At my words, they tilted their heads and asked back,
“Rumor?”
“What rumor are you talking about?”
“I’m surprised you’re this out of the loop… Aren’t people like you usually the first to hear every rumor going around?”
“I said, what rumor are you talking about?”
The longer I dragged it out, the more impatient they got, and they started pressing me.
“Huh? You really don’t know?”
“You don’t know that…? Tsk, tsk. No way you make a living in the Unorthodox Sect like that.”
“Seriously.”
As expected of Palgap and my guards.
We’d worked together for so long that they naturally played along with me.
The Shaolin monks seemed quick on the uptake too, because they stayed quiet and didn’t say a word.
“Ah, come on! Quit dragging this out already!”
All right, I could probably tell them now.
“The Elixir that was inside Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s body isn’t there anymore.”
“What?”
“What do you mean, it isn’t there anymore?”
I opened the box holding Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s remains.
Clack.
“You see this mark around his chest?”
Then I pointed to one of the original wounds.
Since the sacred body had dried out so completely, the wound looked like a fresh mark left behind only recently.
“There really was an Elixir here before. But while the Murim Alliance was keeping it in storage, the Elixir disappeared.”
“What?”
“According to the people guarding the place, a burst of brilliant five-colored light poured out in the middle of the night. They said the Buddha himself descended and personally took the Elixir.”
“…”
“I don’t know whether the rumor is true either. But it’s absolutely true that the Elixir is gone. But really, you hadn’t heard that rumor?”
“We’ve never heard it!”
“That’s strange… Everyone in Luoyang is talking about it right now…”
They looked baffled at what I said.
Still, now that I’d shown them the sacred body myself and explained it, there was no way they could refuse to believe it.
Operation successful.
.
.
.
That was how we headed toward Mount Song and ended up being attacked no less than six times.
But every single time, I spread the rumor I’d made up on the spot and sent them packing.
We’d just driven off the sixth group of attackers when one monk spoke up anxiously.
“Still… I’m not sure this is really all right.”
“This is how rumors get started in the first place. And later, people will add all sorts of embellishments to it.”
I continued,
“And most rumors don’t even have anything real behind them. A lot of them are made up by someone for a purpose. So you monks mustn’t let yourselves be misled by rumors.”
“This journey has been full of valuable lessons.”
In truth, Buddhism warns against deceiving others.
But I wasn’t a monk.
As we continued on our way, another group from the Unorthodox Sect attacked us.
But they were different from the ones we’d met before.
They came at us without a word.
“It’s them! Because of them, we had no choice but to keep getting pushed farther from Mount Song.”
At the monk’s words, I could tell something was definitely off. But dealing with them came first.
We calmly began fighting back.
Clang–!
Clang, clang!
The crashing sound of cold weapons rang out loudly.
Their skills weren’t weak at all.
Their problem was that they were up against me and my guard escorts.
The attackers started dropping one by one, and their leader’s face twisted in dismay.
As our swords locked, I asked him,
“What is it you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious? That sacred body!”
“For people supposedly after the sacred body, you don’t seem very interested in it.”
I’d deliberately left them openings to get closer to it.
But they never tried to approach the sacred body.
It was like their only goal was to drive us away from here.
Which meant they weren’t after that sacred body at all.
In that case…
“Is there some reason we can’t be allowed to reach the Shaolin Temple?”
At my question, he flinched.
Hoo… seriously?
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
If that ridiculous rumor about an Elixir inside Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body had really spread, it should’ve started before the body ever reached the Murim Alliance.
But I’d never received any report of such a rumor. Which meant it hadn’t been spreading for long.
So… that meant the rumor only started after we left Luoyang carrying the Venerable’s sacred body.
Is there really something going on here?
Is that why they’re going this far to stop Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body from reaching the Shaolin Temple?
Then if I wanted answers, I had to make sure his sacred body got there no matter what.
Thinking that, I pushed my internal Qi even higher and swung my sword.
It took less than an hour to subdue every last attacker.
Hmm… with monks here, killing them would be a bit much.
“Palgap, can you get the rope out?”
“Rope, you say?”
“Yeah. If we hang these bastards from the trees, they probably won’t be chasing us for a while.”
At my words, their faces went pale.
“If you honestly tell me why you were after the sacred body—or rather, why you were trying to stop it from reaching the Shaolin Temple—I’ll tie you under the tree instead of on it.”
“…”
Their eyes darted back and forth as they watched each other, weighing who would speak first.
Seeing that, I smirked.
“First one wins!”
“M–me!”
“I’ll tell you!”
I picked the one who’d raised his hand the fastest.
“You. Start talking.”
“W–we were hired by someone. We were told that before long, Shaolin monks would be taking Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body from the Murim Alliance to Mount Song, and that we were to interfere and make sure they never reached the Shaolin Temple.”
“You have no idea who hired you?”
“No. Jobs like this are easier for us too if we don’t know who the other party is.”
That made sense.
If they learned who the client was, they could end up getting silenced to keep their mouths shut.
“But whoever it was gave off a seriously dangerous vibe.”
“Did they?”
Making your living by the sword meant facing danger all the time.
Because of that, people like them were usually pretty sharp when it came to sensing killing intent or a dangerous presence.
A dangerous vibe…
Well, either way, I figured we’d gotten everything we could out of them…
“Tie them up.”
“Yes!”
“W–wait, I…”
I looked at that Unorthodox Sect bastard and smiled.
“I keep my promises.”
As promised, I tied the one who’d confessed he was hired underneath the tree.
Upside down, but still.
Still, this was honestly rougher than I’d expected.
Hearing the same story once or twice was one thing, but having to repeat it six times was exhausting.
And on top of that, I had to get tangled up with these sleazy bastards.
No, this won’t do. I’m definitely making the Shaolin Temple pay me well for this.
.
.
.
We walked for several more days.
The monks of the Shaolin Temple didn’t ride horses.
Since we had to match their pace, our speed was painfully slow.
Hiiing!
Maybe because River-Crossing Horse was so strong and sturdy, it hated moving at such a slow pace.
That was probably why it kept acting up in obvious frustration.
But then.
– Kui!
The moment Geumryeong let out a single kui, it immediately calmed down and lowered its head.
Geumryeong was unbearably adorable to me, but apparently the others didn’t feel the same way.
After hearing what I’d told them earlier, the Shaolin monks looked deeply troubled.
But their eyes also shone with a stronger sense of duty than ever to bring Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body back to the Shaolin Temple.
Still, maybe the rumor I’d spread had gotten around nearby, because no more unwelcome visitors came looking for us.
Thank the Heavens.
“From here on, this is Shaolin’s territory.”
At those words, I was finally able to relax a little.
Of course, I still couldn’t say we were safe for sure, but no one would launch a large-scale attack here.
After walking for about another hour, we came across a group of monks.
Hmm? Some of those faces looked familiar…
Ah, Monk Jeong Myeong!
And a few of the monks with him looked familiar too.
They were the Shaolin monks I’d met on the road to Lanzhou.
“Oh? Senior Brother! Senior Brother Jeong Myeong!”
One of the monks traveling with us must have spotted them too, because he called out happily.
“Jeong Cheong!”
If his Dharma name was Jeong Cheong, then he must be of the same generation as Monk Jeong Myeong.
They saw us and ran over, looking shocked.
“What? Isn’t this Great Hero Handsome Young Hero?”
“It’s been a while. Did you make it back to the Shaolin Temple safely that time?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, we returned without incident, and we told the Abbot and the others everything. It made me realize all over again just how great a kindness we received that day.”
“Not at all. That’s only thanks to the Buddha’s mercy watching over this place.”
After exchanging a few simple greetings, Monk Jeong Myeong asked the monk he’d called Jeong Cheong,
“But what happened? You’ve been overdue for quite a while, so we were out looking for you.”
They’d probably sent word when they left the Murim Alliance.
That would’ve given them a rough estimate of when we were supposed to arrive, and we’d passed that time long ago.
The monk called Jeong Cheong let out a deep sigh and said,
“Well… we were attacked by people after the Venerable’s sacred body, and they drove us far to the east.”
“What?”
“But thanks to a chance encounter with Handsome Young Hero’s group, we were able to make it here safely. And… we also learned that there are people specifically targeting us.”
“They were targeting you?”
“Yes. There were people trying to stop Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body from reaching Shaolin.”
“What? Who would dare do such a thing!”
Furious, Monk Jeong Myeong steadied himself and brought his palms together toward me.
“You truly have my gratitude. We’ve received your help once again.”
“That too is the Buddha’s grace.”
I’d gone through quite a bit, but it would’ve been embarrassing to say it was all thanks to me.
“From here on, this is Shaolin’s territory. So you should be able to rest easy. Come.”
“Yes.”
Our group followed Monk Jeong Myeong’s party up the mountain. Some of the monks in his group were men I’d seen before, and they looked plainly glad to see me again.
Within the Empire were the famed mountains known as the Five Great Peaks.
Mount Tai in the east, Mount Hua in the west, Southern Mount Heng in the south, Northern Mount Heng in the north, and Mount Song at the center.
And most of those famous mountains were brutally steep.
If this hadn’t already been Shaolin’s territory, and if Forest bandits had built nests all over the place, the climb would’ve been even worse.
Still, on stretches too harsh for people to pass through at all, they’d carved into the lower mountain or built plank paths along the cliffs so people could walk through.
“The disciples of Shaolin must’ve gone through a great deal making this road.”
Monk Jeong Myeong smiled gently and brought his palms together.
“We can only be grateful that you recognize their hard work.”
So we climbed and climbed, and at last we reached Shaoshi Peak and entered the temple grounds.
Then someone approached us.
“…!”
The aura I felt from him startled me. At this level, was he in the Transcendent realm?
Wait, in the Shaolin Temple, someone in the Transcendent realm would mean…
The eminent monk walked toward me and brought his palms together.
“Amitabha! What a joyful day, to have two such honored guests arrive together. Welcome. I am Ji Seong.”
At that, Monk Jeong Myeong said,
“He is the Abbot.”
I hurriedly cupped my fist in salute and showed my respect.
“I greet the Abbot. I am Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. Thank you for inviting me here.”
Just then, Monk Jeong Cheong said,
“We received a great deal of help from Handsome Young Hero this time. Without him, we would not have been able to complete our mission.”
Then, with a heavy expression, he continued,
“There is much I need to report.”
“I will summon you separately later.”
“Understood.”
After saying that, the Abbot headed toward Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body behind me.
The reason the Abbot had personally come out was probably not to greet me, but to receive Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body.
My companions and I quickly stepped aside.
The monks hurriedly opened the lid of the box containing the sacred body.
Light poured into the box, and everyone could finally see it.
But somehow it looked a little different from when I’d first found it in the Sword Tomb…
Tilting my head, I looked up at the sky.
Ah!
Now I knew what was different. The direction.
Before, he had been facing east, but now he was facing northwest.
Was that why he somehow looked sad?
Just then, as if the Abbot had read my expression, he spoke to me.
“You look quite tired.”
“O–oh, no. I’m sorry. I made a fool of myself.”
“You have every reason to be tired.”
“You honor me too much. Please, be at ease with me.”
“If that is what the Benefactor wants, then so be it.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, it seems there’s a reason…”
So I answered honestly.
“I had the feeling Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body ought to be facing east.”
“East?”
“When I first found the sacred body, it was facing east. I think that must have meant something.”
The Abbot nodded at once and gave the order.
As the cart was turned, Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s sacred body came to face east.
I knew it. I was right.
It looked just like it had before.
No, now more than ever, it was impossible to look away.
Was it because of that face, that unbelievably peaceful expression? Or because he had finally returned to the Shaolin Temple?
I couldn’t explain what it was.
My chest tingled strangely, like something was beginning to sprout inside me.
For an instant, the Venerable’s sacred body smiled at me.
Huh?
Seeing the same hallucination twice…
I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake myself out of it, when the Abbot’s Buddhist invocation burst out.
“Amitabha!”
At the same time, several monks standing behind him coughed up blood from the shock.
At the same time, a sweeping shockwave of Qi erupted!
Don’t tell me… did he just attain enlightenment?
And then, right after that, something even more astonishing happened.
I could feel the aftershock of that surging Qi among my own guards too.
–TL Notes–
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