Chapter 17: A Person Must Be Positive (2)
Chapter 16 – A Person Must Be Positive (2)
Riding in a four-horse carriage, Namgung Cheon chewed on beef jerky as he watched the scenery passing by the window.
In the distance, the foothills of Mount Dabie came into view.
To think a day would come when he could admire the early autumn scenery with such a relaxed mind.
Truly, he was filled with deep emotion.
This was why a person had to experience reincarnation.
In his past life, he had been chased around all day long, so there was no time to look at the scenery or anything else.
If he had taken his eyes off for even a moment, his head would have been rolling on the ground, so he had had no choice but to keep his bloodshot eyes wide open and watch out for people.
But now, he ate when he was hungry, slept when he was sleepy, and when he woke up, he admired the scenery while feeling the gentle breeze.
“This is so nice.”
As Namgung Cheon muttered to himself without realizing it, Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang, who were sitting opposite him, exchanged glances with extremely uncomfortable expressions.
Whether it was nice for Namgung Cheon or not, it could not have been any worse for the two of them.
‘That damn bastard!’
Song Won-gyo ground his teeth inwardly.
If it were not for Namgung Cheon, he would have been spending cozy time with Baekli Hyang by now!
‘But because that guy intruded…!’
Everything had become a mess.
Originally, the academy did not lead and move the cadets in groups.
Instead, each of them was instructed to make their own way to the gathering place, Luotian County.
The reason given was that moving in a crowd would draw the enemy’s attention, but Namgung Cheon did not accept that at all.
‘They are just bullshitting to save money. Anyway, those orthodox bastards are never honest.’
He did not know how much tuition they paid, but to make the cadets cover their own travel expenses even at a time like this.
Did this make any sense in this day and age when four-horse carriages rolled around?
In any case, that was the reason Namgung Cheon ended up hitching a ride in Song Won-gyo’s luxurious carriage.
Of course, it was definitely not because Song Won-gyo offered to give him a ride.
When Namgung Cheon said he would ride with them in the carriage, Song Won-gyo had been horrified.
But in the end, he had no choice but to accept the benefit(?) of having his history of being beaten up by the official sucker buried.
Thus, Namgung Cheon began his comfortable journey, while Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang remained on pins and needles the entire time.
As if trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Baekli Hyang spoke to Song Won-gyo.
It was as if Namgung Cheon was not even in her sight.
“Young Master Song. If it is Luotian County, it is where Mount Daun is located in the branches of Mount Dabie… Won’t it be a difficult fight?”
“It probably will be. Mount Daun, as its name suggests, is a place where clouds and mist are always present, making it difficult to discern the surroundings. The mountain terrain is also rugged, so it has been a strategic point since ancient times. In short, it means it is also a good place for enemies to hide or ambush.”
“I heard the enemies are wicked people who routinely engage in kidnapping and human trafficking. What kind of organization are they?”
“I do not know that much either. We will probably hear the details once we arrive in Luotian County. But do not worry too much, Young Lady. In case of emergency, I, Song, will definitely be your strength.”
“Pfft!”
At that moment, Namgung Cheon burst into laughter, and bits of beef jerky he was chewing on flew out.
The faces of Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang crumpled completely.
“This is truly too much! What is this filthy rudeness?”
“Ah, sorry. I just burst out laughing without realizing it.”
“What is so funny!”
“Ah… well, various things. I was just thinking about the past.”
“Tch!”
Song Won-gyo’s insides boiled, but he merely crossed his arms and turned his head away.
He wanted to start a fight with all his heart, but having been severely beaten in the sparring match, he did not even have the courage to do so.
Baekli Hyang also could not treat Namgung Cheon lightly since the day of that incident.
Again, an awkward silence ensued.
This time, Namgung Cheon broke the silence first.
“Should I tell you who those guys are?”
“Do you know that?”
“I know them very well.”
After all, he had met all kinds of bad guys while living as a fugitive in his past life.
Song Won-gyo asked with a suspicious look.
“Who are they?”
“Ghost King Stronghold.”
“Ghost King… Fortress?”
Song Won-gyo glanced at Baekli Hyang, and she shook her head.
It was a sign that she did not know.
Song Won-gyo asked again with an still-skeptical expression.
“How do you know them?”
“Well, you don’t need to know that much.”
Namgung Cheon replied half-heartedly and leaned back against the backrest.
In fact, he had temporarily relied on the Ghost King Stronghold in his past life.
Well, to put it nicely, it was relying on them, but to be honest, it should be seen as him semi-forcibly submitting them and reigning over them for a while.
The long sword scar engraved on the cheek of the Ghost King was something he had personally made.
At that time, those guys pretended to be righteous bandits in their own way, and about forty people were settled on Mount Daun.
‘By the way, I was too busy running away to hear any news. Have they grown so big that the Martial Alliance had to form a subjugation squad?’
Whether they were righteous bandits or whatever, in the eyes of the Martial Alliance, they would only look like petty thieves who needed to disappear.
Since the last time he heard news about those fellows was three years ago, they must have grown rapidly.
He had asked those guys to manage the safehouse from time to time, but he did not know what had become of it.
As time passed, the world changed and people changed too.
Perhaps they had long since abandoned playing righteous bandits and were actually kidnapping people and doing all sorts of bad things.
If they had managed the safehouse well as promised when he went this time, he had a mind to save a few familiar guys if the opportunity arose.
If not… the Martial Alliance would kill them all anyway.
While he was recalling old memories for a moment, Song Won-gyo snorted.
“Hmph, it looks like you were severely beaten by those guys. Are you bragging about that? You should be ashamed.”
“I never said I was beaten.”
“Then, are you saying you punished the Ghost King Stronghold?”
“You could say that.”
“Too much bragging is a disease. Surely you didn’t just make up the name Ghost King Stronghold out of thin air?”
It was always like this.
Generally, the instinct of males was foolish like this.
Just as a peacock risked danger to show off its colorful wings in front of a female.
Right now, this guy was risking his life for his last remaining pride, conscious of Baekli Hyang sitting next to him.
How pitiable.
However, I was not a wild beast that rushed forward upon seeing a peacock’s wings.
I was, through and through, a magnanimous person with a positive mind.
He thought about correcting the guy’s speech habits for a moment, but decided against it because he was magnanimous.
As the carriage entered Luotian County, its speed gradually slowed down.
From now on, they had to walk to the branch of the Martial Alliance.
As the door opened, Yun Jong-seung was panting, drenched in sweat.
Regrettably, Yun Jong-seung had followed them all the way here by using lightweight techniques.
He was definitely taking the place of the Dragon Heaven Academy’s official sucker.
Since Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang could no longer treat Namgung Cheon carelessly, they seemed to have become even more vicious toward Yun Jong-seung.
Song Won-gyo expressed irritation toward the panting Yun Jong-seung.
“What are you doing?”
Yun Jong-seung clenched his teeth and prostrated himself on the spot.
Song Won-gyo sneered coldly and stepped on Yun Jong-seung’s back to get down.
Only after Baekli Hyang also got off did Yun Jong-seung slowly raise his body.
In his expression with clenched teeth, one could feel not just stubbornness but even malice.
Namgung Cheon clicked his tongue as he watched Yun Jong-seung.
‘Tsk, tsk. It’s retribution.’
Soon after Namgung Cheon got off, Yun Jong-seung approached closely and grabbed his arm tightly.
When Namgung Cheon stared as if asking what he was doing, Yun Jong-seung squeezed out a voice full of resentment.
“Is it true?”
“What?”
“The words that one definitely becomes stronger after experiencing hell! That’s true, right? No, it must be true. If it isn’t true…”
Look at this guy.
Did his mind leave him because he experienced hell?
“Otherwise?”
“I will absolutely… not endure it. Absolutely! At that time, I will definitely… you!”
“Look at you. You, who used to grovel after getting beaten up by me a few times, now dare to hold my arm and are on the verge of pouring out killing intent.”
“…”
“Isn’t that already a great development? Harboring such malice in front of an existence stronger than you is already proof that you’ve grown stronger. Remember that feeling well.”
“…!”
“Do not give up, maintain that malice. Because then, it can become the source of your strength. Sigh, I should have taught this to Cheon.”
“What?”
Yun Jong-seung knit his brows at the words murmured inadvertently.
Thwack!
Namgung Cheon struck the back of Yun Jong-seung’s head soundly.
“Ugh! What the hell!”
“Are you talking back? Won’t you soften your glare? Even malice can turn into giving up if you slip up. Distinguish it well.”
“Ah, shit! What do you want me to do then?”
Thwack!
“Argh!”
“Hey, you bastard. If it were that easy, would it be called life? Everything is a hair’s breadth difference. In the end, it’s about quick wits. Understood?”
“What kind of bullshit are you talking…!”
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
“If you are serious in everything, you can hear philosophy even in bullshit.”
“…Tch!”
Finally, Yun Jong-seung clicked his tongue without talking back anymore.
It seemed he had gained some quick wits by now.
By the way, philosophy in bullshit.
It sounded a lot like nonsense, but it seemed to have some weight to it, didn’t it?
I am even good at speaking like this.
‘Anyway, once it’s confirmed that the target of the subjugation is indeed the Ghost King Stronghold, that Song fellow will be shocked out of his wits again.’
* * *
“The target of the subjugation is an organization called the ‘Blood Rain Forest’.”
Huh?
Namgung Cheon’s eyes widened.
Blood Rain Forest? What was that again?
It was his first time hearing of it.
Clearly, until three years ago, the group on Mount Daun in the branches of Mount Dabie had been the Ghost King Stronghold.
Did these guys change their name in the meantime?
Indeed, the name Ghost King Stronghold was a bit tacky.
Glancing back, Song Won-gyo twisted the corners of his mouth as if he had expected this.
He was probably certain that Namgung Cheon had been bragging.
Sigh, look at that obnoxious expression.
I should just gouge those eyes out!
No, let’s endure for now.
He would just stack them up diligently.
While Namgung Cheon recalled the diligence he had temporarily forgotten, Gye Pyeong-ryang continued his explanation.
“Tomorrow at dawn, the elite forces of the Martial Alliance will launch a pre-emptive strike from Jinzhai County on the opposite side of the mountain. Since you will be relatively safe, do not be too nervous and follow instructions well.”
In other words, it meant that the main camp of the Blood Rain Forest was easier to access from the opposite side of the mountain foot.
That was not right.
The Ghost King Stronghold had been closer from here.
Did these guys move their mountain fortress as well?
Something was strange.
But well, what did it matter?
His purpose in coming here was, first and foremost, to drop by the safehouse, take the spirit pills, sell the artifacts, and secure ample funds.
Whether it was the Ghost King Stronghold or the Blood Rain Forest, all that mattered was taking what was his.
Since his life had become comfortable, he was even worrying about others.
If you got to know him, he was actually quite broad-minded.
But wasn’t the world these days one where broad-minded people suffered losses?
Let’s narrow it down quickly, his mind.
* * *
The next morning, at the foot of Mount Daun.
The cadets of the Dragon Heaven Academy gathered under the leadership of the instructors.
A quiet tension flowed across each of their faces.
Some were full of vigor, burning with a sense of mission to punish evil right away, while others tightly gripped their weapons to overcome their fear.
There were those who wanted to make a name for themselves in the Martial Alliance by achieving great feats, and others who wanted to restore their prestige by completely burying the official sucker of the Dragon Heaven Academy this time.
And…
“Hehehe. Spirit pills. Spirit pills. Wait for me, my babies.”
There was also Namgung Cheon, whose mind was completely elsewhere.
Among the gazes glaring intently at Namgung Cheon were Jo Gang-min, who was known as a genius rising star, and Gwak Cheol-ju, a protective guard.
The instructors, who had scanned the cadets once, spoke in unison.
“Move out!”