Read Novel Full Chapter 1171: The Man Who Can’t Answer (1)
Chapter 1171: The Man Who Can’t Answer (1)
“Hmmm.”
Im So-Byeong lightly waved the fan in his hand.
“So those kinds of stories have been going around. How interesting.”
Namgung Do-Wei looked at Im So-Byeong with a slightly displeased and reluctant gaze. Meng So and Seol So-Baek sitting beside him did as well.
‘I don’t even know myself.’
It was true his chest felt tight. He wanted to pour it out to anyone. But there was no reason that this ‘anyone’ had to be this man, was there?
Still, strangely, Namgung Do-Wei’s steps led him here. In the process he ended up joining the Palace Lords who were with Im So-Byeong, which in a way was natural. Of course, once seated, the arrangement wasn’t exactly natural-looking...
“So, how did the others react?”
“If you call it a reaction...”
How could he describe that atmosphere?
Namgung Do-Wei had never thought himself poor with words. Still, it wasn’t easy to convey the subtle mood of that place accurately.
Even so, Im So-Byeong was perceptive. The perceptive can imagine the situation in their heads even without a perfect account.
“I can roughly guess.”
Just like now. Im So-Byeong quietly smiled, having guessed the others’ reactions from Namgung Do-Wei’s expression alone.
“Hmm, how to put it... You could say it’s very Beop Jeong-like to poke at the painful spot so well, but...”
Im So-Byeong glanced at Namgung Do-Wei.
“The reaction of those who heard that is surprisingly astonished.”
“You say it’s surprising?”
“Yes. It’s surprising. Wasn’t it something everyone obviously knew?”
Namgung Do-Wei involuntarily sighed under Im So-Byeong’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° transparent, steady gaze. Im So-Byeong spoke.
“Heavenly Friends Alliance is that kind of place from the start. Are there really people here drawn to the two characters of ‘Mount Hua’?”
At that, Namgung Do-Wei, Seol So-Baek, and even Meng So couldn’t answer.
“No. Everyone gathered here was drawn by the name Chung Myung. Even if Mount Hua had done the same things, if the actor wasn’t Mount Hua’s Sword Saint Chung Myung, the Heavenly Friends Alliance could never have been formed.”
“...That’s not wrong.”
Meng So folded his arms and nodded gravely.
He, too, had decided to join with Mount Hua after seeing Chung Myung’s potential, so he couldn’t help but sympathize with Im So-Byeong’s words.
“But conversely, it means the Heavenly Friends Alliance can only exist on the foundation of sacrifices by Mount Hua’s Sword Saint Chung Myung.”
“The word ‘sacrifice’ is a bit...”
Namgung Do-Wei frowned as if he couldn’t agree.
“Namgung never demanded Chung Myung’s blood in the first place. We were drawn to Mount Hua because of the righteousness and character Taoist Chung Myung showed, not because we thought he would take arrows for us.”
“...Let’s put aside for now how absurd it is to pin the word ‘character’ on that man.”
Im So-Byeong cleared his throat and looked at Namgung Do-Wei with a slightly darker gaze.
“Well. Young Lord Namgung’s words aren’t entirely wrong. The reason Young Lord Namgung follows Taoist Chung Myung is not because of the sacrifices shown, but because of the heroic deeds he displayed.”
Namgung Do-Wei nodded.
When he asked Mount Hua for help, Chung Myung drew his sword without hesitation and headed for Plum Blossom Island. Namgung Do-Wei would never forget that sight.
The oath they always spoke of as a habit.
In that moment he painfully realized how the back of someone who actually practices that oath would feel to the person who most desperately needed it.
“But... that’s ultimately the same thing.”
“Yes?”
“Because heroic deeds are hardly different from acts that are utterly dangerous.”
“...No, how could that...”
Im So-Byeong let out a faint sneer.
“Of course Young Lord Namgung might want to argue that the core of heroic deeds isn’t the danger but the unity within them... but is that really so? If Taoist Chung Myung had gone after local pirates with the same mindset as when he went to Plum Blossom Island, would Young Lord Namgung have evaluated those two deeds equally?”
“That is...”
Im So-Byeong snorted a laugh as if to say, ‘See?’
“Ridiculous as it sounds, they wouldn’t. Because what people see is ‘who did what.’ So the same pirate hunt done by a disciple of a famous sect becomes simply their duty, while a commoner’s risking life to fight becomes an inspiring tale.”
When Namgung Do-Wei fell silent, Im So-Byeong shrugged.
“In other words, the more we praise Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s unity, the more the world believes and follows the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s spirit of unity, the more Taoist Chung Myung becomes trapped in that prison of oath.”
Namgung Do-Wei bit his lip. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t think of a proper argument. Wasn’t the situation already heading that way?
“So the Heavenly Friends Alliance inevitably becomes a place built on the sacrifices of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint. You, Young Lord Namgung, must have considered the fight against the Four Sects Alliance and the Demonic Cult—what role did Taoist Chung Myung play in that imagination?”
“Well...”
He couldn’t finish the sentence. A sigh escaped his lips.
They fight at the very front. The most desperately.
They lead many and shine brighter than anyone, but Namgung Do-Wei couldn’t deny that the brightest place was the most dangerous.
“Know this, Lord Namgung. There are people in this world who, without caring for themselves, repeatedly do reckless, insane things without batting an eye.”
Namgung Do-Wei had to admit it. Of those he knew, Chung Myung fit that description best.
“Of course, most of those people die. But... one in a million, one in ten million... perhaps one in hundreds of years.”
Im So-Byeong gripped the fan tightly.
“There are those who, after doing those mad things, luckily survive to the end. Do you know what the world calls such people?”
“...What do they call them?”
“They call them heroes.”
“...”
The word ‘hero’ no longer sounded like a good word.
Im So-Byeong looked at Namgung Do-Wei with a mocking air.
“In Young Lord Namgung’s imagination, after all wars are over, Taoist Chung Myung would have become a hero. Wouldn’t he?”
The remark sounded as if Namgung Do-Wei himself had been the one pushing Chung Myung into hell. Hence Namgung Do-Wei couldn’t bring himself to lift his bowed head.
“Then...”
At that moment, Seol So-Baek, who had been quietly listening to Im So-Byeong, spoke up.
“Does the Green Forest King think differently?”
Im So-Byeong smiled faintly and answered Seol So-Baek.
“What difference would there be? I too parasitize Taoist Chung Myung while clearly knowing.”
“...”
“But... well. I don’t know. Which is worse: those who know and use, or those who pretend ignorance while slowly pushing people toward a cliff? Of course, if one returns alive from that cliff they’ll become a hero...”
Meng So, listening, frowned and interjected.
“Green Forest King, your sarcasm seems excessive.”
“Sarcasm?”
“It’s not like others forced Mount Hua’s Sword Saint to do something they didn’t want. Others were also drawn to the path Mount Hua’s Sword Saint walked. Such people inevitably appear dazzling to ordinary folks.”
“Hmm.”
A hint of amusement flashed in Im So-Byeong’s eyes as he looked at Meng So.
“You’re quite right. I just find it somewhat ridiculous how everyone now acts shocked by such an obvious fact.”
“Let’s leave it at that.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Im So-Byeong stepped back willingly.
To lighten the awkward mood, Meng So casually asked Im So-Byeong.
“So, Green Forest King, what do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think Shaolin’s proposal will be accepted by Mount Hua?”
“Hmmm.”
Im So-Byeong scratched his cheek with an amused smile.
“Conversely, I’d like to ask you both something: how do you plan to answer? It seems change is inevitable.”
“...If promises are kept, it’s not a bad proposal from our perspective either.”
“Sorry?”
Startled by Meng So’s calm answer, Seol So-Baek exclaimed.
“Palace Lord! Will you accept that offer?”
“Calm down, Palace Lord Seol.”
Meng So shook his head.
“It’s hard to compare Mount Hua’s Sword Saint and Beop Jeong. Trusting Shaolin in the first place isn’t easy.”
“Yes! Of course.”
“Now, of course, you’d choose Mount Hua. Mount Hua has Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”
“Yes. I also think so...”
“But will Mount Hua still have Mount Hua’s Sword Saint a hundred years from now?”
“...”
Seol So-Baek did not answer.
“A hundred years from now Shaolin will still be the North Star of the central plains. They will remember the promises of their previous Abbott. But... what Mount Hua will be like in a hundred years is unknown.”
“That is...”
Seol So-Baek, about to object, quietly closed his mouth because Meng So wasn’t wrong.
“Personally, I don’t want to join hands with Shaolin. But as a Palace Lord, no sect under heaven can refuse the hand Shaolin offers. Especially sects like ours from outside the wall.”
“...”
“Putting my personal feelings first would be wrong as the Palace Lord is responsible for the people of the Palace. Where is the guarantee that future generations won’t resent my decision if it ruins the Palace?”
Seol So-Baek bowed his head deeply.
“But it’s also a duty as Palace Lord to honour Mount Hua for taking care of places outside the wall so far. So whatever conclusion the Alliance leader reaches, I’ll simply follow. That’s the natural course.”
“Ho,” Im So-Byeong murmured, a faint admiration as he turned to Seol So-Baek.
“And you, Palace Lord Seol?”
“I...”
When Seol So-Baek hesitated, Im So-Byeong nodded as if he understood.
“I understand. In fact, that’s the most reasonable stance.”
“So? An answer to my question?”
“Honestly, from Green Forest’s position, I’d prefer they refuse. Shaolin wouldn’t drive out Green Forest in this situation, but the treatment would be difficult.”
“They’d be pushed down in post-war merit and rewards as well?”
“Yes, that’s right. So personally I prefer that... but...”
Im So-Byeong opened his fan and half-covered his face.
“...But this time Beop Jeong’s play was too clever. Perhaps this time... the Alliance leader and Mount Hua’s Sword Saint will find it hard to refuse the proposal.”
“But haven’t the two refused no proposals until now? So it’s not unlikely they’ll do the same this time.”
“That’s because everything they’ve done so far matched the cause of saving people. But this case is different. Think about it: if they reject the proposal and the Heavenly Friends Alliance faces Four Sects Alliance alone?”
Meng So nodded as if he understood.
“...All the blood that must be shed due to lack of strength would fall entirely on those two.”
“Exactly. That choice could drive even more people to death. So it’s not an easy choice, is it?”
Meng So sighed. It was truly a difficult matter.
“It’s a reality we had to face someday... but I didn’t expect it would come like this. Shaolin’s Abbott is not someone to be underestimated.”
Im So-Byeong’s gaze drifted toward the open window.
“I’m curious too. When everything a man believed is threatened to harm what he was trying to protect, what choice will he make?”
At that, Namgung Do-Wei let out a heavy, long sigh.
Feeling the air grow heavy, Im So-Byeong stared at the moon half-hidden by clouds.
‘It will be a long night.’
For him and for everyone else.
It seemed it would be an especially long night for one particular person.