Chapter 124 – Tell Me Everything You Know (1)
As Paeng Yeon-hwa read through the documents, she couldn’t help but admit that nothing was catching her eye.
The fact that the man she had embraced turned out to be Sapa, the top disciple of Cheonhajeilma, was shocking to Paeng Yeon-hwa.
It was even more surprising that Jeon Ga-ryeong or Dang Hye-won had taken a subtle attitude towards him.
“Am I the weird one?”
She heard that Eun So-young already knew the fact.
In other words, she was the only one who couldn’t accept it among the four…
“Phew…”
Paeng Yeon-hwa, who didn’t want to think anymore, picked up the sword she had placed next to her and tried to go down to the training ground.
If Jeon Ga-ryeong hadn’t come to find her, she would have definitely done so.
When she heard the sound of the argument, Paeng Yeon-hwa allowed her to enter as she put the sword back on the wall, and Jeon Ga-ryeong cautiously opened the door and came in.
“Hwa Unni… were you busy just now?”
“If I was busy, I wouldn’t have told you to come in. Sit down.”
Jeon Ga-ryeong hesitated as she sat down on the opposite side of the table.
Paeng Yeon-hwa was secretly bitter. They had been friends for over 20 years, but this was the first time it had become so awkward.
“Are you very busy…?”
“I just haven’t done what I was supposed to do until now.”
Since Dangjomyeong refused to let Paeng Yeon-hwa participate in the three families’ affairs, it was clear that what she had not done until now had come back to her.
But it was also because it had been decided to support Paeng-ga.
Paeng Yeon-hwa felt that she was becoming more reserved than she needed to be, even though it was not something she needed to hide.
It was not that she thought she had to hide it, but rather that she couldn’t speak well when she looked at Jeon Ga-ryeong.
What was different?
Paeng Yeon-hwa suddenly spoke up.
“I don’t think Kang So-hyeop deceived me.”
“I know.”
“It’s not because I hate Kang So-hyeop.”
“I know.”
Jeon Ga-ryeong just nodded her head without any context or explanation.
‘You know? What? I don’t even know why I’m doing this!’
Whether she knew what was going on in Paeng Yeon-hwa’s confused mind or not, Jeon Ga-ryeong slowly opened her mouth.
“Yoon wants to leave the village for a while.”
Paeng Yeon-hwa’s heart sank. She suddenly became worried that it was because of her.
Her voice, which she desperately tried to control, felt like it was shaking.
“Is that so? Then what about my younger brother…?”
Jeon Ga-ryeong shook her head. As she did so, she gently stroked her belly.
Gulp.
Chapter 124 – Tell Me Everything You Know (1)
Paeng Yeon-hwa swallowed a dry spit. Kang Yoon had used the powerful technique he had learned to unconditionally impregnate women, including Jeon Ga-ryeong, Dang Hye-won, and even Jeon Ga-ryeong. The child might not even exist now.
“You can’t do it because of this child. It’s too much protection, isn’t it?”
“…”
“He’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much. Unni.”
Paeng Yeon-hwa tried to deny that she wasn’t worried at all.
Her heart was still the same. When she thought of the man’s face, her chest warmed up, and she imagined the feeling of being held in his arms.
“Unni, you’re so sincere.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Worrying that affirming Yoon means affirming the suffering of the victims of the blood demon.”
“…No.”
It might be true.
She was foolishly clinging to a problem that might not matter at all.
“Unni, you’re fine as you are. Yoon is worried that you’ll stay the same.”
When Jeon Ga-ryeong gently took Paeng Yeon-hwa’s hand, she was startled and pulled her hand away. But Jeon Ga-ryeong still smiled and spoke again.
“Think about it while Yoon is away. If you come up with an answer, Yoon will surely accept it.”
“…My younger brother knows that I’ve lived longer than him, right?”
“I’m smarter than you, Unni.”
Jeon Ga-ryeong giggled. Paeng Yeon-hwa felt embarrassed that she made her younger sister say such things, but she was grateful to Jeon Ga-ryeong.
Her love for the man was undoubtedly still there. Paeng Yeon-hwa believed that she could find an answer that she could convince herself of.
“Sohyeop, let’s meet again with our Dohyung next time.”
I’m not that close to your younger brother…
After saying goodbye to Kwak Cheong-ra, Paeng Yeon-hwa left the compound early in the morning.
I wonder if it’s just my imagination that when I meet Kwak Dohyung later, I’ll see him trying to force himself to be friendly with me while looking at his sister.
But compared to Mong-ah, who only greets her mother, Kwak Cheong-ra was a fairy.
“I hope we’ll meet again on a better occasion.”
“…Yes.”
Mong-ah replied with a gloomy expression, as if she didn’t expect me to follow her.
After figuring out which direction she was going in, I told my mother that I was leaving too.
We had already talked about it, but my mother narrowed her eyes when she saw me trying to leave immediately after Mong-ah left.
Chapter 124 – Tell Me Everything You Know (1)
“Son, this is just a thought, but do you know that Mong-ah is a monk who has cut off ties with the world?”
“Yes.”
I never had any affection for Mong-ah personally.
I was only following her to make sure that she was safe, as she had left the compound and her safety seemed to be at risk.
Even if I didn’t like her, I couldn’t just leave her alone with all those people swarming around her.
It might be considered meddling by the martial arts world’s standards, but I was still a modern person at heart.
“Don’t worry since I have no thoughts. Please take care of Yeon-hwa or Hye-won if you have time. They seemed quite surprised. And that bastard… he should just leave.”
My mother lightly hit my chest. Yes, it was ultimately my fault.
I had tried to use Joo Jae’s disciple, Ju Je, to eat up the Milpae faction, and I couldn’t resolve the situation, so I had to leave.
“I know there’s a baby in here now. Don’t push yourself too hard and be careful even with falling leaves until at least four months.”
“There won’t be any falling leaves now…”
She wasn’t someone who couldn’t understand words. When she opened her eyes and saw my mother, she seemed to be slightly smiling.
I wanted to kiss her, but being outside was a hindrance. It was too different from embracing in terms of risk.
I said goodbye to my mother and walked in the direction where Mong-ah had disappeared.
“She didn’t seem to leave in a hurry, so I should be able to catch up with her soon.”
I moved quickly while being careful not to show any signs of suspicion.
There might be a lot of people in the castle for a while, but if I felt a strong presence, Mong-ah might also become suspicious.
Once outside the castle, I could follow her slowly from a distance.
Mong-ah’s movements were monotonous. She just kept moving forward without any indication of where she was going.
If she kept going in this direction, she would eventually reach Cheonghae Castle…
“There’s the Gonryun faction in that direction…”
I remember that last time, we went towards the Mu-dang faction in Ho-buk.
What is she doing? Is she looking for another faction?
“Why?”
I thought as I watched Mong-ah resting on the side of the road in a grassy area. Why doesn’t she go back to the Amipa faction if she’s in danger?
“Why…?”
“Why what?”
Huh?
I heard a voice scratching its throat from behind. When I turned around, I saw a group of bandit-like men, led by a man holding a knife, standing there.
“I don’t know who you are, but hand over everything you have and get lost. Don’t mess with us because these people belong to us.”
“…Ha.”
Looking back, I realized I had been too submissive since coming to the martial arts world.
Every woman I met was at least a top-notch expert, and the only opportunity to dominate with my skills was the Guryong Competition…
“Only when I’m with Mong-ah.”
The bandit who saw me laughing foolishly threatened me with his knife.
My swordsmanship practice was decent, but my technique was a bit sloppy.
Still, I felt like I had some skill, so I could barely handle these bandits.
“Hey.”
“Hey?”
“Tell me everything you know. Why are you targeting these people?”
If someone has a brain, they won’t attack a group of experts.
If someone has something to gain, there’s a high chance they’re a top-notch expert in the martial arts world. If they’re not, there’s a high chance they have nothing to gain.
In other words, they have something.
“What kind of crazy bastard is this, and where did he come from?”
Kang
The bandit’s knife flew towards me with considerable force, but I managed to deflect it with a single strike.
Despite feeling the difference in skill from my strike, the bandit’s eyes still showed no sign of fear.
“Ugh…!”
“Speak up, punk.”
The bandit who was massaging his wrist, presumably to see if it was broken, scowled at me and shouted.
“Kill this bastard!”
Ugh, how annoying. Although I frowned at the sight of the bandits around me swinging their swords, I was actually feeling good.
I don’t particularly enjoy hitting people, but I just didn’t have many opportunities to show off my strength.
A sword that was clearly visible where it was going to strike.
A sword that was swung without properly utilizing the power of the lower body.
A crude axe that I probably used a lot during my peasant days.
No weapon could hurt me, and the attacks gradually became more passive as they were afraid of hurting their comrades with the weapons I deflected.
What is Mong-ah’s true identity, traveling with these mediocre bandits?
“Ugh! Let go, let go!”
I grabbed the leader’s sword and stuck it into the ground, then grabbed his collar and slammed him onto the ground.
“Why…?”
“Why what?”
Huh?
I heard a voice scratching its throat from behind. When I turned around, I saw a group of bandit-like men, led by a man holding a knife, standing there.
“I don’t know who you are, but hand over everything you have and get lost. Don’t mess with us because these people belong to us.”
“…Ha.”
Looking back, I realized I had been too submissive since coming to the martial arts world.
Every woman I met was at least a top-notch expert, and the only opportunity to dominate with my skills was the Guryong Competition…
“Only when I’m with Mong-ah.”
The bandit who saw me laughing foolishly threatened me with his knife.
My swordsmanship practice was decent, but my technique was a bit sloppy.
Still, I felt like I had some skill, so I could barely handle these bandits.
“Hey.”
“Hey?”
“Tell me everything you know. Why are you targeting these people?”
If someone has a brain, they won’t attack a group of experts.
If someone has something to gain, there’s a high chance they’re a top-notch expert in the martial arts world. If they’re not, there’s a high chance they have nothing to gain.
In other words, they have something.
“What kind of crazy bastard is this, and where did he come from?”
Kang
The bandit’s knife flew towards me with considerable force, but I managed to deflect it with a single strike.
Despite feeling the difference in skill from my strike, the bandit’s eyes still showed no sign of fear.
“Ugh…!”
“Speak up, punk.”
The bandit who was massaging his wrist, presumably to see if it was broken, scowled at me and shouted.
“Kill this bastard!”
Ugh, how annoying. Although I frowned at the sight of the bandits around me swinging their swords, I was actually feeling good.
I don’t particularly enjoy hitting people, but I just didn’t have many opportunities to show off my strength.
A sword that was clearly visible where it was going to strike.
A sword that was swung without properly utilizing the power of the lower body.
A crude axe that I probably used a lot during my peasant days.
No weapon could hurt me, and the attacks gradually became more passive as they were afraid of hurting their comrades with the weapons I deflected.
What is Mong-ah’s true identity, traveling with these mediocre bandits?
“Ugh! Let go, let go!”
I grabbed the leader’s sword and stuck it into the ground, then grabbed his collar and slammed him onto the ground.
“Why aren’t you helping my subordinates? What are you doing?”
The bandit leader yelled at me, but his subordinates were slowly backing away as his voice grew louder.
“I’ll kill the ones who run away first.”
Although it sounds good to call them martial artists, they’re just gangsters. Gangsters who commit illegal murder due to their circumstances.
I had never killed anyone before, and I had no intention of starting with these bandits.
However, the bandits who didn’t know that fact stopped at my warning.
As the situation became a little clearer, I opened my mouth to the leader lying on the ground.
“Hey, now tell me.”
“W-what…”
The bandit leader’s voice was filled with fear. A little fear is good for interrogation.
“Why are you targeting this group? I asked you earlier.”
The leader came up with an excuse. Do I still look easy to deal with? I didn’t need to torture or beat him.
“Hey, besides you, is there anyone else who knows the reason?”
“N-no.”
The leader’s eyes flickered for a moment. It was clear that he had given orders to his subordinates not to tell anyone.
“Everyone dies except the one who answers my question here. I’ll kill you first, then the ones who don’t know, and then everyone else.”
Although it sounds like I’m talking too much about killing, these guys know very well that their lives are the most precious.
They’ll understand that they need to answer quickly if I say I’ll kill them without hesitation.
“Now, leader. I’ll count to three. If you don’t tell me, I’ll cut off your air supply and give you time to think.”
“W-well, um…”
Even though the bandit was trembling, he couldn’t easily open his mouth. Should I kill him? I don’t want to, but…
“Three…”
“What are you doing!”
Just as I was about to finish counting to three, a voice interrupted me.
Mong-ah, who had been resting on the road below, had suddenly come up and was staring at me fiercely.
‘How did I not notice her coming up while being careful not to show any signs?’
And there was one more embarrassing thing. Mong-ah could only know that I had followed her.
What excuse should I make to get over this…
