Chapter 1691
That’s enough for me. (1)
A cool breeze brushed over the wine cup.
Jang Ilso, who was silently touching his cup, turned his head to look at the burning Mount Wudang.
“You’re saying you are there?”
His voice was languid, but there was a clear undertone of mockery.
“You, of all people?”
“…”
Chung Myung met Jang Ilso’s gaze without a word.
“Oh, my, my.”
Jang Ilso slowly shook his head. Despite the slowness, the movement was exaggerated, like watching a Peking Opera actor. This constant air of exaggeration made it difficult for anyone facing him to guess his true intentions.
“From what I know, Taoists aspire to become immortals… but looking at you now, it seems you want to become a poet. Every word you speak is so elegant…”
Jang Ilso chuckled, his gleaming eyes narrowing into crescent moons. He was like a clown in mismatched attire.
“To someone as uneducated as me, it sounds like nothing but chasing clouds.”
“Jang Ilso.”
“Since you keep saying foolish things, I’ll enlighten you. You are right here, right now.”
“…”
“You, that is. Not on that burning mountain, but right here.”
Though smiling, Jang Ilso’s gaze seemed as if it might pierce Chung Myung at any moment. However, Chung Myung did not respond to that provocative look, instead replying indifferently, as if he had expected it.
“I have never expected you to understand my thoughts.”
“Is that so?”
A deep smile played on Jang Ilso’s lips.
“Then what about you? Can you understand my thoughts?”
“You…”
“You probably can’t.”
“…”
“You just make assumptions and convince yourself of them. Isn’t that right?”
Chung Myung’s expression grew slightly colder.
“Don’t make such a grim face. I don’t intend to belittle you. It’s the same for everyone, not just you, isn’t it?”
Jang Ilso’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“In truth, no one can truly know what’s in another’s heart.”
Chung Myung’s seemingly detached gaze tangled with Jang Ilso’s fervent eyes in the air.
“A pitiful belief.”
“…”
“To know each other’s hearts and to understand one another. To look at the same place with one heart and share the same thoughts.”
Jang Ilso’s low laughter seeped into Chung Myung’s ears.
“Such things are illusions that the weak desperately cling to, unable to endure uncertainty and ambiguity. People cannot truly know one another. No one can completely understand what lies within the heart of someone looking at them. Lacking the courage to face that fact, they prefer to believe in a convenient fabrication.”
Jang Ilso looked at the mountain as if admiring a scenic view and asked,
“Are you really over there?”
“…”
“Is your thought, your will, what you want to believe truly over there? Do those ‘pieces’ of yourself that you speak of truly reside within them?”
“…Jang Ilso.”
“A dream-like notion.”
Cold.
That’s how Chung Myung felt. The voice, still as cool, light, and slightly excited as before, was peculiarly chilly at this moment. Though there was not a hint of such an air in his tone.
“People are born alone and die alone. That is an unchangeable truth.”
“…”
“And throughout life, they cannot see another’s true intentions for even a moment. All they can perceive are the fabricated expressions, the fabricated words, and the suitable facades that people present.”
“That might be true for you. Not everyone lives as you do.”
“Hmm…?”
Jang Ilso’s eyes curved a bit more. Faced with that gaze, Chung Myung unconsciously fiddled with the cup in his hand.
“Do you really think so?”
“…”
“Really?”
Chung Myung’s eyebrows twitched sharply. A vague sense of discomfort washed over him. Just as he was about to retort, Jang Ilso spoke again.
“Then… have you always shared your true thoughts with everyone? Not just saying things you hoped they would believe?”
Chung Myung’s eyes flickered faintly.
“In the face of the ‘trust’ you speak of, are you truly honest? If they trust you as much as you trust them, are you really someone who lives up to that trust? Really?”
“Don’t speak recklessly. You…”
“Ah, I understand.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes darkened momentarily.
“There must have been reasons. Things that couldn’t be said, things better left unknown, methods to achieve better outcomes, plans for a distant future…”
The air brushing against his hand suddenly felt endlessly cold, though it shouldn’t have.
“But when a mask is adorned with excuses, the world calls it a ‘lie.’”
Jang Ilso smiled. The more he did, the more Chung Myung’s expression hardened.
“Isn’t that right?”
Chung Myung saw it – the sneer, the malice, and the disappointment on Jang Ilso’s face.
And perhaps those emotions weren’t directed at Chung Myung at all.
“Even those who preach faith so fervently are quick to speak of lies and prefer to show a crafted version of themselves rather than who they truly are, keeping their true intentions well hidden.”
“…”
“And yet, they believe they know the hearts of others.”
He could say nothing.
At least for this moment.
“Hahaha!”
Jang Ilso burst into laughter as he quietly observed Chung Myung’s face. It was a laugh that seemed hollow rather than joyful.
“This is why… yes, this is why the world is nothing more than an opera to play and pass through. Everyone hides their face with thick makeup and acts the part they’ve been given.”
Jang Ilso slowly traced his lips with his fingertips. His fingers pressed upward from his painted lips to the corners of his mouth.
As if forcing a smile.
“Aren’t you curious about what face lies behind that makeup?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Oh, or do you lack the courage to find out?”
“Jang Ilso!”
Clang!
As Chung Myung shouted in anger, the cup in his hand shattered.
Cold wine ran down his hand, resembling drops of blood. Jang Ilso, who was silently watching the wine drip onto the table, slowly began to speak
“I thought you would understand.”
“What…?”
“Because the you I see is someone most skilled at hiding yourself. A person who believes solely in your own rightness, a personification of self-assurance with no intention of understanding others. To you, understanding is merely another name for mercy. You call adjusting to those who fall short ‘understanding.’”
Chung Myung’s face twisted. An unbearable anger surged within him. But just as Jang Ilso’s sneer might not have been directed at Chung Myung, perhaps Chung Myung’s anger was not truly aimed at Jang Ilso either.
“You bastard…”
Jang Ilso’s words were an insult to Chung Myung, worse than any curse.
“Isn’t that so? That’s how I see it.”
Yet Jang Ilso’s expression remained one of a smile.
“Isn’t it amusing? You, who speak of faith, try to hide yourself from others, while I, who speak of lies, reveal myself without hesitation.”
“…”
“This, too, is an entertaining opera. How about it? Will you try putting on some makeup yourself? Or perhaps you’re already wearing it? Even thicker than mine. Hahahahaha!”
Chung Myung remained silent as he watched Jang Ilso laugh, his shoulders shaking. The laughter stretched on, echoing through the desolate night.
“Faith! Faith, you say! Hahahahaha! How amusing!”
Watching him struggle to contain his laughter, Chung Myung thought that there wasn’t a trace of bitterness or sadness in it.
And yet, the laughter sounded pitiful to him, which meant that the pitifulness present in Chung Myung’s heart was absent in Jang Ilso’s.
He understood now.
Why facing this man was always so revolting, why merely watching him made Chung Myung’s stomach churn unbearably.
Just then, as he finally stopped laughing, Jang Ilso, with a bright smile, casually asked.
“Then let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If that faith were to be shattered, what would you do?”
“…”
“The faith that they will meet your expectations, the belief that they will think like you, the trust that what you are trying to achieve will be realized through them. If those ridiculous beliefs were to be broken into pieces…”
Jang Ilso’s mouth twisted into a crooked smile, like that of a devil looking at a prisoner bound in the depths of hell.
“What will you say then? Hmm, Hwasan Geomhyeop?”
❀ ❀ ❀
“They have all reached the summit.”
“…”
Poisoned Heart Rakshasa Ho Gamyeong silently stared at the peak of the White-Faced Cliff.
The enemies had infiltrated this far, breaking through the mountain without a moment’s hesitation, cutting down all who stood in their way, and finally reaching that cliff, where Wudang awaited.
Who would have imagined this?
Sapaeryeon – the rulers of this era, who had trampled Gupailbang and brought two-thirds of the Central Plains under their control.
Was it really possible for such a formidable presence to be shown here, where Sapaeryeon had gathered? Was there really even one person who believed in those guys so much while expecting such a situation?
In the face of such questions, Ho Gamyeong had only one answer.
At least one person – just one – believed this fact without doubt.
That person was none other than Ho Gamyeong himself.
“Truly impressive, Hwasan.”
He wasn’t sure whether to be amazed or to sneer.
But one thing was certain. Just as even the most outstanding sword is no more than a piece of metal unless wielded by a competent swordsman, the great Hwasan was just another ordinary sect without Chung Myung to wield it.
‘I feel like a fool for being so tense.’
There are many strong sects.
No one considers Shaolin weaker than Hwasan. For Sapaeryeon, who had crushed even Shaolin, the strength of Hwasan wasn’t even a matter of debate.
What once made Hwasan special is no longer with it. Ho Gamyeong’s eyes darkened with deep contemplation.
“What about him?”
“If you mean Nokrim King, he is below the cliff. It seems he found it difficult to follow Hwasan while leaving the main force behind.”
Ho Gamyeong nodded slowly.
Even while speaking, his eyes never left the summit of the White-Faced Cliff for an instant.
“Begin.”
“…But, Commander, Cheon Myeon Susa has not yet made his way out.”
“He will not.”
“…Pardon?”
Ho Gamyeong’s eyes glinted coldly.
“I never gave such orders to Cheon Myeon Susa.”
His subordinates widened their eyes in shock. They looked back and forth between Ho Gamyeong and the summit of the cliff, unable to speak.
“Well…”
“He is the leader of Haomun. If he comes out alive, he will prove his worth, and if not, then that’s all he amounts to.”
“…”
“Begin.”
“Yes, Commander!”
The subordinates nodded without further objection.
Before questioning whether this was right or wrong, they recognized they had no authority to refuse Ho Gamyeong’s command.
Ho Gamyeong, who had been intently watching the summit of the White-Faced Cliff, finally shifted his gaze slowly down to the mountain below, to where someone might be.
‘It’s time for you to pay the price for your arrogance, Hwasan Geomhyeop!’
The heat he had desperately tried to suppress began to fill Ho Gamyeong’s eyes.
Whish!
Even calling it a lightning strike would not adequately describe this sword.
In the moment of it being perceived, it was already upon you – in the moment of being able to sense it, you were already pierced. It was literally a ray of light.
Crunch!
There was only one thing to feel: the searing pain erupting from a pierced throat.
Gurgle…
Just as the sound he had never uttered before escaped his lips.
Whish!
The sword, as swiftly withdrawn as it had been thrust, brushed past his face and extended again. It was as if dozens of rays of light skimmed his body.
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
As he slowly crumbled and lifted his gaze, he saw the person who ended his life drawing ever closer. Before he could even think of swinging his sword in resistance, the person who had charged at him passed over his collapsing body.
Thud.
Before the soul had even left the fallen body, Jo Geol’s sword slashed fiercely through the air again.
“Haah!”
Jo Geol’s attack, which seemed to split a single sword strike into dozens, was always accurate.
“You, you bastard!”
The giant warrior, swinging a massive podao, infused his weapon with inner strength, flames shooting from his eyes.
But.
Whish!
The moment he tilted his podao back to swing it, a lightning-fast sword energy flew towards his body.
‘Huh?’
The instant the warrior’s eyes widened in surprise, Jo Geol’s sword embedded itself into his side without hesitation.
Despite the excruciating pain, the warrior mustered all his strength to swing his podao. Or rather, he tried to.
However.
Crunch!
Jo Geol’s sword severed his shoulder and elbow first. The podao, filled with all his strength, halted before it could even complete its arc.
The warrior was overtaken by the sensation of internal energy reversing and tearing through his insides as if his organs were being shredded.
In an instant, without realizing it, the warrior’s mouth opened wide, and a gleaming sword blade drove through.
Squelch!
The sharp blade pierced through flesh and cut through bone. What followed was the oppressive darkness that flooded his vision.
Thud!
The body of the warrior toppled backward.
“S-Squad Leader!”
“The squad leader was taken down so quickly..”
Fear began to fill the eyes of those around him.
How many necks had that dark podao claimed? How many bodies had it sliced and diced?
The podao, which had been like a butcher’s knife, had not even been fully swung. It seemed as though, had it been swung, it could break and cut through anything.
“Ugh..”
The scene conveyed one clear message.
Just as they were accustomed to severing the necks of others, this man was accustomed to taking their lives. He knew precisely how they wielded their blades and how they would attack, as if reading the lines of his own palm.
That curly-haired young swordsman.
“One Sword…”
Crunch!
Jo Geol’s sword pierced through the enemy’s neck. Without a thought to wipe the blood splattered on his face, Jo Geol’s eyes moved beyond the terrified enemies to Wudang swordsmen who were desperately resisting.
Jo Geol bared his teeth, wet with blood.
“Get out of the way, you Sapa scum!”
“Geol, don’t overdo it!”
“If I don’t push now, then when, damn it!”
With bloodshot eyes, Jo Geol stomped on the ground again like a fearsome demon.
“That guy, honestly…!”
Yoon Jong gritted his teeth as he followed Jo Geol.
Swoosh!
Yoon Jong, in the corner of his vision, saw the shoulder of an enemy beside him twitch.
Whoosh!
His sword moved before he even thought about it. They had fought and cut down the Evil Sects countless times. His body sensed their intentions before his mind did.
His sword, extending outward, struck away the spear aimed at Jo Geol’s side, then continued on to sever the spearman’s wrist.
“Aagh! My hand! My haaand!”
Whish!
As if they had rehearsed it, Jo Geol’s sword embedded itself into the throat of the screaming man.
Their bodies bore countless scars from those evil bastards. Each scar was like a teacher to them. This was true for everyone present.
Flutter!
With a sound like hundreds of butterflies taking flight at once, the plum blossom sword energy released by Hwasan swordsmen rained down on the enemies covering the White-Faced Cliff.
It was a breathtaking sight, turning the familiar scene of Hwasan into reality on the magnificent Mount Wudang.
Blossoming plum blossoms swayed in the wind, and swirling petals surrounded the bodies of their enemies.
“Plum Blossom Sword Technique!”
“Evade!”
The petals seemed to flicker in the air, appearing as if they might vanish at any moment, but no one among Sapaeryeon could be unaware that each of those delicate petals concealed the most fearsome blades in the world.
Sapaeryeon’s members screamed and tried to retreat, but there was no space to withdraw in this crowded area.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
The plum blossom sword energy embedded itself into the bodies of the enemies without mercy.
Sapaeryon’s warriors let out anguished cries from the pain of the sword energy slicing through flesh and piercing bone.
“Urahhhh!”
Gwak Hoe leaped forward in front of Yoon Jong. He aimed to decisively end the lives of enemies pierced by the plum blossom sword energy by stabbing their throats in a single stroke.
“Shut up!”
Crunch!
Twisting and swinging his sword that had penetrated someone’s throat, Gwak Hoe charged at the enemies like a ravenous viper.
A vicious and ruthless sword.
“Aaaagh!”
Sapaeryeon’s warrior screamed as he desperately swung his blade at the sword flying toward him.
But.
Whoosh!
Instead of the expected explosion when the sword and blade clashed, only a hollow sound filled the air. Like an illusion, Gwak Hoe’s sword reappeared, this time poised right in front of Sapaeryeon’s warrior’s heart.
Crunch!
The fierce sword that had pierced the enemy’s heart darted through empty space, seeking its next prey.
It was relentlessly persistent and utterly deceptive.
Developed with the sole purpose of ending the lives of the enemies, Hwasan’s Plum Blossom Sword drove the foes more fiercely than even the most ruthless Evil Sects.
“You bastard!”
A spearman, his eyes bloodshot, thrust his spear with all his internal energy at the advancing Gwak Hoe.
Wham!
The spear, with terrifying power, warped the surrounding air as it flew toward Gwak Hoe, trying to split him in two.
Bang!
“Sasuk!”
However, Baek Cheon struck away the spear aimed at Gwak Hoe with a single blow. Keeping his gaze fixed on the enemy, he shouted,
“Don’t stop!”
“Yes!”
Baek Cheon’s eyes shone with a fierce intensity.
“Make it clear to the enemies that Hwasan is here!”
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