2
7
3.
As usual, Cheol-sun-jik was killing time at the neighborhood gambling den.
Although people around him were unhappy seeing him, the second son of the Jukhyeonbang clan leader, wandering the back alleys, he did not care.
He had no intention of fighting his brother over Jukhyeonbang in the first place, and his goal was simply to enjoy the wealth and rights given to him and live a life of gambling.
However, that day was somehow different.
The kind but naive older brother came directly to the gambling house and took Cheol-sun-jik home.
“What? You never said anything even when I didn’t attend.”
Even the gentle older brother sighs, seemingly frustrated.
“Did you forget what day it is today?”
Cheol-sun-jik rolled his eyes.
What on earth is going on…
“Ah! It was the day those Jongnam guys were coming, wasn’t it?”
“You rascal!”
The naive older brother hurriedly looks around, wondering if anyone might have heard.
So what if the back alley thugs hear this?
Cheol-sun-jik let out a sneer inwardly, but did not show it.
“That eloquence must not leak out, under any circumstances!”
“Good grief.”
Then he put his arm around his brother’s shoulder.
Still, this timid and naive side makes it impossible to hate them.
“Alright! But you pay for the drinks after the event is over.”
“Hah! You rascal! How long are you going to just eat and play?”
Until when? Hmm…
Cheol-sun-jik looks at his brother’s face, which shows no sign of competitiveness, and lets out a chuckle.
“If possible, I want to live a life of leisure for the rest of my life. Leaving things like Jukhyeonbang entirely to you, hyung.”
“Anyway…….”
To Cheol-sun-jik, both this event and Jongnam were things he was indifferent to.
An exchange event held once every five years due to the connection with the founder, who was a lay disciple of Jongnam.
Considering that the history of Jukhyeonbang has reached three hundred years, I also wondered what significance lay disciples might have at this point.
Moreover, Jukhyeonbang is a sect that serves as a pillar of the Twelve Peaks. Considering that the goal of the Twelve Peaks is to eventually surpass the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, I thought that a reception held under the name of an exchange gathering was nothing more than a mere formality for show.
Nevertheless.
Even a place to exchange greetings.
Showing off each other’s martial arts, martial arts theory
I also managed to hold out well at the event where we shared [it].
I wasn’t interested, but I thought I had fulfilled at least the minimum responsibility to enjoy my rights as the second son of Jukhyeonbang.
however.
“You’re the scoundrel of Jukhyeonbang, aren’t you?”
The final event of the exchange meeting, the martial arts competition.
Jongnam’s disciple standing opposite him.
I tilted my head at the mockery he suddenly threw at me.
“Hmm… did you really try your best to tease me?”
“what?”
Words like ‘idiot’ or ‘moron’ would be more hurtful than ‘ruffian’.
What a lack of impact in an attack.
“……
Stop acting all high and mighty.
“Still, as the saying goes, ‘You can tell a lot from a little,’ so I’m not thrilled about this.”
Cheol-sun-jik was not hurt by the words of contempt themselves, but his attitude made him frown.
He was, after all, a guest invited to Jukhyeonbang.
However, treating Cheol-sun-jik, who is practically the owner of Jukhyeonbang, so disrespectfully is tantamount to proof that he treats the other family members even more harshly.
The reason it is okay for him to be insulted by the people of Jukhyeonbang is that they are family.
My heart feels chilled to the thought that I treated such family members disrespectfully.
“Still, he is a guest, so wouldn’t you mind showing some manners?”
“Hmph, let’s see if your skills are as good as your glib tongue.”
Is that why?
I didn’t intend to take it seriously, but suddenly I felt like I didn’t want to lose.
Since he could not win with his martial arts skills, he defeated Jongnam’s disciple by using the ‘shifting center of gravity’ and ‘disrupting posture’ techniques he learned among the thugs.
Does this prove your speaking skills?
“…….”
Jongnam’s disciple, with his mouth tightly shut.
That was not all. The surroundings were so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Cheol-sun-jik slowly looked around.
I thought that even if there wasn’t a cheer, there would be applause.
Because whenever Jongnam’s disciple defeated Jukhyeonbang’s disciple, thunderous applause erupted.
However, the boisterous atmosphere of the event cooled down chillily, as if it had rained.
“Iron Ark!”
With a fierce shout, the elders of Zhongnan stopped the event.
“How can one of Zhongnan’s roots attack an opponent with such utterly vulgar tricks!”
Cheol-sun-jik scoffed.
Where is cowardice and righteousness at the boundary between life and death?
I have never seen a human being who cried out in injustice after dying from the dust thrown by an enemy.
In the back alleys, masters who used to walk around with their heads held high often end up as ghosts due to such tricks by thugs.
Just when I was thinking, “Does living in a paradise far removed from reality make a person become so spaced out?”
“……!”
Cheol-sun-jik’s eyes widened at the sight unfolding before his eyes.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“””sorry.”””
Cheol-sun-jik’s father, his uncle, and all the elders of Jukhyeonbang knelt at the elder’s single word.
“hmm.”
The elders of Zhongnan accepted the sight as a matter of course, and the people of Zhuxianfang, who had boasted of their lofty pride as the pillars of the Twelve Peaks, also acted as if they were fulfilling their duty.
A dry voice flies over Cheol-sun-jik, who was staring straight ahead with a hollow gaze.
“Why won’t you kneel?”
As soon as the elder finished speaking, Cheol Hyeon-jik rushed over and restrained his younger brother.
“Quick bow… I’m sorry! I’m sorry…!”
However, Cheol-sun-jik endured the pressure stiffly and murmured.
Do the enemies of Zhongnan always attack while observing etiquette and norms?
“What?”
His lips twist and a mocking laugh bursts out.
I am asking if even the madmen of the Black Dao snap out of it and pay their respects when standing before Jongnam.
“Ha! Tsk tsk, so you still haven’t come to your senses!”
A gaze full of contempt, as if looking down on a lowly insect.
The Elder turned his gaze to the Lord of the Bamboo Archery Range as if he were too lazy to deal with him and urged him on.
“The Iron Ark, what are you going to do with it?”
Cheol-sun-jik also turned his gaze to his father.
Father, who was always a reliable pillar of Jukhyeonbang.
However, what caught his eye was… … .
“sorry.”
A tree trunk that broke helplessly from an axe swing.
It was the sight of a father bowing deeply to the ground in apology.
“Ah, Father…….”
I deeply apologize to the elder.
Father’s voice, which had always been confident toward himself and others, was timid, unlike at any other time.
It is my fault for not raising my child properly.
The elder of the Zhongnan Sect, looking down at the ark with its head bowed, leisurely stroked his long beard.
Humans are by nature bound to reflect only after paying the price for their wrongdoings.
“I will personally go to Geumok…….”
How can someone who cannot even properly educate their own children properly lead a martial arts sect?
Conversations were being exchanged that Cheol-sun-jik could not possibly understand.
After keeping his head bowed in silence for a long time, the father finally let out a shocking remark.
“I will step down from the position of leader of the Jukhyeon Clan as of today.”
The members of Jukhyeonbang barely manage to cover their mouths, but sighs escape from here and there.
A father who brings absurd punishment upon himself for absurd reasons.
That is what I say at the main temple.
And the elder of Jongnam who takes that for granted.
It was only then that I realized.
“under……!”
The fact that the shackles of Jongnam have not been broken even after three hundred years.
Even the Twelve Peaks, which stood against the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans, were only possible because of the permission of Jongnam.
Even now, and in the future. “No matter how hard Jukhyeonbang struggles, they will ultimately never escape the fate of being Jongnam’s handmaiden.” The elder of Jongnam seemed to be saying this with a look of contempt.
The elder of the Jongnam Sect raised the ark as if showing mercy.
“I will select the next Ark leader from among those who will not tarnish the name of our Jongnam.”
Th-thank you.
Even though cursing and pointing fingers wouldn’t be enough, I instead express gratitude.
Because they lack power, they cannot even honestly express their own emotions.
Furthermore, it shows a glimpse of how much the Jukhyunbang has been dragged around like dogs by Jongnam all this time.
The fact that another sect decides the major and minor affairs of an independent sect ultimately means that the sect is not an independent entity.
The illusion of the reliable and proud sect that had always resided deep within Cheol-sun-jik’s heart was shattered into pieces.
“father…….”
Quiet, be quiet.
My father’s back, which was as broad and sturdy as Mount Tai, looked so small while lying face down on the floor.
His usually manly, deep voice sounded extremely submissive that day.
Cheol-sun-jik clenched his fists tightly with both hands, without taking his eyes off his father’s lonely back.
It was a sunny day.
Enough that Cheol-sun-jik, who doesn’t like walks, wanted to go for a walk.
On that sunny day, Cheol-sun-jik vowed that he would surely bring down the heavens. #Why did the past suddenly come to mind?
No, it didn’t come to mind in the first place.
Because I never once forgot.
It was just repeated.
To avoid running away from the fearsome enemy right in front of me.
“Jin So-woon!!!”
I was prepared for that day.
No matter how much blood is shed, no matter what happens to the world, I will surely bring down the heavens.
Grind into your own life, which you valued most in the world; if that is not enough, grind into your children’s lives; and if even that is not enough, grind into the lives of your descendants.
He vowed over and over again that he would surely bring down the heavens that had ruled the world for five hundred years, no matter the cost.
I can’t live like a slave like this.
Therefore, one cannot stumble over a mere stone.
Even if that rock is threatening enough to tear a heart and smash a head.
No, on the contrary, I thought that it must be eliminated because it was threatening.
Because that stone must not become the sky.
Cheol-sun-jik gritted his teeth as the Red Army drew closer.
At this rate, the prediction will be wrong again.
Jin So-woon will overcome his ordeal again, which he thought he could never overcome.
“It’s you again, Jin So-woon! It’s you again……!”
How is the speed of human development so fast?
‘It’s not as if he was born with outstanding qualities like Yong So-ah.’ ‘Then why…!’ Just an ordinary person just like him
Is the gap between me and Jin So-woon, who possesses such qualities, really this big?
Is it really a difference in effort?
I cannot accept this.
That is why I take direct action.
To finalize the scheduled tasks he had made.
“Jin So-un, this is the end for you too!”
He rushed forward faster than anyone on the White Army.
Although the members of the Red Army stood in his way, bracing themselves for elimination, Cheol Sun-jik swung his sword even more violently.
Whoosh
-puck!
Pull the collar to disrupt the weight and thrust the sword into the temple.
The members of the Red Army open their eyes wide in surprise at the move.
Cheol-sun-jik lost his usual composure and shouted.
“Did you think you were the only ones who trained to completely abolish internal energy!”
Before I learned martial arts, or rather, even after I learned them, I never used my internal energy while fighting with back alley thugs.
Because that’s too boring.
Because the intensity has dropped and there is no urgency.
The emotion of excitement erupts most intensely at the moment one feels their life is in danger.
And the thrill of overcoming that threat gives a sense of immense satisfaction that cannot be compared to anything else.
That is why Cheol-sun-jik is more skilled in hand-to-hand combat and close-quarters fighting than anyone else in the White Army.
As if he knew exactly what he had to do, he grabbed the dirt and sand from the ground without the slightest hesitation and threw it into the opponent’s eyes.
“Aargh!”
The technique most frequently used by thugs.
While Jin So-un’s unit members rubbed their eyes at the unexpected surprise attack, he struck them in the solar plexus and the back of the neck, knocking them unconscious.
“Squeak.”
He steps over the falling student and charges forward. Then, the others rush in one after another like wild beasts.
The best way to subdue those who appear to have lost their reason due to excitement is to appear even more excited.
A threateningly agitated appearance, enough to send a warning from reason consumed by anger.
Cheol-sun-jik completely surrendered himself to that excitement.
The Red Army soldiers also shout in anger.
Block it!
Those who have mastered fist-foot techniques rush toward Cheol-sun-jik at the same time.
Cheol-sun-jik’s gaze fixes on the person with the largest build among them.
“Nam Hwa-seong!”
The moment Nam Hwa-seong’s hand hesitated at the sound of the chewing voice calling out.
The sword sheath flies out of Cheol-sun-jik’s hand and blocks Nam Hwa-seong’s view.
Soon, a chilling voice flies in.
“If you’re going to betray someone, do it properly. If you consider them an enemy, there should be no mercy.”
Puff puff puff!
Nam Hwa-seong cannot easily respond to Cheol Sun-jik’s swordsmanship, which extends toward the vital points.
I had already used up all my stamina in the previous battle and while climbing Mt. Baek, so I couldn’t face Cheol-sun-jik while retreating.
Cheol-sun-jik, who knows Nam Hwa-seong better than anyone.
He plunges a dagger into Nam Hwa-seong’s chest once more.
With such shallow resolve, the future of Samwonmun is obvious.
“Damn it… Stop talking bullshit!!!”
The moment the provoked Nam Hwa-seong dropped his defenses and was about to respond.
A kick shot like lightning struck Nam Hwa-seong’s throat.
“Cough cough, cough!”
The weakness of weaknesses that cannot be tempered no matter how much one trains.
All his senses felt a sense of crisis, and Nam Hwa-seong instinctively brought his hands together to protect his throat.
Cheol-sun-jik lightly kicked off the ground and rose up, watching that sight.
“Look, even the Samwonmun’s main martial art, the Fist and Leg Technique, is no match for the Jukhyeonbang.”
Cheol Sun-jik spun around and struck Nam Hwa-seong’s temple with his elbow.
*Phew*
That massive body rolls its eyes back and falls backward with a single kick.
As Nam Hwa-seong falls, the assault unit hesitates for a moment.
Cheol-sun-jik’s company, brimming with courage, pushed in and began to take down the Red Army.
“Push! Push it!”
“They deliberately sharpened their blades! Respond!”
“You’re exhausted from climbing all the way up here anyway! Don’t miss this opportunity!”
The momentum of the Red Army, which had been charging in relentlessly like a war train, was suddenly broken.
The best strategy the Red Army can adopt right now is likely to maintain a temporary lull and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
However, Cheol-sun-jik erased that thought.
If it were Jin So-un, he wouldn’t just wait in silence.
Because he will once again go beyond common sense and make the impossible possible.
Sure enough.
“Let’s go!”
Jin So-un rallied his troops during a brief lull, arranged them once again in the shape of spearheads, and began thrusting into the White Army camp.
“Jin So-un…….”
A mere stone?
no.
He is a giant mountain, much larger than Yongsoah.
Mount Tai, blocking the way so that one dare not ascend to the heavens.
However, if you cannot overcome this mountain, you cannot bring down the heavens.
How can one who could not even bring down Mount Tai bring down the heavens?
On that day, the image of my father’s frail back, bowed low before the sky, comes vividly to mind.
“Jin So-un……. I hate you.”
It was a small voice that would not have been heard, buried in the shouts and screams all around, but Jin So-un stares at him as if he had heard the words.
He moved his lips as if to answer.
I couldn’t hear the sound, but for some reason, I felt like I knew what was being said. [I felt the same way.]
He pours out the emotions he had never been able to be honest about since the day of humiliation.
“Jin So-un, I resent you. Because I cannot take my eyes off you.”
The pent-up resentment and anger that had been building up layer upon layer pour out all at once, as if a bolt has been broken. [Cheol-sun-jik, I am hostile toward you. Because I cannot take my eyes off you.]
He tries his best not to lose his resolve.
“I curse you. Because we cannot look in the same direction.”
Mount Tai barely struggles to avoid being consumed. [I despise you. Because you desire the same thing.]
He runs forward even though he knows he cannot face Mount Tai with a single sword.
This black thing must eventually bring down the heavens.
“Cheol-sun-jik!!!”
Cheol Sun-jik ran straight toward Jin So-un, pushing through the huge crowd.
