The Granddaughter of the Manhyang Escort Agency Hides Her Magic - Chapter 38

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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 38

Ever since Cheonrim was appointed as an instructor at Bogukgak, Dang Mihee had been nagging So Baekrim relentlessly every day.

Baekrim tried to appease Dang Mihee by saying that a mere instructor couldn’t accomplish much, but she didn’t agree with that sentiment.

In Dang Mihee’s view, Cheonrim’s appointment as instructor was tantamount to opening the floodgates for Biwongak’s missions.

So she told Baekrim to go find Hyeokho and interfere, but this carefree fellow couldn’t even manage that properly.

“Didn’t I tell you. It’s just something he threw out there out of pity. Father has no intention whatsoever of entrusting escort missions to Cheonrim.”

Baekrim disguised his own wishful thinking as Hyeokho’s words.

“Can I trust that?”

Having no way of knowing about the conversation in Wolhwa Hall, Dang Mihee looked at Baekrim with suspicious eyes.

“Of course. How could I lie to my wife? Don’t worry about that and come sit here so we can talk.”

Pretending to be unable to resist Baekrim’s pulling hand, Dang Mihee sat down and began unleashing her nagging in earnest.

“The Huashan Sect is staying at Biwongak. Have you forgotten how we severed ties between Mount Hua and our escort agency? At this rate, won’t those ties be restored?”

“That would be good. Mount Hua isn’t generous with escort fees. If we reconnect with Mount Hua, the Shaanxi Merchant Group will entrust work to us again, and then our escort agency’s finances will improve considerably.”

“How can you speak so carelessly! Does Mount Hua entrust work to our escort agency? They entrust it to the lord of Biwongak! We originally ruined Mount Hua’s escort missions because…”

Dang Mihee suddenly lowered her voice and body. She spoke in a whisper.

“Have you forgotten the reason?”

That was right.

Ever since Cheonrim stopped going on escort missions, there was Dang Mihee’s instigation behind Manhyang Express’s escort warriors failing Mount Hua’s requests.

It was all a scheme to weaken Cheonrim’s influence, who received Mount Hua’s support.

Though this caused Manhyang Express’s credibility to decline, Dang Mihee didn’t care about that.

She only cared about achieving her own goals.

Thanks to this, Baekrim began receiving attention as the successor to the escort agency head, so her immediate objective was accomplished.

“Wife, even if Mount Hua entrusts work to us again, what’s there to worry about? We can join forces and block it again this time.”

Baekrim became endlessly positive in front of Dang Mihee.

Dang Mihee let out a deep sigh.

“Is that as easy as it sounds?”

Even if it were possible, bribing people and destroying evidence would easily cost a chest full of gold.

And it was right to prevent things before they even began.

“Are you sure Father’s heart hasn’t changed?”

“At most, he’s just an instructor at Bogukgak. What can he accomplish from that position?”

Though Baekrim was also worried, he pretended to be unconcerned in front of Dang Mihee.

“Father is showing interest not only in the lord of Biwongak but also in Shin Ah. He even sent expensive precious ornaments to the child.”

From what Dang Mihee heard, the precious ornaments hadn’t been sent yet and were being prepared to be sent, but she didn’t bother explaining the details.

“Precious ornaments?”

Baekrim, who was sensitive about money matters, finally became serious.

“Yes. He even sent his seamstress to make clothes for her. That Shin Ah is receiving Father’s abundant love. The love that our Mando and Ilbi should be receiving! It’s like watching you in your childhood. Having everything stolen by the lord of Biwongak… *sob*.”

Dang Mihee shed crocodile tears.

She knew well how to provoke Baekrim.

Having been inferior to his younger brother in childhood, Baekrim was consumed by severe inferiority complex and victim mentality.

His life was filled with efforts to gain Hyeokho’s recognition, and when Hyeokho’s affection was focused on Cheonrim despite this, he became increasingly buried in his inferiority complex.

That inferiority complex and self-pity were also projected onto Mando.

‘I can’t let the Biwongak children steal it away!’

Whatever it might be!

He ground his teeth.

“Wife, what should we do?”

Baekrim grasped Dang Mihee’s hands tightly.

Though she didn’t like his rough hands, Dang Mihee also held them in return.

“I’ll have to contact my family home.”

“Your family home – you mean the Tang Family? What will you tell them?”

“I’ll ask them to help since we’re in trouble. I’m truly embarrassed about all this.”

“I’m sorry, wife. What should I do?”

“You must go to Father! Even at this very moment, Father is probably pondering what more to give to Biwongak. Shouldn’t we block at least one thing?”

“Oh my! That’s right. I’ll hurry to Wolhwa Hall right away.”

Baekrim left behind his unfinished breakfast and rushed toward Wolhwa Hall.

‘I should send a letter to Father. I should ask him to prepare plenty of unknown poisons too.’

Though she didn’t know when she’d use them, it was better to prepare in advance than to lack them when needed.

Whether poison or medicine.

* * *

Ok Chifung gathered the three children to the courtyard of Biwongak.

Shin Ah, Mugyeol, and Cheondo lined up in a row and looked up at Ok Chifung.

Whatever Cheonrim had said to introduce him, the three children’s eyes overflowed with expectation and trust.

They looked ready to believe it even if Ok Chifung said the moon rises during the day and the sun rises at night.

‘Well, this is embarrassing.’

Ok Chifung scratched the back of his head.

However, his foolish appearance was only momentary.

Ok Chifung, who never neglected any task entrusted to him, had been moving busily for the past few days.

He accurately assessed Shin Ah’s physical condition, took Mugyeol around to test the child’s basic stamina, and called out Cheondo to check his fundamentals.

The more Ok Chifung learned about the children, the less confident he became that he could be their best teacher.

The time given to him was too short, and the three had such vastly different skill levels and physical conditions that he couldn’t teach them at the same level.

But he didn’t give up prematurely.

Ok Chifung pondered and prepared methods to maximize the children’s abilities in a short time.

Recalling what he had carefully prepared, he armed himself with a stern expression.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy, pressing down on the children.

“I am Ok Chifung, who will teach you from this afternoon onward. There’s only one thing you must observe in training with me.”

Ok Chifung raised his finger.

“You unconditionally do what I tell you to do.”

Not knowing the weight of those words, the children answered in unison.

“Yes!”

The spirit contained in their unanimous voices matched Ok Chifung’s enthusiasm.

“Do you know what my words mean when you answer? Do you know how the consequences of this promise will return to you, yet you answer so easily?”

“We didn’t answer easily.”

Cheondo, being the eldest, stepped forward and cupped his fists.

“We’re that desperate. No matter how difficult Ok Chifung’s teachings might be, how could they compare to the Murim we must face ahead?”

Ok Chifung smiled inwardly.

‘He resembles Cheonrim.’

Ok Chifung had seen quite a few children since his time at Mount Hua.

When he saw children gathered together for training, his gaze naturally went to them.

He unconsciously compared the Mount Hua children he had seen so far with the children entrusted to him by Cheonrim.

The three children before him possessed something that Mount Hua’s children didn’t have.

What could it be?

‘It will reveal itself in time.’

In any case, since all three had abundant will, it was something to be grateful for as a teacher.

“Do the other two feel the same way?”

“Yes.”

“Shin Ah, for you it might become twice as difficult.”

Ok Chifung asked Shin Ah once more specifically.

He was curious about how the child’s characteristic of having Fifteen Meridians would bloom, but his curiosity wasn’t more important than the child’s life.

So if she backed down now, he intended to respect the child’s wishes.

‘It would be fine to just learn martial arts to a comfortable degree for living.’

However, Shin Ah was thinking something completely different from Chifung’s hopes.

‘Why is he talking so much? I thought he was originally a man of action. I want to start training quickly.’

Shin Ah wanted to open her Fifteen Meridians and become healthy as soon as possible, even if it meant one day sooner.

“I will absolutely never give up.”

Shin Ah answered spiritedly.

Chifung’s gaze drifted to Mugyeol. He didn’t ask Mugyeol separately.

It was because he had been taking Mugyeol around for the past few days and had admired the child’s tenacity and will several times.

Even when Chifung deliberately sought rough paths and moved quickly without matching their pace, and even when he climbed cliffs to check for training spots for the children, the child slowly but steadily followed behind him.

Even if Mugyeol couldn’t keep up quickly, he never gave up.

‘I asked something unnecessary. We can start right away.’

Chifung straightened his hunched body.

Though he only moved slightly, to the children’s eyes it looked like a crouching bear stretching.

“Over there, I’ve placed swords that you must treasure like your lives from now on. Go get them.”

Three wooden swords were neatly placed on the Wooden Porch.

The three children ran over in a line and picked up the wooden swords. Or rather, tried to pick them up.

However, only one person properly lifted a wooden sword—Cheondo.

Mugyeol and Shin Ah tried to lift the wooden swords with one hand, but quickly switched to two hands at the feeling of their arms being pulled out. Even then, lifting the swords wasn’t easy.

‘This isn’t an ordinary wooden sword!’

Shin Ah looked back at Chifung.

He was grinning widely, pleased about something.

“There seems to be iron inside.”

Cheondo whispered in Shin Ah’s ear.

His voice was filled with a heartfelt desire to help his struggling younger sibling.

“What are you doing? Taking so long to bring one sword! Are you planning to train all night?”

At Chifung’s shout, Shin Ah snapped to attention and dragged her sword.

Shin Ah and Mugyeol returned to their original spots, drawing winding snake patterns on the ground.

“Follow me. If you’re late, I’ll leave you behind. From today, the sword is one with your body. You must carry it when eating, when sleeping, and even when going to the bathroom. Understand?”

Though one might shudder at the thought of becoming one with a sword that reached Mugyeol’s shoulders when stood upright on the ground, all three children were only spirited.

“We’ll keep that in mind!”

Full-scale training began.

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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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