Chapter 136: Chapter 136
‘If it were his father…….’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes scanned the middle-aged man.
‘Is he the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan?’
He had a physique larger than an average robust man.
In addition, his unbound hair rested gently on his shoulders, strangely harmonizing with his bold facial features.
On top of that, there was a proudly flowing aura.
It was an undeniable presence worthy of being called the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan, one of the Eight Great Clans.
‘Which makes it even more regrettable.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes narrowed like threads.
His presence was still surprising now, but compared to the tingling aura he had felt just before, it felt a little lacking.
Combined with a fierce killing intent, it had been enough to slightly stir his competitive spirit.
But not now.
The previous appearance could not be found no matter how hard he looked at the middle-aged man.
A father worrying about his daughter.
That was all.
‘I wanted to see the spearmanship known as the Divine Spear in the current Jianghu, but it would be no fun even if we clashed now.’
Of course, he was still strong, but with his aura having quickly faded, the desire to fight had significantly dropped.
It was understandable, as drinking light fruit wine after drinking strong fire liquor wouldn’t give the feeling of getting drunk.
Cheon-hwi, whose interest had rapidly cooled, sheathed his sword.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man tightly hugged the tearful Yang Se-ryeong and opened his mouth.
“Se-ryeong! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“Let me look at your face.”
Only then did the middle-aged man check her haggard appearance, and startled, he fondled her two cheeks with his hands.
“Oh my, how is this okay? You’re skin and bones!”
Yang Se-ryeong wiped her tears and smiled.
“I’m really okay. By the way, how did you know and come here?”
“The Flying Pavilion informed me.”
“What? From the Flying Pavilion?”
Yang Se-ryeong’s eyes widened.
She knew the Flying Pavilion was the alliance’s intelligence organization, but it was amazing how they had found out about the ambush.
“How did they know so fast…….”
“Ah……!”
The middle-aged man let out a short sigh.
At that, Yang Se-ryeong realized there was something else and asked.
“……You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
The middle-aged man rolled his eyes around.
After doing so for a moment, under Yang Se-ryeong’s continuous gaze, he confessed everything.
“Actually, the Flying Pavilion has been watching all your actions until now.”
“What……?”
The corners of Yang Se-ryeong’s eyes slightly rose.
“……Whenever the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering takes place, a member of the Flying Pavilion is assigned to each rising star.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Yang Se-ryeong’s expression stiffened slightly.
“To say a member of the Flying Pavilion is assigned.”
“T-That’s because, wouldn’t it be an uproar if you guys suffered some mishap in the Jianghu?”
Knowing that she was displeased, the middle-aged man hurriedly added an explanation.
“Just like now.”
However, even with his explanation, Yang Se-ryeong’s stiff expression showed no signs of relaxing.
“……So you’ve been deceiving me all this time. You told me to be careful since the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was for building experience in the Jianghu…….”
“I-I did it because I was worried.”
Yang Se-ryeong let out a sigh.
They had been excited thinking it was their own debut in the Jianghu away from their clans, but they were all just playing in the palms of their parents’ hands.
‘But thanks to that, my father was able to come here…….’
Her expression relaxed slightly.
She didn’t like having her every move monitored, but if they hadn’t been there, her father wouldn’t have come.
“I survived thanks to it.”
“Right?”
The middle-aged man, who had been studying Yang Se-ryeong’s mood, deeply swept his chest in relief.
But that was only for a moment as anger soared to the top of his head over the current situation.
“But these bastards from the Sun and Moon Sect are completely crazy.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze turned towards the corpses.
When he first heard the information from the Flying Pavilion, he had found it hard to believe.
How was the current Jianghu?
It was the era of the Nine Provinces Three Supreme Powers.
In other words, it was an era where the world was divided into three, and they only had to keep each other in check.
But they touched them directly?
And the Sun and Moon Sect at that?
It was impossible unless they were crazy.
It was the truth.
Because the clothing of the fallen corpses was undeniably the martial uniform of the Sun and Moon Sect to anyone’s eyes.
“How dare they touch my daughter!”
His face transformed like a fierce god and evil demon.
“I will completely…….”
Just as the middle-aged man acted as if he would invade the Sun and Moon Sect even by himself.
“Patriarch!”
“If you go alone…….”
A group of people arrived.
Those wearing the exact same pure white martial uniform as the middle-aged man widened their eyes upon belatedly discovering Yang Se-ryeong.
“L-Young Miss!”
“Are you okay?”
Yang Se-ryeong looked at the martial artists of the Divine Spear Yang Clan rushing over and flashed a bright smile.
“Phew, the Divine Spear Yang Clan has arrived.”
The rising stars who had followed Yang Se-ryeong quietly watched the reunion of father and daughter, and upon confirming the martial artists of the Divine Spear Yang Clan appearing belatedly, their expressions became much more relaxed.
“Now we can finally feel at ease.”
“Phew, what a relief.”
“It’s all over now.”
“It’s a huge relief.”
The taut tension completely snapped.
At the same time, fatigue rushed in all at once, revealing their exhausted complexions.
“Let’s greet him first.”
Peng Cheol-wi moved forward.
“I think that would be best.”
The rising stars followed behind him.
Tatadat!
The martial artists of the Divine Spear Yang Clan blocked the suddenly appearing rising stars and remained vigilant.
It was because their current appearance was so messy that they couldn’t possibly be recognized as children of the Eight Great Clans.
“They are the people accompanying me.”
Yang Se-ryeong spoke quickly.
At that, the martial artists were startled and hurriedly bowed their heads.
“We apologize.”
“We mistook you for enemies.”
The rising stars laughed awkwardly.
It was because they finally remembered what their own appearance looked like.
“It’s nothing.”
Peng Cheol-wi answered as the representative, then approached the middle-aged man standing next to Yang Se-ryeong.
And politely cupped his fists.
“Peng Cheol-wi of the Peng Clan greets the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan.”
“Zhuge Seung-ho, a junior of the murim, greets the Divine Spear Great Hero.”
“Moyong Sang greets the Divine Spear Great Hero.”
“Hwangbo So-hyeon greets the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan.”
Their gazes towards the middle-aged man were filled with awe.
The Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan and an absolute master whose fame was greatly renowned throughout the world.
Because this middle-aged man was none other than the Falling Sun Divine Spear, Yang Jo-gang-gang.
“You all worked hard.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang observed the rising stars.
Their condition was not good.
Haggard appearances, torn martial uniforms, and sparsely revealed wounds.
One could tell at a glance that they had gone through no ordinary hardship.
“It would be better to change your clothes first.”
When Yang Jo-gang-gang signaled with his eyes.
“Here it is.”
One of the martial artists of the Divine Spear Yang Clan handed out pure white martial uniforms, not knowing where they had been prepared from, one by one.
As the rising stars exchanged glances and searched for a place to change clothes.
Whip…
Yang Jo-gang-gang turned his head.
He had briefly forgotten due to the reunion with Yang Se-ryeong, but the moment he saw the rising stars, he remembered the person he had first encountered.
He was getting ready to leave, as if he had nothing to do with the current situation.
‘There shouldn’t have been a young man like that among the rising stars accompanying Se-ryeong…….’
As he stared blankly at him.
“Ah!”
Yang Se-ryeong must have also noticed him trying to leave, as she hurriedly asked Yang Jo-gang-gang.
“We need to invite him to the Yang Clan.”
“Invite?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang frowned.
Yang Se-ryeong normally had absolutely no interest in men her age.
But an invitation!
The corners of Yang Jo-gang-gang’s eyes shot up.
“Who is that young man for you to act like this?”
“He’s the person who helped us.”
Yang Se-ryeong spoke without hesitation.
“And he’s a master who has reached at least the Limitless Realm.”
“He reached the Limitless Realm?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang’s eyes changed abruptly.
“Are you talking about that young man?”
It was incredibly surprising.
Hadn’t he himself reached the Limitless Realm after passing the age of thirty?
But the Limitless Realm at that age?
Certainly, the aura he showed when confronting him was out of the ordinary, but.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
Yang Se-ryeong spoke with conviction.
“He single-handedly defeated all of the Sun and Moon Sect’s ambush and their Inescapable Net.”
“Not just an ambush, but they set up an Inescapable Net? And he defeated them alone?”
Surprise tinged Yang Jo-gang-gang’s eyes.
A place like the Sun and Moon Sect setting up an Inescapable Net meant they absolutely intended to kill.
But he said he defeated it.
And by himself at that.
“That’s not all.”
Her eyes turned towards the empty clearing.
Corpses lying on top of gruesome pools of blood.
Among them, one corpse was clearly engraved in her pupils.
“He also defeated Chaos.”
“Chaos……?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang was belatedly surprised.
“Are you saying Chaos came here?”
When Yang Jo-gang-gang asked with a dubious expression, Yang Se-ryeong pointed at the corpse and spoke.
“Chaos’ corpse is over there.”
“……I will go check it for a moment.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang moved urgently.
If it was true that Chaos had moved, it would change things.
‘Are they thinking of starting a war right now?’
Chaos was one of the Sun and Moon Sect’s Four Great Protectors.
But sending him meant that the Sun and Moon Sect intended to deal with the rising stars for sure.
Shooting across a distance of ten zhang in a single breath, he checked the corpse lying next to Cheon-hwi.
At the same time, his eyes shook.
The martial uniform worn by the corpse with a pierced abdomen, mixed half-and-half with black and white, was identical to the famous attire of Chaos.
‘What the?’
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi, who was getting ready to leave, looked at the suddenly appearing Yang Jo-gang-gang.
Just then, Yang Jo-gang-gang tilted his head.
“Did you strike down this person?”
Looking at Yang Jo-gang-gang intensely staring at him, Cheon-hwi replied indifferently.
“Yes.”
“Do you know who this person is?”
“I heard he’s Chaos.”
“Puhahat! To be so carefree while knowing that.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang laughed heartily.
He liked how he spoke of Chaos as if he were nothing.
However, that was short-lived as he abruptly stopped laughing and spoke to Cheon-hwi.
“He is one of the Four Great Protectors of the Sun and Moon Sect.”
“Four Great Protectors?”
Cheon-hwi tilted his head.
“From what I knew, it was the Four Fiends…….”
“The Four Fiends refers to the Four Great Protectors of the Sun and Moon Sect.”
Cheon-hwi furrowed his brow.
“They could just call them the Four Great Protectors. Four Fiends or whatever, making it complicated.”
“Did you not even know that?”
“Who would know that?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang let out an absurd laugh.
Who would know?
It was common knowledge for anyone who made a living by the sword in the Jianghu.
“Then you must know how much danger you’re in now.”
“Danger? Is there such a thing?”
“Now that they know a Four Fiends died by your hands, the Sun and Moon Sect will not leave you alone.”
“Ah, that was the danger?”
A smile formed on Yang Jo-gang-gang’s mouth as he looked at Cheon-hwi speaking so nonchalantly.
If it were anyone else, he would have thought it was excessive confidence, but the opponent was a master who had defeated Chaos.
That was why the words he was saying now seemed like well-founded confidence.
“But you really seem to be curious about many things regarding me.”
“Of course, wouldn’t I be curious?”
A smile graced Yang Jo-gang-gang’s lips.
They had only had a short conversation, but he liked him very much.
For starters, he had gained his favor for saving Yang Se-ryeong, but he also said he wasn’t afraid of the Sun and Moon Sect.
Plus, he was even confident when looking at him.
His favorability reached the max.
Yang Jo-gang-gang smiled and spoke up.
“Since I heard you helped our Se-ryeong.”
“Well, I did help.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang slowly looked over Cheon-hwi.
A handsome young man with a sharp impression.
Outwardly, he didn’t seem to have reached thirty yet, but he couldn’t be sure.
He might have mastered an appearance-retaining art.
‘I’d like to make him a guest of our clan.’
His intuition as the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan was speaking to him.
That he needed to embrace this man.
“You, won’t you come to our clan?”
Cheon-hwi looked at him.
The greed full in his eyes made it seem like simply inviting him was not his only goal.
Instinctively grasping that it would become annoying if he went, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth.
“No.”
Never imagining that he would refuse, Yang Jo-gang-gang narrowed his brow.
“Why is that?”
“I have somewhere to go.”
It wasn’t a lie.
He had to go to Qinghai, and going to the Divine Spear Yang Clan would be a pointless waste of time.
“Hmm……. Still, to just send you away after saving my daughter would ruin our clan’s face…….”
Yang Jo-gang-gang, who was muttering to himself, stroked his neat beard and casually tested the waters.
“Can’t you even drop by for a moment?”
“That…….”
“Great Hero.”
Right then, Yang Se-ryeong intervened.
Having quietly approached while they were conversing, she called Cheon-hwi softly.
“If you come to our clan, you’ll be able to stay quite comfortably.”
Cheon-hwi briefly wavered.
And detecting that wavering, Yang Se-ryeong’s eyes shone as she held a smile.
“And our clan’s chef cooks much better than any other inn…….”
* * *
Several carriages sped across the dirt road, kicking up abundant dust.
The middle-aged man riding in the lead carriage stared at Cheon-hwi across from him.
‘He refused when I invited him.’
His fully packed favorability slightly dropped.
It was because he really didn’t like how he had grabbed onto Yang Se-ryeong’s proposal after rejecting his own invitation.
Then suddenly.
‘I-Impossible!’
Lightning struck Yang Jo-gang-gang’s head.
‘Could it be that this guy has his eyes on our Se-ryeong?’
With a straight face, he glared at Cheon-hwi.
‘This loafer-like bastard!’
However, Cheon-hwi didn’t look at him at all.
He was just silently looking out the window.
“Thank you for accepting my proposal.”
Sitting next to Yang Jo-gang-gang, Yang Se-ryeong expressed her gratitude to Cheon-hwi.
After washing up briefly in a stream before getting in the carriage and changing her martial uniform, her appearance had improved a bit.
Of course, she was still tired, with darkness cast under her eyes, but her expression looked much better than before.
Cheon-hwi glanced at her and said.
“You just have to keep your word.”
“Don’t worry.”
At their affectionate conversation, Yang Jo-gang-gang’s body twitched, and his hands trembled.
‘Se-ryeong too……?’
His delusions were gradually becoming more concrete.
Imagining the sight of Se-ryeong holding hands with the guy in front of him and getting engaged, he snorted and glared with wide eyes.
“Absolutely not!”
Yang Se-ryeong flinched at his booming shout.
“Wh-what is?”
“It’s absolutely impossible with that guy!”
“What?”
“It’s still a long way off for you to get married!”
Yang Se-ryeong looked at Yang Jo-gang-gang with a blank face, belatedly realizing his words.
“Wh-what are you talking about!”
Yang Se-ryeong shouted in a sharp voice.
“What kind of disrespect is this to the Great Hero.”
“What disrespect! You are far more precio…….”
“It’s not like that, so be quiet!”
As Yang Se-ryeong yelled.
“…….”
Yang Jo-gang-gang stuck his lips out.
‘He’s different from the rumors.’
The Divine Spear was the epitome of a martial artist.
He was known as a dependable presence to his allies and an object of terror to his enemies, always standing at the forefront to confront foes.
His character was good, and there was no need to speak of his martial arts skills.
Furthermore, his worldly wisdom was so good that he had raised the Divine Spear Yang Clan to the ranks of the very best.
He was so outstanding that it was even known there were a few who respected him within the Murim Alliance, which was his enemy.
The Divine Spear he saw in person was a bit different from the rumors.
No, a lot different.
‘He’s just a doting fool.’
Just as Cheon-hwi, who summed it up in one sentence, was about to withdraw his interest from him.
“Where is your sect?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang asked.
“A sect far away in a mountain valley.”
His eyebrows furrowed.
Seeing him speak vaguely, it seemed he didn’t want to reveal his sect.
‘He’s an unlikable guy.’
Was it because the favorability that had been filled to the brim plummeted to the bottom?
His tone and behavior, which had been satisfactory when they first talked, now seemed rude.
“Then what is your name?”
Yang Jo-gang-gang asked bluntly.
“I threw away my name a long time ago.”
It was a clever play on words.
He had a Daoist title, but no name, did he not?
“Threw away your name? What nonsense.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang’s face abruptly contorted.
“If you don’t want to reveal it, you can just say you don’t want to.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
Yang Jo-gang-gang widened his eyes.
“What kind of man has so many secrets…….”
As he grumbled, Yang Se-ryeong pinched his side and glared at him.
“The Great Hero is a guest.”
“Are you talking about that guy whose identity isn’t even known?”
Cheon-hwi glanced at him, then grabbed the two swords he had gently laid down below.
“Then I’ll get off here.”
As he tried to stand up along with his words.
“N-no! Great Hero.”
Yang Se-ryeong hurriedly stopped Cheon-hwi.
In contrast, Yang Jo-gang-gang glanced at Cheon-hwi, sticking out his lips as he grumbled.
“Eying. I can’t even make a joke.”
Cheon-hwi grinned at those words.
“I was joking too.”
Wrinkles formed on Yang Jo-gang-gang’s forehead.
“That’s a veeeeery funny joke.”
“Yours was a funny joke too.”
At Cheon-hwi who didn’t lose a single word, about two more veins popped on Yang Jo-gang-gang’s forehead, but he soon shook his head.
“Well, whatever. More importantly…….”
Whispering, he narrowed his eyes.
After that, he bowed his head towards Cheon-hwi.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Yang Se-ryeong looked in panic.
Who was he?
He was the Patriarch of the Divine Spear Yang Clan, and the Falling Sun Divine Spear whose fame shone brightly in the Jianghu.
Yet such a man was bowing his head to a young man who was still much younger than him.
As Yang Se-ryeong and Cheon-hwi looked on.
“I haven’t greeted you properly yet.”
A soft voice flowed out.
“Thank you for saving my daughter.”
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