episode_0008

The half-year period that Yoo Ye-hyang had suggested passed quickly. It was a time of half a year that passed faster than the arrows aimed at the protest.

During that half year, I trained my body like inertia and learned the reverse trajectory. It seems that the external energy of Shaolin, represented by the Diamond Indestructible, had an unrivaled tendency, and it seemed to be the same in this world.

I am accumulating my internal energy in my danjeon, step by step, as if I am saving money, following the instructions of the Se Soo Kyung. This is a daily routine I have been doing without fail for the past six months.

And it seemed like the training was having some results.

“I can feel the abs.”

I lifted the front of the comfortable clothing and checked my stomach with my own eyes. Although my abs weren’t as torn as if I had done strength training, my lean muscles were just right, and they were torn to a nice degree.

Well, if you apply it to my experience in my past life, it’s the same as exercising every single day without missing a single day. If I don’t gain muscle, that would be even stranger.

Until now, I had to worry about losing weight, let alone muscle, because I was rolling around like crazy and eating only tasteless food.

As I was pressing the stiff muscles with my hand, I heard a cough from next to me.

“… … Jin-ah. Hey, can you cover up the front a bit? No matter what, men and women are different.”

“Oops.”

When I raised my head, Yehyang was standing there with a strange expression on her face that seemed like she was enduring something or her face was distorted.

I hurriedly took off the clothes I had been holding because I thought I had seen something so unpleasant, with an expression that looked like he had chewed on a piece of sorghum. No matter what, it still hurts a little when you make that kind of expression so openly.

“There is a saying that men and women should not sit together. No matter how comfortable the woman is, if she treats you like a sack of barley and shows you her bare skin… … .”

“Well, I just saw it because I was curious about the abs without thinking much about it. I’m sorry if it offended you.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just… … It doesn’t really matter to me, but don’t do that in front of other people.”

Yehyang spoke in a voice that seemed to be trying to appease him. Certainly, this world is one where the roles of men and women are reversed. Furthermore, given the times, it would be extremely conservative in that regard.

I may have done it without realizing it, but thinking back on it, it was the perfect thing to do to get scolded.

Well, I need to reflect on that.

As I nodded dryly, Yehyang suddenly frowned. Judging from my experience over the past six months, it seemed like she was very dissatisfied with something.

‘What the heck, what did I just do wrong again?’

I tilted my head wondering if I had done something particularly rude, but Yehyang spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t just nod your head so dryly. I don’t really care, but I’m telling you not to act like that in front of others. Be a little aware that you’re a boy.”

“I won’t do that in front of others.”

I was like, was that the problem?

We’ve become quite close over the past six months. Now, like I said at the beginning, we can talk to each other without any hesitation or reservation.

Moreover, Yehyang’s attitude towards me and other people was quite different, so she was really kind and affectionate to me, like a real sister.

This is a world where the roles of men and women have been reversed, so if you think about it from the other person’s perspective, the child who was being taken care of like a younger sister must have acted like that without realizing it. If you think about it that way, you can understand.

No matter how much I think about it, it’s definitely my fault.

To lighten the heavy atmosphere, I apologized and made a joke.

“Then it’s okay in front of your sister, right?”

“… … Jin-ah.”

“Yes, sorry.”

The joke of conversion failed. She immediately nodded and lowered her head at the voice that had become even more heavy. Yehyang let out a sigh.

“I told her to treat me comfortably, but in a way, it’s like a teacher-student relationship, and you only think about teasing her like that.”

Yehyang’s red eyes sparkled as she elegantly swept back her long, flowing hair.

“You’ve learned so much, so you should know how to handle a sword, and since you’ve learned the basics, it’s okay if you go around the martial arts world with me and learn the rest.”

“I know how to use a sword, but I only know one sword technique. Is that okay?”

At Yehyang’s words, he brought the sword that had been placed on one side and asked.

The only swordsmanship I know is one. Of all the martial arts I learned, the only systematic ones consisting of basic and advanced techniques were those that the instructors taught me when necessary.

Among them, the only swordsmanship method that the lower-level warriors of the Demonic Cult learned was the Martial Soul Sword. Although the name of the martial arts method was grand, it was a swordsmanship method composed of seven basic styles specialized for actual combat, as befitting the martial arts of the Demonic Cult.

No matter how hard you look, you won’t find any secrets of martial arts or profound enlightenment.

Besides, if we were to go into the martial arts world, Yehyang and I would naturally have to hide our identities, and if we used the martial arts sword in the martial arts world, it wouldn’t be long before it was revealed that we were members of the Demonic Cult.

When I looked at Yehyang with that kind of question in my mind, Yehyang chuckled as if she had known that would happen.

“I have already seen a few things. I have trained my body by practicing the pupils and have accumulated enough energy, so you just need to learn the sword technique that suits you. You will learn it faster if you experience actual combat.”

“That may be true.”

He nodded in agreement.

Of course, a warrior is someone who is pickled through actual combat. As someone who endured the hellish training of the Demonic Cult, which was like hell on earth, during his childhood, he would not feel any resistance to fighting people now.

More than anything, I was also quite excited.

I’ve spent most of my second life in the Demonic Cult. I’ve learned martial arts and gained superhuman strength, but it would be a lie to say I have no curiosity about the world of martial arts that I’ve only encountered in writing.

What was it? They said that if you’re new to the martial arts world, you have to stop by the Akyangru in Dongjeongho?

I’ve been seeing these kinds of stories a lot since I read martial arts novels in my previous life. I should take this opportunity to see it for myself.

I nodded vigorously with that thought.

It feels like I’m going on a trip, and I’m strangely excited.

* * *

“Hmm.”

A woman with black hair that looked like she was between the ages of two and four, sitting on the throne, skimming through the letters placed before her.

The woman who was checking the letter submitted by the General Staff raised her head with a weary expression. Unlike her daughter, her eyes were not red, but her face was clearly the same, as if blood cannot be deceived.

Is this what Yu Ye-hyang will look like when she gets a little older?

With her profound internal energy, she suppresses her anger and has a younger appearance than her actual age, so she looks like she is a little older than her age.

And this woman is the leader and supreme leader of the Cheonmasingyo cult.

It was the heavenly horse of its time.

The Iron Lady, who is more often called by her nickname, Cheonma, rather than her real name, Yusuha, and is the closest thing to being the best in the world.

“Hyang-i is going to be a martial arts master.”

Cheonma’s dry voice, with no highs or lows, seemed strange at first glance. It was a voice that seemed to have no emotions, but someone answered from the shadow of the cult leader.

“Yes, that’s right. If it’s as the Sogyoju said, it will pass through Sacheon, then Honam to Hubei, and probably around Shaanxi. If we take our time, it will probably take at least three or four months.”

“They’re going to go straight through the heart of the Central Plains. What are the chances of something annoying happening along the way?”

“I can’t say there’s no chance at all, but it’s probably not. If the small sect leader is ineffective, it’ll be hard to stop the elders of the large sect even if they come out and spread the pass line.”

“I guess so.”

Cheonma answered bluntly.

I wasn’t particularly worried about my daughter’s sudden departure to the martial arts world. She probably had enough skills to hand over the position and retire as the Supreme Leader within ten years.

But there was still something he was curious about, so Cheonma asked the shadow in his usual dry voice.

“What made Hyang-i suddenly decide to go into martial arts?”

“… … This is my personal opinion, but it seems like the leader has a man in mind.”

“A man?”

Cheonma’s eyebrows twitched. It was unexpected. If she wasn’t completely obsessed with him, then liking men wasn’t a flaw, but up until now, she had been avoiding men and treating them like stones and wood, saying that they were a hindrance to her training.

As a mother, it’s natural to be interested in your daughter’s love life.

Even if he was the best horse in the world, it was not strange that there was a hint of interest in his voice. The shadow that noticed that hint answered while prostrating itself in the darkness.

“Yeonjin, an orphan kidnapped by our school from outside. She has some talent, so the staff planned to assign her to the dark side and raise her as a lifeguard. But I thought her talent was pretty good… … ”

“Was it too valuable to be wasted on things like water?”

When Cheonma asked, cutting off the shadow’s words, the shadow hesitated for a moment and answered.

“That’s right. The leader of the sect thought so, and I personally checked it, and it wasn’t at an ordinary level.”

“I’ll have to check later.”

Cheonma, leaning against Taesa’s chair, muttered.

If it was a talent of unparalleled caliber comparable to that of Bodhidharma or Sambongjinin, then it would be another matter. If it wasn’t to that extent, it was rare for Cheonma to personally move to find out the talent.

Of course, the fact that he was a man my daughter had feelings for played a big role.

His grown daughter has a boyfriend, but it is unimaginable for Cheonma, who has never paid much attention to his family, to meddle in his family affairs.

So, I thought you would take care of it yourself, Cheonma said as if he suddenly remembered something.

“Then, instead of returning to the church, how about leaving him in a bunk and letting him stay for a year or two? If you live close by and work, it will probably sprout up like it never did before.”

The shadow that had hesitated for a moment at Cheonma’s question soon spoke in a confident tone.

“Perhaps the younger cult leader will be very happy with the leader’s grace.”

“Then don’t do that. Tell Manoe.”

Cheonma, who had simply decided on Yeonjin and Yuyehyang’s path, closed his eyes while leaning against Taesa’s chair again.