The Youngest Member Chapter 55

The scent of plum blossoms gently brushed the tip of his nose.

"Jin Yun, do not forget for a single mont that you are the hope of our Huashan sect. The senior uncles also have great expectations for you."

"You must show that Huashan is the number one Taoist sect in the world."

"The last wish of the deceased Plum Blossom Sword Saint..."

They were words he was all too familiar with.

When he had first made a plum blossom bloom from his sword.

That was the beginning.

"Is it heavy? So you're saying you're going to give up. Fine. Leave the mountain. It seems I had too many expectations for you."

It was what his master had said when he had once said that everyone's expectations were too burdenso and difficult.

That gaze was still vivid in his mory.

He felt that if he went down the mountain like that, he would never be able to see his master, senior uncles, and junior brothers again.

"...I'm sorry."

"Did you not say you would truly beco a Taoist? Did you think that living as a Taoist was such a light matter?"

"..."

"Jin Yun. You are the Plum Blossom Swordsman of Huashan. The one and only who will inherit the na of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint in the future."

Since that day, Jin Yun had not been able to refute a single word of his master, senior uncles, and the elders of the Huashan sect.

He was prepared for the difficulty of living as a Taoist. However, it was also true that he was carrying a much heavier burden than his junior brothers and others.

But it was a word he could not bring himself to say out loud.

"Senior brother, why does the head of the dicine hall only give spiritual dicine to senior brother Jin Yun? Isn't it unfair?"

"Hush. If you say such things carelessly, the senior uncles' scolding will fall."

One day, he had heard the subtle conversation of his junior brothers.

That was the existence of Jin Yun in the Huashan sect. He was burdened from above and envied from below. In such a situation, how could he say that he couldn't do it anymore?

He had no choice but to do it silently. What Huashan had expected Jin Yun to achieve by the ti he was twenty, he had finished by the ti he was fifteen. What they had said he would achieve by the ti he was thirty, he had achieved by the ti he was twenty.

He proved it, and proved it again. To beco a Taoist worthy of the na Plum Blossom Swordsman, he had reduced his sleeping and eating ti and had devoted himself only to training.

'The world doesn't even know.'

Jin Yun gave a self-deprecating smile.

To think that after all that training, he had been caught in the shallow trap of horse bandits and was in a state where he had to receive the help of a peer.

"Wouldn't it be heavy?"

It was then. As a familiar voice was heard, the Huashan in front of his eyes shattered. He had returned from a dream to reality.

"Still, I'm worried to leave him like that. Look at him sweating. He might catch a cold at this rate."

The conversation between Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon was heard.

Jin Yun, who had woken up from his sleep, just closed his eyes.

Not only did he not have the strength to get up, but his heart was complicated because the dream he had had was so vivid.

However, Jin Yun's rest did not last long.

"This won't do. I'll take them off first."

Song Yiyeon, who was worried about the soaked Jin Yun, brought his hand to his clothes.

The startled Jin Yun shot up.

"Oh? You're awake?"

Jin Yun sohow clutched his clothes and looked at Song Yiyeon.

At that gaze, Song Yiyeon said as if making an excuse.

"Ahem, you were sweating profusely..."

"...Thank you."

An awkward silence fell in the room for a mont.

It was the inn where he had been attacked by the shop assistant. Seok Dobyeok seed to have not yet woken up, and Cheon Woojin was leaning against a wall and looking at Jin Yun.

Song Yiyeon said.

"Ah, I tried to wash that as much as possible, but it didn't co off well."

Where Song Yiyeon was pointing was Jin Yun's hero's scarf. It was very stained from rolling in the muddy water.

Jin Yun smiled bitterly.

"Thank you, young hero Song. And young hero Cheon."

Jin Yun staggered for a mont as he tried to get up. The poison had not yet completely worn off.

Although Song Yiyeon stopped him, Jin Yun insisted on getting up and cupped his fist towards the two.

His disheveled hair flowed down without the hero's scarf, but there was not a hint of wavering in his gaze and movents.

It was truly a Taoist-like appearance.

"But young hero Seok is..."

The mont Jin Yun spoke with a worried voice.

"Keoheoheong..."

"..."

It seed he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Jin Yun let out a sigh of relief and sat down.

Silence fell again. In the first place, since they had not talked since joining the alliance, they couldn't even think of what to say.

Song Yiyeon also seed to feel that the atmosphere was awkward and tried to start a conversation for no reason.

"I heard a rough story from the owner of this place. It seems that the cook and the owner didn't know, and the shop assistant did it alone after receiving a request from the horse bandits."

Jin Yun just nodded his head. He was ashad of his ignorance, so he had nothing else to say.

Song Yiyeon's words continued.

"He said the shop assistant ran away right away."

"He must have been scared. Even if the horse bandits had killed , they would have tried to kill him to silence him."

Although the shop assistants were treated as the weakest in the era, since martial artists often frequented inns, their sense of observation was very outstanding.

Jin Yun did not have much of a grudge against the shop assistant. If the horse bandits had threatened his life with a sword, what other choice could he have made?

"But I caught him."

"...?"

Jin Yun tilted his head. At that, Song Yiyeon curled up the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

Suddenly, Cheon Woojin, who had gotten up from his seat, left the room.

A mont later, Cheon Woojin returned to the room, dragging soone. It was the shop assistant, who was limp as if his acupoints had been hit.

Jin Yun's eyes widened.

"How...?"

"The dignity of the Black Tortoise Unit, I guess."

Song Yiyeon spouted nonsense. Whether that was the case or not, Jin Yun stared at the shop assistant.

Soon, Cheon Woojin tapped his cheek.

At that sight, Jin Yun's pupils beca complicated. Although he had felt it before, young hero Cheon did not seem to be a person who had been born and raised in the white path.

"Uuuum, I hate going to work..."

The shop assistant, who was talking in his sleep, froze. His small eyes quickly scanned the situation in the room.

The shop assistant, with his unique quick wit, imdiately knelt on the floor and bowed his head.

"G-great hero! It's not that..."

Jin Yun had an embarrassed expression, and Song Yiyeon, as if he had finished his work, approached the wall and leaned against it.

Cheon Woojin asked Jin Yun in a dry tone.

"Are you going to kill him?"

However, before Jin Yun could open his mouth, the startled shop assistant repeatedly hit his forehead on the floor.

"S-save ! They threatened to tear

to shreds if I didn't, so I did it out of fear. P-please save , Taoist master!"

The quick-witted shop assistant even ntioned the Taoist in the anti.

Because he had already understood Jin Yun's character, who had endured criticism even after helping the village.

At that sight, Cheon Woojin's eyebrows twitched.

"How old are you?"

The shop assistant looked at Cheon Woojin. He had intended to lie about his age to be younger and evoke sympathy to save his life, but unlike the Taoist in front, his pupils were too cold and dry.

He felt a fear that the mont he uttered a lie, he would smash his head with the iron staff on his back.

"I-I turned twenty this year."

"I see."

Cheon Woojin looked at Jin Yun. It was a look that asked what he was going to do. Jin Yun thought for a mont with an embarrassed look and then said cautiously.

"...Let's just let him go. Those horse bandits were very cruel people. If such guys threatened him, what could that shop assistant do?"

As he said so, a look of relief flashed across the face of the shop assistant who had bowed his head. Cheon Woojin did not miss that short change.

Thud, thud.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, the shop assistant flinched.

Soon, Cheon Woojin grabbed the shop assistant's chin and lifted his head.

The shop assistant couldn't even look straight into Cheon Woojin's pupils. Although he had seen many martial artists while scraping by as a shop assistant here and there, it was the first ti he had seen such eerie eyes.

'Does he even have emotions...'

He thought so. It was a feeling as if he had t the pupils of a wooden doll.

Cheon Woojin suddenly held out his palm over the shop assistant's pupils.

Until then, the shop assistant was puzzled. Because he couldn't predict what Cheon Woojin was trying to do. It was the sa for Jin Yun, and only Song Yiyeon let out a dry cough and turned his head to look at the wall.

"G-great hero?"

"It would be better to keep your mouth shut."

"Yes?"

The puzzlent was brief.

Following that, a terrible pain ca to his right eye.

"Kuaaak!"

The shop assistant scread and struggled. The startled Jin Yun was about to approach, but he t Cheon Woojin's eyes, who had turned his head, and stopped.

Cheon Woojin took away one of the shop assistant's eyes with a still dry expression. The shop assistant clutched one of his eyes and collapsed to the floor, crying.

"Y-young hero Cheon...?"

Jin Yun cautiously called Cheon Woojin. He was saying with his eyes.

'Aren't we Martial Alliance mbers? Is this okay?'

He had no intention of forcing the virtues of a Taoist on others. However, leaving everything else aside, young hero Cheon was a Martial Alliance mber.

Cheon Woojin answered nonchalantly.

"He tried to offer soone else's life to save his own. He should have been prepared for this much."

"..."

However, Jin Yun still had an expression as if he couldn't understand. It was natural for him, who had lived his whole life obsessed with the compulsion to live like a Taoist.

Cheon Woojin, who was looking down at the struggling shop assistant, added in a low voice.

"It was this shop assistant's misfortune to have been asked by the horse bandits. How can it be justified to push others into misfortune to overco one's own misfortune?"

Although it wouldn't have happened, if the person the shop assistant had deceived had been Cheon Woojin instead of Jin Yun, it would not have ended with just one eye.

Cheon Woojin looked at the shop assistant and said.

"The Taoist here saved your life."

If Jin Yun had died, the horse bandits would have found the shop assistant and killed him. Because killing a disciple of the Huashan sect was a risk factor for them.

Even if he had deceived the horse bandits' eyes and had hidden, there was no way that Huashan, who had found out about this, would have stayed still.

Although it was rotten, the Huashan sect was still one of the pillars of the Nine Sects One Gang. If soone trampled on the hope of reviving the sect, Huashan would move with all its might to kill him.

The shop assistant, while staggering in pain, bowed his head to Jin Yun.

"...T-thank you. Great hero."

Jin Yun couldn't say anything and just looked at him.

In the anti, Cheon Woojin, as if he had finished his work, left the room and said.

"Young hero Song. Let's return now."

"...Ahem, I understand."

Song Yiyeon glanced at Jin Yun and the shop assistant and then left the room.

* * *

Hubei Province, Martial Alliance Main Headquarters.

Recently, the number of people looking for the head of the personnel hall had increased significantly. The personnel hall was a subordinate organization of the military affairs departnt, and it was a place that looked after all matters related to people, such as the promotion and salary of the alliance mbers.

Since the current commander-in-chief tended to actively accept the opinion of the head of the personnel hall in personnel-related matters, the power of the head of the personnel hall was quite large within the alliance.

A while ago, the Righteous Will Unit Commander had been dismissed for a corruption case related to the Gu family, and that position had remained vacant.

A rumor circulated that one of the unit commanders would soon be selected to fill that position.

Of course, those who had just beco unit commanders were not interested in the first place, and those who had accumulated considerable seniority and were recognized were aiming for that position.

"Hall Master. By any chance, did any other unit commanders co besides ?"

At the man's question, the head of the personnel hall had a mysterious smile.

"Well. If I tell you that, will you be able to trust ?"

"Uuuum."

The man nodded his head. Although he was curious, the head of the personnel hall's words were also true. How could he have a secret conversation with a person with a light mouth?

"By the way, it's surprising. I thought you didn't have much ambition for promotion."

"How could that be for ? A person is bound to have ambition."

"Hahaha, that's true."

The head of the personnel hall laughed and filled the man's teacup.

However, the man, as if he were not interested in the tea, looked at the head of the personnel hall and then said cautiously.

"Actually, I also know. No matter how much you are the hall master, you can't put

in the position of the Righteous Will Unit Commander. I am not a person who does not know his place."

"Then, why did you co to see

so secretly?"

"It's about the Black Tortoise Unit Commander."

The head of the personnel hall let out a groan. The Black Tortoise Unit Commander was a person who was quite botherso to him as well. He was a person who should have already beco a commander, but the problem was that there were quite a few people above who did not look at him favorably.

"At least if I can't take that position, I hope that Cheol Jiak won't either."

"You. Are you jealous of the Black Tortoise Unit Commander?"

"Yes? How can I be jealous of him? There are many good people like the Golden Wolf Unit Commander and the Poison King Unit Commander, but I just don't want Cheol Jiak to be promoted just because he has been around for a long ti."

"Hehehe, I don't know what to do with myself, you're taking care of all the work of our personnel hall."

At the head of the personnel hall's words, the man hurriedly waved his hands.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I ant."

"It's a joke, a joke."

The man stroked his insides. If he earned the dislike of the head of the personnel hall within the Martial Alliance, his future work would be quite twisted.

Of course, it would be the sa if the Black Tortoise Unit Commander beca a commander. He was not only overly chivalrous, but he also did not care about the opinions of his superiors.

'If a guy like that becos a commander, it's as clear as day.'

When a person who was not only honest but also had strong drive was appointed as a senior, there were bound to be people who beca uncomfortable.

For example...

"By the way, I heard that your daughter got married recently. I was on a mission at that ti, so I couldn't attend, and it has been bothering , so although it's a small token..."

The man placed a silk money pouch that jingled heavily on the table. If Cheol Jiak beca a commander, he would not even be able to touch such a money pouch in the future.

The head of the personnel hall, who saw this, narrowed his brow.

"Ahem, what do you take

for?"

"It's an apple, an apple. As you know, my family has a small orchard."

The head of the personnel hall, who had picked up the money pouch, narrowed his eyes and looked inside. Inside were two plump, ripe apples. At least to his eyes, they looked like apples.

"Hehe, they're well-ripened."

"Yes, aren't they?"

The head of the personnel hall, who had put the money pouch in a drawer, said.

"By the way, it's a long ti to live and see. To think there's soone who is checking the promotion of the perennial unit commander, Cheol Jiak. It's probably because of that guy, right?"

"...Yes, that's right."

The head of the personnel hall nodded his head.

"Who would have thought that the guy who is called the best talent to appear in nearly fifty years would go to the Black Tortoise Unit?"

As Cheon Woojin was ntioned, the man's expression quickly darkened. He also had never expected that he would have to check Cheol Jiak in his life.

However, the guy nad Cheon Woojin was quite a promising prospect. The achievents he had made on the mission with the Heavenly Tiger Unit were just like that.

Naturally, since Cheon Woojin's achievents were also the achievents of the Black Tortoise Unit, if things went on like this, Cheol Jiak's promotion was not just an empty talk.

The head of the personnel hall laughed heartily and said.

"Don't worry too much. It's true that the newcors of the Black Tortoise Unit are outstanding, but there's not much an individual can do in an organization. Even that Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, only started to stand out properly after he was well over thirty, and he solidified his internal support base."

"If that's the case, then that's a relief..."

"There will probably be no big changes until you and the Black Tortoise Unit Commander retire. Look now. While the Lesser Sword Dragon is subjugating a black path sect in Anhui, they were only assigned an escort mission at best. At best, they might catch a few bandits on the way."

The head of the personnel hall, who had been in an organization his whole life and had been in charge of personnel-related work, was so convinced. It was rare, but a dragon could fly from a stream. But that didn't an the stream would beco the sea. It was just that when the young dragon grew up and felt that the stream was narrow, it would just leave the place where it had grown up.

'It would have been different if he had chosen the sea called the Heavenly Tiger Unit from the beginning.'

Unfortunately, within the Martial Alliance, the Black Tortoise Unit was a stream. And a small stream at that.

At the head of the personnel hall's words, the man finally let out a laugh of relief.

"Then I'll just trust you, Hall Master."

"Hahaha, just you wait and see. There have been few tis when my words have been wrong."

(End of Chapter)