Episode 115
“No, Master!”
“What kind of thing is that?”
I was leaning my head against the window frame and staring at the scenery outside. I looked out the window at the sound of a loud noise piercing my ears.
A group of young Taoists were upying the main street, blocking carriages from passing.
I was able to guess their identities by looking at the plum blossom pattern embroidered on the sleeves of their uniforms.
‘Are they disciples of the Huashan Sect?’
Some of the appearances looked familiar.
They were the ones who participated in the battle to subdue the Mine when a blockade order was imposed on Shaanxi.
“It’s been a while. “Masters.”
Dojang Cheonwoo greeted me with a soft smile on his lips.
It seemed like I was d to see the people I hadn’t seen in a long time.
However, instead of responding to greetings, the officials asked probing questions.
“Why are you acting as a coachman?”
In a way, the reaction shown by the disciples of the Hwasan Sect could be said to be natural.
A disciple of the Hwasan Sect.
Jeon-in, who followed the progress of Maehwashingeom.
A talent who has raised the name of a monk by winning a top prize in a martial artspetition.
To them, Cheonwoo Dojo was like an idol.
Since such a person was acting as a coachman with a scruffy appearance due to having been sleeping on the street for several days, it was inevitable that he would feel unpleasant.
“It’s not that big of a deal. “I just did some distribution of roles with the group.”
“Who dares entrust chores to a disciple of the Huashan Sect!”
“Enough of that. “The people in the carriage may feel ufortable.”
“I tell you to listen!”
A statement full of privilege.
It was like seeing the Cheonwoo seal from the past.
I remembered what Maehwashingeom said in the past.
[That guy has been in a bad situation recently, so I was thinking that I would have to fix it soon.]
From the beginning, Dojang Cheonwoo would not have been so sick of his sense of entitlement that he would have looked down on others.
Most likely, his personality changed naturally as he was influenced by his surroundings.
It was called Geunmukjaheuk (近墨者黑).
It was thew of the world that food turned ck when it got close to it.
Perhaps they yed the role of ink?
“You guys. “Let’s just stop there.”
Dojang Cheonwoo’s voice sank low.
A heavy wave of air weighed down the area.
Ewha Womans University students, who were buzzing like a swarm of angry bees, shrugged their shoulders and fell silent.
“I understand how you feel about this private life, but too much is not as good as too little. “It seems like the direction of worry was wrong in the first ce.”
“……yes?”
“I’m sad. “Aren’t you thinking of saying hello to Sasuk, who is tired from her long journey?”
“Sa Sasuk. “It’s not like that.”
“What do you mean no?”
“…….”
“You don’t have to worry. “The reputation of the monk will not be lowered just because this monk acts as a charioteer.”
A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Cheonwoo Dojang’s mouth.
The previous Cheonwoo Dojo was no different from them.
No, on the contrary, it was on the more severe side.
Perhaps right now, you’re projecting your past self into the images of these people?
“Get out of there for now. “Wouldn’t passers-by feel ufortable if you stood blocking the road like that?”
“……yes.”
The monks stood aside on both sides of the road, and the carriage crossed between them.
As I was looking out the window, the gazes of the young monks and I met in the air.
‘You must eat a lot.’
The enemy’s young eyes.
They were funny guys.
Taoists were more concerned about respect than officials.
‘Cheonwoo Dojo saved you.’
I smiled and leaned back against the backrest.
Soon the carriage stopped in front of a guesthouse.
After getting off the carriage, my group and I unpacked our belongings in our respective lodgings.
After washing my body and changing my clothes, I headed to the restaurant on the first floor and found Jeomsoi serving the food I ordered one after another.
“I don’t know how long it’s been since Ist had a proper meal.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I expressed my gratitude to Dojang Cheonwoo and Hoseon Seo, who took turns driving the carriage on the way here.
Dojang Cheonwoo blinked in surprise.
“I never thought I would hear a thank you from the Sohyeop who opened it just for driving a carriage.”
“I don’t know how you’ve viewed me, but I’m not a ruthless person who doesn’t even show basic courtesy. Of course, this only applies if the other person is a person worthy of respect.”
“…I guess it means that when we first met, I was a person not worth respecting.”
“…….”
“Can’t you at least deny it with empty words?”
“Because I’m not good at lying.”
“Put some saliva on your mouth and lie.”
A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Cheonwoo Dojang’s mouth.
“Still, I’m d. “Even though it iste, we have been recognized by the cooperative.”
Mypanions and I diligently yed with chopsticks and filled our hungry stomachs.
It’s been a while since I was so engrossed in eating.
“…!”
I felt a figure approaching the guesthouse at high speed and turned around.
It was an incredible speed.
To the point where I thought I wouldn’t be able to catch up even if I spread the ghost report with all my might.
Sigh!
The door to the guesthouse opened and the old Taoist monk of the Shinseonpung style entered the room.
Dojang Cheonwoo suddenly got up from his seat and ran with a happy expression into the arms of the old master.
“Master!”
“So, how have you been?”
The true identity of Taoist Noh was Hyeongun Dojo, the teacher of Cheonwoo Dojo.
* * *
The Plum Blossom God Sword was naturally led by the hand of the Cheonyu Dojo.
Not only Damun and Seo Ho-seon, but even Tang Seo-yeon, who doesn’t blink at most things, looked nervous.
“Have you been well so far?”
“okay. “I have heard so much about your achievements.”
I politely raised my hand and bowed to show my respect, then nced back at Cheonwoo Dojang and said,
“The task entrusted to me was carried out with certainty.”
“It’s good news to hear.”
Dojang Cheonwoo’s face darkened due to the meaningful conversation.
I was curious as to what on earth Plum God Sword had asked me to do.
‘Well, I guess you can roughly guess it.’
Me and Plum God Sword rolled up the corners of our mouths at the same time.
I had felt it before, but unlike his appearance, Maehwashingeom had the appearance of a bad boy.
“So, you participated in the dancepetition and came in top?”
“yes. This is the famous sword I received as a prize. “They say it is called Seungyeong (承影).”
Cheonwoo Dojang won third ce in the dancepetition.
Paeng Yeon-ji, who met in the third and fourth ce match, was unable to demonstrate her skills properly due to suffering a significant injury in the semi-final match against Hakkyung Dojang.
Chunwoo Dojo was also injured in the semifinals, but he showed excellent recovery and returned to perfect condition in a short period of time.
The audience, who expected that the two injured men and women would engage in a fierce battle, could not help but be disappointed by the fight, which turned out to be one-sided, contrary to their expectations.
“It’s a good sword.”
“I think so too. However, the length and shape of the sword are slightly different from what I used before, so it will take some time to get used to it.”
“You have to take that into ount.”
“yes.”
“Good work. “As a teacher, I am proud of my student’s high achievements.”
“I was lucky. If the opponent you faced in the first match of the finals was Yeon Sohyeop…”
“Luck is also a skill.”
“I learned and gained a lot through this Kangho trip. In addition to knowledge, experience, and martial arts achievements, there are many other things. “I think I understand why Master asked me toe and see the world like that.”
“I haven’t been at peace since I was forcefully sent away to do good work, but now that you say that, I feel relieved.”
“There is no need for you to feel sorry for me, Master.”
Dojang Cheonwoo shook his head excitedly and said.
“Rather, I am sorry. The poor student has been frustrating his teacher for a long time. “We will show you a different side in the future.”
Plum Blossom God Sword, who was staring at Cheonwoo Dojang with a bewildered look as if he were dealing with a stranger, burst intoughter.
Even so, it seemed like he didn’t expect that a person would change to this extent ande back.
He said, turning to me.
“I guess I have a lot to talk about with you.”
“Why don’t we move to our seats after we finish eating?”
“Let’s do that. Last time, you paid for the tea. “I’ll buy it this time.”
“I will not decline.”
* * *
After finishing the meal, I headed to Daru (茶樓) where I had previously had tea with Plum Blossom Godgeom.
Maehwashingeom, who was sitting by the window in a sunny corner, offered me a teacup and asked.
“Can you tell me what happened so far?”
He looked strangely excited.
He would have already heard various news and could have heard the story from the person involved, Dojang Cheonwoo.
Nevertheless, the reason he arranged a separate conversation with me was probably because, as a teacher, he wanted to hear objective facts.
“yes.”
I leisurely sipped my tea cup and talked about what had happened.
Be as detailed as possible with everything the other person might be curious about.
He also made no secret of the fact that he had been beating up Dojang Cheonwoo from time to time since he first joined the group.
Since permission was obtained in advance, there was nothing to worry about.
“…….”
Plum God Sword just nodded without saying anything, even though he had a slightly shaken expression on his face.
At the request of Cheonwoo Dojang, they subdued ckpungdae and received a reward, yed the role of a bandit together, and faced each other in the semifinals of a bimu tournament.
I said everything that came to mind.
Maehwasingeom’s expression changed every moment.
Although he was pleased with his student’s growth, he seemed perplexed by the process of change.
“It’s true that a priest gave a gift to one person in pairs.”
“This is thepensation I received fairly for doing a personal favor. “I don’t think there is any reason to be criticized.”
“I didn’t mean to point out anything in particr. “That guy probably had his own thoughts and gave you a reward.”
I could have left out all the information that was unfavorable to me, but I didn’t have to.
I wanted to avoid a situation where misunderstandings arose if I didn’t talk about it now, but my words and Cheonwoo Dojang’s words differedter.
“thanks. “Thanks to you, I have one less thing to worry about.”
“I just paid for the reward I received.”
“Speaking of which, I’m asking, where do you n to use the reward que?”
“……well.”
I looked the other way with a suspicious smile on my face.
There was a hint of anxiety in Maehwashingeom’s eyes.
“As I said before, I cannot ept requests that are too unreasonable. For example, a request to betray a monk or a request for extinction that goes against the right path.”
“You don’t have to worry about that part. “There’s no way you could waste your precious gratitude on such a trivial matter.”
“It’s an answer that is strangely reassuring, but also worrying.”
“I would like to ask one question in advance.”
“……?”
“Senior, the Hwasan Sect will not impose sanctions just because you are away for a long period of time, right?”
“Well, if I tell you that I’m going to be away to fulfill my mission as a patriot, Jang Moon-in will understand.”
“Then that’s enough.”
“What on earth are you trying to make me do?”
“If I tell you now, it’s not fun, is it?”
Plum God Sword smiled bitterly and stroked his beard with one hand.
“That’s right. “It looks like you’ve been unable to sleep due to anxiety for a while.”