Chapter 44. The Young Master of The Heavenly Demon Church (2/2)
And there was that. That thing in front of him. That enormous red door.
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‘Blood Lightning Gate (血雷門)’
This was the famed Blood Lightning Gate. The gate that was said to have turned red thanks to the blood of the countless enemies that attacked the church in the past. This was the symbol of the bloody history of the church.
At the top of the gate, was a big sign that was written with thick, strong brushstrokes.
『Heavenly Demon Church (天魔神敎) Headquarters (總本他)』
Gongson Chun Gi ruffled his surprised disciple’s hair a little, and spoke.
“This is the place the martial world refers to as the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. And this is going to be your home from now. How is it?”
What should he say? There was some kind of a feeling boiling up inside him, but he couldn’t really explain what it was.
While he had been searching an answer in his mind, the giant red gates began to open in front of his eyes.
Krrr–
The door opened with a stiff sound.
Koong–!
When the door completely opened, Cho Ryu Hyang was able to see the splendor that lay inside. When he saw that, he froze once more. That was because he was able to see the reason why the Ten Thousand Great Mountains was feared by martial artists of the world.
Inside the gates. There were people.
“They did a troublesome thing.”
Gongson Chun Gi slowly walked in with a smile on his face. Once he entered the door, the man on the front began to shout.
“Heavenly Demon Bow (天魔仰伏)!”
A voice that shook the mountain itself. But the sound that came in response was even bigger than that.
“May the church rule under the heavens (新敎天下)!”
A sound that seemed loud enough to shake the very earth itself.
Koom–!
Because of the sound of the feet hitting the floor simultaneously, Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to come back to his senses. The martial artists that were standing in a line on two sides were all welcoming Cho Ryu Hyang and Gongson Chun Gi.
“Looks like the old guys really put some efforts into this.”
Gongson Chun Gi grinned, and walked through the door. The Pope had gotten used to greetings of this scale a long time ago.
But that wasn’t the case for Cho Ryu Hyang. He experienced something similar to this before, but not on a scale this big. Seven out of the ten groups in the church came out.
Just for the Pope, and the Pope’s disciple. The energy these veterans were exuding from their body really was overpowering.
The energy they were exuding was so great, that just watching them rendered Cho Ryu Hyang unable to breathe. His head was beginning to turn blank.
[Don’t get intimidated. These guys are on your side.]
Cho Ryu Hyang only came back to his senses when he heard the Pope’s playful message. After swallowing his spit, he put on his usual, calm face again.
‘Yes, they’re not my enemies.’
The enemies were the Alliance. These guys were allies. The most reliable allies in the world. Cho Ryu Hyang burned that thought into his mind, and followed Gongson Chun Gi.
Gongson Chun Gi, after walking for a bit, stopped at a certain point. There were some people standing in front of him.
About twenty people. The man at the front of this group bowed to the Pope, and spoke up.
“Welcome back, Your hHoliness.”
“Yeah. You must’ve been tired.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
The bald middle-aged man with thick eyebrows. Starting with him, everyone behind began to greet the Pope.
When they finished doing that, their gazes all focused onto Cho Ryu Hyang. Every single one of them had intense gazes that burrowed into the boy. When Gongson Chun Gi saw this, he smiled.
“Heh, old men……. I almost forgot to introduce him. This is my disciple.”
When Gongson Chun Gi said this, everyone’s face turned bright. They were waiting to hear this.
“Inner Commander Gang Chang greets the young lord!”
“Outer Commander Ugil greets the young lord!”
“Church Instructor Jang Gak greets the young lord!”
Every single one of them had an immense voice. Many others greet Cho Ryu Hyang after them, and every single one of these people had one emotion in their voice.
Happiness.
The eyes that looked at Cho Ryu Hyang, the voice that came out when talking to Cho Ryu Hyang was filled to the brim with happiness.
‘Was it to this degree?’
Their expectations for the heir of the church literally emanated from their bodies.
But strangely, their expectations didn’t seem very pressuring. It seemed something about himself had changed.
“I am called Cho Ryu Hyang.”
“Ooh!”
He had just replied, but everyone shouted in glee. Cho Ryu Hyang wondered just how much these people had waited for a disciple.
Their happiness simply served to show how much they had worked to find a disciple previously.
“Che, you’re overreacting……. get back to your work. I’ll stay and rest with this boy. Also, let the boys you brought out here have some rest, too.”
“Alright.”
Gongson Chun Gi spoke, while observing the Inner Commander direct everyone back to their respective places.
“You might not know right now, but they’re all quite talented people. I’m a lucky person.”
Cho Ryu Hyang nodded, and opened his mouth.
“They look talented in my eyes as well.”
The Inner Commander was able to direct that many people without causing even a bit of commotion, and the people were able to follow the commander’s commands quickly.
Gongson Chun Gi glanced at Cho Ryu Hyang as he walked up a set of staircases. He put on his usual playful smile, and spoke.
“You should take in the people who will serve you here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Choose a guard who will protect you with his life. That’s what I mean.”
“……..”
Guard?
“I could choose for you, but that guard would be my subordinate, not yours, right? You find the the person you want on your own. Entrust your life to that person.”
Entrust his life? What did that mean? Cho Ryu Hyang fingered his glasses, and made a serious face.
“I’m sure you know, but the martial world is a place filled with unexpected things. In a place like this, a person who can protect you is very important. Especially when you are weak like this.”
It was true. But who should he choose? When Cho RYu Hyang put on a serious face, Gongson Chun Gi spoke.
“Well, we can handle that in the future……. Did you see the Moon Edge Blade Technique?”
Cho Ryu Hyang nodded.
“Yeah? How was it?”
“…….It was hard.”
“I’m sure it was.”
Gongson Chun Gi paused a bit, then opened his mouth.
“Want some advice?”
That was what he had wanted. Cho Ryu Hyang’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his teacher.
“Please.”
Gongson Chun Gi rubbed his chin, and spoke.
“Don’t think about it too hard. There’s a need to see everything easier sometimes. After all, the truth is usually simpler than you might think.”
There’s a need to see everything easily? How? That was the advice? Gongson Chun Gi put on a mysterious face, and walked up ahead.
“I’ll take you to the place where you’ll stay for now. Think about it over there.”
Gongson Chun Gi’s teaching method. It was a way to make one to think and feel by oneself, and reach the truth. It was completely different form Jo Gi Chun’s method, which explained everything for the student.
Cho Ryu Hyang, while thinking about his teacher’s advice, followed Gongson Chun Gi to the back part of the church. As the back part of the church was placed on a high place, Cho Ryu Hyang only reached the top when he was nearly exhausted.
What lay in front of him was a well-decorated park with a small pond. The centre of the pond held a small pagoda that seemed to be created by a master builder.
It was something that was neither simple nor fancy. But that somehow gave one the feeling of the master of the pond being a high-class person.
“That place over there is the place where you’ll stay.”
Dragon Tower. It was a house that contained a small library inside it. When CHo Ryu Hyang stepped into the castle, he could see a big room filled with expensive furniture.
He liked it the moment he saw it. Gongson Chun Gi smiled when he saw that.
“I’ll go talk to the old men for a while. Let’s eat a meal together when I return.”
“Ok.”
“If you need anything, just pull that rope over there. Some boys will come to help you out.”
“Yes.”
Cho Ryu Hyang went back out after Gongson Chun Gi disappeared. This place was strangely comforting, even though it was his first time here.
While he was thinking about the Moon Edge Blade Technique while walking around, he could feel someone watching him.
‘Who?’
When Cho Ryu Hyang turned left, he saw someone. That person froze when Cho Ryu Hyang turned.
It was a girl in fancy clothes. She had a beautiful blonde hair, with mysterious emerald eyes. The girl looked at Cho Ryu Hyang a bit, and blinked. She opened her mouth.
“Who are you?”
This was the first meeting between her and Cho Ryu Hyang.