Chapter 253: Seol-hyang, Harboring Yearning
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: Seol-hyang, Harboring Yearning
"Showing kindness to someone is not a bad thing, but if it is excessive, it can become a burden to the recipient. How can those who call themselves Taoists be so ignorant as to force their one-sided goodwill upon others!"
Un-jeok-ja barked at the disciples of Qingcheng, his gaze sweeping over them.
His momentum was so fierce that the disciples could not utter a single word.
"Begone. If you ever cause a scene in front of Young Master Jang again and bring shame to the name of Qingcheng, I shall deal with you severely!"
Un-jeok-ja glared at them with bulging eyes as he spoke.
Meeting that gaze, the Qingcheng disciples shrank back, turned around, and scurried back to their places.
Having finished his scolding, Un-jeok-ja turned to look at Sun-woo.
"I apologize, Young Master Jang. The disciples of Qingcheng have committed a grave discourtesy."
He then lowered his head and offered a sincere apology.
"Ah... no, it’s fine. Please, lift your head."
Startled by the excessive apology, Sun-woo hurriedly tried to stop him.
Surely, this wasn't an offense grave enough to warrant such a deep bow. Why was he reacting so intensely?
"No, the faults of the disciples are the failures of the one who leads them. You may curse me if you wish."
Despite Sun-woo’s insistence that it was no big deal, Un-jeok-ja did not raise his head.
Faced with such a steadfast attitude, Sun-woo felt increasingly awkward.
What is wrong with him?
Un-jeok-ja’s current behavior was the polar opposite of how he had acted when they first met. The discrepancy was jarring. Could a person really change this much?
"It is truly alright. Please, lift your head. I am feeling very uncomfortable."
Sun-woo spoke his honest thoughts while looking at Un-jeok-ja.
"Thank you."
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Un-jeok-ja slowly raised his head.
In truth, he wanted to keep his head bowed and seek further forgiveness, but he did not wish to distress Sun-woo.
"More importantly, Young Master Jang."
Having raised his head, Un-jeok-ja looked at him and continued in a low, suggestive voice.
Rustle, rustle.
He fumbled around inside his robes, eventually pulling out a cloth pouch and handing it to Sun-woo.
"Take this."
"What is this?"
Sun-woo asked, puzzled, as he accepted the cloth pouch. What on earth could it be?
"It is a bear gallbladder."
Un-jeok-ja whispered, lowering his voice as much as possible.
"A bear gallbladder!?"
Sun-woo asked back in surprise. Why was a bear gallbladder suddenly being brought out?
"Shhh! Quiet! Someone might hear you."
When Sun-woo raised his voice, Un-jeok-ja placed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be silent.
"No, I mean, where did you even get this?" Sun-woo asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"I caught it, of course," Un-jeok-ja replied matter-of-factly.
"How can a Taoist commit slaughter so casually!?"
Sun-woo stared at Un-jeok-ja in disbelief. He thought that both the Qingcheng disciples and Un-jeok-ja were remarkably ruthless when it came to taking lives.
"Haha, Qingcheng does not forbid the consumption of meat. In fact, we encourage it."
Un-jeok-ja burst into laughter at Sun-woo’s remark.
"Hah..."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh at the man's confident demeanor. The thought of a Taoist encouraging meat-eating made a chuckle escape him despite himself.
"Anyway, make sure to eat it alone. I hear it is exceptionally good for men."
Seeing Sun-woo’s smirk, Un-jeok-ja grinned.
"I'm still at a vigorous age, you know," Sun-woo joked.
"Haha, have you never heard the saying 'the more, the better'?"
"There is also the saying 'too much is as bad as too little.'"
"That does not apply to a man's stamina."
"Well, I suppose that's true."
Un-jeok-ja and Sun-woo continued their conversation, exchanging jokes.
"Well then, I shall take my leave."
After some time had passed, Un-jeok-ja prepared to depart.
"You must eat it alone!"
He emphasized it several more times even as he walked away.
"I understand."
Sun-woo replied with a small smile. He felt quite pleasant.
Talking with Un-jeok-ja was surprisingly fun. The man he had once thought was nothing but a stuffy old bore turned out to be quite jovial.
His first impression of a stubborn, cranky old man had been completely overturned. Now, he saw him as a cheerful, slightly eccentric uncle.
Sun-woo watched Un-jeok-ja’s retreating figure with admiration.
Even though he had ultimately saved him, Sun-woo was the one who had literally slammed Un-jeok-ja into the ground. The fact that Un-jeok-ja could treat him so comfortably, without any lingering resentment, highlighted his magnanimous character.
Sun-woo wondered if he could have acted so naturally and without pretense if he were in the same situation.
He shook his head. He didn't think he had reached that level of mental cultivation yet.
"You're quite popular."
A familiar voice drifted from behind him.
Sun-woo turned toward the source of the voice. A beautiful woman was walking toward him.
"You've come, Lady Seol."
Sun-woo greeted Seol-hyang as she approached.
"I watched from afar, and you seem very popular."
She spoke with a playful smile.
"Popular? Not at all. The Qingcheng disciples are simply high-spirited."
Sun-woo replied with humility.
"There's no need to be modest. You've bestowed enough grace upon them to deserve such treatment."
"It wasn't exactly grace. I simply didn't want to waste our strength before the search began, and I didn't want to see many people get hurt."
Sun-woo spoke his true feelings.
The goal of the search party was to find the missing disciples and clan members. Since searching was an arduous and exhausting task, they needed as much manpower as possible.
Furthermore, if a third party were to interfere, armed conflict would be inevitable. That was why the elites of each sect had been dispatched to the North Sea—to ensure safety and efficiency.
Therefore, he couldn't stand by and watch their strength be wasted on internal strife before they even reached the North Sea.
He also didn't want the situation to escalate further. If Qingcheng and Emei were to go to war over this, the two pillars of the Sichuan Alliance could be destroyed at once.
He couldn't let that happen. The Sichuan Alliance had only just begun to take flight. He couldn't allow its wings to be clipped so soon.
Moreover, if a war started, countless people would die. He wasn't a mass murderer; how could he just watch that happen?
"You are kind."
Hearing Sun-woo’s explanation, Seol-hyang gave him a bright smile.
"Kind?"
Sun-woo asked, confused. No matter how he looked at it, his actions were merely rational. Where was the kindness in that?
"Is it not because you are kind that you showed such tolerance?" she asked back.
"I am not kind," Sun-woo said flatly.
He felt that the word 'kind' didn't suit him. Wouldn't 'rational' or 'pragmatic' be more appropriate?
"No, you are kind. I am certain of it."
Seol-hyang looked Sun-woo straight in the eye as she spoke.
Meeting her gaze, Sun-woo felt a flush creep up his face and looked away. An inexplicable sense of embarrassment washed over him.
"I believe I was being rational."
Sun-woo offered his own counterargument.
"Not at all. If you were a truly rational person, you would have used this incident as leverage to demand numerous concessions from Qingcheng. They had lost the moral high ground, after all."
Seol-hyang continued with a calm expression.
"The Tang Clan was in a position to demand anything from Qingcheng. And you had the power to enforce those demands. Yet, Young Master Jang, you asked for nothing. You simply let it slide, claiming you didn't know any better. How can that not be called kindness?"
Seol-hyang explained her reasoning while looking directly at him.
"......"
Sun-woo remained silent, like a mute who had eaten honey.
"In the Orthodox Faction, everything is about justification. And the Tang Clan held the superior justification. Furthermore, you possessed the martial might to back it up. It is no easy feat to show mercy when you hold such an overwhelming advantage."
She looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of respect.
"I think that side of you is truly wonderful, Young Master Jang."
Seol-hyang spoke with a slightly reddened face. She felt embarrassed by her own words.
"............I... was being kind, then."
Sun-woo pondered for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Hehe, what kind of response is 'I was being kind'?"
Seol-hyang let out a light laugh.
"Well, since you put it that way, it felt wrong to keep denying it."
Sun-woo scratched his head awkwardly.
In truth, he still didn't think he had been 'kind.' He had simply acted in a way that made his own heart feel at ease.
As she said, he had been in a position to demand much from Qingcheng. He also had the power to take it. Even Un-jeok-ja, the strongest in Qingcheng, was no match for him.
But he hadn't wanted to do that. Seeing Un-jeok-ja and the Qingcheng disciples kneeling with their heads to the ground, he didn't feel like demanding anything from them.
If he had, it would have weighed on his conscience.
Surely, if his master, the Yin-Yang Demon, saw him now, he would have spat out curses, calling him a soft-hearted fool. But even so, Sun-woo’s mind wouldn't have changed.
Besides, thanks to his choice, he had gained alliance members who were more favorable toward him than anyone else.
In a way, this was a better outcome than pushing the justification to its limit just to extort material gains.
"Young Master Jang, you really are strange."
Seol-hyang watched him intently. Her gaze was as sweet as dripping honey.
Seeing Sun-woo’s peculiar brand of humility, Seol-hyang felt her feelings for him grow even deeper.
If she had been in his position, she would never have let it go. She would have used the justification to attack Qingcheng and seize numerous interests and benefits.
But the man before her was different. He had cast aside those trivial gains and chosen to show mercy.
Who else in the world would make such a choice at such a crossroads?
She felt a deep sense of respect for Sun-woo blossoming in her heart.
Although Bul-sok Satae had told her to keep her distance from him, she felt that was impossible. What woman could refuse a man as charming as Sun-woo?
A man who possessed the martial power to turn the world upside down before even reaching the age of thirty, yet held such a magnanimous character—what woman could resist him?
She thought to herself: If it's him, being a second wife might not be so bad.
The look in Seol-hyang’s eyes as she gazed at Sun-woo grew even more intense.
*
Step, step, step.
Sun-woo began to walk slowly through the night.
The sound of insects chirping here and there added a certain elegance to the atmosphere. The scent of the vast grasslands tickled his nose, and the sight of the green grass filled his vision. It was a scene that naturally lifted one's spirits.
Sun-woo took in the scenery, imprinting it in his mind. He felt that once they entered the North Sea, such sights would become foreign.
Flash.
Suddenly, he sensed a presence not far away.
Sun-woo slowly turned his head toward the source. A familiar silhouette emerged.
"Hahaha, were you out for a stroll?"
The familiar figure was Un-jeok-ja. He let out a light laugh and approached Sun-woo.
"I couldn't sleep. What brings you here, Un-jeok-ja?"
Sun-woo answered and asked a question in return.
"Haha, I couldn't sleep either."
Un-jeok-ja replied with a smile.
"That's good. I was just in need of some company."
Sun-woo welcomed him warmly.
"Shall we walk together, then?"
At Sun-woo’s words, Un-jeok-ja quickly moved to his side. The two began to walk slowly through the greenery.
".........."
".........."
Despite the mention of being 'company,' no conversation passed between them. Un-jeok-ja, who would normally be chatting jovially, remained silent.
Feeling awkward in the prolonged silence, Sun-woo wanted to say something, but the weight of Un-jeok-ja’s silence made it difficult to speak first.
They walked and walked in silence.
After some time had passed...
"Thank you."
Un-jeok-ja, who had been silent, finally spoke. His tone was incredibly serious.
Those two short words were packed with a multitude of meanings.
In truth, Un-jeok-ja wanted to say something much more eloquent.
Gratitude for breaking his stubbornness.
Gratitude for overlooking his sins.
Gratitude for helping him escape his Heart Demon.
Gratitude for the consideration shown by not acting superior even after bestowing grace upon Qingcheng.
He felt countless forms of gratitude, more than he could count. It was beyond what words could express.
That was why he could only manage a simple "thank you." There was no other way to convey the depth of his emotions.
Hearing Un-jeok-ja’s words, Sun-woo gave a single nod. He had realized just how much emotion was contained in that simple expression of thanks.
"Congratulations on reaching a new realm."
Sun-woo spoke calmly, looking straight ahead.
Hearing this, Un-jeok-ja broke into a bright smile.
After that, the two men continued their walk through the night in silence.