Episode 219


    “……?”


    I stared at the man in ck with narrowed eyes.


    I couldn’t understand why they suddenly dered surrender.


    Although he was somewhat injured, his physical condition was not so bad that he could no longer fight.


    ‘If you came here under themand of Dokgokju, you wouldn’t have known that the next pce lord could be decided based on the results of thepetition.’


    Dokgokju was trying to enshrine his maternal granddaughter, Woo Hwa-yeon, in the royal pce.


    It did not ur to me that he, who was pushing ahead with his work even while ignoring the wishes of the parties involved, would tolerate something like surrender.


    “Are you surprised?”


    “…….”


    “There is nothing to see as strange. “It was a decision made based on extremely rational judgment.”


    “What does it mean.”


    “I felt it while dealing with it in person. “You still have room.”


    “…….”


    The man in ck sighed and brushed off the dust from his face.


    “I was confident in the fight so far. Even if I fight further here, I won’t be able to defeat you. Even if I win by a fluke, I won’t be able to get my body back in perfect condition until the next match.”


    Only after hearing the exnation was I able to understand the ck-clothed man’s intentions to some extent.


    In some ways, I didn’t know if it was a wise decision.


    Even if the fight was dramatically reversed and the man in ck was victorious, the chances of him winning the championship were extremely low.


    There are two masters of Hwagyeong that I have to deal withter.


    My bad luck meant that the person in ck had bad luck.


    “If you are going to lose anyway, it would be better to allow you to advance to the next match with your strength intact.”


    The best has passed the water.


    If so, we must at least avoid the worst.


    It seemed like the man in ck had made that decision.


    In a way, it could be said to be in a simr context to the case where the messenger came forward to help me.


    I licked my lips with regret and returned the sword to its sheath.


    The excitement that was so high has cooled down.


    I haven’t yet been able to use everything I practiced against Dang Seo-yeon and Dang Sang-jin.


    The man in ck handed me a small bottle from his arms and threw it at me.


    “Take it.”


    “What is this.”


    “It is a cure.”


    “Cancetion?”


    “As you may know, you are currently addicted. “Because I kept inhaling poisonous smoke during thepetition.”


    “…….”


    “If you take it, it will be a great help in detoxification. Of course, you cannot simply trust me…”


    “I will ept it gratefully. “I will ask the Poison King to consider using it after verification.”


    “…There was a method like that.”


    Soon, the pce elder, who took on the role of referee, dered the winner in a voice full of energy.


    Perhaps because it was a somewhat disappointing result, some spectators booed.


    I packed the medicine bottle in my arms and walked out of the stadium at a leisurely pace.


    * * *


    The opponent in the fifth match of the finals was an elderly warrior with an average height and a gentle appearance.


    He is said to be a warriormander who leads the warriors of the Daron tribe, but looking at his appearance, he looks more like a schr than a warrior.


    ‘It’s a tribe.’


    It was a tribal name that felt familiar.


    I had a memory of encountering warriors of that tribe during my journey to the Beast Pce.


    ‘I apanied him for a while under the pretext of surveince.’


    Daejeon Prefect Mu Jincheon exined that it was arge tribe in its own way.


    “Wow…”


    To put it simply, the result of the match was myndslide victory.


    The pce elder, who yed the role of judge, announced the result of the dance in a voice full of knowledge.


    “victor! Seogon!”


    Wow!


    A thunderous roar erupted.


    As the number of matches increased, the audience’s interest and support grew.


    I was starting to feel a bit of a burden.


    At this rate, I was worried that a group might be created to dig up the fictional character Seo Gon.


    ‘Well, in the worst case scenario, it doesn’t matter if my identity is discovered.’


    The reason he hid his identity in the first ce was at the request of the Beast Prince.


    It wasn’t because there was a corner on my side.


    It’s a bit ufortable to reveal the truth to the members of the delegation, but most of them probably have some idea anyway.


    “Big.”


    The old warrior, who was kneeling on one knee and breathing heavily, shed tears with an angry expression.


    He also had outstanding skills befitting his status as a warriormander, but that was it.


    It wasn’t much for me.


    I massaged my sore shoulders and turned around to walk away.


    ‘There are three matches remaining.’


    With just two more games to go, it was the final.


    His gaze crossed with Il Confucius, who was watching the match from the audience.


    “…….”


    Prince Il smiled, showing his teeth.


    Although he did not speak, his intentions were conveyed through his atmosphere.


    ‘I will win and advance as I wish, so see you in the finals.’


    * * *


    All sixteen finals matches have beenpleted.


    A small event was held to introduce the surviving Mencius to the audience and encourage gambling to determine the winner.


    It was a sudden event without prior notice.


    One by one, the warriors who were dragged out without knowing what was going on expressed their bewilderment.


    “Tsk.”


    I adjusted my mask and clicked my tongue.


    As I was wasting time absent-mindedly under the scorching sun, I started to feel irritated.


    I wasn’t the only one feeling dissatisfied with the current situation.


    Several warriors, including Prince I, openly expressed their displeasure.


    In particr, there was a strong bacsh from those who had been injured in previous matches.


    ‘It’s quite malicious.’


    Thepetition cycle was already short, so there was a lot of pressure on the participants.


    I can’t believe I wasted my precious rest time on such useless things.


    It was questionable who on earth nned this event.


    ‘It is unlikely that the military department, already suffering from abor shortage, would voluntarily increase work.’


    Suddenly, the figure of Confucius, looking up at the audience with devouring eyes, came into view.


    As I turned my head to follow the gaze, I saw this Confucius fighting with the Il Confucius with a sly expression on his face.


    ‘Is that so?’


    I knew it intuitively.


    The person who nned this event was none other than Confucius Lee.


    The representative of this Confucius faction did not y a single proper match today.


    This was because both opponents were warriors belonging to the same faction.


    One person only pretended to fight and then dered surrender, and the other person withdrew from the match without even participating.


    ‘You do all kinds of things.’


    Isn’t he plotting to kidnap the followers of the Sacheon branch? Isn’t he taking away other people’s rest time by holding a ridiculous event?


    I didn’t like everything I did.


    ‘The next match was against the representative of this Confucius’ faction.’


    I muttered with a cool smile on my face.


    I will step on it so gently that it makes a loud noise.


    * * *


    That night.


    While I was resting at my hotel, I was greeted by an unexpected guest.


    “Can we talk for a moment?”


    I looked up to hear a voiceing from outside the window and felt goosebumps rising on my back.


    An old man wearing a ck long robe came into view.


    The hunched posture and blunt cane gave a strange sense of heterogeneity.


    What was surprising was that there was no sign of the old man at all.


    It’s definitely there, but I can’t feel it.


    There was only one person in all of Nanman who could perform such an absurd feat.


    “I didn’t know that Gokju woulde visit me in person.”


    “Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to see me?”


    “I obviously asked you to contact the military, but it was only a request made with the intention of visiting me.”


    “You say something interesting. “Are you willing to tell an outsider the location of Poison Valley?”


    “but. “That too.”


    “How long do you n to keep guestsing from afar standing outside?”


    “Pleasee in. “I will give you an expensive car brought from Jungwon.”


    As soon as he finished speaking, the old man’s new form rose into the air.


    It was like seeing a ghost floating around.


    He silently settled on the window sill and entered the room and spoke.


    “I guess you’re not as cautious as I thought. “Are you not thinking that I might harm you?”


    “If you had meant to do that, you would have attacked right away without revealing your presence.”


    “That’s right. “I don’t know if it’s bold or reckless.”


    “And if something goes wrong with me, wouldn’t Gokju be in trouble too?”


    “What do you mean?”


    “I don’t think you would want Prince I or Prince Lee to upy the pce grounds.”


    Dokgokju let out a chuckle, leaning his cane against the table and resting his butt on the chair.


    I put the teaware in the corner of the room down on the table.


    He put the leaves in a kettle filled with water, created samadhi fire, and made tea.


    Dokgokju, who was handed a cup filled with tea, smiled and said.


    “It’s not a bad scent.”


    “This is Yongjeong tea (龍井茶). “I hope you like it.”


    “Ask me straight. “What did you talk about with Hwa-yeon?”


    “I have a favor to ask.”


    “ask?”


    “He asked me to take him with me when I finished my mission and returned to the central ins.”


    “…!”


    Dokgokju’s face hardened.


    I had no intention of hiding what happened at the time.


    Because poisonous wine won’t be able to harm me anyway.


    ‘I feel a bit upset because I feel like I’m suddenly telling you this.’


    Although it was an act that put Woo Hwa-yeon in trouble for confessing her true feelings with great determination, I did not feel particrly guilty.


    I wasn’t even asked to keep it a secret in the first ce.


    Even if I had been asked to do so, I had no intention ofplying with it.


    “So did you ept it?”


    “I haven’t decided yet.”


    “Can’t decide? “It meant that I didn’t ept it, but I didn’t reject it either.”


    “Isn’t it a very attractive story from my perspective as the representative of the delegation? The biological child of Lord Yasugung and the maternal granddaughter of Lord Dokgok. “It would be a great achievement if we could bring someone of that caliber into the team.”


    “What a bold guy. “Are you saying that in front of me?”


    “I am saying this because it is in front of Lord Gok.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “I n to make a different decision depending on how Lord Gok reacts.”


    “Hwayeon is my granddaughter. As I am a granddaughter whom I got at ate age, I am very attached to her. Do you think I will let my beloved granddaughter be taken to Jungwon?”


    “She actually wants to go into exile in the central ins.”


    “He’s still young, so he probably feels like he’s wandering.”


    “Although you care about your granddaughter, you don’t seem to have much respect for the person’s wishes.”


    “Do you want to call me a cruel grandfather?”


    Dokgokju’s eyes became sharper.


    I tilted my teacup to quench my throat and slowly opened my mouth.


    “Actually, I am not very obsessed with taking the princess to the central in. I wish I could take him with me, but my honest opinion is that even if I can’t, it doesn’t really matter. “No matter how much you want to achieve merit, you won’t be able to get the benefit of losing the favor with Lord Gok.”


    “…….”


    “I just want to check. Gokju’s true intentions.”