After realizing that Ho Cheon-an didn’t actually attempt to kill him and that his suspicion of Yoo Chan and Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi betraying him was merely a misunderstanding, Yoo Gyeong decided to accept the journey without hesitation.
There was no way he could have the audacity to say he wanted to return to the Huang Nation after causing such chaos, and although he was in a state of confusion, he had dared to face death only to survive, which led him to the conclusion that this journey was somewhat justifiable as an unexpected bonus in life.
Thus, as Eun Am-il, he roamed the world. He enjoyed the scenery from Seok Woong’s back and petting Seo Gong or Mi-ho as they approached curiously. He also observed how people across towns and cities lived while following Ho Cheon-an and watching Nab-in joyfully savoring food from the Tang Clan, which made him rethink the people’s struggles.
“This area belongs to our Poison Snake Faction!”
“It’s said a puppy doesn’t know the fear of a tiger! Did you really think you could attack the Fierce Dragon Society and get away with it?”
He even witnessed disputes among martial artists.
“Hahaha! Look at these old geezers and little girls! They must be risking their lives just to wander about!”
“Give me everything… cough!”
“An expert… cough!”
He encountered swindlers too.
“Jang Yi.”
“…Why are you so good at playing chess?”
Due to being wanted, Sa Bok Seol was using a pseudonym as Mang Dan while passing the time with him. Through his travels, Yoo Gyeong witnessed and felt the lives of people in the world. He acknowledged that Ho Cheon-an’s perspective was correct; he had indeed become a different person after embarking on this journey.
However, the void in his heart remained unfilled.
This wasn’t due to a stubbornness opposing change.
Whether it was the majestic landscapes he witnessed on Seok Woong, the delectable dishes cooked by Ho Cheon-an, the occasional brushes of Seo Gong’s head against his hand, the spontaneous laughter of Nab-in, or the thoughts about the worries and smiles of the common folks, alongside the anger felt toward the martial artists or bandits troubling them, it seemed like the hole was merely being tickled, allowing it to escape.
In Yoo Gyeong’s mind, it seemed this void would never be filled for a lifetime, yet he silently followed on the journey. He sensed that Ho Cheon-an had a clear goal on this path.
It would not be too late to draw conclusions after witnessing the journey’s end.
Thus, Ho Cheon-an’s journey continued, and ultimately, Yoo Gyeong found himself before the plaque of the Jeomchang Faction.
—
The unexpected visit by Thunder Name Zhonja Ho Cheon-an caused quite the stir at the Jeomchang Faction, but the chaos quickly settled when someone recognized him as the formerly known Brain Knife Outcast and Sacheon Outcast who once journeyed with Miss Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin.
“I am Chang-min, currently holding the position of Sect Leader, though I’m still lacking in many ways. I never expected to meet the great hero Thunder Name Zhonja who brought an end to the chaos of the world.”
In the leader’s office, facing Chang-min, Ho Cheon-an felt the passage of time keenly. Chang-min, who had trained alongside him, was now the Sect Leader.
“Have you come to honor Big Brother and Miss Yeo Il-ye?”
“Not exactly, but I can’t say it has no relation.”
Ho Cheon-an candidly revealed to the questioning Chang-min that he had brought Yoo Gyeong along.
Chang-min’s jaw dropped as he processed the information.
“Have you lost your mind? You’re kidnapping the Emperor?!”
“I’m merely showing Her Majesty the world.”
“Haaa.”
“So, I would like to stay at the Jeomchang Faction for a while; could you permit that?”
“… I suppose there’s no other choice.”
Rubbing his throbbing forehead, Chang-min let out a deep sigh. Once the shock and disbelief faded, he started to comprehend the situation. Why had Emperor Yoo Gyeong suddenly begun repressing the martial world? It was due to the fury from losing Hyeok Gi-rin.
If that anger could be quelled, perhaps the martial world could also recover its past glory.
Considering it was for the sake of the entire martial world, rejecting such a request was out of the question. Thus, he could not help but reluctantly acquiesce.
—
The party split into two factions.
While the decision to have Yoo Gyeong stay at the Jeomchang Faction was easily made, figuring out if Ho Cheon-an’s party could stay was a complicated issue.
Chang-min was worried about the large entities while Ho Cheon-an was concerned about Sa Bok Seol.
No one had recognized Sa Bok Seol, perhaps due to the passage of time or because of the Golden Rule that changed his status, but ignoring that he had battled against the Sacheon Righteous Faction and bringing him into the Jeomchang Faction would have been irresponsible and merely the throwing of fuel into the fire.
Ultimately, the larger entities were kept at a suitable distance from the entrance with Sa Bok Seol taking care of them, while Seo Gong and Mi-ho, who were smaller and full of energy, followed Ho Cheon-an, Nab-in, and Yoo Gyeong into the guesthouse, where three days passed.
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Early in the morning, Yoo Gyeong woke up lying on the bed with a sigh.
It had already been three days since he’d stayed at the guesthouse, and he felt pathetic for not stepping foot outside even once.
He had convinced himself that he needed to rest to expel his exhaustion, but after a few days of proper rest, he was now brimming with energy to the point he couldn’t even sleep long anymore, so he couldn’t even come up with a decent nickname for himself.
Jeomchang Faction.
This was the place where he could only learn about Hyeok Gi-rin through letters. Whenever Yuya would recite her memories of Hyeok Gi-rin, Yoo Gyeong would feel both gratitude and a pang of jealousy towards the Jeomchang Faction.
Though he was grateful that they had warmly embraced Yuya, who had to leave the nest of the Imperial Family, he was also afraid that seeing Yuya’s happy expressions meant her life as Hyeok Gi-rin was better than being Princess Yuya.
Yet he arrived at this Jeomchang Faction only after Yuya had left the world.
Just that realization alone left Yoo Gyeong at a loss.
This was the place where memories of Hyeok Gi-rin, which he had only heard through letters and Yuya’s words, were scattered. If he were to face those memories here, how would he act?
Not knowing the answer, Yoo Gyeong found himself in a state of idleness, simply wasting time in the guesthouse.
“Yaaaaap!”
In an effort to sort out his tangled feelings, a sharp and powerful shout reached Yoo Gyeong’s ears. It was the familiar voice of Nab-in.
Stepping out of the room into the yard, he saw Nab-in glowing with excitement as she practiced her martial arts.
She must have been sharpening her skills for revenge since she had lost to the Jeomchang Faction’s contemporary disciples yesterday.
Bop!
Now completely familiar with one another, Seo Gong lifted a paw in greeting. Sitting on a chair and watching the two, Yoo Gyeong accompanied Seo Gong’s back with gentle pats while observing Nab-in’s training.
Having lost to the Jeomchang Faction disciples, perhaps Nab-in was expecting special training, but it was the same repetitive training as always.
Perhaps like Yoo Gyeong, Nab-in was expecting something special and gradually her face grew dissatisfied, soon enough erupting.
“Master! I told you I really want to win against Chan Song today! Please teach me a deadly technique!”
“Oh ho, Nab-in. There’s no easy way out.”
“Eww~ Master~ Please tell me~?”
Nab-in whined. She seemed convinced that Ho Cheon-an surely had a secret trick to easily defeat her opponent.
Even without knowing a thing about martial arts, Yoo Gyeong had the same thought. If it was Ho Cheon-an, he surely could think of something. However, even while looking at Nab-in cutely, Ho Cheon-an refused to disclose any techniques.
“If you act like this, I won’t practice martial arts anymore!”
Eventually losing patience, Nab-in threw herself on the floor and started to tantrum. Yet Ho Cheon-an simply chuckled and nodded his head.
“Well then, let’s call off today’s training.”
“Master, I hate you!”
Screaming in frustration, Nab-in jumped up and left with Seo Gong, but Ho Cheon-an just found her adorable and laughed heartily.
“Excuse me.”
“Indeed.”
Yoo Gyeong gazed at Ho Cheon-an with a complex expression after he lightly greeted him. What was he expecting by bringing Yoo Gyeong here to the Jeomchang Faction? It was evident that he wouldn’t want to see Yoo Gyeong cooped up in the guesthouse, even if he had purpose.
Yet, Ho Cheon-an said nothing further to Yoo Gyeong.
“Oh ho, Nab-in. But you must have breakfast.”
“Hmph! Don’t follow me!”
As he watched Nab-in and Ho Cheon-an bicker and drift away, Yoo Gyeong looked up at the sky. It might be an obvious thought, but he knew well that answers weren’t going to magically fall from the sky; all he could do was sigh once more.
So, while aimlessly staring up at the sky and wasting time, suddenly, a bulging-cheeked Nab-in and a flustered Jeomchang Faction disciple appeared before him.
“Grandfather Am-il! Let’s go!”
“…Go where?”
Perhaps still upset, it was the Jeomchang disciple, not the sulking Nab-in, who spoke up.
“Nab-in wants to visit our faction’s elementary school, but it seems she needs a guardian. Nab-in has flatly refused to let the Thunder Name Zhonja come…”
It wasn’t a particularly welcome task for Yoo Gyeong. Ultimately, to fulfill the role of Nab-in’s guardian, he would have to step outside the guesthouse.
“Hmm. While it’s just an elementary school, isn’t it technically still within the Jeomchang Faction’s grounds? I don’t quite understand why a guardian would be needed to travel such a short distance.”
“Well, if it were simply a field trip, that would be true. But it seems there might be matches held there.”
“Hmm.”
Yoo Gyeong understood the disciple’s concern. Regardless of the supervision, there could be cases where children might get hurt during matches. If Nab-in was to be injured while competing alone, it would put the Jeomchang Faction in a rather awkward situation.
“I’m unsure if it’s appropriate for someone who knows nothing about martial arts to accompany her as a substitute. What about going with the Thunder Name Zhonja?”
“Hmph! I don’t care! The Master doesn’t care about whether I win or lose!”
It seemed she was still upset with Ho Cheon-an. Perhaps she wanted to redeem her humiliating loss.
“Grandfather~ let’s go~!”
Looking at Nab-in tugging on his sleeve insistedently, Yoo Gyeong thought.
‘Yeah… I can’t be stuck in this guesthouse forever.’
Yoo Gyeong knew himself. Just like nothing changed when he was holed up in the Imperial Family, remaining stuck in the guesthouse wouldn’t organize his complicated mind either.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Yoo Gyeong took hold of Nab-in’s hand and stepped out of the guesthouse.
—
In the match arena.
Nab-in and Chan Song stood in the center, taking their stances and glaring at each other.
“Brace yourself! Today, I will surely win!”
“Victory will be mine today!”
Soon, Nab-in and Chan Song dashed at each other, and as Yoo Gyeong watched, he realized why Ho Cheon-an hadn’t taught Nab-in any deadly techniques.
Even to Yoo Gyeong, it was evident that the gap between the two was beyond the level that could be bridged by just one technique.
Unlike Chan Song, who had competed with peers regularly at the Jeomchang Faction, Nab-in had never had such experiences, let alone against her own age group, so how could she compare?
Having failed to land a single effective strike, Nab-in soon plopped down in exhaustion, while Chan Song simply smiled triumphantly.
“Coward!”
“What do you mean coward?”
“You’re just avoiding me! Face me!”
“Pft, dodging is a skill too, you know?”
“Eeeh! No way! Let’s settle this with a tree-climbing contest!”
A question mark popped up in Yoo Gyeong’s head. A tree-climbing contest out of the blue? Especially after she was exhausted and sitting out of breath while needing endurance for climbing trees?
“Alright! Let’s showcase the strength of the Jeomchang Faction!”
Chan Song accepted her challenge. But what on earth was the correlation between tree climbing and the strength of the Jeomchang Faction? Regardless of Yoo Gyeong’s sense of absurdity, Nab-in and the Jeomchang disciples rushed out, mentally unified in their antics.
The Jeomchang disciple who accompanied Yoo Gyeong seemed accustomed to the unpredictable behavior of the kids by now, following them without much to say.
As Yoo Gyeong watched Nab-in happily laughing with the Jeomchang disciples, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
He thought Nab-in would be furious about losing in the match, but it seemed she was just thrilled with her first experience of competition and had asked for a deadly technique to make the experience more enjoyable.
He pondered whether he should follow the kids. Now that the match was over, it didn’t seem like there was a need for a guardian, yet standing idly by while watching the kids play felt awkward.
As Yoo Gyeong mulled over this, a heavenly voice spoke.
“Infinite Life Buddha. It seems today’s match concluded rather early.”
A certain elder approach while reciting a Daoist chant.
“Yesterday, both Nab-in and our disciples had quite the lengthy match, but today, it seems their interest has shifted elsewhere.”
“Indeed. I’m glad to see that the kids are getting along.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Once more reciting a Daoist chant, the lady elder smiled and spoke.
“I realize I have yet to introduce myself. I am Seon-yeong, one of the seers of the Jeomchang Faction.”
Yoo Gyeong’s eyes widened. The name Seon-yeong had lingered in his mind.
She was among those mentioned as members of the Ten Prodigies alongside Hyeok Gi-rin and Miss Yeo Il-ye.
The sage who had trained with Hyeok Gi-rin spoke with a smile.
“Since you’ve come all this way, would you care for a cup of tea?”
—
Ho Cheon-an waited, petting Seo Gong and Mi-ho, for Nab-in’s return.
“Master! Master! Listen! You won’t believe what happened…!”
Finally returning in the evening, Nab-in seemed to have entirely forgotten her earlier confrontation with Ho Cheon-an as she ran up to him, gushing about her antics with the Jeomchang disciples.
“Oh ho, is that so?”
“Exactly! And then…”
After chatting excitedly for quite some time, Nab-in finally fell silent, a deeply satisfied expression settling on her face.
“So, what about Elder Eun Am-il?”
Only then did Nab-in realize something, her expression changing.
“Ah! Right! The sage said the grandfather is spending time with the seer!”
Seer. Seer.
Considering that Chang-min, who was one generation below Hyeok Gi-rin, had become the leader of the Jeomchang Faction, it was likely that the current seers belonged mostly to the generation of Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Oh ho, is that so?”
Ho Cheon-an smiled slightly. How could a sparrow just casually pass a mill?
Yoo Gyeong, who had already been deeply engrossed in Hyeok Gi-rin’s past, was now presented with an opportunity to meet a sage who likely possessed countless stories of Hyeok Gi-rin unknown to him.
It was evident that he’d lose track of time while listening to the tales of Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Nab-in, let’s go to bed early tonight.”
“Yes!”
Thus, Ho Cheon-an decided to retire early with Nab-in, considering the impending return of Yoo Gyeong, wanting to spare him any undue embarrassment.
That night.
As the late hour approached, sensing Yoo Gyeong’s return, Ho Cheon-an smiled.
