Chapter 293

Pyo Sang-guk, Yeong-woon, and So-min quietly looked at Jin Ja-gang.

But their eyes contained a completely different feeling from what Jin Ja-gang expected.

They looked sympathetic.

“Oh dear… he must have sprained his ankle when he jumped down.”

“Brother Jin got startled because of us. I’m sorry.”

So-min even offered to help.

“I know a bit of acupuncture, should I take a look?”

Jin Ja-gang declined.

“I’m fine.”

Pyo Sang-guk chided So-min.

“Sister Min is too shameless. Brother Jin isn’t a martial world person like us, so he would be uncomfortable with men and women casually touching bodies.”

So-min pouted her lips.

“How does Brother Pyo know that Young Master Jin isn’t a martial world person?”

“Didn’t you notice he doesn’t know about our Mysterious Youth Squad? And any ordinary person couldn’t remain calm after hearing Brother Yeong-woon’s Taoist name. Even if he knows a little martial arts, not knowing Brother Yeong-woon means he hasn’t been active in the martial world.”

Pyo Sang-guk said to Jin Ja-gang.

“Since we’re talking about it, the Mysterious Youth Squad is an organization made up of young disciples from sects like us, and Brother Yeong-woon here is a skilled person called one of the Four Tigers Three Phoenixes.”

If the martial world families had Three Dragons Four Phoenixes, the martial world sects had Four Tigers Three Phoenixes. Martial world sects and families were always in competitive relationships, and this aspect became even more extreme during Master Hae-weol’s time. Even the terms dragons, tigers, phoenixes referring to outstanding later-generation masters were divided between them.

Anyway, Four Tigers Three Phoenixes meant being among the top skilled later-generation masters of martial world sects.

However, when Pyo Sang-guk saw that Jin Ja-gang remained calm even after hearing about Four Tigers Three Phoenixes, he changed the subject to dispel the awkwardness.

“Well, then, come, it’s cold, so hurry over here.”

Even after sitting around the campfire, the three people continued discussing and talking about various topics.

Whether Jin Ja-gang was up in the tree or down below, their conversation didn’t change much.

Jin Ja-gang continued to wonder.

Why couldn’t he see any shadows on their faces?

Confidence and leisure were ingrained in their bodies.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but think of Gwak-oh.

Gwak-oh who had betrayed Hundred Flower Valley and was doing menial work at Extreme Poison Sect.

Gwak-oh had been dreaming of the scene Jin Ja-gang was now witnessing.

The dream of discussing all night with fellow later-generation masters and criticizing the martial world together.

That dream would have looked exactly like this.

But Jin Ja-gang now knew.

With Hundred Flower Valley’s martial arts, one couldn’t join that group. Their martial arts were those of prestigious orthodox sects with great depth. Being friends might be possible, but discussing martial learning and competing in martial arts would not be.

Not only what they originally possessed, but their birth environments were too different. Prestigious orthodox sects don’t accept just anyone. They accept disciples after seeing their qualifications.

Even if Gwak-oh’s plan had succeeded, could Gwak-oh have joined that group and achieved his dream?

Wouldn’t he have been much happier just living in Hundred Flower Valley, growing herbs without knowing anything?

Jin Ja-gang smiled a bitter smile, feeling somewhat sorrowful.

So-min casually looked at Jin Ja-gang and made a pitying expression.

“Young Master Jin, you seem to have something troubling you.”

Pyo Sang-guk spoke heartily.

“Whatever difficulties there are, shake them off like a man. If Brother Jin goes around with such a worried face, all the young ladies in the world, including our Sister Min, will fall for Brother Jin, so what are we supposed to do?”

So-min blushed and shouted.

“Oh my, that’s not why I’m doing this!”

Yeong-woon also laughed loudly.

“What does it matter? Martial world people don’t need to be too concerned with civilian etiquette.”

“But earlier you scolded me for not knowing civilian etiquette!”

“That wasn’t me but Brother Pyo who…”

“I don’t care!”

When So-min deliberately turned her head away in a sulking manner, Yeong-woon and Pyo Sang-guk laughed and coaxed her.

But So-min soon looked at Jin Ja-gang again as if nothing had happened and asked.

“Oh right, you said you came from Gubuk Village?”

“Yes.”

“Did you happen to see our senior brother there?”

“I’m not sure who you’re referring to.”

“His name is Mun-pyeong, he’s tall and has a mole next to his eye…”

So-min described Mun-pyeong’s appearance, but Jin Ja-gang didn’t know him.

“Where on earth has senior brother disappeared to…”

Yeong-woon consoled her.

“Don’t worry too much. Hero Mun-pyeong isn’t someone who would easily fall anywhere.”

“I hope so.”

Afterward, the three people also discussed the martial world’s situation. For Jin Ja-gang, it was an interesting time as he could learn the perspective from the orthodox sects’ standpoint.

The three people took turns standing guard and slept for about an hour each. They raised their body condition with just dawn breathing exercises. Of course, Jin Ja-gang pretended to sleep but stayed awake all night with open eyes. He wasn’t in a position to sleep peacefully like them.

Jin Ja-gang tried to part ways with them the next day, but instead the three people held him back.

“Brother Jin, it’s dangerous here. Until we get out of Guizhou, it would be better if you stayed with us.”

“I’m slow-walking, so I’ll be a hindrance to you three.”

“Hey, it’s fine so don’t refuse. When we reach Chongqing, let’s share drinks together while resting from the journey.”

Jin Ja-gang deliberately spoke somewhat coldly.

“I don’t understand why you three are trying to treat me so well.”

Yeong-woon smiled gently and said.

“We’re the ones who made Brother Jin’s leg like that, so how could we pretend not to know? If we sent Brother Jin away like this and something went wrong, we would be committing a great mistake.”

It had the scent of orthodox sect to the point of being rigid.

Didn’t Oh Tae say that Alliance Leader Master Hae-weol had also been a very rigid Taoist in the past?

But why do such people change like that when they get older?

Jin Ja-gang judged it necessary to make things clear and spoke seriously.

“Those are words difficult for me to understand. Honestly, I’ve heard from various people that Master Hae-weol of Wudang Sect has lost his chivalry and does wrong things. Yet you would take responsibility for me just because I have a limp?”

Pyo Sang-guk was surprised and stopped him.

“Brother Jin! Those words are too harsh.”

Yeong-woon shook his head.

“No, Brother Pyo. Brother Jin’s words are right.”

Even though Yeong-woon had heard slander about a great elder of his sect, he didn’t show hostility toward Jin Ja-gang. Yeong-woon looked at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“Thank you for speaking honestly. Then I’ll also answer honestly. I too had the same doubts as Brother Jin and asked the elders of my sect. The master uncles always emphasize chivalry and righteousness, but why does the martial world prioritize money over chivalry and benefits over righteousness?”

Yeong-woon paused briefly before continuing.

“If you actively participate in Martial Alliance events, you receive additional rights as compensation. When you achieve merit, the reward is paid in money. If you donate that money and rights business back to the Alliance, you can get an appropriate position in the Alliance organization.”

So that was why Pyo Sang-guk had been talking about needing to catch Poison Dragon to achieve merit.

“You mean buying positions with money?”

“Correct. As a result, I experienced confusion like Brother Jin. While this circulation appears rational at first glance, by making monetary rewards for chivalrous acts, the order of objectives can inevitably be reversed.”

Yeong-woon asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Brother Jin, do you know the term ‘right view’?”

“I don’t know.”

“It refers to the view that realizes the principles of the world and can look at the true nature of things as they are.”

Jin Ja-gang listened carefully to Yeong-woon’s words.

“When I asked about such matters, the master uncles said this: Have right view. Then you won’t waver in any situation. Since then, I’ve made continuous efforts to have right view. And I realized something.”

“What?”

“That the master uncles also don’t have right view, which is why they fight so much every day, and that right view is an extremely difficult thing.”

Jin Ja-gang suddenly wondered what he was talking about, but Pyo Sang-guk and So-min burst into laughter beside him.

“Pfft!”

“Hahaha. I knew it would be like that. That’s just like Brother Yeong-woon. Brother Jin, this is Brother Yeong-woon’s style of humor.”

“Humor?”

“Brother Jin is truly a serious person. It’s a joke, but what should I say, there’s substance inside? That kind of speech. All Taoists are like that though.”

“I understand.”

Jin Ja-gang repeated the words ‘right view’ in his mouth. It was a joke but not a joke. Yeong-woon also saw the current system created by Master Hae-weol as unreasonable.

He was troubled and confused. Even within Wudang Sect itself, which had produced Master Hae-weol.

What did that mean?

Jin Ja-gang repeated ‘right view’ several times. To uncover the secrets involving Medicine Sect and Poison Sect, Jin Ja-gang might also need right view.

Pyo Sang-guk changed the increasingly serious atmosphere.

“Well, as we who don’t have right view, until right view comes, we have no choice but to follow what our superiors order us to do.”

So-min laughed and asked back.

“Are you confident you won’t follow orders once you have it?”

“We’ll have to see when the time comes. Right now I don’t have right view so I can’t give the right answer.”

“Wow… Brother Pyo’s jokes are really…”

Yeong-woon looked at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“So let’s leave that difficult right view to find later, and for now please don’t refuse our goodwill. When we think it’s safe, we’ll let you go even if you don’t want to.”

When they came this far, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t refuse. However, whether this was truly good for Jin Ja-gang was unknown.

Jin Ja-gang expressed his feelings with a light cupping of fists.

“Thank you.”

* * *

However, before even two days had passed, Jin Ja-gang immediately felt discomfort.

“…”

Jin Ja-gang was walking through the mountains with the three people when he sensed bad energy.

An ominous feeling he couldn’t describe precisely touched his skin.

Only after pondering this feeling for a long while did Jin Ja-gang realize.

‘It’s killing intent.’

Not sharp killing intent, but sticky and clammy killing intent like sea breeze during high tide. It was killing intent so subtle that the three people hadn’t noticed it yet.

Jin Ja-gang walked with his nerves on edge without revealing it.

Sure enough.

Before long, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

But a thick smell of blood wafted from one fork. Even without Jin Ja-gang saying anything, the three people also smelled it then.

“Brother!”

“I know. I felt it too.”

Yeong-woon immediately stopped walking. Pyo Sang-guk took out and spread a map. The smell of blood was coming from the left side, which was originally the path they needed to take.

Jin Ja-gang naturally thought they would turn back. But the three people were different.

“Brother Jin should stay here just in case. It seems something bad has happened up ahead.”

They were going to openly enter a place that openly gave off a dangerous feeling?

Moreover, Jin Ja-gang smelled another fishy scent within the bloody smell.

Poison. They had definitely used blood to hide the faint fishy smell of poison.

“Sister Min should look after Brother Jin. We two will go and come back.”

“Okay.”

Jin Ja-gang tried to stop them.

“It would be better not to go.”

Pyo Sang-guk said.

“There might be people who need our help. Avoiding danger is not something a Zhongnan Sect disciple should do.”

Despite Jin Ja-gang’s attempts to stop them, Yeong-woon and Pyo Sang-guk immediately leaped up with light body techniques and ran.

So-min reassured Jin Ja-gang.

“Don’t worry. Since the two brothers went, it will be resolved well.”

However, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t feel at ease. Even after the two ran off, the clammy killing intent like sea breeze didn’t disappear. The killing intent hadn’t followed the two people.