The Beast Beneath the Mountain
BOOM!
“Grrrrrgh.”
“S-stop……! I was wrong. P-please, spare…….”
“What was that? What did you just say? I must have misheard you, right?”
“I-I’ll do anything if you just let me live…….”
WHAM!
The palm strike Cheon Sohyeon brought down buried itself straight into the crown of the man’s head.
“How dare you slander people like that. Do I look like the sort who kills at random?”
“Ughh.”
The man with the sly, wicked face felt the world spin violently from the agony. He could not think straight no matter how hard he tried.
How on earth was this bastard so strong?
After his lie was exposed, the members of the Jagui Sect had immediately gone in together. They had judged that Cheon Sohyeon must be tired from watching them fight, so they had tried to seize the opening and overwhelm him all at once. The result was this pathetic, crushing defeat.
Just what kind of lunatic climbs up a cliff and then has the nerve to carry around a map?
Cheon Sohyeon brushed his hands clean and looked down at them.
“So what exactly is the Jagui Sect? Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you keep your lives.”
“R-really? Then…….”
After hearing the man out, Cheon Sohyeon’s brow furrowed.
“Loan sharking? That’s all?”
“Yes, that’s all. We’ll give you money—however much you want—so please, show us mercy.”
“Of course I’ll show mercy. I’m a man who’s basically nothing but mercy. In that sense, you lot are actually pretty lucky.”
“Th-thank you…….”
Thwack! Wham!
Cheon Sohyeon seized the man with the slanted eyes and hammered away at his stomach without mercy.
“Hrk! Hk!!”
The deputy sect leader, Geumso, shouted in a flustered voice.
“W-what! What do you think you’re doing? You said you’d spare us!”
“Why are you making such a racket? I said I’d spare you.”
“Then why……!”
“You have to pay for cheating merchants. Interest at thirty times the principal? Honestly, vermin like you show up everywhere.”
“Ghk…….”
“W-what does that have to do with you, why are you doing this…….”
“It has plenty to do with me. I learned martial arts to correct trash like you. I’m giving you a chance to repent, so accept it gratefully.”
“This is just beating people up!”
“Fine. It’ll look exactly like that.”
Was it not said, Buddha’s eye, pig’s eye?
Through a pig’s eyes, one sees pigs. Through Buddha’s eyes, one sees Buddha. How could the teachings born of deep faith be judged through the gaze of a demon?
Thwack! Thwack! Wham!!
Cheon Sohyeon continued his “guidance” as he crushed their dantians one by one, methodically and without rush.
“Hoo.”
If this had been his past life, when his inner energy had never run dry, he would not have chosen such a crude method. But there was no helping it.
BOOM!
After smashing the dantian of the last disciple as well, he shook his hands and stood up.
“Remember this noble teaching well and repent.”
“Hngh.”
When Cheon Sohyeon turned his head, he saw the man seated cross-legged, healing his internal injuries.
Just then, the man exhaled a white breath and got to his feet before offering an apology.
“Th-this…… I’m sorry. I thought you’d come here with them to ambush us. I never imagined some innocent bystander would show up at that exact moment.”
Cheon Sohyeon waved a hand dismissively.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Truthfully, there was no lingering resentment at all. Once one became a Buddhist, how could one continue to hold petty grudges?
Gang Hyeon rubbed at his ribs and muttered under his breath.
“Well, you’ve beaten them up enough, so I suppose you’re satisfied now.”
“What was that?”
“Ah, n-nothing. Still, you’re not a face I’ve seen around here before. What brings you this far out? You don’t look like an herb gatherer.”
“I came looking for something. I climbed up here prepared for the worst, but I didn’t expect to run into bandits the moment I got here.”
Gang Hyeon smiled awkwardly.
“Even if it looks like this, I’m not a bandit…… Still, you seem older than you look.”
“A lot older than I look. Why? Want me to be more polite about it?”
Gang Hyeon waved both hands.
“No, I was just curious. If you’re good in a fight, you’re the older brother, that’s all. I’m not shameless enough to take offense, so don’t worry about it. If you’ve got any questions, ask away. I’m probably more familiar with this area than anyone else.”
Cheon Sohyeon asked without much expectation.
“Then do you know about Unambong too? It’s a fair distance from here.”
“Of course I do. That’s where I live.”
“Oh? Then…….”
Gang Hyeon glanced at the collapsed disciples of the Jagui Sect, then lowered his voice.
“There are too many ears around here. Let’s move over there and talk. I’ll answer whatever I know.”
“Fine.”
As they walked along a quiet forest path, Cheon Sohyeon sorted out his thoughts. He recalled the details written in the scroll about Imaje and asked directly,
“You live on Unambong?”
“Yes. You could say it’s in the palm of my hand.”
“Then have you ever heard of a man called Hwa Domyeong who’s been living in seclusion there? Supposedly he’s a massive black-haired swordsman.”
Gang Hyeon stopped walking and stared at him with a hardened expression.
“……Hwa Domyeong?”
“Yes.”
Gang Hyeon’s eyes sharpened instantly. A thin, wary edge crept into his voice as he asked,
“Why are you looking for him? No—who are you?”
Cheon Sohyeon’s eyes flashed at the killing intent he could feel on his skin.
“I’m called Cheon Sohyeon. You seem to know something.”
“C-Cheon Sohyeon? A member of the Cheon clan? Y-you mean the Cheon family?”
When Cheon Sohyeon nodded, Gang Hyeon asked again, visibly shaken.
“S-so the Cult Leader’s son came all the way out here alone?”
“That’s what I said. Why won’t you believe me?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I did believe you? Do you know how remote this place is? I-I mean, if it’s not rude, could I see some kind of identification plate or something…….”
Cheon Sohyeon took out his purse and showed it to him. The bag bore the image of a dragon, a pattern permitted only to the bloodline of the Cheon family in the Demonic Cult. It was proof enough.
“D-damn it!”
Gang Hyeon raked a hand through his hair and cursed. Then, startled by his own outburst, he bent at the waist in a deep bow.
“I apologize. I was rude. I grew up in the mountains, so I didn’t recognize you right away.”
“Forget it.”
By now, it was no longer surprising to see people panic at the thought that he might be the heir, so Cheon Sohyeon merely waved it off.
“It doesn’t matter, so tell me what you know.”
“You’re really just letting it go? You won’t haul me off to the Law Enforcement Hall and make me spend the rest of my life in a cell or something…….”
“I said that won’t happen. Why? Do you want to live like that?”
“No, of course not.”
Gang Hyeon looked at him for a moment, then smiled.
“Haha, I thought you looked like a broad-minded man, and I was right. Then I’ll tell you everything I know.”
The way he changed his attitude was like watching the opening forms of a martial art.
“Do you know exactly where he’s in seclusion?”
“I have to.”
Gang Hyeon lowered his voice.
“The person you’re looking for is actually my master.”
“Hm?”
Cheon Sohyeon looked Gang Hyeon over.
“Your master?”
“Yes. I’m Gang Hyeon, disciple of Master Hwa Domyeong.”
Now this was a surprise. Merely hearing the name Hwa Domyeong had brought out the title Imaje.
He had a disciple?
That was news even Sama Ryang had never mentioned. If the Military Council had failed to notice it too, then it was hard to take in at once.
While he was still looking doubtful, Gang Hyeon asked,
“May I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Earlier, when you were beating up those Jagui Sect bastards, you said you learned martial arts to correct trash like me, right?”
“I did.”
“Then what exactly counts as ‘trash like me’?”
Cheon Sohyeon simply looked at him without answering, and Gang Hyeon coughed awkwardly.
“Ahem. I’ve never had much education, so there’s a lot I don’t know. Was that a rude question?”
“Well, it was a little rude, and it’s not an easy question to answer simply either. Hm, a standard…….”
For some reason, Gang Hyeon looked almost desperate. Cheon Sohyeon studied him, then answered seriously.
“There are a number of standards, but the most important thing is whether someone has erased the line that makes them human.”
“Erased it? Not crossed it?”
“Right. Crossing the line still leaves room for understanding.”
“…….”
“Like stealing food because you’re starving half to death, or taking revenge on an enemy because of all kinds of circumstances—there’s room for empathy there. If it were me, maybe I would’ve done the same.”
“Then what do you mean by ‘erased’?”
“The kind of people who can’t even recognize that they’re committing evil, who can’t be reasoned with, and who commit acts that should never be solved that way without hesitation.”
Gang Hyeon’s eyes trembled slightly.
“You learned martial arts to wipe out people like that?”
“That’s the short version, yes. Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering what kind of person would come looking for my master. It’s a rare thing, and as a disciple I thought I should know at least that much.”
“So, can you guide me there?”
The scroll had marked five different places where Imaje might be. If they searched each one manually, they’d waste the whole day, so now that he’d found the disciple, Cheon Sohyeon intended to get directions from him.
“I don’t know why you’re looking for him, but guiding you isn’t difficult. The problem is that my master avoids contact with the outside world so thoroughly that even if you meet him, having a proper conversation will be hard.”
“Hmm.”
That wasn’t wrong. Imaje might well refuse even to meet them.
“Sounds like you do have a way.”
Gang Hyeon’s eyes brightened.
“I’ll take you to his place and try to persuade him to have a proper conversation with you. But in return, I want one favor.”
“A favor?”
“It’s shameless of me to ask for a favor after being rude to you, but after hearing what you said, I think our goals line up.”
“So what is it?”
A glint appeared in Gang Hyeon’s eyes.
“Wipe out the Jagui Sect.”
Cheon Sohyeon’s brow twisted.
What in the world was this sudden nonsense?
“Wipe them out?”
“Exactly what I said. Go there, pull up every last foundation stone, burn it to the ground, and erase it completely. They’re all a bunch of bastard…… no, to use your own words, they’re the kind of people who’ve already erased the line, so I’m saying we should wipe them out entirely.”
“Because they falsify ledgers and extort money?”
“Loan-sharking doesn’t even count as evil by their standards. Those bastards buy and sell people.”
At the brazen words, Cheon Sohyeon’s face darkened.
“You’re saying they’re involved in human trafficking?”
“Yes. We had a little spat before, and then they came at me in a mob, spouting nonsense about selling me off and all that crap. The fact that they’re carrying proper weapons despite obviously hiding in some mountain valley is suspicious too. It felt genuine enough that I decided to investigate properly.”
Cheon Sohyeon looked at him in silence. It did not seem like a lie, but there were a few questionable parts.
“So there are people within the Cult doing that sort of thing? Is that even possible?”
“Of course it’s not possible. That’s why they’re hiding so tightly among themselves, isn’t it? Even here, we’re on the outskirts, much closer to the Central Plains than to the inner mountains.”
Cheon Sohyeon slowly nodded.
Is it because this place is so vast?
Even the Nine Schools and the Five Great Families wielded tremendous influence in their own territories, but that didn’t mean one could swear there were no black-path thugs lurking there at all.
The region was simply too large.
And if that was true of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, then what of this place?
He had just felt with his own skin how enormous the Hundred Thousand Mountains really were while hurrying up here.
Cheon Sohyeon’s brow tightened.
“Then why not call your master or the Law Enforcement Hall people? Why do you need me to go with you?”
“That’s…….”
Gang Hyeon’s eyes darted back and forth. It seemed he had something he didn’t want to say, and his expression had grown complicated.
“Can I be honest?”
“You’d better be.”
“I don’t want to trouble my master over something personal to me. I’m not officially known as his disciple anyway, and he’s in seclusion to polish his martial arts, so I don’t want to burden him for nothing. Besides, I don’t even know exactly where those bastards are based.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? You don’t know their base?”
Cheon Sohyeon shot him a sharp look, as though asking whether he thought he was being strung along. Gang Hyeon gave an embarrassed smile.
“Haha, well…… we can find out starting now! There’s a guy among the ones sprawled over there called Geumso, the deputy sect leader. If we track him, we can wipe them out. He kept acting indifferent the whole time we were fighting, so he probably won’t even realize he’s being followed.”
“And the Law Enforcement Hall?”
Gang Hyeon remained silent for a moment, as if choosing his words, then said briefly,
“I just don’t trust those guys.”
Did he have some private grudge?
For some reason, Gang Hyeon seemed more displeased at the mention of the Law Enforcement Hall than at the Jagui Sect. That awkward hesitation finally made sense—it had been about the Law Enforcement Hall all along.
“If you don’t want to, you can refuse. I only suffered some internal injuries, so I can handle those bastards on my own anyway. There’s an inn down below, so if you wait there, I’ll be back soon.”
Cheon Sohyeon reached his conclusion with a nod.
“They really are the sort who’ve erased the line.”
“Huh?”
“Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t matter. They need to be erased. Let’s go.”
“What? You’re going?”
“Some of the ones who were knocked out are probably waking up. We should check on them right away.”
Gang Hyeon followed after him, blinking in disbelief.
He’s going this fast?
Even he found it hard to believe, and he’d been the one to say it.
He thought he’d need a lot more convincing.
In the first place, unlike Gang Hyeon, who used twin sabers, his master was a swordsman. Even if one could broadly speak of guidance, martial specialties were different; it would be difficult to believe someone simply because he called himself a disciple.
More than that, asking the secluded master who hated commotion to help wipe out an entire sect was close to absurd.
He had prepared all sorts of arguments for persuasion, yet……
Since Cheon Sohyeon did not seem like the kind of man to act without thought, Gang Hyeon asked carefully,
“Th-this is a little awkward for me to ask, but you’re just going to believe me because I said I’m his disciple?”
Cheon Sohyeon stopped and looked back.
“I have to believe you. I’m the kind of person who can’t go around suspecting everyone. My cultivation is simply too deep for that.”
“Huh? But what if you get badly deceived? What if it’s all a lie, the Jagui Sect and everything…….”
“Then that’s your problem, not mine.”
Cheon Sohyeon gave a faint smile and looked at him. Under that steady gaze, Gang Hyeon swallowed before he realized it.
“…….”
“If it’s a lie, I’ll strip you down to your underwear and drag you to the Law Enforcement Hall myself. It’d better be the truth.”