Episode 1535. What do you know? (5)
Even though it was late at night, Cheongmyeong’s room was empty.
“well. I do not know.”
“I haven’t seen you since dinner.”
Even when I asked people in other rooms, everyone answered that they didn’t know.
Yunjong even checked the quarters of Cheon Woo-maeng’s senior officials, just in case, but there was no trace of Cheong-myeong anywhere.
He frowned and sighed.
Of course, nothing will change if we talk a day or so late. But I wanted to find clarity right now and somehow relieve this frustration.
“Where on earth did this guy come from…”
That was when I bit my lower lip.
I unconsciously turned my head and saw something white sticking out its head from the corner of the volcano disciples’ dormitory. A small white creature tilting its head as if asking if it was here to give me something to eat.
Yunjong’s eyes narrowed a little more for an instant.
“Can you find where Cheongmyeong is?”
Baekah, a small white creature, tilted his head. His face quickly lost interest.
“Not a case.”
Only then did Baek-ah sneak out. It sniffed its black nose a few times and then quickly lunged forward as if telling me to follow. Yunjong quickly followed after him.
Pure white seomjeon cuts through the chords and moves forward. After crossing the newly cleared wide flat land, we soon delved into the high mountainous area that appeared behind it.
‘Where on earth are we going?’
Yoonjong, who was chasing after Baek-ah with gritted teeth, was just about to get a little out of breath when Baek-ah reached a deep forest where even the moonlight did not shine well and stopped.
chin!
Yoonjong suddenly stopped and his face hardened. A strong booming sound was coming from up ahead.
“thanks.”
Yoonjong greeted in a low voice and winked at Baekah, then took a deep breath. And then he strides forward through the forest.
After a while, a great sight came into view.
Kwaaaaang!
The red sword energy pouring down from the sky not only digs deep into the ground, but also crushes rocks.
It is a sword technique that completely excludes the living people of Taoism and is full of only the will to destroy the enemy. More than the power contained in the sword, the terrifying killing power made Yunjong’s hair stand on end.
Quack!
Sword energy exploded right in front of him. Soon, the thick murder and rough black energy that had covered the surroundings disappeared as if they had been washed away.
“Whoop.”
What was revealed was Cheongmyeong’s back rising and falling as he was breathing heavily. The training was so intense that my entire body was covered in sweat.
For a moment, Yoonjong forgot the purpose of coming here and fell into a new thought.
If it weren’t for the conversation with Jo Geol, Yoon Jong would have settled down and fallen asleep by now. Because I have to prepare for tomorrow’s training.
However, both Baekcheon and Cheongmyeong were pushing themselves hard when it was time to sleep. As if being chased by something.
Chasing Baekcheon must be due to his own condition.
So what is chasing after clearing?
Cheongmyeong just slightly turned his head to look at Yunjong. Unlike his body, which was hot and emitting steam, his eyes were eerily cool. Yunjong felt an unknown pressure surging on him.
“what.”
Soon, Cheongmyeong clicked his tongue and trudged towards a nearby rock. He wiped the sweat from his face with the cotton cloth he had placed there and looked at Yoonjong with a frown.
“How did you find out about this place?”
The tone was light as usual. Yoonjong belatedly exhaled the breath he had held without realizing it.
What should I start with?
“What kind of training did you come this far away to do?”
“It’s noisy.”
“That’s true.”
“Besides, if you train near Hwaeum, everyone will come and watch, so how can you even swing a sword comfortably?”
“I guess he is too.”
Yoonjong smiled bitterly.
People who want to mix Cheongmyeong and Sword will probably line up outside of Hwaeum. And Yunjong was sure that Namgung Dowi would be at the forefront.
“No, but don’t change your mind. How do you know about this place?…”
At that moment, Cheongmyeong’s eyes narrowed sharply. He spotted Baek-ah sticking her head out from the tree standing behind Yoonjong.
Kiyi!
Baek-Ah quickly hid her head behind the tree.
“How dare that weasel sell out its owner?”
“….”
“Yes. Keep doing that. continue. “It’s almost winter.”
Then, a faint kicking sound, as if something was whining, came from behind the tree.
Cheongmyeong clicked his tongue and looked at Yunjong again and asked.
“What’s going on? “You wouldn’t have come here at night without a reason.”
Cheongmyeong grabbed the gourd that was placed on the rock. I think I managed to survive the intense training.
“execution?”
When Yunjong said nothing, Cheongmyeong called. Yoonjong looked at him quietly and said.
“You know, right?”
“what?”
“I mean Sasuk.”
I spat out the words and looked at Cheongmyeong’s face. I thought he would show something, but surprisingly, there was no change in Cheongmyeong’s expression.
“Why Sasook?”
“…Sasuk’s physical condition.”
Yunjong’s voice took on a bit of strength.
I couldn’t tell if it was because I was irritated by the guy who was making a fuss or because I didn’t like the casual tone in which he answered.
“iced coffee.”
Although Cheongmyeong must have noticed that there was an edge to his voice, he was just annoyed.
“That’s what you’re saying.”
“Yeah… you know, right?”
“know.”
Cheongmyeong calmly tilted the bottle. Yunjong’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. Today, Cheongmyeong’s every move was strangely annoying.
“so? Did you come here tonight to talk about that? So far?”
“What are you going to do?”
“…What should I do?”
“What are you thinking?” Are you going to keep leaving Sasuk like that?”
Cheongmyeong frowned silently. Yoonjong said with a sigh.
“Sasook is going to go to war.”
“….”
“He will try to lead us from the front like usual. No, since war is war, I will not hesitate to do things that are more dangerous than usual.”
Cheongmyeong faced Yoonjong with an expressionless face.
“Then you know what will happen, right?”
“execution.”
“Sasook dies.”
A cold light flowed between Yoonjong’s narrow eyes.
“We will do our best to help Sasuk. But this is war. There is no way I can perfectly protect my quarters when it is difficult to protect my own life. There is no way Sasuk would tolerate that.”
“….”
“Do you understand? “Sasuk must not go to war like this.”
Cheongmyeong listened to Yunjong’s words without answering.
“So, if you have something on your mind, don’t waste any more time and do something now. Of course, as always, you have your own reasons. But you know that too. War could break out any day tomorrow. “It’s no longer dangerous.”
Yunjong’s voice was much more serious than usual.
It has to be that way. There will be no one who can stop Baekcheon now. Even if it is Hyeonjong, there is a high possibility that it cannot be completely prevented. Even if you cut off the limbs and veins and imprison them, there are hundreds of thousands of people who will inevitably crawl to the battlefield.
If there is anyone who can stop Baekcheon, it is only Cheongmyeong.
And deep down, I had other hopes as well.
Maybe this guy will have a way to solve his physical condition rather than just stop Baekcheon.
No… it definitely will be there. Otherwise, this guy wouldn’t have left Baekcheon alone for this long.
However, Cheongmyeong’s reaction was somewhat different from Yoonjong’s expectations.
“Tsk.”
Cheongmyeong clicked his tongue briefly and picked up the clothes he had roughly thrown on the rock.
“I was wondering if I had come all the way here because I had some great story to tell.”
“…what?”
Yunjong’s face hardened. What story is more important than Baekcheon’s current state?
Cheongmyeong, who put on the clothes he had taken off and leisurely tied a knot, gave a sad look.
Yunjong did not take Cheongmyeong’s words literally.
“okay. The fact that it’s not a great story means that there’s a plan already in mind, right? “Do you use elixirs or something?”
“no.”
“…uh?”
“You know about the death penalty. Sasuk got into trouble because she used Seoncheonjigi excessively. So, the vessel that contained the energy itself was broken.”
“….”
“Trying to use an elixir is just like pouring water into a bottomless pot. If you want to keep pouring and filling it, you’ll probably have to scoop up all the elixirs in the central area. Still, it will all fall away someday. “Because that’s what bottomless poison is.”
This means that the dantian is broken. And Yoonjong already knew about that situation. It’s not like they just sat there and did nothing until now.
It was at the opening that doubt turned into certainty. They didn’t bother to bring it up with Baek-cheon, but they had already questioned Tang So-so several times among themselves.
– I can’t fix it. And… this cannot be corrected even by the Party.
As a military officer, the answer he received seemed like a death sentence.
– It’s not completely broken, it’s just a crack, so you won’t lose all of your martial arts skills at once. But… you will gradually lose it. Faster and faster. No matter how hard you try, it cannot be undone.
I can’t even guess.
How does it feel to have everything you’ve built up over a lifetime gradually slipping away through your grasp? How does it feel to have to watch the things that are everything to you slowly but continuously fall apart?
Nevertheless, there is one reason why they have been able to endure so far.
“know. “But don’t you think there is some way?”
Because Cheongmyeong was silent.
There’s no way this guy doesn’t know what they noticed. However, Cheongmyeong did not change much even after the opening battle.
So everyone believed it. This goblin has a mysterious method that they couldn’t even imagine. Until now… yes, it’s always been like that.
However, Cheongmyeong’s blunt words completely shattered Yunjong’s expectations.
“doesn’t exist.”
“…what?”
“There is no such thing as a method.”
Yunjong just stared at Cheongmyeong in silence. It seems like he wants to check the truth of the answer.
“I am neither a lawmaker nor a podium speaker. I want to ask the question backwards. Why do you think I have a way? “They say even the party can’t fix it.”
…This is sincere. Yoonjong knew. There is no lie in what Cheongmyeong says now.
What came to Yoonjong at that moment was not despair, but deep doubt.
“There is no way?”
“okay.”
“Are you really saying there is no way?”
“Is that so?”
Yunjong’s eyes pierced through the blue sky.
“Then… why have you been quiet until now? This guy must have clearly known how Sasuk lives every day. “There’s no way he wouldn’t know what he’s prepared to do right now.”
“….”
“Why were you just watching that?”
Cheongmyeong glanced at Yunjong and spoke in a calm tone.
“Then shall I at least comfort you?”
There was no seething anger or frosty majesty. It was just a calm, toneless tone.
“You… what now…?”
“It’s such a shame, but since there’s nothing we can do, may I at least give you some advice to stop accepting it?”
Yunjong’s fingertips trembled.
“Because they couldn’t do that, the executioners have remained silent until now.”
“You…”
“All of this was Sasuk’s choice in the first place. “There’s no way I didn’t know this outcome myself.”
“…Cheongmyeong?”
Yoonjong couldn’t believe his ears. What is this guy talking about now?
Why did this happen in the first place? Why was Baekcheon’s dantian broken?
Why did Baekcheon have no choice but to overdo it?
But…
“You said you would take responsibility for your own decisions, but that’s just me…”
Yoonjong’s hand grabbed Cheongmyeong’s collar.
Crack.
The hand was strong enough to tear the solid military uniform.
Yunjong grabbed Cheongmyeong’s collar and trembled, unable to overcome the strength and anger in his hands.
“…you.”
Yoonjong bit his lower lip to suppress his anger.
“What are you talking about now?”
The anger and sadness that I couldn’t suppress came out through the trembling of my voice.
