Episode 322
The second sister-in-law, who smiled slightly, landed silently on the rock and started walking somewhere with her back to me.
“private residence?”
I tilted my head and was surprised.
The fog was particularly thick in Yeongsan today, and the second sister-in-law’s appearance instantly disappeared beyond the fog.
Yeongsan is like a second home to me, and it is a place that sometimes makes me feel longing… … .
Having experienced numerous life-threatening crises over the past 10 years, I know better than anyone else that this place is dangerous.
This mysterious and unidentified place is greatly affected by the weather, and the most dangerous of all are days with thick fog.
This means that it is much more dangerous than when it is raining, windy, or snowing.
Of course, the reason is not simply because there are cliffs everywhere.
I hurriedly followed my sister-in-law, but it was difficult to find her without even looking away.
It was so frustrating that I ended up falling behind in Yeongsan in an instant.
Jalang-.
At that moment, I heard a bell sound from somewhere.
At a moment when I was at a loss, a milestone appeared.
I walked out in the direction where I heard the sound of the bell.
I wasn’t without impatience, but I couldn’t run. Because the cliff might unfold at the very next moment.
The fourth executioner said the other day.
Death here is linked to real death… … .
At best, the divine protection was activated and he returned to Yeongsan, but if he fell to his death, let alone returning, there would be no worse death than that.
Jalang… … .
Anyway, although I am so cautious, I am moving forward at a somewhat slow pace.
Why does the sound of this bell seem to be quieter than before?
A certain premonition crosses my mind.
‘… Could it be that training has already begun?’
It was an absurd idea, but it wasn’t completely impossible.
The second sister-in-law’s training method is rather harsh.
The result is completely different from the Grand Executioner, who had a keen interest in teaching, or the Fourth Executioner, who preferred systematic education… … .
To put it bluntly, he is a person who is infinitely close to our teacher, Baek No-kwang. To put it in one word, it could be called ‘unconventional’.
For reference, I just left out the third brother-in-law because he likes having fun more than me.
There is a history of both of us being beaten to the dust after working together to make fun of something our teacher had entrusted us with to practice.
anyway.
What I want to say is that it is not strange for a second sister-in-law to show her joy of reunion in the form of training.
In that case, if you miss the sister-in-law like this, you may even be deprived of the opportunity to receive training.
For example, wasting 100 days of precious time in this fog?
Since this shouldn’t have happened, I became more alert.
Jalang… … .
The fog gradually becomes thicker.
As a result, I became dazed as if I had taken medicine, and the sensation in my limbs became faint.
In this way, the environment of Yeongsan sometimes cleverly deceives people, as if performing an illusion, and paralyzes the five senses of those who wander.
Sister Cheon, who is a master of gimun transformation, may be able to deploy those characteristics to her own advantage or even manipulate them at will.
I walked around thinking about this and that, but soon I realized that my body was heavier than I thought.
“… what?”
And as I half-consciously groped my face, I realized that my current condition was still not normal.
So, right before falling off the cliff, his body was eroded by the instrument and he became half-demon.
To make matters worse, the moment I touched the jagged teeth with my finger, the musical instrument inside started running wild as if it had been waiting for me.
“Ah-oh… … .”
This is a different development from last time.
By the time I came to Yeongsan, my body had been completely restored. This was despite the fact that one of his arms had been completely cut off and he was in a miserable state.
It doesn’t seem to be now.
Gihyeol and Semaek, who were completely ruined from absorbing Cheolhyeolgong’s instruments, are still in tatters.
Still, perhaps due to my mood, the pain seemed to have diminished considerably, so I had no trouble walking.
Jalang… … .
The sound of bells became fainter.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that it might not be that the sound of the bells had become quieter, but that the instrument might have distracted me from paying attention.
In any case, it was no longer possible to tell which direction the sound was coming from.
“hmm… … .”
So I just stopped.
And, suppressing my impatience, I even sat down on my butt.
I didn’t come up with a sharp number… … .
This is because we decided that it would be more dangerous to just forcefully track the sound of the bell as it is now.
Musical instruments are also an urgent issue, but not as loud as the gradually fading sound of bells.
I left the flapping instrument aside for a moment and focused on my hearing.
“… … .”
And I became curious.
Rather, giving up control of the instrument made me feel much more at ease inside.
‘It’s not a feeling?’
In fact, the momentum of the instrument has calmed down a lot, and as a result, my appearance seems to gradually return to normal.
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It was the moment I opened my eyes in confusion.
[…] After deciding to walk the path of seeking salvation, I faced new challenges. What on earth is a demon?]
A calm voice was heard from somewhere, and a blurry figure appeared from the fog.
It was Sister Cheon’s residence.
The sister-in-law was standing still, looking as if she had lost her mind, but it was a bit unfamiliar as I had never seen her before.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason for the discomfort.
Instead of the usual flowing jangsam, he was wearing a simple martial uniform, and not even the distinctive cloth covering his eyes was visible.
Although I closed my eyes for now.
The narrowed eyebrows and tightly closed lips showed a deep depth of water that could not be found in a relaxed sister-in-law.
“private residence?”
Even when I called, there was no answer, which was strange since he was the best among the death penalty men in terms of the keenness of his senses.
My sister-in-law, who had been standing still, started walking again, and I hesitantly got up and followed behind her.
[A Heavenly Demon means a being with ten thousand demons. Therefore, those who will walk with me in the future will be defined as Mado in the world.]
[Then who are the people I should keep by my side?]
The voice continued, and somehow it felt like it was echoing in my head.
Just like the electric sound.
It seemed like my sister-in-law was not aware of my presence at all, but it was at that moment that I reached out my hand and tried to grab her sleeve just in case.
“… … !”
My hand passed through the sleeve in vain.
Can’t I get involved?
It’s as if we have no choice but to watch what has already happened.
‘… ‘Has it already happened?’
At this moment, a thought suddenly occurred to me: Could it be that what I am witnessing right now is my sister-in-law’s past?
Jerk.
The sister continued walking in the dark.
Occasionally, a shadow-like figure would attack the sister’s residence, and each time the sister’s residence would go out into the water.
Blood splatters and flesh falls off.
Sister Cheon killed many people.
It saved the lives of many more people than that.
The path of salvation that the sister-in-law had sworn to walk was far from peace, rest, or romance.
Even the pitch-black darkness was stained with dark blood, and the sister-in-law walked forward with an expressionless face covered in blood and flesh.
[You cannot harvest good people. Because they will not be able to handle the darkness that will lurk on this path.]
[But you can’t manipulate evil people. Those who violate the rules know no mercy and do not struggle. If you confuse process and purpose, your ego will eventually collapse.]
My sister-in-law walked down the street and sometimes stopped to think or look back.
Of course, all that stretched out behind it was a dark road stained with blood-red residue.
Initially, the sister-in-law had her eyes closed, but it seemed to me that she had been keeping her footsteps in her eyes for a very long time.
[If I die, the cause of death will be insanity.]
[If you accept the entrance to the demon, you will find rest, but if that were the case in the first place, you would not have made the oath.]
[Not going crazy between reason and madness is like walking through Dosan Hell and not allowing even the slightest cut.]
[But my spirit seemed to be stronger than I thought.]
[I struggled with pain and suffering, but in the end, nothing happened. However, the cracked spirit was no longer broken, and surprisingly, it even improved over time.]
[Only when I was on the verge of going crazy did I finally finish adjusting to my job.]
[How was that possible?]
[What suddenly occurred to me was my fundamentals.]
It felt like a fierce and cold wind was blowing from somewhere, and the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
The coldness of the pure white snowfield dyed everywhere.
Children who had frozen to death were stuck there, hard as if their own bodies had been used as tombstones.
[If I didn’t have the memories of the children buried in the snow, I would have gone crazy by now.]
[I suddenly understood.]
[Those who are moderately defiled, a gray group… … .]
[Those who will walk through the seven nights until the end of their lives and suffer for the rest of their lives amidst murder and mercy, reason and madness, life and death.]
[…] Only those who have experienced hell will be able to stand next to me.]
The sister-in-law took a step forward.
The fact that it was a dark, blood-red road did not change, but there was one thing that changed.
Meanwhile, someone was walking next to my sister-in-law.
The face and shape were unclear, but they were colorless.
At first there was only one person, but as the sister-in-law’s journey continued, the number gradually increased.
As the number of people increased, the appearance of the private residence gradually changed.
Her tightly tied hair came loose, and the eye patch covering her eyes soon turned into a cloth that slightly covered her face.
Before I knew it, my sister-in-law from the past had returned to the way I knew her.
[Are similar people inevitably drawn to each other?]
[I did not try to stand on top of them. I didn’t even intend to submit.]
[But somehow, they came to me and followed me. To me, it felt as natural as a river leading to the sea.]
“… … .”
At that moment, I realized that I had once again peeked into my sister-in-law’s life. Just like when I read the Cheonaktanseo.
The reason will also exist for me.
I told my sister-in-law.
Now I also want to face my roots… … .
… Of course, there may be another reason.
As I stood there lost in thought, the images of the past soon disappeared like a mirage and I was once again left alone in the fog.
Now the sound of the bell has completely disappeared.
As I stood still, I heard a voice again.
[The devil is not made to obey… … .]
The sister’s last murmur reached my ears with unusual clarity.
“… “It’s not about subjugation.”
Sometimes I try to mutter it with my mouth.
Perhaps those words are the secret that my sister-in-law wants to remind me of right now, that penetrates my current worries?
When I suddenly passed by the platform, I immediately sat cross-legged and faced the fluttering instrument.
Actually, I have never tried to suppress or deal with these things… … .
If there is an unfamiliar energy hovering inside the body, the body naturally has no choice but to become alert.
It was a natural reaction, like withdrawing your hand when touched by fire or tensing your body when you see the blade about to touch your uvula.
‘but… … .’
I remembered an acrobatic troupe I saw during my time as a mercenary.
One of the young acrobats put his body in a box full of poisonous snakes, and just looking at it made me itch.
Then, I happened to see the acrobat at a drinking party.
– Snakes are sensitive to temperature! So first you need to cool your body temperature.
– Of course, that alone is not enough. The most important thing is to let down your guard. Relax your muscles, don’t cut your nails, and get into the bathtub thinking about it… No, are you a new employee? Hahaha!
– Anyway, I just need to make these guys realize that I’m harmless. Then they consider me part of their own people.
– Still, the snake’s body temperature is warmer than ice water! Wouldn’t it be relaxing to think about soaking in a lukewarm bathtub? It’s a joke! Never imitate!
Even now that I think about it, he didn’t seem sane, but the nonsense he said back then felt like advice now.
This means don’t let your guard down.
Of course, leaving the internal instrument unattended is much more dangerous than throwing one’s body into a group of poisonous snakes.
Just from a sense perspective, it is no different from releasing a swarm of poisonous scorpions inside your body.
“Whoa… … .”
Of course, it’s easier said than done, but it wasn’t an easy choice for me to leave these guys alone, who would destroy not only my entire body, but also my organs.
But there is no other sharp sword.
Sometimes in life, moments like this come.
There are times when you have to make a decision even though you know the risks are enormous.
After making my decision, I intentionally canceled the body’s natural rejection reactions one by one.
This act was as difficult as manipulating muscles that cannot be moved by human will… … .
A warrior who can control the power of internal energy can control not only involuntary muscles but also the basic immune system of the body.
The point itself is similar.
Coo coo coo… … .
The instrument, now completely free, began to run wild.
Coo… … !
I felt like my body was shaking inside. Blood naturally welled up in my throat, but I forced myself to swallow it.
For a moment, I thought about activating my body’s immunity again, but if I had come this far, that would actually have the opposite effect.
With my eyes closed, I presented my body to the instrument as if it were a playground.
The short time felt very long.
Since the terrible pain of thousands of needles poking the inside of my body felt endless, I also focused only on persevering.
At that moment, the flying instruments gathered near the heart… … .
“… … .”
I was a little nervous.
This is because this instrument originally stayed mainly near the heart of Cheolhyeogong.
Do we instinctively know human vital points?
Probably not.
No matter how evil it is, its fundamental source is simply an energy source.
Just as flowing water has no will, this instrument only has qualities.
and… … .
The violent instrument suddenly calmed down.
As if they had finally found their home, they lost their sharp energy as soon as they touched the heart and sat there dead.
It became stable in an instant.
“… “This is it.”
Is it simply because of the sister-in-law’s advice?
Strangely, I thought that wasn’t the case.
It feels like the momentum of the instrument itself has become much quieter than before coming to Yeongsan.
Of course, I’m not sure… … .
It’s not that musical instruments have disappeared completely.
However, I thought that it might not be a bad thing to have this much powerful energy established before the heart interruption.
It can be completely differentiated from the strength accumulated in the bottom battle.
At least now you don’t have to worry about your instrument leaking while using martial arts like solar eclipse or thunderbolt.
Of course, you have to think separately about how to use this power located in your heart.
“Whoa… … .”
As my breathing became easier, my mind also became clearer.
Jalang… … .
In it, I realized that the sound of the bell had not actually gone away.
I got up from my seat and walked towards where I heard the sound of the bell.
