The night before the storm (4)
“… … Therefore, it is said that all of the elders expressed their will to actively participate in the war.”
Yeon Ho-jeong laughed bitterly.
“I would have participated in the war originally. But what matters is how you do it.”
“That’s right.”
“So, what are you doing now?”
“Most of them are lying down in the training ground.”
“Did you fight?”
“Rather than fighting… … Well, a fight is a fight. “I heard that Sima Confucius made a bit of a provocation, but later on, it turned out to be like a serious fight.”
“What are you doing?”
Jeongan shook his head.
“I don’t understand. “How is it possible to become friends while fighting?”
“You also became close with Yeon-sim after fighting with her.”
“That’s because we had a common goal and we were close when we were kids to begin with… … .”
“That’s where people live. In any case, the elders would not have been comfortable with me having five people under my command. Even then, I couldn’t say a word, but since they started an argument, I guess I thought it was right and pulled out my sword.”
“Is that why the dance was conducted too much like a learning place?”
“I’m starting to understand.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.
“In order to survive, I have to become stronger first.”
“Doesn’t everyone know that much?”
“Knowing and deeply understanding are two different things. In fact, whether they become stronger or not, if they are going to move forward anyway, they will abandon their previous attitude and become a little more proactive.”
Yeon Ho-jeong grinned.
“I thought these guys were going to be good, but they’re pretty good.”
In the end, martial arts are both fists and swords.
There is no need to distinguish between white and black porcupines. If you are a person who has learned martial arts and thrown yourself into it, the showdown between those who share the same thing cannot help but be fought with the sword, not the tongue.
“Anyway, that’s how it happened. “If I have time later, I’ll just go and pick the fruit and eat it.”
“I don’t know what Sobuju is talking about.”
“You will understand when you are together.”
Yeon Ho-jeong stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Master.”
“To the Vice lord?”
“I have to send it to you soon. Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you don’t notice.”
* * *
The first thing that Yeon Ho-jeong saw as he entered Bujujeon was Yang Cheon standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to Taesa Temple and the twelve masters standing to his left and right.
Yang Cheon was looking up at Taesa with his back to him. The prayer was perfectly organized, and his posture was as straight as always.
Yeon Ho-jeong had no idea what Yang Cheon was thinking. But I could tell that he was feeling a variety of emotions.
“Are you here?”
“yes.”
Yang Chen did not look back. His eyes were still focused on Taesa.
Without hesitation, Yeon Ho-jeong walked to the three steps behind Yang Cheon and stopped.
Yang Chen opened his mouth.
“A long time ago, when I first went to Gangho.”
“yes.”
“Honestly, I don’t remember with what spirit I left. However, I clearly remember the time I defeated my first opponent.”
“You must have been jumping for joy.”
“I was afraid.”
Those words were uncharacteristic of Yangcheon.
“He was a well-known spearman in Shanxi. When it came to spearmanship, he was one of the top three experts in Shanxi. “He was a low-ranking member among them, but he was able to get around the neighborhood by giving his stomach some strength.”
Shanxi Wulin had particularly few cilantro compared to other regions. If the top leaders in Shanxi go to Shaanxi or Henan, there will be dozens of people, even excluding the old faction, for whom it will be difficult to discuss victory or defeat.
Moreover, considering that there are not many martial arts people who use spears, it would be difficult to consider them as one of the top ten masters in Shanxi.
“I was weak. I had a solid foundation, but I thought it would take a lifetime for me to reach the level of a major writer with a major literary background. I wasn’t satisfied with it. “Now that I have learned martial arts, I wanted to discuss the best in the world.”
“… … .”
“But the person I chose as my first opponent was such an expert. I still remember it. It was a man named Song Hak, who was called the Three Demon Gates. “He must have been around 40.”
“You also have a good memory.”
“We competed for over two hundred sums. My body was covered in wounds, and other than his physical strength, there was nothing wrong with him. “I was about to lose my life to my first opponent after being released.”
Yang Chen closed his eyes.
The game at that time was still good.
“We caught the guy off guard and achieved a comeback victory with a miraculous strike.”
“Isn’t that a skill?”
“Of course, luck is also a skill. However, after that, I did something unbelievable.”
“… … ?”
“I chopped up his body with the spear he swung.”
It was a pretty scary story.
Yang Chen shook his head.
“I couldn’t bear it. “He could have been killed by this guy.”
“… … .”
“I was scared of that guy’s spear. I was resentful of my body not moving as I trained. Hatred and fear of him grew exponentially. He felt like if he didn’t cut up the guy’s face and body, he would be a loser for the rest of his life.”
It seemed that the fear of him could be forgotten only if he was damaged so that he could not be recognized.
“But even as time passed, I couldn’t forget his face. Rather, it became clearer. “It’s still like that.”
“… … .”
“After winning the fight against him, I went straight up the mountain. “Because I felt like I would never be able to fight again unless I got rid of this fear.”
“I see.”
“But I came down three days later and caught up with another spearman.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I realized that the feeling of fear is not something that can be eliminated.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
Yang Cheon chuckled and continued speaking.
“That’s how I lived. After defeating famous masters in Shanxi, he came to Hebei and defeated other masters. I can’t count the times I almost died. “I fought a guy who called himself a martial arts expert for over half a day and barely won, but it took him over half a year to recover.”
The recovery speed of a martial artist who has learned internal skills is much faster than that of other ordinary people. Nevertheless, if he has not recovered to his original state for half a year, he has literally suffered a fatal injury.
“After that, the scars on my body decreased. And five years later, I fought and won against a ten-handed magician.”
Sibsu Magica was a legendary magic head whose military strength was comparable to that of the Shaolin master and the shaman Jang Mun-in.
Although his evil deeds were great, he was a demon among demons that anyone was reluctant to fight because his divine laws were so fast and he was so haunting.
“It seems like you had a great realization during the recovery period of over half a year.”
“There is no such thing as enlightenment. I was just thinking deeply about my martial arts skills. However, without that time, I would not have developed to this extent.”
“… … .”
“Even though I fell into the swamp of death and fear, I came back alive like a demon. When I was covered in blood and couldn’t move, I checked my martial arts skills, saying that it was better. “As I lived like that, before I knew it, I was being called by the nickname ‘Tuwang.’”
Yang Chen opened his eyes.
The Taesa seen before the cold and the Taesa seen now looked strangely different.
“People can’t just be successful. I too have been defeated many times. “I managed to escape and survive.”
“… … .”
“You can’t advance to the top without defeat or rest. That’s how life is. Even though it is frustrating and empty, this moment can also give great meaning to my life later.”
Yang Chen turned around.
The two people faced each other directly.
“You have been running for a long time without even being able to rest properly. “Thanks to your potential and fortune, you have shown remarkable growth, but I think it is not strange if you collapse at any time.”
“… … .”
“You can leave it to someone else.”
Yeon Ho-jeong knew. This does not mean handing over the position of deputy head to someone else.
“Did you know?”
“How long will a guy as big as you not know? “I thought you would notice something strange even if I didn’t tell you.”
It was about the emperor’s analysis.
It is said that there is a high probability that this war will not break out until the Jungwon Murim attacks first.
If war starts, of course Yeonhojeong will move first. Yangcheon thought so, and Yeonhojeong actually made up his mind.
“The whole world knows how hard you worked to win this war. And those who have seen it up close know it even better.”
“… … .”
“It may not seem cold to you, but there are many strong people in the world. Perhaps there are many people who are wiser than you, just not revealing it. “If they join forces, they may achieve better results than you think.”
“Master. I am… … .”
“I know, I know.”
Yang Cheon held Yeon Ho Jeong’s hand.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.
The sight of Tuwang holding my hand with his calm face and rough hands was overflowing with a kindness I had never seen before.
“Now I know everything without having to say it. A lot of things happened, but anyway, how long has it been since then? “The past few years have been such a dense time that I don’t envy other people’s decades.”
“… … .”
“In these two hands, countless lives depend. I don’t think you know the devastation of war. “You probably know better than anyone else the importance of my people.”
“… … .”
“But you always have to remind yourself. Hundreds of lives could be lost with just one gesture or word from me. “You will figure it out on your own, but as time goes on, there will be people who will trip you up because you are from Baekdo.”
“… … “I guess so.”
“To prepare for that time, it would be better to leave the start of the war to someone else. “It’s good to live only for war, but you should also think about your future.”
The immediate fight seemed too big and too fierce to think about the future.
In other words, the probability of dying is much higher than the probability of living. Nevertheless, Yangcheon was talking about the future.
Yang Cheon, who has been around the world for a long time and has accumulated wisdom as much as military power, would never have thought that he would say something like this.
Yang Cheon let go of Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand and nodded.
“Now I am leaving my dreams behind in this dark, dark cave. “Go up to earth and draw your own dreams and future.”
“… … .”
“I’m leaving now. “I’ll see you later.”
Yang Cheon trotted out without saying hello.
Twelve experts followed quietly behind him. Not one of them said hello to Yeon Ho-jeong.
I wasn’t ignoring him.
There was a loyal stubbornness to only follow their lord and not to bow their heads to anyone who was not their lord.
Looking at Yang Cheon leaving Daejeon, Yeon Ho-jeong bowed silently. Although they were in a relationship for the same purpose, the look Yang Cheon showed just now truly contained the teachings and concerns of a teacher.
‘See you again.’
And so Yang Cheon left.
Beyond the cries of the dragon as it sets over Seosan.
The will of the Black Emperor, full of darkness, rises.
A month has passed.
