Episode 143: You appeared before me.
“If I knew the answer, this is what would have happened to me!”
Chusaeng shouted.
As expected, his choleric personality was clear. There probably weren’t many people who could yell like that against a mine, and knowing that his martial arts skills were much stronger than theirs.
“I’m sorry, but my patience is running low these days. Even a single small pebble falls and it overflows.”
“I understand.”
“What do you understand!”
He snapped again and then quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. It’s not my fault.”
“It’s okay. Wouldn’t it be weirder to keep your cool in this situation?”
Chusaeng spoke to me in a slightly softened tone.
“What should I do now?”
“Go about your usual business. Think of me as if I’m not there and do whatever you were going to do.”
“How can you think it doesn’t exist when it exists?”
“Just focus on yourself. In this life-or-death situation, what can’t you do?”
I took out a piece of paper with some information about him and handed it to him.
“Keep that in your mind at all times and look at it when you feel confused and unsure. Especially, don’t forget the part about being clear. You are a clear person. So use that smart head of yours to make good decisions.”
Chuseng tightly held onto the paper he was reading. It seemed that even that paper was overflowing his patience. He could not bring himself to tear it up and instead put the crumpled paper in his bosom.
“What are you going to do now? If I hadn’t come, would you have informed the Murim Alliance?”
Chusaeng thought about my question for a moment and then shook his head.
“I would have rather joined hands with the Sadomaeng than call upon the Murim Alliance.”
“Then you will join hands with the Apostle?”
“Not you either.”
He was answering honestly. Even before his return, he had not joined hands with the Murim Alliance or the Sadomasogae.
“So how did you plan to solve this problem?”
“I don’t know either.”
At that very moment, I saw his eyes shaking slightly. To fool me, you have to fool yourself, but he was still too young.
‘There’s something you’re hiding from me.’
But I didn’t pressure him. It’s natural for him not to trust me when he first sees me. When someone tries to hide something, even if you press him, all you’ll hear is lies or excuses. In times like these, you have to respond calmly.
“Let’s take it easy today.”
* * *
Seok-hyung guided me to the guest room.
Good food and drinks were served. I checked the food with a silver needle one by one to see if it was poisoned, and then finished my meal.
And I practiced the Pungsin Sabo in my room. Whether it was narrow or wide. The training I did in my room was an extension of the martial arts I had previously shared with my father at the guest house, so it was very effective.
Since I have set a goal of achieving great success before receiving the teachings of the Nine Flower Demonic Arts, my training will not stop.
* * *
When the moon was brightly shining, I went to see Chusaeng.
Even though it was late at night, he couldn’t sleep and was lost in thought in his room.
“Did you have a good rest?”
“I got a good rest, but it seems like Chu Moon-ju didn’t get a wink of sleep.”
“I haven’t been able to sleep well these days.”
Indeed, Chusaeng’s eyes were bloodshot.
“If you don’t sleep, you can’t make sound decisions.”
“What can I do if I want to sleep but can’t?”
“Please get some good sleep at least for one day. Should I help you?”
“What do you mean? Are you going to suggest a blood transfusion?”
“There is a secret to falling asleep when you can’t sleep that I learned from the magician at our school.”
Chu-saeng looked delighted at the words that he had learned from the devil.
“Okay, you have to lose to win, so lie down on the bed here.”
“This is embarrassing for a great man.”
Contrary to what she said, Chusaeng was so distressed by the sleeplessness that she lay down on the bed as if she were a newlywed.
“Do as I say. First, relax your facial muscles. Next, relax your shoulders and arms. Be more relaxed. Now, relax your thighs and legs. And imagine that you are lying on a sandy beach in the warm sunlight. Then, raise a stream of energy from your dantian and slowly move as I tell you. Move slowly from the subun point to the middle point, from the middle point to the okdang point. And then… … .”
* * *
When Chusaeng opened his eyes, it was morning.
He woke up in bed, dazed. He hadn’t slept well in a while, but his throbbing headache was gone and his body felt light as if it were flying. He had slept surprisingly well.
“Ah! That secret!”
It seems that he fell asleep without realizing it while following the secret recipe given by the man whose name he didn’t even know.
Chusaeng got out of bed and hurriedly left the room.
Geommugeuk was looking at the marks on the wall in the main hall where they had first met yesterday.
“Are you here?”
“Thanks to you, I slept well. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve slept this well.”
“Chu Moon-ju seems like a person who would fit into the political party.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I think the reason Chu Moon-joo couldn’t sleep was because he felt guilty for not being able to protect his subordinates.”
“What are you talking about? I was just angry at him. I couldn’t control my temper and couldn’t sleep.”
He was a young man who hated being treated as a traitor. This was largely due to his father’s influence. From a young age, his father taught him that if he was good, he would be punished.
“With such a foolish mind, how could I have survived this world? That’s ridiculous. Don’t make people angry with useless words.”
“Okay.”
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If you say you understand too readily, that will make you angry. You came to say thank you for letting me sleep well, but you ended up raising your voice for no reason.
Then Geommugeuk turned around and pointed to the wall and asked.
“This hole here.”
“Oh, I got so angry that I pierced a few places. I’m about to pierce another one right now.”
“Not that, but this.”
There was a small hole where the sword was pointing.
“Is that a hole made by the wind he blew?”
Chusaeng’s expression hardened.
“That’s right. You broke through my men and even broke through that wall. I told you not to block this place on purpose. You’ll look at it over and over again and reminisce about that day.”
The expression on the face of the swordsman looking at the hole was serious.
“Why are you like that?”
“It’s because it really looks like a blood feud.”
“Are you talking about the martial arts of the evil Soma?”
“Yes. I have seen his martial arts skills.”
Then Chusaeng got excited.
“Look at that, am I right? This is a truly evil soma!”
“It’s not the worst soma.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you say that you are a real blood relative?”
“That means the method was very sophisticated. It wasn’t the work of an extremely evil soma.”
“I think you trust the evil soma too much.”
“I believe.”
“This is why I can’t trust you anymore. How can I trust someone who believes in the evil Soma this much?”
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you, but trust me this time.”
Chuseng stared at Geommu-geuk without saying a word. He was truly a strange person. He didn’t feel like a demonic being, even though he came from the Demonic Cult. He didn’t have the rough, cruel, and cruel feeling that is characteristic of demonic beings. On the contrary, he had a strange power that made him believe in himself even though they had only known each other for a few days.
‘If this person is a villain, he will truly become a great villain.’
Chuseng hid his thoughts and asked Geommugeuk.
“But why did you tell me this when you knew I would be suspicious?”
“You should let them know. There is nothing more foolish than hiding your true intentions when you have decided to join forces. If that is the case, then you should not have joined hands in the first place.”
It was a word that stabbed Chusaeng’s heart, which had something to hide.
“If you can’t sleep today, use the method I taught you. Your face will look much better.”
* * *
The next morning, Chusaeng came to see me again.
“I slept well last night. Maybe what you said was right. The better I sleep, the more I feel sorry for the dead people.”
“Think of the other disciples that Chu Munju must protect. What can you do? Those who are alive must live and move forward.”
It was an obvious consolation, but perhaps it was a consolation as he got up from his seat with a slightly relieved expression.
“If there is anything uncomfortable, please let me know.”
“I guess so.”
Chusaeng looked around the room as if he had something to say.
“How long are you going to stay here? It doesn’t seem like anything will change if you stay like this.”
“I will stay until you tell me the truth.”
“!”
Chusaeng, who flinched for a moment, turned towards me.
“I slept well and my mind is clear, so my thoughts about you have changed. There must be a reason why that person is by my side. Someone so extraordinary wouldn’t just stay there.”
I spoke to him calmly.
“That’s right. I noticed that you were hiding something from me.”
When we first met, he would have taken my word for it. But now, Chusaeng is not like that.
“Then why don’t you force me? If it’s your martial arts, you could find out by forcibly torturing me.”
“It may sound strange to you, but I will do it. My magic is a magic that eliminates absolute evil from the world. My magic does not break tables, and my magic does not torture those who are not evil.”
“That’s really strange.”
But his expression was different from his words. He understood a little bit about what kind of person I was.
“I think they chose you because of something you’re hiding right now. If I’m right, you’ll end up dead to them because of that. Believe it or not, I want to save you.”
“I know you won’t believe it, but… … I believe what you say. I have no reason to believe it, but I keep wanting to believe it, so I hesitate even more. I wonder if you are deceiving me. My father told me never to believe what others say. That was his will.”
Chuseng looked up at the sky. What answer was his father giving him now?
He had been doing well up until now, but this ordeal, which came at a young age of not yet thirty, was too difficult for him to overcome on his own.
Tell him to open his heart for my son’s sake. I will definitely save your son’s life.
Did that touch my heart?
After thinking for a long time, Chusaeng confessed his true feelings.
“After the incident, I kept thinking about one way. I kept wondering whether I should tell you or not. My head said I should never reveal the secret, but my intuition said to tell you. It said to trust you.”
“I will contact the Honam branch of Tongcheon-gak and ask them to change the record about you. You have a good sense, but you are not clear-headed. Like this.”
Chuseng laughed. It was a laugh that showed that he had made up his mind.
“I was thinking of asking one person.”
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know who it is.”
Chusaeng took out the thing that the deceased had been keeping and showed it to me, hanging it on a necklace string.
It was a coin cut in half.
“It’s a favor/grudge money.”
A silver coin was cut in half and given to a benefactor. Later, even future generations could return the coin as a token of repaying the favor.
“It is said that my father saved the owner of this silver coin from an injury that left him on the brink of death. When he passed it on to me, my father earnestly told me to only use it when my life and that of my family were at stake.”
“Do you know who the owner of this coin is?”
Chusaeng shook his head.
“You didn’t tell me. You don’t even know if he’s still alive.”
“How do I use this silver coin?”
“They said that if you go to any Yellow River Inn in the Central Plains and show the coin to the innkeeper, someone will come looking for it.”
The method of contacting through the guest house was used by the school or the Murim Alliance. I thought that the owner of the coin was probably someone who had once been part of a large organization.
“Can anyone take it?”
“No. He said that only our immediate family can use it. He didn’t say that because he was worried you would steal it from me. He really said that.”
“Believe me. If not, they would have killed you and taken the silver coins already.”
“Do you really think that this is why he did this?”
“I can’t be sure, but I have a feeling it is.”
If this is what they were after as I expected, they must be looking for the owner of this coin. Who on earth is it?
“When the incident occurred, why didn’t you use it right away?”
Chusaeng let out a long sigh.
“I worried. I worried so much that my head almost exploded. I was afraid. I was afraid that if I wrote this, I would get involved with that guy again. I was afraid that if I failed in my revenge, he would come and destroy us. I wish it had all just passed.”
Chusaeng raised his head and looked at me.
“I think you have appeared before me as someone sent by my father to rebuke me for my cowardice. I will bet my fate and that of the text on you.”
* * *
Four days later.
We were sitting in a Hwangha guesthouse in Honam. When we showed the coin to the owner, he simply told us to wait here.
We just waited.
Chusaeng sat in the guest house all day, afraid that someone might come and go.
I would lock myself in my room and practice the Fengshen Sabo, and when it was mealtime, I would eat with Chusheng, drink tea, and chat.
I told him about the Cheonmasingyo. I told him about famous warriors, sects, and ronin from all over the place. I told him about the beautiful scenery and delicious food from all over the Central Plains. I told him about hunting and camping.
He was impressed by my extensive knowledge. No matter what he asked, I was the one who answered.
No wonder Chusaeng said this.
“How can someone this young? Have you… … gone through a relapse?”
“Even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t do it. I’d rather grow old and die with my people.”
“I wonder what kind of person you are. I want to see who is around someone like you.”
“You’ll regret it if you see it.”
“Why is that?”
I answered with a laugh. Even if the Bloodthirsty Demon poked my side hard enough to leave a bruise, I wouldn’t say something like that.
On the tenth day of waiting there, someone finally came to see us.
The moment he saw him, Chusaeng was startled and jumped up from his seat.
Not only Chuseng, but I was also surprised.
A man wearing a white mask was walking towards us with heavy steps.
