Kang Tae-goo extended a respectful greeting to her, treating her with the formality one would show a daughter, and then turned his gaze to his son.
Mesmerized by her beauty, which was as lovely as a blooming flower, Kang Geo-wan stood there completely dazed, not even offering a greeting.
Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to the still-dazed Kang Geo-wan.
It took a forced cough from his father to snap Kang Geo-wan back to reality. He hastily offered a formal salute but somehow failed to open his mouth.
“He injured his jaw in a recent sparring match and is unable to speak.”
In truth, all his teeth had been knocked out, and he was too embarrassed to open his mouth, but Kang Tae-goo offered a tactful excuse.
Jegal Jin-hee replied in an indifferent tone and then took a step back, as if she had nothing more to say.
“You must be tired from your long journey. Would you like to rest first?”
“No need. There’s no point in wasting time over such matters.”
Jegal Hyeon wanted to conclude the matter quickly before any other prominent factions or major sects could intervene.
“Then I shall guide you.”
With Jegal Hyeon and the Hyun Sword Squad, along with Jegal Jin-hee, behind him, Kang Tae-goo confidently headed toward the Shaolin clinic.
But soon, Kang Tae-goo remembered something and spoke cautiously.
“However, there has been a slight change since we sent the letter.”
“What kind of change? Explain.”
“Actually, there’s an official named Ryang Geo-wan who has been frequenting that place for a few days now. He holds a position here in Nanchang.”
“Hmm… That shouldn’t be a concern.”
Stroking his white beard a few times, Jegal Hyeon replied as if it was nothing.
Ryang Geo-wan held the rank of a 6th-grade official, a somewhat powerful position, but not one that would intimidate the Jegal family.
The Jegal family, known for their strategic minds, had strong connections with scholars, some of whom held current governmental positions.
A 6th-grade official was easily manageable within Jegal Hyeon’s network.
Buoyed by these words, Kang Tae-goo once again walked confidently toward the clinic.
“We have business with the Shaolin disciples!!”
Upon reaching the entrance, he boldly shouted and began making a scene.
“If Shaolin is truly honorable, come out now and explain this matter!!”
Leaving the unsightly task to Kang Tae-goo, the members from the Jegal family stepped back to observe the situation.
And soon enough, as Kang Tae-goo’s commotion seemed to have an effect, Shaolin disciples began to emerge one by one from the entrance.
But what a sight it was.
Following the Shaolin disciples, a middle-aged man with a stern appearance appeared alongside a novice monk.
After him, another middle-aged man, who was beginning to show white hair, stepped forward with a displeased expression, causing Kang Tae-goo’s face to turn pale.
Hearing Kang Tae-goo’s murmur, the expression on Jegal Hyeon’s face, who had been observing the situation from behind, noticeably hardened.
A position referring to the second-in-command of the six departments consisting of Yi, Ho, Ye, Byeong, Hyeong, and Gong, directly overseeing the Hyeong department, which was Jegal Hyeon’s superior office.
More importantly, it was an official rank of the fourth degree. Unless the head of the Jegal family came personally, it was impossible for Jegal Hyeon, a mere elder, to handle someone of this stature.
‘Why is a Cham-ui suddenly appearing here?’
While Jegal Hyeon was thinking this, the Cham-ui, who wore a deeply displeased expression, opened his mouth.
“I was on my way out after receiving a pleasant treatment. What is this commotion?”
Cham-ui Yuk Jong-seon. It was his first visit to this place today.
His subordinate, Ryang Ga-won, had found an excellent clinic and had persistently persuaded him to visit it. So, he had come with a half-doubtful heart.
And though he had been very satisfied with Mu-jin’s treatment, his mood had been spoiled by the commotion caused by these ruffians.
Unable to bear Cham-ui’s sharp gaze, Kang Tae-goo turned his head slightly to look at Jegal Hyeon behind him.
‘Wh-what should we do?’
‘Why are you looking at me!’
There was no information that the Cham-ui would be here!
Jegal Hyeon almost let his true thoughts slip. If he had known that the Cham-ui frequented this place, he wouldn’t have handled the situation this way.
But it was too late to retreat now. Backing down would only further anger the Cham-ui.
Jegal Hyeon eventually stepped forward to handle the situation.
“Greetings to Cham-ui Sir. I am Jegal Hyeon from the Jegal family in Hubei Province.”
Jegal Hyeon made a courteous bow, but Yuk Jong-seon still mumbled with a displeased expression.
There was a common saying among officials.
Most martial artists are ruffians, but among them, there are some who enjoy poetry, painting, and are capable of engaging in meaningful conversation.
Those were the Jegal family.
‘It was just a baseless rumor.’
But due to today’s events, Yuk Jong-seon’s perception of the Jegal family was rapidly changing—for the worse.
“So, what brings someone from the Jegal family in Hubei here?”
“The fact is, we came here in response to a request for help from the Taegeom Sect in Nanchang. We were informed that the Shaolin in Henan were oppressing the local sects in Nanchang and taking over their positions. We are concerned that the Shaolin might be straying from the righteous path. As this is an issue among the martial sects, we would appreciate it if you could allow us to discuss it with the Shaolin and resolve it.”
By saying they had come in response to information from the Taegeom Sect, Jegal Hyeon subtly shifted the blame for today’s chaos onto the Taegeom Sect.
Moreover, Jegal-hyeon subtly hinted at the principle of non-interference to persuade Cham-ui to step back from the matter.
“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? We’re a clinic, not a martial sect.”
Suddenly, a novice monk from behind intervened in the conversation, swiftly demolishing the ‘non-interference’ Jegal-hyeon mentioned.
“Ah! I apologize, Sir Cham-ui. I spoke out of turn due to my frustration.”
“Hahaha. It’s fine, Mu-jin Novice. The hardest thing to endure in the world is injustice, isn’t it?”
Just as Jegal-hyeon was about to retort, the novice monk apologized to Cham-ui, snatching away Jegal-hyeon’s chance to speak.
Jegal-hyeon could not help but feel furious.
Meanwhile, the Shaolin disciples observing from behind, especially Beob Gang, wore satisfied expressions.
Mu-jin had always been the one to argue persistently with the elders in the temple whenever he felt something was wrong.
Even the thought of debating with Mu-jin was exhausting, but now that Mu-jin was an ally, he couldn’t have felt more reassured.
‘A leaking pot leaks everywhere, inside and out. Hahaha.’
Though the expression was odd, it was nonetheless apt.
Meanwhile, Yuk Jong-seon, who had been smiling pleasantly at Mu-jin, turned to Jegal-hyeon with a displeased look.
“It seems Mu-jin Novice is right. How can you claim this is a matter between martial sects when dealing with a clinic?”
Thanks to Mu-jin’s treatment, Cham-ui’s mind was firmly settled on the fact that this place was indeed a clinic.
Seeing Yuk Jong-seon’s displeased expression made Jegal-hyeon’s head spin.
What on earth should he say in response?
‘Hehehe. Everything’s going according to plan.’
As Mu-jin watched Jegal-hyeon flounder, he internally chuckled in satisfaction.
Just then, a voice transmission reached Mu-jin’s ears.
– How can you just let this pass? This is a rare opportunity to experience the martial arts of the Jegal family, one of the Five Great Families.
Mu-jin quickly recognized the voice as Hye-gwan’s.
‘It seems he’s drinking on a pavilion roof again.’
Mu-jin intended to ignore Hye-gwan’s voice transmission, but then came the follow-up message.
– Or are you afraid you’ll lose? Hehehe. If you run from a fight out of fear, you’ll have to face the consequences of your actions.
‘The consequences of my actions?’
As Mu-jin pondered in confusion, Hye-gwan added another comment through voice transmission.
Mu-jin immediately understood what Hye-gwan meant. He was referring to the sin of eating meat, now coming back to haunt him.
For Mu-jin, who still considered it too early to leave Shaolin, this was quite a troublesome matter.
Thus, Mu-jin had no choice but to speak up.
“Upon reflection, though we are a clinic, we are still Shaolin disciples, so it seems we must handle this matter in the martial way, Sir Cham-ui.”
At Mu-jin’s words, Jegal-hyeon’s expression twisted bizarrely.
He couldn’t understand why Mu-jin, who had the upper hand, was spouting such nonsense.
“By martial way, do you mean resolving this through a fight?”
Yuk Jong-seon asked, and Mu-jin replied.
“It’s not a fight but a sparring match, Sir Cham-ui. Moreover, if we avoid the sparring now, bad rumors about Shaolin might spread later. So, if possible, I would like you, Sir Cham-ui, to be the witness for this sparring match.”
Jegal-hyeon’s eyes widened at Mu-jin’s follow-up statement.
‘So that’s why he proposed a sparring match despite the favorable situation.’
Jegal-hyeon was taken aback by Mu-jin’s strategy, even though it was due to Hye-gwan’s threat that he stepped forward.
Jegal-hyeon had considered spreading rumors that Shaolin was colluding with the government as a last resort.
However, regardless of Jegal-hyeon’s astonishment, Yuk Jong-seon asked with an intrigued expression.
“Hmm. So, will Mu-jin Novice be participating in this sparring match?”
“And who do you have in mind as the opponent?”
Mu-jin found it difficult to answer that question right away. Hye-gwan had forced him to spar with the Jegal family, but he hadn’t specified an opponent.
Then, unexpectedly, someone from the Jegal family stepped forward and spoke before Mu-jin could respond.
“I will accept that sparring match.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the woman who stepped forward.
‘Wow. Such a beauty?’
Even Yuk Jong-seon, who had met many beauties in his high-ranking position, was surprised by her elegance.
“Isn’t it too dangerous for a woman to participate in a sparring match?” Yuk Jong-seon asked, and Jegal Jin-hee calmly responded.
“Thank you for your concern, Sir Cham-ui, but I am also a martial artist with aspirations in the martial world.”
However, despite her outward calmness, her mood was far from pleasant.
She hated being told she couldn’t do something just because she was a woman.
Even though she was the most talented in martial arts among her peers in the family, she couldn’t become the head because she was a woman.
Moreover, she had come with the intention of sparring with Mu-jin from the beginning, so there was no reason to avoid it.
“Hmm. If both sides agree, I will observe the sparring match,” said Yuk Jong-seon, stroking his beard as he watched the situation unfold.
A sparring match between martial artists.
Though they were junior disciples, it was a rare and entertaining sight for someone in his position to witness.
Instead of having the sparring match in the middle of the street at the clinic’s entrance, they moved to a spacious area inside the clinic. Find the newest release on novel★fire.net
Jegal-hyeon asked Jegal Jin-hee, who was preparing for the sparring match.
“Are you sure about this?”
“For our Jegal family, this is an opportunity, isn’t it? Or do you not trust me, Elder?”
“No, it seems I spoke nonsense, swayed by that novice. He seems to have instigated this because he looks down on our Jegal family, so make sure to put Shaolin in their place.”
She responded confidently, without a hint of hesitation, and stepped forward boldly.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin, who was also preparing for the sparring match, approached Hye-gwan, who had just appeared.
“Is that woman the one?”
Mu-jin’s tone was curt, as he was forced into an unnecessary sparring match due to Hye-gwan’s threat.
“Hehehehe. I thought that woman would step forward.”
Hye-gwan replied with a sly expression and added.
“Why? Are you underestimating a sparring match with a woman? Hehehe. If you do, you’ll get beaten up like a dog meeting a beggar gang leader.”
“…Is she that skilled?”
“She may not match up to me, but she’s just one step ahead of you. Hehehe.”
Hye-gwan’s response finally allowed Mu-jin to understand Hye-gwan’s intentions.
‘So that’s why he forcibly orchestrated the sparring match.’
It wasn’t just for fun.