Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 86



Only Krnovel

86. Rotation (3)

The conflict between the children before the full-scale rotation began had a lot of meaning for them. Regardless of whether someone was right or wrong, it was a tremendous experience for the children involved.

“… … So, you’re saying that Zhuge Liang’s child was that strong?”

“Yes. It was incomparable to the opponent I faced last time.”

Cheongyi stroked his chin. Listening to Myeongil’s oral history, the child of the Zhuge family invariably used the Small Star Sword Technique. For the Wudang faction, the Small Star Sword Technique was the foundation of the sword technique that would continue to develop in the future, just like the Five Element Sword.

If it is not the case that the Zhuge family obtained other secrets from somewhere, then we can definitely conclude that the Zhuge family’s child is outstanding.

Then the question remains: why was the child of the Zhuge family, whose name is unknown, kept hidden until now?

Usually, prestigious families want to boast about their own reputation. The reason is not only the reputation of the school or the family. In particular, unlike the school that belongs only to the martial arts world, the family is closely intertwined with the commercial and political world of the Central Plains. That is why they continue to receive investment and make agreements to grow in size.

Such investments and agreements are judged by looking at future value, and one of the indicators for judging that future value is the post-index. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the post-index is the future of a sect or a Sega.

So, instead of keeping the latter index hidden, Sega had to continue to show it and promote themselves. I didn’t think that the head of the Jegal family would not know such simple principles of Sega’s operation.

“I don’t understand.”

“I was also surprised at how different it was.”

In Cheong-ui’s view, Myeong-il was not a child that Jegal Se would have promoted to avoid punishment. In fact, Myeong-il did not make any excuses, such as Jegal Se’s child using the salt first, or that he was so strong that he reached out without realizing it. He only said that he was wrong in the areas where he was wrong, and he thought deeply and answered only the parts that Cheong-ui asked.

“Still, what you did was very wrong. If you were not careful, you could have crossed the river of no return with Zhuge Liang.”

“I am sorry. I, a disciple, have made a big mistake. I will gladly accept whatever punishment you impose.”

“After this rotation is over, you will be closed in Chamhoe-dong for half a year.”

The other elders were surprised by Cheong-ui’s words. Myeong-il, who had shown the greatest achievements among the three great disciples of the distribution of Myungja, had also shown further growth in this Taegeuk inspection test, giving the elders a sense of pride. If the future of such a sect was confined to Chamhoe-dong and it went astray, it would ultimately be a loss for the shaman.

“Long-term execution. It is true that Myeong-il made a big mistake, but the repentance is too harsh on the young Myeong-il.”

“Yes. The Zhuge family said they didn’t really care, so why would we have to punish them?”

The other elders vied with each other to dissuade him. They were also non-partisan elders. They judged that sending the non-partisan leader to the Chamhoe-dong was dangerous.

“He is my disciple. Don’t talk nonsense anymore.”

Cheong-ui firmly blocked the elders’ complaints. The elders all looked around and closed their mouths. Everyone knew that Cheong-ui, who spoke so firmly, would not change his opinion easily.

“Be on your guard until you enter the Confession Hall. If you cause any more friction, it won’t be easy for me to protect you.”

“I understand. I will treasure the order of the long-suffering man.”

Myeongil bowed his head and left the long room.

“hmm.”

Cheong-ui looked at the place where Myeong-il had gone with regret. It was an inevitable decision for Jang Moon-in.

No matter how sincere and intelligent Myeong-il is, he is still a child. If he had delayed the reward and punishment for his actions, Myeong-il could have developed a wrong way of thinking. That is why Cheong-ui had no choice but to discipline Myeong-il.

“Is there anyone among the elders who knows about the movements of the Zhuge family?”

The Qing went straight to the main point. The elders had not gathered here to punish Myeongil. They were there to investigate the enemy’s power before the immediate turn.

The elders looked at each other and no one opened their mouths. This was what Cheong-ui had roughly expected.

“This is definitely strange. Compared to the other late-stage leaders of the old school, Myeong-il is a child with talent that is unparalleled. If there was a child with talent similar to Myeong-il in the Jegal family, how could it not have been exposed like a needle in a pocket?”

“We don’t quite understand either.”

There was something about Jegal Se-ga that they didn’t know. It was definitely an uncomfortable situation to not know something about the other party when the turning point was right around the corner.

“… … I guess I have no choice but to trust my disciples.”

Cheong-ui sighed. As an adult of the shamanist faction, he felt sorry and bitter that he had to just trust and look after his disciples. However, he could not turn back now. As Cheong-ui had said, he could only trust his disciples.

***

“Well done, Myeong-ah.”

Zhuge Qian placed his hand on the child’s head and stroked it.

The child rolled his eyes upwards while shrugging his neck.

“thank you.”

Zhuge Qian was pleased. He was not wrong. Of course, the child was in danger of being beheaded, but conversely, it could be said that the Zhuge Qian family’s child was pressuring the shaman’s child to that extent. The shaman’s child was one of the most skilled shamans, as far as Zhuge Qian knew.

It was quite a feat for Zhuge Sega that his son was on par with Myeongil, who was known as the best late-blooded leader of the Wudang faction. That was why he was so happy that he tried to stop Qing Yi when he brought up disciplinary action against Myeongil.

“Now it’s your brothers’ turn to do it. You’ve done your job.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Haha. Didn’t you tell me to call you father when it’s just the two of us?”

“… … Yes, Father.”

“Okay. Go out and see.”

Zhuge Qian patted the child on the back and tried to send him out, but the child hesitated and refused to go out.

“Well, do you have anything to say?”

“… … my name.”

“huh?”

“My name is Zhuge Sang. Father.”

There was tension and fear in Zhuge Sang’s eyes as he glanced at Zhuge Qian. Zhuge Qian felt sorry for Zhuge Sang who was watching him like that.

“Come here, Sang-a.”

Zhuge Shang still watched Zhuge Qian closely and came to him. Zhuge Qian covered Zhuge Shang’s small body and hugged him.

“Dad, I’ve been out of my mind lately, so I got your name mixed up for a moment.”

“Oh, no. It’s my fault, my lord.”

“Oh, even if you call me father.”

“……father.”

“okay.”

The two rich men hugged each other tightly. For some reason, the more their skins touched, the more cold it felt like it was coming over Zhuge Shang.

***

Today, unlike yesterday, the moon was covered by clouds and dark. I actually thought it was good because I could concentrate better in the dark.

The real fight between the disciples was two days later. Even though it wasn’t that long from Yangyang to Gyunhyeon, I had to give them time to recover from the poison in order to ensure fairness. The Martial Arts Alliance’s judgment would come tomorrow, and the people from the Daemunpa who would be the notary would come. My goal for the remaining two days was to finally organize my understanding of the Yuun Sword Technique.

Looking back, I think I swung my sword longer than I thought. It was definitely dark dawn when I first swung my sword, but when I came to my senses, it was noon with the sun overhead.

I heard that when I was practicing in the backyard, there was a clash between Myeong-il and the children of Jegal Se-ga, and it almost resulted in a big accident. I tried to find Myeong-il and comfort him, but Myeong-il was locked in his room and wouldn’t come out, so I just gave up.

At that moment, I heard a noise outside. I stopped my mental practice and turned my attention outside.

“Are you inside?”

The owner of the voice was my teacher. I got up from bed and opened the door.

“What brings you here in the middle of the night?”

“Let’s go in first.”

Cheong-hwa came into my room. I shook the lamp to check if there was any oil left, and then carefully lit it.

Cheonghwa’s face, revealed in the light, was frozen. I pulled a chair over to make room for Cheonghwa and sat down.

“Did you hear about the accident that happened during the day?”

“Yes. I heard that the tomorrow’s dojo almost killed Zhuge Liang’s child.”

“okay.”

“You’ve definitely taken the initiative.”

“Do you really think so?”

“no.”

I also knew why Cheonghwa’s expression was stiff.

It had not even been a year since I had visited Myeongseong and Jegal Se-ga. The direct descendants of Jegal Se-ga I had met at that time were mostly insignificant.

But now, all of a sudden, he has become so strong that he can compete with Myeongil and cause mistakes. As an adult who is not a member of the party, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“The other brothers didn’t seem to see it properly, but I saw a little bit of Zhuge Shi’s swordsmanship. I came down from Samcheong Pass ahead of him.”

“I see. How was it?”

“I had a feeling we might lose.”

I kept my mouth shut for a moment. It was surprising that this story came out of Cheonghwa’s mouth.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. Didn’t I also observe the swordsmanship of the children with you last time? It was completely different then. The talent and intelligence itself were different.”

“Isn’t that kid the only one who stands out?”

“That would be nice, but I have a feeling something is off.”

“If you had that kind of talent, there would be no reason to hide it, right?”

“okay.”

“What’s strange? Did you sense some evil spirit? Or was the swordsmanship unbecoming of a sect?”

“Not at all. It was sharper than before, but I think that was a tendency that came from his personality, and otherwise it was no different from the martial arts of the Zhuge Se family.”

“Then it’s just a vague feeling of anxiety.”

“okay.”

Cheonghwa was nervous. It was almost the first time I had seen Cheonghwa so weak.

“The fear of the unknown is something we all have. And that fear and anxiety is often non-existent.”

“You’re right. But I can’t help but feel uneasy. The nonpartisan faction has become one, and I’m worried that this good atmosphere will be ruined.”

I don’t know why, but I burst out laughing. Cheonghwa looked at me like I was crazy when I laughed.

“Are you laughing now?”

“No. That’s not it. The Master also has quite a human side. I thought that with a reputation like the Mugeuk Shingeom, he would be full of confidence.”

“The uninhabited island is human, human.”

“That’s right. I forgot about that.”

In fact, Cheonghwa’s anxiety probably stems from her inability to fight. If she had fought, she would have been more confident. She probably thought that she might lose because the four evildoers were fighting.

But I, who was fighting directly, thought a little differently.

“So, you came here just because you were anxious?”

“okay.”

“Don’t worry. I’m with the nonpartisan faction.”

“Oh, me.”

Cheonghwa glared at me as if she was dumbfounded. Of course, it might seem funny for a layperson to say something like that. However, there was some basis to what I said.

“If Zhuge Se-ga is unknown to us now, isn’t the shaman the only unknown to Zhuge Se-ga?”

“… …Is that so?”

“That’s what I said.”

I said with a smile. Cheonghwa still looked doubtful, but her tension seemed to have eased a little.

“Don’t be too tense when fighting. If you feel like you’re going to get hurt, just surrender. The honor we’ve built up isn’t so shallow that it can be toppled in a single turn.”

“Hey. Keep saying weak words.”

I am not the kind of person who would be shaken by such pressure. I am the one who has overcome countless waves that Cheonghwa does not know about.

“We will win. Trust us.”

It was just a vague statement. There was no basis for it. But there was confidence. No matter how strong the Zhuge family was, the shaman would not give in.

“Okay. I’ll believe you.”

“great.”

When I answered, Cheonghwa grabbed both of my hands.

I felt like the Master’s heart was in his palm, and I could feel something hot throbbing.

And I, no, we had a duty to respond to that pulse.