Chapter 26 – Ill Fate and Fated Ties (1)

Chapter 26 – Ill Fate and Fated Ties (1)

So-mu's complexion was pale and tired. This was because I overused my internal power.

'after. ‘It’s finally over.’

When he opened his eyes, he saw the back of So-so sitting cross-legged. It looked similar to a squirrel. The earlier you start martial arts training, the less turbid the body, the more effective it becomes.

At the age of only six, So-so mastered all of the acupuncture points of his entire body, except for the Im Dok Yang vein, and was receiving direct martial arts instruction from a sword master. Plus, he has natural muscles and natural qualities. It was natural for Jianghu to experience rapid growth unprecedented in its history.

‘Create the strength to protect yourself. ‘Never again be swayed by the winds of the world.’

A child who died horribly. Facing Yoo-hwa's death, So-mu learned a lesson.

It was not possible for him to always protect her by his side. Then the answer was simple. All you have to do was grow it strong so that it does not need protection.

Since all the members had been sent to the training ground, So-so and I were alone in the barracks. So-mu was entering a fortune-telling ceremony to replenish his internal strength. But there was no way So-so would just leave him alone.

As a habit, So-so jumped on So-mu's shoulder.

“Father, I feel like a bird now!”

It was taboo to touch a person whose energy flowed through the blood vessels. So-mu said as he hurriedly finished eating breakfast.

“So-so, didn’t you say you shouldn’t touch someone who eats fortune? A fire-entry demon may come.”

“Who is Juwaimma?”

“Well, I’m not talking about a person… I’m talking about a situation where the energy in the body becomes distorted and uncontrollable.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You’re going to die.”

So-so was in tore.

“Huh… then your father is going to die?”

“It’s okay with my father. He’s strong. But you should never do this to your uncles.”

So-so leaped from So-mu's shoulder, spun around in the air, and stood tall in front of him. Then he raised his clenched fist to his chest and shouted at the top of his voice.

"yes!"

A person no taller than his sitting height was imitating an adult. It was a funny sight, but I saw it every day, so there was nothing strange about it. So-mu said, stroking So-so’s head.

“The uncles are coming. The fact that So-so has become as light as a bird is a secret for the time being. Understood?”

So-so suddenly crossed his arms and raised his head with a haughty expression.

“Hmm! I saw what my father was doing.”

“This guy. Who did you learn that from?”

“To Uncle Il-gwang.”

"phew."

Still, I was glad I didn't learn to swear. Il-gwang was also restrained in his own way when So-so was around.

At that time, Wolf Fang Squad members rushed into the barracks. Everyone was drenched in sweat, as if they had been practicing Gyeonggong. There was Il-gwang ahead.

So-so, who was facing them, ran towards the entrance as if waiting. At that moment, Il-gwang lowered his upper body and started punching downwards at So-so.

“Take it, So-so!”

So-so reflexively twisted his upper body and let go of Il-gwang's attack. But Il-gwang's attack did not stop there. Il-gwang's fist was coming from the opposite direction again.

At that time, So-so lowered his upper body and went into Il-gwang's arms and started throwing punches.

“Yap yap!”

Puff puck!

“Ugh!”

Il-gwang held his abdomen and pretended to die. So-mu, who was watching this, smiled. Il-gwang had been teaching So-so fighting skills without his knowledge.

“Uncles, hurry up and wash up!”

The members who followed Il-gwang into the barracks stroked So-so's head.

“Are you coming?”

“Yes, So-so Administrative Soldier.”

“Thank you for beating up Il-gwang.”

The members who went out with their clothes came back only after about an hour had passed. There wasn't much rest time given to them.

One by one, they found their seats and began to sit cross-legged. It was to enter into boring inner strength training again.

But they had no choice but to stop what they were doing. This was because an administrative soldier was coming into the barracks in a huff.

He was a familiar soldier. An administrative soldier who So-mu said was his hero. As expected, there was a lot of spirit.

“Century! This is a message from the general!”

“What’s going on?”

“They say that from now on, Wolf Fang Squad will be giving you a special vacation for five days!”

The moment the administrative officer finished speaking, cheers rang out in the barracks.

“What? A vacation!?”

“Haha! Really?”

“You’re finally leaving!”

The crew jumped up and down and loved it. So-mu was not surprised because he had already received a separate message from Jang Yang.

“Don’t go anywhere and get into trouble, and have a nice trip, everyone.”

The crew was already preparing to go out.

“Captain, I’m leaving first!”

“See you all in five days!”

“So-so, take care in the meantime!”

The crew packed up their belongings one by one and left. At that time, So-mu called Cheoldu.

“Cheoldu. You don’t have enough money to pay for grandma’s medicine, right?”

Before he knew it, he was holding a bundle of coins in his hand.

“How do I receive this?”

“I have enough money. This is my home and my family is here. Use what you need first, and pay it back later or not.”

Cheoldu, with red eyes, carefully took the coin handed to him by So-mu.

“Thank you, Captain….”

“Don’t go empty-handed. Buy something.”

After the eclipse passed, there was only empty silence in the barracks. Only four people, including So-so, were guarding the barracks. They were people who had nowhere to go.

“Aren’t Il-gwang and Cheong-hae going somewhere?”

“My hometown has already been robbed by the Hui Dynasty, and I, who have no family, have anywhere else to go?”

“I, too, have been excommunicated from Mount Hua and have nowhere to go. What do you plan to do, Captain?”

So-mu picked up her daughter and placed her on her shoulder.

“Well, why not go see the world with So-so?”

Il-gwang and Cheong-hae watch So-mu and her daughter walking away. A bitter expression appeared on their faces.

It was then. So-so, sitting on So-mu’s shoulder, gestured and shouted.

“Uncle Il-gwang! Uncle Cheong-hae! Let’s go together!”

They were bored deep down. There was no reason to refuse.

“Hmm! Is that okay?”

“If So-so wants it….”

So-mu also stayed silent because he didn't really want to stop him. However, from Il-gwang and Cheong-hae's point of view, it was inevitable that they would notice.

“So-so asked me to go with her, so I had no choice but to go with her.”

"me too……."

* * *

Throughout the trip to various places in Hanzhong, So-so was constantly excited. It felt better to be with my uncles.

As we entered the center, there was a lot to see. Merchants were out on the streets selling food, and everywhere there was something to see, including the tricks of talented people. This place, which was firmly protected from the enemy, was full of life unlike other places in Shaanxi.

“Uncle Cheong-hae! That’s me!”

Cheong-hae's gaze turned to So-mu's shoulder. So-so was sitting there, holding out his small finger. Tanghulu was made by putting hawthorn on a thin stick, coating it with starch syrup, and then hardening it.

Cheong-hae immediately bought a Tanghulu and handed it to So-so.

“Aren’t you full? I have to eat soon.”

I had already eaten a lot of snacks. However, compared to its weight, So-so's appetite was amazing.

“Yes! It’s delicious. Hehe.”

The group's footsteps stopped again after half an angle. Because I discovered a theater company on a corner of the street. There were quite a lot of people and it was crowded.

Cheong-hae looked at So-mu and asked.

“I see you are playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Shall we watch it for a while?”

“Um, sure.”

There were three people who came on stage with their faces painted white. One was dressed as a general holding a scimitar, and the other was an emperor with a bulging belly. And the remaining one looked like a eunuch dressed up in tore.

The eunuch looked at the audience and shouted.

“You bastards, how dare you come here without a bribe? Hurry up and show respect to this emperor!”

Then the man dressed as a general shouted at the emperor.

“Your Majesty Yu Seon! This is General Kang Yu! This treacherous traitor is eating away at the country, so please cut off his head immediately! The enemy’s invasion is just around the corner, so you must take care of the inside first!”

The eunuch said, interrupting the general.

“Your Majesty! I called the shamans to perform exorcisms and read fortunes, and the results showed that the State of Wei is not invading. That incompetent general is greatly mistaken, so how about replacing him with someone I trust?”

The person dressed as the emperor seemed to be pondering with his chin resting.

“Hmm~. Still, isn’t Kang Yu the successor to Gongmyeong? I don’t want to listen to that strict man’s nagging anymore, but you can’t just change the general.”

“Your Majesty! Please leave state affairs to me and spare me the burden of travel! God has prepared this for you to feel the ultimate pleasure tonight!”

“Hehe! As expected, the only one who can understand my heart is Gyeong.”

The play ended with the general wielding a scimitar and pretending to cut down both the emperor and the traitor.

So-so, who was watching this, burst out laughing. However, So-mu’s mind was not at peace.

The hidden meaning in this play. They were satirizing the current government.

A rumor recently reached here that General Ae Fei had been dismissed from his position and imprisoned. This shocking rumor was quickly spread not only to the military but also to the people, and was connected to public sentiment.

However, there was a fact that even the people did not know. The current situation was even more absurd than the late Chohan period they were satirizing.

“Let’s just go eat.”

The place the group headed to was Hwayang Tavern, the largest in Hanzhong. I always ate here because the food was pretty good.

But today the atmosphere was something different. When I came yesterday, there weren't that many customers. Moreover, the majority were various types of martial people. Usually, on days when many martial artists gather in the guesthouse, there was most likely a topic of conversation.

The group who sat down near the nearby entrance ordered as many as eight dishes. It was natural because Il-gwang's appetite was not normal. As the food arrived one by one, the group began eating hungrily. So-so was probably imitating Il-gwang, but despite his small body, he was eating it up like crazy.

At that time, Cheong-hae's eyes turned to the open door of the guest room.

“Isn’t that Cheoldu?”

The man who was carrying a disabled grandmother and showing her around the streets was clearly Cheoldu.

“That’s right.”

“You kid. You’ve finally grown up.”

So-so looked out of the guest room and shouted loudly.

“Uncle Cheoldu!”

After seeing So-so, Cheoldu smiled brightly and waved his hand. The atmosphere seemed to be growing more cheerful.

However, except for So-so, the expressions of the rest of the group suddenly darkened. This was because I heard the martial arts people talking at the table right behind me. Il-gwang continued to prick his ears, and Cheong-hae's face turned pale and his expression hardened.

“No, how can a volcanic wave collapse overnight?”

“I heard that all the eighteen plum blossom swordsmen are dead?”

“How does this make sense? The Volcanic Clan is not even a third-rate local clique! What kind of crazy people are they?”

“I don’t know. There is a Taoist monk who managed to escape, but he must have gone half crazy. One thing is certain, Hui Nara is involved.”

“Why?”

“They say the Hwi country is rejecting the Martial Alliance’s request and is controlling access to Mount Hua.”

“Are you saying the Martial Worldmaeng is just watching that?”

“It’s different from before. The Martial Alliance is now a local drum. Due to the war between political and demonic forces, most of the masters have died, and even the Sword Master has retired….”

“So in the end, all the Taoist monks in Mount Hua died except for one?”

“I don’t know. Some of them might be hiding somewhere in Mount Hua. But the Hwiguk is controlling access, so how can we know?”

It was shocking news.

Shaanxi was occupied by the Hwi Kingdom, and the Mount Hua Sect was included in their territory. No one expected that they would blatantly invade the martial arts territory.

So-mu was quite surprised. Even though the Mount Hua First Sword died in the Jeongma War and its power diminished, a huge sect evaporated overnight. It was an absolutely unbelievable rumor.

So-so asked, placing his small hand on Cheong-hae's forehead, who was sweating coldly.

“Uncle Cheong-hae, where does it hurt?”