Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 54



Only Krnovel

54. Kick the torch (5)

I saw Myungsung’s pale face in front of Samcheonggwan. Myungsung seemed to be afraid of whether to go in or not.

“Death by fame.”

When I called out from behind, Myeongseong looked back in surprise.

“Ah. Priest.”

Myeongseong sighed in relief when he saw me. However, he didn’t say anything else and just hesitated. Judging from the way he glanced up at me and turned his face away, it seemed like he had something to say.

“why?”

“……thank you.”

“Was it that hard to say that?”

I smiled. Fame blushed.

“No. Just show your shameful side to the priest. I wonder if this is some kind of death penalty.”

“The death penalty is the death penalty only if it is worthy of being called the death penalty.”

My words made a face of fame. But I have no interest in bullying children.

“But it’s okay because the death penalty is the death penalty.”

Fame flinched. A color came to his face for a moment, but soon darkened again.

“That can’t be true. You’ve probably seen me cry before.”

“What’s wrong with crying? I cried a lot too.”

This wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t a consolation speech.

I also cried a lot when I was struggling in the swamp of inferiority complex. Behind people who spoke better than me and made more money than me.

When I think about it now, I think I was able to cry because I was serious about my talent and my business. And I think the same goes for fame.

“It’s something to be proud of, to be so desperate for something at such a young age, like a death sentence. Really.”

“It doesn’t really hit me.”

“You will feel it yourself later.”

Fame was a joke. Everyone has those moments. There are times when you wonder how I ever lived so diligently.

“But don’t be too impatient. A bird that has sat on a pole for three years will fly once and pierce the sky, and with one cry, it will startle the world.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll know when you get there.”

“Why are there so many later ones?”

“It’s natural, since I have more days to live than days I’ve lived.”

Fame seemed to have calmed down a bit as she spoke to me.

“Let’s go, priest.”

“yes.”

Myeongseong confidently entered the Jangmunin room. In the Jangmunin room, there was already the Jangmunin Cheongui and the teacher Cheonghwa.

“You came.”

“Yes. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Fame bowed his head. But he did not bend his back. He may regret his choice, but he did not despair and give up. Perhaps that was more of a coincidence than his internal energy.

I looked at Cheong-ui and Myeong-seong with a nervous heart. Cheong-ui was looking at Myeong-seong with a stern face. Myeong-seong clenched his fist and did not avoid her gaze.

“Fame. You ignored my words and abused the Taecheongdan.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The fact that the three great disciples disobeyed the words of the elder brother is an act of insubordination and a breach of knighthood.”

“yes.”

Myeongseong answered obediently. It might have been unfair. It was an attempt to fill in the gaps in one’s talents, but it ended up being a disaster. But now was not the time for me to get involved.

“What’s worse is that you have fallen into a state of mind-destruction. It is a state of mind-destruction that you would not have fallen into if you had not neglected your meditation and meditation as a Taoist.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Confess your sins yourself.”

Myeongseong paused. Cheongyi’s stern gaze pierced Myeongseong. Soon, Myeongseong’s gaze also straightened up.

“I was impatient with the fact that my brothers were getting ahead of me. Not only the brothers, but also the priests were getting ahead of me, so I began to doubt my talents. At that time, Jang Moon-in gave me the Taecheongdan. I felt like it was my only chance.”

The voice of fame seemed to want to be confident, but it was increasingly mixed with tears. Now was the time for self-repentance.

“Maybe I was jealous and envious of my brothers, who were like my own brothers. That scared me. I thought I was ruining myself.”

Myeongseong paused for a moment and sobbed, perhaps overcome with emotion.

After a moment of silence, Cheong-ui opened her mouth.

“I know very well your mistake. I will punish you to set an example for the sect.”

“I will humbly accept it.”

Cheonghwa also looked at Myeongseong as if he felt sorry for him. However, Myeongseong stopped crying and tried to show his dignity. Was it because I, a priest, was behind him?

“The third disciple, Myeongseong, is appointed as the next Taegeuk Sword Master. The Taegeuk Sword Master, representing the shamans, will have the utmost devotion to the sect, have greater duties than ordinary disciples, and will not neglect development.”

At those words, not only Myeongseong and I, but also Cheonghwa’s eyes widened. Myeongseong stammered and barely opened his mouth.

“What, what do you mean? Long story short.”

“It is as you heard. From now on, you will be trained as the next Taegeuk Swordsman. That is my punishment.”

Cheong-ui went even further. She took out a jade box from her bosom. It was the same jade box she had seen last time. It meant Tae-cheong-dan.

“The next Taegeuk Swordsman will be given one pill of Taecheongdan. The energy of the Taecheongdan you took must have disappeared a lot, so do not repeat the same mistake and take it this time when you are fully prepared.”

“……ah.”

Myeongseong let out a short exclamation and received the jade box containing the Taecheongdan. The two hands holding it trembled.

Cheonghwa, who was behind Cheongui, also blinked her eyes in surprise. Perhaps Cheonghwa also did not know that Cheongui would forgive her fame like this.

Myeongseong held the jade box tightly in one hand and bowed deeply to Cheongyi.

“The grace of the long-suffering man is like the sea.”

“Go out and see. I have something to say to Hwiyoung and Cheonghwa.”

“yes.”

Myeongseong bit his lips tightly and stepped back out the door. As soon as Myeongseong left, Cheonghwa let out a heavy breath.

“Pfft. I thought I was going to suffocate to death.”

“Why are you holding your breath?”

“Didn’t you say that to me as if you were going to close my danjeon?”

Cheonghwa glared at Cheongyi as if she was angry. Perhaps Cheongyi had played a prank on Cheonghwa. A smile appeared on Cheongyi’s lips.

“Lao Tzu said, ‘Governing a great country is like boiling a small fish.’ If governing a great country requires the same level of care as boiling a small fish, how much more delicately should one govern a young disciple?”

“I am afraid that the discipline of the sect will be disrupted because of my disciple. But isn’t it right to disobey the words of the chief sect leader?”

“Why should I call you back and discipline you?”

“No, that’s not it… … .”

Cheonghwa mumbled her words. Cheonghwa, who used to grab me and shake me, seemed to be playing in Cheong’s palm in front of the executioner.

“If Myeongseong had not realized his mistake and had stiffened his neck, or if it had been seen that he had even a little bit of that kind of mind, I would have severely punished him. However, Myeongseong did not do that. He truly repented his mistake and showed that he had grown from that. How could I not reward him since he had achieved the growth that we should have helped him achieve on his own?”

I nodded without realizing it at Cheong-ui’s words. Yes. A child with that kind of determination and willpower would somehow succeed.

Providing different education to each person, tailored to the individual. That is the fundamental meaning of education.

“But the Taegeuk exam is still in progress, so if we choose like this, wouldn’t the other disciples be dissatisfied?”

“It’s my job to choose the Taegeuk Inspector. If you have any complaints, let them choose their own leader.”

Cheonghwa also stuck out her tongue at Cheongui’s firm words. After all, the eldest member of the sect holds absolute power.

“If there is anyone who thinks that it is okay to disobey the elders’ words because of this, or if there is anyone who thinks that Myeongseong received excessive privileges, then that child is not well-mannered. This is also a homework that we must bear.”

“I learned a thing or two. Death penalty.”

“There is no end to learning.”

The conversation between Cheonghwa and Cheongyi sent ripples through my mind. I knew for sure that Myeongseong would be punished. That was the organization I knew.

Rewards for good deeds, punishments for bad deeds. A clear reward and punishment system creates discipline at the top, so the Hwiyoungsangdan was also made to do the same.

But Jang Moon-in showed mercy to his young disciple. Perhaps this incident motivated Myeong-seong immensely. Not just to stutter and fly, but to kick the torch and soar.

Have I ever looked at my subordinates so closely and rewarded or punished them accordingly? There was no way I could have done that. While I was looking after my subordinates, I was busy planning another business.

How many times have I punished someone I should have rewarded, and vice versa? That is no different from leading someone down the wrong path as a leader. How many people do I, as an individual, influence?

“I learned it too. Long story short. Thank you.”

I also spoke to Cheong-ui with all my heart. Cheong-ui laughed.

“Are you starting to feel like you’re going to be a nobody now?”

“A little bit.”

“If you become a disciple of the main temple right now, I will put you in the Taegeuk swordsmanship class.”

“That’s okay.”

Cheong-ui smacked his lips like a fisherman who had failed at fishing. I smiled broadly.

Now it was my turn, not fame’s.

“You’ve rewarded Myeongseong, so is it time to punish me?”

“I would like to do so. How dare you refuse Jang Moon-in’s request. How disgraceful.”

Still, Cheong-ui laughed heartily, not feeling too bad. Perhaps he was proud because he could see with his own eyes that his young disciples were growing well.

“This is what I give you.”

Cheong-ui handed me a wooden box that was on the desk. It was probably some kind of elixir. But it was okay since I was getting it for free.

“Can I open it?”

“okay.”

I carefully opened the box. There was a piece of paper rolled up in the box. When I unfolded the paper, I saw some unexpected phrases written on it.

“note?”

“It is the best bill in the world. It will be worth about a thousand nyang.”

“… … But?”

“It’s yours now.”

Huh. I tried to keep the corners of my mouth from going up, but I just couldn’t stop it.

“Can a Taoist master give money as compensation so openly?”

“I have only given you what will satisfy you the most. You will not be in danger if you are satisfied. This is also the teaching of the scriptures.”

Cheong-ui continued speaking.

“I heard you went out and set up a business. You have a bill of exchange worth about a thousand nyang, so you should be able to get to know someone like the branch manager of Cheonha Sangdan.”

How did you know that connections are important to the top? As they say, you should give the person what they want as a gift. I didn’t know that you would give me a reward that would really suit my taste.

“This was the award I really needed.”

“Unlike the Taoists, you want to fill something, but you have to know how to fill it in order to know how to empty it.”

“The granary of my greed is insatiable and keeps growing.”

“You are smart, so you will soon know whether it is satisfying to empty or to fill.”

Cheong-ui was a good man, but I couldn’t agree with that statement. As a merchant, no one wants to empty their granary.

Still, I bowed deeply to the Master who had taught me so much, and withdrew.

Suddenly, I had a thousand nyang. I could use this to buy talent at the Mujae store, or I could fill in more Nokrim Sip-i-shik. Since it was public money, I could do whatever I wanted with it.

While I was pondering such happy thoughts, I was suddenly called by Gokjeongak. A telegram had arrived addressed to me.

Could it be my father? But my father was not the kind of person who would send me a letter.

When I opened the letter, it was definitely not my father. The sender of the letter was Jo Chung-heon, who was in charge of the upper ranks.

He told me to send a letter to the non-partisan group if I had anything to report. I read through the contents and then frowned.

-There is a force that is keeping the Whiyoung Group in check.