How could I dare not to follow? (2)
Chung Myung silently watched Hyeon Pung Shin Gae shed tears.
It might sound strange, but seeing him so full of emotion brought Chung Myung a peculiar sense of solace.
The comfort of knowing that what he had done in those days had not been in vain.
“…Thank you.”
These words carried many meanings and emotions. Even Hyeon Pung Shin Gae, who heard them, couldn’t fully grasp their depth.
“…Please, don’t say that, Geomjon.”
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae shook his head with all his strength.
“How can you say such a thing? This is the loyalty I should have given to you long ago. The courage I should have mustered much earlier. Now, after all this time… I’m finally able to repay even a bit of that dreadful debt…”
Unable to finish his sentence, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae bit his lip hard. He struggled to suppress the surging emotions.
After a while, he managed to compose himself and looked at Chung Myung with a face full of remorse.
“However, I’ve neglected the Beggars Sect for too long. It won’t be easy. I’m ashamed to say, I will need Geomjon’s help…”
Chung Myung interrupted firmly.
“It doesn’t matter. Just point me in the right direction. Opening the path is my responsibility.”
A small smile appeared on Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s lips.
“Indeed. Geomjon has always been like that.”
As if recalling a distant memory, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s eyes slowly darkened.
“…There are many things I want to ask, and many things I want to tell you… Cough!”
A dry cough erupted from his wrinkled lips.
“Hah…”
He lightly grasped his chest with his withered hand and smiled.
“As you can see… I don’t have much time left.”
“…Hyeon Pung Gae.”
When Chung Myung tried to say something, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae shook his head.
“Don’t look at me with such pity. You didn’t shorten my life. On the contrary, you have given me one last opportunity.”
With a gentle smile, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae turned his gaze. His eyes fell on the stairs leading downward.
“And… I have a favor to ask as well.”
“A favor?”
Chung Myung’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Hm?”
Luju, who had been focused on what was happening above, suddenly frowned. Faint noise leaked from the perfectly sealed upper floor. This meant the barrier between the lower and upper floors had been lifted.
Sure enough, faint but distinct voices followed.
“…Come up.”
“Yes!”
Immediately responding, Luju turned to Baek Cheon and his companions.
“We need to go back up.”
“Yes.”
Everyone who heard the sound nodded in agreement.
Led by Luju, they ascended to the upper floor. There, they saw Hyeon Pung Shin Gae lying on a dimly lit bed in the dark chamber, with Chung Myung standing beside him.
Although their positions hadn’t changed since they left, the atmosphere felt somewhat different.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“Master! Are you alright?”
As Hyeon Pung Shin Gae began to cough violently, Luju rushed over. His expression instantly hardened. The situation didn’t look good.
“You need to rest. You’ve been awake for too long.”
“…I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Let’s talk about it later. For now, you need to…”
“Gwaa-ya [과아(果兒) – it’s Luju’s name].”
“…”
“It’s enough now.”
Luju bit his lip tightly.
“I… I’ve done something truly unforgivable to you.”
“No, Master. How can you say such things? It’s only natural for a disciple to follow the will of their Master.”
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae weakly shook his head towards Luju, who earnestly denied the accusation.
“I already knew. But I turned a blind eye. Everything I’ve done ultimately came at the cost of your sacrifice.”
“…”
“Follow their wishes. Then, you can do as you please.”
“Master…”
“Can you do it?”
Luju, who had been silent with tightly pressed lips, finally nodded.
“I will follow your orders.”
“It’s not an order, but a request. Can you grant it?”
Upon hearing this, Luju tightly shut his mouth.
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae waited patiently without urging him further. After a while of Luju looking at him, he finally spoke.
“I… will do it.”
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae reached out his trembling hand to hold Luju’s hand. Luju, in turn, silently grasped his wrinkled hand.
Even in this simple gesture, it was evident how much they cared for and thought of each other.
While holding Luju’s hand, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae looked at Chung Myung and Five Swords behind him.
“It won’t be easy, but with their help, we can do it.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And… I believe. Even if it seems to have cooled down, there’s still the fiery blood flowing within you.”
At those words, Luju flinched slightly.
“…Gwaa-ya.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I finally understand now too. As long as we’re alive, there’s a chance to undo anything.”
“…”
“Perhaps I was the one who couldn’t trust you. How foolish I’ve been…”
“Please, don’t say such things. Master, you’ve done the best you could.”
It was a firm voice. A faint smile appeared on Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s lips.
Sometimes, warmth conveyed through fingertips can speak more than a hundred words.
Having walked the same path of fate, there was no need for further lengthy words. They understood each other deeply.
“Geom… Hyeop.”
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae spoke while looking at Chung Myung.
“He is capable person… He will help.”
Chung Myung nodded quietly in response.
“But Geomhyeop. As you know… the path you must walk is incredibly arduous and painful. It may seem like an endless thorny road.”
It was a concerned remark. Chung Myung responded bluntly.
“Well, what can you do? That’s just the way it is. You can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
“…”
“And there’s no such thing as an eternal thorny path. Every path eventually comes to an end. I’m just heading towards that end.”
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s eyes softened gently. Perhaps what he lacked was that very courage. He was the type to hesitate and sit back in fear of the thorny path ahead. If he had the courage to push through that path, both his life and the world would be very different now.
“…That’s right.”
In the past and even now, Chung Myung remained that kind of person. Despite knowing how difficult and challenging it would be, he didn’t hesitate to walk that path.
‘No, perhaps it’s not that he didn’t hesitate.’
Hesitating and hesitating again, yet ultimately walking that path – that’s who Chung Myung is. That’s why in the past, countless people followed in his footsteps, and even now, many look up to him.
“I believe in you, Gyeomhyeop.”
Chung Myung nodded.
At that moment, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae turned his gaze towards the ceiling, as if looking at the sky beyond.
“It has been a long journey, far too long… Finally, I have found the courage to ask them for forgiveness.”
“…Shin Gae.”
“Gwaa-ya, open the window.”
“Yes, Master.”
Luju quickly ran and opened the small window. It creaked loudly, as if it hadn’t been opened in a long time.
The night air rushed in through the wide-open window. It swirled around the stuffy air in the room, feeling cold to some and refreshing to others.
“The air feels a bit cold, Master…”
Luju froze as he turned his head.
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae, lying on the bed, had his eyes closed. It was a peaceful expression, one that Luju had never seen before.
He clenched his teeth.
Crying wasn’t right.
Hyeon Pung Shin Gae had finally freed himself from the pain that had bound him for so long. So perhaps it was better to burst into laughter instead.
But he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
Luju, with trembling steps, approached the bed and gently took Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s cooling hand.
No one could know.
No one could understand just how much burden this old man had carried and endured until now.
“…Master’s request, I will fulfill it without fail. So, please…”
Rest in peace.
The words he couldn’t bring himself to say remained buried in his heart. Luju tightly held Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s hand for the last time and then gently released it. Turning to Chung Myung and the others, he said.
“Can we have a moment… for farewell?”
“Leave him there.”
“…What?”
Turning back, Chung Myung was quietly looking at Hyeon Pung Shin Gae, who had fallen into eternal sleep.
“Those who die in battle are buried where they fall.”
“…Yes.”
“That was the principle of those days.”
Luju’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“The war may be over, but for him, it was still a battlefield. He kept fighting until the end. He’s not just a relic of the past. He’s a warrior who continued the fight that everyone else had laid down until the very end.”
“…Hwasan Geomhyeop.”
“So leave him there. He’d want it that way.”
Luju bit his lips so hard they turned pale. If he didn’t, tears would have poured out soon.
No one in the world could say such words to Hyeon Pung Shin Gae, nor could they do so except for one person.
“So… I’ll do that.”
To a difficult response, Chung Myung nodded quietly.
Through the window in one corner, a cold breeze continued to blow in. It may seem insignificant to communicate with the world, but the fact that the window that had been closed for so long was open at this moment was important.
All according to the will of Hyeon Pung Shin Gae.
“Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon chanted briefly and began to recite. The disciples of Hwasan also chanted Taoist scriptures and paid their respects to Hyeon Pung Shin Gae as they departed.
No one knew everything he had done. Yet, there was no need to know. His sheer determination, holding strong until this moment in the dim chamber, warranted respect.
“Let’s go down.”
“Alright.”
Baek Cheon bowed respectfully, turned away from Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s body and left.
One by one.
Eventually, Chung Myung and Luju also glanced at Hyeon Pung Shin Gae for the last time and left the chamber.
“…I will close it.”
Luju muttered.
Creak.
As Luju moved the mechanism, the staircase descending below slowly moved up, and the door leading to the ceiling closed firmly.
Kwung.
Chung Myung silently looked at the closed door. Now, that door would never open again.
It may be a rather small and shabby tomb for someone who continued his fight alone even in the dark times.
Yet, Chung Myung believed it was the most fitting resting place for Hyeon Pung Shin Gae.
‘Watch from there.’
Chung Myung would prove that nothing he did was in vain. And everything he accomplished would be carried by the wind, reaching the small and quiet chamber.
As a sanctuary for one who, even in fading light, held a single fiery drop of blood that would never cool down, even if it fades and dries.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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