Chapter 191 – To the Hometown (3)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Undecided?”
“Yes.”
At the martial nephew’s polite answer, Pae-yul stroked his chin.
“In other words, it means you will stay at the Alliance for the time being.”
“That is so, Martial Uncle.”
“Hmm.”
Pae-yul fell deep into thought.
Cheok-gang asked cautiously.
“Um… Martial Uncle.”
“What is it?”
“May I ask you one thing?”
This guy hasn’t changed.
Cheok-gang was a child famous for having a particularly belligerent personality even in Diancang. However, he was deeply polite to adults and was imprinted as a dangerous person to his martial siblings.
Such a guy had entered the Evil-Annihilating Army and was receiving good evaluations.
For a young man of that age, it was something that could easily make him arrogant. Even so, Cheok-gang hadn’t changed from before.
Pae-yul acknowledged that aspect of Cheok-gang. This guy, whatever else, was consistent.
“Ask.”
“All the other Martial Uncles have returned to the main mountain, so why are you remaining at the Alliance, Martial Uncle?”
The corners of Pae-yul’s mouth slightly curled up.
“Why? Do you really hate seeing me idling around without doing anything?”
“Heok! N-No! I am asking because I am truly curious.”
This is why a person shouldn’t do what they don’t usually do. It was a word thrown as a joke, but the martial nephew’s face became completely pale.
Pae-yul leaned his back against the chair as if languid.
“Even if I return to the main mountain, there is nothing else to do. It’s just a continuation of training.”
“Ah…”
While nodding his head, Cheok-gang inwardly felt puzzled.
Pae-yul was a martial arts maniac and a battle maniac. He equated the pursuit and training of martial arts to breathing, and if it was a fight, he didn’t care who the opponent was.
It was puzzling that such a Martial Uncle would make such a remark. Because he thought he was a person who wouldn’t change until he died.
‘There must have been a change of heart that I don’t know about.’
Cheok-gang opened his mouth.
“By the way, the Sect Leader isn’t seen? It seems the Honored Guest Meeting has opened.”
“It’s obvious.”
He didn’t know what there was to discuss so much. Since Pae-yul hated complicated things in the first place, he couldn’t understand the way the high-ups handled matters.
Pae-yul’s eyes, which were looking up at the ceiling with a languid face, were full of lethargy.
‘As expected, there are no particularly interesting things in the Murim Alliance either.’
He didn’t exactly come with the thought of getting a position.
However, since unfathomable masters would gather, he thought he would be able to share a round of wonderful bouts with them. He had come on this road looking only at that one thing.
Yet, up to now, he had never competed in a bout worthy of the name. There were many masters, but they all spared their bodies without exception.
Because there was nothing good about standing out for no reason. In the first place, they hadn’t come to fight, but only with the thought of taking up a position.
‘Even so, the reason I’m still attached to the Alliance is probably because I couldn’t throw away a shred of expectation.’
Pae-yul smiled bitterly.
‘This too is an inner demon.’
What is an inner demon anyway. Becoming lethargic without a reason and blurting out uncharacteristic words and actions, that is exactly an inner demon.
‘It won’t do. I should leave the Alliance sooner or later.’
Recently, he had even been skipping the training he liked so much. Since he couldn’t tolerate the skills he had accumulated so far decreasing, it was at the level of just maintaining them.
At this point, he didn’t even know what to do to make his martial arts develop. Truly, he never imagined such a moment would come in his life.
It was then.
“Yo!”
At the voice coming from outside the window, Cheok-gang’s eyes widened.
“Uh? Commander?”
Pae-yul’s eyes flashed.
‘Commander? Yeon Ho-jeong?’
A booming voice continued.
“Is Cheok-gang there? Let’s meet for a bit.”
Cheok-gang stood up from his seat.
“Martial Uncle. I will be back after a moment.”
“Yes.”
Cheok-gang hurriedly left the room.
Pae-yul, who had been adhering to a languid posture, suddenly felt curiosity arise and moved to the window.
“Heok! Commander!”
“I’m sorry. For calling you when you’re resting well.”
“Not at all. But… your condition looks quite bad?”
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked his shoulder.
“Because I had a round with my father. I couldn’t handle it, still.”
“With the Clan Head Yeon?”
“Then do I have another father besides him?”
Pae-yul’s eyes sparkled.
Clan Head Yeon? Judge Sword Yeon Wi?
‘A bout… between father and son, is it.’
For a moment, Pae-yul felt an intense competitive spirit surging up from deep within his chest.
Pae-yul had also personally seen the martial arts of Yeon Wi, also called the Judge Sword and Judge Great Hero. Someday, when the Yeon father and son had a spar at the Murim Alliance inner castle training ground, he was also present there.
Yeon Wi’s martial arts were completely different from what Pae-yul pursued. Formal and maintaining dignity, the orthodox sword technique that pursued the completion of a clear Sword Way rather than the killing power of martial arts seemed frustrating at first glance.
However, the Sword Force residing in that frustration was tremendously shocking. The pressure of a thousand catties loaded in every single sword strike. It was a complete sword technique that crumbled Yeon Ho-jeong’s extremely practical martial arts from the roots.
‘And.’
Pae-yul’s eyes reached Yeon Ho-jeong.
‘That guy’s martial arts, which pushed forward with a thorough Killing Art while disrupting the iron wall-like sword technique of such a Clan Head Yeon, were more impressive.’
Rather than Yeon Wi, it was Yeon Ho-jeong.
He wanted to fight Yeon Wi too, but he really wanted to decide a bout with Yeon Ho-jeong over and over again.
It wasn’t simply because Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts were practical. Looking at Yeon Ho-jeong’s fight, he felt an overwhelming emotion that made him sweat in his hands for some reason.
He was a guy who innately possessed abundant temperament of a competitor. At the same time, he also had the temperament of a warrior who would commit any act to kill an enemy.
‘Just like me.’
Diancang’s martial arts belonged to the most practical among the Nine Sects.
And Pae-yul was one of the people who believed extremely in that practical martial learning. Cheok-gang was also walking that path, but the depth was different.
‘I want to fight him.’
The lethargy and emptiness that had been exuding from his whole body blew away as if washed. Pae-yul’s eyes looking at Yeon Ho-jeong gradually became hot.
“By the way, what matter… Ah! Please come in first. I will serve you a cup of tea.”
“It’s fine. Because I’m going to leave soon.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Anyway, are you busy?”
“Not at all.”
“And your internal injuries haven’t healed yet?”
“There’s a little bit left, but I think it will all heal in roughly ten days.”
“Is that so?”
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked his chin.
‘As expected, is it a bit too much.’
It was a mission he had personally stepped forward to undertake to minimize allies’ damage and to thoroughly dig into the relationship between Yang Cheon and the Three Cults.
However, even for him, there had to be a limit to handling matters. In other words, it meant he had to step forward together with trustworthy people.
It is good to be with those whose skills are outstanding. But more than that, they had to be in tune. This mission was such a mission.
‘Moreover, I must not be caught using the Orthodox Path’s martial arts.’
Of course, since all sorts of people gathered in the Black Path Murim, there were also many who used the Orthodox factions’ martial arts.
Still, it was better not to use them if possible. Because there was nothing good about unnecessarily focusing attention.
Thinking from that aspect, Cheok-gang was perfect. Diancang Sect’s martial arts were particularly practical, and if modified slightly, they rather looked like an Unorthodox faction’s martial arts.
‘However.’
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Cheok-gang’s face.
He had become quite mature through the past missions, but it was a face that still had a boyish look. Unlike his rough fighting methods, his gentle eyes were truly impressive.
‘Cheok-gang is a guy who would unhesitatingly jump even into a sea of fire if it was my order. Looking at it from that aspect, it would be good to be together, but…’
Yeon Ho-jeong inwardly sighed.
‘As expected, it won’t do.’
He had thought he absolutely had to take Cheok-gang with him, but looking at his face like this, he changed his mind.
‘He is qualified in all aspects, but… this guy, if he makes a mistake, he could die.’
When Cheok-gang’s heat rises, his field of vision narrows. Depending on the situation, it could be a wonderful advantage, but in this mission, it would act as a fatal flaw.
“No. I think I said something unnecessary.”
“Why? What is the matter?”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“I received a mission. It’s not an Evil-Annihilating Army mission, it’s a mission I obtained independently.”
“Heot? What kind of mission is it?”
“It’s a bit dangerous. Because we have to dig into the Black Path.”
Cheok-gang’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“The Black Path?”
“Yeah. Although it’s an independent mission, I’m recruiting people to do it together, but as expected, you won’t do.”
“Why? Why? I am fine though? As for the internal injury, if I pay a little more attention to it, I can fix it even within five days? I’m serious?”
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked Cheok-gang’s head.
Cheok-gang made a sound like a crow.
“Because there is something more important than martial arts. It’s not because your skills are lacking that I’m doing this, so there’s no need to hurt your pride.”
Cheok-gang stuck out his lips sullenly.
“If you were going to do that, why did you come all the way here.”
“Tsk, tell me about it.”
Yeon Ho-jeong patted his shoulder.
“Anyway, rest for the time being. Don’t skip your training.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was about to turn his body, suddenly looked up at the window on the second floor of Cheok-gang’s quarters. Pae-yul was looking down at him from there.
Yeon Ho-jeong silently bowed his head. He had shown proper courtesy to a senior.
It was then.
Parararak!
In an instant, Pae-yul threw his body out the window and landed in front of the gate.
Wondering appeared on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
“Senior?”
It was different from how he treated him when they met at the Murim Alliance gate. It meant he knew how to distinguish public and private matters.
Pae-yul asked in a calm voice.
“You received a mission?”
“That is so.”
“If a person of your level says it’s dangerous, it must not be an ordinary mission.”
“It is very dangerous.”
“What kind of mission is it?”
Yeon Ho-jeong smacked his lips.
“I am sorry. I cannot tell you.”
This was thoroughly a public matter. No matter how much of a Murim senior he was, he couldn’t readily let him know about official business.
“Is that so.”
Pae-yul nodded his head.
“At any rate, the fact that you came to that kid means you judged that a guy like him would be of some help, right?”
“That is so, but.”
Wondering arose on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face. He wondered why this gentleman, whom he had met only once and naturally had never shared any friendship with, kept acting like this.
Pae-yul said straightforwardly.
“That mission, I don’t know what it is, but I want to do it together.”
“Yes?”
“Why? Do you think even my level is lacking?”
Why is this gentleman suddenly acting like this?
Yeon Ho-jeong suppressed the surging questions and answered.
“That is so.”
Pae-yul’s eyebrows twitched.
“In what aspect? Surely you don’t mean to say my skills are lacking.”
“How could that be. However, this mission requires various elements besides skills. Thinking of that, I think Senior is not suitable for this mission.”
“I want to hear the reason.”
“In this mission, there is a separate commander, but the person in charge in the field is me. And we need a person who can react immediately to dropped orders.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“Senior, can you jump into a place of death without looking back at the order of a junior far younger than you?”
Pae-yul could not answer.
Yeon Ho-jeong bowed his head.
“I will see you again later. Then.”
He passed by Pae-yul’s side and opened the gate.
It was then.
“Listening to the order of a far younger junior is a pride-hurting thing, no matter how much it’s during the execution of a public mission.”
“…?”
“However, if it’s an opponent who defeated me, it’s a different story.”
Yeon Ho-jeong paused for a moment.
Welling up.
A fierce aura like a beast was billowing up from behind his back.
“When it comes to a bout, there is no one as clean as me. If you defeat me, at least in this mission, I will obey your orders without any complaints. If you tell me to die, I could actually die for you instead of pretending to die.”
“…!!”
“How about it? Will you try having a round with me?”