Absolute Regression

Episode 143: You appeared before me.

“If I knew the answer, this is what I would have done!”

Chusaeng shouted.

As expected, his hot-tempered personality was clear. There won’t be many people who can scream like this against a demon and knowing that his martial arts skills are much stronger than his own.

“I’m sorry, my patience is running low these days. “If one small stone falls, it will overflow.”

“I understand.”

“What do you understand!”

He got angry again and then apologized.

“I’m sorry. “It’s not something I should be angry at you for.”

“It’s okay. “Wouldn’t it be weirder to keep your cool in a situation like this?”

Chusaeng spoke to me in a slightly softened tone.

“What should I do now?”

“Do as usual. “Just pretend I’m not there and proceed with what you wanted to do.”

“If it exists, how can you think it isn’t there?”

“Just focus on you. “Is there anything that can’t be done in this life-or-death situation?”

I took out a piece of paper with information about him and handed it to him.

“Keep it with you all the time and open it when you feel confused and low on confidence. Don’t forget the part about being particularly brilliant. You are a brilliant person. So, use your smart mind to decide wisely.”

Chu-saeng tightly grasped the paper he was reading. Even that paper seems to be overflowing my patience tank. He couldn’t bear to tear it up and put the crumpled piece in his arms.

“How are you going to move now? “If I hadn’t come, would you have sent a message to the Murim Alliance?”

Chusaeng pondered my question for a moment and then shook his head.

“It would have been better if we had joined hands with the Sado Maeng and not called the Murim Maeng.”

“Then are you going to join hands with the Sadomaeng?”

“Not that one either.”

He was answering honestly. Even before his return, he did not join hands with either the Murim Alliance or the Sado Alliance.

“So how were you going to solve this?”

“I don’t know either.”

At that very moment I saw. His eyes are shaking slightly. To fool me, you had to be old enough to fool yourself, but he was still too young.

‘There’s something you’re hiding from me.’

But I didn’t pressure him. It’s natural for people not to believe me when they see me for the first time. When the other person is trying to hide something, no matter how hard you press them, all you hear is lies or excuses. In times like these, you need to react calmly.

“Let’s take it easy for today.”

* * *

Seokhyung led me to the guest room.

Good food and drinks were served. I finished eating after checking each food for poison with a silver needle.

And I practiced Pungsinsabo in my room. If it’s narrow, it’s narrow. If it’s wide, it’s wide. The practice in the room was very effective because it was an extension of the dance that I had previously shared with my father at the guesthouse.

My training will not stop as long as I have a goal of achieving greatness before learning the Nine Fire Magic Gong.

* * *

When the moon rose brightly, I went to see Chusaeng.

Even though it was late at night, he couldn’t sleep and was lost in worry in his room.

“Did you rest well?”

“I rested well, but Chu Munju doesn’t seem to have slept a wink.”

“I haven’t been able to sleep well these days.”

As expected, Chusaeng’s eyes were red and bloodshot.

“If you can’t sleep, you can’t make sound decisions.”

“What can I do if I want to sleep but can’t?”

“Try to sleep well for at least one day. “Can I help you?”

“How? Are you going to ask for a blood transfusion?”

“There is a secret to falling asleep when you can’t sleep that I learned from our school’s horse doctor.”

Chusaeng was intrigued when he heard that he learned it from Ma-ui.

“Now, you have to get your money’s worth, so lie down on the bed.”

“This is embarrassing for the boss.”

Contrary to what he said, the pain of not being able to sleep was too much for Chusaeng, so he lay down in bed obediently like a virgin.

“Do as I say. First, relax your facial muscles. Next, relax your shoulders and arms. A little more comfortable. Now, relax your thighs and entire legs this time. And imagine lying on a sandy beach in the warm sunlight. Now, raise a ray of energy from your danjeon and move slowly as I tell you. Slowly move from the water point to the middle point point to the middle point to the okdang point. And again…”

* * *

It was morning when Chu-saeng opened his eyes.

When he woke up in bed, he was confused. I haven’t slept well these days, but the pounding headache disappeared and my body felt light, as if I was flying. I slept surprisingly well.

“ah! “The secret!”

It seems that he fell asleep without realizing it while following the secret recipe taught to him by that demonic man whose name he did not know.

Chusaeng got down from the bed and hurried out of the room.

Geommugeuk was looking at the traces on the wall in the main hall where he had first met yesterday.

“Are you here?”

“Thanks to you, I slept well. “I don’t know how long it’s been since I slept this well.”

“Chu Munju seems like a person who fits into the political faction.”

“What do you mean suddenly?”

“I think the reason Chu Munju couldn’t sleep was because he felt guilty about not being able to protect his subordinates.”

“What are you talking about? I’m just angry at him. “I just couldn’t sleep because I was angry and couldn’t control my temper.”

He was a Chusaeng who did not like being treated as a member of a political faction. This was largely influenced by his father. From a young age, my father taught me that if I am good, I will be punished.

“How could I have withstood this powerhouse so far with such a clumsy mind? That sounds absurd. “Don’t upset people by saying unnecessary things.”

“I understand.”

When I said I would understand too obediently, it was just like Chusaeng who got angry. I came to say thank you for letting me sleep well, but ended up raising my voice for no reason.

At that time, Geommugeuk turned and pointed at the wall and asked.

“This hole here.”

“Oh, I got angry and pierced a few places. “I’m still on the verge of breaking through another one.”

“Not that, but this.”

There was a small hole drilled in the place pointed to by the sword dance.

“Is this a hole created by the wind he blew?”

Chu Sheng’s expression hardened.

“That’s right. They broke through my men and even broke through that wall. I told you not to block this place on purpose. “I will watch it over and over again and relive the events of that day.”

Geommugeuk’s expression as he looked at the hole was serious.

“Why are you doing that?”

“It’s because it looks like a real bloodbath.”

“Are you talking about the martial arts of Extreme Soma?”

“exactly. “I have seen his martial arts skills.”

Then Chusaeng became excited.

“Look at what I said, am I right? “It’s a truly evil soma!”

“It’s not a very evil soma.”

“What are you talking about? “Didn’t you say it was a real bloodbath?”

“That meant that the method was old-fashioned. “It’s not something that Soma did.”

“I think you have too much faith in Extreme Soma.”

“I believe it.”

“This is why I can’t trust you any more. “How can I trust someone who believes so much in the evil Soma?”

“You are free to believe it or not, but just trust me this time.”

Chusaeng looked at the sword dance in silence. He was such a strange person. They said they came from a demonic religion, but they didn’t feel like demons. It doesn’t have that rough, cruel, and intimate feeling that is unique to Mine. Rather, even though we had only met for a few days, there was a strange power that made me believe in him for some reason.

‘If this person is a villain, he will truly become a great villain.’

Chusaeng hid those thoughts and asked Geomugeuk.

“But why did you tell me this when you knew I would be so suspicious?”

“I have to let you know. There is nothing more foolish than deciding to join forces but hiding your true intentions. “If that’s going to happen, we shouldn’t have held hands in the first place.”

These were words that pricked Chusaeng’s heart, which had something to hide.

“If you can’t sleep today, use the method I told you. “Your face looks much better.”

* * *

Chusaeng came to see me the next morning.

“I slept well last night. Maybe you’re right. “I see that the better I sleep, the more I feel sorry for the dead people.”

“Think of the other disciples that Chu Munju must protect. What can I do? “The living must survive and move on.”

It was an obvious consolation, but perhaps it was comforting again as I stood up with a somewhat relaxed expression.

“If anything makes you uncomfortable, please tell me.”

“I will.”

Chu Sheng looked around the room as if he had something to say.

“How long will you be here? “It doesn’t seem like anything will change.”

“I will stay until you tell me the truth.”

“!”

Chusaeng flinched for a moment and turned towards me.

“After sleeping well and feeling clearer, my thoughts about you have changed. “There must be a reason why that person is next to me. Someone so extraordinary wouldn’t just be there.”

I spoke calmly to him.

“That’s right. “I realized you were hiding something from me.”

When we first met, he would have taken my word for it. But the current Chusaeng did not do that.

“Then why don’t you force it? “If you were a martial artist, you could probably find out by torturing me.”

“It may sound strange to you, but I will do it. My magic is the magic that eliminates absolute evil from the world. “My magic does not break tables, and my magic does not torture people who are not evil.”

“That’s a really strange thing to say.”

But the expression was different from the words. He had some understanding of who I was.

“I think the reason they chose you was because of something you’re hiding. If my prediction is correct, you will eventually be killed by them because of it. “You may not believe it, but I want to save you.”

“I may not believe it, but… I believe you. There is no reason to believe it, but I keep wanting to believe it, so I hesitate even more. I wonder if I am being deceived by you. My father said that you should never trust what others say. “That was my father’s will.”

Chu Sheng looked up at the sky. What answer is his father giving now?

Although he had done well so far, this ordeal that came at a time when he was not yet 30 was too difficult for him to overcome on his own.

Please tell me to open my heart for my son’s sake. I will definitely save your son.

Did that reach my heart?

After thinking for a while, Chusaeng confessed his true feelings.

“After what happened, I kept thinking of one way. I kept wondering whether I should tell you that or not. My brain says I should never reveal a secret, but my senses told me to reveal it. “He said I should trust you.”

“I will contact the Honam branch of Tongcheongak and ask them to change the records about you. I have good sense, but I am not very clear. like this.”

Chu Sheng laughed. It was a smile that had now made up its mind.

“I was planning to ask someone.”

“Who is that?”

“I don’t even know who it is.”

Chusaeng took out what he had kept hanging on a necklace string and showed it to him.

It was a coin cut in half.

“It’s Eunwonjeon (恩怨錢).”

Silver wonjeon was a kind of token of cutting a coin in half and giving it to a benefactor to repay the favor if future generations brought the coin back.

“They say that my father saved the owner of this Eunwonjeon from being injured and on the brink of death. When passing this on to me, my father gave it to me with great confidence. “Use it only when the life or death of you and your family depends on it.”

“Do you know who owns this coin?”

Chusaeng shook his head.

“You didn’t tell me. “You don’t even know if that person is still alive.”

“How do I use this silver won?”

“They said that if you go to any Yellow River Guest House in the central plains and show the coin to the owner, someone will come to retrieve it.”

The method of contacting students through guests was the method used by the main school or the Murim Alliance. It occurred to me that the owner of the coin was probably someone who had once worked for a large organization.

“Can anyone take it?”

“no. They said only my immediate family could use it. I’m not saying this because I’m worried you’ll take what’s mine. “You really said so.”

“I believe it. “If not, they would have already killed you and taken the silver power plant.”

“Do you really think this is why he did this?”

“I’m not sure, but that’s my feeling.”

If this is what they were aiming for as I expected, they would be looking for the owner of this coin. Because who are you?

“Why didn’t you use it right away when something happened?”

Chu Sheng let out a long sigh.

“I was worried. I really thought about it until my head exploded. I was afraid. I was afraid that if I wrote this, I would end up getting involved with him again. I was afraid that if we failed in our revenge, he would come and destroy us. “I just wanted it to all pass by like this.”

Chusaeng raised his head and looked at me.

“I believe that the reason you appeared before me was someone sent by my father to scold me for my cowardice. “I will bet the fate of me and the text on you.”

* * *

Four days later.

We were sitting at a Yellow River Guesthouse in Honam. When I showed the coin to the owner, he just told me to wait here.

We waited aimlessly.

Chusaeng sat in his guest room all day, probably because he was afraid that someone would come and just leave.

I stayed in my room and practiced Poongshinsabo, and when it was time to eat, I ate with Chusaeng, drank tea, and talked.

I told him about the Heavenly Demon Church. He told us stories about famous martial artists and ronin from various clans, and about the beautiful scenery and delicious cuisine throughout the central plains. He also taught me about hunting and camping.

He was impressed by my extensive knowledge. No matter what he asked, I was the one who answered.

Interestingly, Chusaeng said this.

“How can someone so young? “Didn’t you… go back to being a rebel?”

“Even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t do it. “I will grow old and die with my people.”

“I wonder what kind of person he is. I want them to see who surrounds people like you.”

“You’ll regret it if you see it.”

“Why is that?”

I answered with a smile. You don’t say something like that until you’ve been stabbed in the side by a chopping block to the point where it leaves a bloody bruise.

On the tenth day of waiting there, someone finally came to see us.

The moment Chu Saeng saw him, he was startled and jumped up from his seat.

Not only Chu Saeng, but I was also surprised.

A man wearing a white mask was walking towards us.