Chapter 34
The beggars skillfully handled the corpses and bound the living, as if this was a common occurrence.
They were about to bind and take away Peng Won-so, who was still unconscious, but I stopped them.
"We'll take this person for a while."
"What are you going to do? By any chance, releasing the head of an Unorthodox Faction because of a personal acquaintance is a serious crime."
"No way. I have absolutely no intention of releasing him. And I have no personal acquaintance with him."
As I was bickering with the beggar from the Beggars' Sect over Peng Won-so, the Martial Uncle stepped in.
"Jin-won. I'm here, aren't I? Don't worry."
"Keung. I'm more worried because you're here..."
The Martial Uncle and the Beggars' Sect member exchanged a conversation as if they had a personal acquaintance, and in the end, they agreed to leave Peng Won-so behind.
After the Beggars' Sect members had cleaned up the scene, we carried Peng Won-so on our backs and returned to the inn.
After tying him up tightly with a rope and laying him in a corner, we finally took a breath and sat facing each other at a table.
"He still shows no signs of waking up, but it seems his life is not in danger."
"That's a relief. He can't die yet."
"Yes. That's what I want to ask. What on earth did you bring this guy here for?"
"I'm going to send a letter to the Hebei Peng family. If I tell them that the runaway from the Peng family is here, they'll come on their own."
"A runaway from the Peng family?"
The Martial Uncle asked me back and then looked straight into my eyes.
His eyes were half filled with doubt and half with suspicion.
It must be his turn to ask how I know this information.
"Then let me ask you one thing. I asked you at Sura Gate earlier... how do you know these things?"
"......"
I couldn't answer right away.
Because I hadn't decided how to tell the Martial Uncle yet.
Will the Martial Uncle believe me if I tell him the truth?
No, let's say the Martial Uncle believes me, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Then what's next?
Is there a guarantee that the relationship between the Martial Uncle and me will be the same as it is now?
Even if my appearance is that of a child, once he knows that I have already lived for decades and returned, he probably won't be able to treat me like he does now.
But, what can I do?
Now that things have come to this, there's no other way but to tell the Martial Uncle the truth.
There's no other way but to inform him of the Demonic Cult's invasion in the future and start preparing properly.
"Martial Uncle, so..."
"Wait."
As I was about to start speaking, looking straight into the Martial Uncle's eyes that were staring at me, the Martial Uncle cut me off.
He frowned slightly as if in serious thought, then let out a sigh and said, "Actually, I've felt that something was strange for a while now. Especially when you're training in martial arts. Because it didn't feel like you were walking this path for the first time at all. Do you know what the biggest difference is between a person who is learning martial arts for the first time and a person who has already learned martial arts when they learn a new martial art?"
"What is it?"
"It's conviction. A person who is walking a new path, no matter how much someone is pulling them from the front, cannot be sure if the path they are on is the right one. That's why they hesitate, go through trial and error, and walk while confirming if the path they are on is the right one."
The Martial Uncle spoke at length in one breath.
For some reason, he even seemed a little excited.
"But, a person with conviction doesn't have that hesitation. Because they already know that this training, this pain, will make them stronger in the future."
"......"
I couldn't answer the Martial Uncle's words.
No, I barely suppressed the hollow laugh that was about to escape me without my knowledge.
The reason I almost laughed was not for any other reason.
Because it seemed the Martial Uncle already knew everything, and I was ridiculous for contemplating whether to tell him or not.
"And, the big and small things that happened in Wudang. For some reason, you acted as if you knew all of them. At that time, I could just pass it off, thinking that you had excellent judgment or problem-solving skills. But, the actions you showed here now don't seem to be explainable by just that."
He stopped talking, hesitated for a moment, and then looked straight into my eyes and said, "As if you know the future."
Thump—
Although I didn't actually hear it, I felt like something big had fallen in my chest.
Since I entered the body of Unhwi of the Wudang Sect, I had never been so flustered or unable to think of how to respond, but right now, I really can't think of anything.
I have to think of what to say to even ramble, but my mind is a blank slate, and I can't even grasp what to say.
"So I looked back at all your actions and made several hypotheses. And then... I finally found out. The reason why you know the future like this."
"Hoo... so you did."
It seemed the Martial Uncle had already figured everything out.
It seems it would be useless for me to deceive or lie.
'Well, I've been so obvious.'
To be honest, I didn't even try to hide the fact that I had returned to the past in the body of Unhwi of the Wudang Sect.
Because I naturally thought that no one would think of such a thing.
'Yes. It's better this way. Now that it's come to this, I just have to prepare for the Demonic Cult's invasion with the full support of Wudang.'
I cleared my chaotic mind.
And, with a solemn face, I said to the Martial Uncle, "That's right, Martial Uncle. Actually, I'm the future..."
"Yes. Was it true that you received a revelation from the Primordial Heaven Supreme?"
"...received a revelation...?"
Huh? What did he say?
Unexpected words came out of the Martial Uncle's mouth.
I was so surprised by his words that my eyes almost popped out.
I praise my quick thinking for agreeing with his words without my knowledge.
"Yes. So it was true. Hehe..."
The Martial Uncle, after finally speaking, let out a hollow laugh with a relieved expression.
I quickly racked my brain.
Because I couldn't easily guess how the Martial Uncle had come to such a conclusion.
"Why the expression? Was it a fact that I, no, our Wudang shouldn't know?"
"That's... it's not that you shouldn't know..."
As I rolled my eyes and thought about how to answer, the Martial Uncle spoke first.
"The young lady of the Zhuge family can know, but I, your Martial Uncle, can't?"
"......!"
At those words, I realized why the Martial Uncle had come to this conclusion.
"Did Young Lady Zhuge tell you, Martial Uncle? When on earth?"
"No. It was Martial Uncle Okhang who told me."
"Ah...!"
The day I met Zhuge Ling.
Zhuge Ling and her handmaiden, Liu Shan, had come to Wudang to listen to Martial Granduncle Okhang's sermon.
It seemed she had told Martial Granduncle Okhang right away after she found out how to learn martial arts from me.
'I never thought she would tell him right away.'
Although I didn't make her promise to keep it a secret, to be honest, I never thought she would tell the Martial Granduncle right away.
Well, thinking about it, she couldn't have just believed the words of a strange little Taoist whose identity she didn't even know, so it's a matter of course that she went through a confirmation process with Martial Granduncle Okhang.
Because learning martial arts is a matter that is directly connected to life.
'Still, she seemed to believe my words completely.'
I don't know why, but I feel a little betrayed.
I remembered her face, shedding tears of joy after hearing the method from me.
The reason I feel betrayed now is not because she told the Martial Granduncle right away, but because she showed such an expression and then couldn't completely trust me.
"Young Lady Zhuge told the Martial Granduncle. I wasn't trying to hide it..."
"No, it wasn't Young Lady Zhuge, but her handmaiden, Liu Shan, who said it. They said that Young Lady Zhuge had told her not to say anything, but Liu Shan said it, and the two had a big fight in front of the Martial Uncle and then went back."
"Ah...!"
Why did the story that it was not Zhuge Ling, but the handmaiden who was attached to her side, who had said it, sound so welcome?
The feeling of betrayal melted away, and a sense of apology for being disappointed and stewing on my own for no reason welled up.
"Setting that story aside, why didn't you tell me such a story?"
I came to my senses at the Martial Uncle's words.
That's right. What's important here is not Zhuge Ling, but resolving the Martial Uncle's doubts.
And just when I was about to confess, I can't miss this opportunity that has come at the right time.
"Actually... I thought you wouldn't believe me. And, the revelations I usually received weren't this specific, but just images of me and my senior brothers becoming stronger in the future. So besides training hard, there was nothing else I could do. But sometimes, I get specific ones like this."
"Hmm... you mean like the case of Young Lady Zhuge and that Sura Gate leader?"
"Yes. Actually, I don't know exactly under what conditions or for what reason he gives me revelations."
Once it started, the words flowed smoothly.
To think that the lie I told to convince Zhuge Ling would come back like this.
If I say I received a revelation from the Primordial Heaven Supreme, several things are solved at once.
There will be no restrictions on my activities with the information I know in the future, and I can maintain the same relationship with my senior and junior brothers and Martial Uncles as I do now.
"Hmm... I understand. To be honest, Martial Uncle Okhang was going to call you and give you a scolding."
"The Martial Granduncle?"
I feel the hair on my arms stand on end.
Because Martial Granduncle Okhang is so ill-tempered and picky that if you get on his bad side, it becomes very tiring.
"Yes. That you, who haven't even dried the blood on your head, were trying to bewitch a believer who came to our Wudang in trust. But, I stopped him."
"Martial Uncle...!"
"I said I would check if it was true since I spend a lot of time with you. And since I've confirmed with my own two eyes that it's true like this, the Martial Uncle will also believe me."
It feels like a light is rising from behind the Martial Uncle's head.
My salvation, my savior!
If Martial Granduncle Okhang had interrogated me first, it probably wouldn't have been easy to maintain my sanity.
"Then now that the question is resolved, I'll have to send a letter to the Hebei Peng family as you said."
"Yes. Since this is Henan Province, if we use a fast messenger, the news will arrive in a day or two to Hebei Beijing, where the Hebei Peng family is, right?"
"That's right. Is that why you confirmed if you had a four-day leeway earlier?"
"Yes. That's right."
The Martial Uncle looked at me as if I were amazing, and then left the room, saying he would go and send the letter.
After he left the room, I, who had not let my guard down for a while, let out a deep sigh after some time had passed and the Martial Uncle was far away.
"Haa... I'm exhausted."
Although we had just talked, my hands were already soaked with sweat.
Although I felt guilty for deceiving the Martial Uncle who trusted me, for now, I decided to conclude that this was for the best for everyone and move on.
Because I'm not doing this to do anything bad to the Martial Uncle and Wudang, but for our future.
***
Four days passed really quickly.
During that time, there was only one thing for us to do, as we had nothing else to do.
Training, training, and more training.
Fortunately, the Martial Uncle treated me the same as before... no, much more severely than before.
"Your legs are going down. Lift them up! Hold it there!"
"Keueoeok!"
I am now in the position of lying down and lifting my legs and then lowering them halfway for two hours.
My abs had lost all feeling a long time ago, and I was sweating so much that a puddle had formed on the ground.
"Don't scream, use that strength to lift your legs. Your body's balance is still off, so you need to train your core muscles more."
"Eueueup!"
"That's enough. Rest."
"Puhaaa— Keuheuk."
I suddenly felt sad at the pain that was washing over my abs like a wave.
Of course, this pain will make me stronger, but right now, there was no way to stop the tears that were welling up.
The Martial Uncle, who was looking down at me crying, checked the time and then mercilessly opened his mouth again.
"Alright. You've rested enough, right? Let's start again."
"M-Martial Uncle! Wait a minute. You have to let me rest for at least a moment, no, half a moment."
"It's not effective if you rest for too long. Rest at night. For now, you have to tear your muscles to shreds as much as possible."
"Heueuk."
As I was about to lift my legs again, swallowing my tears.
Swoosh—
A huge shadow that appeared from somewhere covered me and the Martial Uncle at once.
When I quickly turned my head in that direction, a middle-aged man with a huge build was standing there.
Although he had a rugged impression, I couldn't have been happier to see him.
"I heard there are two Taoists from Wudang who have the runaway from the Peng family here. By any chance, are you those Taoists?"
The middle-aged man who spoke politely, unlike his face.
'Peng family head. As expected, he's much younger than I remember.'
His name was Peng Jianhong.
He was the head of the Hebei Peng family, which was one of the five great families, and a martial artist who was more widely known in the martial world by the nickname 'Saber King'.
And he, himself, had come all the way here.
(End of Chapter)