The 281st person lost their way.
“Was the reunion too quick?”
Jin Ha-ryeong stood at the door and greeted us warmly.
Water was dripping from Ian’s hair. Ian, who had just finished his martial arts training and came back, had just washed up and changed into some casual clothes.
“The sooner you meet someone you’re happy to meet, the better. Come in.”
Jin Ha-ryeong smiled and entered. There are people who can make people feel better just by saying a word. That must be why he came to see her.
As I sat down, I saw a bottle of alcohol on the table.
“Would you like a drink?”
“Oh, I looked it up and there was alcohol.”
It seemed to be alcohol prepared for people coming to Anga.
“Would you like a drink too?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment. I just want to have a quick drink so I didn’t prepare any snacks.”
“It’s okay. Just drink it.”
“Are you okay?”
“You don’t think I’d drink alcohol after serving you a sumptuous feast just because I’m the granddaughter of a tycoon, do you?”
Ian smiled and shook his head.
The two poured each other drinks and toasted.
“Did anything good happen to you today?”
“Why do you ask?”
“The alcohol is good, and this unmanned expression looks bright too.”
Good things? Of course there were. I received martial arts instruction from Geommugeuk for the first time in a long while, and what made me feel even better was what he said to me.
-Then why did you bring me?
-Why? I made up an excuse because I wanted to hang out with you for the first time in a while.
How could you not be loyal to the person who taught you the martial arts that only the blood relatives of Cheonma can learn, to the person who always tells you that your happiness comes first, and to the person who tells you such things?
Ian didn’t answer, but Jin Ha-ryeong could sense that her good mood was related to the sword dance.
Ian naturally changed the subject.
“Isn’t it hard? Living as the granddaughter of the leader of the martial arts world?”
“This unmanned person asks the opposite question.”
“yes?”
“Everyone asks me how great it is to be the granddaughter of the leader of the martial arts world.”
“I guess I’m being negative.”
“I’ve never seen a negative person say they are negative.”
After Jin Ha-ryeong emptied his glass, he spoke to Ian.
“It’s hard. It’s harder than I thought.”
“I thought so.”
“This uninhabited island seems difficult. It’s not easy to take care of people.”
Regardless of the question, Jin Ha-ryeong felt envious of her for having been with Geommu-geuk for a long time.
“It’s not hard. When I’m with him, things happen that would never happen in my life. Sometimes I even drink with the granddaughter of the martial arts leader.”
Jin Ha-ryeong completely agreed with Ian’s joking words.
“Right? The world is truly unpredictable.”
The relationship with the Geommu Theater, and also this place now.
The two talked about various things. Their lives in the Murim Alliance, their lives in the Demonic Cult, and their lives that they had never experienced before, came up again and again as their glasses emptied.
Then, a subtle current flowed and we talked about Geommu-geuk. We talked about martial arts, and then we talked about Geommu-geuk again.
Jin Ha-ryeong honestly hoped that Ian had some shortcomings. However, the more they talked, the more he thought that this woman was okay.
When the bottle was empty, Jin Ha-ryeong stood up. He didn’t ask for more drinks. Instead, he made a suggestion that surprised Ian.
“Hey, unmanned, shall we be friends?”
“Like this, spontaneously? This is our second time seeing each other?”
“So what? The world of martial arts is a place where you can kill someone you just met.”
The words “let’s be friends” were the first time Jin Ha-ryeong had said these words to someone.
He lined up to be friends with them. But he didn’t ask any of them to be his friend. Then, he asked Ian, whom he had only met twice, to be his friend first. Jin Ha-ryeong thought that he didn’t know much about himself, as much as he didn’t know the world.
“Are you sure it’s okay for you to be friends with Mine?”
“I’m fine. What about this unmanned vehicle?”
Ian, who had been staring at Jinharyeong silently for a moment, smiled brightly and said.
“How could I not like having a wonderful friend like you?”
It was the moment when Jin Ha-ryeong’s regret of saying something in vain completely disappeared.
* * *
Jin Ha-gun went to see his master again.
Square, square.
“Have you found a way?”
The master keeps asking for the method. Now Jin Ha-gun knows. The master doesn’t want to hear the method, but rather wants to push him. To control him. The fastest and most certain way to tie someone down is to make them feel intimidated.
“No. I came to see you today for a different reason.”
At the firm answer that he had received from somewhere, Baek Cheon-gyeong stopped his hands that were carving the wood. When he raised his head to look at him, Jin Ha-gun frankly revealed his true feelings.
“I know you have been very disappointed in me lately. I have made excuses to Master, but deep down I am deeply reflecting.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s expression still didn’t change much.
“Master, I have something to ask you.”
A slight look of doubt crossed Baek Cheon-gyeong’s eyes. As Jin Ha-gun had said, it was unlikely that he would ask for something in this kind of atmosphere. In other words, it was an important request.
“Tell me.”
“During the previous Little Dragon War, there was a connection between the leader of the Demonic Cult, Geommu-geuk, and Ha-ryeong.”
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Jin Ha-gun sighed lightly and added.
“It seems like Haryeong had feelings for that guy back then.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong listened to Jin Ha-gun’s words without saying anything.
“This idiot invited the leader of the Demonic Cult to this recent index meeting. And now the leader has come to Bonmeng in secret.”
“The leader of the Demonic Cult is here in Bonmyeong?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gaze became intense.
“I just found out about that a little while ago.”
“Are you saying that Geommugeuk came to see Ha-ryeong now?”
“Yes, he seems to like my younger brother too.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong didn’t believe it.
“The leader of the Demonic Cult that I heard through rumors is definitely not a pushover. You must know this well since you have seen him firsthand and even suffered through him. Do you think that a person like that would become blind because of a woman?”
“That’s right. He’s not an ordinary guy. Rather, there can’t be any other reason.”
“What does that mean?”
“Would someone so smart have chosen to come to the Murim Alliance alone? There is only one reason why a smart man becomes a fool.”
Some of the words Jin Ha-gun spoke were words that Geommu-geuk had told him.
-Will this work for you, Master?
―It will work out because it is my brother’s business. It is something that cannot be understood or explained because it is a matter of blood relations.
Baek Cheon-gyeong still had an expression of disbelief.
“So? What is it that you want to ask?”
It was a request that Baek Cheon-gyeong had not expected at all.
“Please meet the Sword Dance Theater.”
He was a man who rarely showed his emotions, but this time he couldn’t hide his surprise.
“What are you talking about?”
“Meet the bastard and warn him. Tell him to stay away from my brother.”
Baek Cheon-gyeong made a bewildered expression. He really didn’t know he would ask for something like this.
“You took away the Heavenly Flower Gate, and now you want me to protect your younger brother?”
Even though he was reprimanded with harsh words, Jin Ha-gun did not back down.
“Even if Cheonhwamun is taken away, my younger brother will never be taken away.”
“Then why can’t you, as my brother, warn me?”
“He won’t listen to me. While I was handling the Cheonhwamun affairs, he completely ignored me and made fun of me. He’s the kind of person who would rather approach me than show off. The Geommu-geuk I’ve seen is that kind of persistent person.”
“If you can’t do it, you should ask the leader.”
“Don’t you know Grandfather’s personality? Grandfather would kick that guy out right away. It would be lucky if he didn’t get angry and attack him. If he gets kicked out, he’ll definitely hold a grudge. He’s a crazy guy who came all the way to the Murim Alliance alone to see his younger brother.”
“It’s not my place to step forward. How can I handle something that you and your lord can’t handle?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong firmly refused.
Jin Ha-gun knelt down on the spot.
“Master knows better than anyone else what kind of person my younger brother is to me. Up until now, I have regarded Master as my father.”
Because it was true, this must be an extremely painful and frustrating moment for Jin Ha-gun.
“Please listen to the earnest request of this insufficient disciple.”
Square, square.
Baek Cheon-gyeong was lost in thought while carving wood.
Jin Ha-gun did not back down, but sat down on his knees.
How much time has passed like that?
What were you thinking? said Baek Cheon-gyeong, who had finished the piece he was carving.
“Bring it tomorrow.”
* * *
“The master gave permission.”
Jin Ha-gun said with a happy face.
The sword dance said as if it had expected such a result.
“I knew you could do it.”
Praise wasn’t important now.
“What do you plan to do when we meet?”
“I guess I have to decide.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Is this person someone who should be saved or someone who should be killed?”
Geommugeuk looked into Jin Hagun’s eyes and asked.
“Will you trust my decision?”
“How can I trust you, who likes to play pranks? I will only trust my own judgment.”
Jin Ha-gun stood up from his seat.
As he was about to leave the room, he stopped in front of the door.
“Have you ever felt lost?”
This was a thought that had been on his mind lately. While he was working like this, another thought was troubling him, ‘Master is a good person, but you are being used by Geommu-geuk.’
“No. I have a very good eye for direction.”
As Jin Ha-gun turned around to leave with an expression that said, “You’re joking again,” Geommu-geuk spoke from behind.
“It’s not that I’m lost, it’s that I’ve forgotten where I’m going.”
“Isn’t that it?”
“They say that all roads in the world lead to one another. If you know where to go, you can’t get lost.”
“What if you even forget where you’re going?”
“I should just sit on the floor and cry.”
“Don’t joke around.”
The Sword Dance Theater reminded me of the time when I wandered around the Central Plains in search of Dafa materials. There were times when it was so hard that I wanted to cry.
“You can ask people you meet, and if there’s no one there, you can look at the constellations in the sky, and if you still don’t know, you can throw your shoe and leave it to luck. If you still don’t know, you should just walk wherever your feet lead you.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“What are you afraid of? You’re already lost.”
“!”
Jin Ha-gun was lost in thought for a moment, then sighed and said.
“You are truly… … a strange person.”
“As expected, you guys are so polite. Everyone at my school said I was crazy.”
“Then you must be a strangely crazy person. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
After saying that, Jin Ha-gun left the place.
Geommugeuk looked out the window for a moment.
Jin Ha-gun is still young and doesn’t know what it’s like to be truly lost. A person who is truly lost doesn’t even know that he is lost.
* * *
The next day, Geommu-geuk arrived at the master’s workshop together with Jin Ha-gun.
“Master, I am here. I am here with the new religious leader.”
“Come in.”
When he entered, Jin Ha-gun was startled. He looked different from his usual master. His master was wearing a gorgeous red robe and had a long sword on his waist. He remembered that he was wearing such gorgeous clothing when he first saw him.
Geommugeuk and Baek Cheon-gyeong’s gazes met in the air. It was not easy to read each other’s emotions, both Geommugeuk’s clear and deep eyes and Baek Cheon-gyeong’s narrow and long eyes.
In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Geommu-geuk opened his prayer. It was to check the opponent’s martial arts. Regardless of the opponent’s intention, the deep abyss dragged Baekcheon-gyeong into it.
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s prayer to counter this was unique.
Geommu-geuk looked around. He was already standing in a dense forest. It was filled with endlessly towering trees. The loneliness of being left alone in the world in this endless view overwhelmed him.
While Baek Cheon-gyeong was falling into the abyss, Geommu-geuk walked into the forest. The sun was shining and birds were chirping. A person with such bright prayers? No. If he had been such a person in the first place, Jin Ha-gun would not have called him.
Geommugeuk continued walking into the forest. The forest showed the same sights endlessly, tempting him not to go any further. Geommugeuk resisted the temptation and continued walking inside.
What was guiding him was neither his own will nor the prayers of the other person. Surprisingly, what was guiding him at this moment was the Nine-Hwa-Ma-Gong.
‘There’s something over there.’
It was so deeply hidden that it would have been impossible to figure out if you hadn’t mastered the Nine-Handed Magic. That also meant that the opponent’s martial arts were that great.
Eventually, Geommugeuk discovered a wooden statue in the shape of a human in the deepest part of the forest.
The wooden statue standing with its arms folded was so lifelike that it seemed like a living person. However, the face was flat, as if it had not been carved. There was a mysterious feeling that the wood would pop out and retract at any moment to form a human face.
As Geommugeuk approached the wooden statue, the trees around him began to move, stretching out their trunks. As if they were alive, the branches blocked the wooden statue’s path and surrounded him threateningly.
At that moment, Geommugeuk could tell.
‘Wooden Thousand Souls Technique!’
An extremely powerful secret technique that uses all the trees in the world.
In that moment, the sword dance was filled with surprise and excitement. This was not because this secret art was a truly miraculous martial art in which all kinds of trees moved as they pleased, and small wooden dolls grew in size and rushed at them like masters.
Because I know who used this martial art.
After Hwamugi went into hiding, his followers created Cheonhamyeong.
The twelve absolute masters who ruled the world.
Those whom the world called the Twelve Zodiac Kings!
They used to act as the Twelve Zodiac Kings while hiding their identities. Perhaps they were afraid of the possible revenge of Jeongsama in the future.
Among the twelve kings of the zodiac, the eighth king, Palwang, used this Mokhyeongcheonhonsul.
The heart of the sword dance began to beat violently.
‘It’s the Wood King!’
It was the first time I met the followers of the Fire Weapon after returning.
