Episode 1075.
Sometimes, relationships you’ve been putting on the back burner come crashing down on you all at once.
Like right now.
“Greetings, Murim Horse Study Palace, and greetings to the various presidents!”
In response to the cheerful greeting of the palace guard, who had rushed to greet us, I spoke in a solemn tone on behalf of everyone.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said in a stern tone on behalf of everyone.
“…….”
“I’m Tae-kyung Jin. We’re about the same age, so please feel free to call me elder from now on.”
“……Same old, same old.”
I shrugged my shoulders at the ugly face and the shit-chewed expression on his face.
“Of course he’s the same. When a person suddenly changes, it means it’s time to die.”
“Well, I don’t think he was ever normal to begin with.”
“Better than most.”
“Which part?”
“So many things, but the fact that you were born and ate in the first place is a different level.”
“Damn, I can’t deny that much.”
He sighed heavily, and then let out a small laugh.
“Still, I’m glad. Still.”
I laughed along with him.
That word, “still,” sounded so good.
And I was thinking the same thing.
* * *
The disciples of the Palace and the Open led us to the campfire.
Though there was a bitter blizzard swirling around us, the heat of the fires that soon began to blossom around us was warm enough to make us forget the cold, and there was plenty of food to satisfy the hunger and strength of our weary allies.
More than enough to keep them going.
“You’ve been waiting for me?”
“Of course. I fully expected reinforcements to arrive from Gamsuksung.”
Gungi Fang added as he handed over the jerky.
“That those reinforcements might make the crazy choice to come across the Qilin Mountains.”
“Was it too hasty a judgment? From the contents of the telegram from the Kunlun Sect, it seemed to be in a hurry.”
“No, it was quite correct. In fact, we only got a chance to breathe a few days ago.”
As if to prove his words weren’t true, a crust of unhealed blood had formed on the palace chamberlain’s forehead.
A clear sign of battle.
Despite his cheerful expression and voice, it was clear that he, too, had recently been in a life-and-death struggle.
“Oh, this? No big deal, don’t worry about it. I survived.”
With a bittersweet smile, I looked him up and down, setting the tone.
“Hmm. It’s certainly not a big deal.”
“…….”
“Why?”
“Can you hit me just once?”
“Umm. If you ask nicely, maybe.”
“And what about retaliation after being hit?”
“Oh, depending on who you are, of course. I’d beat him to death.”
“……I see I’ve seen you quite accurately.”
Shaking his head, Gungi Fang continued.
“Anyway, it was a cheap kill for being the last man standing. Of course, that was only possible because of your timely assistance.”
Salsung, who had been chewing on his jerky in silence, spoke up at the sight of the palace guard turning his head to look at him.
“It’s all your luck that we were around at the right time.”
“At first, I was really surprised. I didn’t expect that the Great Emperor would be staying in Qinghai with Qingfeng Xiaoxiao…….”
“The more people you know, the harder it is to accomplish your goals, and I’m not Dai Hao.”
That meant he was hiding his existence even from his allies.
Turning to Salsung, who answered calmly, I asked a question.
“So you’ve been staying here ever since we left for the Namman Beast Palace?”
“Well, ‘ever’ is a bit of a stretch. We only arrived in Qinghai City about a month ago.”
I rummaged through my memories and the time that had passed.
The last time I’d seen him was shortly after the founding of the Two Dragon Pavilion, centered around me and Qingfeng, when we left for the South Seas.
If that’s the case, that means that even if we exclude the month in Qinghai Province, he’s also been on some sort of mission with Qingfeng for the past few months…….
“Why have I never heard of him?
It was a strange thing.
Since I parted ways with them, I’ve been involved in several high-profile cases, starting with the Southern Beast Palace, and each time, I’ve attracted the attention of the heavens.
Even without feet, rumors can stretch for tens of thousands of li.
But in the past few months, I hadn’t heard much about the goings-on of Salseong and Qingfeng.
And the man in front of me, Salsung, didn’t seem to want to talk about it either.
The next moment, before I could say anything, he spat out the jerky he was chewing.
“That’s tough. Don’t look for me, I’ll be resting nearby.”
Although no direct words were spoken, this series of actions spoke louder than any words.
“Always so secretive, that’s why people say he has a bad temper.”
Red Tiankang, who had been clicking his tongue at the distant back of Salseong’s head, frowned at my expression.
“What’s with that rotten glare?”
“……what.”
“Explain.”
“Uh, no, you know better than that.”
“What do you mean?”
In my hour of need, Qingfeng, who was sitting near the campfire with a grim expression on his face, spoke up.
“It means, of course, that the Red Grandfather has a nasty temper, doesn’t it, benefactor?”
“…….”
“Uh, isn’t it?”
Of course it does.
But there are some uncomfortable truths in the world that you can’t say out loud. Especially not when someone might beat you to death.
“Qingfeng, you asshole…….
I glared coldly at Qingfeng, who had been learning a new assassination technique from Sal Sheng, and changed the subject, trying to ignore the intense gaze of Red Tiankang next to me.
“So, where has Qing Shui been running around these past few months?”
“Umm. Little old man told me not to tell you.”
“You can tell me.”
“He said you shouldn’t say that, even if the person you’re talking to is a benefactor.”
“It’s really okay, I’m just gonna say a little bit of …….”
“Wow, that’s interesting. I was told to keep it to myself, even if the benefactor says it’s okay to use foreplay.”
“…….”
“If you say anything, they’ll kill you. I think I’ve heard the killing phrase five thousand times so far.”
“……I just won’t listen.”
Of course, it’s unlikely that Qingfeng will try to kill you if you tell him everything that’s happened, but it’s polite not to ask more questions.
Hmm.
If I’m being completely honest, I’m a little nervous that he might actually try to kill her.
“What about Qinghai? Is that a secret?”
“Nope. You didn’t say much about it, so I think it’s okay.”
After answering innocently, Qingfeng gave me a rundown of the past month’s events.
First, the reason and purpose for infiltrating Qinghai Castle without telling anyone.
“First of all, it was to search for the three who might be inside?”
“Yes. You said you were more afraid of the traitor behind your back than the enemy in front of you.”
It was true.
I had already been through the wringer a few times, so the implications of that statement were not taken lightly.
“So, did you find him?”
Qingfeng replied to Red Tiankang’s question.
“No, at least not that we know of.”
If it were just Qingfeng, he could have checked it a hundred times, but when the word “we” contains the word “flesh,” it’s believable.
Without that level of thoroughness, it wouldn’t be called the best killing machine.
But…….
“It’s too early to be lulled into a false sense of security. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Qingfeng nodded at the words of the old man.
“That’s right. Little Grandpa thought the same thing, which is why he tried to infiltrate the K’un-Lun Sect to learn more.”
There’s a big difference between did and tried.
And I already knew why it was inevitable.
“Am Chen broke in at the right time, right?”
“Yes. It was a flash.”
Overwhelming numbers and power indeed.
Some of the Qinghai martial artists, including Kun Lun Sect, immediately withdrew from the main mountain and retreated to the east, but Sal Sheng and Qingfeng were different.
“We stayed behind, hiding among them and waiting for the right time.”
If anyone else had tried the same thing, they would have been discovered and killed.
But not Sal Sheng, at least.
Or at least not Salsung, who has been learning by his side for the past few months.
“I held my breath, just like my little grandfather taught me, and I killed the popular chuck, and no one noticed, just like this.”
As Qingfeng inhaled and exhaled, unable to finish his sentence, I couldn’t help but laugh in response.
More precisely, it was because of the ghostly, blurred figure that was right in front of me, despite its ridiculous appearance.
“This, after only a few months?
I asked myself, but I’d known the answer to that question for a long time.
It is possible.
If it’s the wind.
That crazy talent that seems to insist on not needing a system could master the tricky art of stealth in no time at all.
‘With a talent like that, and the teachings of Salseong, it must be possible to avoid their attention.
A heaven-sent genius meets a master.
And the result was a successful infiltration.
Of course, even they had their limitations.
“We tried our best, but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to the Taecheng Temple.”
“If it’s Taecheng Temple, it’s…….”
“It’s located on the highest peak of Mount Kunlun, where all the major decisions of the Kunlun Sect are made. But there was a strange aura surrounding the area.”
Qingfeng shuddered, as if recalling the sensation.
“I could feel something, something invisible and sticky, and it gave me chills.”
“It was sticky, and it gave you the creeps?”
“Yes. My little grandfather must have felt it too, because he decided to join the descending monsters and come back, and that’s how I met my savior a few days later.”
I stared at Qingfeng, whose expression didn’t improve after he finished speaking, with a deeply sunken gaze.
I silently mulled over the two words that had subconsciously popped into my head the moment I heard the story.
“Magic power.
And then, just like that.
Chaaaaack.
Beyond the wide, blue river, shrouded in thick fog, a gentle ripple rose.
