Chapter 129
129
The Water Dragon King, who had been blinking blankly, clapped his hands and shouted.
"Ah, I get it! You're trying to reassure me and then kill me!"
"...That's why I hate those raised in Unorthodox dens. They're all broken in some way. There's no trust between people."
Beopgong grumbled.
Then, Jin-sung interjected in a blunt voice.
"Beopgong Daesa. Just because the Water Dragon King suffered doesn't mean we can ignore the suffering he inflicted on others. The Water Dragon King is a criminal. Please reconsider what you just said."
"How prickly. Sounds like if I let him go, you'd throw him right back in jail?"
Jin-sung didn't back down even at Beopgong's indifferent reply.
"Today, a dozen innocent commoners died under the Water Dragon King's orders. Furthermore, he took Dang Sojeo hostage to escape. He must pay the price for his crimes."
Jin-sung pointed at me as he spoke. Then, Yeon-ryang, who had been blinking with a blank look, jumped up.
"Hostage? What are you talking about? Are you hurt? So-hye, are you hiding injuries again?"
As Yeon-ryang fussed over me, Beopgong roared.
"Ugh! Kid, cut it out! Did you give birth to her? Did you?"
"I'm worried she'll have a scar on her body. People avoid those with scars."
"They avoid you not because of scars but because of your size! Who wouldn't avoid a bear the size of a house rampaging through the streets?"
Annoyed, Beopgong pointed at me too.
"Little one, I'll deal with you later. How out of it were you to get taken hostage? Unbelievable."
Oh crap, I'm doomed.
As Beopgong raised his voice, the Water Dragon King, who had been watching, tugged at Beopgong's sleeve.
"Do as that Taoist says, mister. I'm ready to pay the price for my crimes. Just release my people."
"Don't try to bargain with me. You're not in a position to do so. Don't be a nuisance and go release your people who are locked up over there. Don't make me do it."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
As Beopgong waved his hand dismissively, the Water Dragon King, his eyes sparkling, limped towards the hatch. Chi-yong, who had been hesitating as he watched the Water Dragon King's retreating figure, knelt before Beopgong.
"I was the one who advised him to attack the merchant ship. Tear me apart and spare my master."
"I told you not to try to bargain with me. My mercy extends only to that little one. An Unorthodox bastard being so presumptuous..."
Beopgong glared at Chi-yong as he spoke coldly. Overwhelmed by Beopgong's aura, he trembled like prey before a predator, yet he still stood up for his master.
"O-Our attack today was to facilitate our escape! It was unavoidable to avoid suspicion before the escape... Ugh!"
Before he could finish speaking, Beopgong's foot stomped on Chi-yong's hand. The sound of bones twisting made me wince.
Chi-yong, writhing on the floor in pain, stammered on.
"After the looting...! The spoils will be divided and a feast will be held! To escape after the feast, we prepared to drug the alcohol, cough, cough!"
"Shut your mouth unless you're trying to test my patience. I can't kill people."
As Beopgong pressed down on the hand he was stomping on, Chi-yong foamed at the mouth and collapsed, unable to bear the pain. Annoyance flickered across Beopgong's face.
"What? This makes me look like a villain. How unpleasant."
Beopgong muttered and rubbed his forehead roughly. He took a deep breath, rolling his prayer beads for a long time as if trying to calm his excitement.
Soon, Beopgong, having composed himself, pressed down on a prayer bead with his thumb and looked up.
"Jin-sung. Do you really have to arrest that little one?"
"I saw the commoners who were sacrificed with my own eyes. I cannot let this pass."
"You heard him. He's only been acting as a pirate for two months, and this was his first attack. If we can lead him to the path of repentance without bloodshed, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Even if he has a story, he is a villain who committed evil deeds. I don't understand why Daesa is so concerned."
Jin-sung spat out coldly, as if unable to understand. Beopgong, swallowing a sigh, began to calmly persuade him.
"It's because there's room for redemption. He could have killed her husband and run away alone, but he went to the trouble of pretending to be the Water Dragon King and planning to escape together. He has no power, but seeing him risk his life to protect his people shows that he is not inherently evil."
I, who had been watching, cautiously chimed in.
"Um... It's true that he took me hostage, but he apologized, saying he didn't intend to harm me. It seemed like it was his first time taking a hostage. He kept trembling."
"So-hye, how can you say that...!"
"You stay quiet. Your brother's going to have a fit."
"Yes."
I obediently shut my mouth and looked at Jin-sung. He was frowning and clenching his fists. He seemed a little angry.
"Blood must be washed away with blood. He should be investigated according to procedure and executed."
"What? Executed? Wait a minute, Dojang. I also don't think we should just let him go. But killing him is a bit..."
Isn't that too much?
I had thought he would be imprisoned in the dungeon for a few years, but I hadn't imagined he would be killed, so I widened my eyes in surprise.
"Even if he borrowed someone else's hand, the Water Dragon King killed people. It's difficult once, but it's easy the second and third time. Regardless of the reason, the seeds of evil must be cut off. If we start compromising with injustice, evil will spread endlessly like a thorny bush."
As Jin-sung asserted firmly, Yeon-ryang, wearing a cynical smile, muttered.
"A noble Little Dojang. I suppose that precious Pine Pattern Sword of yours has never been stained with blood? Or does the blood on a Taoist's sword automatically become clean?"
At his sarcasm, Jin-sung's eyes narrowed.
"Even beasts bare their teeth when someone tries to harm them. How much more so for humans; to stand still and be harmed is not virtue but stupidity. Little Dojang is telling us to wield our swords and die without even struggling. Isn't that hypocrisy? Well, I suppose you wouldn't care about the thoughts of an Unorthodox bastard."
Yeon-ryang, his face as cold as ice, turned away roughly.
"O-Oppa. Wait!"
"Leave him be. He'll be back when he calms down."
Beopgong stopped me from chasing after him. I hesitated, pursed my lips, and slowly washed my face with my dry hands.
Whether it was because of the Water Dragon King or because Yeon-ryang seemed upset, I felt uncomfortable.
"Jin-sung. I know what you're worried about. But things in this world can't be divided into just black and white."
Despite Beopgong's coaxing, Jin-sung was unyielding. He shook his head and said.
"Even if you pour clear water into a sewer, the stench will not disappear. The Water Dragon King will not change."
Only then did I realize why Jin-sung's words had been subtly grating on me all along.
His argument was tantamount to denying Yeon-ryang's entire life.
It sounded like an assertion that no matter how righteously Yeon-ryang tried to live, his essence would always be that of a Demonic Cultist.
In that instant, something surged up from my lower abdomen. Overwhelmed, I snapped at Jin-sung.
"Dojang. Your words are a bit much."
"...Dang Sojeo."
"Not everyone lives a life where they can choose freely. There are lives where you have to crawl through the mud to survive, even if you know it's a sin, even if it's as painful as death."
"One must not lose their humanity even in the depths of despair to be considered human."
"You wouldn't know that without experiencing it. You can't judge everyone by setting them on the same baseline as you. You need to consider what you've enjoyed."
"I agree with that."
Beopgong, adding to the conversation, chuckled and crossed his arms.
"I sometimes think about that too. What would my life have been like if Abbot hadn't taken me in?"
"That's an unnecessary hypothetical."
"No matter how I think about it, I would have become a monster. I would have become a great Demonic Sect leader like Chae Hong-gyo."
"..."
"Why aren't you denying it this time?"
"...N-No, it's not."
Jin-sung waved his hand in embarrassment, and Beopgong's eyebrows twitched. However, he quickly relaxed his expression and said.
"You and I were lucky enough to learn how to live like humans, but he probably didn't have the chance. But he knows what he did wrong. If you help a guy like that a little, he'll live a solid life. Because he has something he wants to protect."
Beopgong glanced at the Water Dragon King, who was pulling those trapped in the underground hold up onto the deck, and scratched his head.
"But if you don't give him a chance to be reformed and just imprison him, he'll definitely go astray. If he loses what he wanted to protect, he'll hate the world and try to destroy it. ...I've seen a lot of those guys."
A faint shadow fell over his face as he closed his mouth. Jin-sung looked a little flustered, but he didn't budge from his opinion.
"Even so, we cannot make an exception for the Water Dragon King alone."
"It's impossible not to commit sins as long as you're born as a human. We accumulate sins as we turn the wheel of reincarnation. Even I commit sins every day. The important thing is not punishment. It's to save sentient beings from suffering and lead them to immeasurable good."
Jin-sung, his lips parting slightly, called out to Beopgong with a strange look.
"...Beopgong Daesa."
"What."
"You are indeed a disciple of Buddhism."
At the subtle admiration, Beopgong frowned.
"What are you talking about? What did you think I was?"
Jin-sung, alternating his gaze between me and Beopgong, was silent as if lost in thought. After pondering for a long time, Jin-sung muttered weakly.
"...It's difficult."
"What is."
"I don't know what is right and wrong, what is the right path. Everything has been jumbled up since I left Wudang."
"Do you think I know everything? I'm the same. Maybe you're right and I'm wrong."
Beopgong's voice softened.
"I'm not a judge, and I'm not affiliated with the Enforcement Hall, so I can't stop your decision. You're also a decision-maker, so if you're going to punish him, do so. But..."
Beopgong gestured lightly, as if telling him to look over there. The Water Dragon King, surrounded by children, was smiling brightly as he removed eye boogers from a young boy.
"I'd like to advise you to give him a chance."
Jin-sung's eyes, looking at the Water Dragon King, were filled with confusion. After hesitating, he barely managed to utter a word.
"...Please give me some time to think."
"You can take as long as you need. Think about it slowly. I'll follow your decision, whatever it may be."
"Yes."
Jin-sung replied and pressed his lips tightly together.
However, as if his thoughts were not organized, he repeatedly furrowed and unfurrowed his brow for more than an hour.
Beopgong, watching Jin-sung, patted him on the shoulder.
"I like that guy more and more the more I see him. I like the steadfast ones. They're frustratingly foolish and stubborn, but... It makes me feel good to watch them."
"Yes? What does that..."
As Jin-sung looked bewildered, Beopgong chuckled.
"There's a swordsman I know who's like you. He's a human butcher on a leash, yet he struggles to live as a human. He's constantly struggling to find the right answer."
"...Has he found the right answer?"
"Who knows. Not yet, probably. But he'll find it soon. Because he's a strong guy who hasn't lost his color when everyone else is tainted by evil."
Oh. Is this perhaps for Yeon-ryang to hear...?
I paused and turned my head to see Yeon-ryang in the distance, looking at the ground and scratching the back of his reddened neck.
Beopgong, glancing sideways at Yeon-ryang, had a playful look on his face.
...This person believes in Yeon-ryang.
I felt like I knew why Beopgong had accepted Yeon-ryang so readily.
He tries to see the essence.
He doesn't judge Yeon-ryang by a past that Yeon-ryang couldn't choose.
He believed in Yeon-ryang's choices that he had seen with his own eyes, the light that had not been extinguished even in long loneliness and pain.
I liked Beopgong a little more.
