As Prophet - Chapter 103



Only Krnovel

Episode 103. Taebaekhyun

Dalcheon, who had no way of knowing what was going on in Hanyang, began his daily routine of studying. Although he was lacking in many things, he did not go back down because he had filled what he needed. He studied in the morning, worked in the morning, and left work for the afternoon, and at night, he sat down and stayed up most of the night. He minimized the needs of daily life and focused on work and study.

One day, he went up with a chisel and a hammer and carved the master’s name and the words “Zwahwajicheo (坐化之處)” on the spot where his master had sat. It was not easy to carve words by breaking the stone, but he spent half a day carving his master’s name. He wanted to erect a monument, but it was meaningless because the entire mountain was made of rock. What good would it do to pile more rocks on top of rocks? He thought it would be better to carve into the rock, so he started working. While he was devoting his heart to each character, the sun set.

If you can’t do it today, you can do it tomorrow. I went home, finished my work, and read the Taoist scriptures again.

The reason I read the Do-gyeong repeatedly, which I had not done diligently before, was because of the new meanings I realized while reading the Mu-gyeong. As I read and reread, the taste of the sentences came alive, and in some cases, the meanings were interpreted anew. I realized belatedly the arrogance of not looking back, thinking that I understood everything after reading it once and that there was nothing more to see. The writing and the sutras are things that change when you read and reread them.

I filled my daily life with study and work.

He sat there and spent the night. At night, the mountainside would sometimes glow white. The monk at the temple below the mountain reported that there was a fire, but no one paid any attention.

Perhaps I needed time to reflect on my experiences in the world and savor them again. I observed from a distance the stories that I could not handle with my reason. I saw that human greed is the driving force that moves and develops, but it can be applied as social pressure on those who live together.

Leaving, distancing, and keeping a distance is the wisdom of a Taoist. But is that all? Was it the best? When the children he left behind came into view, I hated the king for being so greedy. I didn’t owe him anything, but it was disgusting that he used his power as a king to do whatever he wanted.

There was a lot on his mind, but he had already left, and there was no rush. Dalcheon, who had returned, had infinite time left.

Meanwhile, Baek Ui-hyeong, the chief of the military affairs department who received the king’s order, left his post with a heavy heart. He could see the situation at a glance. He could clearly see the heart of Dal-cheon, who had left abruptly because the king had made such an excessive demand. He must have been very worried as a young boy.

He delayed for a day after receiving the royal order. If he did not want to accept the unjust order, he should resign and return to being a barbarian. But how did he get the official position? He thought about it for a day and mentally prepared the materials to persuade Dalcheon. He had to persuade Dalcheon in order to keep his official position.

First, his belief was that worldly affairs should be resolved within the world. It is not something that can be avoided or blocked.

The second was to chastise those who had left behind their irresponsibility. I don’t know if it would be the case in a worldly position, but I tried to convince the people living here that if that was the only way, then they should somehow take responsibility for their lives and futures.

Thirdly, it must be said that the dark clouds hanging over the future path of himself and Baek Sa-ban are of a type that can never be resolved from the position of a lower-level official.

Fourth, he must resolve the issue that Dalcheon found difficult. Although it is not written in the royal command, it is normal and natural to consider ways to live together while partially doing what the king asks of him. Breaking the agreement and running away will only make things more difficult…

He had been up all night worrying about it, so he couldn’t sleep at all and left in the morning. He brought along two men because he was worried that he might not be able to do anything about himself.

I am also a half-mountain person. I am currently working at the front line as an officer, but since I have half the blood of a mountain person, I can judge that his decision is completely right. No, if I can’t persuade Dalcheon, I have decided to step down from my official position. It is a shame to waste the title of Chief of Staff, Hoeryong Manho, but what can I do?

After crossing Cheoryeong, instead of taking the route to Gangwon-do, I went down the coast and crossed the pass that cut across the Taebaek Mountains. Since I had studied at Sobaeksan, I had no experience with Taebaeksan, so I headed to Hyeon first. Since I had come a long way in one breath, I rested for a day at a nearby post station and headed to Hyeon the next day.

The group had very complicated feelings as they entered the county office. The guard at the entrance blocked their way.

“How did you come here?”

“Manho Baek Ui-hyeong of Hoeryeong came with the royal command.”

“Uh, uh, what’s your name?”

“Go and tell him.”

Without waiting for the water gate guard to enter quickly, he followed him. The Taebaek county magistrate was sitting in the east hall and jumped down in surprise. He was called a county magistrate, but due to the rebellion of the Gongyang royal lineage, the Samcheok Dohobu itself became a base of treason and became ineffective, so it was unclear whether there was a county or not. In short, it was a land that could disappear at any time. It was a position that could not be compared to the Manho of Hoeryeong at the front line. They could not be considered the same county magistrate.

“You mean Hoeryong Manho City?”

“Yes, that’s right. Are you a county magistrate?”

“Yes. It’s already been two years since I, a fool, took over as magistrate here.”

Suddenly, I saw the heart of a public official who wanted to leave quickly. As a magistrate of a county who could disappear at any moment, what is the difference between sitting on a bed of thorns and doing nothing?

“You must be having a hard time in this remote place. My name is Baek Ui-hyeong, and I am currently working as a sergeant major in Hoeryeong County.”

“Come here, I will take you here.”

As the magistrate led the way, the people in the Dongheon opened their mouths and said nothing. Two people, whose faces were red as if they had been in a lawsuit, glared at each other and licked their lips. The magistrate who was leading the way stopped for a moment and shouted.

“We will proceed with the trial again tomorrow, so prepare well and come!”

“Yes, yes.”

Hyungbang gave the answer instead.

“This way.”

I walked around Dongheon and guided myself down the hill, which seemed as if it would collapse behind the tranquil scenery. There was a small moat, and it was a good place to enjoy the breeze as it was open on all sides.

“You came here on a royal mission?”

Baek Ui-hyeong did not answer, but took out the edict from his bosom and showed it to him.

– School paper

Baek Ui-hyeong, the chief of the Hoeryeong branch, should go to Taebaek and bring back Sanin Dalcheon.

“How can you send a front-line general to do something like this! Oh my god!”

“It is the king’s command.”

“It’s not easy. I have no idea which mountain you’re on.”

“That’s why I came.”

The magistrate reported in detail the efforts made so far. Baek Ui-hyeong bit his lip when he was caught by the soldiers in front of the city hall and ran away. He said that he was carrying a lot of tools on his back, such as a hoe, a shovel, a hoe, and an axe, and that he ran over the fence like the wind, so they couldn’t catch him. He even reported that he drew a picture of the dragon and distributed it to the neighborhood and searched for someone similar, but couldn’t find one.

Baek Ui-hyeong asked for a map and to mark all the temples on the nearby mountain. Although he did not know the names of the temples, Ui-hyeong remembered the anecdote about the temple at the bottom of the mountain that he had told while chatting away when he had free time.

“But Manho, why are you bowing? Is that person in the temple?”

“No. There might be someone in the temple who knows.”

“Then, I will summon the heads of each section immediately.”

“… … Hmm.”

The work may be easy, but the Dalcheon he knew would hate this kind of approach. The Jeolgan mentioned in Dalcheon’s memories were people who received help, played pranks, and lived together.

“That’s not necessary. Do you know of a place with a large waterfall in the mountains?”

“There are many waterfalls, but… … .”

“Have a mountaineer who knows the geography show you the location of the waterfall.”

“Wow, there’s a temple and a waterfall.”

“Yes.”

The magistrate had a vague idea of ​​why Baek Ui-hyeong’s method was different from his own, but he couldn’t ask. This was because Baek Ui-hyeong’s expression was still fixed in his mind.

“And I would like to ask for the military’s cooperation.”

“It’s a small county in the countryside, so there aren’t many soldiers, but we will cooperate as much as possible.”

“A dozen cavalrymen will do.”

“Hey, hey, cavalry?”

It was a pity that the magistrate’s words were hesitating. It was clear that he was silent. The cavalry could not be organized.

“If it’s difficult, it would be better to get support from a nearby post station.”

“Ugh, I’m not sure if that’s possible. There are only two horsemen here. It’s hard enough going back and forth every day… … .”

“Phew.”

He was a cavalryman in the front line. I didn’t like his slacking attitude towards work in the rear, but I couldn’t criticize him.

“I need a horse because I have to travel a long distance. Please help me somehow.”

“I’ll try. It’s not like I’m completely silent.”

“Please give me ten soldiers and as many horses as you can by tomorrow morning.”

It’s better to say what I need and wait rather than saying whether it can be done or not.

“All right.”

After a while, someone who knew this mountain well came and pointed out the location of the waterfall.

“It is a big mountain, but since it is a land-based mountain, there are not many waterfalls, but there are quite a few here and there.”

It is hard to tell whether it is too much or too little. Baek Ui-hyeong demanded a strict distinction with a stern expression. The guy who noticed the sign said hurriedly.

“It’s not a mountain with many waterfalls, but since the mountain is so big and wide, there are quite a few. Yes.”

The gaze of the white-haired man connecting the silently marked dots and temples shone sharply. The magistrate intervened.

“Actually, I was already interviewing herbalists and woodcutters.”

“Have you had any results?”

“They say there is no one named Dalcheon.”

Baek Ui-hyeong suddenly thought. The name Dal-cheon was given to him when he came out to the secular world to study. His childhood name was different, and his title was different. Baek Ui-hyeong was about to say his title, Woo-heo, but he snickered. Was there any need to bring up his real name? In fact, it was a name that no one knew, and if something went wrong, it would be better for it not to be known.

If you search for him based on worldly knowledge and information, you will not find him even if you die and come back to life. If you search for him in the mountains, you must know his Tao. The name of the boy who possesses the best martial arts recognized by the Three Hans is not Dalcheon but Woo-Heo. When I first came down, the young man introduced himself as Woo-Heo and I can’t even imagine how much I laughed.

When he first came down the mountain, Dalcheon sometimes reminisced about his hometown mountain.

‘When the rainy season ends, a long waterfall exceeds 100 jang, and is called Baekjang Falls. There is a cave underneath, but it is covered by water and cannot be seen from the outside.’

‘When I went to the market with my teacher and stopped by the temple, I would build a tower with pebbles in the backyard. At first, it was shorter than my height, but as my skill improved, I was able to build a tower three or four times higher than my height.’

‘There is a fragrance under the pine forest with a gentle slope. It is not like the atmosphere under a pine forest. Matsutake mushrooms grow in abundance. It is located a little way off the road, so no one knows about it.’

‘There is a swamp in the valley, shaped like a jar. The deeper you go, the wider it gets. If you go deeper, there is a waterway that leads underground, but you can’t see where it ends. I tied a rope and swam down about a hundred yards, but I couldn’t see the end.’

If you listen carefully, it’s all a joke. Do they play because it gives them strength? Or is it that they have no choice but to play like that in the mountains? Why do they go into deep pools, and why do they go into the underground waterways?

It seems to describe a specific location, but if you look closely, it could be a landscape that can be found anywhere in Joseon. The world may have seemed bigger to me when I was young, and the urgency of what I experienced could distort things.

“Is there a place called Baekjang Falls?”

The mountain man marking the map shook his head.

“No. There is no waterfall with that name.”

It is not that there are none, but it is probably a name given by Dalcheon. Considering the places near the temple or on the way up and down the topographical map where the waterfall is marked, I compressed it into three places.