Chapter 360

Episode 360

My accommodation at Wolhwajang (月華莊).

“Dang Sojeo did not do anything.”

Woo Hwayeon, who was sitting across from the table, put down her tea cup and said.

I tilted my head and asked back.

“What does it mean?”

“I mean it literally. “It was not the Tang magistrates or the Tang family poisoners who poisoned the spiritual dojo.”

“Could it be that Sojeo used the poisonous hand himself?”

“Not even that.”

“then?”

“I waited because the person involved said he would meet in person and talk, but I don’t know why he hasn’t shown up until now because of where he is and what he’s doing.”

“......?”

I felt like I was in a labyrinth.

Youngseong Dojang visited Wolhwajang and ran away after being poisoned.

And at the place where the incident occurred, Woo Hwa-yeon and members of the Tang family were there.

Although the circumstantial evidence was so clear, Woo Hwa-yeon, who watched everything, was saying that there was a separate evil.

‘I don’t think Yang In-hye posted a false report.’

There was no reason for her to deceive me.

What is the benefit of doing something like that?

When he heard that Chang-gwi, the head of the Shinchang family, had become a ruined person because of me, he must not have been holding a grudge.

Who would tell such vague lies out of revenge?

To begin with, she only came from the Shinchang family and did not have any particular family history.

Her clan of origin is Botaam.

He had not learned spearmanship, and because he was from a collateral background, he had never received much support from Sega.

Naturally, the affection for the family was not that great.

[I still haven’t forgotten the grace of saving my life.]

[It’s not like my life was saved by me.]

[The person who gathered the martial arts people from Sichuan and formed a rescue team is none other than Sohyeop. All of the survivors who were saved at that time, including me, feel indebted to Sohyeop.]

Above all, she considered me a lifesaver.

A faint smile appeared on Woo Hwa-yeon’s lips, as if she was amused by the sight of me lost in thought.

“Are you curious? “What happened at that time?”

“yes. Please explain in as much detail as possible.”

“I wasn’t there at the time.”

“What if it’s not Wu Xiaoze?”

“It was Dokgok’s assassin disguised as me.”

“...!”

I heard a truly unexpected story.

Dokgok’s assassin pretended to be Woo Hwa-yeon and attacked the Yeongseong dojo?

* * *

The next morning.

I guided the two guests who visited Wolhwajang to the reception room.

One was a face I had seen before, and the other was a young woman wearing a mask.

A man in black sitting across from the table greeted me.

“It’s been a while.”

“Long time no see.”

“Should I call him Cheonan Inspector General now?”

“You can call me whatever you want. “Anyway, I didn’t expect you to come visit me so suddenly.”

“It was a month ago that I received a mission and came to Honam. “I was waiting impatiently because you were away.”

The man’s identity was a top assassin from Dokgok who I had competed with in a past martial arts competition.

A master who has reached the level of hwagyeong.

He was the person believed to be the disciple who continued the progress of Dokgokju.

The woman sitting next to him was probably also someone who had written a solo song.

“I heard that they were kicked out because they brought disgrace to the spiritual dojo.”

I felt like I knew why the Youngseong Dojo was so easily fooled.

If he were to stand side by side with Woo Hwayeon, not many people would be able to tell the two apart.

Unless you are a person with a great spirit like me.

“This is a shadow that once served as a substitute for the young lady when she was leading the faction. I trained them so that they could imitate even the smallest gestures. “Now that I have learned the various visions of Dokgok, it will be highly useful.”

“It sounds like you’re going to leave her here.”

“From now on, she will serve as the young lady’s bodyguard.”

“......Did Wu Xiaoze accept it?”

I slowly narrowed my eyebrows.

When she crossed from Namman to Jungwon, Woo Hwa-yeon was not accompanied by any servants or escorts.

It seemed that because he had lived his entire life under the gaze of surveillance, he felt an instinctive resistance to it.

I couldn’t understand why she had decided to have an escort by her side now.

“This is a decision made after careful consideration. Because you never know when someone like the Spiritual Dojo will unleash his magic hands again. From the beginning, the spirit was created for the young lady. “Now it’s finally getting back to its place.”

Is it a shadow or a created being?

I felt like I knew roughly how Dokgok felt about the woman named Yeong.

I crossed my arms and asked again.

“That doesn’t quite answer my question. “I asked if Wu Xiaoze rejected it.”

“He showed signs of dislike at first, but eventually agreed. After living alone in a foreign country for a long time, I guess I missed the people from my hometown. “Young (影) is someone that the young lady has been able to open up to.”

“Then I understand.”

I had no reason to refuse.

If an outstanding talent were appointed as an escort, Woo Hwayeon’s personal safety would be better protected.

“I would like to move on to the main topic. “Why did you come to see me?”

“There is one thing I would like to ask of you.”

“Are you asking me a favor?”

“Before I talk, let me briefly tell you about Namman’s current situation. “Grand Prince Wu Jiajin has been deposed.”

“...!”

“The torn factions were absorbed into other factions, and the Archduke, who lost his foundation, eventually fled to the central plains and disappeared.”

It was a series of surprises.

In terms of legitimacy and military power, Confucius Il was in a much more advantageous position than his other brothers.

That he, no one else, was pushed out of the successor race.

‘...In a way, it’s natural.’

Dokgokju had an ambition to reduce the influence of the Yasugung Palace and take the entire Southern Man society into his hands.

The object that bothered him the most was none other than the Archduke.

From what I personally experienced, the Archduke was someone with a personality that made it impossible to know where he would end up.

He was literally a person of interest.

“The balance of each faction is still well maintained. “You don’t need to worry about that part.”

“Then you are lucky.”

“What I want to ask you is simple. Woo Ga-jin’s destination is Honam, to be exact, Murimmaeng. “The goal is probably to meet the young lady.”

“.......”

“Maybe they are enjoying a leisurely wandering, but their moving speed is quite slow, but they will arrive here in the near future.”

“Are you really going to ask me to get rid of him?”

“It’s good that you understand quickly. Yes. “If you do me a favor....”

“I refuse.”

I shook my head firmly before the other person even presented the conditions.

Perhaps because it was an unexpected answer, the man in black looked perplexed.

[I hope we get a chance to compete again.]

[Someone said that. Opportunity is not something you wait for, but something you create yourself.]

[......?]

[If you lose the successor competition and there is no longer a place for the Grand Duke in Nanman. At that time, please come to the midfield. We will welcome you.]

A conversation I had with the Grand Duke in the past flashed through my mind.

It seems that Dokgokju thought his goal was to meet Woo Hwayeon, but my thoughts were a little different.

I could tell.

Woo Ga-jin was coming to see me, not someone else.

‘What kind of rice cake is this?’