Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 77



Only Krnovel

77. Preparation (1)

Suddenly, a surge of energy spread through the man’s body. Naturally, strength and tension entered his muscles. He was no ordinary man.

What’s even scarier is that even though he was exerting that much strength, it didn’t seem like he was using all his might.

‘What would happen if I used magic?’

Sure, I could become stronger if I used magic. But it seemed like no matter what I did, it wouldn’t work on that guy. Even though he was standing there with his hands hanging down, I had no idea how to attack. It felt like I was facing a moving iron wall.

“You were nervous.”

“yes.”

“I like it when you’re honest.”

“There is no need to show off your pride.”

“Usually, unmanned people live off of their pride alone?”

“I don’t call those people fools, I call them idiots.”

“Heh heh heh.”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily.

“What is your Tao?”

“There is no guardian.”

“… … ?”

A look of confusion crossed the face of the middle-aged man who had been so relaxed until then.

“Does not having a Taoist priest mean that you are a lay disciple?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh, right.”

The middle-aged man’s interest quickly disappeared from his eyes. It seemed that he had been pestering me like this because he thought I was a disciple of the main shaman sect.

“I thought you were definitely a disciple of the main temple because you kept talking about the Haegumji.”

“Shouldn’t a lay disciple not say such things?”

“It’s not that it’s not possible. It just looks a little ugly.”

I laughed. Yes. That’s how it would look. Deep down, I knew it.

“There are lay disciples who mistakenly believe that they are the original disciples. That can happen.”

“That’s not it.”

“I thought you were a disciple of the main temple, so I thought I would teach you some lessons, but if you are a lay disciple, you probably don’t need my help.”

I saw a middle-aged man moving. In an instant, he brushed my shoulder and tried to climb up Mt. Wudang.

I reacted immediately, turned my waist, and slashed my sword horizontally.

“huh?”

A panicked voice was heard. It seemed that the middle-aged man thought I wouldn’t be able to react. A flash of light shot out from the middle-aged man’s waist and struck my sword. I immediately unleashed a gentle cloud sword technique and relieved the pain that was about to hit my wrist.

“… … This is called the Yuun Sword Technique?”

The middle-aged man looked at me as if I found it absurd.

‘Why do I have to go through all this trouble?’

I suddenly had that thought. I am just a layman. It was no wonder that the middle-aged man laughed at me. Even if it was a pseudonym, people would have to explain the difference to understand.

Haegeomji? It’s none of my business. I’m one of those who think that unnecessary traditions should be broken. They say that Haegeomji is a respect for the ancestors of the shamans, but if I were the eldest son, I would have collected a toll or abolished it.

‘but.’

Now I have no choice but to admit it.

Needless to say, if you take away my identity as a merchant from the person I am, Muk Hwi-yeong, I am not Muk Hwi-yeong.

If you take away the fact that he is a non-partisan, then that too would not be Mukhwiyeong.

“Am I losing my mind? I clearly heard that you are a lay disciple.”

“Fortunately, it’s not senility.”

“But why are you learning the Yunyun Sword Technique that only the disciples of the Wudangpa sect can use?”

A bright smile spread across the face of the middle-aged man who had been rolling his eyes while stroking his chin with his hand. Interest returned to his eyes that had been indifferent. No, it was even more blazing than before.

“It’s you. A disciple of the underworld. Mukhwiyoung.”

“Do you know me?”

“I know. How can you not know the famous person who is at the center of the current conflict in Hubei?”

The middle-aged man laughed. He certainly wasn’t hostile to me. He just tried to brush past me, just like before.

I stopped him because I thought he might be a bad guy, but he didn’t seem to be. He could just be a non-partisan listener and a friendly person.

“Since you know my name, let me ask you again. Who are you?”

“You shouldn’t ask an adult’s name lightly.”

When I was about to ask back, “Where is that kind of etiquette?”, the middle-aged man’s leg suddenly rushed in front of me and tried to sweep my ankle. I immediately raised my leg and stamped the middle-aged man’s calf with the sole of my foot. However, my attack was a futile one and only raised sand dust.

“What is this all of a sudden!”

“Didn’t you swing your sword at me too? This is a counterattack.”

“That happened reflexively because I was trying to pass by suddenly.”

“Would you still make excuses like that if I were killed by that sword?”

“If I die, I die. It’s not my life.”

“Haha. That’s clear.”

A middle-aged man spread his sword and stabbed my Adam’s apple. Judging by the speed and the force of the blow, it seemed like I would have to stay in bed for at least a few months if I got hit.

“shit!”

I tried to channel it with the Tai Chi that the executioners had taught me. Tai Chi was a martial art that focused more on defense than offense, so it was the perfect martial art for the current situation.

“Is the recommendation angle more awkward than I thought?”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. In fact, my hands were so entangled that I couldn’t stop the middle-aged man’s hands at all.

I also know that my recommended angles are not perfect. It was because I had acquired the same low-level talents, whether it was swordsmanship or martial arts, but I didn’t really learn any martial arts. The only thing I was confident in was the swordsmanship I had learned, including the Yuun Sword Technique.

I immediately bent my waist with the Iron Plate method. The bloody water passed over the place where my Adam’s apple had been. My upper body and the ground were level. I cut diagonally with my sword in that position. Of course, there was a middle-aged man in the center of the diagonal trajectory.

“Your swordsmanship is excellent.”

It was a desperate measure, but the middle-aged man blocked it by striking the blade with the handle. It was an incredibly precise move, even when I saw it with my own eyes.

“Show me more of yourself!”

The middle-aged man shouted. It was only natural that a sword would fly along with the shout.

I used the Yuun Sword Technique again. It was the best sword technique I could use at the moment.

The fog rising from my sword and the mountainous terrain of Mt. Wudang blended together to create a landscape that resembled a fairyland.

The middle-aged man’s sword was the most mysterious of all the swordsmanship I’ve ever encountered. When I thought it contained the secrets of hegemony, it contained the secrets of flexibility. Sometimes it was full of empty words, and at other times it was full of real words. It was a swordsmanship that truly fit the description of a thousand and one transformations.

What’s surprising is that although these various mysteries should look messy if they are mixed together, they connect very naturally.

I absentmindedly struck the middle-aged man’s sword. Before I knew it, the fog of the Yuun Sword Technique had thickened even more. It meant that the achievement of the Yuun Sword Technique had increased.

“Ugh.”

An exclamation came from the mouth of a middle-aged man. It was a heartfelt exclamation that made one feel the boiling inside of one’s lungs even when one heard it briefly in the midst of one’s confusion.

“What a wonderful idea!”

When I heard that, I knew. The middle-aged man was teaching me something, for some reason.

The middle-aged man kept changing his sword, and he adjusted his speed and strength to mine. In fact, if he had been sincere, I would have been slaughtered in the blink of an eye. I should have suspected that I had exchanged a few dozen points with him.

“I guess I’ll have to stop here. Old people don’t like this kind of thing.”

The middle-aged man stepped back as he spoke. As the swords separated, I felt a deep sense of regret. The more we clashed, the more I learned.

It wasn’t long before people started to catch my eye. Maybe the middle-aged man sensed them coming and did something about it.

“Who is making noise in the shaman’s territory?”

The person at the very front was Jang Moon-in, Cheong-ui. It seemed that he had sensed that the atmosphere was ominous and had come down himself.

“Oh. It’s been a while. Your Majesty the Blue.”

The middle-aged man greeted them sarcastically. The elders of the shaman sect, including Cheong-ui, looked at the middle-aged man and their eyes grew wide.

“… … Leader?”

“Haha. I came without telling you and this is what happened.”

I was just as surprised as the people were. There were many people in this political party who claimed to be the leader of an organization called Maeng (盟), but there was only one person who would listen to the leader of the non-partisan faction.

“The Sojeheon of the Mukgeomhyeop?”

“Oh. You knew me.”

Sojeheon laughed heartily. I was dumbfounded.

The person I was dealing with just now was one of the five greatest swordsmen in the world. The time we had just fought felt like a dream.

“I kept telling you to keep bringing me messages, but you always show up like this out of the blue. Are you ignoring me?”

“Haha. That’s possible. Jang Moon-in.”

Cheong-ui showed a look of discomfort, but So Je-heon just shrugged his shoulders and said.

I had met the next great martial arts leader in my previous life, but this was my first time seeing the current martial arts leader, So Je-heon. The Mokgyeomhyeop I had imagined was a taciturn and cold-hearted man with a sword sheath on his face, but when I saw him in person, he was just a handsome middle-aged man.

“Okay. Why are you here?”

“Don’t you have a rough idea?”

“I knew that someone from the Murim Alliance would come, but I didn’t expect the leader to come in person.”

Cheong-ui said. Of course. The Murim Alliance is the place that manages the Baekdo throughout the Central Plains. The leader is a heavy-set person who doesn’t move unless there’s something urgent.

“I came here because I have a personal question.”

“Anything you want to know? What is it?”

“Ah. It’s okay. It’s somewhat resolved.”

Sojeheon laughed heartily. Cheongui frowned and tilted her head. It seemed like she couldn’t follow Sojeheon’s words properly.

“I’m thirsty after being out for a long time. Can I get some tea?”

“Didn’t I clearly tell you not to tell your disciples anything strange?”

“It’s strange. Don’t you know? For people like us, meeting each other is a coincidence in itself.”

Sojeheon squared his shoulders and hit his chest. It was an unlucky thing to say, but it was right, so he couldn’t say anything.

“Come up. We need to talk about mediation.”

“Okay. Oh. But can this guy sit with me too?”

At the tip of Sojeheon’s finger was me. I quietly walked away. Even so, the tip of his finger followed me. Damn it. He didn’t point at the person behind me.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You.”

“The leader of the martial arts world and the leader of the shaman faction are talking, and you want me to join in?”

“You got it right.”

Sojeheon smiled brightly. Before I could say anything, Cheongui opened her mouth.

“You’re at the center of this situation, so it looks like you want to hear the circumstances. Hwiyoung. Is that okay?”

This was practically no different from taking Sojeheon’s side. I couldn’t say I wasn’t okay here, right? I looked around once more and reluctantly nodded.

“yes.”

The elders who had followed Jang Moon-in also went to carry out their respective duties, and So Je-heon, Cheong-ui, and I headed to Jang Moon-in’s office at Samcheong-gwan.

“Sit down.”

I sat down next to Sojeheon.

I’ve been here a few times, but I think this is the first time I’ve been the only kid among all these big names.

It was natural to feel uneasy, not knowing why he had called.

After Qingyi sat us down, he brought out the tea. I jumped up and tried to pour the tea myself, but Qingyi waved his hand.

“You’ve come to the Jangmunin’s room, so the Jangmunin should treat you well. Now, you’re also a guest.”

At Cheong-ui’s firm voice, I scratched my head awkwardly and sat down.

Soon, Cheong-ui poured tea into Soje-heon and me. Finally, Cheong-ui poured tea into his own teacup before sitting down.

“Yes. It seems that Jegal Se-ga has no intention of understanding.”

“That’s right.”

Cheong-ui smiled bitterly. It seemed that their opinions had been exchanged through the Murim Alliance.

It was obvious. The shamanist faction would have demanded an apology from Jegal Se-ga, and Jegal Se-ga would have refused. To be honest, I still couldn’t understand why Jegal Se-ga was acting like that, but that didn’t matter now.

“Long story, I’m also curious about what Jegal Se-ga believes in and why he’s doing this. That’s why I’m planning to leave the shamanist faction and visit Jegal Se-ga as well.

“I wonder about that too.”

For a moment, Sojeheon’s expression became serious. They too had the same questions as I did.

“So in the end, there is no other way?”

“exactly.”

So Je-heon said seriously.

“Prepare for battle.”

Cheong-ui’s face was distorted.