Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Proof

That night.

After the leader of the Red Tiger Group left the room to inform the members of Ou-yang Pae’s and his own intentions.

“Please, come in.”

Noticing the presence outside the door, Ou-yang Pae called out.

Shortly thereafter, Dan Seo-yoon entered the room, hesitantly.

“What brings you here?”

“…I have heard the young lord’s intentions from the leader. Please, speak freely.”

Ou-yang Pae, who paused for a moment, opened his mouth again at her respectful response with her head bowed.

“I have something to tell you.”

Dan Seo-yoon did not lift her head as she answered. Her demeanor was too ambiguous to be just a show of respect.

‘…She has decided to return, it seems.’

Ou-yang Pae thought that she had chosen to return to the sect rather than become an apostate and follow him.

Thus, he believed that she couldn’t bear to look at him directly while saying it.

For some reason, Ou-yang Pae felt a twinge in his chest at the thought.

Was it because the companion he had thought would join him chose a different path?

However, there was something different about this feeling compared to when he conversed with the Red Tiger Group leader.

As Ou-yang Pae was pondering his feelings, Dan Seo-yoon began to speak.

However, her words were unexpected.

“Please consider what you heard during the day as something you never heard.”

“What I heard during the day?”

Ou-yang Pae, puzzled, soon realized what she was referring to.

They had barely exchanged words that day.

She had screamed in reaction to Su-linya’s nonsense and then fled to a corner.

Only then did Ou-yang Pae realize why she couldn’t lift her head.

He noticed that her ears were red.

Meanwhile, Dan Seo-yoon, her face burning red, was thinking of someone.

‘Because of that damned woman!’

If it hadn’t been for that southern barbarian woman in those indecent clothes, this wouldn’t have happened.

Especially at such a crucial time.

“With the young lord declaring his intentions, I hope you think only of the great cause rather than my trivial nonsense.”

Dan Seo-yoon, speaking in a slightly trembling voice, seemed to have said all she wanted to and began to leave the room.

That is, until Ou-yang Pae responded.

“So be it.”

“….”

At his cold reply, Dan Seo-yoon stopped in her tracks as if her feet were nailed to the ground.

She didn’t genuinely hope he would act as if he hadn’t heard. It was just a protective statement.

But what she found most ridiculous was that instead of feeling hurt by Ou-yang Pae’s cold reply, she first felt resentment toward Su-linya, the cause of this mess.

As Dan Seo-yoon silently cursed Su-linya, Ou-yang Pae’s voice snapped her back to reality.

“As you said, now is the time to focus on the great cause. However, without any foundation, it will be a chaotic journey. I cannot guarantee survival, so ‘for now,’ I will forget those words.”

His excuse for rejection was somewhat strange.

“If I succeed in achieving the great cause and become the true heavenly demon, I will remember them then.”

Hearing Ou-yang Pae’s following words, Dan Seo-yoon lifted her head abruptly, her face still flushed.

Facing her pomegranate-like face, Ou-yang Pae added his final words.

“So, you must survive with me until the end. We must keep our promises, mustn’t we?”

Although Ou-yang Pae’s face remained as stoic as ever, Dan Seo-yoon, who had fought alongside him on the battlefield for the past two years, noticed the faint upward curve of his lips.

He was trying to hide his smile.

Thus, Dan Seo-yoon, hiding her own smile, bowed her head and kneeled.

“Dan Seo-yoon, Third Captain of the Red Tiger Group. I will survive with the young lord until the great cause is achieved.”

She thought to herself that perhaps the southern barbarian woman was an excellent matchmaker.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Ou-yang Pae’s room, while a pink atmosphere was brewing.

“Yawn.”

Mu-jin lay in bed, leisurely preparing to sleep alone.

Crash.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door, and the door burst open.

Mu-gung, with disheveled clothes and a flushed face, stood there.

“What’s going on?”

Mu-jin instinctively clenched his fist and took a defensive stance.

It was an odd situation with a burly man, face flushed and clothes disheveled, barging in late at night.

Anyone would prepare to defend their honor.

Mu-gung’s words only added to Mu-jin’s unease.

“Let me sleep here tonight.”

“What? Are you asking me to kill you?”

“No! I’m asking you to let me sleep here!”

“So, you’re asking me to kill you, right?”

As Mu-jin began to gather his energy for the Invincible Divine Fist, Mu-gung shouted urgently.

“S- Su-linya keeps barging into my room!”

“Huh?”

“She suddenly came in and tried to undress me, so I ran away!”

“….”

Finally understanding the situation, Mu-jin sighed deeply.

Su-linya was an excellent matchmaker but failed to win her own love.

* * *

The next morning.

Mu-jin, having left the inn, realized something had changed.

It wasn’t the relationship between Su-linya and Mu-gung.

It was the sight of Ou-yang Pae, being treated with utmost respect by the Red Tiger Group members and called ‘young lord.’

‘As expected of the protagonist.’

Despite the sudden change in his treatment, Ou-yang Pae dealt with the Red Tiger Group members with a confident demeanor, as if he were a successor of a prestigious family or sect.

As Ou-yang Pae finished greeting the Red Tiger Group members, Mu-jin approached and spoke.

“It seems you have made up your mind.”

Ou-yang Pae nodded once and replied to Mu-jin’s question.

“Yes, but that does not mean I will unconditionally ally with Geum Yang-hwi. If he is merely an apostate, there is no need to join forces.”

“Well, we’ll decide that after meeting Geum Yang-hwi. For now, we need to figure out how to meet him alone.”

Ou-yang Pae agreed, nodding heavily.

They prepared and left the village, heading towards the Beast Palace.

To persuade Geum Yang-hwi and form an alliance with Taiyang Palace, they needed the Beast Palace’s cooperation.

The Beast Palace was already involved in the situation, and Taiyang Palace would see them as allies.

Following Su-linya’s guidance, Mu-jin and his group ran through the jungle and arrived at the Beast Palace by the afternoon.

Immediately upon arrival, they informed the Beast Palace Master of the events in Mengdon Village.

“Ha ha ha! Well done! The fools of Taiyang Palace must be crazy to step into my territory and target my guests!”

The Beast Palace Master praised Su-linya instead of scolding her for her rash actions.

Watching the Beast Palace Master’s hearty laughter and praise for Su-linya, Mu-jin sighed.

‘They’re all the same.’

It seemed that even if the Beast Palace Master had been there, the situation would have unfolded the same way.

Fearing that a full-scale war with Taiyang Palace was imminent, Mu-jin quickly spoke up.

“There is no need to engage in a battle with Taiyang Palace.”

“Hmph! They invaded our territory and targeted our guests! If we avoid war after such provocation, we will gradually lose our land and authority!”

Mu-jin was surprised by the Beast Palace Master’s outburst.

Not only Mu-jin, but even Ou-yang Pae and the Red Tiger Group leader, who were translating, showed signs of surprise.

‘So, he’s not entirely ignorant?’

It seemed he wasn’t just blindly thinking of fighting.

He understood that one must be ready for war to enjoy peace and freedom.

Or perhaps he had learned this truth from observing animals.

Regardless, a meaningless war was not an option.

“But the Beast Palace is already on the brink of war with the Five Poison Sect. Fighting Taiyang Palace as well would be dangerous.”

“It is not the way of a warrior to abandon friends and guests out of fear of defeat!”

Mu-jin sighed at the Beast Palace Master’s loyal response and added.

“Thank you for considering us, but there is a huge misunderstanding here.”

“A misunderstanding?”

The Beast Palace Master finally seemed ready to listen, so Mu-jin explained his theory about the current situation.

The forces communicating with the Five Poison Sect, the mission of the Red Tiger Group dispatched by the Demonic Sect, and the shadowy forces using the Red Tiger Group to create conflicts with Taiyang Palace while the Five Poison Sect aims to engulf the Beast Palace.

After the complicated explanation, the Beast Palace Master, who had been dozing off, suddenly woke up.

“Hmm. I see. So, it was a misunderstanding! Ha ha ha!”

“….”

Mu-jin sighed at the Beast Palace Master’s reaction of pretending to understand everything.

He then noticed Mu-yul sleeping openly.

“Snore.”

Unlike the Beast Palace Master who at least pretended to understand, Mu-yul was openly asleep.

‘…Could Mu-yul really be the Beast Palace Master’s son?’

Was the prophecy just an excuse to make his hidden son the Young Palace Master?

Mu-jin couldn’t help but suspect.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

At that moment, the Beast Palace Master asked Mu-jin’s group.

“So, what do you want to do?”

The Beast Palace Master’s face was slightly flushed, perhaps feeling embarrassed about pretending to understand everything after dozing off.

He was at least slightly more socialized than Mu-yul.

Regardless, Ou-yang Pae, in a

serious tone, responded.

“Our goal is simple. We just want to have a private conversation with Geum Yang-hwi, the Outer Hall Master of Taiyang Palace.”

“Hmm. Do you mean a simple conversation or a physical one?”

“It could be a simple conversation, but it’s likely to turn physical.”

Hearing Ou-yang Pae’s reply, the Beast Palace Master cracked his neck and spoke.

“I have met Geum Yang-hwi before. He is a warrior too talented to be in Taiyang Palace. Due to Taiyang Palace’s small-mindedness, he holds the position of Outer Hall Master as an outsider. He is second only to the Palace Master in skill. Are you sure you can meet him and survive?”

Although his choice of words was aggressive, he was genuinely concerned about sending his guest into danger.

To this, Ou-yang Pae calmly replied.

“If I die during the meeting, it means that was my limit. It’s of no concern.”

Though his tone was calm, his spirit and determination were evident through his gaze and aura.

Impressed by his resolve, the Beast Palace Master laughed heartily and responded.

“What a fine warrior’s spirit! Very well! I will personally send a letter to the Taiyang Palace Master to arrange a meeting between you and the Outer Hall Master!”

At that moment, Mu-jin interjected.

“Sending a letter is fine, but can someone else write it instead of you?”

“Why would someone else write it?”

Because if you write it, it might look like a challenge or a declaration of war.