Bad Thoughts and the Meeting with Jeomsoui
I did not bother to scold Cha Seong-tae, who had been defeated ten times by Samabi.
After all, it was only natural since Samabi was the stronger man.
He could either accept his defeat as a humiliation and awaken from it, or he could accept it with a sense of resignation and settle for it.
It was up to Cha Seong-tae to choose.
If he chose to accept it as a humiliation and awaken, I was willing to help him.
Until then, I planned to not concern myself with it.
A person must take the first step themselves to change.
As I returned, I glanced back at Maehwaru from a distance, and after a while, I quietly passed by Yongducheolbang.
While the people of my hometown were busy with their own tasks, I turned my steps toward Heukmyobang.
Right now, the task for Hao Munju was in Heukdo.
It was to gradually crush and organize the forces of Heukdo that were surrounding Illyang-hyeon.
Because I had excessively used my lightness skill due to Hongshin's younger siblings, I walked slowly on my way back.
When I entered a quiet path, I noticed a group of about ten martial artists approaching silently from the front.
They all seemed to be moving in the direction I had come from, that is, toward Illyang-hyeon.
I looked at the group of martial artists, and as they brushed past me, they all turned their gazes toward me at once.
After crossing paths with the ten or so men, they stopped a few steps further.
The group of martial artists halted first, and I turned around.
Looking around, I saw that they were all men with a strong aura.
While I was gazing at the group, one man took something out from his bosom to check.
I thought he was looking at a wanted poster.
Sure enough, after confirming the wanted poster, he raised his head and looked at my face again.
"It looks like Lee Jaha."
A few men gathered around the one holding the wanted poster to confirm together.
The leader of the particularly dark-faced group spoke to his subordinates.
"Is it him?" "Yes, it is."
"They said he was not seen in Illyang-hyeon, so why is he over there?" "I don't know."
What kind of conversation was this? They were saying that they were looking for me while heading toward Illyang-hyeon, where I was supposedly not present.
I asked the leader of the group, "Are you the leftovers from Heukseonbo?" The leader responded to my question with another question.
"Are you Lee Jaha?" Although our questions collided, neither of us answered.
The atmosphere was different from that of the subordinates of the Twelve Divine Generals.
Heukseonbo had a unique vibe.
They generally gave off the feeling of having rotted away in a gambling den for about ten days and then coming out with a sword in hand.
One man asked the leader, "What should we do? We didn't expect Lee Jaha to be here."
I let out a breath without realizing it.
Considering the meaning of the words, it seemed they were on their way to cause trouble in Illyang-hyeon.
I felt strange.
It was a feeling of sinking into confusion.
In fact, after my return, the madness of my previous life felt as if it had never existed.
The very fact that I had returned to the past felt somewhat like a joyful game.
The leader of the group, who was watching my expression, stepped forward.
"I am Doko Saeng of Heukseonbo. You killed Neungji-seok, Wi Seon-woo, and Gu Yang-su, right? The master of Heukseonbo has placed a bounty of thirty gold pieces on your head. The places that requested this are Hosobang and Maegyeom Samja. We were on our way to post the wanted notice in Illyang-hyeon, but I’ll let you read it directly."
When Doko Saeng nodded to his subordinate, one of them came over and handed me a notice with the details written on it.
It is only right not to accept what Heukdo gives.
When I did not take the notice, Doko Saeng continued speaking.
"There have been rumors that you disappeared from Illyang-hyeon, so we were searching for you. If you come to Heukseonbo and face us directly, the master will provide a suitable reward to Hosobang and Maegyeom Samja and withdraw the bounty. What will you do?"
Originally, Heukdo often used the method of harassing those around to prevent the person involved from escaping.
They probably entered Illyang-hyeon, caused trouble, and then posted the notice.
The more confident Heukdo was, the more they suggested that the person involved resolve the matter face to face.
The case of Geum Bong-gakju calling me and then dying was a similar example.
I counted their numbers and replied, "There are eleven of you. That's too many just to post a wanted notice."
Doko Saeng responded, "It's just that there are rumors of your good skills, so we gathered."
"That's a suitable excuse. It's bothersome to go meet your master right now. I’ll come find you soon."
Doko Saeng glared at me.
"If you don’t go, we will head to Illyang-hyeon."
I scratched my chin with a calm expression.
"I said I would go later."
"It would be better to go together now."
I picked my nose with my pinky and replied, "Doko Saeng, why are you trying to die right now with ten subordinates? Let’s ask for a reason."
"How are we supposed to accept your attitude of killing Neungji-seok, Wi Seon-woo, and Gu Yang-su at will and then coming back to explain later?" "That’s not the point of the conversation right now."
There are days when I feel strange.
Some days, I can kill indiscriminately without feeling anything, while other days, I want to avoid killing without a second thought, and today is one of those days.
I don’t even know the reason.
If my actions were consistent, I wouldn’t be called a madman.
I am someone who became a madman while living day by day according to my feelings.
Perhaps it’s because I often imagined leading Heukmyobang and clashing with Heukseonbo.
But the world does not always go as one wishes.
Doko Saeng was not afraid of death.
"Whether you kill us all and then go find Heukseonbo later, or you go find Heukseonbo with us now, it’s the same. Either way, you’ll have to deal with Hosobang and Maegyeom Samja sooner or later. It’s tiring either way, Lee Jaha."
At that moment, I made a decision.
"Let’s go to Heukseonbo."
A headwind blew in my heart.
The feeling of not wanting to kill was gradually being suppressed and felt like it was heating up.
This back-and-forth is also me.
When wearing a mask, I am the leader of Heukdo.
When I take it off, I become a madman again.
In Illyang-hyeon, I am Hao Munju, but as I move further away from Heukseonbo, I find it harder to think normally.
When bad thoughts and the madman Lee Jaha combine, it becomes a madman.
It’s a sad thing.
My past life’s sins were considerable, but I don’t know how to bear the sins of this life.
I suddenly recalled an unidentified man presumed to be trapped in the heavenly prison.
It was just a guess, but I felt that I would probably occupy the room next to that man’s prison.
I am such a sinful person.
Most of my actions, claiming to protect the weak, end up killing people.
I understand why the Murim Alliance hated me so much in my previous life.
I arrived at the lower reaches of the Chiryong River with the Heukseonbo group and boarded a boat.
Looking at the rippling waters of the Chiryong River after a long time, I waved my hand toward the distant, shrinking Illyang-hyeon.
"Take care. My hometown, I’m leaving to make money. I’ll return successful. When I come back successful, welcome me warmly. Thus, Jeomsoui set sail on the boat."
As I kept waving my hand toward my hometown while babbling nonsense, the Heukseonbo group frowned and looked at me.
Their thoughts sounded like an echo in my ears. ‘Is he crazy?’ I looked at the Heukseonbo subordinates one by one with a calm expression and said, "You all really look ugly. I wonder if you do ugly things because you look ugly, or if the world is just unpredictable."
"……."
No one responded to my words, but I continued with what I wanted to say.
"However, when I see some handsome guy doing ugly perverted things, it seems that looks don’t have much to do with ugly behavior. Considering that, it’s quite amazing why you all look so unfortunate. Maybe it’s because you rotted away in a gambling den. If I think about it, you probably didn’t look like this since childhood. Perhaps seeing ugly things every day affected your faces. Like slave auctions, things like that."
One of them, who had been holding back his temper, spoke to me.
"Can’t you just shut up and go?" I examined his face and replied, "Why do you have such sparse eyebrows? You look like a rat. Your eyes are dull. Your skin looks like a battlefield. When you open your mouth, the stench of decay reaches me. Why are you with Heukseonbo? If you want to live, you should work, you bastard. What do you think when you watch slave auctions?"
He responded to my words.
"I thought I should make some money and buy a slave too."
The Heukseonbo subordinates burst into laughter at the same time.
"Hahaha."
I suddenly looked at Doko Saeng’s expression.
Doko Saeng had not been smiling at all.
"Doko Saeng, why aren’t you laughing?" At my question, Doko Saeng spat curses at his subordinates.
"Shut your mouths, you crazy bastards, before I kill you. He’s a man the master will deal with, and you idiots are laughing at a guest? I’ll cut off the arms of anyone who opens their mouth before we arrive."
At Doko Saeng’s threat, all the subordinates fell silent.
Doko Saeng turned to me and said, "Keep talking. It’s a pleasant voice."
I nodded and then asked Doko Saeng, "How old are you?" "Twenty-five."
"Are you married?" Doko Saeng sighed.
"What marriage? I live in Heukdo."
It was a response that questioned why I was asking about marriage when life could end at any moment.
This guy was not normal either.
Sure enough, Doko Saeng suddenly seemed to lose his temper and started cursing at me.
"How old are you? Why are you asking about marriage? You crazy bastard. Why did you kill those three? Why do you make people so tired by killing? Are you that good at fighting? Are you insane? You have enough skill to kill all the idiots here and even kill me, right? I understand. But how do you plan to face the entire Heukseonbo after killing people without a care? You crazy bastard. Do you even know how many people are in Heukseonbo?"
I simply replied, "How many?" "I don’t know, you little brat. It’s over five hundred."
One of the men next to Doko Saeng suddenly interjected, "It’s over six hundred."
Then Doko Saeng silently started hitting the head of the one who spoke.
After beating the man’s face until it was covered in blood, he said, "If you’re going to speak, make sure you understand. Did I tell you to shut up or not?"
In an instant, Doko Saeng suddenly grabbed the collar of the bloodied man and threw him into the Chiryong River.
With a splash, the man shouted, "Captain! Please save me. I swim well…."
Doko Saeng yelled back, "If you can’t swim, die, you bastard."
I watched the man floundering in the river along with the Heukseonbo group.
The river looked deep.
I looked at the man who fell into the water with pity.
"Even fish need to eat to live. May you find peace. Those heartless bastards of Heukdo."
I didn’t want to save him because it was bothersome.
Doko Saeng asked his subordinates, "Is there anyone else who wants to talk?" In response to Doko Saeng’s words, I replied instead, "Would there be?" I sighed deeply while looking at the rippling Chiryong River.
"Ah, I should have charged in magnificently with Heukmyobang and ended it. Or, I could have gotten involved with Daenachal and aimed for Yangpaegusang. In the end, things have turned out this way. One cannot predict human affairs."
At that moment, Doko Saeng took out a small item, whether it was Manguchao or Hwanhakchao, from his bosom and skillfully lit it, taking a puff.
The white smoke that came from Doko Saeng drifted aimlessly over the waters of the Chiryong River.
After taking a few deep puffs and exhaling the smoke, Doko Saeng asked me, "So, Lee Jaha, are we going to spare you?"
Doko Saeng waited for my answer while taking another deep puff.
He threw a question that did not match his tone or actions, waiting for my response as if he had anticipated it from the moment we first met.
Doko Saeng spoke again, "I’m asking. Are we going to spare you?" I shook my head and looked at the rippling river.
I tried to erase the bad thoughts to calm the madness within me.
A person must take the first step themselves to change.
I thought to myself that I would not live like the madman of my previous life and replied, "I’ll spare one who survives. I promise. You all decide among yourselves."
It meant to kill each other.
Would this work? As soon as I finished speaking, everyone, including Doko Saeng, grabbed their swords to kill each other.
This is what Heukdo is like.