Episode 1521 Now that I think about it, I was wrong. (1)
It was late in the morning when all of Hwasan’s disciples, unable to overcome their fatigue, were asleep. Pungyeongsingae carefully filled his empty glass with alcohol. The hand holding the bottle showed utmost politeness and reverence. Pungyeongsingae silently put down the bottle and opened his mouth to the person sitting across from him.
“Geomjon…”
Cheongmyeong chuckled after hearing those words.
“Well, not anymore.”
“then…?”
“Call it whatever you want. Just like before, you can call it Geomhyup or Cheongmyeong. Hmm…. No, it’s a seal. “I think a seal would suit me best.”
Feng Yeongsingae’s face turned a little pale.
“How dare I….”
“That’s enough.”
Cheongmyeong picked up the glass filled with Pungyeongsingae and drank it down.
“Big.”
“….”
“Being old is nothing to brag about. Besides, if you look at it strictly speaking, I’m young, right?”
“…Yes, that is true.”
“Let’s not argue about this or that. Just call it a seal.”
“…If you say that much.”
The conversation between the two stopped for a moment.
In fact, there was nothing worth talking about between the two. Because we only knew about each other’s true identities, we had no contact whatsoever.
The only person who knew the other person better was Pungyeongsingae, so he had to continue the conversation.
“Thank you, seal.”
“What’s new?”
Cheongmyeong shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
“I didn’t help you for your own good, so I have nothing to thank you for. “Even if it wasn’t you but someone else, I was trying to fix the opening.”
“But I guess it wasn’t the same way as it is now.”
“hmm.”
Cheongmyeong neither denied nor confirmed, but gently pushed the glass in his hand forward. Pungyeongsingae quickly filled the glass with alcohol.
“I heard you’ll be leaving as soon as daybreak.”
“Because there’s no benefit in wasting time.”
Although it appears to have been sealed well, the fact that they fought against opening does not change. If they continue to be visible, antipathy within the Open may soar.
So, in times like this, it is better to leave the room quickly so that they can sort out the situation among themselves.
A sigh escaped from Pungyeongsingae’s mouth.
I understand the meaning of Cheongmyeong. I also know that it is right. But…
“Why? Is there anything else I need to do?”
“If a person has shame, how can he expect more than this? “It just bothers me that I haven’t been able to repay Geomzon for everything he’s done for me.”
“If it’s a reward… I’ve already received it.”
“yes?”
Cheongmyeong’s gaze rose. Towards the person sleeping beyond the ceiling.
“It was too much of a reward.”
It was a voice full of bitterness.
Pungyeongsingae could not say anything. I don’t even dare to guess. The feeling of living alone in a world where everyone you knew has died.
“…I would like to thank you also on behalf of my teacher.”
“You keep saying such useless things.”
Cheongmyeong clicked his tongue briefly and raised his glass. This time, I was not in a hurry and drank the drink slowly, as if savoring it.
A bitter and spicy flavor lingered in my mouth. However, no matter how strong the alcohol is, the scent will eventually disappear without even a trace of it remaining.
“Let me tell you.”
“yes.”
“He clearly did something wrong.”
Pungyeongsingae also nodded calmly. It may not be right for a student to criticize and acknowledge his teacher’s mistakes, but this was something that even his teacher had already acknowledged.
And Pungyeongsingae had already seen with his own eyes the consequences of what his teacher had done.
If Geomjon had arrived just one day late, the opening would have fallen into the hands of the Ilhosingae, and the martial arts alliance they had to rebuild would have been seriously damaged.
At that time, Cheongmyeong opened his mouth in a calm voice.
“but.”
Pungyeongsingae looked at him blankly.
“Still, I don’t want to blame you.”
Pungyeongsingae contains a bitterness that cannot be fully understood.
“That guy must have tried other things too. okay. “So…”
Even though it must have been lonely.
The words couldn’t come out and fell apart in Cheongmyeong’s mouth.
“Hmm.”
Cheongmyeong, who felt awkward for some reason, cleared his throat briefly. Then I raised my head and looked at the ceiling.
“Anyway… When the time is right, bury me in a sunny place.”
“Before, it was 2 o’clock over there…”
“Yes. It did.”
Cheongmyeong chuckled.
“I couldn’t overcome my feelings. It is better for those who have left to not leave behind any regrets. “Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s up to the rest of us to bear it.”
Pungyeongsingae simply agreed without saying a word. Even if he doesn’t understand everything, he knows that there is good intention in those words.
Cheongmyeong glanced at me and added.
“Don’t blame yourself either.”
Pungyeongsingae smiled.
“I am satisfied just by having the opportunity to pay for my sins.”
“You’re brave.”
At that moment, Pungyeongsingae burst into laughter without realizing it.
This is because the four letters ‘You’re brave’ sounded like words praising a child. Of course, in Cheongmyeong’s eyes, Poongyeongsingae is a child.
“It’s true that Uncle Hong has a bit of a clumsy side. But…”
“Yes. “The opening wasn’t perfect in the first place.”
Pungyeongsingae smiled as if he already knew what Cheongmyeong wanted to say.
“I’m not sure if he’ll be a great Ark, but I think the opening will be a great place under his reign.”
“hmm.”
“That would be the more correct way. “I wish I had known sooner.”
Cheongmyeong nodded as if that was enough and took a sip of the drink Pungyeongsingae had poured for him. There were no further words. What he wanted to say was that it was over.
However, Pungyeongsingae still had something he wanted to ask him.
“Geomzone.”
Instead of answering, Cheongmyeong narrowed his eyes slightly.
It is a sword zone, not a dojo. Pungyeongshingae wouldn’t be so stupid as to forget what he said a moment ago.
“Are you going to keep fighting?”
So, this is a question to Cheongmyeong as a warrior, regardless of his affiliation with Openness and Hwasan.
widely.
Cheongmyeong put down his drink and answered calmly.
“I guess so.”
“…Do you know, Geomzon?”
The biggest reason why openness has degenerated.
That’s because I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter how hard I struggle, I’ll never be able to stop the black tempest that will one day come.
“He will come back.”
Cheongmyeong turns his head and looks out the window.
“More powerful than before.”
The torches lit by those who were still recovering were spread throughout the opening.
Light is evidence that people are alive.
And ‘he’ is the one who eats up light.
Wherever he passes, the lights disappear and the world eventually returns to its original state.
The sight of the lights that illuminated the box going out one after another as if they were being eaten by something was clearly depicted before Cheongmyeong’s eyes.
A natural disaster that cannot be prevented no matter how hard we try. In that black turbulence….
“Hmm.”
Cheongmyeong let out a short breath as if trying to push away something.
“so?”
“yes?”
“What should I do when I come back?”
For a moment, Pungyeongsingae opened his mouth with a puzzled look on his face.
“That’s right…”
“Well, of course, if that bastard is resurrected, it will be like going out to pee and being hit by a landslide.”
“….”
“But….”
Cheongmyeong grinned.
“Is that just me?”
“…yes?”
“Wouldn’t it be the same for him to get hit by a landslide? “I fell and barely survived, but there’s that guy who cut off my head again, right?”
For a moment, Pungyeongsingae felt as if he had been hit on the head.
I’ve never thought about it that way.
“I’m not the one who will whine about doing too much. That bastard must be even more scared, right? “Wouldn’t your throat feel tingly?”
“Ha… Haha….”
Pungyeongsingae laughed. I think I understand. Why, unlike his teacher, did this man not break down?
Cheongmyeong laughed.
“And in the first place, worldly affairs are not about doing what works. It’s about doing something that’s difficult and impossible somehow. “That’s how human beings came this far.”
Feng Yeongsingae nodded and agreed.
“You are correct.”
“And I am Nabal, a Cheonma, and right now, just thinking about my gisaeng brother down there gives me a headache.”
“You are talking about a defeated army.”
“uh. If you had just acted like humans, this wouldn’t have happened. what? Oh my god. “Is Jang Il-so in Sacheon?”
Cheongmyeong pretended to be sarcastic. Those eyes were flashing horribly. Pungyeongsingae bowed his head.
“Even if you have ten mouths….”
“You damn bastards, really.”
Cheongmyeong clicked his tongue.
“I’m not asking you to make sacrifices.”
“….”
“If sacrifice is inevitable, I will be at the forefront. So don’t feel unfair.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Geomzon. No… a seal.”
That was enough.
In the past… if the leadership of the world had been held by Maehwageomjon, not the Nine Sects, the opening at that time would not have shed blood and tears of sacrifice.
It’s not because I’m afraid of death, but because I’m afraid of a worthless death. Cheongmyeong
picked up the bottle and filled Feng Yingsingai’s cup. Feng Yeongsingae flinched and quickly took the cup.
“You drink too.”
“How dare I…”
“You too…”
“Yes?”
Cheongmyeong cleared his throat and continued speaking in a slightly quieter voice.
“You had a hard time too.”
For a moment, Feng Yingsingae was speechless and looked at Cheongmyeong blankly. Soon, a calm smile appeared on his lips.
Cheongmyeong snapped bluntly.
“What are you doing? drink!”
“Yes, Geomzon.”
Saying things like “it will be different from before” and “I will show you a different openness from now on” was meaningless.
‘Master.’
Pungyeongsingae, who drank alcohol, quietly closed his eyes.
‘This person seems to be different from what Master said.’
This person is not a leader.
Yes, this person is… someone who makes you want to follow him.
* * *
Early dawn.
“Off…”
“…Why is this bastard in this condition?”
“I don’t know. “I heard you drank until you got sick?”
“A bastard whose name is Hwasan’s best expert! hey! “Why don’t you get rid of the poison quickly?”
“Just leave it alone. “I wouldn’t say it was a waste of alcohol even if I had to die.”
Hwasan’s disciples all sighed as they looked at Cheongmyeong, who was half mushy and wilted.
“Then how do I do this?”
“There is no choice. “I have to carry him…”
“Him?”
“If you don’t want to do it, get out of the way. I….”
“Woo wweehhh!”
Baekcheon immediately turned blue when he saw Cheongmyeong pouring out something in “….”
He turned around as if wondering when he had last come out.
“…Let’s just leave it alone.”
“Let’s carry it. “Sasuk.”
“As an elder, you must set an example!”
“Everyone shut up!”
At that time, Cheongmyeong shook his head and grabbed his forehead.
“Off…. Oh, I’m dying.”
That beggar’s alcohol is so strong. Because it was born in a foolish way.
At that time, Tang Soso tilted his head.
“But is it really going to go like this?”
“then?”
“Well, maybe it’s a farewell party…”
“Arthur. “What kind of farewell will I receive when the entire corps collapses and there is wailing?”
“I’m lucky if I don’t get hit and die.”
“It’s not our fault, right?”
Tang Soso frowned slightly and protested. Baekcheon smiled bitterly.
“We will have to face each other again soon, so let’s just go quietly.”
“Hmm. Something doesn’t seem the same as usual? “Are you serious about that, Sasuk?”
When Tang Xiaoxiao narrowed his eyes and looked at Baekcheon, a shocked expression passed over Baekcheon’s face.
“Can I be honest?”
“sure. “Is there anything we can’t be honest about?”
“No… neither Shaolin nor Lee So-hyeop left so splendidly without even asking for a word of thanks, but if they insist that we will be sent back here, then that is…” “Let’s go now.
”
“Let’s go quickly.”
“It’s too ugly to even imagine.”
“sorry. “I was short-thinking.”
Everyone’s hearts were united in an instant. We need to run away from here right now.
“okay. let’s go.”
“No, it’s okay to go, but what should I do with this guy?”
“Please girl!”
“Cheer up, death penalty!”
“uh?”
Jo Geol just kept his mouth shut while holding on to Cheongmyeong, who was tired and sagging. Before he knew it, the executioners had quickly moved away.
“That pathetic….”
“Uweeeeeek!”
“….”
Ah. dirty.
