episode_0150

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“Aaaah!”

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“… … !”

The sharp scream made all the group’s attention return to the interior of the third floor.

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I saw a group of ronin who had taken off their bamboo ribs next to the table and were harassing Jeomsoi, the woman who served the food.

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Because it was in a very corner and on the opposite side of the stairs we came up, people didn’t pay much attention.

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The ronin shouted, holding a piece of meat, whether chicken or duck, in one hand and grabbing Jeomsoi’s arm with the other.

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In the meantime, it was natural that the piece of meat in his mouth flew into the air.

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“Hahaha! Come on, pour yourself a drink! Just sit here on top of me and follow me! Are you embarrassed? Then, can we go to the guest room and have a drink in privacy?”

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“Oh my, brother. You’re so excited. haha… Since your glass is empty, I will fill it with alcohol first.”

“Yekki This is my friend. If you offer me a drink like that without any snacks, is it okay? Brother, please give me the bone and try some of it this time. Hehe.”

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The two men next to the ronin called “Hyungnim” appeared to be his subordinate ronin. The sight of him pouring drinks and putting snacks on the plate in front of him while flattering him seemed very familiar.

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“Dae, Daehyeop. If you do this, you’ll be in trouble… This is just a guesthouse, not a kiru.”

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Jeomsoy, the woman being held by the arm, said that while shaking her neck.

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Although he courageously and resolutely expressed his opinion to the ronin, who at first glance had a harsh impression, it seems that the ronin did not like it, on the contrary.

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“What is it? Now you know who my brother is and how dare you reject him?!”

“Brother, he is the famous ghost sword Heukmando in Honam!”

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“… … .”

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The ronin, called Heukmando, was holding Jeomsoi’s arm and maintaining his form despite the fuss from his subordinates.

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Of course it didn’t look cool to me at all.

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‘The gangster is dressed up in a sleazy outfit and grabbing a hookah.’

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After thinking that, I turned to my group and said.

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“There are unpleasant customers while eating. Should I kick them out myself?”

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“No. I will handle it.”

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Drurrr

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Namgoongmu stood up with an unusually firm expression.

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As I was looking at this in wonder, another leader sitting across from me lowered his body and whispered.

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“Didn’t you say that when you came to Dongdongho in the past, you got involved in something like that and got beaten up by a ronin? I probably do that because I remember it at that time.”

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“Ah… ”

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‘Come to think of it, I heard something like that on my way there.’

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I just forgot about it because it happened more than ten years ago, but it must have been quite difficult for Namgoongmu to forget.

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“You said it was then that you met that prostitute named Hongran… ”

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Namgung Hwaran also nodded and agreed.

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While we were sitting and whispering, the Ronins took a wary attitude when they saw Namgungmu walking towards them.

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“If you understand better now, let’s have a drink next to us… … . huh? Who is this again?”

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A glance.

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The Ronin’s eyes opened wide when he saw Namgungmu’s uniform.

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“Me, Namgung Se?”

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However, even for a moment, the subordinate ronin, who glanced at our group behind him and made eye contact with each other, quickly regained his intrusive attitude.

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He pushed his chair back and stood up, asking Namgoongmu.

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“What brings the Namgung family, who dominates Anhui, to come to Honam? Do you want to go boating?”

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“… … As a citizen of Jeongdo, I cannot stand by and watch innocent Jeomsoi being persecuted. Don’t make a big deal out of it, just eat quietly and go.”

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“It looks like Confucius and Sojeo, the immature members of the family, are out together, but if they meddle like this everywhere they go, will they be able to travel happily?”

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I don’t know if it’s because Honam is a region that does not directly border Anhui, or because this is a familiar home ground for ronin, but his attitude toward the warriors of the Namgung family was quite courageous.

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As the ronin called Gwisugeom sat still, the ronin raised his shoulders a little higher and took a step closer to Namgungmu.

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Then he reached out to his shoulder and said,

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“I understand, I understand. It’s a little quiet here in Jeomsoi now, isn’t it? We’ll eat and drink quietly next to each other, Namgoong… Mr. So-and-so also went and served the owners at ease… … Argh!”

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Of course, Namgoongmu had no reason to tolerate such a cocky attitude, so he grabbed the ronin’s wrist and broke it without even pulling out his sword.

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Crack!

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“Quaaaagh!”

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Crash!

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The ronin took a step back, holding on to the wrist that Namgungmu had instantly broken and let go, and tripped over his chair.

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Jump up!

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After seeing this, Guisugeom and another subordinate, Ronin, jumped up from their seats.

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Jeomsoi, who was finally freed from the clutches of Guisugeom, held on to his throbbing arm and bowed his head to Namgungmu. Then he ran towards the stairs, perhaps to ask for help.

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Crash.

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The ronin did not pay any attention to Jeomsoi and grabbed the hilt of the sword attached to their waist.

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“This person?! Do you want to give it a try?”

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“… … Are you confident that you can handle it?”

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As Namgoongmu’s inaction seemed daunting, it seemed like he was planning to join forces.

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I asked the other team members who were watching with a calm face.

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“It looks a little dangerous, can I help you?”

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Then they let out a low laugh as if they were villains.

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“Hehehe… ”

“Haha… Even if a ronin who is a ghost or something is working together with a subordinate, it won’t work for the 2nd team leader.”

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“How are you so confident?”

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Namgung Hwaran looked at Namgung Mu with a worried look.

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Then the leaders cleared their throats, straightened their posture, and began to explain.

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Unlike us, they, who had spent a long time in the world of martial arts, began their explanation in a calm tone.

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“First of all, Soje may not have known, but Namgung’s Cheonpung Sword Team is a military group that ranks among the top five in the Namgung family. And our King Namgung is also one of the top five powers in the world. So, our skills as leaders of such a sword corps are not that shabby either, right?”

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“Ah… !”

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He continued his explanation while looking at Namgung Hwaran, who was slightly impressed.

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“Those guys there made a lot of noise, saying that you were your brother and that you were an evil sword, but really dangerous ronins don’t go around doing things that are conspicuous like that.”

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“Why is that so? I heard that many ronins have very rough temperaments.”

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“Of course, Ronin is a race that can be as rough and cruel as necessary. However, as their name suggests, they are people who wander the world without any special connections and make a living selling swords. Lovers of the same sex do not touch each other as much as possible, but unless one side bends like that, it is a dangerous relationship. Even if you show off your friendship by saying “brother” and “au,” the relationship can turn upside down if you show any gaps.”

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“That… ”

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“How can these guys, to whom the whole world is a danger, survive for a long time? Just do what you are told to do quietly and disappear. Seeing him acting so viciously and showing off his power, it seems like a warrior who learned martial arts at Bangpa in Heukdo Island and ran away came to cheer himself up after receiving an overwhelming request… Clumsy guys like that don’t last long. Like now, they get into a fight with a martial artist who is more expert than them and end up dying indiscriminately, or they get caught by pursuers sent by the sect that taught martial arts and lose their martial arts skills. Usually, it comes to one of two conclusions.”

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“Oh… ”

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I was amazed while listening to his explanation.

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And as soon as the explanation was over, the ronin, who seemed to have no intention of quietly backing down, drew their swords first.

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Sereungㅡ

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Accordingly, Namgoongmu also struck with smooth movements.

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At the moment when they were glaring at each other and searching for an opening, the ronin called Gwisugeom placed his hand on the back of the subordinate next to him and pushed him forward.

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Tuk.

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“… … !”

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“Ugh… !”

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Not only we who saw that, but also the ronin who was pushed away were embarrassed. The ronin, who screamed, immediately swung his sword indiscriminately as if whatever was going to happen would happen.

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Boom~

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And behind him, Guisugeom raises his sword.

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It was clearly seen that Namgoongmu was trying to succeed in his attack by taking advantage of the opportunity to cut down the ronin who jumped in front of him.

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As I watched the entire process through high-speed thinking, I briefly wondered if I should intervene, but I could see Namgoongmu’s dilated pupils shrinking and his sword moving calmly.

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‘I don’t think there’s any need for me to come forward.’

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I decided to sit down and watch the battle. Because it was my first time seeing Namgoongmu’s true skills, I had some expectations.

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Come on…

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Namgung Hwaran, who was sitting next to her, must have been very nervous, and her grip became wet.

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When the ronin’s sword leapt forward and aimed at Namgungmu’s chest, the ghost sword that followed behind began swinging its sword widely.

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Faaah!

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A bright blue sword energy erupted from the sword that Namgoongmu was holding tightly.

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The moment when astonishment appeared on the faces of the Ronin people who saw the color resembling the cold blue sky. Namgungmu’s sword finally moved.

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Heavenly Wind Sword Technique

Galpungdanam (疾風盦)

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Wow!

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The sword being swung with a sound like tearing cloth gave off a completely different atmosphere than when I used the same herbal weapon.

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It is a sword technique that symbolizes the wind, but at the same time, it feels heavy and strong. It was a different sensation from simply swinging with strength.

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‘Is this really the standard Heavenly Wind Sword technique?’

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While I was inwardly admiring, a strong wind of sword energy cut through the two ronin in front of me at the same time.

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“… … .”

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Slurp.

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The Ronins collapsed in the same posture they had been in, with their chests and necks cut.

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I raised my arm to block Namgung Hwaran from seeing the scene and cleared my throat.

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“Hmm… ”

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“Oh, indeed. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a scene like this, so why… ”

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Even though she seemed annoyed, she didn’t necessarily refuse my consideration.

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Just like that, two ronins die, and one ronin falls to the floor, trembling. Jeomsoy, who was heading for the stairs, led the crowd up to the third floor.

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Leaving behind the workers who skillfully disposed of the ronin’s body as if it were a familiar task, a woman in red approached us and slowly bowed her head.

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“I heard that you saved our Jeomsoi. Thank you.”

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“Oh, no. As a military officer, protecting the weak is a natural thing to do.”

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I responded on behalf of the group to the thank you from the woman who seemed to be the hostess of the guesthouse.

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Namgoongmu, who returned to his seat after leaving the cleanup to the workers, suddenly looked at the hostess blankly and groaned a question.

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“Red orchid… ?”

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“This voice… ”

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Hearing that sound, the hostess also raised her head and made eye contact with Namgoongmu.

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Surprise and joy spread across the faces of the two people who recognized each other.

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Slurp…

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Namgoongmu’s reunion with his first love took place against the background of the smell of blood filling the room and the sound of the surviving ronin being dragged away by workers.

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