Lee Shimhwan, who was entering the backyard, saw Moyong Gi and stopped what he was doing, bowing his head.
"You're here?"
"What are you doing now?"
Lee Shimhwan's question ca before his greeting. It was because Moyong Gi's appearance, poking the ground with his sword, was not normal in anyone's eyes.
Moyong Gi drew his sword and swung it around.
"This?"
"Yes, that."
Moyong Gi shook his head.
"I'll tell you in a little while. By the way, have you thought about what I said?"
At Moyong Gi's words, Lee Shimhwan let out a groan and his face contorted. He had not yet made up his mind.
However, Moyong Gi said coldly.
"You have to go. That's the right thing to do."
"From what you say, it seems so, but... no matter what, this is a place where my ancestors have settled and cultivated for generations. It's not that easy."
"You have to think about your wife and the child who will be born soon. What are you going to do if sothing happens to them?"
"Isn't that why I'm worrying like this? If it weren't for that, it would have been out of the question, no matter what you said."
Lee Shimhwan let out a sigh. And then, he continued to speak.
"If I think rationally, you're right. You're right a hundred tis over. But it's not easy to leave ho and settle sowhere else, is it?"
"Just think of it as going on a trip. Wouldn't that be okay?"
At Moyong Gi's words, Lee Shimhwan smiled bitterly.
"It's a trip with no promise."
Moyong Gi also fully understood Lee Shimhwan's feelings. Anyone would. He sympathized with him ten tis over.
However, that was as far as it went. He had no intention of backing down.
"But you still have to go. A burned house can be rebuilt, but there's no way to bring back a dead person. You know that too, right, uncle?"
Lee Shimhwan nodded. And then, he opened his mouth with a sullen face.
"You really don't let
get away with anything."
"I'm doing this because I want the Iron Palm Sect to do well. You won't lose anything by listening to ."
"I was curious about that anyway... let
ask you now. Why are you helping our Iron Palm Sect like this? No matter how I think about it, I don't think you have a reason to do so."
Lee Shimhwan's eyes narrowed slightly. He was suspicious. No matter how he searched his mory, there was no connection with Moyong Gi, so there was no reason for him to show kindness.
"You don't have to be suspicious. It will be hard to believe even if I say this..."
"So isn't that why I'm asking for a reason? Isn't it difficult to even accept kindness as kindness at this rate?"
Moyong Gi shook his head.
"Not now. If I tell you, I'll just beco a madman. I'll tell you when the ti cos."
At those words, Lee Shimhwan's brow furrowed, but he soon had a look of resignation. It was because he was a guy who even beat up Yuk Gyeongsa, so he couldn't be a match for him in terms of strength, so his resignation was quick. Instead, he decided to solve another question.
"By the way, what have you been doing since a while ago? Are you looking for sothing?"
Moyong Gi, who was still poking the ground with his sword, looked back at Lee Shimhwan.
"Don't just stand there, help . It's taking a long ti to do it alone."
"Shouldn't you answer the question before I help you or not? What have you been looking for since a while ago?"
"You'll know when you see it, when you see it. Just hurry up and help. This is all for your own good, uncle."
Lee Shimhwan sighed and then broke off a branch. Although he had learned external martial arts, he also knew how to use his internal energy to so extent.
So as he was poking the ground without difficulty, half a shichen had already passed.
By the ti beads of sweat had ford on his forehead, Lee Shimhwan straightened his back with a grunt.
"Phew. Is there really sothing here?"
"I think so."
"You think so? What do you an? Is it just a prediction?"
"That's not it. I heard it from a reliable person."
"A reliable person? Are you saying there's soone who knows more about the affairs of our Iron Palm Sect than I do?"
Moyong Gi nodded.
"Yes. There is."
"Who is it?"
"That's also a secret."
Lee Shimhwan's face contorted.
"What's with all the secrets?"
"It's because it's difficult to say. I'll tell you when the ti cos. By the way, hurry up. It's going to be dawn at this rate."
Lee Shimhwan sighed and shook his head. And then, as he began to poke the ground with the branch again, at that mont, Lee Shimhwan's expression changed subtly.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong? Is there sothing there?"
"I don't know. I don't know what it is, but the feeling is subtly different..."
Lee Shimhwan poked the ground with the branch. Moyong Gi was terrified and ran over.
"Huh? Huh? Just a mont! How can you just poke it like that when you don't even know what's inside?"
"Is this not okay? Is it an important object?"
"It's probably more important to you than to , uncle. Move aside for now. Let
take a look."
Moyong Gi, who had pushed Lee Shimhwan aside, carefully thrust his sword. And before long, the feeling at the tip of his sword changed.
"I think I found it."
"What on earth is it?"
"Dig it up yourself."
"?"
"Of course. It's your thing, uncle."
"My thing? I don't really rember anything..."
Lee Shimhwan tilted his head and then rolled up his sleeves.
Moyong Gi grinned out of habit.
"It's yours, uncle. And when you find out what it is, you'll probably want to bow to ."
However, Lee Shimhwan, who could not read Moyong Gi's thoughts, just kept tilting his head.
***
"Strategist, it's the Flying Swallow Pavilion Master."
"Co in."
At the sight of Jang Musaeng, who was entering through the door, Zhuge Guk tilted his head.
They were both busy and it was not easy to see each other, but he was curious as to why he had co to see him again so soon after his last visit.
"Did sothing happen again?"
Jang Musaeng nodded.
"A very difficult matter has arisen."
"A difficult matter? What is it?"
"Take a look first."
Zhuge Guk, who was unconsciously scanning the report that Jang Musaeng had handed him, his eyes widened.
"Yuk Gyeongsa? The Five Poisons Divine Lord, Yuk Gyeongsa? Is it really him?"
"It seems so. It was confird by none other than Elder Yang himself."
Since it was Yang Sosam, who was from the Beggars' Sect and had a good eye, the probability of it being wrong was almost nil.
However, that was not what Zhuge Guk was questioning.
"That's not it, it says that Moyong Gi caught him alone, is that certain?"
"I don't believe it either, but it's probably certain. There were many eyes watching, and it was a place where Grandmaster Johwasim of Mount Hua was present. Isn't it a fact that everyone knows that Grandmaster Johwasim would not turn a blind eye to a lie?"
"That's true, but..."
Zhuge Guk still fidgeted with the report as if he couldn't believe it. The na Moyong Gi was particularly stuck in his eyes.
However, Zhuge Guk soon had his face contorted.
"As you said, this is really difficult."
He had seen it wrong. He had thought it was a tiger cub, but it was a dragon. If he had known he would do such a thing, he would have stopped Moyong Gi from heading to the Iron Palm Sect, no matter what.
Zhuge Guk looked at Jang Musaeng.
"It must have gone up to the Alliance Leader's Office and the Elder's Council, right?"
"It probably has. The Flying Swallow Pavilion has many eyes and ears..."
Zhuge Guk let out a groan. It was because he could see that everyone would be burning with their eyes to kill Moyong Gi.
'That's not right.'
Until now, he had thought that Zhuge Yeon had sothing to gain, and that the love play of the children was cute.
He had thought that he could use him appropriately and then throw him away if necessary.
However, the situation had changed. Now Zhuge Guk was also greedy.
Zhuge Guk, who was tapping the table with his finger out of habit, looked at Jang Musaeng with a searching eye.
"What is the reason why you brought this matter yourself?"
Jang Musaeng was not from the Nine Sects One Alliance or the Five Great Families. He was from a small sect called the Taian Sect of Xi'an, and he belonged to the neutral faction in the Orthodox Justice Alliance. In a broad sense, he was on Jinsan's side. So he was curious.
However, Jang Musaeng replied with a surprisingly calm face.
"I do not want the alliance to beco noisy. Because then it will be difficult to face the Heavenly Demon Fortress."
At the words 'Heavenly Demon Fortress', Zhuge Guk finally had a feeling.
"Your father died during the Orthodox-Demon War, right?"
"Yes."
"You can't live under the sa sky as the Heavenly Demon Fortress."
"That's right."
"So you ca to . Believing that I have a plan to quell this matter."
"You saw it right."
Zhuge Guk shook his head.
"But you're mistaken. How can I stop this matter? It's none other than the Five Poisons Divine Lord, Yuk Gyeongsa. Everyone will unite and try to kill that child. But I have to save that child. I'm saying that I will be deeply involved in this chaos."
Jang Musaeng shut his mouth with a heavy face. Zhuge Guk asked again.
"You didn't expect that much?"
"I did."
"But?"
"I wanted to see with my own two eyes what choice the strategist would make."
Zhuge Guk nodded with a face that said he had expected it.
"Yes, what are your thoughts after seeing it yourself?"
"I think I have to kill that child."
Zhuge Guk's brow furrowed.
"Do you have to go that far?"
"Even if it's split into three factions, if it's split any further, the Orthodox Justice Alliance will not be able to remain."
"It's already split. The rift is on the verge of deepening."
"It's not yet dug, is it? Even if it was dug, we can just fill it up again. Aren't the people above the ones who are best at that?"
Jang Musaeng shot up from his seat.
"I'll be leaving now."
Zhuge Guk reluctantly nodded.
"Alright."
Jang Musaeng, who was about to leave the office at Zhuge Guk's permission, suddenly stopped as if he had thought of sothing and looked back at Zhuge Guk.
"By the way, that report. Did you read it to the end?"
"Huh?"
"Read it to the end."
Zhuge Guk's two eyes were filled with questions. However, Jang Musaeng did not open his mouth any further and left the office.
Zhuge Guk, who was staring at the place where Jang Musaeng had disappeared with a his brow furrowed, soon unfolded the report again.
The mont Zhuge Guk's gaze turned to the last part of the report, Zhuge Guk shot up from his seat.
"Damn it! Yeon!"
***
Hwang Han, who had taken over the position of Director of the Eastern Depot in place of Jo Go, was in a good mood these days. To say he was in a good mood was not enough, he felt like he was flying. It was because he, who had been carrying a dung cart, had risen to the position of being in charge of the Eastern Depot, which was a teoric rise.
Of course, Hwang Han was not fully in charge of the Eastern Depot. He was just a figurehead, and the real power was held by Wang Jin, the adopted son of Wang Shik, the powerful figure of the Eastern Depot.
Although he was inwardly dissatisfied, the wealth that was accumulating day by day made even that lt away like snow. So every day was enjoyable. His mouth was always stretched from ear to ear.
However, Hwang Han was not in the mood for that today. A single report that had flown in from the Dark Shadow Brigade had brought the cold of the North Sea to his office, which had been overflowing with the spring breeze.
"A failure?"
Wang Jin, who was occupying Hwang Han's seat, the seat of honor, had his usual cheerful smile.
However, Hwang Han's voice, as he replied, trembled without him realizing it.
"Y-yes."
"What about the damage?"
"Y-yes?"
"I said what about the damage?"
"Th-that's..."
A third of the mobilized military strength had been broken. In military terms, they had suffered damage close to annihilation. So Hwang Han did not dare to reveal it with his own mouth.
However, as if he did not know his feelings, Wang Jin still urged Hwang Han with a cheerful smile.
"Shouldn't we know how much the damage is to deal with it? Tell . How much is the damage?"
Hwang Han, with a troubled face, could not even look straight at Wang Jin. However, if he dragged on any longer, the repercussions might be even greater.
"Sixty mbers of the Dark Shadow Brigade died..."
"Died? Is there more?"
Hwang Han squeezed his eyes shut.
"Yuk Gyeongsa died."
At those words, the smile disappeared from Wang Jin's face, which was always smiling.
"Yuk Gyeongsa?"
(End of Chapter)
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