episode_0048

“….. Due to the opponent’s absence, this match will end with a bye win for Hongryunpa Munju Docheol.”

“What is it? A guy with no skills is just lucky!”

“Show me what’s right! It’s not fun!”

Just let the booing go in one ear and out the other. I put the ax back in my belt and turned away from the arena. It seemed like the ‘Jamyeong Sword’ that Lim Seo-ryeon would deal with was the opponent they were supposed to come out with this time.

“Okay, then, the next sparring… .”

The host’s voice rang out from behind.

I opened the waiting room door with a sad face. The martial arts competition I had imagined was something grand and flashy, like the best martial arts competition in the world, but as expected, it was a small-scale competition with only third- to second-class martial artists participating, so everything was simpler than expected.

Instead of a large square stadium, the fight was fought on a dirt floor, and the stadium was set up so that the audience seats were only demarcated by lines. The waiting room was rented from a nearby guesthouse, and food and alcohol were provided free of charge to the players.

“Hmph, you’re lucky. They say my next opponent is you. I’ll smash that arrogant face.”

When I returned to the waiting room, another driver sitting in the seat started an argument with me. He was a warrior who used a crude Taoism and did not come from a famous sect. He seemed very upset at the fact that I had taken the clan for free.

Of course, there was no reason for me to deal with him. I ignored his words and sat on the back of the chair and called Jeomsoy.

“Here’s a dumpling.”

“Yes! One dumpling! Okay!”

As Jeomsoy entered the store, the man who had been arguing with me a moment ago turned into an even more displeased look on his face. He said, frowning.

“ Hongryun Sect’s Munju couldn’t buy even a single dumpling for money, so I guess this is a very unsophisticated place to fill your stomach. uh? Why didn’t you bring your wife? Did you leave it behind because you were afraid of showing that you got beaten up?”

“I couldn’t bring my wife because she can’t walk.”

It is crazy to leave a woman who can’t walk in a place full of nasty, third-rate, second-rate warriors. Sanyeo didn’t follow for fear of attracting attention, and Seonjang couldn’t come for that reason, so now the only people who came to the meeting were me and my two attendants.

“Ah, uh… . hmm… .”

The man who was arguing with me as if he was going to eat me closed his mouth and rolled his eyes. Another warrior watching our fight from the side snorted. I ignored the man and waited for the dumplings. Anyway, if you lose the next match, that’s it. There was no need for an emotional battle here.

******

“I wanted to see how Munju of the Hongryun faction would fight, but it was a shame.”

As I was waiting blankly for the dumplings, someone sat down across from me. When I raised my head to see if he was openly arguing, a good-natured boy sat across from me with a smile on his face. When I looked closely, I could see that the body had a solid foundation and an unusual aura.

“Uhm…”

“Oh my… .”

And as soon as he sat down with me, the people who were arguing with me got up from their seats and disappeared without a word. Since he was a strong person that was difficult for me to guess even at a glance, I decided to be polite for now.

“Who are you at Daehyeop?”

“It’s called Youngyu. By the way, did you receive teachings from Shaolin? I feel a familiar energy in my body.”

It was only natural that the mind method I learned was the basic mind method of Shaolin. Of course, I can’t say that I learned the mind method by reading the secrets of the Saekma, so I just explained it appropriately.

“I learned about seclusion from Gigi. Are you also a member of Shaolin?”

Young Yu tilted his head to my words, smiled vaguely, and nodded.

“Although I am studying in Shaolin, I am not a martial artist of Shaolin.”

“Something like a secular disciple?”

“No, I’m literally just staying in Shaolin to study. I think Buddha’s teachings are very beautiful. How should I live this life? What should we do in the face of the pain of reality?”

He said that and nodded subtly, but I wasn’t interested. I changed the subject before he delved further into the doctrine.

“You came a long way to study in Shaolin. I don’t think my name is known that far.”

Young Yu smiled and lowered his voice.

“I heard your story while playing at Giru nearby. They say that Venerable Geumbok grabbed one of the munpas he was wielding and ate it, causing a stir around here. But when I heard that someone like that was participating in a dance competition, I couldn’t help but be curious.”

I blinked and asked back.

“Are people who study in Shaolin allowed to play in Giru? As far as I know, doesn’t Shaolin pursue something like abstinence?

“You also learned Shaolin martial arts, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with abstinence.”

I said, creating my teacher’s art album in my imagination.

“He was an apostate monk. Even though he lived in the mountains, he had a stomach the size of Namsan Mountain and was always drunk. He never gave me such teachings. However, isn’t Daehyeop involved because he is interested in the teachings of the Buddhist altar?”

Young Yu blinked his eyes. He said without losing his smile.

“Sakyamuni was the prince of heaven. They say he had beautiful women and worldly wealth.”

It was a story I had heard. Shakyamuni used to be a very successful prince, but he felt the futility of life and ran away from home. Youngyu continued speaking.

“But one day. It is said that he ran away from home to feel the impermanence of life and gain enlightenment. At first, I was vaguely wondering how I could approach the truth, but here I gained enlightenment.”

“What do you mean by enlightenment?”

“For now, let’s play like Sakyamuni.”

“….”

They probably didn’t say things like that at Shaolin Temple, right?

It seems that Shaolin is a more tolerant place than I thought. Is it really because the family of this gentleman named Yeong-yu is so incredibly rich that they donate a lot of money to him? Even though Youngyu saw me looking at a loss for words, he naturally continued talking.

“If you live and have fun like that, wouldn’t you someday realize that everything in this world is really useless?”

He was such a strange person. I responded appropriately to him.

“It would be nice if I could play around as freely as I did.”

Jeomsoy holding a dumpling approached. Jeomsoy walked like a cat, secretly looking at the guests who suddenly joined him. Young Yu looked at Jeom So Yi and stood up and said.

“I guess I’ll just have to go. I’m looking forward to the match.”

“Thank you for your support. Daehyup.”

A bowl was placed in front of me. Steam was rising from the dumplings. Youngyu’s figure shimmered like a haze through the haze. he said

“I wish you good luck.”

It feels good to be supported. However, if the opponent was an expert that I could not guess, somehow I felt even more uncomfortable.

“I don’t know, fuck.”

But when I think deeply about something I cannot solve, nothing comes to me except Simma. I forgot about Young Yu and decided to eat dumplings.

“Oh.”

The dumplings I had for the first time in a long time were delicious.

******

“Next sparring! Docheol, the master of the Hongryun Sect, and the great disciple of the Black Daoist Gate! Seokdu!”

“Seokdu! I bet on you!”

“Wow!”

People were going crazy. The man who had been arguing in the guesthouse proudly held up a sword and came forward. He put his sword on his shoulder and looked at me with a mocking look.

“It’s a shame. This is where the pretending to be the lord of such an ordinary sect ends.”

“Are you jealous because you can’t do it?”

Seokdu’s face turned red at my question, then he cleared his throat and tried to act like he was okay.

“Hmph, what a strange provocation.”

I said, holding down my axe.

“The sword he is holding is small. I heard that the warriors of Hebei Paengjia carry swords as tall as themselves. Is that because the distribution is small there and the degree is small? Or are you not good enough?”

“Shut up!”

Seokdu said so and rushed at me, swinging his sword in the air. He wielded his sword quite well and seemed to be accustomed to using internal attacks. However, judging by its energy, it was not at a second-rate level.

Since he was ready to attack, I lowered my stance and took advantage of the opportunity for a counterattack.

Can we see its attack?

“Aaaaa!”

But it was such a strange thing. It was clearly attacking with fierce force, but to my eyes, the Seokdu’s movements seemed very slow. He was struggling and moving his arms as if he was playing a prank, and the empty space was so clearly visible.

I took a step back and easily dodged the guy’s blow, then adjusted my axe and aimed at the guy’s side with the Taesanbu’s herbivore.

Bah!

“Quaaah!”

Before the guy could even notice the gap, the ax struck him accurately. Seokdu screamed while clutching his side, fell to his knees and even dropped his sword.

“Uh… .”

A moment that neither the host nor the onlookers expected.

I also looked at Seokdu with a confused face, and Seokdu just glared at me with his lips tightly pursed.

“Ho, the victory of Munju Docheol of the Hongryun faction!”

me.

Maybe you’re stronger than you think?