Chronicles of the Demon Faction

Episode 224 A past that cannot be thrown away, a future that cannot be grasped (4)

“Would you like a drink?”

“The poison is still running through your body.”

“You don’t want to drink it?”

“…Well, I’ll take a drink anyway.”

Lee Cheon-sang filled Seo-ryang’s cup.

The fragrant aroma is impressive. It was the Six Thousand Heart Pills that Xu Liang liked.

Seo-ryang glanced at Li Cheon-sang.

“Is it okay to just drink this like this?”

“This is the alcohol I brewed. “There’s no reason you can’t drink it.”

“Yes, but. “If you pick it up every time you see me, it will run out quickly.”

“Two hundred and thirty dongsi.”

“yes?”

Lee Cheon-sang, who emptied his glass, spoke calmly.

“There are still two hundred and thirty dongs left. And I plan to soak it again in the future.”

“….”

“There’s no way it’s not enough.”

“Please give me a few dongs.”

“Take it with you when you go.”

Isn’t it too easy to grant permission?

Seo-ryang took a deep breath and took a sip of his drink. Maybe it was because I was so distraught, but the fragrant six thousand heart wine seemed especially bitter today.

There was a strange silence.

Even after drinking a glass of alcohol, the two did not speak. We just filled each other’s cups and drank repeatedly.

Just like that, the time for Lee Gak passed.

“Master. “It’s a total military force.”

“Please come in.”

Coogung!

The door opened and Hu Yao-seong came in.

I feel this every time, but even with the support from Gyojujeon, I feel like the door has been made bigger. It wouldn’t be easy to make that loud noise every time the door opens.

Ho Yo-seong came to the front of the pavilion and knelt down.

“Invincible in Shinkyo, immortal. “General Military Commander Hu Yaoseong meets with the religious leader.”

“What’s going on?”

“I have completed everything you asked me to do earlier.”

“is it.”

Lee Cheon-sang nodded.

“You worked hard. “I will call you for a day, so please go back and rest.”

“yes.”

Hu Yaosheng stood up and glanced at Xiliang.

Xu Liang was not even looking at Hu Yaosheng. He was just fiddling with his glass.

Hu Yaosheng grinned.

“Can I just say one word and leave?”

“Sure.”

“Three Confucius idiots.”

Xi Liang looked at Hu Yaocheng and opened his mouth wide.

Hu Yaosheng rushed to the door in a huff. The sight of him running without even looking back showed a sense of urgency.

Coogung!

When the door closed, there was silence again.

Seo-ryang opened his mouth like a carp, as if in bewilderment.

“…What is that guy?”

I think it’s a joke, but why doesn’t it feel like a joke?

“Take it.”

“yes? “Oh yes.”

Lee Cheon-sang spoke to Seo-ryang, who was receiving the drink.

“They were all captured.”

“yes?”

“The ones who gave you trouble.”

“…?!”

“The Heavenly Demon Army was mobilized. Unlike previous rebellions, it moved quietly. They said there were twelve people in total. It is said that he was obediently captured.”

Seo-ryang’s face hardened.

“Did you clean up after me?”

“To be exact, it is for our school. “It hasn’t been long since the rebellion broke out, but it’s difficult for such subversive elements to run amok.”

“They are impure molecules….”

That is correct. At least for Lee Cheon-sang.

However, you cannot just call yourself an impure molecule. Because I understood their actions.

“You knew everything.”

“Yes.”

“Why…”

Seo-ryang swallowed his words.

Lee Cheon-sang said after emptying his glass.

“Why didn’t you solve it earlier?”

“…That’s it.”

The answer is obvious anyway. People will say that it is your business and that you should have handled it well.

And that… that’s absolutely true. It wasn’t something he did, but it was something he had to deal with.

But unexpectedly, Lee Cheon-sang’s answer was different from Seo-ryang’s expectations.

“okay. “That was my mistake.”

mistake.

These were not words that would come out of Lee Cheon-sang’s mouth. It was such a shock that my complicated feelings were blown away.

Looking at his student who was looking at him with surprised eyes, Lee Cheon-sang spoke calmly.

“I shouldn’t have left it alone. “It shouldn’t have happened, even for the sake of our school.”

“….”

“I have been very impressed watching you solve the problems you face. “I thought you would show something like that this time too.”

“…Is that so?”

“It was. And I recently realized that it was my mistake. Do you know why?”

“I do not know.”

“You are a sharp enough knife. A sharp knife should be kept in its sheath. It is foolish to go to the whetstone just in case. Not only is it a waste of time, but it can also wear out the knife.”

“….”

“So I made a mistake.”

Xu Liang smiled bitterly.

“Master, you made no mistake at all. This is something I should have dealt with. No, it shouldn’t have been done in the first place.”

“But it’s already been done.”

“….”

“As the leader and teacher, I don’t think it makes much sense for you to look back on your mistakes.”

These are truly cruel words.

If you make a mistake, you should look back and consider it, and avoid such actions in the future. That’s natural.

However, Lee Cheon-sang says that such an obvious thing is meaningless.

Why?

“The reason is because it was you who committed that mistake.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You are completely different from the many people I have seen. You don’t have much talent for looking back at the past and reconsidering your mistakes. “He is a guy who specializes in looking at the future and moving forward.”

“….”

“If you already feel sorry enough for them, that’s enough. It also cannot be considered right to fall into it and ruin your life. You’re not that kind of person in the first place. But why are you looking so ugly?”

Xiliang’s eyes were bloodshot.

“I don’t remember the past.”

With all my might, I didn’t say that I wasn’t myself back then.

“Still, if I did something, I must take responsibility.”

“How do you plan to take responsibility? Are you planning to take responsibility for your death?”

“….”

“You will never die because of them. Because I’m not the type of person to commit suicide. Additionally, you will not suffer for the rest of your life. “Because you’re not that kind of guy.”

“….”

“You, who will neither die nor suffer, are now struggling like this. “Have you ever wanted to pretend to be in pain to honor those who are not in this world?”

It feels like cutting out the heart with a knife.

Lee Cheon-sang’s words, which clearly revealed the consequences, were extremely realistic and sharp enough to be difficult to handle.

“You mourn and sympathize with them, but you do not consider yourself the perpetrator. Because it’s something you don’t remember. “Am I wrong?”

“….”

“Do you really want to give them even a ray of comfort? Then die right here and now. “I will inform the school of your violent death and shame the hearts of those who cursed you.”

Seo-ryang’s cheeks trembled.

Lee Cheon-sang, who was staring at Seo-ryang silently, filled his cup.

“Get rid of the confusion of illusions that don’t even contain sympathy or sincerity. Rather, it is truly the way to serve them.”

“How does the leader know that? Are you truly a god?”

This is an extremely dangerous statement.

Lee Cheon-sang answered calmly, and Seo-ryang had no choice but to keep his mouth shut after hearing his answer.

“Because I have experienced too much to count.”

Yes.

In the past, when he went on a rampage to capture the eldest son of the Demon Sword Family.

When asked why he did not come forward for Ma-in, who died unjustly, Lee Cheon-sang responded as follows.

– The person who died unjustly prayed for me until the moment he died. Do you think he really hoped for something and prayed to me?

– He was just doing it for me. All I want to do is hope for the well-being of the one god I devoted my life to believing and following. There was no other intention there.

– Loyalty and faith that expect something in return are unclean.

Is there a difference between Lee Cheon-sang then and Seo-ryang now?

Not like that. This is essentially the same problem.

Ma-in, who died unjustly, prayed for Lee Cheon-sang. No one knows whether the demon truly hated Lee Cheon-sang for not stepping up for him or not.

But Lee Cheon-sang did not come forward. I set my own standards and was aware of my position. I thought that dying with loyalty and faith without expecting anything in return was truly for the sake of myself.

Then what about Seoliang?

“You don’t know what they really want. Did you hear it directly? No. “It can only take effect while they are alive.”

“….”

“If you want to die for those who have already died, that’s fine too. But by your standards, is it really for their benefit to commit suicide and to struggle in agony?”

“….”

“I felt guilty and apologized for them. But since you have no memory of your actions, you cannot truly understand their sadness or feel guilty.”

What is important is your own standards.

The perpetrator must apologize according to the victim’s standards. However, ‘living’ by the victim’s standards is unfair.

This is to prove that you are not a human being without agency.

“Many people will point their fingers at me and say that my choice is not right.”

“If you don’t have your own standards, it will make you suffer more.”

“Because I am a disciple of the religious leader, I will not be punished by law even if I commit such an outrageous act.”

“That is your position.”

“Then it’s okay for me to destroy Protestantism as I please?”

“That too is your choice. Of course, I would stop you from doing that before you become the leader of the cult.”

Xiliang sighed.

“In the end, what matters is myself.”

“Of course. “Everything depends on your standards and whether or not you can handle the consequences of your choices.”

“I can handle it….”

“You almost lost your life because of your past actions. When living in the martial arts world, Eunwon is a common occurrence in daily life. In the end, both those who take revenge and those who endure revenge live according to their own choices.”

Lee Cheon-sang filled Seo-ryang’s cup and asked.

“I will ask. Are you willing to truly suffer for them?”

Xiliang raised his head.

Both eyes were still red and bloodshot, but their gaze had become considerably clearer.

“I’m not confident about that.”

“Are you willing to throw away your life?”

“Not even that.”

“Then what will you do for them?”

Seo-ryang, who was looking at Lee Cheon-sang, emptied his glass and said.

“I will think about it later.”

“If there are no standards, just set them again. “That was enough.”

Lee Cheon-sang muttered before lifting his glass and drinking.

“I thought you already knew that much, but you seem young in some strange ways.”

Seoliang is by no means young. In reality, he is sixty years old.

But this is my first experience like this. Everyone has to be the first.

It was something that some people could just overlook, but Seoryang could never ignore it.

It is clear that this will become a huge problem in your life in the future.

“You seem to have a lot to say today.”

“I really hated seeing the ugly face of my stupid student. “What’s the point of kicking them out? The only way is to make them realize it, even if it means beating them on the head.”

Xu Liang smiled.

“thank you.”

“Pour a glass.”

“yeah.”

He seemed to feel lighter than before.

When Lee Cheon-sang emptied his glass again and Seo-ryang picked up the bottle again.

“I’m going to stop drinking today.”

“For what reason?”

Lee Cheon-sang got up from his seat and went down the pavilion.

“Follow me.”

“Where are you going?”

“I will have to do a final test to see whether I will appoint you as my successor or not.”

“…A test?”

“Bimu.”

“…!!”

“If you don’t pass the exam, there will be no future meetings. “If you pass the test, I will personally teach you as the successor to the sect leader.”

Lee Cheon-sang came down from the pavilion and looked up at Seo-ryang.

“Points were deducted for your rotten mentality. If you cannot prove how sharp your sword has become, you will never be able to become a successor.”