Divine Demonic Path Chapter 69 : Pride is Protected by Skill

The whole mountain was dyed in red and yellow.

It was because it had entered the full autumn.

There was a boy who was about to cross the mountain around noon when the sun was at its warst.

It was Cho Myung.

He had entered the land of Guizhou five days after leaving the Hua Family Clinic.

He had not co to Guizhou with a destination in mind. He had just headed south without a plan and had ended up in Guizhou.

'Where should I go? What should I do?'

It was a worry that had continued for several days.

It was difficult to even et people as he walked aimlessly over mountains and across waters.

He had not even seen a city for five days, and he had only passed by a very small mountain village once. So he had thought of following the road instead of walking aimlessly.

He had thought that even if he had to take a detour, he would et people and co across villages and cities if he followed the road.

"Hey!"

A man's thick voice was heard from sowhere.

It was clearly a voice calling soone.

"Hey, little brother!"

When Cho Myung turned his gaze to where the sound was coming from, he saw three people sitting together under a large tree.

Since they were gesturing towards him, Cho Myung looked behind him.

"It's you, little brother, so don't look back!"

Only then did Cho Myung realize that they were calling him and approached them.

A sword without a scabbard, a dark iron club, and a normal-looking sword.

They were the weapons of the three.

The one who had called Cho Myung was a man in his forties with a bushy beard, and the other two were n who looked to be in their late thirties.

"Are you trying to cross the mountain?"

"Yes."

Cho Myung answered, staring at the three. He had looked at them with interest because they were people he had t after a long ti. But it seed that his appearance looked a little different.

"Don't be so wary. We're just wandering ronin, not vicious people."

"Yes."

"We're also waiting to cross the mountain, so how about we go together? That mountain may look like that, but one of the Green Forest mountain fortresses is holding out there, so if you move in a small number, you might et with a disaster."

"A Green Forest mountain fortress?"

"It's called Pyeongsan Fortress, and it's not a large scale, but it's rumored that the fortress master there is a bit hot-tempered."

Green Forest.

They were mountain bandits.

It was just that since so ti ago, the mountain bandits had been calling themselves Green Forest or Green Forest heroes to glorify themselves.

"It seems you don't even know what Green Forest is."

One of the n in his thirties, who looked a little thin and had been watching Cho Myung, said.

"You really don't know?"

"Yes."

When Cho Myung said so, the man in his forties with a bushy beard looked him up and down and then asked again.

"Is this your first ti out?"

"My first ti out?"

"I an, is this your first ti out in the world?"

"Um... yes."

Since it was his first ti alone, he answered so.

Then a slight hint of worry appeared on the face of the man in his forties and then disappeared.

The other two in their thirties turned their heads as if they were not interested.

"Sit there for now."

At the words of the man in his forties, Cho Myung sat down on the dry ground.

"My na is Eom Tak. This is Gwak Gyeong and Ilpyeong."

The man who looked a little thin was Gwak Gyeong, and the man who was a little short was Ilpyeong.

"My na is Ban Myung."

"Is that your real na?"

When Cho Myung could not answer right away, Eom Tak chuckled.

"We're not all using our real nas either. When you wander around here and there, there are tis when you have to abandon your na and change it. Anyway, seeing that you're even using a pseudonym, you don't seem to be a complete novice."

"Yes."

"Do you know so martial arts?"

"Yes."

"I don't see a weapon."

"I'm good with my fists."

As soon as he said he was good with his fists, Gwak Gyeong chuckled.

"You're perfect for getting stabbed while boasting about your fists. Big brother, I don't want to carry a burden, so just send the kid away."

"But we can't just send him alone. Let's send him away after we pass Pyeongsan Fortress."

"I'm against it, so you take responsibility, big brother."

"I will."

Eom Tak, who had nodded his head awkwardly, smiled at Cho Myung.

"We're also of diocre skill, so if a fight breaks out, it will be difficult for each of us to take care of our own bodies. You don't have to worry about the ordinary bandits of Pyeongsan Fortress, but the fortress master and the vice fortress master are different. They are strong enemies to be careful of."

"Yes."

"But don't be too scared, we're not going to cross it by ourselves."

"Are there more?"

"We're hoping and waiting for them. If there aren't, we can just take a long detour around the mountain."

"Yes."

Cho Myung nodded his head.

He had understood what he was saying.

Eom Tak liked such a Cho Myung.

Because he seed to have a docile personality like a well-behaved child, and because he seed to be quite quick-witted, so he would not be frustrating. And it also reminded him of when he had first gone out into the world.

'At that ti, I thought I could do anything...'

First ti out.

It was a ti when he was full of dreams as it was his first step into the world.

So there were countless people who died a violent death after rushing in without being able to distinguish between shit and sothing else.

'Don't you do that.'

It was when Eom Tak was worrying about Cho Myung's future.

"Big brother, over there."

Gwak Gyeong said.

When Eom Tak looked, a quite large number of people were approaching.

"It's an escort!"

Eom Tak shot up.

It was close to a stroke of luck to et a group on an escort mission in front of a mountain fortress.

Because the escorts of the escort agency were skilled enough that the mountain bandits could not rush in carelessly, and also because they quietly passed by, paying a certain amount as a toll according to the custom of the Green Forest and the escort agency.

Gwak Gyeong and Ilpyeong also got up from their seats.

"Let's go."

With Eom Tak in the lead, the four, including Cho Myung, approached the group on the escort mission.

"Stop there!"

When the four approached, a rough shout burst out from the front of the escort.

Eom Tak stopped walking and cupped his two hands in a fist.

"Hello. We are wanderers who were worried about how to cross the mountain where Pyeongsan Fortress is. Please show us your generosity and allow us to follow the tail of your escort."

The head of the escort, who was leading the front, looked over the four, including Eom Tak.

The head of the escort was the leader who led the escorts, and depending on the size of the escort, several heads of the escort would go out together, and there was a hierarchy among them, and the person in charge of the escort was usually the head of the escort with the highest rank.

With the sound of horse hooves, a horse moved to the front.

Surprisingly, even though Cho Myung was close, it only snorted a few tis and did not seem to be very wary.

Because it had been raised in an escort agency for a long ti, it was immune to the prayer of the martial artists, and it was a horse that knew that no matter how strong a person was, they would not harm it.

"Let's see."

The old man on the horse.

Perhaps because his lips were thin, he gave off a cunning impression.

He was Yang Gyeongpil, the head of the escort in charge of this escort.

Yang Gyeongpil, who had stopped his horse, sat arrogantly on the horse with his back straight and looked down at Eom Tak and the others.

He looked over Eom Tak and the others with a sharp gaze.

It was the typical appearance of ronin. Since he had been in the escort business for a long ti, he had a rough idea unless it was a master of a higher level than himself.

They were of diocre skill.

In a word, they were nothing special.

"Are you ronin?"

"We are wanderers who can't even be called ronin."

When Yang Gyeongpil asked, Eom Tak lowered his posture to the extre.

The escorts and the ronin were almost like natural enemies.

The escorts pointed their fingers at the ronin, saying they sold their swords for a pittance, and the ronin would often growl back, saying who are you to curse when you also live by receiving money, they were almost like a dog and a cat.

"You want to cross the mountain with us?"

"If you show us your generosity, we will follow quietly as if we were not there."

"It's not difficult to take you with us."

At Yang Gyeongpil's words, Eom Tak's face brightened.

But it did not last long.

"But look at you and our escorts. Who would think you are the sa group?"

The clothes of the escorts and the clothes of the ronin.

He was talking about the difference.

It was at this ti that the head of the escort, who was leading the front, twisted his lips and smiled and interjected.

"If they didn't have weapons, there would be no difference from the laborers."

The laborers were the workers who were in charge of the nial tasks during the escort.

At the words of the head of the escort, a sneer also hung on Yang Gyeongpil's lips.

"If you entrust your weapons, I will do so."

Yang Gyeongpil said.

At that mont, there was a person who got angry.

"Forget it! Just go!"

It was Gwak Gyeong.

The hot-tempered Gwak Gyeong glared fiercely and shouted.

"You brat! Where do you dare to raise your voice!"

The head of the escort shouted.

He was in a mood to draw his sword in one go if only Yang Gyeongpil's permission was given, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"If it were you, wouldn't you get angry if soone told you to entrust your weapon!"

"Hmph! Pride is protected by skill!"

"Do you want to see if I have the skill?"

At Gwak Gyeong's provocation, the head of the escort looked at Yang Gyeongpil.

Yang Gyeongpil chuckled.

Normally, he would have smashed his mouth in one go, but during an escort, it was the law to pretend not to see and pass by even a trivial argunt.

"Since he said forget it, let him be, and let's go."

"Yes."

At Yang Gyeongpil's words, the head of the escort, who had glared at Gwak Gyeong, took the lead again and gave the signal to start.

The group of the Taegang Escort Agency, with the escort flag in front, went on their way like that.

"What do we do now?"

Ilpyeong asked.

"What do you an, what do we do! We have to follow quietly."

Eom Tak began to follow the Taegang Escort Agency, keeping a certain distance.

Gwak Gyeong, who had burst into anger, also moved his steps as if nothing had happened.

"Sotis you have to know how to bend your pride to save your life. Ahem."

Ilpyeong glanced at Cho Myung and said so, and then quickly followed Eom Tak.

Cho Myung followed the three, engraving the words of the head of the escort rather than Ilpyeong's words.

- Pride is protected by skill

***

Pyeongsan Fortress Master, Daerang.

He was a person who had changed his na to 'big wolf' because he liked the habit of a fierce wolf.

When he was in a good mood, he would smile and say to go on your way comfortably like a mountain hero, but if there was sothing that made him feel bad even by a speck of dust, he was a hot-tempered person among hot-tempered people who did not hesitate to use his sword.

"I feel like I'm losing out by receiving the sa amount every ti."

Daerang, who was lightly throwing and catching the purse in his hand, glanced at Yang Gyeongpil.

He had a strong build and was wearing a gray wolf skin vest, and he was holding a large long sword in one hand, so he looked like a fierce mountain bandit that you would see in a picture.

"Why are you doing this again? Don't you know the personality of our head of the agency? If you wish for more than this even for such a small scale, he will try to change the route. As I say every ti I see you, I have never seen a hero I like as much as you. Let's see each other with a smile for another ten years."

At the words of changing the route, Daerang's heart could not help but sink.

One of the things that the mountain fortress was most reluctant about was the escort agency and the rchant guilds changing their routes. Because that was directly related to the inco of the mountain fortress.

In fact, when the Taegang Escort Agency changed its route, the rchant guilds also changed, and for half a year, the inco of Pyeongsan Fortress had almost hit the bottom.

Since then, Daerang had been killing his temper and compromising at a reasonable level.

"I always want to smile. But lately, it seems my underlings have a complaint. They say why do we receive the sa amount every ti because we're scared of the escort agency."

Daerang was being cunning, unlike his fierce impression.

At that, Yang Gyeongpil went one step further and said loudly.

"No, what kind of idiot would say such a thing. We are living with a smile every ti without shedding blood thanks to the generosity of the fortress master!"

When Yang Gyeongpil praised him, Daerang smiled with satisfaction.

"Generosity is what, it's good for everyone. Now, now. Please pass by."

Daerang gestured to his underlings and opened the way.

"Thank you, I will report to the head of the agency and suggest that we raise the amount a little even for a larger escort."

"Aigoo! It's okay. It's obvious that he will make a fuss about changing the route with his stubborn personality. Let's go with this amount until next year."

"You're so generous."

While the two were praising each other, the last cart of the escort passed by.

And at that ti, the four, including Eom Tak, quickly followed.

It was at this ti.

"Hey, you four over there!"

At Yang Gyeongpil's shout, Daerang's gaze turned.

He was just in a state of 'what is it?'.

But Yang Gyeongpil said.

"Fortress master, those four have nothing to do with us. They were trying to deceive you by acting like a tail on the escort, so I kicked them out sternly, and they followed stealthily."

"I've seen these bastards!"

"Ahem, I'll be going now, so please oil your sword for the first ti in a while."

"Yes, yes. Please go."

Daerang, who had sent Yang Gyeongpil away, approached the flustered Eom Tak and the others.

His underlings had quickly blocked the way of the four.

"You bastards! You're all dead today!"

The shout of the Pyeongsan Fortress Master, Daerang, shook the whole mountain.

Yang Gyeongpil, who was going away, looked back and chuckled.

"This brat or that brat. It's a good day to see blood."

(End of Chapter)