[Episode 91: The Past of the Worak Sword (1)]
A flickering bonfire.
The shadows seem to flutter and dance.
Sparks made a crackling sound between the black, burning pieces of wood.
It took two days to leave Shaolin and head southwest non-stop.
It was only when I came to an empty hermitage hidden in a deserted mountain valley that I was able to stop and take a rest.
As the disassembled pheasant meat was being grilled on a wooden skewer, Sima Ying, who had not eaten for a while, could not take her eyes off the sizzling meat.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
My father-in-law, who had not spoken for two days, spoke for the first time.
As we left Shaolin, my father-in-law said he had to go somewhere urgently, and that place was this hermitage.
In fact, to find this place, which seemed like an ordinary hermitage, you had to pass through camps set up in various directions, and my father-in-law knew this as if he were looking at a map.
When my father-in-law arrived here, he could not help but be disappointed when he saw that no one was in the hermitage.
I was just wondering why.
“This is the safe house where Dugong and I hid.”
“Dugong?”
Dugong is a person who is one of the eight great masters.
Come to think of it, my father-in-law said that even though he had the title of a villain, he was in a relationship with him.
“But how come here?”
“I decided to meet Dugong here.”
“Are you talking about a grown-up?”
“okay.”
My father-in-law looked at the burning campfire with a faint sigh.
Then he turned his head and looked at Sima Ying.
Those eyes are quite bitter.
Why did he look at his daughter like that after telling her that he had agreed to meet an adult at the end of the day?
Her father-in-law, who was looking at her blankly, opened his mouth again.
“I finally found him.”
At those words, Sima Ying was startled and looked at her father-in-law.
Both her pupils shook as if there had been an earthquake.
“Is that really true?”
“okay.”
Is that you?
Who are you talking about?
While I was wondering, my father-in-law turned his gaze to me and said.
“…….I tried to reveal it after resolving everything, but because of me, Youngie and you could be in danger, so I guess I should talk about it here.”
“My father-in-law…”
Even so, my father-in-law was injured and came to Shaolin Temple.
If a being was powerful enough to injure my father-in-law, one of the top five figures in the entire martial arts world, who wouldn’t be wary of it?
“If it’s difficult for you to say, later…”
“Now that you’re my son-in-law, you’re just like a member of my family.”
Now you completely acknowledge me.
It feels like something is moving.
My father-in-law said as he threw more dry twigs into the campfire.
“……When Youngie was celebrating her first birthday, I was the promising next head of the Samase family.”
This was a pretty famous anecdote.
The fundamental incident that led to my father-in-law being called one of the five major evildoers, but at the time, he was called one of the four major evildoers.
The reason was the 80th birthday party of the head of the Sima family.
Hundreds of people from the prestigious political sect who visited Sima Shiga that day were murdered.
The few survivors all pointed to Sima Chak, the next head of the Sima family, as the villain.
The Wulin members of the political faction were enraged by this and held Sima Sega responsible.
Sima Zong, who was the head of the Sima family at the time, officially removed his father-in-law from the family register, saying he would pay for the loss with the life of the So family head.
“…That’s how I was chased by numerous Wulin people, including Sima Sega.”
Up to this point, it was the same as what I knew.
If what happened afterwards is as I know, he even exterminated the martial artists of the Samasegawa prestigious sect that my father-in-law had been pursuing, and was given the title of a villain.
Is there really a story here?
At that time, Sima Ying bit her lip and spoke with a flushed face.
“In the first place, my father, I was suffering from severe pain and went to see Dr. Yonghan on my 80th birthday.”
“…….okay.”
You weren’t there?
So does that mean there was a real culprit?
My father-in-law continued talking.
“I made a decision after seeing my wife and Youngie growing exhausted as the world unfolded. “I waited for the head of the family at the time, who was my father.”
Samasega took the lead in tracking down the people in order to clear the stigma that had been placed on them.
That’s why I was able to arrive faster than anyone else.
“I negotiated with my father, the head of the family at the time. “If I don’t find the real culprit within 15 days, I will commit suicide and clear my family’s name.”
“Ah…”
It was my father-in-law who tried to take responsibility until the end.
“And I received a promise. “I ask that my wife and Young-i not be kicked out of the family, no matter the outcome.”
Hearing his father-in-law’s words, tears flowed down Sima Ying’s cheeks.
I think he was moved by the fact that he tried to protect his mother and himself by sacrificing himself.
“I went to Hanjeongho Manwoljang, which was the epicenter of the incident, and inspected the scene. And we tried to trace back everything that happened there and look at the scars of the dead to find the real culprit.”
However, despite my father-in-law’s hard work, the criminal was cautious.
All those who were related or had any contact with Manwoljang were already murdered, and even the bodies of all those who were victims of that day’s events were already cremated.
There wasn’t a single bit of evidence left.
“In the end… I was willing to sacrifice my life for my wife and Young.”
My father-in-law returned to the tracking team, which had been searching for heaven for 15 days with no results, and saw a shocking sight.
All the martial people in the tracking group had been killed.
In addition, Sima Zong, the father and head of the Sima family at the time, also lost his life due to amputation of his limbs.
It is said that the father-in-law was in tears over the death of his biological father.
However, while crying, the only thing that came to my father-in-law’s mind was two people.
“…I thought I needed to find Young and his wife.”
My father-in-law searched for the bodies of hundreds of dead Murim people.
Most of the bodies were so badly damaged that we had no choice but to examine them one by one.
My father-in-law, who was examining the body, encountered the late arrival of the tracking team and was misunderstood by them.
“No matter how much I denied it, they didn’t believe it.”
The scars left on the bodies were all caused by Sima Sega’s sword blade.
It was also a perfect sword mark that could rival Simase himself, who is said to be the best swordsman in history.
The Murim people tried to arrest my father-in-law.
“But I couldn’t be caught. “I couldn’t throw my life away until I confirmed that Young and my wife were dead.”
It is said that my father-in-law fought the tracking team for two days and nights.
However, my father-in-law never killed them.
This was because he thought that if he killed them, it would be done according to the will of the person who framed him, even though he did not know who it would be.
It is said that my father-in-law knocked them out and wandered through the mountain valley around the tracking team’s station, trying to somehow find traces of his wife and Young-i.
As if heaven had helped, my father-in-law heard a woman’s screams from the downstream of the valley, about three miles away.
– Wow!
My father-in-law ground his teeth while talking.
Sadness and anger came out from his reddened eyes.
My father-in-law stayed still for a while and continued talking.
“I went down to the downstream valley… and found a group of martial arts sects at the water’s edge.”
There, my father-in-law witnessed a sight he could never forget.
A group of martial arts people were insulting his wife.
When my father-in-law saw this, he couldn’t help but get angry and slaughtered all the warriors in the group on the spot.
-Drop drip!
Blood flowed from my father-in-law’s palm as he clenched his fist.
Sima Ying was sobbing and crying.
-thud! thud!
She, too, seemed to be filled with anger as well as sadness, repeatedly pounding the floor with her fists.
Perhaps influenced by their deep resentment and sadness, my heart became heavy and my nose wrinkled.
“The humiliated wife’s entire body was extremely cold.”
It is said that his entire body was swollen and his palms were wrinkled.
Downstream of the valley, there was a waterway leading to a cave, and it is said that the mother-in-law held the baby in the water for two days and nights to protect her.
She protected Sima Ying’s heart veins with internal energy, but as she had little energy left, even that became difficult, so she came out exhausted and ended up running into the tracking team.
“Ugh… Mother…”
In the end, it was Sima Ying who couldn’t help but sob.
When I squeezed her hand, she fell into my arms and cried.
Seeing Sima Ying like that, a tear rolled down my father-in-law’s cheek.
‘Ah…’
Those were tears of blood.
The story of bloody tears flowing from the eyes of an angry person has only been heard as a myth.
But this is my first time seeing it really flow.
My father-in-law, shedding a single tear of blood, continued speaking.
“My wife, who had used up all her energy to save Young, was dying. “I tried to save her, even if it meant using up all my energy.”
But it was already too late.
She survived two days and nights in the cold water of a valley cave.
Since I had exhausted all my energy, there was no way I could stand a chance.
“Finally…my wife passed away.”
My father-in-law, who lost his wife, cried for the world to go away.
He is said to have lost the will to live any longer after losing his wife as well as his father.
“I wanted to end my life on the spot.”
At that time, Sima Ying, who was a baby, cried.
My father-in-law, who saw the child crying and crying, hugged the child and cried with him.
If I didn’t cry, I would have felt like I was losing my mind.
It is said that while he was crying like that, the warriors of the right faction appeared after hearing the sound.
Even though they saw the father-in-law and child crying, they saw it as an opportunity and attacked with a joint attack.
“I thought about it then. “If they want it that way, I will make them evil people.”
My father-in-law killed them all.
And he found and killed every single one of his pursuers.
It is said that my father-in-law, who killed all the pursuers, went to their clans one by one and exterminated them.
‘Ahh…’
This was the moment when my father-in-law became a villain.
My heart feels heavy the whole time I listen to it.
If I were in the same situation as my father-in-law, I would have wanted to turn everything in the world upside down.
Can the world really say that my father-in-law like this is a wicked person?
“Father…”
Sima Ying, who was in my arms, went to my father-in-law and hugged him.
My father-in-law said, stroking her head.
“There’s something I couldn’t tell you.”
“yes?”
“Your mother told me before she died. “It is said that a man with one golden eye attacked the garrison alone.”
‘!!!’
A person with one golden eye.
It was Jonju.
‘…Is it him again?’
How much has this person done?
In the end, isn’t it entirely his fault that my father-in-law was called a villain?
My father-in-law continued talking to Sima Ying.
“Your grandfather freed your mother and you and let you run away. “At the time, I didn’t know how your mother survived, but I think I do now.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know why, but he seemed reluctant to drink water.”
‘ah!’
As expected, my father-in-law seems to have met that person.
Otherwise, there was no way he would have been unaware of Jonju’s weakness after receiving the gold retardation procedure.
I asked my father-in-law.
“So, have you been trying to find the real culprit this whole time?”
“……okay.”
It was my father-in-law who lost everything because of that person.
Of course, he would have wanted to catch Jonju.
‘Golden Award…’
For the first time, I regret it.
Wouldn’t it have been better to kill him regardless of what happened in the future?
If that were the case, wouldn’t Sima Ying have lost her mother?
I’m not sure about one thing.
I was directly experiencing how even one small thing can lead to numerous changes in the future.
“How on earth did you find him?”
John, he is careful in everything he does.
That’s why I don’t show myself unless it’s something clear.
Unless there is something that can pull him out….
“I found someone like him who had not only one eye, but both golden eyes. “I thought he was probably related to that guy.”
“ah! “He is the one who appeared in Bonglim Valley.”
Sima Ying remembered him and said:
Come to think of it, my father-in-law was so surprised when he saw him that he ran after him.
If you think about it, the reason you stayed away until then was because you were following his traces.
What is the true identity of the man with two golden eyes?
He was even serving as a government official by Geumsangje’s side, but I don’t know what his purpose was.
“Dugong called that person Seobok.”
“Seobok?”
I frowned.
Are you talking about the Seobok I know?
-Who is that?
He is a person who has been mentioned once in several historical writings.
In a passing way.
His name is Gunbang (君房).
It was a famous radiation at the time.
He is said to have disappeared after receiving orders from the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, taking thousands of his younger siblings with him to find a way to immortality.
“Did you really say Seobok?”
“Seeing as he calls himself that, he might actually be Seobok.”
My father-in-law spoke in a skeptical tone.
But it wasn’t me.
If it is really Seobok, it means that this person has been living since the era of the fallen Jin Dynasty.
In the image of Heavenly Qi that he saw through the Blood Demon Sword, he had asked Master Gu Yazi to cast the five magic swords.
Gu Yaja lived from the Warring States Period until the unification of Jin.
The timing is almost identical.
Does that mean Seo Bok really found a way to immortality?
‘Immortality…Ah!’
Come to think of it, Geumsangje also wanted immortality.
Although he was strong at the time he met me, he didn’t seem to have received any treatment for his injuries.
Both eyes were fine.
So, did Seo Bok perform the procedure on Geum Sang-je?
-If that’s the case, that’s great. After all, you got what you wanted.
It’s just as Sodamgeom said.
Seeing that those involved in Geumsangje lived longer than expected, it seems that they discovered the method from Seobok.
But why did they imprison Seobok in Bonglimgok?
He is the one who gave me eternal life.
That’s the question.
“Did that Seo Bok by any chance say anything about the man with one golden eye?”
“does not exist. “All they told me was to run away into the water of the valley.”
If he said that to his father-in-law, it would mean that Seobok knew about the weaknesses of the gold retardation procedure.
Was that why he was trapped in Bonglim Valley?
At that time, Seobok served Geumsangje, who was the emperor.
Not only did he hold a government position, but he also gave him the eternal life he had longed for, but the question of why that is the case remains unanswered.
First, I think I need to hear what my father-in-law went through.
“So, did your father-in-law get injured while competing with that person?”
My father-in-law’s expression hardened at my question.
I am a father-in-law who has overcome the walls of walls.
That way, we will be able to judge more accurately than anyone else what level the current Geumsang system has reached.
“okay.”
“He hurt your father?”
Sima Ying asked back as if he couldn’t understand.
To her, her father-in-law was the best in the world.
The fact that my father-in-law was defeated by someone would not be accepted.
But then something surprising came out of my father-in-law’s mouth.
“That guy was stronger than me. “He has such monstrous inaction that we can barely deal with him with the help of Dugong and Seobok.”
Even my father-in-law was no match for him.
As expected, he did not waste time.
Perhaps he became stronger to repay the humiliation he suffered from me.
Still, I was lucky to survive against someone like that.
“The guy knew every martial art in the world, and he had ridiculous skills that went beyond common sense.”
I guess so.
Even back then, he was a superman who overcame walls.
In addition to being so strong, many years of experience and the ability for eternal life were added.
Moreover, since you can even read the energy of others with your golden eyes, there will be no monsters like that.
“…If you say so, father. “Did you run away by jumping into the water in the valley while fighting with that person?”
At that question, my father-in-law sighed and said,
“no. A person named Seo-bok said that he might be able to kill that person if he somehow dragged him into the valley. So I lured him toward the valley.”
I didn’t jump into the valley water to escape.
In fact, he was the enemy I had been waiting for my whole life.
No matter how strong he is, would he want to run away from someone like that?
“So what happened?”
“That’s how I lured him to the cliff in front of the valley, but he spoke as if he knew about it and came all the way here.”
“After you knew?”
“okay. Instead, it provoked me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
As if my father-in-law was looking back with an uncomfortable look, he said exactly what he said.
“…Worak Sword. Because of this, you were able to be reborn as the ultimate villain. Don’t you want to take revenge on Moorim who made you like this? If you want, hold my hand. Then, he said, I will give you eternal life as well as blood vengeance.”
“under!”
Sima Ying was dumbfounded by those words.
You can’t help but be angry that the culprit who killed your mother even said something like that.
“I collapsed the cliff to kill him. “When the guy tried to easily avoid it, Seobok held on to him even though his body was cut in half.”
-Wow…
this was possible with the regenerative ability that surpassed that person’s common sense.
Didn’t even the arm that wasn’t there grow in an instant?
“Thinking that we couldn’t miss this opportunity, Dugong and I, together with Seobok, grabbed him and jumped into the valley.”
“So?”
Sima Ying seemed curious.
My father-in-law let out a long sigh, as if sighing.
“What’s wrong?”
“At that time…”
I spoke first before my father-in-law could answer.
“Didn’t the silver-haired woman show up?”
At those words, my father-in-law frowned and looked at me in surprise.
“How did you know that?”
“It’s because of the chill that penetrated into my father-in-law’s marrow.”
After all, she was alive too.
The white snow of the Beihai Ice Palace, which was called the 12th day of the world at the time.
Currently, there is no martial artist in the martial arts world that can handle coldness to that degree.
My father-in-law, who was staring at me as if he was surprised that I knew this, continued speaking.
“Before I was swept away by the torrent of the valley, the woman appeared and struck me in the back. “I immediately counterattacked and pushed the silver-haired woman away, but the moment I fell into the water due to the chill that penetrated my body, I lost sight of the golden-eyed man.”
“What about other people?”
In response to Sima Ying’s question, my father-in-law shook his head bitterly.
“I barely escaped being swept away by the torrent and tried to find everyone, but I had no choice but to swallow the cold that penetrated my body due to the internal injuries I received while fighting it.”
So my father-in-law tried to recover quickly.
However, the chill had already penetrated all the way to the internal organs and bone marrow.
It is said that in the meantime, masked men, presumed to be his subordinates, attacked and my father-in-law had no choice but to run away.
“I barely managed to get rid of them, but as my energy continued to deplete, I
ended up going to the Shaolin Temple.”
“okay.”
Although Shaolin Temple is a religious sect, it is a place that is cut off from the secular world.
And it was the only place that could heal my father-in-law, even if he was a villain.
My father-in-law made that choice to save his life.
Sima Ying said with tears in her eyes.
“My father is suffering so much alone, and I don’t even know that…”
“Just because you are safe, this father can relieve his burden.”
“But…”
“Didn’t you say it was okay?”
My father-in-law wiped away Sima Ying’s tears with his sleeve.
Then my father-in-law turned his gaze to me and said.
“I didn’t ask to end the story, but that female master is someone I have never seen in my life. “How do you know her?”
Sima Ying also looked puzzled at that question.
At this, I took a deep breath and exhaled.
If even my father-in-law was so deeply involved, it was right to tell him some of the truth.
“……Her name is Seolbaek. “He was one of the twelfth greats in the world, no different from the title of one of the eight great masters or the four great evildoers of today, over 300 years ago.”
My father-in-law’s eyes narrowed at those words.
I continued talking.
“That woman is from the North Sea Ice Palace and holds the one-eyed golden eye that my father-in-law tried to capture. “To be honest, I didn’t even know I would still be alive.”
“……You’re talking as if you just met a master from over 300 years ago.”
I answered my father-in-law’s question truthfully.
“We met.”
“what?”
I can’t even tell you what happened when we met.
So I changed my mind.
“The one-eyed golden eye that my father-in-law wants to take revenge on. “That person is called Jonju, and he was the one who attempted to persecute and annihilate the Murim more than 300 years ago.”
“No way…”
“Yes. This is the gold award for the worst tyrant.”
‘!!!’
Upon hearing his identity, my father-in-law and Sima Young could not hide their surprise.
Who would have imagined?
The man with the golden eyes must have been the emperor 300 years ago.
My father-in-law, who was surprised, asked me after a while as if he couldn’t understand.
“…….How on earth do you know that?”
I thought for a moment and then answered the truth.
“I defeated him about three hundred years ago.”
‘!?’
At those words, my father-in-law and Sima Young looked like they were asking what he was talking about.
ⓒ Hanzhongwolya
