Chapter 1165: What Should We Do? (Part 5)

A pale hand emerged from under a white napkin, casually gripping a red wine glass.

Jang Ilso tilted his head back and slowly blinked his eyes, staring at the moon in the sky. After gazing at the moon in silence for a while, he shifted his gaze to the wine glass in his hand.

The glass seemed ready to overflow at any moment, filled to the brim. The reflection of the moon inside shimmered and swayed.

"As I sing, the moon strolls..."

A whispering voice slowly flowed from his lips.

"As I dance, my shadow swirls."

Jang Ilso brought the glass to his lips and slowly tilted it.

"Awake, we delight together, but after drinking, no traces remain..."

The empty glass no longer held any liquor or moon, yet Jang Ilso silently stared at the empty vessel.

"Li Bai." 

[Li Bai was ancient China's probably most famous poet, Jang Ilso was reciting lines from his most famous poem "Drinking Under the Moon": https://davidbowles.us/poetry/drinking-alone-under-the-moon-by-li-bai/]

Ho Gakmyung approached and said,

"I didn't know Ryeonju-nim liked poets."

"...Li Bai."

Jang Ilso chuckled as if reciting.

"I don't like him. No... I would say I dislike him."

"Li Bai?"

Jang Ilso's gaze shifted to the river. The moon shimmered over the river.

"They say he drowned while trying to retrieve the moon reflected in the river."

"..."

"Foolishly."

Jang Ilso tossed the empty glass he held into the river in one go. The ripple caused by the glass disturbed the reflection of the moon in the river, but the swaying moon soon regained its composure in silence.

"It's just an illusion. No matter how much you try to grasp it, you can never catch it. But still..."

A faint smile appeared on Jang Ilso's lips.

"It doesn't disappear. That's what I'm saying. So, you can only watch it. As if possessed."

"There is a real moon in the sky, isn't there?"

"It's out of reach."

Jang Ilso tilted his head back as if it were hanging down.

"You can't touch the moon in the sky no matter how much you reach out. But it seems like you can catch the moon on the river. You just have to reach out..."

"..."

"So, Li Bai must have drowned. He must have wanted to possess that moon so desperately."

After gazing at the moon on the water for a long time with half-closed eyes, Jang Ilso's gaze turned to Ho Gakmyung.

"How about it? Gakmyung-ah. Do I look like I'm trying to catch the moon in the water, too?"

In response to his words, Ho Gakmyung chuckled softly.

"Well, I don't know about that, but I do know the method to obtain the unreachable moon."

"...How?"

Without saying a word, Ho Gakmyung approached, placed a new glass in front of Jang Ilso, and filled it with wine. As the glass became full again, the moon rose once more.

"Here it is."

"..."

"Even if you drink and it disappears, if you fill it again, won't you have it once more? Don't be disappointed by the vanished moon; just pour yourself another drink and that's all."

Jang Ilso chuckled softly.

"There are truly clever people out there."

Jang Ilso reached out, slowly sipping the drink Ho Gakmyung had poured. Watching him silently, Ho Gakmyung spoke with a slightly heavy voice.

"I failed to persuade Tang Yangin."

Jang Ilso remained silent, gazing only at the river.

"He said that even if it meant death, he would not follow Ryeonju-nim."

Still receiving no response from Jang Ilso, Ho Gakmyung spoke softly.

"...There was no other choice but to execute him."

"Is that so?"

Jang Ilso slowly opened his mouth.

"Does he have a family?"

"I believe he has a wife and son in Fujian. It's been well over ten years since he left home..."

"A heartless person."

"Aren't those people usually like that?"

"Send enough money to the remaining family for a lifetime."

Ho Gakmyung stared at Jang Ilso without a response.

"What?"

"This may be a bit of a presumptuous question, but... he is someone who showed hostility towards Ryeonju-nim. He foolishly served the wrong master, making the wrong choices to the end. Is there a need to... for the relatives of such a person..."

"Wrong...?"

Jang Ilso turned his head again to gaze at the river.

"Well... Stupid enough to join the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, stupid enough to remain loyal to the end. A person isn't a dog, yet he lived foolishly under someone's foot, just like a dog."

"Is that so?"

"Nevertheless... well. Is that really wrong?"

"Ryeonju-nim?"

Jang Ilso chuckled softly.

"Would world be so troublesome if we could clearly divide right from wrong? Just pick who is right, that's all it would take."

"..."

"But Gakmyung-ah... People each have their own 'right.'"

Ho Gakmyung slowly nodded.

"That's why it's difficult. If only we could decisively say what's right and wrong in the world. Just pointing out who is right."

"In that case, what should we do?"

"Some will persuade, some will try to suppress with logic. Some will wait, some will implore, and some will be influenced. But I just..."

Thud! Jang Ilso's hand clutched the cup, and with a clinking sound, it shattered into pieces.

"Crush and take. That's the quickest way."

Jang Ilso picked up a half-filled bottle of alcohol and tilted it slowly. The spilled alcohol flowed slowly into the river.

"I don't feel sorry for those I've trampled on, but can't we at least offer a glass of alcohol? Right?"

Ho Gakmyung silently nodded his head.

"As you wish."

"Good. Let's do that."

"Yes, then."

As Ho Gakmyung retreated quietly, Jang Ilso's gaze returned to the moon on the river.

'Who is right...'

It was so utterly pointless.

* * *

Beopjeong's mouth remained shut. Chung Myung's transparent gaze pressed down on him coldly. It felt like an icy, sharp blade was piercing deep into the lungs.

As darkness fell, in the dimly lit room, only those eyes seemed to shine brightly.

It wasn't the first time he had seen those eyes. He had seen them several times already.

And every time, Beopjeong had to make an effort to hide his true feelings. It was to avoid the indescribable discomfort he felt from the eyes of a child who hadn't lived even half of his life.

Yes, discomfort...

Now that he thought about it, this discomfort might have been another form of fear. He himself couldn't know because it was a fear he felt from someone whom he should never have been afraid of.

Beopjeong quietly closed his eyes.

After he honestly admitted his true feelings, his mind settled calmly. When he came here, Beopjeong had already anticipated facing such a moment.

'Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.'

A person who, no matter how hard he tried to understand, remained incomprehensible. A person who always achieved unimaginable feats, going in the opposite direction he intended. He was a threat to Beopjeong himself and a threat to Shaolin.

That's why, until now, Beopjeong had made every effort to control Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. But after deep and profound contemplation, he realized why he had feared Chung Myung so much.

'Because he wasn't mine, and I couldn't confine him within me. That was the only reason I feared him.'

If someone like Chung Myung had appeared in Shaolin, would Beopjeong have feared him? Would he have guarded against him, considering him a threat and tried to suppress him?

No, he would never have done that. Rather, he might have welcomed his presence more willingly than anyone else. He might have seen him as a presence that could fill in what was missing in Shaolin.

What did this mean?

'If you don't understand them, just keep them nearby.'

The moment the opponent ceased to be an enemy, fear would disappear as well.

Therefore, Beopjeong's conclusion was clear. He had to somehow embrace Shaolin and Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. He prepared a proposal that they could never refuse.

Beopjeong slowly opened his eyes.

"Chung Myung Dojang."

Chung Myung faced Beopjeong without saying a word. With eyes that hadn't changed.

"To be honest... I anticipated this moment even before coming here."

"What does that mean?"

Beopjeong chuckled.

"I didn't know what question you would ask. And I didn't know how you would react. But I believed that Chung Myung Dojang would definitely bring out something unexpected."

Beopjeong chuckled again.

"That's how it has always been until now."

Chung Myung's lips twitched slightly. He also had a hunch. That the current Beopjeong was different from usual.

"That's why I set one principle before coming here."

"What is it?"

"No matter what question I receive."

Beopjeong stared at Chung Myung with unwavering eyes, not avoiding Chung Myung's gaze.

"I will not lie."

Chung Myung frowned.

"It's something a Buddhist should naturally do, but for a Buddhist to have lies on his lips is absurd. Essentially, that means you've been telling lies like eating rice until now."

"That may be so."

"... It seems Shaolin has fallen apart. The sect leader calmly saying such things."

When Chung Myung showed his dissatisfaction, Beopjeong nodded.

"I've never tried to speak a lie myself. But sometimes, even the truth becomes a lie."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue briefly. He understood the meaning behind Beopjeong's words.

" 'I will try my best,' 'I will do my utmost,' words that you don't have to take responsibility for...it means you won't say such clichés, right?" 

"Amitabhul."

Beopjeong muttered lowly.

"That's right. In this position, there are times when you have to tell lies that are not lies. I didn't think they were lies myself. Because I tried to keep my word. However... not saying everything is just another form of lying, I suppose."

Beopjeong looked at Chung Myung and thought.

'How amusing.'

How did it come to this?

Even in his eyes, Chung Myung was a hero of the world. Now, no one could deny that fact.

If Beopjeong truly had dedicated his life to protecting Kangho as the leader of the Shaolin and establishing its righteousness, he should have been delighted and willing when someone like Chung Myung appeared.

However, until recently, Chung Myung's existence was nothing more than a threatening delusion in his mind—neither more nor less.

"So, I'll be honest."

He knew.

What he needed to say here is a well-packaged lie. It would make his position a bit more favorable.

It wasn't that difficult to say he would do his best to save the Southern Island Sect. It wasn't that difficult to express the hope that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance would help.

But Beopjeong knew. That it was just a slightly different form of falsehood, as he said earlier. Didn't he already decide? He wouldn't utter even a small lie here.

"You asked. Is it true that I will do my best to save even just one more person?"

"...Yes."

Beopjeong nodded.

"Yes, then I'll tell you honestly."

The darkened gazes of Beopjeong and Chung Myung collided in mid-air.

"Shaolin...has no intention of saving the Southern Island Sect."

His voice was remarkably indifferent. Therefore, it penetrated even deeper into the hearts of those sitting there, casting a profound and clear shadow.