Episode 11.
Activating the Four Gods (1)
“Huh? “Late index meeting?”
“Yes.”
Yeonwi wasn’t even looking at Yeonjipyeong. The sight of him flipping through several pages of documents and reading them quickly seemed very familiar.
“Originally, meetings between the later leaders of the Seven Great Families took place every year. However, there is a year once every five years where attendance is mandatory. That’s it this year.”
A look of embarrassment appeared on Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face.
“Am I going?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh no! “It’s not like that.”
Yeonwi handed over a folded piece of paper. Yeon Ji-pyeong politely accepted it.
“It’s a meeting permit. It will be held in Hefei, Anhui Province, 45 days later. “If you want to arrive on time, you will have to leave at least 15 days before the meeting.”
It was a distance that could be covered in five days if an expert in the Divine Law were to push himself too hard. However, you will have to cross a major river and the geography will be unfamiliar. Moreover, since it was a meeting, it was necessary to leave at least 15 days before in order to arrive in good condition.
“Chang-eung-dae (蒼鷹隊) will guard you. Have a nice trip.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes were round.
“Chang-eung University?”
“Not everything. “One group will be attached, and Changeungdaeju will be with him.”
Changeungdae was a unit that was evaluated as an elite unit among the military organizations of Yeonga. Due to the nature of the group, there were not many members, but each and every one of them was an outstanding expert.
The fact that they are sending units that are usually not sent to strong teams means that the late index meeting is that important.
“I… father.”
“Say it.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong showed disapproval.
“If it’s a meeting of late Jisoo, shouldn’t you send your brother?”
Yeonwi, who was looking through documents, raised his head and looked at Yeon Jipyeong.
Yeon Ji-pyeong flinched.
I’ve seen it countless times, but the look in my father’s eyes was as scary as ever. It was transparent, like glass imported from the West.
‘Brother… I’m still scared of my father.’
I swallowed my saliva and waited for a long time.
“Your brother is dangerous.”
“yes?”
Are you saying your brother is in danger? What does this mean?
Yeonwi turned his stance towards Yeonjipyeong.
“Don’t you think your brother has changed a lot lately from before?”
Yeon Ji-pyeong was embarrassed.
My father has always been a man of very few words, except when it comes to martial arts, academics, and etiquette. It seemed like the first time I had been asked such a personal question.
“I think things have changed a little bit.”
“Not a little bit.”
“….”
“Neither his personality nor his martial arts achievements are like the hero I’ve seen. “It was as if the person had changed.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong also greatly felt the change in Yeon Ho-jeong.
Even though I am a martial artist, I felt a particularly significant change in my personality. Lately, when I’ve been looking at my older brother, I’ve realized that he really seems like an adult.
“But what you said is that your brother is in danger….”
“Of course, later leaders of the Nangong family will come to the meeting.”
“ah!”
“Looking at Hojeong’s personality now, he won’t try to avoid trouble. There are both tolerable and unbearable turmoil.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong bit his lip.
I understand why my father tells me to go to the meeting. In a way, his father is sending him to protect his older brother.
“Dear brother… please ask the doctor just once.”
“….”
“Please, father.”
Yeonwi’s eyes deepened.
He nodded while looking at the second child.
“I will.”
“thank you.”
“Just go out and see.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong bowed his head and left the house. Yeonwi, who was watching the closed door, looked through the documents again.
But even for a moment.
Yeonwi took his hand away from the document and buried his back in the chair. I felt a little confusion in the indifferent eyes looking up into space.
“…Change.”
* * *
Buuuung!
The sound of a heavy iron bar splitting the air was terrifying.
“Gasp!”
My whole body aches. There was no pain anywhere in my lower body, including my back and shoulders.
The length of the iron bar was as long as Yeonhojeong’s height, and its weight was close to 20 geun. After dinner, I swung around until past midnight, so it was helpful not to collapse.
Fighting.
Drops of blood fell from the hand holding the iron bar.
It was no longer possible. Yeon Ho-jeong stabbed the iron bar vigorously.
thud!
The rock the tip of the pole hit shook slightly.
A strong vibration was transmitted to the hand holding the iron bar. It felt like all the joints in my upper body were creaking, including my wrists, elbows, shoulders, and even my spine. I had no strength to hold back, so my blood-soaked hands trembled.
“Ugh.”
Clap!
The iron bar fell to the ground.
Yeon Ho-jeong looked down at his hands while taking a deep breath, and a look of shock appeared on his face.
“Is this still the case?”
Originally, the weapon Yeon Ho-jeong trained with was a sword.
However, he was constitutionally unsuited to the sword. It was better to fight with bare hands than with a sword.
After fighting and fighting like that, he finally found a weapon that suited him.
It was a huge ax mounted on a six-foot spear. Although it was a heavy weapon weighing tens of pounds, it was a weapon perfectly suited to his temperament and martial arts.
Later, they even attached a chain to the ax and filled a radius of about 10 square meters with the storm caused by the ax.
‘It’s because I can’t even handle a single iron bar properly.’
In order to use a long and heavy axe, one must be a master of clubbing and spearmanship. However, he is still unable to swing an iron bar that is less than 20 pounds long.
I felt it during my Mabo training, but it seemed like the road ahead would be quite difficult.
Yeon Ho-jeong picked up a hatchet that had been left under the tree.
My torn palm tingled. He fiddled with the ax a few times and then threw it at a rather thick tree.
Whirling! Pow!
The ax was stuck in the tree.
‘I feel fine.’
Yeon Ho-jeong, sitting with his back to the tree with the ax stuck in it, looked up at the sky.
‘I know the way to become strong. If I had put in more effort, it would have been more, not less.’
The extinction of the family must be prevented. In order to prevent extinction, one had to first become stronger.
But that is not enough.
‘I can’t just wait forever.’
It may be difficult, but even if you regain your past martial arts skills in a year and a half, it is still a problem.
If you use all kinds of tactical strategies against the Dark Emperor’s power, you will be able to prevent extinction. However, there cannot be no victims in the process, and those victims may include your father or younger brother.
That would be something really hard to bear.
‘I must have a preparedness plan to protect my home other than my own force. Whether it’s information, force, or anything else.’
You must build up your strength to the point where you no longer need tactics and strategies. Even if you have that kind of power, if you make a mistake, you will suffer.
‘the problem is.’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s face crumpled.
“I’m saying I don’t know what kind of people they are.”
After learning martial arts from my teacher, the first thing I did when I came out into the world was to find the evil beast.
Of course, I couldn’t find it on my own. So, he jumped into the Black Island, which was said to be one step ahead of the White Island Martial Arts in terms of information power, and chased after the evil beast.
However, it was still unclear who the evil beast was.
“What is certain is that it wasn’t the Black Island b*stards.”
The martial prowess of the Baekdo political faction was certain. Although the origin was so distorted that it was difficult to understand, the characteristics of the true energy and the striking technique were clearly those of white sword martial arts.
“In order to pour out such a large number of experts, it would be impossible unless they were at least the seven great generations of the Nine Great Gates Sect.”
And crucially.
“…There is a high probability that there is a traitor inside.”
It wasn’t certain. There was no physical evidence, and my father was not an easy person to allow a traitor.
But what if there really is a traitor within the Yeonga family?
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was deep in thought, grumbled.
“Okay, there’s no need to worry about things you don’t know right away. I’m a really funny guy too. “I’m not really a person who thinks a lot.”
It’s because it’s the first time I’ve ever died or returned. And this will be even more so because the object he must protect is his family.
‘In any case, expansion of information force is necessary. To quietly call for power without anyone knowing…’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.
‘Is that really the only option?’
Originally, I had planned to approach after taking care of the family affairs. But when I thought about it, I thought I might be able to get the chance to kill two birds with one stone by using ‘him’.
‘Even if it’s not of real help, just borrowing my name would be of great help.’
Yeon Ho-jeong stood up.
“Okay, I’ve decided.”
“What do you mean?”
It’s a surprise.
Yeon Ho-jeong looked beyond the forest. At the entrance to the bamboo forest leading to the living quarters, Yeonwi had her arms crossed.
“father.”
“Were you training?”
Yeon Ho-jeong was inwardly embarrassed. I was so worried that I blurted out various things without realizing it, wondering if my father heard me.
“When did you come?”
“I just arrived. “I called him but he didn’t answer.”
‘phew.’
There was a sigh of relief. Judging by his expression, it seemed like his father didn’t hear him.
“What brought you to Ye?”
Yeonwi looked at Yeonhojeong’s hand.
“You’re covered in blood.”
“yes? Oh, you mean this?”
“Did you swing your hand to that point?”
“It’s nothing special.”
He casually shakes his hands off as if he really means it. It must have been painful, but there was no change in his expression.
“You don’t practice swords?”
“yes.”
“There are many excellent martial artists in the main family. However, military records on martial arts and spearmanship are lacking.”
“it’s okay.”
He knows high-level club and spear skills. Moreover, his true martial arts skills were not batons or spears.
“It’s not okay at all. You are the grand duke of the Yan family. “It is right to practice martial arts appropriate to that person.”
“It is not right to force yourself to learn martial arts that are not suited to your body.”
“what?”
Yeonwi was quite surprised.
“Does that mean the sword won’t fit you?”
“That’s right.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Is there anything to think about and sleep on?”
“Explain what you mean.”
“Martial arts is a study that you feel with your body first, rather than with your head. “If you focus on your body and find a way for your body to move more efficiently, you should take that path.”
“Does that mean it is a bonsai technique for you?”
“It’s exactly different, but you’ll have to learn it properly starting from the changbong.”
“Learn the spearmanship properly… Were you planning on using the Wolwoldo (偃月刀) or even a military sword?”
This time it was Yeon Ho-jeong’s turn to be surprised.
‘You are very knowledgeable.’
The martial arts people of the time were experts in their own weapons, but their understanding of other weapons was generally low.
My father wasn’t like that. It is clear that he is a person with deep knowledge of weapons, as he immediately thinks of a serious illness after hearing just a few words.
It was not a lie to say that one must be able to demonstrate one’s original skills even when holding multiple weapons. If you haven’t actually used it, it’s not something you can easily say.
“I plan to learn a lot of things. By the way, did you come all the way to Ye for some reason?”
Yeonwi knew that her son wanted to change his mind.
He matched his son’s rhythm. Or perhaps I chose to be more curious.
“This year’s meeting of the seven major late-stage indices is a gathering place for everyone.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.
‘It was like that, right?’
I didn’t remember much, but I remembered something about the late index meeting. I attended the meeting with my younger brother, but I remember not talking to others because of my low self-esteem.
I didn’t even say a word to my younger brother when we went back and forth.
After a brief pause, Yeonwi opened her mouth again.
“I want Jipyeong to go to that meeting, not you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“All right.”
Yeonwi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is that okay?”
“If it is your will, I will accept it. The only thing I’m worried about is whether Namgung Se’s side will touch Jipyeong. However, since we are not a party and many people are gathered together, we will not be hasty in doing something that would hurt our reputation.”
“Are you serious?”
“of course. Instead, please pay a little more attention to Jipyeong before you go. “The journey will be burdensome because of my foolish brother.”
Yeonwi, who was looking at Yeonhojeong, shook her head.
“Let me ask the question again.”
“yes?”
“Don’t you want to participate in the meeting?”
Yeon Ho-jeong said with a horrified expression.
“Of course I don’t like it.”
“….”
“Who wants to see little brats with no blood on their heads showing off each other? Wow, just thinking about it makes me crazy.”
