Chapter 296 – Shaolin Temple (2)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Amitabha. I speak these words for your own sake, patron, so do not take offense, and listen well. Occult arts that deviate from principle will surely bring you harm. Therefore stop practicing them, and sever the forcibly made bond with that anomaly.”

At the Demon-Subduing Hall Master’s forceful attitude, the atmosphere turned strange.

Having fallen into the very heart of Shaolin, the sacred ground of the righteous path, Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak, who had already been watching the situation carefully, were inwardly extremely flustered.

It was fortunate that these monks still did not know they were from the Heaven and Earth Society, but instead they seemed to have earned their hostility because of something bizarre.

Then Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.

“You want me to sever the bond? If I do, that would amount to letting the reins off that anomaly. What are you going to do then? Kill it?”

“No matter how harmful an anomaly may be, this humble monk and the monks here are followers of the Buddhist path. Unless there is no other choice, we do not kill lightly.”

“Then will you let it go?”

“How could we carelessly release a monster that devours humans? We will confine it in this temple’s Demon-Subduing Cave and govern its demonic nature with scripture.”

“And if its demonic nature is not governed?”

“If even then its demonic nature cannot be governed, then for the sake of preventing harm, we will have no choice but to open the way of killing.”

“So in the end you’re saying you’ll imprison it and kill it later.”

“Amitabha.”

The Demon-Subduing Hall Master quietly pressed his palms together.

Mok Gyeong-un’s lips twitched as he said,

“And if I politely refuse your suggestion?”

“Amitabha. Patron… as a demon-subduing monk who must subdue demons, once an anomaly has entered this temple, I cannot simply let it go.”

In an instant, the atmosphere turned heavy.

The demon-subduing monks and martial monks around them had understood the shift as well and tightened their grips on their vajras and staves.

‘Damn it.’

‘This is bad.’

At that, Mok Gyeong-un’s subordinates also began taking their opening stances.

When they did, the Arhat Hall Master’s eyes sharpened with wariness.

‘Except for that old patron, every last one of them is far from ordinary.’

As befitted the hall master who commanded the Arhat monks, one of Shaolin’s three groups of third-generation martial monks, he had keen eyes and could estimate the martial prowess of the party.

Then the Demon-Subduing Hall Master spoke while still holding his palms together.

“Amitabha. This humble monk does not wish to fight with you patrons. But whether it is occult arts or commanding an anomaly as a shikigami, such things are contrary to principle, and that is why I advise you. If you will do as I suggest, I will send you away safely.”

‘!?’

At those words, Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun, whose vigilance had risen, exchanged a glance.

They had been deeply anxious that if they fought Shaolin’s martial monks, their identities might be exposed.

Yet if all they had to do was promise not to practice occult arts and hand over the demon beast Qinyuan in exchange for being safely released, then under the current circumstances it was not a bad offer.

At least it was better than staying tied down in the middle of enemy territory.

With that thought, they carefully looked toward their lord, Mok Gyeong-un.

“Hm.”

Mok Gyeong-un let out a small hum as though in thought and stroked his chin.

Seeing him like that, they inwardly hoped that this time, unlike usual, he would accept the offer rather than do something utterly unpredictable.

This was a completely different situation from before.

This was Shaolin, the sacred ground of the righteous path.

Because they were monks who cultivated the Buddhist path, even though they were one of the Nine Sects and One Alliance, they did not interfere with the affairs of the martial world or the mundane world and rarely stepped forward unless there was a special reason.

Even so, not a single person dared look down on Shaolin’s strength.

That was because people firmly regarded them as the orthodox root of Central Plains martial learning.

‘My lord… clashing with Shaolin is madness.’

‘This time it would be best just to let it go.’

It was then.

Mok Gyeong-un lowered the hand that had been stroking his chin, then smiled faintly and said,

“If you say you’ll let us go safely so long as I accept your proposal, then it truly is hard not to comply.”

At those words, both men breathed sighs of relief.

Even though he did not show it, even Mara Hyeon had been worried a fight might break out, so he too inwardly felt relieved.

“Amitabha. How fortunate that this young patron has opened his eyes rightly and so readily accepted this humble monk’s suggestion…”

“I didn’t say I would accept it.”

“!?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s unexpected words, the Demon-Subduing Hall Master furrowed his brow.

Possessing a harsher temperament than befitted a disciple of Buddha, he could not understand why this gentle proposal of his had been refused.

-All living beings. Surely you are not planning to reject the offer?

Blue Spirit also asked Mok Gyeong-un in a tone of disbelief.

Being close to him, she knew that he could seem like someone who might go anywhere at any moment, but apart from that, he was someone who valued rational judgment quite highly.

As for the promise not to use occult arts, he could simply say the words here and ignore them afterward, and since the demon beast Qinyuan had not become his shikigami by deliberate choice, there was no real problem in handing it over.

Of course, it had the advantage of being able to fly and had played an important role recently, but coldly speaking, sacrificing one Qinyuan to avoid becoming enemies with Shaolin right now was the more rational choice.

-This is unlike you. If you hand over one demon beast, you can leave Shaolin safely, so why refuse?

-Unlike me?

-Yes. Shaolin may be a bit rigid, but the monks there cultivate the Buddhist path, so unlike those hypocritical righteous-sect fools, they would not make such an offer insincerely. It is foolish to refuse when they have gone out of their way to offer this. Accept it.

-That will be difficult.

-What?

-If I were alone, I would agree with you that that is the rational choice. But if I want to build a force, I do not think it is such a good choice.

‘!?’

What exactly had this brat just said?

For a moment, she doubted her own ears.

Then Mok Gyeong-un looked at the Demon-Subduing Hall Master and spoke.

“What you propose, Reverend, that we can leave this place safely, is indeed tempting. But simply because it is necessary, I cannot hand over what is mine… no, that phrasing seems a bit excessive. Right, let us call it a companion. In any case, I do not think I can hand over a companion so easily.”

“A companion?”

-Murmur murmur!

At those words, the Arhat monks and demon-subduing monks surrounding them stirred noisily.

Even if it had been made into a shikigami, that thing was still not human but a bizarre spirit-being, an anomaly.

And he had just called such a being a companion?

‘This brat?’

By contrast, a strange light flickered in Blue Spirit’s eyes at his words.

That was because Mok Gyeong-un never truly trusted or relied on anyone.

Lately he had begun to follow some of her advice, but at decisive moments he still judged things according to his own will.

And yet now, despite the considerable danger of the situation, Mok Gyeong-un was calling the demon beast Qinyuan a companion and refusing to hand it over.

To him, the demon beast Qinyuan should have been nothing more than a tool, so this was truly unexpected.

This meant,

‘Was that intentional? Or has he begun to change?’

If it was intentional, it seemed to have had some effect.

At the moment he refused the Demon-Subduing Hall Master’s proposal, his subordinates had looked flustered, but when he said he could not hand over a companion, their expressions and gazes became strange.

Probably because they had just confirmed their leader’s capacity for tolerance.

By showing that even in danger he would not cast aside even a tamed anomaly, he had given them the sense that no matter what happened, he would not let go of them either.

Blue Spirit clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘…Even if it was calculated, he is gradually gaining the qualities of a leader.’

Even though he showed extraordinary talent in many areas such as martial arts, occult arts, and medicine, she had believed that because of his inability to trust others, it would be difficult for him ever to stand above others or develop real social ability.

And yet that very Mok Gyeong-un was already beginning to develop the qualities of a leader faster than she had expected.

That was a surprising change.

Then the Demon-Subduing Hall Master frowned fiercely and spoke.

“Though it has been subdued by a method contrary to principle, its essence remains that of an anomaly that once devoured and harmed humans. How can you utter such absurdity and call such a thing a companion?”

“Doesn’t that just depend on how one chooses to see it?”

“Depends on how one chooses to see it?”

“If the issue is that it harms people, then are not people the greater problem?”

“What?”

At the Demon-Subduing Hall Master’s question, Mok Gyeong-un lifted the corner of his lips and said,

“Are more people killed by beasts and anomalies, or by other people?”

“……..”

At that question, the Demon-Subduing Hall Master’s lips closed.

To deny it would have been difficult. People were killed far more often at the hands of other people.

That was an undeniable fact.

Banditry, robbery, the conflicts of the martial world, and on a larger scale, war.

All of these made people kill people.

When Mok Gyeong-un pointed that out, even the severe Demon-Subduing Hall Master found it hard to refute him at once.

Then the Arhat Hall Master, who had been listening silently, stepped in.

“Amitabha. There is certainly reason in your words, patron. It is indeed true that humans do the greatest harm to humans. But even so, that does not make it right to apply the same reasoning to anomalies.”

“What is not right about it?”

“Beasts and anomalies possess only simple urges, whereas humans are beings who feel the five desires and seven emotions.”

“You are making this rather complicated, Reverend.”

“I am not trying to preach the Dharma to you, patron. The five desires and seven emotions refer to five kinds of desire and seven kinds of feeling. The Buddha said these are the beginning of all suffering, and those who cultivate the Buddhist path strive to overcome them and keep to the middle way. Even for those who are not monks, human beings possess the basic will to control and overcome these desires and emotions themselves.”

“And?”

“But beasts and anomalies, unlike humans, are not so complex and live only through simple urges. The simpler the urge, the harder it is to control. How, then, could one compare them to humans, when they are creatures that make living humans their prey?”

“So your conclusion is that they cannot be compared?”

“That is correct. Humans are incomplete and complex beings who possess both yin and yang energies, and therefore they have the capacity to restrain themselves. But anomalies are innately yin beings and do not. To compare them with humans on the basis you suggest is no better than forcing the issue.”

“Ahhh. I see.”

“I understand your reluctance to hand over the anomaly, but if the moment comes when it slips from your control, many people will lose their lives. We cannot simply watch that happen, and that is why we ask you to hand over the anomaly.”

“I see. But now that I think about it, I still have not heard even a single apology.”

“An apology?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s abrupt remark, the Arhat Hall Master tilted his head.

“Patron, what do you mean by that?”

“I understand why you find the anomaly dangerous, but we had not harmed any of Shaolin’s reverends. We were simply flying overhead on the anomaly, and then you suddenly attacked us and nearly killed us.”

“That was, patron…”

“You are not planning to pretend otherwise, are you? Didn’t you say earlier that those who cultivate the Buddhist path do not kill lightly, not even the lowliest life?”

“Amitabha. That is true, but…”

“We survived by good fortune, but every one of us nearly fell from that great height and died. If that had happened, then from you old reverend onward, all the demon-subduing monks here would have committed the sin of killing in violation of the Buddha’s teaching. Yet I have not heard one word of apology.”

At those words, the demon-subduing monks holding their vajras around them flinched in confusion.

The Demon-Subduing Hall Master opened his mouth awkwardly.

“Patron… this humble monk and the demon-subduing monks have studied Dharma techniques, but not martial arts, so we did not realize that you patrons were riding on the anomaly…”

“Hmm. So you mean to say you simply did not know? Even after seeing us fall like this? Or is it enough that we survived by luck?”

“No, patron. This humble monk was not saying…”

“Do you see that old woman over there?”

The Sacred Fire Leader, who was still sprawled out on the ground, pale-faced and suffering from the aftereffects of the fall, raised her head in confusion when he called to her.

“She is an ordinary person who has not even learned martial arts, and she is still suffering like that. You really are being irresponsible.”

“Hoh.”

At that, the Arhat Hall Master could not hide his discomfort.

He had already realized that the Sacred Fire Leader was an ordinary old woman who had not practiced martial arts.

Yet just as Mok Gyeong-un said, however well-intentioned their act of subduing evil had been, it was still true that they had nearly killed not only these people but also a normal civilian.

‘As expected, the one thing he knows how to do best is use his head, all living beings.’

Seeing the monks’ discomfort, Blue Spirit clicked her tongue.

In a sense, this was the only weakness of the Shaolin monks.

Before they were martial artists, they were monks who cultivated the Buddhist path, and so they bound themselves with discipline and doctrine.

Mok Gyeong-un had aimed right at the opening created by that self-imposed restraint.

“Amitabha. The patron’s words are correct. Let me first apologize for the mistake. None of this was intentional.”

“Not intentional? So if it is unintentional, it is fine to kill someone by mistake?”

“Hoh. Patron, why do you twist this humble monk’s words so…”

“Because that is how they can only be understood.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. If we had known from the beginning that you patrons were riding on that anomaly, we would never have attacked recklessly.”

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes lit up as he said,

“What did you just say?”

“…I said that if we had known you patrons were riding that anomaly, we would not have attacked.”

“You definitely said that, yes?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“You said that if you had known we were there, you would not have attacked because it would have been dangerous, correct?”

“……That is correct.”

“Then we would never have fallen into the middle of Shaolin and had this argument with you old reverend over whether the anomaly should be handed over or killed, and the reverends would never have almost committed a killing.”

“………”

“So in the end, all of this is no different from creating something that never should have happened in the first place. If so, then whose fault is it really?”

“……..”

At last, the Demon-Subduing Hall Master was left speechless and could not say a single word.

And it was not only him. The Arhat Hall Master was the same.

No matter how much he wanted to argue back, there was no opening in Mok Gyeong-un’s reasoning.

‘Hah?’

Watching all this, Ja Geum-jeong, the Broken-vow monk, let out a hollow laugh.

Because he had been born with spirit eyes already opened, he had drowned his suffering in alcohol.

But the Discipline Hall had never understood that suffering, and in the end they had made him break his vows on the grounds that he had violated discipline.

When he first left, he had still believed that he himself had simply been lacking while he was in Shaolin, but now, watching this debate, the men trapped inside the framework of discipline looked utterly foolish to him.

It was then.

“Hehehehe. Excellent indeed. Excellent indeed.”

At the voice that rang out together with laughter, everyone’s gaze turned toward the sound.

-Kiiiiiik!

At that moment, the doors of the southern hall in the plaza opened, and three old monks in red kasaya robes revealed themselves.

The moment he saw them, Ja Geum-jeong, the Broken-vow monk, brought his palms together and bowed his head.

His eyes had turned red.

‘Ahhh. Master.’

That was because among the old monks was Gongjeon Grandmaster, the Hall Master of the Sutra Pavilion, who had been as a master to him.

But he was not the only one who had come.

Also present were Daedeok Grandmaster, the head of the Discipline Hall who had been the one to drive him out of Shaolin, and Museong Grandmaster, the steward of the Yijin Jing scripture.

‘This just got even more troublesome.’

Mok Gyeong-un looked at the three old monks with obvious irritation.

The auras they gave off were all unfathomably deep. Every one of the three was a formidable master who had already surpassed the wall.