Chapter 247: Bestowing Generosity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: Bestowing Generosity
"Haha... Hahaha..."
Un-jeok-ja, staring blankly at Sun-woo, let out a dry laugh.
It was a situation where laughter was the only possible reaction.
He had cast aside all the Taoist cultivation he had achieved throughout his life, driven by the single-minded desire for destruction, just to form that Sword Ring.
All of it was for the sole purpose of defeating Sun-woo.
And yet, his Sword Ring had simply shattered.
So easily, at that.
How could he express this with anything other than laughter?
A profound sense of futility began to flood his heart.
"May I... ask one thing?"
Having finally stopped laughing, Un-jeok-ja spoke to Sun-woo in a somber voice.
"By all means," Sun-woo replied with a nod.
"How did my Sword Ring break? Surely, the size of my ring was larger..."
Un-jeok-ja shook his head slightly, looking utterly perplexed.
"It is simply the difference in the power of the Astral Qi," Sun-woo replied calmly, meeting his gaze.
"That cannot be! The volume of my Astral Qi was clearly greater!" Un-jeok-ja flared up, his voice rising.
"Size isn't everything. The power of a Sword Ring depends on how much you compress the Astral Qi. Just because it's large doesn't mean it has substance."
Sun-woo continued his explanation, his expression remaining composed as he looked at the elder.
"Ah..."
Upon hearing those words, Un-jeok-ja let out a groan of realization.
He understood Sun-woo's point instantly.
His own Sword Ring had been nothing more than an empty shell, inflated in size. In contrast, the Sword Ring Sun-woo had manifested was compressed so densely that it was packed to the brim.
"Haha... Ha... Ha... Ha..."
As the truth sank in, Un-jeok-ja began to laugh hollowly.
He had thought that if he pushed himself just a little more, if he tried just a little harder, he could reach that level. But he hadn't even come close.
Sun-woo stood at a realm so high it was beyond his reach.
He felt the defeat and inferiority that had been strangling his heart slowly dissipate.
After all, one must be at least somewhat close in level to feel such things. Sun-woo had reached a height so far above him that those emotions couldn't even take root.
He was simply an outlier.
Just like the Sword Emperor Yang Tae-san or the Absolute Martial God Lee Jae-won.
Futility and remorse began to cloud Un-jeok-ja's eyes.
As the Heart Demon vanished, he suddenly realized the gravity of what he had just done.
Driven by jealousy, he had tried to kill Sun-woo—a fellow member of the Alliance and a comrade in the search party.
As a senior of the Murim and a renowned master of a prestigious sect, his behavior had been nothing short of hideous.
Shame and disgrace began to well up within him.
It was the worst.
He had acted out of stubbornness just to restore Qingcheng's honor, and in the end, consumed by ugly inferiority, he had genuinely intended to murder Sun-woo.
How could this be anything but pathetic?
Unwilling to admit he had been surpassed in martial arts, he had walked the Wicked Way, if only for a moment.
His entire body flushed red with shame.
He felt a frantic sense of regret for every choice he had made.
Un-jeok-ja looked up at Sun-woo.
Thud.
He immediately dropped to his knees.
"What?!"
"Sasuk!"
"Why are you kneeling?!"
"Sasuk, what on earth are you doing?!"
The Qingcheng disciples' eyes widened at his sudden action.
What was the meaning of this?
Unlike them, who were merely third-generation disciples, Un-jeok-ja was the pride and symbol of the Qingcheng Sect. For such a figure to kneel before a mere Rising Star...
It was a shocking sight.
But the shock didn't end there.
Thump!
Un-jeok-ja slammed his forehead against the ground.
Not just the Qingcheng disciples, but everyone present was struck speechless.
What was happening?
Wasn't this the same Un-jeok-ja who had drawn his sword and charged at Seol-hyang just because his disciples had been forced to kowtow?
How could a man who valued his sect's honor so fiercely prostrate himself before Sun-woo?
Thump!
It wasn't over.
Thump!
He repeatedly lifted his head and slammed it back down.
He struck the ground with such force that his neatly tied hair became a disheveled mess, and the skin on his forehead tore, sending blood streaming down his face.
Yet, he did not stop.
He felt that if he didn't do at least this much, he would never be forgiven.
"I will not ask for your forgiveness. I know all too well that the sin I have committed is too great to be resolved by such a word."
Un-jeok-ja continued to speak even as he kept striking his head against the earth.
"I have every desire to cut off my own arm and offer it to you this instant. But if I do that, I will not be able to properly fulfill my duties for this search mission!"
Un-jeok-ja began to shout at Sun-woo in a desperate tone.
"So, I beg of you. Once our mission as a search party is complete, I will cut off my own arm. No, I will give you my life if you demand it. So please, I beg you to defer my punishment until then!"
Un-jeok-ja pleaded with Sun-woo.
His request wasn't for mercy, but for a delay. A plea to postpone his punishment until they searched the North Sea and found the missing disciples.
Sun-woo watched Un-jeok-ja intently.
He had intended to let the matter slide while keeping the man in his debt, but Un-jeok-ja clearly had no intention of letting himself off easy.
He didn't make excuses. He didn't claim he was merely possessed by a Heart Demon or that he wasn't in his right mind.
He wanted to be judged.
As a renowned master and a senior of the Murim, he wanted to be held accountable for violating the taboos of their world.
Sun-woo fell into thought.
He had planned to use Scorching Poison to break the man if he hadn't come to his senses after being defeated. He had intended to humiliate him in front of his disciples until he soiled himself.
But seeing him admit his faults like this, slamming his head into the filthy dirt, Sun-woo wasn't quite sure how to proceed.
The man's attitude was sincere.
Sun-woo knew well how much pride this man possessed. And yet, here he was, kneeling and begging. Not for forgiveness, but for a delay in his sentence.
He really is a stubborn, inflexible man, Sun-woo thought.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Suddenly, a series of distinct sounds reached Sun-woo's ears simultaneously.
Startled, Sun-woo quickly turned around.
There, he saw the Qingcheng disciples kneeling and slamming their heads into the dirty ground.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
They struck the earth relentlessly.
"Hero! Please, forgive our Sasuk! We beg of you!"
The Qingcheng disciples cried out at the top of their lungs, pleading for Sun-woo's mercy.
They knew.
They knew their Sasuk, Un-jeok-ja, had stepped forward to restore their honor.
They knew he didn't want them to live with a burden on their hearts for the rest of their lives.
They knew he had been willing to endure the disgrace of taking all the blame and condemnation upon himself.
That was why they could kneel. That was why they could strike their heads against the ground.
To save their one and only Sasuk.
They wept bitterly as they begged and begged again. To save the life of a man who had lived his entire life solely for the sake of Qingcheng.
"Stop it! I said stop!"
Un-jeok-ja shouted even as he continued to strike his head.
He screamed for them not to endure the shame of kneeling and prostrating for someone like him. He begged them to stop.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
But despite his cries, the ground only shook harder, and tears began to well in Un-jeok-ja's eyes.
"Ugh... hugh..."
He was sorry. He was so incredibly sorry.
In the end, because of his own wrong choices, his many juniors were kneeling and bleeding.
How could he not feel remorse?
Un-jeok-ja began to strike the ground with even greater force. His skin was torn, and even the white of his skull began to show through the raw flesh, but he did not stop.
He only hoped that Sun-woo would forgive them.
Sun-woo watched them in silence.
They were all striking the ground so violently that blood was pouring from their foreheads. In Un-jeok-ja's case, the skin was gone, and his white skull was visible.
Sun-woo realized that if this continued, the man's head might actually split open.
"Enough!"
Sun-woo shouted, infusing his voice with internal energy so that everyone could hear.
The Qingcheng disciples instantly froze.
Un-jeok-ja was the same. He remained in a prostrate position, his head still touching the ground.
"Un-jeok-ja, listen! You have indeed committed irreversible sins! First, as the leader of the disciples sent from Qingcheng, you failed to manage them properly. I need not mention the matter regarding Cheongsu, who tried to frame Lady Seol and me with scandalous rumors!"
Sun-woo shouted with a stern expression.
"I admit it," Un-jeok-ja replied, his voice thick with contrition.
"Second, even knowing the truth, you drew your sword to pressure the Emei Sect! While Emei's unilateral punishment may not have been entirely correct, the fact remains that Emei was the victim! You acted out of stubbornness to restore your honor by nitpicking a matter that could have been settled with understanding. Do you admit this?"
Sun-woo raised his voice even higher.
"...I admit it."
Un-jeok-ja replied in a voice filled with regret. He truly repented for his actions.
"Having witnessed all this, I have concluded that you, Un-jeok-ja, are unfit to lead the search party. Therefore, I demand all operational control over the Qingcheng disciples. Furthermore, Cheongsu, who created and spread the rumors, must be sent back to Qingcheng for direct punishment. I also demand an official apology from the Qingcheng Sect. And from now on, the Qingcheng disciples will be responsible for all the menial labor—driving the wagons, starting fires, preparing food, and securing inns!"
Sun-woo glared at Un-jeok-ja with a serious gaze as he spoke.
He had also ensured his voice, bolstered by internal energy, echoed throughout the central plaza. His words were carved clearly into the ears of everyone surrounding the area.
"I shall comply without question!" Un-jeok-ja answered immediately.
""We shall comply without question!""
As soon as Un-jeok-ja finished, the voices of the numerous Qingcheng disciples behind him rang out in unison.
"Then we shall leave it at that. Everyone, don't forget to apply Golden Wound Medicine to your foreheads and get some rest."
Sun-woo smiled satisfactorily and spoke. He intended to end the matter there.
"Wait... Wait a moment!"
Un-jeok-ja urgently called out to Sun-woo.
"What is it?" Sun-woo asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"There is still a sin you haven't accounted for!" Un-jeok-ja shouted.
Sun-woo had listed his sins one by one, and he had admitted to all of them. But there was one sin Sun-woo hadn't mentioned.
The sin of falling into a Heart Demon and genuinely trying to kill Sun-woo.
How could he not be held accountable for that sin, which was greater than all the others?
"What sin are you talking about?" Sun-woo asked back, acting as if he didn't know.
"I clearly tried to harm you!"
"Well... I don't seem to recall that."
Sun-woo feigned ignorance.
"Are you pitying me right now?!"
At Sun-woo's pretense, Un-jeok-ja's face flushed as he shouted.
He didn't want pity. On the contrary, he wanted to be properly punished. He believed that only by receiving a just sentence could he wash away his guilt.
How could Sun-woo ignore his resolve and treat it with such pity?
Un-jeok-ja's face turned a deep shade of red from the sense of humiliation.
"You say the most interesting things, Un-jeok-ja."
Sun-woo smiled thinly and continued.
"Weren't we just having a brief martial duel earlier?"
"What are you talking about?! I clearly intended to kill you—"
"Un-jeok-ja, you are being far too arrogant."
Sun-woo cut him off.
"Do you really think you are capable of killing me?"
A cold smile played on Sun-woo's lips.
"W-What?!"
"It's exactly as I said. Regardless of what was in your heart, I didn't feel my life was in danger at all. Therefore, there is no need to hold you accountable for a crime. Why would I?"
Sun-woo spoke with an expression that suggested he was stating the obvious.
"Don't talk nonsense! I'm telling you, I was genuinely trying to kill you!"
Un-jeok-ja shouted, staring at him. What on earth was he saying? How could he just brush off his transgression like that? He couldn't accept it. He didn't want to accept it.
"Un-jeok-ja, you can deal with your own conscience and blame yourself all you want. As for me, I didn't feel threatened, nor was a single hair on my head harmed. So how can I charge you with a crime? It's absurd. No one was hurt, and the party involved says he's fine."
Sun-woo spoke with a light, nonchalant attitude, as if it were no big deal.
"No... but still!"
"I've said all I have to say. I have nothing more to add."
Having finished, Sun-woo turned around. If he stayed any longer, the stubborn Un-jeok-ja might keep insisting on being punished.
"I'll be going now."
Sun-woo began to walk away.
Un-jeok-ja and the Qingcheng disciples stared blankly at his retreating back.
And soon, they realized the truth.
Sun-woo had simply chosen to let Un-jeok-ja's sin go.
"Ugh..."
Something surged from deep within their hearts.
It was an act for which Sun-woo could have blackmailed him or even killed him, and no one would have had a word to say.
And yet, he had forgiven him so easily.
Their hearts swelled with emotion.
Un-jeok-ja felt the same. He knew that Sun-woo was well aware of his murderous intent.
And yet, he had forgiven it so lightly.
A complex whirlwind of emotions stirred deep in his chest.
He slowly pushed himself up from the ground. Then, he bowed deeply at the waist and shouted.
"I am in your debt! I shall not forget this for as long as I live!"
Tears began to stream uncontrollably from Un-jeok-ja's eyes.
""We are in your debt! We shall not forget this for as long as we live!""
Following him, the numerous Qingcheng disciples bowed and spoke in unison.
Hot tears began to flow from their eyes as well.
Their backs remained bowed long after Sun-woo had completely disappeared from sight.