Episode 82. A person with certain skills
Dong Hwang-yeop, the eldest of the Luoyang Five Heroes, ground his teeth inwardly.
‘Where on earth did this crazy guy get the Gangho Pass? That’s a sacred rite of passage only for the heroes of the Jeongpa faction!’
But I couldn’t bring myself to say those words.
Last year, after being released from O Bong San Chae, the Luoyang Five Brothers, excluding Yeon Seon Joo, held frequent meetings.
The topic of conversation was, of course, revenge.
One day, Lee So-min, who had always been passive, revealed a shocking secret.
The conversation that day came back to me vividly as if it happened yesterday.
***
The multi-purpose hall in Luoyang.
Three men and one woman were sitting together in a corner, having a secret conversation with serious faces.
These are Hwang Dong-yeop, Oh Jung-san, Son Sang-geuk, and Lee So-min of the Nanyang Five Gorges.
The revenge plan that was going well as usual was suddenly cut short.
Because Isomin suddenly said something strange.
Hwang Dong-yeop thought he had misheard.
“What did you just say?”
“Let’s just forget about the Five Bongsipgeols now.”
“Oh my! Why?”
How can we forget the humiliation of the later generations of martial arts being taken hostage by bandits?
“I just felt like it had to be that way.”
The three men grimaced.
The normally logical Lee So-min is constantly evasive today. Looking at her frustrated expression, it seems like she is hiding something.
Hwang Dong-yeop was desperate to know what she was trying to hide.
“Don’t say that. Tell me why. Are we strangers? We were born on different days, but aren’t we sworn brothers who pledged to die on the same day and at the same time?”
In response to her older brother’s words that were tearing at her sensibilities, Isomin confessed a shocking secret.
“… … He even ran away leisurely with my grandfather’s sword. Even the ten greatest masters in the world wouldn’t be able to catch him. Now do you understand why Somae wants to forget about him?”
From that day on, Hwang Dong-yeop erased the Five Bongsipgeol from his memory.
And I prayed that we would never meet again, even in my dreams.
Fortunately, the family’s interest has long since shifted from green forests to famous churches.
In this way, the dark history was quietly forgotten.
But today, I met the main character of that day again at a guesthouse in Nanyang.
***
Sogyo looked at Yeonjeokha and the three men with strange eyes.
The young Yeonjeok-ha was leading the conversation without hesitation, as if he were the head of a Buddhist temple.
But what’s surprising is the reaction of these three proud men.
All three of them accepted it as if it was natural. No, they even avoided eye contact with Yeonjeokha as if they were afraid.
“Did you know each other?”
Yeonjeokha answered Sogyo’s question.
“Yes. I found out last year.”
“Oh, you are people I know. Hwang So-hyeop, this is the person I was talking about. This is Yeon Jeok-ha So-hyeop, the son of Yeon Dae-hyeop, the swordsman of the moon.”
In that moment, the three men’s gazes turned towards Jeok-ha almost simultaneously.
Yeonjeokha opened her mouth with a natural and innocent expression.
“Wow! Didn’t you know? I’m Seol-ju noona’s younger sister. We have different mothers, but the same father. You could call me a younger sister. It seems Seol-ju noona hid it because she was embarrassed.”
The three men were surprised to hear that the speaker was his half-brother, but they thought it could be true.
Now that I think about it, it seems like they resemble the Yeon siblings a bit.
Hwang Dong-yeop asked cautiously.
“Are you really Seolju’s younger brother?”
“yes.”
“But why did you do that back then?”
The question is why did you take the speaker hostage and extort money from Waryongjang?
“I’m not on good terms with the Yeons. They let me off easy after I was about to completely ruin it. Well, in the end, I was completely ruined by a crazy woman named Wolhwaseonja.”
Sogyo, who was stuck in the middle, thought hard to understand Yeonjeokha’s meaning.
‘Aha! You didn’t get along well with your half-brothers. Still, I guess you have regrets toward Wolha Seonja, the son of the True Moon Swordsman.’
Judging from the fact that even the Luoyang Five Gorges do not know about Yeonjeokha, it seems that they kept it well hidden in Waryongjang.
At that moment, the third son, Son Sang-geuk, spoke in passing.
“If she’s Yeon-mae’s younger sibling, she’s probably a lot younger than us, but her speech is a bit like that… … .”
Then Yeonjeokha immediately responded.
“Oh, by the way, I forgot, but you said it well. I have a grudge against the Yeons, but can I hold you, my sworn brothers, jointly responsible?”
He hurriedly waved his hand at the surprised Hwang Dong-yeop.
“That, that’s not true. A ball is a ball and a life is a life. Even though Yeon-mae is our younger sister, if she did something wrong, I think she should be punished. We have no intention of replacing Yeon-mae.”
“You? You don’t have to give up.”
Yeonjeokha shot the damaged pole.
Son Sang-geuk shook his head, his heart sinking at the sight of those eyes.
“No. What my big brother said is right. A ball is a ball and a life is a life. I also believe that others should not interfere in family matters.”
“Someone who knows that, did you say something about Yeon-mae and my younger sibling in front of me?”
Yeonjeokha’s voice rose slightly.
People around started to glance around.
A dry spit gulped down the tense, damaged neck of the actor.
I was trying to act like a big brother by giving a speech for no reason, but something big happened. If that little cow head starts making a fuss here, Cheongungwan will be ruined.
‘Oh, why did I say that to that evil bastard!’
What do you mean by treating me like an older brother?
Son Sang-geuk, who had been sighing, eventually bowed his head.
“I’m sorry, Yeon So-hyeop. I think I misspoke.”
“Okay, I know. Be careful next time. Don’t even mention the Yeons in front of me.”
“yes.”
The three men answered in unison.
Sogyo couldn’t understand the conversation between the four men at all.
It was obvious that Luoyang Ohyeop was trying hard to please Yeon Jeok-ha, who was much younger than him.
Is the inaction of the person who is called a lover that outstanding?
But no matter how I looked at him, he looked weaker than the young men of his age who were in love with him.
When the conversation was settled, Yeonjeok walked with a slightly frivolous gait and sat down by the window. As the meal time approached, it was the best seat that people had left empty.
After an awkward silence, Hwang Dong-yeop opened his mouth.
“So So-jo, since Yeon So-hyeop has decided to help, things will work out well. He is a person with solid skills.”
It means that there is something other than skill.
Xiao Qiao was curious about what he hadn’t said, but didn’t ask any more questions. Considering the mess Luoyang Five Heroes had made, it was polite to pretend not to know.
***
About three days had passed since the three sects of Luoyang gathered together?
After a leisurely breakfast, So-gyo came to Yeon-jeok-ha and Sim-tong, who were resting in their room. It was entirely the effect of the Luoyang Five Heroes.
“You two, have you been waiting for a long time? I will be leaving for Nanyangsangbang at noon today.”
Simtong asked.
“Hey, have any famous people come to Nanyangsangbang?”
“That is… … . They say that the ark is serving a stranger with utmost sincerity. Maybe he is from a famous sect.”
“Wow. Who the hell is that guy? He really has no manners.”
Sogyo couldn’t help but be secretly surprised by Simtong’s words.
The news worried not only his father but also the heads of the three sects. However, the ronin who was supposed to be the one to take the sword was so relaxed that he even joked around.
“Please take good care of me.”
After giving another request, Sogyo left.
Even though you may think that it is ‘too much of an arrogance’, when you see the reaction of the Luoyang Five Knights, it doesn’t seem like that is the case.
‘You’ll find out soon enough.’
No matter what happens, the strong survive in martial arts.
That is why unmanned aerial vehicles sweat and blood in the training grounds.
If possible, I hope those two are strong.
For those two people and Cheongungwan.
***
Eighty unmanned people gathered in front of the Yangil Inn.
There are thirty disciples of Cheongungwan, thirty masters of three schools, and twenty ronin.
The head of Cheongungwan, Musan Kwon So-woo-jin, and the heads of the three sects walked ahead.
Soujin and Munju stopped about fifty paces in front of the Nanyangsangbang brigade.
Not only customers, but even merchants on the street closed up their stalls and retreated far away.
Some of the passing officers were surprised by the fierce aura of the martial artists and hurriedly turned back. They would come out to the southeastern direction only after the sun had set.
Upon arriving at Nanyangsangbang, Soujin and the three leaders of the sect retreated.
The twenty ronin who had been silently following stepped forward.
The role of the swordsmen is to seize the initiative, so they went to their positions.
Sogyo, who was standing next to her father, looked towards the ronin.
Sowoojin, who was watching the small group, said.
“I told you not to come out, but you insisted on it. Why are you acting so restless?”
“I’m talking about the Waryongjang’s Nine Heavenly Sword. Is it really that bad of a sword as rumored?”
“The tone of disparagement is that the story of the True Moon Swordsman is miserable, but honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never crossed swords with them.”
The new Palseonmun master Hwang Jang-ik, who was standing next to him, added a word.
“Old man happened to see it once, and it was a good swordsmanship. If it was as bad as rumored, Namgung Sega would have kept Yeonmu Baek for ten years.”
“Are you curious now?”
Sogyo nodded in response to her father’s question.
Just then, the main gate of Nanyangsangbang slowly opened.
And then about fifty martial artists poured out from inside.
Although they were numerically inferior, the Nanyang Sangbang warriors were clearly proud.
A dozen or so ronin, gathered at some point, came to the forefront.
Soujin’s heart felt heavy at the sight of her opponent’s confident appearance.
You couldn’t do that without believing in something.
just as expected?
Namyangsangbang’s Bangju Im Won-yeong shouted and waved his sword.
“Little Master! Do you know what happens when a raised dog bites its owner? It gets eaten. Since you dared to stand up to me, you must be ready to die!”
Unable to bear it any longer, one of Cheongungwan’s disciples fought back.
“You are a dog! The Luoyang clans have come forward because they cannot stand to see injustice, so prepare to die!”
This time, Namyangsangbang Gyeongcheondae Daeju Sogunpyeong stepped forward.
“Hey, you crazy bastard! The master wants to change the workers, what injustice are you looking for? Seo Gwan-ju! Are you really trying to kill your disciples just to make a few more pennies? It’s not too late, so apologize a hundred times and step down!”
Then, Wang In-geol, the leader of Pungwoon-dae from Cheongungwan, intervened.
“Little Lord! I told you to speak straight even if your mouth is crooked. Was it righteous to insult and expel our Pungwoondae by putting Hongbang at the forefront? If you have a conscience, you shouldn’t say such things!”
This is when Sogunpyeong tries to make excuses.
A man in his fifties who was standing quietly next to Bang Joo Im Won-young said something.
“stop.”
Then Sogunpyeong kept his mouth shut without saying a word.
The man spoke leisurely.
“I am the great guardian of the Yeoju Church. You dare to persecute a famous disciple, and you are going crazy because you can’t die. The head of the Sogwanju and the heads of the three sects should immediately cut off one of their arms and apologize. If you disobey, you will all die.”
The Yeoju Church is where the Milky Way is.
Daeryeokgui was one of the four great generals who followed the leader of the Milky Way, Cheoksan-gyeong, with his ten-headed horsemen.
Soujin and the three lords looked at each other with pale faces.
Who would have thought that the guardian deity of the Milky Way would come!
As Soujin and the three lords hesitated, Daeryukgui shouted at them with his inner strength.
“Can’t you just offer your arm?”
As the words of the great demon made his insides tremble, Soujin’s face turned dark.
He could not dare to confront him with his own weapons.
Hwang Jang-ik, the Palseonmunju who had been hesitating, gritted his teeth and pulled out his sword.
“Little Master, let’s cut off your arm… … . We can’t kill all of our disciples.”
The new lords of Daeyeonmun and Chilyangmun also look dumbfounded.
It makes sense that he would do that, having lost his leader to a famous church and running towards revenge, only to end up losing his arm in vain.
I couldn’t ask to fight, and I couldn’t cut off his arm, so I was in a dilemma.
Wuxia,
