Chapter 161: v7c11 - Valley of Sin
Volume 7 Chapter 11 – Valley of Sin
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Dropouts who were born with a great background, but simply chose the easy path because they could not control their own temper.
At first, Yeon So-hyeon’s words pierced and wounded the hearts of the Four Heroes of Hwangho like arrows.
Soon, however, they felt each and every word Yeon So-hyeon had spoken becoming a heavy boulder pressing down on their chests.
‘Still, it seems they aren’t a pathetic bunch who live only indulging in idle pleasures, using righteousness as a pretext.’
Yeon So-hyeon looked down at them, who were steeped in silence, and let out a small sigh of relief inwardly.
‘Although I reluctantly poked my nose into it out of consideration for Elder Gong’s feelings. Still, it is a relief that it was not a complete waste of time.’
Although the time Yeon So-hyeon invested in them was not that long, when considering how many plans he could have conceived, formulated, reviewed, and decided upon during that time…
It was a waste of time to spend for the sake of a few ‘mere’ martial artists.
The words Gong Ryang had said when introducing Yeon So-hyeon to the Four Heroes of Hwangho—that Yeon So-hyeon was a busy person working to accomplish great deeds and was sparing his precious time to teach them—were not groundless at all.
Rumble—.
The sound of the walls collapsing on both sides of the hole, which had been blasted open by Yeon So-hyeon’s single fist, echoed.
“…!”
Startled, Gong Dam-ung’s companions, who had been lost in deep thought, raised their heads.
“Hm.”
As Yeon So-hyeon waved his hand, the gold needles that had been suppressing Gong Dam-ung’s acupoints were sucked into his sleeve as if by magic.
“….”
Gong Dam-ung, who had only been paralyzed and had been lost in deep thought like his companions, groaned, supported himself on his knees, and stood up.
Although veins were still bulging on his face and it was red, it stemmed from shame, not anger.
Having stood up like that, Gong Dam-ung, before anything else, clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Yeon So-hyeon.
“I have received a great lesson from Great Hero Yeon.”
His companions also snapped out of it at those words.
They adjusted their postures and respectfully bowed to Yeon So-hyeon.
“We have received a great lesson.”
The Four Heroes of Hwangho were those who knew how to accept criticism from Yeon So-hyeon, who was nearly ten years younger than them, and show manners without hesitation.
Yeon So-hyeon raised his evaluation of them by one level in his mind, and he also clasped his hands and returned the courtesy without hesitation.
“I merely poked my nose in and spouted bitter words. If you gained something from it, it was not my teaching, but the realization you obtained yourselves.”
Yeon So-hyeon did not boast or mock them just because he had overwhelmed them with force and logic.
“Therefore, there is no need to thank me.”
Gong Dam-ung shook his head.
“An old saying goes, bitter medicine is the cure for illness, and words that grate on the ears are loyal advice. Since we have realized a harsh lesson from the teaching you bestowed upon us, we only hope you will accept our gratitude.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
“I will accept your gratitude.”
As Yeon So-hyeon accepted their gratitude cleanly without any lingering awkwardness, the faces of the Four Heroes of Hwangho brightened a bit.
“Great Hero Yeon. May I ask one more thing?”
Gong Dam-ung took a step forward and spoke.
“Does the fact that you bestowed a lesson on righteousness to me mean that the work I must do while following you from now on is related to it?”
“It is.”
“If so…”
At those words, Gong Dam-ung hesitated for a moment before directly bringing up his business as usual.
“Would it be alright if my companions joined us on that path as well?”
At those words, the eyes of his companions turned to Yeon So-hyeon.
Apparently, even without asking them separately, they all seemed to share the same mind.
“Of course.”
With his hands behind his back, Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.
“T-Thank you. Great Hero. Then, when and where should we visit y—” “Right now.”
Yeon So-hyeon cut him off and answered.
“Make all possible preparations thoroughly and get into the carriage waiting outside.”
“Pardon?”
When his grandson made a foolish expression, Gong Ryang, who had only been watching until then, yelled out.
“Did you not hear what the Eldest Young Master said?! What are you doing standing there blankly?! Prepare at once and get into the carriage!”
At his shrill shout, not only Gong Dam-ung but also his companions hurriedly ran out of the training ground.
Once their figures disappeared, a smile returned to Gong Ryang’s face, which had been wearing a stern expression.
“Thank you, Eldest Young Master. Thank you.”
Taking custody of his grandson was something Yeon So-hyeon could have simply refused from his standpoint.
However, did Yeon So-hyeon not go beyond taking charge of the grandson and already bestow a stinging lesson to make him snap out of it?
“It is nothing, Elder Gong.”
Yeon So-hyeon said as he adjusted his disheveled sleeves.
“If a well-cultivated character was not at the foundation, no matter what I tried, it would have been nothing but reading scriptures to a cow’s ears. Judging by the friends he associates with, it is all thanks to the excellent upbringing you have provided, Elder.”
At those words, Gong Ryang burst into a pleasant laugh.
“By the way, it was a truly magnificent display of martial prowess. Eldest Young Master. How could you hide such skill until now and listen to nonsense like the ‘Swordless One’?”
Although Gong Ryang was not born with the talent to control qi, because of the experience he had accumulated over the years, he could at least tell that Yeon So-hyeon’s skill surpassed the extraordinary.
Yeon So-hyeon smiled instead of explaining the detailed circumstances.
“Thanks to that, has it not allowed me, having ended my confinement, to aim for a more dramatic presentation?”
“Indeed, those words are correct.”
Gong Ryang nodded repeatedly with a laugh.
“Following the visit to Mount Beimang, the Valley of Sin, and even your martial arts.”
With a pleased smile on his face, he spoke as if predicting the future that would unfold according to Yeon So-hyeon’s intentions.
“In just a few days, whenever any two people in Luoyang gather, you will be the first thing they talk about. And they will become desperately curious to know the truth behind those rumors!”
Did the Eldest Young Master really meet the former patriarchs of the Sixteen Families?
By what knack did the Eldest Young Master come and go from those families on Mount Beimang as if it were his own home?
What kind of work was the Eldest Young Master carrying out in the Valley of Sin at that moment?
And was the rumor that the Eldest Young Master, known as the Swordless One, possessed internal energy and had learned martial arts really true?
Just how great of a person was Yeon So-hyeon that everyone was chattering about him like that?
Gong Ryang, who had been rambling excitedly like a young child as if Yeon So-hyeon’s affairs were his own, slapped his forehead.
“Oh dear. I got excited all by myself and kept holding back the busy Eldest Young Master.”
“It is fine, Elder Gong.”
Sitting in his wheelchair, Gong Ryang looked up at Yeon So-hyeon and asked.
“Are you heading to the Valley of Sin right now as well, Eldest Young Master?”
“Yes.”
Even though Yeon So-hyeon was going to that ominous and dangerous place in the middle of the night, Gong Ryang, whose faith in him was as solid as adamant, instead clapped his hands.
“Splendid. When driving forward, one must push without rest.”
And then he continued.
“Since the day has grown dark, there is not much help this old man can offer immediately, but if there is anything you need, please tell me anytime.”
“If so, I would like to ask a few favors of you right away, Elder Gong.”
* * *
While not knowing the reason, Gong Dam-ung’s companions were making their own preparations with the help of the Gong family.
“For what reason on earth was Great Hero Yeon concealing his martial arts?”
“Mmm.”
At the question of the woman who had finished roughly packing her luggage with the help of the Gong family’s maids, the man wearing a hero headband shook his head.
“They say the Luoyang Sword Family is the world’s greatest family, and the political landscape within it is as complex as the political circles of the Imperial Capital. I think even if laymen like us chatter about it, no productive conversation will take place.”
“That must be true.”
Nodding readily, the woman cast a sidelong glance at the man sitting alone in the corner, still breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Seeing with my own eyes, you are perfectly fine without a single injury, so put your mind at ease now.”
The shaggy-bearded man, who had received a harsh lesson after rushing at Yeon So-hyeon, let out a groan.
“No, I also know that there are no injuries, but…”
The man in the hero headband nodded.
“Indeed, if the release of such enormous force flowed through you, an unnoticeable internal injury might have remained. Even if Great Hero Yeon’s realm is high and he executed the technique cleanly…”
These were words he could say because he had his own expertise in internal martial arts.
“I see! In that case, it would be better to begin regulating your breathing right now…!”
The shaggy-bearded man shook his head.
“I have already finished checking my meridians and dantian.”
He wiped the sweat flowing on his forehead.
“…There was not a single problem inside my body.”
“Then…?”
Everyone’s eyes gathered on him.
“Great Hero Yeon used that lofty internal energy art in a single instant. Clearly, that immense force was discharged behind my back. Yet, at that time, I could not feel anything at all.”
He raised his eyes and looked at the crowd.
“Just what on earth was the technique we saw?”
At those words, everyone’s expressions turned blank.
“To think that beyond no problems remaining, you could not feel the flow of the force at all…”
Seeing that even the one with the deepest knowledge of internal energy arts among them was at a loss, everyone gave up on searching for an answer.
Instead, a common question arose in their minds.
“Just what level is Great Hero Yeon’s realm…?”
Although there were slight individual differences in the realms of the Four Heroes of Hwangho here, they had all reached a level where they could at least faintly feel the existence of the ‘wall’ ahead.
“Is he right in front of the wall?”
“Or, is he in the middle of challenging the wall?”
“…Surely, he has not already crossed the wall, right?”
The expression ‘crossing the wall’ referred to becoming a ‘master’ and entering the realm of a superhuman among superhumans.
“…Even the Second Young Lady of the Sword Family, who is called an unprecedented genius in the entire Central Plains, only crossed the wall after reaching her twenties. Yet, is Great Hero Yeon not merely seventeen this year?”
It was difficult to even imagine that there could be a martial talent surpassing that genius of geniuses, the Seamless Heavenly Robe Yeon Seo-rin.
“….”
Stroking his chin, the man who was pondering Yeon So-hyeon’s internal energy art clicked his tongue.
“…There is no use discussing it among ourselves.”
His gaze turned toward Gong Dam-ung, who was groaning in the corner.
“Brother Gong, what on earth have you been straining so hard for since earlier?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Even after that, Gong Dam-ung, who had been groaning behind a screen for a while, revealed himself in front of them with an extremely uncomfortable face.
“Pfft!”
Even though he had put on the largest armor available in the mansion, it could not accommodate Gong Dam-ung’s giant-like build.
At the sight, which looked like an adult squeezed into a child’s clothes, everyone burst into laughter before they knew it.
“Brother Gong! What on earth is that state you are in?”
“Are you going to a battlefield right now?”
At their words, Gong Dam-ung blinked his large eyes and spoke.
“Huh? Did I not mention it?”
He spoke to his companions.
“We are going to the Valley of Sin right now.”
At those words, everyone’s expressions froze.
And then, they all ran out while calling for the servants.
“Bring a set of armor here too! No, three sets! The sturdiest ones! And anything is fine, so please bring a shield as well!”
“Please go and check if there are any spare sabers! And we also need things like daggers or short swords!”
“We do not know how to put on armor, so we need male and female servants who know how to handle armor right away!”
Normally, Gong Dam-ung would not have been able to hold back his laughter at the sight of his companions making a fuss.
However, only heavy tension and a cool sense of elevation resided on his face.
“The Valley of Sin.”
He muttered, stroking his chin.
“Of all places, is it one of the Five Evils…”
He recalled the stories he had heard from the senior chivalrous experts and martial heroes he usually associated with.
‘Never approach the Five Evils.’