Chapter 82 - You Deserve It
“Hoo.”
“Heok…… heok.”
Dozens of people climbed Diancang Mountain, dripping with sweat.
For those traveling around Yunnan, Diancang Mountain was the number one place to avoid.
The mountain was already notorious for its rugged terrain, and after the Tiger-Bear Stronghold took control of the mountain, bandits had also beco rampant.
But today.
An unusually rare procession was making its way up Diancang Mountain.
“Co on, just a little more effort!”
The person at the front encouraged them, and everyone put strength into their legs.
From a distance, they resembled a rchant caravan.
The sight of a few horses pulling carts, or the large bundles on each person’s back.
However, a closer look revealed that they were quite different from a typical caravan.
The carts were loaded not with goods but with household items and bedding, and the bundles on their backs were mostly clothes and daily necessities.
They were not traveling to sell goods.
Their ho base.
They were about to change it entirely.
“Hwook…… hwook…….”
There was a middle-aged man leading the group at the forefront.
In one of his hands, he held a bundle, while on the other side, only an empty sleeve fluttered in the wind.
A man with a square jaw, managing to carry a load and climb the mountain with one arm.
Mujin, a forr swordsman of the Diancang Sect, moved his feet roughly, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
‘So this is Diancang Mountain.’
In his past as a swordsman of the Diancang Sect, and now, having co from Simao, Diancang Mountain remained the sa.
The ground was uneven, so he always had to watch his step, and the slope was so steep that the bundle in his one hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
“Holholhol.”
There was sothing that made it a little harder for Mujin.
As if the sll of breath and sweat wasn't already making his nose dizzy, a strong scent of liquor flowed in from one side.
He was a man who could be called the last remaining elder of the Diancang Sect.
It was the sll of alcohol coming from Jeokseo, who was constantly drinking from a liquor bottle.
“Holholhol. The liquor tastes good!”
The strong scent of alcohol made him feel drunk without even drinking.
Mujin was dumbfounded, but on the other hand, he also found it strange.
To climb the difficult Diancang Mountain while drinking alcohol?
Usually, even when Jeokseo was drunk, only the tip of his nose would turn slightly red, and there would be no problem with his conduct.
But he had never imagined that he would climb this rugged Diancang Mountain while drunk.
“E-Elder Jeokseo. Please go slowly.”
Surprisingly, Jeokseo’s gait was no different from his usual one, and perhaps because of his small fra, his movents seed as light as a mountain squirrel.
At this point, he was even having the foolish thought that maybe he should try drinking alcohol himself.
“Holholhol. Mujin-ah.”
“Yes, Elder Jeokseo.”
“My feet move on their own without effort. Just thinking about the children waiting on the mountain top.”
“Is that so.”
Jeokseo lowered his head and rubbed his forehead on his shoulder.
With only one hand, this was the only way he could wipe his sweat now.
“They must be very exhausted.”
The path to the main mountain was certainly a joyous and exciting process.
But on the other hand, he was also worried.
Although they were people of Jianghu, most of them were in their twenties or younger.
They were certainly talented in swordsmanship, but they still lacked real combat experience.
The process of deciding life and death with real swords crossed against each other.
It must have been a difficult experience for the next-generation disciples.
“I am worried that an Inner Demon might have taken root in the children. They must have broken the killing precept in the process of attacking the Tiger-Bear Stronghold.”
“Holholhol. It is a process that everyone who has set foot in Murim must go through at least once.”
What kind of faces would they have as they waited for the elders of Simao?
They had already heard the news of the main mountain's restoration through a ssage.
The next-generation disciples would probably not be able to guess the expressions on the faces of the people left behind in Simao that day.
So collapsed on the spot and shed tears of emotion, while others ran out into the marketplace and shouted cheers at the top of their lungs.
Mujin’s one remaining fist trembled, and Jeokseo drank his last cup of liquor long and slowly.
The descendants of the Diancang Sect climbing the mountain all felt the sa.
They wanted to go up quickly and et the children.
They wanted to stroke their heads, pat their shoulders, and tell them they did well.
They too were once people of Murim, so they knew all too well the aftereffects of a first real battle.
“Will you bring another bottle?”
“Will you be alright.”
“Holholhol. This is my fuel.”
A man who climbed the mountain while constantly drinking strong liquor without any side dishes.
At this point, it was a sight that could be called not the unity of object and self, but the unity of liquor and self without any exaggeration.
‘Perhaps, Elder Jeokseo is also that deeply moved.’
The days when they enjoyed glory as one of the Nine Sects One Union.
The days when they lost all the masters of their sect and suffered all sorts of sha and humiliation.
Jeokseo had experienced all those monts of glory and disgrace on the front lines of the Diancang Sect.
And now.
The descendants of the Diancang Sect had once again reclaid their main mountain.
Perhaps no one but Jeokseo himself could know how he felt right now.
‘It all started with that brat.’
After taking a deep gulp of liquor, Jeokseo thought of a boy.
Biyoung.
The sight of the suddenly appeared young boy performing the Sun-Shooting Sword Art was a world-shattering shock even to Jeokseo.
Was it a dream or reality?
Was that fellow a person or a goblin?
It was to the point where such thoughts ca to mind.
When Eung Gajin said, ‘Let’s postpone the restoration of the Diancang Sect by a year,’ Jeokseo’s heart was certainly not at ease.
If Biyoung had not taken the lead and expressed his opinion, they would still be engaged in their livelihoods in Simao.
No matter how well-burning firewood is gathered, it is useless without a spark.
In that sense, Biyoung was like a signal flare for revival.
It was when Jeokseo had been thinking about Biyoung for a long ti.
“Ah……!”
Soone pointed in one direction with a trembling voice.
“The mountain gate, it's the mountain gate……!”
It was a mountain gate whose plaque had fallen off, making it unclear which group it belonged to.
However, there was no one among those gathered here who did not know the identity of that mountain gate.
The three characters that must have been written on the missing plaque were deeply engraved in their hearts.
Diancang Sect.
After more than ten years of hardship, the descendants of the Diancang Sect had finally returned to their main mountain.
“Finally……!”
“How long has it been……!!”
“Keup……!”
Seeing the mountain gate, agitation rose on each of their faces.
When Biyoung first visited the Tiger-Bear Stronghold, it was at a level that was embarrassing to even call a mountain gate, but thanks to the repairs done by the next-generation disciples, it had managed to regain its old appearance.
“Holholhol. The children must be beyond there.”
The next-generation disciples of the Diancang Sect.
Those children were beyond the mountain gate.
The children who had carried the burden of their ancestors simply because they had a faint connection to the Diancang Sect.
When other children ran away or turned their backs, saying they would live their own lives, these children remained until the end and fulfilled the long-cherished wish of their ancestors.
Thus, the feelings of the elders looking at the next-generation disciples were beyond words.
“Let's hurry!”
Thinking of the children, the group’s pace began to quicken.
Their bodies were certainly tired, but the thought of eting the next-generation disciples made them feel a strength they didn't have.
-Hap!
“Ooh……!”
As they got closer to the mountain gate, they could hear kiai shouts from a distance.
This must be the sound of swordsmanship training.
The hearts of the Diancang Sect people pounded violently.
The proud next-generation disciples who drove out the Tiger-Bear Stronghold and restored the Diancang Sect.
If they were tired from battle, they would pat their backs, and if they were injured, they would treat them all night long.
The mont the Diancang Sect people passed the mountain gate and finally saw the children!
“Chaaaaaaak!”
“Tahaaaaaaat!”
“Die!”
“Drop dead!”
……?
Mujin, who was at the front, stopped in his tracks.
At first, he had been about to call out to the children with a very happy expression.
And yet.
The children’s condition was a little strange.
“I'll kill youuuuuu!”
“Kuaaaaaaaak!”
……Are those our children?
Those?
Mujin’s expression beca dazed as if he couldn't believe it, and the faces of the elders who arrived after him were not much different.
“There's no power in the tip of your sword! Five more rounds!”
“Euaaaaaaaah!”
Along with soone’s clear voice, the kiai shouts of several swordsn could be heard.
With a sound that was ambiguous whether it was a kiai, a scream, or a screech, the swordsn brandished their swords again.
‘This…… this is not a group of descendants of an orthodox sect, but a group of young demons…….’
The children they saw before them were definitely the next-generation disciples of the Diancang Sect.
Yes.
Let’s just say that was the case for Uma, who had a nasty impression to begin with.
But what about the other children?
The corners of Eung Gajin’s eyes, who had the air of a hero, glistened with killing intent, and a streak of nacing light flashed in Danseol’s narrow eyes.
It was so bad that even the coward Solbo’s face was filled with a thick venom.
‘No…… it's not just that that's changed.’
If only their expressions had changed, he wouldn't have hesitated like this.
Every single sword strike they made was filled with a tyrannical aura.
Swordsn grow through real combat, but it was a stride of progress that was hard to believe had been achieved in just one battle.
“Holholhol. The world has turned upside down.”
Jeokseo, who had co up behind Mujin, laughed with an excited voice.
“A dazzling growth. It can truly be called looking at soone with new eyes.”
“That is…….”
That's right, Elder Jeokseo.
However, it seems that not only their swordsmanship but also many other things have changed, you know?
At this rate, it's almost as if the people themselves have been remodeled…….
‘No. What am I thinking right now.’
Mujin shook his head vigorously.
The change in the children was quite shocking, but even if they had beco sword demons, weren't they still our children?
The voice that had hesitated for a mont in surprise at the change in the next-generation disciples soon echoed resoundingly throughout the main mountain.
“Have you all been well!”
“Drop de...!!!! Huh?”
Eung Gajin’s sword, which had been continuously spewing words that were difficult for a swordsman of a Daoist sect to utter, stopped for a mont.
Soon, everyone’s heads turned to one side.
The people they had been waiting for so eagerly were crossing the mountain gate and running towards them.
“Elder Jeokseo!”
“Senior Uncle Mujin!”
“Grandpa!”
Biyoung hopped towards Jinbae, and the other next-generation disciples also ran towards the group with endlessly happy faces.
“Hahahahaha! You look good!”
“You worked hard……!! You worked hard……!!”
“Co here! Let hug you!”
Many people tangled together, embracing and shaking their bodies.
There were people who laughed so loudly it seed they would leave, and people who shed tears.
Even Biyoung, who had been teaching swordsmanship with glaring eyes, was smiling brightly in Jinbae’s arms.
And.
There was only one person in this place who was serious.
It was none other than Absolute Protector.
‘……The number of targets has increased too much.’
The mission to protect the Diancang Sect.
That mission applied not only to the sect’s artifacts but also to its people.
In an instant, the scope of what Absolute Protector had to protect had grown significantly.
‘Isn't this a fraudulent contract?’
For the first ti in a long ti, a bitter smile appeared on Absolute Protector’s lips.
“What are you doing! Absolute Protector! Co here!”
“……?”
At Biyoung’s call, Absolute Protector strode over.
“This friend will beco a great pillar of our Diancang Sect in the future.”
“Holholhol. To hear you say that much, my expectations are high.”
“Wow! You're as handso as Biyoung, aren't you?”
“As much as Biyoung? He's much better than Biyoung, who looks like a gisaeng.”
“Wahahahahaha!”
“…………?”
Seeing them welco him without any hesitation, Absolute Protector felt a mont of confusion.
It was because he had never experienced such a thing when he lived in the Tiger-Bear Stronghold.
“Holholhol. Let's have a feast tonight.”
“Are you saying that!”
“Oh! I'll get to taste Grandpa's cooking for the first ti in a while, won't I?”
“Heh heh. You rascal. The first thing you think of upon seeing your grandfather after a long ti is to make him work?”
The boisterous greetings subsided only after a very long ti.
Once the atmosphere cald down a bit, Mujin asked Eung Gajin.
“There seem to have been many changes besides reclaiming the main mountain. The swordsmanship during training, for instance.”
“Yes, Senior Uncle Mujin.”
Eung Gajin bowed his head once and glanced at Biyoung.
Sseuk.
He hadn't even started talking yet, but the fellow's nose was already ascending to the heavens.
If he was like this now, wouldn't his nose pierce the clouds after he finished his explanation?
‘Right. You deserve it.’
I'll praise you properly, just for today.
Eung Gajin smirked once and then began to explain to everyone.
“Actually, Biyoung……”
Not long after, the people from Simao all had the wide eyes of a startled rabbit.
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