Episode 841
Seeds of Conflict (7)
The fierce fight with the Uijeonggun only ended after Lee Gak passed.
Surprisingly, there was not a single scratch on Yeon Ho-jeong’s body. The same was true for Mukbi, who disrupted the ranks with an appropriate intangible bomb from afar.
None of the soldiers were seriously injured. Most of them had minor abrasions, and no one suffered fractures or major internal injuries.
It was a fight, but it was a sparring closer to a welcome ceremony rather than a fight to kill. Of course, there was no need or opportunity to see blood.
“Amazing.”
Mo Yong-woo stuck out his tongue.
“I heard that an absolute master who performs a martial arts performance can produce the power of a one-man clan, but it is beyond my imagination.”
But Yeonho-jeong was equally surprised.
“What kind of training did you do?”
“hmm?”
“It’s incredibly polished. “We have moved as one body before, but not to this extent.”
“Haha, I had a hard time.”
“Individual skills have improved significantly, and the ability to respond to potentially embarrassing situations is outstanding.”
“It’s thanks to you teaching me well in the past, and it’s also thanks to Zhuge soldiers.”
“Oh, by the way, what about Ah-yeon?”
“You said you were going to your parents’ house for a while. “I’ll probably be back in a few days.”
“okay.”
At that time, Pang Man-ho suddenly rushed towards Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong lightly pushed his shoulder. The Pang Man-ho, which was rushing, made a crashing sound and fell into a circle.
“Ugh!”
“What are you doing?”
“It’s because I’m glad to see you!”
“That’s disgusting, you idiot.”
“ha ha ha!”
It wasn’t just Pang Man-ho. In the past, during the era of the Murderous Army, soldiers gathered around Yeonhojeong one by one.
There was a faintness on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
Song Yeon-gyeong and Changsoo from Okcheong Ami, Yunho and Dongho from Hwasan, as well as Cheokgang from Jeomchang and Yeoguk from Kunlun.
Are they all there is? All of the soldiers of the Army of Death were precious subordinates. Although not as strong as the Mortal Death Army, the soldiers of the Tangma Army were also friendly subordinates.
These are the people who were together for the first time across the midfield.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was looking at them all carefully, tilted his head for a moment.
“what? “Can’t you see Hodam and Gunpyeong?”
“….”
For a moment, a shadow appeared on the faces of the soldiers, who were full of joy.
Yeon Ho-jeong and Muk-bi’s faces gradually hardened.
“Everyone was busy.”
Mr. Moyong sat down in his seat and spoke calmly.
“When Emperor Yan traveled across the world and fought against the three religions, we also went on several expeditions. Even though they call it a black island, vicious people of all kinds appear all the time, and many of them have a level of military power that is difficult to ignore.”
“….”
“There was a group called the Evil God Association in eastern Henan. They were guys who proudly claimed to be evil spirits. “I didn’t think it was a big deal, but it was more powerful than I thought.”
“I see.”
“You fought well. Among them, the military commander risked his life to infiltrate to rescue the hostages they were holding. “Hodam was opening an escape route for those military reviews and hostages to come out.”
Mo Yong-woo sighed.
“I couldn’t save him in the end.”
It was the fate of combat units.
They are precious comrades, but at the same time, they are living lives where they never know when they will die. They live with the goal of great justice and the pride of belonging to the military, but in the face of death, all of that becomes meaningless.
Because they are comrades in arms who never know when they will die, they are soldiers who value each other even more and become stronger to protect each other.
The reason why the newly recruited people and people I had never seen before stood out was because of the relationships they had with them that had disappeared from the places they should have been.
‘Hodam Gunpyeong.’
The two people were not from prestigious families. They were one of the few warriors from Ronin in the Mortal Death Army.
They were the ones who gritted their teeth and persevered until the end, and their vicious spirit was more than enough to overwhelm even the masters of prestigious families. Although both of them were on the weaker side in terms of skill, they were more motivated than anyone else.
Yeon Ho-jeong closed his eyes and prayed for the two of them to rest in peace. And the names of the two people were enshrined in an innumerable graveyard of memories.
Mo Yong-woo clapped his hands.
“We have mourned a lot. “There’s no way our dead comrades would be happy to see us hanging out, and today is not the time.”
“Is that so.”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been here, so let’s have a drink. “I told the restaurant in advance, so the food and drinks will be delivered soon.”
As if they had been waiting, numerous workers brought food and alcohol.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was sitting on the floor of the training hall drinking a drink, suddenly thought.
‘It’s familiar.’
I sat down on the floor and drank like this once in a while with my comrades in the Black Emperor.
It was the same when the battle was over and it was the same when the training was over. When the battle was over, I drank it for my dead comrades, and when training ended, I drank it for my future self, who might die at any time.
This environment felt familiar, like a well-fitting suit and a drinking party filled with laughter.
‘Well, to begin with, he wasn’t even a good guy.’
The minor lord of the Mukryongbu, the lord of the Black Emperor Castle.
He was not a good lord of the castle and would have a hard time becoming a good successor.
Yeon Ho-jeong was always with the soldiers. We went out together, fought, cried, and laughed.
And I thought I would live like that for the rest of my life.
‘When I think about it, I’ve grown up a lot.’
I realize once again that I have become a person who has influence on the world. But I didn’t feel proud of that fact or that I had achieved something.
The position you are in now is a position you can shake off at any time. I only reached this position for a purpose and had no desire to become a great person.
However, it was true that it was very large in terms of social status.
‘The higher the position I reach, the more people there are under me, the bigger I can see, the less I can see in detail…’
Yeon Ho-jeong said, licking his lips.
“Do you have a departure date set?”
“Not yet. In the first place, the Uijeonggun was a military unit. “I spend a lot of time in the military for training, but even if I don’t have a name, I will still go out and explore the world.”
“Well, it’s probably other units that receive formal orders to deploy.”
“We also receive it. “But it’s a little more free.”
“I did.”
Then Okcheong spoke.
“I heard you met with Master.”
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“Where did you hear that?”
“I received a separate call from a shaman.”
“I see. No, but you don’t have to be that uncomfortable.”
“yes?”
“You’re not an algebra anymore, so why are you treating me so politely? Even though I’m older. “It doesn’t matter if you just do this or that.”
Okcheong looked at Yeonhojeong in bewilderment.
“You’re not a great master, but you’ve become a master at the highest rank in martial arts, right? “It’s actually more difficult to deal with.”
“What’s not funny…”
“Master said that. He said he was the one who would pay Sadal someday. “You can chase after him if you like, but he is a dangerous person, so if possible, stay away from him.”
Those are such noble words.
“And well… once something is always something, it’s not like that, but we still have time together, so how can we make it easier?”
“You live a very hard life, too.”
At that moment, Pang Man-ho wrapped his arm around Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulder as if showing off.
“I don’t think so. If you want to be treated comfortably, you should be treated comfortably. Isn’t that right?”
“Others can do that, but you shouldn’t do that.”
“why!”
“It breaks the head.”
“…Huh.”
Pang Man-ho, who was clearing his throat, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Still, with my arm around Seongcheon’s master’s shoulder, I too have achieved success.”
“Fuhahaha!”
The soldiers burst out laughing.
It was a drinking party filled with jokes and swear words. Yeon Ho-jeong couldn’t be that comfortable in this position.
As they continued to exchange drinks, Song Yeon-kyung asked.
“How was Heukdo?”
The soldiers looked at Yeonhojeong with curious eyes.
“It wasn’t bad?”
“Is that all?”
“The neighborhood where people live is all there. While there are vicious people in Baekdo Murim, there are also many sane people in that neighborhood. “They’re at odds, saying they’re black or white, but people in that neighborhood don’t have three eyes, right?”
Mukbi, who had been quiet, suddenly added more words.
“In fact, it has become more fleshy. “They were shaking their fists excitedly, saying they were okay to beat to death, but the smell of blood was strong every day.”
“When did I?”
“I guess I don’t even remember because I beat him up so much.”
“her.”
Laughter erupted once again.
Their drinking party was like that. Usually, it was the soldiers who asked the questions, and it was Yeon Ho-jeong and Muk-bi who answered them.
Half a day passed with such an exciting drinking session.
As the soldiers began to chatter among themselves, Mo Yong-woo asked.
“You came as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary?”
“That’s right.”
“Is the reason why you came as an ambassador at this time because of the election of the leader?”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“You can’t just leave it and ignore it.”
“I guess so.”
“Why is there something wrong with you?”
“There is nothing like that, but…”
Mo Yong-woo sighed.
“You’ll have to be careful.”
“which?”
“I don’t know when I’m outside the group, but when I’m inside the group, unit commanders often hold meetings among themselves. “The higher-ups want us to be friendly with each other, so we hold meetings once in a while.”
“Hmm.”
“You may feel it, but there are definitely people who don’t view Yeonje favorably.”
“Of course.”
“Yes, you know very well. However, the people who view you negatively are concentrated at the top rather than at the bottom.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“Yeah, I thought so too.”
“No matter what, even if something happens, there won’t be much Yeon-je can do.”
Mukbi asked with a puzzled look.
“why?”
“Interference in internal affairs.”
“…ah!”
“Yeonje is officially a member of the Mukryongbu. No matter how close our allies are, the moment Yeon-je gets involved in our politics, there will be chaos. In particular, people who dislike Yeonje will try to entangle Yeonje even by inciting public opinion.”
Mo Yong-woo looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with worried eyes.
“I know Yeon-je’s abilities are outstanding, but I think it would be better to remain quiet for the time being.”
“Of course you should.”
Yeon Ho-jeong added, tipping his glass.
“We should at least pretend like that on the outside.”
* * *
next day.
“…!”
Namgung-in’s face was filled with surprise as he looked at his son.
“That’s amazing.”
“no.”
Looking at his eldest son calmly drinking tea, Namgung-in stuck out his tongue.
“When on earth did you get to that level?”
“It’s been a little less than a year.”
“Huh.”
Namgoongin continued to be impressed.
The eldest son, Namgungpyo, was already approaching his mid-30s.
Although he was still young, he was also at an age that could not be called youth. It was time to slowly reach the level of maturity as a martial artist.
However, when I saw my son breaking through the barrier and emitting noble sword energy, I realized that it was arrogance to say that he would surpass me within the past ten years.
“What about the Emperor Sword type?”
“I learned everything until the second half.”
Namgung-in was even more surprised.
‘Your father taught you everything!’
A person who does not teach the sword to anyone who is not qualified, even if they are blood relatives.
The fact that such a person passed down everything to Namgungpyo would mean that he recognized that Namgungpyo’s talent had reached its peak.
“amazing. And good job. “It’s truly magnificent!”
“no. There were many hardships. “It’s all thanks to my grandfather’s help.”
“Hehe, no matter who helps you, you must carve out your own path. Now that I see you, I feel relieved.”
Namgoongpyo smiled.
Even though it had been closed for several years, it actually seemed younger than before.
“And I bring good news.”
“hmm?”
“Grandpa says he and Hyeon are visiting Maeng.”
“…!!”
