The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 16
Somewhere along the road heading out of Sungsan, a monk was conversing with a tree.
“Shijoo, I was quite rude back then.”
Is this too dry?
“Hahaha! Shijoo! It’s been such a long time, hasn’t it? My head still hurts from that hit I took back then. Heh heh!”
Hmm, this is too cheerful. Let’s be a bit more serious.
“Hehe. Hwang Bo Shijoo, the time when my clothes were torn off was a misunderstanding. I certainly wasn’t trying to show off my body, I was merely trying to display the results of my training. Amitabha.”
Ah, this feels right.
“Let me practice that again. Ahem, Hwang Bo Shijoo...”
Just then, a luxurious carriage passed by him. It was part of the Hwang Bo family’s procession.
“Eh!”
Startled, Gongye quickly stopped the carriage.
“Wait, wait a moment!”
The carriage stopped, and the driver asked.
“Who is it?”
“Ah, I am...”
At that moment, a small girl standing next to the driver, Sojin, shouted in surprise.
“It’s the perverted monk!”
“Ugh? Ah, no, I’m not a pervert...”
“What? Perverted monk?”
The person who leaned out from the window was a woman Gongye knew well. Her intense gaze fixed on him with a piercing stare.
Zing!
‘Ugh! Why does her gaze keep getting stronger?’
Soon, the calm expression of Hwang Bo Shijoo appeared, the corners of her lips curling upwards.
“It’s you, Gongye, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yes, that’s me.”
“What brings you here, monk?”
“Well, actually...”
Gongye leaned forward to whisper, being cautious so as not to be misunderstood. However, his expression was entirely serious. He was clearly carrying an important mission.
“The Abbot sent me. He ordered me to secretly assist Shijoo.”
“What? The Abbot...?”
Hwang Bo Shijoo was genuinely surprised this time.
“Oh, the Abbot is truly a gracious person.”
Gongye, reading the gratitude in her eyes, smiled in response.
“But why, of all people, did he send you?”
“Eh?”
“I mean, there are many great monks in Shaolin... why send you?”
At the small murmur, Gongye’s eyes twitched. However, there was nothing to say in response. After all, he had once fainted from her kick.
‘Ugh...’
He forced a laugh and replied.
“Hahaha, I can certainly protect myself, as long as I’m not careless.”
“Ah, so you were careless back then?”
At Yeon’s playful laugh, Gongye’s head turned bright red.
“Ahem, anyway, will you join Shijoo’s group?”
“Get in.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
At her clear response, Gongye stumbled slightly but got into the carriage. He felt the nervous gaze of Hwang Bo Shijoo on him.
‘I’ll definitely clear up this misunderstanding later.’
Inside the large carriage, there were other passengers: a very handsome man and a seemingly shy girl.
“Hello. I am Gongye.”
Gongye greeted them cheerfully. Having escaped the dull monastery, he was a bit excited.
‘This time, the Abbot himself gave the order, so there should be no problem. Plus, I’ve got at least a month!
Fresh air, new connections—these are the things Gongye loves. If there’s also alcohol, meat, and the possibility of meeting a beautiful Shijoo...
‘Hehe. That’s like the pure land of Amitabha, the Western Paradise!’
Trying to keep his grin in check, Gongye heard a greeting.
“Hello.”
“Hello...”
“Yes! I look forward to working with you.”
After a casual response, Gongye sat down and continued his thoughts.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, but I just need to pretend to help. Depending on the situation, I can quietly step away...’
Just then, Hwang Bo Shijoo asked.
“But monk.”
“Yes!”
“I’m curious. Is there any special meaning to the word ‘Ipsuljeong’?”
“Ipsuljeong, you say?”
All eyes turned to Gongye. Slightly puffing up with pride, he cleared his throat and answered.
“Well, you see, Ipsuljeong is the place where Master Hye-ga asked Master Dalma for teachings. It literally means standing until the snow piles up.”
“So did he receive the teachings?”
“No, Dalma refused. He said he would give teachings only when the red snow fell.”
“Red snow?”
Hwang Bo Shijoo’s eyes narrowed as she repeated the question.
“Yes, of course, since it was unlikely that red snow would ever fall, Master Hye-ga cut off his left arm to stain the snowy field red. That was when he finally became a disciple.”
When Gongye finished his story, the atmosphere inside the carriage grew heavy. Sensing the odd tension, he deliberately laughed.
“Of course, that’s just a story. Just a story. No one would actually cut off their arm, right? He probably just made a small cut. Hahaha!”
If the Abbot had heard that, Gongye would’ve been struck in the back of the head. However, no one reacted to his joke.
‘What’s with this atmosphere? Did I come at the wrong time?’
Gongye quickly scanned the faces around him.
‘Thinking about it, the Abbot wouldn’t have just let me go. What’s going on here...?’
“That’s quite a story.”
Hwang Bo Shijoo slowly nodded, her gaze distant as if deep in thought. Feeling the chill, Gongye quickly spoke.
“U-uh, Shijoo, do you remember what I told you earlier?”
“Yes? What about?”
“That the Abbot sent me...”
“Yes.”
“Well, it sounds grand, but actually, he told me to keep a certain distance. As an outsider, he asked me to ‘observe’ only. Heh heh heh.”
In reality, it was the opposite. The Abbot had told him to do his best to assist Hwang Bo Shijoo.
‘But then, words are always up for interpretation.’
As Gongye slyly diverted his gaze from his growing guilt, Yeon spoke.
“Monk.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t expecting anything from you anyway.”
“Ah...”
Gongye, who had been hit with the unexpected blow, awkwardly scratched his bald head.
It seemed like this outing was already going awry from the start. The carriage, carrying the disgruntled monk, began heading toward the Hwang Bo family residence.
*****
Upon returning to the family residence, Yeon first made her presence known to Hwang Bo Jeonggun, making sure to secure her place. She also instructed that no word of those who had accompanied her should leak out.
Yeon deliberately kept the details from her father. She feared his overprotective tendencies might surface, which would only complicate things further.
‘First, I’ll prepare, then I’ll tell him. If he starts intervening now, it will be impossible to resolve this.’
She fabricated a reasonable excuse and then called her companions together. Cheon-gang, Soso, and Yeon all gathered.
Gongye stood a little further away, his eyes half-closed, making a clear display of his role as an outside observer.
Ignoring him, Yeon spoke.
“It’ll take time to reach Ho-nam, where Baekha Escort Agency is located. So, we’ve got only about 30 days. I plan to focus on my training until then.”
Seeing the determination in Yeon’s eyes, Soso hesitated before asking.
“Sister, can I join you in training?”
“It’s not necessary. We can prepare separately. Cheon-gang too.”
“I’ll be training as well. That’s my form of preparation.”
Cheon-gang’s indifferent words sounded like an offer to train together. Yeon looked at him for a moment and nodded with a smile.
“Alright.”
“I’ll re-organize the herbs. I brought some basic supplies with me.”
“Thanks, Soso. If you need anything, just tell Sojin. Or you can speak to Father directly if it’s something difficult to get.”
“Father? If there’s something I absolutely can’t find, I’ll ask him...”
Yeon patted Soso’s head as she awkwardly spoke, and then glanced over at Gongye. Even though he was sent by the Abbot, she couldn’t completely ignore him.
“And you, monk?”
“Hmm... Yes, yes?”
Gongye had been dozing on his feet, wiping his mouth, probably because he had drooled. Yeon sighed and then asked him.
“What will you be doing during these 30 days?”
“Me? Well... Ah! Preparation. I must prepare, of course. Hehe.”
“Preparation for what?”
“There’s plenty. First of all, Shaolin emphasizes mental training. I’ll find a quiet place and sit facing the wall. Amitabha.”
Facing the wall? Yeon thought to herself, ‘As long as he doesn’t do anything strange, I suppose that’s fine.’ With that, she let go of any remaining expectations.
“Do whatever you want.”
“Yes!”
‘Ugh, but why is he so annoying?’
Yeon felt the urge to smack the shiny bald head of Gongye. She held herself back, recalling the Abbot’s face, and refrained.
Just then, a sharp voice called out.
“Jeonggun! Where is Jeonggun?”
Yeon tilted her head. ‘Jeonggun?’ That was her father’s name, wasn’t it?
No one in the family would call her father that, not even the elders.
‘Who is this?’
“Jeonggun! You must have heard I came down!”
Someone appeared before Yeon. A small, thin old man with his hands behind his back.
“Hey, have you seen Jeonggun?”
With his small eyes and long, hooked nose, and thin lips, he resembled a stubborn rooster. Yeon immediately thought of one name.
“...Could it be Grandfather Hwang «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Bo Gyeong?”
“What? Who are you, to know my name?”
Hwang Bo Gyeong. He was the mentor Yeon had thought of earlier.
Someone who completely ignored her father’s authority yet was the hidden greatest master of the family. In the original novel, he had secluded himself early and disappeared, but here he was now. ƒrēenovelkiss.com
‘I don’t know how this happened, but this is great. To think Hwang Bo Gyeong appears right now.’
Yeon greeted him warmly.
“Grandfather Gyeong! It’s me, Yeon. Hwang Bo Yeon!”
“Hwang Bo Yeon? You’re Hwang Bo Yeon?”
“Yes!”
His slit eyes scanned her face carefully.
“Hah, I wonder how that rascal Jeonggun managed to have a daughter like this.”
“Grandfather, I...”
“Thank your mother!”
Without warning, Hwang Bo Gyeong sharply interrupted her and turned away. Yeon, for a moment, lost her focus, but she quickly blocked his path again.
“Wait, just a moment, Grandfather. I have something to tell you.”
“Eh, why does this girl keep blocking my path? Move aside! Don’t you know how busy I am? Tch.”
At the moment she was shoved aside, something inside Yeon flared up. At the same time, a description from the original story of Hwang Bo Gyeong flashed in her mind.
[Hwang Bo Gyeong had a very stubborn personality and could not get along with the family. Even the family head could not handle him.]
‘That’s right, that’s why he secluded himself early.’
As she watched Hwang Bo Gyeong walk away, Yeon bit her lip.
“...Grandfather, why don’t you listen to people?”
Her voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable energy.
Hwang Bo Gyeong stopped and turned his head. In that fleeting moment, his eyes flashed, but they were too small for anyone to see.
“You’ve changed since you were a child. Not bad for a girl, you’ve got some spirit.”
“Grandfather, can you stop calling me ‘girl’?”
“Huh? I call a girl a girl. What should I call you? You’re a pretty bold girl.”
At that moment, Yeon’s anger boiled over.
“That’s a bit much, don’t you think, old man?”
A calm voice spoke up. It was Cheon-gang. Hwang Bo Gyeong twisted his lips after seeing Cheon-gang’s emotionless face.
“Who’s this big guy? He doesn’t seem to be from our family. And there are a good number of outsiders, huh? That girl over there is from the Tang Clan. Ha, even a monk from Shaolin?”
His crude remarks lumping together the Tang Clan and Shaolin were quite reckless. But Hwang Bo Gyeong didn’t seem to care.
“So, where are you from?”
“I’m from Iga.”
“I’ve never heard of that family.”
He chuckled.
“Your arrogance is sky-high. Just a frog in a well, not even a fish in a pond. Let me broaden my narrow view a bit today.”
‘What did he just say?’
Before Yeon could react, Hwang Bo Gyeong raised his hand in a flash and struck down with overwhelming force. The power of his blow felt like it could split mountains, falling toward Cheon-gang.
“Cheon-gang!”
