Chapter 12: No, Already? -02
After obtaining what could be considered aningful results in the Northern Sea, Ban Hojin headed straight south.
The mont he made his decision, he moved imdiately.
As a result, before sumr had even ended, Ban Hojin passed through Hebei Province and Shandong Province and arrived at Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu Province.
“So this is Nanjing!”
“It’s different from Hebei and Shandong, right?”
“Yes. If you take a boat along that waterway, you end up at the sea, right?”
“That’s right.”
As if to show the journey so far, Seo Joun’s martial robes were covered in dust.
He had run without rest, moving and cultivating at the sa ti, so his entire body had been coated in dirt.
Even so, rather than looking exhausted, Seo Joun stared at the boats drifting along the river with fascination.
“I want to see the sea too.”
“Let’s make ti to go see it once.”
“Really?”
“This journey’s purpose is also to broaden our horizons. Since we’ve co this far, we should see the sea at least once before going to Shaolin.”
Ban Hojin also wanted to see the sea.
In his previous life, because of cultivation and war, wandering through Jianghu had been nothing more than a dream.
That ant Ban Hojin himself had never seen the sea either.
So in this life, he was determined to see it.
“So are we finally going to Shaolin?”
“Not yet. There are still a few places we need to stop by.”
“How many places?”
Seo Joun, who had followed Ban Hojin without complaint until now, showed a slightly fed-up expression.
The first place he had gone after leaving ho for the first ti in his life had been the Northern Sea.
Yet now, the place he was standing was Jiangsu Province, which could be called the eastern edge of the Central Plains, not Henan Province where Shaolin was located.
And now he was told there were still more places to go, so no matter how patient Seo Joun was, he could not help but feel weary.
“Think of it as moving while cultivating. Isn’t it good? When will we ever wander Jianghu like this again?”
“That’s true.”
“And it’s absolutely not a loss for you either. Just the place we’re going now, for example.”
“There’s no loss in my life. Ever since you treated , big brother. Wherever you go, I’ll go anywhere! The Great Desert, Tibet, even Miaojiang!”
“How did you know? That I was even considering those places?”
For a mont, Seo Joun’s pupils trembled.
Miaojiang, Tibet, and the Great Desert had only been examples he threw out.
But when Ban Hojin spoke as if he truly intended to go, Seo Joun was left completely speechless.
“R-really?”
“I’m not saying we’re going right now. It should be around here. That’s right.”
Nanjing was Ban Hojin’s first ti as well.
So he had thought he might wander a bit since it was unfamiliar territory, but it seed he had found the place correctly.
“This is the Seonwu Family?”
“That’s right. Our destination.”
“Hojin!”
No sooner had Ban Hojin finished speaking than a familiar voice ca from inside the wide-open main gate.
True to a prestigious family that had been established in Nanjing for a long ti, the front gate of the Seonwu Family was crowded with people.
Even so, Ban Hojin caught his friend’s voice instantly.
“It’s been a while.”
“Hahaha! It really has. But why are you so late? I heard it’s been quite so ti since you descended from Shaolin.”
“How did you know that?”
The one who approached with delight written all over his face was none other than Seonwu Bang.
Seo Joun wore a dazed expression at Seonwu Bang’s appearance, as if he had been waiting and revealed himself the mont they arrived.
The timing was simply too perfect.
“There are ways to know. You could go through the Beggars’ Sect like you, for example. But even the Beggars’ Sect knew you ca down from Songshan yet didn’t really know where you went.”
“I mostly slept rough in the mountains. There may be a lot of beggars, but there aren’t any in the mountains.”
“When you put it that way, that’s true.”
Seonwu Bang blinked.
Thinking about it, beggars were common in villages, but rare to see in mountains or rivers.
“This is a younger brother I t on this journey.”
“Nice to et you. I am Seo Joun of the Seo Family Estate of Shanxi.”
“Nice to et you. I’m Seonwu Bang.”
When Seo Joun, still showing traces of youth, greeted him politely, Seonwu Bang smiled and introduced himself as well.
Since it felt a bit much to add his family na in front of the Seonwu Family estate, he only gave his na.
“I heard you’re my big brother’s friend. Please speak comfortably.”
“Ah, should I?”
“Speak comfortably. He says it’s fine. If he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t even say sothing like that, this guy.”
“That’s right.”
Ban Hojin spoke toward Seonwu Bang, who was hesitating slightly since they had just t.
Seo Joun smiled and nodded.
“This is a bit different from you, big brother. You relaxed imdiately.”
“I do have a pretty straightforward personality.”
“More like reckless. You even barged straight into Shaolin back then.”
As if recalling old mories, Seonwu Bang let out a dry laugh.
The bewildernt of that day was still deeply etched in his mind.
“There sure are a lot of people coming and going. As expected of a prestigious family.”
“Compared to Shaolin, it’s nothing.”
“For us, it’s just that there are many Incense Flower Guests. We’re also a Murim force, but fundantally we’re a temple.”
Ban Hojin shook his head.
Shaolin and the Seonwu Family were far too different to be placed on the sa level.
First of all, the difference between being secular or not was enormous.
“That’s true. There are too many differences to compare. Let’s go in for now. Since you’re here, my father also wants to see you.”
“The family head?”
“Yeah. Since the Shaolin Divine Dragon is visiting.”
“Ugh.”
Ban Hojin made a horrified expression.
The epithet Divine Dragon already irritated him, but with the two characters ‘Shaolin’ added on top, goosebumps rose all over his body.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s cringeworthy. Shaolin Divine Dragon.”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m jealous. You know what the epithet Divine Dragon ans to the rising juniors, right?”
“I’m not a rising junior.”
“That’s true.”
Unlike Seonwu Bang, who openly wore a dumbfounded expression, Seo Joun nodded in agreent.
Knowing Ban Hojin’s skill, Seo Joun sympathized.
Simply placing Ban Hojin within the category of rising juniors was far too inadequate given his overwhelming ability.
And that would soon apply to himself as well.
“Who is this kid?”
“You’ll find out once you have a sparring match later. It’ll probably be a good experience for both of you.”
“A sparring match?”
“Yeah. It’ll be no small help to you too.”
“And you’re not doing it?”
Seonwu Bang glanced at Seo Joun, who was subtly revealing his competitive spirit, then looked at Ban Hojin.
Hearing that his friend was coming had made him happy first and foremost, but what he was most looking forward to was still the sparring match.
After suffering loss after loss at Shaolin, Seonwu Bang wanted to repay that humiliation.
Of course, he wasn’t hoping for a clean sweep of victories—if they fought three tis, he just wanted to win at least once.
“I’ll do it. I’m curious too, about how much you’ve grown.”
“You won’t be disappointed. I really worked hard.”
Seonwu Bang’s eyes shone.
There was sothing more he wanted to say, but he didn’t bring it up.
No matter how close they were, it would have been a bit embarrassing.
“Um, Young Lord.”
“Ah, let’s go inside.”
Perhaps because they had stayed outside too long.
Unable to bear it any longer, a warrior approached hesitantly and spoke carefully.
The effect was imdiate.
Seonwu Bang snapped back to his senses.
“We did talk for quite a while.”
“You knew?”
“You were the only one who didn’t.”
“Then you should’ve said sothing.”
“You looked excited.”
At Seonwu Bang’s sideways glare, Ban Hojin shrugged.
Since his friend was welcoming him warmly, telling him sternly to stop talking would clearly have hurt his feelings, so Ban Hojin had no choice but to go along with it.
Seonwu Bang seed to realize that as well, and with a smile, led Ban Hojin and Seo Joun forward.
“First, I’ll show you the place you’ll be staying. For reference, it’s the third-best detached annex in our estate.”
“A detached annex feels like too much. There are only two of us.”
“It’s a modest size, so it’s plenty. Too small would be stifling. And my friend—on top of that, the Shaolin Divine Dragon—has co, so we need to treat you properly. If we fail at hosting guests, both my father and I will get criticized.”
“That’s true.”
Ban Hojin nodded in agreent.
That was also because he understood the position of a prestigious family like the Seonwu Family.
Having lived at Shaolin, Ban Hojin was sowhat insensitive to such matters, but it wasn’t wrong.
“A detached annex of the Seonwu Family. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
“The mont I saw the main gate, all disappointnt disappeared.”
“You’re unexpectedly thick-skinned. Good-looking kids usually only know how to put on airs.”
Seonwu Bang, who was leading the way, widened his eyes slightly in surprise.
At first glance, Seo Joun looked like a noble young master, but his personality was quite easygoing.
That surprised Seonwu Bang a little.
“Haha, to put on airs in front of my big brother, I still have a long way to go.”
“This kid’s got ambition. He’s always saying that one day he’ll surpass .”
“If you’re a true man, you should naturally have ambition. And that applies to
as well.”
At Seonwu Bang’s reply, Seo Joun’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected Seonwu Bang to say sothing like that.
Perhaps because of that, Seo Joun looked at Seonwu Bang with eyes that seed to declare he would be the first to catch up.
“Well, the higher the dream, the better.”
“You’re talking as if it’s impossible?”
“What, am I just sitting around?”
“Heh.”
Seonwu Bang let out a short laugh.
At one point, rumors had circulated at Shaolin that Ban Hojin had grown lazy.
But that was nothing but baseless gossip.
If one sparred with Ban Hojin and trained physical conditioning together, they would quickly realize just how absurd those rumors were.
“This is it?”
“Yeah. Not bad, right?”
“It has a nice feel. Big enough for around ten people to stay.”
Arriving at the detached annex after following Seonwu Bang, Ban Hojin nodded.
Compared to the surrounding buildings, it was a relatively modest three-story wooden structure, and as if speaking of the Seonwu Family’s history, the passage of ti was embedded throughout.
However, perhaps because it was well maintained, it gave off an elegant, antique atmosphere rather than a worn-down one.
“You like it?”
“It’s nice. Though it does feel a bit excessive.”
“Excessive? Just the fact that you’re my friend makes this place more than appropriate. If anything, it’s lacking.”
“This is more than enough. There are only two of us staying. The front courtyard is spacious, and it’s good that it’s not visible from outside.”
“That’s what caught your eye first, huh?”
Seonwu Bang chuckled.
He thought that warriors really couldn’t help themselves.
And Seo Joun was no different as he looked over the front courtyard that could be used as training grounds.
“Let’s unpack first. There isn’t much, but we should still choose our rooms separately.”
“Yes!”
“Leave it for now. My father is waiting.”
Seonwu Bang said that without following them inside the building.
At those words, Seo Joun was slightly startled.
Even if it didn’t make it into the Ten Great Families, it was still a prestigious family.
Hearing that the head of such a family was waiting made Seo Joun newly aware of Ban Hojin’s standing.
“Nice to et you. I am Ban Hojin of Shaolin.”
“Ah, hello. I am Seo Joun of the Seo Family Estate of Shanxi.”
“Hahaha. A pleasure to et you. I am Bang’s father.”
After unpacking, Ban Hojin and Seo Joun imdiately followed Seonwu Bang to the family head’s office.
Hearing that he was waiting, both of them hurried.
“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
“Not at all. It’s true that the position of family head is busy, but if one makes ti, it’s not impossible to do so. Especially when it’s my son’s friend.”
Seeing the warm impression more like the father of a neighborhood friend than the head of the Seonwu Family, Ban Hojin smiled faintly.
Although it was Ban Hojin’s first ti eting him in this life, it wasn’t so for Ban Hojin.
Having gone through war together in his previous life, Ban Hojin knew Seonwu Cheong’s character well.
‘A trustworthy man.’
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