Chapter v7c15

Yoon Joon-ho’s fateful encounter.

Mo Yong-hwi, who had completed his training to the end, was not in good shape.

He had started his training in a state where his wounds had not healed.Seeing the smile on his fallen face,He seemed to have achieved some satisfactory results for himself.

‘He endured this hellish training even with his injured body!’

Everyone looked at Mo Yong-hwi, who had fallen asleep, with admiration.

What was more surprising was Yoon Joon-ho. His achievement this time was almost miraculous. Because he didn’t make it among the last four people, but he was the one who lasted the longest among the others.

He was in a state of fainting. His perseverance and tenacity had to be acknowledged.. Yoon Joon-ho was surprisingly well-trained.

“How did you grow so fast?”

Yeom Do, who had watched the beginning and the end with his eyes wide open, couldn’t believe it. He asked Yoon Joon-ho, who had barely regained his senses, out of curiosity.

“Yes! I just did as the grandfather taught me, and I got better and better!”

“Which grandfather?”

“Yes! He was a strange Taoist grandfather who wore torn robes and liked meat. He reminded me of Master Taesa who lives in Hwasan. Oh! Of course, our Master Taesa doesn’t like eating meat,. He enjoys vegetarianism.’”

“Tell me more!”

Yeom Do urged.

“Well…”

It was a few days ago.

Yoon Joon-ho decided to try out the plum blossom sword technique for the first time in a long time in the deep mountains that day. He felt like his whole body was overflowing with strength as he went through the harsh training and the hard training at the Cheonmu Academy. He had a feeling that this time it would go well.

Yoon Joon-ho assumed the starting pose of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordsmanship with a serious face.

A red aura emanated from his sword.

“Plum Blossom in Full Bloom!”

“Plum Blossom Spitting Radiance!”

“Plum Blossom Soaring “

“Plum Blossom Flourishing “

As the red sword energy flashed, plum blossom petals began to bloom in the air. And as the sword dance became more intense, the plum fragrance became thicker. His face was very funny. It was the limit now.

“Ahh!”

Finally, Yoon Joon-ho dropped the sword he was holding. His whole body was covered with hives. It was a great achievement to perform the four techniques in a row. Yoon Joon-ho had to frown at the faint plum fragrance.

“Hehehehe! That’s it!”

It was then that laughter came from behind.

“Hehehe! What a funny kid! He’s at the sword fragrance level at that age. And hives too…?

With a body still covered with hives, Yoon Joon-ho turned around. His face was colorful with red spots and hives. It was a bit funny.

Behind him was an old man wearing a robe that had once been called a robe, but was clearly torn.

“Who are you, sir?”

Yoon Joon-ho asked politely. unlike the other rude person.

“Who am I! Such an unusual child! Not only mastering the unique scent of the hwasan at your age is remarkable, but also such a strong fragrance… Your achievement is as outstanding as His!”

“Who are you referring to?”

“Hehe! They call Him Yu Hwan-kwon. In hwasan, known as Plum Blossom Sword Immortal. Perhaps you’ve heard of Him? Although hes not particularly famous! he’s A person who is as crazy as me! He’s my brother” He claimed him not to be famous, but for Yoon Jun-ho, it was a name he had heard with itching ears.

“Are you talking about Taesabu-nim?”

Yoon Joon-ho’s eyes widened. He was the highest-ranking person in Hwasan, Master Taesabu Plum Blossom Sword Immortal Yu Hwan-Kwon, He called him ‘brother’. his clothes were old and torn, but they were clearly the clothes of the Wudang faction.

Then the story was… There was a rumor that he heard when he was favored by Master Taesabu. ‘There’s an old, crazy brother in the Wudang faction whose name is…?

Yoon Joon-ho asked cautiously.

“Ho, is your name…”

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? People call me Hyun Geom-ja. It’s not a very famous name!” He insisted that he was not famous, but for Yoon Joon-ho, it was a name he had heard so much that his ears hurt.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know your name.”

Yoon Joon-ho quickly bowed. If he was the same as Master Taesabu Plum Blossom Sword Immortal Yu Hwan-gwon, he would be the owner of such a high rank that he couldn’t even look at.

“Hey! Don’t you know that excessive courtesy is rather rude? I feel prickly and twitchy when I receive such a greeting. I’m more curious about your story.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“What do you mean? I’m talking about your sword, which doesn’t suit the sword fragrance level, and your clumsy plum blossom sword technique.”

The old Taoist’s eyes were full of interest…

“Hmm… So you’ve been bullied because of that?”

“Yes!”

Yoon Joon-ho answered with a sullen face. He felt depressed when he thought of the past. Of course, it wasn’t that he wasn’t bullied now.

“Being bullied sounds like a sad experience.”

It appears that Hyun Geom-ja also had experiences of being ostracized.

“No way, even you, Senior Ro, had such experiences?”

Yoon Joon-ho was shocked. The confession from Hyun Geom-ja, a master of the Eight Martial Arts of the Taoist sect and one of the Five Great Swordsmen, about being ostracized in his youth was a fresh shock to him.

Hyun Geom-ja nodded and said, “There was a time when that happened! People who stand out are always subject to jealousy.”

Hyun Geom-ja’s talent and abilities were exceptional compared to his peers at the time. The only person who showed more promise was his senior brother, Gongson Il-chu.

In any society, there are only two paths for those who stand out: to become the object of admiration and respect, or to become the target of ostracism and collective bullying.

Gongson Il-chu was admired and revered by others, while Hyun Geom-ja became the target of collective bullying. The one who treated him the best was his senior brother, Gongson Il-chu, who had no reason to be jealous and could treat him with genuine kindness.

“If you’re among fools who can’t acknowledge that there are beings superior to themselves, then naturally, those with talent and wit will be isolated! The weak cannot tolerate threats directed at them because they have always looked down upon and trampled on those weaker than themselves. They fear karma! They set the world according to their standards and believe that anyone stronger than them will trample them. That’s why they shrink in fear preemptively. This is what manifests as the social phenomenon of ostracism.”

“But me…” Yoon Joon-ho’s words were abruptly cut off by Hyun Geom-ja, so he couldn’t finish.

“So, what about those who bully and ostracize those weaker than themselves? Child! Why do you ask such an obvious question?”

Yoon Joon-ho looked bewildered, clearly not understanding. “Those are obviously immature fools who haven’t grown up yet. Wrapped up in selfishness, they don’t even know the meaning of ‘easy thinking’, not even as much as a mouse knows! They’re fools and idiots not worth associating with, and they’re also immature. In short, they lack common sense! They don’t even think about the impact their actions have on those around them.

When you see such people, just laugh at them quietly! And if they really bother you, it might be good to spank them until they’re on fire. But remember this, child! Just because others engage in immature foolishness collectively, you don’t need to join that immature group!”

“Yes…”

Yoon Joon-ho sealed his lips and quietly nodded at Hyun Geom-ja’s long speech.

“Originally, the fewer fools, idiots, and simpletons there are, the better it is for the world.”

“Yes! Senior Ro!”

“What Senior Ro! Call me ‘Taoist!’! It sounds good, doesn’t it?”

“Yes! Senior Ro!”

“T.A.O.I.S.T!”

Hyun Geom-ja emphasized each syllable.

“Yes! Tao… Taoist!!”

Although Yoon Joon-ho felt hesitation, he couldn’t help but comply.

“The laws of the world are harsh, strict, and fair, so those who look down on others will eventually receive all the retribution they deserve. If not in this life, then in the next.”

Yoon Joon-ho thought of the Taoist as somewhat of an extreme grandfather. However, his words were profoundly right and resonated deeply with Yoon Joon-ho.

“Such people will naturally fall away when you become so strong that they can’t possibly catch up to you. I’ll teach you a few methods.”

Hyun Geom-ja’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, looking like a child who had caught an interesting toy. It was a story from nearly 20 days ago.

After hearing the story, Yeom do said, “Ho! So that old man taught you various things. And he told you not to reveal his identity or what he taught you to others?”

“Yes!”

“In other words, it’s a fateful encounter!”

Yeom do exclaimed in admiration. This fool had unknowingly obtained a fortunate encounter. It was typical of Yoon Joon-ho not to be aware that he had obtained such an opportunity.

“Is that what fateful encounter is?”

He was still unaware.

“Did you think a fateful encounter was something extraordinary?”

“I thought it was something like eating the register of a thousand-year-old spiritual creature or falling off a cliff and finding the legacy left by a deceased person from a previous generation…”

“I thought you had to obtain or do something special to have a fateful encounter…”

“Smack!”

Immediately, Yeom do’s fist flew towards Yoon Joon-ho’s head.

“You fool! Do you think fateful encounters are something extraordinary? A fateful encounter is when you meet a strange connection that benefits you.”

Holding the bump that had popped up on his head, Yoon Joon-ho’s eyes widened in contemplation. To an observer, he looked perfectly naive and immature.

‘Have I obtained a fateful encounter?’

But there was no one to answer for him. Yoon Joon-ho didn’t even know whether he had become stronger or weaker.

……………………………………………………………………

While his peers were exhausting their physical and mental strength to break new ground in infinite patience, what was Bi Ryu-yeon doing? When others felt a sense of achievement as a reward for their sweat, what was he doing? When others were enjoying the thrill of overwhelming emotion, where was Bi Ryu-yeon and what was he doing?

“Mmm, yum!”

At that time, Bi Ryu-yeon had fallen asleep and had not yet woken up. Although he had fallen asleep in nature without a blanket, the cold dew of dawn was nothing significant to him. He was the proud owner of a splendid past, having once slept in a snowdrift for three days. Worrying about the morning dew and the coldness of the ground was an insult to his tenacious vitality and adaptability.

“Ugh, yawn!”

As the stinging morning sunlight began to tickle his face, Bi Ryu-yeon finally opened his eyes. His every move overflowed with leisureliness.

“Gurgle”

As soon as he got up, his stomach clock ferociously announced that it was mealtime. The problem with this clock was that it was too accurate.

“Zap!”

With a glance from Bi Ryu-yeon, a fruit fell from the tree. It was an apple that looked delicious. It was an insolent apple to fall without any reason, even without a crow flying by. It was still green, but that didn’t mean it was inedible.

“Hmm! Should I have fish for breakfast?”

The fruit was just a warm-up before the meal.

About fifteen paces from the tree where Biryeon was sitting, there was a pool created by a stream that had split off from a nearby creek.

To eat fish, you first need to have fish. To catch fish, you need to engage in the labor of fishing. However, there was no fishing rod to be found on Bi Ryu-yeon’s person as he headed out to fish. Moreover, he was still lying leisurely, leaning against the trunk of the tree.

All Bi Ryu-yeon did was stare intently at the deep blue pool. This pool was one of the reasons he had chosen this spot.

What was he thinking about now?

For a long time, Bi Ryu-yeon spent his time just looking at the lake, as if he intended to dissect it.

“Hmm!”

Then, surprisingly, something changed in the pool. It might have been a mistake. How could such a thing happen if the world wasn’t going mad? It was unbelievable.

Ripples started to form in the center of the pool, and the still water began to rotate, forming a massive whirlpool. Then, a fish leaped out from the center of the violently spinning whirlpool, as if the lake had thrown it.

As the fish rose half a yard above the water, Bi Ryu-yeon flicked his left finger lightly, and the fish was brought before him as if by magic. Suddenly, with the short sword in his right hand, he swiftly prepared the fish, and in no time, a plate of fresh sashimi was ready.

“Well then! Bon appétit.”

Since all the children had collapsed, he decided to simply have a plate of sashimi for breakfast. Indeed, Bi Ryu-yeon thought of himself as a wonderfully caring and cool senior brother.

Bi Ryu-yeon’s hands began to move the chopsticks dazzlingly.

The sashimi was utterly bland.