Episode 72: I hope you are the back wave.
The leader of Pungcheon looked at the place where the sacred object was placed. I looked again and again, and even when I closed my eyes and opened them, the place where the blood god and Geukpumcheonjamsa had been was empty.
“I don’t want to see it. “She was a perfect beauty, but her two front teeth were missing.”
At the sigh of the Pungcheon cult leader, the shackled man looked at the sound bell and spoke softly.
“It has fangs and molars. “You can bite your opponent, or you can grit your molars and make up your mind.”
“Do you get excited every time the new thing goes away?”
“How did you know? If you take off their shackles, they will dance.”
The leader of the Pungcheon Church sighed.
“I’m honestly scared.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid this will all end up being a vain dream. I’m afraid there will be nothing left when I wake up. You will have these regrets at that time, right? “What on earth was so captivating that I gave it all up?”
The leader of the Pungcheon Church looked at the shackled man. Then the shackled man raised his head, brushed up his flowing hair, and showed his face for the first time in a long time.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“It shows that you were captivated by this guy and gave everything.”
“Crazy guy.”
What the man said is correct. Now, I am not possessed by Lee Gongja. I was possessed by that shackled man. To that man who proudly says he has bewitched her and smiles and says he will destroy her.
“How do I make Cheongseon into a mazon?”
“We have to defeat the Mazons individually and bring them in. Conciliation, persuasion, and accommodation. At least two new items will be included. “If you’re unlucky, you might need one more.”
It seemed that the shackled man had already completed his calculations, but the expression on the face of the Pungcheon cult leader was deeply frowned.
“Is that how you say investing in a person with a skill? “You are a master of science until the end.”
“How long are you going to rely on Lee Gongja? Move and handle things yourself like a man. “I will tell you how to attack the Mazons.”
“I told you not to be sarcastic!”
“you’re right. “Just stay still and do nothing.”
“Is that what the military would say?”
As soon as the Pungcheon cult leader left his words, there was a clanging sound of chains.
In response to the silent protest, “Which soldier in the world wears shackles like this?”, the leader of the Pungcheon Church could not say anything.
“I’m telling you this because you think of me as a soldier. Just stay. “Sometimes you get the best results when you stay still.”
After a moment, the leader of Pungcheon asked.
“Is that really okay?”
“The master of science will come to visit.”
“And then?”
“They will demand a sacred object to place Cheongseon in the position of Majon.”
“Is it possible even for a natural engineer?”
“You have to believe it. “We have already crossed the bridge of no return.”
At that time, Cheongseon, who was training in the yard, reported the news.
“The Duke of Lee has come to visit.”
The leader of the Pungcheon Church was surprised and impressed at the same time. Since the shackled man was moving as expected, he had the illusion that he had the upper hand.
“He is not worthy of being a nobleman.”
“It’s because we always think about science and engineering and talk about science and engineering.”
“Stop talking! Stop taking sides! “Your master is me!”
“So who said you should be the front wave of the Yangtze River?”
At the words “front wave of the Yangtze River,” Pungcheon’s leader’s heart sank. The shackled man may have just said this without much meaning, but it felt like a big deal to the leader of the Pungcheon Church. Even though it wasn’t, these days I felt like I was being pushed by something and was going somewhere I didn’t want to go.
“Yes, I hope you like it because it is the back wave of the Yangtze River.”
When I decided to go to Jungwon, I never dreamed that I would have this conversation with the shackled man.
‘You really can’t predict what’s ahead in life.’
For the first time, the leader of Pungcheon felt the unfamiliar tension of unpredictable life. In other words, he lived a predictable and smooth life.
* * *
When I visited the Pungcheon religious leader, Cheongseon was also there.
She was in the middle of training in the yard when she recognized me and greeted me politely.
“See you, Gongja Lee.”
When the soul mazon was alive, the relationship was indifferent, like a chicken and a dog, but now the situation has changed. She needed outside helpers to support her, and she needed to impress me, the master of science and master of the nether regions.
“I heard that you have become a disciple of the leader of Pungcheon Church, Sojeo Cheong. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Gongja Lee.”
She won’t know. The reason why things turned out this way was because I leaked information to Saujong.
“I came to see you because I have news to tell you. Cheong Sojeo, please listen together.”
As we entered, the shackled man lifted his head slightly and our eyes met. Since last time, we have been greeting each other in our own way.
“What’s going on?”
“Mabul is moving.”
“Mabuli? how?”
“We are persuading the mazons to make Japanese imperialist Liang the next sub-honor mazon.”
“shit! “A friend adds something.”
“Now that Mabul is moving in earnest, I think it will be difficult for the cleaner here to become Mazon.”
Cheongseon bit her lip gently. She took a big risk to become a mazon. Even if she became a disciple of the Pungcheon Cult, if she did not become a Magon, she could end up having to follow the Pungcheon Cult and be driven out to a new world.
“Gongja Lee. Is there any way to get this child to sit in the Majon seat? As you know, I cannot move here in the Heavenly Demon Church.”
“There is a way, but it won’t be easy.”
“What method?”
“We also need to move Amazon. Fortunately, the two elders, Hyeolcheon Doma and Ilhwa Geomjon, are friendly to me. “If I ask you two, maybe…”
“Please help me.”
“Please help me, Gongja Lee.”
Cheongseon was as desperate as the Pungcheon religious leader.
“This is easier said than done.”
I acted harshly, not harshly.
“I don’t know what the Amazons who want to vote for me will ask for. Even if things go well, I will owe a big debt to the two elders, Doma and Geomzon.”
“Wouldn’t me and my student be helped? “I will never forget that ball.”
“Okay, let’s try.”
“Thank you. “Please wait a moment.”
The head of Pungcheon sent out Cheongseon to see if he had anything else to say to me.
“You go out and practice.”
“Yes, Master.”
Cheongseon greeted me and then went out. There was earnestness in her eyes towards me.
When she left, the leader of Pungcheon asked.
“What do you want this time? “I guess you’ll get sick of it this time too, right?”
“no.”
“No?”
The leader of Pungcheon was surprised.
“The only thing more important than a new object is my life?”
Although he said it as a joke, it was his sincere words. Words like a blessing to him flowed from my mouth.
“I don’t want anything this time.”
“No?”
“No, no.”
“Really?”
I nodded as if I was sure, and the expression on Pungcheon’s face brightened.
“When the results come out, I’ll treat you to a drink.”
“And alcohol?”
“You gave me two precious sacred items, right? “Win or lose, let’s have a drink.”
“where?”
“You should eat here. If the religious leader were to leave while the sacred object was stolen, everyone would think it was strange. “I will prepare drinks and food.”
Of course, that’s not the case. It was to drink in the presence of the shackled man.
“If possible, we will try to become a winning stock rather than a losing stock.”
After saying that, he stood up. The leader of Pungcheon was happy, but at the same time he looked embarrassed.
“Just in case you don’t know, teach your disciple well. “The cleaning agent may have to deal with the transfer of Japanese colonial rule.”
“I have that in mind too.”
“Okay then.”
As I was about to leave, I turned back to the leader of Pungcheon Church.
“I really have something to ask you.”
“Something?”
“I was trying to create a sky in a space created through space-time anomaly, but the texture did not flow smoothly. “Can I ask you to explain that one more time?”
The leader of Pungcheon was surprised. The shackled man sitting there was also startled. He rarely showed his emotions, but this time he had a reaction.
“In order to fill the space, we have to succeed in making it within half an hour?”
“We have already succeeded in making it within half an hour.”
“what?”
The leader of Pungcheon was astonished. He didn’t believe it when he said it would open in two hours. They said they would show it in person next time, but it was natural to be surprised that they had already reduced it to half a viewing.
“Show me. “Then I’ll tell you.”
“Are you going to wait for Ban Si-jin?”
“I’ll wait.”
“great.”
I immediately started practicing space-time transformation techniques while memorizing the nine words.
Half an hour later, we were in the space I had created. I intentionally took the shackled man there too.
The Pungcheon religious leader was surprised, and the shackled man was also surprised. The sky expanded, but there were holes here and there, making it a strange sky.
After looking around the place for a while, the Pungcheon religious leader asked me.
“Why did you have to start from heaven?”
“I like looking at the sky. When I watch it, I feel like my frustrated mind is lifted. “Then, please explain.”
“I promised, so I will teach you.”
The leader of Pungcheon gave a detailed explanation of the space-filling part of the space-time transformation technique.
In fact, I was able to create a perfect sky. But naturally, I pretended that I couldn’t make it properly so that I could show my skills in front of them.
After listening to the explanation from the leader of Pungcheon Church and after half an hour, I surprised them even more by opening up a new space with a bright blue sky.
It was not a move shown for the sake of the Pungcheon religious leader. It was to show the man in shackles what kind of talent I had.
Are you bragging? right. It’s intentional smugness.
In my last life, the greatest virtue of a leader that I felt was strength. No matter what anyone said, it was strength. A person strong enough to trust and entrust everything to me.
And I saw. The face of a shackled man looking up at the sky. His clear yet lonely eyes.
I still don’t know what kind of person he is. But one thing was certain.
Although they call him a shackled man, he was a man with an appearance and aura that did not suit shackles at all.
* * *
After Geommugeuk left, the leader of Pungcheon and the shackled man were silent for a while.
The first person to speak was the leader of Pungcheon Church.
“I saw a martial arts genius today.”
“It must be heaven and earth.”
“Cheonmujiche? “Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to learn the space-time transformation technique so quickly.”
“Is this still a waste?”
“what? The one that gave you space-time anomaly? Of course it’s a waste. “Isn’t this regret unrelated to the other person’s ability?”
“I might become a legend with the martial arts taught by the sect leader.”
“I always say this, but what good is that legend if I’m not the one?”
“Our religious leader is a man who never gives up.”
“You’re being sarcastic again.”
“no. “I think it’s good to be honest.”
“Because it’s you! I’m being honest because it’s in front of you. “If I go somewhere else, I won’t be this soft person.”
Although he often revealed his true feelings, the shackled man never once revealed his true feelings. The leader of Pungcheon knew the reason better than anyone else. Unless you release those shackles, you will never know his true feelings.
But that doesn’t mean there will ever be a time when those shackles will be released.
‘No one will steal you away.’
The shackled man, whether aware of such feelings or not, just stared at the evil spirits engraved on the sound bell.
“Is the demon talking to you again?”
“Ask me again why I live like that.”
“Tell everyone that they live like that. “You evil bastard, everyone lives like that. Why are you asking such a great thing?”
But the leader of the Pungcheon Church did not know. At this moment, the man is telling the demon something completely different.
He was talking about a person who told him to please stop taking sides and stop talking. The demon, whose mouth looked as heavy as a tonic bell, was just listening to him in silence.