2
7
9.
Although he is the physician in charge of the Taeeulmun, he said he would not interfere with relief efforts and promised to provide sufficient support in the form of necessary medicinal herbs and goods.
It was an unbeatable opportunity, not only because he was provided with a fascinating medical book called Manchoborok, but also because he could create the alchemy he had painstakingly researched.
Unusually, Sinui-gak accepted the resignation letter within just one day of it being submitted.
They say they were thrilled that the thorn in the side, who had stubbornly held out even after being relegated to a dead-end post, finally left on his own accord.
According to rumors, all the members of the Shinui-gak gathered that night to hold a banquet.
Regardless, Sima Zheng disposed of his meager possessions and met Jin Xiaoyun.
“What is this?”
“Isn’t it difficult to travel to Hefei in the middle of winter? That is the travel expense.”
“…….”
Sama Jeong stared intently at the voucher Jin So-un handed him.
Is this amount usually paid as ‘travel expenses’?
“Don’t you understand the concept of ‘travel expenses’?”
“It is you who is truly mistaken, Assemblyman. Even if Taeeulmun were to prepare the necessary supplies in their own way before your arrival, would the medicinal herbs or the people to help be ready? Naturally, we must prepare whatever can be supplied in a major city before we go.”
“……
Still, if I were to run away with this money…
“Well, what can I do? I’ll just have to put out a wanted notice and pretend he never existed. I really did mistake you.”
Sima Zheng could not understand Chen Xiaoyun at all.
It is extremely strange that someone who has just entered adulthood has 2,000 gold coins in their hands, yet they have no qualms about spending them.
No, it went beyond that; it seemed as if they were absolutely certain they would never lose it.
Jin So-un shrugs his shoulders as if he had already clearly seen several moves ahead.
Even if you run away with that money, Assemblyman, you will likely end up squandering it all while using it for relief and helping others. Then, the next step is relief
What are you going to do about it?
“Isn’t it better to stick with the Taeeul Sect?”
“At the very least, as long as the Taeeul Sect doesn’t collapse, you will be able to continue doing the work you want, Assemblyman.”
It is something he wants to do.
It was truly strange.
Strangely enough, I find myself wanting to believe this weird guy’s preposterous words.
“In that case, I must also do my best to ensure that the Taeeulmun does not perish.”
“If you just make the spiritual elixir of goodness, Taeeulmun will not easily perish.”… …
I also have a feeling that I’m going to get ripped off more than I thought.
Sama Jeong shook his head, shaking off his ominous(?) premonition.
“Ahem, about that elixir. Is the Jeongsimdan okay? If it’s the same price, I’d rather have a different elixir…….”
Continuing to produce Jeongsimdan when we already know it is a failure is nothing but a waste of time and money.
However, the investor Jin So-woon was resolute.
“First, we need the Jeongsimdan. Once everyone in the sect has consumed it, please create a new spiritual elixir. After all, wouldn’t research on internal energy be necessary to create something that aligns with the energy of the Taeeul Jingyeong?”
Sama Jeong nodded as he listened to Jin So-un’s story.
“I understand. But there is another problem. It’s a problem I faced before when making Jeongsimdan… It’s just not easy to find the medicinal ingredients.”
It is not that it is hard to find because it is so rare and expensive.
On the contrary, because there were few people looking for it and the price was not particularly high, it was difficult to find as pharmacies did not carry it.
When simply preparing medicine, there are many substitute ingredients so it is not a problem, but those medicinal herbs were absolutely necessary to make the elixir.
However, Jin So-un answered lightly, as if this wasn’t even a concern.
If you go to Hefei and set up a medical clinic, I will go find the medicinal herbs and come over.
“You?”
“yes.”
Sama Jeong had no idea how they were going to obtain medicinal herbs that even seasoned herbalists struggled to find, but he could only nod his head.
Anyway, since he also had many things to prepare.
“Then, first of all, just as you said, I will start preparing to do things my way.”
Although Hefei is a major city, it does not measure up to Wuhan, so I bought medicinal herbs and tools that can only be obtained in Wuhan and sent them to the Great Heavenly Merchant Guild in Hefei.
Just after we had finished all the preparations to go to Hefei, a problem arose…
It was the winter break right now.
Not only are the regular services operated by the courier company fully sold out, but even the special group tour packages offered during the winter break are also sold out.
Just as I was worrying that I would have to lead a horse to Hefei alone, practically for the first time, I received a message from the Yuhan Escort Agency.
You’re lucky. Just then, five spots were canceled all at once.
Is it five seats?
It would be understandable if it were one or two digits, but how can five entire digits be empty?
“Well, what did they say? I heard their senior brother said he would walk… Anyway, he canceled it with a really gloomy look on his face.”
“As far as Hefei?”
“That is true. I knew the warriors attending the academy were eccentric, but I wondered if they really needed to be this eccentric. And to think they would walk all the way to Hefei in the dead of winter…”
For some reason, Sama Jeong felt as though he knew who the academy students the bodyguard was talking about were.
That’s exactly what I’m saying.
The bodyguard, unaware of the ominous premonition rearing its head once again in Sima Zheng’s heart, added as if doing him a favor.
“If you happen to encounter such people, run away as quickly as possible. It is best not to associate with them.”
Sama Jeong touched the 2,000-tael voucher in his bosom through his coat and seriously wondered if he had made a big mistake.
No matter how much I thought about it, no answer came.#“Haa…… Haa…….”
I am out of breath.
Walking, which I had never once thought was difficult, feels unfamiliar and hard.
“I know all too well why. ‘Damn it, moving while circling my energy…’ Hong Sa-ryeon had never once cursed in the face of any hardship in his entire life, but ever since leaving Muhan, he had cursed inwardly every single day without fail.”
But that was only for a moment.
“Aha! It’s coming undone again!”
Without even a moment to curse, a murderous aura tightening around the body along with a harsh shout makes the hairs on one’s entire body stand on end.
I have never received such killing intent, not even when sparring at the academy.
If you killed someone’s parents without reason, wouldn’t you receive this kind of killing intent?
However, it is extremely strange.
I have never even treated the Master of Mount Jin disrespectfully, so why is that crazy senior brother shooting such murderous intent at me?
Aren’t you doing it properly?
When he was young, he was definitely a person with many delicate and gentle sides.
He was someone who would force a smile with an incredibly frail face whenever I offered him comfort during a tough time…
“Huh? Can’t you hear me? You slacked off! Do it again!”
“For some reason, it has become so ferocious now that I wonder if a Yaksha in hell would look like that.” “Haa…” The movements of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers, whom I met at the academy earlier this year, were quite strange, so I asked them for the whole story.
I learned about the pupil for the first time.
To think that I can practice Qi cultivation to gather internal energy little by little throughout the day.
I couldn’t help but be tempted.
However, after practicing for the first time, I was so shocked that I never dared to try again.
A sense of crisis and fear washes over you, making you feel like you might die from even the slightest mistake, and it is easy for your whole body to lose strength, just like when your muscles lose power.
I was convinced that leading a normal life while doing this was absolutely impossible. ‘I definitely thought so…’ Just as I was letting out deep sighs.
As I was sweating profusely and gasping for breath in the middle of winter, Eunho handed me a water bottle.
“Sister, please have some water here.”
Saryeon stared blankly at the water bottle Eunho handed her.
Steam was rising from the hand holding the water container due to the heat, showing just how hard he had been training.
Sa-ryeon was having a really damn hard time. Enough to want to grab Senior Brother by the collar and stop him right then and there.
But I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Because of these guys.
“H-hyung……. Ugh.”
“Whoa! I have to endure……!”
The three brothers wore iron rings on their arms and legs, and had countless graters stuck into their leather vests.
Half of it was still empty, but that senior brother, who was like Yama, seemed to intend to fill even that soon.
Seeing the priests following without a word of complaint even in situations more difficult than his own, the words “I can’t do it” naturally fell silent out of shame.
Saryeon barely managed to shake her stiff head.
It’s okay. Even drinking water is hard right now.
It is crazy to go out of your way to add unnecessary movements while maintaining the pupil.
Because right now, minimizing movement is more important than anything else.
Please eat anyway. That’s the only way you can endure.
“huh?”
Eunho speaks with a sullen face and drooping shoulders.
“Because the intensity of the training won’t decrease anyway.”
A face that looked like it had seen it all…
I suddenly become curious.
“The priests did this exercise even during regular hours?”
“You’re crazy, you’re insane…….”
While others are making a fuss saying that even pouring their whole concentration into the schedule isn’t enough, to think you’re teaching pupils as a form of training.
At some point, it seems certain that my senior brother, who looks like Yama, has gone mad.
No, I’m certain. If a person has too good a memory, they must go insane.
He was weak when he was young, weighed down by bad memories, and now those bad memories have driven him crazy.
Otherwise, it simply cannot be explained.
While Hong Sa-ryeon was formulating his own hypothesis, Eun-ho added.
Still, thanks to you, I survived the regular admissions and made it this far.
“I found out after entering the academy. Originally, something like the Taeeul Sect…… Ah, Senior Sister, I am sorry. ……
Anyway, for a sect like ours, getting even one person to pass is like trying to catch a star in the sky.
It is no wonder that some have resorted to the unconventional tactic of intentionally joining a mediocre sect just to get into the academy through a special admissions process, like Gye Cheol-yeong.
“Since four people entered a sect like that through the regular admissions process, we must assume that the Senior Brother had a deep purpose, even if it was difficult. Of course, the same is likely true now.”
Saryeon could not speak otherwise.
Because the words that came out of Eunho’s mouth were originally the words he himself should have said.
Whether or not he was aware of Sa-ryeon’s frustration and shame, the Senior Brother’s shouts echoed in all directions.
“Lee Eun-ho! Do you want to start over from the beginning?”
“Ah! Yes! Here I go! I’m going! ……
Sister, please hang in there just a little longer.
Eunho quickly hands over the water bottle and starts running while taking pictures of the complex directions.
Saryeon clenched her teeth.
Eunho had come to deliver a water bottle to him while he was in the middle of mastering the incredibly complex martial art called Cheonhadokhaengsin. ‘I can’t fall behind. I can’t fall behind…’ He hadn’t entered the academy through the special admissions process because of his skills.
It is purely consideration.
A burdensome concession received because she is the daughter of the clan leader.
Even if she hadn’t been the clan leader’s daughter, could she have stood in the same place as them?
In an instant, the figure of Jin So-woon, who had felt closer than anyone else, appeared incredibly faint. ‘The distance… is too far.’ #“Snoring…….”
“Whew…….”
“Cough—cough! Cough cough—.”
“Isn’t he going to die at this rate?”
Jin So-un watched Geum-pyo snoring and threw a small piece of firewood into the bonfire.
Small embers flare up, and the sparks float in the air for a moment before disappearing.
Aren’t you sleeping?
Where Jin So-un turned his head, Sa-ryeon was staring intently at the flames.
“capital punishment.”
“okay.”
A flying ember plops onto Saryeon’s sleeve, leaving a soot mark.
“Why did you yield to me?”
Jin So-un tilted his head at the sudden question.
“What are you talking about?”
“The special admission… Why did you give it up?”
Jin So-un’s mouth closes tightly.
At that silence, Saryeon’s heart sinks.
As soon as I realized the truth, a hollow laugh burst out.
“So that’s how it was… Because I’m the Sect Leader’s daughter… You didn’t have to be.”
The cruel truth tears at my heart.
The soot remaining on the sleeves is growing even darker.
“If I had known we would fall this far behind, I would have sent Yoo-seong or another disciple. Then I wouldn’t have held my brothers back…”
I was definitely full of enthusiasm when I first entered the academy.
After receiving the punishment and teachings from Master Shin-geom, I was confident that I would be able to protect my brothers.
However, when he finally came to his senses after some time had passed, he was still receiving consideration from his brothers.
“I wish I had given the opportunity to another disciple instead…….”
“What are you talking about?”
Jin So-un’s sharp voice cuts off Sa-ryeon’s words.
The special admission was neither a concession nor a consideration. That opportunity was taken by the person who rightfully deserved it.
But definitely during the last duel.”
You don’t know!
“……?”
Jin So-un’s gaze entangles in a complex light. Longing, regret, and even anger…
Like someone who remembers something they don’t know.
Saryeon is left dazed by that indescribable, complex gaze.
“That was… so naturally yours.”
capital punishment?”
“after…….”
Sad memories come to mind.
“You would come out and train an hour before the training began, and after it was over, you would swing your sword until dinner.”
“I even considered marrying Gye Cheol-yeong, whom I disliked, just for the sake of Taeeulmun.……”
Saryeon’s face flushes hot.
“If… if things had gone according to plan, it would have been Gye Cheol-yeong who came to the academy.”
“What is that…….”
“Later, you would have served your mandatory military service in the Murim Alliance as a low-ranking warrior, leading your fellow disciples.”
You probably don’t know Saryeon.
The fact that this was not a ‘hypothesis’, but a ‘fact’.
The fact that he experienced all of this firsthand.
“Gye Cheol-yeong must have treated the disciples of Taeeulmun like slaves to look out for his own interests, and you must have stood against him to stop that.”
“Eventually, he must have had his engagement broken off and ended up in a miserable situation. Even so, he must have done his utmost to protect Taeeulmun to the very end.……”
Stories that Sa-ryeon could not understand kept flowing from Jin So-un’s mouth.
As Saryeon listened to the story, she felt a strange emotion.
Everything Jin So-un said was just a hypothetical scenario. But for some reason, my heart ached.
And above all.
As if he had experienced everything firsthand, Senior Brother’s face was contorted with anger and sorrow, appearing as if it would collapse at any moment.
Saryeon could not bring herself to say anything.
This wretched senior officer.
Jin So-un bites his lip as if it were about to bleed.
You must have just run away to avoid Gye Cheol-yeong. You must have suffered because of that.
“Because I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, in the end you…”
Jin So-un swallowed the rest of his words and let out a sigh.
Before I knew it, his eyes had returned to their original state.
In any case, the special admission was originally yours. That was neither a concession nor a consideration.
What was that just now?
A strange sensation, as if hearing about her own life that she herself did not know.
While Sa-ryeon was unable to say anything, Jin So-un’s voice continued.
“Recovering the Taeeul Jingyeong was purely a matter of luck. Without it, I wouldn’t have dared to even attempt to see the True Time. Then you would still be living desperately to protect the disciples of the Taeeul Sect, wouldn’t you?”
“Do not be anxious just because you are a little late. I know how much you think of Taeeulmun. However, if that thought goes too far and gnaws away at you, it will ultimately be for no one’s sake.”
Jin So-un, whose face had been stiff, soon forces a smile.
The delicate smile that was often shown in the past.
“Don’t worry. You’ve always done excellently. And of course, you will continue to do well in the future. I know that better than anyone.”
Unlike how the word ‘I believe’ I always heard from my father felt like a burden on my shoulders, my senior’s words ‘I know well’ filled my heart with emotion.
So I wanted to be confirmed even more.
“Can I really do well?”
If Senior Brother says so, it might really be true.
“Then! You will have no choice but to do well.”
But I’m not confident.
Don’t worry about that.
Jin So-un spoke with a more confident tone than ever before.
You have no choice but to do well.
“How could you say such a thing…….”
I grumbled for no reason, but actually, I felt relieved.
Senior Brother, who has become a sturdy pillar supporting Taeeulmun before anyone realized it.
If this person says so, then it must really be true…
Put this on first.
huh?
Cuckoo.
Jin So-un tossed something in front of Sa-ryeon as if it were nothing.
What fell at Saryeon’s feet was… … .
It’s nothing special. Just what those guys are wearing, too.
It was a broom with iron rings and steel plates attached. Unable to bear their own weight, they were digging into the ground.
“Th-what is this…….”
“Seeing how many distracting thoughts you have, it seems you have gotten used to the pupils now. Let’s equip that first, and then you can gradually learn the Heavenly Solitary Body Technique.”
Saryeon’s face turned pale.
Wait, you were just telling a heartwarming story a moment ago, and now you’re suddenly acting like this?
“Do not worry about anything. I will make it impossible for you to fail. Just train without thinking about anything. Do not worry about anything.”
The faint smile that had been on Jin So-un’s face vanished without a trace.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you wearing it?”… …
Before he knew it, a smile like that of a Yaksha had risen over his face.
It was a winter day so cold it made your skin ache.
