Chapter 175
—Grandfather! It's me! I defeated that damned old man, No Yeong-myeong! No! I turned him into a handful of lonely souls. Hahaha. I have offset the first defeat of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, right? Hahahaha!
—Hohoho! So-ah... you are truly amazing! This old man never even imagined that you would grow so quickly...
—Grandfather. It's all thanks to you! Honestly, when I was young, I was often disappointed because you made me go through such harsh training, but wasn't that all a foundation for today? Ah! Of course, I also saw the effects of the <Map of the Ghost Valley> that Grandpa Wi-ji gave me.
—Hohoho! I was just about to say that. The <Map of the Ghost Valley> is, in fact, a treasure that is known to all who know it as the best in the world. Of course, not just anyone can have it, and even if they do, since the map chooses its own master, it is a rare treasure that not just anyone can possess. When old man Wi-ji gave it to you, there must have been a good reason for it.
—Haha! I should also thank Grandpa Wi-ji. But where is Grandpa Wi-ji?
—Old man Wi-ji is in the Peach Blossom Spring with me.
—The Peach Blossom Spring?
—That's right.
—What do you mean by that? Isn't the Peach Blossom Spring the other world that can only be reached through ascension?
—So-ah...
—Aww! You're kidding. You still have to live for another 50 years. I will take good care of you, so please don't say such terrible things. Ah! And grandfather. Now, our family will soon be on par with the chaebol families like Namgung, Tang, and Zhuge. It's as if my hard work in business has paid off. The ice spirit stone...
—So-ah!
—What's wrong, grandfather.
—Open your eyes...
—...?
—Don't you have a lot of work left to do?
—Grandfather...
—I will leave the martial world of this era to you. Just as I killed the Blood Demon and subjugated the Blood Cult in the old days. You will also be able to do so. Because you are the disciple of the God of War. My, Moyong Cheon's, only direct disciple.
—Grandfather!!!
"Grandfather-e-e-e-e-e!"
It was a dream.
A dream that was so vivid...
A dream of a person he missed to death...
A sweet dream that he wanted to shout, to touch, to feel more affectionately, and never to wake up from.
The conversation with his grandfather had appeared to So-ah as a dream that was as refreshing as a spring rain and as warm as the sunlight.
"Gasp... gasp... gasp..."
Sweat flowed down his whole body like rain.
At the same time, he looked around.
The menacing momentum of the zombies that he had witnessed just before he lost consciousness, the solid Demon-Subduing Dragon-Taming Formation of the disciples of the Emei Sect, and the form of the Four Gods that Jeon Woo-chi had drawn with the Heavenly Will Brush.
There was nothing.
Just a simple and plain room and the bed he was lying on came into his sight.
Just then.
"So-ah! Are you awake?"
Perhaps because she had heard So-ah's shout, Myo-seon hurriedly entered the room.
"Myo-seon-ah. What... happened?"
So-ah, who still did not know what was going on, asked with a bewildered expression.
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness, So-ah! I was so worried about what I would do if something happened to you... I'm so glad!"
As she said that, Myo-seon's eyes became moist.
Myo-seon tightly grasped So-ah's hand.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
So-ah patted Myo-seon's shoulder.
"You brat. What do you mean, something happened to me? Don't you know me yet? I'm a vajra bronze-man, a vajra bronze-man! I'll never die."
"Pfft... more useless talk!"
"Hahaha. Don't be like that, what happened? The zombies? Are they all dead?"
"Yes... thankfully."
At Myo-seon's words, So-ah's eyes widened.
Until he had fainted, the number of remaining zombies was a whopping 40 or so.
No matter how strong Jeon Woo-chi's spell and Myo-seon's Sunflower Manual were, it was hard to believe that they had eliminated so many zombies without his help.
But.
"So-ah!"
"So-ah!!"
Following Myo-seon, there were two people who entered the room.
The two were Wi-ji Chan and Jeon Woo-chi.
Only then could So-ah deduce the situation.
"As expected! Our brother solved it!"
At that.
"Ahem!"
"Hahaha!"
For some reason, Jeon Woo-chi and Wi-ji Chan both showed an embarrassed and shy reaction at the same time.
And then, as if So-ah's words were directed at them, the two stared at each other for a moment, and then shifted their gazes back to So-ah.
"Haha! Well, that's what happened, So-ah."
"It was a bit of a struggle, but it was nothing, So-ah."
Funnily enough, the two opened their mouths to So-ah at the same time.
'Oh my... my fate...'
So-ah soon realized his mistake.
Although from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jeon Woo-chi and Wi-ji Chan had been creating a subtle competitive dynamic, as if they were boasting of their closeness to So-ah.
As if he had poked a fire pit with firewood, So-ah's face turned red.
Of course.
"Ahem!"
"Ahem!"
Since Jeon Woo-chi and Wi-ji Chan were gentlemen, it was a relief that they did not ask So-ah who he was talking to.
"Aha! I misspoke. Not our brother, but our brothers! Hahat... thanks to my brothers, we have prevented a bloody disaster. Haha... hahaha!"
So-ah belatedly let out an awkward laugh to handle the situation.
Although So-ah's acting divine art was at the 12th star level, why was it so awkward now?
'Dammit! I can tell he was talking to the young leader, Wi-ji. Ah... ah! So embarrassing!'
Jeon Woo-chi had a hundred levels of intuition.
He soon closed his eyes and blushed at his own mistake of creating a dark history that he would kick the blankets for a long time.
'Ah... that gentleman has noticed, he has noticed. Phew... it will last for about a fortnight.'
Unfortunately, So-ah had realized the situation just by looking at Jeon Woo-chi's face.
***
"Really? I was unconscious for seven days and nights?"
"That's right."
So-ah could not hide his surprise after hearing from Myo-seon that he had been lying in a sickbed, unconscious for seven days.
But everyone except So-ah reacted as if it were natural.
Why?
Because So-ah had not only defeated the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, single-handedly, but had also crushed about 40 Ghost Demon Jiangshi...
This was, in a word, something that did not make sense.
It was a crazy story that anyone would dismiss as a lie, as it was impossible.
No one in the current martial world would be able to write such a myth single-handedly.
Therefore, Wi-ji Chan, who had only heard about So-ah's performance from Myo-seon and Jeon Woo-chi, still had an unbelievable look in his eyes.
"So-ah. I have never doubted that you would become a representative master of the martial world who would represent the era since I was young. But this is too much. The Twin Demonic Old Freaks! To defeat the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, and to beat up about 40 Ghost Demon Jiangshi. What is your true identity?"
'Well... even I think it's crazy, so crazy.'
So-ah decided to kick the virtue of modesty to the curb.
Modesty is a virtue only to a certain extent.
But to ramble on about 'it was nothing~' or 'it was all thanks to my brother~' in this situation would clearly earn him a string of curses from Wi-ji Chan, so he just grinned and enjoyed the situation.
"What do you mean, what's my identity? I'm the disciple of the God of War. Haha! And I didn't catch the 40 Ghost Demon Jiangshi by myself, Myo-seon's Sunflower Manual, the Emei Sect's Demon-Subduing Dragon-Taming Formation. Especially, Brother Woo-chi's formidable spell played a big part."
So-ah especially did not forget to praise Jeon Woo-chi's merit.
As it was, the leader of the Heavenly Spirit Unit and the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall were also present in the room.
Because he wanted to praise Jeon Woo-chi in a place like this and wash away his disappointment.
But.
"What did I do? It was because your 'our brother' arrived that the situation was resolved, right?"
Jeon Woo-chi, who was still sulking, showed a cold reaction.
'That gentleman is really! There's a limit to being childish, what is he doing in front of the people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?'
So-ah's eyebrows furrowed into an eight.
But So-ah's feelings and Jeon Woo-chi's pettiness were out of the question.
Wi-ji Chan and the people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were only paying attention to whether it was true that So-ah had really defeated No Yeong-myeong.
Because No Yeong-myeong was one of the strongest masters of his time.
"Yes, yes. Even if we caught the zombies through cooperation, the fact that you defeated No Yeong-myeong is entirely your skill, right? That alone is amazing. From now on, the world will probably point to you as the top master of the era."
The top master of the era.
Depending on how one heard it, it could be a very absurd and grandiose modifier.
But Wi-ji Chan, who said that, was expressing his pure sincerity.
No Yeong-myeong had already been considered one of the strongest of his time since the era when the God of War, Moyong Cheon, and the Heavenly Demon, Wi-ji Un, had ruled the martial world, and although he had only been defeated by the God of War once in his life, there was no one, regardless of black or white, who did not fear him.
Even the current top masters of the Orthodox Path, such as Master Gong-seung and Master Yong-gak, were in a situation where they would give No Yeong-myeong a slight edge, so in fact, what So-ah had done in this Sichuan expedition was a monumental event that would shake the world.
'The top master of the martial world...'
It would be a lie if So-ah's heart did not stir at the brilliant modifier...
So-ah had once sworn.
When he was defeated by No Yeong-myeong even after learning the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, which the living Buddha grandfather had created by dedicating his whole life.
That he would never be defeated by another person again.
Also, that he would definitely get his revenge on No Yeong-myeong and prove the perfection of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts to the world!
Although the words 'the top master of the martial world' did not yet resonate in his heart, by defeating No Yeong-myeong, So-ah was able to shake off his lifelong desire and the lump that had been weighing heavily on his heart.
Therefore, he was deeply moved.
But now was not the time to be immersed in such sentiments.
"Brother Chan. For now, let's go. To Gansu. Let's go and see if I'm really worthy of being called that, and let's try to beat up a demonic beast."
***
Since he had been unconscious for a whopping 7 days, So-ah's heart was urgent.
Because he wanted to head to Gansu as soon as possible and become a force for the subjugation army.
But unfortunately, he could not do that.
Because due to the bloody battle with the zombies, a significant number of the disciples of the Emei Sect had been injured, and he had to take care of their condition.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had provided a spiritual medicine that was effective for injuries and recovery of ki, and at the same time, since So-ah's medical skills had also developed to a level that was not inferior to any famous doctor, he was able to finish the urgent and serious treatment in a single day.
"Phew! I can finally leave. Myo-seon-ah. Since I have invited famous doctors, the condition of the disciples of the Emei Sect will also improve day by day. Now that I'm relieved, let's go to Gansu as soon as the day breaks tomorrow."
"Yes. Let's do that, So-ah."
Just then.
Wi-ji Chan intervened in the conversation between the two.
"So-ah. Before we go to Gansu, there is a place we must visit."
"Where is that?"
"The Sichuan cult branch of the White Lotus Cult."
"...?"
"...?"
"...?"
At Wi-ji Chan's words, the eyes of So-ah, Myo-seon, and Jeon Woo-chi widened.
"Brother Chan. Is there a cult branch of the White Lotus Cult in Sichuan too?"
"Yes. I just got the information a while ago. But the Sichuan cult branch, unlike the Gansu cult branch, does not have demonic beasts, nor is it a place where the central forces of the cult stay, but it seems to be a place where the main activity is missionary work that captures and imprisons the people."
Hearing Wi-ji Chan's words, So-ah then recalled a previous incident.
'Yes... I should have known when that old man, Nam Dae-in, was proselytizing the people of Sichuan as sacrifices for human sacrifice. How far is it from here to Gansu! Of course, it's normal for the rats to be hiding in Sichuan.'
And then, he said to Wi-ji Chan.
"Then it won't be that difficult to break up the Sichuan cult branch, right?"
"Of course. With a monster like you, it won't be hard. Haha. Won't you be able to completely strip them of their skin in half a day?"
In an instant, the corners of So-ah's lips curled up slightly.
'That brat So-ah... isn't he imagining pulling out people's hair again?'
Jeon Woo-chi somehow got goosebumps just by looking at So-ah's smile.
As expected.
"Brother Chan. Let's go."
"Huh?!"
"To pull out all those brats' hair."
It seemed that before heading to Gansu.
Another pitiful scapegoat would be born.
(End of Chapter)