Chapter 21
"I asked you to teach me too!"
It had already been seven weeks since Baek Unseol started pestering him.
Next to Baek Unseol, Cheon Youngyoung also perked up her ears and watched.
He had been ignoring her, but ignoring her was not the answer.
In the end, Moyong Gi replied with annoyance.
"Ah, I said no."
As Moyong Gi reacted, Baek Unseol quickly clung to him.
"Why not? Why?"
"How many times do I have to tell you I don't have time?"
"You can just make time. You can teach me at night."
"Then when do I train? Am I supposed to abandon my own training and only teach you guys? Why should I? Am I an instructor? Do I get a salary for teaching you guys? You have to make sense."
Moyong Gi shook his head with a look of disbelief. But Baek Unseol did not give up.
"Then if we adjust the other people's time a little..."
"Whose time are you going to adjust?"
Moyong Gi said with determination.
"Myung Jin? So Moogyeol? They're not learning for free. We're exchanging compensation. They'd be so happy if I suddenly said I'd reduce their time. Would you do it if you were them?"
So Moogyeol, with his face flushed, stealthily intervened.
"I can reduce my time a little..."
Moyong Gi looked back at So Moogyeol.
"Really? Is that okay? Should I ask your master?"
In an instant, So Moogyeol was terrified and quickly waved his hands.
"Hey, I was just saying. How could I, when my master arranged this for me... I have to learn diligently. Of course."
So Moogyeol shook his head vigorously with an exaggerated face.
Myung Jin was lost in his own thoughts as if he wasn't interested.
Zhuge Yeon, who was staring blankly, felt uncomfortable for no reason. It was difficult to just stay still.
Although she was reluctant, she cautiously spoke with an unconcerned face.
"Um... if I reduce my time..."
Before Zhuge Yeon could finish her words, Baek Unseol's face lit up as she quickly took her words.
"Really? Is that okay?"
Zhuge Yeon nodded awkwardly.
"Yes. My time is longer than the others anyway."
Unlike Myung Jin and So Moogyeol, who shared the afternoon, Zhuge Yeon had Moyong Gi's morning all to herself.
At first, she hadn't thought much of it, but when Myung Jin and So Moogyeol joined, it became a burden.
Even though Moyong Gi treated her well, she felt conscious of others.
Although she was disappointed, she thought that if she yielded a little, her heart would feel a little lighter.
Baek Unseol looked back at Moyong Gi with a bright face.
"Young Lady Zhuge said she'll yield."
However, Moyong Gi looked at Zhuge Yeon with a sullen face.
"Who says."
"Huh?"
"Who says you can reduce your training time. Why? Does martial arts seem easy now that you've caught Moogyeol once?"
So Moogyeol got angry.
"Hey! You always have to say things like that!"
"Then am I wrong?"
Moyong Gi asked back.
So Moogyeol let out a groan. He shut his mouth as if he had nothing to say. He would probably have to keep his mouth shut for the rest of his life.
Moyong Gi looked at Zhuge Yeon again.
Zhuge Yeon, as if she was flustered by Moyong Gi's unexpected reaction, her face was reddish as if she was angry.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
"If that's not it, then what? Do you think it's okay to reduce your training time with your skills? Do you think your talent is that outstanding? Don't be mistaken. If I hadn't grabbed you by the scruff of the neck and dragged you along, you wouldn't have been able to beat Moogyeol even after a hundred years."
Zhuge Yeon bit her lip.
She was upset. She had said she would yield, considering the relationship between her childhood friend Baek Unseol and Moyong Gi.
But she had never expected Moyong Gi to react this way.
She was so wronged that she unknowingly choked up and her eyes reddened.
So Moogyeol, who couldn't watch anymore, stopped Moyong Gi.
"Hey, you punk. What's wrong? She's saying it with good intentions."
Baek Unseol also stopped Moyong Gi.
"That's not what Young Lady Zhuge meant. Why are you being so sensitive?"
Moyong Gi shook off the two of them with a flick of his arms.
He looked at the two with emotionless eyes.
"You guys seem to be mistaken about something. The reason I'm teaching Moogyeol and Myung Jin is partly because I'm receiving compensation from them, but essentially, it's because I have time left over even after teaching Yeon. If Yeon had the stamina and mental strength to train all day, I wouldn't have taught Moogyeol or Myung Jin either. But you're saying you'll reduce her time? Don't even dream of it."
"Th-that's... what... Gi, what's wrong with you?"
Baek Unseol was so flustered that she even stuttered.
But Moyong Gi, with an annoyed face, strode away.
Except for Myung Jin, who was still lost in his own thoughts, So Moogyeol and the others just had blank expressions.
Zhuge Yeon, with her tears gone, stared at Moyong Gi's back.
***
Hwang Gwon glared at Moyong Gi with a dissatisfied expression.
"You brat, I told you to come a long time ago, why are you only showing your face now? Did you crawl here?"
"It's because I'm busy. I have so much to do..."
"What's a Dragon and Phoenix Inn student busy with? And an Ascending Dragon Class student at that. Do you attend classes, do you do anything? A guy with nothing to do all day."
"What do you mean, I have nothing to do? I'm so busy with training."
Hwang Gwon's eyebrows twitched.
"Training? You? Do you think I don't know? I heard you're gathering kids and acting like a neighborhood boss. A guy like that is training?"
"Who said that? That I'm acting like a neighborhood boss? I'm training while dueling."
"Dueling, my ass. You brat, do you call playing with swords with kids dueling? That requires an opponent."
"I'm telling you, it's not. There's so much to learn while dueling."
In fact, while bickering with Myung Jin and So Moogyeol, Moyong Gi had also gained quite a bit.
No matter how low their understanding of martial arts was, it was basically the martial arts of a prestigious sect.
A martial art that had been completed over a long period of time could not be ordinary.
Although he couldn't do it exactly the same, there was no problem in using it in a somewhat modified form.
However, from Hwang Gwon's perspective, who did not know such facts, it just looked like he was making excuses.
"Aish, you slick brat. You're only good with your mouth..."
Hwang Gwon clicked his tongue once and then continued with a serious face.
"I know your personality, but you must show respect in front of the person you are meeting now. Do you understand?"
Moyong Gi frowned.
'I wondered why he was so persistent in calling me...'
In the end, it was this. He was annoyed.
He didn't think that the Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader, Jinsan, was a bad person, but he was too materialistic. Getting involved with him was tiring.
As if Moyong Gi's feelings were revealed in his expression, Hwang Gwon frowned.
"You brat. Are you not even listening to me?"
"Then you should have just let me go. Who would be happy if you suddenly called them and told them to be careful?"
Moyong Gi pouted his lips.
The more you scolded him, the more he went astray.
Hwang Gwon, who had noticed that, relaxed his face and coaxed him with kind words.
"Isn't it all for your own good? Did I call you for no reason?"
Moyong Gi pretended to listen. Then, he suddenly turned his head.
Hwang Gwon raised his voice.
"Are you going to keep doing this? Do you think I'm doing this for my own good?"
However, Moyong Gi did not turn his gaze.
In the end, as if he couldn't hold back his anger, Hwang Gwon's face turned slightly red, but a thick voice stopped Hwang Gwon.
"Elder Hwang, that's enough."
The Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader, Jinsan, suddenly appeared.
Hwang Gwon, as if he was used to it, bowed his head respectfully without showing any sign of surprise.
"Greetings, Alliance Leader."
"That's enough."
As Moyong Gi was just staring blankly, Hwang Gwon urged him.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and greet him."
Moyong Gi glanced at Hwang Gwon and licked his lips. And then he just bowed his head slightly.
"I'm Moyong Gi."
Just as Hwang Gwon was about to say something again, Jinsan waved his hand again. And then he carefully observed Moyong Gi.
"Did you feel me coming?"
"How could I not know when you're exuding your presence so openly?"
Jinsan's eyes widened slightly.
"I was exuding my presence openly? Me?"
Although not on the level of assassins, Jinsan was quite confident in hiding his presence.
He had tried to hide it with the intention of surprising Moyong Gi, but he was surprised that he had said he was exuding it openly.
So he showed interest, but Moyong Gi had no intention of continuing.
"If not, then never mind."
"You brat! The Alliance Leader is asking you!"
Hwang Gwon shouted.
Moyong Gi looked at Hwang Gwon with an indifferent face.
"Did I ask to meet the Alliance Leader? Why do you keep shouting at someone you dragged here against their will? Should I just go?"
Hwang Gwon was flustered.
It was in front of the Alliance Leader of the Orthodox Justice Alliance, of all people.
He had never thought that he would openly show his annoyance.
"Th-this brat!"
"Ahem. Elder Hwang, stay still."
"But..."
"It's fine, so stay still. Aren't we unable to have a conversation because of you?"
Hwang Gwon groaned and shut his mouth.
Jinsan looked at Moyong Gi.
"You're a bold brat. But do you know this? The bolder the brat, the less they last in the martial world."
"I don't know. The Tyrant's Fortress Lord was rumored to have a bad temper, but he survived for a long time."
Jinsan burst into a hearty laugh.
"Haha. You're right. The Tyrant's Fortress Lord had a bad personality, but he survived for a long time. He will probably live a long life. Do you think you can do that too?"
"I don't think it's impossible."
"No. You're thinking wrong."
"Why?"
At that moment, Jinsan's face became serious.
"The Tyrant's Fortress Lord had an assistant he could trust and leave his back to, but you don't, do you?"
Moyong Gi swallowed a laugh.
'Then or now...'
He was saying the same thing. The only thing that was different was Moyong Gi himself. He had no intention of being swayed anymore.
Jinsan, who did not know Moyong Gi's thoughts, continued to speak.
"It's not a bad idea to be friendly with the children of the Nine Sects One Gang or the child of the Zhuge family. But do you know this? They will ultimately prioritize the interests of their own sects over you. They can never be your assistants."
He was wrong. He didn't know about the others, but Myung Jin and Zhuge Yeon could definitely be Moyong Gi's assistants.
But Moyong Gi did not show it. He made a serious face like Jinsan and asked as if he didn't know.
"Then what should I do?"
At that moment, Jinsan's eyes sparkled.
"Become my disciple."
***
'I didn't expect this either.'
Moyong Gi, who was leaving the Disciplinary Hall, scratched his head.
He had thought it would be to the extent of coming under his wing, but he had never thought that he would ask him to become his disciple.
Of course, the conclusion was a refusal.
Jinsan was not a person who cherished his disciples.
Even that was bound by interests. And it was only bound in a way that was advantageous to Jinsan.
But it wasn't a firm refusal. He had left room.
'I have to receive as much as I gave.'
He had no intention of taking a lot.
He planned to take back just as much as he had given.
Originally, he had no intention of getting involved at all, but his thoughts had changed because Jinsan had mentioned a master-disciple relationship.
'But... I never thought that Yeon's uncle would ask the Alliance Leader for a favor.'
He had expected that Zhuge Guk would move in some way, but he had never thought that the target would be Jinsan.
Perhaps it was because of Zhuge Guk's request that Jinsan had thought of accepting Moyong Gi as his disciple.
He was thinking of connecting with the Zhuge family using Moyong Gi as a stepping stone.
No matter how much their family's fortunes had declined, the name of the Zhuge family was still heavy.
'I'll have to meet him once later.'
He felt the need to at least roughly coordinate on a large scale.
That way, variables like this would be reduced, and he would be able to prepare in advance.
Moyong Gi, who was unconsciously thinking of Zhuge Guk's face, suddenly had a troubled expression.
'By the way... I think her uncle was a bit prickly...'
Moyong Gi's brow furrowed as he recalled Zhuge Guk, who had been particularly prickly towards him.
(End of Chapter)