Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor

Special Side Story Episode 18

“It’s been a while.”

“How have you been?”

An old man with a scruffy face waved his hand with a happy expression.

My palms and hair were greasy from what I had just done.

“Don’t look like that. “It came to this because of certain circumstances.”

“Do you even sell oil these days?”

“Is that possible? I came to investigate the waterway under Jang Mun-in’s order. After all, the place connected to the secret passage is a warehouse. “There was a mountain of oil piled up.”

“That’s just as strange as it is. “Why do water droppers collect oil?”

“Of course it’s loot. “It appears that the recently robbed merchant ship was transporting oil.”

“Ah…”

I nodded as if I understood and walked after the old man.

The old man’s nickname is Sogeolgae (笑乞丐).

He was one of the twelve elders of the open world and ranked among the top hundred great masters.

In the midst of the Great War of True Demons, there were several vacancies in the positions of great masters.

It had been years since he had won one of them.

It was only recently that he went on the scene and created an uproar in the world.

Originally he was not even a 100-year-old expert, but now he has become a celebrity.

“I heard that you took disciples.”

“Did you know?”

“How could you not know?”

“It’s a big deal. These days, I’m completely absorbed in the fun of teaching that child. “Recently, I heard something from Jang Mun-in.”

Seeing Sogeolgae smiling cheerfully made me feel better.

The memories of the first time I met him flashed through my mind.

[……Tell this to your friend Dokgo Woojin. Hwia (暉兒) is dead. I desperately need your help for revenge.]

He, who had despaired of losing his disciple to the Blood Flower Witch, was now healing his mental illness and moving forward.

After a period of wandering tied to the past, I began to focus on a new goal.

As I watched him drooling heavily and bragging about his students, a soft smile appeared on his face.

“Why did you ask to see me?”

“The Yangtze River Cooperation.” “I have something to say about that friend.”

“…!”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

An unexpected story popped up.

Is this what it feels like to be hit in the back of the head with a hammer?

I couldn’t tell what kind of expression I was making.

‘The Yangtze River Cooperation.’

Master’s close friend.

A white master who died during the Battle of Jeongma.

A member of the Cheonan Gambu who has been with him since the beginning of its establishment.

I could still vividly picture him dying after being attacked by demons belonging to the Heavenly Demon Palace.

“I’m sorry. “It brings back bad memories.”

“no.”

“The reason I called you here was to give you that friend’s belongings. “I’ve been taking care of it and keeping it, but I feel like I need to sort it out.”

“Why me?”

“It’s because I decided you were the best fit. “Come this way.”

There was a house made of wood in the direction facing Sogeolgae.

On a hill overlooking the Yangtze River.

Perhaps because it was in a place with few people, it felt desolate.

“This place?”

“This is the residence of the Yangtze River Cooperation. “It was almost thrown away because it had not been used since I entered the country.”

“You mean you lived here?”

I looked around in disbelief.

In my memories, Yangjiang Johyup was a greedy person.

Not only did he have a desire to increase his reputation and status, but he also had a great deal of material greed.

He may not know it, but the amount of wealth he had accumulated throughout his life must have been considerable.

“Have you ever thought about it? “Why is that friend’s nickname ‘Janggang Johyup?’”

“Isn’t it because he was a charlatan who worked on the Yangtze River?”

“That’s right. But isn’t it strange? Usually, the adjective ‘charlatan’ is not applied to a writer with such an eccentric personality.”

“That’s… right.”

I had no particular desire to dishonor the dead.

However, it was an undeniable fact that the nature of the Yangtze Cooperation Association was not very good.

How could it be that Sogeolgae, a long-time friend, would say something like that?

From the very beginning, my relationship with the Yangtze River Cooperative was strained from our first meeting.

‘I beat him up hard when he was begging me to meet my teacher in a high-handed manner.’

Basically, the Yangtze Cooperatives were harsh in their speech and lacked consideration for others.

In many ways, he was a person who was far from a person of character.

“That friend is a person who lived his whole life dedicating himself to others, not to himself.”

“……?”

“All the residents living near the Yangtze River were grateful to him. “That friend’s presence was a deterrent.”

“What does it mean?”

“What I am saying is that because of the Yangtze Cooperative, not even bandits, black magnates, or even government officials could exploit the common people.”

I looked slightly surprised.

It was impossible to accomplish ten tasks with two hands.

Before coming under my command, the Yangtze Cooperatives had never separately participated in the martial arts faction.

I have never led a force myself.

It was hard to believe that he, who was just an individual, had influence that encompassed the vast Yangtze River.

“There is one reason why that friend was so greedy for power and money. “Because I decided that I needed to further increase my influence.”

“…….”

“I guess he hoped that no more absurd things would happen. At least those who live on the Yangtze River.”

I opened the door and stepped inside the cabin.

The inside was cleaner than expected.

It seemed that Sogeolgae had been steadily managing it all this time.

It was a space deeply imbued with the tastes of the Yangtze River Fishing Association, who enjoyed fishing during his lifetime.

Even though the house lost its owner a long time ago, it had a strangely fishy smell.

Various types of fishing gear were hung on the left wall, and clothing, including bamboo ribs and boots, were hung on the right wall.

‘What can I say, the scenery is simpler than I thought.’

If you think about it, the clothes worn by the Changjiang Association were always similar.

As a monk, unless he was performing official duties, he always insisted on wearing clothes that showed off that he was a fisherman.

‘I thought it was just a matter of preference.’

Maybe that wasn’t the case.

People with frugal lifestyle habits tend to show that in their daily lives.

For some reason, I felt uncomfortable.

I knew nothing about this person who was once my subordinate.

“Was it like this?”

Sweet.

Sogeolgae, who was bending over and sweeping the floor with his hands, caught my eye.

Some kind of device was released, a secret door opened, and a small hidden space was revealed.

Inside the space, which was about knee height, were several books and other various items.

The most notable thing was a silver thread wrapped around a solid wooden club.

‘Heavenly Jamsa (天蠶絲)!’

Thread extracted from silkworms, commonly called Cheonjam (天蠶).

A treasure that will not break even if you hang a heavy rock on it or cut it with a famous sword.

Cheonjamsa was also wrapped around the ink-iron fishing rod, a German-style weapon of the Yangtze River Fishing Association.

I thought this might be a place to keep the extras.

“Take it.”

“this is?”

“It is a martial arts secret learned by the Yangjiang Association.”

“…Can you give me something like this?”

I looked at the books given to me by Sogeolgae and made a puzzled expression.

I was wondering if I, who was not a member of the Yangtze River Cooperation Council or anything, could have these things.

“What? In a way, you have handed over a troublesome task to me.”

“I think I know what the elder wants to ask me to do.”

“It may be a bit harsh to say this, but the Yangtze River Cooperatives must have been proud of themselves for having met the end as a military man. I used to say this out of habit when drinking. “I don’t have any regrets about my life.”

“…….”

“His only regret is that he was unable to find a successor to inherit his progress.”

Sogeogae sighs softly.

I put the books down on a nearby table and fell asleep.

[I envy that friend of Dokgo Woojin. I guess I will have to start taking on disciples too.]

The image of Jang Kang Jo-hyeop muttering with a bitter expression instantly came to mind.

Unfortunately, he passed away without finding a successor, and the martial arts he had learned was lost.

This is what Sogeolgae is now asking me to do.

Wouldn’t you be able to continue the legacy of Yongjomun (龍釣門), the shrine gate of the Yangtze River Collaboration that was cut off?

‘Munpara who catches the dragon.’

I didn’t feel any need to learn additional auxiliary martial arts.

There is no use for martial arts that are premised on using a fishing rod in the first place.

However, it was the legacy of the Yangtze River Cooperation Agreement and no one else.

Regardless of its usefulness, it could not be thrown away carelessly.

‘In the end, we need to bring in disciples to learn martial arts.’

Can I truly teach the martial arts of Yongjomun to others?

It was an unfamiliar martial art that I had never encountered before.

No matter how much I was, I couldn’t help but feel burdened.

“You must have the German weapons used by the Yangtze Cooperative, right?”

“yes. “It was well maintained and stored.”

“Can I trust you?”

“I’ll think about it.”

It would have been realistically impossible for So Geol-gae himself to foster a successor to the Yangtze-Korean Council.

There is a student who is already teaching and, above all, he is open-minded.

Still, it would have been difficult to go to Master instead of me.

Currently, Master is busier than ever before to build the Thunder Gate.

In the end, the only person who could resolve the resentment of the Yangtze Cooperation Council was me, his former boss.

“You have a lot of time, so think slowly.”

“I’m sorry for not being able to give you a definitive answer.”

“No. It may not be an easy decision for even you. Rather, I feel sorry. “By making me carry a heavy burden.”

Afterwards, Sogeolgae and I moved to another location and started a big business.

In memory of the departed.

And cheering for the future of those who survived.

Ting.

Glasses clinked together.

We drank a glass of wine and watched each other’s current status.

The Yangtze River visible from the window, and residents who devote themselves to their livelihoods with the Yangtze River as their stage.

The peaceful yet fierce scene added to the excitement.

‘Be a disciple.’

It was a night of deep worries.

* * *

‘I’ll try my best for the first time in a while.’

Fifteen days have passed since then.

I headed to the ferry port accompanied by a few people.

The security of the Yangtze River has not been very good recently.

After the death of the Yangtze Cooperative, the size of the metallurgy and metallurgy trade has grown to a level that cannot be ignored.

Sogeolgae, the elder of openness, was dispatched to investigate, so what more can I say?

‘There’s no need for me to come forward myself.’

Whether the number increases, bandits run rampant, or thieves run rampant.

My honest opinion was that it didn’t matter to me.

The problem was the place where the enemy nested.

Yangtze River.

This is the place that the Yangtze River Cooperatives protected and protected throughout their lives.

After hearing the story about him from Sogeolgae, my feelings became complicated.

It was safe to say that this subjugation operation was planned to relieve that frustration.

I think I did it too spontaneously, but I had strength now.

Well, isn’t that a bad number?

No matter how much I tried, there was no way he could pose a threat to me.

“What’s going on?”

An old man who was dozing off in a chair spotted me and my group and started talking to us.

I walked up to him, held out the gold coin, and asked.

“Can I borrow a boat?”

“Of course. How many ships do you need?”

“Two ships are enough.”

“But is it okay? It’s foggy right now because it’s the time zone…”

“It’s okay.”

The companions who immediately boarded the ferry rowed vigorously.

As I stared at the distant ferry, I fiddled with the book in my arms.

‘It wouldn’t be a good idea to think about it too long.’

Let’s come to a clear conclusion once this is over.

I muttered in my mind and slowly looked away.

Towards the front, enveloped in fog and unable to see an inch ahead.