Episode 1494. There’s no need for that. (4)
Everyone held their breath and stared at Hyeonpungsingae.
The first thing that broke the heavy silence was the voice of one person who could not bear to accept all of this.
“…What on earth….”
Lee Song-baek’s eyes trembled slightly.
It’s a story you can’t help but believe, but at the same time it’s unbelievable.
According to what the old man said, doesn’t that mean that the elders of the Nine and Five Generations completely abandoned the victims?
And of course, among them, there would have been Jongnam’s long-time writer.
“What on earth does that mean?”
Lee Song-baek could not stand it anymore and was about to raise his voice, but Hyeyeon silently grabbed his arm.
“That…”
Hyeyeon slowly shook her head as she made eye contact with Song Baek. He seemed to be trying to dissuade me by saying that now was not the time to step forward.
When Lee Song-baek remained silent, Hyeonpungsingae opened his mouth again.
“That wasn’t so wrong… Looking back, I understand. That I too was just a cowardly human being. “That it was nothing more than sugar-coating and sacrificing countless people for my own purposes.”
“…Seniors.”
“The desperate team that reached the top of Hundred Thousand Mountains ended up beheading the Heavenly Demon. Through those slim odds. But… yeah. “The remnants of the Demonic Cult that we risked our lives to eradicate were driven to Shaanxi without any damage.”
A self-deprecating laugh escaped from Hyeonpungsingae’s mouth.
“Isn’t it funny? “That long road that literally cuts across the central plains, from the distant Hundred Thousand Mountains through Gangnam, across the Yangtze River, and back to Shaanxi… The only thing that was sacrificed in that grueling journey was Hwasan.”
“Seniors?”
“Was that really a coincidence?”
“…what?”
“The Geomjon cut off the Heavenly Demon’s head. Who watched that? “Before that, all the madhus on that mountain had already lost their lives.”
The faces of the volcano disciples turned pale.
Those words couldn’t have been…
If it had been in the past, it wouldn’t have been easy to understand. It’s hard to realize the distance when you only look at the map.
But now I know. How nonsensical that is. Because I ran a long distance that could even be described as grueling, using none other than their own two legs.
“It was barely known to the world that Geomjon cut down the Heavenly Demon. However, Ma Gyoman is clearly aware of that fact. “Was it really… really a coincidence?”
“What on earth are you talking about!”
A scream-like sound burst from Lee Song-baek’s mouth.
Baekcheon clenched his fists. My short, trimmed nails dug into my palms.
Hyeonpungsingae, who actually spoke, simply shook his head calmly.
“I can’t just curse at them. I also just held my breath. They weren’t wrong. Even though I could clearly see the remnants of the Demonic Cult running to trample on the volcano, I could do nothing. No, I didn’t do anything. “All the courage I had believed in was a lie.”
Hands like bare tree branches trembled and covered his face.
“Then… Then, if my courage was false, what happened to all those who died under that courage? I… What on earth have I done? For what…”
No one could dare open their mouth.
If they saw an old man who was so old that it was hard to guess how long he had lived, sobbing like a child… no one would even dare to comfort him.
But Cheongmyeong was still cool.
“Is that why they made openness like this?”
“…That child said I was a great ark… but that was not true.”
Hyeonpungsingae looked up at the ceiling with empty, empty eyes.
“Because it was so easy. The half-destroyed world was overflowing with vagabonds and beggars. Just by accepting these people as a way, openness regained its former power.”
“….”
“But… I couldn’t help but tremble with guilt and anxiety as I looked at them. Someday, these people will walk the same path as those who were sacrificed in the past. Opening of blood vessels. Blood… that heavenly sentence will once again lead them to their death.”
The old man who was muttering as if complaining looked at Cheongmyeong.
“…Am I wrong?”
“….”
“What should I have done? I can’t do anything alone, I can’t change anything alone. “If their fate was already decided, was it… wrong to think that I would at least not give these poor people a sacrificial life?”
The old man’s voice sounded desperate. Baekcheon, who was watching this scene, suddenly felt something strange. The tone of speech keeps changing. The old man seemed to be confused. Although I don’t know exactly why.
At that time, Cheongmyeong quietly closed his eyes. Then it slowly floated again and spoke.
“Is that why you have endured until now?”
“….”
“By learning hexes and forcibly extending your lifespan? “It must have been extremely painful.”
A sound of windy laughter flowed from the mouth of Hyeonpungsingae.
“Physical pain… it’s not even pain. I wanted to change the opening. But I also knew that no one would understand me. So I slowly changed the opening so they wouldn’t know. Nevertheless… there are still people who cannot overcome that spirit.”
“….”
“I had to live because of that. Even if I have to hide myself in this dark closet, even if I have to tie the life of that disciple to this place and make him suffer, I…”
Hyeonpungsingae suddenly stopped talking. It was because of Cheongmyeong’s gaze. Hyeonpungsingae trembled slightly at those eyes that seemed to pierce a person.
“Hwasan Sword Association….”
“….”
“I… I am afraid of dying. I am afraid of meeting those who have gone before me in death. That’s why I can’t die… So…”
Cheongmyeong bit his lip in silence. Remorse and fear flashed in the old man’s eyes.
“Because experiencing the pain of your body burning for a long time will be less painful than meeting those who have gone before you. So… that’s why I desperately avoided death. Somehow…”
Thick tears flowed down.
“It was a sin to even be alive and breathe, but I couldn’t die. A dead person who can neither live nor die. “That’s… that’s me.”
A deep and long sigh escaped Baekcheon’s mouth.
I just wanted to know. Who is shaking up the opening from behind?
But I never imagined that I would hear stories like this in the process. Isn’t this such a terrible story?
“How did you come…”
the old man continued in a dying voice.
“Are you coming to me again to drive them to death…? Are you telling me to commit another sin? It’s a sin that couldn’t be repaid even after eons of time, but you’re trying to add something more to it. How did you come? “How…”
Baekcheon couldn’t bear to see any more and closed his eyes.
I didn’t think I could change my mind. Who can change a heart that has hardened into a will that has been built up over nearly a hundred years?
Just when Hyeonpungsingae was shaking his head with a sad look on his face, Cheongmyeong opened his mouth.
“Everyone makes mistakes.”
“….”
“I made a mistake.”
“….”
“I don’t commit a sin. A sin that cannot be undone by anything.”
Hyeonpungsingae’s eyes trembled slightly.
“Sometimes I deny everything I’ve ever said and throw what I thought was my whole life into the gutter. And they deny it by making excuses.”
Cheongmyeong stared straight at the old man.
“That’s people. It’s ugly and horrible. But still, in the end, people live.”
“….”
“I won’t say your path is wrong. But I can’t say it’s right either.”
“…What wasn’t right?”
“I thought it wouldn’t be understood.”
“….”
“I assumed that no one would understand me, so I tried to handle everything alone.”
Hyeonpungsingae’s eyebrows trembled.
“It’s an escape disguised as solitude. It’s nothing more than a sand castle that will collapse once I’m gone. No matter how gorgeous it is, a sand castle is just a sand castle.”
Cheongmyeong’s gaze turned backwards. Cheon Sang-rooju was standing with an extremely complex expression.
“And that just creates another sacrifice.”
As the old man listened to the story, he looked at Cheongmyeong and Cheon Sang-ruju alternately. The old man, who seemed to be thinking and conflicting for a while, slowly opened his lips. The sound of metal was mixed with the deep voice.
“Please… leave your seat for a moment. every.”
“Master. “That’s…”
“Do it.”
Cheon Sang-rooju eventually nodded. Looking at the look in Hyeonpungsingae’s eyes, I felt like I shouldn’t disobey him now.
“Let’s go down.”
The others also followed Cheon Sang-ruju without saying anything. Only one person, Cheongmyeong, remained there like a promise made.
As if Baekcheon had some regrets, he glanced behind him one last time and headed downstairs, and Cheongmyeong immediately spread his energy wide to block out the sound.
Now, only Cheongmyeong and Hyeonpungsingae can hear the sounds coming from here.
“Hwasan Sword Association.”
“…Please speak.”
The moment the two were alone, Cheongmyeong’s tone became a little awkward.
However, Hyeonpungsingae looked at Cheongmyeong in silence as if that was okay.
“I… have been listening to your story for a while.”
“….”
“It was uncomfortable at first. “Because someone has appeared who is causing the volcano that I had ignored and could not even bring myself to turn my head to.”
Cheongmyeong looked at Hyeonpungsingae in silence.
“But the more I watched your actions, the more I couldn’t let go of one doubt. “Is all of this really possible with just one person born with heavenly talent?”
“….”
“After watching you like that, I had no choice but to come to one conclusion. That’s why… That’s why I was so afraid. “To face you.”
A voice filled with endless regret came out.
“I was scared and also excited. “It was excruciating pain, but it was also absolute joy.”
A withered hand reached out to Cheongmyeong. Those trembling hands were filled with indescribable fear. However, Hyeonpungsingae did not stop and stretched out his hands.
“Ma…”
A childlike voice comes out from lips full of wrinkles.
“Right… is that correct?”
Transparent tears flowed. The tears poured down so heavily that they wet my dry face, dripping down the tip of my chin without even having time to form.
“Is my opinion correct? Please answer. “Am I right to see you?”
Hyeonpungsingae’s body trembled pitifully. Even a criminal who faces the King of Flames would not tremble this much.
He desperately braced his staggering body and stared at Cheongmyeong.
“Please…”
Cheongmyeong, who was staring at Hyeonpungsingae, closed his eyes.
Short memory.
One day, I met Hyeonpunggae in passing, when I was still young, and it came to mind. Hyeonpunggae, an older man, looked upon Maehwageomjon with utmost envy.
“okay.”
A calm voice leaked from Cheongmyeong’s mouth.
It’s something I’ve kept for too long.
Those words that I never believed the day would come when I would say them myself.
“I…”
Those slightly awkward words flowed from my lips as if they were falling off the tip of my tongue.
“I am Geomzon.”
Hyeonpungsingae’s body trembled like an aspen tree. I couldn’t say anything and just let out a creaking moan.
Then, desperately, I brought both hands together in front of my chest. He held out his clenched fists toward Cheongmyeong.
“Hyeonpunggae of openness….”
The deeply bowed head contained the greatest reverence.
“I dare… I dare… to meet Geomzon.”
