NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
#546
Taejonbirok Volume 22, Chapter 21
Chapter 122: The Lazy Man Arrives (1)
“…….”
“…….”
Saga stared at Gwanggu Shingae without saying a word. Gwanggu Shingae, in turn, stared back at Saga without saying a word.
“Hey, aren’t their personalities a bit strange?”
"what?"
“The personality of those I know and the personality you are talking about now seem a little different, don’t you think?”
“It’s all fake.”
"yes?"
The Gwanggu Shingae chuckled.
"There's no way those kids could have good personalities. If they spent three days with Wei Yanhu, even Buddha would turn his back on them. There's no way those guys who spent that long with Wei Yanhu could maintain normal personalities. Those kids are all broken."
“…….”
At that moment, a word echoed in Saga's head.
“Fuck.”
Shit, shit… … .
These are the words left by Master Musan of Shaolin, who is known as the living Buddha and a close friend of the Gwanghwimujon who saved the world, as he ran away from him and left the room.
This shit came out of the mouth of the living Buddha… … .
If I hadn't had that experience, I would have denied Jang Il's words now, but since Saga experienced it firsthand, I would say it has credibility.
“Is your personality…bad?”
"Very bad. Actually, even saying "bad" is a bit odd. That's what bad means. Even children can do bad things, and even good people who've never sinned can sometimes have bad thoughts. Right?"
“Yeah, that’s right.”
"So, to say they have a bad personality doesn't really fit them. It's like saying they have a broken personality, or a hellish personality, or a personality that's not of this world… That's what it's like."
“That’s about it…….”
The Gwanggu Shingae chuckled.
“You, do you know what that proletarian jerk was called during the war?”
"well?"
“It’s a bloody arhat, a bloody arhat.”
“…….”
“How filthy is the world… That bloodthirsty bastard, that bastard who was said to be more ruthless than the asuras of hell, has been packaged as time passes, and what? A living Buddha? A living Buddha?”
“…….”
A look of irritation appeared on Gwanggu Shingae's face.
"Did all the living Buddhas freeze to death? Living Buddhas? Yes, in a sense, they are living Buddhas. What is a Buddha? Isn't he a being that leads people to paradise?"
“……It’s a little different.”
"In any case, it's Buddha who leads us to paradise. Whether you preach the Dharma and send us to paradise or smash our heads to send us there, isn't it all the same? In that sense, he's a Buddha. More than a few people have gone to paradise under his guidance."
Saga was speechless.
“Then, what about Peng Daehyeop?”
This is Peng Do-geuk, known as the greatest swordsman in the world. Is it true that even he is just a bundle of hypocrisy?
“Oh, that kid is a little different.”
"also!"
Saga sighed, his chest swept with relief. It was shocking enough that the living Buddha was a blood arhat, but if even Peng Do-geuk, known as the greatest warrior in the world, had shown a different true nature, he would have been incapable of resolving this disappointment.
"He was so kind-hearted, and even in the midst of that arduous war, he never lost sight of his cause. It's something to be commended. Even that noble great swordsman acknowledged that bastard's determination."
It's a little weird.
But why is Wi Jeong-han a great swordsman and Peng Do-geuk that bastard?
There was an inexplicable ill feeling in the tone of his voice, to the point where it seemed like he was saying that simply because he was a friend.
As expected, Gwanggu Shingae continued speaking with a snicker.
“When I didn’t hold the knife.”
"……yes?"
“What should I say, this is really strange… Wi Yeon-ho always said it like a habit. Whether it’s cooperation or collaboration, if you don’t have strength, you’re worse than dog shit.”
“…….”
"Perhaps even Peng Do-geuk was keenly aware of this fact. He wanted to push through the agreement, but Wi Yeon-ho was actually conducting the negotiations. The fact that a powerful man who dismisses negotiations as a passing dog can achieve more cooperation than someone who is willing to negotiate seems to have been a difficult reality for him to accept."
“……Well, I guess so.”
Good intentions don't do everything. It's power that transforms good intentions into action, whether it be force, authority, or violence.
"That obsession with power developed in a strange way. There was someone next to him who could be considered a symbol of power."
“Are you talking about the Gwanghwimujon?”
“That’s right. Wi Yeon-ho, that guy is usually a fool, an idiot, and an incredibly annoying guy, but the moment he picks up a sword, he becomes an incredibly creepy guy.”
Saga nodded. This was something Jang Il had already explained.
“I think so.”
"That must have really impressed him. But that's where it should stop. Those guys who are inherently lacking in something don't know where to stop. They'd just say something more to get in the mood, and then ruin the mood. Huh?"
“…….”
"It was too much. Later on, the personalities of the one with the sword and the one without were so different that I thought he had a split personality. He was a kind and appropriately kind guy when he didn't wield a sword, but when he did, he ran wild like some kind of executioner… Ugh, it gave me goosebumps."
What should I say?
Saga was speechless. Seeing the bare faces of these heroes of the Great Battle of Jeongma left him with nothing but a sense of emptiness.
"Well, that doesn't mean their accomplishments disappear. They deserve respect and deserve to be treated well. But what the… This is so disgusting. What? A living Buddha? A knight? Hehe!"
Gwanggu Shingae laughed loudly and muttered.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Damn it, I’m still a beggar… an old beggar, a fast beggar, a hero beggar… If I were to be reborn, I wouldn’t even pee on a beggar’s side.”
“…….”
I thought I knew why Gwanggu Shingae was so angry.
“Anyway.”
Perhaps thinking that he had gone too far, Gwanggu Shingae coughed loudly.
“What happened to the Demonic Cult at that time….”
“……Isn’t the atmosphere too off?”
“But that doesn’t mean we can just rest and talk.”
“That’s true, but.”
Saga whetted his appetite.
Let's forget. Let's forget what we just heard.
“Where have the bishops gone?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“…….”
"Why are you asking if you already know? I went to the Central Plains. You probably know that too. I had a blast."
“Then, at that time…….”
“That’s right.”
The squirrel scratched his chin. Thinking back to that moment made my whole body itch. Like a wound that hadn't healed even after so many years.
“It was complacent.”
“I was caught off guard.”
"We'd been at war for so long, we knew each other so well. That actually became poison. The new investigator must have thought he now understood the entirety of the Demonic Cult. He knew the enemy, he knew himself, and he believed he could never be defeated. But… the truth was, he knew nothing."
Saga nodded in agreement.
“It’s not his fault.”
"That's right. Unless you possess clairvoyance, how could you possibly know everything that's happening in the world? Even in that remote land of Xinjiang, how could you possibly know what was happening in the most secretive places? Above all…"
Gwanggu Shingae sighed as if he felt sorry.
"His absence from the previous war caused confusion. If there had been someone as capable as him, there would have been no reason to endure it until now. Even without him, if there had been just one more person as worthy as the Great Demon Emperor, the war would have ended in victory for the Demonic Cult. Why waste energy on a war we could have won? Anyone would have naturally thought so."
“But it wasn’t.”
"Yeah, that wasn't it. We didn't know. What kind of being he was, why he took so long, and…"
Gwanggu Shingae looked up at the ceiling. After staring at the crumbling ceiling of the shack for a long time, Gwanggu Shingae spoke in a slightly melancholic voice.
“Why did the Great Emperor of Hemp take such extreme action?”
“…….”
“I should have known.”
The voice of the Gwanggu Shingae grew darker and darker.
"That was the greatest failure of the Shinki Investigation Elder… no, the Central Plains. In the past war, we were saved thanks to the Great Demon Emperor's antics. But we never considered why it happened. We simply attributed the Great Demon Emperor's death to the Central Plains' achievements and were preoccupied with resolving the situation. Thinking back now… it was such a foolish thing to do."
Saga couldn't help but ask.
“Why is that?”
“Because we are human.”
Gwanggu Shingae's answer was simple.
"Even the Shinki Investigation Unit is human. It must have been something they didn't want to think about. The fatigue of a long war, the relief of having survived a war they were sure to lose… When all of that comes together, a person becomes unwilling to think about another crisis. So, for a moment, they want a little relief. And by the time they've fully enjoyed that relief, the reason has become impossible to figure out. Of course, even if they had launched an investigation right then, what difference would it have made? It was that secretive."
“I don’t know. I still don’t know why the Great Hemp did that.”
"hmm……."
“What is the reason?”
“Should I call it freedom, survival, or longing?”
It was like chasing after a cloud. Saga waited quietly for Gwanggu Shingae to speak further. Just by looking at his slightly trembling face and his trembling legs, he could tell just how much was on his mind.
"All of those reasons. And not all of those reasons. If I want to put it simply, there's only one reason. I wanted to live."
“…….”
"I, too, only later realized why the Great Demon Emperor had acted so absurdly. Anyone in that situation would have made the same choice."
“Hmm…….”
Saga couldn't understand everything Gwanggu Shin-gae was saying, but he could tell that something of great misfortune had happened.
“I guess it’s unfortunate.”
“Do you know what true misfortune is?”
"……yes?"
"The misfortune wasn't over yet. It was approaching as an even greater misfortune."
“…….”
"We should have been more calm. We missed so much. Everything around us was already pointing to one thing. The Demonic Cult, which didn't bother to pursue us, and the empty cave, and that sword… and…."
Gwanggu Shingae kept his mouth shut.
The sight of the blind man with his eyes closed, I felt an indescribable surge of emotion.
"I should have known a little… a little sooner. But I didn't. That was unfortunate."
Gwanggu Shingae brought the flask in his hand to his lips. After taking a sip of the strong liquor, he wiped his mouth and spoke.
"The price for not knowing what we needed to know and failing to prevent what we needed to prevent was enormous. But it wasn't Wei Yanho's fault. It wasn't our fault either. The situation we faced was too dire for us to think calmly and respond. And besides…"
The voice of the Gwanggu Shingae trembled slightly.
“Could it have been stopped?”
“…….”
“I knew… I knew, but could I have stopped it? I don’t know. I don’t know.”
The hut began to be enveloped in heavy air.