Chapter 131
Chapter 131
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Myojin Sect (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Luckily, the bandits' mountain stronghold had a fair amount of food stocked away.
"It's all stolen goods anyway. Distribute it generously to the villagers."
It had been quite a while since they'd had a warm meal, and cheers of "Long live the Sect Leader!" rose up from the crowd.
"Whew. This is exhausting."
"You've worked hard, Sect Leader."
"No one more than you, Instructor Sim."
Seo Tae-myeong flashed a broad grin before turning serious.
"Instructor Chu Un-hwi must have had it rough too."
I hope he didn't get hurt?
When he asked a disciple, the response was astonishing.
"He followed us while we searched the warehouse and ended up finding and taking a bottle of liquor."
Instructor Sim's face flushed red at the disciple's words.
"He's not a bad fellow."
"Ugh."
Chu Un-hwi felt uncomfortable.
"Instructor Sim, please take this."
The bottle of hard-to-find liquor was now in Seo Tae-myeong's hands.
Pour.
As he filled the cup, Instructor Sim smiled brightly.
"Haha. Thanks to you, Sect Leader, I can relax a bit. I hope my foolish judgment didn't cause you too much trouble."
"Hahaha. Isn't that exactly what the Divine Martial Wanderer is for? Letting injustice slide would be the real shame."
"I'm grateful even for the words."
As they passed the bottle back and forth, eyeing it as it emptied...
Instructor Sim glanced his way.
"Instructor Chu, I'm seeing you in a new light."
"What do you mean?"
"Your way of handling the students is quite unique."
Ah, that's what he meant.
Chu Un-hwi nodded casually, and Instructor Sim continued.
"Mine, on the other hand, just doesn't sit right."
Flinch.
Nearby, someone resting jumped slightly.
Pretending not to notice, Chu Un-hwi replied.
"How were you as a kid, Instructor Sim?"
"Me, as a kid?"
"In your first real battle, did you perfectly block hidden weapons, keep a wide field of view, and zip around flawlessly?"
"Of course not."
Stroking his graying beard, he answered.
"I was the clumsy one. I was shaking so much from nerves I couldn't even draw my sword properly."
It was only after a scolding from my master that I remembered how to unsheathe it.
At Seo Tae-myeong's words, Chu Un-hwi asked.
"Isn't that normal? No one gets it perfect from the start."
"Since I couldn't do it, I teach them in advance."
"They'll learn when the time comes."
"The jianghu is dangerous. Realizing too late could cost their lives."
Chu Un-hwi brushed off the response dismissively.
"I know a guy who had a son."
"Is that so? Congratulations to him."
"But he was griping that his son neglects studies for play."
"That's just parenting. You have to study hard to succeed."
"The kid used to chase after girls instead of books."
"...Hm."
"He got married well and turned his life around, but now he preaches that studying is the most important thing in the world. Ridiculous."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Who knows."
Muttering briefly, Chu Un-hwi continued smoothly.
"I just watch and wait."
"Discipline born of love is essential."
"If you want to show love, hug them or give them money."
Why discipline when there's good money to spend?
He grumbled on.
"If discipline becomes habit, they won't even recognize real discipline later."
Instructor Sim, at his level, understood the point.
"Cheongsu is wise. He'll understand."
"Why not praise his wisdom ten times instead of disciplining?"
"Spoiling them rotten leads to bad habits."
"Isn't discipline for when they actually go bad?"
Instructor Sim was at a loss for words.
But reluctant to admit it, he deflected with, "It's the way of the Pure Land Wudang Sect."
"Seems our educational philosophies differ."
"I think so too."
An awkward silence fell.
Seo Tae-myeong just rolled his eyes at the sudden argument.
After a long quiet, Instructor Sim's stubborn lips parted.
"...However, your way seems decent. But I'm too old to change."
"Don't demand from others what you can't do yourself."
Was that something for a temporary instructor to say to a Wudang disciple?
Gulp.
Seo Tae-myeong swallowed a stifled groan.
Returning to his spot, Nangong Yun-ho poked his head in.
"You were called over—what'd they talk about?"
"Dunno. Old fogey rambling."
Grumbling, Chu Un-hwi glared.
"Anyway, you lot."
With a beckoning finger, Nangong Yun-ho slyly offered a silver coin.
"It was tough, but we somehow succeeded."
Jegal Tan and Moyong So-hye followed, pulling coins from their sleeves.
"Keeping the silver on the sword tip without dropping it isn't easy."
"But we did it."
Plop. Plop.
Staring at the coins in his palm, Chu Un-hwi spoke.
"Jegal."
"Y-yes?"
"Headbutt the ground!"
"Wh-why?"
Thwack!
Kicked, Jegal Tan rolled across the floor with a grunt.
"You asking why?"
Do you really not know? his eyes demanded, and Jegal Tan looked pitiful.
"...How did you know?"
"Think I'd forget what my pet silver looks like?"
The scratches, the luster—they were different.
At his words, Jegal Tan slumped and headbutted the ground.
"Trying to fool your instructor? Bad form."
Next words, and he lifted one leg too. Self-sealed internal energy as a bonus.
"Whoa! Demon!"
"Fist-for-coins, you dropped twice."
Moyong So-hye, trying to play innocent, leaped up from her seat.
"H-how'd you know?"
It wasn't swapped; just dropped briefly.
Pinpointing it, Chu Un-hwi narrowed his eyes.
"You think I wouldn't recognize my pet iron coin?"
"Pet iron coin is too much! Waaah."
Moyong So-hye wailed into a horse stance.
Truly a vicious man, she thought.
That evening.
A hazy shadow moved through the darkness.
Muffling footsteps stealthily, it darted to the warehouse behind the stronghold.
Creak.
Opening the door revealed bandits bound and tossed inside haphazardly.
The shadow pressed on to the far end.
Where Bandit Chief Nangjeok Gwangbu lay.
"Heh heh. You really came."
At the shadow's arrival, Nangjeok Gwangbu sat up from the straw mat.
"A promise is a promise."
"Not easy, though. Didn't expect one of those family dogs to be an acupoint expert."
Acupoint strikes aren't mastered just by strong martial arts.
Even the infamous Nangjeok Gwangbu saw no way to break it.
The shadow differed.
"This level of acupoint? Piece of cake."
Snap. Severing ropes, the shadow tapped the chief's meridians with both hands like the wind.
Tap. Tap-tap-tap.
Crisp sounds rang out, followed by popping like stir-fried beans from his body.
Proof the seal lifted, energy flowing freely.
"Krrrrgh—."
Regaining freedom, the chief stretched his limbs.
"Stupid righteous fools. Surrender and we'll let you live unharmed, they said."
Your shallow sense of justice will kill you.
As vengeance filled his mouth, the shadow tossed something.
An axe pulsing with bloody light landed at his feet.
"Better than my prized weapon."
"Time to keep your promise."
"Don't worry. I'll repay this humiliation."
Dragged to officials like this meant death anyway.
Even fleeing, no one would take a leader who lost all his men.
"Better join the Iron Chain Alliance than live pathetically."
Thus, his choice: brutal revenge.
Wreak havoc, build infamy—the Iron Chain would take him grudgingly. Worst case, the Demonic Cult might.
They hated the Murim Alliance too.
"Kill as many as you can. As promised."
The muttering chief heard the shadow say.
"Should be easy. They're all drugged."
Dead asleep by now.
The man laughed heartily.
"Kahaha! Music to my ears. Well then, shall we begin?"
As he moved to wake his subdued men for slaughter...
"Hold it."
A voice from the dark.
"Who's there."
Panicking, bright lantern light rose from the shadows.
Whoosh.
Beyond the glowing oil lamp, a youthful face flickered in the shadows.
"You."
"Full of energy. Thought you were done for."
A playful tone unfit for the moment.
"Instructor of the Divine Martial Academy."
"Right. Good memory for a ragged guy."
The chief reached for the axe handle.
Aiming to cleave from crown to chin in one stroke.
Unaware or not, the voice stayed chipper.
"Wasn't talking to you."
"What're you babbling, you weakling."
The lantern slid through the air toward the shadow.
Darkness peeled away, revealing the hidden form.
Then the voice said.
"Still kicking, huh?"
Right, old moneybags?
Jeong Yang, beside the chief, flashed murderous light in his eyes.
"When did you catch on?"
"Dunno. Your face rubbed me wrong from first sight."
I'm sensitive like that.
Jeong Yang twisted his lips at the reply.
No more bumbling righteous man.
Half-shrouded in dark, it was a killer oozing bloodlust.
"Tell me. How'd you know?"
"Told you. Good instincts."
Among other things.
Chu Un-hwi continued.
"That first day. You reacted to the stone I threw."
"You noticed that?"
"Not blind—gut feeling."
"Go on."
"Handing you to the guards? Still fishy. How's a rural warrior so slick?"
"Explained it as a friend's help clearing the misunderstanding."
Jeong Yang thought his logic airtight.
But only mockery returned.
"Even less believable. Guards hate admitting mistakes."
Let an innocent go willingly?
People who freak at responsibility?
"Total bullshit."
Above all, the blind spot.
"A loner up from nowhere suddenly has a convenient 'friend'? Laughable."
Grinding his teeth at the retort, Jeong Yang admitted.
"Tch. I slipped up."
Murder gleamed in his eyes.
"I'll use your advice—no mistakes next time."
"Thought I explained nicely. Not listening?"
"You're spent. Quick death as thanks."
Shing.
A short dagger slid from his sleeve into Jeong Yang's hand.
Seeing it, Chu Un-hwi sighed more than tensed.
"Sigh. You too, huh."
Jeong Yang leveled the blade at his heart. Then, through Chu Un-hwi's shaggy hair, two blue glints appeared.
"What? Thought you were the only one from the faction?"
I know the group.
Clang!
Instinctively, Jeong Yang's dagger shot forward.