As Prophet - Chapter 2
Only Noblemtl
Episode 2. Sobaeksan Mountain
I borrowed the horse I usually used and rode north. As I ran toward the mountain gate that seemed like it would collapse, I shook my head at the strange feeling of foreboding.
There was a time when things went wrong and I went back to the main temple to ask for help. The master himself stepped in and resolved the issue, cutting down a group of swordsmen with one stroke and preventing them from doing anything bad again. When I first entered the temple, I had no military power or experience. I easily straightened out the market area controlled by the gangsters.
But this time, I have to tell the priest about the change. Even if I tell the master, there will be no clear answer. It may just be a time of regret and sorrow. What exactly did he say? His steps did not move.
As we passed the mountain gate and pushed the horse into the stable below, Bulmokhani came walking out of the forest.
“Are you here?”
“I’ll be right there. Please give the horse some feed.”
“Is there any possibility?”
The shoulders of the deeply bowed Buddha are covered with animal fur. It must have been worn during the winter. Even though spring has come to the ground, the mountains are still cold. It is common for the weather to be delayed by a season or so.
“What about the teacher?”
“He is at the training ground.”
“Ahem, please.”
“Don’t worry.”
The spleen slowly climbed the slow path leading up the mountain. When I was young, I used to run along this path, but now I can’t because I drink a lot of water in the summer. I don’t know if it’s because of my mind or because my physical strength has decreased. As I got closer, my pace gradually slowed down. It’s because my heart was heavy.
* * *
It was last summer. The day I came up carrying a watermelon, the teacher introduced me to the child.
“This is the child.”
I tilted my head at the endless talk, and tried to introduce myself, but the beginning and end were in a bad way.
“Well, this time you take him down there and let him experience the world.”
“Me?”
“Then who else is here besides you?”
“why?”
“Why? It’s because you are ignorant of the ways of the world.”
“It’s my first time seeing you, what about martial arts?”
“You can trust me. I’m learning quickly and already… … .”
The teacher seemed to be trying to say that he was better than me. It was quite awkward as he covered his mouth and coughed in vain. He also seemed to be sorry, but it seemed more like he was sorry for treating me differently than for the inconvenience of leaving the child. The child smiled brightly and lowered his head.
“This is Dalcheon.”
“Dalcheon! Wow, even the name is amazing. Is it Dalcheon (達天) who reached the heavens by mastering everything?”
“It’s just Dalcheon. I heard it means to work hard.”
The young face is too young. The pure white face that looks like it knows nothing about the world and has no blemishes, it looks like it would be a big deal if it met a bad guy.
“That’s what it means… … Heh heh, how old are you?”
“Fifteen. That’s not exact.”
“Oh, you’re so immature.”
“I have little experience, so I would like to ask for your guidance.”
“Martial arts?”
The boy looked at his teacher at the word martial arts. The teacher hesitated and then answered.
“I have taught everything I can teach.”
“Huh? Well, it’s been about two years since I visited. It wasn’t there then either… … .”
It is not easy to praise someone like this in front of others. The boy bowed his head humbly. The spleen tilted his head. Even if he entered the mountains and began studying right after I visited, it would take at most two years. But did he reach the pinnacle in just two years? There is nothing more to teach him… … Oh my!
“It seems like it’s been exactly two years. I came when the plum blossoms were falling.”
“You taught them all that time?”
“He is a smart kid. He came from another mountain. He is a disciple of Taebaeksanin. When his master ascended the mountain, he entrusted me with his teachings. I have been teaching him for two years. He has already reached the pinnacle.”
“Huh? Well, you’re fifteen, right?”
“It’s an important time. If you only consider the period of study, it’s not short at all. I’ve studied since I was young and have reached the peak of my martial arts skills, but I have almost no social experience. No, I have absolutely no experience. In some ways, I’m worse than an animal living alone in the mountains. That’s why I thought it couldn’t go on like this, so I waited for you to come.”
“Oh, you knew I was coming?”
“Your life is so obvious.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“Half of it is a compliment. It also means that you are sincere.”
The corners of his eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled.
“Thank you for only half.”
One side of my heart aches. At this age, I have reached the extreme. As a sort of lay disciple, no matter how hard I try, I always end up standing still… … .
I looked back at the boy. He was fifteen, but he looked younger than that. His cheeks were plump, as if he had lost all his baby fat, and his eyes were sharp and focused, and his energy poured out. He looked innocent and kind, and I thought he had a face that was easy to get around. Baek Ui-hyeong gave a brief introduction.
“I am the chief of a small county called Gyeongsan County. My relative who is not far away is the county magistrate and I am working under him as a chief. It is such a small place that I am not sure if I will be able to learn anything.”
“I wish I could learn about the world.”
Baek Ui-hyeong sighed as he looked at that face that was so clear and pure that it was a shame to show it to the world.
Because I also had such a time. What did I do on those fresh spring days when I was free from the turmoil of the world and full of dreams and hopes? I wished I had continued to study, but Baek Sa-ban passed the state examination and was appointed as a local government official, so I had no choice. When a local government official was appointed, he took one or two secret agents with him, and there was no other choice.
Moreover, since he studied in the mountains, I thought he had mastered some great martial arts. Unable to refuse the request of the elders of the family who said, “If you don’t do it, who will?”, he traveled around various regions with his uncle for several years.
The master looked down at the spleen and then moved to the table.
“Why, what are you so concerned about?”
“I’m worried that it’s too young. It’s just the perfect size to hang out somewhere.”
“That’s why I try to teach them about the world before anything else.”
“Whew. I remember the day I went to the secret room with my uncle when I knew nothing. I was really fearless. If I had known even a little about the complicated world, I don’t think I would have been so brave.”
The teacher smiled gently as he brushed his gray beard. It was a warm and gentle memory, like a spring breeze. It was absurd that the old and young, who were ignorant of the ways of the world, were talking about this and that in the world, but the atmosphere and feeling were very warm and comforting. After teaching one person and sending him off to the world, he was asked to teach another child about the world. What a beautiful scene.
“That’s how you learn.”
“The world is still something we don’t know.”
“Still, Joseon is truly a beautiful country.”
I stopped answering because I thought I shouldn’t say more here. If society is beautiful, do people need no social education? The customs are beautiful and the people are kind, but it is still a place where people live. Isn’t it my existence to stand irresponsibly in front of the reality where many things that bother my mind creep into my infinite responsibility?
The gray-haired teacher is already in his twenties, but he looks to be in his forties.
“That child is really good at studying. The person who is like a great teacher entrusted him to me after he became a hermit. He may not be my disciple, but he is a mountain man from Taebaek. His name is Woo-heo. I have a lot of affection for him. The only thing that bothers me is that he has not learned much about the world, so I am entrusting him to you. Please take good care of him for the next two or three years.”
“Don’t worry.”
When I was coming down the mountain, I just dragged the horse since it was one horse. I couldn’t just ride it and have it walk, but it would be really bad for the horse to ride two people on a small horse. Naturally, we walked side by side and the conversation continued.
He was very good at answering questions, but, how should I put it, he spoke bluntly, but there were many words whose substance was unclear. It wasn’t that he wasn’t careful with his word choice. He continued to explain the context of things that he couldn’t express in one word, so his speech became long. For example, he couldn’t say ‘bijang’, but he said he was a general who worked in the county and was a relative of the county magistrate, so his speech became long.
At first glance, it seemed like a long sentence, but after the sentence was full of explanation, there was a firmness to it that did not require further elaboration.
“Where is your hometown?”
The cold feeling from his gaze made me raise my voice without realizing it.
“I grew up in Taebaeksan Mountain. I studied under Master Taebaek. So I guess my hometown should be Taebaeksan Mountain. I don’t know my exact birthplace because I entered the mountain when I was young.”
“Ahem. Don’t you know where Taebaeksan is?”
“I wish I hadn’t told you about the ruins of Nosa. It’s a very secret place. Ahaha.”
“Ah! You’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
There was a moment of silence. It could be that he simply expressed death in that way, or it could have truly been a death. Perhaps it was simply a beautification of death. A person’s death does not end with the happiness of that individual. It is a great blessing for all of this land. It could not have been a death. Bijang changed the subject.
“I heard you’re good at studying.”
“I worked hard.”
“To what extent?”
“When I was young, I wandered around the mountains of the eight provinces and practiced martial arts, but I was never in danger.”
“You still seem young.”
“So, when I was younger.”
The way he spoke was exactly like the speech of an old man from the mountains. So it was difficult to tell at first glance whether he was saying that he had won or that he had not lost.
“Hmm. I heard it reached its peak.”
“You may think so after seeing me in the state of ignorance the other day, but I am still humble.”
I remembered something I had heard somewhere while climbing the mountain.
“You said you were glowing… … .”
“It happens all the time.”
“Always… … No, is that everyday life?”
“When you immerse yourself deeply in your studies, don’t all sorts of strange things happen? I don’t attach much significance to them. They are just strange things.”
He was a unique person. Even if you work hard, you may only experience it once or twice in your life, but he treats it lightly as an everyday thing. I thought about what my teacher said about a child who was good at studying. I thought it could be true, but I also thought that he was too young, so it was hard to gauge how to treat people. But as if he had read my mind, he answered.
“I am young and ignorant of the ways of the world, but please think of me as a priest with some high martial arts skills.”
“I see.”
“He’s just a strong, stupid guy.”
When I looked around, I saw a bright smile, and her white teeth seemed to draw a line. It couldn’t be more cheerful. The space we were walking through seemed to have become brighter. The joy of the white light I saw seemed to pass on that energy to the person next to me, washing away their worries and concerns.
I returned to the county and reported and went into the secret office. The county magistrate didn’t seem to have any particular feelings and didn’t say anything. I was worried that people would say things like I was too young or that I had a big mouth, but I passed very easily.
After settling down in the secret service, he was able to fit in with the atmosphere more easily than expected. He took care of his superiors while moving precariously between menial tasks and officer duties, and no one said no.
Among the things that Hyun’s spleen does, there is almost no sword-wielding. It is the peaceful land of Joseon. Rather, he was more likely to be hit by trivial complaints and beat them up with his body. He did things that required force like a laborer, and there was nothing stopping him.
* * *
Even if I didn’t want to go, the road kept flowing. I was at a loss for words, but when I entered the master’s residence and bowed my head, he nodded as if he understood the situation.
“The three curves sank and people died.”
“Yes.”
“What about Dalcheon?”
“He has gone missing.”
“Missing?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to send you alone. I should have gone with you.”
“So, is this why you came here to tell me the news now?”
“Yes, I am sorry. The magistrate has given strict orders to make sure you don’t get bored.”
“Wheww.”
A long silence passed by the teacher.