Episode 323
I was soon able to find my sister-in-law, and this person was close enough to make me laugh.
A distance that can be reached within a few minutes if you know the right direction.
Sister Cheon was standing with her back on the edge of a precarious cliff. Even though he must have realized my presence, he doesn’t look back.
What are you seeing?
Out of curiosity, I stood next to my sister-in-law instead of talking to her.
“… … .”
I looked in the direction where the sister-in-law was probably looking, but the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see anything else.
Crash.
At that moment, the sister unfolded the iron wire and fanned it.
It’s not easy to show dignity even when fanning a fan, but the sister-in-law’s movements… What should I say?
It feels as elegant as the dance moves of a shaman performing a ceremony.
Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The air waves generated from the iron line soon became strong winds that swept all around, driving away the fog, and soon the surrounding scenery was revealed.
“and… … .”
I was slightly embarrassed.
This was my first time seeing such an open view in Yeongsan.
Even if it wasn’t a particularly foggy day, this unidentified world was always covered by strange, unknown air currents.
I once thought that too.
I wonder if this rocky mountain is sticking out alone in a pitch-black, empty space.
Although it was a thought that disappeared after I set foot on earth through Arang’s training.
“It didn’t take that long.”
The sister’s voice tickled my ears.
I asked, thinking that it was a nice voice to hear again.
“What?”
“Until Luan finds me.”
The sister-in-law folded the wire and looked at me.
Sometimes my sister showed this behavior.
Even though you can’t see your eyes, you still act as if you are making eye contact when talking formally with the other person.
Because I knew that it was a sign of consideration or courtesy from my sister-in-law, I also behaved appropriately.
Somehow, whenever I am in front of my sister-in-law, I feel like I am more careful about my behavior and how I dress than when I am face to face with my mother.
Wouldn’t it be this way if you had a sister who was older than you?
‘no. ‘There is.’
Although she is a half-sister with whom I have never had a deep conversation.
“You’ve become stronger.”
“… hmm.”
The advantage and disadvantage of having a sister-in-law is that she doesn’t hesitate to say things that tickle her. I scratched my cheek, which didn’t even itch, for no reason.
It was clear that he had regressed and become stronger at an unbelievable rate, but he was still not sure that he had regained all of his original strength.
“When the place you stand changes, the scenery also changes. What do you see in Luan now?”
“… … .”
Is this a philosophical question?
I thought that wasn’t it.
The second sister-in-law, surprisingly, does not prefer a general speaking style.
I don’t know the details, but I heard that he doesn’t really like experts in the legal or Taoist schools.
So, I stood on the mountain and looked around.
A scenery that I have seen hundreds or thousands of times.
The fog around Yeongsan has disappeared, but this does not mean that all the strange currents in this world have disappeared.
The shape of the mountain rising far in the distance still seemed unclear, like an unlit lighthouse in the sea fog.
“I can see other mountains.”
“What else?”
“I don’t have a good plan, so I’m not good at anything other than that… … .”
“In addition to your physical eyes, you can tell me everything you feel with your other five senses.”
“hmm.”
When I heard those words, I closed my eyes and opened my other senses.
“… I think I can faintly hear something like the howl of an animal in the distance? There is also the occasional sound of falling stones. also… “There is a faint scent of camellia trees somewhere.”
“It’s my favorite scent.”
“ah.”
I opened my eyes and was slightly embarrassed.
The sister-in-law was smiling… Come to think of it, this person always smelled of camellia trees.
I felt embarrassed for no reason so I changed my mind.
“… “I can’t even see the bottom yet.”
“okay. Now, shall we broaden our horizons a little more?”
“yes?”
Sister Cheon pointed to the sky with a wire, and my head naturally followed.
“ah.”
I blinked and immediately realized what the sister-in-law was pointing at.
A hazy gray sky.
When I often looked up, I saw something a little different in the bleak sky where only a faint ray of light appeared. Today I saw something different.
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It’s too much.
“… … .”
Of course, you can often observe stars even when the sun is up, depending on the state of the atmosphere, but I was quite embarrassed.
At least I have never witnessed a star in Yeongsan.
“… “Can you see the stars?”
“How much?”
“Uh, I don’t know. “Some of them are crowded in some places, while others are spread out, so it will take some time to count them one by one.”
“As long as you point in the direction.”
I stretched out my finger and pointed at each cluster of stars I could see.
“Here and there, ah. And that one too.”
Although the sister-in-law was blind, she guessed exactly where I was pointing based on the movement of the air. She nodded and then asked.
“Can’t you see anything else?”
“Something else?”
I scanned the sky again, but there was nothing I could see other than the stars.
“yes. “I can’t really see anything.”
“great. “The direction of training has been determined.”
“… … ?”
The sister-in-law said with a slight smile.
“Luan, are you ready to go to hell?”
“… … !”
And so, the training called hell had finally begun… … .
… … .
… … .
… … .
… That didn’t happen.
The sister-in-law left me a little nervous and started walking somewhere again.
“Where are you going?”
“This is the place I just mentioned.”
The place you just mentioned, hell?
I felt puzzled, but I didn’t think he would answer if I asked any more questions, so I followed my sister in silence.
Actually, I wanted to have a thoughtful conversation over a cup of tea like I did during the fourth execution, but… … .
There is no need to show such a sign.
There is no way my sister-in-law could not guess my inner thoughts, so I thought there must be a reason for my current actions.
Unlike when Sister Cheon disappeared earlier, she followed my pace and walked somewhat leisurely.
We climbed Yeongsan leisurely, as if we were enjoying hiking, without much conversation, and soon reached the peak.
“hmm.”
I glanced at Master’s residence. Of course, there was no feeling of popularity there.
“Do you want to meet Master?”
“what… … .”
Although I read his thoughts accurately, I wasn’t that surprised. This is because this was also a speaking method that Sister Cheon often showed.
Is it possible to read people’s minds without being blind? You never know.
“I would like to meet you. “I was able to talk and hear news from my other brothers-in-law often, but I think it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Master.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“… About a few months ago? There’s a strange mirror in my family, right? If you go through that, you can enter a strange space, and that’s where we met.”
In a protection ceremony, it refers to when you receive protection.
“Then, the last person to see Master was Luan.”
“yes?”
When I asked back in confusion, my sister-in-law asked the opposite question.
“What did you look like back then?”
“What does it look like?”
The question was a bit strange, so I asked it back. My sister-in-law nodded gently, so I tried to recall the memory of that time in more detail.
“Well, Master, you are always like a teacher. Arbitrary and unpredictable. But at that time, he also gave me some unusually serious advice.”
“okay.”
The sister nodded and spoke again.
“ruler. Then it keeps going up.”
“uh… … .”
What kind of absurd thing is this?
I looked around, putting a question mark on my sister-in-law’s words.
Of course, this place where Master’s residence is located is the top of the spiritual mountain, that is, the peak of the mountain.
This means there is no more room to climb.
But my sister-in-law didn’t care about my questions and walked towards the cliff – and took a step into the sky.
“private residence?”
The voice rose slightly, but not to the point of making a fuss.
This is because it was clear that if the sister-in-law’s inaction were to occur, even if she fell from this sacred mountain, she would be safe and unscathed.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I can understand the reason for the eccentric trip…
The scene that unfolded the next moment was even more unexpected.
The sister’s steps were in the air.
“… … ?”
I lightly rubbed my eyes, but the scene before my eyes did not change.
The sister-in-law was climbing upward step by step, stepping on the air.
“What… … .”
Is it the void that I only heard about? Or is it one of the techniques that the sister-in-law can use?
I’ve never seen it in person, but my sister-in-law said she can fly in the clouds.
“… … .”
The sister-in-law stopped at some point in the air and looked down at me.
There was no word this time either, but I knew he meant to follow me.
The meaning of going to hell doesn’t mean that we should fall off the mountain together, hit our heads, and die.
Feeling doubtful, I stretched out my feet in the same place where my sister-in-law had stepped… … .
“… … !”
I felt the touch of something solid.
There seems to be an invisible staircase.
‘Was there something like this in Yeongsan?’
Even though I stayed there for 10 years, I had no idea.
Even though I was stepping on it, I had no idea what the concept was.
There doesn’t seem to be an invisible staircase built like I thought before, but if that were the case, it would have felt out of place on rainy or windy days.
Anyway, even though I felt suspicious, I walked up the invisible stairs and my sister-in-law said,
“Luan.”
“yes.”
“You must follow me carefully from now on.”
“… … .”
The tone is firm.
This is what Sister Cheon’s voice sounded like when she gave serious advice.
I nodded silently and followed behind my sister-in-law.
* * *
Yeongsan is a place where the concept of time is vague.
There is no boundary between day and night, and there is no such thing as a clock. Even if it exists, I don’t know if it will work properly.
So, there is one thing that can confirm the passage of time in this space.
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…
It was the cry of an unknown monster.
The moment I heard crying, I realized that about a day had passed and I looked down for a moment.
“… … .”
You can still see Yeongsan below, but it is far in the distance.
When I realized how high I had climbed, I felt uncharacteristically nervous.
To be honest, I wasn’t confident that I would be okay after falling from this height.
Yeongsan alone was not a low mountain by any means, but it was natural that it climbed at least several thousand meters further.
It also came to mind when I was climbing the stairs of the Academy the other day.
Was it the infinite staircase created by Dean Alderson?
The ordeal wasn’t a big deal to me at the time… … .
Now that I am much stronger than then, I feel pressured even though I have climbed a shorter distance than then.
‘I feel like I’m getting tired so quickly… … .’
I’ve only been climbing for about a day, but I’m already quite tired and my breathing is getting harder.
I heard it somewhere.
It is said that the higher the altitude, the thinner the oxygen becomes… … .
I don’t know if the same rule applies to Yeongsan, but seeing as my breathing became heavier apart from physical fatigue, I think it’s true.
Did he seem pitiful of me looking like that?
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
The sister-in-law opened her mouth for the first time in a long time.
“Can I sit here?”
“You can lie down.”
At the sister-in-law’s words, I lay down on the spot and stretched out.
After stretching, I realized that my body was more tired than I thought.
Is it obvious?
After treating Cheolhyeolgong at Badniker, I came to Yeongsan and headed upward, stepping on invisible stairs all day.
Since it was an invisible staircase, I had no choice but to remain tense even when taking a step.
“… … .”
The wind that blew from somewhere cooled my sweat, and it felt good because it was moderately cool.
I think I rested for about 5 minutes like that.
“It is often said that the entire world where people live is under the heavens.”
At the sound of a calm voice, I opened my eyes and looked at my sister-in-law.
“I guess he meant that the world under the sky is the whole world.”
“… … .”
“However, as science developed, humans learned that the world still extends beyond the clouds. Of course, that place was neither heaven nor heaven, and immortal gods did not exist.”
What do you want to say again this time?
I was puzzled, but my sister-in-law was not one to say meaningless things, so I kept quiet.
“In fact, wise people knew from the beginning. “The stars that decorate the night sky are not just stuck there, but exist in a very distant place.”
The sister-in-law unfolded the iron wire and continued.
“Luan, now you believe that there are various worlds in this universe, right?”
“Of course.”
The executioners in Yeongsan right now, including Baek No-kwang, were all from another world, so there was no way not to believe it.
“Then how long do you think the world will exist?”
“… well? Still, there might be dozens.”
The sister-in-law laughed lowly.
“No one can count.”
“yes?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that there are more grains of sand spread out across an unknown desert?”
“… … .”
I closed my mouth.
