Chapter 2: Who Are You? (2)
It is said that mad people hear voices like hallucinations. They hear clear voices in their ears, but others cannot hear them, causing a disconnect from reality and eventually leading them to go wild.
[What’s up, you? Can you hear me?]
If that’s the case, am I really going mad and hearing hallucinations? It seems more realistic to think that this is really the voice of Jang Sam-Poong rather than thinking it’s a delusion. After all, it’s unprecedented for Jang Sam-Poong to speak to me.
But.
“Yes, I can hear you well.”
[Really?]
“……It’s so clear it’s a problem.”
I made up my mind.
I decided to believe the voice that’s coming to my head.
Although there’s still a bit of doubt in the back of my mind, I neatly folded it away and organized it.
There were aspects that made it hard to believe this was just a hallucination.
For instance, the instructions to completely defeat Yoon Si-Hoo.
Such instructions could not have come from within me. It was impossible at my level.
So, I had no choice but to believe it.
I had to believe it.
[You seem to have thought about it a lot? Oh, did you finally go mad from the torture in this hellhole?]
“…….”
I’m struck again by the fact that his tone is really cheap.
It’s so casual that it’s problematic. I can’t seem to get a handle on how to address this voice or how to position it properly.
Suppressing a smile that was about to burst out, I opened my mouth.
“Well, I did think I might be mad……”
[But?]
“I think it’s better to believe this voice is really from within rather than thinking I’m mad?”
Special or not normal.
If I had to choose between the two, I’d rather be special.
It might seem a bit shameless, but so what.
After all, the voice starts and ends within me. It doesn’t seem like a voice anyone else can hear.
Good things are good things.
[Hahaha!]
Apparently, my answer was quite satisfying, as a laugh so loud it made my head ache echoed in my mind.
[You’re an interesting guy.]
“Your Excellency, you’re more interesting than I expected.”
[What kind of Taiji Quan is it that moves so stiffly? Like a drunken wildcat.]
Recalling how Jang Sam-Poong had criticized my martial arts for being frustrating, I responded.
It’s unimaginable if I hadn’t heard it directly. Who would believe that Jang Sam-Poong, the great master of the Wudang sect, would have such a crude sense of humor?
Ironically, it was precisely because of this crude manner that it helped me believe that this voice really was Jang Sam-Poong’s.
[But you’re better off. If I had experienced this kind of thing when I was still human, I’d have been banging my head against a holy relic all day trying to exorcise evil spirits.]
If I had really gone mad and created an imaginary personality, the Jang Sam-Poong I imagined wouldn’t have had this kind of personality.
I would have created a more comforting personality.
Thinking about it this way, I should rather consider it fortunate that Jang Sam-Poong has this kind of personality.
As my thoughts shifted, I was reminded of Jang Sam-Poong’s nickname from his martial arts days.
“Jang Rap-Tap (張邋遢) (Rap-Tap: Dirty and Filthy). The Rap-Tap Daoist.”
He was a genius who treated both the emperor, who was considered the most noble under heaven, and the commoners below with equal disregard.
If he had been high-class and pompous, his posthumous nicknames would have been very different.
[A nostalgic nickname.]
Jang Rap-Tap. The Rap-Tap Daoist.
The nicknames he was called during his lifetime.
Since ascending to the celestial realm, he hadn’t been called that, and the voice in my head recited it with a sense of longing.
‘By the way, is this person a celestial being……?’
Perhaps because of my delayed realization, I felt once again that the Jang Sam-Poong I’m talking to is a celestial being.
Celestials are indeed celestials.
Once my thoughts reached there, one of the most common curiosities that anyone would have if they were alive came to mind.
“What is the celestial realm like?”
The afterlife. The place where people go after death.
If the Jang Sam-Poong I’m talking to is real, then it means the afterlife also exists.
What kind of place is it……
[It’s fucking terrible.]
“……”
……Excuse me?
What’s with this sudden cheapness?
I knew Jang Sam-Poong’s character, but this is a bit much.
[Is this the kind of answer you wanted? Beautiful, radiant, warm, and the epitome of a life of ease and contentment.]
“Yes, well…….”
[Oh, no. It’s fucking terrible.]
“……”
[Even if you’re a celestial, it’s not that glamorous. Maybe things get better if you get some experience and have some underlings, but who knows.]
“Well then…….”
[But the lower realms are going crazy, so there’s no successor.]
“……”
It seems like there are quite a few difficulties in the celestial realm that cannot be spoken of.
It doesn’t feel tangible because it’s such a high place.
“Even though you’re a celestial……”
[Do you not know what a minor position (微官末職) means? If you came up here, you’d be amazed. The Heavenly Demon carrying a dung cart and collecting dung, and the Dharma Master plowing fields and taking care of horses?]
Is this for real?
“The Heavenly Demon…… is that the same Heavenly Demon?”
[Would I be talking about something else?]
The Heavenly Demon who is said to be the beginning of the great demon and whom the Demon Cult folks worship all year round?
[He comes to the Hades from time to time, messing around and getting drunk…… Ah!]
“……You’re friends with the Heavenly Demon?”
[It’s always like this here. That’s why it’s also called the celestial realm. From your lower realm perspective, it might seem like a ridiculous mess.]
“That’s not just ridiculous; it’s completely off the charts.”
It feels like I’m hearing things I shouldn’t hear.
Suddenly, familiar names come to mind.
“Well then, what about you, Your Excellency?”
[Me, what?]
“No, never mind.”
I have a strong feeling that I shouldn’t ask.
It feels like I shouldn’t ask!
I shouldn’t.
I should keep my mouth shut.
[If successors come in, living here might be somewhat bearable……. Hmm? Wait a minute.]
Jang Sam-Poong, who had been complaining about successors, suddenly stops speaking.
[Oh? Look at this?]
And then he makes a strange snorting sound.
What is this? It sounds like a hunter who has found prey?
[I don’t know what kind of trick Zao Jing used to break through the divine protection barrier surrounding the celestial realm and create such a phenomenon, but…… If I want to look into causality issues, this will need some preparation.]
“Yes?”
Zao Jing, divine protection barrier, causality.
These are terms I can’t make sense of.
[Forget it. See you tomorrow. Hehehe.]
With that, Jang Sam-Poong’s voice disappeared.
“Yes, tomorrow.”
I muttered with a slight sense of regret, as I had intended to say one more thing, but Jang Sam-Poong’s voice suddenly left.
Unlike the main disciples who live under strict regulations, the secondary disciples enjoy a relatively comfortable life.
Although they live confined within the Wudang sect, apart from that, there isn’t much of a problem.
As long as they participate in the group martial arts practice led by the main disciples in the morning, the rest of the time they are left relatively free.
It’s almost a hands-off approach.
If there’s one thing to mention, it would be the occasional martial arts competitions held among the secondary disciples to check their progress.
It wasn’t always like this with secondary disciples.
But now, it has become that way.
This is probably because there are many valuable people here.
Specifically, those who are second or third sons from wealthy families.
They aren’t the heirs of the family, but they can’t just be discarded like baggage, so they are sent to places like this to keep them occupied.
Since many of these people gather here, it naturally becomes a place where they can build connections.
Building connections in a place where many of such people gather can be beneficial. Just having good connections can prevent one from being treated like a pariah.
In addition, they learn Wudang martial arts and gain the title of secondary disciples of Wudang.
Although it may seem like a perfect place, there are certainly downsides as well.
For instance, people like Yoon Si-Hoo.
While some might come here with a genuine interest in martial arts, those who come here to build connections will inevitably try to associate with those with backgrounds.
For someone like Yoon Si-Hoo, who is treated like a pariah in his family, it becomes a matter of survival to create value for himself if he wants to be treated better in his family.
It’s unfortunate for me, but Yoon Si-Hoo’s family is influential in many ways.
That’s why I’ve had a hard time.
“The atmosphere is tense because of that.”
The looks that seem to question why I don’t bow to Yoon Si-Hoo are quite severe.
No, actually, they’re not even looks of questioning.
It’s a situation where I can clearly feel that they are waiting for me to make a mistake.
For Yoon Si-Hoo’s family, this is a very serious matter.
Since the information of me being part of the Wudang sect has already spread throughout, it’s clear that they know the importance of the situation.
If I make a mistake, even a small one, it will give Yoon Si-Hoo the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Of course, it might also be the other way around.
I need to be extra cautious not to make any mistakes.
Because even if I make just one mistake, the consequences can be severe.
Wudang sect.
As mentioned earlier, there are many places where secondary disciples can freely move around, including their quarters.
Among them, there’s one place where the scene inside is a bit unusual.
Yoon Si-Hoo, the man who is already a bit notorious among the secondary disciples, and a man named Kwon Joo-Ho.
Kwon Joo-Ho is the first disciple of Yoon Si-Hoo, and he follows Yoon Si-Hoo around like a loyal dog.
Yoon Si-Hoo is not someone who gets along well with others.
Since he is more interested in scheming than martial arts, he rarely takes the initiative to talk to others.
But Kwon Joo-Ho is different.
He’s not just loyal but also quite skilled.
If you see someone who always follows around someone like Yoon Si-Hoo, it’s not surprising that the person is indeed capable.
Kwon Joo-Ho is undoubtedly one of those people.
[No matter what, this is an opportunity we can’t miss.]
Yoon Si-Hoo, who had been quietly sitting on a stone bench, suddenly spoke up.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Kwon Joo-Ho, who had been standing quietly beside him, responded.
[That’s why we should be careful.]
He continues speaking, his eyes sparkling as if he has some kind of plan.
The expression of someone who is calculating their next move.
[As long as we take the opportunity, this is something we must take advantage of. Our chance to rise above the others.]
Yoon Si-Hoo’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
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