Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Late evening, when the blue moonlight descended.
Rustle… Rustle…
In the darkness where it was hard to see ahead, Jeok-geom was rummaging and wandering through the forest spread around Mount Hua.
“Huff, huff.”
Having continued to run around, he exhaled the breath that had filled up to his throat and pricked up his ears.
Perhaps because it was night, the surroundings were quiet.
However, rustling sounds could be heard intermittently along with the crying of bugs.
“Huu… “
Placing both hands on his knees and catching his breath, Jeok-geom quickly scanned the surroundings.
The extended branches and leaves completely obscured the scenery that was already covered in darkness.
Jeok-geom urgently drew up the internal energy of the Plum Blossom Qi Art and then loaded internal force into his two eyes.
His vision gradually brightened.
‘This is a bit better now.’
As if a faint light had fallen through the pitch-black darkness, he nodded at his slightly brightened vision and put strength into his eyes.
“More than that, I heard it was around here…….”
Jeok-geom, who was observing his surroundings, scratched the bridge of his nose.
What he, who had come here, was looking for, was a headache that had increased significantly recently.
It was a wolf.
However, it was not seen at all.
Jeok-geom, who was scanning the surroundings with a troubled expression, recalled the conversation he had with Cheon-hwi after Hyeon-do left.
… Then catch a wolf first.
… ……A wolf?
He opened his eyes wide and asked at his sudden words to catch a wolf.
Because what he wished for was training to learn martial arts, not hunting.
However, the returned words were firm.
… Why? Did you think I would teach you martial arts right away?
… A-aren’t you?
… What martial arts training in that state. What’s the point of doing martial arts training for a guy who gets nervous in a spar and can’t even unfold his martial arts properly.
… T-that is true, but what does that have to do with hunting a wolf…….
… What you need most right now is actual combat experience.
He couldn’t understand what actual combat experience had to do with hunting a wolf at all, but he couldn’t ask about it.
‘What are you doing? I said hurry up and go.’
Because Cheon-hwi, who was glaring, had immediately given an order that was close to an eviction order.
It was then.
Rustle…
The bush in front shook greatly, and soon after, a wolf revealed its appearance.
“It finally appea…….”
Jeok-geom’s face, which had brightened up at the fact that he finally met a wolf, hardened.
The appearance of the wolf reflected in the blue moonlight was extremely gruesome.
Grrr…
The sound of a fierce beast flowed out from between its sharp teeth painted with dark red blood, and an unrefined, raw killing intent flowed out from the wolf.
‘It wasn’t something to l-look down on.’
Cold sweat flowed from Jeok-geom’s back.
When he directly faced the wolf that exuded a gruesome killing intent unlike what he thought was merely a beast, he became tense without realizing it.
‘Even so, it’s just a beast.’
The moment he, who had somehow come to his senses, gulped down his dry saliva.
Pat!
The wolf rushed in like an arrow.
“Heup!”
Tat…
Jeok-geom urgently stepped back, drew the sword from his waist, and swung it.
Clang!
In an instant, sparks flew and the wolf and Jeok-geom crossed paths. Soon, the wolf spun once and landed flexibly on all four feet.
At that moment.
“Keuk!”
Jeok-geom let out a groan and lowered his head.
Looking at his right shoulder, red blood flowed out from between his uniform torn by the rushing wolf’s claws and dripped onto the floor.
‘I was careless.’
His two eyes, which were watching the wound that was deeper than he had thought, deepened.
It was a mistake.
If he hadn’t been tense, he could have cut down the wolf, let alone getting a wound.
At that moment.
“……!”
A bolt out of the blue struck his head.
The mistake he had just made was what he had experienced when he lost in the Five Mountains Gathering.
But he repeated the mistake again.
And that too in actual combat where he could lose his life if he made a single misstep.
“This stupid guy.”
Jeok-geom let out a self-deprecating laugh.
He realized why he was told to hunt a wolf.
The mentality to endure tension and pressure.
It was meant for him to experience actual combat where lives came and went in order to train his mind.
“It was a good thing I asked Martial Uncle for teachings.”
Jeok-geom’s eyebrows, having grasped Cheon-hwi’s hidden intention, curved greatly like an isolated crescent moon floating in the sky.
Afterward, Jeok-geom roughly tore his dangling sleeve, then tied his blood-stained hand and the gripped sword tightly together.
And this time, he rushed in first.
Clang!
Under the moonlight, bright sparks flew.
Like that, while Jeok-geom was fighting a desperate battle with the wolf.
Tadadak…
Seol Ran frowned while chasing after a pure white rabbit that was running away quickly.
“……Was a rabbit that fast.”
She, who whispered to herself, bit her lip.
She, who had been playing tag with the rabbit for nearly half a shichen, shook her head greatly and recalled the order Cheon-hwi gave.
… You catch a rabbit.
… Why am I catching a rabbit and not a wolf?
At the time, she had choked up.
Because she thought he had judged that a wolf was a fierce beast and thus too much for her, and therefore told her to catch a rabbit.
… Why, you ask? When I saw you during the last spar, your footwork was quite sloppy compared to your sword arts.
She closed her mouth at the words that followed. It was completely identical to the advice she had heard from her Senior Martial Sister Cheon-hyang in the past.
Was that all.
Cheon-hwi’s explanation that followed accurately pierced her chest like an arrow.
… What is important for a martial artist is eyesight and footwork. Coincidentally, evening has come. In order to hunt a fast rabbit at this time, your eyes must be bright and your footwork must be good. You’re not failing to understand even though I said this much, right?
Hearing his words that hit the nail on the head, she blushed and bowed her head deeply.
No matter how ignorant she was, she was the one who asked for teachings.
However, she not only disparaged the efficient method proposed by Martial Uncle Cheon-hwi, but even tried to refuse it.
She didn’t know what to do with herself out of shame.
However, at Cheon-hwi’s words that followed, her shame disappeared as if washed away, and instead her pride was considerably crushed.
… Catch it before dawn breaks.
At his tone that spoke as if she would absolutely not be able to catch the rabbit until dawn broke, her competitive spirit surged and she immediately hurried.
And now.
Paat!
She loaded internal force into the soles of her feet and then threw her entire body at the fleeing rabbit.
Dirt and dust spreading in all directions.
Seol Ran, who had buried her face in the ground, frowned and lifted her head when she felt no sensation on both her palms.
Hop… Hop…
In the distance, the rabbit hopped in place, looked at her, and then smirked.
Following that, when their eyes met, it ran away.
This situation alone was already the fourth time.
Her face, which was watching the running of the rabbit getting farther away, hardened coldly.
The rabbit that was running away suddenly stopped running, purposely didn’t run far away, kept its distance, and kept an eye on her.
As if it was mocking her.
“…….”
Seol Ran glared at the rabbit that tilted its head to the side while looking at her. A voice laced with chilliness flowed out from her mouth.
“……I will definitely not let you go.”
* * *
Around the time the two were struggling, Cheon-hwi lay down on a rock and hummed a song.
“Hmm, hmm. Today is indeed the day I get to eat some meat.”
The purpose of the hunt he instructed his two limbs was solely one thing.
He wanted to eat meat.
However, he was afraid they would rebel if he only made them hunt, so he gave a plausible reason and it worked.
“Well, it’s not a wrong statement.”
Cheon-hwi muttered softly.
Because it was also a fact.
Saliva drooled from the corners of his mouth as he recalled the meat juice he would be tasting for the first time in a while.
“Sseup, when are they coming.”
Just in time, presences approaching were felt, and Cheon-hwi raised his upper body.
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran, with signs of considerable exhaustion, were struggling up the mountain path.
“Pant, pant. Martial Uncle!”
“Martial Uncle.”
The voices of the two were heard at the same time.
Opening his eyes and looking closely, Jeok-geom was covered in blood, and Seol Ran was covered in dirt.
“I caught it and brought it.”
“……I caught it.”
The two, who walked up to Cheon-hwi in a grubby state as if they had suffered considerably, carefully placed the hunted wolf and rabbit on the ground.
Jeok-geom, who was kneeling, lifted his head abruptly with shining eyes.
“I realized Martial Uncle’s intention.”
He was looking up at Cheon-hwi with bright eyes of admiration.
‘……He’s a spitting image of the Ghost Demon.’
Cheon-hwi, who faced Jeok-geom’s burdensome gaze, automatically saw it overlapping with the Ghost Demon.
‘No. The Ghost Demon is no more now.’
He recalled him who had joined the Heavenly Demon Cult out of admiration for him, then shook his head slightly and erased it.
Now he was not only a figure of the past, but also someone who had absolutely no relation to his present self.
“Is that so? If you realized it, then that’s fine.”
Cheon-hwi answered roughly.
“As expected of Martial Uncle Cheon-hwi.”
However, Jeok-geom smiled brightly, looking at even that appearance with eyes of admiration.
‘It was a good thing I asked Martial Uncle.’
Around the time Jeok-geom was feeling satisfied.
“……This martial niece was lacking.”
Seol Ran also apologized.
She also thought about what kind of order it was at first, but now she was not only admiring but marveling at Cheon-hwi’s discernment.
‘It was a great help thanks to you.’
Right now, she was able to realize her shortcomings while chasing after the detestable rabbit that had been running away for over a shichen.
‘To think that footwork was this important.’
She had thought that mind arts and sword arts were more important than anything else in martial arts.
However, now it was completely different.
The importance and efficiency of footwork.
If the swung sword could not reach the opponent, what use would it be no matter how profound one’s internal energy was and how outstanding one’s sword arts were.
Cheon-hwi looked at her two sparkling eyes, and then stared at the wolf and rabbit lying coldly dead in front of the two.
‘Tsk, what? It’s only one each?’
Cheon-hwi’s expression rotted.
He had thought that the two wouldn’t be able to hunt, but to think it was one each.
Then he immediately fixed his expression.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
He thought about it positively.
Still, wasn’t it meat.
Compared to the Fasting Pills he had continuously eaten for nearly ten years while digging into the Great Art of Eternal Immortal Reign and the greens he had eaten after becoming this body, it was a lavish feast.
As he recalled the things that were only bitter and had no taste at all, an astringent and bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
“Ptooey.”
Frowning, he spat on the ground and uncrossed his arms.
‘If it wasn’t for the martial arts books in the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Scriptures, I would have tasted it already.’
In fact, he could have hunted at any time, but his greed for martial arts, which was more important than his appetite, led him to the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Scriptures.
Because his desire for achievement took priority over his appetite.
Cheon-hwi smacked his lips again.
“Then now is the second order.”
The two, who were flustered at the sight of him suddenly spitting on the ground, raised their heads sharply and met his gaze at Cheon-hwi’s words that followed.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Cheon-hwi, who heard the answers of the two, lightly jumped and landed softly from the rock.
Around the time Jeok-geom and Seol Ran were spewing admiration at his amazing footwork skill that landed on the ground as if a feather had settled down.
Grin…
Cheon-hwi’s pure white teeth were revealed.
“Light a fire!”
“Pardon?”
“Pardon?”
The two let out dumbfounded voices.
Cheon-hwi raised one eyebrow while looking at those two, and spoke again.
“Are you deaf? I said light a fire.”
“A f-fire, you say?”
“Understood!”
The two, who had been in a daze at the urging, moved in perfect order, quickly gathered firewood, and lit a fire.
A quarter of an hour later.
Crackle… Crackle…
Above the bonfire emitting acrid smoke, the wolf and rabbit skewered on large branches were roasting golden brown.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Cheon-hwi hummed a song while staring at the roasting wolf and rabbit.
‘As expected, it’s this smell!’
While Cheon-hwi couldn’t hide his joy, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran, who were opposite him, were restless.
The two, who were roasting the wolf and rabbit, were quickly and meticulously scanning their surroundings while holding their breath for fear of getting caught in this situation.
Whoosh…
The two, who flinched even at the sound of the slightly blowing wind, cautiously made eye contact with each other.
‘Senior Martial Brother.’
‘Junior Martial Sister.’
‘Senior Martial Brother, you have to speak…….’
Jeok-geom, who was pressured by Seol Ran’s gaze, couldn’t say anything and submitted.
“M-Martial Uncle.”
“What?”
Perhaps because he was going to eat meat for the first time in a while, Cheon-hwi’s voice was generous.
“No matter how free the rules of our sect are compared to other Taoist sects, roasting meat and eating a meat diet at the main mountain is still a bit too far…….”
“So.”
Flinch!
Jeok-geom shrank his neck at Cheon-hwi’s cold voice that cut off his words.
However, Cheon-hwi’s words were not over yet.
“Are you telling me not to eat?”
Sweat flowed from Jeok-geom’s forehead as he stared at Cheon-hwi.
Cheon-hwi’s coldly hardened two eyes sank deeply like a bottomless pit and were reflecting him.
“Gulp. N-no, it’s not that.”
“Don’t babble useless words, and hurry up and move your hands.”
“Understood.”
Jeok-geom quickly roasted the meat.
After a while, perhaps the meat was completely roasted, a delicious smell spread out.
Gulp…
Seol Ran and Jeok-geom swallowed the saliva pooled in their mouths.
At the moment when they were also sick and tired of only eating greens for several years, the sudden smell of meat was too intense.
Around the time the two were confused by the smell, Cheon-hwi immediately picked up the meat. The moment he took a bite of the golden brown roasted meat.
‘This is it!’
The meat juice started dancing in his mouth.
Cheon-hwi, who was smiling beamingly, chewed the meat in his mouth, and gradually moved his hands faster.
Having eaten half of the meat in a single breath, he patted his belly and laughed.
“Smack, I enjoyed luxury for the first time in a while.”
Cheon-hwi, who was taking out the meat stuck between his teeth, looked at Jeok-geom and Seol Ran and smirked.
“What are you doing? If you want to eat, hurry up and eat.”
“But Martial Uncle, eating meat at the main mountain is still a bit no matter what……. Gulp.”
“Eating meat at the main mountain is…….”
“If you don’t want to eat, then don’t.”
When Cheon-hwi, who spoke detestably, picked up the remaining meat and tried to throw it into the forest.
Grab.
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran, who were watching, urgently grabbed Cheon-hwi’s hand holding the meat.
“S-still, simply throwing it away is not right, isn’t it?”
“Senior Martial Brother’s words are correct.”
“But didn’t you say you wouldn’t eat? Then it must be thrown away. What’s the point of leaving it?”
The pupils of the two shook mercilessly, and soon the two reached out their hands for the meat.
And they carefully put it in their mouths.
“……!”
“……!”
The eyes of the two, who chewed and swallowed the meat, widened roundly.
Soon they started hurriedly swallowing the remaining meat.
Chew, chew… Gulp!
After a while, Cheon-hwi approached the two, who were full with satisfied expressions next to the remains leaving only bones and charcoal.
“It was delicious, right?”
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran flinched.
They had forgotten because they were blinded by their appetite, but what they had eaten was none other than animal meat.
At that time when Jeok-geom and Seol Ran’s complexions turned yellow out of guilt for failing to overcome their appetite.
“Then…….”
When the two shuddered and raised their heads, Cheon-hwi’s pure white teeth revealed under the blue moonlight were swallowing their vision.
“Now you guys are accomplices too, huh?”
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