Chronicles of the Demon Faction - Chapter 17
Episode 17 Reason for Escape (2)
Ma Dong-pil bowed his head to Kiyang.
“There was this leader too. long time no see.”
Kiyang was speechless. It was the same for Lee Gun-seong.
Seeing Ma Dong-pil for the first time in eight months.
The blunt expression was still there, but there was a scar drawn like a bell around the left eye.
It wasn’t a scar from a weapon. It was a deep dent made by something sharp yet blunt. Fortunately, the eye didn’t seem to be injured…
But it wasn’t just the scar that surprised the two people.
Slurp.
The air in the room becomes cold rapidly.
The two people were startled by the dangerous energy emanating from Ma Dong-pil’s body.
‘…Living?’
The flowing prayers were imbued with an unusual sense of life.
He was so vicious that even the two strongest masters in the defense court, except for Wonju, felt scared.
Ma Dong-pil turned his head to Lee Gun-seong.
I flinch.
Gunseong Lee unconsciously felt moisture building up in his tightly clenched fists. Just looking at him made him nervous.
Ma Dong-pil’s face showed puzzlement.
“Are you unwell?”
‘I do not know?’
Yes. In fact, Ma Dong-pil did not know how terrible the life he was exuding was.
“Samjangjo.”
“yes.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s okay.”
“…okay.”
Ma Dong-pil’s puzzlement grew deeper as he watched Lee Gun-seong hesitate.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Unintelligible silence.
Ma Dong-pil bowed his head politely.
“I think I picked the wrong time. “I’ll just leave.”
Lee Kun-seong was startled and waved his hands.
“No. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so I guess that’s why I’m writing it. “Sit here.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Of course.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go soon, so I don’t think we can chat for a long time. “The reason I came to see the leader is to ask for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Do you have any tea leaves from oyster tea?”
Lee Gun-seong tilted his head.
Oyster tea is made from dried tea leaves grown in Mount Hibmandae, and the scent is so heavy that not many people enjoy it.
“I still have it.”
Lee Gun-seong was one of those rare cases.
“If you do, can I get some?”
“That won’t be difficult, but what are you going to use it for? “You don’t like oyster tea, do you?”
“The Three Princes need it.”
“The three princes?”
“yes.”
“…Okay. Just wait a moment. “I’ll get it right away.”
When Lee Gun-seong, who tilted his head, disappeared, silence fell again in the office where only the two of them were left.
Kiyang felt awkward for no reason. Even though I was so happy to see my junior after a long time, it was difficult to actually talk to him.
‘why?’
Because of this terrible life? no. A creepy scar? Even within the Demonic Cult, scars of that magnitude could not be worn.
‘This is not the Samjo that I know. It has changed fundamentally.’
This was because Ma Dong-pil became like a person living in another world.
Instead of being one of the three chieftains of the Protectorate, he became a foreign person, as if he lived in another world. And that in just eight months.
The bond between the leaders of the defense court, the rapport shared between the generous senior and the serious junior, was completely cut off. I felt like I was living in a different world from the beginning.
‘Besides…’
Giyang looked at Ma Dongpil’s hand.
It was full of small scars that had not been seen during the time of the defense court. Even at first glance, the palm showed signs of repeated bursting and healing.
‘What kind of life have you been living?’
He trained hard even outside of his duties. But even then, I had never carried a scar like that.
The more I looked at it, the more puzzling, sad, and awkward it felt.
At that time, Ma Dong-pil, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“I’m sure you will be very disappointed.”
“Yes?”
“I heard that Vice-Pilot Lee is getting married.”
“ah!”
Kiyang shook his head.
“I have to go when it’s time to go. By the way, you must have been busy in Gojuk Forest. Where did you hear that rumor?”
“I come into the civil war a couple of times a month to pick up supplies.”
“Is that so?”
“yes.”
Giyang said as if he were mean.
“This guy. If that were the case, he would have stopped by and shown his face a long time ago, but is he coming now?”
“sorry.”
Ma Dong-pil scratches his head sheepishly.
Kiyang’s face also relaxed as his junior looked more comfortable.
“What do you think about the Three Princes? “Isn’t it difficult?”
“The more difficult it is for me, the easier it will be for you. Of course it must be difficult.”
Giyang smiled slightly.
‘okay.’
I thought that the unfamiliar appearance I had felt earlier might have been my illusion.
Although his appearance and temperament were different, Ma Dong-pil was still Ma Dong-pil.
“It’s a shame you don’t have enough time. I’ll definitely stop by sometime soon. “Have a drink and have a drink.”
“All right. “Please tell the co-pilot that you are sorry for not being able to participate in the ceremony.”
“Don’t worry.”
After a while, Ma Dong-pil, who took the tea leaves brought by Lee Gun-seong, stood up without delay.
Kiyang said as he watched Ma Dongpil leave from afar.
“Did you feel it too?”
“I felt it.”
There was concern on Giyang’s face.
“No matter how much I think about it, my life is not normal. “Even a murderous demon who enjoys murder would not be that kind of a murderer.”
“….”
“I wonder if there’s any problem.”
“It must be that you are leading such a dangerous lifestyle that it comes naturally to you.”
“Of course it is. What I mean is….”
“As the environment changes, people also change. The size of the ginseng has changed according to the environment. And I live with my limbs intact.”
“….”
“It’s unfortunate, but isn’t it good that you look healthy at least?”
Kiyang sighed.
A look of sadness suddenly appeared on Lee Kun-seong’s face.
‘I have become stronger.’
The powerlessness of Ma Dong-pil, the leader of Sam Sam, seen for the first time in eight months.
In less than a year, I have become incredibly strong. As if he had taken some kind of elixir from somewhere, his inner strength increased surprisingly, and he also became more adept at gathering prayers.
‘That’s why I’m worried.’
Even though I have prayed, that kind of life comes out. I couldn’t even imagine how brutal Ma Dong-pil’s brutality would be when he decided to go into battle.
‘Because what kind of life have you been leading?’
Battles with nobles would have been frequent. However, it was not known which nobles he was fighting with.
Even the guardians who had managed the ancient bamboo forest for many years had never entered the center of the ancient bamboo forest. It was the same for Lee Gun-seong.
‘The position is the personal guard of the Three Princes. You will have no choice but to feel burdened. He probably crossed all lines of fire to protect Confucius.’
Giyang asked quietly.
“You will get through this well in the future, right?”
“of course.”
Lee Gun-seong answered with a smile.
“I will come back stronger. “I believe so.”
* * *
Slurp.
The entrance to Gojuk Forest.
Ma Dong-pil checked his condition once more.
‘I took everything I needed to take care of.’
I also took new weapons, got some medicinal herbs from my Blood Soul Gak comrade, and obtained oyster tea leaves from my supervisor.
‘Let’s go.’
Wow!
Ma Dong-pil’s body became a white line and was shot out.
It’s not like I’ve been spreading the new law to the extreme, but it seems to be twice as fast as it was eight months ago. My once stoic posture became quite free-spirited, and my vision, which had previously been focused only on the front, widened to the left and right.
The fact that he showed composure in the martial arts he used was proof that he understood the martial arts well. The grueling experience of the past eight months has further developed his martial arts skills.
Ma Dong-pil, who found his identity as a proud warrior rather than a guard warrior, was a master whose future growth was expected.
How long did it run like that?
Ahhh!
A beautiful woman’s voice was heard from somewhere in the forest.
Of course she is not a real woman. It was the sound made by one of the ghosts that crawled out of the forest.
A beautiful sound that evokes a strange eerie feeling.
‘It’s Zhou.’
It is not a very dangerous item. A person with weak internal energy would have a seizure if he heard that sound, but this was not the case for Ma Dong-pil.
Ma Dong-pil was familiar with that sound and passed by it.
Before it got used to the forest, I found it and caught it. Because I was afraid of the aftermath.
But not now. Neither Ma Dong-pil nor Seo-ryang are weak enough to be defeated by such a noble person. There is no need to waste stamina.
Paaaaang!
As I ran further afield, I finally saw Seongjukwon, my residence.
Sigh!
He stopped walking and felt refreshed.
Wooooow!
Spreading Magi. It was a period of qualitative improvement that was incomparable to before.
Ma Dong-pil, who was looking around, tilted his head. There was no sign of Confucius.
“Did you go out to the drinking room?”
He sighed deeply.
“You moved alone again.”
I won’t go to a dangerous area. We even promised to never do that unless we were together.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t worry. I was wondering what would happen if something happened.
“…I’m not the type of person who can be bullied by nobles anymore.”
Ma Dong-pil’s eyes twinkled.
What appeared on his blunt face was admiration that could not be hidden and respect that went beyond respect.
Ma Dong-pil has become stronger. The luckily collected spirit bamboos were refined with Seoryang’s martial arts technique and turned into high-quality elixirs, and several of them ended up in Ma Dong-pil’s stomach.
The power was so great that not even half of it had been melted yet. Nevertheless, the size of the Danjeon has become twice as large as before.
It is a well-known fact that increasing your Danjeon does not make your martial arts stronger, but it will be a great help to your future development. That alone was great luck and tremendous growth.
Meanwhile, Seoryang surpassed even that level.
‘No matter how enlightened you are.’
Ma Dong-pil shook his head.
Everything about Confucius is incomprehensible. It was full of things that ordinary people couldn’t understand.
“I guess I should at least clean it up until you get back.”
Ma Dong-pil, who came into Seongjukwon, organized his belongings and picked up a saribi.
Saaagh! Saaagh!
The bamboo leaves flew off the rainforest in one fell swoop. It took an instant for the dirty yard to become clean.
He easily cleaned the yard and organized everything from Seoryang’s room to his own storage room as well as the kitchen. I was so used to it that I could almost smell the breath of a craftsman while mopping.
“This is enough.”
He finished cleaning in less than half an hour and glanced up at the sky.
“It’s almost time for the sun to set.”
Pussssss.
Ma Dong-pil’s eyes deepened.
Bamboo trees swayed in the distance. It looked like the nobles were eating bamboo.
‘It’s getting closer.’
Seongjukwon here is the safest place in Gojuk Forest.
But that too is now a thing of the past. The current Seongjukwon area was similar to the middle area of Gojuk Forest, and the appearance of noble creatures was frequent, and it was expected to become more frequent in the future.
‘It’s going to get more and more difficult.’
It was then.
Wow!
The screams of the nobles were heard from where the bamboos were shaking.
Ma Dong-pil, who was looking at the place with a calm face, placed his hand on the long sword on his belt. There was a tendency to pull it out if the situation arises.
How much time has passed?
Pussyuk. Pusssssuk.
An unknown entity that is slowly approaching.
Tension filled Ma Dong-pil’s eyes. The spiritual energy of Gojuklim is like the spiritual energy of nobles, so it was impossible to feel its presence unless it was narrowed to a certain distance.
‘The gait is heavy and steady. It’s not sacred… but it’s dragging something?’
Wooooow.
A faint magical energy rose from Ma Dong-pil’s body.
An unknown being that is getting closer little by little but surely.
Kuuk.
A strong force went into his hand holding the sword.
After a while, the being appeared.
“what? Have you already been there? “I told you to come and resolve the issue with your colleagues.”
Ma Dong-pil, who relaxed at the sight of a familiar face, breathed a sigh of relief.
“You came…”
For a moment, he was speechless.
The body of the young man who appeared was covered in blood, and the body of the precious object that the young man was dragging with him was bloody.
“…Nokchok (鹿蜀)?!”
“I caught it. “It was really hard.”
The young man Seoliang grinned.
“Put water in the pot. Let’s try some horse meat.”