Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 140



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140. Fate (4)

“Does that make any sense!”

Cheonghwa struck the floor with her fist. The rotten wooden floor sank. She didn’t hit it very hard, but when the floor of the building collapsed, Cheonghwa was shocked. Even the shabby shamanist building wasn’t like this.

Cheonghwa, whose fist was embarrassed, looked at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man didn’t seem to care at all. Or, it seemed like he didn’t have any energy left to care at all.

“It’s okay. I don’t plan on living here any longer anyway.”

“… … Ah. Where are you going?”

“Anywhere. What parent would want to live in a place where their child died in an unjust way?”

The middle-aged man lowered his head. The burning lamp only made his face look even more shadowy.

“And I think we should go somewhere where Haewon can’t find us anymore.”

“Why is that so?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t have recognized you? I heard that once a prestigious sect like the Shamanist sect takes someone as a disciple, they never send him back, and they even forbid him from meeting his family.”

“……you’re right.”

“I know that it is greedy for a lowly tenant farmer to show his face to his married son, but the bond of nature is not easily broken. I am sorry. Haewon and the Taoist priest must have broken the rules of the sect and helped us. I do not want to cause any more trouble. It is too late, but I want to take it all on myself.”

Cheonghwa opened her mouth, thinking she had to answer something, but she couldn’t say anything.

The middle-aged man who noticed this burst into phlegmy laughter.

“Please, Master, don’t try to comfort me. Sometimes, there are grudges that no amount of comfort can purify. Also, the only thing I can boast about my life is despair, so talking about hope is like trampling on my pride.”

“All right.”

Cheonghwa nodded. Cheonghwa, who was from Heukdo, fully understood what the middle-aged man said.

People from Heukdo would often brag about who had the most desperate and trashy childhood when they had nothing to do. The most shameful thing for them was hearing things like, “At least you had hope, or life was worth living.”

In fact, Cheonghwa would feel sorry for such acts. What was so proud about surrendering to despair and throwing oneself down?

But when it came to the man in front of her, Cheonghwa changed her mind. Even from what Cheonghwa heard, he was truly hopeless.

The son was sold for twenty pieces of silver, and the daughter was raped and turned away from the world in shame. It would not have been easy to burn with the will to live in such a situation. The only thing she could rely on was the thought that she was born with an unfortunate and hopeless fate.

Even the rapist was said to have been the son of a local leader and was not punished. Since the leader and the local leader were said to have studied together at the same school, it was somewhat of a foregone conclusion.

Of course, Cheonghwa couldn’t accept that ending and broke the ground.

“I will go and meet with the local leader and the county magistrate. As a person of the Jeongdo sect, such an evildoer should be punished.”

“It probably won’t work. I heard there are some great masters in that manor.”

“I am a disciple of the non-partisan faction. I am not afraid at all.”

Cheonghwa stood up in anger and looked at the middle-aged man.

“I can’t change what has already happened, but I will get revenge.”

As soon as he heard about it, Qinghua knew who the local leader was. He was close to the local leader in Luoyang, and the only person who could be called a local leader was Bang Yu-seon.

The winner of Onyang Bang’s (溫陽 方氏) school was also known to Cheonghwa, who had been to Luoyang several times. This was because he was such a prominent and splendid winner.

Cheonghwa went to Onyang Bang’s estate in the early morning without even listening to the middle-aged man’s answer.

In conclusion, revenge was a failure. As the middle-aged man said, Bang’s estate had many masters known throughout Hanam Province as its guests.

At that time, Cheonghwa was a rookie in the martial arts world who didn’t even have the nickname of “Mugeuk Shingeom”. He couldn’t defeat the dozens of ronin masters.

If Cheonghwa had not been a shaman, she would have been buried without anyone knowing, but Jangwon Bang, who did not want to cause trouble with the shaman, left her outside the gate with her life still intact.

“ha.”

Cheonghwa, who returned from Hanam with her broken bones barely healed, did not have the courage to climb Mt. Mudeung.

It wasn’t embarrassing to be beaten up in Bangga’s manor. However, seeing Cheongsu’s death sentence, I still couldn’t decide whether I should talk about it or not, and what I should do about it. That’s how cruel the fact that Cheonghwa found out was to Cheongsu.

Even now, when I close my eyes, I see the miserable face of a middle-aged man who had everything in life taken away from him and was unable to do anything.

“Fuck.”

“What went wrong?”

Someone behind her answered Cheonghwa’s words. Cheonghwa jumped in surprise and turned around.

When Cheonghwa turned around, Cheongsu was there, to her dismay. Cheongsu was also surprised when he saw Cheonghwa’s face.

“What? Where did you get hit?”

“… … I was using the lightness technique while dozing off and fell down the mountain.”

“Damn. You can tell where it hit you just by looking at it. But who dared to mess with a disciple of the shaman faction?”

Cheongsu clicked his tongue and took Cheonghwa to the medicine shop. Cheonghwa limped not long after her leg bone had healed, so Cheongsu lent her his shoulder.

However, since the doctor of the medical party had come down from Mt. Mudeungsan for a moment, there was no one to heal Cheonghwa.

“The day you leave is a market day.”

Cheongsu, who had said so, first sat Cheonghwa down at the medicine hall. From the beginning, the warriors who were living with injuries knew how to take emergency measures to some extent.

Cheongsu searched through the drawers of the medicine cabinet, applied a gold ointment, and put a splint on the swollen joint. Although he was not a doctor, he was a little immature, but that immaturity actually shook Cheonghwa’s heart.

Cheonghwa ended up telling Cheongsu everything. Cheongsu sat and listened quietly. However, Cheonghwa saw Cheongsu’s hands tremble. He was trying his best not to show his agitation because he was sentenced to death. Cheongsu still couldn’t forget his family.

And soon after, Cheongsu volunteered to go on a journey to Hanam. When he returned, he came back with bruises and fractures, just like Cheonghwa.

In addition, Onyang Bang sent a formal letter of protest to the shamanist faction. They said that they had done nothing, but the shamanist Taoist priests were coming to cause trouble.

Fortunately, during the process, the fact that Cheongsu had contacted his family was not revealed, but because of that, the shamanist faction prevented Cheonghwa and Cheongsu from going to Hanam Gangho and even punished them.

It was from that time that Cheongsu became obsessed with the Taegeuk Hyegum.

* * *

“I shouldn’t have given it to you then. I shouldn’t have believed in the death penalty.”

“I kept my word back then. I would give my life for the sake of the shaman and justice, and I would never use the Taegeuk Hye Sword for personal reasons.”

Cheonghwa, who was listening to Cheongsu’s calm words, picked up the bottle of alcohol. Before she knew it, even the alcohol that had been filling the bottle was completely emptied. Of course, Cheonghwa had drunk most of it.

In fact, Cheongsu kept his word. For personal reasons, he did not use the Taegeuk Hye Sword that he had learned from Cheonghwa, and when Jangmunin was in danger of dying, he even sacrificed his life as a warrior to protect him.

But Cheonghwa’s voice stabbed Cheongsu sharply.

“To be exact, isn’t it that you couldn’t do it?”

“That’s not wrong either.”

Cheongsu agreed. In conclusion, Cheongsu’s revenge was not successful.

The strongest guard in the Onyang Bang clan’s estate, Nanga Sword King (狼牙劍王), was protecting the son of Bang Woo-seon, a rapist. At that time, Nanga Sword King was enjoying his prime as a master of Jicheonmyeong. Even if Cheongsu, who was a little over a year old, mastered the Taegeuk Hyegeom properly, it would be difficult for him to defeat Nanga Sword King.

In addition, it was unfortunate that Cheongsu, although he was an excellent swordsman, did not have the wisdom to properly master the Taegeuk Hyegeom. While he was delaying his revenge, he sacrificed his wrist, which he used to wield his sword, for Jang Moon-in, and his path to revenge was completely blocked.

After that, Cheonghwa thought that this story was over. However, after several years, a copy of the Taegeuk Hye Sword that she had written was floating around the martial arts world. The feeling of betrayal was indescribable.

Cheongsu accepted Cheonghwa’s burning gaze without turning a blind eye.

“You are right, it is a family problem.”

“You poor thing. Have you still not been able to cut off your ties with the secular world?”

“That’s too bad. The main pillar of the sect is being destroyed.”

“That’s true too.”

Cheonghwa turned the bottle upside down again, forgetting that the alcohol had run out. Cheonghwa sighed after confirming that there was no alcohol left. Cheongsu looked at it and said.

“Would you like another bottle?”

“The executioner also had alcohol?”

“It works well if you drink a glass of wine while working at dawn.”

“You really break all the rules.”

Cheonghwa smiled bitterly, knowing that there wasn’t much time left to joke around like this.

Cheongsu bent down and rummaged under the desk. It took quite some time for him to find it, as it was hidden in a place that was not easily visible.

Soon, Cheongsu took out a blue bamboo tube. The scent of bamboo and the scent of alcohol mixed together to create a pleasant aroma.

“When did you get to drink such a good drink alone?”

“How many years has it been?”

“What? Is this before Whiyoung even arrives?”

“okay.”

Before we knew it, Muk Hwi-yeong had become the standard for dividing generations of shamans. This was because the rules of the shamans had changed a lot since Muk Hwi-yeong came.

Of course, before Mukhwiyoung came, the rules were more conservative and strict, so it was really surprising that he had been drinking alcohol since then.

“Anyway, the death penalty also has a somewhat sinister side.”

“So, isn’t that why you sold the Taegeuk Hye Sword?”

“I mean, who knew it would be such trash?”

Cheongsu poured a drink for Cheonghwa even though he was being scolded by her. Cheonghwa drank the drink as soon as she received it.

“Of course I am also at fault. I broke the rules too seriously to be dismissed as a child. When the sun rises, I will go to Samcheonggwan and report this matter in detail to Jangmunsahyung, and receive disciplinary action together with him. You are not thinking of running away, are you?”

“I’m not that unconscionable. I have to take responsibility for what I did.”

“That’s fortunate. Do you know what happens if you leak the martial arts of the sect?”

“It’s an instant death. Don’t you know that?”

“Depending on how Jang Moon-sa-hyung sees it, I could die too.”

Cheonghwa laughed, hehe. Even while talking about death, their tone was calm.

“You didn’t commit a crime worthy of death. I think you’ll probably be locked up in the penitentiary for a few years.”

“Wow. This is a big problem. I need someone to take care of the students for a bit. Whiyoung is good at doing it on his own, but the other kids are still too young.”

Cheongsu and Cheonghwa clinked their glasses. However, Cheongsu only clinked his glasses and did not drink.

“So what did you do with the money you earned?”

“It’s been a long time since my mother neglected her stomach problems, so she must have spent a lot of money on herbal medicine. I guess she must have used up all that money.”

“How cheaply did you sell the Taegeuk Hye Sword?”

“Since the cost of the medicine was sufficient, there was no need to receive more.”

Cheonghwa shook her head. Cheongsu had continued to monitor her family’s movements since then.

Gradually, the blue sky through the window began to clear away the night.

At that moment, all the alcohol in the bamboo barrel had been emptied. Cheonghwa stood up, leaning on the desk.

“Let’s go. Let’s go.”

“okay.”

Cheongsu also got up. Cheonghwa chewed her lips as she watched Cheongsu get up with a smile.

“If I were to live, I would take care of my parents as much as I can. At least that wouldn’t be a violation of the rules.”

“That’s true.”

Cheonghwa nodded and tried to cross the room to the door. But before she could reach the door, she felt her head spinning and collapsed.

Cheonghwa, who was trying to get up from the ground, realized that her body was not listening to her. She hurriedly summoned her internal energy, but even that energy did not come up.

“I mixed some mountain air poison and sleeping pills. I’ll probably sleep soundly for a day and a night.”

“Death penalty, until the very end… …!”

Cheonghwa growled. Cheongsu answered in a cold voice.

“I’m going to die knowingly. I just don’t want to die like this without being able to do anything.”

“Are you going to Hanam? I still can’t forget you!”

“Isn’t it a virtue for a martial artist to repay a favor?”

Cheongsu left the Gokjeon Hall. Cheonghwa tried her best to resist the closing of her eyelids, but she had no choice but to close her eyes.

… … And at that time, Mukhwiyoung was in the middle of looking for Hyeonwol in Nam-am.