NOVEL NEXT Chapter 256: Yi-gang, Jin Mu (1)
Dam Hyun had at least seen Yi-gang’s recent appearance.
However, in Jin Mu’s case, especially with Jin Ri-yeon, it had been quite a long time since they last met.
“You’ve grown a lot…!” Jin Mu marveled.
The last time he saw Yi-gang, he still had the appearance of a boy.
His pale skin, through which blue veins seemed to faintly show.
His somewhat irritable-looking eyes and slender fingers might have made him seem like an incomplete person.
But now, things were different.
Among the guards of the Eastern Depot, he didn’t seem lacking at all.
Though his pale complexion and lean build remained, the aura he exuded had changed.
It might have been due to his upright posture and slightly softer eyes.“Yi-gang… it’s been a while.”
“It’s been a while, Senior Sister.”
For Jin Ri-yeon, who was the first to meet Yi-gang among them, her agitation was even greater than Jin Mu’s.
Considering Jin Ri-yeon’s personality, which was calm to the point of appearing emotionless, even this slight change in expression was surprising.
Yi-gang bowed to his seniors with a clasped fist gesture.
“Why were you waiting here instead of at Fujing Restaurant?”
“Fu… jing? Not Beijing… oh.”
Jin Mu’s face darkened completely.
Only then did he realize the mistake he had made.
For a moment, a lengthy explanation of the situation and an embarrassed excuse followed.
Of course, it was just an absurd mistake, so there was nothing he could properly explain.
“Well, at least we found you today, so that’s fortunate.”
Yi-gang was about to say something but glanced briefly at Il Wi-gang, who was lying on the ground.
It wasn’t something he could say in front of just anyone.
“Who is this person, and what happened?”
“I don’t know who he is, but please save him! I…!”
Dam Hyun quickly checked Il Wi-gang’s acupoint.
Then he stood behind Jin Mu as if nothing had happened.
“…”
“You said you didn’t do anything.”
“…”
As Dam Hyun continued to keep his mouth shut, Jin Mu gently pushed him forward.
The meaning was clear: he was expected to explain himself.
“…He’s the son of the Vice Minister of Personnel.”
Dam Hyun hesitated for a moment, but then spoke confidently as if he had made up his mind.
“That guy approached me first and got involved.”
“…”
“It wasn’t out of malice that I made him like that.”
“…”
Yi-gang didn’t show any surprise, even upon hearing that Dam Hyun had beaten up and kidnapped the Vice Minister of Personnel’s son.
Whether Dam Hyun was being shameless or not, Yi-gang remained silent.
As a result, Dam Hyun’s voice lost some of its vigor.
“He didn’t get hurt that badly, anyway…”
“…”
“In the first place, the fault lies with him…”
Dam Hyun’s face gradually turned pale. He was feeling the ‘pressure’ from his junior brother, Yi-gang.
This realization left Jin Mu greatly shocked.
‘How… how did you manage this, Yi-gang!’
Dam Hyun was a junior brother even Jin Mu, the eldest disciple, found difficult to handle.
Somehow, Dam Hyun seemed to have no respect for the authority of the eldest senior brother.
If it were the old him, he would have casually spoken informally even to a senior brother who was like a figure of the heavens.
Lately, he seemed content with merely being treated as a senior on the surface… Yet, the much younger Yi-gang appeared to be controlling Dam Hyun.
“So, you’ve caused a mess. How do you plan to clean it up?”
“Of course, I’ve thought of a way to clean it up.”
The only ones Dam Hyun couldn’t act recklessly toward were the Azure Forest’s Forest Lord and his master, Yu Jeong-shin.
Perhaps Yi-gang, his junior brother, should be added to that list.
“So why did you do it?”
“Well, that is…”
Dam Hyun seemed conscious of who might be listening and spoke using voice transmission.
After hearing the voice transmission, Yi-gang’s face suddenly contorted.
The anger that emerged on his usually calm face was strikingly clear.
“Ha.”
He scoffed, then grabbed his sword, still in its scabbard.
He started walking forward, step by step.
It seemed as though he was planning to strike Dam Hyun with the scabbard.
Jin Mu was so shocked he nearly intervened to stop him.
It was more than enough that Dam Hyun didn’t understand the proper etiquette among senior and junior brothers.
No matter how crazy Dam Hyun’s actions were, beating a senior brother with a sword scabbard was beyond outrageous!
“Wait a moment…!”
Yi-gang raised his sword and swung it swiftly.
Fortunately, the one hit by the sword wasn’t Dam Hyun.
Yi-gang struck Il Wi-gang, who was lying on the ground.
“Squawk!”
With a dull thud, Il Wi-gang was hit on the temple, his tongue sticking out as he fainted.
Dam Hyun nodded in satisfaction.
When Jin Mu, startled, looked at Dam Hyun, he noticed Dam Hyun discreetly sending a voice transmission.
-That guy and those who were running the dog fighting ring tried to kidnap Cheongho.
-…What?
-Just think of it that way.
In the meantime, Dam Hyun also managed to deceive Yi-gang.
He wasn’t an ordinary person, after all.
Of course, whether Yi-gang truly fell for it remained uncertain.
“Whether you use the Star Mist Alarm Bell or whatever, clean up properly.”
“Of course, certainly.”
“We’re at a crucial moment before the big event. These people will help you.”
Yi-gang was a bit surprised when he heard Dam Hyun mention that he had brought the Star Mist Alarm Bell.
As a forbidden Treasure, it was a dangerous object, but it had the potential to produce remarkable effects. If used properly, it might even be capable of true brainwashing.
“Inspector Ye.”
“Yes, Crown Prince’s teacher,” responded one of the guards of the Eastern Depot to Yi-gang.
Jin Mu widened his eyes at hearing the title “inspector.”
In the martial world, even in the infamous Eastern Depot, the rank of inspector was right below the Admiral Grand Eunuch.
Such a notable figure had been accompanying Yi-gang in the attire of an ordinary guard.
“Can you assist in cleaning up the situation?”
“The Admiral Grand Eunuch has ordered us to provide the utmost convenience for the Crown Prince’s teacher. Since the current Vice Minister of Personnel is about to lose his position soon anyway, we will handle it so that there are no issues.”
“Thank you.”
Indeed, the Eastern Depot’s reputation for its capability to bring down even flying birds was well-earned.
Hearing the term “Admiral” suggested that the leader of the Eastern Depot seemed to be on Yi-gang’s side.
“Senior brothers and senior sister must enter the palace tomorrow. The hunting tournament starts immediately tomorrow.”
There was that much urgency in the situation.
However, entering the palace was no easy task. With the approaching Longevity Festival, the security of the Forbidden City would be even stricter.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard would be on high alert, conducting strict inspections, so there would be no way for the second disciples to enter under normal circumstances.
“There is only one way to enter the city with weapons.”
As soon as Yi-gang finished speaking, one of the guards of the Eastern Depot brought several black bags.
And inside those bags were…
“We will disguise ourselves as guards of the Eastern Depot after changing our clothes.”
They were the black and sleek uniforms of the Eastern Depot guards.
The faces of the second disciples showed a peculiar mix of expressions at the thought of infiltrating the imperial palace while hiding their identities.
“You won’t be able to enter with me, but tomorrow, the guards of the Eastern Depot will accompany you.”
And once the mission started, they would rendezvous with Yi-gang.
That seemed to be the essence of the plan.
Jin Mu asked in surprise, “Are you planning to leave right after this?”
He meant to ask if Yi-gang was leaving in such a hurry after a long-awaited reunion.
“No. I will also stay here tonight.”
“Oh…!”
Jin Mu smiled brightly.
The guards of the Eastern Depot said they would return in the morning and then left.
Il Wi-gang would be detained in a secret house used as a base by the Eastern Depot.
“Why don’t we have a meal? Since we also need to talk, it would be best if the food is brought to the room.”
“Well… actually, we…”
Jin Mu, with an awkward expression, explained the hardships they had gone through until now, including the fact that the travel expenses they received from the Azure Forest had run out.
In response, Yi-gang pulled out a small pouch, looking unconcerned.
“This should be more than enough to cover your travel expenses on the way back.”
“Y-youngest…!”
The pouch was filled with silver coins.
It was even more generous than what they initially received from the Azure Forest.
A junior brother who would easily offer such a thing… Jin Mu felt an inexplicable sense of respect.
Dam Hyun snickered beside them.
“That Yi-gang, he’s a rich boy from a wealthy family.”
“Senior Brother, that’s not the way to speak,” Jin Ri-yeon scolded.
At that moment, there was a scratching sound coming from outside the door.
Yi-gang quickly recognized the source of the noise.
“Cheongho!”
“It seems she noticed you’ve arrived.”
Dam Hyun smiled broadly as he approached the door.
“I can’t show you here, but Cheongho has learned something incredible in the meantime…”
Before Yi-gang could even ask about it, Dam Hyun opened the door.
A slightly more grown Cheongho jumped out through the gap in the door.
Cheongho darted into Yi-gang’s arms as swiftly as a bolt of lightning.
Yi-gang caught Cheongho.
Cheongho climbed onto Yi-gang’s shoulder, playfully biting his hair and licking his cheek.
“Hahaha.”
No one could blame Dam Hyun for feeling a peculiar bitterness at this touching reunion.
Jin Mu chuckled heartily and sat down at the table.
“Come on, tell us how you’ve been.”
“Yes, you saw the letter, right?”
“The soul of the Heavenly Demon… How on earth did that happen…?”
There was much to explain to them.
Once the food was served, they began to converse.
There were restrictions on discussing the spirit of Zhang Sanfeng, a matter agreed to be kept between Azure Forest’s Forest Lord and Dam Hyun, but Yi-gang was able to talk about many things after a long time.
And so, the night grew late.
“The objective of those called the Seven Great Immortals is to resurrect the Heavenly Demon.”
That was the summary of the situation.
“And we must eliminate them.”
“Yes.”
Yi-gang nodded in agreement with Jin Mu’s summary.
“But, the Heavenly Demon will inevitably be resurrected in the end?”
“It is a bit difficult to comprehend.”
“No, since even the Forest Lord said so, I somewhat accept it.”
There are massive, unavoidable destinies in this world.
Jin Mu, being a Taoist of the Azure Forest, was well aware of the inevitability of causality.
“Nevertheless, we must stop the Seven Great Immortals. We must avoid the imperial power falling entirely into the hands of the Demon Cult.”
“Right. In the end, we just need to do our best in the tasks we are assigned.”
It was something they could fully understand.
No, even if they couldn’t fully understand it, it wouldn’t dampen their determination.
What happened when people faced an inescapable fate?
Generally, humans felt helpless in the face of the vast uncertainty of darkness.
When one faced an unchangeable destiny, no matter how desperately they tried, they lost their motivation. That was the nature of ordinary people.
“Never stopping is the duty of a Taoist from the Azure Forest.”
However, a disciple of the Azure Forest should not be like that.
They must do their utmost in their given roles through intense contemplation and effort.
That was the mission of those who have chosen to follow the Tao, not just ordinary civilians.
Just as one should not find each day of life meaningless even if an unavoidable death looms someday.
Since their tasks would begin tomorrow, Jin Mu drank tea instead of alcohol.
“I heard your achievements are remarkable, Yi-gang.”
Dam Hyun was curious about this.
Yi-gang had become a Supreme Peak master. It was said that the Sword Emperor recognized Yi-gang and took him as his disciple.
“You’ve reached the realm of the Supreme Peak?”
“Yes, I have.”
“That’s impressive. When I was your age, I couldn’t even dream of it.”
Among the second-generation disciples, very few had reached the realm of the Supreme Peak. Including Jin Mu, there were only three, with Jin Ri-yeon standing before the wall of the Supreme Peak.
Considering their ages, even that was an extraordinary feat.
Yet Yi-gang had become a Supreme Peak master in his early twenties.
As a fellow martial artist of the Azure Forest, he was genuinely curious about Yi-gang’s martial prowess.
“Actually, Senior Brother, I have a favor to ask.”
“…What is it?”
At that moment, Yi-gang brought up a topic that seemed to have read Jin Mu’s inner thoughts.
“Would it be alright to request a sparring match?”
“Sparring…?”
Jin Mu’s hand, which was holding a teacup, came to a halt.
“Tomorrow morning, before we leave.”
As the senior brother, there was no reason not to help the junior brother with a sparring match.
Jin Mu burst into a hearty laugh.
“Great! I like it!”
“I humbly ask for your guidance.”
Jin Mu was so pleased that he smiled broadly.
Of course, no matter how much Yi-gang had grown stronger, Jin Mu did not think he would lose.
Jin Mu had enough reason to have such confidence.
That was until Dam Hyun sent a telepathic message.
-Cancel it, Senior Brother. Just ask to be excused.
-…What do you mean?
-I’m saying this for your own good. It’s not like I dislike you or anything, Senior Brother.
He thought Dam Hyun was just playing a prank.
It was obvious he was trying to make him anxious for no reason, so Jin Mu quickly gulped down his tea.
-I clearly warned you.
At that moment, Jin Ri-yeon’s voice could be heard conversing with Yi-gang.
“So, that’s why you asked for the sparring match?”
“Yes, because Senior Brother Jin Mu can point out my weaknesses.”
“Still, it’s surprising. I’ve only heard about it in legends… Telekinetic Sword Technique, no less.”
Tea went down Jin Mu’s windpipe.
“Cough!”
With a rough cough, Jin Ri-yeon handed him a handkerchief.
“Thank you, cough, cough.”
Beyond that, he could see Dam Hyun’s smiling face.