Chapter 146
146
Damn family! Never helpful in life!
Swallowing the curse that rose to my throat, I twisted my body, and the Old man chuckled in response.
"Misunderstanding? This old one has come to the right place. Isn't Young lady the only disciple of Poison King?"
"Yes? Yes, I am, but, Ack!"
"Having inherited Poison King's martial arts, it's only natural to inherit his karma as well."
"No, that's just absurd...! Please, talk it out! Old man! What happened between you and Grandfather that makes you act like this?"
"Hehe, curious?"
The Old man, who answered, slowly tilted his bamboo hat back. His crazed eyes gleamed eerily.
The burning gaze made me want to hiccup, erasing any curiosity I had.
Making eye contact with me, he released the pressure from my wrist and smiled kindly, like a Grandfather telling an old tale.
"This old one first entered the Murim Alliance at the age of twenty."
"Yes?"
"At that time, your master was over ninety years old."
Looking at the sky with a wistful expression as if reminiscing about the past, he turned back to me and contorted his face.
"Back when my martial prowess was meager, I didn't recognize that the old master was a Reverting to Childhood expert. Mistaking him for a child who had come with his parents, I patted his head, only to be hung upside down at the Murim Alliance's main gate."
"Oh... I see."
I had heard that Grandfather hated being touched... He had quite the temper.
As I stammered, speechless, he ground his teeth.
"Is that all? He nitpicked and harassed me at every turn. He always frowned at the sight of this old one, calling me a dimwit. When I was in the Thousand Army Knights, I had to rewrite my reports so many times that I still dream of rewriting reports all night long."
...Ah. I understand the feeling of rewriting reports while working overtime. Grandfather was in the wrong here.
I fidgeted, watching the Old man's expression. It seemed he had deep emotional scars with Grandfather.
Unable to suppress his anger, the Old man's voice grew louder.
"And yet, for what reason did he place that dimwit in the position of Alliance Leader!"
"Yes?"
"After harassing me my whole life, why did he recommend me for that position in the end! I wanted to soak my hands in gold and go fishing in my hometown...! If this isn't a way to mess with me, then what is it!"
"Um, Old man? Are you the Alliance Leader?"
"The old master is enjoying his retirement, watching his granddaughter's antics, while this Wi Ji-gok has to look after the Alliance's affairs even in his old age! Isn't that too much!"
Flustered, I carefully examined the face of the Old man who was shouting. It seemed to be the same face I had seen at Grandfather's residence once.
Why is the Murim Alliance Leader here? Was the tail Geun-myeong felt the Alliance Leader?
Wi Ji-gok, who roughly threw off his bamboo hat, pointed at me.
"I always thought. If I ever met the disciple of Poison King, I would do the same to her! That's how I endured for 60 years! A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after 10 years!"
"Yes? No, why is the blame being shifted to me! That's a story from long before I was even born!"
At my shout, he snorted like a bull.
"It is the way of the Jianghu for disciples to inherit the grudges of their masters!"
"There's no such thing!"
If 60 years have passed, just forget about the grudges!
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt, and he began to swing his fishing rod again.
I tried to avoid Wi Ji-gok's attacks, jumping around like a foal with its tail on fire.
As the hem of my robe was cut off by the fishing line, a desperate plea involuntarily burst out.
"Alliance Leader! I understand how you feel, but it's not right to do this to me! I'm not Grandfather!"
"I'm still burning with anger inside, so why shouldn't I? Hahaha."
"I'm going to tell Grandfather!"
"Go ahead. Who knows when the old master will finish his closed-door training. Hahaha."
Ugh. Grandfather! What kind of life have you lived!
After running away from Dang Jung while resenting him for what felt like an eternity, I soon fell into a state of being dangling from a fishing hook.
Only after catching me did Wi Ji-gok seem to feel a bit relieved, stroking his beard with a pleased smile.
"I've always wanted to hook a Green Robe by the scruff of the neck like this..."
Fortunately, he didn't seem to have any intention of threatening me any further.
He shook the fishing rod back and forth, watching me scream for a long time, then retracted the fishing hook with a satisfied look.
"Hehe, there's no fun in catching a minnow. I must let it grow so that I can have even greater pleasure in the future."
You've already enjoyed it enough.
I was dumbfounded, but it wouldn't do any good to provoke him. I shook off the crumpled Green Robe and backed away from him.
Wi Ji-gok, who was watching me tidy my clothes, shook his fishing rod and asked.
"Do you know how to fish?"
"Yes?"
"I see the bait, but I don't see the fishing rod. Would you like to borrow this old one's fishing rod?"
"......Yes?"
He was acting kindly, as if he hadn't just caught me and tormented me. The way he was acting completely different from before gave me goosebumps.
Is this old man a split personality?
The supreme decision-maker of the Murim Alliance, which protects the Central Plains.
The center of the Alliance, commanding the Thousand Army Knights, one of the most elite armed groups, as his personal guard, Murim Alliance Leader Wi Ji-gok.
He was...
"Your fishing skills are terrible. Is that how Poison King taught you?"
He was sitting me down and teaching me how to fish.
"Stop bringing up Grandfather. If Grandfather comes out, I'm going to tell him that Alliance Leader bullied me."
"Ahem. Hmm."
Wi Ji-gok, who coughed at my sullen reply, tapped the fishing line. I sighed and kneaded the bait.
Sitting side by side with the Old man, who had been trying to kill me until just now, and casting a fishing rod, I wondered what I was doing.
I can't escape from this Old man with my skills. When is he going to let me go? I'm going crazy.
As I swallowed a sigh and looked into the river, Wi Ji-gok clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk. You're lacking in the basics. You shouldn't cast a shadow like that. You'll scare all the fish away."
"If they run away, I can just throw a rock and hit them."
"......"
Wi Ji-gok made a dumbfounded expression at my answer. He seemed speechless, opening and closing his mouth, then said in a coaxing tone.
"That's not how you fish. That's hunting. What's the fun in catching fish that you can see? The charm of fishing is not knowing what you'll catch."
Then he chuckled.
"Well, it's hard to get into fishing at your age. As you live, you'll realize that it's more comfortable to sit by the river and hope for a big catch than to expect something from people and be disappointed."
"I see."
"Hahaha. If your master hadn't forced this old one to sit in the Alliance, I would have given it all up and been fishing by now."
I could feel the resentment towards Grandfather again in his added words. I pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
"Um. Yes. But can we really catch carp here? I haven't had a nibble yet."
"Hehe. Don't worry, even if you don't catch anything, I'll catch something for you. This old one was once called the Dongting Fishing Master."
It was a confident reply, but somehow I didn't trust it.
It sounded like a nickname given for catching people instead of fish.
At that moment, the fishing rod shook lightly.
"Oh my, we're getting a nibble. Gently pull it in."
Wi Ji-gok, who lowered his voice, pretended to pull the fishing rod. As I clumsily followed him and pulled the fishing line, a carp the size of my palm came up.
It was a bit small to boil down for carp juice.
As I pondered whether to just let it go or take it, Ju-ryeong, who had stood up on its hind legs, tapped the carp.
Flap!
"Kya!"
Ju-ryeong, who jumped up as the carp flapped, bared its teeth and stepped back.
"Why are you surprised when you're the one who touched it?"
"Kyoo."
Ju-ryeong, dejected, burrowed into my arms.
"What are you going to use the carp for?"
"I'm going to boil it down to make carp juice."
"It's too small for that. Give me the fishing rod. I'll catch one for you."
Wi Ji-gok, who laughed heartily, held out his hand. I obediently handed him the fishing rod, rolled my eyes, and hugged my knees.
It was difficult to guess what this Old man was up to when he came to find me.
He had vented his anger on me, but that couldn't be his real purpose.
Grandfather always said that he had a sly old fox in his belly.
He definitely wanted something from me, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
Wiping the sweat from my hands, I slowly opened my mouth.
"Alliance Leader."
"I'm listening."
"What do you want from me?"
"Hmm? Does it seem like this old one wants something from Young lady?"
"Yes. You wouldn't have come all the way here just to catch carp for me, when every minute and second is precious to you."
As I answered clearly, he chuckled while putting bait on the fishing hook.
"Hehe. Unlike Young lady's brother, you know how to think. Young Patriarch Tang seems to wear decorations instead of a head."
He muttered something that was hard to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult, then cast the fishing rod towards the river.
"Since Young lady is guessing, there's no need to beat around the bush. I heard that your position in the family is unstable due to the old master's closed-door training."
Wi Ji-gok's eyes, watching the calm river, sank low.
"Then you'll need a new windbreak. This old one will protect Young lady until the old master's closed-door training is over."
"Yes?"
"Entrust yourself to the Murim Alliance."
