Episode 122. The Master and the Human Baekjeong
In the end, Gucheonnodo Simtong said.
“Your Majesty, the reason Jeong-ui-maeng gave up on his fellow clan member, Samjang, and sent those three children with him is probably because he had high expectations of you. Those Jeong-pa guys never do things for free.”
“Heh! What do we give for free? Everyone’s life is similar. Don’t look at it with such colored glasses.”
“That’s true, but anyway, others will think that Confucius is leading the fight against the famous religion. Even the famous religion will think that way right now.”
“It’s okay. Brother Tak said so. Not caring about what other people think is the key to being green. As long as it’s not me, it’s fine.”
“Then what do you plan to do, Confucius?”
“What are you going to do? All I have to do is clean up four more mountains and I’ll be done. You know that, right?”
“If you do that well, the Green Forest or the Righteous Alliance may not want to let you go.”
That was what Simtong was worried about.
Even if he were the president or the leader of the Justice League, he would do the same.
“Why are you worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet? You can think about the troublesome things when you get there.”
“Yes? You should prepare in advance… … .”
Simtong was very worried about putting off Yeonjeokha’s meeting until tomorrow.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll be fine.”
With those words, I closed my eyes in complete awe.
Simtong, who was half-awake, also had no choice but to lie down.
‘This is a dream!’
I realized that I was dreaming.
If it’s not a dream that famous people who died by your own hands are running towards you with bloodshot eyes, then what is it?
I knew it was a dream, but I had to fight against them.
In reality, I won with the nine thousand tax laws and nine thousand nine hundred swords, but in my dreams, it wasn’t easy.
With their faces smeared with blood, they always managed to stay an inch away from his sword.
Every time an attack failed, they would come rushing in and curse in unison.
“Why are you doing this to me!”
“I am the son of the True Moon Swordsman, Yeonmuryong! That’s why!”
Then they would step back slightly, then rush back again and shout.
“I don’t know who he is. Why is he doing this to me?”
“I am…….”
Yeonjeok tried to answer, but his tongue was stiff and he couldn’t say anything.
‘I’m the son of Yeonmu-ryong! I’m not on good terms with the famous religion! So don’t ask stupid questions anymore!’
But the words did not come out of his mouth.
This time, four people suddenly turned into black monsters.
The monsters came running, spitting fire from their hands and mouths.
In times like that, you can use the Nine Heavenly Sword, but unfortunately, the sword is nowhere to be seen.
With no other choice, the lover started to run away.
Monsters blocked the path of Yeonjeokha, who was running madly between Mt. Obong and the familiar inns, taverns, and kiosks.
And he stretched out both hands and tried to grab the Yeonjeokha.
‘Eww!’
I struggled to get out of the grasp of the shadows that were lurking around, and I quickly raised my upper body.
“Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!”
Yeonjeokha shrugged her shoulders and let out a rough breath.
A drop of lukewarm sweat ran down his head and chin.
Simtong tossed and turned, speaking in a sleepy voice.
“Confucius, why aren’t you sleeping… … .”
“Oh, I had a dream. Keep sleeping.”
“yes…….”
I turned my gaze outside the window, which was pitch black.
No matter how bad the other person is, you can’t feel at ease after killing that person.
The aftermath of the murder came without warning in the form of a nightmare.
In fact, he is a person who is far from anything like cooperation or a cause. So, unlike the people of the Justice League, he does not have a sense of mission to kill famous people.
However, it is not that I personally have a strong resentment towards famous religions.
If my relationship with my father was particularly strong, I don’t know.
What kind of favor is this when I don’t have any good memories of my father?
If there was anything, it was that there was a subtle sense of discomfort, even though they were family. But that alone was not enough to justify the murder.
Before Samadhan, the famous believers he killed were people who had been entangled with each other by chance.
For example, if you encounter them while selling swords, or if they come looking for you and threaten to kill you, you end up fighting them without being able to avoid it.
It was heavy on his heart to kill someone in order to survive, but he went after Sima Dan and killed him, simply because he was a famous believer.
So it’s no wonder he balks at the words, “We’re leading the war against the cult.” That meant he had to keep killing people.
Although he happened to have the title of Green Forest Patrolman, he was still just a young boy in his twenties.
***
The next morning.
Yeonjeokha and Simtong leisurely went down to the inn restaurant.
The Namgungcheon siblings and Seol Chasu and their party were eating for a long time, not knowing when they would arrive.
Yeonjeokha and Simtong had no choice but to find empty seats and sit separately.
The breakfasts at guesthouse restaurants are generally similar, especially in the same area. Stir-fried pork, vegetables, rice, and fish soup are usually served, and sometimes chicken or duck is added.
The appearance of people eating it is also similar.
Unlike lunch or dinner, mornings are a bit quieter. This is because most people have just woken up and are in a very depressed mood.
It was no different from a love affair or a heartache.
Simtong asked as if he suddenly remembered something while roughly mixing the stir-fried pork and rice with his chopsticks and shoving it into his mouth.
“Your Majesty, did you have trouble sleeping last night?”
“why not?”
“It seems like you woke up a few times while you were sleeping. Who made your dream so disturbed this time? Last time, it was Brother Poong and Brother Tak.”
“Old Man Shim, do you remember the faces of the people you’ve killed so far?”
“No. I only remember the opponents in the fight where I could have died.”
“You’re selfish after all. If you have a conscience, shouldn’t you at least remember the people you killed?”
“It’s because I’m stupid.”
Simtong smiled bitterly as if he had no face.
After killing so many people, my memories have become jumbled and I have forgotten everything except for the truly horrific fight.
Yeonjeok-ha, who realized the meaning behind those words belatedly, shook his head.
“Did you kill that many?”
“Because I lived among people who took pride in that kind of thing.”
“What would you do if you met the people you have killed in your dreams?”
Simtong, who had been thinking for a moment while eating, answered.
“I will kill you again.”
“You’re going to kill me again?”
“Yes, I will continue to kill you two or three times. Maybe that is my karma. Even if it is terrible, I must endure it.”
“I don’t know if it’s great or if it’s just Madou-like.”
“Hehehe. But maybe because he knew I was prepared for it anyway, he never appeared in my dreams. Have you ever had such a dream, Confucius?”
Simtong looked at Yeonjeokha with strange eyes.
Thinking back on last night, I have a feeling that it might have been that way.
Yeonjeokha asked with a calm face.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know. But if something like that were to happen… … .”
“What if it happens?”
“If you think it’s because you’re feeling weak, please make some medicine and take it.”
“Why don’t you tell me to kill you?”
“If you had such a strong will, you wouldn’t have had such a dream. I hope that your heart will remain the same for a long time.”
“Are you actually laughing at me for being so shabby?”
“Oh my! Absolutely not. Regardless of the faction, the masters often have to swing their swords. Don’t you say that a tree with many branches never gets a good wind? They keep cutting people because of their pride, loyalty, and affection. It’s natural that their emotions become dull as the number of people they cut down increases. That’s why the Sapa people are more afraid of famous great swordsmen. They cut people without any burden. That’s also how the tip of their swords becomes sharper.”
“So in the end, to become a master, you have to be a human being?”
“If you remove all the branches, then yes.”
“You have to become a human being to feel at ease?”
“Yes, that’s what I see.”
Because it was such a quiet breakfast place, Yeonjeokha and Simtong’s voices carried quite far.
However, since Yeon-jeok and Sim-tong were people who didn’t really care about what other people thought, they didn’t have any hesitation.
Namgungcheon and Namgungyeon laughed and listened with one ear and let it go.
Seolchasu and his party thought there must be a profound meaning behind it, as both Yeonjeokha and Simtong were excellent masters.
However, not all guests understood and moved on.
A cynicism flowed from the corner.
“Huh! You call the swordsmen of the Jeongpa human barbarians? There really is no such thing as the scum of the earth.”
Simtong turned his head to glance behind him.
Two old men and two young men are sitting across from each other, and judging by the fact that all four of them are carrying swords, they are martial artists.
As I was thinking about what to do with that, I heard Yeonjeokha’s voice.
“Yes, that was Old Man Shim’s fault. What does a human being mean to a person?”
“Your Majesty, it was not I who said that humans are butchers.”
“Oh, is that so? You didn’t call me a human scum, did you? You didn’t.”
As Yeonjeok-ha was comforting herself and picking up some food, the old man spoke again.
“Ja-cheong, killing one wicked person is like saving ten people. So, if you come across a scumbag with yellow hair, cut him down without hesitation. Do you understand?”
The elder of the Baekgeommun of Jeonnam, Baekjeolgeom Lee Shin-ung, spoke to his disciple Won Ja-cheong.
The young man sitting in front of him, Won Ja-cheong, nodded his head cheerfully.
“Understood, Master.”
Baekhwageom So Mujin, the death row inmate of Lee Shin-woong who did not want to cause trouble, spoke lightly.
“Priest. Don’t get excited in the morning and eat something. Is that how someone who is going to finish up work should be?”
So Mu-jin and Lee Shin-woong, the elders of Baekgeommun, were on their way to Hahyeopjeomchon with their disciples.
Hahyeopjeomchon is also the hometown of Sandong Ilgi Ha Seon-dong, the head of Baekgeommun. Recently, when Hahyeopjeomchon was plundered by bandits from nearby Guseonsan, Baekgeommun sent four people.
“Death penalty, if you think about it, isn’t what we’re going to do related to those people? Maybe it’s related to the bandits of Guseonsan.”
At those words, Somujin glanced at the old man and the young man.
This is because the distance between Jayojin and Hahyeopjeomchon is only one hour (two hours), so it is a very possible story.
Somujin immediately shook her head.
Judging from their eyes and the weapons they carry, they don’t seem like the bandits of Guseonsan.
It is unlikely that the thieves of Guseonsan, who have not even entered the green forest, would carry such luxurious swords.
“It doesn’t look like that to me, so I hope it’s okay.”
“When did thieves start wearing signs saying ‘thief’ on their faces? When you look at the way they look down on swordsmen as mere savages, you can tell they are not good people.”
Lee Shin-woong did not give up his stubbornness.
In fact, he was offended by the term ‘human butcher’ because it felt like it was said about him.
In Shandong, there were already many Sapa people who called the Baekjeolgeom the Baekjeonggeom.
“Just because they aren’t good people doesn’t mean they are necessarily the head of the Sapa.”
On that point, even Lee Shin-woong could not refute it.
The atmosphere that had briefly boiled over was about to calm down again.
Yeonjeokha suddenly asked.
“Do you have to become a human butcher to become a master? Is there no other way?”
“I think your Majesty misunderstood what I said. I was not saying that a human butcher becomes a master, but that none of those who are called a master are not human butchers.”
Lee Shin-woong, who took the continued ‘human butcher’ comment as a joke about himself, got up from his seat.
“My these lawless ones!”
Kkudangtang.
The chairs fell back, and the once peaceful restaurant was suddenly filled with tension.
Wuxia,
