The Great Peng Waiting for the Typhoon (2)
Due to the overload on my body from using innate true energy and Moyong Gang’s strike, I should have taken a long rest, but I had no choice but to be forcibly awakened by my junior brothers and sisters.
“What on earth were you thinking? Do you have thoughts in your head or not!”
After sending Saryeon to the Martial Academy, I thought I would no longer have to listen to this kind of scolding.
“Innate true energy, really……. I am so dumbfounded. If something had gone wrong…….”
Now that Wang Soso had learned a little martial arts and understood what it meant to use innate true energy, her scolding had no end.
“……Well, even if your martial arts were abolished, you could come work at our merchant guild, so that would not have been too bad…… Anyway, doing something that dangerous makes no sense!”
“……Could you choose just one, whether you are regretting it or worrying about me?”
“Anyway! After this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering matter ended, I was going to tell Father. Of course, the Diancang Sect has now been added alongside the Mount Hua Sect, but I will definitely show them just how vicious the financial power of the Wang Family Estate can be.”
I did not know what she planned to do, but since they had offended the precious daughter of one of the four great merchants under heaven, it was clear the Mount Hua Sect and Diancang Sect would have trouble for a while.
“Eldest senior brother. This time, you went a little too far. Are you in your right mind?”
Among the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, Geumpyo, who was not much younger than me, stepped forward as the representative.
“Those words…… are a little irreverent to say to eldest senior brother, are they not?”
“When a person makes the same mistake three or more times, it is said to have become a habit. If you do something like this again, we will tie you tightly to a pillar of the Taeul Sect and only bring you three meals a day.”
At Geumpyo’s fierce words, the gathered junior brothers and sisters all nodded at once.
When did their unity become this good while I was away?
“Brother. I truly mean it.”
Kang Yuseong and Jegal Cheon-gi stood to one side.
Jegal Cheon-gi’s eyes were opened more sharply than ever before.
“I am not joking. If you act like this, I will create a mechanism formation surpassing the Infinite Buddha Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation and put you inside it.”
“…….”
Even if I had ten mouths, I had nothing to say, so I nodded.
Should I be happy about this situation or not?
While I was being harassed like that.
Someone suddenly entered while ignoring my sense of energy.
Seeing her face half-covered by a veil, I recognized who she was.
‘I really must have overdone it. To think I sensed nothing until she came.’
“…….”
My junior brothers and sisters stopped their chatter and looked at her with hostile gazes.
It was Moyong Seol of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, which had originally decided to stay outside, ended up staying at the Taeul Sect because of Jong Byeokgi and Hwa Jungsan’s injuries.
They were conscious of Moyong Gang’s presence and could not move right away, and in particular, Jong Byeokgi’s condition was not good.
“Are you all right?”
“…….”
A voice a little younger than in the past.
As my head became confused from overlapping memories and I failed to say anything.
Wang Soso stepped forward with venomous eyes.
“Is that something someone who caused this situation should say?”
At Wang Soso’s words, my junior brothers and sisters all began showing hostility at once.
I could see that the junior brothers and sisters were following Soso like a leader.
“First, I apologize.”
Moyong Seol removed her veil and clasped her fists politely.
“…….”
The boys who had been hostile toward Moyong Seol flinched when they saw her appearance and did not know what to do.
I chuckled at them and said.
“Could you give us some space for a moment?”
“Orabeoni!”
“She is a guest who came to the Taeul Sect. Is it not right to keep the minimum etiquette?”
“But!”
“It is fine to be angry, but at least Young Lady Moyong Seol defended us.”
“……Understood.”
When I stroked Wang Soso’s head, Wang Soso, who had been moving her lips, nodded.
Wang Soso glared at Moyong Seol, then turned away sharply.
Starting with Wang Soso, all the junior brothers and sisters left.
“I apologize for the rudeness my junior brothers and sisters committed.”
“……No. I understand. If it were me, I would have done the same.”
Though it had actually been Moyong Seol who tried to stop Jong Byeokgi and Hwa Jeongsan in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, she wore an apologetic expression as if she herself had done wrong.
“Is it not already all settled? I also committed rudeness, so I think there is no need for either of us to keep feeling sorry.”
Seeing her sad expression was torment for me.
Fortunately, she seemed to understand my words and nodded.
“If so, may I say one thing?”
“Please speak.”
“Why did you force the spar with Hwa Jeongsan to continue like that?”
“…….”
“From what I saw, you clearly seemed able to overwhelm Hwa Jeongsan. Did I see wrong?”
I felt as if I were recalling and projecting a nostalgic memory.
‘She was this kind of person.’
She was righteous and fair.
Since the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering she belonged to had been involved in the incident, it must have been uncomfortable for her to come after me and speak like this, yet she did not hesitate to question what was wrong.
Even in my past life, the reason she left the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was because she clashed with Hwa Jeongsan after Hong Mungi fell into qi deviation.
“You saw correctly.”
“If I saw wrong…… Pardon?”
“Great Hero Hwa said he wanted to ‘see the sword form of the Taeul Sword Emperor,’ and I was trying to live up to his wish.”
“…….”
“When Great Hero Jong intervened as well, I could have ended it appropriately, but I deliberately did not.”
At my brazen words, confusion appeared on Moyong Seol’s face.
For now, she was still only a young woman in her early twenties.
“Why…….”
“My junior brothers and sisters were watching.”
“…….”
“The elders of my sect were watching too. In front of them, he openly brought up the Taeul Sword Emperor and insulted the Taeul Sect.”
“…….”
“Though that mockery has become reality now, was Great Hero Hwa not bringing up the Taeul Sword Emperor to mock the Taeul Sect?”
Moyong Seol’s expression changed in a complicated way.
“When I was young, I could not say that I belonged to the Taeul Sect. I was ashamed of belonging to the Taeul Sect.”
“……No, wait…….”
Moyong Seol briefly looked toward the door and seemed troubled, as if she did not know what to do.
Since I did not know why she was acting like that, I simply continued speaking.
“As I hid it out of shame, I came to dislike it, and as I came to dislike my sect, I even came to dislike my junior brothers and sisters and the elders. Even though they were all like family to me.”
This was my story, told by comparing it to my past life.
It was a story the her of my past life had wanted to hear, but one I had never been able to tell.
“That is why I did it. So that I, my junior brothers and sisters, and the elders of my sect would not hate the Taeul Sect. So that we could take pride in belonging to the Taeul Sect. So that we could cherish the people of the Taeul Sect.”
“…….”
Moyong Seol blinked repeatedly, as if confused.
It was probably a story still far too unfamiliar to her.
Because it was likely an emotion only someone who had lost everything could feel.
“It is true that I overdid it. Trying to oppose the entire Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was also wrong. I will apologize to Young Lady Moyong Seol for that as well. But if something like this happens again, I will act the same way again. To protect the people precious to me. Even if my life is on the line.”
“…….”
Moyong Seol’s face flushed red, and she had a dazed expression.
She looked flustered.
Did I push too hard?
Still, she was someone I had missed so much.
I did not want to remain in her memory as something bad like this.
Just as I was about to continue the conversation with a slightly lighter topic.
“Uwaaaaang.”
“Waaah, waaah.”
“Sob, sob!”
The junior brothers and sisters I thought had gone back began rushing in while crying.
“Eldest senior brother! I will never resent the Taeul Sect!”
“Eldest senior brother! I will also act exactly like you!”
“Orabeoni! I will protect you too!”
“Brother! I will create a perfect mechanism formation that no one can invade.”
Moyong Seol, pushed back by the junior brothers and sisters rushing in, soon recovered her expression, nodded, and left.
“Ah, no…… Young Lady Moyong…… let us talk a little more…….”
“Eldest senior brother!!”
“Eldest senior brother!!”
“Orabeoni!”
“Brother!”
I wanted to escape, but I had no strength in my body.
#
After leaving the pavilion, Moyong Seol tried to calm her violently pounding heart.
‘Why am I like this?’
Because this was not the first time, Moyong Seol was even more flustered.
From the moment Jin Sowoon swung his sword against Jong Byeokgi, who had interfered in the spar, Moyong Seol’s heart had begun pounding fiercely.
His gaze, the line of his mouth, and his actions were stuck in her mind and would not leave.
A battle against dark faction experts she had encountered in her childhood while following her grandfather on his eccentric travels.
At that time, her grandfather had sensed defeat, yet he had not lost his dignity.
The way he had refused to retreat no matter what happened had been branded into Moyong Seol’s mind as the ideal image of a warrior.
And as she trained in martial arts for a long time and met many people, she came to understand that such behavior was not something anyone, including herself, could do, and she had given up searching for that kind of image.
Yet she had seen that image in none other than the Taeul Sect.
Still, there had clearly been something wrong with the way he dealt with Hwa Jeongsan.
She had tried to question him about it, but he shamelessly admitted everything.
And then there were the reasons why he had no choice but to act that way.
At his words, her reason stopped once more, and her heart began pounding violently.
‘What on earth is this?’
Even though she could not understand it, and yet felt as if she could understand his words on one hand, she was going over them again when.
“Sister!”
The moment her thoughts were cut off, Moyong Seol’s brow furrowed.
“……You!”
“Uh! Uh!”
Seeing Moyong Seol step with the Soul-Chasing Footwork, Moyong Jaehwa also panicked and stepped backward with footwork.
However, he could not escape Moyong Seol’s footwork, as she had already reached a level high enough for Iron Sword to be part of her nickname.
Moyong Seol’s arm wrapped around Moyong Jaehwa’s neck.
“If you were going to come with Grandfather, you should have told me beforehand!”
“Aah……! It hurts! As if I knew you would come here, Sister!”
After barely escaping Moyong Seol’s arm, Moyong Jaehwa rubbed his neck and spoke.
“Ugh…… I really need to take the inner core quickly or something…… But where are you coming from? I heard this way leads to Great Hero Jin Sowoon’s house.”
“……That is right. I was on my way back after briefly meeting him.”
“Hm? Already? Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Great Hero Jin Sowoon saved Father.”
“……? What are you talking about?”
Moyong Jaehwa tilted his head.
Each time Moyong Jaehwa told her about what had happened until now, including how he and Moyong Gang came to the Taeul Sect, Moyong Seol’s face began turning pale.
“……Surely, you did not make some mistake toward Great Hero Jin Sowoon during that time, did you?”
“…….”
Moyong Seol turned so pale that her naturally white skin stood out even more.
“You did not make some mistake toward Great Hero Jin Sowoon during that time, did you?”
Even after the repeated question, Moyong Seol gave no answer.
In the end, Moyong Jaehwa began rationalizing things on his own.
“No way…… surely not. No matter what, Sister, you are not the kind of person who would make a mistake toward someone who risked his life for Father, right?”
“…….”
Moyong Seol still gave no answer.
#
The junior brothers and sisters did not stop crying for a long while.
“What sort of commotion is this?”
Kang Chaeseok entered with a deep frown on his face.
“Did someone die?”
“Ah, no, Hall Master, that is!”
“Orabeoni! Orabeoni!”
“Sob, sob.”
The junior brothers and sisters spoke incoherently, then burst into tears again.
Kang Chaeseok’s face grew irritated because he did not know the whole story.
It was complete chaos.
I felt like going back inside and sleeping.
“Jin Sowoon. Come out. The sect leader is calling for you.”
“……Yes.”
But I could not do that.
“……Please go, eldest senior brother.”
This time, the junior brothers and sisters also sensed the atmosphere and slowly stepped back.
Finally, the oldest promise in the history of the Taeul Sect was just about to be fulfilled.
#
“…….”
On the way to Daehyeon Hall, Kang Chaeseok said nothing, his face stiff.
I could understand how he felt.
He was the strongest within the Taeul Sect, and because of that, he must always have faced the high wall of the murim world as the representative of the Taeul Sect.
It was clearly not a situation where any words could easily come out.
All the adults of the Taeul Sect had gathered in Daehyeon Hall.
“Disciple Jin Sowoon greets the elders.”
“…….”
Starting with Sect Leader Hong Mungi, there were the elderly elders and the hall masters who supported the Taeul Sect.
All of their expressions were not much different from Kang Chaeseok’s.
“…….”
A solemn and heavy silence continued.
What should be said first, and by whom?
Neither I, who would deliver the Taeul Sword Emperor’s promise, nor the people of the Taeul Sect, who would receive that promise, knew how to react to an event they were experiencing for the first time.
“…….”
I simply waited quietly in the silence for their thoughts to settle.
Hong Mungi, who had brought both hands together to cover his mouth, was staring at me from the farthest place directly in front of me with the most complicated eyes.
“Jin Sowoon.”
The moment his heavy mouth opened.
I also prepared to answer the question I expected.
“Yes.”
“Is it true that you threatened Elder Wind Earl Breaking Sword by asking whether he wanted to taste a warrior’s fist?”
“That is right. It was precisely the Taeul Sword Emperor’s…… Hm?”
While answering, I sensed something strange and tilted my head.
“Is it true that you threatened Elder Wind Earl Breaking Sword by asking whether he wanted to taste a warrior’s fist? Did I teach you that way!”
Sect Leader Hong Mungi, the elders, and the hall masters all had eyes full of shock, as if wondering where such a madman had come from.
Especially my father, from far away, was making a gesture of slitting his throat with his thumb.
In my head, the face of the person who had caused them to act this way quickly came to mind.
‘This old man, seriously!!’
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