The Righteous One on the Outer Path (4)
The Righteous One on the Outer Path (4)
Wi Ja-heon just watched So-hee quietly for a long time.
He wanted to hold So-hee right then and there and pour out whatever words came to mind, but he couldn't. Because his own shameful flaws had been laid bare by his benefactor.
'What right do I have to.......'
-You are embracing your own misfortune with the misfortunes of others.-
Those words from the elder kept ringing in his ears.
He had spent a hundred days imagining a hopeful future—what if she got better? Flower viewing, boat rides, visiting the markets, eating good food...... he had thought of so many things he wanted to do.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he resented himself for being unable to, because the sins he had committed were too great.
Calling himself a bad father wasn't even enough.
Now that he was able to realize those hopeful futures, everything felt sinful. That was why Wi Ja-heon couldn't do anything, even with his healthy daughter right in front of him.
Dang Gyeom, behind the thin paper door, thought to himself.
'Is he crazy?'
Dang Gyeom, who had been hesitating while holding the ledger, found this situation absurd.
Dang Gyeom had spent a long time traveling the highest echelons of the ruthless Gangho, watching countless sects rise and fall. The Tang clan itself had been on that very precipice until recently.
Gangho is often compared to the currents of the Yangtze River.
The flow is so fast and massive that the moment you lose focus, you get swept away and vanish.
As someone who had swum tirelessly to survive in such rough currents of Gangho, Dang Gyeom could not understand Wi Ja-heon right now.
'If you've received grace, you should enjoy that grace first and then think about repaying it. Why aren't you doing anything?'
The Supreme Patriarch-nim had thrown him a lifeline, so why was he trying to hang himself with it?
If someone saved your dying daughter, you should kiss their feet, be overwhelmed with gratitude, repent, and then live the rest of your life working your fingers to the bone to repay them. Isn't that the obvious thing to do?
He was a clan leader.
Though he went by the title of Poison Monarch (Dokgun), he was someone who focused more on the clan's safety than his own martial arts.
And so, Dang Gyeom.
Bang!
He threw the door open! And with a nonchalant comment, he turned and walked away.
"Wi Ja-heon, leader of the Green Forest Six Branches, do not blame yourself because of the grace of our clan's Supreme Patriarch-nim. It is only right to live your whole life cherishing that merciful grace along with your sense of guilt."
Is this really the time for you to be thinking about repentance—
When Wi Ja-heon looked up, stunned by the thunderous words, Dang Gyeom had already left the room.
Wi Ja-heon made eye contact with So-hee, who had silently risen from the bed.
So-hee hesitated for a moment.......
Then, shaking her stubby arms and legs.
She began to tidy up the bedding all by herself.
With her slender hands, she folded the blanket neatly.
Placed the pillow on top.
Rolled up the mattress she had been lying on.
And wiped the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Wi Ja-heon watched his daughter's actions, stunned.
Since she had started suffering from Jeolmaek-jeung, there were days she barely even opened her eyes. Now, she was capable of moving around just fine.
"......Dad."
So-hee tried hard to hide her tears and spoke in a firm voice.
"I felt so sorry that the uncles were always mopping, dusting, and folding the blankets for me. I can do it alone now."
So-hee spoke with clear, transparent eyes that resembled her mother.
Children who mature early are always like that.
They usually just pretend to be grown up. So-hee was the same.
So-hee, who had wiped away the tears streaming down her face, reached out her arms. Her frail hand wandered through the air for a long time before finally resting on his neck. So-hee, who had barely managed to embrace him, said.
"Dad."
"Ah...... So-hee."
Wi Ja-heon let out a blurry voice.
The child's hands were warm, and he could feel her soft heartbeat clearly. Wi Ja-heon collapsed from that warmth. Wasn't the bandit life started so he wouldn't lose this warmth?
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry......."
The daughter who had dreamed of her dad becoming a great hero knew that she was the root of the sins her father had committed.
Even if the world blamed Wi Ja-heon, she knew she shouldn't. She knew better than anyone that she was alive until now because of him.
So-hee thought of the kindest person she knew and spoke.
"The fairy......? Or immortal? -nim said so. That not fixing a mistake after making one is the real mistake. Can't we live kindly from now on......?"
Wi Ja-heon hugged So-hee tight. His shoulder became damp with tears. Wi Ja-heon barely managed to open his mouth.
"A miraculous opportunity (Giyeon) has come to me."
Wi Ja-heon, leader of the Green Forest Six Branches, realized that his reason for living had changed. He knelt toward the window, in the direction where Dohwa would be, and said.
"Whatever the method, whatever the form, I will humbly accept it. Please take this lowly life and use it as you wish."
Wi Ja-heon's voice was clear.
Holding his healthy daughter in his arms, eyes wide to ensure he wouldn't forget his past, he made a vow. That he would grind himself down to become fertilizer to benefit the world.
Oejunghyeop (Outer Righteous Hero).
A hero walking the outer path was created this way.
It was one of the mysteries of Gangho.
* * *
Dang Gyeom, who had been listening to the sobbing from outside the room, quietly took his hand off the doorknob.
'I'll have to wait longer.'
The moonlit night was deepening.
Dang Gyeom was all alone.
Listening to those sounds, he started to miss So-young. And the Supreme Patriarch-nim. Dang Gyeom contemplated going there.
From far away, a bright doll came running at full speed.
"Clan Leader-nim! It's me, Woo Hyo."
"......Be quiet. My ears are going to fall off."
Dang Gyeom rubbed his brow and muttered lowly. Woo Hyo covered his own mouth, but with wide, frantic eyes, he pulled a bundle of letters from his chest.
"The Mount Hua Sect has sent an envoy."
It was urgent news from the Tang clan main base.
* * *
Dang Gyeom was busy.
Extremely.
Cleaning up Yugok-hyeon didn't end with just disbanding the bandits.
The recovery work of finding the original owners of the wealth Wi Ja-heon had looted, the administrative procedures to incorporate the territory occupied by the Green Forest Six Branches into the Tang clan's direct control, etc.......
There was an insane amount of work to do.
'I haven't even returned to the Tang clan yet, and it's this much.'
When he returned to the Tang clan, there would be restoring the clan elders, sending the Fire Carp to the Moyong Clan Leader, welcoming the envoy from the Mount Hua Sect, etc. Ah.
"I want to die."
Dang Gyeom suddenly felt the world go dark. A mountain of work had piled up, filling his entire field of vision.
"Yes......?"
Wi Ja-heon asked with a muffled voice.
"No, it's nothing. Continue reciting."
Wi Ja-heon, having finished catching up with the Green Forest Six Branches.
He had just put his daughter to sleep, came out of the room, and was reading the ledger that was packed with details on how much had been looted and sent to the Green Forest main base.
Dang Gyeom turned his head while surrounded by bandits.
Through the window, he could see the flat bench, and the Supreme Patriarch-nim was talking softly while holding her daughter in her arms.
Dang Gyeom wanted to go there.
Even if he had to endure all the shame.
It seemed.
Dang Gyeom's night looked like it would get longer.
* * *
He had been so sleepy just a moment ago, but suddenly his mind was clear and bright.
"Hmm~ Hmm~"
Dohwa hummed a tune.
The night air was pleasantly cool, and a friend's hand was nearby. Above her head were bright clusters of stars and a full moon, and owls were flying around them.
"Dohwa-unni. Can you tell us the story about that tiger and snake you lived with along with our ancestor?"
"This girl is curious too, it's a story I haven't heard."
So-young and Yuryeon's eyes sparkled. One was blue like Dohwa's, and the other twinkled like stars. In any case, both were pretty.
'Yuryeon said she was from the Zhuge clan, why does it sound so familiar......?'
Is there a connection there too?
I don't know. Not right now.
Dohwa gave them an arm pillow and started talking in a soft, quiet voice.
"The tiger had a memory of being quite naive. The snake was kind, and whenever the tiger caused trouble, the snake would step up to solve it."
"What were the names of the snake and the tiger?"
"Names? I named the snake Sa-yu (Snake Scholar), but he was shy when called that, so I just called him Snake. Same for the tiger. The tiger was Baek-myo (White cat)."
"That's a pretty name......."
So-young mumbled, digging deeper into Dohwa's arms. Dohwa stroked So-young's hair instead of answering. Yuryeon shuddered beside them.
'It's unbelievable. That that scumbag was calm and kind. Can't believe it. The Paeng Clan Eccentric is the same. A guy who just smashes everything with his mismatched arms.'
It was a baffling yet fun story for Yuryeon, who knew both of them.
The famous scumbag of the Gangho.
And the eccentric who fits 'ignorant' better than 'naive'.
The past where they were a gentle puppy and a decent earthworm.
Things that sounded like myths of the Tang or Paeng clans to gossipers were just part of daily life that Dohwa saw and experienced herself. That was why it was really fun to listen to.
Yuryeon started listening to the story again while saying "That makes no sense~".
"Once, the tiger said he would endure a lightning strike, so he stood holding an iron needle on a day with thunder and lightning. When the sky went rumble, the tiger threw the iron needle."
"Whoa, don't tell me......."
"Yes. It stuck right in front of the passing snake, and at that moment, lightning struck, so the snake got hit instead."
Dohwa wrapped them in Yang energy so they wouldn't be cold, and told the story like a lullaby so they could sleep comfortably.
Dohwa's story continued until So-young, who had been yawning "Hwaaam-", fell asleep with a snore. Until Yuryeon, who had been recording words in a scroll taken from her bosom, naturally used her arm as a pillow and fell asleep.
It flowed softly on the night wind.
It was the greatest mystery of Gangho.