The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

Jin Sohyun, who had opened his eyes, groped his body.

Fortunately, there was no part that had been cut off.

Moreover, next to him, Siu was sleeping, drooling.

"Eung?"

Jin Sohyun, who had grasped the situation, sat up and scratched the back of his head.

"Why am I alive?"

The assassin from the Heretic's Path Alliance had certainly subdued him.

He had thought he was dead for sure, but when he opened his eyes, he was outside the Dark Cave.

'The assassin...'

The moment Jin Sohyun turned his head to look for the assassin, a long shadow was cast over his head.

"Get up."

At Gwak Myeong's familiar voice, Jin Sohyun got up.

"What did you see in the Dark Cave?"

At Gwak Myeong's question, Jin Sohyun opened his mouth to talk about the assassin from the Heretic's Path Alliance he had seen.

However, Jin Sohyun swallowed the words that had come up to his throat.

'If I say I saw an assassin here, the Head of the Daoist Temple will try to find the assassin, right? Judging by the assassin's skills, he's similar to Mister Namgung or Master Bi.'

As Jin Sohyun hesitated to speak, Gwak Myeong's gaze became even fiercer.

"Can't you hear what I'm saying?"

"I..."

'He came for me, so I have to catch him.'

Having finished his thoughts, Jin Sohyun shrugged and said.

"A wolf."

"A wolf?"

"Yes. I was once bitten by a wolf a long time ago. I was lucky to survive, but perhaps because of that, when I entered the Dark Cave, the wolf I had seen at that time was there. It was so vivid that I was startled. It was so scary."

As Jin Sohyun said, making a fuss, Gwak Myeong looked at him with a suspicious gaze.

Nevertheless, Jin Sohyun blinked his eyes and put on an innocent expression.

"Hmm— go back to your spot."

"Yes!"

As Jin Sohyun took care of Siu, who was in a sweet sleep, and left, Gwak Myeong turned away.

Jin Sohyun, who had returned to his spot, woke up the sleeping Siu.

"Aak!"

Siu, who was startled as soon as she opened her eyes, clung to Jin Sohyun.

"Where am I!?"

"It's alright. There's nothing here."

"Haaa...!"

"What did you see inside?"

"That... Mister Namgung."

"Mister Namgung?"

"Yes! He said he hadn't forgotten that I had punched him and that he would behead me, and he was running wild... I couldn't do anything and was about to have my head chopped off!"

Jin Sohyun comforted the sobbing Siu by patting her head roughly.

After the test in the Dark Cave was over, the officials who had come to their senses gathered in one place.

As always, Gwak Myeong, who had stood on the platform, looked at everyone's faces and said.

"Do you remember what you saw?"

"Yes."

"You all must have seen different things, but they are the same. That is fear."

At Gwak Myeong's words that they had seen fear, the officials silently nodded their heads.

In fact, what they had witnessed in the Dark Cave was the fear that was latent within them.

This appeared in various forms, with some seeing the form of a ghost, some an animal, and yet others the form of a person.

Sometimes, something abstract was felt as fear, and all of this was the fear that each of them had.

"A martial artist must know how to face his own fear. If you are consumed by fear, your body will stiffen, and your mind will be filled with confusion. In the martial world, a moment's hesitation is death. Do you know what you must do to overcome this?"

At Gwak Myeong's question, Go Durim of the Kongtong Sect raised his hand high.

"Yes, Go Durim. Do you know the answer?"

"It is to overcome fear."

Unlike his usual self, Go Durim's gaze was sparkling.

Gwak Myeong, who was looking at Go Durim's gaze, which others might have found burdensome, without a care, was about to nod his head but then shook it.

"Half is right, and half is wrong."

"Is that so?"

Go Durim had a disappointed expression. But soon, he burned with a new enthusiasm for learning.

'An excellent attitude.'

Gwak Myeong, who was satisfied with Go Durim's attitude of trying to learn without being discouraged even though he didn't know, continued his explanation.

"Fear must be overcome. But, as long as we are born as humans, we must always face new fears. So you must learn not to overcome fear, but to fight against it."

Gwak Myeong tapped his temple with his finger.

"Not by thinking."

Gwak Myeong's hand tapped his own chest this time.

"But by moving with your body."

His words resonated deeply in the heads of the officials.

"They often say that the body follows where the mind goes. But! That is only possible when your mind and body have become one. And to make your mind and body one, you must learn how to handle your body freely. To learn this, you must constantly train yourself so that you can swing a sword and a saber at any moment. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes! We will take the Head of the Daoist Temple's teachings to heart!"

All the officials, except for Jin Sohyun, Siu, Cheon Gaseong, and Cheon Yerang, gave a fist and palm salute and expressed their gratitude for the new teachings.

It was natural for Siu, who did not know martial arts, to not be able to understand most of Gwak Myeong's words, and Jin Sohyun was busy in his own way.

The lazy bum's head was complicated because of the assassin he had met in the Dark Cave.

'Why didn't he kill me?'

Jin Sohyun had shown a gap, and the assassin had squeezed through it and had gotten a golden opportunity to take the target's life without any effort.

Nevertheless, the assassin had not killed Jin Sohyun.

'Let's take the flying swords and look for him at night. An assassin would be active at night rather than during the day.'

Jin Sohyun decided to find the assassin for now.

To do that, he had to move at night, which was the assassin's time.

"Aww... what a hassle."

Just thinking about having to look for an assassin in the time he had, which was not even enough for sleeping, made his whole body feel drained of strength.

While Jin Sohyun was fighting a battle with his laziness, Gwak Myeong introduced a new face to the officials of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple.

"Everyone, pay attention and greet this person."

The person who appeared at Gwak Myeong's introduction was an old man.

He had an unremarkable appearance, and a curved sword was tied to his slightly bent back.

"Hehe..."

At the familiar laughter, Jin Sohyun, who had come to his senses, had a look of bewilderment on his face.

'Why is that old man over there...?'

The old man who had identified himself as an assassin of the Heretic's Path Alliance had appeared next to Gwak Myeong.

And the old man, as if he had also discovered Jin Sohyun, gave a meaningful smile.

It was then.

"Ah, ah! Don't tell me!"

Yu Useon, who was standing with a tired face as if the aftereffects of the Dark Cave still remained, was startled and began to make a fuss.

"G-Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword! Gu Jucheol!"

As Yu Useon shouted as if he were screaming, the old man looked at Yu Useon with an interested gaze.

"Do you know me?"

"Aren't you one of the Seven Vicious Demons who once stained the Central Plains with blood?"

"A very outstanding power of observation. Even the people of that time would not have recognized me now." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

As the old man laughed and approached, Yu Useon's face turned even paler.

The great demon who had brought a bloody wind to the Central Plains in the past was approaching with a spooky smile, so he felt like he was going to lose his mind.

"They say that what you know is power, right? But a mouth that babbles lightly will one day... have your mouth torn."

"Heoeoeo..."

As Yu Useon acted as if he were about to faint, Gwak Myeong said with a sigh-filled voice.

"Please stop, Elder Gu."

"Oh! I didn't realize... I have an old habit of doing this whenever I see such innocent brats."

As Gu Jucheol stepped back, Yu Useon was finally able to let out the breath he had been holding.

"This person here is Elder Gu Jucheol, who was once called by the title of the Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword, as Yu Useon said. He is one of the Seven Vicious Demons, and after beheading a hundred demons and cutting off his own left arm, he entrusted his body to the Martial Arts Alliance."

"Entrusted..."

"The Seven Vicious Demons entrusted?"

In front of the confused officials, Gu Jucheol's left sleeve fluttered in the wind.

"From now on, Elder Gu will teach you how to deal with demons."

"To be taught by a great demon!"

"Is it alright for us to do that?"

The martial artists from the minor sects and martial families just whispered and did not give their opinions.

But the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families were different.

"We cannot accept it. To be taught by a great demon who was called one of the Seven Vicious Demons... we cannot do that with the name of Huashan."

As Hyeok'ugun said firmly, the other disciples of Huashan also stepped up, agreeing with his opinion.

At this, the Jongnam and Kongtong Sects also confronted them with a firm attitude, as if they had the same thought.

"What are you all..."

As Gwak Myeong was about to say something, Gu Jucheol waved his hand and stopped him.

"This is for the better."

Gu Jucheol looked at the officials with a sly smile.

"I am not your master or teacher. I am your enemy. Always think of me as such and face me. Otherwise... I might just kill you all. Hehehe!!"

***

"Why did you do that?"

Gwak Myeong lightly rebuked him while drinking tea.

"Wouldn't that be the only way to have a proper education?"

The great demon who had been glaring at the officials with a murderous aura was no longer there.

Gu Jucheol, who had become benevolent, drank his tea and smiled bitterly.

His mouth was bitter.

"Decades have already passed, but the blood on my hands just won't wash off. Those children must have felt it instinctively. The terrible smell of blood coming from my body..."

"But didn't the Elder realize his own mistake and behead a hundred demons and even cut off his left arm?"

Although he had the impression of an ordinary person in normal times, Gu Jucheol, who had been given the title of the Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword because he would transform into the form of a ghost as soon as a fight started, was a master of the saber and was also left-handed.

He had shown his own will by cutting off his left arm, which he should have held his saber with, and the Martial Arts Alliance had taken him in without killing him.

Later, Gu Jucheol had made a great contribution in the war between the orthodox and unorthodox factions, which the Martial Arts Alliance and the Ming Cult had waged, and through this, the Martial Arts Alliance had completely accepted him as one of their own.

"Before I close my eyes, to be able to teach the next-generation talents of the Orthodox Martial World... is there any greater blessing than this?"

"Elder..."

Gu Jucheol is an evil person.

He was born as a human and became an evil person, and he became a great demon called one of the Seven Vicious Demons.

But he had decided to become a hero, breaking away from being a great demon by his own will.

Gwak Myeong knew how great a will and decision this was, and he secretly held a sense of awe for him.

"Were there any useful children?"

"As expected, the children of the Cheon family were excellent."

Gu Jucheol's standards are high.

It was because he himself was a martial artist who had reached the state of super-peak, beyond the peak, so his perspective was different.

That's why Gu Jucheol's praise contained a lot of meaning.

"As expected, they are excellent martial artists without any flaws."

As Gwak Myeong nodded in agreement, Gu Jucheol smiled lightly.

'Shall I say this or not?'

Gu Jucheol recalled Jin Sohyun, whom he had met in the Dark Cave.

He had not only seen through the illusion of the Illusory Void Formation, but he had also found him, who was crouching in the darkness, and had even counterattacked.

This was something that even Cheon Gaseong and Cheon Yerang had not been able to do.

'My mouth is itching to death.'

Although he wanted to talk about the martial artist named Jin Sohyun to Gwak Myeong right away, Gu Jucheol did not do so.

'That brat is like a wild flower. Excessive attention might hinder his growth.'

His nature was different from the martial artists of the prestigious families, who had grown up with systematic attention and care in a greenhouse.

Jin Sohyun was like a wild flower whose name was not known.

'A messy but interesting brat.'

Gu Jucheol savored his own private enjoyment and sipped his tea.

***

Late at night, Jin Sohyun, who had left the dormitory and had gone to the outhouse, came out, stretching, after finishing his business.

Thump, thump—

Jin Sohyun, who was walking on the shadowed path, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"You've come?"

Gu Jucheol revealed himself from the darkness.

"Hehe... were you waiting for me?"

"Because we have to finish the story."

"A story... alright, ask me anything."

"Was the thing about being an assassin of the Heretic's Path Alliance just made up?"

"Yes. You called me that, didn't you? I just said yes for fun. Your reaction was quite amusing."

"Ah, I see."

As Jin Sohyun turned away as if his business was over, the one who was flustered was on the contrary Gu Jucheol.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Yes."

"You have no more questions for me?"

"No. It's fine as long as the Elder is not an assassin sent by the Heretic's Path Alliance."

At the sight of Jin Sohyun, who was turning away without any lingering attachment, Gu Jucheol felt a strange sense of stubbornness.

"What if I were an assassin sent by the Heretic's Path Alliance! What would you have done then?"

Jin Sohyun, who had stopped in his tracks, turned only his head and looked back.

"I would have had to capture... or kill you."

At the calmly stated words, Gu Jucheol's face hardened.

"It would have been a hassle, though. But you said you're not, right? Then, I'll be going now. I've been lacking sleep these days."

Although he had been sleeping for four shichen every day, Jin Sohyun, a lazy bum, felt like he had slept only when he had slept for about five shichen.

"Haaam."

As he watched Jin Sohyun disappear with a yawn, Gu Jucheol began to laugh.

"That was dangerous."

Gu Jucheol unknowingly thrust his trembling right hand deep into his bosom.

"I almost let my old habit come out."

The Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword of the past, who had killed a hundred martial artists of the orthodox faction due to his ghostly fighting spirit, had almost opened his eyes.

And that, by a young martial artist who had just reached adulthood.

'Is that brat that good? To the extent that I can't control myself?'

The Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword, which was deeply latent within him, would not move unless it was the fighting spirit emitted by a martial artist of a similar level.

But that Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword had reacted to a young martial artist named Jin Sohyun.

Gu Jucheol stared at the spot where Jin Sohyun had left for a while and then muttered quietly.

"Kang Cheon... you've taken in a monster."

(End of Chapter)