Chapter 116
“Huh? What’s that, Brother Woo-chi?”
“Haha. This is…”
So-ah’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
It was because he was curious about the carpet that Jeon Woo-chi had confidently taken out.
“It’s a demonic tool that allows for flight!”
“Fliiiight?”
“Yes!”
After Jeon Woo-chi answered bravely, he briefly explained about all the demonic tools such as magical instruments, magical treasures, treasured artifacts, and treasured tools.
So-ah’s eyes widened.
“They say the world is wide and there are many treasures…! There’s really nothing that doesn’t exist.”
“It’s not a common item. It’s a treasure so rare that ordinary people can’t even see it in their lifetime.”
“And you received such a precious thing from Elder Baek?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it! If you have something so good, you should have given me some too.”
“You’re too greedy.”
“Hehe. I’m just kidding. Anyway, that flight thing! Show me quickly, brother.”
So-ah urged with an excited face like a child.
At that, Jeon Woo-chi smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
“Actually, I haven’t even grasped the truth of the Heavenly Ki Scripture, and my magical power is insufficient, so a long flight is impossible. But thanks to taking the Baekdu-jeong, a short flight should be possible. If I use this properly, I may not be able to perfectly catch up with your Swift Whale Step, but I can offset it to some extent…”
“Ah! Why is the introduction so long? I said show me quickly!”
Due to his still insufficient magical power, he didn’t even dare to use the Eui-cheon-pil, and since it was his first time performing the flight art, Jeon Woo-chi had intended to lay some groundwork, but.
Startled by So-ah’s rebuke, he soon spread the rolled-up carpet on the floor.
And then.
“[email protected]$%$^&&*”
He sat cross-legged on the carpet, muttering an incomprehensible ancient language.
At that.
A faint vibration of the atmosphere was detected by So-ah’s ki sense.
In addition.
“Oh…! Oh! Brother! It’s floating, it’s floating!”
A cry of surprise came out of So-ah’s mouth.
“Gasp!!”
The one who was surprised was not only So-ah.
The person who had performed the flight art, Jeon Woo-chi, also looked around with a greatly startled expression.
As the gentle feeling of floating washed over them…
Soon, a mysterious phenomenon of the carpet floating up to a height of almost three zhang unfolded before their eyes.
“Wow! Brother Woo-chi, you’re really amazing!”
“Ha… haha! Hahaha!”
Awkwardness and bewilderment.
At the same time, a look of elation appeared on Jeon Woo-chi’s face.
Because the flight art was such a high-level spell.
‘It’s thanks to taking the Baekdu-jeong and reading the Heavenly Ki Scripture!’
A faint smile appeared on the lips of Jeon Woo-chi, who had truly established his tool-dependency.
The impressed So-ah also exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow! When I was young, I saw Grandpa Wi-ji perform the flight art on the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword… Since then, this is the first time I’ve seen the flight art.”
“Can you perform the flight art with martial arts too?”
“Of course! You know about the Sword Control Art, right?”
“I know.”
“When you surpass the final secret of the Sword Control Art, you can freely handle the sword from dozens of zhang away.”
“Isn’t that the Void Grasping Art?”
“No. It’s a higher realm than the Void Grasping Art. When you reach that realm, you can perform the flight art. Perhaps even the Dragon Horn Elder of Jongnam, who is called the strongest of swords, can perform the flight art.”
“To fly in the sky on a sword… that’s a demigod.”
“Who’s talking? The brother who is flying in the sky on a carpet doesn’t look like a human either.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Not at all!”
“Aww! You’re jealous.”
“Kikiki. Even if you ride that, how fast can you go? Just by looking at it, it looks very unstable.”
“What?!”
It was as So-ah said.
Whether he needed to get used to it, Jeon Woo-chi on the carpet was in a clumsy state, his body swaying.
“Brother. Are you really going to catch up with me with that?”
“It’s enough, you brat.”
“Then try to follow me until you shit blood. Hahat!”
Although Jeon Woo-chi’s carpet was strange, So-ah was not envious.
Why?
Because he knew better than anyone that a race was a battle of ‘stamina and endurance’.
Besides.
‘For the past few years, how much have I, huh? Like a dog, like a horse, roamed the Central Plains! To think he’d catch up with me with just that kind of magical treasure? Not a chance! Hehe.’
So-ah had already experienced roaming the world to an extent that far surpassed the distance that the escorts of a large merchant group would travel in their lifetime.
Thinking that a clumsy flight art was no match for him.
He unfolded the Swift Whale Step and flew away like an arrow, scattering dust and afterimages.
“S-So-ah! Let’s go together!”
Judging by the appearance of the carpet moving forward powerlessly, it seemed that Jeon Woo-chi was still not enough to catch up with So-ah.
***
Is a human an animal of adaptation?
As a result of performing the flight art, resting due to the limit of his magical power, and then performing it again repeatedly.
Jeon Woo-chi had come to devise his own ‘carpet operation method’.
In fact, it was just the acquisition of a knack through experience.
“Brother Woo-chi. You’re getting quite fast now, aren’t you?”
“I’m a fast learner. Haha.”
“If you ride it for about 10 to 20 years, you might be able to catch up with the Swift Whale Step.”
“You brat! You’re cursing me, you’re cursing me. Ugh.”
“It’s just an objective evaluation.”
“Didn’t you resign as an instructor a long time ago? I refuse such an evaluation.”
“Yes, no. It’s a fact.”
“What?”
“Oops… sorry.”
So-ah, who was bored on the long journey, had been throwing jokes at Jeon Woo-chi.
But.
‘Hmm… this little rascal seems to be playing with me now.’
Jeon Woo-chi was amused, but on the other hand, he was anxious.
From the instructors of the academy to the students.
When everyone called So-ah a devil, Jeon Woo-chi had just laughed…
But for some reason, the terrible premonition that he would be completely ‘eaten up’ by So-ah if he continued like this was rising like a tide.
‘This won’t do. If I give that rascal an opening, it’ll be a big problem!’
Suddenly, the image of So-ah tormenting the students came to mind, and goosebumps rose on Jeon Woo-chi’s arms.
‘Phew! I’ll have to catch him and discipline him once!’
It was Jeon Woo-chi, who was strengthening his resolve for survival.
Of course, that resolve was.
‘But how can I discipline that monster?!’
It was just a baseless hope.
***
The two, who had run diligently, entered the official road of Sichuan after a few days.
Jeon Woo-chi also put away his carpet and walked along the bustling street with So-ah for the first time in a while.
“It’s good to be home. How long has it been?”
A look of nostalgia appeared in Jeon Woo-chi’s eyes.
Sichuan was like a hometown to Jeon Woo-chi.
After coming over from Goryeo, he had always set up a ‘roadside Taoist temple’ (it was called a Taoist temple, but he operated it by laying out a mat on the street) in Sichuan, telling fortunes and making a living, and had lived as a guest Taoist in Sichuan.
But the one who felt a really deep nostalgia for Sichuan was So-ah.
‘It was here in Deokyang-hyeon. The place where I lived a hard life, begging with Myo-seon.’
That’s right.
The place So-ah had arrived at was Deokyang-hyeon, Sichuan.
So-ah’s heart ached as he recalled his difficult past in his childhood.
But he soon shook off his depression.
Because Deokyang-hyeon was.
‘Also the place where I met my grandfather.’
It was a place that was meaningful and held precious memories for So-ah in many ways.
Just then.
“Huh?! That restaurant… it’s still in business!”
So-ah’s eyes sparkled.
“Do you know that place?”
“Yes. When I was young and begging with Myo-seon, it was a place that sometimes gave us food. My grandfather also took me there often and bought me noodles…”
“Then shall we stop by for a while? We were getting hungry anyway.”
“Alright, Brother Woo-chi.”
The <Dongmyeong Restaurant> that had just come into view.
So-ah quickly stepped into the pleasant memory.
***
“Welcome!”
A middle-aged man in his forties with a kind impression approached So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi, who had taken a seat by the window on the second floor with a good view, rubbing his hands.
Seeing him, So-ah’s eyes widened.
“…Huh? By any chance, are you Mr. Kang?”
“Huh? Young master. Do you know me?”
“Haha! It seems so. Of course I know you. I know you very well.”
The waiter tilted his head as he looked at the pleased So-ah.
A young man with a handsome, no, a radiant, jade-like impression and expensive black martial arts clothes.
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no such person among his acquaintances.
“Um… young master. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I know you.”
“Mr. Kang. You used to dote on me when I was young. I also came here often with my grandfather.”
Only then did the waiter vaguely recall a person’s face.
The face of a small boy with chubby cheeks and bright eyes.
“You… are you by any chance So-ah?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right. Mr. Kang!”
“Ah! It really is So-ah! As I heard, you’ve grown up so handsomely! Hahaha!”
“As you heard?”
“Yes. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hmm? This is the first time I’ve come to Sodamgol since I was fifteen. Where did you hear about me?”
“Where is this? Isn’t this a restaurant located in the middle of Sichuan? There’s no place where news of the Jianghu comes and goes as fast as here. The fact that you are one of the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path is known even to the passing dogs of Deokyang-hyeon.”
“Oops…”
He hadn’t thought of that.
Currently, So-ah’s fame was spreading not only in the Jianghu but throughout the Central Plains.
In particular, Deokyang-hyeon was a place where So-ah had often come down from the mountain to get food and daily necessities even after he met his grandfather.
It was only natural that rumors about So-ah would spread.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you. And I’m so grateful that you acknowledged this humble old man. I’ll give you food for free today!”
“Aww! Mr. Kang, really. Do I still look like the begging So-ah to you?”
“Of course not! You look like a dignified great hero of the Jianghu.”
“Hahaha. Why are you being so embarrassing, Mr. Kang. I have a lot of money now. I should repay your kindness instead!”
So-ah said and handed ten silver coins to the waiter.
At that, the waiter’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“S-So-ah?”
“Please take it. How can I repay your kindness with money? It’s a small token of my sincerity. Mr. Kang.”
Although it wasn’t a huge sum, ten silver coins was equivalent to a month’s living expenses for the waiter, who had a family of four.
Since he was not well-off, the waiter had an internal conflict and swallowed dryly.
Gulp…
But.
So-ah, who could not have failed to see his inner thoughts, forcibly pushed the silver coins into the man’s pocket.
“So-ah…”
“Just take it! If you don’t, I’ll never come here again.”
“You brat, really… alright. I’ll accept it gratefully!”
The waiter’s eyes turned red.
A sense of pride spread in So-ah’s heart.
‘Money is the best, it’s thrilling! It’s always new! This is why people try so hard to become chaebols. Keke.’
***
“Burp~~~. I ate well for the first time in a while. Sichuan food is spicy and the best for whetting the appetite!”
“Haha. So-ah, you’re a man of Liaoning now.”
“Once a Sichuan man, always a Sichuan man. Haven’t you heard that saying, brother?”
“Stop talking nonsense, So-ah.”
“Yes.”
The waiter came back to So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi, who had finished their hearty meal, and offered them dessert.
“So-ah. Try this plum tea. The chef made it at home, and it’s delicious.”
“Ah! Thank you, Mr. Kang.”
“Thank you.”
At the waiter’s kindness, So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi bowed politely, and he scratched his head, embarrassed.
To think that a hero who shook the world would be so polite to him, he felt both honored and, at the same time, a strange sense of pride.
Just then.
“Oh! Mr. Kang. Is that scoundrel Lord Nam still alive?”
So-ah asked about Lord Nam’s life and death, mixing in a curse.
Lord Nam was the one who had tried to do something terrible to So-ah and Myo-seon in their childhood, but had been severely beaten by Moyong Cheon, losing his eyes and genitals, and his leg muscles, heart meridians, and bones had all been severed, leaving him a cripple.
“He’s alive.”
“That human… is he still the same?”
“I heard he’s doing missionary work these days.”
“Missionary work?”
“Yes. He converted to the White Lotus Cult or something and is preaching the mercy of Maitreya. I heard he’s recruiting followers by giving out two mal of barley and one mal of white rice…”
At those words, goosebumps rose on So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi’s bodies.
“Wow! They say the only good pervert is a dead pervert. That pervert is still like that! Mr. Kang, you haven’t joined the White Lotus Cult, have you?”
“Of course not. Come to think of it, the people who came from other places and joined have disappeared like ghosts. To think they’d join such a place for just two mal of barley and one mal of white rice!”
“You did well. Don’t ever join. Those guys are scammers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
In that moment.
“Brother Woo-chi.”
“Yes?”
“I’m in a hurry, but I’ll have to take half a day. I have a place to stop by.”
“Where are you going?”
“To give a true education.”
“Huh?”
Jeon Woo-chi saw it.
So-ah’s smile, which felt as evil as a fierce god of evil.