Chapter 1736
Can they endure? (1)
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Understanding a person’s heart is no easy task.
Ho Gamyeong thought so.
Even without bringing up the saying about how it’s harder to know what lies within a person than to see ten gil into the water, it was true.
Among all people, the one standing before him now was especially difficult to fathom. Perhaps it was because of the red bandage that covered his face, or maybe it was because of those red eyes that revealed nothing of what he was thinking.
But Ho Gamyeong believed the biggest reason he couldn’t guess their intentions lay in their ‘origin.’
Blood Palace.
They were different. Radically so.
They were a martial arts sect that did not follow the rules of martial arts sects, and though they were from beyond the border, they lived lives entirely different from other outsiders. What frustrated Ho Gamyeong the most was that he could not understand what they were living for.
As far as he knew, the Blood Palace was more like a religion. In the past, it was even called the Blood Cult.
This made it all the more difficult to comprehend.
Most religions in the world share two common goals. One is to follow and understand the will of the being they worship. The other is to spread that will.
This was precisely the part Ho Gamyeong couldn’t grasp about the Blood Palace. They wore the guise of a religion, but they did not preach. They merely lived, following their own doctrine in places untouched by human feet.
And so, it was impossible to know. What could the leader of a religion that does not spread its teachings possibly be striving for? What direction were all his breaths, steps, and thoughts headed towards?
Some might think there’s nothing strange about it, that such a religion could exist. But if that were the case, one inevitable question would arise.
‘Then why have they stepped back into the world?’
Yet, there was no way to find the answer. The Blood Palace Lord, standing like a withered, dried-up old tree, offered no room for communication.
‘Could it be figured out?’
No matter how smart Jang Ilso was, could he truly discern what lay in the heart of this man?
As Ho Gamyeong pondered this question, Jang Ilso began to speak, his distinctive nasal tone ringing out.
“Hmm.”
Jang Ilso stared at the Blood Palace Lord. There was a deep curiosity in his eyes.
“What do you think?”
“…”
“Did you find the world outside your dark, filthy cave to be endlessly delightful?”
At those words, the bandages covering the Blood Palace Lord’s face twitched slightly.
“Perhaps you did. But if that’s the case, shouldn’t you be more aware? Aware that you might return to that filthy cave at any moment.”
A faint, bloody aura seeped from the Blood Palace Lord’s two eyes as he looked at Jang Ilso. But Jang Ilso’s words did not stop.
“You know it, don’t you?”
Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
“In any case, there is no other path. The world has become unsafe for you, even in that filthy cave of yours.”
“I know. Just as you said.”
At that moment, a voice, as if scraping against metal, emerged from the Blood Palace Lord. It was a voice that had grown slightly thicker and heavier than before.
“I know there is no other path.”
The Blood Palace Lord’s eyes, radiating a red glow, focused on Jang Ilso, who was still smiling with amusement.
“I admit we haven’t been much help until now.”
“Clean and simple.”
“Things will be different from now on.”
“…”
Jang Ilso silently observed the Blood Palace Lord.
After a long moment, as he continued to gaze at the Blood Palace Lord, Jang Ilso finally nodded.
“I’ll trust you.”
“…”
“You may go.”
The Blood Palace Lord turned and, without a moment’s hesitation, left the tent.
“…”
Ho Gamyeong looked at Jang Ilso with a slightly bewildered expression.
“R-Ryeonju…”
Didn’t he summon the Blood Palace Lord to understand his intentions? So, what could he have possibly figured out from that brief exchange?
“Hmm.”
Before Ho Gamyeong could even fully express his confusion, Jang Ilso leaned back in his chair, stretching out leisurely.
“Interesting.”
“Ryeonju, what exactly…?”
“Hmm?”
Jang Ilso tilted his head back to look at Ho Gamyeong, his unusually red lips curving in a peculiar way.
“What’s the matter? Gamyeong-ah?”
“Weren’t you trying to understand his intentions?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why…?”
“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong, Gamyeong. Why are you stating the obvious?”
Jang Ilso lifted his head back upright and lightly grasped the cup in front of him.
“Words are meaningless. Anything that can be said is bound to contain some falsehood.”
Jang Ilso quietly gazed at the liquor swirling in his cup. The strong aroma of alcohol wafted up.
“But there are things that can’t be hidden. Just like how, no matter how clear the liquor may seem, almost like water, you can’t hide its scent.”
“…What did you see?”
“It disappeared.”
“Disappeared? What do you mean?”
Jang Ilso chuckled softly. This was something difficult to explain with words.
“Well. Should I call it fear, or perhaps unease? It’s hard to capture it all with such shallow words, but it was like the despair you see in a person trapped in a swamp. They had that.”
“…”
“But now, it’s gone.”
“Are you saying that their problem has been resolved?”
“Who knows.”
A mischievous glint flickered in Jang Ilso’s eyes, as if he were mocking the entire world.
“Do you know when a person who has been tormented by fear finally casts off that fear?”
“…I don’t.”
“There are two possibilities. One is when the source of that fear disappears.”
“…”
“The other is… when there’s no longer any need to fear.”
Jang Ilso’s gaze darkened ominously.
“There’s no need to worry. It doesn’t seem like they have any other plans in mind. Or rather… to be precise, what they’re aiming to do doesn’t seem to conflict with our goals.”
Ho Gamyeong’s face stiffened slightly.
In other words, while it’s clear they may have their own agenda, for now, it’s best to leave it alone. But Ho Gamyeong knew all too well that leaving things unresolved like this often leads to festering problems later on.
“You know this, don’t you?”
“…”
“That one day, that festering wound could turn into a large noose and strangle you, Ryeonju.”
“I do.”
Jang Ilso slowly drank the liquor from his cup.
“All too well.”
The strong scent filled his mouth, hot and dizzying, as if he had swallowed poison.
“Rather than…”
“You know, Gamyeong.”
“…”
“Even if a poisoned arrow pierces your arm, if there’s an enemy right in front of you, there’s no time to leisurely pull it out and treat it. Even if you have to cut off that arm later, you must fight first.”
“Isn’t there a way to cut it off in advance?”
“Then the enemy would kill me. A one-armed cripple would be an easy target.”
A short sigh escaped Ho Gamyeong’s lips.
Just as Jang Ilso said, he knew it too.
It’s a mess.
Haomun, the Sun Palace, the Blood Palace – each had their own agenda. Though they were all tied together under the name ‘Sapaeryeon,’ this loose connection could snap at any moment.
But Ho Gamyeong also knew.
War, from the beginning, is like this. The more victories and defeats pile up, the more resentment builds between the parties. War is something that consumes everything as it advances.
But still…
“Aren’t we lucky to have alcohol?”
“…Ryeonju.”
Ho Gamyeong wanted to offer Jang Ilso some comfort. Because he, more than anyone else, knew that despite the outward calm and leisure, the burden Jang Ilso carried in this situation was anything but light.
But the words that flowed from Jang Ilso’s lips were something even Ho Gamyeong hadn’t anticipated.
“It helps mask the nauseating stench of those filthy pigs swarming around us.”
“…”
Ho Gamyeong stared blankly at Jang Ilso.
Nothing had changed.
Even in this situation… This man was so steadfast that it made Ho Gamyeong feel ashamed for having even a moment of weakness.
“But, Gamyeong-ah.”
“…Yes, Ryeonju.”
“It’s familiar, isn’t it?”
Jang Ilso smiled gently as he looked at Ho Gamyeong.
“…”
Ho Gamyeong, after staring into those eyes for a long time, couldn’t help but chuckle.
“…You’re right, Ryeonju.”
Yes. It was familiar.
The sight of lowly wretches bickering and squabbling over the tiniest gain. The sight of comrades, fighting together, constantly on the lookout for the chance to stab each other in the back. And the ability to laugh while fighting amidst enemies filled with malice.
For those who had crawled up from the very depths of the dark underworld, none of this was unfamiliar. It was simply amusing that such things were happening even in this situation.
But it was also understandable.
For reasons unknown, it had always been this way. The more intense the war, the more despicable people became.
“It’s nothing new. Whether they shake Gangho or lead a sect, in the end, they’re just slightly bigger pigs.”
“…”
“As long as one doesn’t let go of the leash… they won’t bare their teeth until the war is over.”
True words.
But Ho Gamyeong also understood the hidden meaning behind those words. He knew how much it eroded a person to keep a tight grip on those leashes and manage such a large-scale war.
The rare shadows that lingered across Jang Ilso’s pale face were proof enough of that.
But they had to endure. War was about swallowing the filth and pressing forward. The side that fails to hold out until the end loses. Both Jang Ilso and Ho Gamyeong knew this.
“There’s no need to worry.”
“Yes?”
Before he knew it, Jang Ilso was smiling softly as he looked at him.
“Of course, I’m not in a position to be boastful. After all, we’re in a situation where a blade could pierce my throat at any moment.”
Jang Ilso downed the liquor in his cup in one gulp.
There were already several poisoned blades aimed at his back. If he showed even the slightest weakness, those daggers would surely plunge into his flesh without hesitation.
But he couldn’t get rid of them. The moment he tried to push those daggers away, the things he desired would forever slip out of his grasp.
Moving forward.
Moving forward as if the daggers aimed at his back didn’t exist – that was the path one had to walk if he wished to become a conqueror of the world.
“Even so… there’s no need to worry too much.”
“…”
“War is simple. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Just being slightly better than the enemy is enough.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes darkened ominously.
“The swamp of war is fair to everyone.”
They were all trapped in a swamp of reality and desire, a mire that only pulled them deeper the more they struggled.
But what about them?
They, too, must be trapped in a mire right now – not the swamp of reality that Jang Ilso was in, but the swamp of ideals.
“Do you think they’ll collapse on their own?”
“Who knows.”
Jang Ilso smiled faintly.
“It won’t be that easy, of course.”
“..”
“But keep this in mind. It’s not the sword of reality that brings down people like them. They could die with a smile, even with a blade through their neck. However…”
Jang Ilso’s eyes gleamed with a chilling intensity.
“When they realize that the ideals they’ve clung to are nothing… they crumble surprisingly easily.”
“…”
“Even with the smallest catalyst.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes held a mix of deep emptiness and fierce passion.
“Can they escape it? The contradiction they’ve created for themselves? Can they endure? Can they endure the collapse of the symbol of that contradiction?”
Jang Ilso chuckled to himself.
“What a pity. It would be more enjoyable if we could sit down and share a drink together.”
He lifted his cup, and then slowly drank. The same thrill he felt when facing Hwasan Geomhyeop seemed to be captured in that drink.
❀ ❀ ❀
And at that very moment.
A man with a gaze eerily similar to the mix of emptiness and intensity that filled Jang Ilso’s eyes was staring at those seated before him.
Baek Cheon.
His lips slowly parted.
“Baek Cheon, the Senior Disciple of Hwasan.”
“…”
“I greet the retired Sect Leader.”
A suffocating tension descended upon the spacious hall.
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