episode_0043

Just like the modern society, Chungwon also had a phenomenon where it was difficult for a dragon to be born from a stream.

The term “future index” referred to young masters who would become the main players of the next generation.

However, all these young masters were either from prestigious families or descendants of powerful clans.

Of course, the benefits of being born into such families were significant, with a focus on cultivating their skills from a young age through rigorous training, consuming elixirs as part of their diet, and even learning to wield weapons as they took their first steps.

But the biggest obstacle was that it was not easy for a young master who did not come from a prestigious background to be properly recognized.

If a rumor spread that a young master named Cheong had defeated a cannibalistic martial artist, people would not believe it at first.

He couldn’t have fought alone.

Even if there were skilled martial artists in the Janggangsu clan, they wouldn’t have let him fight alone, and they would have worked together to finish it off, right?

Isn’t it likely that the cannibalistic martial artist was not in a normal state?

He claimed to have mastered the Flame Martial Arts, but was he in a state where he could make proper judgments with the evil nature of that cursed martial art affecting his mind?

And on top of that, a woman?

It seemed like he was trying to gain fame by sacrificing himself to the Jangsu clan’s martial artists. Haha.

It was roughly like this.

Of course, the rumor about Cheong did not spread.

The head of the Jangsu clan, Bok Ha-woon, was a senior of Kangho and already knew the characteristics of the martial world well.

For the sake of the benefactor, rumors should not spread.

So, thanks to erasing any traces and monitoring the mouths of family members, the rumors did not spread widely.

But what if a prestigious young master, not Cheong, was rumored to have defeated the cannibalistic martial artist?

For example, if Namgoong Shin-jae was rumored to have defeated the cannibalistic martial artist, people’s reactions would be like this.

Namgoong Sae-ga is truly amazing! I knew he could do it!

This is the power of history and tradition!

I should send a congratulatory drink to Namgoong Dae-in!

The future of the orthodox martial world is really bright!

I thought that crazy guy with the sword would cause trouble!

With such reactions, it was difficult for an unknown young master to make a name for himself, even if a dragon emerged from a stream.

Of course, this situation was not a problem.

Those in power always worked hard to climb the ladder in all places and times.

To continue to maintain the world of the martial arts dominated by the major clans and powerful families.

In this situation, the only ones that the future index could build friendships with were ultimately other future indexes.

Moreover, these future indexes received all kinds of love in my yard and grew up doing whatever they wanted.

It was the perfect environment for a strange fellow who was only good at people to be born.

And it was true.

“Brother So, look over there. That soldier.”

Changbin, the drunken horseback sword.

After single-handedly wiping out a group of bandits attacking a village while drunk, he was given the title by the world.

He was the most promising member of the Volcano Sect and also a key figure in the formation of the Changja Fleet.

“No, Brother So, look at that soldier over there.”

“Sigh. What now?”

Whether he liked it or not, Changbin said subtly.

“That soldier sitting three seats to the left of the soldier wearing that striking red palace uniform. Isn’t he quite handsome?”

“If you like him, go talk to him.”

“Ugh, is the sunflower here to see the sun, but the crow is cawing instead?”

Why are all these future index guys like this?

Changbin showed his displeasure.

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Ugh, are we having this kind of conversation between us? You must be lonely drinking alone and feeling lonely. Lonely.”

“Then am I not a person but a statue?”

“Haha, should I consider you a person, you rascal?”

Pangdaesan let out a deep sigh once again.

To think that this guy was the big brother of the Jangryongji Society.

The future of the orthodox martial arts world was very bleak.

By the way, the Jangryongji Society was the name of a late-stage martial arts gathering for orthodox sect descendants.

It was also a prestigious fellowship passed down through generations.

“Changbin hyung. Shouldn’t you stop drinking or continue drinking the alcohol you were having?”

“Oh my! My arm is about to fall off. Listen, little brother. Alcohol! It’s the word for joy. It’s a delightful experience to drink with a beautiful woman.”

“Are you going to talk that nonsense again?”

“Oh, I want to drink with a woman!”

Pangdaesan let out another deep sigh.

If you had to pick the most disliked person among the late-stage martial artists, it would definitely be this guy.

He was a good person, but constantly talking while holding a drink in his mouth all day long.

If he wasn’t a good person, they would have fought and declared a feud long ago.

And yet, while speaking like this-

“Oh, little brother! Look over there!”

Changbin’s interruption cut off Pangdaesan’s thoughts.

He would probably talk about another beauty.

Pangdaesan’s expression remained sour.

“No, look over there. Namgung’s younger brother is coming.”

“…I’m going crazy. Seriously.”

If they were referring to Namgung Shinjae as Namgung’s younger brother, then he was the Sword King Namgung Shinjae.

And Namgung Shinjae was the weirdest guy in the Jangryongji Society.

In the midst of the most disliked person, the appearance of the weirdest person was overwhelming.

It was a situation where one disaster followed another.

“Hmm? It seems that Namgung’s younger brother is with a woman? Judging by the sword, it seems that only a woman who wields a sword is considered a woman. Ugh, he’s coming this way.”

Pangdaesan suppressed his annoyance.

Well, he must know that she’s here.

The reason Pangdaesan always encountered people he disliked was because of the persistence of women.

The reasons for Pangdaesan’s aversion to women were plentiful.

One of the reasons was that his position was always targeted.

As soon as the news spread that he was in the city, rumors of Ok Girin appearing within half a day spread like wildfire.

Then the women flocked.

Then the passing members of the Jangryongji Society or senior members of the martial arts world would come straight over saying, ‘Oh, Ok Girin is Ok Girin again’.

…But a swordsman coming with a woman?

This made Pangdaesan a bit curious.

The fact that a swordsman was accompanying a woman was surprising in itself.

If you were to pick someone who seemed to have no connection with women in the Jangryongji Society?

The position of overwhelming victory was always fixed.

Namgung Shinjae, the guy obsessed with his sword, was truly a person who didn’t notice anything other than the sword.

The phrase ‘other than the sword’ meant everything except the sword.

Pangdaesan, who never made eye contact with women, was somewhat curious about the woman accompanying the swordsman.

Pangdaesan’s head turned subtly.

A pretty girl in elegant attire.

She looked to be about twenty years old.

Her intricately styled black hair was jet black, her makeup-free skin was fair, her eyes were large, and her lips were delicate.

Due to her overly large chest, the fit of her clothes was a bit off, but she was still a beauty in her own right.

And she had a sword at her waist.

“You’re carrying a sword?”

“Well, of course. I’m a swordsman.”

“I see.”

Pangdaesan agreed with Changbin’s words.

This was a very rare occurrence.

“Changbin hyung. But doesn’t she look familiar?”

“I’m not sure where I’ve seen her before. She’s a stranger, right?”

“I’m sure I’ve seen you before. Aren’t you just someone’s younger sibling?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not easy to get along with that guy.”

As the two bickered, Namgoong Shinjae approached and shook hands with them.

“So, you came to see Pung Ah? And Changbin is here too?”

“Are you doing well?”

“I’m always doing well. And you, Pung Ah?”

“I’m doing well too.”

“Good. Being well is the best. This is Seomun Sojeo. He may not look like it, but he’s a great swordsman.”

Ah, I see. Swordsman being a swordsman for no reason.

Exactly. That’s right. What kind of woman is a swordsman?

Pung Daesan and Changbin exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

This was indeed a very rare occurrence.

“Hello, esteemed guests. I am Seomun Mora, a girl from the west gate. Meeting such distinguished guests that I’ve only heard rumors about makes my heart flutter with excitement. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes.”

The girl greeted them with a polite voice.

Her face was decent, but her voice was refreshing and clear.

When Pung Daesan met her gaze, he smiled softly and wagged his tail.

But with the favor contained in it, Pung Daesan immediately lost interest.

“I am Pung Daesan.”

Pung Daesan bluntly stated his name.

It meant he didn’t want to talk anymore.

“I am Hwasan’s Changbin.”

Surprisingly, Changbin also answered briefly.

“Oh. You’re the famous Pung Daesan!”

She said with a big smile, which was quite repulsive.

Pung Daesan’s voice dropped a tone.

“Why, did you come here without knowing?”

Pung Daesan retorted.

The girl immediately looked like she was about to cry.

“Oh… Did the girl do something wrong…?”

“Seomun Sojeo. Pung Ah said. He’s not a friendly guy, so don’t be discouraged. Even if there’s a beautiful woman in front of him, he’s still like this.”

Namgoong Shinjae scolded the embarrassed swordsman.

Even in that situation, his words were ridiculous.

What a thing to say, even if a prettier woman approaches you!

It meant to give up since you have no chance.

It was truly a discouraging thing to hear for the girl.

Despite talking nonsense, he was secretly surprised.

The swordsman was indeed a woman.

It was fascinating to see him act modestly in front of Ok Girin, and thinking about his usual demeanor sent shivers down his spine.

“Besides, he doesn’t use his sword. There’s no point in being polite to a great swordsman like Seomun Sojeo. Just think of him as non-existent.”

Pung Daesan had chosen today to be a day when his face was wrinkled all day long.

Saying such things in front of people made Namgoong Shinjae known as a swordsman.

But well, it wasn’t appropriate to kick out the woman brought by a respected elder more aggressively.

It would be a good thing if they lost interest over there.

But it seemed like they had no intention of doing so.

“I heard that Pung Daesan has exceptional taste in women.”

“That’s not true.”

“Don’t say that. What about me? If Pung Daesan were to rate me, how would I fare?”

“Ha. Look here, Sojeo.”

Pung Daesan sighed quietly.

“I don’t like women. So if you need a proper conversation partner, talk to Changbin over there.”

At that, Changbin, who had been quietly drinking next to them, was taken aback.

“Oh. Um. This girl doesn’t need to be paid attention to, Namgoong Ah, why don’t you have a drink with me?”

“Oh. Well, let’s have a drink, brother.”

Changbin was a man who didn’t lie.

And he always said that the taste of alcohol was even more special when there was a woman at the drinking table.

So when a woman appeared at the drinking table, he only drank alcohol.

He said it was because it was too delicious.

He was a man who enjoyed the heightened taste of alcohol so much that he couldn’t even say a word and just drank.

And now that a woman had appeared, Changbin’s lines were over.

In the meantime, the girl continued to cling to Paeng Daehyup.

“So, Paeng Daehyup? How are you feeling? Hmm?”

“Stop it. Stop bothering me. I’m only enduring it because I saw Namgoong hyung’s face. I don’t really want to say harsh words to a soldier.”

Paeng Daesan lowered his voice.

He was on the verge of exploding.

Then the girl spoke.

“You always have a sharp tongue, don’t you?”

Paeng Daesan was surprised and looked at her.

“Why do you always speak so harshly?”

The girl suddenly leaned on the table, resting her chin on her hand with a sullen attitude.

“Hey, you’re still the same, Daesan! Are you still sad? You haven’t seen me for just over half a year and you forget people’s faces. You were all choked up when we parted ways yesterday. No, did you cry a little?”

“No way.”

“Why, can’t you recognize me just because I look a little different?”

Paeng Daesan was astonished.

Cheong finally smiled satisfactorily.