Chapter 1223: Is This Okay? (Part 3)

"Father! Please open your eyes, Father!"

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the back of the middle-aged man who was sobbing.

'Father?'

That village head, that man's?

The father of the man who, until a moment ago, scoffed at the life of such an old man?

"Of-Officer! Officer! Please save my father! Please! Please, I beg you!"

[ "의원님", "Officer" or "Representative" is a respectful way of addressing a person who holds a position as a representative or legislator in the government.]

"Calm down. You're disturbing if you act like this!"

Tang Soso also seemed surprised and bewildered.

"The injuries aren't deep, so if he holds on well, he can survive. So please calm down first."

"Thank you. Really... Thank you so much."

The man knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head.

"This person..."

Baek Cheon hesitated for a moment, as if he was afraid to ask, and then with difficulty pushed the next words out of his mouth.

"...Is this person your esteemed father?"

The man flinched and nodded. His face was now soaked with tears. It was hard to believe that this was the same face that, until a moment ago, had contemptuously laughed at the "old man."

"Yes... Yes, he is my father."

"But... But how..."

But how could he say that in that way?

How could he insult his father with a sword in front of the enemy and humbly plead? It instinctively felt like a question that should not be asked. But Baek Cheon couldn't help but ask.

In response to that question, the man sobbed and answered.

"Then... What should I have done... What should I have done..."

The man looked down at his unconscious father. The guilt in his two eyes pierced Baek Cheon's heart.

"I feel like tearing them into a thousand pieces, no, tens of thousands! I want to bite and tear them apart right now to save my father! I'm a human too, how can I not feel this way!"

"..."

"But what will change if I do that? Everyone left will just die, all of them!"

The man held his father's hand.

"Those who are alive... Those who are alive must be saved somehow. If I had the strength, I wouldn't have begged so humbly to the enemy. But what can I do? Without strength, if a weakling wants to live, wants to save even one more person, he has to lick the enemy's feet, what else! What else can I do!"

A desperate voice burst out. It was a mix of resentment and sorrow.

"A worm like me... has to live like that. Endure even if it's unfair... Just pretend not to know anything and live like that. Otherwise... Otherwise..."

The man couldn't continue speaking and broke into tears.

Baek Cheon bit his lips tightly.

He felt like tearing off the tongue that had cursed this man a moment ago.

How could he casually judge a person without knowing what emotions this man had when he lowered his head to the enemy?

"Sigh..."

The man, who had been sobbing for a while, wiped his face with his sleeve and bowed deeply again towards Baek Cheon.

"Thank you."

"P-Please don't do this."

"No. Even though you knew they were from the Evil Tyrant Alliance, you still stood up for us country folks like this. How can I not be grateful? Thanks to you... thanks to you, I can prolong this tough life a little longer. Really... Thank you. On behalf of the village, thank you."

Baek Cheon's eyes trembled.

He wanted to say that it wasn't like that. He wanted to scream at you weighing the value of lives a moment ago.

He wanted to scream that you were weighing which was more important: the lives of the dozens of people here or the danger that would come to them.

But Baek Cheon couldn't bring himself to say those words. Behind him, those who had disposed of the Evil Sect members like discarded shoes approached slowly. Their expressions were heavy and dark, perhaps having heard the situation unfolding beyond their shoulders.

"How dare... may I dare to inquire about the status of your identities?"

"We..."

Baek Cheon, who was about to say something, lowered his head.

"Don't ask."

"..."

"If by any chance something happens in the future, that would be more advantageous."

The man seemed to understand the meaning and nodded without asking further.

"Thank you... really... thank you."

The man bowed with his head pressed against the ground. Baek Cheon turned away, finding it difficult to witness such a scene.

At that moment, a somewhat gruff voice from Chung Myung echoed.

"How is the old man?"

"...A bit serious. The injuries aren't deep, but given his old age, there are concerns about his stamina."

"Hey, big Tang." 

[CM calls Tang Pae "Keun" Tang. When "Keun"/"big"/"older" is used in front of a name, it typically indicates that the person being referred to is an older sibling or someone older and holds a position of authority or seniority. Pretty sure it's informal & a common address.]

"...Yes?"

"Do you have any medicine?"

"I do. But..."

"Don't talk nonsense, just give me one. Bastards who are so protective of their precious medicine never finish it all. If I had known it would be like this, I would have used it all."

"...Understood."

Tang Pae nodded and took out a small pill, handing it to Tang Soso. It was a valuable medicine made by the Tang Family, and it would greatly help in the old man's recovery.

"And, hey."

"Yes, Dojang."

Namgung Dowi, recognizing that he was being addressed, replied with a stern face.

"What about those bastards?"

"...We've subdued them for now."

It meant they didn't kill them. Chung Myung calmly spoke in a slightly lower voice.

"Destroy their acupoints and cut their tendons. Even if they recover, they won't be able to serve any useful purpose."

"...Yes?"

"Why? Can't you do it?"

Namgung Dowi nodded with a dark expression without asking further.

"I'll do it."

He drew his sword and headed towards the fallen ones. Watching this, Chung Myung clenched his fists.

This was the reason why he didn't treat the Evil Sect members as human beings.

If the Evil Sect members had only killed each other, Chung Myung might not have viewed them so negatively. At least, that would have been their mutual agreement.

But the Evil Sect's blades did not distinguish between those with power and those without. Uncontrolled power could become an uncontrollable disaster for someone.

To push away a greater evil, to avoid danger. Small evils neglected for various excuses could suddenly destroy someone's life.

The ones who were destroyed could be someone's parent, someone's child, or someone's loved one.

'I've become old too.'

Chung Myung bit his lips tightly. In the past, he would have rushed out and cut the old man's throat before the damn bastard could strike down the elder. But he hesitated for a moment, and that hesitation resulted in this outcome.

Excuses? Of course, there were.

Even if protecting the common people was the duty of a seasoned swordsman, what he had to protect wasn't just them. That's why he couldn't help but hesitate.

But if Chung Myung hesitated at that moment, endured for the sake of his own life and everything else he had to protect, who on earth would protect their lives?

Chung Myung observed the expressions of the members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance looking at the village head. Although they had clearly done a righteous deed, heavy emotions, not relief, were evident on everyone's faces.

They might be feeling a similar emotion to Chung Myung. They might be experiencing self-reproach for hesitating until the very end about themselves.

"Are you going to wake up?"

Everyone looked up at Chung Myung in unison at his words.

"Treat the injured, and tidy up the rest here. We don't have time to waste."

"Yes, Dojang."

"Place the carriage appropriately under the mountain, and erase all traces of its wheel tracks. Leave no sign that anyone entered this village."

"Yes."

"How about those guys?"

Chung Myung glanced briefly at the unconscious Evil Sect members and slightly sharpened his gaze. Then he turned to look at the middle-aged man.

"Is there a cave nearby?"

"A, a cave?"

"Just any empty cave will do."

"... There are plenty of caves. This is a rural area..."

"Assign a suitable person to guide them. Sahyungs."

"Got it."

"Put these guys in a cave and seal the entrance."

"Then they'll die."

"Whether they live or die."

"... Understood."

Yoon Jong and Jo Gol moved to settle the matter along with the others.

Observing them, Chung Myung shifted his gaze to the fallen village head. Perhaps the Tang Family's medicine had taken effect, as his pale complexion, which had been bluish, was gradually recovering some color.

"Sasuk."

"... Yes."

"We have work to do."

Baek Cheon nodded silently. Chung Myung didn't add any more words, knowing that he understood the feelings Baek Cheon must be experiencing right now. He, too, had felt a shock similar to Baek Cheon's when he left the Mount Hua Sect and faced the reality of the common people.

They needed to help the common people. Righteousness was for the sake of the powerlessness.

It was a saying heard countless times. However, most people didn't truly understand the meaning behind those words.

It was only when he faced the reality of the common people, who had learned to endure injustice due to their lack of power, that he realized the lessons behind that had been drilled into his ears.

When he realized that his small hesitations and indecisions could become an enormous despair for someone else, the option of hesitation was no longer available. 

When Baek Cheon suddenly turned his gaze, he saw people who had not yet dared to approach this way. Even though the situation had been resolved to this extent, they hesitated to come closer to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance group.

The fearful faces covered in dirt were clearly visible.

A sigh escaped from Baek Cheon's lips for a moment. Upholding righteousness was supposed to be something worthy of admiration. Of course, it wasn't done with the intention of seeking admiration, but on the other hand, he thought that it would naturally attract approving glances.

However, even now that they had clearly upheld righteousness, the gazes returned to them were still filled with fear and apprehension.

It wasn't unpleasant; it was just pitiful.

It wasn't because they didn't know there was no malice behind it; it was because even if they knew, they couldn't do anything about it.

It was simply an instinctive fear of those who could manipulate others' lives according to their whims. They had to live their entire lives in such fear.

"Chung Myung."

"What?"

"To be honest, I still don't know if what we did was right."

Baek Cheon looked at those diligently erasing traces.

When you pieced together various circumstances, the likelihood of causing significant danger might not be great, but nonetheless, avoiding consequences for what they hadn't done would be difficult.

"If this mission fails because of this incident, or if someone among those present gets injured, I might never forgive myself."

"..."

"But you know."

He sighed briefly.

"Even knowing all that, if we face a similar situation again... I'll probably rush out again."

Chung Myung grinned.

"Sure."

"..."

"That's enough."

People live their whole lives doubting their own choices.

People don't want to be shaken, but have no choice but to be shaken. What such people needed was simply an unwavering guidepost.

"That'll do it."

It was the moment when an unbending guidepost was clearly engraved in Baek Cheon's heart.