There’s no need for that. (4)

Everyone stared at Hyeon Pung Shin Gae in silence.

The first to break the heavy silence was the voice of someone who couldn’t bear to accept it all.

“What in the world…”

Lee Songbaek’s eyes trembled.

It was unbelievable, yet at the same time, it was impossible not to believe in this story.

If what the old man said was true, didn’t it mean that the leaders of Gupailbang had completely abandoned those who were sacrificed?

And among them, there must have been the Sect Leader of Jongnam as well.

“What does that mean, exactly?”

Lee Songbaek couldn’t contain himself, raising his voice, but Hye Yeon silently grabbed his arm.

“That…”

When Lee Songbaek and Hye Yeon locked eyes, Hye Yeon slowly shook his head, as if to discourage him from acting out now.

As Lee Songbaek fell silent, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae spoke again.

“That statement wasn’t entirely wrong… Looking back, I see it clearly. I was just a cowardly human being. Merely manipulating and sacrificing countless people for my own purposes.”

“Senior…”

“The group that reached the summit of that cursed mountain ultimately severed Heavenly Demon’s neck. It pierced through that slim chance. But… yes. The remnants of Demonic Cult, who we should have risked our lives to eradicate, simply flocked to Shaanxi without any harm.”

A hollow chuckle escaped Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s lips.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? From the distant Hundred Thousand Mountains, breaking through Gangnam, crossing the Yangtze River, and reaching Shaanxi, it is a long road that literally traverses the Central Plains… In that relentless assault, only Hwasan was sacrificed.”

“Senior?”

“Was that really a coincidence?”

“What?”

“Geomjon severed the Heavenly Demon’s neck. Who witnessed it? By then, all the cultists who were on that mountain had already lost their lives.”

The faces of Hwasan’s disciples turned pale.

Could it be…?

In the past, it might have been difficult to understand. When seen only on a map, it would have been hard to grasp the distance.

But now, it could be understood. How absurd it sounded. They had personally traversed such a long distance, using none other than their own two legs.

“The fact that Geomjon severed the Heavenly Demon’s neck was almost unknown to the world. But ironically, only cultists seemed to be well aware of this fact. Was that really.….. truly a coincidence?”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

Lee Songbaek’s voice erupted like a scream.

Baek Cheon clenched his fists tightly, his neatly trimmed nails digging into his palms.

But Hyeon Pung Shin Gae, the one who spoke, simply lowered his head calmly.

“I can’t just blame them. I, too, merely kept silent. Their words were not wrong. Even though I clearly saw the remnants of Demonic Cult rushing to trample Hwasan, I couldn’t do anything. No, I did nothing. The principles I believed in were all false.”

Trembling hands, like twisted branches, covered his face.

“So then… if my principles were false, then what were those who died under those principles? What… what have I done? For what…?”

No one dared to speak.

To see an elderly man, aged beyond reckoning, sobbing like a child… anyone witnessing such a sight would find themselves unable to offer even a word of comfort.

But Chung Myung remained as composed as ever.

“So, is this why you made the Beggars Sect like this?”

“That child called me a great Sect Leader, but… that was all a lie.”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae looked emptily at the ceiling.

“It was all too easy. The half-collapsed world was overflowing with rogues and beggars. Merely accepting them as disciples was enough for the Beggars Sect to regain its former glory.”

“…”

“But I… I could only tremble with guilt and anxiety as I watched them. Someday, they too will walk the same path as those sacrificed in the past. Beggar’s Blood for the Right Cause. Blood… Those swords, akin to a heavenly punishment, will once again lead them to their doom.”

The old man, murmuring as if lost in thought, looked at Chung Myung.

“……Am I wrong?”

“…”

“What should I have done? I couldn’t do anything alone, couldn’t change anything on my own. If fate was already decided, was it wrong of me to at least think that I wouldn’t let these wretched souls be sacrificed for nothing?”

The old man’s voice felt desperate. Baek Cheon, who had been observing this scene, suddenly felt something odd. The tone kept shifting. It seemed like the old man was feeling confused. But the exact reason couldn’t be determined.

Then, Chung Myung tightly closed his eyes. Slowly opening them again, he spoke.

“Is that why you’ve endured until now?”

“…”

“Mastering wicked techies to forcibly extend your lifespan? Enduring severe pain that must have followed?”

A laugh, hollow like the wind blowing, escaped from Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s lips.

“Physical pain… it’s not even pain. I wanted to change the Beggars Sect. But I knew no one would understand my words. So I slowly changed it without them knowing. But… still, those who couldn’t overcome that spirit continue to emerge.”

“…”

“That’s why I had to stay alive. Even if it meant hiding in this sinister closet, even if it meant binding the lives of disciples and their disciples here to endure suffering, I…”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae suddenly stopped speaking. It was because of Chung Myung’s gaze. Under that penetrating gaze, he trembled slightly.

“Hwasan Geomhyeop…”

“…”

“I… I’m afraid of death. Afraid of facing those who went before me. That’s why I can’t die… That’s why…”

Chung Myung bit his lip in silence. Regret and fear flickered in the old man’s eyes.

“Enduring the pain as if one’s flesh were burning in fire would be less painful than meeting those who went first. So… so I desperately avoided death. Somehow…”

Thick tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Even breathing felt sinful, but I couldn’t die. A living corpse unable to live or die. That’s… that’s who I am.”

A deep, long sigh escaped Baek Cheon’s lips.

He had only wanted to know. Who was the one pulling the strings behind the Beggars Sect.

But he never imagined he would hear such a story in the process. Wasn’t this too cruel a tale?

“How did you come here…?”

In a fading voice, the old man spoke.

“Have you come to me again to drive them to death…? Are you commanding me to commit another sin? I, who couldn’t repay my debts even after countless years of suffering, what more do you want to add? How did you come here… How…”

Baek Cheon couldn’t bear to look anymore and closed his eyes.

He didn’t think he could change that heart. Who could change a heart that had been solidified for nearly a hundred years, as firm as stone?

As Hyeon Pung Shin Gae lowered his head with a mournful expression, Chung Myung spoke up.

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“…”

“Commits wrongs.”

“…”

“Commits sins. Sins that cannot be undone by anything.”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s eyes trembled faintly.

“At times, I denied everything I had said, shoved what I believed to be the entirety of my life into the gutter. And justified it, denying it.”

Chung Myung stared directly at the old man.

“That’s humanity. Vile and dreadful. But still, ultimately, people go on living.”

“…”

“I won’t say your path was wrong. But I can’t say it was right either.”

“…What was wrong?”

“I thought no one would understand me. Presumed that no one would understand me and tried to bear it all alone.”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s eyebrows trembled.

“That’s just escapism disguised as solitude. Without me, it’s nothing more than a crumbling sandcastle. No matter how splendid, a sandcastle remains a sandcastle.”

Chung Myung’s gaze shifted backward. Luju stood with an expression that was beyond comprehension.

“And it will only create another sacrifice.”

The old man looked back and forth between Chung Myung and Luju as he listened to him speak. After much contemplation and apparent internal struggle, he slowly parted his lips. A hoarse voice mixed with metal grating.

“Step aside… Step aside for a moment. Everyone.”

“Master, that’s…”

“Do as I say.”

Luju eventually nodded, sensing from Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s gaze that it was not the time to resist.

“Let’s go down.”

Without a word, the others followed Luju’s lead. Only one person, Chung Myung, remained in his designated spot as if it were a predetermined agreement.

Baek Cheon glanced back with a lingering sense of reluctance before finally heading downstairs. Chung Myung immediately expanded his internal energy to block any sound.

Now, only Chung Myung and Hyeon Pung Shin Gae would be able to hear each other’s voices in this place.

“Hwasan Geomhyeop……”

“Please speak.”

The moment the two were alone, Chung Myung’s tone became slightly awkward.

However, Hyeon Pung Shin Gae remained silent, as if indicating that such matters were fine.

“I… I’ve been hearing your story for quite some time now.”

“…”

“At first, it was uncomfortable. The one who resurrected Hwasan, Hwasan I had turned away from and couldn’t even bring myself to face.”

Chung Myung silently met Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s gaze.

“But the more I watched your actions, the more I couldn’t help but harbor one doubt. Is all of this really achievable solely through the extraordinary talent of one person?”

“…”

“As I watched you, I eventually reached one conclusion. That’s why… That’s why I was so afraid to face you.”

A voice filled with endless remorse seeped out.

“I was afraid, yet I also hoped. It became unbearable pain, yet also unmatched joy.”

His withered hand reached out towards Chung Myung. Trembling uncontrollably, it was filled with an indescribable fear. But Hyeon Pung Shin Gae stubbornly extended his hand despite everything.

“Is…”

A childlike voice flowed from his lips, wrinkled with age.

“Is.….. Is it true? Are you… Are you really…?”

Transparent tears streamed down. Tears poured out as if to fill his dry face, dripping incessantly without even a moment to cling to his chin.

“Is… Is my suspicion correct? Please answer me. Is it… Is it right for me to see you?”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s body trembled with anguish. Even a sinner facing the King of Hell would not tremble like this.

Desperately trying to steady his trembling body, he looked at Chung Myung.

“Please…”

Chung Myung, silently watching such a scene unfold, closed his eyes.

A fleeting memory.

One day, the image of Hyeon Pung Gae, still in his youth, passed by his mind. The middle-aged Hyeon Pung Gae, who had looked upon Maehwa Geomjon with unparalleled admiration.

“Yes.”

A solemn voice emanated from Chung Myung’s lips.

Words long held back.

The words he never believed he would utter himself.

“I… “

Those slightly awkward words flowed from his lips as if they had fallen off the tip of his tongue.

“I am… Geomjon.”

Hyeon Pung Shin Gae’s body trembled like bamboo in the wind. Unable to speak, he let out only a whimper, as if unable to utter any words.

Then, desperately, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest. With clenched fist, he extended them towards Chung Myung.

“Hyeon Pung Gae of the Beggars Sect…”

The deeply bowed head conveyed the greatest reverence.

“Dares… dares to… to greet Maehwa Geomjon.”