That’s Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 25
Seol-yak-bing (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The person who stepped out of the carriage was a woman.

Moreover, she was a stunning beauty who would make anyone, regardless of age or gender, turn their heads in admiration.

Especially her every step was so graceful and elegant that she seemed to have received proper etiquette education.

The woman approached me and thanked me, just like Leader Mak had done.

“Thank you for your help, young master. I am Seol-yak-bing.”

I was about to introduce myself in return when Miss Seol shook her head.

“I overheard your conversation with Leader Mak just now.”

“Oh, you practice martial arts?”

There was a considerable distance between the carriage and where we were standing.

The fact that she could hear our conversation from that distance meant she was revealing that she was a martial artist.

Miss Seol smiled faintly at my words.

“It’s at a level I’m embarrassed to reveal before such a skilled young master.”

“Oh come on, ‘skilled young master.’ You’re flattering me too much.”

I scratched my head in embarrassment.

Huh, really. I shouldn’t be called a master when I couldn’t even use Sword Force yet.

Ah, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Miss Seol, seeing me struggling to maintain a straight face, smiled even wider and asked,

“By the way, you said you were curious about my circumstances?”

“Yes? Ah, well… a little?”

I felt a flicker of anticipation.

Did the fact that she asked me this separately mean she was willing to tell me?

But contrary to my expectations, Miss Seol slowly shook her head.

“I apologize, but it’s a sensitive matter, so I can’t tell you carelessly. I’m afraid it might cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Ah, I see.”

I was slightly disappointed, but I soon understood.

It would be difficult to tell a complete stranger, even a benefactor, about her personal circumstances.

However, seeing Miss Seol’s reaction, Leader Mak stepped forward with a flustered look.

“Um, Miss Seol. Wouldn’t it be better to explain the situation to this young master and ask for his help?”

“Leader Mak?”

Miss Seol looked bewildered at his suggestion.

Leader Mak turned his head with an apologetic expression.

His eyes, as the leader of the escort agency, fell on the escorts who were lying on the ground, injured.

“…As you can see, the opponent is too strong. We were lucky to fend them off this time thanks to Young Master Gun’s help, but next time… it will be difficult.”

“……”

Miss Seol’s face clouded with worry at Leader Mak’s words.

Bowing his head apologetically, Leader Mak looked at me and said,

“If it’s alright with you, would you be willing to assist us with our escort mission? If you do, I’ll give you half of the twenty silver taels Miss Seol paid as a commission.”

“…Half?”

It wasn’t that I was particularly interested in ten silver taels.

The secret safe under our carriage floor held far more money than that.

What surprised me was Leader Mak’s decision to readily offer half of the escort fee.

“Leader Mak, you’re not the head of the agency or the branch manager, are you? Is it alright for you to make such a decision?”

Leader Mak shook his head at my question.

“Normally, it’s something I shouldn’t do. But the escort mission is in danger of failing. The failure of an escort mission means the agency loses its credibility. It’s far better to accept some loss than to let that happen.”

“Hmm…”

I was inwardly impressed.

He was willing to accept an immediate loss for the sake of the future, it was quite bold.

It was a difficult decision to make as the leader of an escort mission.

He could end up taking the blame alone, but the fact that he offered it without hesitation showed his character.

Although we had just met, I found myself liking this Mak Pyeong-sam.

I wanted to help, but I had my companions and our own destination.

Unfortunately, I had no choice but to refuse.

“I apologize, but my companions and I have our own destination, so it would be difficult to accept your offer.”

At my refusal, Leader Mak tried to hide his disappointment.

“…I see. May I ask where you’re headed?”

“We’re going to Hefei. We have some business there…”

At my answer, Leader Mak’s expression suddenly brightened.

Uh… don’t tell me?

Just as Leader Mak was about to say something with a bright face, a commotion arose from behind us.

Kya, kyaah!?

“…? What’s that?”

I turned my head and saw something rapidly approaching from afar.

Focusing my vision, I realized it was our carriage.

Hwa-ryeon was frozen on the driver’s seat, clutching the reins, while Seol-i, barely poking her head out, was screaming.

What? What was going on?

Although I was bewildered by the unexpected situation, I had to stop the carriage first.

I ran towards the carriage that was heading straight for us.

“Y-Young Master!”

Hwa-ryeon, who had been frozen stiff, spotted me and her expression relaxed in relief.

I leaped onto the driver’s seat, grabbed her hands that were holding the reins, and pulled hard.

Neigh!

“Whoa!”

The frantically galloping horses gradually calmed down and began to slow down.

The carriage finally came to a complete stop at the end of the procession of escorts.

Whew, that was close.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine…?”

Hwa-ryeon turned her head, and her eyes widened as she saw my face right in front of hers. She gasped.

Her reaction made me realize our current position.

In my haste to stop the carriage, I had ended up pulling Hwa-ryeon from behind, my arms wrapped around her with our hands clasped together.

It wasn’t exactly an appropriate position for grown men and women to be in.

It couldn’t be my imagination that Leader Mak and Miss Seol’s expressions had subtly changed as they looked at us.

“S-sorry.”

“Oh, no. It couldn’t be helped…”

We hurriedly separated and apologized to each other.

As if to interrupt us, Master emerged from the carriage.

“So, what happened here?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Just as I was about to briefly explain the situation, Miss Seol suddenly cut in.

“P-perhaps…! Are you Master Yeo Dae-un?”

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Miss Seol.

And then back to Master.

What? How did Miss Seol know Master?

I looked at Master to find the answer to this question.

But Master himself looked bewildered, as if he didn’t know who Miss Seol was.

So, Miss Seol introduced herself again.

“I am Seol-yak-bing of the Seol family. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Wh-what!? You’re that Seol kid?”

Master’s eyes widened in surprise.

Seeing Master finally recognize her, Miss Seol smiled.

“Yes, I am that kid. It’s been fifteen years, Master Yeo.”

It was an unexpected encounter, an unexpected reunion.

***

An inn in Lu’an, Anhui Province.

A furious roar erupted from a private room in the inn.

“Damn it, you idiot!”

An empty cup flew through the air.

It flew past a hulking man with his right shoulder wrapped in bandages and shattered against the wall.

The subordinates kneeling behind the giant flinched at the sound of the shattering cup. They were the ones who had disguised themselves as bandits and attacked the Peaceguard Escort Agency’s procession.

Unlike his subordinates, the giant silently endured the insults.

The one who had thrown the cup was a man of average build compared to the giant.

Unable to contain his anger, he kicked his chair back and stood up, fuming.

This man’s name was Wi Cheon-gyeong.

He was the leader of the Wanderer’s League, the largest organization of wanderers in the murim.

He commanded over a hundred wanderers under his banner.

Wi Cheon-gyeong glared at the giant, Im Chun-i, the leader of the third division of the Wanderer’s League, who was one of his three direct subordinates.

“It was a simple request to bring back a single woman. You failed that simple request?”

It was a high-paying job that had come along after a long time.

Moreover, it was a truly simple request to bring back a woman escorted by some unknown escort agency called Peaceguard.

A high reward for an easy task.

There was no reason to refuse, so he immediately accepted and mobilized his subordinates.

Especially that bastard Chun-i, who confidently volunteered to handle it with his division, so he readily sent him.

And now, he had returned with his third division, including himself, battered and bruised, to report their failure.

“…Huu…”

Cheon-gyeong took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

Then, he sat down again and asked about the details in a calmer tone than before.

“So, what happened? Were there many escorts? Or were they highly skilled? How did you fail?”

Chun-i’s monstrous strength, coming from his hulking physique, and his unknown martial arts often made even skilled martial artists hesitate to underestimate him.

For that Chun-i to fail against a mere escort agency procession and return in defeat…

“…It went smoothly at first.”

Chun-i, who had been keeping his mouth shut, finally spoke.

The details poured out of his thick lips, and after hearing everything, Cheon-gyeong let out a hollow laugh.

“Over thirty men from the third division were defeated in an instant, and you were also defeated in one blow? By a mere brat who looked barely twenty?”

“…Yes.”

At Chun-i’s answer, Cheon-gyeong’s face hardened, and he slammed his hand on the table.

Bang!

“Are you telling me to believe that? Hey, even those street novels would get criticized for writing something like that!”

“But it’s the truth.”

“…Ha!”

Cheon-gyeong’s gaze shifted past Chun-i to the members of the third division.

“You guys, speak up if you have anything to say. Is this true?”

Under Cheon-gyeong’s burning gaze, the members hesitantly confirmed Chun-i’s words.

They also added that they were only alive because that young master had shown them mercy, and that Chun-i hadn’t lost his arm because he had been struck with the flat of the sword, not the blade.

Cheon-gyeong was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t speak.

A young master, barely in his twenties, who had subdued over thirty members of the third division in an instant and defeated Chun-i, who was wielding his axe with full force, in a single blow.

It was hard to believe, but Chun-i himself had admitted it, and so had his division members.

Moreover, they said that the young master had even shown them mercy.

It meant that the difference in their skills was overwhelming.

Cheon-gyeong’s mind raced.