episode_0206

Geomseong grinned as if he was satisfied with my answer.

When I returned to the guesthouse with her, I tilted my head when I saw the person standing at the guesthouse.

“Uh…”

“It’s been a while. Shinsan Seonja.”

Oh, don’t do that.

“It’s been a while. Lord Cheonhwagung.”

I bowed my head towards Cheon Ryu-yeong, the lord of Cheonhwa Palace. Cheon Ryu-yeong smiled at me and gave a quick glance to the swordsman standing next to me.

Perhaps we knew each other, so the swordsman ended with a quick eye greeting, and I asked her.

“By the way, what are you doing at this late hour?”

“I came because I have something to tell you.”

“Then let’s go inside.”

I took her with me and headed to the office. As she came inside and looked around, Geomseong stared at her with a keen gaze.

“What brought you here?”

“To postpone the sparring meeting. A situation arose.”

uh? really?

I looked at Geomseong in surprise and she also looked at me with her eyes wide open.

I never thought the story I told you earlier on my way to Hongseongmun would turn out to be true…

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, no. But what is the situation…?”

“The number of monsters around Cheonhwaseong has been increasing recently. And the Sapa people, including Nokrim, are gathering.”

“You think that if the core of Cheonhwagung escapes during the sparring, they will target Sapa.”

“That’s right.”

I need to clean up my surroundings before my empty house gets robbed, but does that mean I can’t make it on time for the sparring meeting?

Before I could say anything, Cheon Ryu-young took out the bag he had brought and put it on the table. When I opened it, it contained ten Cheonhwa Shindan tablets and a seal.

“What is it?”

“Making a bet unilaterally and then unilaterally postponing it is the same as admitting defeat.”

Cheon Ryu-young spoke clearly and held out the bag. Of course, there was a lot of feeling of waste in her eyes, but it seems that Cheonhwagung’s pride was more important than that.

“If you say so…”

I took out the Heavenly Flower God Altar and the seal from my bag.

And among them, he handed out five Cheonhwasindan to Cheonryuyeong.

“I am not a martial arts person, nor am I a member of the martial arts faction, but I still support the political faction. Especially in the case of Nokrim, they are a nuisance to merchants and civilians like me. These are the people who are fighting against them, so we should help them.”

Cheon Ryu-young closed his mouth and stared at me. Meeting his gaze, I pointed to the five eggs again.

“Promises must be kept. It was Cheonhwagung that proposed the sparring meeting, and it was we who suggested postponing the date. If there is a bet related to that… it can definitely be said to be a loss on our side.”

“Of course.”

“So this is what you take. Please do not pity me or Cheonhwagung.”

There is a saying that if you remove honor and pride from a political faction, all that remains is a corpse.

As such, Cheon Ryu-yeong, the owner of Cheonhwa Palace, spoke arrogantly and handed out five Cheonhwa Shindan tablets again.

“I’m not just giving it to you. These five grains are invested in Cheonhwagung.”

This is what political factions are all about.

They are the ones who give back as much as they received, or even more.

Although it is at odds with Hongseongmun, Cheonhwagung is one of the prestigious political factions. So I think these five pills will come back later.

If you don’t come back…

Well, you should think of it as an investment failure.

Cheon Ryu-yeong looked at me as if speechless at my words and then sighed softly.

“I realized once again how heavy the weight of a single word is.”

Because I made a bad bet for no reason, I ended up handing over the Heavenly Flower Goddess and the seal book.

At least I returned five pills, but even that would be a burden to Cheon Ryu-young.

I’m sure you’ll think you should return it anyway.

After hesitating, she retrieved the Heavenly Flower God Altar. Then, with a much better expression on his face, he smiled wryly, then looked behind me and tilted his head.

“…Geomseong. Why are you making that face?”

huh? why?

I turned my head. The swordsman standing behind me was quite proud.

“Hehe. Yuwol is this kind of person.”

“…No, I mean why are you… Phew. Is it okay?”

Cheon Ryu-yeong, who was about to say something to Geomseong, who was quite proud of my actions, shook his head. Then, after sighing softly, he spoke calmly.

“I will definitely repay this debt.”

“That’s right. By the way, are you planning to stay today?”

“No. I have to go back right away. And… after leaving the sparring meeting, I would like to make a request to Seonja Shinsan.”

“Are you talking about that last time?”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

I think it will take at least a few months to clear out the monsters and greenery from Cheonhwa Palace. And by then, the control of the north will be over and the Iron Blood Emperor and Dool will come down.

Do you think you’ll have any time left after dealing with that?

I thought for a moment and nodded.

“We’ll talk about that later.”

“You’re not giving a definite answer.”

“I am very scared, so it is difficult for me to make decisions. Moreover, it is related to the Demonic Cult…”

I said it casually and Cheon Ryu-young snorted. Then he stood up and spoke calmly.

“If you are that scared, I will give you one piece of information. Last time, I heard that the Seven Star Dagger was sent to the Murim Alliance.”

“Ah. Yes.”

I left it to the apprentice and told him to decide on a master through the Murim Alliance. I guess the owner has been decided by now?

“A strange rumor is spreading about you giving it away.”

“Strange rumor?”

“That’s right. One of them is… this.”

Cheon Ryu-young looked at me seriously.

“Sinsan Seonja Yuwol knows about Muyeongmatu’s secret. That’s why I gave it up without any hesitation…”

“What does that mean?”

As I looked, Cheon Ryu-young shrugged his shoulders.

“Even in the hall, it was said that a person with such outstanding knowledge that he could be called a divine mountain sage would not know about the secret of Muyeongmatu…”

“It’s absurd.”

Normally, rumors spread all over the world in Moorim, but I had no idea it would start like this.

Geomseong, who was standing behind me, shook his head and Cheon Ryu-yeong seemed to do the same, shrugging his shoulders.

“Usually, rumors like this just float around for a while and then subside. But this rumor is spreading.”

In other words, someone is intentionally inflating and spreading rumors.

“Perhaps the sects that were attacked by Muyeongmatu might come to us to find out the truth. no. It would be better if it were them.”

At least the political faction won’t persecute me.

The problem is Sapa.

Even if Hong Seong-moon was protecting me, there might be forces among them who would kidnap me and try to get information just in case.

“So, take care of yourself. If possible, avoid walking alone.”

Cheon Ryu-young glanced at the sword star behind me and then left. As she left, Geomseong gently caught me from behind.

“Did you hear?”

“Yes.”

“We need to stick closer together from now on.”

“Hahaha…”

Several days have passed. Hongryeon and Chaejin also recovered completely and returned to the guesthouse, and Geomseong relayed what Cheon Ryuyeong had said.

“In the Murim Alliance? It’s strange.”

“But honestly, I think you would know…”

Hongryeon also nodded slightly at Chaejin’s words. Instead of answering, I just smiled.

“Even if I say it’s not true, there’s nothing I can do if they believe that.”

“Hmm… Then you can say that the forces targeting you have increased.”

“I can’t say no.”

Still, I wonder why something like this happened. I thought I knew who was behind this rumor, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

As I spoke casually, a cheerful voice was heard through the entrance of the guesthouse.

“Oh! How have you been?”

It was Hano.

Why did a nobleman who should be in Yangwiseong come here? As I looked, he looked around and said as if he was sad.

“That’s right. Teacher Yu. If you knew about Muyeongmatu, please tell me…”

“Do you believe such rumors?”

“Just kidding. ah. And these days you are doing business with the post office?”

For some time now, we have been receiving information through postal mail about how to deal with and avoid monsters. After receiving it, the post office is sending information about strategies to a clan in an area with dangerous monsters.

The sects, merchants, and government offices that were having a hard time with the new monster that had changed its location were quite satisfied with the letter.

“Were you doing something like that?”

“Haha. Yes.”

“Anyway. That’s not what’s important. Now, through that project, Shinsan Seonja’s name is growing in the martial arts world, and in the process, the story that Shinsan Seonja knows about Muyeong Matu’s secret secret is spreading.”

It seems that he also knew roughly about the rumors currently spreading in the martial arts world.

“Rumors are being spread intentionally. As if to say, ‘If you kidnap the divine mountain sage Yuwol, not only will you have a monopoly on the opponent’s method of dealing with monsters, but you will also be able to obtain the secret power of martial arts fighting.’”

At Hano’s words, Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Geomseong’s expressions hardened.

“Even if he didn’t send the Seven Star Dagger through his apprentice, he would have done something similar even if it were for a different reason.”

“Who? Why are you doing this?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious.”

The three looked at each other and revealed their teeth.

“…Steel Bloods?”

“No, but why are they targeting you?”

They must hate me for being able to easily catch monsters.

Even if I am a member of the Iron Blood Order, they will target me first.

However, it may have been burdensome to attack them directly, so they chose this method.

But that didn’t change what needed to be done.

If I was going to stop at this level of danger, I wouldn’t have even started.