Chapter 89: Returning (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Returning (3)
“Her future husband?”
The old monk’s back trembled as he repeated the words.
He must have guessed my identity from the moment I sent the Blood Demon Sword flying. However, since I had publicly declared myself Sama Yeong’s fiancé, his shock was only natural.
“I suggest you stay exactly where you are, Great Master.”
I pressed down on him with an intense, overwhelming pressure. Wrapped in my sharp killing intent, he wouldn't dare move recklessly.
“Young Master...”
Sama Yeong looked at me, her eyes red and brimming with tears. I could feel just how much she had suffered.
Her fiancé had vanished for over seven months, and her only living relative, the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak, had been imprisoned in the Shaolin Temple. How difficult it must have been for her.
But the moment was brief. Sama Yeong wiped her tears with her sleeve and sent me a message via Sound Transmission.
[Where on earth have you been?]
Her voice was a mix of resentment and longing, making me bite my lip hard. How could a single word ever compensate for the pain of loneliness and yearning she had endured?
[I’m sorry.]
Still, I had to apologize. I had tried my best to return quickly, but since I couldn't explain everything right now, the only answer was to comfort her with all my heart.
At my words, Sama Yeong’s lips quivered as if she were about to burst into tears again.
[Was it because of that mist?]
[...Yes.]
[You disappeared along with the mist. I had a feeling that was the case.]
[It was hard for you, waiting all this time, wasn't it?]
Despite her bloodshot eyes, a playful smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth.
[At least you know. I’ve given you my heart and soul, so if you had abandoned me and run away, I would have... well, I wouldn't be a maiden anymore, but anyway, I would have chased you down as a vengeful widow ghost to torment you.]
I let out a small chuckle at her playful tone. As expected, she was stronger and more considerate than any woman I knew.
The Lesser Conversation Sword snickered. She would be shocked if she ever found out that I had entered the Foggy Forest and traveled to the past. How many people in this world had ever experienced something so bizarre?
True.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Sama Yeong sent another transmission.
[But why did you come here as the Blood Demon?]
Just as she said, I had entered the Shaolin Temple wearing an evil ghost mask and in the state of Blood Demon Transformation. In truth, I had agonized over this quite a bit. I had even considered infiltrating the temple disguised as a monk.
However, there was one weakness that even the Body Transformation Art could not overcome.
Exactly. That was the problem. The Body Transformation Art couldn't control hair or body fur. Master Nam, the woman who wore only one shoe and taught me the technique, had also jokingly said that as long as I didn't try to disguise myself as a monk, almost no one would ever notice.
I sent a transmission back to Sama Yeong.
[If I came as a member of the Orthodox Faction, I would have no pretext.]
[A pretext?]
[I can't rescue my father-in-law as the Lesser Sword Immortal.]
The Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak was undeniably one of the Five Great Villains. It wouldn't do to have the hero of the Orthodox Faction, the Lesser Sword Immortal, rescuing such a man.
Sama Yeong spoke with a hint of concern.
[Will you be alright? Aren't you making an enemy of the Shaolin Temple...?]
[That’s exactly what I intended.]
[What?]
Appearing like this was a calculated move. If I had rescued my father-in-law and Sama Yeong while hiding my identity, Shaolin might have sent pursuers. No matter how much Shaolin claimed not to involve itself in worldly affairs, they wouldn't want to endure the dishonor of losing a prisoner. If they did, the villains of the Unorthodox and Demonic paths would look down on them.
That was why I appeared openly as the Blood Demon. By revealing that Sama Chak was my father-in-law, I was letting them know that the massive power of the Blood Cult was involved.
[This is the only way to make Shaolin feel a sense of crisis.]
[A sense of crisis...]
[No matter how strong my father-in-law is, if he’s alone, Shaolin will try to recapture him by any means necessary.]
[Ah! So you came like this on purpose. Then, did you bring the members of the Blood Cult with you?]
I shook my head at her question. She couldn't hide her bewilderment.
[...Don't tell me you came alone?]
I understood her reaction. Shaolin’s martial history was so deep that it was called the birthplace and source of the Central Plains' martial arts. It was no exaggeration to say that if they had openly involved themselves in the world, the entire landscape of the martial world would have changed; that was how many eccentric masters they possessed.
Rumor had it that if Abbot Jingak had stepped out into the secular world to display his profound cultivation, the Eight Great Masters might have been called the Nine Great Masters instead. Furthermore, from the Shaolin Eighteen Bronze Men, who gave birth to the term 'Indestructible Diamond Body,' to the 108 Arhat Formation and the Reversed Sinews 108 Techniques, nothing they possessed could be taken lightly. Shaolin’s hidden strength was on a different dimension compared to other sects.
[Ah! You’re planning to fly away, aren't you?]
Sama Yeong clapped her hands as if she finally understood. Of course, that was an option, but if I were going to flee with my father-in-law like that, I wouldn't have revealed my identity.
When I shook my head again, she frowned.
[Then... are you planning to break through the front?]
That 'then' was exactly what I intended. When I didn't deny it, she looked at me with a worried face. Then, she sent another transmission.
[You must have a plan, Young Master. Then we should hurry and rescue my father. Once he joins us, no matter how strong the warrior monks of Shaolin are, they won't recklessly try to face two of the Five Great Villains at once.]
She was clever. Even in this situation, she had thought of a way out.
Just then, the old monk spoke.
“Amitabha. Since this temple was built, this is the first time the leader of an Unorthodox organization has stepped into the very heart of our grounds.”
“I did not come to harm the monks.”
“However, simply entering in this manner is a threatening act.”
To speak so boldly while being suppressed by my killing intent—he was no ordinary man. He must be a monk of deep cultivation.
“He is the monk guarding the Gold Cave where my father is imprisoned.”
I turned my head and saw the words 'Gold Cave' carved above the cavern. It seemed he was the person in charge, known as the Gold Cave Lord. I had heard that Shaolin assigned high-ranking monks to guard specific areas; there was a reason he had reached the Supreme Peak Realm.
The Gold Cave Lord spoke to me in a serious tone.
“Almsgiver. If you truly share a father-in-law and son-in-law relationship with Almsgiver Sama, I can understand your sudden intrusion, but you must stop here.”
“You may have left the secular world behind, Great Master, but do you think ordinary men like us can simply abandon our families?”
The Gold Cave Lord let out a sigh at my words. Then, he spoke as if giving a warning.
“Almsgiver. The reason this temple imprisoned him in the Gold Cave was to eventually reform him so he could walk by the Buddha’s side. Do you truly wish for your father-in-law to fall into the Avici Hell for the sins he has committed?”
“I have no desire to debate this with you, Great Master.”
If we went by that logic, how many martial artists in the world could truly stand by the Buddha’s side? Such a debate was meaningless in this situation.
“I assume those are the keys?”
I spotted a set of keys hanging from the Gold Cave Lord’s waist. Seeing several large keys on a round iron ring, it seemed there was more than one Golden Prison inside the Gold Cave.
“That’s right! He used those to open the Golden Pri—”
Before she could even finish her sentence.
“Hap!”
Boom!
The Gold Cave Lord stomped his foot. Sand from the ground surged upward.
Sssshhh!
It seemed he had been waiting for the slightest opening. Simultaneously, he spun his body like a top, attempting to unleash the Hundred Step Divine Fist upon me.
However...
Grab!
“What?!”
The Gold Cave Lord’s expression froze as his fist was caught. He probably never imagined I wouldn't even try to dodge the sand particles infused with internal energy.
I struck the Gold Cave Lord’s pressure points with lightning speed.
Tap-tap-tap!
Having his paralysis and stun points struck simultaneously, the Gold Cave Lord’s body stiffened, and he fainted on the spot.
Sama Yeong stared at me, dumbfounded.
“Young Master?”
The Gold Cave Lord was a master of the Supreme Peak Realm. Even for a master who had crossed the wall into the realm of superhumans, he wasn't an opponent who could be subdued with a simple move unless a secret technique was used. She was greatly shocked that I had neutralized him so easily.
“You’ve... become even stronger?”
That was what I wanted to say. In just seven months, her energy had also risen, as if she had experienced much. She was at a point where she could reach the Supreme Peak Realm at any moment, provided she had an epiphany.
“Let’s go.”
I took the Golden Prison keys from the Gold Cave Lord’s waist and spoke. As we were about to head into the cave, Sama Yeong hesitated and pointed inside.
“Ah...”
“What is it?”
“Young Master. I think we should wait a bit.”
“Wait? For what?”
“Inside the Gold Cave, ten monks come three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—to chant sutras. Once they start, it usually takes over an hour.”
I understood why she said this. If the chanting stopped, those inside Shaolin would find it suspicious and flock here, realizing an intruder had entered.
I gave her a thin smile.
“It doesn't matter. Let’s go in.”
“Pardon?”
Didn't I say I was going to break through the front?
I strode into the cave. She watched me anxiously for a moment before following behind. The inside of the cave was bright with torches, and the walls were densely carved with what appeared to be Buddhist scriptures.
“...Because the Buddhas of the three periods of time rely on the Prajna Paramita, they attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. Therefore, know that the Prajna Paramita is the great transcendent mantra, is the great bright mantra, is the utmost mantra, is the supreme mantra, which is able to relieve all suffering and is true, not false...”
The solemn sound of chanting echoed from deep within the cave. Indeed, hearing the Buddhist scriptures while in the Blood Demon Transformation, I felt my demonic energy being suppressed. It must be because they were the teachings of the Buddha.
However, demonic energy wasn't the only power I possessed. When I circulated my Innate True Qi to protect my body, the sound of the scriptures actually calmed my mind.
The Blood Demon Sword couldn't stand it. For a demon sword forged from grudges, this was like poison.
Just bear with it for a bit.
The chanting would stop soon enough.
I glanced back at Sama Yeong. She wasn't affected by the scriptures at all. Since the heart method she practiced was close to the Orthodox path, that was only natural.
[My father is at the very end of the Gold Cave.]
Sama Yeong sent me a transmission. She seemed to be trying to keep quiet on purpose.
[There are other prisoners in the Golden Prisons along the way. I’m worried they might cause a stir if they see us.]
From the way she spoke, it seemed she had been in here once before. Shaolin was certainly more merciful than other Orthodox sects. They could have blocked even a daughter from visiting.
“Don't worry.”
She looked puzzled by my reassuring words, but I didn't stop and kept walking. However, as she followed me in, her eyes widened.
Every single prisoner in the Golden Prisons along the walls was slumped over as if they had fallen into a deep sleep.
“Ah! Why are they all...?”
“Who knows. Maybe they were just very sleepy.”
I spoke jokingly, but I had infused the essence of the Transformation Eye Scripture into every footstep. The prisoners, whose seven vital points were sealed and thus couldn't use their internal energy, had no way to resist it. Regardless, now that they were asleep, they wouldn't cause any trouble.
I continued deeper into the cave. The sounds grew louder until a large cavern finally revealed itself at the end.
Tock! Tock! Tock!
“...no realm of sight, and so forth until no realm of consciousness. No ignorance and also no ending of ignorance, and so forth until no old age and death and also no ending of old age and death. No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinction, no path. No wisdom and also no attainment. Because there is nothing to be attained, the Bodhisattva relies on the Prajna Paramita...”
Ten monks were there, striking wooden fish and chanting sutras. In the center of them was a Golden Prison made of iron that gleamed with a particularly dark luster. Inside, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
It was the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
Father-in-law...
His complexion was pale and grayish. I couldn't tell if it was the effect of his sealed pressure points or if his internal injuries hadn't fully healed. Seeing him like that, Sama Yeong’s eyes turned red. The bond between father and daughter was truly a heavenly tie.
“Oh!”
Just then, a young monk among those chanting, who was sitting facing the entrance, spotted us and jumped in surprise. The other monks also hurriedly stood up.
A middle-aged monk, who seemed to be the most senior among them, shouted.
“Bodhisattva? How on earth did you get in here? And you...”
The monk’s gaze naturally shifted to my masked face. Then, seeing my red hair fluttering in the torchlight, he couldn't hide his shock.
“The Blood Demon?”
As expected, he recognized me instantly. At that moment, Sama Chak, who had been sitting still inside the Golden Prison, opened his eyes.
I clasped my hands and bowed to him.
“Your son-in-law greets you, Father-in-law.”
“!!!”
At those words, the monks' eyes widened as they looked back and forth between me and Sama Chak. Who wouldn't be shocked to hear that the Moon Evil Sword was the father-in-law of the Blood Demon?
The middle-aged monk shouted at me.
“Son-in-law? Then you have broken into this temple to break Almsgiver Sama out?”
I replied nonchalantly.
“One would think my father-in-law was the property of this temple.”
“Begone at once...”
Before he could finish.
“Whoa?!”
As I made a pulling motion with my hand, the middle-aged monk’s body jerked and then floated into the air, flying toward me. Since his martial arts weren't that high, he had no way to resist the Void Object Retrieval.
Grab!
I grabbed the flying monk by the collar, lifted him up, and said, “I have no desire to commit slaughter within the grounds of the Buddha, so get out of here right now.”
With those words, I threw him back as if discarding trash. The middle-aged monk tumbled across the floor several times before clutching his scraped face, not knowing what to do.
“I believe I told you to leave.”
At my words, Sama Yeong blocked the cave entrance and said, “If you let them go, the warrior monks of Shaolin will swarm here.”
“It’s fine, let them go.”
“Pardon?”
She looked like she couldn't understand at all. I spoke to the hesitating monks.
“Tell the Abbot of Shaolin that the current Blood Demon, Leader of the Blood Cult, wishes to see him.”
“!?”
The monks were all struck with horror.
“The Abbot?”
“Don't make me say it twice.”
At my overbearing voice, the terrified monks scrambled out of the cave. Watching them leave, Sama Yeong said to me, “The Abbot? But you said you came alone, Young Master.”
I replied calmly.
“Trust me and watch.”
Sama Yeong stared at my face for a moment before nodding. Then, taking the ring of keys I had given her, she ran toward her father, the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
“Father!”
Sama Chak opened his eyes and spoke to her.
“You’ve finally done it. Didn't I tell you not to come?”
“How could I ignore you when you’re locked up here, Father!”
At her words, my father-in-law shook his head. While she was fumbling through the keys to find the right one, he looked at me and spoke.
“I heard you had suddenly vanished, but you managed to return to my daughter’s side.”
It seemed he had heard the news from Sama Yeong. I replied apologetically.
“I am deeply sorry.”
To this, my father-in-law spoke bluntly.
“Forget it.”
It sounded like he was saying it was enough that I had returned safely.
Clang!
As the door to the Golden Prison opened, Sama Yeong rushed inside and hugged him, weeping.
“Father! Sob.”
“How can a grown lady shed tears so easily? Stop crying.”
Even as he spoke those words, he patted her back with a warm touch. No matter how much infamy he had earned, a father was still a father.
Patting Sama Yeong, my father-in-law looked at me and said, “This is enough. Go back.”
Sama Yeong pulled away from his embrace in shock and cried out, “What are you saying, Father?!”
“Do you think the monks of Shaolin are fools?”
“Pardon?”
“To drive out the cold energy that has penetrated my internal organs and bone marrow, I need the treatment of the Head of the Library, who has mastered the Nine Yang True Scripture.”
“You haven't been fully treated yet?”
At her question, my father-in-law shook his head.
“The Head of the Library judged that if my internal injuries were fully healed, I would be dangerous even with my pressure points sealed. Thus, he did not completely drive out the cold energy affecting my bone marrow.”
Shaolin had used their heads. My father-in-law was a peerless master who had crossed the wall of walls. They must have felt that such a man could escape if given even the slightest opening, so they hadn't fully cured him.
“The monks were quite calculating.”
“If the cold energy isn't completely removed, I will inevitably suffer a seizure sooner or later.”
“Father!”
“Once I am able to drive out the cold energy, I will find a way to return. Until then, stay here...”
“Yeong-ah. Could you step aside for a moment?”
I walked past Sama Yeong and entered the Golden Prison. My father-in-law frowned and said, “I don't know why you did this, but if the Abbot and the Arhat monks arrive, it will be difficult to escape easily, even if you can perform Sword Flight. So...”
“Is it enough just to drive out the cold energy?”
With those words, I stepped behind him. My father-in-law let out a sigh.
“It’s useless. Unless it’s the Nine Yang True Scripture, the cold energy cannot be driven out. If it could be removed with internal energy alone, I would have already—!?”
Suddenly, my father-in-law turned his head, his eyes narrowing. His reaction was only natural.
Because through the palm I had placed on his back, I was injecting powerful Yang energy.
Whoooooosh!
My father-in-law muttered in a shocked voice.
“How do you possess such Yang internal energy?”
“I learned it through a certain connection. Anyway, is it enough if I just drive out the cold energy that has reached your bone marrow?”
“What?”
At my nonchalant words, my father-in-law looked at me with utter disbelief for the first time.