episode_0273

***

A few days ago, Hongryeon became Hongseongmun’s new scholar, but there was no special change in the daily lives of Hongseongmun’s disciples.

Even before she became a scholar, Hongryeon did almost all of the activities befitting a scholar.

As such, Sayoon was also training as usual without any special issues, and at that time, Chaeryeon came and made a suggestion.

Have you ever thought of going to a secret place?

Deliver her proposal to Hongryeon. Hongryeon, who heard that Doje and Namgung-cheon were joining Chae-ryeon’s group, gave permission to Sayun.

As a result, Sayun was able to go outside for the first time in a long time.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I went outside without you.”

I think this is my first time here except when I went to Amifa before. When Sayun spoke, Chaeryeon chuckled.

“When you start going to Murim later, you will have to go out often. Shouldn’t you get used to it?”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

Chae-ryeon smiled at Sayun, who nodded slightly, and looked around.

It’s already been three days since we escaped from Hwaseong Fortress.

Although she had to stay overnight while traveling to a secret place, Sayoon seemed to be adapting to staying overnight better than expected.

“They say that people who grew up well sometimes have trouble sleeping when they first stay overnight.”

“Ahaha… I’m far from being well-grown.”

Sayun scratched her head, lit the twigs she had gathered, and skillfully made a bed.

Chae-ryeon, who dug the ground with her and made a place to sleep today, lightly straightened her back.

Now that the place is ready, I think I should start preparing dinner soon.

She put the pot hanging from the horse on the fire and looked around.

The sun is setting.

Doge and Namgung-cheon, who had said they would go hunting earlier, had not returned yet.

“I think I should just eat porridge for dinner tonight. Is it okay?”

“Huh? I’m fine. I can eat anything.”

It was only last year or so that Sayun became accustomed to things like good cooking and sugar.

Before that, even if you were a disciple of Hong Seong-moon, you had to be careful about what you eat or wear.

Of course, compared to when she was living as a beggar orphan, it was an excellent level.

“Really? It won’t be a bother when we go to Murim together later.”

“Hmm. Is this annoying?”

“Uh. yes? Some people can’t resist eating roughly when they stay overnight.”

“Oh… I see. Is it because you have a lot of experience? You know a lot, right?”

“Hehe… Well, with this much.”

“Ryeon. How long have you been traveling to Murim?”

“Me? I did a lot, right? You must have been to almost all the famous places in the empire, right?”

Chae-ryeon answered indifferently and poured water into a pot and poured the things in the small pouch into it.

Chae-ryeon, who saw finely chopped dried vegetables, meat, and rice pouring in, stirred the contents of the pot with an iron fruit.

“Isn’t it hard?”

“I can’t say no. Honestly, there are more than one thing to worry about. We also have to prepare for attacks by monsters and thieves. And depending on the region, there are many dishes that do not suit your taste.”

“But why are you doing this?”

Sayoon asked cautiously, squatting down and watching Chae-ryeon boil the porridge. Chae-ryeon glanced at her, rolled her eyes and smiled brightly.

“Because I want to.”

“Ah.”

“I’m very greedy, so I have to do everything I want to satisfy my passion. It’s the same with traveling to Murim, and it’s the same with breaking through secret places.”

Sayoon, who was looking at her confidently speaking, slowly shook her head.

This is what I want to do…

“Shouldn’t you find something you want to do?”

“Um… well. I’m not sure yet.”

As a disciple of Hong Seong-moon, he has a desire to practice martial arts and become a great knight.

But what about after that?

She only drew vague ideals, but there was no clear wish left to her.

Until a few years ago, I was just focused on survival.

Even if I asked to look for anything else, there wasn’t anything special.

“Just getting along well with Hong Seong-moon’s sisters?”

“A. It’s so simple.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Then I heard a voice. The ones walking were the disciple and Namgungcheon.

What they were holding in their hands were two rabbits and a pheasant.

While Namgung-cheon went to a nearby stream to groom the rabbit he had received from his apprentice, the disciple sat down and spoke leisurely.

“Depending on what it is like to get along well, it can be an incredibly difficult task. Some people say that a clan must be the best clan in the world to get along well, while others think that a clan can only get along well if it is a member of a long clan. Someone could also say that in order for a faction to get along well, it must have influence over the entire region.”

“Uh… Well, it’s not that bad. Just get along well with your sisters-in-law…”

“That is also not an easy task. Hong Seong-moon, we were able to get along well because we were in a special environment. But… I wonder if it will still be possible from now on.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

The apprentice grinned.

“Hong Seong-moon has been able to get along well with internal staff working together to solve external problems for a long time. But now that there are no external problems… won’t problems arise internally?”

“No.”

Sayoon looked at his apprentice’s smile with a straight face.

Even if the opponent was a strong person of the same level as the teacher, he could not admit that much.

“All of Hong Seong-moon’s disciples were brought by the teacher. Also, after being together for a long time, I learned that I cannot be swayed by personal greed and emotions. So, it will definitely come true.”

When Sayun spoke clearly, the apprentice burst out laughing.

“Okay. That’s it.”

“Yes?”

The apprentice spoke seriously to Sayun, who tilted her head.

“Being able to carry out your will without wavering no matter what happens. You have to have that kind of heart to make your wishes come true.”

“Ah.”

“Remember. Think thoroughly about what to do to make your wish come true. Make a plan and set goals. You must have the mindset that you can achieve it.”

“…It’s difficult.”

“If it were easy, everyone would have achieved their goals. One piece of advice would be to set detailed goals and achieve them one by one in order to achieve what you want. You said you wanted to become a charlatan, right? Then, the priority is to increase your obscurity. You said you wanted to get along well with your clan members, right? Figure out how to avoid problems. The more you achieve those things, the closer you will get to your goal.”

“Um…”

“And you will be able to clearly understand what you want.”

“Thank you. Apprentice senior.”

“Well, with this much.”

The disciple shrugged his shoulders and sat cross-legged. While he was closing his eyes, as if trying to meditate, Namgungcheon returned.

Sayoon thought while adding seasoning to the prepared meat, applying spices, and grilling it separately.

It’s what you want.

What do I really want?

After taking the Guando River to the vicinity of Cheongho, a day’s drive north of there, the basin came into view.

There, as Yuwol had written, the seal carved on the tree was lifted, and a stone gate suddenly appeared in the center of the empty basin.

The apprentice who was staring at it trembled.

“Hiya. I can’t believe I came here.”

“Ahaha. father. Aren’t you so thrilled?”

“This guy? How can you not be moved by the secret scenery left behind by the elders of your family?”

The disciple fed honey chestnuts to Chae-ryeon’s head. Chae-ryeon, who was crying and whimpering, clung to Sayun’s arm, and Namgung-cheon, who was looking at them pitifully, said calmly.

“Let’s stop playing around and go in.”

“The old man is in a hurry.”

“We have to finish this quickly so we can go somewhere else! I need to visit two more secret destinations.”

And one of them is the secret world of the Bicheon Swordman that Namgungcheon so desperately wants.

The apprentice frowned at him for showing his impatience and spoke to Sayun and Chaeryeon.

“If you do not train your mind, you will become ugly later like that old man. Remember it well.”

“What you bastard?!”

Normally, superhumans don’t get along very well with each other, so it’s not like they can’t understand why they’re growling.

‘What would you have done?’

Sayoon thought as she watched the two growl at each other.

Conflicts lead to development, but someone was harmed in the process.

As such, Yu-wol, who likes to make the boundaries between enemies and allies clear and minimize damage to allies, would have definitely prevented such an internal conflict.

“Stop it. What we have to do is break through the secret world, right?”

“Tsk.”

“See you next time!”

Still, it was at the level of a fight, so I was able to easily stop it. Sayoon watched the two head towards the secret area and smiled bitterly.

Do you think you can properly break through the remaining secret areas?

“Ahaha… It won’t be easy.”

Breaking through the secret area itself was no big problem.

There are two strong people, Doje and Namgungcheon, so what’s the problem?

In addition, it is no exaggeration to say that Sayun and Chaeryeon have now reached the rank of experts, so they were able to reach the reward room without difficulty.

“I asked for what the uncle asked me to bring, so there is no problem… but the problem is the compensation here.”

The most important thing when breaking through a secret area is the distribution of rewards.

In general, the right to distribute rewards belongs to the person who discovered the secret. However, Yuwol said that he only wanted one aquatic necklace, which he got from killing the upper-class cub, and that he should take care of the rest on his own.

“Let’s open it first.”

When I opened the box, what I saw was a sword, several jewels, and a gauntlet.

“This is…”

The apprentice who lifted the sword swallowed his saliva.

“Amazing…”

“What is that?”

“It is said to be one of Chaega’s lost treasures. If you insert a sword into this sword house and use a sword technique, its power will greatly increase.”

“…eh? Really?”

“Okay. her. I never thought I would get this again.”

For thieves, it is literally no different from treasure.

This is even more so because it is filled with mysterious power and can be entered into this pottery house regardless of its length or thickness.

Sayun raised his gauntlet to the disciple who was holding the sword carefully.

“What about this Gwon Gap?”

“This is called Taegeukgap, and it was used by the Chae family, just like the Dojip. It increases the power of Geumnasu when used. If the deacons see it, they will roll their eyes.”

“Then what is this gem?”

“A gem is just a gem. Is there anything special about it?”

After answering Namgung-cheon’s question indifferently, he looked at the rewards and muttered as if it were absurd.

“Anyway, did your son-in-law say that that necklace is more important than these things? Indeed.”

Even if you don’t have greed, you have to have a degree.

Sayoon grinned as the apprentice muttered briefly and started packing up the items.

Take only what you need and give the rest to others.

Is this the way the man achieves his goal?