episode_0157

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Hyeok Qilin probably had a conversation with Emperor Yugyeong during the night.

However, according to the setting, the brother outside the palace is coming to meet Hyeok Kirin…

To make it more probable that Hyuk Kirin’s brother had entered the imperial palace to meet Hyuk Kirin, I suggested that we wait until evening and have refreshments together.

I didn’t think things would turn out so well.

But I didn’t expect this result.

Hyuk Kirin became as wilted as spinach that had not been watered for a week. The day after I visited Cheonsangru, I was as withered as the court ladies who had been pierced by Hyeok Gi-rin.

I thought he was either very angry after fighting with Yu-kyung or smiling because he succeeded in reconciling with his brother, but Hyeok-ki-rin appeared in an unexpected third state.

What kind of situation is this again?

I tried my luck.

“Did things not go well?”

Hyukkirin shook his head quietly.

“I have made good peace with my brother. It’s just that I have more to think about.”

So why did that suddenly come out and why is it withering again?

To be honest, I really wanted to get rid of it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This was because the depth of Hyeok Kirin’s worries seemed unusual. Should I say that it seems too heavy to just ask about it with a light heart?

I thought that the right approach would be to find out about Hyeok Kirin’s condition through Yu-kyung before getting upset for no reason.

After having tea with the withered Hyeok Gi-rin, not long after, Yu-kyung, disguised as Du-jak, came to see me.

Because of the uncomfortable atmosphere with Hyeok Kirin, I was only drinking tea, but with a full stomach full of tea, I went back to having snacks and tea.

“I made up well with my sister.”

“Well…I feel bad telling you this, but is it true that you have reconciled well?”

Yu-kyung’s complexion is also dark.

“The case against you has been successfully resolved…yeah. However, a fundamental problem emerged.”

Siblings are a very tantalizing pair for me. What is the fundamental problem? Does this mean that Hyuk Kirin has two identities? Or is it a different problem?

Since the relationship between the siblings was sealed, the possibility of Yu-kyung putting my head or fingernails in the crown disappeared. His life was saved… but the outlook for Hyuk Kirin’s grinning imperial palace vacation, which was the other purpose of his involvement in this matter, is bleak.

I was wondering what to do about this when Yu-kyung asked.

“How did you acquire such gambling skills?”

What does this mean?

“Luoyang is the capital. As it is a city that has traditionally prospered for a long time, there is a lot of money spent on entertainment, and the quality of the gamblers is high. Among those gamblers, you gathered all those who said they were good and joined you, but didn’t you crush them all?”

Yu-kyung looked bitter.

“Even if you asked 10,000 people, no one would have predicted your chances of winning. Nevertheless, you turned the game around with only your skills. Didn’t they say that it is the true destiny of the four worlds? Cheonsangru’s gambling table was exactly like that. In the end, no matter how people make things up, they cannot go against the destiny of heaven. I was a human and I planned things, but you were the sky and the Absolute.”

“Hehehe, I don’t know what to do with such excessive praise.”

“How did you acquire such gambling skills… and what gave you the idea to reach that level? I suddenly became curious and asked. If it’s not rude, could you teach me?”

What should I say about this?

This body called Hocheonan has a mixed blood trait that is at its limit, so I was unable to practice martial arts, which I wanted to do, and I had no choice but to dig up my skills. Gambling is a skill that requires no materials and can be successful as long as you have money and fine hair, so I learned it. Isn’t it impossible?

But it wasn’t a story I couldn’t tell.

“I don’t know my background. Mr. Dujak, you must have done some background research on me, so you must have heard something, right?”

“Keuhum. Well, that’s right.”

“So, I didn’t even know that I had a special constitution. Recently, I came into contact with a famous congressman and learned about it, but I didn’t know much about it until then. That I was incapable of becoming a first-class person.”

Sima Hui-jing was also sneakily approaching, perhaps because he was curious about the secrets of Dao-shin Ho Cheon-an’s growth.

“After living in the martial arts world for a year, I managed to reach a second-class level, and after hearing rumors about the Sacheon ronin, I settled down in the ronin guest house. Until then, I was full of confidence. Compared to the world’s best, his growth rate may not be that great, but he was still one of the best among the ronin.”

The story was a bit dramatized, but it was no different from reality. Who is this body? 10 years of stagnation under the martial arts world. I’m in a position where I only have two balls, but I still have a vibe that comes out of nowhere, and I’ll do whatever it takes to break through the mixed blood.

And the result was failure, as I have already said several times.

“No matter what you do, you cannot cross the threshold of being first-class. I felt it after doing all kinds of things for two years. Ah yes, this is a wall I can’t get over. As a military officer, the road was blocked, so I thought I should try something.”

“Is that…gambling?”

Yu-kyung’s half-hearted retort came back. Well…yeah, I guess it’s a bit like that, isn’t it?

“Hahaha… It may seem absurd, but that’s right. Being a Sichuan ronin is a fairly closed identity. It could be said that there was no way to learn other skills while maintaining the position of Sichuan ronin. Farming, pharmacy, cooking, blacksmithing… I couldn’t even dream of these things, so the only thing I was free to do was gamble.”

This wasn’t a lie either. In the end, the only skill I could learn at that time was gambling.

“Anyway, I decided to learn gambling properly, so I learned gambling by hanging out with the Ronin. Well, I just lost everything. Even though I tried to use my hands clumsily after losing everything, the ronins were part of the family, so they just smiled and let it go. After learning the basics, I jumped into practice.”

“…Only to improve your gambling skills?”

“Well, that’s right. As I was snooping around the gambling room, I saw the dexterity of other gamblers who were apparently unmanned. Through real-life experience, I developed various skills… Well, after snooping around the gambling scene for about 5 years, I developed these skills.”

Yu-kyung pondered her thoughts for a moment and then raised her head.

“Okay…I see that you’ve been seriously honing your gambling skills. In the end…if we look back on your story, wouldn’t you say that you channeled your passion for learning martial arts elsewhere? Is that the conclusion that it was gambling and that you reached that level by focusing so much on gambling skills?”

“Well, you could say that. Are you feeling dizzy?”

Yu-kyung laughed and nodded.

“It’s a bit like that. There’s no way to expect the world’s greatest gambler to have a story like that, but isn’t it human psychology to have expectations?”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Yu-kyung laughed and then quietly expressed her true feelings.

“Actually, I had pride in the way I looked at people.”

Well…I guess so. There is a saying that personnel affairs are everything. For explosive growth, an eye for talent is essential. Of course, Yu-kyung, who rose up from the time when Hwang Kwon was at the bottom, must have had an eye for people.

“But when I saw you, I made a huge mistake. In my opinion, you were an ordinary person. It was an entirely satisfactory award. There was no special talent to be felt and no upward drive. Even if he is talented, he is an ordinary person who makes moderate concessions and gets along with others rather than risking everything to pursue the top.”

It was something of a stinging remark. Yu-kyung’s insight feels like it stabbed me deeply.

“Well, I was not a god who understood all the laws of the universe and all things, so wouldn’t it be possible to say that I was too arrogant? okay. Since I got it wrong once, I hope I get it wrong a second or third time…”

Yu-kyung sighed for a moment, hesitated, and then spoke.

“Hehe. I’m just worried about my sister’s future… Can you listen to my complaint? Maybe, if you go beyond my expectations, you might be able to give me another answer.”

I nodded.

“My sister gave up a lot. When I was young, my sister and I were on opposite sides of something very, very precious. Strictly speaking, my sister was closer to that precious thing than I was. You could say that his chances of winning it were higher than mine. Nevertheless, my sister ran away from the family to give it to me.”

From Yugyeong’s words, I realized that the precious thing was the emperor’s seat.

The most noble person in the world. highest position.

“I owe my sister an indescribable debt. I saw that little thing carrying a burden that was difficult to carry on its own and whining under the weight. So I hope my sister is happy. I really mean it. To the point where I want to do what my sister wants and listen to her when she gets upset.”

Feeling of debt.

I could sense a deep sense of debt from Yu-kyung’s words. Because I knew the story of Hyeok Kirin and Yu Kyeong, I was able to guess the weight of the debt contained in their voices.

Since Yu-gyeong thought that she had been given the emperor’s position, she could not have taken the weight of it lightly.

“My sister told me. Walking this path is not an unfortunate path. I guess so. How can a person’s path be filled with only misfortune? However, as I see it, the path my sister is taking will gradually become thorny. I…it’s hard to see that.”

“Why?”

For a moment, I erased from my mind the idea that Dujak’s sister was someone I didn’t know. I also asked that with sincerity.

The thorny path that Yu-kyung talks about would be the martial forest. It won’t be easy to live the life of Hyeok Kirin as a cross-dressing man and an imperial princess.

“Why didn’t you support my sister’s path?”

“Confidence.”

Yukyung said that.

“Because I wasn’t sure about my sister. Because I am not mentally prepared to navigate the thorny road that will become more difficult and difficult in the future. Even if my sister chooses a more difficult and rough path, if she just tells me to trust her and help her, I will do it even if it means risking everything.”

Did Hyeok Kirin not have that confidence?

“But it looks like the sister hasn’t made up her mind yet. If it were a problem that could be resolved after a long period of reflection, I would wait, but the problem is that that is not the case.”

“Is that so…”

What can I say? I understood it with my head, but my heart couldn’t understand it.

I have already experienced many times the affection that Hyeok Kirin has for the Jeomchang group. I saw Hyuk Gi-rin running out of the Jeomchang group in indignation for Yeo Il-ye, who must have been an ugly duckling. I saw Hyeok Gi-rin walking around asking merchants for favors.

I also saw Hyeok Kirin who cared about his young disciples in the Jeomchang sect.

It’s not just about affection. It could be said that Hyuk Kirin was doing very well as a martial artist. He is a great disciple of the Jeomchang sect and is also a famous later exponent in Sichuan. His skills are also at the peak level at that age, so he can be said to be outstanding.

There was no reason why Hyuk Kirin could not be confident in front of Yu-kyung.

I felt like I needed to listen to Hyeok Kirin’s story.

*** ***

I went to visit Hyeok Kirin in the morning, but the shadow on Hyuk Kirin’s face still remained.

“What on earth did you worry about that made you become so half-hearted? Please tell me a little bit. I’m so nervous I can’t stand it.”

When pressed hard, Hyeok Kirin reluctantly confessed his concerns.

“Am I doing well?”

“Yes?”

“During this Sichuan incident. Actually, I felt very helpless.”

I blinked at the completely unexpected sound.

“The only thing I did in Sichuan Province…was to stay helplessly in the Golden Street while watching the works of the Golden Son of the Golden Street, who could be called an evil enemy. Is it just that? He protected the life of the Golden Sun with his hard-honed force.”

“No, wasn’t that the right thing to do? Even if Yeo Il-ye Sojeo went berserk and invaded at that time, there would have been no chance of capturing the golden line.”

“But in the end, that was all he did by drawing his sword in Sichuan Province.”

Hyuk Kirin continued speaking with a gloomy expression.

“Warrior Ho came up with a plan, shook Seongnakru through gambling, and as a Sacheonangin, attacked Jambongmun and collected evidence. Heukmyo Sojeo also made a contribution to capture Seongnakruju Yu Ji-gyeong… Sister Ilye also punished the enemies, members of the Tang family led the punitive army, and Governor Sima Yeom also played an active role as the governor. I was just watching.”

“Oh, no. Didn’t you persuade Zen Master Cheonghe to break the relationship between the Daegeobangpa and Sichuan sects and unite the sects that had ties to the Jeomchang sect?”

“Hehe, what kind of performance do you say is that? It was something that any disciple of the Jeomchang school could do.”

The core of the Sichuan Province incident was the self-reliance of the Sichuan clans. Therefore, the intervention of the large factions surrounding Sichuan Province had to be completely eliminated, and as a result, Hyeok Kirin, a disciple of the Jeomchang faction, also had no chance to play an active role.

“In a situation where the appearance of being a disciple of the Jeomchang Sect was not helpful, I could only helplessly watch from behind. I wonder…if another big problem happens, will I be able to solve it? I keep thinking about this.”