Chapter 33. Do You Have Any Money On You?

“I understand for now.”

Yi Ja-yeong took a step back.

“Since Captain Dan has gone so far as to say that, I will believe you for the time being.”

“Thank you.”

“However, I cannot fully trust that report. The claim that it only took two hours from the Breathing Technique to the first Small Heavenly Cycle is simply unbelievable.”

“This subordinate thinks so as well.”

“For now, just keep an eye on him. I will also look into it separately.”

“By looking into it separately, you mean…”

“We can’t rule out the possibility that he was secretly learning demonic arts before he defected, can we?”

“Hmm.”

“As a matter of fact, a rumor was circulating at the Heavenly Martial Academy that he was secretly learning demonic arts. The timing of his defection to Our Cult also happened right before he was to be investigated by the Demon Extermination Squad.”

“That is a valid inference.”

Although Danmok Cheong fully trusted Jin Yeong-in, he couldn’t say he didn’t understand Yi Ja-yeong’s point, so he nodded his head.

“The Bat Squad is investigating his past activities in detail, so the facts will be revealed more clearly with a bit more time. In the meantime, Captain Dan, you should watch him closely from the side. If he is truly a prodigy of the ages, he will prove it himself. Oh, and.”

Yi Ja-yeong added.

“The information regarding his achievements is to be classified as top secret, and make sure it is never leaked to the outside.”

“May I ask the reason for this order?”

“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. If it is revealed that he is truly a prodigy with a natural talent for demonic arts, he will be in danger in many ways. If something were to happen to him, wouldn’t Our Cult lose a great talent?”

“I will obey.”

After Danmok Cheong left.

‘Two hours.’

Yi Ja-yeong mulled over Danmok Cheong’s report, feeling confused.

If Danmok Cheong’s report was true, then the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had gained a force equivalent to a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.

But realistically, the possibility of that was very low.

Judging coolly, it was more convincing that Jin Yeong-in had been secretly learning demonic arts.

‘The disciple of the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior who defected to Our Cult is a genius of demonic arts. Even the storytellers in the market would be scorned for selling such a preposterous tale.’

However, since a subordinate as reliable as Danmok Cheong had reported it as such, she couldn’t just dismiss it as nonsense.

The person who reported it had even offered his neck, citing the law and the honor of the Bat Squad.

‘It’s still too early to report to her.’

No matter how much of a defector he was, she couldn’t report every single move of an ordinary cult member unless it was a major issue.

Just recently, during the last report, hadn’t the Iron-Blooded Demonic God clearly drawn a line with Jin Yeong-in?

‘It is right to watch and report after he passes through the Blood Wolf Corps.’

With that thought, Yi Ja-yeong decided to keep an eye on Jin Yeong-in.

* * *

Right after the training ended.

“Did you eat something good last night?”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve changed overnight. Did you consume some spiritual medicine?”

“I achieved the Small Heavenly Cycle of the Reverse Heaven Heart Art.”

“Besides that.”

“Then…?”

“Is that all? A person wouldn’t change overnight just by achieving the Small Heavenly Cycle.”

“Ah.”

Jin Yeong-in finally understood what Yeom Bi meant and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

‘At this rate, I’m going to be branded a braggart.’

Jin Yeong-in realized that others couldn’t easily accept the speed of his achievements.

Inside the Demonic Prison, his rapid progress would have been accepted as natural since his Heavenly Demon’s Physique had been revealed, but the situation was different now.

“I consumed a spiritual medicine I had been saving.”

“I knew it.”

Yeom Bi said as if he had expected it.

“You must have eaten something good. Who guided you?”

“I didn’t have anyone to help, so I managed on my own.”

“You did something so dangerous?”

Yeom Bi frowned.

“The heavens must have helped you.”

“Haha…”

“Don’t do such a dangerous thing again. If you’re lucky, you’ll just die, but if you’re really unlucky, you could end up living a miserable life forever.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“You should have asked for help.”

“How could I make such an unreasonable request? Besides, I want to become a martial artist of Our Cult. As a martial artist of Our Cult, shouldn’t I overcome hardships on my own rather than asking for help?”

“Mastering a heart art is an exception.”

“Pardon?”

“That has nothing to do with willpower. It’s a matter of constitution, how can you overcome that with willpower?”

“Ahaha.”

“I’m glad you achieved it safely. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Shall we eat now?”

Yeom Bi asked Jin Yeong-in with a look full of anticipation.

“Yes, it seems the meal is ready, so let’s go.”

“Alright.”

Perhaps because of Yeom Bi’s visit, Baek A-rin had prepared a magnificent feast that could break the table legs.

Among all the dishes, none were fried or stir-fried in oil.

They all consisted of lean meat, white rice, and various vegetables, making it an optimal diet for a martial artist.

“I’m not sure if it will suit your taste. Well then, please enjoy your meal.”

Baek A-rin said in a worried voice and was about to leave when Jin Yeong-in spoke up.

“Where are you going?”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I…”

Baek A-rin glanced sideways at Yeom Bi.

It seemed she was burdened by the thought of sharing a table with the Fourth Young Master, Yeom Bi.

“Sit.”

Yeom Bi gestured with his chin to the seat opposite him.

“How could I commit such a rudeness…”

“You don’t want to?”

“N-no, that’s absolutely not it!”

Baek A-rin waved her hands in denial, startled.

“Then eat with us.”

“A-as you command.”

Baek A-rin sat at the table.

As the meal began, she was visibly very nervous.

But such worries were unfounded.

Yeom Bi silently ate every last bit of the dishes Baek A-rin had made, not leaving a single grain of rice or piece of meat.

He ate so well that just watching him eat was enough to make one feel full.

“That was a good meal.”

Yeom Bi said as he put down his chopsticks.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“I’m a bit busy in the afternoon. See you at the Body-Fortifying Prescription tomorrow.”

“Please travel safely.”

After Yeom Bi left.

“The Fourth Young Master seems to be in a bad mood.”

“I know, right.”

The reason Jin Yeong-in agreed with Baek A-rin’s opinion was Yeom Bi’s attitude.

He had eaten so deliciously, as if in a flash, yet he acted so cold, stiff, and blunt. It was hard to understand.

“Perhaps he didn’t like my cooking?”

“You say that even after seeing that?”

“Ah.”

Baek A-rin gave a bitter smile as Jin Yeong-in pointed to the completely empty dishes.

“Well, maybe he suddenly had a bad thought. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Could you perhaps call a carpenter later?”

“To fix the gate?”

“Yes. We can’t just live with it open.”

“I will call a carpenter and have the gate repaired, Young Master.”

“Thank you for doing that.”

Jin Yeong-in entrusted the gate repair to Baek A-rin and went for his afternoon training.

* * *

Jin Yeong-in immediately sat in a cross-legged position and circulated the Reverse Heaven Heart Art.

Since he had trained the Body-Fortifying method in the morning, he planned to focus on internal energy training in the afternoon.

‘It’s faster than before. Amazing.’

Jin Yeong-in was quite surprised by the speed at which his internal energy was accumulating.

It felt at least twice as fast as when he first learned the Reverse Heaven Heart Art.

‘Why? Could it be because of the spiritual energy of Sky Mountain?’

Every morning, he felt as if the spiritual energy of Sky Mountain was strengthening his body, and now that he was circulating the Reverse Heaven Heart Art, he could feel it clearly.

It felt like being in a promised land… he even had the illusion that he would become endlessly stronger the longer he stayed in the Divine Land.

At this rate, in a few months, he would have more than enough internal energy to replace what he had scattered.

‘Did the first Heavenly Demon know this and settle on Sky Mountain?’

He thought that might be possible.

The powerful spiritual energy emitted by Sky Mountain was like the water of life for the Heavenly Demon’s Physique.

‘Good. I’ll keep training like this until I enter the Blood Wolf Corps.’

It was a shame that he didn’t have a sparring partner for training, that is, a duel.

But he couldn’t just go around looking for a duel partner and start a dueling journey.

‘I need to maintain my practical combat sense.’

His master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, had emphasized practical combat sense so much when he was alive.

– No matter how much internal energy you have, or what kind of supreme martial art you’ve learned, it’s useless if you don’t know how to fight well.

– For example?

– What would happen if you gave a novice who knows nothing ten cycles of internal energy and a divine martial art?

– Wouldn’t they still be incredibly strong?

– Strong, yes. But an experienced martial artist could handle that novice with just half of that.

– Hmm.

– To put it simply, internal energy and martial arts are just means. They are ultimately tools. What’s important is…

– The person, you mean?

– That’s right. Who wields it is what’s important, what is wielded is a secondary issue.

– Then how do I become a martial artist who fights well?

– You have to fight a lot, and often.

– Doesn’t that increase the chances of getting stabbed to death?

– That’s the life of a martial artist. A life where you never know when or where you’ll be stabbed to death. Living happily ever after with a fox-like wife and rabbit-like children is not in the cards for us.

His master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, was a man with an unyielding conviction and set of values when it came to the mindset of a martial artist.

‘That’s probably why he wandered the martial world his whole life without a home or family. Without a wife or children.’

Just as Jin Yeong-in was thinking of his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.

Crash!

A loud noise echoed from outside.

‘What is this!’

Jin Yeong-in hastily broke his cross-legged position and rushed out the door.

When he got to the yard, he saw a middle-aged martial artist with numerous scars on his face, glaring with an axe in his hand.

Seeing the shattered pieces of wood scattered around, it was undoubtedly the remains of the gate that the carpenter had temporarily installed earlier.

“Are you Jin Yeong-in!”

“Yeah.”

“I am Yi Baek-cheon, the Eleventh Captain of the Ghost Soldier Corps!”

“So?”

“I heard you crushed the Seventh Captain this morning!”

“I did.”

“Draw your sword immediately! I will crush you in the name of the honor of the Ghost Soldier Corps! Our Ghost Soldier Corps does not lose to the likes of a defector like you!”

It had only been three hours since Jang In-geol was carried away, and seeing him rush over so quickly without a moment’s pause, his pride must have been quite hurt.

“So this is what they meant.”

Jin Yeong-in muttered to himself, recalling what one of the Gym Rats at the Body-Fortifying Prescription had told him.

– They have such strong pride in their affiliation that there are no bigger blockheads than them. It’s no wonder they’re the ones who cause the most trouble among the military units of Our Cult.

He finally understood why people were reluctant to get involved with the Ghost Soldier Corps.

“This is perfect timing.”

A smile bloomed on Jin Yeong-in’s lips.

He was in a predicament without a suitable sparring partner anyway, so he thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to maintain his practical combat sense this way.

“A-rin.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Bring me the sword from my room.”

“But that’s…”

“Hurry.”

Since Danmok Cheong, from whom he could borrow a sword, was absent, he had no choice but to use the broken sword.

“You arrogant brat! A swordsman who doesn’t carry a sword? And you call yourself a martial artist?”

“It’s broken.”

Jin Yeong-in shrugged his shoulders and drew the sword that Baek A-rin had brought him.

A broken sword, with about a third of it broken off.

It was broken during the battle on the Yangtze River, and his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, had bought it for him by emptying his pockets when he was alive.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Sure, I’ll answer anything.”

“Do you have any money on you right now?”

“M-money?”

“Yeah, money.”

“I carry a little, but why do you ask?”

“I have to get the money for the gate you broke, don’t I?”

Jin Yeong-in said as he approached Yi Baek-cheon.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep