Reunion
Mu-jin’s worries were merely a figment of his imagination.
“How was Senior Brother Byeok-hwan? I thought I was going to die during the training period.”
“Is that so? Hahaha! But to be honest, the second week was more challenging yet rewarding for me. Instructor Mu-jin told me something profound. He said, ‘What’s the point of succeeding alone after abandoning your comrades?’ That moved me deeply, and I ended up training twice as hard to help my juniors and brothers.”
“Hahaha! I was really grateful for that, Senior Brother!”
On the way to Jeongan-hyeon, the nearest town from Mount Zhongnan after leaving the Zhongnan Sect.
The disciples of the Zhongnan Sect chatted incessantly about their three weeks of training.
They seemed to be bursting with pride.
‘Come to think of it, I was like that when I was twenty too.’
Recalling the time he passed the special forces entrance exam, Mu-jin watched the conversation of the Zhongnan Sect disciples with a sense of endearment.
As they descended the mountain, laughing and chatting, and wandered through the marketplace of Jeongan-hyeon.
“Oh my, Senior Brother Byeok-hwan!”
Suddenly, some men started greeting the Zhongnan Sect disciples.
Judging by their martial outfits and the weapons at their sides, they were also martial artists.
“Are you feeling better? Hahaha. I was worried I might have gone too hard on you back then.”
Though his words seemed to express concern for Byeok-hwan’s injury, his tone and eyes carried a different message.
Byeok-hwan’s expression also turned sour at the man’s words.
Mu-jin remembered hearing about the situation at the Zhongnan Sect.
‘Oh. I heard that recently Zhongnan Sect disciples have been returning injured from outside.’
Mostly, the duels were legitimate, and while there were injured, there were no deaths or crippling injuries. Moreover, because they were in constant conflict with the Huashan Sect, the Zhongnan Sect found it difficult to act recklessly. �
Especially in the regions bordering Huashan, like Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi, the major fighters of the Zhongnan Sect were concentrated there due to the ongoing conflicts.
In such a situation, it seemed there were people picking fights with Zhongnan Sect disciples in areas closer to Mount Zhongnan.
‘Did that guy beat Byeok-hwan before?’
In other words, the man’s comment was not expressing concern but rather taunting, asking if he was back to get beaten again.
It was possible that the “legitimate duels” were incited by subtly provoking the Zhongnan Sect disciples into challenging them.
‘Should I help?’
As Mu-jin pondered whether he should intervene, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Thanks to another Zhongnan Sect disciple standing nearby.
“What the hell did you just say, you little worm?”
The atmosphere froze momentarily at his crude language, unbefitting of a Taoist disciple.
But the shock was brief. The man’s face turned red as he replied.
“Are you really a disciple of the prestigious Zhongnan Sect? What did you just say?”
“Why does a maggot have such a long tongue? How dare you talk to the pillar of the orthodox sect like that, you son of a bitch?”
“What?”
“I called you a son of a bitch, you piece of shit!!”
“Are you insulting us now?”
The man who first spoke to Byeok-hwan shouted, his face flushed red, but another Zhongnan Sect disciple replied with an equally twisted expression.
“You insulted Senior Brother Byeok-hwan first! Insulting him is an insult to all of us, you worm!”
His eyes radiated a strong camaraderie, expressing ‘We are brothers!’ to the core.
‘... It’s nice to see such camaraderie, but where did these Taoist disciples learn such foul language?’
Mu-jin briefly wondered before realizing.
‘Oh. These are all the curses I used during training.’
It was all his karma.
Clang!
Eventually, the man who first picked the fight couldn’t stand the taunting and drew his sword.
The Zhongnan Sect disciples also prepared to respond to the provocation with determined expressions.
“Stop!”
Finally, Byeok-hwan, the person involved, stepped forward.
“I will handle this grudge personally.”
Thunk!
Like a back-alley thug, Byeok-hwan kicked the swordsman in the stomach.
‘Wow... He learns well?’
That kick was also a technique Mu-jin had shown during training.
“Ugh.”
As the swordsman clutched his stomach in pain, Byeok-hwan followed up with a punch to his face.
“You coward!!”
Seeing their comrade under attack, the swordsman’s companions charged at Byeok-hwan, but the Zhongnan Sect disciples wouldn’t stand idle.
“How dare you interfere in an honorable duel!?”
“Kill them!!”
What began as a one-on-one duel quickly escalated into a brawl.
With the fight growing more intense, Mu-jin wondered if he should join in, but soon stopped moving.
“Wow... They fight well.”
The Zhongnan Sect disciples fought fiercely with determined eyes.
They abandoned any unnecessary pretensions and focused solely on taking down their opponents.
Even when cut by the enemies’ weapons, they boldly pushed forward.
“I will handle this, Senior Brother!”
“I leave my back to you!”
Their camaraderie was so strong that they would take blows to protect each other, swinging their swords with determination.
“Run, run!”
Eventually, one of the enemies, overwhelmed by fear, began to retreat, and the others quickly followed suit.
Of course, the Zhongnan Sect disciples were not left unscathed from the fight. However.
“Hahaha! This is the spirit of the Zhongnan Sect! You maggots!”
Their morale was sky-high.
* * *
Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, though everyone had minor wounds. Mu-jin thought they should return to the Zhongnan Sect, but.
“Instructor! We
need to cool our heated blood with some drinks.”
“Shouldn’t you treat your wounds first?”
“What are you saying, Instructor! We must overcome such minor injuries with grit and guts!”
“Let’s go to Cheongpung Inn! Today, we completed Instructor’s special training and avenged Senior Brother Byeok-hwan, so let’s drink until we drop!”
The spirited Zhongnan Sect disciples seemed to have no intention of tending to their wounds.
‘... It seems the training effect is a bit too strong?’
Realizing that it would be pointless to try to stop them, Mu-jin decided to join them at Cheongpung Inn.
Mu-jin enjoyed meat-heavy dishes to avoid muscle loss, while the Zhongnan Sect disciples focused more on drinking.
Even as the drinks kept flowing, the disciples chatted non-stop.
“Hahaha. I was saved earlier thanks to Senior Brother. If you hadn’t blocked that sword, I would’ve had a hole in my stomach!”
“Do you think you were the only one! If you hadn’t helped me, I’d be dead by now!”
They talked endlessly about the brawl and the training they had received from Mu-jin.
Their loud exchanges of heroic tales felt oddly familiar.
“To the Zhongnan Sect!!”
“Cheers!”
“Are we!”
“Brothers!!”
The seemingly intoxicated Zhongnan Sect disciples.
With his face turning red, Mu-jin wanted to discreetly move away to avoid being associated with them, but.
“Instructor Mu-jin!! Where are you going!”
“Please give us a word on this joyous occasion!”
He couldn’t escape his karma.