Chapter 142 — Concern Over the Jurchens' Brutality
After examining Yeongu, Baek In-gyeom fell into deep thought.
"Ji-un, come here for a moment."
Han Ji-un, who had been standing guard outside, stepped in.
Yeongu was asleep.
He seemed utterly exhausted from everything he had endured.
Han Ji-un drew a long breath, as if he could grasp the weight of those hardships.
"He must have been very tired."
"He has lived that way. It cannot be helped."
Han Ji-un asked,
"How is he? His condition."
He already knew why they had come all the way to Liaodong.
It was to examine Yeongu.
"He is fine. He has made great progress. There are no side effects from the medicine we were concerned about. His body is exceptionally strong."
"Then why is he sleeping so heavily?"
Baek In-gyeom answered in a low voice.
"Perhaps it is the fatigue of the soul."
"How far will he go?"
Baek In-gyeom spread out the divining sticks.
He gathered and divided them repeatedly, then cast them down and examined the resulting pattern.
He already knew—but he sought certainty through the ritual.
If the world unfolds according to some hidden design, then for one who already sees that design, divination holds little meaning.
It is not that he knows—he sees.
The act of casting the sticks was to look into that foundation more clearly.
"Hmm…"
Baek In-gyeom's gentle expression tightened slightly.
"Is it not good?"
"No… it is too unexpected. I thought only of freeing the Jurchens oppressed by war, but it goes beyond that. The Liao may fall."
"Surely not. Even empires take ten years to collapse."
"Yes… about ten years."
"You are looking into Yeongu's fate, are you not?"
"Yes. For Aguda, bringing this man in was the best move he could have made."
"I see."
"They suit each other. The timing as well."
"And his cultivation?"
"It will succeed. But the force that breaks heaven… it is strong."
"Breaks heaven?"
"Did he not already overturn the Goryeo military? It was not his intention, yet it happened. What I glimpsed before… it has changed."
The conversation concerned Yeongu, yet he slept deeply, hearing none of it.
When Yeongu awoke, he looked for his master.
Han Ji-un answered,
"He had somewhere nearby to visit, so he left."
"He must know someone here."
"Yes."
"And what did he say about me?"
"About what?"
"My cultivation. Will it go well?"
Han Ji-un hesitated.
Yeongu pressed him.
"So, it is not good. That's fine. It has always been that way. Even if something worse comes, I will not be shaken."
Han Ji-un, now obliged to answer, spoke carefully.
"It is not that. Fortune and misfortune, good and evil—within fate, they differ by only a hair's breadth. They are different faces of the same thing. Those like us who have stepped away from the world do not dwell on such distinctions."
"Then what is the problem?"
"He fears that a great war will come."
Yeongu nodded.
"I will finish it quickly and minimize the casualties."
"He intends to gather the sages of this region."
"Hehe… they will be those who help me."
"Yes. Even one would be of great help. And…"
"And?"
Han Ji-un spoke carefully.
"You must consider the long term, the greater picture. A plan that ends with the fall of Liao is not enough."
"Hmm…"
Yeongu thought for a moment, then admitted,
"I thought my mind had sharpened through cultivation. My memory has improved—I can memorize breathing and internal methods well. But reasoning, long-term planning… I am still lacking."
"That is due to lack of experience. Not lack of ability."
"I would like to know what my master is truly concerned about."
Han Ji-un glanced in the direction his master had gone, hesitated, then said,
"He fears it may become too destructive."
Yeongu answered at once,
"Yes. That is what worries me as well. Too many people are harmed."
A man who thinks this way may, in fact, be trustworthy.
There are countless who treat lives lightly and follow only their own desires.
"He fears the war will grow, and that the Jurchen army will become cruel."
At those words, Yeongu's gaze narrowed.
He understood.
He knew something of the Jurchens' nature.
Within, they were warm and bound tightly to one another.
But outwardly, they showed no mercy.
There were clear, unwritten rules among tribes—even compensation for harm—but once that boundary was crossed, everything became an object.
Cruelty could follow.
Such things exist everywhere, but among the Jurchens, it ran deep.
"That is something I must manage."
"He fears that you may become like them."
"Hmm…"
Yeongu did not reject the thought.
Though he had studied much, he still felt unlearned.
What he learned later in life did not settle deeply within him.
So he listened carefully.
He respected the words of those who had learned, who had lived, who had seen more.
"That is true. I tend to accept their ways too easily. It is easy to assert my own view, and just as easy to accept another's. But before I can fully judge, time moves ahead. To avoid causing trouble, I have often accepted their customs as they are."
Han Ji-un thought Yeongu was a truly good man.
Perhaps there was no need to worry.
But the path ahead was his alone to walk.
Han Ji-un spoke quietly.
"What my master fears is their brutality. Among themselves, they are warm. But toward those outside, they are harsh. They can come to see people as objects. That is what is frightening."
Yeongu heard something more in those words.
Not the outcome of war—but what comes after.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"They do not understand beyond themselves. That is not fear—it is ignorance."
"That is why he hopes you will take that role. And why he will bring the sages here to support you."
"That eases my mind."
"It is difficult to bear alone."
"It is not. I will take it as my role."
If one accepts something as one's role, even the hardest burden can be endured.
Perhaps what truly breaks a person is the belief that suffering belongs to them alone.