Chapter 97: The Most Entertaining Sight. -03
Nan Hee-ju wore a bitter expression.
Just as she had expected, Shangguan Jeok and the Shangguan Family had committed plenty of dirty and despicable acts.
However, they were only enough to smear the family’s name.
They were not enough to make the Shangguan Family collapse or even waver.
“That’s probably the case. A prestigious family isn’t called a prestigious family for nothing. Of course they’d have deep reserves of strength. Still, there’s no such thing as a perfect crime in this world. There are definitely traces left behind. It’s just that we haven’t found them yet. And sometimes, looking around the surroundings is one way to do it.”
“I’ll look into it. There are places that openly have bad relations with them, but the real ones are the ones that aren’t known.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“No, not at all. If anything, it feels like I’m the one who received advice. As Young Master Ban knows, I also have a debt I need to repay to the Shangguan Family.”
Nan Hee-ju clenched her small fist tightly.
Unlike the first time he had seen her, calluses were clearly formed on her hand now, and Ban Hojin broke into a grin.
It showed that she had been training diligently all this time.
At the same time, he could also guess another fact.
‘She doesn’t know about Danwi.’
If she had known that Danwi had appeared, Nan Hee-ju would definitely have asked about it.
After all, he was none other than one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven of the current era.
Even though he had been defeated by Ban Hojin, the name of the Murim Ten Kings still carried immense weight.
Yet there was no sign of her asking, which meant she must not know about Danwi at all.
‘Even for the Hao Sect, it isn’t easy to track the movements of the Murim Ten Kings.’
Unless they openly revealed themselves, no matter how powerful the Hao Sect or the Beggars’ Sect were, it was impossible to keep track of the whereabouts of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven at every moment.
If they truly wished to, experts of the Jianghu could move faster than carrier pigeons or messenger hawks.
“A common enemy, then.”
“You could say that. Hohoho.”
“Even if you don’t have a particular reason, feel free to come see me anytime. You don’t absolutely have to go through Shaolin just to meet me.”
“So that’s why you told me the way.”
“Aren’t we friends?”
Nan Hee-ju’s eyes curved into a beautiful line.
It was such a common word, yet somehow, when Ban Hojin said it, it made her feel inexplicably happy.
So much so that she wanted to keep hearing it.
But she didn’t know.
She didn’t know why Ban Hojin had told her to come see him comfortably.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have been able to rejoice like this—but what mattered was that Nan Hee-ju would never come to know that fact.
“It’s always nice to hear. But, Young Master Ban. If we’re friends, shouldn’t we speak more casually with each other?”
“There are cases where formality shows respect, but if that’s what you want, let’s do that.”
“Then you drop it first, oppa.”
“Alright. You talk comfortably too.”
“Yeah!”
Seeing Ban Hojin drop his formal speech without even a moment of hesitation, Nan Hee-ju answered just as readily.
Instead, the female escort warrior standing nearby was startled.
She hadn’t expected things to progress this quickly.
Still, she didn’t dislike it.
Rather, she found herself cheering Nan Hee-ju on in her heart.
In a way, it was just one step—but what mattered was that she had moved forward.
“Be careful. Don’t underestimate the Shangguan Family too much. If they’re among the Ten Great Families, their unseen strength could be greater than what’s known.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. But don’t worry too much. We know the Shangguan Family’s strength pretty well too. And Master is sharpening his blade as well.”
“That’s true.”
“But objectively speaking, who do you think would win? The Sichuan Tang Family or the Nine Heavens Gate?”
“They won’t be able to overwhelm them completely, but the Sichuan Tang Family alliance will have the upper hand. Miaojiang isn’t a small region, but aside from the level of Poison Arts, on average, the martial artists of the Central Plains Murim are superior.”
Nan Hee-ju nodded.
By her own judgment as well, she thought the Sichuan Tang Family held the advantage.
The difference was that, unlike her, Ban Hojin seemed to evaluate the Nine Heavens Gate and Miaojiang’s strength higher than expected.
“You’re rating the Nine Heavens Gate pretty highly?”
“They’re a faction that ruled Miaojiang for hundreds of years. And Poison Arts follow a different track from conventional martial arts. The very fact that the Sichuan Tang Family isn’t rushing in recklessly and is moving step by step means they know the Nine Heavens Gate’s strength isn’t something to take lightly.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
Nan Hee-ju’s gaze grew serious.
She had thought they were simply acting cautiously, but after hearing Ban Hojin’s words, she realized that wasn’t the case.
At the same time, she became aware of her own mistake.
She had looked at things too one-dimensionally and jumped to conclusions.
“I could be wrong too. It’s not like I know all of the Tang Family Head’s intentions.”
“Such humility. Have you ever been wrong so far, oppa?”
“I probably have?”
“No. At least not in anything you’ve said to me. And even when I think about it myself, it doesn’t sound wrong at all. If anything, I learned something again. That I need to look at things and think from different perspectives. It won’t happen immediately, but if I keep trying, I think it will. No—I'll make it happen.”
Nan Hee-ju clenched her fist with a highly motivated expression.
As if she were determined to achieve it no matter what.
Seeing that, Ban Hojin nodded as though cheering her on.
“Oh, and I don’t know if you’re aware, oppa, but the escort agencies that Shaolin’s lay disciples belong to are gradually cutting off their dealings with the Shangguan Family. Not abruptly, but subtly. Still, the Shangguan Family probably knows too. They must feel guilty about something.”
“So it is like that after all.”
“Sounds like you didn’t know?”
“People in the world rate me highly, but I’m just one lay disciple among countless others at Shaolin. I have no real authority. I’m just a mere lay disciple living off Shaolin.”
Nan Hee-ju snorted as if it were ridiculous.
No one thought of him that way.
At the very least, she certainly couldn’t agree with Ban Hojin’s statement.
“You’re probably the only one who thinks that.”
“Anyway, don’t overdo it. If they know the Main Temple is going that far, they’ll be brimming with venom.”
“I’m just as venomous myself. Do you know they’re still tailing my movements?”
“They’re persistent, just like they look.”
“They’re insanely tenacious. That’s why I absolutely hate it.”
Nan Hee-ju shuddered.
At the sight of her scratching both arms as if just talking about it gave her goosebumps, Ban Hojin let out a small chuckle.
“Then shouldn’t we give them an even bigger headache? If something big happens, they won’t have the leeway to think about anything else.”
“So in the end, you’re telling me to work harder.”
“That’s not what I meant. Accidents don’t only happen through the Hao Sect.”
“Hm.”
Nan Hee-ju blinked.
Ban Hojin’s words felt meaningful.
But Ban Hojin didn’t elaborate any further.
Huuung. Bwoong.
After dinner, everyone took time for individual training.
Conditioning the body was important, but reflection was just as important.
Personally, Ban Hojin thought that time spent pondering martial arts was absolutely necessary.
Putting in steady effort was a given, but one always had to think about which direction to move in and how to train more efficiently.
“Huup!”
In that regard, Seo Joun really was a genius.
Even without Ban Hojin teaching him, he found his own path well.
He only sought Ban Hojin out for advice when he truly needed help.
“You look frustrated.”
“Brother!”
“Do you really need to cling so hard to swordsmanship?”
“As expected, you see right through me.”
“At my level, just looking at someone’s sword path tells me roughly what a swordsman is thinking.”
It was an unbearably arrogant remark, but Seo Joun didn’t think so at all.
At least when it came to the sword, there was no swordsman at Shaolin superior to Ban Hojin.
That wasn’t just his opinion—it was something Beopmu and Damhyeon had said themselves.
Seo Joun thought the same.
“That doesn’t sound like ‘roughly,’ though?”
“I know you well, so I can tell at a glance.”
“Would the Long Arm and Long Leg Technique be better than the sword?”
Seo Joun wiped the smile from his face and asked seriously.
It was the biggest concern on his mind lately.
“I think it’s a matter of choice, not a matter of talent.”
“So you’re saying I do have talent with the sword?”
“Saying you don’t have talent with the sword would be an insult to Bang Yi.”
“Do you think I can reach your level, brother?”
“That’s the wrong question. Everyone has potential. It’s just that reaching that point requires many things working together.”
Ban Hojin didn’t offer empty, overly hopeful words.
He clearly knew the future, but that didn’t mean he was omniscient.
He simply knew a bit more than others.
“Then how does it look to you, brother?”
“The sword or the Long Arm and Long Leg Technique?”
“Yes.”
“You know the word ‘versatile,’ right? No matter which you choose, you’ll do well. I’ve said it many times—you were born with incredible talent. So rather than choosing what you’re good at, I think you should choose what you want to do. You know this alone is already a very happy ????, right? Most people worry because they don’t know their talent, or because they don’t have any.”
“What I want to do…”
Seo Joun didn’t hear the rest of Ban Hojin’s words.
He simply let his sword hang loosely and sank into thought.
He had only ever worried about what to focus on, never about what he actually liked.
That was why Seo Joun asked himself.
‘I chose the sword because I wanted to restore my family.’
The sword of the Seo Family Estate wasn’t weak.
That was something Ban Hojin had said.
And now, Seo Joun thought so as well.
Because he had learned it himself, he knew how outstanding the Seo Family’s sword truly was.
But Seo Joun wasn’t satisfied.
Though it was complete, he still thought there was room for further development.
So his goal was to develop it even further and make the Seo Family Estate one of the Five Great Families.
‘But the Long Arm and Long Leg Technique is fun too.’
It wasn’t from the beginning that Seo Joun had shown interest in the Long Arm and Long Leg Technique.
Since he had entered martial arts late, even focusing on just one left him short on time.
That was why Seo Joun thought taking interest in other martial arts was a waste of time.
However, that thought changed instantly when he saw the Golden Grasping Hand that Ban Hojin had created.
‘It was shocking.’
Even now, the shock of that first day remained vivid.
It was only natural that his swordsmanship was exceptional, but no one had expected him to have such mastery of the Golden Grasping Hand, so not only Seo Joun but everyone had been surprised.
The difference, however, was that Ban Hojin used the Golden Grasping Hand purely as a supplementary method.
From Seo Joun’s perspective, it was far too outstanding to be used as merely a supporting means.
‘Coming back to what I want to do.’
Seo Joun looked down at both his hands.
A sword was gripped in his right hand, and calluses were embedded in his left.
‘Should I do both?’
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Did he really have to choose just one?
And hadn’t Ban Hojin said it himself?
That he was versatile.
If time was lacking, he could make it.
By sleeping less, or cutting down on eating time or bathroom breaks—there were plenty of methods if he looked for them.
“Looks like you’ve sorted out your thoughts?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Your thoughts show on your face right away.”
“Do you think I can do it well?”
“That depends on how you do it, I guess. But people are happiest when they live the way they want to.”
The two characters for happiness struck Seo Joun squarely in the chest.
As if an invisible arrow had pierced him.
And hearing that, Seo Joun smiled without realizing it.
“You’ll help me, right?”
“Why are you coming to me? You have to create your own martial arts. I’m busy enough creating mine.”
“Come on. We can research together.”
“That’s a loss for me.”
“You never know. I might come up with something incredible. You said it yourself, brother. That I’m a genius.”
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