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Chapter 22: Molting
The day of departure for the Namgung Family.
Dong Bong-su came out of the Family estate early with simple travel preparations, leading Yeoro.
Was it because he woke up too early? No one was visible yet.
A quiet morning.
As always, a good time for thinking.
Holding Yeoro's reins, he quietly continued the contemplation he'd been doing since yesterday.
How should one learn martial arts?
For now, he had no choice but to learn by watching with his eyes and imitating what he saw.
Last night, relying on his memories so far—the movements of the Black Group leaders and the martial artists he'd seen in the Family—he tried to reproduce martial arts techniques. He could imitate the forms, but it didn't go well. Literally just mimicry. Nothing more, nothing less.
In the end, it meant that to learn martial arts, he had no choice but to be taught.
Then how should he do it?
Look at books, or learn under someone's tutelage. Of these, the former was the inferior method, and the latter the superior one. In anything, rather than learning alone while being broken and torn, it's faster to learn from someone who has already been broken and torn. That way, one can move to the next stage without making the same mistakes.
Dong Bong-su looked at himself.
In his current state, he wouldn't be welcomed by anyone. In terms of being inconspicuous, the semi-mute servant Sosam had the best protective coloring, but it was an appearance lacking for learning anything.
It wouldn't be easy to run away from the Danri Family as he was and become someone's disciple. Because he had already reached eighteen years of age by this place's reckoning, and from what he'd heard, at around this age it was difficult to learn martial arts from the beginning. Even if someone accepted him, they were unlikely to be an outstanding master.
'Let's put this problem aside for now.'
He hadn't even properly experienced the Martial World yet.
It wouldn't be too late to decide about learning martial arts after experiencing the Martial World a bit more.
This trip to the Namgung Family should greatly broaden his knowledge.
There, the possibility of finding a solution to this problem would be high. If it really didn't work out, he could just learn from books.
He emptied his mind again and stood still, waiting for the others to come out. But that was only in appearance—he was definitely not standing idle.
Throughout various parts of Dong Bong-su's body hidden by his clothes, grains of sand were endlessly appearing and disappearing repeatedly. It was the training of Inventory Divine Art. Though it wasn't a skill that had anything like proficiency or levels, looking back at his survival process so far, it was the most useful technique. Inventory Divine Art was even superior to the skills given upon leveling up.
In addition to that.
Recently, he'd realized that this technique could also be advanced. That was taking out or putting in two objects simultaneously. Though he hadn't perfectly mastered it yet, it had become somewhat possible. Perhaps if more time passed, taking out or putting in three or four objects at once would also become possible.
Like a duck smoothly swimming on water by paddling both feet hidden below the surface, he steadily trained his Inventory Divine Art while standing in that spot.
How much more time had passed like that?
As the sunlight gradually warmed the earth, the people departing for the Namgung Family began to show their faces one by one.
The Black Five Group members came out first and quietly lined up in front of the Family's main gate. They were probably waiting for Gi Dae-hyo and Gi Man-ji.
Dong Bong-su watched them carefully and quietly went to stand in a corner. It was to stay faithful to Sosam's role. Because Sosam would certainly have done so.
Shortly after, Gi Man-ji, neatly dressed in the Black Five Group's martial uniform, appeared and inspected the departing personnel.
"The entire Black Five Group has assembled."
Having counted all the Black Five Group members, he also glanced once toward Dong Bong-su.
"Yeoro is out too."
To him, Dong Bong-su as Sosam was nothing more than an appendage to Yeoro. Gi Man-ji then checked the wedding gifts besides Yeoro to take to the Namgung Family and the number of people to transport them. There were no problems with that either.
"Mm. No problems. Who hasn't come out yet?"
"Everyone except the Young Master and Young Miss has gathered."
One of the Black Five Group members answered Gi Man-ji's question. The Young Master he referred to was Danri Jiang-hae, the first son of Danri Cheon-u, and the Young Miss referred to Danri Hui, the second daughter. Though Gi Dae-hyo hadn't come out yet, he was the one to whom Gi Man-ji would report after gathering everyone, so they didn't mention him at all.
Though Danri Jiang-hae and Danri Hui weren't visible, Gi Man-ji didn't think much of it. Their tardiness was a constant occurrence, so he had already anticipated it.
"Then everyone's out."
Gi Man-ji quickly checked the personnel once more with both pupils and went back inside the Family estate. Not long after, he came back out of the estate. The difference was that unlike when he went in, Gi Dae-hyo now stood at the front.
As soon as Gi Dae-hyo came out, without any particular words, he immediately walked forward through the Black Five Group members. It was a silent departure signal.
Instead of that Gi Dae-hyo, Gi Man-ji shouted loudly.
"Let's go."
With those words, all personnel began their journey to the Namgung Family, following Gi Dae-hyo.
Though two of the most important personnel were missing, no one found it strange. Dong Bong-su was the same.
Everyone in the Danri Family already knew well what kind of people Danri Jiang-hae and Danri Hui were.
Needless to say, Danri Jiang-hae would be drinking and groping women's bodies at some inn in Bongyang's entertainment district, and Danri Hui would still be inside the Family estate.
She pathologically disliked traveling together with subordinates. Probably other Black Five Group members who would escort her from afar, aside from the Black Five Group members gathered here, would also remain at the estate. After they left, she would follow the group a little later as a rear party.
The group continued walking along the road. Before they knew it, they had arrived at Bongyang's entertainment district.
"Everyone stop. Wait for a moment."
At Gi Man-ji's words, the group all stopped in place. As everyone knew, the reason for stopping was to pick up Danri Jiang-hae.
Since it was still early, the entertainment district was quiet. Except for one place.
Crash!
From inside an inn with a signboard reading Haengho Inn hanging splendidly, noisy sounds came out as if someone was fighting.
"Again?"
Gi Dae-hyo muttered quietly and walked toward the inn. Though he was the one who spoke, everyone except Dong Bong-su was reciting the same words in their heads.
Danri Jiang-hae was the first son of Danri Cheon-u, a martial prodigy with outstanding five senses and qualities. Though Bongyang wasn't a very large city, when it came to Bongyang's greatest prodigy, everyone would agree it was undoubtedly Danri Jiang-hae.
However, his character was frivolous and he loved alcohol and women far too much, so unsavory rumors always followed him.
That was also why Gi Dae-hyo had told Danri Cheon-u yesterday that 'the Namgung Family might not want either.' Though Danri Jiang-hae's skills were excellent compared to his peers and his foundation was outstanding, making him not lacking to enter as an outer disciple of the Namgung Family in terms of ability, the problem was his character.
Though he had no choice but to do this because of the Family Head's orders, honestly Gi Dae-hyo didn't have high expectations. The only thing he could believe in now was Yeoro, the Ferghana Horse called Heavenly Horse. Should he say he could only pray that the rumor about Namgung Byeok collecting good horses was true?
Gi Dae-hyo shook his head once and approached the inn.
Meanwhile, the sounds of combat from inside the inn didn't stop.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Gi Dae-hyo, walking toward the inn entrance, felt considerable puzzlement.
'Who on earth could be fighting Danri Jiang-hae like that in this Bongyang?'
Regardless of character, Danri Jiang-hae was a quite well-known rising star in Anhui Province. Among the people belonging to Bongyang's small and medium sects, there was no one who would dare challenge him, much less anyone who could receive so many exchanges. Recently, since there was no one to face his misconduct, the inns where he appeared were rather quiet.
'Who on earth is it?'
The moment Gi Dae-hyo thought that.
Crash!
With a loud sound, someone burst out of the inn and rolled on the ground. Though his face had a red tinge from alcohol intoxication, he was still a young man boasting a handsome appearance. It was Danri Jiang-hae.
"Mm!?"
An exclamation of surprise escaped Gi Dae-hyo's mouth.
What had happened? The person now inside the inn wasn't just exchanging moves with Danri Jiang-hae, but had actually driven him to defeat.
An ominous feeling suddenly flashed through his mind.
On the other hand, contrary to Gi Dae-hyo, Dong Bong-su, who was watching this situation, was feeling something different. He had already stopped training his Inventory Divine Art, which he'd been training endlessly from the Family estate until coming here.
[An enemy with a level difference of 10 or more has approached within 20 meters. 20.]
It was because Spirit Eyes had activated.
Without even looking, the target of Spirit Eyes was undoubtedly the one who had driven Danri Jiang-hae out of the inn.
"Damn it! You bastard, I'll kill you!"
Danri Jiang-hae spat curses as he got up. The target was, needless to say, the one who had driven him out of the inn.
When he half-rose, Dong Bong-su's eyes saw a brown figure fly out of the inn like lightning.
Flutterrr.
The hem of the brown figure's long robe fluttered, creating a peculiar air-cutting sound from the friction between the garment and the air. As soon as the man in the brown long robe appeared, he immediately rushed toward Danri Jiang-hae. Then, without giving Danri Jiang-hae time to dodge, he trampled on his neck.
"Gack!"
The moment Danri Jiang-hae, trampled by the man in a brown long robe, laid his half-risen body back down on the ground, Dong Bong-su looked at Gi Dae-hyo.
Shing!
As expected, seeing Danri Jiang-hae being attacked, Gi Dae-hyo drew his sword without any time to reconsider.
"Stop!"
The middle-aged man in brown still trampling on Danri Jiang-hae's neck turned to look at Gi Dae-hyo.
Only then could Dong Bong-su see the man in the brown long robe clearly. He was a middle-aged man of medium height with a cold impression. With coldness flowing from his eyes, regardless of his martial arts level, his very nature looked ruthless.
Such a man spoke to Gi Dae-hyo in a voice as cold as his face.
"What?"