Chapter 91. Growing (6)

"So that's how it is."

"That's right."

Giyang sighed.

He had just returned from a mission, and yet he heard a thunderbolt of news. He never imagined that Madongfil would be indefinitely suspended and appointed as the personal guard of the Third Young Master.

"If it's an order from the higher-ups, there's nothing we can do..."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

"Excuse me?"

"An order from the higher-ups? The higher-ups didn't say anything special."

Giyang was taken aback.

"Then, you mean sending the Third Squad Leader to the Third Young Master wasn't an order from the higher-ups?"

Lee Gunseong chuckled.

"Surely, the Sect Leader didn't issue the order directly."

"Then... could it be the Regional Head?"

"As you know, the Law Enforcement Bureau has no authority to transfer personnel to other organizations. The same goes for the Regional Head."

"......!"

Giyang's face stiffened with shock.

"Then, did the senior make the decision to send the Third Squad Leader on his own?"

Lee Gunseong looked out the window.

Giyang couldn't imagine what his tired eyes were following.

"The Third Squad Leader has changed."

"Senior."

"More precisely, he changed after returning from the Bamboo Grove with the Third Young Master."

Lee Gunseong smiled.

Beyond the smile that conveyed pride, was there a hint of bitterness? Was it just Giyang's imagination?

"Do you remember? When we were quite busy with the Demon Sword Clan Head incident. It was just before the Third Young Master left the Bamboo Grove."

"......I remember."

"At that time, the Third Squad Leader came to get the tea leaves from the Gulsongcha."

"That's right."

"Then, you must remember the appearance he showed at that time."

Giyang nodded involuntarily.

Madongfil's changes, including his roughened hands and the large scar on his face, were shocking.

The change in his appearance was one thing, but the overwhelming killing aura he emitted was truly formidable.

"I don't want it, but the Regional Head will eventually retire. Regardless of my abilities, he will most likely nominate me as the next Regional Head."

"Of course."

"I can't compare myself to the Regional Head. To be qualified as the next Regional Head, I need endless refinement.

But, excluding the Regional Head, I am the strongest demon in the Law Enforcement Bureau, which is an undeniable fact."

Lee Gunseong turned to Giyang with a calm face.

"When I faced the Third Squad Leader's killing aura, I froze. Even the killing aura he emitted unconsciously was enough to make me tense."

"......!"

"You must have felt the same way, right?"

"......Yes."

"But what about the Third Squad Leader after he returned from the Bamboo Grove mission?"

"He had completely suppressed his killing aura. He must have put in a lot of effort."

"He must have put in a lot of effort. Perhaps even to the point where it was counterproductive."

"Excuse me?"

"We must be willing to risk our lives to protect our charge. Even if I die, the charge must live. To do that, we must be able to perfectly respond to external threats."

"......!"

"I don't know what experiences he had there, but the killing aura of the Third Squad Leader was so overwhelming that it was hard to describe it as just explosive.

Such killing aura inevitably draws the attention of enemies."

"Then, what are you saying?"

"Exactly. If we consider the safety of the charge, such killing aura is a fatal flaw for a bodyguard."

"Then, does that mean the Third Squad Leader suppressed his killing aura to maintain his identity as a Law Enforcer?"

Lee Gunseong sipped his tea. The heavy aroma of Gulsongcha made his aching head feel a bit clearer.

"It's just a guess. But after he completely suppressed his killing aura, he showed a level of skill not much different from before he entered the Bamboo Grove.

His potential was explosive, though."

"But I saw the Third Squad Leader's sword qi."

"The sword qi that pierced the rock with the Demon Horse Sword Technique?"

"Yes."

"Then let me ask you. Does it make sense that a master who can wield such sword qi would suffer such heavy losses in this convoy mission?"

For a moment, Giyang's eyes wavered.

That's right. Although the strength of the enemies who ambushed them was unknown, the level of Madongfil they saw at the time made the heavy casualties seem suspicious.

"He was suppressing and constantly restraining his killing aura. His skills, and his potential."

"......"

"Perhaps he had a significant encounter in the Bamboo Grove. His body was filled with a power that couldn't be refined by his inner strength.

But if we consider the time since he left the Bamboo Grove, he should have refined at least a fifth of his potential with his inner strength. However, the Third Squad Leader didn't."

"More accurately, it wasn't that he couldn't, but that he didn't."

"I think so."

Lee Gunseong smacked his lips.

"He unconsciously avoided the path to becoming stronger for his mission.

To suppress his growth due to his identity as a Law Enforcer, I don't know if I should call it a sense of responsibility or stubbornness."

As he listened to Lee Gunseong, Giyang recalled that time.

When they saw Madongfil after several months, they were so surprised that they couldn't even speak. In that awkward atmosphere, Madongfil said:

- I seem to have come at the wrong time. I will take my leave.

'Such a fool...'

Giyang's face was filled with self-reproach.

No matter what, the Law Enforcement Bureau was Madongfil's home.

After a long absence, to return home and find his family so tense was truly a sad thing.

Even if they couldn't greet him with smiles, they were so surprised that they couldn't even speak.

How much of a wound must that have been to Madongfil? How did he accept his own changes in that tense atmosphere?

Perhaps Madongfil's decision to avoid growth wasn't because of them.

"That's why I sent him to the Third Young Master."

"......"

"I judged that the Third Young Master knew the Third Squad Leader well.

Also, I thought the Third Young Master was the person the Third Squad Leader trusted the most, aside from the Law Enforcers."

"I see."

Lee Gunseong smiled.

"He will return. Someday, he will definitely return. When he returns, he will be the martial artist we remember, but even more grown."

Giyang nodded. Now he finally understood why Madongfil was sent to the Third Young Master.

"Madongfil will do well."

"I have no doubt about that."

The two of them sighed, a mix of frustration and relief.

Suddenly, Giyang asked as if it just occurred to him.

"But without the authority to transfer personnel, what will you do if you're caught?"

"I'm the acting Regional Head. Although I don't have the authority to transfer personnel externally, I do have the authority to transfer personnel internally and impose disciplinary actions.

That's why I could indefinitely suspend the Third Squad Leader."

"But to the Third Young Master..."

"There hasn't been any word from that side?"

"......Huh?"

"Whether it was a hunch or not, if he accepted it, that's all that matters. Isn't that so?"

Giyang looked at Lee Gunseong, amazed.

Lee Gunseong shrugged.

"I gave him some high-quality tea leaves, so he should at least tolerate this. He might even be pleased."

"......"

"Isn't it better to be two than alone?"

Lee Gunseong knew far too little about Xueliang.

* * *

"It's about time the sun sets."

Xueliang, looking up at the sky, glanced at the training ground.

In the center of the training ground, Madongfil was sitting cross-legged. His body was covered with numerous sword wounds, and his complexion was quite pale, but his expression was calm.

Xueliang smiled.

"Kid, you're still doing it, huh?"

Madongfil's instinctively suppressed killing aura.

This killing aura was accumulated during his Law Enforcement missions and fully blossomed during the battles in the Bamboo Grove.

The creatures in the Bamboo Grove were so dangerous that even peak experts could die if they made a mistake.

However, these creatures were not rational beings like humans. They were closer to beasts.

In other words, Xueliang and Madongfil survived by engaging in bloody battles in the most dangerous wilderness for eight months.

Beasts only hide their presence when hunting. But they had to fight to become stronger, not to hunt the creatures.

Naturally, their aura became sharper, and their aggressive killing aura inevitably made the creatures tense.

Especially Madongfil, who was less skilled in combat techniques than Xueliang, had to drive away the creatures this way.

This killing aura, fueled by the power of the Bamboo Grove, intensified day by day. At the time, Madongfil's primary goal, unlike Xueliang's, was 'survival' rather than 'growth.'

Now was the time to use this intensified killing aura as a driving force for growth. It would have been better if he had realized it on his own, but this method wasn't bad either.

The important thing was not how he grew, but how he used the power he gained.

"Ugh, while I wake that guy up, I'll take a little break... Huh?"

A strong pulse of inner energy could be felt from beyond the gate.

Under normal circumstances, he would have complained about how many people were looking for him.

But he couldn't grumble because he knew who the owner of that energy was.

"Another interesting person has arrived."

A moment later, the sound of someone getting off a carriage was heard.

Click!

Xueliang had already opened the door.

Beyond the open door, Gogu, who seemed twice as taciturn as Madongfil, appeared.

"What brings you here?"

"Can I come in?"

Xueliang, who had scanned Gogu from head to toe, said bluntly.

"I can't give you tea."

With that, Gogu entered.

He glanced at the training ground.

"It's the Third Squad Leader of the Law Enforcement Bureau, Madongfil."

"More like the former Third Squad Leader. He's currently suspended."

"To be spending time with someone who has no duties due to suspension, I didn't know you were so close."

"I have a job. I was appointed as a personal guard."

"Personal guard?"

Gogu nodded.

"For someone to be a personal guard for a skilled person like the Third Young Master, there's a bit of a shortfall... Hmm?"

Rumble.

As if on cue, a strong pulse of demonic energy began emanating from Madongfil's body.

He was melting all his suppressed killing aura and the energy of the Bamboo Grove into demonic energy.

It was difficult to pinpoint the starting point of this process, but once found, it could quickly be made his own.

Xueliang smiled.

"Yeah, I forced him to level up because I thought he was lacking."

"......"

"So, why did you come here in person?"

"The Third Young Master."

"Why?"

"Feeling it anew... He is truly remarkable."

His voice was still monotone, but there was genuine admiration in his words.

Xueliang looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It's not me who's remarkable, but him. He had such potential hidden from the beginning."

"Knowing how to draw it out is also remarkable."

"Anyone can apply it if they deeply ponder the principles of qi cultivation."

"That's why it's remarkable. Most demons don't ponder the application of qi cultivation to such an extent."

"That's true. So, what do you want to say? Do you want to say that he's dangerous because he's remarkable?"

"It's such an obvious statement that it doesn't need to be said."

Xueliang chuckled.

"Is this enough for a greeting? We're not close enough to joke around. Get to the point."

Gogu stared at Xueliang intently.

Xueliang's face immediately turned uncomfortable. He looked as if he was wondering why this guy came without any notice and was making small talk.

After a moment, Gogu spoke.

"The Pashun Festival is approaching, and the Third Young Master must be aware of it."

"The Pashun Festival?"

Sure, I've heard of it, but what about it?

Gogu said with an unusually serious face.

"Let's get to the point. I need your help."

...What now?