After leaving the residence of the Pungcheon Church leader, I went to find Ian.

She was still devoted to her training, and her skills in the Bicheon Sword Technique had developed by leaps and bounds.

“Ian.”

"yes."

“After you receive the Shindokjeonghwasul, you can leave at any time.”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly saying that?”

As I was leaving the residence of the leader of the Fengchun cult, thinking that the chains did not suit the man in chains, I suddenly thought of Ian.

It occurred to me that perhaps her ankles were also shackled.

Are chains only visible to the eye?

Even my will to kill the fire weapon was bound by invisible chains.

Even between Hyeolcheon Doma and Ilhwa Geomjon, there is a chain of hatred that is difficult to break.

Then what about my father? Just like a man chained in front of a thunder bell, I thought that maybe my father was tied to the Taesa Temple. With the heavy responsibility of protecting the religion on his shoulders.

“Your life is yours to choose. You don’t have to be a nobleman. Leave the church and travel the central plains. You can live as a hidden master in a peaceful village somewhere. Since you have learned martial arts from me, there is no need to repay my favor. You have already done enough for me, so you can choose with peace of mind.”

Ian listened to me quietly, then smiled and said,

“I guess I’ll have to take out one more tail.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am happier and living a better life because I am by your side, Master. Traveling is only for a day or two, and being a hidden expert is only for a day or two. I am happy every day under your protection. I am not an idiot. If I really hated you, I would have risked my life and run away in the middle of the night. I don’t understand why you only see me as such a stubborn person.”

I looked at her and chuckled.

“How many hidden tails are left?”

“Are there about seven left?”

“That’s enough. Then practice.”

As I was about to turn around, I started to worry for no reason and added a word.

“But make sure to hide at least one tail.”

As I live, I've come to realize that it's as important as the spleen's diet.

I left the place, seeing her expression as if to say, "I know that much without you having to say it." Okay, that's enough.

* * *

Mabul came to see the leader of the Pungcheon sect.

He came with a plan, so his eyes looked different when he entered.

“Have you come to kill someone? The bodies of those who follow the Dharma are full of life.”

“The Buddha I worship sometimes breaks the precept of killing.”

“You have become a color fire, you have become a flesh fire, you are truly a busy person.”

Mabul did not sit down, but stood still and looked at the leader of the Fengchun sect. He was almost at the same height as the leader of the Fengchun sect, who was sitting with his back straight. Since he was sensitive about height, the fact that he was at eye level like this was a clear expression of how angry he was.

“Listen, Leader of Pungcheon!”

“Why are you like that?”

“How long have we known each other?”

“I don’t remember very well.”

“That’s right. It’s been such a long relationship that I can’t even remember it well, so how can you do this to me?”

“Sit down. Let’s sit down and talk.”

But he didn’t sit down and glared at the leader of the Fengchun Sect. The golden light emanating from his body became even more intense.

“I didn’t know you could do such obvious tricks!”

“You said it was a trick?”

Although the leader of the Pungcheon sect had made an impression, Mabul had come looking for him from the beginning.

Ilhwageomjon and Hyeolcheondoma moved and began to persuade the other demons. The demons’ reactions were different when they met Mabul and when they met Hyeolcheondoma. They were all people who lived without caring about others’ opinions, so they couldn’t be sure who they would listen to at the last moment.

So, Mabul came to attack the leader of the Pungcheon sect himself.

“You’re trying to seduce the young disciple of the Demon Lord Seophon to become your disciple? What on earth are you trying to do?”

“I didn’t coax her. She came to me on her own.”

“Then you should have sent him back! You, as an adult, should have sent him back!”

“Why should I do that?”

“Why do you want to become the master of a disciple of our school?”

“The martial arts learned by the sorcerers are the magical arts of the Blood Cult!”

“So you’re saying you’re a member of the Blood Cult now? Are you serious?”

It is a well-known fact that the Pungcheon Sect is the successor of the Blood Sect, but that does not mean that the Blood Sect should be mentioned or connected. The Blood Sect has a history of fighting multiple wars with the Cheonmasingyo. After all, he was invited because he was the leader of the Pungcheon Sect.

“Are you nitpicking right now?”

“When you made up a story about having the water stolen, I could understand it. But this time, I just can’t stand it.”

“A self-directed play? You just came to the friend who had his sacred water stolen and said it was a self-directed play? I came here trusting you and even the sacred water was stolen. I can’t take responsibility for it, but you’re making such ridiculous assumptions!”

“Did you expect us to believe that? The Amazons aren’t stupid.”

“You don’t seem that smart.”

“What?”

“How many times have you been told you’re smart in your life? Be honest.”

For a moment, Mabul's expression hardened. He knew very well that he was not a very smart person.

Even hurling harsh words at others was a means of suppressing the other person's momentum and leading the conversation in one's favor.

When the leader of the Pungcheon Church came in and poked at his inferiority complex, Ma-bul chose Kang-su.

“Listen, buddy. Where you are right now is not Saewoo.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“This is not a threat, but a statement of reality. I have been friends with you for a long time, but other demons think differently. I cannot know how they will react.”

“What good could your poor imagination possibly do? You’d try to kill me with your help.”

“If that’s the case, we could at least say goodbye.”

There was a tense atmosphere between the two.

“Don’t make fun of the Amazons. They will try to punish you in a much more miserable way.”

“You tell me not to make fun of you, but why do I make fun of you so much?”

“Don’t make fun of me. You just have a fatal weakness.”

“Weakness?”

“If the Demon Lords are determined to eliminate you, they won’t make the foolish choice of attacking you directly. Instead, they’ll try to sow discord between you and the leader, and end up destroying you. Can you handle it? Our leader.”

When threatened by Cheonma, the leader of the Fengchun sect was speechless. Cheonma, who hated the blood sect, was clearly the leader of the Fengchun sect's weakness.

“Pretend to seek new water for a few days and then leave. Excommunicate your disciple. I will speak well to the demons.”

“What if I refuse?”

Instead of answering, Mabul just laughed and left. Perhaps because that made him feel even worse, the leader of the Pungcheon Church didn’t say anything for a long time.

Finally he opened his mouth.

“I just made up my mind.”

The leader of the Fengchun cult gritted his teeth as he looked at the chained man in front of the Yin-Raizong cult.

“I will definitely make this scholar a heavenly horse.”

* * *

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

Even today, General Sima Ming was still buried in work.

“I came to see you because I wanted to hang out with you. If you have time, let’s go hang out at Magachon.”

Sima Ming was surprised by my suggestion.

“Magachon?”

“You are the most important person in our school, but even if you skip work for a day, our school won’t go under.”

“The sad secret is that I can slacken off for a year without going broke.”

“Then, to make sure the secret isn’t discovered, why don’t you just come back after playing for two hours?”

"great."

Sima Ming closed his papers without hesitation and got up. He must have guessed that I had not come to play.

“If you’re not here, the Murim Alliance will invade immediately.”

“You don’t know what Tongcheon-gak is. There are smart soldiers lined up just waiting for me to step down.”

“These are people who have chosen a truly difficult path.”

We left his office laughing.

The place he was taken to was a tavern.

“So this was the place.”

He said he knew a lot about Pungryu Tavern. Well, since he knows everything about me, he would naturally know a lot about Pungryu Tavern as well.

“Are you disappointed? Were you expecting to go to the best restaurant in Magachon?”

It was a bit of an exaggerated joke, but Sima Ming accepted it with a smile.

“I was hoping that you would pretend not to win and just go with it.”

“This is why preconceptions are scary. Next time I’m feeling down, I’ll make a reservation right away!”

"ha ha ha."

I sat across from Sima Ming at the seat I always sat at in the Pungryu Tavern.

I introduced Sima Ming to Jo Chun-bae, who came to take the order.

“I am the commander-in-chief of our school. Please greet me.”

“Ugh!”

Jo Chun-bae bowed to Sima Ming with a face that looked as if he was about to faint. He was a man who was out of his mind these days due to the visits of high-ranking officials. From the footnotes to the Majon, and now to the Generalissimo. In particular, the title of Generalissimo carried a different weight than that of any other person.

“I have always ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) respected him. He is the person I respect the most.”

“Isn’t the person you respect the most your father?”

Jo Chun-bae was startled by my prank.

“No way! I respect you for the second time, sir.”

“Oh, I thought it was me the second time.”

“No, that’s not it. In fact, the most…….”

He pretended to be embarrassed and adjusted to the mood.

“I’m joking. Please give me a drink first and then enjoy the food I cook today.”

"yes!"

After Jo Chun-bae served the alcohol, he ran to the kitchen.

I poured Sima Ming a drink.

“Is this your first time drinking alone with a soldier like this?”

“Yes.”

“I should have invited you earlier, but I’m late.”

“No. You’ve been very busy, haven’t you?”

“I’m busy, sir. I’m always lazy.”

“If you say that, what are the real slackers supposed to do?”

He was the one who knew best how diligently I had been moving around these days.

We drank and talked about various daily things. Sima Ming was a stronger drinker than I had thought.

“You’re good at drinking.”

“Yes. I was also a horseman when I was young.”

“It’s unexpected, isn’t it?”

It didn't really remind me of Sima Ming's younger days when he was a good drinker.

“But what’s going on?”

Sima Ming knew that I had not come to play. I did not change the subject and got to the point.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“What makes a good soldier?”

Sima Ming opened his eyes wide and looked at me, perhaps because of the unexpected question. Soon, his gaze turned to the wine glass.

“I asked myself this question a lot when I was younger, but I forgot about it for a while.”

This question is inherently difficult. If someone asks me what kind of drone is good for me? What should I say?

But Sima Ming's answer came right away.

“I think a good soldier is one who is smarter than the enemy’s soldiers. It’s not a profound meaning, it’s just a soldier who is smarter than the enemy’s soldiers. That’s my answer. There can be people smarter than me in our school. They can be here in this tavern. It’s okay for Mr. Lee to be smarter than me. But…….”

After a moment, Sima Ming said:

“You have to be smarter than the Murim Alliance soldiers. You have to be smarter than the Sadomasaki soldiers. That’s all there is to it.”

It was a truly unexpected answer. Sima Ming smiled as if he had anticipated my reaction and asked.

“Is that a simple answer?”

“So it really hit home.”

“When I was young, I probably thought a lot and came up with a different answer. It might have been a more academic answer.”

I could guess what it was like. As you get older and become more experienced, the answer tends to become simpler.

“Unmanned vehicles moving in the field can improvise. They can change their operations depending on the situation. However, the military cannot do that. If you make a mistake in your operation, you will be completely destroyed. If you die by your own choice, you will have less regrets. However, how much more resentful would it be if you died due to the wrong judgment of your superiors? That is why I always tell my junior soldiers. Become desperately smarter! Everything depends on that.”

This is the first time I have learned that Sima Ming has been thinking like this. I also just found out that he drinks a lot.

Sima Ming said as he filled my empty glass.

“Okay, now it’s my turn to ask a question.”

In fact, I did not come here to hear the answer to the question of what makes a good soldier. The reason I met him today was to hear this question.

“Why did you ask this question?”