Episode 71 < A world where constellations are dead. (3) >
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6.
winter.
So Baek-hyang entered the mountain.
It happened when I was eleven years old.
-Hey.
-No one will force you to do anything.
The headquarters of the Demonic Cult.
The place the old man took me was like heaven. Even if I stayed still, food was served in the morning and evening. Warm bedding was provided. There was not even the scent of a government office whipping people.
-Eat when you want to eat. Sleep when you want to sleep. Play when you want to play.
-…….
-Baekhyang. Just live the way you want to live.
So Baek-hyang was dumbfounded.
Perhaps this place is the Mureungdowon that I heard about in legend.
-All the adults here are nice!
Children of the same age smiled brightly.
-You don’t ask me to do anything.
-Are they trying to raise us as slaves?
-you idiot! I’ve been here for a year and there’s nothing like that.
There were many orphans in heaven other than himself. There were a lot. Even if you estimate it as a rule of thumb, the number is over 2,000. Even one or two children entered the school every day. During one bad year, dozens of people came in in one day.
Are there so many orphans in the world?
-… … You guys.
So Baek-hyang opened her lips.
-How did you guys come here?
silence.
The children stared blankly.
And in an instant, he opened his mouth.
-Farming is so poor!
-My mother worked at a brothel… .
-I don’t want to talk about it. Why should I tell you?
-huh. At night, thieves with swords ransacked the town!
-Suddenly the villagers get sick.
-You keep hitting me. I ran away.
hungry. vocation. Sasaeng. thief. Epidemic. abuse.
Every time the children opened their mouths, poison flowed out of them.
-…….
So Baek-hyang was dizzy. The poison that was drowsy from hunger was bitter. The poison that harbored a grudge from a vocation was painful. The poison of the birth of an illegitimate child was harsh. The feeling of being stabbed by thieves was cold. The poison that grew from the epidemic was nasty. The poison that had been pickled from abuse and beatings was rotten.
-You guys… … .
What kind of poison is there in the world? Are all the bitterness, pain, bitterness, coldness, badness, and rotten smell in the world gathered here? So where is this place? Could this be paradise?
So Baek-hyang remembered.
-Are you happy now?
A jar of loneliness.
-it’s fine now?
Put toads, poisonous snakes, tarantulas, centipedes, fire ants, wasps, and all kinds of poisonous insects in the jar. And then seal the lid. The poisonous snake bites the toad, the toad eats the tarantula, and the poisonous insects eat each other until the last one survives.
Simmer down.
To create just one extreme poison.
-huh!
The children smiled brightly.
-Because I can eat rice every day.
-You don’t have to work for your mom.
-I’m always fine.
-huh. There are no thieves here, right?
-Even if it hurts, the doctor fixes it.
-I don’t hit anyone. good.
toad. venomous snake. Tarantula. centipede. Fire ants. Hornet.
The children opened their mouths and laughed, but in So Baek-hyang’s eyes, her peers just looked like poisonous animals and insects. Yes. This was no paradise. It was just a pot to nurture one person’s loneliness.
-…….
So Baek-hyang quietly placed her hand on her chest.
It was cold.
Something that cannot be warmed by warm morning porridge, evening soup, or even a thick blanket. The ice that could never be warmed was suddenly lodged in the center of his chest. That was his heart.
The mother was leaving.
It was snowing.
The mother didn’t stop leaving.
Therefore, the snow did not stop falling.
-…….
From that day.
So Baek-hyang did not fit in with other children her age.
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“Eat when you want to eat.”
Every morning and evening, I reduced the amount of food I ate.
“Sleep when you want to sleep.”
I went to bed early and woke up even earlier.
“Play when you want to play.”
Didn’t play. While the children were running around the garden and laughing, neutralizing their own poison with their laughter, So Baek-hyang did not mingle with them.
The children whispered.
-Baekhyang is strange… .
-I only play with farmers every day!
-Strange.
-huh. He didn’t even eat rice on purpose.
-Why are you hanging out with farmers?
-I don’t know.
I ignored it.
“Just live the way you want to live.”
Time passed.
One day, an old man came to visit. He was a veteran of the Demonic Cult that brought him here. A considerable amount of time had passed, but the old man had not changed from that winter day.
-It’s been a while since I saw you, Baekhyang.
-yes. Long time no see.
-I have something to ask you.
Tuk-tuk.
The old master tapped the ground with his staff.
-From what I heard, he doesn’t hang out with kids his own age.
-yes.
-I heard that you help farmers and grow and harvest your own food.
-yes.
-From what I heard, you make all the clothes and bedding you wear yourself.
-yes.
-Why?
The old man tilted his head.
-If you want, you can live in abundance, if not luxury. This place is Dowonhyang (桃源鄕). Adults farm and pick fruit for you. You too are just a child. How can you work on your own?
So Baek-hyang opened her lips.
-The Mo family, who farm at the bottom of the mountain, lost their two daughters to a local spirit.
-Hmm?
-Mr. Choi, who works in an orchard, was called to work on building a wall and his second son died. He felt unfair about this and reported it to the government, but he was interrogated and even his first son died. After burying the bodies of their two sons in their hometown, Choi and her wife took refuge here.
-…….
So Baek-hyang confessed them one by one.
The farmers who brought crops to the orphans were all hurt by the world. There was no one who did not have an unfair story. Not a single one.
-This is not heaven.
After reciting the farmers’ situation in detail, So Baek-hyang spoke.
-It’s not because they’re idiots that they feed and clothe us for free.
-What if?
The old man asked back.
-Why do you think you eat and sleep for free?
-I want you to take revenge on my behalf.
-Because I feel unfair and unfair. Because they cannot forgive the Hyeonryeong and Hyangri who ruined their lives. I want revenge, but I just don’t have the strength to take revenge. So Baek-hyang said.
-I heard. It is said that one can only succeed in martial arts if one learns and masters it from a very young age. Those farmers, the people who feed and clothe us, are already old and unable to practice martial arts deeply.
however.
-But you can build a farm for [children who can learn martial arts].
-We don’t eat and sleep for free.
That is the true nature of this paradise.
-I’m here to take revenge on the world on their behalf.
It was the headquarters of the Demonic Cult.
The old man was silent.
After being silent for a long time, the old master asked.
-Baekhyang.
-yes.
-Do you have anything to say to the world?
So Baek-hyang nodded.
-yes.
About coldness.
About a snowstorm one winter. About a mother who crossed a snowy field that day with her child following her. About a mother who hurried her steps forward even while hearing her child’s screams. About the child left behind. About coldness.
About someone’s heart.
-there is.
About hunger. About a child born in a brothel. About illegitimate children. About a child who lost his family to thieves. About a child whose village disappeared due to an epidemic. About a child who has been abused and beaten.
About their poison.
-There are a lot.
The world was wide.
– A lot.
What needed to be said was endless.
The old master quietly closed his eyes.
-Is that so…? … I guess so.
It was quiet.
-Well, the world will have to listen to you.
The old man opened his eyes.
-I am one of the Seven Elders of our school. It is a demon Buddha.
-Is there a Buddha in hell?
-What good is Buddha if he is not in hell?
Even though So Baek-hyang called this place hell, Noh Go-su did not pick up the book. He responded as if it was obvious. Only then did Sobaekhyang realize that he was on the right path.
-Baekhyang, you have passed the entrance exam. It was not clouded by abundant food and a cozy bed. Eventually, your poison will be clear. You will respect me as your teacher and call me teacher when you call me.
Master.
-From now on, your sword will sound in place of countless screams.
The old man raised his cane.
Then he placed it on the young Cheonma’s shoulder.
-Offer nine obeisances. My disciple.
that day.
So Baek-hyang entered Christianity.
It happened when I was thirteen.
7.
“Get up.”
It was early morning when I woke up.
A voice that seems to be whispering in my ear.
When I opened my eyes, the face of the Heavenly Demon was right in front of my nose.
“Uh huh. “Why can’t you stand up?”
“…….”
It was really right in front of us. It was so close that I could clearly see Cheonma’s eyelashes. When she blinked her eyelashes fluttered open and closed like black curtains.
I was lying on the floor. The Heavenly Demon looked down at me.
“excuse me. Heavenly Demon.”
Is it because I just woke up? My mouth felt stuffy.
“As long as you stay there. Even if I want to get up, I can’t. “I’m probably going to hit my head, right?”
“Hmm. “As soon as I woke up, I saw that I was in the clear water, so my body was fine.”
The Heavenly Demon straightened his back.
“Go into the hot spring and take a bath. “You will have to wash your body and mind with all your sincerity.”
“yes?”
“I will be waiting at the entrance of Donghyeol.”
The Heavenly Demon turned around and walked away. I didn’t even have time to say anything. The Heavenly Demon’s small back disappeared to the other side.
The only thing left in the cave is me, standing blankly.
And only the companions fell asleep.
“Ugh, wow… .”
“Uh huh, um… .”
“Heh… .”
Was he immersed in virus research until late at night? Tools were scattered around the Alchemist and Medicine King, who were sleeping soundly. The viper had his arms crossed with a big smile on his face, as if he was having some kind of good dream.
What kind of dream are they having that makes them sleep so sweetly?
I once opened the psychological window of the three of them.
“Yes, I’m right. Why on earth do I even have to explain something this easy? Even if I explain it, you won’t understand it. Anyway, I’m right, so just do as I’m told. I’m going crazy. These fools are just as foolish as water fleas… … . Ah, no, guys, that’s not what I was trying to say… … . If you think about it a little more, no, if you use your brain, you will quickly understand why you can’t figure out a simple principle. Ugh, I’m sorry, sorry, sorry… .」
“Wow, this is my 100th victory, Marcus… . As a bonus, I ended up winning for the 999999th time against that little guy who was a pharmacist or something. Uh huh, is there really no one who can stand in the way of Sean McAllister’s Victory Road? In the saddest sense, we have realized the solemn existence of infants in the world… .」
“Mfuhihehehe! Puhihigigigifuhihihi!”
hmm.
‘I shouldn’t wake him up.’
In particular, I don’t think I should even touch the last one.
I washed myself carefully and came out. Glitter and Bae Hu-ryeong were also holding their breath the whole time. The white sky looked down on us as the dawn and the snowy wind mixed together… .
8.
When we left the cave, a snow-covered world was there.
The Heavenly Horse was standing in the middle of the snowy field. She crossed her arms and looked me over from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.
“Did you scratch all the way to the corners?”
“yes. “I feel like my heart has been cleansed of all the grime.”
“I don’t like people who talk well.”
The woman furrowed her eyebrows as if she were not surprised.
“And you talk so well. The tongue is light, light. “I have a lot of worry because I have the temperament of a swindler rather than the temperament of a captain.”
“uh.”
is it?
I’ve never really felt any talent for speaking. However, the witch who was ranked 2nd also scolded me whenever she got the chance, saying, ‘I’m good at speaking.’ Could it be that I was born with a talent that I don’t even know about?
As he was immersed in such thoughts, Cheonma narrowed his eyebrows further, as if he didn’t like something.
I also opened her psychological window once.
“Heotbotak is a manipulative subject and has a simple face, so there is no such thing as a simpleton. “It feels like Hao Wen Ju, as if it were painted.”
What is Hao Wen Zhou?
“Follow me.”
I followed the Heavenly Demon with my eyes.
The Heavenly Demon spoke while crossing the snow field.
“If you want to wear the clothes of the Demonic Cult, you must pass numerous tests. Although you have proven your qualifications, that does not mean you have passed the test. Our school’s first exam is… .”
“It’s [a test of comfort], right?”
“…….”
Trudging.
Maybe it was his mood, but the Heavenly Demon’s steps seemed a little off.
“They let you sleep for free, clothe you, and put you to sleep. “Children who are satisfied and settled with that are called maternal families and raised to be farmers, craftsmen, and priests.”
They are in charge of the daily life of the Demonic Church.
“But if you pass [the comfort test], it’s different. I am recognized as a disciple of my family. The only people who formally learn magic are my students. At this time, he says he will finally join the Demonic Cult.”
“… … “How do you know that?”
I saw it as a trauma because he died from you in the last episode.
Since it was impossible to say that, I ended up grinning.
“I know a lot.”
“iced coffee. Even the sky is indifferent! It was with a sneer like this that he brought me to the throne because it was our last relationship. I really have to accept a bastard like Hao Mun as a disciple of this school… .”
Bae Hu-ryeong nodded next to him.
-cancer. Zombie This guy looks a lot like Hao Mundo! Maybe it’s because he’s a Cheonma, but he has an eye for people.
‘no. What are you talking about… ?’
-If it were a bastard, it would at least attract attention. When something is done in a strange way, it’s hard to stop paying attention because you’re trying to do it. That’s why it’s even more evil!
Is it a compliment? Is it an insult? When I’m not sure whether someone is praising me or criticizing me, I tend to just interpret it as a compliment.
A bleak era. Today we have become stingy with praise. Shouldn’t the country also be kind to what people say? okay. Even if the other person is a ghost like Bae Hu-ryeong who is eccentric, eccentric, and negative about everything… .
-That’s what makes you like a top! It’s a bitch!
I do not get what it means. really.
“—I guess this will be enough.”
There was a hole dug in the place where Cheonma guided. Huge pit. The place, which had a hollow center like the Colosseum, was as dark as midnight because the early morning sunlight could not reach it.
“Rejoice.”
The Heavenly Demon turned and looked at me.
“I would like to accept you as a disciple. Under the magic world! “Heaven will not reject a member of the church as long as he or she is sufficiently qualified.”
“ah! then… .”
“However, I cannot yet accept you as an official disciple.”
Eck.
“no. Heavenly Demon, this is too much! I came from far away to become a disciple of Heavenly Demon. I also showed that I am well qualified. But what do you mean, you’re not good enough to become an official disciple?”
“… … “First of all, what you say is very suspicious.”
The Heavenly Demon stared at my face.
“It is questionable whether it is even true that they came from outside the country. It is doubtful whether it is true that he has admired this person since ancient times. According to my sense, it is all a lie… “I don’t think your nature is overly vicious, so I just leave you alone.”
no.
Why does this martial artist have such good senses?
“Honestly, it’s strange that if you just look at his disposition, he seems to be good. okay. You are truly a strange person. “It is difficult to guess right now whether you will be a source of significance to me or whether I will be a source of significance to you.”
“… … “What is the test?”
“excuse me.”
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the bottom of the pit.
“I threw a Jiangshi soldier down there. He is a promising late-round expert who woke up at his school and is a peak expert who has made quite a name for himself in the world of power. Try defeating that strongman. Then I will accept you as my disciple. step,”
The Heavenly Demon with his arms crossed gave a clue.
“Fight while feeling hungry.”
“yes?”
“It’s just like I said. Fight against Jiangxi disease, but only hunger in your heart. There should be only the pain of hunger. “Emotions or thoughts other than those are not permitted to enter the mind.”
The voice of the Heavenly Demon rang out.
“Can you do it?”
“…….”
And then I realized.
She already considers me a [disciple].
Saying that I wasn’t an official disciple yet, that I wasn’t a disciple, all those things were nothing more than empty flames. In the heart of the Heavenly Demon, I am a disciple who will receive the teachings of the Demon Cult. He was the successor to Macheon Shingong.
“Every single cut you make must be a gesture born of hunger.”
The Heavenly Demon said.
“Think of the voice, the moans, the movements of the arms, the movements of the feet, everything of a starving person. Think of it and plant it in your heart. Make it your heart. By this will, and only by hunger, wield your sword.”
“Only then does the Demon Heavenly Demonic Art unleash its true power.”
I looked down into the pit.
-Goooooo!
At the bottom of the hole, a zombie was howling. Black uniform. Although it was old and worn, the zombie was definitely wearing the attire of a demonic cult.
A pit that resembles hell.
Maybe you could say that zombie is my brother-in-law.
“If the….”
I opened my mouth.
“What would happen if you could only wield a sword through hunger?”
“You can cut down someone who has never starved with one blow.”
The Heavenly Demon spoke calmly.
“With this, 50% of the martial artists of the political faction will be reduced to mere enemies.”
Therefore he said:
They are the claws that scratch the world.
“First, learn the form of starvation. Next is the form of starvation. You must be able to wield your sword solely out of thirst, and thus be able to cut down with one blow those who have never been withered. Next is the way of death by drowning. You will learn nine swords, and the nine swords you will master will be enough to cover the world.”
I grabbed the hilt of the sword.
“that…….”
My heart was pounding.
“That’s quite attractive.”
The Heavenly Demon lifted the corner of his mouth.
I thought it was the first time I had seen her smile in my life.
Perhaps he liked my fighting spirit.
“Then why are you hesitating? Hurry up and don’t fall into hell.
and.
I jumped into the zombie pit.
etc,
