Chapter 167: Chapter 167

When Cheol Sun-jik heard that Jin So-un had applied to go outside, he found it puzzling.

The semester had only just begun, so where was the Representative going?

He was just about to brush it off, thinking, ‘As expected, he is an unpleasant person who cannot be predicted.’

But when he heard that Jin So-un’s destination was Sichuan, and that the Righteous Path Association had gone there for a field study, he could not simply let it pass.

A person who had remained perfectly composed even when people were dying inside the Soul-Destroying Formation was now urgently chasing after a field study that was no more than a rebellious demonstration by the Righteous Path Association?

And even mobilizing the Azure Dragon Pavilion’s strike force?

‘He truly is unpleasant in so many ways.’

For Cheol Sun-jik, who originally disliked most things that could not be predicted, Jin So-un was an exceedingly uncomfortable existence.

That was why he had stepped forward and said he would follow on this journey.

To find out what sort of person Jin So-un, who always escaped his predictions, truly was.

‘Is he merely a brat who repeatedly acts rashly as his emotions pull him, or…….’

Cheol Sun-jik’s thoughts as he watched Jin So-un’s back ended there.

“Anyone who falls behind will be left behind! Chase us to Chengdu, Sichuan, with all the strength you have!”

At Jin So-un’s resounding shout, Cheol Sun-jik unconsciously gripped his reins tightly.

The members of the Twelve Peak Citadels who had joined Jin So-un’s current journey were also elites among elites.

They were not beings who would struggle with merely this speed.

“Brother Cheol, why did you insist on joining that man’s journey?”

At Nam Hwa-seong’s question, Ha Yeong-yeong, Sang Mu-hon, and the others approached Cheol Sun-jik’s side and began speaking to him.

It was a feat close to a technique, but not one of them found it difficult.

Nam Hwa-seong even furrowed his brow, as though he simply could not understand.

“And you even gave him command authority.”

At those words, Cheol Sun-jik unknowingly gave a low laugh.

Right before departure, Jin So-un had unexpectedly accepted Cheol Sun-jik’s proposal to accompany him without much resistance.

The condition he set was only one.

Absolute obedience.

The elites of the Twelve Peak Citadels, including Nam Hwa-seong, objected, but Cheol Sun-jik ultimately accepted his condition.

His companions were now interrogating him about the doubt they had been holding back.

“To be honest, did all of you not join because you were curious about Jin So-un as well?”

“…….”

No one answered Cheol Sun-jik’s question.

“I…… came because I wanted to watch the Nine Sects and One Gang and Jin So-un fight. That bastard always charges in without considering what comes after.”

At Nam Hwa-seong’s words, Cheol Sun-jik nodded.

“I am the same.”

“Hm?”

“There is always a reason behind his actions.”

He was a person who performed unpredictable actions.

An unpredictable action referred to an action most people would not take.

An action most people would not take meant that the probability of a good result was low.

And yet, that did not apply to him…….

His unpredictable actions always gave him the best result.

As though that was the originally hidden answer sheet.

It had been so at the Demon Spirit Plateau.

It had been so at the Murim Regular Exam.

And it had also been so in the Soul-Destroying Formation incident.

“Brother Cheol, do you still not know that? That bastard is a lunatic. Just a lunatic whose mind has come loose.”

At Nam Hwa-seong’s words, the members of the Twelve Peak Citadels burst into laughter all at once.

“Hahaha, do you think so too?”

Some people underestimated Jin So-un.

They called him a madman, or someone slightly out of his mind, a Black Path man who believed himself to be an Orthodox Path martial artist.

Such evaluations likely came from the envy of those who could not acknowledge the reality that he always produced the best results through unexpected choices.

“That is precisely why I am curious.”

Whether he was truly just a lunatic with no thought for what came after…….

Or whether he was a new existence walking an extraordinary path that others did not choose…….

In Cheol Sun-jik’s opinion, his generation living in the present murim was already ruined.

This thought had been firmly engraved into his mind when he first met Yong So-ah in the past.

No one in his generation could surpass Yong So-ah.

As long as he existed, Cheol Sun-jik’s generation could not rule the murim, nor the Central Plains.

No matter how much the power of the Twelve Peak Citadels grew and how many masters appeared, in the end, no one would surpass Il-myeong of Shaolin or Yong So-ah of Wudang.

In the end, they had to wait for the next generation.

Until the moment those two no longer existed in the Jianghu.

“If there is someone who can escape this firm prediction of mine…….”

Cheol Sun-jik’s gaze stabbed sharply into Jin So-un’s back as he ran ahead of him.

If he truly was not just a simple lunatic as some people thought.

If he was the sort of “existence” Cheol Sun-jik thought he was.

Then even in their generation, a hopeful existence capable of opening a new era that Cheol Sun-jik had not predicted had appeared…….

“Hey! Twelve Peak Citadels! What are you muttering about?! Are you not going to catch up quickly?”

“…….”

Jin So-un, who had cut off his thoughts, was glaring at him with a face like a yaksha.

Cheol Sun-jik tried to maintain his composure as he spoke.

“Representative Jin So-un, are we going to keep running like this? If we continue this way, everyone will tire and fall behind.”

“What?! You people asked me to take you along! If you are going to come that slowly, why did you follow us?! Go back to the academy!”

“…….”

Was he truly just running without any thought?

At this rate, not only the Twelve Peak Citadels, but even that remarkable Victory Tiger Hall would not last long.

“……Brother Cheol.”

Nam Hwa-seong spoke in a low voice.

“Pick up the speed. We are already being cursed at by that lunatic because you keep slowing down, Brother Cheol.”

“No, I…….”

“Were you not the one who said we should come, Brother Cheol? Just speed up.”

“……I am sorry.”

To drive people so hard without thought, perhaps everything until now had merely been good luck…….

For some reason, Cheol Sun-jik’s thoughts began to tilt to one side.

“We will cut across Chongqing.”

At Jin So-un’s words, Gu Jeong-ryong’s brow furrowed deeply.

Most traveling parties heading from Hubei Province to Sichuan rode the Yangtze River, circled around Shaanxi Province, and headed for Sichuan.

Traveling by river was efficient in many ways.

Compared to the land route, the difference in transport capacity was large, but above all, it was comfortable.

Because of that, most people heading to Sichuan entered through this route…….

But to cut across Chongqing?

This was a route suited only to someone moving quickly with a light bundle.

If a group like them, fully armed and even leading horses, said they had to cut across Chongqing, it was perfect for hearing that they had gone mad.

But less than a day after Gu Jeong-ryong handed over command authority, Jin So-un was spouting mad words.

“Are you in your right mind? Cutting across Chongqing? Even if we leave the warriors aside, the horses will not endure.”

The reason Gu Jeong-ryong had given Jin So-un command authority was because of Maeng Ju-won’s pleading.

There was also a debt from the past, so it had been a request he could sufficiently accept, but a man who was even the Department Head of the Mantongbu pleaded in front of the hall members, saying, ‘Please, just this once, for the sake of my fox-like wife and rabbit-like children……’ so he could not refuse.

‘Was Maeng Ju-won not still a bachelor to begin with?’

In any case, seeing his desperate heart in selling even the wife and children he did not have, Gu Jeong-ryong decided that since he would be doing it anyway, he might as well give Maeng Ju-won support, and he even gave over command authority.

But that did not mean he could unconditionally follow such irrational actions.

“This is the only way to close the distance with the vanguard.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“The best time to catch up with those who departed first is before they arrive at Mount Emei. But if the current of the Yangtze River is as fast as usual, we will arrive only after they have already reached Badang. If we are going to catch up with them, we have no choice but to cut across Chongqing.”

It was a reasonable statement, but that was only in theory.

Humans and horses were not beings who could move only according to theory.

“Let us set Hubei Province aside. There is no Murim Alliance branch in Chongqing City, the midway stop. Of course, what comes after is also a problem. On the way to Chengdu, Sichuan, where will we feed and shelter nearly one hundred people and even replace the horses?”

This was the most important matter.

A war had not broken out, and yet they were using the Victory Tiger Hall merely to stop an external field study that was closer to an outing?

The hall members’ backlash would be no small matter.

“You do not need to worry about that.”

“What?”

“I have requested help, so you do not need to worry. Of course, I do not know what that person will ask for later…….”

Jin So-un’s words were incomprehensible.

Gu Jeong-ryong had no choice but to give him a stern warning.

“You do know the responsibility that comes with command authority, do you not?”

“Of course.”

“That includes the complaints of the Victory Tiger Hall members. Overworking warriors without a proper reason will provoke resistance.”

“…….”

“Even if we run all the way to Jingzhou like this, the Murim Alliance Jingzhou Branch will already be closed. Can you suppress their discontent?”

Even at Gu Jeong-ryong’s pressing, Jin So-un’s expression was utterly relaxed.

“Mm, I cannot say for certain, but it will probably be better than sleeping in scraps at the Jingzhou Branch.”

“Hm?”

Gu Jeong-ryong did not know what on earth that meant, but he decided to watch for now.

Ignoring Gu Jeong-ryong’s words that they had to rest before arriving in Jingzhou, the group ran until the moon was full in the sky, and eventually arrived in Jingzhou only when it was almost the Hour of the Pig.

“Haa…… Haa…… Damn it.”

“I knew this would happen.”

“Damn it, what the hell is that Black Flame Dragon bastard thinking?”

And as expected, the Murim Alliance Jingzhou Branch was already closed.

Soon, the Victory Tiger Hall members’ complaints began to burst out one by one.

“Hall Master, what are we doing right now? We are not going to fight, so why must we be worked this hard?”

“No matter that it is the Mantongbu Department Head’s request, this is a bit too much.”

“Hall Master, if we continue like this, everyone will collapse before reaching Sichuan. Please make a decision.”

At the complaints bursting out along with curses, Gu Jeong-ryong finally thought he would have to take back command authority.

“This way.”

Jin So-un stopped in front of the largest inn in Jingzhou.

“Young Master Jin! We have been waiting for you.”

The Victory Tiger Hall members and Twelve Peak Citadels members who had been complaining opened their mouths as wide as bowls all at once.

The manager of the Gold Pavilion Inn, which was known as the best inn in Jingzhou, was lined up with the servants to welcome Jin So-un’s party.

“Serve the martial masters!”

The servants approached the martial artists without anyone needing to go first, received their horses, and prepared cool, damp towels so they could wipe their hands and faces.

“Preparations for the meal and baths are complete. You said you would depart early tomorrow, correct?”

At the manager’s question, Jin So-un nodded as though this were familiar.

“We will depart before the Hour of the Dragon. Have the horses been secured?”

“Preparations have already been completed at each branch within Hubei Province, and in Chongqing City and Sichuan Province, preparations will be complete before you arrive, Young Master.”

“I apologize for making such an unreasonable request.”

When Jin So-un bowed his head, the middle-aged manager of the Gold Pavilion Inn looked overwhelmed and instead tried to stop Jin So-un.

“Please do not say such things. Thanks to you, I can earn more favor with Estate Master Wang, so I am the one who should be grateful.”

At that unfamiliar sight, people stared blankly at Jin So-un.

Estate Master Wang? Did he mean Wang Geum-san, the man said to have piled up a mountain of gold?

Moreover, what was strange was that not only the disciples of the Taeul Sect, but also Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran, who were always attached to Jin So-un, accepted this treatment casually as though they were familiar with it.

‘Is Jin So-un perhaps Wang Geum-san’s child? ……But their surnames are different, are they not?’

After washing all the dust off in the bath and coming out to the dining hall, the people’s eyes rolled at the feast spread before them as though the timing had been measured exactly.

“I will limit alcohol to one bottle per person. We still have a long way to go.”

At Jin So-un’s words, the members of the Victory Tiger Hall cheered all at once.

Those who had been bursting with complaints began praising the Black Flame Dragon in unison, as if none of that had ever happened.

“Black Flame Dragon! Black Flame Dragon!”

“Junior! You are a real man!”

“As expected, one must meet the right commander!”

Gu Jeong-ryong was dumbfounded by the Victory Tiger Hall members’ swift change in attitude.

“…….”

Gu Jeong-ryong, who did not know whether the food was going into his nose or mouth, eventually could not endure it and asked Jin So-un.

“Are you perhaps Estate Master Wang Geum-san’s hidden son or something?”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“If not that, then why is Estate Master Wang Geum-san providing such convenience?”

There were no guests in this large annex but them.

In other words, for Jin So-un’s sake, they had endured not only the loss of today’s income, but even additional losses.

“Estate Master Wang and the Taeul Sect have always been close. His daughter is also my Junior Sister.”

At Jin So-un’s words, which sounded only natural, Gu Jeong-ryong’s questions only grew.

‘He is not his son, so why would Estate Master Wang go out of his way to provide this kind of convenience to a disciple of the Taeul Sect? Is he Wang Estate’s son-in-law or something? What is he?’

His doubts were not resolved at all.

Yet for some reason, Gu Jeong-ryong found himself thinking that he should get along a little better with Jin So-un.