When I arrived at Senior Uncle Ok Heo's quarters, I could sll a familiar scent.
'No... did old man Maeng Gwang-gae sll like this since this ti?'
Well, just because a beggar is a little younger doesn't an he's a less dirty beggar, so it could be similar.
More than that, Senior Uncle Ok Heo, who let such a Maeng Gwang-gae into his room and is also calmly inside his quarters, looks respectable.
Although I also spent quite a lot of days with old man Maeng Gwang-gae in my previous life, most of the ti was spent outdoors.
"Senior Uncle. It's , Unhwi."
"Co in."
I wish he would co out, but he tells to co in.
I had no choice but to take a deep breath outside and then enter the quarters.
There were Senior Uncle Ok Heo and old man Maeng Gwang-gae.
Maeng Gwang-gae. A welco face.
Not many people know that behind that grumpy-looking expression, a warr heart than anyone else is hidden.
To be honest, I also thought at first that he was just an old man with a strange personality.
'He must be twenty years younger than I rember... but his face is not much different.'
Although there are a few less wrinkles, that dirty face is the sa.
Well, since he was over eighty at that ti, Maeng Gwang-gae now must be over sixty.
It ans that if he had married at a normal age and had children, he would be old enough to be a grandfather.
"Oh... are you Unhwi?"
I almost let out a small laugh without my realizing it.
Because I rembered my first eting with Maeng Gwang-gae in my previous life.
'Oh... so you're the guy nad Unhwi?'
At that ti, Maeng Gwang-gae had said sothing similar.
Although the tone is slightly different, anyway, the fact that he was originally interested in the na Unhwi is the sa.
"Yes, Elder Maeng Gwang-gae."
"Huh? How did you know that I am Maeng Gwang-gae? Have we t before?"
"I have heard so rumors about Elder Maeng Gwang-gae."
"Rumors?"
"I heard that you use a black striking staff like charcoal, and that you braid your hair and tie it back. And aren't you a Beggars' Sect mber who wears a seven-knot knot?"
"You have quite a bit of observation skills. Although I have heard a lot that you are smart, I can also see it at a glance."
Maeng Gwang-gae laughed as if he were in a good mood.
The reason he liked in his previous life was nothing special.
The only reason was that I was a rising star with talent and perseverance.
Old man Maeng Gwang-gae did not judge based on my origin or background like other orthodox faction guys.
He just looked at my martial arts and achievents that I had achieved and accomplished on my own.
He is one of the few martial artists who saw purely as a Self-Taught Swordsman.
"Maeng Gwang-gae. Didn't I tell you? That he is an outstanding child."
"Yes... to be honest, it's to the point where I can't believe it. Since that child ca in, I have been trying hard to examine the energy he has, but I still haven't been able to grasp it properly."
He looked at with eyes full of admiration.
In fact, from the mont we first t, he had been sending his internal energy and trying to scan my dantian, so I had slightly changed the direction of my true energy and interfered.
Since I had detected the formless energy and even interfered with it, it might be natural for him to be surprised as he looked at .
"Alright. Although I want to grasp the martial arts in more detail... I think this much is enough. This child is more than enough for the standard I ntioned."
"And although he is not as good as this child, there are a few disciples who are comparable. I'm thinking of sending about three, including those children. What do you think?"
"Three... that's enough. Because we are thinking of calling rising stars from other sects as well."
I listened to the two of them talk in silence.
Although I couldn't grasp what they were talking about properly, when I combined it with the information I already knew, I was able to co to one conclusion.
'Maybe I'll end up going to Shandong Province or Zhejiang Province.'
It seems they are probably trying to send rising stars to stop the ambition of the Seven Tyrants of the Yellow Sea.
If they had carried out this operation in their previous life, it would have probably failed.
Because as far as I know, I have never heard a story that the rising stars did sothing to the Seven Tyrants of the Yellow Sea.
'Although the Martial Arts Alliance ambitiously gathered the rising stars, it must have unfortunately failed. And then the Fist King, who couldn't stand it anymore, stepped in.'
The pieces roughly fit together.
But, this ti, it will be very different from the previous life.
Because it seems I will be participating in this operation.
"If it's other sects... does that include Shaolin by any chance? I heard that there are many outstanding rising stars in Shaolin."
"No. Shaolin is not possible. Don't they show that they are monks of Shaolin too much even if you don't look closely? If we're going to take the Shaolin monks, we might as well just have the Martial Arts Alliance step in directly."
"That's also true. Then we'll probably mainly take from the Taoist or commoner families."
"And since we will also ask for cooperation from the martial arts families, it's not like we will be short on personnel."
The two of them talked for a long ti like that.
As I was listening in silence, my eyes t with Senior Uncle Ok Heo, and he said in a voice as if he had forgotten sothing important, "Co to think of it, I haven't explained to Unhwi what happened yet."
"Look at my mind. When he saw at first and guessed that I was Maeng Gwang-gae in one go, I mistakenly thought that he already knew the content."
Maeng Gwang-gae, as if he were dumbfounded, couldn't hold back his laughter for a mont, and then he began to speak to with a serious face.
As expected, he brought up the story about the Seven Tyrants of the Yellow Sea.
He also said that they are now openly talking about rging the Hwangbo family and becoming the Eight Tyrants of the Yellow Sea.
"There's not much of a strategy. Although it's not sothing to say as an elder of the orthodox faction, it's just a matter of appropriately distributing the personnel and then raiding the Seven Tyrants of the Yellow Sea and just causing a commotion and coming out. By making them pay more attention to their internal security and personnel deploynt, their interest in the Hwangbo family will naturally decrease."
It was an explanation that I understood at once.
Maeng Gwang-gae, contrary to his appearance, is good at speaking and good at tricks.
He even has a knack for formations, so he can deactivate any ordinary formation on his own.
"But do we have to go right now by any chance?"
"No. Not right now. Since there is a little ti."
"How much ti is there?"
"About... a month?"
I tilted my head and answered, "A month would be a little difficult."
"Why?"
"Because we have a very important event in a month."
"An event?"
Maeng Gwang-gae looked back and forth between and Senior Uncle Ok Heo and then said as if he had rembered sothing, "Ah! The Buddhist-Taoist Great War was in a month!"
"The Taoist-Buddhist Great War!"
"It's the Taoist-Buddhist Great War."
The mont he said the Buddhist-Taoist Great War, Senior Uncle Ok Heo and I shouted, and he was startled.
Especially Senior Uncle Ok Heo, he shouted so loudly that the inside of the quarters rang.
Maeng Gwang-gae, as if his ears were itchy, picked his ear with his finger and said, "Ouch, you scared ! Buddhist-Taoist or Taoist-Buddhist, it's the sa thing. And the last competition was won by Shaolin, right? Then it's worth calling it the Buddhist-Taoist Great War."
"Ahem. Still, you have to keep what you have to keep."
"In Shaolin, they all call it the Buddhist-Taoist Great War."
"Then go to Shaolin now. You can just ask Shaolin for help, not our Wudang."
"No, this person. You're being petty."
"Petty? I don't think that's what you should be saying."
"Co on. Is helping the Hwangbo family sothing I'm doing for my own good?"
"......"
"Sigh. Alright. The Taoist-Buddhist Great War! I will go first and get a spot with the rising stars of other sects, so the rising stars of the Wudang Sect, join after the Taoist-Buddhist Great War is over. That should be fine, right?"
Only then did Senior Uncle Ok Heo smile and answer, "Unhwi-ya. What do you think? I think this would be fine."
"Yes. I also think it's good, Senior Uncle, and if the sect leader allows it later, I will do so."
"Good. I'm thinking of sending you, Un Cheol, and Un Gwang together. How about that?"
"Yes. I will do so. Since all my senior brothers have outstanding martial arts, they will be able to play a big role."
But Maeng Gwang-gae intervened in our conversation and said, "What about the child nad Un Mi?"
"Un Mi?"
"I t that child a little while ago, and his body is well-trained, and the energy he has also seems considerable."
"That child is also well-trained. But he is no match for Unhwi, let alone Un Gwang or Un Cheol."
"Is the difference that severe?"
"Can't you believe it? Do you think I'm saying that because I don't want to send a child I cherish?"
"That's not what I ant."
Senior Uncle Ok Heo let out a small laugh and said to Maeng Gwang-gae, "You. Were you thinking of going down the mountain right away after the conversation is over?"
"No? I was thinking of resting for about a day. Because I also ran all the way from Kaifeng to here."
"That's good. Then would you like to see our disciples train?"
"See them train?"
Since it is not common to show training to outsiders, Maeng Gwang-gae showed a mont of bewildernt, but he soon collected himself and answered that he would.
For now, it seed he could not overco his curiosity more than anything else.
"Let see. How confident are you that you're showing your training?"
Although he pretended to speak casually, his voice was full of expectation.
There is no martial artist in the world who dislikes martial arts.
And it is an even rarer opportunity to legally watch the training of one of the Nine Sects and One Gang.
"Then let's get up. Let's go and see right now."
"Let's do that."
"Unhwi, you guide us. You would know best where to go to see the children train properly, wouldn't you?"
"Yes. I will escort you two."
I took the lead and ca out of the quarters.
But old man Maeng Gwang-gae had already co out, but my senior uncle was not coming out, as if he were doing sothing.
I was about to go back inside and ask my senior uncle what he was doing...
Creak-thud— Creak-thud—
The sound of a window opening ca from inside the room.
I let out a small laugh inside.
It seems my senior uncle also found it hard to endure the stench of old man Maeng Gwang-gae.
"Hmm-hmm. Why isn't he coming out?"
Maeng Gwang-gae, as if he were also embarrassed, muttered to himself and wiped under his nose.
My senior uncle ca out after opening all the windows.
***
"Hoho..."
A little while later.
Old man Maeng Gwang-gae, after arriving at the Yuyeop Hall training ground and watching the senior brothers train, has been letting out hollow laughs continuously.
Of course, it could be that he is laughing because the sight of them training like crazy while screaming as if they would die at any mont is ridiculous, but Senior Uncle Ok Heo and I were convinced that he was not laughing because of that now.
"Ok Heo. Is it because the Taoist-Buddhist Great War is approaching that they are all overdoing it?"
"No way. What do you think? Do you think they are overdoing it now?"
"To be honest, no... they all look familiar, so it seems they always do this."
"That's right. Originally, we focused a lot on qi training rather than physical training... but now we have decided to eliminate that distinction. We just decided to do our best to the limit within what we can do."
Senior Uncle Ok Heo, while placing his hand on my shoulder, continued, "And all of that is a change that happened when this child ca to Wudang."
Maeng Gwang-gae, with an unbelievable eye, looked back and forth between and my senior brothers and then opened his mouth.
"This is... from now on, I should try not to use the word Buddhist-Taoist Great War as much as possible and say the Taoist-Buddhist Great War."
"I was half-joking earlier. Just say it as you're comfortable."
Although Senior Uncle Ok Heo spoke benevolently, old man Maeng Gwang-gae shook his head and said, "No... this ti, I really think you Wudang might win."
(End of Chapter)
Reviews
All reviews (0)