Episode 32. On a night when cicadas cry
Mt. Obong.
Early in the morning, the door to Obongsanchae opened wide.
Soon, eleven thieves with bundles on their backs walked out. They were the O Bong Sip Geol and their guide, Gu Mil Bok Geum Sim Yang Gak, who were going to Mansapyeong in Gangnam.
Sim Yang-gak, who was walking ahead, turned around briefly, took a look at the five Bong-sip-geol, and nodded his head as if satisfied.
Thanks to their neat attire, there’s no reason to suspect them of being thieves. There’s nothing to be done about the swords hanging from everyone’s waists. You can’t participate in the Green Forest Tournament bare-handed.
‘At most, they’ll think of me as a member of the Murim faction.’
That’s how it should be.
If it gets revealed that you’re a bandit, many people will get tired.
Sim Yang-gak and Poong Yeon-cho’s eyes met by chance as they were about to turn back.
“Sim No-je, why? Do you have something to say?”
“No. But if people you meet ask you what you do, what do you plan on saying?”
“Would there be people who would ask that when we first meet?”
“Hehehe, with so many people around, there’s bound to be at least one person who gets curious.”
“Really? What would be a good excuse to say?”
The five Bongsipgeols walked by and each threw out a few words.
“How about Oh Bong-moon?”
“Or rather, O Bong-gwan?”
“Why? It’s called Obongru.”
“Brothers, why do you insist on putting in the Five Peaks? How about the Biryongmun instead? We all learned the Biryong Ascension.”
Heo Im-dal was taken aback by Han Chae-yeon’s words.
“Then I am the Ascension Gate.”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
“I am a dragon.”
“What the hell.”
The Five Bong Ten Heroes could not come to an agreement between the Biryong Gate and the Seungcheon Gate.
Tak Go-myeong, who could not stand to watch, shouted, “If you want to do Biryongmun, do Biryongmun, and if you want to do Seungcheonmun, do Seungcheonmun.”
As they were almost down Mt. Obong, Pungyeoncho declared, “The dragon is lucky, so we will use the Biryongmun,” and the sect was reorganized.
While he was at it, Poongyeoncho added a word.
“We are all disciples, and Yeon-ah is the teacher. Is that okay?”
“Brother, isn’t there a doorman? You should do it.”
Poongyeoncho shook his head at Takgomyeong’s question.
“There’s no such thing. It’ll be a headache if a situation arises where Moon-joo has to step up for no reason. I don’t want to do it.”
“Haha! Should I do it too?”
“What difference is there between you and me? No way. If there is no Moonju, there is no responsibility.”
Sim Yang-gak, who had been listening, chimed in.
“That’s right, Chaeju. If there’s a Moonju, they might stick around here and there.”
“See? You heard that?”
Poongyeoncho shrugged his shoulders.
This time, Hasobaek asked as if he was curious.
“Oh, Poong, but why is our Biryongmun going to Namjikrye Castle?”
“The reason I’m going is… … . So… … .”
While Poongyeoncho was racking his brain for a suitable answer, Heo Imdal intervened.
“There is a Seungcheonmun in Namjikryeoseong. We are going to help the Seungcheonmun.”
“Pfft! Heo Im-dal. Are you going to push the Ascension Gate all the way?”
Tak Go-myeong burst into laughter.
But Poongyeoncho nodded, as if he liked the story.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Did you all hear that? If anyone asks, we’re on our way to the Namjikryeoseong’s Seungcheonmun with the martial arts instructor.”
The five Bongsipgeol answered with a hearty laugh.
“Okay.”
“Yes, brother.”
At that time, Lee Cheol-san asked curiously.
“But brothers, is there a Seungcheonmun in Namjikryeoseong?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Hey, hey. Don’t go into too much detail. So what if it exists or not?”
“Anyway, I said that our Cheolsan is innocent.”
Lee Cheol-san lowered his head at the teasing of the five great men.
After arriving at Ha-ga-chon, the five men of the Obong-ship bought plenty of dry goods and walked along the official road in a southeastern direction.
***
Mid-September.
Support for the male lead.
Around noon, eleven martial artists entered the village. They were the Five Bongsipgeols, who were on their way to Gangnam Mansapyeong. Their appearance was a bit shabby due to their long journey, but it matched well with the swords hanging from their waists.
“Big brother, I’m so hot and hungry I can’t go any further. Let’s stop somewhere and get something to eat before we go.”
The shaggy, hairy Takgo-myeong begged with a face that seemed to be dying. It seems that he has a harder time than others because of his body hair.
Poongyeoncho answered in a listless voice, perhaps because he was tired.
“Okay, let’s take a break. I’m going to die too.”
Gumilbokgyeom Sim Yanggak, who was looking around, pointed somewhere with his hand.
“Brother Poong, there’s a restaurant called Shin Yang Restaurant over there. Please go over there.”
The five Bongsipgeols rushed in the direction he pointed without even checking properly. They were that exhausted from the heat and hunger.
Shin Yang Banjeom was so crowded with people that it was difficult to find an empty seat.
However, the savages who saw the eleven unmanned people cleverly made room for them.
As soon as the five men sat down, they gulped down the cold water.
After that, I ordered some food from the waiter and fell asleep again.
Poongyeoncho, who had been staring blankly at a point in the sky, turned her head at the strange feeling. The middle-aged man in his fifties sitting next to her kept glancing at her, as if he had something to say.
Even though he had done nothing wrong, Poongyeoncho avoided his gaze for no reason.
‘I wonder if he knows about the green forest and is acting like that?’
Fortunately, the middle-aged man seemed to lose interest soon.
As soon as the food arrived, Poongyeoncho forgot everything else and began to eat greedily.
But the food on the table is almost gone.
The middle-aged man sitting next to me, whom I had completely forgotten about, suddenly spoke to me.
“Excuse me, are you traveling?”
At that moment, Poongyeoncho’s heart sank.
The thief was surprised by his own feet, so Pungyeoncho bluntly retorted.
“Why do you ask that?”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself first. My name is Jang Han-young, the agent of Suwol Sangbang in Buyang. And this is my daughter.”
Jang Han-young pointed to a cute woman in her early twenties who was standing next to him.
The woman who had been hesitating bowed.
Looking at her bewildered face, it seems like Jang Han-young did something spontaneous.
Jang Han-young, who had finished his introduction in a flash like roasting beans in a lightning flash, continued speaking.
“I suddenly had to go on a business trip, but there weren’t enough warriors to escort me.”
“Surely you’re not asking people you don’t even know to lend a hand… … .”
“Hehe, not necessarily… … .”
Jang Han-young smiled as if embarrassed, but secretly examined the people carefully.
Only one old man had cloudy eyes, while the rest were clear and plain. The prayers emanating from his entire body also felt good, like those of disciples of a famous school.
His delusion was the result of the five Bongsipgeols reciting the Baekjagugyeol that Yeonjeokha had taught them, day and night.
What kind of white porcelain was that?
The essence of Taoist qigong taught by Gucheonhyeonnyeo allows one to accumulate Taoist power just by breathing. Although he may be a thief by profession, the gentleness that flows from his entire body is no less than that of the disciples of Chilpaimun.
Moreover, thanks to having been exposed to the elements for a long time – having shaken off all the dregs of the secular world – there was a glimpse of detachment in the modesty, which made Jang Han-young blink.
Once he was convinced that he could ‘trust’, Jang Han-young pushed forward actively.
“Haha! Even couples who are meant to be together for a hundred years start out by meeting for the first time. By the way, can you tell me which school you are a disciple of?”
“We are disciples of the Biryongmun.”
Poongyeoncho didn’t hesitate at all.
My mouth moved faster than I thought because there was a set answer to that question.
“Ah! So you’re the Biryongmun? Where is it…?”
“Hanam?”
Poongyeoncho’s confidence disappeared in the face of a question he had not prepared for.
Although it was a questionable answer, Jang Han-young, whose eyes were already filled with dander, could not see through it.
“You must be the Biryongmun of Hanam. If we are going in the same direction, would you be able to accompany us? We have to go through Hoenam to Hefei. Oh, of course, we will give you a generous reward.”
The flustered Poongyeoncho just blinked.
I wanted to refuse, but coincidentally we were going in the same direction.
As Poongyeoncho prepared to say no, Lee Cheolsan, who was listening from the side, muttered.
“Huh? We also have to pass by Hapbi… … .”
‘Ouch! This clueless kid.’
Poongyeoncho looked at Icheolsan, but it was already spilled milk.
Jang Han-young, the acting head of Suwol Sangbang, looked at Poongyeoncho with an expression that said he had been caught.
***
A control tower on the outskirts of Buyang late at night.
In the courtyard paved with blue stones, a dozen or so people were sitting around a bonfire. Nine men and two women, the Five Bongsipgeol. They were lighting a fire despite the summer cold and dampness of the dew.
Fire is lit out of necessity, but it also has many side effects. One of them is that it makes time pass quickly. When the sun goes down, there is nothing to do. When that happens, if you light a fire, an hour (two hours) passes quickly.
The five Bongsipgeol were staring blankly at the fire without anyone telling them to. They didn’t even have the usual dirty jokes. Instead, their eyes were filled with regret.
Now they are bandits of the Green Forest, but before that they were poor farmers. It is bitter to think that the flames that disappear leaving behind white ash are like their own lives.
People change little by little depending on their environment. When I was banditry in Mt. Obong, I only thought about having fun, but after a long trip, the past that I had forgotten came back to me one by one.
Hasobaek, who was moving a long pole through the fire, glanced at the wind chime.
“Brother Poong, why did you reject the offer from the agent during the day? We were going in the same direction anyway. Wouldn’t it be better if we went together and made money?”
“Hmm. Have you forgotten who we are? If you go with them and get tangled with the green forest, you’ll be fine. Ugh.”
Poongyeoncho shivered as if she didn’t even want to think about it.
“Big brother is right. I don’t know about anything else, but you should avoid traveling with your superiors.”
Tak Go-myeong also shook his head.
“Oh, I see.”
Hasobaek’s face was filled with an inexplicable regret.
In fact, she had dreamed of a life like that of ordinary unmanned people, even if only for a moment. The romantic daily lives of unmanned people that are known to ordinary people.
Han Chae-yeon, who knew Ha So-baek’s true feelings, snickered.
“I guess you wanted to imitate the female knights of Gangho?”
“What, just a little? Didn’t you do that, Sister?”
“Huh! I can’t say no at all.”
The two talked about the life in Gangho they had dreamed of.
Poongyeoncho looked at the two people with somewhat complicated eyes.
‘It’s a female cooperative… … .’
Like everyone else, he also had such a dream when he was young. Of course, the reality was a cesspool. His poor parents gave him to a wandering medicine vendor to save one mouth. After that, as you can see, he became a bandit.
However, after learning Baekja Gugyeol from Yeonjeokha, every day feels new. When I take a deep breath and come out, sometimes I feel like I’m wearing clothes that don’t fit.
“ha!”
A long sigh escaped Poongyeoncho’s mouth.
“Why are you suddenly sighing?”
Tak Go-myeong, who spoke calmly, threw the branch he was holding into the fire.
“Did I tell you that I have a wife and kids?”
“Is this your first time hearing this?”
“He’ll be there in Gaebong, but I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. I haven’t been there in ten years.”
After hiding in the mountains to avoid being proselytized, he lived in oblivion.
“Oh my! You are such a heartless person.”
“I’ve been thinking about it lately. They say if you change suddenly, you die. Is it time for me to go?”
“Phew! Brother. It’s not that it’s time to go, it’s that I’ve become a human being. Isn’t it natural to miss my family?”
Tak Go-myeong, who grew up in a temple, looks a little envious.
It makes sense, since you’re already in your forties and haven’t even started a family.
The five Bong-sip-geol members who had been chatting away fell asleep one by one.
The light from the campfire gradually faded.
Zzzzzz.
In the quiet night, the only noise was the cicadas’ chirping.
Wuxia,
