The Youngest Member Chapter 52

Hwarreuk.

The buildings of the small village were engulfed in flas.

The fire was so fierce that even though it was deep in the night, it was as bright as day, and the water that the villagers were busily carrying seed to have no sign of extinguishing it.

Among the people moving urgently, Jin Yun and Seok Dobyeok were also included.

"Young hero Cheon. That... shouldn't we help a little?"

Since they had co here, it was the right thing to do to help with the suppression. Cheon Woojin, who nodded his head, stared at Jin Yun and Seok Dobyeok for a mont.

Unlike the annoyed Seok Dobyeok, on Jin Yun's face, along with anxiety and urgency, an unknown guilt was cast.

Song Yiyeon, who was watching Cheon Woojin's expression, naturally joined the villagers and carried a bucket.

"Hey, don't just stand there and watch, help a little!"

Seok Dobyeok shouted at Cheon Woojin, who was standing blankly. He was soone who hadn't liked Cheon Woojin from the start.

He was born in an insignificant martial family with no particular talent. He had realized from a young age that he was an existence that was as common as sand in the martial world.

From the ti he challenged the Martial Alliance selection exam, his thoughts were different from others. While the rising talents full of vigor headed for Hubei with the dream of a hero in their hearts, Seok Dobyeok aid to build friendships with the martial artists of the Five Great Families or the Nine Sects One Gang.

When he thought about it himself, it was the best and most optimal way for him, who was not outstanding, to survive in the harsh martial world.

But there was soone who had pushed aside Nangong Jin, Jin Yun, and Tang Soyeon, whom he had been trying to get close to, and had taken first place, receiving all the attention of the world, so he couldn't help but be displeased.

Moreover, he was a guy who was not from an outstanding family or sect like himself.

'...Arrogant bastard.'

Seok Dobyeok inwardly clicked his tongue. To him, the existence of Cheon Woojin was an uncomfortable existence that made the excuse that he couldn't help it because he was from an insignificant family useless.

Cheon Woojin looked at Seok Dobyeok and then took out the Crane Feather Fan from his bosom. The huge fire could not be suppressed with such small buckets.

As Cheon Woojin approached with the fan, Seok Dobyeok's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing now? Can't you see everyone is working their asses off?"

In Seok Dobyeok's eyes, it seed as if Cheon Woojin was leisurely holding a fan by himself. Perhaps because of his sharp voice, the surrounding people, including Jin Yun, looked at Cheon Woojin.

Although it would be botherso to have his attention drawn, Cheon Woojin just looked up at the fire with his usual dry expression.

Soon, Cheon Woojin, who was staring at the flas, lightly fanned the Crane Feather Fan. The gentle breeze that had gathered at the end of the fan poured forward.

"Hah..."

"T-that..."

At that sight, the villagers, led by Seok Dobyeok, burst into hollow laughter. Because it was literally a case of fanning a burning house.

However, Seok Dobyeok, who was about to say sothing, shut his small lips tightly at the scene that unfolded next.

The gentle breeze that had started from the end of the fan grew like a snowball as it went forward, and soon the wind beca so rough that its path could be seen.

Swoosh!

The gust of wind that literally tore through the air and rushed forward collided with the fire. At the sa ti, the flas fluttered here and there as if in a last-ditch effort.

The flas that scattered like snow in the dark night sky created a truly spectacular sight.

At that sight, the people stared blankly.

For a mont, the fire grew even larger, as if it had taken the wind as its nourishnt. Originally, the wind was supposed to fan the flas.

However.

Whoosh-!

The gusts of wind that poured out in succession collided with the enlarged flas as if fighting, and then soon gathered into one and created a huge whirlwind.

The building that the flas had swallowed turned into ashes and fluttered together.

The fire, which had lost what it had to burn in an instant, soared into the sky with the whirlwind. It looked exactly like a dragon covered in fire ascending to the heavens.

"S-son of a bitch..."

Seok Dobyeok, who was looking up at this with eyes that seed to pop out, cursed without realizing it. It was a scene that couldn't be helped.

'Is that a human being?'

What if the gust of wind that Cheon Woojin had poured out had been directed at a person instead of a fire? There was no way a human body could withstand the rough wind that had torn even a building. Seok Dobyeok, whose thoughts had reached that point, trembled once.

How much ti had passed like that?

The gust of wind that had soared into the sky tore the fire to shreds and then scattered into the empty air, and the village regained its darkness once again.

The people looked at Cheon Woojin with surprised eyes.

Among them was Jin Yun, who had beco a re crowd.

"T-thank you! Great hero!"

Suddenly, soone shouted. At that, everyone bowed their heads to Cheon Woojin without exception. Jin Yun just looked at Cheon Woojin with a strange look, as if he were half out of his mind.

Song Yiyeon, who had quickly approached Cheon Woojin's side, cupped his fist handsoly, like a hero who had defeated the Demonic Cult.

"I am Song Yiyeon from the Black Tortoise Unit of the Martial Alliance. I don't know how fortunate it is that the village has regained its peace."

"..."

Cheon Woojin looked at him as if he were dumbfounded. Song Yiyeon, who felt that gaze, hurriedly added.

"And here is young hero Cheon Woojin. He is a monster newcor who is in the sa Black Tortoise Unit as

and took first place with unprecedented results in this selection exam."

"Ooh!"

The eyes of the people looking at Cheon Woojin shone like stars.

It was then.

"What peace, you bastard!"

A tearful roar suddenly ca out. It was a middle-aged man who had sat down on the floor with his face covered in tears. He was looking at a place with a vacant look full of emptiness.

It was a building that had turned into ashes and had not even a trace left.

"I worked like a dog my whole life to build that one small shop..."

That wasn't all. Here and there, those who had lost their entire fortune, such as houses and shops, in front of their eyes let out tearful sighs and screams.

"Uuuuum..."

Song Yiyeon let out a dry cough and subtly pulled on Cheon Woojin's sleeve. It was as if he were saying that their work was done, so they should leave quickly.

"Because of that guy!"

A mont ago, the middle-aged man who had let out a roar shot up and pointed at soone, glaring.

At the end of his finger was Jin Yun, whose clothes and face were scorched.

Jin Yun t the gaze of the middle-aged man who was glaring at him with trembling pupils.

Soon, Cheon Woojin, who had approached him, asked.

"What happened?"

"..."

Jin Yun just bit his lower lip. He bit it so hard that his red lips turned white.

* * *

Cheon Woojin, who had heard Seok Dobyeok's explanation at a small inn in the village, nonchalantly nodded his head.

"It's a common thing."

To summarize, Jin Yun had finished the mission assigned in Shaanxi and was on his way back to the alliance after eting Seok Dobyeok in the middle.

On the way, he had passed through this village, and after hearing that they were being oppressed by horse bandits, he had rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

Although Seok Dobyeok, who had not even a speck of chivalry, had strongly opposed it, Jin Yun had said that as a Taoist, how could he ignore the difficulties of the common people, and had instead told him to return first.

Of course, Seok Dobyeok, who had entered the alliance to build friendships with the rising talents of the Five Great Families and the Nine Sects One Gang, could not bear to abandon Jin Yun.

Jin Yun had also taken fourth place in the selection exam where hundreds had gathered, and he was a man who was called a genius even within the Huashan sect.

The horse bandits who were plundering such a small village could not be his opponent.

"The problem was that they were more vicious than I thought."

At Song Yiyeon's words, Jin Yun bowed his head deeply. The horse bandits, unable to handle Jin Yun alone, had been pushed back here and there, and had eventually set a big fire in the village and had run away.

Strictly speaking, it was not Jin Yun's fault. In the first place, the bad guys were the horse bandits. However, those who had lost their entire fortune needed soone to bla right away, and unfortunately, the horse bandits had already left the village a long ti ago.

In the end, Jin Yun had been blad by so, saying, 'If you couldn't handle it, you shouldn't have stepped forward in the first place.' Because it was true that the horse bandits had set the fire because he had stepped forward.

Seok Dobyeok grumbled from the side.

"Young hero Jin Yun. Don't worry too much. In the first place, does it make sense for them to bla us now after they asked for help first?"

Of course, since the ones who had asked for help and the ones who had blad Jin Yun were different people, it was not a statent that made sense. However, even in this situation, he thought it was an opportunity to get on Jin Yun's good side.

Jin Yun, who had been caught by the villagers and had been blad for a long ti, seed to be exhausted.

At that sight, Seok Dobyeok rolled up his sleeves and said.

"Hah, the more I think about it, the more absurd it is. They're blaming us after we helped them at the risk of our lives? This won't do. I have to go and say sothing."

Seok Dobyeok made a gesture of going. Of course, he had no intention of actually going. Because if the villagers formally protested to the Martial Alliance, things would get complicated.

Seok Dobyeok moved his actions as slowly as possible. Soon, Jin Yun grabbed his wrist and shook his head.

"It's alright. Strictly speaking, it is my fault."

While learning martial arts, he had always imagined fighting against the evil and demonic paths. He knew that their thods were despicable. However, he had only expected cunning thods such as rolling on the ground or aiming for vital points that could not be trained, such as the groin or eyeballs, and he had never even imagined that they would set fire to an innocent residential area and run away.

It was all his fault. If only he had been incredibly strong like young hero Cheon and had suppressed them to the point where they couldn't even set a fire, this would not have happened.

Cheon Woojin, who had approached Jin Yun, said.

"You should have said sothing."

Before coming to the inn, Jin Yun had just repeatedly bowed his head and said he was sorry to the villagers' resentnt.

"What face do I have to do that? They are people who lost the fortune they had gathered their whole lives in an instant because of my petty chivalry. Thank you. If it weren't for you, young hero Cheon, the entire village would have burned down."

"Hmm."

It was a statent that Cheon Woojin couldn't understand. In the first place, if Jin Yun hadn't stepped forward, those horse bandits would have gnawed at the village for a very long ti. If they were such vicious guys, the situation at that ti would not have been better than now.

"It was just the villagers' misfortune. Young hero Jin Yun doesn't need to take responsibility for everything in the world."

That was Cheon Woojin's honest impression. In the first place, there was no need to step forward for a village he had no connection with, and there was no need to silently endure the resentnt afterwards.

Jin Yun, who had picked up the hero's scarf that was so scorched that the plum blossom pattern was barely visible, smiled bitterly.

"I'm a Taoist. I have to face the rain that cos."

"...I see."

Cheon Woojin thought for a mont and then nodded his head. A mont ago, with Jin Yun's one word, he could clearly feel his values.

Everyone wants to avoid difficult things. However, the Taoists were different. They taught that one should never ignore the difficulties of the common people. That's why the villagers must have asked Jin Yun for help.

Of course, it was a theoretical story. In reality, not all Taoists or monks lived by perfectly following the teachings.

In particular, those who had a will in martial arts were often more secular than the Taoists who only cultivated in the mountains.

Cheon Woojin looked at Jin Yun, who was tying the hero's scarf tightly around his forehead. For so reason, one person seed to overlap with that image.

- Woojin. As you wander the martial world, there will be tis when you are hated by soone even for sothing you did with good intentions. But what can you do? To get to your destination, you sotis have to face the rain that cos.

That transcendent attitude and yet the firm belief that was not easily shaken was just like his White Master.

'He's a Taoist.'

Thinking so, Cheon Woojin nodded his head and then got up from his seat. Jin Yun and Seok Dobyeok said they would stay here for one more day in case the horse bandits ca back.

"We'll be returning first."

"...I understand. Thank you both very much."

Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon left the inn, and Jin Yun looked at the two who were moving away with a sowhat dazed look.

From the side, Seok Dobyeok muttered in a voice that could barely be heard, 'So I said let's just go...'

* * *

Both Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon seed to have complicated thoughts, as they did not use their movent skills and just walked slowly.

How long had it been since they had left the village? Song Yiyeon, who was thinking deeply about sothing, said.

"It's a truly regrettable situation. He seed like a good person."

He was talking about Jin Yun.

Cheon Woojin also had a similar thought.

However, in the martial world, there was nothing you could do with a good personality. No matter how high a sense of chivalry one had, it was useless if one did not have the ability to back it up.

He didn't bother to say such a thing out loud. For so reason, he didn't want to belittle Jin Yun's heart.

It was then.

Cheon Woojin looked at a place. Soon, Song Yiyeon also glared at that place and placed his hand on his sword hilt. He was preparing to draw it at any ti.

Cheon Woojin reached out his hand and stopped Song Yiyeon.

Soon, a group of people appeared. Although they were in ordinary clothes on the outside, the ki that was subtly felt was unmistakably suspicious.

They also seed to be wary of the two, as they exchanged glances. One of the n shook his head very slightly, and at the sa ti, their ki that they had been secretly emitting scattered.

Suddenly, a man approached with a friendly smile. Cheon Woojin just looked at him with a dry gaze.

"We've lost our map, but is it right that if we go straight this way, we'll get to Xinyang County?"

"That's right."

Cheon Woojin answered shortly. The small village that the two had left was Xinyang County. Soon, the man who was staring at Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon smiled slightly and bowed his head.

"Haha, thank you."

The group of people passed the two and headed for Xinyang County. Song Yiyeon, who was looking at their receding backs for a mont, said.

"Young hero, it seems those people..."

Cheon Woojin nodded his head.

(End of Chapter)