Episode 432:
While the Gangho people who had been caught in sea fishing were shivering from cold and hunger while listening to the sound of the waves, Gwangseung, who had taken a look around the area, sat down near me. Did he prepare a general speech after me? Or did they come to see the faces of those who had newly become bald?
The ganghoins, who were exhausted from nagging me all day, looked at Gwangseung with nervous expressions.
Gwangseung sat straight with his back straight and looked at the faces of the strong men in silence for a long time.
“….”
Deciding that I might have something to say, I sat down in my seat watching over the Kanghoins and waited for Gwangseung to speak.
Gwangseung, who had made eye contact with the strongmen several times for a while, opened his mouth.
“I am a monk of miscellaneous esoteric Buddhism from the west.”
King Eunpyeong answered alone.
“You weren’t a monk from Jungwon. “They said the outfit was unique.”
Gwangseung nodded.
“Temples are usually located deep in the mountains, and donors who came to offer offerings were often killed in the mountains, sometimes under the mountains, or on their way back.”
No one could respond to the sudden remark.
“The monks were created to protect the lives of these donors. It’s been a while. At first, they were stationed all over the mountain. He protected and guided the donors while holding a stone pole at the main road under the mountainside. But later, the priests and monks suffered together. “I was stabbed with a spear knife, hit to death by a flying rock, and was hit by something like a poisonous sting.”
“….”
Gwangseung looked at Yeonguksa Temple.
“Even monks had no choice but to study martial arts. How to block a spear knife, how to react when poisoned, how to deal with a long whip, and how to fight when a large number of people come. The monks were also beings who did not want to die, so they practiced martial arts and taught their knowledge to future generations and lived bravely to protect their aldermen and Buddhists.”
Gwangseung was talking so seriously that the gang members exchanged glances and suddenly looked at my expression.
Gwangseung’s words continued regardless.
“That is the beginning of a monk. Some of the donors were poor and some were rich, but there was no particular distinction between those who stole. Because they killed the man and raped the woman. Even monks could not swing just a stone pole, so someone first removed the ring attached to the stone pole and attached a blade like the one used by bandits. This is similar to the sword that the strong people call a sword. “Even the old monks did everything they could to survive.”
Gwangseung looked at me.
“Those who serve Buddha must have deep compassion.”
“yes.”
“A monk practicing martial arts with something like an ax blade attached to a stone pole. What do you think of Moonju?”
I answered what I felt.
“It’s no different from Kang Ho-in.”
Gwangseung nodded.
“It’s no different. Up to this point, this is just the history of the monks that I have heard. Personal experience is another thing. As I remember, there was an old man who came to offer alms every morning for over ten years. He was an old man who worried about his late son, whether he was asleep or awake. My son was a merchant who traveled long distances and traded faithfully, but he was captured by a gang called Geummogwi, who robbed him of all he had and pierced him with a spear. “The father, Old Man Tak, was a warm benefactor who faithfully climbed the mountain every day to make offerings to Buddha and took care of the monks’ big and small needs frugally.”
“….”
Gwangseung looked around at the Kanghoins.
“The day I heard the news, for the first time, I took off the ring attached to the stone pole, attached the blade said to have been used by an old monk to the stone pole, and then tried to descend. The old monks rushed out to stop me and scolded me. “I heard a Buddhist say, ‘What kind of cruel thing is this?’
Gwangseung smiled secretly and looked around at the Kanghoins.
“What kind of cruel thing is this for a Buddhist?… I ignored the old monks’ attempts to dissuade me and went down the mountain to look for Geummogui and his gang. Originally, the hook attached to the stone cabinet was used to make a rattling sound to keep wild animals from running towards us. It is a decoration mixed with mercy to not kill not only small insects but also meat-eating beasts. When I took off the ring and attached the blade, it couldn’t have been that powerful. The surrounding area soon turned into a sea of blood. Now, not only I but others can no longer find the Golden Mogwi gang in the world. But Old Man Tak, who lost his son, did not live long.”
I looked at Gwangseung and Kanghoin alternately. The strong men were now breathing softly. Because we would have realized that the monk in front of us was not the normal, ordinary monk we knew.
So this bald man is a mad monk.
Gwangseung nodded.
“I drank alcohol and ate meat. He became an apostate monk. Even when I was imprisoned in the cave after my disposition, I often drank alcohol…”
Gwangseung put his hand to his nose.
“No matter how drunk I get, I can’t erase the terrible smell of blood I smelled when I killed the Golden Mogwi gang. I even thought that the old monks who tolerated this in the name of mercy had become senile and had committed even greater apostasy than me. Who on earth committed the apostasy? “You take the money and food that others have worked hard to earn in the mountains and eat it away, and then talk about mercy when something dangerous happens.”
I made eye contact with Gwangseung.
Gwangseung said to me.
“Whether Munju killed a group of black swordsmen to protect the workers or I killed Geummogui’s gang with a blade, the meaning was the same.”
I nodded.
“It’s no different.”
“The story of Munju’s journey that I heard about on the way to the sea was like a milestone to me. Humans are inherently weak beings, so Moon-joo’s actions were comforting. “Thank you again.”
This time Gwangseung looked at the strongmen.
“I saved you all, but the sorrow that has filled my heart since I was in the west has not been erased even when I look at this wide sea. “Aren’t you strong men no different from the Golden Mogwi gang?”
As soon as Gwangseung finished speaking, Sapae and Buhoeju’s eyes widened at the same time.
“….”
Some were looking at me with puzzled expressions. Even without saying a word, I could easily tell that his expression was as if he was asking me to save his life.
Master Yeonguk opened his mouth.
“monk.”
“Tell me. I haven’t heard anything about the Yan Dynasty, but I’m curious as to how a person who was a national governor of a country colluded with the Black Island forces. Is the living socialist really that great? “While I was in Zhejiang, I heard several rumors that pro-socialism was very cruel.”
The voice of Yeonguksa, who seemed to have been through all sorts of hardships, came out with a loss of composure.
“Actually, as a person who was ruined by the collapse of the Yan Dynasty, he dreamed of revival, but ended up needing a lot of money.”
Gwangseung stopped talking.
“That doesn’t mean that Yeonguksa ultimately cooperated for money.”
“That…”
Yeonguksa was speechless.
There was an atmosphere in which it would not be strange if Gwangseung smashed someone’s head with a stone sword right now.
“To borrow Munju’s expression, you are nothing more than bait for a fishing rod trying to catch living socialists and King Geumsan. Aside from that purpose, is there any reason for Munju and I to keep you alive? As I said before, asking for mercy from a monk is nothing but bullshit to my ears. “Someone please speak up.”
I continued what Gwangseung said.
“…There’s an old mother at home or something like that.”
Gwangseung said.
“The reason why my heart cannot be erased is because I can read many things in your faces and expressions. In general, you probably have that look in your eyes because you have lived without forgiving your enemies. Just like me while coming to the sea. “I will never forget the looks on your faces when you got off the black carriage.”
Heukrang said this.
“Please save me. monk.”
Gwangseung let out a helpless laugh and shook his head.
“Since we are strong people, let’s talk about martial arts. “What about Moonju?”
I answered right away like a kid watching a performance in the neighborhood.
“great.”
“If we were to consider the martial arts level of the people here, the weakest would be Heilang, Saengsaeng, King Mahu, King Eunpyeong, Buhoeju, and Yeonguksa.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the vice president showed the most surprised expression. It seems that Vice President always thought Yeonguksa was a weaker man than him.
Gwangseung explained.
“I won’t put it in too much detail, but Heilang and the life-killer Mahu are on a similar level. King Eunpyeong and Buhoeju are in a similar state. However, Yeonguksa is about two steps ahead of Buhoeju. Presumably, Master Yan thought that his enemies in Zhejiang would be very rare, but he kept much of his power hidden. “Isn’t that right?”
Master Yeonguk replied in a polite tone.
“exactly.”
“You probably think that if the living socialists fight with all their might, they won’t be defeated. How do you feel?”
“That’s also true.”
“How does Yeonguksa understand the martial arts level of Munju next to him?”
Yeonguksa looked at me intently.
I started a snowball fight with Yeonguksa Temple. Yeonguksa, who quickly lost the snowball fight, answered.
“I know you are much older than me.”
“What about the gap? Do you think the difference in skills between Yeonguksa and Munju is greater than the difference between Malseokin Heilang and Yeonguksa? Or think of it as small.”
Yeonguksa was talking crazy.
“If you measure it by the gap, I think it would be similar.”
Gwangseung asked with a slight smile.
“Are you sure?”
Yeonguksa answered as if making an excuse.
“Heukrang is not that weak of a man either.”
“No. Yeonguksa Monju’s skills are at a level you cannot estimate. Don’t be so absorbed in self-love that you ignore reality like that. The reality is that with your skills, you can’t figure out the extent of Moonju’s status. “Did you guess the state by inferring that he had been hit several times before?”
“hmm.”
“That was a trick too. It was a trick to go through all the trouble of chasing you around and fighting with you so cruelly. With all your skills, most of you would die with just one gesture from Munju. That is the gap, but you are so weak that you cannot even notice the gap. Since he doesn’t know what will happen, Moon-joo’s tendency is to lie and wait for the situation to unfold… Every single one of you was deceived.”
Everyone except Gwangseung looked at me. Since what Gwangseung said was true, I had nothing to say.
King Eunpyeong quietly raised his hand and said:
“I kind of expected it.”
I answered.
“You’re smart.”
“thank you.”
Gwangseung said while glaring at Kanghoin.
“But Munju is Munju. I am me. I have no other intention behind what I said at length earlier. I have no intention of releasing you. As I stared at the sea for a long time, I tried to calm the sadness rising in my heart, but what could I do when it wouldn’t go away? Munju and I have a mutually respectful relationship, so if I try to kill him, Munju doesn’t stop me. I haven’t stopped anyone who Moonju wants to kill. If you follow my heart, you are already dead…what can you do?”
As soon as I felt the silence around me again, the sound of the waves came in.
People whose lives were on the line looked at the gwangseung and sometimes at me as if they didn’t know what to do.
Now these guys aren’t cold and hungry anymore.
I was at a risk where it wouldn’t be surprising if I were hit to death right away.
I offered words of comfort to these guys.
“It’s pitiful that these powerful men were beaten to death by a monk with their heads shaved. “It’s kind of funny news to talk about at a guesthouse.”
Perhaps because they were all experts in martial arts training who were quite harsh, they were unable to bow down in an ugly manner or beg for their lives in obvious words.
In short, they were people with pride.
As if Gwangseung had finally made up his mind, he stood up while clutching the golden stone medal.
I crossed my arms with the intention of watching until the end.
Actually, my thoughts are like this.
I already know how Gwangseung feels. So, this is a successful technique used by Gwangseung and Gwangma to remove at least one layer of the dirty mindset of the powerful people.
When have they ever felt this fear of death?
When Gwangseung approached holding a stone sword, Heilang was the first to react. Heilang hit his head on the floor and spit out humiliating words.
“Please save me. “I will do whatever the monk tells me to do.”
“What can I ask you to do?”
Gwangseung asked Yeonguksa.
“If Yeonguksa Temple’s internal injuries have recovered to some extent, it would be nice to have a life-or-death battle. Instead, I will only use the external attack. “Get up.”
Master Yeonguk also stood up and looked at Gwangseung.
“monk.”
“Say it.”
“Now, the Yan Dynasty, which was fed up with rust, has disappeared, and as you pointed out, it depended on the living society for money, but now there is really nowhere to go. If you open the way, I will follow. Please tell me what to do. If even this is a mistake on my part, I will just be sentenced to death.”
“is it?”
As Gwangseung struck down the stone statue, Yeonguksa closed his eyes tightly.
Gwangseung was not an ordinary expert, so the stone commander, who was advancing as if he was going to crush Yeonguksa Temple’s head, came to a narrow stop on Yeonguksa Temple’s shoulder.
If this happens, wouldn’t Yeonguksa Temple’s heart be great? I was filled with admiration.
‘That vicious bastard didn’t avoid that.’
Gwangseung said.
“How can I trust you?”
I also agreed.
“That’s right.”
Gwangseung returned to his seat, sat down, and spoke in a simple tone.
“Yeonguksa Temple.”
“Yes, monk.”
“If I save your life, will you be able to take on the position of ambassador for the monks I will teach in the central plain from now on? Whether in terms of skill or intelligence, you are the smartest and most outstanding. “If you discipline the priests of the deep realm well enough to not avoid them on purpose and deepen your own self-discipline… I think one day, you, too, can become a light that allows you to look back on your dark days.”
Perhaps because Yeonguksa was a smart man, he was not overly happy.
“Will you take it?”
“Human words are like smoke and tend to disperse quickly. It depends on your heart. “Isn’t that heart still wandering somewhere in Yan?”
Master Yeonguk nodded.
“Actually, it still is.”
Gwangseung nodded and said with a slight smile.
“Then I will wait a little longer.”
Gwangseung’s last words felt like the final blow discussed by the experts of Gangho. As expected, Yeon Guksa, who seemed to have lost all energy, sat down again.
Suddenly, I was listening quietly…
Although I didn’t promise, Gwangseung and I looked at the sea at the same time.
It was really nice to hear the sound of the waves coming and going.
