novelraw Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter 101 - Okay. Let's go, let's go!
“Jeokseo?”
Hyeokri Chong’s face contorted peculiarly.
“You mean that introverted scholar?”
“You remember him?”
“Of course I remember. He kept picking up a brush instead of a sword, so I cursed at him several times…….”
Hyeokri Chong couldn't quite finish his sentence.
This was because the word modifying Jeokseo had changed from ‘scholar’ to ‘Sect Leader’.
Biyoung’s group was sitting together in Hyeokri Chong’s room, chatting harmoniously.
Since it was a house where only a grandfather and his granddaughter lived, the room wasn't large, but it was just enough for them to squeeze in and sit.
“Huh…….”
A complicated sigh leaked from Hyeokri Chong’s mouth.
To think that inflexible, introverted guy who didn't seem like a Murim person at all was the Sect Leader.
Although he tried not to show it, Hyeokri Chong couldn't hide the worry rising on his face.
“You don’t seem pleased?”
When Biyoung asked with a grin, Hyeokri Chong’s voice grew louder, as if hit by a sore spot.
“Ahem, ahem. You rascal! Not pleased?! I was merely surprised.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
“?”
“Because the scholar of the past that Grandpa is thinking of no longer exists.”
The person most surprised by Jeokseo’s change was none other than Biyoung.
The scholar Jeokseo he remembered from the past was no longer in this world.
A man who used to jump in fright at the mention of alcohol had become a drinker second to none in the world, and playfulness and transcendence had taken the place of the stiffness that always occupied his face.
If nothing else, if Hyeokri Chong were to reunite with Jeokseo, he would be just as surprised as Biyoung had been.
“Are you saying Jeokseo has changed a lot?”
“He has changed. I don't know if it was voluntary or involuntary, though.”
Biyoung gave a wry smile once and continued in a clear voice.
“What is certain is that he is now a person who possesses the vessel worthy of being a Sect Leader.”
“Cheeky fellow. Are you saying a guy whose down hasn't even fallen off yet discusses the vessel of a Sect Leader?”
Hyeokri Chong turned his gaze to the side even while saying that.
He wanted to hear the opinions of the children who had been with him in Simao.
“How does it look to you guys? Do you truly think Jeokseo has the qualifications as the Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect?”
Solbo and Jeong-i.
The two answered with voices as if they had promised beforehand.
“It is so.”
‘Ho-oh.’
A clear light flashed between Hyeokri Chong’s sharp eyes.
What he wanted to confirm was not a formal answer but the attitude of the two.
Did he say his name was Solbo?
That tactless and clumsy fellow had a face full of conviction at this moment.
If there had been even a shred of hesitation, he wouldn't have been able to make an expression like that.
And the other one.
If his memory served him right, this child also had a personality far removed from falsehood.
“……Then I shall also call him Sect Leader, not Jeokseo, from now on.”
Biyoung, Solbo, and Jeong-i.
The pupils of the rising stars, who could be called the future of the sect, were filled with certainty.
A reaction that couldn't come out without respect and trust for the Sect Leader.
Then, what needed to be reconsidered was not the Sect Leader, but his own prejudice against Jeokseo.
After the talk about the Sect Leader ended, Biyoung brought up the main topic.
“Grandpa. How about living on Mount Diancang with Hyeokri Hong?”
“Hmph. What if the sect turns into a pile of ashes again like before?”
At Hyeokri Chong’s sharp tongue, Solbo and Jeong-i’s eyes turned sharp.
However, Biyoung retorted without blinking an eye.
“You saw outside, right? Formations or whatever, the mountainside has been torn away in chunks. The front gate of your house is broken and gone, so would the Diancang Sect be worse than here?”
“Rascal! You are threatening me, not persuading me!”
“Hehe. Although the Diancang Sect has only just reclaimed the main mountain, we aren't so weak that we can't protect Grandpa and Hyeokri Hong. Compared to when we were attacked in the past, our combat power has improved significantly.”
At first glance, it seemed like he was making a big boast, but there was no lie or exaggeration in Biyoung’s words.
Because of the all-out war with the Demonic Cult, all the masters had been drafted, so the Diancang Sect at that time was in a situation where its pillars had all been pulled out.
But now, there were the rising stars of the Diancang Sect, including Absolute Protector.
Though called rising stars, they were resources capable of competing against masters of other sects.
And above all…….
“Now you have me. As long as I am here, the Diancang Sect will not collapse.”
“Rascal. Your bluffing has increased massively while I haven't seen you.”
At that moment, Guardian Gwangyo, who had been listening silently, rolled his eyes and intervened.
“I guarantee this guy's skill. The thing the old elder is worried about will not happen.”
“Who are you to guarantee this guy?”
“Kuhehe. I am speaking not as the Mad and Aberrant Man, but as a Guardian of the Beggars' Union.”
Hyeokri Chong stared blankly at Guardian Gwangyo.
‘I heard from stories in the world that he had completely lost his mind…….’
Contrary to rumors, Guardian Gwangyo was a person who knew how to distinguish reason fairly well.
He had heard that he would run wild if his temper was touched even a little, but dealing with him in person, a fairly rational conversation was possible.
‘Well. It’s not a recent thing that rumors in Jianghu are exaggerated.’
Hyeokri Chong thought so and nodded toward Biyoung.
“I will make a conclusion within today.”
“Grandpa’s option is probably only one anyway…….”
“Rascal. Stop talking nonsense and wait. And before that…….”
Hyeokri Chong’s gaze turned toward the outside of the door.
“I have something to give you guys.”
***
“Eeek?!”
A bizarre voice popped out from the mouths of the rising stars who came outside.
Solbo and Jeong-i, and even Biyoung, had their eyes wide open.
It was a reaction mixed with various emotions.
Surprise.
Wonder.
And, joy.
On Hyeokri Chong’s palm, four small pills were placed.
“You made spirit pills? Other than the Heaven-Shaking Divine Pill?”
“Yes. Since it hasn't been long since you came and went, the quantity isn't much.”
Biyoung’s group only blinked their eyes, unable to even touch the spirit pills.
After all, wasn't it the spirit pill of none other than Hyeokri Chong?
Hyeokri Chong was a figure considered valuable enough to detonate bombs at the risk of a landslide.
Since such a person held out spirit pills as if giving out sweets from his pocket, it would be strange not to be flustered.
“Why four? Are you perhaps giving one to me too?”
Especially, the most bewildered one was Guardian Gwangyo.
He wasn't even a person of the Diancang Sect, but just because he came along, he was giving him this precious spirit pill?
“Why. Don’t want to eat it?”
“Hehehehehehe.”
Guardian Gwangyo laughed like a person who had lost his mind for a moment.
“No matter how much I am rumored to be a crazy guy, I am not crazy enough to refuse the old elder’s spirit pill. I asked because I wondered if you were giving a spirit pill even to me, a member of the Beggars' Union.”
“Those kinds of molds are set by you guys, not made by me.”
“Then, you mean you also just give it to those you want to give to?”
“I was originally like that. Before I formed a connection with the Diancang Sect, there were many times I distributed spirit pills as I pleased. It just looked that way because you guys used all sorts of tricks to obtain the spirit pills.”
The ‘you guys’ mentioned here probably referred to Jianghu.
Guardian Gwangyo thought so and politely clasped his hands.
“I will not forget the old elder’s grace.”
“I don’t need such empty formalities, but there are two conditions.”
“What are they?”
“From now on, consider not only Biyoung but everyone in the Diancang Sect as friends.”
“And the other one?”
Hyeokri Chong’s eyes turned fierce.
“Change that rude way of speaking to be a bit more polite. Then I will give you my spirit pill.”
Guardian Gwangyo’s age was also not on the young side, but Hyeokri Chong seemed quite displeased with his attitude.
‘Hihi. He has a surprisingly old-fashioned side.’
At Hyeokri Chong’s condition, Biyoung smiled slyly.
And soon, Guardian Gwangyo clasped his hands again and bowed his head.
“I will obey Lord Hyeokri’s words.”
“Hmph. Much better to look at.”
Hyeokri Chong snorted and personally handed the pill to Guardian Gwangyo.
Guardian Gwangyo stared at the black pill with eyes full of emotion.
In fact, at Guardian Gwangyo’s age, the medicinal effect tends to drop even if one eats a reasonably good spirit pill.
But if the person who manufactured it is Hyeokri Chong, the story is different.
Making an uncontrollable wild beast crawl on its belly at once.
That was exactly Hyeokri Chong’s spirit pill.
“You guys come and take one each too.”
“Yay!”
While Solbo and Jeong-i hesitated, Biyoung quickly approached and snatched a spirit pill.
“Hehe. Rascal. They say a guy who has eaten meat knows the taste; the medicinal effect last time must have been good, huh?”
“Needless to say.”
Biyoung grinned and swallowed the pill in his hand.
While he closed his eyes and performed breathing exercises for a moment, Hyeokri Chong explained the spirit medicine to Solbo and Jeong-i.
“The name of this spirit pill is called Cradle-to-Grave Pill.”
“Cradle-to-Grave Pill……!”
“Literally from cradle to grave. It is a pill where one can see the same effect regardless of age, no matter how old one is. If taken consistently, you will surely see the effect. Because there is living proof right here.”
Everyone's gaze turned to the young beautiful girl.
Suddenly receiving attention, Hyeokri Hong’s cheeks flushed red like apples.
“Why are you all staring at a person suddenly and making a fuss?”
Why indeed.
It’s because of your monster-like internal energy.
Solbo smiled bitterly with that thought.
Hyeokri Hong possessed immense internal energy that even masters of that age, no, even those much older, couldn't even present a business card against.
That was probably due to the Cradle-to-Grave Pill she had taken since childhood.
A spirit pill that can be taken throughout one's life regardless of age.
It was a part where one could glimpse the heart of a grandfather thinking of his granddaughter.
“Phew…….”
Biyoung, having finished a round of breathing exercises, opened his eyes with a sparkle.
Then he suddenly drew his sword.
“Wh-what are you doing? Suddenly.”
Flustered, Solbo asked with a stuttering tone.
Biyoung suddenly changed.
The playfulness that always smeared his face disappeared, and he raised his sword with an expressionless face.
The face of Biyoung without an expression feels quite sharp.
Solbo suddenly had such a thought.
‘But, why is he suddenly doing this?’
Biyoung, who drew his sword with a most serious expression.
It was definitely an atmosphere completely different from his usual appearance.
‘Perhaps?’
Are there any side effects to the spirit pill?
It was when Solbo was just thinking that.
Shwaaaaa…….
Along with the sound of a ticklish wind, flower petals blooming in the field slowly scatter into the air.
At the same time, Biyoung’s sword begins to dance.
“…………!”
The sword blade cuts the fluttering petals.
No.
To express it accurately, the petals were welcoming the sword blade.
Vwoooong…….
The faint vibration of the sword tickles the ears of the observers.
The colorful petals in full bloom in the air gather here and there following the sword blade as if attracted by a magnet.
It doesn't feel like the petals are being swayed by flowing water, but rather like they are swimming while riding the flowing water.
“Flowing Water Shooting Leaf…….”
A voice slightly moist with emotion flowed from Hyeokri Chong’s mouth.
How long had it been since he saw such beautiful swordsmanship?
The sword lines, fully soaking up the colors of the petals, filled all directions.
Around the area where Biyoung stood, a five-colored brilliant flower current surged.
Swish swish swish…….
After the Flowing Water Shooting Leaf unfolded, Biyoung’s sword blade was thickly covered with petals of various colors.
At this moment, it looked like a treasured sword made of flower petals, not a sword of the Diancang Sect.
“The medicinal effect is killer.”
Biyoung grinned and released his internal energy.
Pasusu…….
At the same time, the petals attached to the sword blade quickly crumbled away.
Indeed, Hyeokri Chong’s pill was different, too different.
Just as vigorous children run anywhere unable to overcome their energy, Biyoung, who ate the pill, wanted to vent his soaring internal energy immediately.
So he impulsively unfolded the moves of the Flowing Water Shooting Leaf.
Even containing the energy of the Vacuum Sword at that.
“Woah…….”
Whatever the reason, the Flowing Water Shooting Leaf with the petals was enough to enchant everyone's eyes.
Is it allowed for swordsmanship meant for killing to be this beautiful?
It was a move that would raise such a fundamental question.
“I think you can stop worrying with this much……?”
When Biyoung asked with a grin, Hyeokri Chong shook his head left and right as if he couldn't win.
With a person who uses this level of martial arts by the side, what need is there for formations?
“Okay. Let’s go, let’s go!”
A long time.
It was the moment when Hyeokri Chong’s residence, which had been fixed only to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, changed.