Chapter 157
Episode 157
Hyukseong Dojang was brought to the Sacheon branch as a dead body.
The separate room where the patients were gathered became noisy.
Lawmakers invited from nearby gathered around and inspected Master Noh’s body.
“It’s serious.”
“Trauma is trauma, but internal trauma is also serious.”
“I think we need to get the miasma out first. “Can you help me?”
The condition of Hyukseong Dojang was miserable.
There were sword wounds all over the body, and the affected parts that had been engulfed by the poison were stained blue.
What was most impressive was the face, which was so swollen that its original shape was unrecognizable.
It had been beaten so mercilessly that it looked twice as big as it originally was.
The sparsely missing teeth added to the sadness.
“Elder!”
“What on earth is going on?”
The disciples of the Kunlun Sect stamped their feet with sad expressions.
Of course, not everyone reacted as worried as they did.
Rather, most patients had a faint smile on their lips as if everything went well.
‘It looks like you’ve been in quite a bit of trouble.’
I could see how deeply dissatisfied they had been with Hyukseong Dojang.
Damun, who was watching, asked me in full voice.
-Did the branch manager make it like that?
-Is that possible?
-For that matter, you seem overly calm.
-Is there any reason to be embarrassed? We don’t lose anything just because Hyukseong Dojang is injured.
Damun looked back at me with narrowed eyes.
I pretended not to see it and continued to stretch.
-It looks like it’s going to be noisy for a while. Secretary Dam, please return to work now. I will take care of all matters related to this matter.
-It seems like what you are saying has exactly this meaning. Since this is something I did, I will take care of it afterward.
I laughed and shook my head, saying ‘pick’.
I don’t know whose subordinate he was, but he was really quick-witted.
-It’s my mood.
* * *
The Taoist monks of Kunlun ran wild like a swarm of bees whose home had been attacked.
In order to uncover the identity of the evil beast that attacked Hyeokseong’s dojo, he conducted as many investigations as he could and looked for witnesses.
Quang!
“What does that mean? “You won’t help with the investigation!”
The young Taoist shouted at me with a very angry face.
I looked down at the sunken edge of the desk and frowned.
Why are you making such a fuss by destroying a normal desk?
“I’m not saying I won’t help with the investigation. “We don’t have the power to help.”
“Aren’t they the same thing!”
“Even if the words are the same, ‘ah’ is different and ‘uh’ is different.”
“The elder in the text was attacked by a gunman and is on the brink of death!”
“That’s a gross exaggeration. If you are an elder, didn’t you become conscious during the day? There was also an opinion from the doctor that a complete recovery would be achieved after a couple of months of recuperation…”
“Are you saying the elder has regained consciousness?”
“yes. “Didn’t you know?”
“I couldn’t check because I was wandering around to investigate… Anyway, that’s not what’s important!”
The young Taoist’s face turned red.
It wasn’t clear whether he was angry or embarrassed.
“This happened in the middle of the capital city of Sichuan Province. Of course, shouldn’t the Sacheon branch take over the case and resolve it!”
“Of course we want to help. But what can we do if we don’t have the manpower to dedicate to the case?”
“That damn manpower!”
“As I said before, the number of monks belonging to the Sichuan branch is only nine.”
I sighed and repeated the explanation I had repeated several times.
“This is a situation where there is no clue whatsoever. Even if we search all over Sacheon, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to find the culprit. “The master probably knows that too.”
“…….”
“What on earth can only nine people do in a situation like this? Not only that. “If the Sacheon branch wanders around here and there as it pleases, the local Segas and clans will feel uncomfortable.”
“…….”
“The Sichuan branch, which is only now regaining its lost public trust, cannot take such a risk. “Please understand.”
“Damn it!”
“For now, calm down your excitement.”
“Do I look serious now?!”
Quang!
The Kunlun master struck the desk again with his fist.
Watching the bouncing debris made me feel bad as well.
“Even if you get angry like that, nothing will change.”
As he spoke while glaring with cold eyes, the young Taoist’s face turned white.
He, who had just reached the beginning of his climax, would not have been able to handle the energy I was determined to release.
The Taoist monk stumbled back, breaking into a cold sweat and breathing heavily.
I said, pointing to the sunken section with my index finger.
“Please compensate for the broken desk.”
“…….”
“First of all, we will try to help as much as possible. “Let’s request a joint investigation from the government and send an official letter requesting cooperation to the nearby martial arts factions.”
I don’t know if there will be a Segana faction that will stand up for the Kunlun faction that has all failed.
“……All right.”
The young Taoist monk lowered his head with a dejected expression.
After coaxing him with some kind words, I sent him out of the office.
“Keuhuh.”
I stretched with a satisfied expression.
Now I felt like I could go to Namgung House with peace of mind.
* * *
Naturally, the search for the culprit who attacked Hyeokseong’s dojo ended in vain.
There was some unrest as the Kunlun sect’s disciples wandered around looking for clues, but even that didn’t last long.
This was because investigation activities were curtailed due to sanctions imposed by party officials.
“Then, please ask for the Sacheon branch while I am gone.”
“Please leave it to me.”
I said goodbye to Hong Seong-hyeon and left the branch.
Ready to go on a long trip.
All minor issues were resolved and the handover was completed.
Namgungse’s 80th birthday party for the head of the Taesang family.
It was an event hosted by the large martial arts power that occupied the top spot of the five major families.
Although the scale of the event was reduced considering the time and situation, many martial artists were still interested in it.
‘I never thought the day would come when I would be officially invited to the Namgung family.’
These were the faces of those who would travel to Anhui with me.
Damun, Seo Ho-seon, Bangcheoksam, Yeo So-ok, Dang Seo-yeon.
In addition, there were 6 guards and warriors assigned to Tang Seo-yeon by the Tang family, twelve in number, and the number of envoys and servants of Haeulpyoguk (遐鳦鏢局).
Of course, Sacheondangga, like me, was formally invited to the banquet.
Tang Seo-yeon was the representative of the envoy dispatched by the Tang family.
Since our destination was the same, I naturally went with her.
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“It could be dangerous to travel together. “I’m sure you know that I have incurred a grudge against Lord Ma.”
“If you were worried about that, you wouldn’t have helped subdue the Assassin Army and the Iron Blood Demon Army in the first place. “I am also the same person who hates Lord Ma.”
“That is true.”
Tang Seo-yeon’s lips drew an arc.
As she smiled, the burn marks disappeared and her skin was as white and clear as snow, and the whole area seemed to brighten up.
“Please take care of me for a while.”
I greeted Tang Seok-su, the representative of the guards dispatched by the Tang family, and got into the carriage.
Envoys and Germans lined up around the gorgeous armchair as if to guard it.
The wheels of the carriage began to roll with the powerful sound of horses neighing.
* * *
Whiiing!
A cold wind blew.
The weather was not very good for a long distance trip.
I spent quite a bit of money preparing for this trip.
Although he spent a considerable amount of money preparing a birthday present, it was also quite difficult to hire messengers from Haeulpyoguk.
I was able to hire them only after paying a large sum of money, three times the normal commission fee.
“What are you thinking like that?”
Yeo So-ok, who was sitting on the left seat across from me, spoke to me while I was looking out the window.
“I was just doing some calculations to see when I could arrive in Anhui. “Anyway, I didn’t know that you would volunteer to follow me.”
“My body is completely healed, but I can’t just rest forever.”
“I understand that you have not fully recovered your martial arts skills yet.”
“I’ve done all the training I could at the training ground, so now I need to regain my sense of real combat. Can I ask you to spar sometime? “My husband is an archer, so he is not suitable for practice.”
“of course.”
I nodded willingly.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult request to grant.
The carriage that left Chengdu ran in a straight line along Guandu.
Perhaps because it was winter, it was not easy to find people walking down the street.
The trip went smoothly.
At least for the first few days.
‘Is it another mountain road?’
The body of the carriage was tilted at an angle.
As the weather was bad, I decided to take a detour through the sloping mountain path as much as possible.
Nevertheless, there were sometimes mountains that had to be crossed.
‘It’s pretty steep.’
Still, this was better.
When the road was so rough that everyone in the group had to get off the wagon and walk.
“stop!”
About halfway up the mountain.
A voice full of energy resonated throughout the area.
It was not the voice of the warriors escorting the carriage.
I stuck my head out the window and looked ahead.
‘bandit?’
A large man wearing thick leather clothes came into view.
Behind the giant, bandits holding bows were lined up.
It felt different from ordinary bandits.
In addition to being trained in his own way, the leader was a fully mature and peak expert.
I thought that maybe it was a group belonging to the green forest.
One of the delegates stepped forward and attempted to negotiate with them.
“The heroes and heroines of the mountains…”
At that moment, an unexpected situation occurred.
Pow!
The arrow flew with a heavy blast and hit the lion’s head.
Pyosa could not finish his sentence and tore down Shinhyeong on the spot.
It wasn’t an arrow fired by one of the bandits.
It was an arrow that flew from a higher altitude.
My companions and I instinctively felt a sense of crisis and jumped out of the carriage.
Kurung! Grumble!
A terrifying noise rang out.
I raised my head to look at the source of the noise and let out a curse.
“This is crazy.”
Large rocks were falling down.
Boom boom!
The bandits, who rained down arrows as if they had been waiting, leisurely left the scene as if they had completed their job.
Pyodu, who swung his sword and struck down the arrow, shouted at the top of his voice.
“Get back! “We have to get out of here before we get swept away!”
The overwhelming mass itself becomes a powerful weapon.
Even if you were a top expert, you could die instantly if you were crushed by a rock falling at that fast.
The messengers abandoned their horses and ran backwards.
Those with relatively excellent military skills took care of those who had not yet learned martial arts.
It was impossible to rush forward following the bandits.
Because you never know what kind of trap might be prepared.
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
A loud noise engulfed the area.