novelraw Chapter 38 : Chapter 38
Chapter 38 : Chapter 38
Chapter 38 - No, this place is……?
Uma walked up without hesitation and asked Danseol.
“How much is this?”
“T-twenty bronze coins.”
“Damn expensive. Your skills don’t even look that great.”
Uma spat on the ground and handed Danseol a coin.
Along with a small note inside.
“T-thank you, my lord.”
It was a rendezvous that didn’t feel particularly awkward.
Just because someone looked rough didn’t mean they couldn’t collect paintings.
They had always shared information in this way.
However.
This time, Danseol’s response was different from usual.
‘Why is he stuttering like that?’
Danseol’s nature was as unreadable as his expression.
A guy who never lost his composure in any situation was stuttering ever since they had appeared.
Uma found it strange but dismissed it as nothing serious and turned around.
“Wait.”
“?”
Danseol stopped the three who were on their way.
Uma scowled and turned his head.
This had never happened before.
There was no good in talking too much with each other.
“Our business is now done……”
Just as Uma was about to grumble something, his face hardened rapidly.
Danseol’s hand was on his waist.
‘That crazy bastard?’
One might ask what’s the big deal about having a hand on one’s waist.
If they didn’t know what kind of sword Danseol used.
But Uma knew the meaning of that movement clearly.
The belt he wore around his waist.
That was the weapon Danseol used, a flexible sword.
Just as Uma was about to shout something, Danseol swung his arm with all his might.
Shyaaaak!
Like a snake slithering on the ground, with a nauseating sound, the flexible sword wrapped around his waist flew towards Biyoung’s chest.
Kang!
The flexible sword, which seemed ready to pierce his body at any moment, stopped in front of Biyoung’s body.
At the point where the flexible sword’s tip was touching, a short dagger was standing.
In a split second.
Biyoung had blocked Danseol’s flexible sword with the Phoenix Knife.
“What is the meaning of this!”
As Jinbae roared, Uma had already grabbed Danseol by the collar.
“Are you crazy, you bastard?”
“……I had no choice but to draw.”
“What?”
“I had no choice but to extend my sword. I felt like I would die if I stood still.”
“?”
Uma couldn’t understand Danseol’s words at all.
He had drawn the sword himself, yet he said he had no choice.
But.
On closer inspection, Danseol’s condition was a bit strange.
His face was always smiling, but beads of sweat were forming on his temples.
His already pale face was now not just pale, but ghastly.
He had thought it was strange when he stuttered, but now anyone could see he was not normal.
“Are you sick?”
“It’s because of that guy.”
“That guy?”
Danseol’s slanted eyes turned towards Biyoung.
Biyoung feigned innocence with a cheerful face.
“Hey. Even if you were told you have no skill, you shouldn’t use a sword. Besides, I wasn’t even the one who said it.”
It was as if he were saying that Danseol had drawn his flexible sword because of Uma, who had grumbled earlier.
‘What a crazy bastard.’
Looking at Biyoung feigning ignorance, Danseol cursed inwardly.
From the moment he handed over the painting and received the money, he had been unable to move, like a frog before a snake.
A terrifying killing intent and fighting spirit had been pressing down on his entire body.
The source of that pressure was the boy right in front of him.
It was sent by Biyoung.
Danseol had not drawn his sword out of hostility towards Biyoung, but because he couldn’t bear the pressure.
He felt as if his neck would be cut off at any moment if he didn’t.
“What did that guy do to you?”
“Senior brother is too insensitive to know.”
“What?”
Uma glared, but Danseol staggered back to his stall.
Uma looked back and forth between Danseol and Biyoung, his mind racing.
‘I don’t know what happened, but something seems to have passed between them.’
Otherwise, Biyoung’s expression wouldn’t be so cheerful even after being attacked.
“What did you do to Danseol?”
“Just. I was a little curious.”
The sensation Danseol felt was not a mistake.
Biyoung had raised his killing intent to the fullest and pressured Danseol.
It wasn't as much as in his past as the ‘World’s Fastest Sword’, but since Danseol was not a first-rate master, the effect was sufficient.
A pressure that was unbearable without drawing one’s sword.
That was what made Danseol draw his sword.
“Thanks to you, I got a good show.”
Biyoung said refreshingly, looking at Danseol in the distance.
He had checked Uma’s skills earlier, and seeing Danseol draw his sword, he also had a pretty sharp side.
One peculiar thing was that the guy used a flexible sword.
The basic movements were similar to the Eagle Talon Twelve Swords, but it seemed he had modified it to suit the characteristics of a flexible sword.
Which meant…….
‘That guy also has some skill, but he has no foundation.’
Biyoung licked his lips without realizing it.
In fact, to have learned this level of martial arts while hiding after being chased out of Diancang Mountain was something to be applauded.
But it was also true that the basic framework of the two’s internal energy and martial studies was lacking.
If their potential was negligible, it would be a different story, but it was because they had the makings of a promising future that it was more so.
The three of them walked for another quarter of an hour after meeting Danseol.
Since Jinbae had a limp, their pace was not very fast.
“Who’s next?”
Jinbae asked Uma.
“Solbo.”
“Solbo. Then he might already be nearby.”
At those words, Biyoung smirked.
“There’s a friend who’s been tailing us for a while. Are you talking about him?”
At that, both Jinbae’s and Uma’s eyes widened.
“How did you know?”
“He’s following us so openly, how could I not know? But he seems very timid, doesn’t he? Seeing him just go back and forth between the walls and peeking secretly.”
“!”
Uma could only be amazed by Biyoung’s words.
Because everything he said was true.
Biyoung said he was following openly, but the cowardly Solbo’s tracking was so meticulous that it could sometimes go unnoticed even when you knew it was happening.
But he hadn’t even been told that someone was following, yet he had already figured it out.
It was no wonder that Uma was looking at Biyoung with a strange gaze.
They didn’t know, but Biyoung had already opened his Governor and Conception Vessels.
Since then, he had been consistently cultivating the Profound Heaven's True Energy Unification Art, so his senses were extremely sharp.
“I feel like I’m possessed by a ghost. You’re right. Solbo is a terrible coward, so he likes to hide even in normal times. With a face like a scared rat.”
“Sigh. I really can’t find a single normal person, no matter how hard I look.”
“Am I included in that assessment?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
“Hmph.”
Uma snorted once and continued his explanation.
“I always exchange notes with Solbo by passing by in a designated area. This is the busiest place in Simao, so bumping into people is nothing.”
“Oh.”
“I’m telling you in advance, what you did to Danseol is forbidden with Solbo. He might actually faint.”
“I got it.”
As could be seen from his expression, Danseol was a guy who rarely lost his composure.
If even Danseol couldn’t hold back and swung his sword, it was a level that the cowardly Solbo wouldn’t be able to handle.
‘But. How did that young kid reach that level…….’
He had thought he was no ordinary kid from the moment he defeated the leader of Gam-i Gang, Ho Pyeong, with his bare hands.
But seeing Danseol suddenly lash out, he thought he might be at a higher level than he had expected.
Just how strong was this kid?
“What does Solbo do here?”
“He works as a deliveryman.”
“He doesn't run a business like you guys, I see.”
“He doesn’t have the guts to run a business. He’s the type who’s perfect for serving under someone else his whole life.”
“A harsh evaluation.”
“You’ll see for yourself when you meet Solbo. Still, among us, his movement technique is the best, so when there’s something that needs to be delivered quickly in the industry, they look for him first.”
“Oh?”
Biyoung showed an interested reaction.
Uma and Danseol.
Their movements were quite different, but their foundation was in ‘quickness’.
Uma’s use of the Flying Eagle Steps and Danseol’s application of the Eagle Talon Twelve Swords’ forms to draw his flexible sword could all be considered a type of quick sword.
In Biyoung’s view, the movements of the two were fast enough to be suitable for using quick sword.
But, a movement technique that even Uma would acknowledge?
“An interesting fellow. Did his feet get faster so he could run away quickly?”
“Hmph. That makes sense too.”
Uma snorted and then, as if he remembered something, stared at Biyoung.
“I’ll give you one more piece of information. Solbo is a year older than me. In terms of age, he can be considered the oldest of the three.”
“Eh. And?”
Uma furrowed his eyebrows that were gathered in the middle without mercy.
“In conclusion, all three of us are at least three or four years older than you. Just how long are you going to maintain that disrespectful attitude?”
“Ah. I thought it was something else.”
Biyoung replied in a nonchalant tone.
“Let’s decide the hierarchy all at once when we’re all together. I have my own thoughts on it.”
“……?”
He wanted to ask what he was thinking, but Uma had to focus now.
Solbo, who had returned to the opposite side, was naturally walking towards them.
“Hmm.”
Biyoung had never seen Solbo before, but he could recognize him at a glance.
There was a man whose calves and thighs were unrealistically developed compared to his somewhat weak-looking upper body.
In his past life, most of those who were famous for their movement techniques had a similar physique.
Above all, look at that terrified face.
Although not as much as Sedong, he had a rather cute face, but the way his thick eyebrows twitched looked quite comical.
“It’s like he’s walking around with a sign that says, ‘I’m doing something suspicious right now.’ How is this a secret rendezvous?”
This time, he couldn’t refute Biyoung’s words.
Indeed, Solbo’s terrified expression looked a little strange to others.
However, the fact that this was the busiest street in Simao.
The fact that people often bumped shoulders and got into fights masked that strangeness.
The moment Uma and Solbo’s shoulders brushed past each other, a quick hand movement brushed past Uma’s hand.
‘Ho.’
I heard his feet were fast, but his hands are quite nimble too.
If his upper body were more developed, he would have been perfect for using quick sword.
Why is it that these guys have their strengths, but they’re all missing a screw somewhere?
While Biyoung was licking his lips, Uma asked Jinbae.
“Where would you like to have your meal? The assembly time is in an hour.”
“Let’s eat at that nearby place over there.”
“Yes.”
The three men had a simple meal at a nearby restaurant.
While they were eating, Biyoung asked Uma.
“Does the meeting place always change too?”
“There is only one place. However, you have to enter at a set time for everyone to meet.”
“That sounds a bit strange.”
“It’s just as I said. If we wait in our respective rooms, a guide will appear and gather us in one place.”
“A place with multiple rooms and a guide.”
Such a structure could be found anywhere, but what Biyoung found strange was Jinbae’s expression.
He looked completely reluctant.
“I’m worried since Biyoung is not yet twenty. I should have suggested changing the location in advance……”
At Jinbae’s words, Uma replied bluntly.
“Are we over twenty? That kid seems to know everything, judging by his slyness. It’s not like we actually do anything when we go there.”
Hmm?
Sly?
Knows everything?
Biyoung’s question was answered not long after.
“No, this place is……”
The place where the three men gathered to meet everyone.
The place was a perfect fit for the words Uma had used.
“A Gisaeng House?!”
A particularly splendid building with a colorful roof and blue lanterns.
The secret meeting place of the descendants of the Diancang Sect was none other than a Gisaeng House.