Chapter 551: Shaman.

Leaving behind the sudden encounter with Gu Ryeong-hwa and Yeongpung.

Since it was quite late, we simply spent the night nearby.

And so, it became early dawn.

I had just finished my usual dawn training.

And.

Yeongpung was beside me.

Kung-!

I carelessly tossed the rock I was holding.

The rock fell amongst the gravel, and I wiped away the slight sweat, glancing at Yeongpung.

‘Hoo…!’

Yeongpung seemed engrossed in his training, busy regulating his breath.

Meanwhile, I observed Yeongpung.

‘His muscles seem to have bulked up quite a bit?’ His height was no different from when I first saw him.

It was natural, as Yeongpung’s physical growth had already concluded back then.

And yet.

‘…How did he get so big?’

Yeongpung, who possessed a slender physique, had a significantly altered upper body over the past few years, likely due to whatever he went through.

Solid muscles were packed tightly.

It wasn’t an overwhelming proportion, but it was vastly different from his past self.

‘What on earth did he go through?’

It felt different from merely experiencing it through training.

Could it be a transformation?

‘No, that seems unlikely too.’

There was a sense of strangeness all around.

Even.

‘Yeongpung Do-jang.’

‘Yes?’

Yeongpung, who had been swinging the rock around, turned his gaze upon hearing my call.

Watching him, I said, ‘Your energy is leaking out.’

‘Ah!’

Hearing my words, Yeongpung startled and began to contain his energy.

From the moment he started training, Yeongpung had been letting his energy show outwardly, unable to control it.

It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable since it lacked aggression and seemed to be Taoist energy, but…

…it was a bit strange for it to be bursting out like that.

‘Ah, I apologize. Hahaha….’

Yeongpung started to contain his energy, looking embarrassed after hearing my comment.

I felt it yesterday too, but that seems to be…

‘He must have obtained a fortunate encounter.’

Rapid physical growth.

And the situation where his energy suddenly increased, causing him to lose control.

In my view, there was only one reason a martial artist would find themselves in such a state.

‘Did he perhaps consume an elixir?’

If it were a famous elixir of the Mount Hua Sect, there would be the Jasodan.

The fact that he couldn’t control such deep and potent Taoist energy and was spewing it out… perhaps that was the cause?

‘Hmm.’

I decided not to pry too hard.

If Yeongpung didn’t want to talk about it, I figured it wasn’t something I needed to force out of him.

‘It’s just.’

There’s something familiar about the energy.

The energy Yeongpung was emitting felt somehow familiar.

What was it?

I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind immediately.

‘Tsk.’

It would have been convenient if that ill-tempered old ghost from the Mount Hua Sect were here.

‘Right now,’ I couldn’t summon that fellow.

Things were too complicated.

So, I decided to let it go for now and ask Yeongpung something else.

‘So, Do-jang.’

‘Yes. Gu So-hyup.’

‘Do you know that friend?’

I asked, gesturing vaguely with my chin towards somewhere.

There was Seong Yul, who was watching the carp swimming in the stream.

‘Ah, you mean Seong Do-jang.’

‘Yes.’

Yeongpung put down his rock upon hearing my question and continued speaking to me.

‘We aren’t close friends, but I have memories of meeting him when we were young.’

‘When you were young?’

‘Yes. It was probably around the time the Kunlun Sect Leader visited Mount Hua.’

Meaning, when Cheonghae Ilgeom went to Mount Hua.

‘I saw Seong Do-jang briefly then.’

‘Briefly?’

‘Yes, if that young So-hyup is indeed the young Taoist the Kunlun Sect Leader brought along. I remember him clearly since he was a peer from another sect at the time.’

Yeongpung and Seong Yul, now in their mid-twenties, were indeed peers.

The only slight doubt I had was…

…it was so long ago, yet Yeongpung spoke so accurately. It was a bit strange.

I knew Yeongpung was a genius, but could his memory really be that exceptional?

Furthermore.

‘That guy also looked like he recognized Yeongpung.’

When Yeongpung recognized Seong Yul.

Conversely, Seong Yul seemed to recognize Yeongpung too.

Judging by his visibly uncomfortable demeanor, it seemed like there was some entanglement between them.

‘Or maybe not.’

What was important now wasn’t the relationship between those two, but the fact that Cheonghae Ilgeom had visited the Mount Hua Sect with a young Seong Yul.

That meant Seong Yul’s connection to Cheonghae Ilgeom was clearly established.

‘That’s enough.’

One lingering doubt was resolved.

For now, that was sufficient.

After roughly organizing my thoughts, I looked at Yeongpung and continued speaking.

‘Do-jang, may I ask one more thing?’

‘Yes, please speak.’

Yeongpung spoke with his characteristic gentle smile, but…

‘Then, why are you and Ryeong-hwa heading to Wudang, Do-jang?’

Upon hearing my question, he erased the smile he was wearing.

Simultaneously, the surrounding atmosphere felt like it subtly trembled.

‘…So-hyup.’

‘Yes.’

‘I don’t recall telling you that we were heading to Wudang.’

‘That’s true.’

‘Then how did you know?’

This was the first time I’d seen Yeongpung look so serious.

Although our connection wasn’t deep enough for me to know that, Yeongpung always wore a smile, so seeing him make such an expression felt rather novel.

I smiled back at Yeongpung.

‘It wasn’t that difficult, was it?’

‘What…?’

‘The circumstances just pointed that way.’

As I spoke, I pointed my finger into the air.

‘The direction you and Ryeong-hwa were heading yesterday.’

My finger pointed north.

‘If you go that way, isn’t Wudang Mountain right there?’

‘…Just for that reason?’

Yes, it was a bit insufficient to predict it solely for that reason.

So I decided to add more reasons.

‘A martial artist from the Mount Hua Sect, especially one moving discreetly under the Sect Leader’s orders, heading towards a nearby region like Wudang… I figured it might be related.’

‘That reasoning is also awkward to accept, So-hyup. Isn’t it more likely that it’s not the case?’

‘You’re right. But.’

I countered without losing my smile at Yeongpung’s words.

‘What if it is?’

‘…!’

‘Then it is, and if not, then it isn’t.’

‘If not, then whatever.’

Hearing me say that, Yeongpung let out a deep sigh.

He seemed to have just realized my words were a probe.

‘He’s revealing his inexperience too obviously.’

This was possible because Yeongpung had little experience with the Central Plains.

To fall for such a simple probe…

‘Gu So-hyup… you’re much scarier than I thought.’

‘You’re just too pure, Do-jang.’

Or, put bluntly, a bit lacking.

If I had Yeongpung’s level of experience back then and heard such a question, I would have denied it until the very end, no matter how pathetic.

I might have even growled, asking if there was any proof.

Instead, Yeongpung readily admitted it, which I found quite strange.

‘To Wudang.’

Although I was just probing, if it really was true…

‘Why?’

Why were the two heading to Wudang?

And without any elders like the first-generation disciples accompanying them.

As they were visiting one of the Nine Great Sects, it seemed like an important matter.

It was strange for only two younger disciples to be traveling alone.

‘Something is definitely going on.’

While Yeongpung’s growth didn’t seem to warrant much attention…

…this matter was different.

‘Because Gu Ryeong-hwa is involved.’

It was a matter involving that child, of all people.

I hoped it wasn’t a dangerous situation, at least.

‘Ugh.’

Yeongpung let out a short groan.

His expression suggested he hadn’t expected to be found out.

‘That guy really can’t lie well.’

Watching Yeongpung, I asked,

‘How are you heading to Wudang?’

‘…’

Upon hearing the question, Yeongpung’s expression slightly crumpled.

Was it because the matter was difficult to speak about?

Yeongpung fell into thought, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Then.

‘…Well, this is under the Sect Leader’s orders.’

I had to nod at his words. It seemed like a refusal.

‘This is troublesome.’

It wasn’t something I could easily force out of him like I would with others by beating them up.

This was the situation I disliked the most.

If Yeongpung wouldn’t tell me.

‘Should I try coaxing Gu Ryeong-hwa?’

I briefly considered trying to persuade the daughter of the same mother…

‘…Actually, there is a condition.’

‘Oh?’

Yeongpung spoke to me.

‘What condition?’

I asked, giving him a curious look.

Yeongpung smiled back at me like before and said,

‘Won’t you spar with me?’

‘Spar?’

I widened my eyes slightly at Yeongpung’s words.

It was quite a sudden statement.

A spar? As a condition for information?

What could be his intention?

‘It doesn’t feel like a simple intention.’

The reason that he just wanted to fight me again after meeting after so long…

I could sense that reason, but it felt like something more was mixed in.

‘Perhaps.’

I narrowed my eyes at the thought that flashed through my mind and said,

‘Is it because of your energy?’

‘Haha….’

Yeongpung laughed, as if confirming my words.

As expected.

‘It seems quite difficult to contain the energy.’

The immense energy gained through a fortunate encounter.

Yeongpung was in a situation where it occasionally burst out of his body because he couldn’t control it.

Normally, in such situations, a master would guide them to regulate the energy, or…

‘Conversely, forcefully expel it to suppress it.’

Forcing it out or releasing it through sparring was the usual method.

It seemed Yeongpung wanted to choose the latter method.

‘Hmm.’

It was the same as before.

I found a question in Yeongpung’s words.

‘Why a spar, specifically?’

Even with the Plum Blossom Immortal around, and being part of the Mount Hua Sect filled with experts, it was strange that he couldn’t control his energy like this.

They wouldn’t have deliberately let Yeongpung’s energy run wild.

‘Which means.’

It’s safe to assume the Mount Hua disciples don’t know about Yeongpung becoming like this.

This means…

‘He obtained the fortunate encounter outside the sect.’

Perhaps, going to Wudang under the Plum Blossom Immortal’s orders wasn’t a lie, but my guess about the fortunate encounter was likely correct.

Thinking that far, I looked at Yeongpung and said,

‘Alright. Let’s do it.’

‘…!’

Yeongpung’s face lit up as if I had said nothing special.

It must have been years since sparring with Yeongpung.

I saw him at the Dragon God Temple (Shinryonggwan), but it was a brief meeting, and we didn’t talk much.

So, the last spar was probably when I was heading to Mount Hua.

Yeongpung seemed to be looking forward to it, his eyes full of bright anticipation.

‘…Why is he so happy about a spar?’

I didn’t understand why he was so pleased about sparring with me.

It felt a little creepy.

Moreover.

‘I feel a little sorry too.’

A mix of apology passed through me.

Because.

‘Instead, the person sparring with you, Do-jang, won’t be me.’

‘Huh?’

Yeongpung’s face showed surprise, as if this was unexpected.

Seeing that, I spoke towards the back.

‘Hey.’

‘…’

Seong Yul, who had been watching the carp, looked this way upon hearing my call.

His pupils had a slight yellowish tint.

Looking into his eyes, I said,

‘You, come here and spar a bit.’

‘…?’

Confusion appeared in Seong Yul’s eyes.