episode_0024

“What does cooperation mean?”

Fortunately, my sister didn’t raise her hand in anger at the mention of the extremely evil Madou.

In fact, it’s obvious unless you’re an idiot, but I still feel a bit uneasy. However, his tone was just as sharp as that Taoist priest’s.

‘Is that a common feeling? Something like a sense of superiority as a disciple of the old school?’

The sharp-looking Taoist priest’s speech was so sharp that I could think of such a thing without thinking. In fact, Dang-ryeong was a much kinder person than I thought, and if he was a monk from one of the old sects, Cheongseongpa, then it wouldn’t matter.

This world is not a place that should be judged by the common sense of a past life.

The law is far away, but the sword and fist are close.

This is a neighborhood where private sanctions occur frequently, but the government does not try to intervene, saying that it is a matter of the martial arts world. It is not comparable to my previous life in a country governed by the rule of law.

“Have you ever seen anyone acting strangely or unusual on your way here? Or someone who exudes magic? No, if they’ve reached that level, they’ve definitely reached the point of being a demon. You can ignore the gossip.”

“I’ve never seen anyone like that. I’m in a hurry to go, so if you’re done with your business, then get out of the way.”

“What?”

The face of the Cheongseongpa Taoist monk immediately distorted at the strange answer he received.

As a disciple of Cheongseongpa, it is only natural to think that I have never received such treatment, but if you think about it, isn’t it common sense that if you speak kindly, you will hear kind words in return?

Tsk, this is why people in the martial arts world are like this.

If the emperor had been Yongle, he would have mobilized the million-strong army of the eight emperors of the new state and the eight emperors of the new state to wipe them all out. It’s ridiculous to think about it.

“Seo-cheong, the young lady over there just naturally speaks like that. Don’t misunderstand and get upset for no reason.”

Ahaha, the commander with an awkward smile stepped in to mediate.

However, despite the mediation of the party leader, the gazes of the sister and the Taoist monk of the Cheongseongpa called Seocheong crossed in the air. After their sharp eyes met in the air as if sparks were flying, Seocheong was the first to step back.

“… … Words once spoken are like water, once spilled, they cannot be picked up. I hope you will be a little more careful before speaking next time.”

“I appreciate your concern for me.”

My sister’s tone of voice as she spoke those words was not at all grateful, but when I gently tugged at her sleeve, she backed away as if she couldn’t handle it.

“Hoo… … .”

I let out a small sigh of relief.

Seocheong or whatever, if there had been just a little less eyes watching here, it could have been a big problem. I wonder if he knows that Dangryung and I just saved his life.

It was true that anything could happen in the world of martial arts.

In this world, do they tell you to be especially careful of men, children, and the elderly in the martial arts world? If Seo-cheong finds out that the person who usually speaks to her in a sharp tone and without any audacity is the leader of the Demonic Cult, she will probably be terrified.

And I’ll make sure your neck is properly attached.

‘I don’t think it will work.’

And when I saw the prayers that were felt on the outside, I thought that although it would be difficult to make a decision, at least it seemed like an opponent that I would not lose to.

If Ji-su Hu, who grew up eating good food since he was young and learned a lot about Cheongseongpa’s secret martial arts and such, is similar to me who grew up in a rough environment, then that says it all.

“Then, Miss Dang, can we pass on now?”

“Oh, right. Looking at you going this way, it looks like you’re not going to Hubei but Shaanxi. Be careful on the long road, Sohyeop.”

The war of nerves must be over. When I spoke to Dangryung in a casual manner, Dangryung smiled and waved his hand.

Sure, Seocheong is the average of the political faction’s post-revolutionary index, and that person is something special. But still, there needs to be one or two people like that to maintain balance.

After roughly shaking hands, he slipped through the gap.

I glanced over to the side and saw my sister and Seo-cheong having a staring contest until the end. This isn’t easy.

When the distance between us was so far that the people had completely disappeared, my sister, who had been walking forward with an annoyed expression on her face, opened her mouth.

“You’re a bitch who doesn’t even know your place.”

“The monk is a Cheongseongpa. He practices in the mountains and is treated like a god just by wielding a sword. It’s understandable to be proud. My sister endured it well.”

There were eyes watching, so I walked for a while holding on to the sleeves of my clothes instead of my hands.

As soon as the irritated words burst out, I took out the words I had prepared in my head and started trying to comfort my sister.

From what I’ve seen so far, my sister isn’t that shallow-minded, but I guess I should say that she’s surprisingly honest about her feelings.

Rather than making them angry for no reason and causing a major accident, it is better to calm them down in advance like this since they listen to what I have to say.

But doesn’t this kind of flattery from the side feel like a typical traitor? Or a pillar of a household?

As I tilted my head wondering if that was the case, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and the corners of my sister’s mouth twitched as if it had worked.

“… … Phew, you’re right, Jin-ah. I can understand why you feel that way. But it’s not you who should be careful with your words, it’s that woman.”

“Leave me alone. I won’t be able to see your face anymore anyway. Either live like that or live like that and meet someone one day and get in big trouble.”

“Let’s do that. It’s not good to keep feeling bad because of a girl who’s turned into a star.”

My sister stroked my head as if she found me special.

It was a strange feeling. If it was as I had imagined earlier, I would be a traitor who was favored by a tyrant. This is a world where the roles of men and women are reversed, so if I were to apply it to my previous life, I would be a concubine? Wow, this really isn’t easy.

He made a face of disgust at the fantasy that was running wild in his imagination, then quickly changed the subject.

“But then what do my sister and I do in Seomseong Bunta? Is that also a flag-raising business?”

“Most of the branch offices of our school are disguised as flags or battlefields. That way, they can make money by disguising themselves legally, and their appearance doesn’t arouse suspicion.”

“The Sacheon Bunta was a smuggler with the Namman… … Well, you’ll know when you go to Seomyeon. Then, go and be a Pyo-sa? No, but if you’re this skilled, you’ll be specially recruited as a Pyo-du, so I guess you’ll work there.”

“Haha, there’s no way that’s possible.”

My sister shook her head with a faint smile.

“To put it simply, it’s a kind of residence permit.”

“Do you need a residence permit?”

“It’s easier to gain experience by traveling around the Central Plains in an external branch rather than in the main school headquarters. In particular, it’s no exaggeration to say that Seomseo-myeon is the heart of the Central Plains martial arts world.”

That’s right. Speaking of Shaanxi Province, there are the famous West Mountain and Hwasan among the Five Sacred Mountains. And Hwasan has the Hwasan faction. And there is also the Jongnam faction.

In the neighboring town of Hanam Sungsan, there is even the Shaolin Temple, the Bukdu of the martial arts world, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the heart of the martial arts world in the central plains.

As I nodded, my sister continued speaking.

“Even if we stay in the island, there’s nothing to do there. If we change our perspective and you were the head of the island, would you be able to order your wife to do something?”

“… … That’s hard. I don’t think I’d do it even if I was ordered to do so from above.”

“That’s right. So we just stay there and do our usual things. Occasionally we’ll go out and explore the Central Plains.”

“Aha, so that’s what they called a residence permit. To go out and get some fresh air and do whatever you want.”

“That’s it.”

He nodded. Even if I were to change my perspective and say that I was really a cult leader, I would wonder what it would be like to receive orders from the General Military Headquarters to assign a minor cult leader and have them do this and that.

Even if it is a demonic cult ruled by iron and sword, is it impossible to escape this kind of political logic?

No, it’s not strange in the Demonic Cult to submit to the strong, so it’s natural. In a few years, you’ll ascend to the position of the Heavenly Demon, and the Heavenly Demon will soon be the strongest in the Demonic Cult.

I glanced at my sister from the corner of my eye.

As usual, he wears a black robe over his pitch-black coat, and a small incense bag hangs from his waist. Although he looks more like a young lady from a previous life than a warrior, he is actually the leader of a demonic cult and a peerless master worthy of the world.

Although he gave off a cold vibe, he had a bright smile on his face as he greeted me, but how far did he have to go before he reached the ultimate level?

A state of extreme martial arts, called Hwagyeong in the Central Plains martial arts world.

‘There must be more than twenty of them in the entire martial arts world.’

I only lived in the Demonic Cult, so my knowledge isn’t that extensive, but I roughly knew that the number of people who had entered Hwagyeong was around that level. There was no one in Hyeongyeong.

In other words, just by climbing the ladder of fame, you will definitely become one of the best in the world, and among them, those who are exceptionally strong like Cheonma can easily aim for the position of the best in the world.

It’s because we’re close and there’s no pretense in how he treats me or how I treat my sister, but strictly speaking, he’s a master that I can’t meet even if I wander around the martial arts world alone.

In fact, it is similar to meeting the head of the Five Great Clans or the eldest member of the Old School.

I realized anew what an incredible privilege and unbelievable luck I was receiving by learning martial arts from my sister.

I have completed the initiation into the Cheonma Shingong. Although it is only a one-star achievement, I have reached a level where I can imitate the path of success that Cheonma Shingong aims for by incorporating it into my martial arts, even though I do not yet fully understand the true meaning or essence of Cheonma Shingong.

‘Let’s continue to study diligently in the future.’

I felt grateful for the good fortune that could not be fully explained by the word luck, and I pulled at the sleeve of the shirt I was holding.

“Jin-ah, why are you like that?”

When my sister tilted her head and asked, I looked around and then said.

“There’s no one here now.”

“Huh… … ?”

I just grabbed his hand, even though he didn’t understand English.

It’s so frustrating, it’s just like that.

For me, who has memories of my past life, holding hands on the street may seem strange, but in this world where conservative Confucian values and ethics dominate, that in itself is treated as something shameful and unsightly.

The hand that was holding it was quite rough. The part where the sword was held was calloused, but the rest was smooth. It was usually like that for a swordsman’s hand.

“… … !”

“Let’s hold hands and go, even though no one is watching.”

In the city of Seongdo, there are so many people that you might miss it, and it is so crowded that people around you don’t care if you hold hands or not, so it doesn’t matter.

If you walk around like this here, the peddlers I was talking about earlier will probably pass by and make fun of the young people these days.

Well, I don’t have any eyes to see right now.

As soon as we held hands, our cheeks began to turn a little red. I wondered if just holding hands was something to be so embarrassed about.

It seems easy to understand because it is immediately revealed in the facial expression.

Well, I don’t hate it either.

The steps we took while walking hand in hand were quite light. Instead, my sister became much quieter next to me, but I guess time will take care of this.