Episode 11. New member of Mt. Obongsan
When the guests of Namgung Se-ga visited Waryongjang.
He was wandering around Mt. Obong, which is quite far to the south. No, to be exact, he was ‘on the verge of starving to death on Mt. Obong.’
Martial arts were of little help to him, who had not learned how to live in the world. Even beads need to be strung together to be considered valuable! This was a saying that fit his current situation perfectly. If martial arts were beads, he did not know how to make a living using them.
His condition was not good in many ways.
The bowl I got from the master of openness in midsummer was very unclean.
I ended up getting a stomachache after walking around eating slightly sour food in a bowl like that. For several days, I was putting more food out than going into my mouth.
Eventually, he became so exhausted that he would fall over if someone passed by and even brushed him against him.
He followed the group of merchants through Mt. Obong, and soon ran out of energy. However, the merchants, who were busy going their own way, did not care whether the young beggar followed them or not.
The lover who had been walking behind ended up losing his way.
‘Oh no… … .’
Unlike the first time when I ran away from Waryongjang, I was now just going wherever my feet took me, so there was no rush. However, when it got dark around me, I suddenly got scared.
The bandits are not scary because all they have is a broken bucket.
What he is afraid of now is wild animals. He can barely stand upright, so if he encounters a pack of wolves or wild dogs, he will be eaten.
Exhausted, Yeonjeok staggered towards the first rock he saw. It seemed better to rest on the rock than in the snake-ridden grass.
It’s so hard, I regret not just leaving it in the warehouse.
Yeonjeok, who was resting while leaning against a large rock, slowly lost consciousness.
A dirty leather shoe nudged Yeonjeokha’s head.
But he had lost all his strength and could only breathe thinly without even opening his eyes.
He muttered that the leather shoes were amazing.
“What the hell. A dead body? No? I’m going to get lucky from the morning breeze.”
The old man with the thick beak who was watching from behind snickered.
“Hehe! Brother! Our youngest said he was tired of cooking and doing laundry. Should I take it with me?”
“You want to pick up that guy who looks like he’s suffocating?”
“Let’s sell that guy whether he lives or dies. Let’s accumulate virtue. Do you know? Maybe that will brighten our future.”
“Oh my! That bastard. He’s talking about virtue again just because he ate some food.”
“It’s not a little. I have even received the precepts of a novice monk.”
“A person who can’t even recite a single Buddhist prayer is singing a Buddhist song.”
“Our teacher said that all we have to do is to recite ‘Namu Amitabha Buddha’ well.”
The leather shoes that had been playing tricks on Suha gave Yeonjeokha a slight push on his shoulder.
Yeonjeokha’s upper body, having lost its balance, slid to one side.
The leather shoes jumped back and made a loud noise.
“Oh my! Shit! I guess I’m already lost. It looks like a starving kid.”
“really?”
The magpie approached, grumbling.
He put the back of his hand on Yeonjeokha’s nose, then glanced at the leather shoes and the chieftain, Pungyeoncho.
“He’s not dead? What should I do?”
Poongyeoncho asked, twisting the beard growing under his chin.
“How many people are in our family?”
“Six.”
“It won’t be ruined if I add one more spoon, right?”
“Looking at the bowl hanging from this guy’s waist, he looks like a beggar. He’ll eat it as he pleases.”
“Ugh! Let’s take him. I’ve never seen a kid worse off than us in my life.”
“You thought well. These are all merits.”
The tall and muscular man, Tak Go-myeong, put the Yeonjeok-ha on his shoulder with a loud ‘yes’.
***
Yeonjeokha’s eyes turned towards the distant sky.
The Nine Heavenly Women, who were flying on a cloud, looked back and smiled.
“Fairy?”
Suddenly a loud voice was heard.
“You fell asleep talking like a fairy. From today on, I will follow the sixth and learn how to do mountain work. Do you understand?”
Yeonjeokha rubbed her eyes and raised her upper body.
The leader, Pungyeoncho, was crouching right next to him and holding it.
It seems that seeing the Nine Heavenly Women was a dream.
“Huh? Aren’t you going to answer?”
“……yes.”
Poongyeoncho frowned at the answer that was a beat late.
“Slow, slow. When will you ever be able to do one person’s job like that? You look fine.”
Yeonjeokha scratched her head.
For the past three days, the mountain thieves have been grumbling and taking care of me. If it weren’t for them, I would have been eaten by wild animals and turned into excrement. So when they asked me, “Would you like to live with me?”, I didn’t hesitate.
“Inma, if you’re going to be part of our family, you have to work hard. You can’t be lazy because of your bad habits. Do you know what I mean?”
Poongyeoncho was secretly concerned about that.
Those bastards are so used to just playing around that they don’t want to work hard. If that bastard, who was barely kept alive to make him do odd jobs, were to do that, he’d really go crazy.
Poongyeoncho, who had been looking at Yeonjeokha with suspicious eyes, got up from his seat, thinking that it wouldn’t work out.
“Come out and see.”
“yes.”
I followed behind the wind chime that was blooming.
The mountain vegetable was located in a secret place on the slope of Mt. Obong.
The wind chime climbed up a large rock and stood tall.
“Youngest, there are only two types of people in this world. Those who take and those who are taken. Which one do you want to be?”
“… … The one who takes it.”
A determination appeared in Yeonjeokha’s eyes as he stood there blankly.
Up until now, she had only been robbed. Persecution by her stepmother and half-brothers, and a small, smelly warehouse… … .
“Yes, with that kind of mindset, you can become a great bandit.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Poongyeoncho’s face.
I was worried because I didn’t have a Young Maga, but I think it’ll be usable.
After a while, Poongyeoncho pointed to the surroundings with his finger.
“From the first peak on the left to the fifth peak in front is our land. It’s very large, isn’t it?”
“yes.”
“To protect this vast land, all of you brothers have to run around like crazy. The six brothers above you all have to work outside. Since you are not in good health, you should at least work hard at the housework.”
“yes.”
“Oh, that kid! You only know yes, yes. I’m telling you to speak from your heart.”
“yes.”
“Oh my god! Damn it. I’d rather die than suffer.”
Poongyeoncho, who had been shaking her head, continued to speak.
“Anyway, while your brothers are out working, you have to do the cooking and laundry and things like that. If the housework isn’t done, your brothers can’t do outside work either. Do you know what happens then?”
“no.”
“I don’t know?”
“yes.”
Poongyeoncho hit Yeonjeokha on the back of the head with a loud sound.
“You don’t know what you’re doing, you punk. You’re just starving. If we go around grumbling, the world’s greatest heroes will laugh at us. What the hell! Do you want to live your life being called a retard and ignored?”
“no!”
For the first time, Yeonjeokha’s voice gained strength.
I hate being ignored by others. I really hate it. My stepmother and half-brothers who cursed at me every day, and the kids who threw rocks at me. The more I think about it, the more my teeth grind.
Poongyeoncho patted Yeonjeokha’s shoulder as if he was impressed by her reaction.
“Yeah, kid. That’s it. We are the kings of Mt. Obong. No one can ignore us. All those kids should be killed. Follow me. We are the best!”
“… … We are the best.”
The voice of Yeonjeokha, who had not yet been attacked, was so loud that it was difficult to hear even from the side.
At that moment, Poongyeoncho spread his arms and roared like a madman.
“Fuck! We’re the best!”
“… … .”
For the first time in my life, I felt a thrill of excitement.
It felt like something in my heart that had been firmly held together until now was starting to crack. Then, a bolt of lightning pierced through me from the crown of my head to my heels.
ah!
Is it the feeling of fulfillment that makes you a part of Mt. Obong?
A desire to start a new life as a member of the mountain village was born.
As soon as my mind was clear, the nine heavenly energies that had been dormant in my danjeon rose to my mind.
He spread his arms wide and shouted like a leader of a rivalry.
“Fuck! We’re the best!”
The fog cleared away, but I couldn’t see the wind chime that was rubbing my ears.
‘Wow! That skinny guy has a really great voice.’
Poongyeoncho, who lived as a slash-and-burn farmer and held a knife instead of a hoe, does not know internal energy. He is just amazed by the loud voice of a beggar he picked up at the bottom of a mountain.
***
The wandering beggar, Yeonjeok, settled down on Mt. Obong. He had no aversion to becoming a bandit since he had learned morality through books anyway.
He was raised like a dog in the Jeongpa clan, and it was a bandit who saved him from death. As a result, the boundaries between right and wrong naturally collapsed.
For the first few months, I took over all the chores that my sixth brother, who was in a relationship with me, had been doing.
It was better for both of them.
The bandits needed someone to do chores, and Yeonjeokha didn’t yet have the venom to stab someone’s body.
Sanchae’s life was the same every day.
The brothers, who had eaten breakfast and leisurely left the mountain village, returned when the sun began to set.
The older brothers who went out carrying only a rough gourd were carrying a backpack or a bundle of money in their hands.
It’s not always that lucky.
There are countless days when my brothers come back covered in blood.
Still, the income was enough for the seven of them to live off of drinking and dancing.
The hot summer has passed and cool autumn has arrived.
It’s been three months since the runaway Yeonjeokha came to Mt. Obong.
Yeonjeokha’s mouth, which had been as reserved as an old man, gradually became lighter.
I’ve gotten used to kitchen work, so one meal (about thirty minutes) is enough.
Yeon-jeok, who had quickly finished preparing dinner, practiced his swordsmanship in the backyard as usual.
Shhh. Shhh.
Although it is just a roughly trimmed stick, the sound it makes as it cuts through the wind is extraordinary.
The stick filled with the energy of the nine heavens looks as heavy as a hammer.
He repeated the downward and slashing motion hundreds of times.
After that, when his body seemed to have relaxed a little, he quickly performed the ‘Gucheon Sebeop’ and ‘Gucheon Gugeom’.
Whirlwind.
The fallen leaves in the yard were sucked into Yeonjeokha’s body.
As time passed, his body became invisible as it was covered by the swirling leaves.
A soft light flashed through the fallen leaves.
After a while, he performed the last of the nine heavenly swordsmanship, Lingyunsoyo (凌雲逍遙, climbing up the clouds and playing).
Yeonjeokha took a step into the air.
The fallen leaves that had been spinning around his body fell like clouds at his feet.
For a moment, his body stood tall in the air, stepping on fallen leaves.
Like the fairy who appeared briefly in the Nine Heavenly Women’s Sutra, flying on a cloud.
The moment his body was about to rise into the sky.
With a thud, the fallen leaves scattered and Yeonjeokha’s body fell to the ground.
Kkudangtang.
Fallen leaves fell like rain on his body as he lay on the bed.
“Kekekekeke!”
I giggled for a long time at the sight of myself covered in fallen leaves.
I think it’s still too early to pretend to be a fairy.
He sat cross-legged and controlled his breathing according to the teachings of the Nine Thousand-Yeo-Il-Jin-Gyeong.
The boiling hot weather quickly subsided.
I continued to recite the Nine Thousand-Yeoil Jinkyung without resting until my older brothers, who were my rivals, returned.
One day, I will fly high in the sky like the Nine Heavenly Women. It’s a naive imagination, but for now, that’s all I can think about.
Wuxia,
