The Reason Why the Hero is Strong
"There’s no pain, yet you keep coming to trouble me, Teacher."
Oddly enough, every time I saw Moyong Baek, it felt like a long-awaited reunion.
I couldn’t quite understand why that was the case.
Moyong Baek, observing my expression, spoke, "You can come anytime. Have you been waiting long?" I had actually been waiting for half a shichen, but I answered vaguely, "About a quarter of an hour."
As if following a set routine, Moyong Baek took my pulse and continued, "By the way, Lord Munju, you seem to be getting stronger every time I see you."
It was a compliment that was hard to come by, so I smiled.
"I’m trying to live that way."
Moyong withdrew his hand and said, "There are no special issues. Just like before, I’m more curious about your heart than your body."
Moyong Baek gazed at my expression and eyes intently.
I began to speak about the recent events concerning the flames.
"When I see the flames surrounding me during a fight, I feel like I momentarily lose my senses. I almost got burned to death."
Moyong Baek replied with a faint smile, "Why is that? I’m not a fortune teller. You probably know some of the reasons yourself."
I rambled on while trying to find the cause.
"I had an inn in my name, but it was completely burned down. A feeling of despair? I didn’t realize it at the time, but when my home disappeared, I think I didn’t expect a smooth life."
"Why is that?"
"Because I knew my character even before it burned down."
Moyong Baek calmly responded, "Does that character hinder your martial arts training?"
"Not really."
After pondering, Moyong Baek asked me, "How do you feel when you meet someone much stronger than you? I wonder if you’ve experienced that."
I understood well what Moyong Baek was asking.
"Meeting a strong opponent makes me feel like I’m going crazy."
"Why is that?" I looked at Moyong Baek with a serious expression.
"You have to go crazy to win. If you’re weaker than your opponent, you can only endure through madness to win."
"You mentioned enduring; could you explain that part further?"
"Everyone feels pain during a fight. To win, you must endure that pain, and there are moments when you feel like you’ve crossed a line. You should faint, but you don’t; you should collapse, but you don’t. Somewhere nearby, madness is waiting to spring out."
"Aren’t you afraid? Of defeat or death?"
"I’m not afraid of defeat. I’ve lost many times since I was young. Thanks to that, I’ve continued to grow stronger."
"And death?" I recalled the time I was trapped in the Celestial Net.
I also remembered being ruthlessly beaten by Gwangseung.
Even amidst countless defeats and failures, I had no fear of death.
Perhaps since the moment my inn, Jahak, burned down, I had already resigned myself to death.
"I don’t think about it when I fight."
Moyong Baek replied with a troubled expression.
"Then, staring at the flames and occasionally losing your senses seems to be more about your awareness or contemplation of madness rather than fear."
"Awareness?"
"To defeat the strong in this world, it means that with your mindset, you can only win by going mad, doesn’t it?"
"That’s right."
"If you regret the mindset you had while looking at the flames, then it’s understandable to lose your senses. Is it the right choice to live like a madman, prepared for death? Or should you have a different mindset? Perhaps the question of life that you hold arises every time you gaze at the flames?"
"What if you decide that?"
"Do you think the decision would be easy? I don’t know how strong you intend to become."
"I am the strongest in the world."
Suddenly, Moyong Baek tapped the table.
"When will that dream be realized?"
"I don’t know."
"That’s right. You know well. If that is something that will happen in ten years, then it would be better to do nothing and spend nine years in seclusion, cultivating your inner strength. Is that true?"
"I have no intention of doing that."
"Why not?"
"Isn’t that too empty? I want to drink, sing, dance, and fight with others. There’s so much to do."
"Then you have no choice but to live each day diligently. Someone will eventually become the strongest in the world. That’s if they survive. Everyone has a cunning side to their heart. To correct myself, your dream may not be to become the strongest in the world."
"Then?"
"Drinking, singing, dancing, and then becoming the strongest in the world would be a dream more suited to your heart."
I found Moyong Baek’s words amusing and laughed out loud.
"Ah, is that how it is?" I quietly reflected on my heart and replied, "I feel like something has been half-resolved."
Moyong Baek said, "This is just a personal thought. What if we induce that madness to appear only when you meet a strong opponent? It wouldn’t be bad to practice calming your mind in everyday life. Separate your mindset from when you fight."
Moyong Baek seemed to know a lot about my psychological state, which I had only known for a short time.
Perhaps it was because Moyong Baek had also been completely mad during his time as the Poison Demon.
If there were a deity, and if I were to draw Moyong Baek’s heart, somewhere in the corner, the character for madness would be curled up.
I asked Moyong Baek, "Have you ever felt like you were going crazy?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" Moyong Baek replied with a troubled expression.
"Seeing someone I saved change their attitude when they recover often turns my stomach. Every time that happens, I feel sick and have to lie down for days."
I nodded.
"I understand."
Moyong Baek understood me, and I understood the Poison Demon Moyong Baek.
It was clear that this man had gone mad because of that.
After we shared our vulnerabilities, we both laughed together.
"Moyong Teacher, I have a question. At first glance, it may seem like a light question, but I ask it with a serious heart."
"Yes, I will think carefully and answer."
"What do you think of heroes?" We had never discussed heroes even during our times as the Mad Demon and Poison Demon.
Therefore, what Moyong Baek said from now on would be a fresh opinion for me.
Moyong Baek pondered for a moment before replying, "A hero is a fool, isn’t he?"
"A fool?"
"If someone who cannot take care of their own share is a fool, then broadly speaking, a hero can also be considered a fool."
"Please continue."
"Usually, a hero is someone who stakes their life on what is right, but there is nothing more precious than one’s own life in this world. They throw away the most valuable thing to set a purpose, so they can be called the greatest fool among fools."
"Then what about strength?" It was a foolish question, but Moyong Baek answered wisely.
"If we consider it not in terms of martial arts but as a person, is there anyone stronger than that? Heroes are rare, both in the past and present. While those who catch criminals are also great people, true heroes are not strong in martial arts but strong as individuals."
To think that this was the Poison Demon’s opinion on heroes was impressive.
"A senior I know said that heroes are stronger than any master, but I don’t understand this."
"If you’re not talking about individual fighting skills but rather about a person’s influence, then of course, heroes are stronger than masters in the martial world. Are you suspecting that this is some kind of martial arts training methodology?"
"That’s all I can think of."
Moyong Baek unexpectedly said, "Why not try it yourself?"
"Try what?"
"Being a hero. It doesn’t have to be something that risks your life, but anyone with strength can do something worthy of being called a hero. Moreover, you are the strongest person I know, so there’s no reason you can’t."
I laughed self-deprecatingly and replied, "Me, a hero?"
"How could past heroes have become heroes after considering their circumstances, status, background, or wealth? They must have been heroes because they didn’t consider anything."
"Could you also become a hero?"
"I have already chosen the path of a physician. In that sense, many famous sect investigators in the martial world were often called heroes in their youth. Isn’t that right? In biographies or chronicles, they were often called heroes in their youth, then retreated to the mountains in old age, nurturing successors to become sect investigators later. It’s a story I’ve heard many times. Saying this makes the idea of heroes being strong feel different."
I nodded, feeling a sense of relief.
Moyong Baek, watching my expression, asked curiously, "Have you decided?"
"I have decided."
"I’m curious, so please tell me."
I crossed my arms and said, "I don’t plan to become a hero. It’s not something that suits my nature."
Moyong Baek chuckled as if he hadn’t expected that answer.
I expressed my intention to Moyong Baek.
"However, if I find someone with a righteous purpose and a straight heart, I will support them. I can teach martial arts and provide material support as well."
Since I was steadily collecting money through the black market, it was entirely possible.
"If I support them in both material and spiritual ways, then perhaps my curiosity will be satisfied in the future."
"Will you not do it yourself?"
I smiled slyly.
"I’m a much worse person than you think, so I’m suited for the role of a villain. There are still too many people I want to beat up. I need to take care of those monstrous big bosses in advance so that my foolish disciples don’t get killed by someone else. Then it will be a bit easier for my foolish disciples to do the work of heroes."
Moyong Baek burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
I laughed along with him.
Moyong Baek took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "I feel a bit relieved too. Then I will support you and your future disciples in my own way. In doing so, I will also contribute, even if just a little, to bringing a foolish hero into this harsh world."
"Will you do that?"
"I will gladly do it."
I looked into Moyong Baek’s eyes and nodded.
"Let’s do it. I will always look for righteous people. To raise a strong hero, I must first become strong myself, so I will prepare day by day with martial arts, while you prepare with medicine. Let’s create the strongest fool in the world."
Moyong Baek replied with a smile, "Lord Munju, not a fool, but a hero."
"Thinking about it, it would be difficult for a clever person who considers everything to become a hero."
"Fools and heroes are indeed connected in that way."
Moyong Baek cautiously asked, "Now, what about the flames you mentioned? Are they still burning precariously in your heart?"
"They are burning, but not precariously. They will drive my enemies mad."
I stood up to return to the Black Cat Hall.
"Teacher, is there perhaps a shortage of hands among the female physicians?"
"The skills of the female physicians vary greatly, so there are times when it’s lacking in a different sense."
"There are women in the Black Cat Hall called Heukbaek Soso, and they only learned to charm men, so they have no special actions, yet my subordinates are enchanted without doing anything. If you would teach them about being female physicians, I could arrange an interview. They’ve also learned enough martial arts to serve as guards."
Moyong Baek replied honestly, "If they do well, I will keep them. If I can’t manage, I will send them to the Black Cat Hall. If Lord Munju takes them back later, I will meet them."
"Let’s do that."
"Take care, Lord Munju."
After exchanging farewell words, I left Moyong Baek and headed towards the Black Cat Hall.
As I returned from my walk, the conversation I had with the Poison Demon Moyong Baek gradually faded, replaced by memories of the current Moyong Baek.
What is this feeling? As the memories faded, new ones were piling up.
The curiosity I had about the theory of heroes written in the books of the established figures was resolved in my own way.
I just need to make heroes stronger.
A man who will make his disciple the strongest hero in the martial world, that is me, Lord Munju...
Me.