Chapter 599

Chapter 599 - Side Story 33

"Ah...!"

An Ryeong let out an exclamation without realizing it.

"My consciousness expanded by touching the joys and sorrows of others, and through that, I moved to a broader place and finally could reach even the passing of Taoist Haewol. But I didn't know it at the time. Only after much more time passed did I realize its meaning."

An Ryeong and Son Bi looked at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang spoke slowly.

"At the end of what I want to do and what I have done, there are people."

An Ryeong repeated again.

"At the end of the system, there were people..."

"Creating the system, maintaining it, the reason the system is needed, the reason it must be maintained. In the end, it was all for people to live together. I completed my revenge through the system, but that was insufficient."

"But even while saying people come first, I still don't understand your actions prioritizing the system after becoming Martial Alliance Leader."

"There are times when people come first, and times when the system must come first. Neither side has priority, nor is either side superior. However, they are not equal either."

Suddenly, An Ryeong realized goosebumps rising on her arms.

The expedient way.

To save a woman who has fallen into water, you must reach out your hand and grasp hers. If the separation of men and women is the original way, is saving a woman against the way?

However, because the way of saving a person is superior to the way that distinguishes between men and women, upholding this is called the expedient way.

Jin Ja-gang, who had already achieved primordial unity, was seeing the world with different eyes.

An Ryeong shook her head back and forth and let out a long sigh.

"Why is that?"

An Ryeong sent a sound transmission to Jin Ja-gang so Son Bi couldn't hear.

"While you see the world so deeply, you can't see the person right in front of you."

And she added more words.

"You still don't know? Son Bi won't live long. Are you still going to leave her like this?"

Jin Ja-gang flinched at the words that Son Bi wouldn't live long.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Son Bi.

"See? You don't even know that. So don't act smart."

Son Bi, not knowing what was happening, wrote letters while her face turned red.

'I'm worried about the children.'

Jin Ja-gang couldn't continue speaking for a moment, then answered.

"They'll do well."

'They're still children.'

Son Bi gazed into Jin Ja-gang's eyes as she wrote.

'They're not as perfect as you, not as strong, and most of all, unlike you in the past, they don't lack things to protect.'

Things to protect...

The past Jin Ja-gang didn't have that. If he died fighting, that was it. There wasn't a single person to grieve or worry about him. He had absolutely nothing like family honor or sect reputation to protect. So he could push himself to the extreme and use methods that would be difficult to accept by conventional Jianghu standards.

But unlike Jin Ja-gang, his children grew up receiving protection from their parents and family. The responsibility for the countless members attached to the Tang Family and the family's honor are at stake.

They don't have as much desperation as Jin Ja-gang, yet they have plenty of things to protect. They also know that all their actions affect their family and parents. Who knows how that might become a shackle?

And...

Because of what An Ryeong said, Jin Ja-gang realized there were other parts he needed to protect.

"I see. I hadn't thought of that."

Son Bi, understanding Jin Ja-gang's words differently, asked.

'What will you do?'

Jin Ja-gang was lost in thought for a moment. Then, as if having decided something, he looked at Son Bi.

***

Outside Shaolin Temple's mountain gate, Green Forest bandits swarmed. And on the opposite side, allied forces of orthodox sect warriors gathered from various regions took their positions.

Both sides had tremendous numbers gathered.

The momentum of the orthodox sect warriors was also considerable.

Fellowship with fellow warriors.

An enemy they must face together risking their lives, an atmosphere more lively than ever.

It was a situation any young warrior would want.

Moreover, Tang Yu-jeong was already a celebrity in Jianghu. All young warriors competed to gather to see Tang Yu-jeong.

"I'm Hyeon-ul from Shandong Birim Sect."

"I'm Gongsun Do from Shaanxi."

"Where is Steel Lady Hero Miss Tang?"

Everyone searched for Tang Yu-jeong.

Warriors who came up from Guangxi smiled awkwardly.

"She's not here right now."

"What?"

Some had come from far away just to see Tang Yu-jeong, so the warriors were quite disappointed. But they also wondered.

Why wasn't the hero who led Guangxi and first ignited the flames of the great Green Forest subjugation present at the moment of the final battle?

"Well..."

"Wait!"

The warriors murmured while looking at the opposite side of the peak.

"Wh-what's that?"

"The enemy is moving."

The Green Forest bandits who had been almost surrounding Shaolin Temple were withdrawing. It seemed they were going east without touching Shaolin Temple.

"What on earth..."

"Wasn't their target Shaolin Temple?"

***

Huixian Temple.

Located thirty li from Shaolin Temple, called one of Mount Song's four great temples.

Huixian Temple's entrance gate was built high with red bricks like a castle wall, with a giant golden Buddha placed at the entrance, creating tremendous pressure.

But today's Huixian Temple had not a single Buddhist devotee, practitioner, or monk visible. Was it because tens of thousands of Green Forest bandits had gathered at nearby Shaolin Temple?

There, someone wearing a cloak completely wrapped around and a bamboo hat pressed down to the chin cautiously entered.

After respectfully pressing hands together at the entrance gate, they wandered around looking here and there, then walked around the empty main Buddha hall in a circle.

Then they stopped and looked at the wall.

Heavenly Central Mountain! A temple at the center of the world.

Three characters carved on the wall of the main Buddha hall. The man in the bamboo hat admired the characters on the screen wall and touched them with his hand.

But then.

Tap.

The man suddenly stopped moving.

Small footsteps sounded behind the man's back. Someone had come.

The person standing behind spoke first.

"Supreme Asura?"

The man wearing the bamboo hat didn't answer at all. He nodded his head very slightly, making it a bit ambiguous whether it was an answer or not.

The person behind confirmed once more.

"You. Are you Supreme Asura?"

The man in the bamboo hat turned around. But he still wore the bamboo hat pressed down, so his face couldn't be recognized.

The person standing behind, Right Commander, demanded confirmation again.

"Are you surprised I'm younger than you thought? I'm Dragon Captor Great Hero. You're Supreme Asura, right? We finally meet."

Then finally the man lifted his bamboo hat to reveal his face.

Instantly Right Commander flinched.

It was an unexpected face.

Instead of a face around seventeen or eighteen, a middle-aged man with a thick beard was staring blankly at him.

Right Commander calmed his surprised heart and said.

"A human skin mask."

Right Commander smiled and spread both arms.

"Don't worry, friend. Whatever face you have and whoever you are doesn't matter. The seven years we've shared won't crumble that easily. So please, won't you show me your real face?"

The middle-aged man in the bamboo hat answered blankly.

"This is my original face. Who are you?"

Right Commander's brow furrowed slightly. The voice was strange. Not a young voice. Even if the voice could be altered, the feeling was somehow off.

Right Commander bit his molars firmly and asked back.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Merciless Twin Axes."

Right Commander's face twisted. Not the person he was waiting for.

And...

Another person revealed themselves from behind the Buddha statue in the main hall.

Right Commander saw him and opened his eyes wide in shock.

"You...!"

Jin Heon looked down at Right Commander with an indifferent face and said.

"To recognize me at a glance. Dragon Captor Great Hero, are you really a descendant of the Hungry Ghost King?"

Right Commander looked at Jin Heon and ground his teeth. His whole body was trembling. There was no point pretending not to know now anyway. And there was no need to.

"How could I forget that face? That filthy face that pretended to be righteous, killed the Great One, and inflicted wounds on us that will never heal for a lifetime! You look exactly like your father!"

Right Commander stripped off the glove on his hand and held it up. He clenched his fist.

Blood drops flowed from the hole in the back of his hand.

"Do you see? This is the scar your father left. It hasn't healed even after nearly twenty years!"

But seeing Jin Heon's smiling expression, Right Commander fell into confusion again. Jin Heon gestured with his chin toward Right Commander's back.

Right Commander turned around.

A man and woman were entering Huixian Temple's entrance.

Tang Gyeong said.

"I was Supreme Asura. I'm sorry for deceiving you all this time, Dragon Captor Great Hero..."

"..."

Right Commander was speechless.

Tang Yu-jeong crossed her arms and smiled.

"See? I was right, wasn't I? Using the alias Golden Dragon was strange from the start. What guts did you have to call yourself Dragon Captor to Poison Dragon's son?"

"Sister, just be quiet."

Tang Gyeong looked at Right Commander and asked.

"I understand you have a grudge against Dad. But... why me? Why did you choose me as your target? Deceiving me for all that long time?"

Right Commander twisted his expression as if absurd, then looked at Tang Yu-jeong, Jin Heon, and the Merciless Twin Axes in turn before looking at Tang Gyeong.

"Tell me, please. Great Hero."

"What kind of great hero is that thing?"

"Ah, just leave it alone!"

Right Commander sneered slightly, then suddenly began his story.

"Originally, from when I was young, my dream was to become a courier."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong stopped bickering and looked at Right Commander.

"A courier...?"

"If I hadn't accidentally learned of the massive fortune hidden by King, the Great One, I would have lived as a courier like that, unable to even dream of revenge despite the injustice and just blaming my lack of strength."

Right Commander's words continued.

"We obtained martial arts through all sorts of elixirs and secret manuals left in the fortune and raised the Green Forest. We established an escort bureau and advanced into the merchant world too. But Poison Dragon was still a massive mountain, and it was impossible to bring him down with just our power. No one in Jianghu tried to oppose that villain. No matter how hard we tried, there was no one willing to join us."

Right Commander looked at Tang Gyeong.

"Then through the courier system I controlled, I learned of the existence of your letters."

Tang Gyeong made a difficult expression.

"So you deceived me for all those years..."

"The Poison Dragon you respect so much waited even longer years for revenge. Besides, weren't you also the same in deceiving me?"

Tang Gyeong asked.

"So what could you gain from that? Dragon Captor Great Hero. Even if you capture or kill me, Dad won't bat an eye."

"That's not for you to judge."

Right Commander swept over Tang Gyeong and the others with a chilling gaze.

"King, the Great One, passed away receiving misunderstanding and criticism. The world he wanted, although there was some excess in the process, couldn't be said to be entirely wrong! Was it right to drive such a person to death as an evil enemy?"

Right Commander's murderous intent was transmitted chillingly.