Chapter 49
"Hyaah!"
With a shout that echoed throughout the Hermit's Valley, a long fishing rod like a pole was swung, cutting through the air.
In the lightning-like movements that ran wild around the lake, a human figure swayed and danced on the wind.
"How pathetic."
The Tonglin that Agong had swung with all his might could not even touch the edge of Tongtian's clothes.
Agong, as if he had expected it, rotated his body greatly and pulled the fishing line of Tonglin as it was.
Although it was a great skill to quickly snatch the fishing line of Tonglin, which was made of heavenly silkworm silk, it could also be called a divine skill to pull the bowstring that was caught on it in an instant.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
The arrows that flew, caught on Tonglin, were wooden arrows made of the ironwood of the Hermit's Valley.
The arrows, which flew, leaving a blue streak of light, gradually slowed down in front of Tongtian's eyes, and then stopped, floating in the air as if they were stuck in a transparent membrane. Tongtian flicked them off with his fingers without any effort.
"Have you forgotten all the subtleties of the Heavenly Demon Hand?"
Agong, at Tongtian's provocation, lightly turned the hand holding Tonglin and wrapped the heavenly silkworm silk around Tonglin.
Agong, with Tonglin, which had become a pole again, stepped on the Nine Palaces Divine Steps with all his might.
Now that he was quite used to it, even Cook Li would not find fault with his Nine Palaces Divine Steps.
But even though Agong moved mysteriously and displayed the Heavenly Demon Hand, swinging Tonglin, he still could not even grab the edge of Tongtian's sleeve.
"You don't chase a person with your eyes. You need a third gaze that surpasses predicting their movements. To contemplate is the first step to reaching the state of a supreme master."
"Tch!"
Although he had heard it so much that his ears were about to fall off, hearing and realizing were completely different matters.
As Agong held Tonglin and quietly recited, the unknown characters and patterns engraved on Tonglin began to emit a faint light, and at the same time, a blue radiance arose in Agong's two eyes.
Seeing that, Tongtian's sword-like eyebrows twitched.
What Agong was using now was not martial arts, but another power that he did not know.
"Hyaah!"
The movement of Agong, who had flown his body, was much faster than before.
As Agong swung the glowing Tonglin, with the sound of the air burning, Tonglin flew towards Tongtian with a terrifying momentum.
"You've learned something useless."
"Kuk!"
As Tongtian lightly raised his hand and moved it as if drawing a circle in the air, Agong, at the terrifying force that was pressing down on him, fell to the ground with Tonglin in his hand.
"It's not a good idea to associate with the Non-Duality Gate. Keep your distance from them."
"This... is what Master Gongsun taught me!"
Agong, gritting his teeth, recited the spell again.
After Agong had fainted and woken up, Master Gongsun had begun to teach Agong how to handle the strange sorcery called sorcery or magic that he knew.
As Agong swept the floor with Tonglin, a flame arose from the floor, and a small flame soared towards Tongtian.
"A cheap trick. A lifetime is not enough to devote to the Manifest Demon True Art, so how can you look at other things?"
The soaring flame, as Tongtian lightly stepped on it with his foot, was pressed down on the floor in one go and died down as if squirming.
As all his attacks were blocked, the frustrated Agong, without realizing it, stood up Tonglin and composed his body's momentum.
The energy of the Nine Gates True Scripture flowed from Agong's dantian to the Tongtian in his hand and began to spread out like the branches of a straight-growing tree.
"Again!"
As a thrilling sensation as if a single bolt of lightning were passing from the top of his head to the tips of his toes was flowing, Tongtian's angry voice shook his head.
"Kuk!"
At Tongtian's roar, which was as loud as a lion's roar, Agong felt his chest become stuffy and felt the gathering energy scatter in an instant.
Seeing the staggering Agong, the anger on Tongtian's face did not easily subside.
"I clearly told you not to imitate the Taoist Lingbao."
"I'm sorry..."
Although Tongtian was not a person who got angry easily, after the Taoist Lingbao had left, he would get angry like fire when Agong would imitate the Taoist Lingbao without realizing it.
Tongtian had heard from Master Gongsun the story that Old Ancestor Hongjun had said, pointing at the fainted Agong, a while ago.
The story that Tongtian and the Taoist Lingbao had ruined his plan to prepare Agong's vessel and even that had made Tongtian's pride hurt considerably.
Early on, he had been ridiculed by the Taoist Lingbao for not noticing that Agong was ruining his body by learning demonic arts, and moreover, Agong had even begun to learn the strange sorcery of the Non-Duality Gate.
Whatever method Hongjun had thought of, if a new vessel was needed, there was also a method in the Manifest Demon True Art, the ultimate art of the world.
When one achieved the ultimate of the Manifest Demon True Art, one would go through a transformation of the bones and would achieve a body called the Demon God's Body.
Once the body became a Demon God's Body, the internal energy would not dry up and would constantly spring up, and the bones and muscles would become as hard as a diamond body, making it the best condition to display martial arts.
All things return to one.
In the end, if he achieved the ultimate of the Manifest Demon True Art and achieved the Demon God's Body, the understanding that the Taoist Lingbao had left would also be a problem that would be naturally solved.
But Agong, without even knowing Tongtian's heart, was being drawn to the understanding that the Taoist Lingbao had left, and was even learning sorcery, making him displeased.
'In the end, is there only one way...'
Seeing Agong get up from his seat, Tongtian seriously thought of the last resort he had left.
"Prepare tomorrow and come out here again."
"Prepare?"
"You just need a simple snack."
"..."
Seeing that he was told to prepare a snack, it seemed that it would take a few days, but Agong felt a moment of anxiety at Tongtian's words.
Hadn't he been tricked by Tongtian before and had a hard time in a place called the prison?
"Hoho, why are you looking at me with such eyes?"
"Master. You're not going to push me off a cliff again this time, are you?"
"Me? Would I do such a thing?"
Although Agong was dumbfounded at Tongtian's reaction, as if he had heard it for the first time, he did not let go of his suspicious gaze.
Among the teachings he had learned from Master Gongsun, there was the word 'be prepared and you will have no worries'.
Agong decided that he would have to prepare a lot this time.
Tongtian taught Agong a few more things and soon left the place.
"Phew."
As Tongtian disappeared, Agong, drenched in sweat, sat down on the floor.
His head was already being overworked because Master Gongsun had been teaching him sorcery and other things lately, and Tongtian had also been pushing him hard.
Moreover, since he was doing chores in the tavern during his break, he didn't even know how the day was passing these days.
Rustle. Rustle.
"Huh?"
Agong, who was taking a break and catching his breath, turned his gaze at the sound of something rustling in the forest around the lake.
"Is that scary old man gone?"
"Daji..."
Agong let out a small sigh at the sight of the beautiful girl who had appeared, parting the bushes.
Although he didn't know what method she used, Daji, who knew how to perfectly hide her presence, seemed to have been watching Agong practice with Tongtian in hiding.
'Strangely, even my master doesn't notice Daji at all...'
Agong had also tried to deceive Tongtian's sight and approach him a few times, but that attempt had failed every time.
A superhuman who had reached the supreme state like Tongtian had a super sense in a realm that ordinary martial artists could not imagine, and even if he did not intend it, he could detect even the movement of a small insect within a certain area.
And yet, Daji could hide herself from Tongtian's sight.
Of course, Daji had said that that also had its limits, but in any case, it was undoubtedly a great ability.
"Whew... I was bored to death."
"I have to go back to the tavern."
"Don't think of going already, you're my subordinate."
"Who's your subordinate?"
Agong, who had stood up from his seat, realized that Daji's height, which had been around his neck before, was now almost the same as his.
While Agong was thinking with envy about what on earth one had to eat to grow so fast, he thought that he could not delay any longer here, thinking of the tavern work he had to do, and packed Tonglin.
But as Agong took a posture to go back, Daji made a fierce expression and growled.
"I told you not to even think of just going! You have to help me today!"
"You mean you want me to play with you. I'm busy."
"No! My younger sisters were born today!"
"Younger sisters?"
"My younger sisters. Now I'm not alone, but with my younger sisters."
Agong stopped his feet at the words 'Daji's younger sisters'.
Daji's father was the Holy King.
Come to think of it, Agong had never heard who Daji's mother was.
"Younger sisters, congratulations. But why do you need me?"
"I want to give my younger sisters a memorable gift."
"A gift?"
Although giving a gift was a good thing, in fact, it was not so easy to find something in the Hermit's Valley.
In the first place, since the only passage that connected to the outside world was the Mountain Sea Tavern, the only place where one could get daily necessities and other goods was also the Mountain Sea Tavern.
"Yes, something shiny and splendid... I want you to get me something like that."
"Go and find it yourself."
"I'm not supposed to be seen by anyone other than my father or my father's subordinates."
"Then am I your father's subordinate?"
"You're my subordinate, so you're an exception."
Although Agong tried to argue again, he knew that it would be an endless and meaningless argument.
"I don't know if there's a suitable item in the tavern..."
"I'll wait here, so bring it to me."
"Then wait a moment."
In any case, the heart of wanting to give a gift to commemorate the birth of her younger sisters was, unlike Daji's childish behavior so far, commendable.
Agong, for now, ran to the tavern in one go and, while thinking, looked at the goods he had received from the Seo Won Merchant Guild before.
But he could not find a suitable gift among the goods of the merchant guild, which were mostly daily necessities or food ingredients needed for life.
"What are you doing here?"
"Master!"
It was Master Gongsun's voice.
Agong recalled that there were items that Master Gongsun had brought with him when he had been in and out of the Hermit's Valley in his room.
"Master, are there any items that would be good as gifts for girls by any chance?"
"For girls?"
Master Gongsun tilted his head, wondering why Agong was suddenly looking for such an item.
The only person in the Hermit's Valley who was old enough to be called a child was Agong, and there was not a single girl.
"By any chance... something for Miss Mu..."
"No! I just need it..."
Master Gongsun, as he was about to tell Agong about Cook Li's work in the tavern or the matter of the Butterfly Scholar before, fell into thought for a moment at Agong's denial.
Seeing that he was firmly denying it, it didn't seem to be Miss Mu, so there must be some other reason.
'Come to think of it, didn't a girl stay at the tavern for a while before...'
After Xi Xichang, who was said to be the sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect, had stayed, the Taoist Lingbao had disappeared, and Master Gongsun knew well how depressed and in a bad state Agong had been after that.
Although he was a boy, he was a man.
As a master, he did not feel like prying into the reason and revealing a secret.
"Follow me for a moment."
Agong, as Master Gongsun did not ask any further, was relieved and followed him into Master Gongsun's room.
Master Gongsun, for a moment, opened a drawer that he did not usually open and took out two pipas.
One was a xiangpipa decorated with jade, the size of which came up to Agong's waist, and the other was a slightly crude but sturdy-looking tangpipa, a slightly smaller item.
"What are these?"
For Agong, who had never had the chance to listen to music, they were items he had never seen before in his life.
"These are pipas. I brought them with me when I came to the Hermit's Valley, but rather than letting them just gather dust, please use them for a good purpose, Agong."
Whether it was a coincidence or not, since there were two pipas, it was clear that Daji would also be satisfied.
"Thank you, master!"
As Agong left the room with the pipas in a happy mood, Master Gongsun sat down, lost in thought for a moment.
A gift for girls in the Hermit's Valley...
'It must be a groundless fear.'
Although he had not asked deeply, he felt a little uneasy for some reason.
(End of Chapter)