Episode 1004 Once again. (4)
The sun setting over the Yangtze River dyed the world red.
And with their whole bodies bathed in that red light, the swordsmen of the Namgung family were spread out in the yard of the manor. Certainly… the idea of being spread out with the Namgung family didn’t suit him to the point of being strange. But can’t we deny what has already happened?
Namgung Dowi looks around with a blank face. All of Gasol’s faces were mesmerized.
‘It’s worth it.’
The loss is not shocking. There is nothing to be proud of.
Because Hwasan has now become a sect that can no longer be ignored. The world has become one where there is no need to feel shame for losing to a volcano, no matter how much they are Namgung.
Nevertheless, the reason why everyone here is unable to come to their senses is not because of the result, but because of the process.
Not a single person could overcome it.
If they were all robbers who did not know honor, they would have raised their voices and asked what a big deal it was that they lost in the Battle of Divine Law, but unfortunately, these were Namgung swordsmen who knew what shame was.
‘It must be a shock.’
No matter how high they are, they are said to have missed training due to serious injuries, but that does not lessen the impact. Aren’t the Huashan Sect people who didn’t even lose their breath after brutally defeating them being younger than them?
And above all…
“Phew!”
“….”
“Puup….”
Blood appeared on Nangong Daowi’s forehead.
Although this situation was clearly what he had hoped for, seeing Cheongmyeong’s round eyes with both hands covering his mouth made him feel indescribably angry from deep inside.
“Hehehehehe!”
In the end, Baekcheon, who was worse off, politely scolded Cheongmyeong.
“Cheongmyeong.”
“huh?”
“It is not the duty of a warrior to laugh at the defeated. “Stop it.”
“oh. “Look at Dongryong being merciful because he won.”
“…It’s not that…”
“No. Can you see my lips twitching? Why do you honestly say, ‘Namgungse is nothing special? Do you think the Jongnam guys would be better?’ “Why don’t you smile?”
“….”
Nangong Daowi looked at Baekcheon blankly.
That seal over there? Why don’t you retort and just turn your head away? Is there any reason why you shouldn’t show us your expression right now?
stamp?
Cheongmyeong laughed and looked around at everyone.
“Well, it was bland.”
“….”
“There are no complaints now that we won, right?”
Of course there should have been no complaints. Anyway, this was a fair match and it was Namgung who responded to the match.
However, the human mind does not always run smoothly.
“Hoo?”
Cheongmyeong looked at a person who was looking at him with dissatisfied eyes.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“….”
Namgungdan said while staring at Cheongmyeong with a shocked face.
“Rather than a complaint…”
“Huh?”
“…I don’t understand why this result came out.”
“Eh?”
Cheongmyeong narrowed his eyes. Namgungdan continued speaking with a confused look on his face.
“We have been training as best as we can so far. I pushed myself to forget about the erosion and overcome the desire to rest. Otherwise, I couldn’t become the inspector of the Namgung family.”
“so?”
“But… why is there such a difference…”
Namgoongdan bit his lip.
On the contrary, I might have been able to admit it if I had not experienced Maehwado. But after experiencing Maehwado, I couldn’t understand this situation even more.
“We have already experienced with our own hands how miserable a person without power can become. “I can confidently say that our will to win is second to none among any faction.”
“….”
That’s why they did their best in this match as well. It wasn’t just because he came. Because they knew. They need to work harder than anyone else to put the Namgung family back on the rock like before.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel upset as I faced such a crushing defeat.
“What on earth is wrong with us?”
Namgungdan asked with a boiling heart. Naturally, the voice became louder and louder. It was a sight that would make any warrior’s heart flutter.
However, Cheongmyeong’s reaction upon hearing those words was extremely heartbreaking.
“what.”
He picked his ears and blew on them.
“….”
Namgoongdan, stunned by the blatantly displeased response, slumped his shoulders.
Ogum looked at him with an expression that seemed utterly pitiful. They might have enjoyed it from the victor’s point of view, but since they had also experienced it countless times, they felt empathy first.
At that time, Cheongmyeong snapped his fingers.
“hey.”
“yes?”
“You come out and see me.”
Namgungdan trudged to the front of Cheongmyeong.
“Come closer.”
“….”
Namgoong Dan, who came closer and stood right in front of Cheongmyeong, gave a questioning look.
Cheongmyeong slowly raised his hand.
“From now on, I’m going to hit you on the head.”
“yes?”
“Try to block it.”
“….”
“You said it and you have the will, so of course you can stop it, right? is not it?”
At that moment, a spark flew out of Namgung Dan’s eyes.
‘There are degrees of ignoring people!’
Even though Cheongmyeong is strong enough to beat the Black Dragon King, it is even more strange that he cannot stop him when he clearly tells him where to hit him and how he will attack him. It’s not like I’m pressing it with my internal force!
“Good….”
Couuuuuung!
dump.
“Dan!”
“oh my! Namgungdan!”
The inspectors of the Namgung family behind them were frightened and ran out in a huff. And he quickly raised Namgoongdan, who had collapsed with foam at the mouth.
“Are you okay?”
“I think he’s dead?”
“A bell rang in my head!”
Cheongmyeong watched this and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk tsk.”
The eyes that looked at everyone were filled with a pitiful light. Words poured out of his mouth.
“will?”
“….”
“You crazy people are just saying things that aren’t even legal. Hey you crazy bastards! “I’m risking my life to fight, but who can fight so roughly?”
“….”
“Sapa also has the will! Is there anyone in the world who has no will? why? Do you think that if you guys make up your mind and work hard, the enemy will be scared and lose?”
The swordsmen, speechless, bowed their heads.
“Will is only meaningful when training. Squeezing your eyeballs doesn’t make your sword stronger. “That’s something you should do on a regular basis.”
“….”
“And you guys have been wasting your time.”
At that moment, Nangong Daowi raised his hand. Cheongmyeong turned his head.
“Why… No, why?”
“…Just speak comfortably.”
“lol. How could I…”
“…I think it would be more comfortable for me too.”
“Hehehe. “Well, if you say that much.”
Cheongmyeong shrugged his shoulders and asked again.
“So why?”
“That’s because I don’t understand, seal. It may be funny to say this with our own mouth after such results, but Namgung’s training is by no means easy. We worked really hard.”
“I guess so.”
Cheongmyeong nodded as if acknowledging it.
“But why do you say that we have been wasting our time…”
“Because it is true.”
“…yes?”
Cheongmyeong chuckled.
“If someone who uses a sword practices his punches all day, can you say he worked hard?”
“…No.”
“That’s what you guys did.”
In fact, this cannot be said to be the fault of the Namgung family.
Why are volcanoes strong?
It’s so simple. This is because Cheongmyeong stuck by his side and pushed him like hell, not leaving out every single one of his disciples. So is this something only Cheongmyeong can do?
‘No.’
Even if he is not someone who has reached the level of Cheongmyeong, anyone who has reached the top of a sect can do enough to turn such clumsy people into proper swordsmen.
“It’s because your superiors couldn’t show you the right path.”
Namgung Dowi’s face hardened.
“Those words are difficult to accept. “Our matriarch was the one who cared for us more than anyone else.”
“know.”
“But why…”
“You don’t seem to understand. “Doing something for the sake of something and giving something away are completely different.”
Nangung Dowi looked at Cheongmyeong with an expression of complete confusion.
“Emperor Namgung… no, the best way for the previous head of the family to take care of you would have been to become stronger.”
“Ah…”
Only then did an expression of understanding appear on Nangong Daowi’s face.
Why couldn’t Emperor Nangong raise them properly?
Simple. This is because it is of much greater benefit to the Namgung family to become stronger rather than spending time raising those who have not yet reached the level.
And this is not just limited to Namgung. Every sect in the world follows a path not very different from the Namgung family.
This means that the power that one absolute expert gives to a sect is enormous.
Isn’t that the case with volcanoes as well? No matter how much Baekcheon becomes stronger and Yu Yiseol becomes stronger, even if Hwasan’s disciples are stronger than they are now, without Cheongmyeong, he will never enjoy the same prestige as he does now.
“But…”
Nangong Daowi was still not convinced. So how can a prestigious family name be passed down?
Cheongmyeong seemed to understand that and answered clearly.
“He doesn’t seem to understand, so you don’t need to put any effort into teaching him.”
“…yes?”
“If you just gather it all together and teach it roughly, it will be filtered out on its own.”
“….”
“Namgoong is said to be a member of the family, but most of them are collateral. “Among those affiliated orders, how many of them entered the profession and returned to their own families?”
“…Yeah…”
Cheongmyeong shrugged.
“okay. Those who entered the profession but left after failing to overcome the competition, you call them laymen outside of the collateral world. Those who are eliminated become secular members and expand their influence externally, while those who win the competition move up. “That is the basic method of a prestigious family.”
“….”
So how do the disciples below grow?
‘There’s no particular need to grow it.’
When you reach a prestigious level, those who are initiated flock in like a cloud. As a result, some of them will be talented enough to do the job. Even if you leave those talented people alone, they will rise upward on their own.
It wasn’t that different from volcanoes in the past. Wasn’t Cheongmyeong the one who came out that way in the first place?
“So… volcanoes are different?”
The moment those words came out, Cheongmyeong was shocked. And after a while, I lightly rubbed my eyes.
“…is it different?”
“….”
Nangong Daowi was greatly embarrassed.
Uh… are those really tears?
“Did you ask if it was different? Is it different? Are volcanoes different now? “A volcano?”
“Hey. “He broke down again.”
“Sasook. “Try to stop me.”
“….”
Cheongmyeong muttered, wiping his eyes.
“Yeah… You don’t know because he’s a landowner whose disciples will pour in if he stays still. “Is there any way that even a person like Jo-Geol would know the feelings of a clan that has to pick up and use it?”
“Why am I tripping again!”
“Jogeol, be quiet.”
“I honestly agree with that statement.”
“Whoop!”
Cheongmyeong took a deep breath. He managed to organize his swirling emotions and spoke while looking at Namgung Dowi, Namgung Dan, and the swordsmen of the Namgung family behind them.
“You don’t need to understand.”
“….”
“Because you will know when you experience it. “You’re in a position where no one can be left behind anyway, right?”
Qingming grinned.
“So just leave it to me. “I will figure it out for you. Very clearly.”
“….”
It was the moment when the gates of hell opened for the Namgung family.