Faaaat.
The sword cuts through the air.
It is an extremely clean blow. However, the tip of the sword was not as sharp as before.
Has it become dull?
No, it’s not. What this sword contained was simply softness.
A shaman’s sword is one that contains softness instead of sharpness.
The fact that the swift sword strikes contained flowing softness meant that the skill of the person wielding this sword would soon reach its peak.
Faaaat.
The sword was thrown out once again.
Stand tall.
However, this attack did not go as smoothly as before. The sword wielder seemed to be bothered by something and swung his sword again several times before quickly shaking his head.
It was then.
“execution! “Sahyeouuuuuuuuuuuuck!”
The swordsman turned his gaze to the side. His contemplative priest was rushing towards him.
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“Wow, we’re in big trouble, Jinhyeon is executed!” So, have you heard the news?”
The person called Jinhyeon frowned slightly.
“What news are you talking about? Speak properly… … .”
Jinhyeon was about to say something sharp, but the priest interrupted him and shouted urgently.
“Jang Il-so is coming here leading the Sapaeryeon!”
Jinhyeon’s mouth, which had been slightly open, closed tightly again. Unlike before, there was a coolness in his eyes.
“Is it true?”
“yes! Now the rumor is spreading. “They said they were moving in this direction, and news came from the office that was monitoring the SPA.”
“okay?”
Jinhyeon nodded heavily.
But that was it, he didn’t say anything more. Priest Jinsong, frustrated by the unexpected response, asked.
“So what happens now, execution?”
“… … “What happens?”
“Isn’t it Sapae-ryeon, Sapae-ryeon? “This is not an opponent our shaman can fight alone, right?”
“… … .”
“I heard that Shaolin was also destroyed… … Leave this place before they come… … .”
“Shut your mouth.”
Jinsong was startled by the sudden incident and shook his head.
“Once something is said, nothing can take it back. So, it’s not something you do carelessly.”
“crime… … “I apologize, death penalty.”
“It is Jang Mun-in who decides how to deal with this situation. “We just have to follow orders.”
How can you deny this? Jinsong nodded.
“but.”
“yes?”
However, Jinhyeon couldn’t suppress all his thoughts, so he added something that didn’t need to be said.
“If I was going to run away at a time like this, I wouldn’t have bothered to ask for help.”
Jinhyeon’s sword, which was hanging down, let out a short sword name.
Ta-da-da-da-da.
The sound of urgent footsteps echoed throughout the shaman’s precincts, which were extremely quiet.
“Now, let’s meet Jang Mun-in.”
“Hello, Jang Mun-in!”
Several people walking around the grounds quickly saluted when they saw the group moving in a hurry. They were busy hurriedly walking without even paying attention to the disciples who were bowing to them, showing how urgent they were.
Lush white hair was flowing. Heoja Baedul, the highest distribution of shamans of the time. Standing at the forefront with a stern face and leading them was Heo Sanja, the shaman’s temporary chieftain.
They even passed Sangcheong Palace, where the shaman Jang Mun-in resided, in a month and stopped only when they reached a small mook located in a place far away from the shaman.
He Sanja looked with heavy eyes at the dilapidated stone house that looked uninhabitable and spoke firmly.
“Stay here.”
“yes.”
Heo Sanja took a deep breath, walked up to the door, and opened his mouth in a polite tone that was unbecoming of his position as Jang Munin.
“Jang Moon-in. Are you inside? “It’s a mountain.”
If others saw it, they would find it strange.
Of course, the current shaman, Jang Mun-in, must be Heo San-ja. However, Heo San actually calls the person inside the prison Jang Mun-in. Even though it would not be possible to have two long sentences in one machine.
However, those who followed Heosan to this place took these strange words and actions for granted, as if they were used to such situations.
“Please come in.”
When permission was given, He Sanja opened the door without delay and entered the house.
And the moment the scene inside came into view, his face suddenly hardened.
It is said that frugality is basic to a Taoist, but this bleak stone house was so old that it had cracks here and there and was subject to strong winds. It almost felt like a place for penance rather than a place for training.
Heo Sanja’s gaze moved to a corner. There was a white-haired old man sitting in an old, worn-out coat.
He Sanja politely bowed to him.
“Heo San meets Jang Mun-in.”
The old man also calmly expressed his respect. But soon, a brief look of reprimand appeared on his face.
“Jangmun Priest. “How many more times do I have to tell you that this path is no longer a shaman’s long book?”
“Don’t say things like that, Jang Mun-in. How could a poor person like me become a shaman’s master? “Heaven and earth know that due to unfavorable circumstances, I am temporarily taking on the position of Jangmun, which is not suitable for me.”
In response to Heo Sanja’s lowly reply, the old man, Heo Dojinin, sighed deeply. I told him several times not to call me that, and I even got angry at him. However, not only the elders but even Heo San does not listen to him.
The dark black hair and pretty hair that looked like a coffin’s crown had all of a sudden turned white, making it difficult to see what he looked like in the past, but his cold face and eyes were not much different from the past.
No, on the contrary, the deeper eyes made me feel an attitude of detachment that was not found in Heo Do-jin before.
“okay. “How did you walk?”
“Didn’t you hear that the Sapaeryeon was coming here?”
Heo Do-jinin did not respond properly, but the heavy look in his eyes showed that he had already received the news.
“What should I do, Jang Mun-in?”
When there was no answer, He Sanja opened his mouth again and urged.
“The elders are discussing heavy duty amulets. “It is realistically difficult to stop them with the power of a shaman alone.”
“It’s difficult… … .”
“yes. So, how about utilizing the precept of breaking the gold line? … .”
“It’s about breaking the gold line. “In the end, you’re saying we should run away.”
“First of all, that is what the elders mean.”
“Do you have the same thoughts as Priest Jangmun?”
“I am… … I do not know. What is truly the path for a shaman… … .”
Heo Sanja trailed off.
It’s bound to be a difficult decision.
Fighting the enemy head on is tantamount to suicide. The current Sapaeryun is different from the past. They are already the losers of the era that trampled on Shaolin, Panjia, and the community.
It is almost impossible for a shaman to handle such people alone.
But you can’t run away either. The shaman has not been involved in worldly affairs since his visit to the temple. However, if you step back now, you will be criticized for all sorts of things, saying that you are running away from the task of solving the problem.
Neither practicality nor justification can be easily abandoned.
That’s why Heo Sanja had no choice but to know.
How difficult was the choice He Do-jin-in had to make in the Yangtze River in the past. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, it was a decision that carried a lot of weight.
“For me… … It’s too difficult. “Please teach me, Jang Mun-in.”
“… … “It’s like breaking the gold line.”
Heo Do-jin, who was quietly repeating, nodded slowly.
“The most important thing is not to lose the shaman’s disciples in vain. Go to Shaolin. If we join with the Shaolin disciples who remain there, we will be able to hold out until Tianyu Meng’s support comes.”
He Sanja, who was about to nod his head almost inertically, stopped. I got a strange feeling for a moment from Heo Do-jin’s words.
Something was strange.
“… … Are you saying go? “What do you mean by that?”
Heo Sanja asked curiously, but Heo Dojinin did not answer. He Sanja became a little nervous.
“Of course, shouldn’t Jang Moon-in lead the way? But how can you say something like that… … .”
“… … .”
“Jangmunin?”
Heo Do-jin smiled faintly when he was urged to answer.
“You can step back once.”
“… … .”
“But you can’t back down twice. The moment you step back a second time, the meaning of your first step back is also determined. In the end, the shaman will be criticized for running away from the enemy twice out of fear for his life. “That shouldn’t happen.”
“Ah, no, Jang Mun-in. but… … .”
“So you have to prove it. That the shaman does not just retreat. “I have the will to fight against them.”
“… … .”
“Take your disciples and go to Shaolin. “I will remain here and protect what I was unable to protect in the past.”
“You mean it was something you couldn’t protect? “What on earth is that?”
At that moment, a cool chill came into Heo Do-jin’s eyes.
“The honor of a shaman.”
The weight of those short words seemed to weigh down my son-in-law at once. Heo Sanja also flinched as if he was suffocating. The energy she felt from Heodo Jinin, a priest, was so sharp that even he trembled at her body.
“page… … “Literature.”
“I threw away… … . “The honor that I, and no one else, drowned in the deep waters of the Yangtze River.”
Heo Do-jin’s voice was like a blade that had been painstakingly forged over a very long time.
“I’m just trying to protect it. “This time, definitely.”
Heo Sanja felt that he was suffocating.
I desperately wanted to stop him. I wanted to dissuade him, saying it was pointless.
But how could that be?
He knows. What kind of life has Heo Do-jin lived since the shaman locked the door? He bears the price of what he has done, and how painfully penance he has endured.
What could Heo Sanja dare say in front of such Heo Dojin? Heo Do-jinin spoke in a calm voice.
“Gather together your disciples. “The sooner you make a decision, the better.”
“Now, Jang Mun-in.”
“Priests.”
As He Sanzi still hesitated, He Dojin’s tone changed. Due to the change in his mood, Heo Sanja did not dare to respond and ended up nodding his head.
“Lead your disciples and go to Shaolin. And leave only those who share my cause here.”
Heo Do-jin slowly got up from his seat.
“I don’t need anyone to die with me. But it would be okay for a few people to die for the shaman’s honor. I will make sure their deaths are not in vain.”
“A long writer… … .”
“There’s no need to stop me.”
An eerie smile bloomed brightly on Heo Do-jin’s lips.
“Because from that day and that moment, I have lived waiting only for the present.”
Heo Dojinin quietly mumbled and looked up at the old ceiling.
There was no lie whatsoever in saying that he had been waiting for this day.
Just one thing.
When I closed my eyes, there was one person’s face that kept appearing in my mind. A man grabbed his collar and vented his anger. Along with Jang Il-so, who laughed at him that day, it is a face he has never forgotten.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to apologize. but… … “It won’t matter.”
The smile on his lips softened just a little.
“Because an apology isn’t something you say with words.”
The meaning will eventually be conveyed.
By his death.
Even to him who is far away.