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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“You’ve returned! Leader!”
“Oh! Yeah! Have you all been well? Nothing happened while I was away, right?”
“Nothing happened!”
The village was bustling with the leader’s return. The villagers were pretending to welcome the leader outwardly, but every time they turned their heads, they would curse him with vulgar words like ‘That damned bastard,’ or ‘I wish he would just die.’
It was because they had been forcefully dragged there by the Hongryun Sect, who believed they had to welcome the leader’s return even though they were busy. The disciples thought that if the villagers didn’t gather and welcome the leader back, it would be a disgrace for the leader of the Hongryun Sect.
The leader glanced over the villagers, who had their lips sticking out in complaint, and then smiled brightly before turning around and saying,
“Oh my, I am grateful that you all came out even though you were busy. I am a blessed man! Now, everyone, go back inside! You all have work to do! Thank you for voluntarily coming here even though you all were busy! I’ll treat you all later!”
As soon as the leader shouted with his hand up in the air, the villagers disappeared as if they had been waiting for the moment. The leader knew that they had not come voluntarily, and the villagers knew that the leader would never treat them.
It was because he was always a man who made promises that he would never keep.
The leader muttered in a small voice while watching the villagers scatter like dust,
“Aigoo, these uneducated bastards really have no manners at all. They don’t even know that it’s thanks to me that this village is living so comfortably, and they don’t even know how to voluntarily come and greet me.”
The leader patted the shoulder of a Hongryun Sect disciple standing beside him, and said,
“So, it was you who gathered these people today, right? Good job.”
“I just did what I should have done!”
The disciple shouted an obvious statement with vigor, and the leader thought that what he had shouted was obvious as well. Since he had just done what he should have done, there was obviously no reward.
A large man, one of the Hongryun Sect’s executives, approached the leader after he was done praising his disciples and said,
“Leader. So, what happens now?”
The leader briefly looked at the large man before answering in a low voice,
“They said I have to train my martial arts and increase my power for the time being. It seems that Master Gold Fortune (金福尊者) has another plan.”
“Is that so? Ah, nothing happened at the house.”
“Of course, nothing would have.”
The leader was nodding and speaking before turning his head towards the inn. And then he tilted his head after seeing the face of the servant who was sweeping the inn’s courtyard, and looked at his confidant and said,
“Isn’t that guy Ja-yeong who works in our sect? Why is he sweeping the inn’s courtyard? What happened?”
The confidant shook his head at the leader’s question and quickly replied,
“It’s nothing. That guy said that he wanted to learn how things worked at the inn, so I moved his position there. It’s also Ja-yeong’s time to learn various things, right? I thought that he would be useful to the sect if he learned how to do various things, so I moved him based on my own judgment. Hey, Ja-yeong! Isn’t that right?”
Ja-yeong shuddered and then quickly nodded after the large, bear-like man shouted at him.
“Ah, y-yes…. Th, th, that’s right!”
“Yeah? That’s a strange thing, indeed.”
The leader just shrugged his shoulders and went on as if it wasn’t anything. When he casually moved on, both Ja-yeong and the confidant let out sighs of relief. If the leader had found out that Ja-yeong had been flirting with Seon-go and had been demoted, then it wouldn’t have ended with just a demotion.
Ja-yeong would be ripped apart and killed on the spot, and it was obvious that Seon-go would also be beaten half to death.
If a huge problem was created, it would eventually be the confidant who had to deal with it. It was the best for all of them that the matter had quietly been buried.
The confidant followed behind the leader and then brought up a different topic.
“What are your plans for today, Leader?”
“I should relieve my travel fatigue first, and then I’ll do some breathing exercises in the evening to calm myself down. When I think of how we haven’t been making much money recently, my heart is always uneasy and won’t calm down.”
“I’ll tell the disciples not to bother you.”
“Yeah. You should.”
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“You’ve returned. Father?”
Seon-go laid down prostrate on the floor and greeted her father, the leader. The leader, who was greeted by Seon-go as soon as he entered the mansion, glanced over her with an indifferent face. Although the sight of her lying on her stomach on the floor of the mansion with the help of other people was pitiful and pathetic, to the leader, that was just something that she should do.
Even if she couldn’t walk, it was natural for her to come and greet him at the door since there were other people who could help her. The leader said,
“You properly organized the ledgers, right? If you made another mistake like last time, then you’ll be severely punished.”
Seon-go’s shoulders trembled. It wasn’t because she was afraid, it was because she was filled with anger. The previous mistake that the leader was referring to was a mistake that happened because another servant misinformed her about the quantity of goods. Even though he knew this, the leader had taken it out on her to break her spirits.
“…..Yes. I had no problems organizing them.”
But Seon-go’s voice was calm. Because when she thought that this man would die soon, she felt nothing towards his irresponsible and disgusting words.
The leader, who had made eye contact with Seon-go, scoffed once before scratching his head and saying,
“I’ll check the ledgers tomorrow. Today I’m feeling a bit uneasy, so I need to rest. You may leave.”
The leader said that and waved his hand.
Seon-go suppressed her laughter while lowering her head.
“Yes.”
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Night came. I raised my head and looked over at the scenery beyond the wall. The leader had returned, but there was no change at all in the mansion’s security. In a way, they were truly unchanging.
I could see the leader looking around before walking into a room. It was the place that Seon-go had told me was where the leader did his breathing exercises.
I sat on the wall and said to Sanyeo,
“So, I’ll take care of the leader, but, there are still other guys I have to take care of, right? The confidant, and the other guys who’ve learned some martial arts.”
Sanyeo showed off her shackled hand and said,
“I’ll take care of them. There’s only a few of them, and even if you were to do it, it would just take a long time.”
Now that a month had passed, and we had finished our basic training together, those third-rate martial artists in the sect who had just learned to fight were not a match for me. Sanyeo, judging that these people were not even qualified to be my training partners, had decided to help me in order to finish the job quickly.
I said,
“What an honor, to even receive your help.”
“You should consider it an honor. Your master is the one helping you.”
“Yes, yes, Master.”
I scoffed because it was so ridiculous and went along with her. Sanyeo gave a small laugh at me using a title of respect.
A small laugh, like the chirping of birds, spread, and Sanyeo, who had cleared her laughter, asked in a low voice,
“Do-cheol. By the way, do you think you’ll be able to beat someone at the second-rate level?”
I didn’t like her tone mixed with worry. I gave her a smile and replied,
“It’s not like they become immortal just because they become second-rate? I’ll show you. Wait here with everyone’s necks ready.”
“How are you going to kill him? You have to tell me just that. You said you had an amazing idea, but you didn’t explain what it is.”
Sanyeo had looked very curious, since I had boasted about it to her. I was almost shaken by her charming voice, but I coldly shook my head and said,
“It’s no fun if you already know. You’ll be able to see it if you quickly finish your part.”
“…Then I’ll have to do my best. Th, then I’ll get going.”
Sanyeo changed her mind and didn’t ask any further when I firmly refused. It wasn’t good to be talking on the wall for too long, and it was time for the leader to do his breathing exercises.
Sanyeo climbed down the wall, as if she was falling off a broken chair. When I turned my head, no one was on the ground, and I couldn’t even feel Sanyeo’s presence. Her figure had disappeared like a mirage, and her movements were at a level that I was not able to reach.
“Some day.”
I said to the place where Sanyeo had disappeared before shaking my head. Now was not the time for useless conversations. When I threw myself from the wall, Seon-go was there, waiting for me with the door wide open.
Her eyes were sparkling brightly, and her face was flushed with excitement.
She quickly grabbed my hand and whispered as soon as I got closer to her,
“Right now is when he usually does his breathing exercises. We have to go now to use that opportunity.”
I held her hand and nodded.
“Yeah, I know. Calm down.”
Seon-go asked with a glint in her eyes,
“But how exactly are you going to kill him?”
I carried her in my arms. Her body was as light as a feather for me, who had trained in inner energy. Seon-go, who was being held up in the air, was looking at me with wide eyes and a red face.
I said to her while carrying her,
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
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