As sumr passed, the clothes Cho Myung was wearing beca like rags. After training from spring until the end of sumr, they had beco so.
Although the clothes were worn out, his longing and gratitude for Old Man Ban had not worn out.
After killing a centipede that had lived for hundreds of years and training frantically for about a month, when he realized that the clothes he was wearing had beco like rags, his heart ached greatly.
Feelings of apology and longing for Old Man Ban welled up all at once.
After composing himself for a long ti, Cho Myung realized that his feelings for his master had not changed at all. And he thought that his master would fully understand with just that feeling. Besides, clothes were bound to wear out soday.
From then on, Cho Myung was able to concentrate on his training without worrying about his clothes.
As a result, his training in the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest was successful. He had completed one of the training thods his master had left him. Killing the centipede and absorbing its inner core was a bonus.
It was the ti when sumr was ending and the heat had subsided.
Cho Myung left the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest.
Zhanlin, Guangxi Province.
It was a city you would encounter if you entered Guangxi Province from the southwestern part of Guizhou Province.
Since it was located on the way to Nanning, the center of Guangxi Province, it had a considerable floating population for a small and dium-sized city.
Cho Myung entered Zhanlin around noon.
Since he had washed in a stream on the way and had bought and changed into a new blue martial arts uniform, he looked quite bright.
Since Cho Myung had over thirty silver coins left in his possession, he went to a nearby inn without hesitation.
"Welco!"
A waiter greeted Cho Myung cheerfully.
Cho Myung, who had lost even the remaining baby fat, had the face and body of a late teenager.
Perhaps because of that, a hint of envy was visible on the face of the waiter, who seed to be of a similar age.
"The only remaining seats are for sharing, is that okay?"
Since it was close to lunchti, the inn was full of custors eating.
When Cho Myung nodded his head, the waiter guided him inside.
"Custors, since there is one empty seat, I will have you share a table."
Although five people were sitting at the table, they just glanced at him and no one said anything. It was natural and common to share a table when there were many custors, no matter where you went in the world.
Cho Myung sat down in the empty seat.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Give any chicken dish for three people."
"Do you have company?"
"No."
"Ah, I see."
The waiter, who had hesitated for a mont, quickly ran to the kitchen.
Cho Myung made an awkward face for a mont.
Although he had ordered only three servings because he was embarrassed to eat four servings, it was still embarrassing.
'Should I have just ordered four servings?'
It was when Cho Myung was feeling awkward by himself.
"Since you don't have a weapon, you don't seem to be a martial artist, but I don't know what kind of work you do to eat three servings by yourself."
The burly man with a beard who was sitting in front of him looked at him with a grin.
He was a burly man with a huge build, and seeing that he had put down his chopsticks, it seed he had finished his al.
"Why are you being sarcastic? He's at a growing age."
"Sarcastic, I was just curious. And it seems he's past his growing age, what. Young brother, how old are you this year?"
When a burly man who seed to be his colleague rebuked him from the side, the burly man with a beard who had spoken earlier refuted and then asked Cho Myung.
"I'm seventeen."
Cho Myung answered.
"Is it because you eat well, you're tall for your age. What kind of work do you do?"
"Just... heavy lifting."
"Heavy lifting? With that build?"
Cho Myung's body had a slender feeling. For his age of seventeen, he was a little tall, but he did not have a sturdy build. Of course, if you took off his clothes, it would be a completely different feeling.
"If you're strong, would you like to work with us?"
At the words of whether he would like to work, the words Hua Sochen had said ca to his mind.
That it would be a good experience to earn money himself.
Of course, he had also lived as a ronin for a short ti. But at that ti, he had only fought, so it did not feel like he had worked.
"What kind of work is it?"
"It's carrying timber."
"Timber?"
"Wood, don't you know wood?"
"I know."
"If you're strong, you should be able to do it without much difficulty. The daily wage is twelve silver coins, so it's a lot. There's no reason to refuse. Isn't that right?"
The grinning burly man with a beard.
He was clearly teasing Cho Myung.
How strong could a neat-looking boy be?
He was thinking of embarrassing him through the process of checking how strong he was, saying that it was a necessary procedure to work together.
Cho Myung also realized that the burly man in front of him was teasing him.
So he did not get angry and accepted it calmly.
There was no need to get angry over sothing like this. Because he could pay him back at the necessary mont.
"I guess so. There's no reason to refuse."
Cho Myung answered.
At that mont, a ridicule deepened on the lips of the burly man with a beard.
"Good. To work together, we must know how strong you are as a procedure, so let's test it now."
"How?"
"Arm wrestling."
"......!"
"You don't know?"
"No."
"Waiter!"
The burly man with a beard who called the waiter instead of explaining.
When the waiter ca running, he told him to clear the table.
Since his colleagues were also finishing their al, the waiter quickly began to clear the dishes. After a while, when he quickly wiped the table with a dry cloth, the burly man with a beard brought his upper body close and placed his right arm on the table.
"Well, follow ."
Cho Myung placed his elbow on the table as he was told and then raised his arm. Then the burly man with a beard grabbed Cho Myung's hand and took an arm wrestling posture.
When the situation beca like that, the people at the nearby tables looked at them. But that was all. Because the difference in build between Cho Myung and the burly man was so great that there was no need to see the result.
"Well, in this state, I'll push this way, so you push the other way. If the back of your hand touches the floor, you lose."
"Yes."
The mont Cho Myung answered, another burly man pressed down on the two clasped hands from above.
"Good, I'll be the judge."
Cho Myung just blinked his eyes, and the burly man with a beard grinned.
"When I say start, you use your strength. Good, well, start!"
The mont the burly man who was the judge shouted, the two clasped hands tilted to one side.
It seed that the back of Cho Myung's hand would soon touch the table.
But what was this, it stopped abruptly in a state where it was tilted so much that it seed it would touch at any mont.
At that sight, the other burly n chuckled. They thought that the burly man with a beard was deliberately playing a prank. But the reality was not like that.
'Wh-what!'
The burly man with a beard was startled.
When he used his strength, it tilted at once, and then it suddenly stopped. Then, no matter how much he tried, it would not budge.
Cho Myung, who was staring at such a burly man with a beard, slowly used his strength.
The two clasped hands slowly began to move to the other side.
At that sight, the colleagues of the burly man with a beard clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
"Don't play around too much."
"That's right. You should only tease moderately."
Although his colleagues said a word each, the burly man with a beard could not say anything.
Although he was using all his strength, he could not stop it from coming over to his side.
The burly man with a beard, who was trying so hard that the veins on his forearm were bulging.
His face began to turn red. Then his colleagues felt that sothing was strange.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"What kind of prank are you playing?"
Everyone looked at the burly man with a beard and then turned to Cho Myung.
Cho Myung was just staring at the two clasped hands with a calm face. Looking at his expression, he seed like a person who was not using any strength at all.
In the anti, the two hands that had slowly tilted to the other side.
"Wh-what!"
"It's not... a prank!"
When the colleagues of the burly man with a beard let out a word in bewildernt, the people at the nearby tables began to watch with interest at the commotion.
Even in the midst of that, the two hands continued to tilt, and the face of the burly man with a beard turned red like a ripe persimmon. The veins on not only his forearm but also his neck were bulging as much as he was trying.
Nevertheless, he could not change the situation.
It was slowly tilting like a giant tree falling. And after a while, the back of the hand of the burly man with a beard finally touched the floor.
"......!"
"I won."
Cho Myung said.
The burly man with a beard could not say anything and just stared with surprised eyes.
"Did I pass?"
Cho Myung asked again.
Only then did the burly man with a beard, who had co to his senses, push his chair and shoot up.
"Did you learn martial arts?"
"Yes."
"......!"
At Cho Myung's answer, the heart of the burly man with a beard sank. He had touched a person he should never have touched.
"I-I have committed a mortal sin. Please forgive ."
The burly man with a beard bowed his waist. When the situation reached this point, the colleagues of the burly man with a beard also slyly got up from their seats.
Seeing that, Cho Myung said in a calm tone.
"You were teasing as if you were playing with a person... are you begging now?"
"Please spare ."
The burly n all bowed their waists.
"Don't tease people carelessly just because you have so strength. I know well that you can get into trouble if you do that."
Although the words were calm, they sohow had a murderous feeling.
The burly n could not even straighten their waists and trembled in fear.
"Since you don't seem to be very bad people, I'll let you go, so please leave."
"Thank you!"
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The burly n bowed their waists to the point of looking servile and left as if they were running away.
Cho Myung once again realized that the law of the jungle was not only in the world of martial artists.
A world where you have to eat to not be eaten.
That was the world of humans.
"Please enjoy your al!"
The waiter ca with the dishes he had ordered.
Since he had also seen Cho Myung arm wrestle and had heard what the burly n had said, he retreated, watching Cho Myung's face.
Cho Myung picked up his chopsticks.
He had definitely ordered three servings of the dish. But it was a little over two servings. Knowing that he would be eating alone, they had reduced the amount a little.
The waiter and the kitchen cook were clearly worried that Cho Myung would get angry, as they kept glancing at him.
Cho Myung, who had eaten everything in an hour, put down his chopsticks with a feeling of regret.
At this ti, the waiter, who had been pushed by the kitchen cook, ca running and poured him tea.
"If you're short, please just say the word, I'll bring you more."
He was short.
A lot.
But Cho Myung, who was already offended, shook his head.
"It's okay."
Although Cho Myung said it was okay, the waiter, who could not know if it was really okay, glanced at the kitchen and did not know what to do.
At this ti, a woman in her thirties got up from another table and approached him directly. At the presence, Cho Myung looked back and saw that she had a sword at her waist.
"Are you looking for a job?"
"Yes."
"Are you good enough to face the heroes of the Green Forest?"
"Yes."
Cho Myung answered without hesitation.
Since he had faced even the fortress masters of Pyeongsan Fortress and Dongjia Fortress, he had co out without even thinking.
Then the woman stared at him.
She must have been sizing him up once again at Cho Myung's confident appearance.
Whether he was a master whose skills she could not even fathom, or a greenhorn who could not distinguish heaven and earth.
'Seeing that he was facing the lumberjack, it seems his basic internal energy is solid, and he doesn't seem to have a personality of acting up carelessly. But no matter how I look at him, he's a greenhorn.'
The woman had finished her final judgnt of Cho Myung.
"Good. We're going to Guiyang. I'll give you two silver coins when we arrive. How about it?"
"Good. I'll go with you."
Cho Myung answered imdiately, as if there was nothing to think about.
It was not because he liked the woman or the amount she had offered.
It was rather the opposite.
He had heard the conversation the woman was having quietly at her table.
- Look over there.
- He's using internal energy.
- It seems his basic internal energy is considerable. Hearing the conversation he had with the lumberjack, he's clearly a newcor to the martial world.
- Hire him?
- Doesn't he look suitable?
- Well.
- The good thing about a newcor is that he's easy to use. He probably won't even realize that he's being used as a shield until it happens.
- That's true.
- The useful ronin are all quick-witted, so I don't like them. A greenhorn like that would be grateful.
- I see. I'll go and see.
- No, I'll go and talk to him. One of the characteristics of a greenhorn is that they are weak to a beauty like .
- You brat.
From Cho Myung's point of view, the woman was likely a bad person.
She was a person he did not want to associate with, who he did not even want to face and talk to.
But he was curious.
What kind of shield was she going to use him as?
The world was wide.
The Orthodox and Demonic Factions. Ordinary martial artists and absolute masters like the Six Orthodox Heavens.
The world was not just made up of those.
There were also the Seven Kill Chamber, Yifeng Hall, the villagers of the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest, swindlers, and the lumberjack and the woman in front of him.
Just by looking around the inn, various groups of people were gathered.
Cho Myung wanted to see more, et more, and fight more.
To use him as a shield ant that a fight might break out.
So there was no reason to refuse.
"What's your na?"
"I'm Ban Myung."
Cho Myung answered, looking straight at the woman.
It was not a smiling face.
(End of Chapter)
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