Chapter 9 (3)
Chapter 9 (3)
A room in the inn.
"...In the midst of that, Jin-sohyeop here appeared and saved us."
"Hmm."
"Ahem......."
Since Jujak-danju Jin-woo-cheong had already confirmed the details, he let out a 'I told you so' snort, while Doyeong-danju Yong-jeo's face turned gloomy at the testimony coming from the person involved.
Furthermore, as news spread that Kang Cheon-ung, who had been injured, had barely regained consciousness only to ask about the attack and Eun So-hye's safety before losing consciousness again, there was no longer any room for them to escape.
"Although they were deserters, it is ultimately our fault for failing to manage them. My apologies, Eun-sojeo."
"......."
Whether it was due to the shock of that day or 'other reasons,' Eun So-hye kept her mouth shut and bowed her head.
Looking at it this way, it might feel like an atmosphere where the Evil Faction could not be forgiven, but there was a separate reason why she was holding back her words.
"And when Eun-sojeo and Kang-sohyeop were in danger, the person who saved them is Jin-sohyeop here."
"It is Jin-cheon."
Jin-cheon acted like a polite young man, cupping his hands in a fist salute as he greeted them.
"He's young."
At the same time, Yong-jeo opened his mouth with a sarcastic tone.
"It's a bit late to say this, but they were experts hovering between First-rate and Peak. That is why Kang-sohyeop was injured by them. Yet, it is hard to believe that someone this young handled them all."
'This old fart, he's persistent. It's almost commendable.'
Right now, Yong-jeo was casting doubt on Jin-cheon's skills, trying to muddy the waters by claiming the incident itself made no sense.
"Besides, it seemed like he was acquainted with the Jujak-dan 2nd squad leader, and according to that child, I heard he has just reached the age of twenty. Yet, a young man of twenty handles four skilled experts? Do you think that makes sense, Jujak-danju?"
No, he even went as far as to raise a kind of conspiracy theory, using the fact that Jin-cheon's background was unclear as a pretext.
Because the Medicine King Sect, which was between the Righteous and Evil factions, could not be allowed to go over to the Righteous Faction, he was desperately raising counterarguments to maintain the status quo at any cost.
'This bastard? I was going to go easy on him since I was thinking of taking the Evil Faction route, but he's asking for it?'
Jin-cheon, who had been considering the Evil Faction route because he thought the Evil Faction was at least more open-minded than the Righteous Faction, realized through this dialogue that the Evil Faction and the Righteous Faction were one and the same.
"Hmm......."
Jujak-danju Jin-woo-cheong was able to hear a more detailed explanation from Hong Seol-rin.
A young man who had lost his memory and lived as a low-level warrior of the Jugeompa.
After that, for some reason, he left the Jugeompa, helped catch Chuihwa-eumryeong, and parted ways after traveling to Chang'an together.
He had asked about Jin-cheon's skills, but Hong Seol-rin said she didn't know well since she hadn't seen him for a year.
In any case, a young man who had lost his memory and was merely a low-level warrior of a 2nd or 3rd-rate sect like the Jugeompa had become twenty and handled four experts between First-rate and Peak.
If he were a descendant of a prestigious family, people would nod, but it was hard to believe that someone with an unknown background and who had learned trivial martial arts had become such an expert.
"Listening to this, I find it unpleasant."
In the end, Jin-cheon, who could no longer hold back, had to step up himself.
"Hmph, Kang Cheon-ung, who is a secular disciple of the Wudang Sect but is treated as a First-rate warrior with outstanding talent, was unilaterally defeated. Yet, does it make sense that you defeated them?"
"But didn't it happen regardless? What would Eun-sojeo here have to gain by lying?"
Jin-cheon, who was already annoyed by Yong-jeo, who was struggling and pulling strings everywhere due to political issues, snapped back without realizing it.
"And whether I used poison, hidden weapons, or whatever, that's irrelevant, isn't it? You're just making excuses because you're afraid the Medicine King Sect will defect to the Righteous Faction. Have some dignity."
"What! How dare you insult me!"
"If telling the truth is an insult, then so be it."
"You little!"
Even in the modern era, Jin-cheon couldn't control his temper when he was annoyed or when he was harmed, so he would argue like this regardless of age or how high the position was.
That was why he had been fired from various companies or repeatedly got into fistfights, but he knew his personality and didn't think to fix it, believing that the side that made him feel bad was the one in the wrong.
"It seems this Yong-jeo has been too quiet lately! How dare a young punk like you look down on me!"
"Hmph! That's why martial artists get called ignorant by scholars! If it were me, I'd be thinking about why those guys were there in the first place, why they tried to assault Eun-sojeo, instead of racking your brain to avoid responsibility like you are! That's why other martial artists get a bad name because of people like you!"
"Wha...what did you say!"
Until now, regardless of Righteous or Evil, young people couldn't speak carelessly in front of him.
But now, a guy who was barely twenty was daring to talk back to him?
Yong-jeo, who started to raise his internal energy due to shame and anger without realizing it,
"Doyeong-danju!"
"!!"
Had to suppress his anger at the Sword Empress's sharp reprimand.
"Even if he is impudent, this young man's words are not entirely wrong. Don't just focus on avoiding responsibility, look at the essence of the incident."
"Ugh......."
"And, did you say Jin-cheon? You may have skills, but you have no courtesy toward your elders."
"I don't think I'm wrong. Courtesy toward elders? Seeking the truth is more important than that."
'What's wrong with what I said? What does age have to do with pursuing the truth?'
Both Yong-jeo of the Blood Alliance and Jin-woo-cheong of the Righteous Martial Alliance looked bewildered at the sight of him arguing back even to the Sword Empress.
Since they were people who grew up in Confucian thought, whether Righteous or Evil, they believed courtesy toward elders was important, and it was hard to imagine someone arguing with the Sword Empress of all people.
"Seeking the truth. That is not entirely wrong. Come to think of it, you said this earlier. 'Why were those guys there?'"
Fortunately, the Sword Empress was interested in something other than anger, even after seeing such an impudent attitude.
"You have a different perspective on this incident, don't you? A perspective that is not that of the Righteous or Evil Factions."
"......."
Jin-cheon admired the Sword Empress for piercing through his intentions.
'I thought she was just a moron who only knew swords, but she knows how to use her head? Well, she survived the great war where the Righteous and Evil Factions fought against the Demon Cult, so her perspective must be broad. Actually, if she couldn't even think of this much, she wouldn't be worth much.'
Jin-cheon, who had already decided to train the Sword Empress and make her his female, felt good that she knew how to see the big picture.
He didn't want the brain of an excellent strategist, but he hoped she would at least have the judgment to see the essence of things.
"If I were one of their group, I would have kidnapped the two of them and threatened the Medicine King Sect. The last one who was blocking Eun-sojeo from running away told her not to resist me, and at that time, he explained exactly and in detail who Eun-sojeo was, so I think the assumption that they didn't know about Eun-sojeo is meaningless. Isn't that right, Eun-sojeo?"
"Ye, yes? Yo...you are right......."
Eun So-hye hurriedly answered and bowed her head at the sight of Jin-cheon, who was smiling faintly at her.
Although she had to do it because of Jin-cheon, the shock of pouring semen and enema water onto the face of the man she loved still remained.
Of course, from the perspective of a stranger, they would think it was the shock of almost being violated.
"If they had caught Eun-sojeo, the next successor of the Medicine King Sect and the future Divine Physician, they should have thought about demanding wealth. Trying to assault her on the spot is strange no matter how I look at it. If they did that, they would be pursued by both the Righteous and Evil Factions."
"In other words, there is a mastermind?"
"I don't know about that. But their actions were something that could only be done by those who had no attachment to life, those whose sexual desire was ahead of their lives, or those who had something reliable behind them."
It was too early to bring up the keyword 'Heaven-Breaking Association'.
Therefore, he explained within the scope that could be figured out if one took a broad view.
"Jujak-danju."
"Yes, Sword Empress-nim."
"It seems this matter cannot be solved by only those present here. I think it is better to leave this problem to the strategist Zhuge and for us to resolve the Medicine King Sect's request first. What do you think?"
"Hmm......."
The Jujak-danju thought that if he questioned and pressured the Blood Alliance in this situation, he could achieve the feat of bringing the Medicine King Sect into the Righteous Faction.
However, the Sword Empress, who did not think so, was making a different argument, and since he definitely felt that something was strange about this incident, he didn't want to be blamed later for making unreasonable demands.
"Understood. I will pass this incident to the Righteous Martial Alliance and conclude it."
"We will also send a messenger pigeon to the Blood Alliance."
Naturally, Doyeong-danju Yong-jeo, who had maintained a highly evasive attitude in this incident, nodded and agreed.
Thus, the confrontation between the two groups was settled, and it was decided to prioritize resolving the Medicine King Sect's request first.
'Tsk. Because of you old farts, even if there were survivors in the herb village, they'd all be dead by now.'
Jin-cheon, who clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight of wasting time on such trivial fights, watched the Jujak-dan and Doyeong-dan, who had switched to a cooperative relationship.
In the end, the Righteous Martial Alliance and the Blood Alliance acknowledged that there were many suspicious points in this incident, and began to prepare to check the herb village to fulfill the Medicine King Sect's request.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Hmm~ Well. What should I do."
And it was Jin-cheon whose situation became ambiguous.
Normally, it would be normal to leave to find the second opportunity.
Because this incident was truly an 'accidentally' entangled event.
However,
"Huh? Huh?"
As Hong Seol-rin poked around Jin-cheon with a cute expression, he, having received an unexpected attack, was busy holding back something that was neither laughter nor crying while covering his face.
'Ah, damn it. That expression is a foul.'
As a beautiful woman acted cute, Jin-cheon, who had become very complicated, began to waver, not knowing what to do.
He instinctively felt the sensation that if he got a little closer while planting a flag yesterday, she would completely fall for him.
'Was the apology event I did yesterday that effective? Why did she become so friendly?'
Jin-cheon could not hide his doubts at the sight of Hong Seol-rin, who had become close in an instant with just one apology event.
According to his calculations, such behavior was only possible if her favorability had increased even more.
However, in this era, Jin-cheon's behavior was nothing short of unconventional.
Where power rules, a man's position is always higher than a woman's.
There are places like the Amazon, but that is only a special exception.
In particular, since it is based on an era and country where male chauvinism has been deeply rooted for a long time and there is a teaching that women must be obedient, the very act of a man apologizing to a woman was something that could not be done with a half-hearted mind.
To explain how serious this is with the sensibilities of a modern person, even the woman-on-top position, which is one of the sexual positions, is practically a taboo in this era because of the reason, 'How dare a woman ride on top of a man's body!'
Having come to the Murim world from the modern era, Jin-cheon, who had spent about half a year as a sect member and the rest in the mountains acquiring the Fire Artisan's legacy to become stronger, was less tainted by the Murim world.
So, from Hong Seol-rin's perspective, Jin-cheon, who apologized sincerely for her sake without standing on his pride, had no choice but to look different.
Jin-cheon, who did not know these circumstances, was wondering, 'It's strange. In my calculations, it should take longer for this to happen?'
'I don't know what's what, but one thing is clear: if I attack a little more, she can become my female.'
There is a time for everything.
Jin-cheon, who thought now was the most important flow to capture Hong Seol-rin, smirked at her appearance as she continued to make a cute expression and opened his mouth.
"Alright. I got involved unintentionally, but I'm also a bit interested in this problem."
"Really!?"
"That aside. I'll give you one warning."
Jin-cheon, having confirmed that there was no one else in the inn as the Righteous Martial Alliance people were preparing this and that, grabbed Hong Seol-rin's chin with his index finger and met her gaze.
"Eh......?"
"Don't show that expression to any other man but me. Absolutely not."
Jin-cheon, who turned his body to pack his luggage, opened his mouth again, pretending to be a little shy on purpose.
"Because it's too good for other guys to see."
"...Puhut. Okay. I got it."
Since he was usually frivolous and had a succubus-like personality, but suddenly acted cute, Hong Seol-rin, having seen a different side of him, smiled at the corner of her mouth.
'He had an unexpectedly cute side.'
'That's what you'd think, right?'
It was a little... no, very cringey, but Jin-cheon spoke as if he were sulking on purpose.
If a rough person acts cute, or if someone you thought was cold acts affectionately, showing a different side than usual like this can give a different charm, and the other person can think, 'They aren't usually like this, but they think of me like this.'
Using the gap different from usual, Jin-cheon made Hong Seol-rin think, 'Jin-cheon doesn't see me as just anyone.'
'Cute sulking or jealousy that comes out occasionally actually increases favorability. Showing unexpected charm there also makes the other person feel a different kind of favorability.
You don't like this?
Then it means you have no favorability toward the other person.
In other words, accepting this means there is favorability.
'Well, I'm a bit worried about the Heaven-Breaking Association, but the Sword Empress is on this side, so there shouldn't be any big problems.'
A small room with nothing in it.
In that place, three men were sitting in chairs, facing each other, discussing something.
"An unexpected situation. To think Eun So-hye would survive."
"Did you say Jin-cheon? The greenhorn who interfered with this?"
The three men had induced the Righteous and Evil Factions to fight by assaulting Eun So-hye, but they were in an atmosphere of disbelief that the plan had collapsed because of an unheard-of greenhorn named Jin-cheon.
"What's even more infuriating is that no matter how much I investigate, this matter is just a simple coincidence."
"Just when we were executing the plan, some greenhorn martial artist who had been training in the mountains, not wanting to follow the road, cut through the forest and interfered with the plan. If a coincidence goes this far, laughter comes before anger."
"Man proposes, God disposes. I am deeply understanding why such a saying comes out."
Anyway, their plan had failed, so they had to make another plan.
"We can't end it like this. We must ignite the flames of war somehow, even if just a little."
"Hmm....... Then how about using the weapon we are planning this time?"
"That is still unfinished... no, come to think of it, that's a good idea. And if we create traces of the Demon Cult......."
The three men made a new plan to make the Demon Cult, the Righteous Faction, and the Evil Faction confront each other if the confrontation between the Righteous and Evil Factions was impossible.
And while making it a tense state like that, if they used one of the Righteous or Evil Factions to attack a potential ally, there was a possibility that a three-way battle between the Demon Cult, the Righteous Faction, and the Evil Faction would occur.
"Ah, come to think of it, didn't they say some of the test subjects are unstable and cause explosions?"
"That's right. Why do you ask?"
"If it's that powerful, I wonder if we could take out or severely injure the Sword Empress. They are trash to be discarded anyway, so it wouldn't be bad to try it before discarding them."
"Hmm... that's true, but....... It's the Sword Empress of the world. Don't have high expectations."
"Nothing to lose. Then I will start the work."