Chapter 48 : The Visitor Who Came. -03

Chapter 48: The Visitor Who Came. -03

At the words “Hundred-Year Purple Tyrant,” Seo Jo-woon’s gaze changed.

Ban Hojin had said it half-jokingly, but Seo Jo-woon had not taken it as a joke.

As sharp as he was, Seo Jo-woon had already completed a Ten-Year Grand Scheme in his head.

There would be revisions here and there, but the overall framework would not change.

“Is it possible?”

“Who knows. All kinds of things happen in this world. It’s not like it’s impossible to catch one, right?”

Ban Hojin said casually.

However, that was his honest thought as well.

After all, Ban Hojin himself had experienced the miracle of returning to the past.

Because of that, he believed that anything could happen in life.

“This is getting me fired up. I looked into it, and they say shell-type spiritual creatures possess yin energy. Since they grow in the deep sea, they naturally accumulate yin energy.”

“Even among them, there’ll be some rebels.”

“Like you, big brother?”

“I’m living according to the natural order, though?”

Ban Hojin snorted.

At the very least, he hadn’t caused trouble since returning to the past.

If anything, he had been helping others.

On top of that, he was even changing fate in a positive direction.

“Uh…….”

“See? Even Brother Bang looks like he can’t agree with that.”

“You don’t know anything.”

Even at Seonwu Bang’s expression, which couldn’t quite deny it, Ban Hojin did not waver.

He knew far too well that his thinking was correct.

It was just that the two of them couldn’t understand it.

But that didn’t mean Ban Hojin could explain it either.

“Shall we find lodgings first?”

“Yeah. We’ve got plenty of money, so somewhere with a full view of the sea. Top floor, too.”

“As expected of a rich guy! The more money you have, the better, right?”

“Life gets more comfortable. But we’re splitting the bill by headcount. If you don’t like it, find your own room.”

“Ugh!”

Seo Jo-woon made a horrified face.

He hadn’t expected Ban Hojin to be this stingy.

Of course, Seo Jo-woon wasn’t broke, but if possible, free was always better.

“Like free stuff too much and you’ll go bald. Especially a martial artist like you who’s cultivated Yang-Strong Arts—you need to be extra careful.”

“Right, too much yang energy makes you go bald. What’s funny is that you get lots of hair in other places.”

“You know your stuff.”

At the perfectly synced exchange between Ban Hojin and Seonwu Bang, Seo Jo-woon stuck out his lips.

Hair loss was a very sensitive issue for him.

There was a reason he checked his hairline every night.

“Aren’t you being a bit much?”

“I’m telling you to take care of it early. Once your hair starts falling out, it’s too late. If you ask me, a handsome guy with thick hair is better than a handsome bald guy.”

“Ugh!”

Seo Jo-woon shuddered.

It felt like they were talking about it too lightly just because it wasn’t their problem.

Still, since Ban Hojin was both his senior and the one who had saved his life, all Seo Jo-woon could do was fume.

“Splitting the bill was a joke. Hurry up and go look.”

“Yes, sir!”

Seo Jo-woon’s expression instantly brightened as he dashed off.

He was going to find an inn that met Ban Hojin’s conditions.

While he was at it, he planned to add food as well.

Since he was already looking, he might as well find a place with good food too.

---

Slap! Whoooosh.

Watching the waves roll in and out, Ban Hojin leisurely cast his fishing hook.

He hadn’t bought a rod—he had only purchased fishing line and a hook, then roughly snapped a nearby tree branch to make a fishing rod.

“If you want to catch a big one, shouldn’t you take a boat out? Even a small one—rent it, or we could make one. The three of us working together could make a small boat quickly, right? Putting it together would be hard, but if we hollow out a big log, we could make a crude boat.”

“You two can do that if you want. I’m satisfied with this.”

“Planning to fish for time, like Jiang Taigong?”

Seeing Ban Hojin lying on a seaside rock with a small piece of bait on the hook, Seonwu Bang chuckled.

It was hard to tell whether he had come to fish or just to sprawl out.

What was funny, though, was how endlessly content Ban Hojin looked.

“Rather than fishing for time, I’m fishing for leisure. Isn’t it peaceful? Children running around, adults heading out on fishing boats to haul in nets. It’s everyone’s lives coming together.”

“You saw all that with your eyes closed?”

“It’s all spread out there. A quick glance and you can see everything.”

“Yaaah!”

Unlike Ban Hojin, who had calmly wedged his fishing rod between rocks and lay back, Seo Jo-woon had taken a spot a little farther away and was fishing more earnestly than anyone.

As if he really meant to catch a Hundred-Year Purple Tyrant, he repeatedly reeled in and cast his hook.

“Talk about extremes.”

“Isn’t it nice? Sometimes you need to rest like this, without thinking about anything. There’s a reason people say to empty your mind. Well, that doesn’t mean leaving the secular world is the answer. Humans can’t live alone. We unknowingly inspire one another, or receive inspiration. There’s a reason the character for ‘person’ is made of two strokes leaning together.”

“Moments like this really make you seem like someone who’s read the Buddhist scriptures.”

Seonwu Bang let out a hollow laugh.

Most of the time, Ban Hojin didn’t act like someone who had studied at a temple, but every now and then he said things a great monk might say, which was both surprising and amusing.

“If you want to ride a boat, make one yourself. It’ll be faster if it’s just for you, right?”

“I’m not obsessed with fishing either. It’s just that I’m clumsy since it’s my first time.”

“First time?”

“Being familiar with the sea and fishing are two different things.”

“That’s true.”

Like Ban Hojin, Seonwu Bang roughly hooked a small fish as bait and swung his fishing rod wide.

He put his strength into it so the hook would land where he aimed.

True to his nature as a swordsman, Seonwu Bang’s hook fell near his intended spot.

“Failure.”

“……Everyone’s like this at first.”

“Nope. I succeeded in one go. Whether it’s a sword or a fishing rod, swinging it is the same.”

“Some people are good right away, and others are slower.”

“You’re pretty good with words today.”

Ban Hojin grinned.

It seemed trivial, but Ban Hojin saw straight through the intent behind each word.

He also thought about it positively.

It might be hard for the person involved, but knowing oneself was extremely important.

“Got one!”

“Not a trophy catch.”

“Ah, come on, big brother!”

At Ban Hojin’s remark, which immediately poured cold water on his excitement the moment he caught a fish, Seo Jo-woon flared up.

But whether Seo Jo-woon fumed or not, Ban Hojin once again lay down lazily to the side, basking in the sea breeze as if nothing mattered.

Whether a fish bit the hook or not, he didn’t care at all, simply savoring the atmosphere and scenery.

“I caught one too!”

In the meantime, Seonwu Bang also caught a fish.

It was as if beginner’s luck truly existed—he hadn’t been fishing for long at all, yet he landed one.

And it was quite a big one at that.

“Wow! That looks over one cheok!”

“This is what you call a trophy catch.”

“To get a trophy catch on your first try. I’m jealous.”

“You’ve already got everything anyway. You should at least let me have this much luck.”

Seo Jo-woon blinked both eyes.

He didn’t understand what was being said.

“Yes?”

“Looks, talent, and even family background. That’s really having it all. So I’m asking you to yield this much fortune to me.”

“Hey, you’re pretty similar too.”

“I don’t have looks.”

“Uh, um.”

At such a cool-headed and objective self-assessment, Seo Jo-woon was momentarily left speechless.

He couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

Judging purely objectively, among the three of them, Seonwu Bang was indeed the one lacking most in looks.

“But you have talent and family. Jo-woon’s lacking in family. When you put it that way, it’s all much of a muchness. Arguing in front of me over who’s better just sounds like bragging.”

“You’re not someone who’d be looked down on anywhere either. A disciple of the Shaolin Abbot, with innate talent to boot. You’re not even considered within the category of rising juniors anymore.”

“If I weren’t at least that much, I’d deserve to die.”

Ban Hojin said firmly without even opening his eyes.

But neither Seonwu Bang nor Seo Jo-woon understood those words.

Crunch, crunch.

“Hello?”

“Huh?”

While they were leisurely enjoying the sea breeze, an unfamiliar voice was heard.

At the sound, Seonwu Bang and Seo Jo-woon, who had been diligently fishing, turned their heads.

Since there were quite a few people on the beach, they had naturally assumed it was just someone passing by, but when she spoke directly to them, both wore confused expressions.

“Yawn.”

Only Ban Hojin was not surprised.

No matter who spoke to them, Ban Hojin lay sprawled out on the mat without showing the slightest reaction.

“Ahem!”

At that sight, the middle-aged man who stood behind the slender woman as if guarding her cleared his throat.

He was looking squarely at the Ban Hojin lying down.

Unfortunately for him, the reaction he wanted did not come.

Scrape. Scrape.

Instead, Ban Hojin picked at his wide-open ear with his little finger, as if wondering where some dog was barking.

The middle-aged man’s face instantly flushed red.

“Giggle.”

However, at that sight, the woman who had greeted them covered her mouth and laughed.

It was her first time seeing a man act so free-spirited right in front of her.

Moreover, the aura she faintly sensed from Seonwu Bang and Seo Jo-woon was no small matter either.

“Who are you?”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly strange, Seonwu Bang finally couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up.

It seemed that he was the only one here capable of tidying things up.

At the same time, Seonwu Bang quickly searched his memory.

A woman accompanied by as many as three escort warriors could not possibly be of ordinary status, so he wondered if they had ever crossed paths before.

“I’ll introduce myself properly. I’m Peng Hwayeong of the Hebei Peng Family.”

“Ah! The Peng Family Head’s youngest daughter.”

“That’s right. This is our first time meeting like this, so you probably didn’t recognize me.”

“It seems Miss Peng already knows me.”

“I looked into Young Master Seonwu beforehand. Hello, Young Master Seo.”

Perhaps her personality was as refreshing as her tall stature, because Peng Hwayeong greeted Seo Jo-woon first without the slightest hesitation.

And she did so with a proper fist-clasp salute, befitting a martial artist.

However, before her greeting, what caught Seo Jo-woon’s eye first was the Geopae Blade strapped to her back.

“Ah, hello. I’m Seo Jo-woon of the Seo Family.”

But his flustered state lasted only a moment.

Though fallen, being born of a prestigious family was not something that simply vanished, so Seo Jo-woon also returned the greeting politely.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

At Peng Hwayeong’s friendly manner despite it being their first meeting, Seo Jo-woon wore a dazed expression.

And Seonwu Bang was no different.

“Hello, Young Master Ban?”

After greeting Seonwu Bang and Seo Jo-woon, Peng Hwayeong’s gaze shifted to Ban Hojin, who was still lying on his side.

But the look in her eyes as she watched Ban Hojin was clearly different from how she had looked at the other two.

She stared intently at Ban Hojin with a gaze tinged with a peculiar emotion.

“Hojin.”

Seeing Ban Hojin lying there without responding, Seonwu Bang quietly spoke up.

He called out softly, wondering if his friend might have fallen asleep.

“I’m not dozing off. I was about to get up anyway.”

At the sense that a lightning-like voice transmission might come flying if he didn’t respond, Ban Hojin brushed off his backside and stood up from the mat.

Then he made an expression whose meaning was hard to decipher.

‘Well, would you look at this?’