The Owner Of The Thousand Gold Coins Is A Military Official - Chapter 9

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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 9

An unforgettable face.

Five years ago.

That disgusting face I first encountered back then became clearer and clearer with each passing day, never once growing dim.

Didn’t the injuries from that time prevent me from training properly for several days after returning?

“This money-grub…!”

“You fool.”

With a sharp thwack sound, a long stick struck Juhyeokjo’s crown.

“Ahhh!”

“What kind of language is that to use with a guest?”

“B-but…!”

“Even so!”

Once again with a sharp thwack sound,

the stick landed on his crown.

Cheongun was watching that movement without missing a single detail.

“…”

And naturally, Jinhyeon couldn’t be unaware of that gaze.

‘How… admirable…’

To think his eyes didn’t waver even in that fleeting moment.

It was the same when we first met, but now it was even more surprising.

Above all, his level of mastery was absurd.

Even Juhyeokjo could be called a talent who was on the verge of reaching peak mastery at the age of ten, yet Cheongun had already reached peak mastery.

This wouldn’t do.

As an instructor who had witnessed greater talent, he felt ashamed of himself for harboring even momentary covetousness.

‘How could I call myself a Daoist like this?’

After briefly closing his eyes and composing his mind, he spoke to Heukjeon who had come with them.

“I heard you brought a letter from the Patriarch.”

“Yes, Daoist Master. I apologize that I came instead of Danju.”

“Haha, not at all. What does it matter who came? What matters is what you brought. Please, come in.”

With that, Juhyeokjo followed Jinhyeon inside.

“Jo. You must receive our guests properly.”

“…Yes. Master.”

Even if he found it disagreeable, he answered well enough.

With that, Jinhyeon also went inside, leaving only Cheongun and Juhyeokjo outside.

“…Since Master told me to receive guests properly, I’ll follow those words.”

“Is that so.”

“But! That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what happened that day!”

Just from his eyes, strong anger was visible.

Was this what it meant to be a Daoist’s disciple?

In those eyes, he couldn’t sense anything like a desire for revenge or feelings of inferiority.

“Do you know me?”

“…What?”

But that was only momentary.

At that emotionless face asking who he was, Juhyeokjo finally let go of his restraint.

“Ahhh! You bastard!”

“…If you ask who someone is, isn’t it normal to answer who they are?”

“Shut up!”

“Ah, I remember now. Aren’t you that kid who couldn’t even hold a sword properly back then?”

“Th-this…!”

The sight of him trembling with both hands clenched into fists was quite cute.

Perhaps that’s why a chuckle escaped.

If I had married and had children in my previous life, I would have seen such expressions, he thought.

But Juhyeokjo was still a child.

The meaning of that light laughter came across to Juhyeokjo as mockery.

“Your face turning red is quite pleasing, so I’ll let it slide today.”

The finishing touch.

If the thread of restraint had snapped a moment ago, this time the thread of reason snapped.

Finally, he grabbed his sword and began charging at Cheongun.

“Taecheong Sword Technique, First Form…”

“Golden Flash”

Since the other side was using a technique, he thought to use one as well.

If it was the Taecheong Sword Technique, he remembered it as quite a decent sword technique, but to think he was already learning it.

However, he was still too young a child.

His stance was too honest, and before that, the movement of his internal energy was clearly visible.

Thud.

“Kek, kehek…!”

His nature didn’t seem bad, so he didn’t draw his sword.

He had no intention of doing something as foolish as killing the most cherished disciple on Kunlun Sect’s territory.

He had no intention of crippling him either.

From what he could see, this child seemed like he would become the future sword of Kunlun Sect, so he should just teach him a moderate lesson.

However, he didn’t want to see such insolent behavior again next time.

Viewing things cutely was only once.

The Golden Flash that had precisely aimed just below the solar plexus struck accurately, and Juhyeokjo, who received an even greater shock from the momentum of his charge, tumbled to the ground.

Still, this time he didn’t let go of his sword.

“Urgh…!”

One more time.

The light in his eyes hadn’t died.

Even though it was a scabbard, it was a shock of a different dimension from a wooden sword.

Juhyeokjo, who was struck precisely on the back of his hand, had no choice but to drop his sword.

“Since you swung a real sword, I should take an arm.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

A lie.

It was definitely a lie.

But why didn’t it feel that way?

Looking at those emotionless eyes, he even felt the illusion that he was being viewed as an insect.

Shing.

The sword that had been contained in the scabbard finally revealed itself.

As if directly reflecting Cheongun’s emotional state, nothing was reflected in the pitch-black blade.

“Don’t move. You’ll get cut more.”

There was no hesitation.

The words hadn’t even finished, yet the sword was already falling from the sky.

“Uh… I was wrong!”

With a sharp thunk, the sword embedded in the ground was stuck precisely one inch away.

“Do you address guests so rudely?”

“I-I was wrong. I apologize…”

His voice grew smaller and smaller.

At first it had been vigorous as if full of spirit.

With the sound of another shing, the blade returned to its place.

He could see Juhyeokjo’s pants getting wet with something as he lay on the ground, half out of his mind.

“Hic, hiccup…!”

I can see him sniffling, trying somehow to hold back his tears.

“Joya…”

And his master, Jinhyeon, had been watching all of this from the beginning.

He already knew something like this would happen.

Cheongun was also the most reliable presence who could provide different stimulation to Juhyeokjo.

‘This is excessive.’

No, looking at the way Cheongun was gazing at him, he could feel that he himself had been excessive.

Cheongun’s gaze was one that already knew.

He knew of Jinhyeon’s intention to use him as stimulation.

Cheongun had no obligation to comply with that intention.

Since Juhyeokjo had spoken words of apology with his own mouth, his pride must be hitting rock bottom.

“Did you handle the guest reception well?”

Jinhyeon acted as if he had seen nothing.

Cheongun seemed to allow even that, saying nothing.

“M-Master…”

“You’ve spilled water on your pants. Go change and let’s end today’s training here.”

“I’m s-sorry…”

“When you go down, there will be disciples waiting to help guide you.”

“Yes, Daoist Master. I’ll be going now.”

Cheongun bowed politely, then turned around.

Heukjeon soon followed after him.

“Wuna. Don’t tell me you used the same technique before as well?”

“Yes.”

“The Golden Sun Flash I know wasn’t that kind of technique.”

“That’s right.”

“…I see. I understand.”

He wanted to ask how it was done, but Cheongun didn’t bring it up.

Then, he whispered quietly to Heukjeon.

“Vice-Danju. Do I truly seem like your errand boy?”

Actually, the method is simple.

You just need to understand the mysteries of the Golden Garment Sword Technique and what each move is truly meant for.

“Forg—”

The moment Heukjeon realized he had overstepped and was about to apologize.

“The Daoist Masters are over there. Let’s hurry.”

Cheongun moved forward first as if nothing had happened.

Ordinary time followed after that.

Secular disciples – children sent from merchant groups or minor families.

They saw where these disciples trained, and even toured where the third and second-generation disciples practiced.

There wasn’t much that particularly impressed him.

There were some who caught his eye, but they all fell short of Juhyeokjo’s talent.

Would the first-generation disciples be different somehow?

He went with that thought, but as expected, they weren’t different.

“This is how they divide up their training.”

“As expected of Kunlun. It even feels like one can sense the purity.”

At Heukjeon’s words, the Daoist helping with the tour showed a proud and confident smile.

“That’s right. A reliable shield and sword standing at the forefront against the Demonic Sect. That is our Great Kunlun.”

“Everyone must know this. They must feel gratitude as well.”

“Haha, you say many pleasant things. Ah, this way is…”

From the tea-drinking area to the library containing secret manuals and more.

After touring various places, they finally headed to where the sect leader was.

“The sect leader has stepped away for a moment. He usually returns soon, but no one knows where he is.”

“He is a Daoist and an immortal.”

“Hahaha. That’s a very apt comparison.”

This time, Cheongun made quite a surprising discovery.

Since Heukdan basically didn’t reveal themselves much, he had wondered if there might be difficulties in dealing with people.

But he was doing much better than expected.

“Ah, by any chance, could you show Wun the apothecary?”

“The errand boy seems very interested in medicinal herbs.”

“He has talent too.”

“I’ll arrange that. Uiwon, please guide this errand boy to the apothecary.”

Cheongun headed to the apothecary with the second-generation disciple called Uiwon.

Perhaps because the Daoists lived making Gonryun Mountain their home, they had all kinds of medicinal herbs.

On one side, he could also see them actively manufacturing pills.

“Do you know much about medicinal herbs?”

“I only know a little. That’s why I want to learn.”

To the Daoists’ eyes, Cheongun was just an ordinary child.

They couldn’t even sense anything from him.

There was no one around here who had surpassed the peak level.

So he would seem even more like an ordinary child.

“I can give you one medicinal herb or pill that you want.”

“Anything?”

“Haha. Since it’s at my discretion, I’m sorry but anything too precious is impossible.”

Cheongun’s eyes instantly surveyed the entire apothecary.

Now that he knew he hadn’t been reborn but had turned back time to become someone else.

There were things he needed to do first.

‘There was something that was revealed later.’

That person over there manufacturing pills for the Kunlun Sect.

He was Kkenapul of the Demonic Sect.

He didn’t know how the Jeongma Great War ended, but he knew the war situation.

Kunlun had collapsed far too easily.

Frustratingly so.

And among the causes was that everyone had been poisoned by a poison called Jongri Poison.

Jongri Poison.

It means the poison that governs the end.

If you inject internal energy into it, you can determine when the poison will activate.

A vicious poison that twists all the body’s vital energy and simultaneously blocks the blood channels.

A poison containing the meaning of an end as a martial artist.

Cheongun didn’t stop there.

That Kkenapul must die.

Only then would Kunlun investigate and discover the marks that Demonic Sect members leave on their bodies.

Combining several poisons was a trivial matter.

Incidentally, Jongri Poison was made right here, where all of Kunlun’s people used it.

When leaving Cheongeumjang.

There were things he had secretly brought out.

Strictly speaking, they were medicinal herbs.

However, anything can become medicine or poison.

It would be unfortunate for the Demonic Sect, but Cheongun knew how to manufacture Jongri Poison.

“So that’s how pills are made?”

“That’s right. Would you like to take a look?”

“Is that alright?”

“Yes. You just need to not get too close. If you do, you might get scolded.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Approaching as close as possible with Uiwon, Cheongun dropped a single drop of poison he had kept in his sleeve.

Thud.

Momentarily wrapping internal energy around his fingertip, he flicked the falling drop to land on the nape of Kkenapul’s neck as he concentrated intently.

“What’s this?”

Naturally brushing his neck and looking up at the ceiling, Kkenapul focused on pill-making again.

Now it was finished.

One hour.

That was the time remaining until Kkenapul would lose his life.

“It was a good experience, Daoist Master.”

“Wasn’t it? Have you chosen what you’d like to have?”

At those words, Cheongun answered with a faint smile.

“The pill you just made.”

“That’s not difficult. They’re all pills taken when fatigue recovery is needed.”

Taking the freshly made pill, Cheongun left the apothecary.

Thud.

Not taking his eyes off Kkenapul until just before the door closed.

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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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