Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor - Chapter 289
Episode 289
After dozing off, I ended up moving Lee Soo-yeon, who was asleep on the table with her arm pillow, to the bedroom.
When I returned to the reception room, Lee Kang-hak handed me a note.
After going through the written list, I said thank you and poured tea into the empty cup again.
“Do you have any more business left?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Then are you going to go back soon?”
“I think it’s too late for that. Please let me sleep overnight.”
“…You speak so confidently that I don’t even think to question you.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for a weak person like me to walk around alone late at night?”
“Who on earth is considered weak?”
“You seem to have forgotten, but this is the patient.”
“So, why did you come all the way to Ye in the middle of the night, feeling uncomfortable? It would have been better for both of us if we had come the next morning. Thanks to you, I can’t sleep and I don’t know what I’m doing in the middle of the night…” ”
I know I was rude. As soon as I thought about it, I wanted to move. Please be lenient.”
“…….”
“Oh, by the way, I had an escort with me when I came.”
“I never asked.”
“I told you this in case you were curious.”
“People have changed a lot in the time we haven’t seen each other.”
“Is that so? “I think it was shameless like that before.”
“I’m not talking about that part.”
Lee Kang-hak clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
It was as if he was asking why he was proud of something like that.
“In the past, you often seemed reluctant to owe even small debts to others. “I never did anything embarrassing like this.”
“I think I heard something from you when I had a meeting with senior Eumgwi and Elder Yuhwageom at Igajang before.”
“At that time, unlike now, they informed me of their visit in advance and asked for my permission. “Isn’t that right?”
“…….”
“There are people like that sometimes. People who are pathologically obsessed with maintaining an appropriate distance from others. “People who draw a standard line in their minds and never do anything that crosses that line.”
Should we really call him Lee Kang-hak?
Every word I casually said felt heavy.
There was a reason why he, who retired from active duty a long time ago, is still respected and relied upon by his juniors.
“I don’t particularly mean to criticize you. It actually looks good. “I feel like I smell a little more like a person now.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“Was there a reason why you had a change of heart?”
“After overcoming the danger of death, I began to think about various things.”
“Since the internal injuries haven’t healed, it will still be difficult to drink, right?”
“yes. “If you drink alcohol, you will hear a warning from God.”
“It’s a pity, but I guess I’ll have to postpone the big project until later. “I’ll tell the servant to prepare a bed for you, so please wait a moment.”
“All right.”
For a moment, I stared at the back of Lee Kang-hak as he left the living room, rubbing the back of his neck as if he were tired.
After putting the note in my arms, I poured the tea in my cup into my mouth.
I wasn’t drunk, but I felt somewhat emotional.
The night at Igajang deepened.
* * *
“Brother.”
“why?”
“I just wanted to sing it once.”
Noon the next day.
I walked through the market side by side with Lee Su-yeon and chatted.
[I hope you are healthy next time I see you. I hope we can go for a walk together under the sun then.]
[Yes. I definitely do that.]
Even though she is wearing a parasol, I somehow feel better when I see her looking fine even when she walks around during the day.
Lee Ga-jang’s guards followed behind at a certain distance.
“Hmm. hmm.”
Suyeon Lee hummed throughout the walk as if she was in a good mood.
It’s been like that ever since I heard that I would speak more easily from now on.
By the time I left the market, holding in my hand the snacks I bought from a street vendor.
A young woman appeared as if blocking the front.
“Are you by any chance the Great Council of Heavenly Dragons?”
“Do you know me?”
“How could you not know? “He is the most famous person in Danggeum Wulin.”
It was not the old surface.
A face I see for the first time and a voice I hear for the first time.
It was a woman whose appearance was strangely reminiscent of a blood-flower witch.
A face covered in powder.
Colorful clothes.
Sparkling ornaments.
I thought that if her outfit had been more revealing, I would have believed her to be the Blood Witch’s sister.
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
“…….”
It’s a great event and it’s an honor.
I felt burdened when suddenly a woman who appeared to be older started pouring out words of praise to me.
I knew it intuitively.
I was pretending that we had bumped into each other by chance, but in reality, she had been waiting to meet me.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask Sozer’s name?”
“Now that I think about it, I forgot to introduce myself.”
It’s not like he was rude or he lost his mind because he unexpectedly met someone he admired.
The woman who was making a fuss cleared her throat once and politely bowed.
“My name is Jong-ri So-yeon, a lay disciple of Bota-am. “You don’t seem to remember, but we also had experience advancing to the finals of the Yongbong branch.”
“…!”
I pretended to be tired and ran my hand over my face to hide the change in my expression.
Jong-ri So-yeon.
It was a name in my memory.
‘I never thought I’d encounter this way.’
She was the same type of person as Mo Yong Hyowon, who was taken to the Buddhist temple a few months ago.
In the future, if I move to work at Maeng’s headquarters, he will be the first person I have to eliminate.
With the Yongbong branch as an opportunity, many new masters decided to join the club.
Zhongli Shaoyeon was one of those who became a blind disciple.
She achieved rapid growth based on her outstanding talent and quickly emerged as a leading executive.
He became a member of the Jujak Unit at the lowest level, and in his seventh year of joining, he rose to the position of Commander of the Jujak Unit.
Since a young, strong, and beautiful woman had triumphed over prominent competitors, it was only natural that the world was enthusiastic about her.
‘If you listen to this point, it seems like he is simply a talented person who distinguished himself in difficult times.’
People didn’t know.
What did she, driven by greed for power and vanity, do to raise her status?
How much damage the martial arts faction has suffered over the years because of her.
‘It was a side effect of rapid expansion of power.’
The Murim League, which held a Yongbong branch and carried out large-scale promotional work, was able to successfully increase the size of the group, but suffered various problems in return.
In particular, the lack of proper internal crackdown was significant.
In the previous life, the Murim League had no good days due to the miscellaneous incidents and accidents that constantly occurred.
This was because people commonly called the new generation were causing problems here and there.
In the case of Jong-ri So-yeon, he committed the atrocity of selling out important secrets of the clan through internal communication with the Demonic Cult.
As it was revealed that her reputation was nothing more than an illusion created by the support of the Demonic Cult, the martial arts faction was in great shock for a while.
It could be said that it was an incident that showed how scary human selfishness is.
‘under.’
I laughed as I watched Jong-ri So-yeon constantly talking to me with a mixture of flattery and charm.
‘That’s fun. It seems clear that he approached me with some kind of intention. Do you simply want to become friends with a promising talent, or are you at the instigation of a demonic cult?’
I hung out with her for a while with a smile on my face, hiding my true feelings.
Lee Su-yeon looked at Jong-ri So-yeon and me alternately, and soon a bored look appeared on her face.
“I’m sorry, but I have company, so I think I’ll have to leave.”
“All right. “It was a pleasure talking to you.”
We said goodbye lightly.
With a smile on his face, he stepped aside and walked past Zhongli Xiaoyeon.
As she passed by, an eerie smile was drawn on her lips, and Lee Soo-yeon’s shoulders trembled in surprise.
I glanced back from the corner of my eye and spoke as if muttering in my mind.
‘You put your head into the tiger’s maw without knowing it’s scary. ‘Jongli Soyeon.’
* * *
Master and I completed our itinerary and set off on our way back to Sacheon.
A lot happened during the six days I stayed at Maeng’s headquarters.
I met many people and gained various income.
Master successfully secured the position of Great Lord as planned.
Since the unit has not yet been officially created, it is only a plan, but it can be said that once the unit joins, there is no need to worry about suffering from the checks and balances of those around them.
It was rewarding to lead my unskilled body and work hard.
“Are you the Thunder King Daehyup and his companions?”
“I came to meet you after receiving orders from the head of the family.”
“How about staying overnight at my family’s house to relieve your travel fatigue? “We invited the most skilled masters in the area and prepared a banquet.”
It was the same when I came, but nothing particularly dangerous happened on the way back.
Rather, Baekdo’s sects and families located along the route held on to their ankles.
Even though I didn’t ask for it, aren’t they competing with each other to take me and Master there?
I couldn’t ignore their sincerity, so I decided to take some time to rest.
There was no reason to turn down the offer of feeding and sleeping for free.
After a 15-day journey, we finally returned to the Sacheon branch.
When I told the waiting members that I had been placed on probation, they all looked shocked.
The word was that he was on probation, but in reality, he was talking about going on vacation for two months.
It must have been a feeling that the leaders, who were sober due to the post-war situation, had lost all their strength.
I spent the next few days lying in bed trying to relieve my fatigue.
‘I don’t feel much pain lately.’
It was rewarding to focus on the operation of Baekreudong every day.
I felt my body gradually recovering.
When the world turns red and yellow from falling leaves.
Damun, who came to my residence with Tang Seo-yeon, reported this.
“The raid on the ruins has reached its end.”
“Is that so?”
“yes. Now, only the final hurdle remains. “I think you’ll have to go and see for yourself… Do you mind?”
“I can’t perform martial arts, but it doesn’t really affect my movement. You don’t have to worry about me. Also, Master said he would accompany us.”
“I feel reassured.”
I expressed my gratitude to Seoyeon Dang with a glance.
After the funeral of the Poison King, she helped Damun conquer the ruins.
Even though he was very distraught, he even listened to the request I had made earlier.
“I have one more thing to report to you.”
“Please speak.”
“A person presumed to be Hao Wenju is in A’an.”
“When did he appear?”
“It was two days ago.”
Tang Seoyeon looked at me and Damun alternately with a surprised expression.
She did not yet know that the workers mobilized to attack Bidong were connected to Hao Wen.
‘I’ll have to explain it to you soon.’
The identity of the person Damun reported was probably Hao Wenju.
I had roughly expected it.
He will come in person when the ruins are completed.
“Let’s get moving right away. “Please contact the teacher at the branch.”
“All right.”