Chapter 1623
With our blood and our lives! (3)
The sky was incredibly blue.
Hwasan was always close yet unfamiliar, and felt more challenging than any other place. Standing there, looking up at the clear sky, Jongli Gok exhaled deeply.
Had he ever imagined a day when he would climb Hwasan alone and gaze at the distant sky?
His gaze naturally turned towards the distant west. The vast expanse of the world extended into the familiar shape of mountain slopes he knew so well.
‘It’s strange.’
Not a single day had passed without Jongnam in his sight. Yet, Jongnam looked oddly unfamiliar from this distant place. And he realized anew that living on that mountain does not necessarily mean knowing it best. Sometimes, being a step away can reveal more than being close.
At that moment, a sound came from nearby.
“Hm.”
As Jongli Gok’s gaze turned towards the source, something flew towards his chest.
Thud.
Reacting instinctively, he caught it and found it was a heavy, white porcelain bottle. Without opening it, he could guess what the liquid inside was.
“Alcohol?”
“Do you mind?”
Jongli Gok shook his head. It wasn’t that he had an aversion to it. He wasn’t particularly fond of drinking, but he hadn’t strictly avoided it either. It was just that…
“In broad daylight?”
“Are you someone who cares about that sort of thing?”
When Jongli Gok asked, Chung Myung chuckled and replied. The reply made Jongli Gok smile as well. Indeed, he had come too far to worry about appearances now.
“Then I’ll drink with gratitude.”
Jongli Gok uncorked the bottle and took a sip straight from it. Though it wasn’t particularly special, the taste of the alcohol seemed distinct today.
Perhaps because what was in this bottle was more than just alcohol.
“It’s good wine.”
“It’s cheap liquor.”
“It’s good wine.”
Chung Myung shook his head, then took out his own bottle and drank heartily from it.
“Kuuuh.”
Wiping his mouth nonchalantly, Chung Myung glanced at Jongli Gok. Strangely, his white Jongnam uniform looked quite fitting against the backdrop of Hwasan. It was almost absurd.
After all… who is there that is more or less suited to the mountain? The mountain simply exists as it is.
“I didn’t expect you to be so hopeless.”
“You must have misjudged me. I’m quite a cautious person.”
“I didn’t know you had such a bad temperament.”
“I’ve often been called a gentleman. Perhaps not by you.”
“…For a gentleman, you seem incredibly unreasonable.”
“My ears are always open. That’s the duty of a Sect Leader.”
Chung Myung looked helplessly at Jongli Gok for a moment, who was fighting back without giving up a single word, then shook his head again and asked.
“Why did you do it?”
“What do you mean?”
“…You could have let it go.”
Instead of answering, Jongli Gok stared blankly. Feeling the pressure from that gaze, Chung Myung added words that were not really asked for.
“Not that I think Jongnam’s situation is pitiful or anything. It was something that had to be done, obviously. It’s something that was always necessary, but…”
“Wasn’t it you who pushed for it?”
“Yes, that’s true. But…”
Chung Myung scratched his nose awkwardly.
“The timing wasn’t great, was it? We’re now in a position where we have to fight together.”
“…The timing.”
Jongli Gok repeated the words absentmindedly, gazing at the distant sky, and took another sip.
“Your point is reasonable. But…”
At last, a small smile appeared at the corners of Jongli Gok’s mouth as he looked at Chung Myung.
“No matter how much you think about it, there’s no such thing as a ‘proper’ time.”
“…”
“Do you know?”
“…Know what?”
Jongli Gok’s smile softened a bit more.
“There’s always a reason why it shouldn’t be now.”
“…”
“Indeed.”
Nodding to his own words, Jongli Gok seemed to be affirming them for himself, rather than for Chung Myung.
“There’s always a reason. At any time.”
At his faint smile, Chung Myung’s expression twisted oddly.
“Hmm.”
A deep sigh escaped. Jongli Gok’s words were accurate. Once you miss an opportunity by citing various reasons, everything tends to become vague and uncertain.
“But that wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad outcome for the Sect Leader. Weren’t you just saying that last night?”
“Is that something someone was vehemently insisting on last night – that everything needs to be cleared up – would say?”
“Ah, you have a knack for leaving one speechless.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue. Jongli Gok looked somewhat amused.
He was an increasingly strange person.
He could exude such cold, overwhelming fury to an almost incomprehensible degree, yet when Jongli Gok made his decision, he seemed to try to accommodate his position.
To put it positively, he was a complicated person; to put it negatively, he was unpredictable and capricious.
Yet, at this moment, Jongli Gok did not particularly dislike Chung Myung. It was probably because he sensed the hidden kindness beneath the indecisive behavior.
“So… are you really okay with this?”
“If it weren’t okay, what else could be done? The deed is already done.”
“…You really are hopeless.”
Chung Myung let out a laugh of disbelief. Who could have imagined Jongli Gok would be this way?
Jongnam had lost a lot due to this incident.
There weren’t many things to be said about condemning Jongnam on the spot, but once a mark is made, it does not easily fade. Even if one could ignore it while Jongnam was prosperous, it might become an inescapable punishment when their power wanes.
Or perhaps, even while fighting alongside them with their lives on the line, they might suffer from that cold gaze, buried under the weight of past sins despite their great achievements.
Jongli Gok was not unaware of that. He knew that Chung Myung was trying to set things aside for now out of concern for such a situation.
Jongli Gok smiled and said.
“And you’re wrong. This is actually a very good time.”
“Huh?”
“Now that Shaolin is no longer a threat, it’s an opportunity. With the facade of Gupailbang gone, it’s unlikely that Jongnam will be expelled from Gupailbang because of this incident.”
“…You’re making me laugh.”
“Is there any reason not to?”
“…This is driving me crazy.”
It wasn’t just talk. Certainly, Jongli Gok now lacked the stiffness and tension he once had. Instead, a sense of detachment and ease filled the space.
Although one might think that he now bore even greater burdens, Jongli Gok’s shoulders appeared much lighter.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m human too, and I had my doubts.”
“Doubts?”
“When you stopped me from doing what I intended.”
Jongli Gok’s gaze became darker.
“At that moment, I thought it was resolved. I had shown my courage, and you had acknowledged it. I thought we could put everything behind us and move on.”
“…So why did you push forward?”
Jongli Gok chuckled softly. Reasons…
“Burden is not carried on the shoulders but on the heart.”
Chung Myung looked at Jongli Gok in silence. It was difficult to seek the enlightenment of Hwasan’s Taoist path from him.
Yet sometimes, the world speaks words that even those who have spent their lives in cultivation cannot easily express.
That’s what Chung Mun had said. Everything in the world is Tao, and we are merely those who pursue it.
Jongli Gok smiled faintly again.
“I feel sorry for you.”
“It seems you misunderstand. I can spit even on a smiling face.”
“But you won’t cut me with a sword.”
“…You’re driving me crazy.”
Chung Myung scratched his head in frustration. Even if a person changes overnight, there should be limits. This was just…
“Ah, forget it. It’s not my concern!”
Chung Myung abruptly stood up and turned away.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I’m going. There’s a mountain of work to do. Sect Leader, don’t waste time here. Come down and get to work quickly.”
“Understood.”
“…Ugh. I really can’t get used to this.”
Chung Myung, as if swatting at insects, made a loud exclamation and briskly walked down the mountain. As Chung Myung’s figure disappeared, Jongli Gok’s smile gradually faded from his face.
“Burden…”
His voice carried a profound weight.
He knew. From now on, he would bear even greater burdens. Yet Jongli Gok had no intention of avoiding them. By doing so, he could ensure that the burdens he carried would not be passed on to the next generation.
It would be difficult. But if he could endure this hardship, his disciples would be able to stand in the world without hesitation, unlike himself. They would be able to face the world with clarity.
His gaze eventually caught sight of Chung Myung, now running far down the mountain.
Jongli Gok wore a smile that was somewhat different from before.
‘I think I understand why so many follow him.’
Chung Myung had forced him to become the nourishment for Jongnam. Instead of letting future generations be entangled in hatred and bloodshed, he had urged Jongli Gok to bear it all.
It was the duty of those who stand above, of those who walked before.
Yet, when Jongli Gok tried to fulfill that duty, Chung Myung, in turn, sought to protect him. As if he intended to become the very nourishment for Jongli Gok.
A small smile escaped Jongli Gok’s lips. He might even consider it insulting. The Sect Leader of Jongnam to be treated as an immature child who still needs protection by a young brat.
However, Jongli Gok felt no such resentment.
A single cloud drifted across the endless expanse of the blue sky.
Slowly closing his eyes, Jongli Gok vividly recalled the conversation he had shared with Hyun Jong.
“…Please lift your head, Sect Leader.”
When Jongli Gok raised his head, Hyun Jong was gently shaking his head.
“Though I am the retired Sect Leader of Hwasan, I am no longer the Sect Leader of the sect. Therefore, it is difficult to consider me as someone representing Hwasan. However… if someone needs to respond to what the Sect Leader has said, it is fitting that I, who have the closest connection to you beyond your position, should do so.”
Hyun Jong reached out and took Jongli Gok’s hand.
“Make amends not to Hwasan, but to the world. If you fulfill the duty that was not completed then, no one will resent Jongnam.”
“…Retired Sect Leader.”
“Can you do that?”
Jongli Gok slowly opened his eyes.
Still… he seemed frustrating, pitiful, and naive.
If Jongli Gok had been in Hyun Jong’s position, he would have seized this opportunity to utterly destroy Jongnam. Even if Hyun Jong had demanded all of Jongnam’s assets, Jongnam would have had no grounds to refuse.
Yet Hyun Jong’s only request was a plea.
Below the blue sky, Jongnam’s mountain slopes stretched out. That unfamiliar yet familiar ridge appeared hazy and faded.
“…It’s not bad.”
Indeed, it wasn’t bad. Jongnam from this vantage point. The sky above it. And… the very mountain he stood upon.
Perhaps even the world where future generations would live and interact with others.
It appeared clearer, and perhaps a little… gentler than the world he had looked upon yesterday.
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