“Ughh, Gamyeong-ah, honey water… Bring me some honey water….”
“…Ryeonju-nim.”
A sigh escaped from Ho Gamyeong’s mouth.
No, this yangban is very strong in martial arts, so why is he being so foolish and not using his internal strength to dispel the alcohol effects?
“…Honey water.”
“Yes.”
However, instead of reprimanding Jang Ilso, Ho Gamyeong instructed the servant to quickly bring the requested honey water. And he personally took the honey water from the servant and even injected it with cold air. So that Jang Ilso can drink the cool honey water.
“Here it is. Please drink.”
“Keuuuh.”
Jang Ilso grimaced as he took the bowl from Ho Gamyeong and gulped down the water.
Then he shouted in a disapproving voice.
“It’s cold!”
“….”
‘Advisor or whatever, I should just quit this position,’ was pushed up to the tip of his tongue, but Ho Gamyeong swallowed it with superhuman patience.
In fact, he didn’t even want to criticize Jang Ilso just now.
What he did…. No, it was because Ho Gamyeong saw clearly with his own eyes what he had accomplished.
‘No way.’
Who would have thought that the person Jang Ilso met was that person. Even the world renown Ho Gamyeong never imagined it even in his wildest dreams.
‘The vessel is different.’
This is what is meant by “imagination falls short of reality.”
This is the difference between a monarch and an advisor.
If the focus is on planning accurately and in detail in implementing the work, Ho Gamyeong is clearly superior to that of Jang Ilso. However, the monarch draws a big picture that the advisor did not dare to fathom.
The monarch who casually commits a dream-like story and brings it down to the realm of reality is Jang Ilso.
Knowing the greatness of his monarch, Ho Gamyeong…. Rather, he was even more dissatisfied.
“…I understand why you’re doing this, but no matter how much I think about it, there’s no need for you to deal with such idiots one by one, Ryeonju-nim.”
“Tsk, tsk. You always say that.”
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as he looked at the blunt Ho Gamyeong.
And then he quickly took off the blanket that was covering him. Coming down from the bed, he began to walk slowly.
The servants quickly approached and helped him change. They cleaned Jang Ilso’s body with a wet towel and wiped off the moisture with a dry towel. A high-quality silk inner garment was worn over the exposed upper body.
“Haven’t I told you time and time again that the moment I neglect those small matters, I too will become a pig? Do you want me to become a grease-covered pig?”
Jang Ilso, who was receiving help with his clothing, glanced at Ho Gamyeong. It was a sharp, piercing look.
That sharp blade-like gaze turned towards Ho Gamyeong.
Ho Gamyeong flinched unconsciously, understanding the meaning behind that look..
A clear reprimand.
It is a warning that Ho Gamyeong’s remarks have crossed the level that Jang Il-so can tolerate.
“I was foolish, Ryeonju-nim!”
Ho Gamyeong, who has been reprimanded, prostrated himself on the spot.
Jang Ilso’s eyes, which had been silently glaring at Ho Gamyeong, softened again.
“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah.”
“….”
“Why wouldn’t I understand why you say so? Still, even though I am the Ryeonju, you probably don’t like the idea of me sharing a drink with lowly beings and laughing.”
“…It’s true that I had such a feeling.”
“Your words are not wrong.”
Servants adjusted Jang Ilso’s attire meticulously.
“Every person needs dignity. The dignity required for a martial artist, a head of a sect, and a Ryeonju are all different.”
“I think so, too.”
“But that’s just the attitude of someone content with their position. When you settle into your position, all that’s left is downfall.”
Jang Ilso’s face has turned ferocious.
“If I had been content being just a Ryeonju, I would never have mixed my cup with such people either. But if I desire something greater, if I still hunger for more!”
He covered his face with his hand as if clutching it.
“Even if the cup is mixed with their spit, I must be able to drink it with a happy heart. Authorities don’t come from attitudes, they come from strength.”
“….”
“I am…”
He paused for a moment and withdrew his hand from clasping his face. There was a soft smile on his face, as if nothing had ever happened before.
“I’m getting stronger even at this moment, Gamyeong-ah. Should martial artists stop becoming stronger?”
“Ryeonju-nim’s words are absolutely right a hundred, a thousand times!”
Ho Gamyeong, who had been prostrating, bowed his head even lower and hit his head.
Jang Ilso frowned.
“No, why are you banging your head? It’s painful.”
“….”
“Get up. Get up. I told you not to kneel down like that, but you really didn’t listen. Tsk, tsk.”
Ho Gamyeong carefully stood up.
At moments like this, he was reminded again that Jang Ilso is the Paegun.
Jang Ilso is not a man he dares to treat easily. It’s the same with whatever he does. Neither because of Jang Ilso’s immense power or strength.
It’s simply because he’s such a man.
The servants slowly finished adorning Jang Ilso’s face. After putting a little red powder on the eyelids and drawing on the eyebrows on the face that had been powdered white, Jang Ilso took his own lip rouge with his finger and began to apply it to his lips.
“Anyway, so…”
Kwang!
“Ryeonju-nim!”
At that moment, the door suddenly opens and Jang Ilso’s little finger, which was delicately moving over his lips, is slightly disturbed by the outburst.
“…Tsk.”
Jang Ilso’s face showed a deep sense of displeasure.
Ho Gamyeong, noticing even a hint of murderous intent in Jang Ilso’s eyes, quickly shouted.
“What kind of place do you think this is to barge in so rudely! You idiot!”
“I’m, I’m sorry! It’s a matter of great urgency!”
“Shut up! You…!”
“…..That’s enough.”
Jang Ilso wipes away the disheveled rouge with the towel he received and turns his head to look at the person who came running in. The killing intent that had briefly flashed in his eyes had already dissipated as if it had been washed away.
“It must be urgent. So, what’s the matter?”
“Plum Blossom… No, Nokrim and the damned pirates have withdrawn from the island of Kugang.”
“Where?”
“That island. The one occupied by Mount Hua…”
“…Plum Blossoms Island.”
Jang Ilso lifted up his flowing bangs with his fingers. Then the servant quickly approaches him, combs his hair, and places a crown on his head.
“They vacated Plum Blossom Island and retreated?”
“Yes! That’s right. And the Sichuan Tang Family is also said to be going back to Sichuan after withdrawing from the Yangtze River.”
Ho Gamyeong asked back in surprise.
“All of a sudden?”
“…Given that the news has come this far, I think they may have very well already withdrawn and left.”
“No, this is….”
Ho Gamyeong shut his mouth. He was struggling to process the abrupt news.
‘What are they thinking?’
He can understand.
If the Evil Tyrant Alliance crosses the Yangtze, Plum Blossom Island and the Sichuan Tang Family guarding the Yangtze River will be the most dangerous, so it would not be strange for them to retreat now since the internal reorganization has been resolved.
But what puzzled Ho Gamyeong was the urgency of their actions.
‘We haven’t even made a move yet.’
It could be like that anywhere else. A person who is frightened tends to rush anything.
But the problem is that Mount Hua can’t be like that.
Wasn’t Mount Hua the place where the sect lost their fear as a group, and where Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, whom one would wonder what on earth how he had lived for a human to become so crazy, was located?
Even when Wudang was scared and surrendered, the place where they tenaciously attacked Jang Ilso and Myriad Man Manor was Mount Hua.
Heavenly Comrade Alliance is led by such Mount Hua, but are they already scared and abandoning the Yangtze River? A place where just holding out guarantees huge profits?
‘That can’t be true.’
If it’s Mount Hua, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance I know, they wouldn’t give up such immense profit just out of concern.
Then for what purpose…
“Anyway….”
At that time, Jang Ilso swept up a strand of his hair and clicked his tongue.
“That little alliance, as soon as he was released from its cage, plunged a knife into a person’s side. Tsk, tsk.”
Ho Gamyeong flinched at the sight of his face.
There was a strange look on his face. It looked incredibly annoyed yet filled with indescribable joy.
“Not going to play along easily, huh? Yes, you should come out like that. Then.”
After hearing Jang Ilso’s words, Ho Gamyeong could not bear his curiosity and asked.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Who else could it be?”
“…Are you referring to Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword again?”
Jang Ilso didn’t respond directly. Ho Gamyeong knew silence meant affirmation.
However, Ho Gamyeong couldn’t accept the situation easily.
It is only natural that Jang Ilso exists in a realm that he does not understand. But how could some brat like Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword exist in the same realm?
“Ryeonju-nim, I dared to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“…I think Ryeonju-nim overestimated Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. He is not someone who dares to exchange moves with Ryeonju-nim. Even that grandiose nickname of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, wasn’t it something we gave him?”
“Why do you think so?”
“That young punk….”
“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong-ah.”
“…Yes?”
“Do you know how old I was when I first appeared in Kangho?”
When Ho Gamyeong did not answer, Jang Ilso spoke as if amused.
“Compared to then, I have gained a bit more experience now and become a bit more prudent. And incomparably stronger.”
“That’s right, Ryeonju-nim.”
“But I haven’t become any smarter.”
“….”
“That’s what people are like. In the end, growth is nothing more than how much you can make out of what you have. A tiger is still a tiger even if it is a cub, and a dog is still a dog even if it is fully grown. But if it’s a dragon, it goes without saying.”
Ho Gamyeong bit his lips.
What Jang Ilso said cannot be wrong. But Ho Gamyeong did not want to admit that fact.
Because of mere jealousy?
No.
The reason he was angered wasn’t that Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword was superior to him but because he dared to encroach upon Jang Ilsu’s existence. To him, that was akin to blasphemy against the sacred.
“And even if what you say is right, it doesn’t change anything. The important thing isn’t whether that fellow is worthy to exchange moves with me, but that his move is now tightening around my neck.”
“By tightening around your neck…”
“Map!”
“Yes!”
The servant rushed and brought a large map. As they spread it out on the wide table, Jang Ilso’s long and slender finger pointed to a spot in the middle of the Yangtze River.
“What about it?”
“…Yes?”
“This Plum Blossom Island.”
At Jang Ilso’s words, Ho Gamyeong, who was looking at Plum Blossom Island, tilted his head.
“I do not know. It would certainly be a strategic point as an advisor, but would it be that important for a martial artist? Moreover, we have completely taken control of the Yangtze River through the water fortresses.”
“Tsk, tsk. You’re still only thinking of battles.”
“Then…”
“Do you know how much goods are being transported here?”
Jang Ilso chuckled.
“For three damn years, the amount of goods flowing into Gangnam through Plum Blossom Island has skyrocketed. If this place is blocked right now, it means that we are the ones who are suffocated.”
“Oh….”
“Damn that cunning brat.”
Jang Ilso gritted his teeth. However, his lips curled up as if he found it amusing.
“It hurts a lot. It’s very… very painful.”
His fiery eyes gazed far into the distance.
Towards the far north, where a mountain known for its rugged terrain stands.