Episode 148. Do you want to become a 12-horse soldier?
As the conversation was coming to an end, Doksimgwi and Yangsoran asked as they passed by.
“But, my lord, what does it mean that Lee Cho-ryang and Baek-san died and turned into a demon dragon and a thunder god?”
The famous cult’s ten horsemen have already killed at least a dozen monks.
Because they had gained their power through such evil means, they were sensitive to changes after death, for they did not know what the consequences would be for the things they did to summon the underworld.
After Musan Nangnang Lee Maehwa sent out a cheering wind from Gwirangdo, he spoke softly.
“There have been some strange rumors about the Ten-headed Horsemen recently. They say that when the Ten-headed Horsemen die, they turn into monsters. I thought it was nonsense, but it seems like there’s something going on. There’s going to be a meeting of the Baekdu Horsemen soon, so I’ll have to look into it more then.”
“Ah! I heard that too. I heard it was a fairly well-known story among merchants.”
“For such words to come from the mouths of merchants who have no connection to the martial arts world. What’s going on?”
“Since they are wanderers of the world, they must have picked up all sorts of things. Oh, by the way, you said that we are going to meet in Infinite next month, right? I hope that at this meeting, the truth of the strange rumors will be revealed.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. It might just be the ramblings of some country bumpkin.”
“I think so too.”
A bitter smile appeared on Yang So-ran’s lips.
There are various types of magic swordsmanship in the world.
The reason the world fears magic is not only because of its great power, but also because the process of learning it is so cruel.
Soaking one’s body in the blood of a man and a woman, eating a human heart, etc.
The forbidden magics must all be learned in a horrific manner.
I thought that the famous religion’s ten-headed horse was one of those things.
‘But the Dragon and the Brain God… ‘
They may sound like demon dragons and thunder gods, but they are just monsters.
Just thinking that there might be a monster like that lurking inside my body makes me lose my appetite.
Yang So-ran came out of the lord’s office and headed to her lodgings to pack her bags.
As I was busily crossing the garden, I heard the sound of gold burning in the distance.
She turned her head slightly towards Soho.
Cruise ships floating around Soho with colorful lanterns caught my eye.
When I see people partying late into the night, Baeksan comes to mind.
He was a very strict person with himself.
Among the anaerobic diners, he was the only one who avoided alcohol and women.
They say that when people die, they become stars?
Suddenly, Yang So-ran looked up at the night sky.
‘Did you meet your wife and son as you wished?’
But the sky reflected in her eyes was only dark.
“ha!”
A sigh escaped Yang So-ran’s mouth.
I would have felt better if I had just heard that he was dead.
Suddenly turning into a brain god makes me feel uncomfortable, like something is stuck in my brain.
‘You’re not suffering even after death, are you?’
I hope not.
Even for the sake of one’s own future.
As if to mock such thoughts, a courtesan’s laughter could be heard from afar.
***
Hanamseong.
Speech.
The famous Wolha Church.
Late at night.
The owner of Wolha Church, Wolha Seonja, left his residence.
The servants waiting in the separate pavilion followed her quietly.
As Wolha Seonja was leisurely walking, his gaze turned to the pavilion in the corner.
The signboard that read Janggyeonggak sparkled in the moonlight.
This is a hall that stores a small number of scriptures from famous religions, as well as Buddhist and Taoist scriptures.
As we approached Janggyeonggak, a faint light began to flow out.
As if he knew this would happen, Wolha Seonja snickered and entered Janggyeonggak.
A middle-aged woman is reading a book, her head held high.
It was Baekmiju.
She was reading a famous Buddhist scripture without even knowing who had come in.
“Yeah, is there any progress?”
Baek Mi-ju was startled by Wolha Seonja’s voice and got up from her seat.
“Your Majesty.”
“It’s okay. Sit comfortably.”
After receiving permission from Wolha Seonja, Baek Mi-ju sat down again.
“What are you reading now?”
“It is a covenant.”
“I thought you read that a long time ago?”
“The more I read it, the more new the meaning becomes.”
“You are amazing.”
The Wolha Seonja was truly impressed.
I only knew her as a greedy woman, but after some incident, she ended up converting to a famous religion.
While others were only interested in the supernatural powers of the famous religion, Baek Mi-ju was not like that. She was sincerely relying on the teachings of the famous religion.
I was locked up in Janggyeonggak without anyone telling me to.
When she suddenly showed up a few months ago, I never thought she would change like this.
About a month ago, when I asked her to become a Sipdumahbyeong, she asked for just a little time. And she read the sutras at Janggyeonggak every single day without fail.
Now, I think she knows more about the famous church than I do.
Wolha Seonja, who was looking at Baek Mi-ju, asked.
“Do you need more time?”
“… … .”
Baek Mi-ju did not answer right away.
She hesitates because she knows the meaning of the Ten Horsemen better than anyone else. It wasn’t easy for her, who grew up in a noble family, to kill a monk.
“Do you know that Baekgajang was burned down?”
“yes?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard the news yet. About two months ago, Baekgajang was burned down by a group of bandits. Your father, Baek Seung-ho, also died that day. After that, Yanggajang voluntarily closed down. Baekgajang and Yanggajang are now gone.”
“… … .”
Baek Mi-ju closed her eyes, feeling dizzy.
Baekgajang is a prestigious family in Jeongju, so I didn’t think it would end like that.
“Come to think of it, that guy Yeonjeok Ha-ran really has a wicked side. To end my maternal family like that.”
Baek Mi-ju, who had been listening silently, opened her eyes.
The Wolha Seonja looked at Baek Mi-ju with meaningful eyes.
“Would you like to become a Ten-headed Horseman? With your faith, even a hundred-headed horseman will not be difficult.”
“Can you make me a Baekdu Horse?”
“Only the leader of the Baekdu Horse Army can decide. That is the teaching. No one can break the teaching.”
“okay.”
Baek Mi-ju muttered with a tired face.
She also knew that even the ten horsemen were no match for Yeonjeokha.
“Don’t be too disappointed. The leader is someone who can see through people, so he will definitely make you a Baekdu Horseman. In order to do that, you must first become a Ten-Headed Horseman… … .”
The moon goddess trailed off slightly.
It was because I kept trying to solicit the position of the Ten Horsemen, which all the horsemen in the world wanted, but it didn’t look good.
“It will work.”
Finally, Baek Mi-ju made up her mind.
There was no other way to resolve the long-standing ill-fated relationship between the female vassal, Ibu Yong, and her son, Yeon Jeok-ha.
A bright smile appeared on Wolha Seonja’s face.
Baek Mi-ju is the most ideal of all the unmanned vehicles she has collected.
It would be the icing on the cake if a proper unmanned person who has inherited the progress of Baekgajang has true faith.
And that’s not all.
Her twisted desires know no bounds.
He is a special talent who would not be ashamed to show himself in front of the cult leader.
***
Namjikryeoseong.
Jang Ho-jin.
Dawn.
He opened the door to the roughly made house made of planks and Yeonjeokha came out.
His face was dark as he walked along the foggy riverbank.
I had another nightmare last night, as Baek-san’s death lingered in a corner of my mind.
Every time I breathed, a damp fog entered my body.
Suddenly, I remembered the mist coming out of the monk’s mouth and felt bad.
As I stood at the port for a while, the sun began to rise.
As the thick fog in the air began to clear, the surface of the Yangtze River came into view.
On one side, the ship he had come on was visible.
The thought of ‘I have to ride that thing and kill someone else’ makes my mouth water.
If you think about it, just as the ten-headed cavalry killed the monk, he was also killing the ten-headed cavalry.
One day, Gucheonnodo Simtong said, “To become a master, you must become a human butcher.”
Do you think you’ll feel better if you become a human butcher?
But he himself finds it burdensome to kill the evil Ten Horsemen.
Namgung Cheon, the Blue Cloud Sword with a burning desire for revenge, is a little different from Namgung Yeon, the Hwayong Doksim.
Needless to say, the pain of being dulled by murder is palpable.
If I meet another ten-headed horse soldier like Baek-san, I don’t think I can do this anymore.
I walked along the riverside, feeling frustrated and depressed.
Then I picked up some pebbles and floated a water skipper.
Pong. Pong. Pong.
I kept throwing stones without stopping, determined to get them up at least one more time.
One by one, the things that had been weighing on my mind began to fall away.
As I was throwing stones without any thought or care, I heard a refreshing laugh from behind me.
“Hehehe! I wondered where you went, and now what are you doing here?”
When I looked back, Jin Seol-ha was approaching.
“I’m just trying to make rocks float on water. I’ve managed to get up to twelve, but I’m having trouble with anything more than that.”
“That sounds fun. How do you do it?”
Jin Seol-ha showed interest.
“Well, you need to find a flat rock that you can grip well. Like this.”
Yeonjeokha held out the pebble he was holding in his hand.
“Oh! And?”
“This is how you throw it at a height as close to the surface as possible.”
Along with the words, Yeonjeokha threw the stone with force.
Pong. Pong. Pong. Pong… … .
The flat pebble floated and sank on the water thirteen times.
“Oh my! Isn’t it thirteen?”
“That’s right. I’ve been failing all along, but I’m succeeding in front of Lady Jin.”
“Am I the one who succeeded?”
Jin Seol-ha smiled brightly and joked.
The dull rival in the relationship between a man and a woman just laughed and didn’t keep up the pace.
“Can I do it too?”
Jin Seol-ha approached Yeon Jeok-ha because he was bored with just watching.
“I think so?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
I answered vaguely because I didn’t know whether Jin Seol-ha would do well or not.
Namgungcheon, who was looking around the house, asked Namgungyeon.
“I don’t think I’ve seen the cargo for a while now. Do you know where it went?”
“It felt like taking a walk along the river.”
“Really? It looks like you tossed and turned for quite some time at night. You can wake up late.”
“Are you loading?”
“Yeah. Senior Sim said that sometimes he seems to have nightmares. I guess he’s a bit more sensitive than he looks. Well, he hasn’t really met many people.”
“You will be feeling heavy-hearted because of the Baeksan incident.”
“Ugh. I feel a little bad when I think about him. I guess he’ll get even worse.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Would you like to? If you’re going to do it, why don’t you listen to what I have to say? We’re the only people that Jeok-ha can talk to comfortably. I know you have a lot to worry about, but please take good care of yourself.”
Namgung Yeon nodded at Namgung Cheon’s words.
Today was the first time I found out he had nightmares.
Since the men’s and women’s accommodations are different, it’s something that you wouldn’t know unless you were told.
‘I should have looked into it a little more… … .’
Namgung Yeon, who was blaming himself, hurried to the riverside.
Finding one person in a small port like Jang Ho-jin is not that difficult.
She stood blankly at the place where the boat was moored and looked out at the riverbank.
Yeonjeokha and Jinseolha were playing a game of skipping water, chattering like little children.
Jinseolha’s laughter rang in my ears.
Does Namgungcheon know?
That we are not the only ones who can speak comfortably about the burden.
Namgung Yeon, who had been watching for a while, slowly turned around.
I should congratulate him on his new friend, but I can’t think of the right words. It’s like my mind has been blown blank by lightning.
Wuxia,
