Chapter 134
"Eunuch Han. I have good news."
The man with the gruff voice was clad entirely in black, from the mask covering his face to the cloak draped over his body.
The man was a member of the Eastern Depot, the second major martial force of the imperial court.
Eunuch Han, who had received the report while seated in an antique armchair, opened his mouth.
"Good news... are you perhaps referring to 'that'?"
The more one heard Eunuch Han's voice, the more it gave a strange sense of displeasure.
It was neither male nor female.
Nor could it be said to be exactly androgynous; a strange voice mixed with a slight metallic and hoarse sound.
It was due to the side effects of the 'Sunflower Manual' that Eunuch Han had learned.
Thus, the <Sunflower Manual> was a 'monstrous art' with considerable side effects.
Even a naturally gifted person could not easily learn it, and if a man full of yang energy were to practice it incorrectly, he would fall into a state of qi deviation and, in the end, risk losing his gender and becoming a monster...
Of course, Eunuch Han, who was in a state of being a posthumous eunuch, was able to learn it to some extent by using his physical characteristics.
"That's right. We have obtained information that the girl from the Emei Sect, whom you mentioned, has left the Martial Alliance headquarters and is heading to the Liaoning branch. The 30 elite members of the Eastern Depot who have been watching her will kidnap her within a few days and bring her to you, my lord!"
At the words of the man in the cloak, Eunuch Han said with a grotesque, cunning smile.
"Kekekeke. Is that true? Is the girl named Myo-seon really coming into my hands?"
"Isn't it what you have been eagerly waiting for? Of course, it should be handled as a top priority."
"Kekeke. It is done now. If I can just get my hands on that girl, I will be able to use the best master in the martial world as a plaything within three years! Hehe."
At the sight of Eunuch Han bursting into a mad laugh like a madman, the man suddenly had a question and asked cautiously.
"Um... but, Eunuch Han."
"Speak."
"Isn't the Sunflower Manual a monstrous art that is extremely difficult to learn? Is it really possible for a person suffering from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians to reach the pinnacle in three years?"
"You say that because you don't know. The creator of the Sunflower Manual, Dongfang Mo himself, was a person who suffered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. In other words, the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and the Sunflower Manual are one from the beginning. The girl named Myo-seon will absorb the Sunflower Manual as if a cotton ball absorbs water."
"But even if we kidnap her, isn't the key whether we can easily handle the girl?"
"Don't worry about that."
"How so?"
"In the martial world, they often use poisons or mind-altering drugs to restrain a person's will, but that's a method used by amateurs. Also, to learn a supreme martial art like the Sunflower Manual, you have to avoid such tricks. Instead... kekekeke."
"..."
"Do you know why I am helping the White Lotus Cult?"
"Well... from them, a huge amount of..."
"Wrong. If it's money, I can play with a thousand gold coins even without them. But the 'demonic grimoire' of the unorthodox path, which can deprive a person of their will and control them at will, can only be obtained through them."
"Ah!"
"I have obtained one 'demonic grimoire' from them. Of course, it is a rare book that cannot be obtained even with a fortune."
"Then..."
"Of course, the procedure is tricky, but first, if we just kidnap her... hehe. There will be no problem. Three years. In three years, the number one person in the world will become my trusted subordinate."
"Eunuch Han..."
"With that, wouldn't it be possible to assassinate the emperor? Kekeke."
The man did not bother to answer Eunuch Han's words.
But his heart was entangled with complicated feelings.
***
Myo-seon was speechless as she looked around the changed Moyong family estate.
It was inevitable...
Because the Moyong family that Myo-seon knew was a place so small that it was shabby to be called one of the Five Great Families.
Moreover, the household goods of the Moyong family that she had seen before were simple, as if representing the frugality and simplicity of the family head.
But now?
The old appearance had disappeared without a trace, and many annexes and an expanded main building had been built, hadn't they?
That wasn't all.
On the wall, there was a scroll with the seal of the master calligrapher Wang Xizhi, and on the ceiling, a rare and precious night-luminescent pearl was hung.
"Wow... I heard that the businesses you started are doing well! Have you become a chaebol? Not even the family head's office, but a night-luminescent pearl in an ordinary reception room! And that scroll... it looks like a genuine article."
At the sight of Myo-seon, who was admiring with wide eyes, So-ah showed a pleased smile.
"Haha! That scroll was a gift from the Yi family of Shandong, with whom our family has signed a long-term collaboration, so of course it's genuine."
"The Yi family of Shandong? The one known as a chaebol?"
"Yes."
"Wow... So-ah, how far have you taken your business? You're no different from a great merchant. Hoho!"
At Myo-seon's praise, So-ah was enveloped in a strange sense of elation.
Whenever he received a compliment related to finance, he always felt this way...
'I'm having an identity crisis, a crisis! I'm a martial artist. Ahem!'
It was because the disposition of a great merchant, which was latent deep in his abyss, was slowly rising.
'But what can I do, I like money! What to do. No matter how I look at it, money is the best!'
It seemed difficult for him to return to the frugal and simple So-ah of the past.
Because, one way or another, a person who has touched a large amount of money is bound to realize that money is the best.
But.
"What do you mean, a great merchant? I have to earn 100 times more to catch up with the Namgung or the Tang. Tsk..."
"You too! The Namgung and the Tang are the richest families in the martial world. Their family assets have been accumulated for dozens of generations. If you catch up with them overnight, that's a scam!"
"Myo-seon-ah."
"Yes?"
"Do you know that?"
"What?"
"Someone said. Life is all about one shot."
"Who said that?"
"Never mind. Just you wait. You'll see how much money the Moyong family will touch."
"Well... I'll look forward to it. Hoho."
Of course, until then, Myo-seon had dismissed So-ah's boast as half a bluff and had laughed it off.
***
"Kya-heuk!"
—Kik-kik-kik!
"Kyar-reuk!"
—Keo-heung!
Is this one of the Five Great Families of the martial world?
Or is it a forest in a deep mountain valley?
Or perhaps?
'Wow! Everyone who sees Huindung-ie and Geomdung-ie likes them. Let's see... should I just lay out all the rare animals of Yunnan and start a tourism business?'
Watching Myo-seon, who was hugging the great ape Geomdung-ie and the white tiger Huindung-ie and laughing without any sense of decorum, So-ah once again spread his wings of absurd imagination.
"Myo-seon, you really like animals too, huh?"
"Yes. Besides, I've seen Huindung-ie a few times. He seems to be getting gentler and gentler. Who would look at Huindung-ie and call him a white tiger?"
"He's not a tiger. He's been a dog for a long time."
"What? A dog. Kikik. Anyway, he's so cute."
"You should take him to Mount Emei and raise him."
"I'd probably be excommunicated."
It was a relief that the senior members of the family were away.
Myo-seon's appearance, who was engrossed in playing with the tiger and the great ape, looked extremely innocent for a 'hundred-man commander' level official of the Martial Alliance.
'It reminds me of the old days and it's nice. If Myo-seon hadn't suffered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, she would have become an external disciple of the Moyong family with me, right?'
Suddenly recalling that thought, So-ah, on the one hand, smacked his lips in disappointment.
'Still... it's not bad. Myo-seon is living happily as Abbess Hongryeon's disciple.'
To So-ah, Myo-seon was a much more special existence.
From the time he was wandering as an orphan, she was like a sibling he could rely on.
Although they were separated due to her illness, at this moment, watching the endlessly happy Myo-seon, So-ah secretly wished for her good fortune in martial arts.
Just then.
From a corner of the training ground, Yi Baek approached So-ah.
"Master. It will soon be the Hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM). Shall we do today's afternoon training on our own?"
"What? On our own?"
"Ah... I thought you were catching up with your friend."
"Never mind. Gather all the trainees and have them assemble at the rear training ground, execute!"
"Execute!"
At So-ah's strict order, Yi Baek ran off in a hurry.
"Myo-seon-ah. What should I do? I have to train my disciple and the young friends of the family. Do you want to play with Huindung-ie and Geomdung-ie? It will take two shichen."
"No. I have to go now too."
"That's a shame... tsk."
"You can come visit often. I'll be at the Liaoning branch for a while, so."
"Instead of that, I'll visit the branch tonight. How about a drink at a nice place?"
"Hehe, sounds good!"
The two promised for late at night and parted ways.
Because for So-ah, at present, the 'self-realization' as a hell instructor was more important than anything else.
"Now! Gentlemen. Let's run until we shit blood today too!"
'Scary...'
'Hah...'
'I don't want to...'
The Moyong people, who had suddenly entered the Moyong family and were experiencing terrible physical training, had to shed a few tears.
Except for one person.
The external disciple, Yi Baek.
'What's with that look in his eyes... it's murderous, so murderous. He's literally burning with will, isn't he?'
With the ambition in his heart to make Yi Baek cry out to give up his training, at least for today.
"Run!"
So-ah shouted a vigorous command.
***
"I am Jang Hyeong-bae, serving as the vice-leader of the Martial Alliance's Liaoning branch! It is an honor to serve Branch Leader Myo-seon, who graduated from the academy with excellent grades and was appointed as a hundred-man commander!"
"It is an honor!"
"It is an honor!"
Myo-seon, who had arrived at the Liaoning branch, blushed at the welcome of the extremely loyal alliance members.
'Hmm...'
It was true that she had acted as a superior since it hadn't been long since she had been active as an official.
But.
"Thank you for welcoming me. Although it is temporary, as I have become the branch leader of Liaoning, I have come with the intention of strengthening the security and tracking down and annihilating the White Lotus Cult in the Liaoning region, so I request your active cooperation."
As a disciple of a prestigious orthodox sect.
Also, as the disciple of Abbess Hongryeon, who had become the leader of the Martial Alliance.
Because she had to be upright, Myo-seon mustered up her courage and responded to the alliance members.
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
'Phew... this is burdensome.'
But it seemed she still needed some time to adapt.
***
Around the Hour of the Pig (9-11 PM)—
Myo-seon, who had been grasping the overall situation by taking over the duties of the former branch leader, was only able to finish her work when night fell.
'Hmm... still no word from So-ah? I should just sleep today.'
She had been secretly waiting for So-ah, but seeing that he hadn't arrived by the Hour of the Pig, she thought she should just go to bed for today and was about to head to the branch leader's office when.
"Kwak!"
A single scream from outside rang in Myo-seon's ears.
Myo-seon, without a moment's hesitation, drew her sword and headed outside.
An ordinary woman would have felt fear at the unexpected commotion late at night, but for Myo-seon, who had recently gained confidence in her martial arts, fear did not exist.
But.
"It's that girl..."
The moment she saw the true colors of the intruders, a sense of anxiety washed over her mind.
'A total of about thirty people. It's a time when most of the alliance members, except for the security personnel, have left. Besides...'
To make matters worse, weren't even the alliance members who were on security duty dismembered and had become wandering souls?
"How dare you commit murder in a branch of the Martial Alliance?"
Myo-seon asked in a chillingly low voice.
At that.
"Kekekeke. You speak as if this shabby branch is something."
"You have just committed murder against the Orthodox Path martial world. You know what that means, right?"
"Do we have to know that? We're going to capture you alive anyway, and we plan to kill all the rest."
'This is a big problem. Looking at their auras, I can only handle three or four at most. But there are a whopping 30 of them...'
The expression 'the future looks bleak' would be accurate.
Myo-seon's instinct, her reason, her senses.
They were all sending signals of a fight with no chance of winning.
In that moment.
Bang—!
The main gate of the branch, made of hard ebony wood, shattered into pieces, and.
"You guys are so~~~ unlucky."
A familiar figure appeared before Myo-seon's eyes.
"Just! Looking at you, it seems you came here with some plan in mind?"
"..."
"It's just that the place you came to is where my friend is staying!"
"..."
"It's just that I, who appeared before you, am an incredibly strong master!"
"..."
"It's just that your death anniversary is today!"
The figure was none other than So-ah.
It was a moment when So-ah was imprinted in Myo-seon's eyes as a savior who had descended from the heavens.
"So-ah! I thought you weren't coming..."
"We promised to have a drink. Of course I had to come. Before that, let's just clean up this trash."
So-ah, who had said that, once again turned his gaze to the men in black.
"You guys are laughing right now, right? No matter how strong a master comes, they can't handle all of you alone. You thought that, right?"
"You're a madman."
"But that. It's a misunderstanding."
"..."
"I was just wanting to test the Profound Realm in a real battle, so this is great. I'll beat you until you beg me to kill you, so come at me, you bastards."
(End of Chapter)