The World of Sound - Chapter 45



Only Krnovel

“Well, for now, I don’t feel so good.”

Someone has entered the area, avoiding your presence.

It was a very scary thing that could have been an ambush for the unmanned, but Cheonhwa spoke without being flustered by the voice that suddenly came out.

It is true that he deceived his own feelings at first, but he entered his territory because he allowed it.

That alone was enough to indicate that he was an amazing talent, but he had no hostility or murderous intent.

In that case, there was no need to react in surprise, and even if they made an ambush, I was confident that I could block it, so I allowed them to approach.

“Hehe. It looks like things aren’t going as planned?”

“Well, you could say that. If you put your mind to it, there’s no way you can’t do it!”

“That’s quite a confidence. I guess it’s because you have the skills to back it up.”

The other person was a little surprised at Cheonhwa’s natural reaction as if it was nothing, but he also responded comfortably.

I couldn’t tell if it was because he was confident in his abilities or because Cheonhwa didn’t really know himself.

“Of course. If you don’t have the skills, that’s not confidence, it’s arrogance or stupidity. In that sense, I can be called a confident genius!”

“It’s true that your playing skills are like that. Thanks to you, I was able to rise to the top as if possessed.”

“Is something good happening to you, sir? Or are you just a smiling face?”

After finishing his exploration, Cheonhwado stopped playing and sat down next to the old man.

As it was a fairly large building, there was no need to worry about the strength of the roof.

“Isn’t it a good thing if you think about it? The sky is clear like this, and I’ve heard good music, so I guess that too can be considered a good thing.”

Next to him, the old man also leaned his back and head against the roof, looked up at the sky, and smiled warmly.

But it was hard to think of him as a kind-hearted old man just by looking at his appearance. The place where Cheonhwa was standing now was on the roof of a fairly tall building.

Moreover, there were no stairs or ladders leading up to the roof.

This means that even the elderly have the spiritual skills to come here.

“I should at least offer you a drink after hearing such a great performance, but I’ll just treat it as a seat fee. This is my favorite seat. It’s a seat where I can enjoy the sky up close without any disturbance.”

Although he didn’t have a single sword or anything like that, Cheonhwa knew that it meant nothing to the old man.

Even just by roughly estimating his level, I felt that he was a strong person who didn’t need to take up a sword.

However, that doesn’t mean he looks scared or intimidated.

Instead, he expressed his dissatisfaction with a pouty expression.

“Hey. That’s not it. There’s no one in that seat!”

I don’t know if this is a place that old people usually frequent, but the seat fee is a separate matter.

An old man with this level of skill would have deep pockets, so if he accepted, he would be able to get a decent amount of money for the performance.

“There is no owner in this place. But this building is mine.”

“Uh… … Then should we call it a draw?”

However, Cheonhwa hurriedly changed his stance at the old man’s next words.

The cost of one’s own performance was not cheap, but it was a different story when the other person was the owner of the building.

Just as there is no set price for the performance fee, the same goes for the seat fee, so it is possible to force an absurd price.

“Hehe. Okay. What are your thoughts on looking around?”

Then the old man asked Cheonhwa a strange question.

It was a question that seemed to know what Cheonhwa was looking at, but it could also be considered as just an impression of the surrounding scenery.

“What are your thoughts? It’s a bit better than the idiots I met a while ago. It seems a bit complacent though.”

“Huh. Feeling comfortable? What do you mean?”

However, Cheonhwa didn’t try to hide it.

It didn’t suit my temperament to change the subject so clumsily.

When I honestly told him about my impressions of the Namgung Se-ga family, the old man asked me back as if he was interested.

“Should I say all aspects? You can use martial arts and you seem to be training quite diligently, but that’s not enough. How can you improve your skills if you only do it when you want to? You have to work hard in your daily life as well.”

“I can’t deny this. It’s not wrong. You’re just like the unmanned people of our time. It was really fierce back then.”

If any of them had heard it, they might have complained about how great he was to say such a thing, but the old man calmly admitted it.

Compared to the fierce past, today’s drones seem to have become somewhat complacent.

However, it was surprising that a young person like Cheonhwa had such thoughts. It came across as more sincere because it wasn’t just words.

In fact, Cheonhwa was still cultivating at this very moment.

It is not about circulating energy through pupils or something like that while moving.

It was basic, and he was practicing using the energy inside his body to create countless tremors, controlling them minutely, and making them appear to be still to others.

The old man recognized it.

Although I don’t know the exact effects of the training, I guessed that it was definitely not an easy technique and was impressed.

“Well, I haven’t seen everything, so it might be hard to say for sure. After all, it’s natural to become lax when there’s no one above you.”

“It makes me feel even more embarrassed that you think that way.”

That’s why that advice, which wasn’t really advice, hit home so painfully.

Although Namgung Sega was enjoying its own success, it was still lacking in many ways to be called the best sect in the world, even though it could boast of being the best sect in the world.

“What is there to be embarrassed about, sir? It’s just that their brains aren’t working properly.”

“Hehe. That’s true.”

As Cheonhwa said, he was not the head of the household who was responsible for everything in the family, but he was not in a position to ignore anything, so he came up with a way to accept the advice.

It was a moment that brought about a terrible future for the Namgung Sega family, but Cheonhwa was not in a position to care about that.

“By the way, may I ask why you were looking at them? Oh, I’m not criticizing you, it’s just an old man’s curiosity.”

“I have something to get back. My stuff seems to have ended up in the hands of the owner over there, and I tried to talk to him about getting it back, but it was hard to meet him. So I thought I’d try to meet him quietly… … It seems like he’s not there.”

“It seems like a pretty important item? To think of climbing over the Namgung family’s wall.”

The old man must have been a member of the Namgung family.

It was strange to say something like that when he had guessed it, but Cheonhwa spoke as if it didn’t matter.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to build a bridge, that’s great, but if not, I’m confident it won’t make much of a difference.

Besides, it seemed unlikely that this old man would ever tattle on anyone.

“It’s like that for me.”

“So, what are you going to do now? They say that a bird that has left home will soon return, but will you really jump over the wall? It could easily cause a big misunderstanding.”

“I’m thinking about it. Well, I guess it’ll work out somehow.”

“I hope it is done peacefully. For the sake of you and Namgung Se. Ultimately, it is up to the head of the household to decide.”

“That would be nice, but if it’s necessary, then there’s no way around it.”

There is no specific answer, it really hasn’t been decided yet.

It’s something that will be decided after the head of the household returns, but if there’s no way to meet them, they have no choice but to resort to somewhat drastic methods.

The old man just stared blankly at Cheonhwa, as he didn’t seem to have any feelings of rejection or burden about it.

“Don’t just sit there. You should lie down too. It seems like there’s something to be found on the ground, but the sky you see from here is quite beautiful.”

“Is that so? I was looking for something, but it seems like it’s not there right now. You’re not going to charge me extra for staying longer, are you?”

Further persuasion is pointless.

Unless you step forward and solve the problem yourself.

However, it was entirely up to the head of the household to decide.

So the old man was satisfied that he had conveyed his intentions and suggested to Cheonhwa that they lie down together.

It was a position that could easily have left her defenseless, but Cheonhwa leaned in regardless, and the two did not say anything for a while.

They stared at the sky silently, seemingly unaware of each other, and then the old man spoke first again.

“What do you see? The sky above.”

It was like a wise saying.

The old man asked an unknown question, laughing like a Taoist priest, and Cheonhwa answered plainly.

“The sky is just the sky.”

The sky is the sky, what does that mean?

I was aware of the intent behind those words, but it was true.

“It’s just the sky… … .”

Despite that seemingly annoying reply, the old man did not get angry or disappointed. Instead, he simply quietly chewed on the words as if trying to figure out Cheonhwa’s meaning.

“Eight. I’ll be going now. I don’t really have a hobby of wasting time looking at the sky.”

Then, all of a sudden, Cheonhwa got up.

He shook himself off as if he had no interest in the questions and had no more business here.

“Because what I want to see is the world.”

“The world?”

Instead, he blurted out a word and flew up in a flashy manner.

“… … You have bigger ambitions than I thought. This old man has dedicated his whole life, and now he’s just trying to capture the sky.”

Behind that heavenly flower, the old man’s dizzying mutterings were scattered in the wind.

***

Cheonhwa jumped from the roof and headed towards a nearby inn.

As he entered the room and arranged three glasses and chopsticks on the table in a specific shape, Jeomsoi approached him and guided him into the room.

Because the arrangement was a sign to make contact with Haomen.

While moving there, when he took out the card he received from Mayeryeong and showed it to her, the identity of the person looking for him changed.

Haomen Hefei Branch Manager.

Because Mayeryeong designated him as a special management target, a suitable person emerged.

“It’s a deal with Namgung Se-ga… … We could try, but honestly, it would be difficult. If it’s something that the head of the household acquired himself, there must be a use for it, and it would be hard to predict what he would do if he found out that we found out about its existence.”

I explained the situation to him in general terms and asked for his advice on how to proceed, but his response was not very encouraging.

They expressed their intention to refuse, saying that the chances of success were low and that they were concerned about the damage they would do to themselves.

If it was Mayeryeong, I think she would have tried to find a way somehow, but it was extremely disappointing that she came out so resolutely.

“Hmm, then is there no other way? Or at least you could come up with a way to talk to the head of the household.”

So Cheonhwa asked him directly.

The question is whether it is possible to create a place for Namgung Se-ga.

“Honestly, that’s not easy either. He’s the head of the Five Great Houses. Even if they’re people of considerable status, you have to make an appointment at least a month in advance to meet him. He’s so arrogant that he doesn’t even try to talk to us, Haomun. But when it comes to information, he’s open.”

“So. There is no way?”

But this time again the answer is negative.

Cheonhwa couldn’t be in a good mood because he kept talking nonsense to the point that it seemed like he was trying to avoid meeting Namgung Se-ga.

Shudder

It didn’t give off any particular energy or spirit.

Just by meeting Cheonhwa’s indifferent eyes, Branch Manager Hap-bi couldn’t help but tremble with fear rising from deep within.

As the branch manager of Haomen, and as someone who oversees a place that is as big as a saint, he must have met all kinds of people, but he couldn’t control his emotions at that moment.

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way at all.”

In fact, he had always been jealous of Mayeryeong, but he never dared to say anything when faced with that instinctive fear.

I had no choice but to confess the method that I had been thinking about for a while without realizing it.

“What is that?”

“The Yongbong branch meeting is being held nearby. The heads of the Changryong and Namgung families will be there, so if you use them, you might be able to make room.”

“Yongbongjihoe?”

It was a familiar name, Yongbongjihoe.

Not long ago, I happened to visit a gathering of a group of amateurs called Hohwajihoe.

They said they were jealous of the Yongbong branch, but it seems they had a strange sense of entitlement and had the meeting ahead of them.

Since they were such a bunch of incompetent guys and their personalities were a mess, it was only natural that I had no interest in the Yongbong branch.

According to Margin, there would be much better guys than that, but he’s still the same guy.

But it doesn’t matter since I’m not going to be messing around with them anyway.

Rather, it could have been an opportunity, as the branch manager said.

“So you’re saying that we should take that guy named Sogaju hostage?”

“… … Yes? What the hell are you talking about! Don’t ever say that out loud. You could get in real trouble.”

However, there seemed to be a difference between the opportunity that Cheonhwa thought of and the opportunity that the branch manager thought of.

The branch manager was startled and waved his hand when Cheonhwa calmly recited the method. Cheonhwa muttered, “That seems like the easiest way… …” but he tried to pretend not to hear.

“No, I meant for you to come there and get to know each other. If you are a close friend of Sogaju, then visiting Sega wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Friendship? Why with such a lovey-dovey person?”

“Well… … you might think so, but someone like Changryong is one of the strongest people in the later generations and a great talent who will inherit the Namgung family in the future. If you become close to him, he will definitely be of help.”

Naturally, Cheonhwa was not entirely satisfied with that method.

It was because I had no interest in laughing and joking around with kids.

Also, I realized that there was something wrong with that statement.

“But you’re from the Yongbong branch? If you look at the way other guys act, you don’t think they’ll let you join them.”

It is a gathering that even has the name Yongbongjihoe.

Wouldn’t they welcome you and say, “Come on, come on, come on,” just because you’re leaving?

It was originally a gathering for socializing, and its target audience was limited to those who had received the nicknames of Yong and Bon.

When I pointed that out, the branch manager shook his head as if that couldn’t be true.

He told me something that even Cheonhwa didn’t know.

“You may not like it, but I will not issue an order to ban guests. Your Majesty, you also have the nickname of a dragon.”

“Huh? Nickname? Me?”

Cheonhwa has the nickname of a dragon.

Of course, he has skills that are not worthy of the nickname of Dragon, which is given to someone like the latter index, but he has not yet heard that he has a nickname.

It was enough to think about the things he had done, but not many people believed the rumors as they were.

“Yes. You have ridiculed Wi Ji-cheon, who is considered one of the best in the Hwahwajihoe, defeated Tae-yeom-do, and are the younger brother of Iron Lion Ma-jin and Jang Gang-su-ro-chong-chae-ju Jin Ju-gwang. That alone is enough to earn you the nickname of Yong. Maga-nyeo… … Ahem. The Ma-ji-bu-jang of Ak-yang also had a hand in it.”

But the branch manager’s explanation was different.

Even if we exclude the unknown rumors, he is worthy of the nickname of Yong, and it is said that Mayeryeong took the initiative to spread the rumors and nickname about him.

You might be upset that you weren’t asked for permission, but that’s mostly what nicknames are.

There are some people who go around bragging about nicknames they made themselves, but usually, it is a name given to them by others based on their personality, appearance, or the events they have committed.

So Cheonhwa asked him as if she was interested rather than offended.

“So, what is it?”

“It’s an evil dragon.”

Evil dragon.

That was the first nickname given to Cheonhwa.

I don’t know if it’s an evil dragon or a happy dragon.