Episode 189. Then today is the day.
Nam Soo-kyung, who was watching the scene, asked Baek Hwa-geom Joo Hwa-young, who was standing next to her.
“Your Majesty, is Prince Yeon a martial artist?”
Joo Hwa-young glanced at Nam Soo-kyung at the unexpected question.
Looking at his puzzled expression, it seems like he really doesn’t know anything about martial arts.
However, since no sword or weapon is used, it may be confusing to the average person.
“yes.”
“Oh, I see. Is he stronger than Sambobang?”
Nam Soo-kyung looked secretly uneasy because her opponent was the firefighter of Sampobang.
“If Prince Yeon’s martial arts are like that, even if ten waves of Sambobang come rushing in, he won’t be affected.”
“really?”
Nam Soo-kyung opened her eyes wide.
No matter how many times I watched it, I couldn’t believe that Yeonjeokha, who seemed ordinary, was so outstanding.
At that very moment, Yeonjeokha called Namsookyung.
“Friend! Come here.”
“why?”
As Nam Soo-kyung approached, Yeon Jeok-ha said.
“What should we do with this guy?”
“How so?”
Nam Soo-kyung just blinked at Yeon Jeok-ha’s words.
She couldn’t answer readily because she had lived her life passively dealing with violence.
“Revenge, you know. You were bullied, right? It seems like you’ve already been hit once today. Have you ever thought about how you want to get revenge?”
“… … .”
Nam Soo-kyung hesitated.
I’ve been bullied by him for the past two years, but I never imagined that something like today would happen. Of course, I never dreamed of revenge.
“How did you want to give back when this guy was bullying you?”
“I was scared, so I just thought about avoiding him. On days when I didn’t see him, I felt like I could live, but when I did, it was so hard that I wanted to die.”
“Tch! Why die for something like that? You could just hire a ronin and take care of it.”
“But how can it be so?”
“Friend. It is natural for all living beings to struggle to survive. If there is someone who torments me to the point that I want to die, I should kill them. Should I die because it is so painful? Who would benefit from my death? Right?”
“That’s true, but… … .”
A bitter smile appeared on Nam Soo-kyung’s face. It was easier said than done.
“People kill and eat cows, sheep, and ducks to survive. Just because I didn’t kill them myself doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for the slaughter. But I feel at ease because I ate them to survive. Once you’re born, you have to do your best to survive. If you have to kill someone to survive, then it’s natural to kill them. Saying that it’s hard enough to die and not doing anything is an insult to life.”
Nam Soo-kyung felt slightly conflicted by Yeon-jeok-ha’s passionate speech.
“If you don’t want to kill me, then give me back at least some of the pain you suffered.”
“how?”
Yeonjeokha took out a dagger from his bosom and placed it on the table.
“You can stab me with this, or you can hit me with a chair until I feel better.”
As Nam Su-kyung was thinking, Nok Dam-pyeong looked at the chair with sorrowful eyes.
Because a chair seems less dangerous than being stabbed by a knife.
Nam Soo-kyung’s eyes turned towards Nokdam-pyeong.
The man who was so scary is now rolling his eyes with anxiety.
Suddenly everything became trivial.
When I realized that Nokdampyeong was nothing special, I felt neither fear nor dread.
The lump in my heart melted away like snow.
Nam Su-kyung, who had been standing there blankly, walked towards Nokdam-pyeong.
And then I slapped him hard on the cheek.
slam!
Nokdampyeong’s face suddenly turned around due to the strong impact.
Immediately afterwards, Nam Soo-kyung shook her hands and spoke to Yeon Jeok-ha.
“I feel relieved now. I don’t know why I was so afraid of this man.”
“Is that really enough?”
“Yes. Thanks to Yeon Gongja, I realized that I had been living like a fool.”
“If we let this guy live, he might come back to haunt us later.”
Then, Nokdam-pyeong, who was kneeling, shook his head like crazy.
‘No! I would never do that! I’m serious!’
Nam Soo-kyung said with a bashful smile.
“Then I’ll hire a ronin with the money I’ve saved. It’s going to be a do or die situation anyway. Like Yeon Gongja said, I’ll do anything to survive.”
Nokdam-pyeong let out a sigh of relief.
I am just grateful that Nam Soo-kyung is willing to settle the past with just a slap on the cheek.
“Okay. I thought about it carefully. Now I guess I’ll just go about my business.”
He re-sharpened the dagger he was holding and stood up from his seat.
Immediately afterwards, he grabbed Nokdam-pyeong by the back of his neck and lifted him up.
“How easy it must have been for me to bully my friend. I can’t live with being ignored.”
In an instant, Nokdam-pyeong’s face turned pale.
I thought it would end with Nam Soo-kyung’s revenge, but it seems that wasn’t the case.
He rubbed his hands together vigorously, crying inwardly, ‘You’re misunderstanding!’
But the eyes of the lovers did not even flinch.
He dragged the green onion out and then quickly moved to the suicide rock.
And beat him up.
Iron Fist.
A groan escaped from Nokdam-pyeong’s mouth as he was thrown onto the rock like a load.
“Ugh… … .”
“Are you sick?”
Nokdampyeong shook his head like he was crazy.
In a life or death situation, what does pain have to do with anything?
“I like Kang-ho. They say there is nothing worthy of punishment in the world, but there is in Kang-ho. You also like power more than laws or rules.”
‘No. I will live by the law. Please spare me!’
Nokdam-pyeong shook his head and looked at Yeonjeok-ha with sorrowful eyes.
“Are you saying I’m wrong now?”
‘Oh my! No, that’s right. You’re right.’
Nokdampyeong nodded vigorously.
“So you’re saying I was wrong after all? To boldly push forward with your porcelain convictions in the face of death. Was I just a crazy person?”
‘No! No! Please save me!’
Nokdampyeong turned his neck left and right violently enough to make a ‘thud’ sound.
“no?”
Nod nod.
“There is something that is just right for you, even though you are still immature. Do you know what it is?”
Shaking my head.
Nokdampyeong gave him a hot look.
‘I don’t know. Just tell me and I’ll do it!’
“Confucius said that when a parent dies, one must mourn for three years. Do you know why Confucius specifically said three years?”
Shaking my head.
“It’s because when a person is born, they have to stay in their parents’ arms for at least three years. So, they have to return the three years they received so generously.”
Nokdampyeong squeezed out his emotions and poured them out with his eyes.
And he silently shouted, ‘I am also a precious child of my parents, so please just let me live!’
“While I was here, I suddenly realized that I had not kept the three-year mourning period.”
‘So what? What do you want me to do?’
“But when I think about it carefully, my situation is a bit different from what Confucius said. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father did not take care of me.”
‘… … .’
As the story about the three-year mourning period became longer, Nokdam-pyeong’s concentration also gradually declined.
“I’ve never received any care from my parents. But I still want to do the three-year mourning period like everyone else. But it would be hypocritical for me to do it when I’ve never received any care. So you do it in my place. Here.”
‘… … .’
Nokdampyeong blankly looked at Yeonjeokha’s face.
The only thing that remained in my head was the last words: ‘You do it for me. Here.’
What on earth do you want me to do instead?
Yeonjeokha spoke to Nokdampyeong, who was tilting his head.
“This rock is called Suicide Rock. It’s deep and has a whirlpool down here, so if you fall in, you’ll end up in a ravine. Do you want to do it for me? If you don’t want to, I’ll just point out your upper body and throw you down. If you use your legs well, you might be able to come out alive.”
I don’t know the details, but in this case, it’s ‘unconditional’.
Nokdampyeong nodded several times, worried that Yeonjeokha might not understand.
“You promised to stay here for three years instead of me?”
‘Huh? Three years?’
Are you talking about the three-year mourning period where you live in a hut next to your parents’ grave?
Yeonjeokha explained as if confirming.
“Build a hut and stay here. If you touch alcohol, meat, or women for three years, I will kill you. If you step off the suicide rock, you will die. Then today is the first day.”
Nokdampyeong’s mouth opened wide.
Do you want to mourn for someone else’s parents for three years?
Where in the world is there such stubbornness!
But I was too scared of my opponent to say I couldn’t do it.
Yeonjeokha said as he looked at Nokdampyeong, who was crouching with a blank expression.
“In return, I won’t touch Sambobang either. I’ll be filial, you’ll become a better person, and Sambobang will survive. This is what is called killing three birds with one stone. If you don’t want to do it, tell me now. I’ll throw you away and go straight to Gaebong to destroy Sambobang as well.”
“……I’ll do it.”
The self-deprecating Nokdam-pyeong answered, forgetting the warning that ‘if you speak, your tongue will be pulled out.’
He nodded with a satisfied expression on his face.
It feels very rewarding to be able to be filial like other people.
“But I won’t be bored. I like this place so I come here every day.”
‘Do not come.’
“It’s going to get chilly soon, so make sure you build a sturdy hut. Tell the Sambobang to either cook some food and bring it to you, or have it delivered to the guest house.”
“yes.”
Nokdampyeong’s gloomy eyes turned towards the Yellow River.
I wanted to jump into that muddy water and die, but I held back.
At sunset.
Only then did Wan Ziqing, the leader of the outsider party, wake up and gather his men and return to Gaebong.
***
release.
Sambobang.
“What! Dam-pyeong is being held hostage in the guest house?”
He jumped up from his seat and glared at Wan Ziqing with his blazing eyes.
“It’s not a ball… … . I heard that he decided to perform the three-year mourning instead.”
In that moment, Nokilchui flew like the wind and kicked Wanjagyeong’s upper body with his foot.
Phew.
Kkudangtang.
In succession, Nokilchui trampled the fallen Wanjagyeong without mercy.
“Ugh. Ugh.”
“You crazy bastard! Three years of mourning in place of someone else? Is that a thing? Are you a fart? Dam-pyeong drank so much that he became a rice cake even on the day his mother died! Dam-pyeong, who is like that, is mourning in place of someone else for three years! Are you talking nonsense about that?”
“Ugh! Didn’t Sokha tell you? That the man named Yeon Gongja told him to do that.”
“Then I should gather my men and take revenge! Where did you get the audacity to say that Dam-pyeong would be in mourning for three years? Do I look like such a fool to you!”
Wan Ja-gyeong responded to Nok Il-chwi’s continued kicking while crouching down.
“Ugh! Your Majesty, your opponent is a master of the empty-handed sword. How do you plan on defeating someone like that?”
“You’re talking nonsense like Heo Gong Seop-mul! Where did you get tricked into coming back and saying Heo Gong Seop-mul? Do you think Heo Gong Seop-mul is the name of a dog in your house? You’re a guy who hasn’t even dried his brain yet? If that guy uses Heo Gong Seop-mul, I’m Yeo Dong-bin, the swordsman! You idiot! Where did you get your nonsense from?”
After a while of grumbling, Nokilchui shouted outside.
“My lord! Are you there?”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Bring the best magician in Gaebong right now!”
“All right!”
Only after hearing the answer from the leader of the Naedang Party, Yakdaemong, did Nokilchui return to his place.
Wan Ja-gyeong, who had been holding her head with both hands, slowly raised her face.
Seeing the ark seek out the sorcerer, my heart wavered for some reason.
Come to think of it, Prince Yeon didn’t even use a sword, let alone a bow.
‘Damn. Am I really under a spell?’
Wuxia,
