Chapter 40: First Awakening (3)
Wi Yeonho lay sprawled on the roof edge, gazing at the crescent moon floating in the sky.
As a slightly chilly breeze blew in, Wi Yeonho closed his eyes and savored the wind brushing his face.
Though it was nearing midnight, sounds of people reading could still be heard here and there throughout the estate.
Wi Yeonho honestly thought they were impressive.
To continue such an effort by one’s own will, without anyone forcing them—it was not something easily done. Especially for Wi Yeonho, it felt like an unrealistic story from another world.
"Hmm…"
Their passion and diligence were certainly admirable.
Even so, a part of Wi Yeonho’s heart remained heavy.
"Hmph…"
Wi Yeonho rose to his feet.
“Are you leaving?”
Then, a quiet voice rose from below him.
“I wouldn’t leave without bidding farewell to the host who fed and housed me.”
With a soft chuckle, Mun Yuhwan, the owner of the house, smiled faintly.
“Then what troubles you that you’re facing the moon at this hour?”
Wi Yeonho shrugged.
“I’m just feeling a bit stifled.”
“Cool night air is good for such times. I, too, take nightly walks when I feel burdened in the chest.”
Wi Yeonho nodded.
“You’re planning to leave soon, even if not now, right?”
“Yes.”
Wi Yeonho answered honestly.
He had seen much in the Confucian Forest.
He had seen those who advanced diligently, and those who lived with a different kind of ease.
He had also seen that, in the end, they were still just people. And he realized that the Confucian Forest was simply another part of the world—nothing fundamentally different.
Perhaps staying longer would allow him to see even more, but it wouldn’t teach him more than he had already felt.
It was time to leave.
“If it’s your master’s dying wish, then you should honor it. Still, I can’t help feeling a little regretful. Have you considered entering government service?”
“Pardon?...Me?”
“Even the Grand Historian seems to hold you in good regard. If you desired, you could likely enter the Royal Court. Have you no interest in that direction?”
Wi Yeonho shook his head firmly.
“I don’t think it suits me.”
“It doesn’t?”
“I just don’t think I could survive in a place like that. It’s full of serpents—just sharing a meal there would be enough to upset my stomach.”
Mun Yuhwan smiled silently.
“In any case, I hope you’ve seen and felt much before leaving.”
“What have I felt?”
Wi Yeonho paused in thought before speaking.
“If I were to name just two important things, the first would be that—even people who study texts don’t necessarily live like the texts they read…”
“True.”
“And the second would be that the Confucian Forest is a scarier place than I expected.”
“Why is that?”
“I never imagined that the strongest person I’d meet after stepping into the martial world would be in the Confucian Forest. I mean, I even visited the General Bureau of the Beggar Sect.”
“Second Prince’s martial arts are certainly remarkable.”
Wi Yeonho smiled.
As Mun Yuhwan quietly watched that smile, he responded with one of his own.
“You knew?”
“Yes. From the start.”
“Hmm, that’s a bit troubling. May I ask a favor?”
“I won’t speak of it anywhere.”
“I’d appreciate that. I want to live as a Confucian scholar.”
Wi Yeonho nodded.
“In exchange, tell me just one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you hear it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The sound of people reading right now.”
“I hear it.”
Around them, the sound of people reciting texts could still be heard.
“Those people are students of learning. Some are probably aiming for fame and fortune, others dreaming of improving this country. And I imagine those in the Royal Court once had dreams like these people too.”
“True.”
“Then why is it that, once in the Royal Court, they’re so desperate to devour each other? Is power really that sweet?”
“…”
Wi Yeonho continued without waiting for a reply.
“I understand that the Royal Inspectorate and that man Nok Gi each have their reasons and justifications. But… can’t things be resolved through dialogue? Must they truly destroy one another? Even if it means dying themselves—or sending their own children to their deaths?”
“Hm…”
Wi Yeonho sighed.
“Master told me to go to the Confucian Forest and witness the world. So I came here thinking I’d see justice and integrity. But what I actually saw here feels more like the ugliness of the world. I’m no longer sure why Master even sent me here.”
Mun Yuhwan nodded slowly and spoke quietly.
“Is Nok Gi an evil man?”
“…I suppose so.”
“Then what about the Second Prince?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say he’s a villain.”
Mun Yuhwan nodded again.
“Then imagine that your first destination wasn’t here, but the Eastern Bureau. And imagine they treated you with honor and respect.”
Wi Yeonho nodded.
“Then would Nok Gi still be an evil man?”
Wi Yeonho hesitated to answer.
“Probably not.”
“In that case, wouldn’t we, who are trying to kill him, be the villains from your perspective?”
“I suppose so.”
Wi Yeonho felt like he was starting to understand… just barely.
“There are people in this world whom anyone would call undeniably evil. But most so-called ‘evil’ is not so simple. It's the result of conflicting positions, beliefs, ideals, and the history they’ve built. That’s how someone can be the kindest person in the world to one, and worse than a demon to another.”
Wi Yeonho nodded.
“At first, everyone studies and holds their ideals close to their heart. But each person’s ideal is different. And when those ideals clash, people begin to realize—if they wish to pursue their ideals, they must first overcome reality.”
“Even if it means killing each other to do so?”
“It shouldn’t happen. It’s a sorrowful thing. But once a knot becomes too tangled, it can no longer be undone. There’s no answer but to cut it with a blade.”
“Why must knots be undone? Can’t they just be left alone?”
“If you don’t untie the knot, you can’t use the rope.”
“Hm…”
Mun Yuhwan spoke calmly.
“The world is like a tangled knot. Everyone knows the knot must be undone, but doing so takes an enormous amount of time, and even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll actually come loose. Eventually, those who grow impatient seek ways to cut the knot instead.”
“That’s terrifying.”
“That’s the very nature of the dirty, cunning schemes you spoke of—giving up your own life, or sending your child to die.”
“Is the world all like that?”
“The royal court is a bit worse, but the rest of the world isn’t much different.”
“I don’t know anymore.”
Wi Yeonho sighed deeply and continued.
“I really don’t know what Master wanted me to see in the world. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. The world moves too fast for me to understand and feel as I go.”
“Isn’t that just fine?”
“Pardon?”
“If the world moves fast, then you can simply follow it slowly. Aren’t you already doing that?”
“…”
“Maybe you’re not the slow one—maybe we’re the ones going too fast. That’s why we can’t untie the knots. But you, though slow, are observing everything clearly. You’ve seen everything that happened within this estate. So what are you worried about?”
“But I’m just lazy.”
“Lazy? Then that’s just fine. The diligent may see and learn many things, but the lazy might see them even more clearly than the diligent. And you, you're already doing exactly that.”
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“I always thought the Confucian Forest treated laziness as a sin.”
Mun Yuhwan gave a faint smile.
“Haven’t I told you? The world is made up of people with different ideals and different realities, tangled together. If everyone lived the same life, there would be no knots in the first place.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Mun Yuhwan quietly looked at Wi Yeonho.
“Did you say you’re unsure of what to see and feel in the world?”
“Yes.”
“Then go see the world.”
“…”
“And feel it.”
“But… I…”
“What meaning is there in deciding beforehand what to see and what to feel?”
In that instant, Wi Yeonho’s eyes opened slightly wider.
“Walk with your own steps, see the world as it is with your own eyes. And feel it just as your heart tells you. When you do that, the world will show you the path you’re meant to walk.”
“My true self, and the world just as it is…”
“Exactly.”
A breeze swept around Wi Yeonho’s body.
Mun Yuhwan was slightly surprised, but when he saw the calm, peaceful expression on Wi Yeonho’s face, he relaxed.
Wi Yeonho stood there with his eyes closed, as though all the winds of the world were gathering around him.
Mun Yuhwan circled silently around him.
Eventually, Wi Yeonho’s eyes opened.
“Hm…”
“Do you feel like you’ve understood something?”
Wi Yeonho scratched his head lightly, then shook it.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure.”
Mun Yuhwan burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, that’s good enough. What matters is that you understand it with your heart.”
Mun Yuhwan pulled a small brush from his robe and held it out to Wi Yeonho. Wi Yeonho squinted and looked at the brush.
“What is this?”
Mun Yuhwan gave a half-smile.
“A fine-looking sword, you shoved straight into your robes without hesitation—but this worthless brush, and you’re hesitating?”
“Well, that’s just how people are.”
“Hm, odd. Do you have no eye for value? This brush is a masterpiece among masterpieces…”
Tak!
The brush was snatched like lightning and ended up tucked into Wi Yeonho’s robe.
“Well, I’ll gratefully accept it for now.”
“I think I understand how the Second Prince feels.”
Mun Yuhwan shook his head with a sigh, then raised his eyes to the moon.
The crescent moon seemed to be smiling down at him.
“I hope that someday, you’ll find your answers.”
Leaving those words behind, Mun Yuhwan slowly walked away.
Wi Yeonho once again lay down on the roof’s edge and gazed up at the smiling moon.
The moment he heard Mun Yuhwan’s words, something within his body began to change.
The energy around him surrounded his body, and the inner core within him began to fill his body with vitality.
Just as Baek Muhan had said—when Wi Yeonho truly felt something, the inner core of Baek Muhan, which lay dormant within him, would respond and raise his level.
His master’s words—that he would grow stronger as his realizations deepened—were true.
Only, Wi Yeonho himself did not know.
What exactly had he realized?
No—had he even realized anything at all?
Wi Yeonho gazed at the sky.
Baek Muhan was watching him from up there.
—Have you realized?
Wi Yeonho shook his head.
‘I’m still not sure, Master.’
The moon smiled, just like his master.