Episode 106. What is life?
In fact, when Wolha Seonja said that she wanted to meet Baek Miju of Waryongjang, I thought, ‘What?’ This is because Waryongjang and Wolha Church are not in a position to meet and talk.
The reason I decided to meet Baek Mi-ju was because she offered to give me a gift. It meant that she wanted to improve her relationship with Wolha Church, meaning that she would not seek revenge.
That also fits in with the new guidelines recently set by the Baekdu Horse Army.
The Baekdu Horsemen wanted to avoid receiving too much attention after the Seven Churches were established, as this could become an obstacle to the training of the Ten Horsemen.
So, we decided to avoid conflict with the Murim faction as much as possible.
I took the time thinking that I would get what I paid for if I lost, but surprisingly, the gift I got was a pair of Palju Ridge boots.
One eight-legged horse represents one person’s twelve-legged horse.
These days, the seven churches are obsessed with increasing the number of their soldiers. From Baekdu Horse Army’s perspective, the soldiers are the best disciples and loyal servants.
Wolha Seonja read greed in Baek Miju’s eyes.
Of course, she is a woman who is obsessed with success to the point of even seeking revenge.
Suddenly, Wolha Seonja became curious.
How big is that greed?
It would be unusual for a shaman of the Jeongpa clan to offer up a sect’s eight pillars of wisdom to a famous religion. Wolha Seonja wanted to look deep into the bottom of Baekmiju.
So I said.
“Haha. I will teach you the use of that item especially. If you still want to make an offering after listening, I will grant your wish. Would you like to hear it?”
“……yes.”
Baek Mi-ju did not decline.
By the time she got here, she had already put everything aside. Baek Mi-ju, who was blinded by the reconstruction of Waryongjang, was in no position to be picky about what was hot or cold.
“The Paljuryung is a sacred object used by priestesses in the East. It is like a bridge connecting heaven and earth, the afterlife and the living world.”
Up to this point, it’s a decent explanation.
Baek Mi-ju nodded her head in silent approval.
“As is already known, the Yumyeong religion worships King Yeomra. We want King Yeomra, the ruler of the underworld, and his servants to rule the present world as well.”
Baek Mi-ju paused when she reached the line, “Yeomra and his servants want to rule the present world as well.” She had difficulty continuing to nod because she had no idea what was being said.
“How could King Yeomra come to this world… … .”
“A few sacrifices and a few weeks of training make it possible.”
“… … .”
Baek Mi-ju’s face hardened.
‘Is this a story about a sacrifice?’
Waryongjang is a military group under the Justice Alliance.
Of course, she also heard that ‘the famous religion sacrifices its monks’.
The Wolhaseonja smiled faintly and continued speaking.
“While practicing, the cult leader discovered the dharma left behind by ancient monks. When the Eight-Ju-Ryung, the mysterious dharma, and the noble sacrifice are combined, it is a secret technique that allows the descent of the King of Hell. After that, the cult leader became the first famous cult leader.”
“Isn’t it true that a noble sacrifice is… … by a monk?”
“Haha. If you want to travel between this world and the next, you have to pay a certain price.”
Baek Mi-ju remained silent, unable to find a response.
“When the life of the sacrifice seeps into the eight pillars, the King of Hell and his servants in the underworld react. It’s like one demon soldier coming over with ten life forces. When the demon soldier takes possession of the body, you gain infinite power.”
Only then did Baek Mi-ju realize the meaning of the Ten Headed Horse Soldiers, the Baekdu Horse Army, and the Thousand Headed Horse King and tremble with fear.
“With just one Eight-Ju-Ring, a famous sect member can become a ten-headed horse soldier or a hundred-headed horse soldier. So it is no exaggeration to say that this Eight-Ju-Ring is the root of the famous sect. Do you now understand how precious a task you are about to undertake?”
Baek Mi-ju couldn’t bring herself to answer and just nodded.
It was said that if he crossed the Palju Pass, at least ten monks would die.
The Wolha Seonja gently pushed Paljuryeong towards Baekmiju.
As I look at Baek Mi-ju’s pale face, a strange sense of pleasure comes over me.
“The Eight-Ju-Ring is the most perfect. If even one of the eight drops breaks, it will be useless. Even if it is already a ten-drum bottle… … No, you don’t need to know that. Now, I have told you the purpose of the Eight-Ju-Ring. Do you really want to dedicate this sacred relic to the Wolha Church?”
Baek Mi-ju bit her lips tightly.
It was like asking, ‘Would you sacrifice the lives of ten monks?’
“……yes.”
Baek Mi-ju pushed Pal Ju-ryeong in front of Wol Ha-seon-ja.
To her, the reconstruction of Waryongjang was more important than ten monks whose faces she didn’t even know.
“If there’s something you want, tell me. Is it money? A wish?”
“I want to rebuild Waryongjang. I hope that the benevolence of the late husband and the late son will not be passed on to their children.”
“I will grant your wish. From today onwards, Wolha Church will not be hostile to Waryongjang.”
“thank you.”
Baek Mi-ju’s stiff face opened up a little.
Although he fell once because of Wolha Seonja, now that the past has been resolved, all that remains is to prosper. With Waryongjang’s swordsmanship, that wasn’t a difficult task.
Wolha Seonja spoke to Baek Mi-ju, who was just about to get up from her seat.
“Your loyalty is outstanding. If you want, I can appoint you as one of the ten horsemen. What do you think?”
“Oh, no. The Waryongjang alone is more than enough for me.”
In fact, her interest was in the honor of being the ‘Master of the Martial Arts Family’ rather than martial arts.
“You refuse the blessings that have come to you. I understand. Go ahead.”
“yes.”
Baek Mi-ju politely greeted Wolha Seonja and left the guest room.
***
Mid-December.
release.
Guided by Yeonjeokha who suggested that they go for a walk, Gucheonnodo Simtong had to go all the way to the Yellow River.
I sat down in a shabby riverside tavern and drank some takju (rice wine).
Simtong, who was drinking in front of him, asked quietly.
“Your Majesty, when will you be returning to Zhengzhou? The year is almost over.”
“Old Man Shim.”
“yes.”
“What is life?”
“Hehehe, you can ask me that… … .”
How could a madou like yourself know such a thing?
“I mean, a few days ago I asked the little beggar if he wanted to go with me.”
“Yes, it was.”
“But that kid chose that beggar over me. No, am I worse than the beggar? Why do you say you want to live with the beggar even though you’re getting beaten?”
“I’m also good at that… … .”
Simtong was a simple person, so he didn’t understand the psychology of a child.
“I, who hates kids, felt sorry for them so I reached out and asked them to come with me. Did you see Old Man Shim too?”
“Yes, I saw it. That little bastard’s son kicked the luck away. He’s a beggar’s fate.”
Simtong couldn’t think of anything else.
Who is Yeonjeokha!
He is a master who even the head of the Chilpai family can look down on. If he was at that level in his teens, he will be called the best in the world when he is in his twenties or thirties.
If someone like that extends their hand and you reject them, it just means you have a bad fate.
“I, who had difficulty reaching out, are you saying that the guy who hit me is better than me? Does that make sense? What kind of life is that? Oh, poor kid. He gets hit by something so small… … What’s so good about it… … .”
The lover kept grumbling and grumbling.
It seems like he tried to show kindness to someone for the first time in his life, but was rejected out of hand, leaving him feeling hurt.
“Why did Confucius want to take in such a petty fellow?”
“Do you collect it because it’s pretty? I did it because I felt bad for it. But why? Why on earth? It crawls into the right spot. Wow, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it becomes.”
“That’s also the thing, if it becomes a habit to be right, you get anxious when it doesn’t fit, and things like that.”
Simtong pretended to know by searching through his past memories.
“Old Man Shim, are you anxious if you don’t get hit? Should I hit you every day?”
“Oh, no. I mean, back when I was little.”
“You’ve been a bit strange since you were young. I’ve heard that people who get hit when they grow up beat people up later in life. Isn’t that why you became a madou? You say you enjoyed stealing, hitting, and killing?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that either… … .”
Simtong drank the rice wine in gulps, feeling his mouth dry.
“Wait a minute, didn’t you say that Sister Yeon’s nickname was Hwayong Doksim? I should ask Sister Yeon why the kid did that. Don’t think of anything else. I’m just curious about that.”
“Oh, yes. Then shouldn’t we go and check it out quickly? When should we leave for Jeongju?”
“Let’s go after checking out Brother Poong and Brother Tak’s situation. The atmosphere seems a bit chaotic. If we just leave like this, it’ll look like we have no affection.”
“Hehehe, if Your Majesty wishes, I can change the Haewon Sangbang or whatever.”
“People are so simple. There must be something like that in the Three Hundred Characters. ‘Do not create intentions to plan phenomena or events. Let go of all relationships and let things happen on their own.’ Does it exist or not?”
“Here it is.”
“A person who meditates on that every morning and night is going to tear down Haewon Sangbang? Are they really going to break down the wall? Or are they going to build it up more firmly?”
“I just forgot.”
“I’ll understand since you’re my age. In that spirit, pour me a drink.”
“Yes, but Your Majesty.”
Simtong stopped pouring alcohol and glanced at Yeonjeokha.
“why?”
“Didn’t Confucius also have a plan for a little beggar? He planned something and it didn’t work out… … . Cough. No.”
Simtong stopped talking and hurriedly reached out to his own glass of sake.
Yeonjeokha slapped away the hand of Simtong who was so upset.
“I didn’t do it on purpose, I just went with the flow. Even though I hate kids, my heart just went with the flow, huh? ‘Ah’ is different and ‘uh’ is different.”
“Oh, yes, what Confucius said is absolutely correct.”
“What? Why are you feeling so bad?”
“Well, just let everything go. I think things will be okay then.”
Yeonjeokha glared at Simtong with poisonous eyes.
Simtong quickly picked up the takju and drank it, then laughed heartily.
“Oh, oh, oh! The weather is nice! Do you know, Confucius? When Confucius stares at something like that, the atmosphere is artistic. His eyes are just so different from usual, they are amazing.”
Simtong openly praised Yeonjeokha.
In fact, the eyes that Yeon-Rik usually has are a bit dull.
So, it sometimes makes people who see it mistakenly think, ‘That person is a lowlife.’
But when he looks at me with those sharp eyes, he has such a surprising charm that I wonder if it’s the same face.
Yeonjeokha’s eyes slowly opened at Simtong’s enthusiastic praise.
Naturally, he returned to his dull, low-key eyes.
Simtong clicked his tongue and said, ‘Tsk tsk’ inwardly.
I can’t get mad at her for being cool, and it’s hard not to worry as the person taking care of her.
***
Settlement.
The two families.
After a long time, I went to see my two older brothers who were giving speeches.
This is the second meeting after Waryongjang was destroyed by Wolha Seonja.
The three siblings sat together in the guest room and drank warm tea.
After Waryongjang collapsed, Baek Mi-ju stopped forcing Yeon Seon-ju to do anything. Thanks to this, Yeon Mu-baek and Yeon Seung-baek were able to see Yeon Seon-ju with peace of mind.
The eldest son, Yeonmu Baek, put down his teacup and said.
“I’m hearing this story through the Yang family members. The atmosphere with Geumseon Sangbang is not good?”
“Yeah. It’s an atmosphere where it wouldn’t be strange if a fight broke out at any time.”
“Is that all? If you need any help, just let me know in advance. The Yang family is in disarray these days.”
The speaker sighed as he looked at his two brothers.
“Brothers, that’s not why I came here today.”
“Why? What did your mother say again?”
Yeonmu Baek thought that his mother’s chronic illness, which had been quiet for a while, had relapsed.
“No. Compared to this incident, my mother is not even a problem. This is really… … . Haa! I really have no solution. That’s why I came to see my brothers even though I’m busy.”
Second, Yeonseungbaek asked with a curious look on his face.
“What is it? Tell me without hesitation.”
“… … The enemy has appeared.”
Wuxia,
