The World of Sound - Chapter 52



Only Krnovel

“You destroyed all their martial arts?”

“Yes. It was a close match, but it wasn’t a win or a loss. It was a difference in individual ability.”

“Capability… … .”

Chun-hwa, who followed Namgung Se-ga’s instructions into his office, immediately dismissed the masked men and opened up about her story.

The story of the Yongbong branch meeting, the story of the masked men attacking.

Although it was somewhat abbreviated, there was no story left out, but the part that Namgung Se-ga was most interested in was the one about the masked people.

His son, the head of the Namgung family, was defeated.

He didn’t just come back defeated, he came back completely beaten.

Also, even though the person who did that was right in front of me, I was more interested in other things.

‘Are you an interesting person?’

The sight caught Cheonhwa’s interest.

He shows no interest in Namgung Jin’s defeat, to the point of being almost unresponsive.

“You don’t ask about your son?”

“Is that guy Jin? He lost in the duel, so what else can I ask? He must have lost because he lacked skill, and if he can use this opportunity to come to his senses and work harder, it’s a good thing. He was excited that he was a little ahead of his peers. Oh, I forgot to thank you. Thank you. You were a good stimulus for that kid.”

So when I asked, the answer was even more grandiose.

I heard that Changryong was one of the most skilled people in the Yongbongjihoe, but it was natural to say that he lacked skills.

Normally, they would have tried to deal with it by saying that they let their guard down or that they used sorcery.

‘Should I call this uncivilized or arrogant?’

At the sight of her thanking him instead, Cheonhwa snorted inwardly.

It may seem like he has accepted defeat, but deep down, he knows that it was Namgung Jin who lost, not the Namgung Sega sword.

Additionally, there was a belief, or rather, a certainty, that Namgung Jin would eventually surpass Cheonhwa through this incident.

Even if it were me, not Namgung Jin, who would be helpless.

“I learned that gratitude can’t be expressed in words… … .”

Because of that, Cheonhwa also read his intentions but accepted it lightly. He even went a step further and directly demanded compensation, but Namgung Se-gaju only widened his eyes and furrowed his brow as if he was surprised by the reaction rather than being offended.

“Of course I should repay you. And after all, I saved this child from the evil spirits. Let’s see. I don’t know what you need right now… … Would a voucher be okay?”

“Of course. A voucher is always a great way to express your feelings.”

I told Cheonhwa that I would give her the voucher right away, and although the amount was the problem, judging by her cool reaction, I didn’t think there was any need to worry.

Because there is no one who treats people as badly as Namgung Se-ga.

“While we’re calculating, let’s also include these. Did you say that someone came with a method to destroy our sword? If so… … How about 10,000 nyang of gold? If what you say is true, it won’t be enough, but I need to confirm it. Honestly, I don’t think that this person can truly break our Namgung’s sword. If it’s just enough to break the mold, that’s fine.”

“10,000 nyang of gold? Hmm… … That’s a bit much.”

However, it wasn’t long before Cheonhwa’s expression, once filled with faith, became distorted.

10,000 nyang of gold. It was a large amount of money, but it felt a bit small as the price of a cow’s life and the ransom for someone who had learned the art of destroying the family’s martial arts.

Besides, one of them had supernatural powers and could even extract information if he did it right.

As he had thought of at least 40,000 to 50,000 nyang in total, Namgung Se-ga-ju made another suggestion as he trailed off, as if he was having a hard time.

“Is it not enough? Then I’ll give you a little more. 10,000 nyang in gold for Jin-i’s life, 15,000 nyang for the body of the person who knows this destruction method, and 150,000 nyang for the leader of the evil men. How about a total of 175,000 nyang? If that’s the case, it seems like a good deal.”

“… … ?”

At those words, Cheonhwa’s expression changed completely.

I thought they were asking for the combined amount of 10,000 nyang for the three, but it seems they were the individual ransoms.

Besides, the leader of the masked men is worth ten times that amount.

That alone was surprising enough, but when Cheonhwa showed signs of hesitation, Namgung Se-ga raised the price of the masked men.

In the meantime, it was strange that Namgung Jin’s ransom remained the same, but it was understandable.

After all, it’s a life saved.

It would not have been necessary to raise the price, and it would not have been solely because I was underestimating the value of my son.

“Not bad!”

As he said, even Cheonhwa didn’t know whether the masked man could destroy all of Namgung Se-ga’s martial arts.

When looking at the cases of others, it seems that they have tried to find a way to destroy Namgung Jin’s main martial arts, Changgungmuae Geombeop, but it is unknown whether they have grasped other martial arts, such as Jewanggeomhyeong, and to what extent they can destroy them.

Still, since he only listened to and believed what I said, I guess he also needs to make some concessions.

Since they were people who had nothing to do with him anyway, he readily accepted Namgung Se-ga’s offer.

Then, he gave a voucher worth 175,000 nyang on the spot in the name of Namgung Se-ga.

Although the most trusted voucher in the Central Plains was that of the Man-Geum-Jeon-Jang, no one would question the voucher issued in the name of the Nam-Gung-Se-Ga.

“Oh, and this time I’d like to make a suggestion.”

“Tell me.”

So now that the Yongbong branch meeting matter has been settled, it is time to move on to the main topic.

Before Namgung Se-ga-ju, who had immediately ordered someone to subdue the masked men and take them to a certain place, left, Cheon-hwa quickly continued talking and grabbed him.

I requested a deal with Yuncheol.

“I understand that you purchased the iron from the Maga Iron Shop. It was originally my monk’s. It seems that it was sold because you missed the chance to get it back. I know you made a fair deal, but is it possible for you to get it back?”

“Uncheol?”

Then he looked back at Cheonhwa as if he was surprised.

He seemed a little interested when he heard that I was the original owner of the precious iron.

But this time, Cheonhwa couldn’t relax.

He spoke as if he was calm, but inside he was very anxious.

Since it’s already in my possession, if I say I won’t sell it, that’s the end of it.

‘Just sell some.’

What if he says he won’t sell it?

Should I just throw it away?

If it’s money, I’d give it everything I have.

However, it was also true that I was secretly looking forward to it.

Although Yuncheol is precious, it is not actually an item that is particularly preferred by the Muga.

It may be possible to create something with a special aura and temperament, but it is not necessarily suitable for making a sword.

It means that it can be made, but its performance is not that great.

If you have learned some special techniques or something, it might be different, but if you want to obtain a famous sword, it is better to use a different metal.

There are many swords made in the Central Plains with a small amount of iron mixed in, but most of them are used for ornamental purposes for that reason.

“This is tricky. That’s going to be difficult.”

“… …Why? If it’s worth it, I’ll pay the full price.”

However, that expectation was miserably shattered.

This is because Namgung Se-ga shook his head and expressed his refusal.

Could it be that they have already created something?

Namgung Se-ga calmly explained the reason while watching Cheon-hwa’s forehead wrinkle naturally.

“It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you. Since you saved Jin-i’s life, I should give it to you if I have it. Even if I don’t charge you for it. However, your fortune has already left my hands.”

‘……also?’

Thanks to that, Cheonhwa’s expression suddenly crumpled.

He felt very uncomfortable at the thought that he had wasted his time at Magacheolbang and now he had been watered down at Namgungseaga.

“Then where are you?”

“Shaolin.”

“… … If it’s Shaolin, is it the Shaolin Temple?”

The Taesanbukdoo of Gangho.

Even Cheonhwa, who had little knowledge of martial arts, could not help but know the name Shaolin.

Because it is the head of the Gupailbang and a place with a sacredness that goes beyond a simple sect.

‘It’s not like the poor guys are praying to a lump of iron… … .’

But why did Uncheol suddenly go there?

It was a statement that was difficult to understand at first.

The power contained in the Yuncheol is power, but when talking about Yuncheol, the first thing that comes to mind is the superstition that it grants wishes. However, it is unlikely that anyone would seek it out in Shaolin, a sacred place for Buddhists, believing in superstitions.

Surely you’re not trying to lie and evade your duty?

If you’ve gone to Shaolin, you probably won’t have a way to check it out?

“That’s right. I personally relayed it to Shaolin.”

“Why on earth did Shaolin have Yuncheol… … .”

“Hmm. It’s still a secret, but you deserve to hear it. The martial arts competition will be held soon. The reason I gave the iron to Shaolin was to use it in the martial arts competition.”

“The martial arts competition? What does that have to do with Yuncheol?”

“At that time, there will be a non-competition competition for the later indexes. The winner will be given a fortune to make a weapon that fits his hand. It may not be enough to make a new soldier, but it would be quite good as a symbol and for training, wouldn’t it?”

However, Namgung Se-ga added as if he knew what was going on.

This is a fact that has not been made public yet, but since Cheonhwa, who has the nickname of the Evil Dragon, would naturally know about it, I gave him a heads up in advance.

Martial arts competition.

And the later index non-contest.

His fortune depended on that winning prize.

‘It’s annoying… … ‘

Because of that, I felt annoyed but at the same time relieved.

Since the moment you participate, the victory is yours anyway, so it’s no different from just leaving it to you for a while.

‘But is the money still solid?’

It was also fortunate that I didn’t have to spend a lot of money to buy it back.

Even so, it was quite annoying to have to fight with kids who were no match for me, and the waiting was bound to be boring, so I went back and forth between two thoughts dozens of times in an instant.

‘If I mess up this time too, I’ll really ruin everything.’

But in the end, it is something that has to be done.

Cheonhwa pulled herself together again and vowed that this time she would definitely get her hands on Yuncheol.

I thought that if someone were to interfere, no matter who it was, I wouldn’t let it go.

“When is it? That non-contest?”

“It will open in about three months from now. We need to spread the news throughout the Central Plains and give the invited guests time to move. If you want to get Yuncheol back, you can participate too.”

In the way Namgung Se-ga-ju lightly recommended the idea, Cheon-hwa read a strange anger and a sense of superiority.

This time we won, but next time it will be different.

It seemed like he was harboring such obvious thoughts.

Even if someone like Namgung Jin trained for three years, let alone three months, he wouldn’t be able to reach it.

“If we have no more business, let’s call it a day. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to get our hands on them, but there are still many things we need to investigate.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

So, I ended up leaving like that.

He was already busy with construction work, and with the Yongbongjihoe incident breaking out, he could no longer hold on to Namgung Se-ga-ju. And since he had no other business, he lightly shook things off and left.

This time, he began to move to leave the estate, guided by another family member, not Namgung Se-ga.

“wait a minute!”

“… … ?”

It would be simple if you could just jump over the wall, but there were many cliffs spread out all over Namgung Se-ga’s estate.

If it was a thousand flowers, he could easily release or break through it, but there was no need to make such a fuss, so he followed the instructions, and then someone called out to him.

“Can I talk to you for a moment? I’ll just have to take a moment.”

She was a widow.

A gentle and bright woman with round eyes and a small, delicate face, with signs of middle age faintly visible on her face, but still with a bright and innocent look that made even her age look beautiful, called out to Cheonhwa.

Then, the servant who was guiding Cheonhwa stepped back for a moment at her appearance.

She seemed to have some status within the family, but Cheonhwa had no idea why such a woman was calling her, so he stood there still, tilting his head.

“With me?”

“You step back for a moment.”

“yes.”

When she gave the order, the servant stepped back far enough out of earshot.

That meant there was a story he wanted to hide, so Cheonhwa’s doubts could only grow.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry for calling you out so suddenly. Margin. I heard that you have a connection with that person. Is he… … well?”

“… … ?”

Cheonhwa’s expression became even more confused as she heard the story that followed.

Margin? Where does that name come from?

‘You two are friends? The atmosphere is strange… … Hey, no way!’

Moreover, the trembling and faintness in her voice suggested that she was not simply asking after the well-being of an acquaintance.

That’s why it was more confusing.

Because it didn’t suit me at all.

Even though I try to think that they must have had a connection since childhood, I just can’t seem to imagine their faces side by side.

“Uh… … How are you? What’s going on?”

“Maybe not yet… … Oh, no. Just be well.”

The lady’s words increasingly confused Cheonhwa’s mind.

It’s so typical that he starts to say something but then stops, so it seems like he’s thinking in the right direction, but even Cheonhwa, who rarely cares about other people’s business, is curious about what the relationship is.

“Excuse me, if you don’t mind, may I ask what your relationship is?”

“… … No. I just felt sorry. I’m sorry for taking up your time. That’s all for now.”

But the woman walked away without giving a clear answer.

Since it was something I couldn’t chase down and question, I felt extremely uncomfortable, as if I had just taken a dump.

“ah!”

Then suddenly, Cheonhwa clapped her hands as if she understood and made a relieved expression.

“You owe me a debt?”

It seems that at some point that woman borrowed money from Margin and then swindled it.

So, I guess he must have felt sorry and asked if you were okay and alive.

If you’re dead, you don’t have to pay!

Only after he had come up with an answer of his own did Cheonhwa follow his servant out of the manor with a relieved expression.

And when he went out the main gate, Cheonhwa was able to come face to face with completely unexpected faces that were waiting for him.