business do you have?"
Im Seol-yak silently raised his Hoteng above his head.
Not at his chest or shoulders, but above his head. At the action of someone claiming to be a noble doctor, the Gatekeeper asked again.
"Are you a doctor?"
"Yes. I came to see a patient."
The Gatekeeper slowly scanned the unfamiliar doctor.
His slender, long hands were smooth without a trace of hardship. He didn't smell of herbs, which was typical of doctors, and above all, he was too young.
He didn't seem old enough to have the skills to care for the Young Master's illness.
"It seems you're a Wanderer doctor who came after hearing rumors about Young Master. Please go back. The Lady of the House has ordered that no one of uncertain identity be allowed in."
Im Seol-yak stared blankly at the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper made a troubled expression and waved his hand.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Doctor, but that's the procedure. Unless you've received a letter of introduction, you can't come in empty-handed..."
In that instant, annoyance flickered in Im Seol-yak's eyes.
"...How annoying."
"H-Hik!"
As he slowly swept back his hair, the Gatekeeper, crushed by the Qi of an absolute expert, choked and collapsed to the ground with a thud. The Gatekeeper's pants began to get wet.
At the sight, a guard Martial Artist patrolling the area ran over and blew a whistle.
Wheeeee!
"Who's there!"
"Where do you think you are!"
The Tang Clan's Martial Artists, who had gathered in an instant, surrounded Im Seol-yak.
"...Haa. I shouldn't have listened to such annoying requests."
Im Seol-yak, muttering, fiddled with the whip at his waist with a bored expression. The metal and bone fragments embedded in the whip reflected the light and flashed sharply.
"Should I just kill them all?"
It was a small murmur as if whispering. But the murderous voice was enough to instill fear in everyone present.
Some of the Martial Artists, who had lost their will to fight due to the threat that seemed to be directly implanted in their heads, dropped their weapons on the ground.
At that moment, someone ran out and pushed the frightened Martial Artists back.
"What are you doing! Everyone, put away your weapons!"
Then, he politely clasped his hands in greeting.
"We greet the Divine Elder."
