“Did he kill him?”

“Who? The Duke of Yansheng, the Lord?”

At Zhuge Seola’s sudden words, Neung-heo’s face was dumbfounded. He shook his head and vehemently denied it. Because it was a ridiculous story.

“It’s been four days since he went to meet the Duke of Yansheng.”

Zhuge Seola’s voice was full of worry.

It had already been four days since Cheon Mubaeck had gone to the Duke of Yansheng at his invitation.

Although the World Debate had continued during that time, Cheon Mubaeck still had not returned.

“If the Duke of Yansheng really learned martial arts… the two of them must have fought!”

Neung-heo, not even seeing the annoyed look on her face, continued to speak.

Neung-heo casually turned his gaze. He looked for someone who could get him out of this situation, but his only younger brother, Neunggok, was deeply engrossed in conversation with other scholars.

In the end, he was the only one who could listen to her complaints that were not complaints.

“I guess so.”

“Last time, when the young master said he would fight fair and square and get it, he must have had a martial arts contest.”

“Yes. He must have fought. You felt it, didn’t you? The violent clash of qi.”

“Huh? You felt it too, uncle?”

Four days ago. A quite intense qi had swept through the earth. Although the scholars did not know, it was an intensity that any martial artist would have felt.

Since it must have been a clash between unusual masters, there was only Cheon Mubaeck and the Duke of Yansheng nearby.

As Zhuge Seola’s eyes widened as if to ask how he knew that, something hot welled up in him.

‘Does she think I’m that weak?’

Tsk.

To be honest, couldn’t he beat the Zhuge Seola in front of him?

He had improved quite a lot.

“I am the One-Eyed Snake, Neung-heo, Young Lady.”

Neung-heo said, puffing out his chest. Now that his moniker was quite well known in the martial world, he could have some confidence…

“Yes. That’s right.”

At Zhuge Seola’s response, as if it were nothing special, Neung-heo’s strength suddenly drained away.

He suddenly felt that his situation was ridiculous.

‘What kind of a qi fight am I having with a child…’

Somehow, whenever he talked with Zhuge Seola, he felt like he was being drawn into something.

“If the two of them fought, why hasn’t Young Master Cheon returned? Could it be that he was seriously injured and is recuperating?”

“Who? The Lord? The Lord was defeated by the Duke of Yansheng and is recuperating?”

Neung-heo’s mouth was agape. At first, he thought she was joking and stared at Zhuge Seola.

Seeing her worried eyes, he realized that she really thought so.

Neung-heo was dumbfounded. What a worry that didn’t even need to be thought about.

Neung-heo smiled hollowly.

“It would be more likely that the Duke of Yansheng was beaten to a pulp by the Lord and is recuperating. Would the Lord be recuperating?”

“Beaten to a pulp! Young Master Cheon is not a member of the Unorthodox Alliance like you, uncle.”

“…Somehow, that sounds like you think I would be like that. Young Lady?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t think of you as such a lawless person, uncle. You have loyalty, and seeing you think of your family, you are also deep in affection. But, still, there’s a feeling, right? It’s not right for you to talk about Young Master Cheon like that.”

“No, it’s almost a definite guess, I tell you. Do you know what it means to beat someone so hard that dust flies on a rainy day? That’s one of the miracles that the Lord can perform.”

“Sigh. Uncle, I’m listening to your backbiting because it’s me. How can you slander the lord you serve like that?”

As if it were absolutely impossible, Zhuge Seola, who was looking at Neung-heo with a pathetic look, became a mute who had eaten honey.

He felt a new sense of injustice. He hadn’t been hit recently. How much violence had he suffered in the name of training from Cheon Mubaeck?

‘It really did get dusty when it rained…’

No matter what he said, he had a hunch that it wouldn’t get through, so Neung-heo had no choice but to remain silent.

As Neung-heo closed his mouth, Zhuge Seola put her hands on her hips and jumped up.

“I can’t just stand by like this. I have to go and see the Duke of Yansheng!”

“How?”

“I have to ask for a meeting.”

“Even the Lord couldn’t get a meeting, so he had to resort to participating in the debate?”

“Well… um.”

“Just wait patiently, Young Lady. There’s no way the Lord will be defeated. That man, even though he seems to move without any thought, he probably has the whole board laid out in his head.”

Zhuge Seola did not like Neung-heo’s carefree attitude.

But that peaceful attitude paradoxically gave her a strong sense of trust.

It was a look that could not be shown without trust in Cheon Mubaeck.

Zhuge Seola, who had newly realized that he had great trust in Cheon Mubaeck, became somewhat sullen.

“It seems the two of you are a little closer than I thought.”

“Huh? Me? With that man? Hehe. Close.”

Neung-heo let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re not worried at all. That means, the trust is so strong that you’re not worried, so you’re close. Or, you’re so far apart that you’re not even interested. In my opinion, it seems to be the former.”

Neung-heo scratched his chin with a reluctant expression, as if he had nothing to say.

It was not the latter.

Why would he not be interested?

‘That man has to beat up all the Blood Demon Valley and Demonic Path bastards for me to live comfortably in the future.’

So it must be the former. Because Neung-heo believed that Cheon Mubaeck would not die easily.

No, the thought of him dying did not even come to his mind.

He wouldn’t know if it were in the old days.

Because he now knew the overwhelming divine might of Cheon Mubaeck that he had seen so far, and where it came from.

Just by the fact that he was a descendant of the Azure Sky Sword God, he could understand.

‘To think that he is the Azure Sky Sword God himself.’

Neung-heo smiled bitterly inwardly.

Numerous reincarnations. Especially the Azure Sky Sword God, who was still greatly revered by the martial artists.

Neung-heo, even if he died and came back to life, could not even think of doubting that Cheon Mubaeck would be defeated, let alone doubt it.

That appearance seemed to have been felt by Zhuge Seola as not just carefree, but as strong trust.

Neung-heo glanced at Zhuge Seola.

‘Tsk. It’s a good time.’

Neung-heo, who had suddenly felt that way, smiled and said.

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. I’ve been with the Lord for quite a long time. There has never been a time when he has stepped forward with confidence and things have not worked out, and there has never been a time when he has caused an accident that he could not handle. Go with the flow. Go with the flow.”

“…”

It was then. The atmosphere among the scholars who were scattered and discussing changed strangely.

The sound of discussion that had been heard from all over stopped, and silence fell.

All the scholars’ gazes turned to one place at once.

Neung-heo and Zhuge Seola’s gazes followed.

“…”

A corner of the Kong Family Mansion. The Kong Forest where the successive Dukes of Yansheng and their relatives were buried.

In the middle of it, a red flash of fire flickered.

A flash of fire that burned as if to burn everything, with a haze rising up to the sky.

“…”

Neung-heo was silent.

Zhuge Seola’s eyes became sullen.

“He’s never caused an accident, you say?”

* * *

“I thought it was going to burn everything, and my heart dropped.”

Cheon Mubaeck smiled.

“So were you going to give me a good scolding right away?”

“Ahem. Please understand. This is none other than the Kong Forest.”

Kong Yong avoided his gaze and gathered his internal energy.

As soon as he saw the flickering flash of fire, he had rushed over in one go, but to his dismay, there was no flame anywhere.

He had thought that he was going to burn the Kong Forest, so Kong Yong, who had gathered a lot of internal energy, looked around and calmed his momentum.

“Fortunately, the secret pavilion is fine, and the fire has not spread. I could clearly see the flash of fire burning from afar.”

That flash of fire was not an ordinary flame. It was a fire demon that could swallow the Kong Forest in one go. But when he came in, he could not even feel a faint heat, let alone a flame.

Cheon Mubaeck explained calmly.

“I have blocked the fire qi from invading. But the surroundings have become a bit of a mess.”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s explanation, Kong Yong turned his gaze.

The secret pavilion was fine, but the pond where the secret pavilion was had literally evaporated.

Kong Yong swallowed a groan.

‘What on earth kind of fire qi invaded that all the water in the pond evaporated?’

Moreover, even though such a fire qi had invaded, the secret pavilion was fine. There was not a single trace of being scorched by fire. Although the secret pavilion was protected by a formation, it was not to this extent.

If so, it meant that Cheon Mubaeck had protected the secret pavilion from the fire qi.

Kong Yong’s trembling gaze landed on Cheon Mubaeck.

‘Something… has changed?’

Kong Yong’s gaze sharply scanned Cheon Mubaeck. The huge cold qi wriggling in his lower dantian was still there, but there was nothing particularly changed.

Kong Yong’s gaze turned to the area around Cheon Mubaeck’s heart.

‘…Did he not get it?’

He could not see anything. If he had obtained what he wanted, a strong internal energy would be felt in his middle dantian.

But Kong Yong could not hastily conclude that Cheon Mubaeck had no gains.

A faint smile that appeared.

It was not a smile that could come from being disappointed or let down.

It was the joy that was revealed when one had achieved what one wanted.

Cheon Mubaeck, as if he had read Kong Yong’s gaze, smiled.

“I have found the prayer. But… the prayer burned up on its own and a strong fire qi rushed in.”

“The prayer burned up on its own? No, you found it? How?”

“It must have been fate.”

“…”

Kong Yong, seeing Cheon Mubaeck returning his own words, closed his mouth firmly.

“The prayer burned up on its own. It’s hard to believe.”

“I’m sorry. The precious property of the Kong Family Mansion has been damaged because of me.”

“Umm…”

Kong Yong made a strange expression. The prayer. Since it was the prayer that had created the Regeneration Divine Art, it was certainly a precious object.

But since it had burned up and disappeared on its own, he could not say anything.

Moreover, it was Cheon Mubaeck who had blocked the fire qi that had invaded in an instant.

It was a flash of fire that was clearly visible even from afar. An enormous flash of fire that could have swallowed the Kong Forest in one go and turned it into ashes.

Since it was also the cemetery where the Confucius clan was buried, Kong Yong’s heart had literally dropped. Because there was nothing worse in the Confucian family than not being able to manage the ancestors’ graves.

‘It can’t be turned back, and the secret pavilion has also been protected, and the Kong Forest has been prevented from burning. How can I hold him responsible?’

Of course, it was not that he could not hold him responsible if he wanted to.

But since it was his own decision to let Cheon Mubaeck into the secret pavilion alone, he could not say that he had no responsibility.

Moreover.

‘There’s no reason to push Young Master Cheon away here.’

It was a prayer that had already disappeared.

Although it was certainly a precious object, Kong Yong was a quite open-minded person, unlike the prejudice that he was a stubborn Confucian scholar.

Since he was also a martial artist, he also valued practical benefits.

It was an object that had already burned and disappeared, and it could not be turned back. Even if he held Cheon Mubaeck responsible, it was a prayer that would not return.

“It’s alright. No matter how precious an object is, is there anything more precious than a person? I’m glad that you seem to be unharmed.”

Cheon Mubaeck smiled brightly.

Kong Yong, who had met Cheon Mubaeck’s transparent eyes that drew an arc for a moment, felt a sense of shame.

Because the smiling smile seemed to be looking into his inner thoughts.

In fact, Cheon Mubaeck had grasped Kong Yong’s intention.

‘He’s going to leave me in his debt.’

It was the way of the martial world not to forget favors. It was not just the martial world. It was a world where it was considered natural to repay a favor.

Kong Yong did not hold Cheon Mubaeck responsible here. He had realized that Cheon Mubaeck was not an ordinary person and was forming a connection. It was a calculation that he might be able to receive Cheon Mubaeck’s help in a moment of desperate need, since he did not know what would happen in the world.

Although it was a practical and extremely calculating aspect that was hard to see in a Confucian scholar, Cheon Mubaeck was rather pleased with it.

‘Unless Confucius or Laozi come in person, there will be no one who wants nothing.’

He was not in a bad mood. Because he had also obtained what he wanted. No, if you had to say, he was even thinking of granting any of Kong Yong’s requests at this moment.

‘A sacred object.’

The prayer had disappeared. It had burned up and disappeared into a handful of ashes. But it had not completely disappeared.

The prayer had been revived. In Cheon Mubaeck’s heart.

‘Regeneration’

Cheon Mubaeck’s gaze went down.

The threads of immortal energy that had been entangled around his heart had all disappeared.

There was nothing. The threads of immortal energy that had been accumulated with the Primordial Root Scripture, absorbed with the formation, and had become a passage for the upper and lower dantians, all of them.

Only the intersection of the numerous acupoints that stretched to the heart and the eight extraordinary meridians existed.

The heart beat slowly. A transparent light flowed through the blood vessels where the red blood flowed.

Thump, thump.

The more it beat, the more something transparent flowed out through the acupoints.

Faster, and fiercer.

Something ticklish flowed out from the tip of his finger.

It was invisible, and it had no scent.

But it was clearly visible in Cheon Mubaeck’s immortal eye.

The sight of a transparent thread flowing out. And the sight of the thread stretching out and moving according to his will.

‘It’s done.’

An unprecedented power.

It was perfectly controlled at the tip of Cheon Mubaeck’s finger.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep