Chapter 202: Chapter 202
‘I thought it would end with just handing over the letter, but to think I would end up facing the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect directly like this…….’
Zhuge Song Yeong swallowed his nervousness.
He was pretending to be calm on the outside, but his insides were burning up completely.
Although he had come to the Mount Hua Sect by the request of the Third Young Master, his worries had been endless up until he climbed the mountain gate.
No matter how much he had personally heard that the Third Young Master and the Mount Hua Sect had a connection, they were still in a mutually hostile relationship.
This was because Mount Hua belonged to the Martial Alliance, while the Zhuge Clan belonged to the Flying Heaven Society.
Around the time Zhuge Song Yeong tensed up completely.
“Are you saying you are inviting Cheon-hwi to the Zhuge Clan’s banquet?”
The Sect Leader moved his lips.
Even though he had already heard it clearly through Zhuge Song Yeong’s words, the Sect Leader asked again.
This was because he could not understand their intentions at all.
If it was a banquet celebrating the sixtieth birthday of the Patriarch of the Zhuge Clan, a pillar of the Eight Great Clans, there would undoubtedly be many people participating.
And in a situation where it was clear that the majority of the invited guests would be figures of the Flying Heaven Society, to invite a Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect.
Wrinkles formed on the Sect Leader’s forehead.
‘Is there some kind of purpose?’
The first thing that came to mind was suspicion.
The Zhuge Clan had long been a family with outstanding resourcefulness, and they were a place praised as the Divine Strategy Zhuge not only in the Jianghu, but also in the world.
Because of that, he could only think that they had some purpose for inviting Cheon-hwi.
At the moment he was agonizing over that purpose.
“Sure.”
Cheon-hwi accepted coolly.
“I wanted to take a look anyway, so this worked out well.”
“Cheon-hwi.”
The Sect Leader urgently called Cheon-hwi, who was accepting the invitation without another word, and stopped him.
“Think carefully before you speak.”
If he had it his way, he would have wanted to tell him to withdraw those words immediately, but it was awkward to say it with Zhuge Song Yeong in front of him.
That was why he spoke in a roundabout way, but.
“Well, is there anything to think about? Since they told me to come, I just have to go.”
Cheon-hwi answered, letting the Sect Leader’s words go in one ear and out the other.
As if that wasn’t enough, he looked at the seemingly bewildered Zhuge Song Yeong and asked calmly.
“By the way, when is the banquet?”
“……It’s in one month.”
“That’s quite a tight amount of time for walking.”
“That is true, but…….”
“Then you must have prepared a carriage.”
“C-carriage, you say?”
Zhuge Song Yeong made a troubled expression.
Seeing his expression, Cheon-hwi shook his head back and forth and said.
“Hey, no way. You didn’t invite me to come all this way and then expect me to just walk, right?”
“That’s…….”
Around the time Zhuge Song Yeong’s lips were moving without being able to give a refreshing answer.
“That shouldn’t be the case.”
Hyeon-ryeo, who had been staying still, added to the conversation.
“The current Zhuge Clan is a place showing such great prosperity that it stands out even among the Eight Great Clans, so surely they wouldn’t have prepared nothing.”
Cheon-hwi met eyes with Hyeon-ryeo.
You caught on immediately.
The corners of his mouth went up slightly.
At Hyeon-ryeo’s words, which seemed to have grasped his intentions, Cheon-hwi moved his mouth again.
“Right? There’s no way a place like that would invite someone without even making preparations.”
“That must be the case. Besides, who is the one who invited you? It was none other than the Third Young Master of the Zhuge Clan per. son. al. ly.”
Hyeon-ryeo, who spoke by putting emphasis on each and every syllable of ‘personally’, continuously gave hints to Zhuge Song Yeong.
At that, Zhuge Song Yeong became perplexed.
‘Was the Mount Hua Sect like this……?’
From what he had heard, the Mount Hua Sect was a Taoist sect of integrity and innocence, with high popularity.
He had heard that because of that, they were revered by the commoners of Shaanxi and had built up their reputation.
Seeing them in person, they were a little different.
Zhuge Song Yeong carefully wiped the sweat flowing on his forehead with his sleeve and opened his mouth.
“Hahaha. Of course we have separately prepared a carriage for Taoist Cheon-hwi to ride.”
Cheon-hwi and Hyeon-ryeo smiled at the same time.
“As expected of the Zhuge Clan, they are generous.”
“The Zhuge Clan isn’t a small family that would be stingy about something like this, is it?”
Zhuge Song Yeong, watching the two of them speak with satisfied expressions, felt sick to his stomach.
‘An unexpected expense has arisen.’
But what could he do.
Because if he said they didn’t have a carriage prepared, the honor of the Zhuge Clan would have been in danger of falling.
‘Still, if it’s an expense of this level in exchange for granting the Third Young Master’s request…….’
Zhuge Song Yeong soothed his sick stomach.
The Third Young Master, Zhuge Seong-hyeon, was a person who stayed holed up in the clan and did not come out into the world.
However, it was said that he had gone out somewhere for about a year recently, and the person had changed.
‘He has completely changed.’
Zhuge Song Yeong recalled when he met the Third Young Master after a long time.
At first, he couldn’t recognize him.
Where had the pale and small Zhuge Seong-hyeon gone, presenting copper-colored skin with a muscular body all over.
Was that all.
Not only did the Third Young Master, who never came out of his room when there was a clan event, actively participate in events recently, but he even gave this and that opinion as if showing off his outstanding brain.
Due to that, recently he was given the title of Hidden Dragon, and he was being referred to as the Twin Dragons along with the Eldest Young Master, who was called the Heavenly Dragon.
Since it was a request from such a Third Young Master, he could endure an expense of this much.
“Then I will make sure the carriage is prepared in front of the mountain gate by tomorrow at dawn.”
Zhuge Song Yeong, who had finished all his business, stood up from his seat and took a fist-and-palm salute.
“Then this lowly one will be taking his leave now.”
The Sect Leader smiled softly and said.
“You’ve suffered a lot coming all the way to Mount Hua.”
“Haha, not at all.”
“Go safely.”
When Zhuge Song Yeong, who finished his greetings with the Sect Leader, exited the Purple Mist Pavilion with Hyeon-ryeo.
“Cheon-hwi.”
The Sect Leader called Cheon-hwi subtly.
Erasing his soft smile, he watched Cheon-hwi and half-closed his eyes.
“Since it is an invitation for you, I won’t say anything more. Instead, as I said earlier, you must be careful with your actions and words. Especially since everyone belonging to the Flying Heaven Society will be gathering this time, even more so.”
“Hey, I told you not to worry.”
Despite the words full of worry, Cheon-hwi spoke nonchalantly.
Because of that, the Sect Leader looked at him with eyes full of anxiety soaring higher than before.
But he soon shook his head.
Whatever the case, this letter, no. The invitation came for Cheon-hwi, and the one who accepted it was Cheon-hwi himself.
‘Besides, didn’t I already decide to let Cheon-hwi go from my embrace?’
While the Sect Leader slightly closed his eyes.
“Then I will go get ready.”
Cheon-hwi got up along with his words and disappeared in a flash.
The Sect Leader, who opened his eyes belatedly, looked at the empty opposite side and smiled bitterly.
“I am worried about whether it’s okay to send him alone.”
At that moment when he spat out a low soliloquy.
“I think so too.”
Hyeon-ryeo, who had left with Zhuge Song Yeong, approached with an expression full of dissatisfaction.
“How did you return already?”
“I entrusted the guidance to Cheon Su, whom I met on the way.”
Hyeon-ryeo, who spoke calmly, strode over and sat opposite the Sect Leader.
“More importantly, will it be okay to send Cheon-hwi alone to the Zhuge Clan’s banquet?”
“What can we do. It is what Cheon-hwi has decided.”
The Sect Leader showed a bitter smile.
“The fortunate thing is that since the Zhuge Clan personally invited him, they will prevent any big incidents from happening.”
“But will that be enough?”
Hyeon-ryeo asked carefully.
“With Cheon-hwi’s personality, it will be hard for him to fit in well at the Zhuge Clan’s banquet.”
“That’s right.”
The Sect Leader nodded his head.
He wasn’t worried about Cheon-hwi.
But he was worried that they would pick a fight and Cheon-hwi, unable to hold back, would cause an accident.
The Zhuge Clan was exactly the enemy’s territory.
And they wouldn’t leave Cheon-hwi, a Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect, alone in that place.
At that time, Hyeon-ryeo spoke.
“If that’s the case, Senior Brother Sect Leader. How about sending a child who knows well about clan banquets with Cheon-hwi?”
“That is quite a good plan, but as for a disciple in our sect who knows about clan banquets…….”
The Sect Leader stopped speaking midway.
It was because a female disciple who had recently entered the mountain flashed through his mind while he was speaking.
“Right, there was that child.”
* * *
The next day at dawn.
Cheon-hwi, who arrived in front of the mountain gate, was able to face the faces of numerous people.
Divine Physician and Jeok-geom, Seol Ran, and Cheon Hyang.
The four, who had been coming less frequently recently due to treatments and training, had come running from the early dawn, wherever they heard the story from.
“I came to the Mount Hua Sect because of you, yet why is it so hard to see your face!”
The Divine Physician approached, huffing.
“Well, that can happen.”
But Cheon-hwi brushed it off casually.
Having bickered with the Divine Physician over this matter for over a year already, he was too skilled at it.
“You heartless bastard!”
“You’re busy recently testing out the medical books in the Ten Thousand Scenery Pavilion anyway.”
“H-how did you know that again…….”
“I know just by looking. Because I read those too.”
“…….”
The Divine Physician kept his mouth tightly shut.
Just as he said, as he was helping the disciples injured from the fight with the Four Supremes of the Divine Province, Hyeon-cheong handed him the medical books the Mount Hua Sect had kept for a long time, telling him to take a look, saying he would help him.
At first he snorted as he looked at them, but.
Right now, he was completely hooked on those medical books made centered around Taoist ideology.
“Get ready to learn medical skills later.”
The Divine Physician grumbled and turned his body.
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
Cheon-hwi withdrew his gaze from him and turned his eyes towards Jeok-geom and Seol Ran.
“You two, train properly. Don’t skip out on the joint attack formation I taught you, and you remember all your training, right?”
“Y-yes!”
“Understood!”
Hearing their resounding answers, Cheon-hwi stared at them with narrowed eyes and twisted his lips.
“When I return, the weakest Martial Squad should prepare to train under me.”
The faces of the two turned pale blue.
At that time when the two were terrified, recalling their training with Cheon-hwi, Cheon Hyang tilted her head.
“Why are they acting like that, Junior Brother?”
When she, who had never trained with Cheon-hwi yet, asked as if curious, Cheon-hwi twisted the corners of his mouth greatly and said.
“If you’re curious, do you want to experience it later?”
“I do want to, but…….”
Cheon Hyang puffed out her chest widely.
“Because losing doesn’t suit my aptitude.”
Around the time Cheon-hwi chuckled while facing her eyes burning with a competitive spirit.
“Cheon-hwi.”
Opening the mountain gate, Hyeon-ryeo approached.
She handed a black-and-red Taoist robe and a small pouch in her arms to Cheon-hwi and smiled.
“Take this.”
“This is perfect timing. I missed this Taoist robe anyway.”
‘It’s because blood doesn’t show well on this Taoist robe.’
When Cheon-hwi, recalling the white-and-red Taoist robe he wore recently, grabbed the Taoist robe in his hands.
“That’s a relief.”
Hyeon-ryeo, who spoke with a smile, hugged Cheon-hwi.
Again.
Cheon-hwi shook his head in exhaustion.
That went on for a moment.
“Then have a safe trip.”
Hyeon-ryeo broke the hug and stepped back.
Then, the Sect Leader, who had come outside before anyone noticed, stood in front of Cheon-hwi and made his eyes shine.
“Right. Are you done preparing?”
“Is there anything in particular to prepare. Just packing these is enough.”
After holding the black-and-red Taoist robe in his hand, Cheon-hwi lightly tapped the two swords worn on his waist and the small pouch.
They called it a long journey, but other than this, there was nothing really worth packing.
The Sect Leader held a smile.
“Always be careful.”
“Yes.”
“You must think and be cautious.”
“Of course.”
“And even if other people intentionally pick a fight with you, try to ignore them.”
“……That’s a bit.”
When Cheon-hwi spoke with a displeased look, the Sect Leader hardened his eyes and moved his lips.
“Cheon-hwi.”
At the Sect Leader’s voice laden with power, Cheon-hwi scratched the back of his head and answered.
“Tch, I understand. I’ll try to hold back.”
“Then that is fine.”
The Sect Leader’s expression loosened up.
“Then I will be going.”
“Yes, go on.”
Cheon-hwi, who finished his greetings with the Sect Leader, headed towards the carriage where Zhuge Song Yeong was.
Step- Step-
Zhuge Song Yeong smiled brightly at Cheon-hwi as he got closer and said.
“You receive a lot of love.”
“Is that so? I don’t really know about that, but if it looks that way, then I guess so.”
Cheon-hwi spoke nonchalantly.
However, Zhuge Song Yeong, who saw that, seemed to think he was being shy, pointing at the coachman’s seat with a small smile.
“For this journey heading to the Zhuge Clan, Go Sam will guide you well.”
The coachman Go Sam bowed his head deeply.
“My name is Go Sam. I will be serving the Little Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect this time.”
“I’m Cheon-hwi.”
As soon as Cheon-hwi finished his greeting with Go Sam, Zhuge Song Yeong opened the carriage door.
“Then please go inside.”
Cheon-hwi, who went straight inside the opened carriage door, frowned.
There was a prior guest inside the carriage.
And a very familiar prior guest at that.
“Huh? Why are you here?”
“I will be accompanying you this time.”
Danmok Rin, who had placed her two hands neatly on her knees, made her eyes sparkle.
“So please take care of me! Senior Martial Brother!”
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