Chapter 63 : An Unexpected Gain? -02

Chapter 63: An Unexpected Gain? -02

At the even more incomprehensible words, Ban Hojin narrowed his brows.

Meanwhile, Seonwu Bang, who was standing beside him, was smirking as if he had understood what Murong Cheok meant.

“Why would my elder brother be your elder brother? As far as I know, we’ve never agreed to call each other brother, have we?”

Seo Jo-woon opened his mouth in place of the speechless Ban Hojin.

And his words were sharply edged.

“He’s older than me, so of course he’s my elder brother. And between men, if you’re willing, isn’t it easy to become close? What matters isn’t how long you’ve known each other, but whether your hearts connected. In Murim, people sometimes hit it off in a single day and even form a brotherhood oath.”

“That’s under special circumstances. This situation is completely different.”

“But I’m in the middle of a conversation with Ban hyung.”

Murong Cheok shot a sharp glare at Seo Jo-woon, who kept butting in at every turn.

It was a wordless pressure telling him to stop interfering and stay quiet.

However, Seo Jo-woon was not someone who would yield to pressure at this level.

“I’m my elder brother’s younger brother. Your status is completely different from mine, someone I only met today.”

“Your?”

“Ah, that slipped out. Young Master Murong. Or should I call you Young Lord?”

Though he was smiling, his words were thick with mockery.

Since it was impossible not to notice, Murong Cheok’s brows furrowed deeply.

Still, he did not lose his temper.

In a situation like this, he knew well that the one who lost their temper first was the one who lost.

“Call me whatever is comfortable. Either way, I’m still me.”

“Then I’ll go with you. Since I won the spar, I figured this much should be allowed.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

At Seo Jo-woon’s remark, which went beyond provocation to outright digging in, Murong Cheok’s expression turned icy.

It wasn’t killing intent, but the chill radiating from his face made the atmosphere in the room turn cold in an instant.

“That’s enough. He’s still older than you.”

“Yes.”

In the end, Ban Hojin stepped in when he could no longer watch.

If he let this continue, it felt like blades would be drawn inside the room.

“From today on, I will serve you as my elder brother!”

“That doesn’t seem quite right.”

“Yes?”

“We only met today, didn’t we?”

At Ban Hojin’s continued words, Seo Jo-woon wore a triumphant expression.

They were exactly what he had been hoping to hear.

At the same time, Murong Cheok’s shoulders slumped.

“……So it really is like that.”

“But I’m curious about the reason. There was no need to go so far as to seek us out.”

“Realizing something doesn’t mean it changes on its own. What’s important is putting it into practice. That’s why I thought about it. I have to leave home if I’m truly going to change. If I stay at home like this, I’ll return to how I was before in no time. There’s a reason the word ‘inertia’ exists. I’ve lived that way my entire life, so changing in an instant is difficult.”

“In other words, you’re saying you intend to leave the Murong Family?”

“Yes. I believe it’s absolutely necessary for my growth. Of course, simply leaving home isn’t enough. I need people around me who constantly stimulate me. Put another way, I suppose you could call them goals. If I can see them, I’ll keep striving.”

“So you want us to take you along?”

“Yes.”

He had explained at length, but the conclusion was a single one.

That was why Murong Cheok answered confidently.

He felt a bit embarrassed saying it this way since he never had before, but he thought honesty was better than lying.

Besides, these weren’t people he could deceive with some half-baked lie.

‘In the first place, the hilt of the sword is in their hands.’

Murong Cheok was keenly aware of his current position.

If their relationship were divided into superior and inferior, he was unquestionably the inferior.

So for him, clinging on was the only natural choice.

“Hm.”

At the completely opposite attitude from when he had first met him, Ban Hojin wore a surprised expression.

He hadn’t expected Murong Cheok to bend his pride this far.

Of course, the shock he had received from sparring with Seo Jo-woon must have been great, but a person’s nature didn’t change so easily.

In his past life, Murong Cheok had lived as if the eight characters “Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am supreme” were his motto, so Ban Hojin honestly found his current appearance unfamiliar.

“So there’s no room at all?”

“I don’t really mind. But we’re not heading straight to Shaolin.”

“Then are you going to the Peng Family of Hebei?”

After the spar, Murong Cheok hadn’t merely trained and reflected.

He had asked the household retainers about the group and learned all the general information, so the question came naturally.

“No. There’s somewhere else we’re going.”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t we going to Shaolin?”

At Ban Hojin’s answer, Seo Jo-woon and Seonwu Bang widened their eyes.

They had assumed that after the Murong Family, they would naturally return to Shaolin, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Sensing there was a separate destination, the two stared at Ban Hojin with rabbit-like eyes.

“There’s a place to stop by on the way. It’ll be a good experience for the two of you as well.”

“I’m genuinely curious. How do you know about that?”

“There’s a world adults know that children don’t.”

“Adults, my foot. We’re the same age.”

“Tsk. You have to look at mental age, not physical age.”

Seonwu Bang made an incredulous expression.

Finding no value in responding to such nonsense, he stayed silent.

“I’m fine with anywhere. If elder brother is going, I’ll go too.”

“I’d like to go as well. I’ll serve you as my elder brother and do my best.”

Murong Cheok subtly joined the conversation.

At this sight, completely opposite of the Murong Cheok who had lived on his own sense of superiority, Ban Hojin let out a small chuckle without realizing it.

“Joining us isn’t difficult, but there are two conditions.”

“I’ll listen carefully.”

“One is extremely obvious. Obtain the Family Head’s permission. We refuse to be involved in an unauthorized runaway. I have no desire to end up on bad terms with the Murong Family.”

“Understood.”

Murong Cheok immediately nodded.

Just as Ban Hojin had said, it was a very obvious condition, and he had no objection either.

“The other is reorganizing the hierarchy based on ability. We’ll maintain proper courtesy according to age, but you should be aware that you’re the weakest.”

“I’m the weakest?”

“Yes. If you can’t accept it, then prove otherwise.”

Ban Hojin grinned.

As if to say he would allow as many challenges as Murong Cheok wanted.

At those words, flames surged in Murong Cheok’s eyes.

Seo Jo-woon had personally crossed blades with him, so he knew Murong Cheok possessed talent no less than his own, but Seonwu Bang was different.

He didn’t look particularly special, nor did his aura seem impressive, so in truth, Murong Cheok hadn’t even given Seonwu Bang a second glance.

However, when Ban Hojin said that Murong Cheok wouldn’t even be able to beat Seonwu Bang, Murong Cheok’s pride was wounded.

“Not a chance. I can’t beat Brother Bang either.”

“What did you say?”

“Did we agree to speak casually? I don’t think we did, if my memory serves me right.”

Murong Cheok made an incredulous expression.

Seo Jo-woon, however, reacted sensitively to a different part.

The moment casual speech was used, his face crumpled into a deep frown.

“You’re saying Seo lost?”

“Yes. Brother Bang is no pushover either. If you don’t believe it, experience it for yourself.”

“I was itching to move my hands anyway. Shall we have a go?”

As Murong Cheok continued to wear an expression of disbelief, Seonwu Bang spoke up.

It wasn’t for any hidden reason—Seonwu Bang was purely curious about Murong Cheok’s skill.

Even while sparring with Seo Jo-woon, Murong Cheok had grown at a dazzling pace.

Whether that was growth or simply the recovery of his original strength was unclear, but what mattered was that merely watching him made sweat bead in one’s palm.

“Very well. A martial artist does not avoid a challenge.”

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Seeing Murong Cheok act as though he were some renowned guest of Jianghu, Ban Hojin snorted.

Once again, it showed that people did not change easily.

Still, on the other hand, he felt anticipation.

For the expression Murong Cheok would soon wear after being completely changed.

Krrrgn!

In the training grounds lit only by moonlight, without even a torch, the two faced each other.

True to the saying about pulling out even an ox’s horn in one breath, they had come straight to the training grounds.

Since neither was at a level where darkness would hinder their vision, they began sparring immediately, and just as Ban Hojin had expected, the situation unfolded accordingly.

“Yah!”

Murong Cheok boldly drove forward, raising his sword momentum, but contrary to appearances, there was no substance behind it.

No matter how fiercely he unleashed a wave-like offensive, Seonwu Bang blocked everything perfectly.

As if to demonstrate what solid fundamentals truly meant, Seonwu Bang blocked Murong Cheok’s attacks simply and succinctly.

Flashy techniques and unpredictable sword momentum were utterly ineffective against Seonwu Bang.

Woom, woom, woom!

On the other hand, Murong Cheok could barely fend off the monotonous single sword thrusts Seonwu Bang delivered.

It wasn’t a changing move or an empty feint—just an utterly simple thrust—yet Murong Cheok was forced to retreat step by step.

Because it was so clear, blocking it wasn’t difficult.

However, blocking it perfectly was impossible.

Brrr!

From the moment their swords met, a fierce, overwhelming power surged through him, making Murong Cheok’s entire body tremble.

Faced with a force on an entirely different level from Seo Jo-woon’s, Murong Cheok ground his teeth.

Yet Seonwu Bang’s single sword was not a strike that could be stopped by gritting one’s teeth or desperately squeezing out strength.

It was a sword strike forged from hundreds of thousands, millions of repetitions over a lifetime, and before it, Murong Cheok could do nothing but collapse to the ground.

Koom!

Unable to endure the sword pressure any longer, he dropped to one knee.

Though he was desperately struggling to avoid the disgrace of losing his sword as a swordsman, Murong Cheok knew it.

That at this rate, he wouldn’t last even half a gak.

“Let’s stop here.”

“Huff! Hah! Huh!”

With Seonwu Bang’s words, the overwhelming sword pressure and crushing weight pressing down on him vanished.

Still, Murong Cheok couldn’t stand.

The pressure that had weighed down his entire body was gone, but the accumulated shock remained.

And it wasn’t only physical shock—mental shock also rendered him unable to move.

‘If Young Master Seonwu is at this level, then just how strong is Elder Brother?’

No matter what anyone said, the strongest among the group was Ban Hojin.

He was also a master who had single-handedly dealt with the Green Forest Great Lord.

On top of that, he was a martial artist acknowledged by the Blade King.

As those thoughts piled up, Murong Cheok’s head throbbed.

‘……Is it possible?’

He couldn’t even properly receive Seonwu Bang’s single sword.

And yet Ban Hojin was a martial artist that even Seonwu Bang couldn’t dare compare himself to.

When his thoughts reached that point, Murong Cheok felt utterly at a loss.

“It looks like you need time to sort out your thoughts. For now, return to your quarters.”

“…….”

“Jo-woon, call someone.”

“Yes!”

At the sight of Murong Cheok standing there like a stone statue, unmoving with a vacant expression, Seo Jo-woon grinned.

It was exactly as he had expected.

From the start, Murong Cheok had less than a one-in-ten chance of victory, so Seo Jo-woon wore a thoroughly satisfied expression, flashed a grin at Seonwu Bang, and went to find a servant to take Murong Cheok away.

Drip.

Murong Gung quietly looked at Murong Cheok, who had come to find him early in the morning.

At the same time, he pondered.

When was the last time his son had come to him first?

“What’s going on? Why the serious mood?”

Unlike Murong Cheok, Murong Heesu—who came every morning to pay her respects—poured tea and spoke with a sharp expression.

Since Murong Cheok hadn’t come to see him first like this in quite some time, there was an edge to Murong Heesu’s voice.