Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 84

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 84. Self-Control Is Within My Heart (4)

“Huff, huff!”

“Use your nose too, your nose! Spread your breathing throughout your body as much as possible! Hey, Woong Pae! Don’t lose your breathing rhythm!”

“One, two! One, two!”

“Three!”

“Kheuhuk! Don’t interfere!”

“Focus properly, you guys!”

A group of people was running in a line at the end of the marketplace street.

But their appearance was truly extraordinary.

“Oh my, oh my.”

“Ahem.”

The women turned their reddened faces away while stealing glances, and the men openly showed their displeasure.

There, thirteen people were running—exactly twelve men and one girl with a youthful appearance.

Among them, all the men had stripped off their upper garments, and except for the pale young man in the lead, their entire bodies were covered in bulging muscles.

Though there was no wind, running shirtless in early winter weather was crazy.

But no one thought they were cold.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Every time they stepped on the ground, white steam rippled into the empty air.

Without exception, their entire bodies were drenched in sweat.

And for good reason.

They weren’t just running with bare bodies.

“Th-that?”

The Young Girl, Namgung So So’s mouth fell wide open.

“…It looks heavy?”

Heavy leather pouches hung from the thighs and ankles of the shirtless men.

Whatever was inside them, heavy thuds reached all the way here with each step they took.

Even more surprising were the young man in the lead and the girl.

The young man even wore a large leather pouch that covered his entire back, and as if it contained a pile of stones, the pouch bulged out in various places.

The girl was the same.

Wearing a sleeveless top that exposed her bare shoulders and carrying a heavy leather pouch like the young man, her arms had turned completely red from the heat.

She wore loose clothes that laborers would wear, which should have been embarrassing for both the wearer and observers, but no one thought it was embarrassing.

“Huu! Huu!”

Her running was much more elastic and refreshing than the men’s.

Even while running with such heavy weights, she stepped on the ground like a light feather.

Though not as much as the girl, the men were similar. Despite their dying expressions, their knees and ankles were incredibly flexible, so there were no thumping sounds.

Only reverberations were transmitted.

The young man clapped his hands.

“Reduce speed to half! Regulate your breathing!”

“Heouk! Heoeouk!”

Now there were no words.

Even the reduced speed was quite fast from an ordinary person’s perspective. Yet the men’s faces were filled with joy.

“My goodness…”

Namgung So So unconsciously shook her head back and forth.

“Are there still people who actually do such brutish training?”

Physical conditioning training with sandbags or stone pouches attached to the body.

At first glance, it might seem impressive, but it was brutish training that could injure joints and muscles if continued.

“But who are they? Looking at their bodies, they seem to be Murim Warriors…”

“They are Murim Warriors.”

The young man, Namgung Gwan’s face was very serious.

“Their bodies are quite something.”

“Well, they do look good.”

“Those aren’t muscles trained for show. Though there are still some clumsy aspects, they’re real muscles that have been thoroughly trained inside and out.”

“Oh, really?”

“They all have good flexibility. As flexible as they are elastic. Bodies like those are hard to obtain through ordinary training.”

“Enough for Elder Brother to say that?”

Namgung Gwan watched the men intently without answering.

Namgung So So turned her head.

“Right, Kang Suk?”

“That’s right.”

Before they knew it, a middle-aged man had appeared behind the two.

“Ah! Where did you buy that?”

“They were selling it at a street stall? It looked delicious.”

“That’s mean! What about ours?!”

“You two should eat something more delicious.”

The man held a fairly large meat skewer in his hand. Whatever seasoning was applied, it smelled very good too.

“Anyway, Gwan is right. Bodies like those are hard to obtain through mediocre training.”

Namgung So So’s mouth protruded like a duck’s.

“So what if they are.”

“It’s not ‘so what,’ In Seok. Martial arts isn’t all about internal energy. No matter how much internal energy you have in a body that isn’t properly trained, you can’t use even half of it.”

“A body without internal energy has its limits too.”

“You can’t obtain good Internal Energy Cultivation Methods with just money or effort. But you can build a body. That’s why they’re amazing. Those are bodies that absolutely cannot be made without firm, mature mental strength.”

“My personality isn’t mature enough either, so I can’t buy Kang Suk delicious things.”

“Oh my, what sad words.”

“People originally get upset over trivial things.”

“This skewer is incredibly delicious. It’s not trivial.”

“Ugh.”

The man who burst into laughter, Kang Geun Cheong, pointed his skewer at the two leading figures.

“The masterpiece among them is those two.”

“What about that skinny guy and that shameless girl?”

Actually, he wasn’t really skinny.

Though he was thinner compared to the other men, he had no excess fat and his muscles were long and lean. His frame was also quite large, making for a well-built body.

“Though he’s a bit thin, he has a naturally good frame. On top of that, that guy’s face is incredibly handsome… Hm? So So, are you perhaps interested in that fellow?”

“What are you talking about!”

“Your face is bright red? Have you already fallen for him?”

“Ahhhhh!”

Then, Namgung Gwan spoke.

“Refrain from making remarks that look down on people who train so diligently, So So.”

When her kind and generous Elder Brother became serious, he was scarier than their parents.

Namgung So So shrank her neck.

The sight of his younger sister with a turtle neck was very cute. Maybe it was because of their large age gap.

Namgung Gwan, who couldn’t help but smile, opened his mouth.

“That young man changed pace while running backwards. Yet he didn’t lose his shock absorption ability. Probably no matter what rhythm he runs at, his joints won’t be damaged.”

“…Ahem.”

“That Young Lady is the same. If anything, her elasticity seems even better than the young man’s. Just looking at her physique, she’s not much inferior compared to the warriors of our Main Family House.”

Namgung So So was shocked.

“That much? That girl?”

“Yes.”

“…Don’t tell me, Elder Brother, have you fallen for that brazen girl?”

“You rascal, is that something to say?”

That’s when it happened.

Namgung Gwan, who had been shaking his head and turning back toward the young man, suddenly flinched.

His eyes met with the young man’s.

‘…?!’

His fists clenched involuntarily.

In an instant, it felt like tiny fragments of ice were cascading down below his nape.

Goosebumps rose as his heart made a loud thump!

Namgung Gwan’s pupils trembled.

A strange smile appeared on the young man’s lips.

It was truly a peculiar smile, but if one had to interpret it, it would be:

‘Quite useful, isn’t he?’

This was a young man who could manipulate people’s emotions with just his expression.

But Namgung Gwan didn’t feel offended.

More precisely, he didn’t even have the luxury to feel that way.

“Done catching your breath?”

Those who had been running behind were now far ahead in the distance.

“Prepare for full sprint! Pay attention, Earth Dragons!”

“We’re Flood Dragons!”

“You’re still Earth Dragons, you lot! The last two will clean Su Hyang’s room before resting!”

“You crazy bastard! How dare you mention a lady’s room!”

“Then make it cleaning the training ground! Now, are you ready?”

“Yes!”

“Run!!”

“Aaaahhh!!”

Whoosh!

They disappeared in an instant.

They had been running on a small path at the outer edge of the main road, where someone seemed to have hastily set up ropes.

The merchants shouted.

“Hey, Woong Pae! Looks like you’ll be doing the cleaning!”

“Aaaahhh!”

“Huh? What’s gotten into Yeon Pyeong today, maintaining the center position?”

“What was the name of that person leading with Gwan Hyeon? Jong something?”

“Jong Hweon. His stamina is terrifying, they say. I heard he’s the best in the Fire Sword Group when it comes to poison techniques?”

“Whew, but don’t they run really well? Watching people run well makes me want to run too.”

Hearing the merchants’ voices, Kang Geun Cheong quietly approached them.

“May I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

The merchant who turned his head became friendly at a speed that transcended a cat’s reaction time.

“Please speak, warrior sir.”

“Do you happen to know who those people are?”

“Ah, those are warriors from the Moyong Family.”

Kang Geun Cheong’s face instantly hardened.

“The Moyong Family?”

“That’s right. They’re currently the most famous martial family in Wuhan.”

“The most famous….”

“Yes.”

When he turned his head, all those men had already disappeared into dots.

Kang Geun Cheong smiled again.

“I see. They certainly have something extraordinary about them.”

“Haha, don’t they?”

“Here, this is payment for your answer.”

“Oh my, you don’t need to do this.”

“I’m planning to stay in the area for a few days, so I’ll visit soon. The fabric shop’s clothes look good.”

“We’ll serve you properly!”

Kang Geun Cheong, who had returned to the siblings, glanced at Namgung Gwan.

“Gwan-ah.”

“….”

“Gwan-ah?”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

“What are you staring at so intently? Those warriors?”

“Yes.”

More precisely, it wasn’t the warriors but the young man.

“I asked about them, and they said those are warriors from the Moyong Family.”

“The Moyong Family… Do you mean ‘that’ Moyong Family?”

“It seems so.”

Though they had already disappeared from sight, Namgung Gwan was still looking in that direction.

After a moment, he looked down at his own hands.

When he unclenched his tightly gripped fists, they were drenched in sweat.

‘…What was that?’

The moment he met the young man’s eyes, goosebumps had risen all over his body.

Even though they had met eyes from such a distance, it felt like the other person was reading through all his thoughts and emotions.

It really felt that way.

‘Was it just a simple illusion?’

Even without learning martial arts, training one’s mind improves one’s aura. When you meet eyes with such a person, your spirit naturally gets crushed.

But he was the heir of Anhui’s hegemon, the legitimate son of the Namgung Clan.

After pondering deeply, Namgung Gwan shook his head.

‘Be honest with yourself. Don’t dismiss it as coincidence. That young man definitely has something I don’t know about.’

He didn’t know what it was, but one thing was certain: he wasn’t an ordinary person.

It might seem ridiculous to think so much based on just one eye contact, but Namgung Gwan knew.

The real ones have different eyes from the start.

“Brother, what’s wrong? Did you really fall for that scheming girl?”

Namgung Gwan regained his smile.

“In Seok-ah, fall for what? Even if I did fall for her, would that young lady even glance at someone like me?”

“What? Don’t tell me that scheming girl really made a move on our brother? When did that happen? Did she even give you a flirtatious look?”

“Says the one who couldn’t take her eyes off that young man?”

“Aaaahhh! Why are you doing this too, brother?!”

“Hahaha.”

Namgung Gwan, having counterattacked refreshingly, said to Kang Geun Cheong.

“Let’s find lodging soon. I have a good feeling about this somehow.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“My heart is racing.”

“Ho, I never knew you could say such things? You who seemed like a worldly scholar.”

“I share the same blood as In Seok, so I’m not ordinary either.”

“Hehehe.”

Thus, the three people settled into an ordinary inn.

“Oh! Welcome!”

“Innkeeper, do you happen to have rooms available? We’re thinking of staying for a few days.”

“Of course!”

The face of Yang Gu, owner of Hwawung Inn, brightened.

They clearly looked like foreigners from prestigious families, and usually such people stayed and dined at large, fancy establishments. Who would have thought they’d want to stay at our perfectly ordinary inn!

“Our inn is also famous for its nourishing food! The rooms have been cleaned spotlessly, so please come right in!”

“Hehe, thank you.”

And so the people from the Namgung Clan entered Hwawung Inn.

Four days remained until the Late-Stage Expert tournament.

People wanting to make a name for themselves were flocking to Wuhan from all over.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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