Why Are You Coming Out of There?
The world held no welcome guests for us right now. The absolute worst would be Shaolin’s pursuit team. The next-worst option was wild animals like tigers or bears. Even ordinary civilians would be nothing but trouble. They would become “witnesses” who had seen the notorious criminals who escaped from the Repentance Cave.
At last, something rustled through the bushes that stood as tall as a grown man. A single rough hand suddenly thrust into view.
Either the worst-case scenario or a witness. My hand instinctively moved to the hilt of the “imitation sword” that Hyeolbu Mak-ga had made for me. Because he had rushed the job, it only mimicked the shape of a real blade; the edge was completely dull. Instead of a sharp sword, it was a blunt lump. At best, it was a solid, lightweight “iron club” shaped like a sword. Still, Hyeolbu Mak-ga had altered the metal’s properties to make it both light and hard, so it was far better than an ordinary heavy club.
I had to think positively. Sometimes a sturdy blunt weapon proved far more useful than a sharp one.
Tense, I stared straight ahead. After the hand came the rest of the body, pushing its way out of the undergrowth.
“...”
“...”
The person who emerged was someone we knew very well.
“Why are you coming out of there?”
“What did you say? You parasitic wench! Where did you leave your manners that you dare speak to your elder like that?!”
The one who had parted the bushes was none other than Gapjil Jijon.
“No—Gapjil, brother! Why are you coming from that direction? Weren’t you heading the other way?” Cheon Dok-no-ong asked, looking utterly bewildered.
“Listen here, you poisonous creature! Is there somewhere I’m not allowed to go? I was walking and ended up coming out here. Is that my fault? I’m hurt by your suspicion.”
Gapjil Jijon strode toward us with both hands planted arrogantly on his hips.
“Besides,” he continued with a shameless expression, “we’re all going to meet again in Fujian Province in a year anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to travel together instead of waiting until then?”
His slick words irritated me for no good reason.
...Fujian Province?
Wait, this old man even got the destination wrong! Wasn’t it Zhejiang?
“Fujian? What the hell do you mean, Fujian?! It’s Zhejiang! Have you gone senile? How can you not even remember that?!”
“Eh? It’s not Fujian? The Heavenly Lord of Fujian… Wait, no? Is it Zhejiang after all?”
Gapjil Jijon tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.
I was about to smack my chest in frustration and keep scolding him when Cheon Dok-no-ong tapped my shoulder, stopping me. He whispered quietly.
“...Fujian is correct. The Heavenly Lord of Fujian is right… But where did Zhejiang come from?”
Ah… So Fujian really was right.
...How embarrassing.
“Anyway! You’re saying Gapjil Jijon will travel with us from now on… correct?” I hurriedly changed the subject.
“That’s right! Since our final destination is the same, there’s no need to go separately. It’s not that I have nowhere else to go and am tagging along. Really.”
I looked at Gapjil Jijon with suspicious eyes and thought,
...He definitely has nowhere else to go. Well, I’m only traveling with Mister Cheon because I don’t have anywhere either.
“But even two people traveling together might draw attention. Won’t three of us be way too noticeable?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Gapjil Jijon declared confidently. “Shaolin probably won’t send out a separate pursuit team.”
At his bold claim, Cheon Dok-no-ong reacted before I could even open my mouth.
“Gapjil, brother, what do you mean? Are you certain?”
Cheon Dok-no-ong had clearly been on edge the entire journey; he was desperate for confirmation.
“Hurry up and explain.”
“Ahem, hm!”
Gapjil Jijon cleared his throat theatrically and began explaining why he could make such a boast.
“Ahem~ It’s nothing special. But since I confirmed it myself, you can trust me.”
“Your introduction is too long. Get to the point already!” I urged him impatiently.
“Who am I? In all of Murim, how many people earn the title of ‘Supreme One’? And that precious title is stuck right in front of my name! Would someone like me only know one or two martial arts? That’s what I’m saying.”
“Among my hundreds of secret techniques is the Turtle Breathing Great Law. How could I survive without using it?”
Wow… What an insufferable braggart.
I clicked my tongue.
How can a person boast about himself so shamelessly?
Basic human decency should always be grounded in humility…
...Of course, an Ultra S-Class hero like me is the exception.
Since I actually was that amazing, there was no problem.
Gapjil Jijon continued, puffing out his chest.
“So! The moment that massive explosion went off, I instinctively knew.”
Do I really have to keep listening to this?
“I realized that this body needed to know exactly what was happening there. So I carefully approached the epicenter of the blast… and there was Guyu Majon, sitting there in a daze.”
“...What?!”
My eyes and Cheon Dok-no-ong’s widened at the same time.
Satisfied with our reaction, Gapjil Jijon puffed up even more and finished his story.
“So, to observe the situation, I activated my proud Turtle Breathing Great Law and waited.”
“Is Grandfather Majon really alive? You definitely saw him, right?!”
“Hey, you parasitic-looking wench! Your elder is in the middle of speaking, and you have the nerve to—”
I cut Gapjil Jijon off and asked again.
“Guyu Majon! You’re saying Grandfather Majon is safe, right?!”
Startled by my fierce tone, Gapjil Jijon glanced at me nervously before answering.
“...Yeah, that’s right. This girl is going to eat people alive…”
Having received a clear confirmation, Cheon Dok-no-ong and I locked eyes. The next instant, we threw our arms around each other in pure joy.
“Haha! He was alive after all!”
“Thank goodness! Thank goodness!”
After our escape, the heavy guilt that had pressed down on my heart like a boulder finally lifted away.
Damn… I think I’m going to cry.
Gapjil Jijon watched the two of us hugging and celebrating with a sour expression, muttering to himself. I ignored him. That wasn’t important right now.
“Hey, you brats! I’m about to tell you something important. Are you going to keep ignoring me?”
Oh right. There was more to the story!
Gapjil Jijon cleared his throat again with an “Ahem, hm!” and continued.
While he had suppressed his breathing with the Turtle Breathing Great Law, becoming one with his surroundings and hiding perfectly, sure enough, the Shaolin monks had come swarming in. The Shaolin Abbot Hyeon-gak, that insane giant monk Hyeon-jung, the rude young monk Hye-yul, and the rest of the old monks. They looked at the horrific explosion site and began talking among themselves with serious expressions.
“I was too far away to hear everything clearly, but…”
“Wait, Uncle Gapjil.” I interrupted. “You got that close—how did they not notice you?”
My question made Gapjil Jijon’s bravado explode.
“Who am I?! My Turtle Breathing Great Law surpasses even the legendary assassin Dark Curtain Grandmaster! No matter if it’s the Shaolin Abbot or the greatest under heaven, they would never detect it!”
...I never should have asked…
“Of course… this great law does have one weakness. While the opponent can’t sense me, the moment I activate it, I become unable to do anything myself. I become completely assimilated with nature. In that state, I am the wind, I am the tree, I am the earth… Hmm…”
“So what’s the main point already!”
“Gapjil, brother! Stop wandering off topic!”
Both Cheon Dok-no-ong and I scolded him at the same time.
A little sulky now, Gapjil Jijon clicked his tongue and continued.
Anyway, confident in his technique, he had stealthily approached the place where the Shaolin monks and Guyu Majon were. Of course, he added another boast—“This is an extremely advanced technique that only I can perform”—until I glared at him, at which point he finally returned to the main story.
“That ill-mannered Hyeon-jung was rudely interrogating Guyu Majon.”
“But do you know what Guyu Majon said?”
Gapjil Jijon spoke triumphantly.
“He declared in a loud voice that we had all been caught in the explosion and died. If they didn’t believe him, they should dig up the blast site and check for corpses!”
“...!”
“At those words, that Hyeon-jung fellow quietly backed down, and the old monk called Abbot Hyeon-gak said, ‘Since they must all be dead, let’s stop worrying about it.’”
Cheon Dok-no-ong and I clasped each other’s hands tightly once more.
There would be… no pursuit?
No matter how bold and great a hero of the ages I was, it seemed I had still been quite anxious about Shaolin’s pursuit. My whole body felt like it had gone limp.
“And for some reason…” Gapjil Jijon finished.
“Those fellows put on serious faces and declared, ‘We will close our gates for three years.’ I don’t know the reason either.”
Cheon Dok-no-ong spoke in a voice thick with emotion.
“Truly… truly joyous news! However, there is always the possibility of the unexpected, so we must not let our guard down for the time being.”
I nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Gapjil Jijon suddenly spoke with a troubled expression.
“...But Guyu Majon was chased out of Shaolin Temple with only a small bundle.”
“He’ll probably try to follow us to Fujian Province… but he’s so old. I’m worried he might die on the road.”
Hearing that, I grew worried too. But Cheon Dok-no-ong reassured us.
“Don’t worry too much. Although he is advanced in years, he was the strongest among us. He will surely arrive safely. Moreover, he left Shaolin Temple as a free man, so he can travel far more comfortably than we who are being chased. Let’s not worry.”
We rested briefly where we were, then set off again. No matter how happy the news was, we could never let ourselves grow complacent. Still, it felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from our hearts; our steps were lighter than ever.