Book 19 Chapter 15

A Conversation… Divided by Silence

-Non-flowing vs. flowing

"Hey, Hyun-woon, did you hear about that? My big brother was taken away, the big brother!"

Jinryung's face, still slightly cheeky, looked like someone who had just been told that the impossible had become possible.

"Ah, Gene Sojae. Of course I heard about it, the whole place has been in an almost festive mood since last night because of what happened. Actually, Gene Sojae found out too late."

There were also tales of several people within the castle who drank self-congratulatory wine, and Hyun-woon looked at Qin Lie with a puzzled expression.

"But don't you think now is not the time to be worrying about that big brother of yours who can't seem to die if you kill him?"

"What? Why is that?"

Qin Ling replied with a puzzled expression.

"Because a little while ago, your lover, the court priest, was also taken."

And Hyunwoon immediately had to cover his ears with his fingers.

Yay!

A deafening friction sound echoed through the room as a heavy door swung open and a figure entered.

The young man sitting in the lumpy chair in the center of the room squinted slightly at the sunlight streaming in through the doorway.

"It's been a while, Nan Gong Danju."

The white-haired young woman who entered through the open door greeted him without looking up.

"It's been a long time, Bai 'Sohao'!"

Baek's hand paused for a moment as he grabbed the chair to sit down. But then, without a change in expression, he pulled out the chair and sat down.

"I'm sorry to see you here."

Namgungsang looked around and answered.

"Certainly not a good place to invite people over, it's dreary, not to mention uninviting."

It was stiflingly dark on all sides, and the only window was a dime-sized peephole, just out of reach of human hands, and it was impossible to get any light through it. The interior was even more dismal, with only a single candle, which was not very effective at illuminating the darkness, casting a faint glow in the darkness.

It wasn't just the facilities; even entering the room, I was greeted by flesh-and-blood guards flanking the door to the left and right. The iron gates, the only way in and out, were now firmly closed. There was nothing sociable about the place.

"It's not too late. If you apologize, I'll accept it."

Namgungsang said good-naturedly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't apologize, it's my official duty. You'll understand."

Namgungsang realized that his good intentions had been rejected.

"I don't understand, but I don't blame you."

I understand where you're coming from, but Baek was not pleased. The initial nervousness ended in moderation.

Namgungsang asked again.

"So what brought me here, anyway? I don't think I've ever been involved in anything spectacular enough to be called to a place like this."

"You never know, maybe my memory isn't what it used to be. If you think about it, maybe it will come back to you?"

The name of the room was "interrogation room," and Baek wanted to do something that wouldn't embarrass the name.

"I'm sure you're aware of the recent events that have been causing a stir in the men's room?"

"You mean the killing spree? But I didn't kill them, I didn't see them, let alone kill them. How can I kill someone I haven't even seen? I'm afraid I don't have that gift."

Baek Moo-young shook his head with a sad expression.

"False testimony can be used against you later. So think twice about it."

"False testimony? Can you be held accountable for those words?"

A blade-like flash flashed in his eyes as he smiled, always a friendly smile. Only two people could dull that light, and neither of them was Baek Moo-young.

However, Baek Moo-young was also the head of the Gujung Assembly. It would be a matter of dignity if he finally succumbed to momentum.

The gazes of Bai Muyoung and Namgung Sang clashed head-on. If someone were watching from the sidelines, their gazes were so intense that it wouldn't have been strange to see sparks fly out of thin air.

"You can kill people with that look, but you can't change the truth. If you're going to blame me, I want you to know that I never said it."

In a voice that didn't sound intimidated at all, Baek replied.

Bam!

"Let him in."

The heavy iron gates opened once more as Bai Muyoung clapped his hands. Four young men walked in, one after the other, with their heads bowed in awe. They were obviously disciples of a prestigious sect, but that was not an acceptable demeanor.

"What do you think, these four people, have we seen them before?"

Namgung Sang's eyes widened. He had certainly seen them before, and very recently at that.

Then I noticed something strange.

'One, two, three, four…….'

No matter how many times you counted, you still had one finger left. It's not like you've gained a new finger, but you have one.

"That's weird."

"Do you remember anything?"

Baek asked with some anticipation.

"We're one person short."

"Hmm, is that so, who's short?"

Baek Mu-young asked, his eyes glazed over, as if he knew nothing about the fact that the lackey was still lying in the morgue at Muyuan University, wrapped in a giant foe.

"You spitter!"

"The one who spat?"

The bizarre answer was far from what he was expecting.

"Who the hell is that?"

In my confusion, I started to slur my words. I was secretly flattered. Still, she was beginning to curse her position.

"There's another public nuisance next to them. No way……."

Namgungsang looked at Baek Moo-young with wide eyes and raised his sword to stab him a couple of times. Baek Moo-young nodded twice in affirmation.

"You probably won't see him for a while."

"Why?"

"It's dead."

Namgungsang's eyes widened at the answer.

"How?"

"That's what I'm asking."

Baek replied in a slightly irritated tone.

"Do you have a godbrother?!

The events of the evening flashed before his eyes.

"Leave him behind!"

When he heard the instruction, even he didn't expect it to be a real goal, even though he was praying for it.

Namgungsang glanced at the four youngsters who had been summoned to get a general idea of what was going on, but their heads were bowed so deeply that he couldn't get a good look at their expressions.

Baek couldn't help but wonder.

"Hmm, what's going on? Are they all afraid of that Southern Palace statue?

All four of them were huddled together like frightened rabbits, shivering pathetically. None of them dared to look the Southern Palace statue in the eye.

"How the heck did you do that?

His guess was correct. It had been only yesterday, not so long ago, that the four of them had been gently and refreshingly stroked by the hands and feet of Namgung Sang, and the marks of that time were still there.

Namgungsang clicked his tongue and said.

"Are you guilty? Why are you all so cowardly? Do you think I'm going to jump in and skin your faces if you show your faces?"

In other words, if they didn't show their faces, he'd have their skins skinned off. He, too, was being colored by someone else. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the four of them looked up, startled as if struck by lightning, and Namgung Sang was able to see their faces.

"No, why is everyone's face so blotchy, did something happen yesterday?"

He looked at her bruised and scarred face with an expression that alternated with pity.

"You said so!

It felt like a chimney to shout, but with yesterday's lessons as a mirror for tomorrow, they chimed in.

"Oh, no, it was fine."

"Look at that. You said it was fine."

When Namgung-sang shrugged, Baek Mu-young shouted impatiently.

"Well, you've changed a lot, you weren't so shameless before! What's wrong with you? I can tell right away by the way you're shaking, so don't play dumb and tell me the truth!"

His usually well-groomed forehead now bore a black gash.

"Nothing in the world is fixed, not even people! People are in motion, so don't be so hard on yourself. I'll tell you my story."

* * *

"Kaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

One of the challengers, who had obviously eaten a bunch of them, spat and spat on the ground in a way that was almost like a pouty Anhamu. To make matters worse, he didn't forget the flag-raising ceremony, "Kaaaah!".

Witnessing this outrageous sight - technically a suicide scene - Namgung Sang's face instantly turned black.

"Oh, God!

He cursed at the unanswered sky as the blood in his face began to rapidly retreat. You fool!

"Moo, what are you doing……!

My head was pounding so hard that I wanted to wrap my head around it.

But it's too late: you can't pick up spilled water, and you can't swallow spit. But,

There was only one human being who could make it happen.

"Gungshang!"

A voice that rises on the 'gung', falls on the 'sang', and sags on the 'ah'. It didn't take Namgungsang long to realize that it was a voice that was very much in tune with the judgment.

"Yes, big brother!"

Namgungsang immediately replied.

"Leave him alone!"

I could tell which one it was with my eyes closed without moving my fingers.

"Yep! Got it, big brother!"

He was told to take care of the rest on his own, but Namgungsang did not utter a word of complaint. Just as an actor cannot perform without being on stage, a being cannot be completely free from the bondage of time and space as long as it exists as a being. The good thing about truth is that it applies randomly everywhere. Truth is not case-specific. Therefore, the fact that you should choose the right time and place to walk your dog was a clear truth that transcends time and space.

In the light of that mirror of truth, which shines unblemished by the mud of time, the state of time and space was very poor. At a time like this, if you messed with it, you could end up killing yourself.

'How dare that bastard touch the hive…….'

He gritted his teeth inwardly.

'You think this is some kind of neighborhood bully fight…….'

I don't know who that fool was, but he made a huge mistake. Once a fire is lit in a powder keg, it doesn't go out until the whole thing explodes, and he needed a backup plan.

This was no ordinary neighborhood brawl. If you thought so, you were sorely mistaken. This was an extremely difficult fight, with a formidable opponent.

His intentions were painfully obvious. He was probably trying to take down the train with his dirty looks and equally dirty mouth. But as I said, this wasn't a low-level neighborhood brawl, and to go off on a tangent about a subject you don't even know the first thing about was to hasten your own demise.

There is no trickery in the eyes of a true master. He should have known that. That he was already naked the moment he showed up. He should have known that the moment he showed up, he was already naked. He should have known that the moment he showed up, he was already naked. He should have known that the moment he showed up, he was already naked. He should have known that the moment he showed up, he was already naked. He couldn't even keep his mouth shut, and he broke a deadly taboo he shouldn't have broken.

"Let's do this!

…?

You must be careful when cutting a horse in half. The cut is so sharp that it can sometimes cause harm(危害) to yourself. The fact that he couldn't tell when to divide and when not to divide showed just how bad he was at fractions. But the person he was dealing with was by no means a kind-hearted person who would consider such a trivial matter.

She hated pretentiousness the most, and despised the lowest common denominator. They were all unnecessary and useless to the real thing anyway.

The idiot had to be held accountable for his fatal misjudgment. The world always holds people accountable for the decisions they make.

"Cause and effect.

He's going to have to learn the hard way today that those four letters with a long history weren't just created to promote Buddhism.

* * *

"Is that why you killed him?"

Baek Moo-young, his face close to her nose, asked in a sharp voice.

"You didn't kill him, so don't interrogate him!"

In an irritated voice, Namgungsang replied.

"Chet, you got caught, but are you saying you really did it?"

Baek was still in disbelief.

"It's real. I can believe it."

Namgungsang replied with a look that said he understood the sentiment.

"You're crazy……."

"I agree!"

This was the first consensus I saw today.

"The quality of test takers has gone down a lot lately."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I'm more surprised that he actually thinks he's going to make it to that level."

"There are far more people who are closest to you and don't know it than there are who do."

"You're so close, you think you know everything. Delusions are healthy in moderation."

"So how did it go?"

"I knew instinctively that Confucius was going to screw him, so I decided to clean up the mess to make it go smoothly. That's when I realized that Non-Confucius……."

"Wait!"

Baek Moo-young raised his hand to silence him.

"Why but?"

"I was wondering earlier, why do you call that friend of yours, Bi Ryuyeon, Bi Confucius? Isn't he technically your junior?"

"Kool-aid, hoo, junior……."

Namgungsang pondered the horrifying implications of the word. It was true in some respects, but such minutiae had no effect on his reality. It sounded so unreal that it was actually a novelty.

"Confucius… I think that's too polite a title."

Calling out "Hey, B. Liu!" or "Hey, Ryuyeon!" was a frowned upon idea.

"Because I respect people for who they are, regardless of age or grade. Just because you're older doesn't mean you're better, does it?"

Even he knew that this answer was only a superficial excuse.

As much as we don't want to believe it, it's not that we don't do it, it's that we can't.

Why not?

Even if Daehyung's ears were bright and his eyes sharp, his attention wouldn't reach this far. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to call him 'that son of a bitch', or 'junior Ryuyeon', or 'junior Ryuyeon'. He wanted to shout with all his might that the king's ears were donkey's ears, even if it was in a remote bamboo grove, but his tongue knew better than his heart, thanks to all his years of hunger and bloody lessons.

The only compromise was the title of Non-Confucius.

'Do I need to go to therapy or something…….'

It was a real problem to be intimidated by his presence even when he wasn't around. However, knowing what happened to the old man afterward, when he bravely spilled certain unpleasant-but at the time very poignant-words to his brother on the edge of life and death, every time he uttered a harsh word, he would be reminded of that scene and would naturally soften his language. Besides, the letter incident was a terrible mistake in hindsight. I felt like I was living on borrowed time. By comparison, I was merely being interrogated. It was better to be careful while you could than to panic after the fact.

'I am now out of the reach of the great brother's eyes and out of the reach of his ears, but I cannot escape his bonds; for I have restrained myself, and who can save me but myself?'

Does the phrase "resolve" apply in this case? He had to admit that he was being held captive. The longer he thought about it, the more miserable he became.

"Eh, titles are just a convenient way to categorize things anyway, and they don't distract from the content, so let's get back to yesterday's story."

"Please."

Namgungsang traveled back to that time. He was consulting with the four about their fate.

* * *

"Can we go somewhere else to talk for a minute?"

He didn't want to give them too much of a glimpse of the disaster he instinctively sensed was coming; it wouldn't be a pretty sight. However, they were completely oblivious to his attentive and gentle consideration, and ungratefully blurted out the following.

"I don't mind if you just continue here, sir!"

Quick!

Blue veins pulsed in the South King's forehead. His natural voice grew harsh.

"Stop nagging me and just follow me!"

The five of them flinched at the fierce intensity in his eyes.

"It's all for you!

You probably don't even realize that you're doing yourself a favor by trying to kick a gratuitous favor.

But I didn't want to show them anything too horrible yet. I didn't think it was my duty as a senior to show them something that was bad for their education when they hadn't even established their identity yet. Besides, I didn't want to tarnish the reputation of the school more than it already was.

"That idiot must be destined for educational guidance.

His godbrother was a skeptic of the theory that humanized attention to an already badly corrupted child, or a calm conversation, could straighten them out. In fact, the odds were actually pretty slim. Just as it's easy to muddy up clean water, it takes thousands or tens of thousands of times as long to make it clean again. Herein lies the difficulty of education. It's hard to change values that are already set in stone, so you have to break them, otherwise humans still don't know what reflection is. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder, until eventually it becomes as hard as granite.

It's too time-consuming to try and resolve it through a tie or conversation. In such cases, people usually give up. However, there are some people who never give up. Bi Ryuyeon falls into the latter category. He not only doesn't give up, but he doesn't care what it takes. The common-sense question of whether the end justifies the means was always ignored by him.

"If you're going to harm others, you should be prepared to be harmed yourself! The human rights of the accused are none of my business! Who cares about the human rights of the accused when victims everywhere are not getting the redress they deserve?"

Namgung Sang knew that he sometimes found himself agreeing with him. The prisoner's human rights went against the physiology of this clan, where vengeance was a virtue. It was decided that he would be quietly taken elsewhere and summarily disposed of.

In truth, Namgungsang himself didn't want to see it, but that didn't stop him from doing so.

"If you get stepped on a bit, you'll quickly realize that the world is a big place.

No matter how hard you fight inside the well, once you're stepped on by the hooves of a galloping horse outside the well, you're dead.

He tried to stay as far away from the scene as possible, not wanting to get caught up in a mess with a short-thinker. It wasn't until the grumblings of the junior trainees behind him began to leak out of their mouths that he stopped walking. They can't even read the mood? They're a species of marsupial, and they don't seem to have much patience or discernment either.

One by one, Nan Gongsang examined the faces of the beggars who had been entrusted to him. Qingcheng, Haenan, Kunlun, and the Volcano…….

He could have laughed about the fun of picking and choosing, but he couldn't.

'Well, I guess it's because I'm a human…….'

It's unclear how, but it's clear that the groupings had already leaked out. Otherwise, there's no way they could have gotten away with it. Whenever high stakes are involved in any test, there will always be cheating, big and small. That's as true now as it was a thousand years ago. It will probably not change much in a thousand years' time, for when the stakes are high, men are always tempted to cheat. The desire to cheat increases in proportion to the gain that can be gained. If you are not trained to resist such temptations, the result will always be the same.

"Phew, let's get this over with and get back to work!

Namgungsang sighed and thought to himself.

"Did you say hello earlier?"

Namgungsang asked. It was about a friend who was left behind - spelled friend, read fool.

"No."

I didn't have time for that, and there was no reason to.

"I'm sorry then."

Namgungsang said in a bitter tone.

"Why, sir?"

I started to say that I've never had a bunch of clueless kids like you as juniors, but stopped because I didn't want to be called narrow-minded. Instead, I said one thing.

"Because it will be the last time."

In many ways, it will be the last.

"What does that mean……."

'You don't get it at all…….'

Well, it wasn't unreasonable. I decided to be a little kinder.

"You take care of the body. Friends are friends, even if they don't have anything to lose."

Looking at the distant sky with wistful eyes, Nan Gongsheng said quietly.

* * *

"That's what happened."

"So that's what happened. And?"

"That's it."

"So you're saying you didn't kill them?"

"I didn't kill him."

"Then why did he die?"

"Well, why would they do that?"

"……."