Chapter 345
My senior brothers seemed to be experiencing paradise, lost in the taste of meat they were trying for almost the first time in their lives, and in the end, they ate all the food the inn owner had brought out at first and even ordered more.
And after a very short time, on the way from the inn to the Eungnam Merchant Guild.
"Keu-euk... to think I'd end up participating in this... I'll never eat meat again...!"
The method I mentioned to get rid of the turbid qi is ultimately to move the body.
And that is to stimulate every single muscle in the whole body.
There are several ways to do a full-body workout while going to the destination, but the best way among them is to run at full speed, then walk forward on your hands, and then repeat running at full speed.
Of course, you can't just move your body, you have to do it while operating the improved version of the Yi Jin Jing that I taught before.
"If you've eaten, you have to take responsibility for it! But senior brother, think about it. In the end, this is also training, isn't it? You eat meat, and you train as much as you want. In the end, isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
"Still, if I had known I had to do this, I wouldn't have eaten meat. I will never touch meat!"
Although Senior Brother Un-hwang said that while sweating profusely, I know.
Since he has tasted meat once, he will surely look for meat next time.
In fact, Senior Brother Un Gwang and Senior Brother Un-ji-hak, who are used to this kind of training in the Wudang Sect, are just accepting this training without a word.
Since Senior Brother Un-hwang is not a member of Yuyeopdang, he has not usually trained with us, and that's why his reaction is more intense now.
'I'll thoroughly change him while we're together...!'
There is a lot of time ahead, and there is more than enough food and training to come.
In the meantime, I was confident that I could train Senior Brother Un-hwang.
"Hoo-uk, hoo-uk...! Hwi-ya. How long. Like this. Do we have to? Run?"
At that time, Un Gwang came up next to me and said.
Un Gwang was so out of breath that he could barely open his mouth.
No matter how hard he trains, it's not a matter for a martial artist of our level to be out of breath already.
Before we started running, I told everyone.
I told them not to run with a movement technique using internal energy. I said that it would be effective only if they suppressed their internal energy and ran purely using the strength of their bodies.
So the fact that Un Gwang is out of breath now can be seen as him properly following what I said.
He really has a diligent personality.
"A little more. If you run a little more now, there will come a moment when the pain disappears and suddenly a feeling of pleasure fills you. You can see that as the moment when the turbid qi is released."
"Pleasure...?"
Although Senior Brother Un-hwang asked back as if he couldn't believe it, I didn't answer and focused on running.
Because I know that although Senior Brother Un-hwang seems to not believe me and be snappy now, people with such personalities follow even better when you prove something to them.
In the world, there are gentle people like Un Gwang, and there are also upright people like Senior Brother Un Cheol, and there are also people like Senior Brother Un-hwang who are dissatisfied with everything and seem difficult to persuade.
If I had only lived my past life, I would have lived by excluding people whose personalities didn't match mine from the beginning, but I, who have seen and felt many things, will not do that.
I will acknowledge that there are many people in the world with a broad mind and try to accept their characteristics.
"Pleasure, my foot! I've fallen for a moment's temptation and my body is in such pain. What a foolish act this is."
Ah. I'll accept it later, and I feel a flood of thoughts that I should somehow find fault with him later and give him a mental education.
But, for now, I calmed that feeling and focused on running.
Because although this is to train my senior brothers, in the end, it is also my precious training time.
"Now. Let's put in a little more effort. We can rest at that big tree over there."
"A... tree? I can't see it."
I, giving Un Gwang a broad smile, didn't answer and started running at the forefront.
Of course. Because we have to run for at least another 15 minutes to reach the tree I mentioned.
***
The time we had originally planned to go from the Wudang Sect to the Eungnam Merchant Guild was five days.
But we were able to arrive in just two and a half days.
First, we saved a lot of time by coming down the cliff instead of the normal path when we came down from Wudang Mountain, and we were able to save a lot of time thanks to running nonstop to the Eungnam Merchant Guild.
"I thought you would come in a few days, but you came so early?"
Wang Hyeon-seong was surprised that we came so quickly, and he was surprised once more by our messy appearance.
"F-for now, I will prepare a room for you to rest and a bath. I didn't think you would come today, so I haven't prepared yet, so please understand."
He treated us with great hospitality even though we had suddenly rushed in, and thanks to him, we washed well, rested well, and then gathered in his office.
"Thank you so much for coming like this."
"No. It's something we should have done."
"Really... thank you."
He was even more haggard than when I had seen him at Wudang Mountain a few days ago.
"Yesterday... there was another attack."
I thought it was because he couldn't do business properly because of the mountain bandits, but after hearing his story, it wasn't just that.
"In the process, three of our merchants and seven escort warriors lost their lives. I killed them. Since it's such a dangerous situation, it was a time when I should have stopped the operation of the merchant guild and been careful, but I thought it would be okay on the way down south and sent them. I have no face to see the families of those who died because of me..."
Although I knew Wang Hyeon-seong was a good person, I thought anew that he was a really good merchant.
Although a merchant is a person who pursues money, in my experience, people who pursue people rather than money seem to do better.
Because when you have a hard time later, it's not money but people that make you overcome that storm.
Just look at now.
If he hadn't established a good relationship with our Wudang Sect, would we have come to help?
"Great Manager. I have one question."
"Please ask me anything."
"This situation where the mountain bandits are running wild is not only harming the Eungnam Merchant Guild, is it?"
"That's right. It is said that this is happening all over the Central Plains right now."
"The entire Central Plains? Then are you saying that many merchants in the Central Plains are not able to operate right now?"
"Some will be forcing it. Because mountain bandits don't attack all merchants. 'Not this time. It will pass by this time.' Most of them will be operating while relying on luck, thinking like that."
Senior Brother Un-hwang said with a frown.
"In a situation like this, aren't the other sects or the government troops taking action? Originally, subduing mountain bandits would be the job of the government troops."
"That's why I actually went to the government office before asking for help from the Wudang Sect. But it seems the government office is not thinking of this problem as a big deal right now."
"What do you mean? In a situation where there is such a commotion."
"Because the mountain bandits are not aiming for passing travelers, but are thoroughly aiming only for the merchant guilds. It seems it's to take advantage of the fact that merchants are faster with news. It seems the government office is taking the stance that since this situation is happening to find a martial artist named Green Snake, it will be over if the martial world finds that person."
"This..."
Senior Brother Un-hwang, trying to say something, swallowed his words.
It seems to me that he was about to spit out a curse and barely held it in.
"For now, I understand what happened. For now, since we have come down, we will look for a way."
"Thank you, Taoists."
Wang Hyeon-seong said that since we must have had a hard time coming here, we should rest a little while thinking of a way.
After returning to our quarters and being there for a little while, Wang Hyeon-seong prepared a feast for us.
There were quite a lot of meat dishes in it, and I glanced sideways to see if Senior Brother Un-hwang was eating them or not.
My senior brother ate them diligently while pretending not to.
As expected, once you fall for it, there is no way to return.
"Unhwi-ya. Do you have anything in mind on what to do?"
Un Gwang asked me naturally.
It was an attitude as if he believed that I would have thought of some way.
Of course, I have a way in mind.
"I think it will be easier if we approach it a little more simply."
"How?"
I raised my fist abruptly.
"It's a matter of solving it with strength rather than with your head. There's an old saying, right? If you're strong, your head gets comfortable."
"Isn't it... the other way around?"
I, giving a broad smile to Un-hwang who was finding fault, answered, "That's not important. Anyway, I don't think we need a big operation this time. No matter how strong the mountain bandits are, I don't think they can do anything to me and my senior brothers. So... if we defeat them one by one from the bottom, the main body will have to come out in the end."
In fact, although I said this, the martial arts of the Green Forest King, Ma Cheon-deuk, are real.
Because when he was active in the dispute with the Evil Faction Alliance in the future, people used to compare him to the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress Lord, Ho Baek-gwi.
Come to think of it, I wonder how old man Ho Baek-gwi is doing? Since I have no business going near Dongho, I haven't even thought of meeting him, but I should definitely go and visit him someday.
"Just defeat them one by one from the bottom? Wouldn't that be too reckless?"
"That's right. If we just hit anyone without any thought, it will be ambiguous where to start and where to end, right?"
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Instead of us looking for them, wouldn't it be better to make them come to us?"
My senior brothers are all tilting their heads, not understanding my words yet.
"Make them come to us? How? No, before that, how do you know who will come and when, and how do you prepare for it?"
"That's right. If you call them wrongly and the enemies keep coming, how are you going to deal with them? There won't be just one or two of them."
"We can use the terrain. We can take a position in one place first and wait for the opponent. We'll have to find a place where it's easy to strike back at the incoming enemies, right? If there is no such place, making one would also be a way."
"Then... how are you going to call them to our side? From what I've heard, this is not just happening in this area, but all over the Central Plains, right? Is there a way to call the ones at the end of the Central Plains to us?"
I immediately nodded my head.
My senior brothers are not thinking of a very crucial thing.
Because this matter can never be solved by approaching it with the concept of subduing all the mountain bandits or saving the merchants who are suffering.
"The reason the bastards are doing this now is because there is something they want, right? If we give them what they want, they will come on their own, right?"
"What they want... ah...!"
Un Gwang was the first to understand my words, and I, with a bitter smile, said, "We'll spread a rumor that we know the whereabouts of the Green Snake. We'll mix in credible information that they have no choice but to believe."
And I know a lot of information about the Green Snake that they have no choice but to believe.
Because a few months ago, I was the last one to see her before she was dragged to the Martial Alliance from the gambling house.
(End of Chapter)