Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 9



Only Krnovel

9. Gokjeongak (2)

I walked with a brisk pace, keeping an eye on Cheonghwa. It wasn’t easy to talk to her after seeing her scary appearance just now, but I decided to muster up my courage.

“Hey, Jinin.”

“Why are you doing that?”

Cheonghwa’s voice was as calm as usual. It made me wonder if it was my imagination that had been angry earlier.

“Should I now call the true man ‘Master’?”

“Not yet. As I said before, you are a temporary disciple and cannot be assigned a master.”

“okay.”

“Instead, you will live with me. I am the one who recommended you as a temporary disciple. Perhaps my disciples will see it too.”

Well, for the time being, I shouldn’t even dream of running away.

As I walked, I felt the gazes of the people around me. They seemed to be curious as to why I was following Qinghua Jinyin.

“Ah. This is something I’m curious about personally, but isn’t there a letter from the merchant you wrote to Sakong Hyeon?”

“Why is that?”

“Did you really do the same to me?”

“Of course not. I just said that because I felt like you were being ignored.”

“You even lie. You are a true person.”

“Any truth becomes a lie the moment it is spoken. The Tao is an emergency. If you talk about the Tao, it is not the Tao. There is only one truth in this world, the Tao.”

Anyway, I’m afraid that he’ll be a Taoist priest, so he’s the one who escapes. Cheonghwa glanced at me and smiled.

“Do you have any further questions?”

I thought about it. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my head.

“Do you have any money?”

“huh?”

Cheonghwa’s eyes were filled with confusion, as if she hadn’t expected to be asked such a question.

“Oh, it’s nothing else. You know the receipt that the gentleman gave me? I want to exchange it for money right now. If you have money, it would be great if you could exchange it for me.”

“You always exceed my expectations. I’ve never been asked in my life if I have money.”

“Because you are a true man. Who would ask a true man if he has money?”

“You did it, it was so hard.”

“thank you.”

Cheonghwa burst into laughter. Still, I wanted to change the Infinite Battlefield. Of course, even if it is an Infinite Battlefield, it doesn’t have to go all the way to Infinite. There should be a branch in Gyunhyeon too.

“If you ask for money at Gokjeongak, they’ll give it to you. If you say you need the money to educate your disciples, they’ll give it to you if you can. But why do you need money? There’s no place to spend it at the main sect. Wouldn’t it be easier to just have a receipt?”

“I like money. I like real money more than receipts.”

“That is a disqualification for a disciple of the Shamanist faction. A Taoist does not covet money.”

“Will you disqualify me?”

“No. That’s something you can teach little by little.”

I tried to exploit the gap, but Cheonghwa’s defense was still strong.

“Then it’s better. The place we’re going now is Gokjeongak, so we can receive it there.”

“Why the Gokjeongak? Wasn’t it supposed to go to the Jinin’s residence?”

“Have you forgotten? Weren’t you punished by having to serve in the Gokjeongak?”

“ah.”

That’s what I received as a lay disciple, I thought I would be trained right away if I were a main disciple. I’m a young man, so it’s too late to start now.

“Why, do you want to learn martial arts right away?”

Cheonghwa smiled as if she had seen right through my heart.

“You may want to learn the ascending martial arts right now, but your body is not ready yet. First, you need to build up your basic physical strength and mental strength. Until then, I won’t teach you a single secret.”

It wasn’t a piercing. I have no desire to learn the art of ascending. But since they’d exchange money for me, I had to go to Gokjeongak anyway.

“If you thought you could avoid punishment just because you are a disciple of the main temple, you are very wrong. Rather, you should be an even more exemplary disciple of the main temple.”

He told me not to call him master, but he immediately scolded me as if I were a master. I listened with one ear and let it go out the other. I don’t know about martial arts, but I had no reason to listen to advice on life or attitude. At least I am a master in one field. I am proud of that.

Cheonghwa, not knowing my feelings, gave me a long speech about the attitudes I should have as a disciple of the main temple of the shamanist sect. It was only after we arrived at Gokjeongak that he stopped. There was nothing left in my head.

“I think my ears are bleeding.”

“What does that mean?”

“no.”

You don’t understand jokes. Taoists are no fun after all.

Cheonghwa went straight into the Gokjeongak and received the money. He gave it to her right away because she asked for it for the real education of her disciples. As a merchant, I can’t understand how she could hand over money so easily.

Shouldn’t there at least be some supporting documentation, such as a plan for how you plan to spend your money, what you plan to buy, and how much it will cost?

Of course, it didn’t matter to me as long as the money was in my pocket.

But Cheonghwa put the money in her bosom, not in the bag I had earned.

“I’ll hold on to this for a moment.”

“yes?”

What the hell are you talking about. I opened my mouth like a backpack right now.

“If I give you this hundred nyang, you might try to run away again.”

I felt a sting. In reality, I was constantly looking around to see if I could somehow escape.

“No way.”

“You’re lying again.”

I was completely ignorant. Of course, I didn’t pass the lie detector test. But this time, I couldn’t back down. I had a reason.

“No, that’s not my money.”

“Who took it? He said he was going to keep it for a while.”

“That’s nonsense. Money has a much higher present value than future value. Why would people borrow money and charge interest?”

“Are you asking me to pay you interest?”

“I don’t need that. Just give me my money. I have rights over my money.”

“Originally, a disciple of the main temple should not have any property of his own. Have you ever seen a Taoist monk spend money?”

“I’ve seen it a lot.”

“It’s either the sect’s public funds or an unholy Taoist priest.”

I was about to burst. First of all, I had to somehow get that hundred nyang. To me, that hundred nyang wasn’t just a hundred nyang, it was talent.

The effectiveness of the Mujae Store was real, as I could see that the nimble movements were truly mine.

“How can I give it to you?”

I finally took a step back as a last resort. Only then did Cheonghwa smile again.

“I will give it to you when you finish all your service at Gokjeongak.”

“I haven’t heard of a deadline for my service.”

“Until the Lord of Gokjeongak says it is done.”

“Where is such an ambiguous contract! A contract must have precise date and time specified, and the content must be possible and valid!”

“I don’t really understand such difficult words.”

I almost raised my fist at Cheonghwa’s expression of ignorance. But even if I swung my fist a hundred times, it would never touch Cheonghwa’s body.

“… … Haa. Okay, I understand.”

“I thought about it carefully.”

Cheonghwa smiled brightly. At that smile, I clenched my fist again.

Yes. Let’s think positively. It’s just that my time to make money has been postponed for a while. A merchant must know how to be patient.

“Let’s go meet Gokjeongokju first.”

“Are you a grain merchant?”

“I have to see it at least once since I’m going to work at Gokjeongak.”

“all right.”

I followed Cheonghwa to the study room. There was a man with his feet crookedly resting on the desk.

“Cheongsu (靑水) death penalty. If you work in that kind of attitude and get caught by Jangmun Death Penalty, you will be punished.”

“Huh. I was already sent to Gokjeongak because I was disliked, so how much more will I be hit if I hit you here?”

The person in front seemed more like a death sentence than a Qinghua. That’s why he didn’t even think about correcting his posture.

“Who is the kid next to you?”

“Ah. This is the friend I told you about back then. There is a friend among the lay disciples who has been punished and must serve in Gokjeongak.”

“Oh, that’s him?”

The man called Cheongsu glanced at my face and then looked at Cheonghwa again.

“Why did you insist on introducing yourself to me? You said you were a disciple of the common people.”

“Ah, I have become a disciple of the main temple now. Even though it is temporary.”

“A disciple of the main temple? Is that him?”

Cheongsu’s eyes turned to me again as if they were unexpected. Cheongsu’s eyes scanned me up and down. There was a strange magic in that gaze, and it felt like my whole body was stripped naked.

“He doesn’t look particularly boneless. He’s also old.”

“I recommended him. He’s talented.”

“Well, if you’re talking about martial arts, you’re probably better suited than me.”

Cheongsu yawned and withdrew his attention from me. Only then did the feeling of being naked disappear. It seemed that he had been exploring my body with his inner energy. Cheonghwa tapped my shoulder and said.

“Cheongsu is a good person, so he won’t give you a hard time.”

“All right.”

Cheonghwa bowed politely to Cheongsu and left. Cheongsu stared at me blankly. Still, I felt reassured because Cheonghwa was a good person.

Of course, that thought was shattered as soon as Cheongsu opened his mouth.

“This fucking guy.”

“yes?”

“What kind of tricks did you use to make a lay disciple like you become a disciple of the main temple?”

Ah. That’s what it was. A person can be a good brother to some people and a bad brother to others. There is no such thing as a good person to everyone.

Cheongsu was a good brother to Cheonghwa, but it seemed like we weren’t destined to get along so well.

“Then kick him out.”

Now that I have made up my mind, I find myself speaking harshly.

“Huh. It must have already been approved by Jang Moon-sa-hyeong, so how could I chase you? You must have known that and said it, so you’re clever.”

“That’s not it.”

“Make excuses. Come with me! I’ll tell you what to do.”

Cheongsu put his feet up from the desk, pushed his chair back, and stood up. I followed him.

In the room that Cheongsu led us to, there were numerous bamboo tubes and a picture of the whole shaman sect. Looking closely at the bamboo tubes, the names of the sects were written. The bamboo tubes were classified by the sect they were written on.

“You may not seem smart, but I don’t want to tell you twice, so just listen to me. The place you’re in charge of is Samcheong-gwan. Just give me a bamboo tube with Samcheong-gwan written on it.”

“Is this Samcheong-gwan?”

I was astonished. Samcheong-gwan was located at the top of Mt. Mudangsan and was the farthest place from Gokjeongak.

I raised a reasonable objection.

“I haven’t learned lightness, so my transmission will just be slow.”

“You idiot. You figure it out yourself.”

“What time do you have to work until?”

“From the hour of the rabbit to the hour of the rooster.”

It’s the period from the crack of dawn until just before the sun sets. It’s a fancy way of saying that you’re being treated like a dog.

“What happens if I deliberately neglect it?”

“I’ll get kicked out of the shaman’s office.”

My eyes opened wide. Suddenly, a great opportunity came. Cheongsu didn’t like me, and I thought I would have a say in the death penalty more than Cheonghwa.

But the words that followed shattered my dreams.

“Instead, unlike lay disciples, the disciples of the main temple must voluntarily abandon their dantian and leave. How can someone who was excommunicated from a shaman use what he learned from a shaman?”

“You haven’t learned anything?”

“If you learned the Samjae Simbeop from a shaman, then it belongs to the shaman.”

Have you ever seen such thieves? I gritted my teeth, but there was nothing I could do.

Even if I were to become a merchant, if my danjeon is broken, it would be very difficult. Danjeon is also a point. If the point is broken, not only will you lose physical strength, but your body will also become abnormal. I didn’t want to live my second life suffering from illness.

“The work starts now.”

Cheongsu laughed at me for being absent-minded and slammed the door shut.

“Those crazy guys.”

I cursed at all the shamans and put all the bamboo tubes with “Samcheonggwan” written on them in my bag. However, there were so many that I thought I would never be able to take them all at once. I would have to go in and out several times.

Actually, Samcheonggwan was where the elders and the chiefs lived. Naturally, it was a place where messengers would come and go a lot. But I didn’t know why I had to do that. I had a strong suspicion that Cheongsu had just left me to do it because he didn’t like me.

I sighed deeply and left the room with my bundle on my back. Carrying my bundle up the steep mountain made me sweat profusely.

Still, I gritted my teeth and raised my spirits. Working at Gokjeongak was only for a short while.

After a few hours, an absurd sight appeared before me, beyond the poison I had drawn.

In front of me now was a cliff that looked to be fifty feet high. It was a truly vertical slope, without any ridges or protrusions. The very top of this cliff was Samcheong-gwan.

“Really, really, really crazy bastards.”

I couldn’t help but curse. I couldn’t understand how I was supposed to climb up here, and why they built a building up there.

My thighs felt like they were going to burst, my shoulders felt like they were going to collapse, and salty sweat flowed down my face, stinging my eyes.

“Let’s wait and see.”

If I become a merchant again, I will sell the items that go into shamanism at the highest price.

I gritted my teeth and grabbed the rock on the cliff. Now I had to climb this cliff.