Chapter 1366: Do You Know What Shame Is? (Part 1)

When Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the disciples of the Southern Island that departed the village, the first words that came out of them were excuses.

"...It's true that we should've helped them."

"Who doesn't know that? It's only natural. We aren't beasts, so if we receive kindness, we should repay it."

"That's right. It's true... but is that an easy thing to do? If those beast-like Evil Sect guys find out, what will happen? Even the ant babies in the village won't survive."

"That's exactly my point. Those people don't know what kind of people the Evil Sect is. Are they not individuals who, if provoked, could fight back? How can they understand the feelings of people like us who have to beg for our lives?"

"Still... they must have felt disappointed."

"Well, yeah. Even I feel quite disappointed. They were people who helped us with good intentions."

"Stop it. What good comes from talking? It's a sin to be powerless, and it's a sin to live in such a place, digging the earth. If it weren't for those Evil Sect guys, who would have cared about such a small thing as grain?"

However, that wasn't enough to soothe the uncomfortable feelings, and as time passed, words of disapproval began to emerge.

"Truthfully, if those guys hadn't humiliated the Evil Sect guys in the first place, would all this have happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Am I wrong? When they boasted and made promises to take care of the Evil Sect, they were confident. But when they got in trouble with those guys, didn't they get kicked out of Gangnam?"

"Hey, still, that's not something to say lightly."

"If those righteous sect guys hadn't fooled around, we wouldn't have lived in such pain. If you think about it, it's because of them. Why should we feel guilty?"

"To feel guilty, they should feel it over there!"

"Well, that's not that wrong…Still, aren't they people who helped out of good intentions?"

"The same goes for helping! Aren't they clearly aware of our situation? Are they the kind of people who can't imagine what will happen if they carelessly help us? What do people who have learned enough and know enough to know do?"

"..."

"...And helping is just talk. They said they would send us to the North, but who came this time? Didn't they abandon us once again!"

At those words, the faces of the villagers strangely hardened.

"Originally, those gentlemen didn't care about us fools, whether we lived or died. "When things were going well, I left the grain behind as a courtesy, but now that things are getting a little worse, aren't they asking us to give it up?"

"Didn't they say they were going to buy it? They said they were going..."

"Do they even have money? How do you know if they'll really give it or not! And even if we receive that money, can we use it properly? In these circumstances, food that can be put in the mouth right away is much more valuable than those pieces of metal!"

In fact, it was a bit different.

In troubled times, it wasn't wrong to say that grain is more important than money, but Gangnam wasn't as chaotic to render money useless. Even if one left the big cities, one could still get grain as long as one had money.

Most of the people here knew that fact, but they didn't bother pointing it out. It wasn't their place to speak up.

"If it weren't for the village chief, what would have happened? If it weren't for the village chief, the grain we have here would have been easily taken away."

"Isn't that a bit much to say?"

"We don't know anything. If someone who has lived a little longer and thought a little more says that, we can only follow along."

"That's true."

It was their own choice. The old man was just conveying what he thought. But looking away was easier than confrontation. Even if it brought greater trouble later on, it would be more comfortable for now.

So, one could simply think that they followed the old man's coercion. After all, the old man was the most influential person in the village.

"That's enough. Still, didn't we at least send them off with a decent meal? We've repaid the favor to some extent, haven't we?"

"...Enough."

"It's not wrong though, right? Giving them a meal might be nothing to those people, but because of the grain we gave them, we might have to starve for over two weeks. If that's not enough, we've shown all the sincerity we could..."

"Hey, stop."

A man grabbed the shoulders of the one who was passionately speaking. However, the one with the loud voice shook off the restraint and continued to express his dissatisfaction.

"Oh, why? Can't I even speak my mind?"

"It's not that! Behind you, uh? Behind you!"

"Huh?"

The man turned around. Hyeong Wook stood there, looking at him as if he were pitiful. The man, whose face suddenly turned red, awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Uh, why are you here?"

"Did you say you paid it all back?"

"...No, I mean, what I was trying to say..."

"Your older brother once told me something."

"Huh?"

Hyeong Wook spat out the words as if chewing them.

"Being ignorant and poor doesn't mean you have no shame. Shame is not something you learn, it's something every person just knows."

The man closed his mouth like a clam.

"What do you call someone who doesn't know shame, then?"

There was no answer. Hyeong Wook didn't wait and left.

Those watching his rough footsteps each sighed deeply. As the atmosphere became like this, people quickly glanced at each other, and soon dispersed in all directions.

The village was engulfed in deep silence.

Even those who deeply felt guilt in their hearts, those who thought the demands of the Mount Hua group that suddenly appeared were excessive, and those whose hearts had settled—all of them couldn't easily open their mouths.

The sun set, night came, and after an unusually quiet dawn, the sun broke over the mountains.

"Tsk."

The old man, who opened the door and came outside, clicked his tongue.

Last night, Hyeong Wook didn't come back home. There was no way the guy who had lived in the mountains all his life would've suddenly had an accident, so it was clear that he just didn't want to face his father.

"A guy not that young anymore, yet full of anger like this."

The world was not such a gentle place. It was time he knew that...

The old man sighed in frustration.

'It'll probably be okay in a few days.'

He knew. Immediate wounds that felt like they would sting to death would heal over time and be covered with scabs. If you repeat that a few times, even if you get the same injury, the pain lessens.

The human heart is the same. Even if it's bitter and painful at first, after experiencing the same thing a few times, it becomes dull. It's not different for guilt either.

The old man only hoped that through this incident, his son would face reality a bit more.

Thump. Thump.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps reached the old man's ears. Turning his gaze toward the village entrance, the old man suddenly widened his eyes.

"Ah..."

Even just through the eyes, he could feel the malicious intent of the group that was pushing into the village. A chilly coldness ran down his spine.

Thud.

At the head of the group, unlike the rough-looking ones in the back, a person who seemed clean-cut raised a finger. Then, he spoke.

"Bring every single person."

"Yes!"

Desperation covered the face of the old man.

"P-please spare us!"

"I haven't done anything, sir!"

The villagers who were dragged out knelt in the center of the village. The old man, with legs that seemed like they could break any moment, was no different.

Although they were forced out from their homes early in the morning and had to kneel since then, none of them could properly protest or question.

It was a natural thing. In the first place, a martial artist was nothing less than the Grim Reaper to ordinary villagers.

Even if only one of them appeared, the entire village would be turned upside down, but with hundreds of them surrounding the villagers, what could they possibly say? Beyond fear, it felt like their sanity would snap at any moment.

"Ah!"

"Hyeong Wook!"

At the sound coming from the side, the old man, who had been bowing his head, jerked up in surprise.

His son, who hadn't come home overnight, was being dragged by the hair. Even though it would have been better if he had stayed far away and survived by some stroke of luck, it seemed that the weak-hearted guy was wandering around the village despite being angry.

'No, no.'

The old man clenched his bony fists. Opening his eyes wide, he regained his composure. He probably would have slapped himself in the face if he had been able to move without being noticed.

'They say you can survive a tiger bite if you just come to your senses.'

Wasn't avoiding such a situation in the first place the reason he turned away from their benefactors? The villagers hadn't done anything wrong. So...

"They're all here!"

Someone shouted, and the cold-looking leader of the group nodded in agreement.

"As long as you answer openly, you won't suffer any harm."

At that straightforward statement, everyone felt a lump in their throat. The question came.

"Have any members of the righteous sects been here in this village?"

For a moment, the villagers exchanged glances. It wasn't because of a guilty conscience. Rather, they were worried that even admitting that the righteous sect had set foot here might lead to trouble.

But the Myriad Manor and Ho Gakmyung were not people who would sympathize with such circumstances.

"It seems you don't understand words. Kill about two or three as an example."

"I-I heard! We heard, sir!"

At that moment, the old man screamed as if his throat would burst.

Thump! Thump!

And he fell to the ground, bowing his head.

"Of course they came!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! Th-they said they needed grain. They'd pay for it, so we should provide grain...!"

"Grain?"

"Yes, that's right!"

Ho Gakmyung seemed to understand and nodded.

"So? Did you give it to them?"

"T-that's impossible! Although we are ignorant, we are not so foolish as not to know who is looking after us now! We firmly refused!"

The older man clenched his fists tighter, ready to respond to any words that might follow. Whether it be scolding or praise, he was prepared for anything.

However, the following words went far beyond the old man's expectations. Ho Gakmyung wasn't interested in grain or anything of the sort.

"I see. Fine. Then where did they go?"

"...What?"

The villagers looked at each other. Where did they go? How could the villagers possibly know that?

"Don't you know?"

"W-well, that's..."

The old man instinctively raised his eyes and glanced around. The face of Ho Gakmyung, or more precisely, his eyes, came into view.

The light in those eyes was sober. But because of that, it was eerie. It was a numb gaze, as if looking at rocks or trees rather than people. Just by looking at that, the old man could understand how Ho Gakmyung thought of the villagers.

"How can we believe those words?"

"...What?"

"I don't trust people. All I trust is the simple truth that people prioritize life over conscience."

When Ho Gakmyung casually nodded, those on the left and right approached the villagers.

"Let the one who speaks live. Kill the rest."

"Yes!"

The old man's face turned pale. It was at that very moment.

"Th-That one!"

Someone among the villagers desperately shouted.

"That man followed them last! That man will know!"

"S-so Gil! What are you saying now?"

The old man shouted as if having a fit, his eyes glaring. The person the man was pointing at was none other than Hyeong Wook.

"Why, why! It's true!"

"What nonsense between people from the same village...!"

"Whether it's conscience or nonsense, the one who said we should live no matter what we do is right! You said yesterday that people like us should live no matter what we do!"

The old man's eyes trembled. It wasn't meant in that way. It was merely to send the righteous sect people away...

"That's the one! Hyeong Wook!"

"That guy followed them!"

"We don't know anything! That guy will know!"

The villagers, who had realized what their fate was, shouted fervently, as if rebelling.

"Stop."

The martial artists who were approaching menacingly at Ho Gakmyung's command stepped back.

Ho Gakmyung briefly glanced at Hyeong Wook, who everyone in the village was staring at desperately. Although Hyeong Wook's face was pale, surprisingly, his expression was quite composed.

"Do you know?"

"...Yes."

Hyeong Wook readily admitted the fact.

"It's no use trying to pressure these people. I'm the only one who knows."

"Then answer. Where did they go?"

"But before that, I have one question. Are you a high-ranking person in the Evil Sect?"

Ho Gakmyung furrowed his brow slightly.

"Let's say I am."

"Then since you've learned a lot, may I ask one thing? If you don't mind."

Hyungwook paused for a moment and smirked.

"Do you know what shame is?"

For a moment, everyone's eyes trembled. Both the villagers and the Myriad Man Manor guarding Ho Gakmyung. Faced with the absurd words thrown towards Ho Gakmyung, they could only shiver in response.

However, Ho Gakmyung and Hyeong Wook, who uttered those words, looked at each other without any signs of hesitation.

Ho Gakmyung spoke.

"Bekbi (白匕)."

"Yes, commander."

"Find out."

"Yes!"

The person called Bekbi approached Hyeong Wook and pulled something out of his sleeve. It was a shimmering dagger, finely forged.

Hyeong Wook smiled at the dagger and mumbled.

"Now I'll find out too. Whether I am a person with shame or not."

With closed eyes, he took a deep breath.