episode_0040

Cheong’s favorite actions were as follows.

Murder, pulverization, torture, execution. Turning blood upside down.

It was good to do it yourself, or just watch.

All of these were phenomena that occurred during a fight.

However, he didn’t particularly enjoy fighting itself.

Fighting that couldn’t be enjoyed as a hobby was just labor.

It was bothersome, harsh, and difficult.

The reason why Cheong, who was facing a cannibal soldier, couldn’t get into the mood was this.

Let alone a duel? A grand duel?

Why bother doing that when you can leave a good life and enjoy a bit of blood and bones? There has to be a taste in enduring hardship and suffering.

Moreover, before becoming a disciple of Seomunsurin, Cheong had never experienced a duel.

After becoming a disciple, he only rolled around in Seomunsurin’s harsh punishment disguised as a duel.

If it was a duel, he was fed up.

Furthermore, Cheong’s mind was in a very bad state.

And the young man was not like an old man like Nukok.

There was no reason to respect him.

He wasn’t a villain, so he couldn’t enjoy a pleasant game, but there was no reason to hide his hurt feelings.

“What, you little brat. Get lost.”

The young man’s expression became dumbfounded.

Because it was the kind of abuse he heard from his friends.

“Me, did you say that to me?”

“Why? Is there someone else here?”

“How can you use such abuse at first sight…”

“Why, is suggesting a duel at first sight too much? Do I look so easy? Just because I’m a woman wandering alone?”

After speaking, a sudden surge of sorrow overwhelmed him.

Who would want to end up like this?

Without realizing it, I opened my mouth.

“Would a nobleman dressed in fine clothes have no problem suggesting a duel at first sight? Because I’m a girl who doesn’t know where she’s from, can you just come at me like that?”

Cheong shot back boldly.

It was a proper outburst.

The young man was clearly rude.

But the timing was just not good.

Cheong’s irritation had already reached its peak, about to overflow.

If you shake it without any consideration, it will naturally spill over.

“Soldier, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I never had such intentions.”

At that, Cheong suddenly corrected his posture.

Straightening his waist, clasping his hands slightly, he added a slight grimace to his gentle and mild expression.

When he opened his mouth, the original voice mixed with a kind demeanor flowed out, exuding an infinite charm.

“Master. Thank you for advising a humble girl. The flowers of the mountains and rivers naturally bloom where they are, and are only enjoyable to the guests. Do you really want to wither with sorrow by forcing them to bloom?”

Cheong wasn’t incapable of being feminine. He just didn’t do it.

If he wanted to, he could.

The nuclear honey night was a great step forward for the central education world.

“No, no, it’s not such a trick…”

“Indeed, I have experienced all sorts of humiliating things. How can you make such a small wish of a girl who just wants to pour you a drink and lie down quietly, a crime, and disgrace yourself in front of a girl?”

In fact, the young man had a long-standing habit of fleeing when he saw a peculiar swordsman.

While staying at the Taepyeong Inspection, a mysterious female martial artist appeared, and he came to see her.

Then, he suddenly challenged her to a duel when he saw her leaning on the table.

It was not because the young man was disrespecting Cheong as a woman.

But there was some truth in what Cheong said.

There had never been a problem with a duel request from a nobleman of a high-ranking family like the Namgung family.

Who in the world could dare to refuse a duel request from Namgung Se-ga?

“Soldier, please calm down a bit.”

Calm down? Do I look calm right now?

Cheong started the second phase of his outburst.

“Ugh. You really have to experience it to know! Do you want to taste menstruation too? You have to experience the cramps in your body to truly understand the need to stay calm!”

“Uh.”

Namgoong Shinjae was completely flustered and flustered.

“Do you think it would feel good for you to bleed profusely down there without warning! With weights on your arms and legs, and a heavy chest, I can’t even sleep! So I thought I’d drink some alcohol to relax a bit, but what kind of training am I doing right now!”

Cheong, who had vomited fire, stood up from his seat.

He lifted the baggage onto his back, leaned on the table, and strapped the sword to his waist.

In addition, he boldly embraced five additional long swords and confidently moved forward.

Watching this situation, the chief inspector of the Taepyeong Swordsmanship, Jeil Goyudu, and the chief inspector of Angyeong Ilgeom, Jaksongmun, were taken aback.

Why are we taking the swords with us?

It is not appropriate to casually hand over a sword with the mark of the faction to an outsider.

Jaksongmun quickly reached out his hand.

“Soldier? Wait, where are you going? We need to talk.”

“I’m going to shed blood! Why!”

He reached out for no reason.

Jaksongmun immediately regretted it.

—

Whether it was anger or sadness that rose to the tip of his head, Cheong just continued to sit in the room.

It seemed to be closer to sadness.

Losing something was sad, and the situation was miserable.

So he forced himself to sleep with an uncomfortable body.

He fell asleep vaguely and woke up soon after.

His restless mind couldn’t tell if it was a dream, a vision, or if he was really awake.

His head hurt from sleeping too much.

But he had no strength to get up.

He just lay there, struggling to breathe.

But even breathing was not easy.

The sun rose and set, rose and set.

At some point, he opened his eyes.

The sun was already at its zenith.

His body felt refreshed.

Or rather, only his body felt refreshed.

Memories came flooding back and overwhelmed Cheong.

He called it an ‘upbo.’

“Ah….”

Cheong covered his face.

It was getting irritating, damn it.

He was usually in pain and sensitive at this time.

But he had never shown such a mess before.

Cheong looked at a corner of the guest room.

Six swords were neatly lined up against the wall, completely useless.

Five additional long swords besides the Moonlight Sword (No. 8).

Is he really crazy?

Why did he bring them so meticulously?

Among the teachings of the Seomunsurin, there was a rule not to take away weapons that were collectively prepared by members of the faction.

If you take away weapons prepared collectively by the faction, they will definitely come back to retrieve them later.

It was a matter of course.

There was a matter of factional honor at stake.

From a modern Korean perspective, one might think, ‘What’s wrong with losing a bit of honor?’ But in the Central Plains, honor was not a trivial matter.

Losing ‘honor’ was…!

There were also practical issues besides honor.

If you randomly kill someone and leave a weapon behind, it was very easy to be accused. Even if it was proven to be a false accusation, some responsibility had to be shared.

There were several similar advanced applications as well.

So don’t take away weapons with the faction mark.

When asked how he had survived with such limited common sense, the advice given by his master in a panic was to understand.

Collecting and selling miscellaneous items was basic…!

Cheong pushed back his memories.

He sat quietly and reviewed yesterday’s events.

To be honest, he had become a bit unruly.

But, honestly, this had to be understood.

If they experienced it once, they wouldn’t say a word, really. This fucking pain is really, really real.

Cheong prepared himself mentally and left the room.

First, he needed to fill his empty stomach.

So he headed to the first floor.

And there he met someone waiting for him.

“Ah. Soldier. Are you okay?”

“….Yes.”

After that, Cheong spent three days or more holed up in his room.

During that time, rumors spread like wildfire.

It was said that the Sword King Namgung Shinjae had challenged a woman on her period to a duel and ended up humiliating himself.

Even if there were no suitable opponents for a duel, how could he do such a thing to a woman on her period?

Rumors are originally something that gradually gains traction.

There were rumors that Namgung Shinjae intentionally humiliated the woman, causing her to run away in tears.

Fortunately, Cheong, who was close to the woman, and it was an internal matter of the Anhwi Sung, so the spread of rumors stopped there.

If one were to insult Namgung Sae while in Anhwi Sung, their life could be in danger even in broad daylight.

In any case, Namgung Shinjae had to take responsibility for this rumor and apologize.

In truth, Namgung Shinjae felt a little unjustly accused.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have requested a duel.

However, asking a woman such a question was the kind of thing one should never do.

In the end, a man had to judge a woman by her appearance, but how could he know that at first sight?

Thinking that it was a mistake to skip the formal introduction and challenge to a duel, he asked the elder of the Openness who happened to be there for help.

Through the Openness’s information network, they were able to find out where an unknown woman was staying.

A woman whose name was still unknown.

Even though Nukok didn’t even hear Cheong’s name properly and only vaguely heard his personal information.

It was a mess.

“Soldier, I sincerely apologize for the past events. If I had known your situation, I would never have been so rude.”

“Well, let’s just forget about it, shall we….”

Cheong nodded his head, feeling awkward due to yesterday’s incident.

But Namgung Shinjae acted as if nothing had happened.

“Then, let me formally introduce myself. I am Namgung Shinjae, the best swordsman in the world.”

“Wow.”

Cheong exclaimed.

The best swordsman in the world. He’s alive, very much so.

But then Namgung Shinjae made a face as if he had heard wrong, so Cheong quickly spoke up.

“I am Seo Muncheong.”

Cheong said briefly, not knowing what else to say.

It was awkward because of the fight yesterday.

But it seemed that Namgung Shinjae was pretending to be friendly.

“I heard that you have reached the peak stage according to Nukok’s elders.”

Nukok kept secrets well, but he had never said that Cheong’s level was a secret.

Of course, Nukok didn’t play tricks.

If Cheong boasted about his level, he boasted, not hiding it, which is why Namgung Shinjae knew.

“But?”

“I am ashamed to say that I am still in the early stages. So, I was wondering…”

Namgung Shinjae said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Soldier, let’s have a duel. No, I, Namgung Moga, humbly request it. Please.”

Cheong looked at Namgung Shinjae with half-open eyes.

No. Not again.