Episode 1340. What happened? (3)
Took. Again.
The sound of water drops spreading clearly.
Lim So-byeong looked up. Water was dripping down from the tip of the rock protruding from the ceiling.
‘What the hell is this place…’
His gaze turned downward again.
It’s so dark that you can’t see an inch in front of you. Darkness is encroaching on the surroundings so thick that anyone who is not a martial arts person and has a developed sense of spirit would not even dare to take a step. The only thing I could vaguely see was a long, narrow road in the distance.
‘Cave… ‘Is it a crypt?’
The crypt they passed through extends behind them.
I was still dumbfounded as to how I could get here. My mind was confused.
“Cough.”
At that time, Cheongmyeong, who was walking in front of him, coughed and bent over. Every time he moved his body, flakes of dried blood fell out.
Lim So-byeong stiffened his face and opened his mouth.
“Seal…”
“are you okay.”
But Cheongmyeong raised his head as if it was no big deal and went forward again.
A sigh flowed from Lim So-byeong’s mouth. Even though they said they would give him a piggyback ride, he got off and started walking on his own feet like that. Who can break that stubbornness?
Lim So-byeong, who followed in silence for a while, eventually couldn’t bear it anymore and asked.
“Seal… “Where are we?”
“cave.”
“yes?”
“You wouldn’t know it if you saw it? “It’s a cave.”
Lim So-byeong’s face was slightly distorted.
“No, you’re not asking that, are you? “What kind of cave is this?”
As I was speaking, I thought that this question itself was very absurd. A cave is just a cave. Could it have any other purpose?
But actually, this question is very valid.
Lim So-byeong looked at the wall of the cave.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t look like a naturally created cave. Although it was rough, it definitely looked like it had been touched by human hands.
‘A person dug a cave this size?’
why? wherefore?
At that time, the voice of Cheongmyeong spread softly.
“Do you know where this is?”
“⋯⋯Well.”
“At the end of Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
Lim So-byeong’s eyes narrowed slightly. What does that mean…
“Most people seem to feel that the war against the Demonic Cult was a scramble for a single peak, but in reality, thousands of wars were fought in the southern part of the central plains. “Over several years.”
“⋯⋯.”
“The place where the most wars took place is not the center of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. “It’s the road leading there.”
“Then here…”
“okay.”
Cheongmyeong answered in a cool voice.
“It’s one of the hiding places they dug.”
Lim So-byeong looked around again with a stern expression.
‘A place like this…’
Hibmandaesan Mountain itself is a hideaway with a natural topography. But who would have imagined that a cave like this would be built on such a mountain?
But there was another reason why Lim So-byeong was truly shocked.
From a tactician’s point of view, there is nothing more horrifying than this crypt. It’s already a mountain where it’s hard to guess where the enemy will pop out.
But doesn’t the existence of these tunnels mean that enemies can break through the ground and bounce up?
‘How on earth did you deal with those guys?’
The moment the demon cultists I saw in Hangzhou and this terrain came together in my head, I got goosebumps all over my body. It felt like the war of the past, which I had vaguely assumed would have been cruel, was vividly unfolding before me.
Moreover, even though such a long time had passed, there was still a bloody smell inside this cool cave.
“Do you mean that there are more than just here?”
“It might not be possible.”
A laugh escaped Lim So-byeong’s mouth.
But before they could think too long, three forks in the road appeared in front of them.
“Uh…”
It’s the same for all people. If you come across a crossroads in a place where you don’t know the path at all, you are bound to stand there and worry.
However, Cheongmyeong entered the left road without any hesitation. It’s as if he already knows this place.
Lim So-byeong narrowed his eyes slightly and expressed doubt.
“Why this way…”
“wall.”
“⋯⋯Wall?”
In response to the simple answer, Lim So-byeong looked at the wall that Cheongmyeong had mentioned.
“Ah…”
And soon I understood its meaning. Marks that had never been seen before were left scattered on the wall on the left. Traces as if they had been scratched with sharp claws by a huge animal.
These were clearly traces of numerous weapons grazing the wall during the battle.
‘A battle took place here?’
Even in this deep cave?
Fight!
Suddenly, Lim So-byeong flinched as he felt something stepping on him.
Lim So-byeong, who confirmed its identity, blushed slightly. What he stepped on were human bones that had faded to yellow.
“⋯⋯the bodies⋯⋯.”
A groaning sound kept coming from behind him.
There were many corpses scattered on the floor of the narrow crypt. After rotting for a long time, corpses were left with nothing but bones left. It is a similar sight to the one I saw a while ago while heading south through Hundred Thousand Mountains.
“⋯⋯This is Songmungogeom.”
“Are you a shaman?”
There was a moment of silence after someone’s conversation.
A narrow crypt deep underground where not a single ray of light enters. Even here, a bloody battle took place between the demonic cult and the political faction.
It was clear that the political faction, unable to withstand the enemy’s guerrilla warfare, risked its life to rush into this dangerous terrain.
“stamp.”
While Haenam’s disciples were trembling at the horror, the eyes of Hwasan’s disciples and Lim So-byeong were only focused on Cheongmyeong.
“Seal… “Then, did you know that there was an entrance to this crypt there?”
“uh.”
“Then did you know in advance that Hu Ga-myeong would drive us to where the entrance is?”
Cheongmyeong nodded slowly.
“Because he’s that kind of guy.”
Lim So-byeong lost consciousness for a moment.
“Then did you know that I would play into Hu Jiaming’s hands and end up in that dead end?”
“no.”
“⋯⋯Yes? Then…?”
“Just in case.”
Cheongmyeong answered without even turning his head. I didn’t know if there was no need to make eye contact or if I didn’t even have the strength to turn my head.
“If you don’t get involved, that’s good. But even if you get caught up, you have to find a way out.”
“⋯⋯.”
“The moment we broke through the canyon, the road was already open.”
Lim So-byeong was speechless and stared blankly at Cheong-myeong’s back.
He was completely defeated by Hu Jiaming. I may have paid a price for my arrogance.
Because I thought that the person who would compete with me in planning was Jang Il-so and not Ho Ji-myeong. So, in fact, his nickname was not on his mind.
Whatever the reason, it is certain that he completely lost the battle to Hu Jiaming.
But in the first place, it didn’t matter at all who won. Because the whole fight was taking place in the palm of Cheongmyeong’s hand.
‘Who the hell is this person…’
It seemed that Lim So-byeong was finally able to understand Hu Ji-myeong’s feelings.
Why does his household name not include a man named Jang Il-so within the reach of his scheme?
Wouldn’t it be the same for everyone if the strategy they worked hard to devise over and over again only produced results that were playing out in someone’s palm?
When Lim So-byeong was helpless and helpless, Baek-cheon opened his mouth.
“Cheongmyeong.”
Qingming did not answer. But Baekcheon asked the question without hesitation.
“Then how did you know there was an entrance to this place?”
At those words, several of Hwasan’s disciples flinched and looked at Baekcheon and Cheongmyeong alternately.
Not once or twice. Just like now, Cheongmyeong surprised everyone by revealing information they couldn’t even guess.
But until now, no one has bothered to ask that fact. It wouldn’t be strange for that guy to do anything, so I didn’t bother to ask. That was the unspoken rule for volcano clarity.
But now, Baekcheon did not hesitate to ask the most sensitive question, as if he would no longer accept the rule.
“Answer me.”
Baekcheon urged. This time, it seemed like they had no intention of just getting over Cheongmyeong’s silence.
After a while, Cheongmyeong’s mouth opened. But the beginning of those words was a bit unexpected.
“Do you know why the Green Forest King got caught up in Hu Jiaming?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Because I didn’t know.”
Baekcheon looked back at Lim So-byeong with questioning eyes. Lim So-byeong’s face was frozen. His smile disappeared and his face looked cold.
“If I had known that such terrain was there, I would have never gone into it. That’s what fighting in the living room is like. “There are tremendous benefits that cannot be guessed unless you experience it.”
Baekcheon slightly nodded at Cheongmyeong’s words. Even leaving aside whether it was an appropriate answer to the question, I felt his words keenly throughout this journey.
If you change your position, you will know for sure.
Someone new to a volcano climbs the mountain to attack it? There are more than five terrains that come to Baekcheon’s mind. This is a natural and dangerous place that will drive them to hell.
“But that’s what I mean. If you know that, you can guess what they are aiming for. “Especially if they think I don’t know the terrain.”
“⋯⋯.”
“The King of Green Forest didn’t know that this type of terrain existed here, and Hu Jiaming didn’t know that I knew about this place. So it happened. “Because I don’t know.”
Baekcheon stared at Cheongmyeong’s back with hard eyes.
“The outcome of war is not determined solely by force. No, to be exact, swinging a sword is not the only strength. “Anything that can push an opponent is strength.”
Cheongmyeong slowly looked back at Baekcheon. The look in his eyes through the blood-caked hair was cold.
“How did I know?”
“⋯⋯.”
“I didn’t know. I knew it. So I went there. “No matter how much he knows about Guangdong, I probably know more about it.”
“⋯⋯That⋯⋯.”
“How do you know more?”
Cheongmyeong twisted the corner of his mouth.
“How do you think you knew?”
At that moment, Baekcheon felt like something was making him cry and tried to raise his voice. But then someone came and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
When he turned around, Yu Iseol, who had just regained consciousness, was pulling his sleeve.
Covered in blood, she slowly shook her head. It seems like you shouldn’t ask any more than that.
Baekcheon tried to say something again, but before that, the sound of Cheongmyeong’s footsteps changed a little.
The narrow and long crypt has ended. Then, a space so wide that it was hard to believe it existed underground was revealed.
“It will take them two days at most to find the entrance. Until then, do your best to rest.”
Cheongmyeong, who left those words in a pitchless voice, collapsed forward.
“Che…”
Before anyone could make a sound, Baekcheon heard Cheongmyeong move like a flash of lightning and fall down. He looked down at the unconscious Cheongmyeong and let out a deep sigh.
“⋯⋯You damn bastard.”
His voice spread slowly throughout the wide cavity.
