Episode 1082 Because that is the duty of a master. (2)
The requiem was held in a small manner.
There were not enough items prepared to hold a formal requiem at the Dogwan. Isn’t it a situation where even the most basic incense and incense burner cannot be prepared?
Although they did not have all the formalities, the attitude of Hwasan’s disciples as they memorized blessings and recited Taoist scriptures was extremely pious.
In the end, a ritual is just a courtesy to the dead. No matter how splendid a ritual is, it is not worth more than one sincere nod.
Hwasan’s disciples also knew this well, so they put their sincerity into each movement and every word they spoke. I hope that those who died here will find peaceful rest even after death.
A fact that should never be forgotten. That means that before they are warriors, they are gurus who pursue the Tao.
But even Hwasan’s disciples sometimes forget who they are. This was a place to honor the souls of the victims and at the same time return to their duties.
Cheongmyeong, standing behind him, looked at the backs of his disciples who were reciting the Tao Sutra.
From Dangsoso on the far left to Baekcheon on the far right. Cheongmyeong quietly closed his eyes, taking in the sight of everyone behind them.
‘execution.’
In the past, apprenticeships were often held at Hwasan. Cheongmyeong tried to get out of the boring ceremony, but every time, Cheongmun tried to catch him and make him stand in a corner.
– You are a guru before you are a swordsman.
– A sword without consent is no different from a mountain thief’s sword. Since it is you and no one else, you must not forget your duty as a Taoist monk.
-Following the Tao may be fine, but the basis of requiem is compassion. If you are not born with it yourself, you must at least watch and learn. That is the first thing you must do as a disciple of Hwasan.
“…obvious nagging.”
Yes it was. I thought so in the past. I wondered what was the meaning of boring rituals that were repeated the same way every time.
When a person dies, that’s it. What good is the sutra offered to those buried in the dirt, and what value is there in the tears shed for them?
‘It was like that.’
Cheongmyeong slowly opened his closed eyes.
Cheongmyeong at that time was incomprehensible. He did not climb the volcano to know the value of Tao and learn more, but he was abandoned by the volcano.
He grew up listening to the Taoist scriptures like a lullaby and watching the Taoist rituals like a game. So, to him, all of this naturally existed without having to think about its meaning.
That’s why I didn’t know.
Why do people depict and commemorate the souls of people who can never return?
Because someone who had nothing to begin with cannot lose.
‘Death penalty for me….’
What he lost was not something he had been holding from the beginning, but something he created as he lived. No… even though he didn’t want to, he just stayed around as if it was natural.
That’s why I found out. After losing it.
That there is meaning even to the dead who will never return. How are those left behind looking for a conduit?
And there are people here who understand what it means. There are those who know what the former Qingming did not know and try to protect what he could not protect.
The sound of the still young disciples of Hwasan reverently reciting the Taoist scriptures spread loudly across the desolate land.
Ungeom, who was in the lead, placed his remaining hand in front of his chest to show respect. Every movement was filled with deep sorrow for those who died here.
When he began to recite the Tao Sutra again, Hwasan’s disciples followed along. Cheongmyeong, who was standing behind and watching, slowly closed his eyes. Tao-kyung flowed from his mouth.
It was a sight that was nothing particularly special or remarkable. However, anyone who knows who Cheongmyeong is cannot simply think of this scene in that way.
Cheongmyeong has participated in countless requiem ceremonies, but he has never recited the Tao Sutra with that voice. Even though I can recite it even with my eyes closed because it is a sutra that has hit my ears so hard, I really have never done it once.
Because it was embarrassing and awkward. And I thought it didn’t suit me.
But at this moment, Cheongmyeong was reciting the Dogyeong with sincerity. It is not something that is simply known as a meaning, but rather a wish and hope.
This is a prayer for the dead and comfort for those left behind.
And maybe it is a hand reaching out to those who cannot stay anywhere.
The Ungeom that left both Tao-gyeong retreated. Then Hyeyeon, who had been waiting in the back, cautiously stepped forward. He solemnly bowed to the class and slowly began to recite Buddhist scriptures.
What we each believe in is different. What each person pursues is also different. But at this moment, the feeling is definitely the same.
While the clear sound of Hyeyeon’s Buddhist scriptures spread widely, Hwasan’s disciples stood behind her without loosening their posture. An indescribable sadness filled their eyes as they looked at the devastated Hangzhou.
Baekcheon lightly clenched his fist. So that the emotions welling up in my heart right now do not dissipate. So in order not to forget.
Jo Geol, Yoon Jong, Yu Iseol, and Dang Soso also had similar facial expressions.
Finally, Hyeyeon’s long reading came to an end. Hyeyeon bowed deeply and bowed her head. He turned around with a sad face and stood next to the volcano disciples again.
Baekcheon naturally looked at the cloud sword. Then Ungeom smiled. It’s as if this is where the guidance ends.
At that moment, a deep sigh flowed from Baekcheon’s mouth.
‘I…’
His fists were clenched.
‘I couldn’t save anyone.’
Their goal when they come here is to stop the Demon Cult. And it was to save those who were still alive here. But before they knew it, all their minds were focused on just surviving.
I survived and I was happy. I was relieved.
But now I know. That it shouldn’t have happened that way.
What they failed to protect here is too great for me to just be happy about my own safety.
I was thinking about moving forward, but I just stopped right there. Now is not the time to preach to them. It’s time to stand in the same place and talk.
A calm voice leaked from Baekcheon’s mouth.
“…If Jang Mun-in were here… he would have shed tears for those who died before anyone else.”
The volcano’s disciples lowered their heads.
“If the elders had been there, they would not have forgotten the victims while fighting the enemy.”
The voice was calm and seemed a little sad.
“The reason we couldn’t do that is because we were weak.”
A feeling of sadness fills the place where the pride and relief left my young heart.
“It is not because we lack strength, but because people are weak. “They say they are Taoists, but they fail to pursue Tao. They say they are for others, but they cannot truly look at others.”
Everyone slowly nodded at those painful words.
“The power that Jang Mun-in wants from us is not a force that can subdue the opponent. Even when my life is in danger, I am strong enough to look after those who are weaker than me… Yes.”
Baekcheon’s voice was slow but firm.
“Maybe it’s our strength as a person.”
He paused for a moment and quietly closed his eyes.
I did my best to fight and defeat the enemy. Nevertheless, the reason why my heart is so empty is because there are things that cannot be filled with strength alone.
“We will have to go through a lot in the future.”
Everyone looked at the devastated land of Hangzhou.
“Next time… Okay, next time, let’s never forget. What we fight for. “Why should we fight?”
Ungeom bowed his head and recited the Taoho. As if that was a signal, Hwasan’s disciples all chanted their prayers in unison. May it spread throughout this vast land of Hangzhou.
Hyeyeon also loudly disapproved of them.
Bullho is what you wish for yourself, and Doho is what you wish for yourself.
It is a cry for salvation. It is also like a candle lit by weak humans who forget things they should not forget in life so that they do not forget their way.
The lake they left behind was bigger and clearer than ever.
And as loud as the loud sound was, their naturally lowered heads were also heavier than ever.
There was silence for a moment.
Although I gained a lot, I actually gained nothing. Only after my mind calmed down did I see the true nature of the devastation that could not even be called a war.
Then a low, clear voice came into their ears.
“…Let’s go back.”
“Yeah…”
Everyone slowly turned around. A moment ago, I wanted to run away to this place, but strangely, I couldn’t move. Perhaps it is because of regret for not being able to protect it.
“Next time…”
I tried to speak calmly, but even at the end of Cheongmyeong’s words, I ended up feeling regretful. Cheongmyeong, who was looking at the ruins in front of him, eventually turned his head away.
“You just have to protect it next time.”
“…okay.”
Baekcheon’s voice, filled with emptiness, spread in emptiness.
“That’s right.”
It was a time when he, who was trying to control his heavy heart, was trying to lighten the mood by patting his subordinates on the shoulders.
‘huh?’
At that moment, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Even as everyone turned around, I saw the eyes of Yu Iseol, who was standing facing forward until the end, widen for an instant.
‘enemy?’
Surprised, Baekcheon hurriedly turned his head.
But there was nothing to see. All I see is still desolate…
“Huh?”
“Now?”
At that moment, surprised voices burst from the mouths of the volcano disciples. They immediately closed their mouths and held their breath with stiff faces.
That moment.
“ah…!”
Everyone heard it.
Someone’s faint voice that seemed to be an auditory hallucination, but was very clear.
Everyone moved their feet before thinking. When I came to my senses, I was already running with all my might.
And the back of someone who seems desperate beyond urgency is the first to run forward again and again.
Cheongmyeong kicked the ground and fired with all his might. Then they started frantically digging through the remains of the building. My scarred hands were shaking.
The disciples of Hwasan, who arrived a little later, also rushed in without delay and dug up the mess of debris with their bare hands.
Toward the faint sound of breathing coming from within. Towards that feeble warmth that I have finally found, even though I was definitely here.
“eww! eww…!”
A suppressed moan burst out from Cheongmyeong’s urgent mouth. Cheongmyeong’s hands, which had been digging through the rubble so roughly, began to become more and more careful.
Eventually, Cheongmyeong’s hand stopped.
“…Waju….”
The sound, which had been so faint that it was drowned out by the sound of the wind, was finally heard clearly.
“Help…please….”
Wow!
The remains of the building that was held in Cheongmyeong’s hands were completely crushed. Fearing that buried people might get hurt, they began to use internal force to grind the debris into powder.
How many times did it repeat this?
After careful handling that had never occurred before, a person was finally revealed from under the rubble.
No, not one person.
“Here!”
“There’s a baby… there’s a baby too! baby!”
I saw a dusty, half-conscious woman and a small child in her arms.
The voice of the woman, who was completely exhausted and seemed to have no strength to open her eyes, was coming out continuously without interruption.
“…Help…Lord….”
“….”
“My…baby…”
No one could dare open their mouth.
In the silence, Cheongmyeong stretched out his trembling hands into the rubble. Then, while very carefully holding the woman’s ovum, he began to push the essence into her. It was the same with the child.
“He survived…”
At that moment, everyone saw. The sight of Cheongmyeong’s shoulders collapsing. When the strong man discovered the two survivors, he could not hold on any longer and dropped his head.
“I’m alive… I’m alive…”
Cheongmyeong bowed his head and the woman lost consciousness. And Baekcheon, who was staring blankly at the sleeping child in his arms, pursed his lips and looked up at the distant sky.
I must have held my breath. You must have been afraid of the sound of swords clashing. They must have been afraid that the loud noise of them fighting and colliding with each other would take their child away.
Even in the darkness without a single light, I would have held on with my mouth shut. I was afraid that a scream might come out of his mouth.
What allowed such a woman to muster up her last strength was not the power to defeat the demon cultists, the sword that pierced the bishop’s neck, or the spirit that threatened to drive away the leader of the Four Sects.
Doho just resonates. It’s a sad feeling. It was a voice that did not carry any great power, but simply hoped and hoped.
That’s why… it was delivered to someone who was hurt and afraid.
What ultimately saved the person who could not be saved even with the power to conquer the world… was a small attitude that they had forgotten for a while but should never forget.
Baekcheon’s eyes became wet.
The blue sky was so cold that it hurt my eyes.
