Episode 22. Do beautiful things have thorns?
Song Myeong-cheon spoke in a calm voice.
“Good job. My disciple. “You put so much effort into this poor master.”
It’s not that it wasn’t, because Han Ibi’s hands and fingernails were bruised here and there from the struggle on the cliff, so they were all bloody.
He said.
“no. Master. no. It is a natural thing to do as a disciple. “Hurry, hurry, get this Geummyeongcho…”
Song Myeong-cheon started laughing again. However, his expression soon appeared to be distorted by regret and pain.
Han Ibi could only stare at him blankly, unable to understand the current situation.
Song Myeong-cheon said.
“The sky… seems not to want me to appear in the world. Now… it is done.”
“yes? “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s stop now. I think that’s it. “Rather than a thousand people making fun of me…”
Han Ibi asked with wide eyes, not knowing what he was talking about.
“Master. Could it be that the disciple did something wrong? “Please teach me.”
Song Myeong-cheon said with a profound expression.
“This grass is not goldenrod.”
“yes? “What do you mean by that?”
“This means that this grass is not goldenrod.”
“But it was clearly consistent with the description you gave…”
At that time, Ibi Han suddenly realized that the ‘Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs’ had been quiet.
That sensitive guy who reacts even to bad medicines on the street…
The moment cold sweat runs down my spine.
Song Myeong-cheon said.
“The name of this plant is Dangyocho (斷膠草), and it can be said to be the king of poisonous plants with extreme toxicity.”
Then Han Ibi said in surprise.
“Poisonous plants…? “Is it this pretty?”
“ha ha ha. yes. “Isn’t it true that beautiful things often have thorns inside them?”
Han Ibi was in a daze and looked at the plant she was holding in her hand, no, it had quickly become ‘Dangyocho’.
purple. It felt as if the beauty of those intense primary colors was crushing Han Ibi’s chest with even crueler hands.
“sorry. Master. “I’m sorry…”
The tears that had formed in Han Ibi’s eyes were finally flowing down.
Song Myeong-cheon laughed even more heartily.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. What do you mean you are sorry? Are you saying you have ever owed me anything? It’s just unfair that I can’t repay my vengeance, and whether I live or die is up to Heaven to decide…”
Transparent dew had already formed in his pitiful eyes.
“Follow fate and follow fate. I’m tired too. I’m very tired. Now… let’s stop. Let’s stop… now…”
The setting sun was coloring the entrance of the cave red.
It was a beautiful and beautiful sight.
Like the purple color of Dangyocho disguised as Geummyeongcho…
* * *
Song Myeongcheon seemed to be in despair.
Han Ibi was like that too.
They say that giving and taking is not as good as giving….
When the flame of unfulfilled desire burned out incompletely, what remained was even greater pain.
And helplessness.
Han Ibi did not go to collect medicinal herbs for a week. Song Myeong-cheon also said nothing while looking at him.
That’s how winter came.
That day, Han Ibi and Song Myeong-cheon went out to collect medicinal herbs.
Winters in Shaanxi Province were not as harsh as those experienced in Korea.
Still, there are exceptions.
The temperature over the past week has fallen below freezing, making it extremely chilly.
The fabric of this era was so poor that it was difficult to endure without the use of true energy to warm the body.
Han Ibi thought.
‘Phew. It’s a big deal. With the weather being this cold, all the herbs that were there would freeze to death…’
He decided that he should visit the village once to prepare for the winter.
It’s been a while since I met Uncle Hwang Bang and Aunt Jin Sook.
And the food… Wow! Proper mountain and sea food! That amazing taste. It would be nice to try it myself.
It was then.
Something white moving gently in front of Han Ibi’s field of vision.
‘Yes? ‘Is it pollen?’
The amount of fine dust-like particles gradually increased. Han Ibi raised her palm and looked at it.
It melts away and disappears.
It was the snow.
Han Ibi said in surprise.
“Isn’t this snow… snow?”
Song Myeong-cheon, who was looking up at the sky, answered.
“Yes.”
“Is it snowing here too?”
“It’s not common, but it happens often.”
As winter became more barren, the two people traveled even further away.
Song Myeong-cheon said.
“I’d better head back for today.”
“…yes.”
The two people turned towards the direction of their residence. I could see a swarm of black clouds gathering across the sky.
It was unusual.
The snowflakes, which were like pollen, gradually grew larger and soon began to increase in size. And then it started pouring down indiscriminately.
The snow was so thick that you couldn’t see an inch in front of you.
Han Ibi asked.
“Is it always like this here?”
Song Myeong-cheon just shook his head.
At first, the snowflake melted and left only a trace. However, the critical point had been surpassed and the snow began to pile up rapidly.
The two people were walking briskly, making a crunching sound. The sky became even darker, and it became dark everywhere, as if it were night.
You can’t sleep outdoors in this weather. We need to go even faster.
Song Myeong-cheon said.
“You will have to use light attack.”
“yes. All right.”
Song Myeong-cheon took the lead.
His body moving in an instant.
It was moving so fast that only minimal traces, as if it had been stepped on, remained in the snow on the ground.
Oh my… You’re not even in good shape, so why are you putting so much effort into it?
To be in bed sick for another few days.
“Follow me quickly!”
A loud noise was heard from the front.
‘Eek.’
Han Ibi also answered loudly and began to perform the Jong-ri ticket. While operating the machine, I focused all my attention on my two legs.
Slippery.
Han Ibi, who almost slipped, used all her strength to keep her balance and started running again.
Song Myeong-cheon, who was ahead, said.
“An environment like this is perfect for practicing Gyeonggong. “Don’t resist slippery snow, take advantage of it.”
Oh my.
Only then did Han Ibi realize the meaning of those words.
It’s like sledding or skiing.
The only difference is that you use the light ball on bare feet.
If you use this trick, you will be able to hit it faster than usual.
Before I knew it, Han Ibi’s body was running straight like Song Myeong-cheon.
This joy. This pleasure!
It was nothing compared to skiing down a fixed piste.
Or, if I were to be more specific, I would say it felt like mountain skiing.
I can’t believe something like this is possible… Han Ibi couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at this ‘martial arts’ thing.
Going ahead or behind….
Compared to Song Myeong-cheon’s light technique, Han Ibi’s was insignificant, but in a difficult obstacle course that required ‘boldness’ and ‘quick judgment’, it was possible because even the slightest mistake could reduce the gap.
I was excited. I was so excited.
At that time, Song Myeong-cheon spoke.
“It’s too much. be careful. The terrain here is…”
That’s right. The single road next to the steep cliff seemed dangerous enough.
“haha. Master. All right. Just be careful…”
Slippery.
Why was there snow piled up in that gap?
Han Ibi didn’t realize that there was empty space under the unstable snow, and she lost her footing.
Song Myeong-cheon was startled and quickly stretched out his hand… but it was already too late.
Han Ibi, who lost her balance on her stepping foot, was instantly sucked down the cliff.
“Ahh!”
He left only a single scream on the mountain and was falling down the steep cliff at an incredible speed.
A handful of snow pouring into my mouth.
It was cold. At the same time, cold eyes flock together.
Snow again. My eyes were flooding into all the holes on my face, including my nostrils, earlobes, and eye sockets.
Bodies pouring down at the same time.
Han Ibi was sliding endlessly downwards.
Shit.
As the crisis unfolded, I felt like I woke up. Even though he felt cold and had bruises all over his body, he thought again and again.
If he was pushed a little further, he would no longer be sliding, but would be falling vertically toward the valley.
Even though he was learning martial arts, albeit clumsily, the end result… would have been obvious even without saying it.
Even as he was rolling down the snow-covered cliff, he unknowingly took out the Masked Captain’s sword that was in his arms.
Then he stabbed it towards the ground.
earth!
The sword flew out with a loud sound. My hand was torn and blood was seeping out.
I almost lost my long sword.
‘I tried to stab a knife into the frozen ground without using my strength…’
Han Ibi blamed herself and used Jinki again.
I took a deep breath and concentrated my mind.
And then… I
‘plunged in’
. I stuck it into the frozen ground covered with a lot of snow.
A body that leans backwards due to inertia.
However, he was able to withstand the physical force by putting all his might into his right hand, which held the sword.
And finally…
‘I did it.’
Han Ibi was able to stop in the sleigh of hell. A boundless cliff stretched out just a few feet below.
“omg. omg. omg.”
White snow and silence. And only the sound of Han Ibi’s heavy breathing filled this deep mountain.
He stood up carefully. He coughed, spitting out the snow that had invaded his mouth.
My legs were shaking.
Just a little…
If he had been a little slow in his judgment, he would no longer be from this world.
He suddenly felt ashamed of himself for running wild like a colt just a moment ago.
But I felt something strange.
The feeling of someone watching you… Huh?
Han Ibi slowly turned her head to the left.
In the midst of darkness due to thick clouds, flashing yellow eyes came into view.
‘What is it? Is it a ghost?…’
Han Ibi was scared and didn’t know what it was, so she held the sword tightly.
But…
just three steps ahead, I saw something coming out of the white snow field.
The deep purple color stood out even more vividly in contrast to the pure white color of the eyes.
flower. It is definitely a flower.
‘Is it the beginning of a school break again… Hmph! I won’t be fooled this time.’
However, it feels somewhat different from the clarity of Dangyocho.
If the purple color of Dangyocho was artificial, this color was very natural.
It could be said that it was the difference between a woman with a long hair full of anger and a pure, natural beauty…
It was that time.
A sound came from up the mountain.
“Hawk! “Hawk!”
It’s Master.
“Master is here!”
Han Yi-bi screamed loudly in joy and started looking for him.
It seemed so.
Song Myeong-cheon was surprisingly…
“Wow!”
Instead of slippery snow, I was coming down the cliff by stepping on tree branches.
To be precise, he was using the semi-elasticity of the branches to fling himself from branch to branch.
It felt like I was swimming through space…
It was a dazzling sight, like a scene from a famous martial arts movie. It was a time when I couldn’t even think about it
.
I saw glowing yellow eyes coming forward.
Well… there was that guy. What on earth is that guy?…
It slowly approached and revealed itself from the shadows.
It is….
“What? oh my! “Oh my, that’s cute.”
It wasn’t that I had any particular taste for kidults, but that…
“I can’t believe you’re this cute.” “You mean, an animal like this lived here?”
Without realizing it, an uncle smile appeared on Han Ibi’s face.
That’s probably why the beast that revealed its identity looked so cute.
It was about the size of a fox, and the fur all over its body was pure white.
So, in these eyes, all I could see were yellow shining eyes.
Bear… Is it a bear?
The face clearly looked like that of a bear cub.
But that body. What does that body mean?
Its body clearly resembled that of a weasel.
The face of a bear and the body of a weasel. The size of a fox.
That could be said to be a description of the appearance of the strange beast seen before our eyes.
(Continued in the next part)
