53 Chapter 53 (1/2)
All of a sudden.
*Woof!* *Woof woof!*
Accompanied by the sounds of a barking dog, came the appearance of a large crowd.
Ji Cheol-mok immediately hid himself using a martial technique.
”Kang Seonsaeng's dog is pointing us in that direction!”
”I felt an energy in that direction too!”
The group consisted of people from Hwacheon Academy, all clothed in their distinctive blue uniform. Guiding them was some sort of animal that looked like a small white puppy.
'Huh?'
Amongst the crowd was a face familiar to Ji Chol-mok. It was none other than the ex-head of Hyeonmugak, Eun Myeong-myeong.
'So that young lad has become the Principal of Hwacheon Academy?'
Two boys that looked like students came out of cave, along with two teachers. Then soon after, a young teacher that was carrying a woman in his arms emerged.
”...?”
Ji Cheol-mok couldn't believe his eyes.
'It-it's alive! I can feel elder Hyung-nim's energy once more!'
The energy he felt so intensely in one moment, then disappeared all of a sudden.
Ji Cheol-mok was greatly perplexed.
However, he regained his composure and began to observe each person within the crowd closely. He suddenly clenched his jaw.
His anger was from seeing a particular accessory hanging from the waist of a young man.
'Th-that! That's the Rain Bead! That accessory is something that is only worn by my elder Hyung-nim!'
Ji Cheol-mok was a man that was talented with his hands.
His skill in construction work and blacksmithing was a given, but he was also skilled in ornament making.
Therefore, one day, after having woven some threads together to make an ornament, he decided to present the ornament to Kang-hyuk as a gift.
Kang-hyuk, delighted at the gift, had spoken, ”Thank you! I'll always keep this on my person. Could you weave my Rain Bead into it?”
Ji Cheol-mok then wove Kang-hyuk's Rain Bead, and the ornament together.
There onwards, as he had promised, Kang-hyuk wore the ornament on his clothes wherever he went.
Therefore in Ji Cheol-mok's mind, there were only two possibilities as to why that young man was wearing the ornament. He was either extremely close to Kang-hyuk, or he had stolen it from him.
The group of people standing outside the cave soon began to move in the direction of Goseon Mountain.
Ji Cheol-mok followed behind.
More precisely, he was tailing the young man who had the Rain Bead hanging from his waist.
However, the small white puppy that was following the man, kept looking back at Ji Cheol-mok.
'That puppy has good instincts!'
He hadn't considered Deuk's true identity at all.
Ji Cheol-mok began to wonder how much further they were going.
But, luckily for him, the young man seemed to have changed routes, and was just walking along, separate from the rest of the group.
The young teacher, then suddenly stopped at a clearing of the forest, clenching his fists. He seemed to be enraged about something, and was grinding his teeth in anger.
However, Ji Cheol-mok wasn't a man with much foresight, and immediately came into sight of the young man.
*Rustle*
At the sound of the rustling vegetation, the young man turned to look at Ji Cheol-mok.
He was straight to the point, pointing at the young man's waist with his pipe.
”That Rain Bead, where did you get it from?”
Kang-hyuk sighed at his question.
There was no possibility that he wouldn't recognize the old man.
'This fellow, Ji Cheol-mok! You're finally crawling out now! You were watching me since I was at the cave. Tsk tsk!'
However, Kang-hyuk didn't have the intention of revealing his identity so easily.
Most Elders of the Hwacheon Clan chose to go into retirement.
They no longer wanted the burden of having to be involved in the organizational affairs of the Clan, and wanted to live out their old age in peace.
Whilst they were obligated to show their faces twice a year at important events of the clan, generally speaking, there were no more than around three Elders within Nakyang at a single point in time.
Kang-hyuk had a feeling that if Ji Cheol-mok became aware that he was in Nakyang, it was likely that he'd try to follow him there.
'If that fellow comes to Nakyang, it'll most definitely cause the people of the Clan to become unnecessarily nervous!'
Whilst he wanted to give him a good scolding about not taking good care of the surrounding area of his place of retirement, he decided that now wasn't the right time.
”Why do you ask? And who are you?”
”Ahem, ahem ahem! You don't need to know my name!”
Kang-hyuk bowed in response to Ji Cheol-mok's answer, and spoke.
”If I don't know who you are, how can I inform you of the origins of the Rain Bead? If you think about it rationally, it doesn't make sense, does it?”
”What?”
”I apologize if you feel that I've been rude, but I request your understanding! It's only because a few things have happened along the way that are causing me to be cautious.”
Ji Cheol-mok couldn't argue Kang-hyuk's point.
”I see! I guess I didn't think that much about what I was saying properly! My name is Ji Cheol-mok, and I'm an Elder of the Hwacheon Clan.”
”So you're not a Dark Cultivator?”
”Of course not.”
”Then, I apologize for my behaviour thus far. I'm Hwacheon Academy's Horticulture teacher!”
”Horticulture teacher?”
”Is there anything wrong?”
Ji Cheol-mok cleared his throat.
”Not at all. So, will you tell me how you obtained that Rain Bead exactly?”
”I apologize, but I cannot say. I just can't believe that you are an Elder of the Hwacheon Clan.”
”This fellow!”
Kang-hyuk quickly put his hand out at Ji Cheol-mok's roar, in an attempt to calm him down.
”Please understand where I'm coming from! I've just undergone great trouble with the Black Snake Sect, and I can't trust just anyone!”
”The Black Snake Sect? The bastards that have a black snake tattooed on the inside of their wrists?”
”Do you know of them?”
”Of course. What on earth are they up to now?”
Kang-hyuk smiled inwardly at his question.
'Are you curious? Then I'll tell you!'
He made a disturbed face.
”I'll tell you if you show me evidence that you're an Elder of the Hwacheon Clan.”
Ji Cheol-mok then took an identity tag out of his sleeve, and presented it to Kang-hyuk.
”Here! Are you satisfied?”
It was unmistakeably the identity tag of the Hwacheon Clan that couldn't be forged.
”Oh! You're really an Elder of the Hwacheon Clan? Ji Cheol-mok…ah! I've heard of you! Aren't you the ex-head of Kwaepungdae?”
”Ahem, ahem ahem. You know well! Now are you going to tell me what on earth happened with the Black Snake Sect?”
Kang-hyuk sighed deeply.
”In truth, the Hwacheon Academy was here in the Goseon Mountains for a field trip, owing to the grace of the Clan Leader. But…”
”But?”
”The Black Snake Sect kidnapped a group of students, along with two teachers….”
Ji Cheol-mok's complexion grew more pale as Kang-hyuk continued narrating the events of the day.
”Th-that, is that really true?!”
”Indeed! I almost died in my fumbling attempts to rescue the kidnapped group! If it wasn't for a man that showed up just in time, that is.”
”Wh-what man?”
Ji Cheol-mok gulped down his saliva nervously.