episode_0014

“Is this your first time in Sacheon?”

“It’s my first time. This is my first time in Murim. I’ve only heard about this place, so I’m a little excited.”

“You’re a newbie in the martial arts world. So, you’re thinking of crossing Sacheon and heading to Honam.”

Yeonjin and Dangryeong.

And even Yu Ye-hyang stood between the two of them. It would have been a natural arrangement, but Yu Ye-hyang, who was standing in the middle, didn’t say a word, while Yeon-jin and Dang-ryeong continued their conversation.

On the way down, there was no one to disturb me like the bandits I met on the mountain pass, and since all four seas are called Dongdo, it was even stranger to just awkwardly go down the mountain without any conversation.

Dangryung was friendly and had a very friendly personality, which was not befitting of his status as the head of the Sacheondangmun. When he heard that he was a newcomer to the martial arts world, his eyes lit up and he told him about this and that, so Yeonjin naturally listened to the conversation and went down the mountain.

One person, Yu Ye-hyang, was walking silently, looking straight ahead.

‘I don’t like it.’

Yu Ye-hyang opened her eyes narrowly and walked forward silently, but her ears perked up and listened to the conversation between the two.

It’s a natural, everyday conversation that you could have with a similar-age martial artist you happened to meet in the mountains.

In the end, it is not strange that Dangryung invited a martial artist of similar age to come down with him, saying that he had collected everything that needed to be collected. Isn’t that entirely possible?

“If you go to Dongjeongho, I recommend you stop by Akyangru. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about having to go to Akyangru.”

“I’ve heard a lot that you should stop by Akyangru. Is the lake really that wide like the ocean?”

“I’ve never been to the ocean, but it was so wide that I couldn’t believe it was a lake. I could see the horizon.”

As soon as they heard the words “the first step into the martial arts world,” Yeon-jin and Dang-ryeong naturally began talking about the topic. Since they were crossing Honam Province, it was only natural that Yu Ye-hyang would go to the Akyang Tower.

‘… … If you had just told her, she would have been able to explain it better. I deliberately studied thoroughly before leaving.’

Ugh, Yu Ye-hyang ground her teeth so quietly that it couldn’t be heard.

But it was strange to interfere and ruin the conversation. So I just walked on without saying a word, suppressing my anger inside.

Without forgetting to glare at Dangryung with those sullen eyes.

When they descended the mountain, it was around noon. It would take less than half a day for a martial artist capable of performing light martial arts to reach Chengdu, the capital of Sacheon and the old capital of Gyehan.

Dang-ryeong carefully hung the bag containing the collected poison on his waist and asked while stretching.

“Is there a place you would like to go to in Seongdo? A place to stay, for example.”

“No, there’s no specific place.”

Even the mountain must have come down, Yu Ye-hyang answered immediately in order to get rid of the Dangryung she didn’t like as soon as possible.

However, Dang-ryeong, who had already decided that she was a somewhat peculiar person or perhaps Yeon-jin’s lover based on her attitude, made a good-natured decision.

“Then, there is a saying that even a brush with the collar of a shirt is fate, so it is okay to stay at Danggata for a day or so. There are more than one or two guests at the main house, and it is not difficult to give one of the pavilions for a day or so.”

“Is that okay? I wonder if it’s bothering me… … .”

“No, it’s closed. There are many other diners at the main house. It’s okay for people who come from far away to stay for a day or so.”

“Then excuse me for one day.”

Before Yoo Ye-hyang could say anything, Yeon-jin stepped forward and quickly agreed.

Only Yu Ye-hyang, who had suddenly decided to stay a day at Sacheondangmun, hesitated for a moment and then moved her lips to send a message to Yeon-jin.

– Wouldn’t it be better to stay somewhere else? I don’t really feel like going to Tang.

Yeonjin, who had suddenly received the telegram, had never learned anything like the telegram before, so she just smiled.

‘Wouldn’t the facilities of the Dangmun be better than a place like a guest house? After all, it’s called Sacheon Dangmun.’

– That may be true, but… … It’s not like we don’t have money. Rather, in a big city like Seongdo, there are probably a lot of high-class guesthouses that will accept you if you pay.

As for Yu Ye-hyang, who felt aversion to the Dangryung, she was not very pleased with it.

On the other hand, Yeonjin did not accept the offer without thinking.

In an extremely closed cult, it is impossible to obtain confidential information such as the leader’s Yongmo-pa-gi. Even if a spy were to infiltrate the cult and draw the Yongmo-pa-gi, it would be absurd to know every single detail of it.

In other words, there is no chance of finding out that he is a member of the Demonic Cult that has fought multiple wars with the Central Plains.

‘Let’s just sleep for one day and go. We have a long way to go anyway.’

– … … I can’t help it.

In fact, it is strange to reject the offer that the head of the household made with good intentions. It would be understandable if there were unavoidable circumstances, but since he said there were no such circumstances,

Although Yu Ye-hyang didn’t really feel like it, she had no choice but to agree, and Dang-ryeong smiled, thinking that the arrangement was complete.

“That’s great. Have a nice stay. My family home is nearby, and you took care of those guys who were arrogantly committing bandits.”

It’s not just a baseless favor, and to some extent it’s probably a form of gratitude for dealing with the bandits who had sneaked into their territory.

Fundamentally, it was probably a favor extended because the person called Dangryung himself was a kind person.

So the destination of the group was decided to be Danggata, the clan village of the Sachon Dangmun sect in Seongdo.

* * *

“I heard you are the guest of the Lord Soga. Please use this pavilion.”

As soon as I entered Danggata, I parted ways with Dangryung. In fact, I was only invited out of courtesy, so if that was all I had done, there was nothing more I could have done.

After parting ways with Dangryung, Yu Yehyang, who had been guided into the main hall by the Dangmun servant, looked around the interior and finally opened her mouth as she unpacked her luggage, seemingly feeling somewhat relieved.

“Still, is that what they call the Five Great Powers? They’re trying to save face in their own way.”

“Face?”

When Yeonjin, who had no idea about the inside story, tilted her head, Yu Yehyang sneered.

“Jin-ah, think about it. It would take more than a day to walk there, but for martial artists like us, it would take less than half a day to get there if we used our reverence method. But we ran into bandits.”

“That’s right.”

“The entire area of Seongdo is said to be the territory of the Tang clan.”

“… … Oh, but bandits were running rampant in the territory of the Tang family? And since we, outsiders, took care of them, this is how you responded? ”

Yu Ye-hyang nodded instead of answering.

For the Baekdo faction, which values honor and respect, this was a matter of respect. Even if they didn’t know that bandits were running rampant in their territory, it would still be a loss of respect.

Moreover, if it was handled by an outsider without any knowledge of it, it is only natural for the clan, which has the Sacheon area as its sphere of influence, to repay it.

It was said that revenge and kindness must be repaid, which is the creed of the Tang family. As Yeon-jin nodded, recalling the passage she had read in her past life that was now fading away, Yu Ye-hyang also felt relieved.

Although Dangryung’s innate personality was unusual for a Sacheon Dangmun, he was kind and gentle, and if there was no lodging, he asked them to stay a night at Dangga’s house, which was more likely a way of rewarding them for dealing with the bandits.

‘At least it doesn’t seem like he had any malicious intentions, so that’s a relief.’

Yoo Ye-hyang’s gaze slowly turned to Yeon-jin, who was nodding her head.

He was still young and had a lot of boyish traits. He was younger than she remembered him to be, but after the regression, that appearance was more familiar.

His outward appearance was good enough to be considered handsome, and his natural personality was as outgoing as a woman’s, so if he were sent out into the martial arts world alone, there would be more than a few women who would flirt with him.

‘We have to keep a close eye on it.’

After that night’s subtle conversation that seemed like a confession but wasn’t, the relationship between the two was actually something that even Yu Ye-hyang couldn’t define.

Although they are not officially dating, there is an ambiguous distance between them that makes them seem a little closer to each other than simply being teacher and student.

‘Let’s not be impatient.’

Yu Ye-hyang looked away and thought.

As he said, there was no need to rush things. There was still plenty of time. And since I had gone through regression, I had a rough idea of the big things that would happen in the future.

So, I will definitely do my best to achieve a different ending than before the regression.

With that in mind, as part of her efforts, she took out a book of emergency supplies that she had been organizing into a book.

“Jin-ah.”

“Huh?”

Yu Ye-hyang hesitated for a moment, then handed over the secret weapon she had been holding as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Read it.”

“… … ?”

The emergency kit was suddenly handed over. When Yeonjin accepted it with a puzzled expression, Yu Yehyang took a deep breath. No one except her and Yeonjin should know what was going to happen from now on.

At least for the next few years.

Even though she is the leader of the Cheonmasingyo, which is a place where one person is below the ground and ten thousand people are above the ground, it is something she should not have done under her authority from the beginning. She knew that fact well, but now that she has come this far, she cannot afford to give up.

The reason Yeonjin died before returning was to protect her.

In the end, you have to become strong.

She too, and Yeonjin too.

If that was the case, then the best solution she could come up with in her current situation was that one emergency book.

Yeonjin, who had accepted the emergency kit with a puzzled look on her face, slowly and carefully read the four characters written on the outside of the kit.

“Cheonma… … Divine skill… … ?”

Cheonmasingong (Heavenly Demon Divine Art).

The writing on the outside of the emergency kit was the same no matter how much I rubbed my eyes and looked at it again.