Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
54. Dongsaeng (9)
When the first irregular luncheon was held, the host was said to actively converse with the children.
The children thanked the busybody host Jin for saving the kidnapped children, and attentively listened to his heroic tales.
The busybody Jin listened to the children’s stories and soothed his sadness of not having the fortune of children.
But no matter how young they were, there weren’t only innocent and kind children.
There was a child, who acted cute in front of the others, but behind the backs, they alienated other children and even fabricated a kidnapping incident to obtain the busybody Jin’s goodwill.
The ulterior schemes to completely win over the busybody Jin.
At first the busybody Jin was at a loss what to do, but finally he completely revealed the child’s conspiracy and chased them out of the luncheon.
After that incident, the busybody Jin stopped revealing himself at the luncheons.
— Was I acting too carelessly, because such a bastard was a kid?
— In the future I’ll only listen to your conversations behind the backs. Play as you wish and go.
The host, who didn’t reveal himself at the luncheon and watched from distance, was the expected thing of the current irregular luncheon.
But today, with the appearance of the host, the irregular luncheon deviated from its usual form.
It was the first time when the mask-wearing host appeared.
Naturally it was also the first time the host spoke to someone among the luncheon’s invitees.
Snap!
Hwang-ho, who looked like a highschooler, snapped his fingers, and formed a golden barrier, cutting off the sound of the surrounding.
“Who knew that you would say ‘long time no see’ so openly.”
Hwang-ho spoke with an upset expression.
At that, the busybody Jin blinked behind the mask and said:
“I didn’t see you for a long time, so I said long time no see, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that you did it in front of those children.”
“Is that a big problem? I heard that a highschooler from the Hwang Myeong Group’s side is coming, but in no way did I expect for it to be you! Aren’t you looking for a traitor, or something? Is imitating a highschooler fun?”
“Unlike you, who is chatting with others’ children, because you don’t have the fortune of descendants, this one is busy leading the Hwang Myeong Group, right? This is one of the social activities for the future.”
At Hwang-ho’s words, the busybody Jin who seemed pissed but still was very happy about meeting an acquaintance after a long time, couldn’t erase laughter from his voice.
“Anyhow, stop trying to reveal my identity in front of those children. I don’t plan on exactly hiding it, but I think I’ll refuse it being revealed in such a place because of you bastard’s slip of a tongue, eh?”
“Fine. If you took a step back like me, without a need to mix in the human world, you wouldn’t have such troubles. How about stopping acting like a human at this opportunity?”
“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll inform the whole world of your identity, and you will learn what is truly annoying.”
Hwang-ho quietly stared at the mask.
The mask worn by the busybody Jin had at a glance a cut out part for the eyes to see, but behind the cut out parts for the eyes a black cloth was seen.
His eyes were covered.
Hwang Jiho connected the other party’s identity and the mask status, and thought:
‘I guess divinity rose again, eh? As he was reinterpreted and reinvented in several works of art in all kinds of medium, his recognition raised, and he ended up like this?’
Although this busybody Jin didn’t originate in Korean Peninsula, as the years went by, it seemed that his popularity would pierce the heavens.
Moreover, after the Clash of Different Worlds, he didn’t commit any sins that would cause his divine status to drop, and was rather doing good deeds, knowingly or unknowingly, behind the back, so it might be natural that his divinity raised.
‘As one, who should have originally taken a position of a god, it’s not strange, right?’
As a being, who finished a grand and legendary adventure, and with his life story known world-wide, that busybody Jin raised to the position of a god in some areas.
So the fact that he declined the position of a higher being and stayed as a Jin was not known by many people.
Even the fact that he took part in forming the 12 Zodiac Alliance and stayed at the Korean Peninsula was not well known.
After the busybody Jin shut his mouth at Hwang-ho’s threats, Hwang-ho ended the conversation.
“It’s difficult to drag out any longer, eh? Conversation is for later, Qitian Dasheng.”
The busybody Jin’s identity was the head of the Won tribe[1], Sun Wukong, carrying the name of Qitian Dasheng, meaning Heavenly Equal Great Sage.
Seeing Qitian Dasheng nodding, Hwang-ho released the barrier.
Paaa…!
After the barrier was released, the golden superpower wave scattered.
Between the superpower wave particles, the increase in people was visible, and among them were the bodyguards of the children of the rich figures, who detected a powerful superpower wave and rushed over.
Among them was also Ju Su-hyeok’s bodyguard, Kim Cheol.
Majority of them were looking at the busybody Jin, and the host of the irregular luncheon, who revealed himself for the first time, Qitian Dasheng, but Kim Cheol was looking at Hwang-ho, instead of the busybody Jin.
‘It seems that he still didn’t give up, eh?’
The Ju-Oh Group was trying to dig out the identity of the student, who danced Byeoksa dance at the opening ceremony of the Eungwang School and Military School’s sport exchange.
Hwang-ho, who knew about this, turned it around and rooted out the person from Ju-Oh Group, who was investigating, and that person was Kim Cheol.
Baek-ho’s identity was covered, but it couldn’t be hidden that the person, who danced the Byeoksa dance was a relative of Hwang Myeong Group’s chairman, Hwang Myeong-ho, according to the family register.
So naturally he would learn that belonging to the 1st year class 0’s Hwang Jiho and Baek-ho were related.
‘Even if he learned our identities, he wouldn’t be able to publicly reveal it, unless Ju-Oh Group wanted to lose the friendliness of Hwang Myeong Group, right? The problem is the ‘reason’. Why do they want to look into us?’
Hwang-ho looked right at Kim Cheol with the face of Hwang Jiho and smiled.
Clap!
At that moment, Qitian Dasheng clapped shortly.
As if the superpower wave exploded when his palms met, the gaze of all Players inside turned towards Qitian Dasheng instantly.
“Let’s sit down.”
With those words, the luncheon started.
Many students here belonged to Eungwang School, and not a small number of them knew abut the 1st year class 0’s laughing lunatic.
They spoke up to Hwang-ho and asked if Hwang-ho knew the host, but he didn’t reply.
All children thought it was a difficult situation to speak about and took a step back, but Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol were somewhat persistent.
“Hwang Jiho junior-nim, what the heck was that a moment ago~?”
“Host-nim said ‘long time no see’ a moment ago. Do you know each other?”
“Hahahaha!”
“Aghr, junior-nim is only laughing and not answering.”
“Hahahahaha!”
Midst such troubles, the irregular luncheon ended.
All children left the luncheon venue.
Hwang-ho, who left the venue to avoid drawing attention, returned to the place again.
Qitian Dasheng, who was waiting in the luncheon venue, looked at Hwang-ho, who returned and pointed at the seat across of him with his chin.
Qitian Dasheng had taken off his mask.
After the mask covering his whole face disappeared, the blindfold of the same color as the golden headband on his head was revealed.
Although the eyes were covered, the not covered features were remarkable enough for him to indeed be called King of Beautiful Monkeys.
“What did you reveal yourself for? I don’t think you came to say hello.”
“You’re impatient. Looks like you’re really busy?”
“Wasn’t it already said that this one was busy?”
“And you also said that I wasn’t busy.”
He tried to talk about the main topic right away, but in the end they talked about some personal affairs, and then returned to the original topic.
“There is something to do if you help me. If you lend me your power, I’ll repay my gratitude.”
“You should know what situation the Ho tribe is facing right now. What are you saying about lending power?”
Hwang-ho recalled Zhu Bajie, or Zhu Ganglie, who had a connection with Qitian Dasheng.
Seeing Hwang-ho wary, Qitian Dasheng burst out into laughter.
“Hahaha! I’m not asking about anything grand. If it’s solved well, I’ll help you later with smashing and catching that ‘traitor’.”
“How can I be certain that you aren’t a traitor?”
“I have nothing to gain from betraying the 12 Zodiac Alliance. For certainty…”
Qitian Dasheng fell into thoughts for a while, and then showed Hwang-ho a talisman, whose content wasn’t visible, because it was sealed with a superpower wave.
Hwang-ho, who looked at the seal sealing the talisman, made a surprised face.
“… It seems like the Tight-Fillet Spell is inside of it. Why didn’t you destroy it and are holding it instead?”
As a spell controlling the headband, the Tight-Fillet Spell was a weakness and a shackle tying Qitian Dasheng.
Although it was sealed, as he walked around with a talisman containing that spell, it was no different from Qitian Dasheng walking with his heart in his hands in Hwang-ho’s eyes.
“This seal was personally made by Guanyin Bodhisattva. Without meeting special conditions, even if Jade Emperor stepped forward, it wouldn’t open. Even if one could destroy this talisman, they wouldn’t be able to look inside.”
“Seems like the condition of looking inside it are pretty complex, eh?”
“Yeah, because to open this seal my will is needed.”
Qitian Dasheng touched the seal with one finger and declared.
“I’m not a traitor, who broke the nonaggression promise of the 12 Zodiac Alliance. If I and the Won tribe was to betray the 12 Zodiac Alliance, the Tight-Fillet Spell inside of it will fall into Hwang-ho’s hands.”
Under Qitian Dasheng’s fingertip, a superpower wave flowed out and was sucked into the seal.
Hwang-ho, who activated the Brilliant Gaze and observed the utilization of that superpower wave, was amazed.
To prove he wasn’t a traitor, Qitian Dasheng handed the freaking Tight-Fillet Spell as a collateral?
“… You went this far, and are saying that you aren’t trying to request anything grand?”
The situation made him flustered, but if as the Ho tribe’s head he could borrow Qitian Dasheng’s strength to punish the traitor, he thought it was excellent.
Zhu Ganglie was said to have lost his teeth, because Jo Uisin reaped Zhu Banjie’s Nine Iron Teeth Rake, but his power as a Marshal Tianpeng couldn’t be underestimated.
Moreover, he thought of the possibility of calling Qitian Dasheng, with who he had a long time relationship as reinforcement, so if he put his hands on the Tight-Fillet Spell and eliminated the possibility of him being a traitor, he considered it somewhat worthy of making a sacrifice.
While Hwang-ho was continuing complicated calculations in his head, Qitian Dasheng opened his mouth.
“Do you know about my dongsaeng?”
Was the request related to the dongsaeng?
Hwang-ho spoke, recalling the tales involving Qitian Dasheng.
“Are you talking about your sworn brothers Seven Great Sages?”
“No, on the biological side. I’m the third among five siblings.”
“From that side? There is a record left from the end of Yuan Empire about the fourth sibling. I know that the fourth Great Sage Understanding Heaven (通天大聖) raised to the position of a higher being.”
Qitian Dasheng spoke with a heavy voice.
“I wish to find the whereabouts of the youngest, Wuzhiqi[2].”
* * *
Today was weekend, but I left the dormitory wearing a school uniform.
As the school uniform was a student’s formal attire, according to the courtesy when paying respects, the student had to wear a student uniform.
‘I didn’t expect to wear a school uniform again to offer flowers to my family.’
As it was early morning and the weekend, when I put on a school uniform and went to the flower shop near the enshrinement hall, the florist spoke to me with a kind tone.
They asked if I came alone, and if I don’t have any company, but I just brushed them off with a vague expression.
When I left the flower shop, I was holding four bouquets of chrysanthemums in my arms, but holding so much in my hands was more uncomfortable and difficult to move than I thought.
There weren’t many pedestrians, but they all glanced at me, who was walking with an armful of chrysanthemums.
‘Even so, isn’t this much okay?’
There were several meanings to offering flowers.
Praying for the deceased’s comfortable rest and wishing them immortality in the afterlife, but wasn’t it the same as offering condolences?
The amount of flowers wasn’t fixed, but as there were only fake remains of my family in this world, wasn’t there a need to be a lot of flowers to convey condolences?
Moreover, in the previous world I didn’t have much to spare, so I couldn’t buy an abundance of flowers.
I wished to offer a bouquet of flowers to my father, mother and two dongsaeng each this time.
When I entered the enshrinement hall.
“Uh…?”
The entrance of the enshrinement hall was full of people, no, with tigers I knew.
*~*~*
[1] Won tribe — Won for ‘monkey’
[2] Wuzhiqi — her name in Korean is ‘Mujigi 무지기’
Translator’s note: Actually, Sun Wukong has a point. Why are you so insistent yet not insistent on hiding that you’re a Jin, Hwang-ho? This is not an attempt at distracting myself from Jo Uisin’s family death, I’m truly curious.
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