Chapter 142
At the sight of Youngho smiling as if thoroughly satisfied, Hyeon-gang asked with a dubious expression.
“Are you that pleased?”
“Of course. That Giant Octopus was far too arrogant.”
“Even so, leaving a burn mark right in the middle of his forehead seems excessive, does it not?”
“If you were in my position, you would think differently.”
“That will never happen to . I am, after all, a physician.”
“And if the ones who tornted you at the Tang Clan tried to pull tricks again?”
“It seems I still have a long way to go as a physician.”
As Hyeon-gang imdiately understood Youngho’s aning and conceded, Kang Hosan jumped up and shouted.
“Ah, seriously! Brother, you can’t do that! No matter what, the other side is Shaolin!”
“Shaolin is nothing but a bunch of bald monks.”
“Please keep it down! We’re still in Shaolin!”
Why did he have to say that here of all places?!
With a resolute expression, as if unwilling to yield on this matter, Kang Hosan said,
“Anyway, later you must properly apologize to the Abbot. You can say it in a soulless voice if you want, just make it look convincing enough.”
“Hosan. I am aware that you smashed every single one of those who tornted you before you joined the Asura Squad.”
At that, Kang Hosan could only move his lips soundlessly, unable to respond.
“There’s a saying in this world. If kindness continues, people mistake it for a right.”
Knowing better than anyone what kind of deeds Youngho had shown thus far, Kang Hosan found himself even more at a loss for words.
No matter how he thought about it, he could not recall a single truly wicked act Youngho had committed.
‘If anything, he’s been helping the Murim Alliance.’
Seeing the two standing there dumbfounded, Youngho chuckled and headed alone toward a nearby reservoir.
For a mont, he blankly gazed at the lotus flowers blooming upon the water.
It was an expression impossible to predict—what he was thinking, or what path he would take next.
Though he was smiling, his face was gentle, unlike that of a man from the Unorthodox Faction, and the aura flowing from his body was incomparably soft.
After admiring the lotus blossoms for about half a Quarter-Hour, Youngho straightened his back and spoke.
“Would you care to co out now?”
He felt a presence startle briefly at his words. It hesitated for a mont, then quickly regained composure and revealed itself.
“It has been a long ti.”
Youngho smiled faintly as he looked at Hwangbo Nyeong, who had greeted him.
“It has indeed been a long ti, Great Hero.”
Hwangbo Nyeong’s face had changed considerably since they last t.
She looked younger than before.
Youngho glanced subtly at his now-broader shoulders and said,
“You have properly crossed the wall. Congratulations.”
“And you, Sword Exalted, have beco even more unfathomable.”
“I have always been sothing of an eccentric.”
“Thanks to that, our Hwangbo Clan has received great favor.”
Hwangbo Nyeong cupped her fists and bowed her head. Though it was sudden, Youngho did not waver, rely gazing at her with steady eyes.
“The Hwangbo Clan does not forget kindness. We will surely repay the favor we received from you one day.”
“And how exactly do you intend to repay it?”
“If it is sothing you desire……”
“That will not do. Do not bow your head to a re man of the Unorthodox Faction. And even if you have received a favor, do not lower your guard.”
It was a strange response. The Hwangbo Clan was offering recompense—why would this man refuse?
“I understand your heart, Great Hero. And there are tis when a person must bow his head.”
“In that case…!”
“Even so, at least not now. Raise your head. And if you have no intention of hiding your clan’s sha, then cut it away before the eyes of the world.”
“You have given the Hwangbo Clan far too great a help for that.”
“It is not sothing worth calling help. Above all, the Hwangbo Clan’s wrongdoing can never be erased.”
She knew it well. The forr Clan Head of the Hwangbo Clan had committed an irreparable sin.
The victims who should have received apologies had already succumbed to old age and returned to nature, and even attempting to apologize to their descendants was difficult, as their exact whereabouts were hard to determine.
“I am a man of the Unorthodox Faction. No matter my disposition, my origins do not change. So do not bow your head to any longer.”
“Then…….”
What, then, should he do? Even if Youngho belonged to the Unorthodox Faction, how was he to repay this debt?
“Lest you misunderstand, I do not forget Gratitude and Grudge. I will extract sothing from the Hwangbo Clan one way or another, so raise your head.”
Only then did Hwangbo Nyeong lift her head with a relieved expression.
Seeing that, Youngho smirked.
“And if you truly wish to repay , spare no support for the blacksmith Kang Yongchong.”
“We are already doing so. Not only our Hwangbo Clan, but the Murim Alliance is directly protecting him, so there is no need for concern. In that case, might you grant another request?”
“Then let us speak informally.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve given you permission.”
“Pardon?”
With a more relaxed expression, Youngho said,
“To be honest, I wanted to beco much closer with you.”
Hwangbo Nyeong looked bewildered, and Youngho grinned playfully.
“If you want to be treated as the elder, just defeat in a fight. I simply want a friend.”
“What do you……?”
Feeling unable to keep up with the situation, Hwangbo Nyeong t Youngho’s eyes.
And instinctively, she realized it—no, she could not help but realize it. The goodwill reflected in Youngho’s eyes was sincere acknowledgnt.
Perhaps that was why Hwangbo Nyeong spoke not with reason, but with instinct.
“Fine. I like you as well.”
“Do you enjoy drinking?”
At Youngho’s question, Hwangbo Nyeong stared blankly for a mont, then burst into laughter.
“Drinking in Shaolin? You’re bolder than you look.”
“It’s fine if we drink in secret.”
Youngho rummaged through his sleeve and tossed the wine bottle inside to Hwangbo Nyeong.
Catching it lightly, Hwangbo Nyeong stared at him in disbelief.
“So you had already planned this? What if I hadn’t been here?”
“Just follow .”
As Youngho walked, Hwangbo Nyeong followed behind him.
The two passed beyond Shaolin’s pavilions and entered deep into the mountains. And when they reached their destination, it was enough to steal Hwangbo Nyeong’s breath.
“Wow…….”
It was an extraordinarily beautiful place. The valley stream flowed with dignified grace, soothing the heart rely by sight, and various mountain beasts road nearby without fleeing even at the presence of people.
Sitting upon a nearby rock, Youngho said,
“We don’t need cups, do we?”
“If the wine tastes bad, then we would need them…….”
“It’s wine my Master cherishes dearly. I secretly took it. Drink without worry.”
“Right, if it’s wine the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance treasures, then it must certainly be delicious…… hm?”
“What?”
“N-No, this is the wine the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance likes?”
“Yes. His favorite, in fact.”
The color draining from Hwangbo Nyeong’s lively face turned dark in an instant.
Seeing her complexion change so abruptly, Youngho burst into hearty laughter.
“Don’t worry. My Master is not so vicious as to harm my close friend over sothing like this.”
“I can only pray that’s true…….”
Resigned, Hwangbo Nyeong uncorked the bottle.
Fwaaaah!
In that instant, the fragrance that had been confined within the bottle rushed into her nose. The intoxicatingly sweet scent left her staring blankly at the bottle before unconsciously bringing it to her lips.
Gulp.
Though he shad swallowed only a single mouthful, Hwangbo Nyeong savored the taste to the point of forgetting even her own astonishnt.
“……It’s good.”
There were many words she wished to use, but for such wine, a simple and unembellished evaluation felt most fitting.
Of all the wines she had tasted in his life, this was undoubtedly the finest.
Youngho also took a sip and, uncharacteristically, revealed an expression of genuine enjoynt.
The two spoke of many things. They talked about how greatly Kang Yongchong was now distinguishing himself, and Youngho spoke of the Asura Squad he had personally raised.
In particular, Hwangbo Nyeong lavishly praised him for protecting the children from Mad Face.
“When we first t, I thought you were a master who had undergone Rejuvenation…….”
“Rejuvenation is far more difficult than Bone-Marrow Reforging.”
“That’s why, when I heard at the Waterway Stronghold that you were the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance’s fifth disciple, I panicked and ran.”
They both chuckled.
For so reason, Hwangbo Nyeong felt a ticklish sensation in her heart. Why did they get along so well?
No—before that, what was this sense of familiarity? Youngho’s straightforward and bold manner of speech naturally drew Hwangbo Nyeong’s favor.
“Youngho.”
“What?”
“Can you really defeat the Heavenly Demon?”
For a mont, the air seed to grow heavy. Perhaps it was rely imagination, yet at least for Hwangbo Nyeong, her body—no, her heart—felt weighed down.
And Youngho’s answer made it even heavier.
“No.”
He could not win. He could have clung to hope and asked whether a draw might be possible, but Hwangbo Nyeong chose not to.
If she were to hear that even a draw was impossible, she felt he would truly beco despondent.
Yet before Hwangbo Nyeong could sink fully into her own thoughts, Youngho offered another answer.
“But we can win the war against the Demonic Cult.”
At those words, Hwangbo Nyeong’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes. Three years ago, our chances of victory were nearly nonexistent, but now there is more than enough possibility.”
“Do you have so kind of plan?”
“If I said I did, it would be a lie. I am a Martial Artist, not a Strategist.”
It was a curious statent. For a mont, Hwangbo Nyeong wondered if there was so double aning behind it, but it did not seem so.
Youngho, noticing his doubt, gave a faint smirk.
“I simply trust in the strength of the Unorthodox Alliance and the strength of the Murim Alliance.”
“The Unorthodox Alliance, perhaps—but you trust the Murim Alliance?”
“Do not take it the wrong way. I trust the skills of the Orthodox Sect masters. And one of those I trust is you.”
At Youngho’s calm words, Hwangbo Nyeong chuckled.
Was it the wine, or was it joy? Though she herself was laughing, she could not identify the emotions stirring within her heart.
“Hwangbo Nyeong, you are strong. Honestly, in ten years’ ti, if you took the title of Fist Queen, no one would question it.”
“Is that truly so?”
“Of course. I rate your talent even higher than that of the Fist King.”
Hearing that, Hwangbo Nyeong was startled.
“N-No, even so, I am not yet worthy of being compared to the Fist King…….”
“Of course you are weaker—for now.”
“…….”
Hwangbo Nyeong silently took another drink and glared at Youngho. Even under her sharp gaze, Youngho remained unfazed.
“I know you ca here to request a sparring match with the Fist King.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Personally, I hope you do not try too hard to imitate the Fist King.”
“Because I’m a woman?”
Though she spoke calmly, a trace of anger edged Hwangbo Nyeong’s voice.
Youngho clearly noticed her displeasure, yet he did not stop.
“Shaolin’s fist was ultimately created to protect the Common People. Simply put, it is Mount Tai ant to shield others.”
“What are you implying? That because I am a frail woman, because a woman’s body is weaker than a man’s, I cannot beco Mount Tai?”
“The opposite. You must not beco Mount Tai.”
“……What?”
“The Hwangbo Clan’s fist has evolved again and again. And it has created an extraordinary Fist Technique. It would not be strange to call it the fist of a beast.”
“What are you talking about?”
By now, Hwangbo Nyeong felt more confusion than anger. She genuinely wished to know why he was saying such things.
“Your fist is not a heavy fist like Mount Tai that stands firm in place. When the Hwangbo Clan’s fist reaches its extre, it ceases to be the fist of a beast—it becos a natural disaster, a calamity itself.”
At that mont, Hwangbo Nyeong’s eyes flew open.
“Your fist is not Mount Tai ant to stand immovable. The Hwangbo Clan’s fist is the one that shatters Mount Tai.”
Youngho looked at her, sitting there blankly staring at him, and spoke with a gentle smile.
“Do not be captivated by heaviness. Your fist can beco freer, sharper. And if you break through the wall…….”
Then you would truly beco the Fist Queen.
Youngho did not bother finishing the sentence. He already knew she would not hear the rest.
Rising to his feet, Youngho expelled the wine’s poison with his Internal Energy and stood with his back to her.
Unable to suppress the corners of his lips twitching upward, he said,
“Congratulations on breaking through the wall, my friend.”
Hwangbo Nyeong’s dazed pupils seed to shimr strangely.
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