Chapter 190 : Retaliation Should Be Decisive. -01
Chapter 190: Retaliation Should Be Decisive. -01
Moreover, that was not the only problem.
Ban Hojin’s sword was gradually closing in on him.
At a glance, it was obvious he was being pushed back, and Woon Sang’s face hardened.
Ssaeaeak!
At that moment, a streak of light brushed past Woon Sang’s face.
Ban Hojin’s sword had deflected his Beloved Sword and surged forward.
However, more than the fact that his sword had been knocked aside, Woon Sang was horrified by the trajectory that had burrowed in.
It was a trajectory he had never once experienced in all his life.
Gulp!
The instant he realized it, goosebumps rose along Woon Sang’s neck.
Leaving aside the unprecedented trajectory itself, he could tell one thing.
The previous strike had not merely grazed him by luck.
“You intend to stop now.”
“Would there be any meaning in continuing?”
“I do not believe the sparring thus far has been meaningless.”
At Ban Hojin’s words, Woon Sang’s pupils expanded as far as they could.
It was nothing remarkable, yet strangely, the words struck him deeply.
“Could you… could you do it again?”
“Of course. The night is still deep. And if my opponent is the Sect Leader, I would welcome it at any time. When else would I have the chance to converse so thoroughly through the sword with the Sect Leader?”
“Heh heh heh. A conversation through the sword.”
Woon Sang rolled Ban Hojin’s words over in his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more they seemed to carry a profound resonance.
At the same time, he felt something long buried within his chest begin to stir.
“I believe we can finally have a proper conversation now.”
“It seems tonight will be very long indeed.”
“Fortunately, we have plenty of time.”
“That is truly fortunate. This humble monk feels the same.”
Though it was the same smile as before, it now carried a subtly different feeling as Woon Sang moved his sword.
He once more unleashed Sword Control with the sword embedded in the ground.
This time, however, he did not remain still.
As the sword cleaved through the air, his figure also charged toward Ban Hojin.
Wungwungwung!
As if displaying his changed resolve, Woon Sang’s momentum was entirely different from before.
He himself might have believed he had given his all earlier, but from Ban Hojin’s perspective, that had not been the case.
But now it was different.
He poured everything out as if he would die tomorrow.
‘This is it.’
A chilling tension that made his entire body prickle with goosebumps spread through him, and Ban Hojin grinned.
Then he, too, drew up all his internal power.
The current Woon Sang was a swordsman Ban Hojin could no longer face casually.
He was worthy of being called a Sword Hero of His Generation, and so Ban Hojin also unleashed Sword Control with all his heart and strength as he rushed forward to meet him.
Listening to the faint tolling of a bell and the sound of Buddhist chants, Ban Hojin took a sip of tea.
Only now did it feel as though he had returned to daily life.
“It feels strange because it’s too quiet. Heh heh heh.”
“Isn’t this how it’s supposed to be?”
“That’s true, but it’s also true I’m not used to it.”
Like Ban Hojin, Damhyeon savored his tea as he spoke.
With everyone having left at once, the place felt oddly empty.
“Isn’t it better without the noisy ones?”
“Hoh hoh hoh. Noisy people, you say. If they heard that, they’d feel quite hurt.”
“They already know. And I made it rather obvious. If they didn’t realize, that would be the bigger problem.”
Damhyeon let out a small chuckle.
Ban Hojin’s honesty and confidence occasionally gave him a sense of exhilaration.
In the current Jianghu, Ban Hojin was likely the only one who treated them this way.
“All three of them are not the kind of figures who would be overshadowed anywhere.”
“If they could just let go of their greed, that would be enough. But they can’t.”
“That, too, is the sorrow of fathers with daughters.”
Damhyeon shrugged.
In a way, all sorrow and suffering stemmed from desire.
The problem, however, was that desire was exceedingly difficult to abandon.
Even monks and Daoists struggled to let go of it, so for ordinary people, there was no need to even mention it.
“I’m only treated this mildly because it’s me. If it were someone else, they’d be far worse than they are with me. If they weren’t so fixated on me, they could choose freely and marry off their daughters.”
“That’s true. Marriage proposals must be pouring in.”
Damhyeon nodded.
Everything in the world was relative.
Their target was Ban Hojin. If it had been someone else, the three would not have come forward so humbly, nor endured such treatment.
And yet, despite that, the three refused to give up—meaning they wished that much to gain Ban Hojin as a son-in-law.
‘Heh heh heh. To think the Namgung Family, the Sichuan Tang Family, and the Hebei Peng Family would lower themselves like this.’
Damhyeon found it rather amusing.
He had never once imagined such a situation would occur around him, which made it all the more fascinating.
At the same time, he felt a hint of regret.
His disciple seemed to have grown up too quickly.
“It would be wonderful if you chose one of them.”
“You truly have no thoughts on it?”
“Not yet. It may change later, but that’s only from my side. The Young Ladies are different. Each has her own proper time.”
“Hoh. You suddenly sound so considerate that it feels strange.”
“I’m not some heartless bastard.”
Ban Hojin spoke firmly.
He might be cold, but he was by no means heartless.
He had merely drawn a clear line to prevent unnecessary expectations.
“Still, this master feels a bit regretful.”
“In what way?”
“It seems you matured in a rather awkward way. The best thing is to mature at the right pace for one’s age, but you are too caught in between.”
“There’s some truth to that.”
Ban Hojin readily admitted it.
Not only because the words came from Damhyeon, his master, but because he himself partially agreed.
He knew well why that was.
“To be honest, I had a small expectation. Not as the Abbot of Shaolin, but as a master—to see my disciple marry. It may be a common thing, but to me, it is not.”
“It would certainly be a unique experience.”
“To me, you are no different from a son. If you marry, you will have children. Then I would have grandchildren.”
Damhyeon smiled gently.
Even imagining it made his chest stir faintly.
Thinking of a child who resembled Ban Hojin, whether son or daughter, filled him with joy.
Especially when he imagined himself holding Ban Hojin’s baby, his heart thumped strangely.
“They would indeed be your grandchildren. Strictly speaking, they would be grand-disciples.”
“That’s right. Grand-disciples. And I would become a great-grandmaster.”
As Damhyeon smiled as though the mere thought pleased him, Ban Hojin suddenly felt a twinge in his chest.
Was this not marriage pressure?
Moreover, given Damhyeon’s upright character, he would never say such things at someone else’s request.
In other words, these words were sincere, rising straight from his heart.
“Do you wish to see my grandchildren?”
“It simply occurred to me. I wondered what your child would look like. Though I am a Buddhist, I am still a man. And if it is your child, they are not a stranger to me. Our blood may not be connected, but in heart, they would truly feel like my grandchild. A son would be adorable, and a daughter would be delightful.”
“You seem overly optimistic. They might take entirely after my personality.”
“One should not speak carelessly like that. Words can become seeds.”
Damhyeon feigned seriousness.
As though it truly might happen.
But soon his expression relaxed again, as if his earlier words had been a joke.
“In truth, that part frightens me as well.”
“You know yourself well?”
“Of course. I believe a martial artist begins with knowing oneself.”
“That is a good attitude, though somewhat regrettable. In truth, that is partly why I arranged this 자리.”
Swoosh.
With a calm smile, Damhyeon took something out from beneath the table.
It was a long, plump bottle, and the moment Ban Hojin saw it, his eyes widened.
He had not expected to see alcohol inside the Abbot’s Quarters of Shaolin.
“Is that liquor?”
“It is also called grain liquor. Heh heh heh.”
Some were born monks, while others became monks after living ordinary lives.
Among them, there were those who could not forget the taste of alcohol and would secretly drink it, calling it grain liquor.
Sometimes, it was tacitly overlooked.
However, Damhyeon had never once touched alcohol in his life.
“Why the sudden liquor?”
“I must not drink it, but you are different. And one usually learns to drink from an elder. Though I am a monk, I am also an elder. That qualifies me, does it not?”
“That may be true.”
“I heard you avoid alcohol to an extreme degree.”
Clink.
As if he had not prepared only the bottle, Damhyeon also took out small cups.
He poured the clear liquor into a cup smaller than a teacup.
“I wouldn’t say to an extreme degree. I simply think there is no need to drink it.”
“That is correct. There is no need. But you are not a Buddhist disciple, are you? There is no harm in drinking occasionally. If alcohol were truly evil, people would call it poison and shun it. There may be those who dislike it, but none say it is inherently bad.”
“There are such people. Some even despise it.”
“That is because of the people who drink it. No one blames the liquor itself.”
“Now that I think about it, that’s true.”
Ban Hojin nodded in agreement.
People cursed drunkards for being drunk, not for the existence of alcohol.
Though alcohol was the cause, not everyone who drank became a drunken fool.
There were certainly those who enjoyed it with refinement.
“What I wish to say is this—do not draw too many lines. This cannot be done because of this, that cannot be done because of that. I am not saying that is wrong. But when you can experience many things, do not avoid them beforehand due to preconceptions. You have achieved much, yet you are only just of age. I wish for you to enjoy your youth.”
Listening to Damhyeon’s words, Ban Hojin looked down at the cup.
His face was reflected faintly in the clear liquor.
For some reason, his expression looked somewhat stifled, and he let out a small chuckle.
He understood what Damhyeon truly meant.
Gulp!
The moment he felt that, Ban Hojin did not hesitate and poured the liquor into his mouth.
He had anticipated it from the sharp aroma, but it was a strong spirit, and his esophagus burned.
Yet after emptying the cup, he felt strangely refreshed.
“Khh!”
“It seems your constitution does not entirely reject alcohol.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ll adapt to it.”
“Heh heh heh. You are not yet at the age to fully appreciate its subtle flavor. The Beggars’ Sect Leader once said that one must empty at least several jars to begin understanding liquor.”
“A normal person would die drinking that much.”
Rinsing his mouth with tea, Ban Hojin chuckled.
Only the Beggars’ Sect Leader could drink like that. An ordinary person never could.
“Still, I am relieved. It seems you understood my words.”
“I’ve grown up.”
“Yes. Too early, perhaps. Ah, if you ever decide to marry, you must tell me first.”
“Of course.”
“Good. That is enough.”
Though Ban Hojin closed the bottle as if he would drink no more, that alone was enough for Damhyeon.
There was a vast difference between taking one step forward and not taking it at all.
Smiling with satisfaction, Damhyeon spent the rest of the time conversing comfortably after a long while.
Without realizing it, Nan Hee-ju bit her nails.
Out of anxiety, she had begun chewing them out of habit.
She cast a glance toward the opposite official road.
“It’ll be fine, right?”
“You’ve built up a relationship all this time. He’s not likely to turn stern the moment he sees you.”
At Baekseol’s words—more like a sister than a mere escort warrior, having grown up together despite sharing no blood—Nan Hee-ju’s expression brightened slightly.
But recalling Ban Hojin’s personality, her face returned to its original tension.
“Yes. You’re already on terms of calling each other brother and sister. There was no way to contact him. With his speed, could we even send someone after him?”