Chapter 222
“Then, we'll be on our way.”
“Take care on your journey.”
Just moments ago, Jegal Mun parted ways with the mysterious merchant caravan he had happened to meet.
Watching them recede into the distance, Jegal Mun fell into thought for a moment.
The more he observed them, the more they astonished him.
What surprised him most of all was the consistent aura he sensed from them.
As a rule, every person's aura was different.
It was only natural for the aura of a woman to differ from that of a man, and for that of a child, an adult, and an elderly person to differ as well.
But those people…
‘They match perfectly. To the point of giving me goosebumps.’
They all maintained the same, utterly ordinary level as though measured with a ruler.
It did not fit at all with the carefree appearances they showed outwardly, but it was the truth.
Unless someone observed them as closely as Jegal Mun had, they would not merely fail to stand out; they were so ordinary that it was certain no one would even remember any of them.
How was such a thing possible?
At the very least, for something like that to be possible, every one of them would have to have reached a considerably high realm, not to mention undergoing endless training and practice.
The more he thought about it, the more curious Jegal Mun became about their identities.
But they did not seem inclined to reveal their identities readily.
‘Well, if they were willing to talk about it that easily, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of disguising themselves as a merchant caravan.’
It was simply astonishing that people like that existed.
Fortunately, the aura he sensed from them was neither sinister nor demonic.
The moment he thought of demonic energy, Jegal Mun was reminded of Elder Jang Cheong's horrifying appearance.
He shook his head as though trying to shake off the unpleasant memory.
“Whew, the martial world really is vast.”
Perhaps there were still countless supreme masters he knew nothing about.
He was almost ashamed of his former self, who had lived believing that the Martial Alliance, the Five Great Families, and the Nine Great Sects were all there was.
“I still have a long way to go. A very long way.”
He was not referring merely to the road remaining before he reached his destination.
After staring blankly at the sky for a while, Jegal Mun picked up his bundle, left the inn, and began walking again.
The weather was still pleasant enough for a leisurely walk.
***
“Whew. That was delicious. Haha.”
Jin So-baek patted his belly and laughed happily.
Yeo Un-hwi and Jegal Gil were with him.
The day before, Yeo Un-hwi had suddenly suggested that they have lunch together the next day.
So they had gone to the same inn where he had previously taken Vermilion Bird and the Four Great Protectors, and eaten their fill of meat noodles and various other dishes.
More than anything, Jin So-baek looked to be in an excellent mood.
Who would dislike a free meal?
Especially when it was the kind of food that made your eyes go wide!
“I never thought the day would come when Captain Yeo would treat us to such delicious food. I'm deeply moved!”
“I'm in charge of the intelligence and investigative bureaus. Surely I can afford to treat you to this much.”
“Then may I continue counting on you from now on?”
“That depends on how well you do.”
“Isn't that a little different from what you said just now?”
“The human heart is like a reed, after all.”
“……”
Jegal Gil let out a quiet laugh at their exchange.
His usually expressionless face had changed considerably since he came to the Taechon Alliance.
He smiled more, and he had grown brighter.
When you're with good people, there are simply more reasons to smile.
Jegal Gil had been surprised to learn that Haomun was in charge of the Taechon Alliance's intelligence bureau, but he did not hold any prejudice against them or feel wary of them.
In the short time he had known Jin So-baek, he had found him to be no worse—and if anything, better—than any of the orthodox sect members he had met in the Martial Alliance.
More than anything, the mere fact that Yeo Un-hwi trusted him was enough.
With this, the Taechon Alliance's intelligence network would be second to none in the Central Plains martial world.
That was a very welcome development for Jegal Gil, who would be in charge of creating and running the investigative bureau.
Above all, there would be no need for political maneuvering or battles of pride between the bureaus.
Jegal Gil had been burned so badly by the Martial Alliance that he was grateful simply to be able to work without having to deal with such things.
In truth, this was what was normal and sensible, but after spending so long in a place where absurdities were treated as common sense, he was grateful for each and every one of these things.
The three of them had finished their meal and were on their way back to the Peng Clan when—
“Who are you, and where have you come from?”
“Ah. Well, I…”
Someone was speaking to the warriors guarding the Peng Clan's main gate.
“Ah. You've arrived.”
The warriors who had been talking with the visitor spotted Yeo Un-hwi and his companions and politely greeted them.
Just then, the man who had come to visit the Peng Clan turned his head.
Jegal Gil recognized him before anyone else.
“Big Brother!”
It was Jegal Mun, once the chief strategist of the Martial Alliance.
“Have you been well? Haha. You look much better than you did the last time I saw you.”
“Yes. I've been well. Why did you come all the way here without even sending word? If you'd notified me, I would have gone to meet you wherever you were.”
“There was no need for that. You must be busy too.”
Jegal Mun smiled gently, then turned his head to look at Yeo Un-hwi.
“Could there perhaps be a place for me in the Taechon Alliance?”
“Of course.”
Yeo Un-hwi smiled at him.
“Please, come in.”
***
Everyone in the Taechon Alliance welcomed Jegal Mun.
And with good reason—he was both an exceptional strategist and a martial artist.
More than anything, his joining the Taechon Alliance held great symbolic significance.
It was true that he had been no match for that political operator and schemer, Jang Cheong, but he had grown tremendously through that ordeal.
Perhaps his capabilities as a true strategist were only beginning to emerge now.
“Welcome. I heard you've been through a lot.”
“You've worked hard. Truly.”
“Haha. Not at all.”
He had only just arrived, yet he already felt as comfortable as though he had returned to his hometown.
It was almost laughable.
Not once had he ever felt that way during his time in the Martial Alliance.
No—perhaps it could not have been any other way.
His roots and origins lay in the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Families.
Just then—
“Mun-ah!”
The door to the clan head's quarters flew open, and Jegal Seung, the head of the Jegal Clan, hurried in.
“Big Brother.”
“You little rascal.”
“I was stubborn and left, making you worry all that time. Please forgive me for returning only now.”
“No, no, it's all right. You're back. You're back.”
Jegal Seung's eyes had grown moist before he knew it.
The heads of the Five Great Families understood.
They knew how deeply he cherished and worried about his younger brothers.
That was why they also understood the significance of this reunion.
After walking separate paths for so long, the three brothers—Jegal Seung, Jegal Mun, and Jegal Gil—were together once again.
‘I'm glad.’
Yeo Un-hwi watched them with a smile.
This was something that had never happened before his regression.
Because Jegal Gil had been killed by Jang Cheong's scheme, and Jegal Mun had also been driven out of the Martial Alliance by Jang Cheong.
Yet another destiny had diverged from the future he knew.
But he welcomed that divergence.
It was a beautiful reunion between brothers who had been separated for an exceedingly long time.
***
“Haaaap!”
Leaving behind the White Wolf Unit, which had devoted itself to even more intensive hellish training now that its participation in the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament had been confirmed,
Yeo Un-hwi was sparring with the heirs of the Five Great Families.
First, Namgung Sanghyeok poured all his strength into unleashing the Boundless Azure Sky Sword Technique (蒼穹無涯劍法).
His beautiful sword qi embroidered the sky.
But Yeo Un-hwi avoided all that sword qi far too easily, took up position beside Namgung Sanghyeok, and disrupted his balance by slamming his shoulder into him.
“Kuk.”
“Your attacks have a clean, decisive quality, but your defense is lax after you use your sword technique. On a battlefield, unpredictable situations that throw you off balance occur even more often, so keep that in mind.”
“Yes!”
Next, Dang Mujun suddenly seized the position behind Yeo Un-hwi and drove a fist toward him.
But Yeo Un-hwi's body spun in place, letting Dang Mujun's attack slide past, and then kicked him squarely in the torso, sending Dang Mujun flying backward with a whoosh.
“Every one of your attacks starts with your left hand. Of course, you've been so fast and sharp that the match has ended before anyone could notice it until now, but if a fight drags on, your attack patterns are easier to read than you think. Letting your opponent discover a habit is extremely dangerous. You should correct it.”
“Yes!”
Before Dang Mujun had even finished answering, Hwangbo Cheon-u came at Yeo Un-hwi with a fierce burst of energy.
“Hyaaap!”
But after dodging the first attack, Yeo Un-hwi kicked Hwangbo Cheon-u's foot just as he was about to throw a second punch, and Hwangbo Cheon-u staggered.
“Ugh!”
“Are you trying to give yourself away with that battle cry before you even attack? Keep your mouth shut and strike quickly and swiftly.”
“Yes, yes!”
When Yeo Un-hwi held out a hand to the fallen Hwangbo Cheon-u, Hwangbo Cheon-u awkwardly took it.
“Good grief. You can't just grab an enemy's hand so trustingly.”
“Huh? …Waaaaaaah!”
Yeo Un-hwi spun Hwangbo Cheon-u's massive body around once and threw him toward Peng Seo-jin.
“Kuk!”
Peng Seo-jin caught Hwangbo Cheon-u as he flew toward him, then toppled backward with him.
“You should have dodged. You tried clumsily to save your companion, and you've just lost one life. If it were me, I would have charged straight inside and thought about getting in at least one more attack. Quickly, quickly. Make the best decision possible.”
“Yes!”
“And…”
Yeo Un-hwi turned his head.
Now Jegal Ujin was the only one standing before him.
Yeo Un-hwi soon vanished from where he stood, only to appear before Jegal Ujin in an instant and flick him on the forehead.
“Aah!”
“You think too much. You missed another chance to attack because of it. That won't get you anywhere. The perfect moment, when everything comes together, is created as you fight; it doesn't appear simply because you stand there watching. You must always pounce, then pounce again, like a hungry wolf. Understand?”
“Yes… but why was I the only one who got flicked? This hurts so much.”
“It hurts? The others were knocked flat by punches and kicks.”
When Yeo Un-hwi pointed behind him, Peng Seo-jin, Namgung Sanghyeok, Dang Mujun, and Hwangbo Cheon-u could be seen sprawled on the ground.
“Oh. I'm sorry. Haha.”
Realizing from the others' condition that he had misspoken, Jegal Ujin scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.
“That's enough sparring for today. Make sure you fully take to heart what I said earlier. Fixing just those things will mean you've grown considerably.”
The martial arts each clan had taught them were excellent in every respect, and they had also steadily built up their internal energy since childhood.
What mattered now was honing each of them into a martial artist truly prepared to fight through relentless training, sparring, and experience that pushed them to their limits.
Insight would follow naturally from that.
First, they needed to be ready as vessels.
“Then train individually from here on.”
“Big Brother, where are you going?”
Peng Seo-jin asked as he struggled to get to his feet.
Yeo Un-hwi answered with a bright smile.
“I was thinking of taking my wife and daughter on an outing to the market.”