Chapter 31 – Food stick picked up from under the bridge (01)
From Noble mtl dot com
The world wants divinity.
Especially these days, when there are ugly rumors circulating in society.
Ten years ago, the Murim League gathered talented people who stood out from each prestigious political faction in their early teens and formed a social club, naming five boys and seven girls as representatives who would lead the future central power. It was called Oryongchilbong.
An Oryong that appeared from each prestigious faction at just the right time.
Each of them had reached the level of a first-class expert at that age, and they were post-experts who were expected to become future sword saints, capital saints, or the best people in the world.
Donggeukcheon, the wise dragon of the shaman faction
Lee Byeong-hak, Maeryong (梅龍) of the Volcanic Sect
Cheongsang, the warrior dragon of the Kunlun Sect
Namgungjeon, the sword dragon of the Namgung family
Eon Geol-jun, the dragon of Jinju Eonga
The Chilbongs were people who not only possessed martial arts skills but also beauty and wisdom, and although their martial achievements were lower than those of the five dragons, each one of them had such a great influence that they shook the Jungwon martial arts world.
Jinhongseon, the military peak of the Murim Alliance
Jegal Yeonji, the Heavenly Peak of the Zhuge Dynasty
Yakgok’s Saengbong (provincial bird) Gyuwolhyang
Song Cha-seung, the leader of Amipa
Sacheondangmun’s medicinal bong winning site
Jeongmun Sanghoe’s Geumbong (錦鳳) Jeong Hee-gyeon
Sikbong of Openness (飾鳳) Gyoha Samnyeo
In reality, the only people who could make a name for themselves through military force were Mubong Jinhongseon, who was said to be worthy of even five dragons, and with the exception of the Murim Lord’s late daughter Gomyeong, their martial skills were often limited to protecting themselves, so what were the criteria for selecting Chilbong? People could roughly guess whether it was true or not.
In particular, everyone knew that the selection criteria were a mess, as they included Saengbong Gyu Wol-hyang from Yakgok, whose face was not properly revealed and who did not participate in the Oryong Chilbong meeting, and Yakbong Dangji, who was a newborn at the time, but who were members of Chilbong. In the case of Zhuge Yeon-ji and Song Cha-seung, they were known by word of mouth for their gorgeous beauty, so they were accepted with the thought that all the other Chilbongs must be pretty as well.
And ahead of the Yongbongjihoe (龍鳳之會), which will be held for the first time in 10 years, Henam Province, where the Murim League exists, was quite lively.
In particular, this time, even Saengbong and Yakbong, who could not gather at the last Yongbong branch, promised to attend and brighten the event, so it was natural for people’s expectations to rise.
“Besides, don’t be surprised. At this Yongbong branch meeting…”
“What?”
“Hmm, my throat is burning…”
The thin man who was listening to the middle-aged person with the rat beard joking as if asking for another drink got angry.
“Are you going to get so upset after already having three drinks? This is dirty, so I should go to Hanam at least once.”
“Keohum, these days, divorced people appear without exception in places with few people. If you want to risk your life and go there, go there. How sad would your family be if you die on the way?”
Of course, it was not something that married people could easily see, but it was enough of a threat to make people cringe at the thought that the rumor that started during the Sicheonhyeolsa period could spread to other regions at any time.
“Keueunngh… It’s really dirty… Jeomsoy! Here’s a bottle of bamboo leaf syrup for me!”
Finally, after the skinny man ordered her to drink, the rat-bearded man opened her mouth as if satisfied.
“The most famous person in recent times appears at this year’s Yongbong branch.”
“Who is that?”
“I’m talking about a fist with an iron heart!”
Iron-Hearted Kwon (鐵心重拳) Ban Gyu-seong.
A hero who stopped the Sacheon Blood Death two years ago.
There was a widespread rumor that he had single-handedly dealt with all his enemies against the pinnacle expert of Sacheondangmun, the master of the Sacheondangmun, and that he had single-handedly dealt with all his enemies. Although each story is different, there were three, five, seven, or even three hundred realmooners on his own. There was also a story that he knocked down .
For those who know that even a real-timer created by brainwashing ordinary people can display the fighting power of ten well-trained young men, it was difficult to believe the rumor that a real-mooner with skills ten times that of a peak expert was defeated, but originally it was difficult to believe. Rumors tend to spread with a fair amount of exaggeration.
In no time, it was the current Ban Gyu-seong who was making a name for himself as the ultimate weapon of the Murim Alliance and the strongest among young new masters.
“It must have been exaggerated. No matter how strong the real-life people are, no matter how expert they are…”
“So, it’s a divinity. It’s a divinity. Isn’t it said that with one swing of her fist, ten people will be shattered, and with one stomp of her foot, a hundred people will be blown away!”
“Yekki, do you, the person who supplies supplies to the Murim Alliance, believe such exaggerations?”
“I know this because I have dealt with martial artists, and even a third- or second-class martial artist can knock out all the men in this guesthouse. Moreover, if you are an iron-hearted person who has surpassed the peak, what is the value of a married person? One punch is enough to kill a thousand people. “I’ll put you down!”
That time when, perhaps because of the alcohol, people start talking and the atmosphere becomes chilly.
Jalang-
As the door opened and the bell rang, a young man wearing a white cat like a scarf came inside.
* * *
After coming down from Simsanyu Valley with Seol-ah, I immediately found my way and moved.
After struggling for several days and escaping from Simsanyu Valley, I was able to know the approximate region. The place where Okmyeoncheongeom kidnapped me and hid in was the Xian region, far from Sacheon.
‘I expected it to be near Xi’an because there was a thousand-year snow leopard.’
Yeoncheongha left Sacheon and stopped by the Kunlun faction in Cheonghae. He was attacked on his way to Hanam, where the Murim League was located, and it was certain that he was near the southwest, the middle region.
Now that I know the location, the only thing left to do is to return. After I was kidnapped, I thought that Samae had returned to her teacher, so I tried to return to the vicinity of Sacheon. My intention was to find a suitable carriage or meet a peddler and ask him to accompany me to the vicinity of Sacheon.
But for some reason… No, the village where Okmyeoncheongeom used to barter and get food was empty, and the people had moved somewhere in a hurry, so only dust and cobwebs greeted me.
I thought a band of thieves had invaded, but the grain and property were still intact, so I took some healthy rice for urgent use and some money for the trip, and put the Cheonggang sword I was using instead.
Swords were originally meant to be expensive, so I meant to make up for the loss I had made by selling them when the owner returned.
Thanks to this, I packed my travel expenses and a change of clothes and moved towards Sacheon. I found a suitable village and came in to relieve my travel fatigue and have a meal.
“Whoa…”
“What should I give you?”
There were many things I wanted to eat.
After Okmyeoncheongeom died, he could not even eat wild vegetables or rice properly, so he survived by boiling wild vegetables and ferns.
I thought about going down to the village and buying a proper meal, but why isn’t there such a thing?
The daunting feeling that I would never get this feeling again if I left the place kept holding me back, so I had no choice but to reduce the amount of food I ate to the minimum and survive by digging up mushrooms and other crops near the peak, until I achieved 9 stars. It was only after climbing up that I came down.
“First, somen. And then five-spice pork…”
“It’s difficult to cook meat these days because we don’t have enough supplies. I have some dumpling filling made. Would you mind giving me that?”
I don’t have enough ingredients to cook meat, but is it possible to make dumplings?
No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that it was a dumpling I had made a few days ago, but I had no intention of eating such a thing, so I shook my head.
“Then just somen. And…”
I tried to tell Seol-ah to prepare food that she could eat, but since Seol-ah is a living creature that feeds on Mother Nature’s ice, there was no need to prepare anything for her.
“Purr purr…”
Because I am still feeling full while absorbing the internal power flowing out of my body.
‘I used to suck up Seol-ah’s strength, but now I have more strength?’
As I was waiting with just one order of somen, I saw a man with a rat mustache and a skinny man in front of me peeling bamboo leaves in broad daylight.
“That’s right. Since so many highly anticipated talents are said to be coming this time, wouldn’t it be natural for spectators to gather in Hanam?”
“Oh my. These days, if you go out and wander around, aren’t you going to get caught and become a married woman?”
“You must be curious enough to endure that. Is the Five Dragons and Seven Peaks an ordinary talent? Wouldn’t it be worth risking your life to see the Yongbong branch where you can see the Five Dragons and Seven Peaks?”
It looks like something like an event is happening in Jungwon Murim, but it is already very different from the novel, and I can’t be sure what the current situation is unless I meet Ban Gyu-seong and ask about it, so I just thought about it.
Furthermore, those Cheads are not martial people and are clearly ordinary people, so they may be spreading exaggerated and incorrect information. My ears were bored, but I thought I would enjoy the white noise, so I eavesdropped on their conversation and touched Seol’s soft fur.
“It’s somen.”
Empty!
I guess it was because I only ordered cheap somen, but Jeomsoy had an expression on his face that suggested he order something to go with it… But I didn’t want to drink anything and I didn’t want to spend money on dishes like stir-fried vegetables, so I just ignored him and picked up my chopsticks.
‘I’ll have a light lunch with this and since I’m not too tired from the trip, it would be better to move to a bigger town first.’
After my inner strength increased, I didn’t die even if I starved for a few meals, but I still couldn’t help the feeling of hunger and starvation, so I was confident that I could happily greet the first meal in a long time.
“Seol-ah, I’ll buy you something delicious for dinner.”
“Purring!”
Because the fur could get mixed up, I put Seol-ah down on my knees and pulled up a chair to eat a chopstick of noodles.
“Give me a penny!!”
Along with a loud noise, a huge foul smell began to spread inside the guesthouse.
“Ugh! What kind of smell is this!”
Jeomsoy was scared and tried to block the other person who was trying to open the door, but the other person was forcing himself to hold on, putting his thin arm between the cracks in the door so much that his bones were visible.
“Oh, hello. We are fellow Dead Sea compatriots. Please give us a penny. I went on a long journey this time and I starved for about four days.”
“Such a beggar… Wow!”
Boom!
When a musty smell wafted into the guest room, Jeomsoi tried to slam the door, regardless of whether his arm was broken or not, but rather than breaking or hurting the arm that was caught between the cracks in the door, the hinges of the door shook and forced it open.
“Hey, you bastard…!”
Jeomsoi was so angry that he seemed to be thinking of knocking on the door and knocking his arm off, but when he saw the tattered piece of cloth in the beggar’s hand, he couldn’t close the door and was trembling with anger. .
“I’ve been starving for the past few days. Could you please give me a little something?”
“I’ve been starving for several days! I don’t know where I’m eating well, but I’ve gained a lot of weight…!”
“hahahaha, it’s swollen because I couldn’t eat it.”
The beggar, whose body felt foreign because his arms and legs were thin and strangely chubby, was secretly stuffing the piece of cloth he had shown to Jeomsoi back into his pocket.
Of course, I have already seen the identity of that cloth.
‘It’s open’
Martial arts. And a specially manufactured piece of cloth that is a token of openness. Jeomsoy may have been rude to ordinary beggars, but he could not bear to be rude to open beggars, so Jeomsoy had no choice but to open the door while in tears.
“Ahahahaha! Then excuse me! I said I would avoid meal times, but there were customers… I will be leaving soon after receiving a few dumplings, so I would appreciate it if everyone could be patient.”
As I watched the beggar bow his head and apologize in advance, I checked the number of pieces of cloth on the beggar’s waist that were torn.
Generally, in order to prevent others from discriminating by identifying the location in the open space, there is a slight mark at the end to make it difficult to distinguish, but my keen eye was able to see a mark that was finely divided into six branches on this person’s waist. I was able to.
‘Yukgyeol. ‘The Ark’s Master Disciple’
Even in the opening, there were only three disciples of the Sixth Payment.
Although he was covering it with scallops and dirty cloth, he had no uvula, had a slim jawline, and was disguised as fat. I was able to realize his true identity by seeing that the intention was to cover his body with bandages.
‘Sikbong’
What’s Openness anyway? Beggar Sect?