An Unexpected Assistant
Tap, tap, tap.
“…”
“…Ahem.”
This place, so solemn it felt almost ghostly, was the Ancestral Hall of Shaolin, where the past patriarchs were enshrined.
It was a sacred space housing the spirit tablets of Shaolin's historical leaders, starting from the legendary Bodhidharma himself.
It was, in every sense, the spiritual heart of Shaolin.
“Then, let us begin the assembly.”
The current Abbot of Shaolin, Jaan Daesa Haeryun, had convened this assembly here of all places due to an unprecedented incident.
Creak.
“First, Reception Hall Leader. Is what you said true?”
“It is, Abbot Senior Brother. After examining the remains of the Maitreya Buddha and cross-referencing them with our records... it appears that, just as the female benefactor said, it was not the stone Buddha from a thousand years ago. It seems to have been remade.”
“Good heavens…”
“Namo Amitabha…”
“All things are impermanent…”
The shocking news filled the Ancestral Hall with heavy sighs.
Having realized that a tradition they believed had stood firm for a thousand years had already crumbled, their sense of loss was profound.
He shook his head.
“How could such a thing happen?”
“There could have been many catalysts. Natural disasters, foreign invasions that laid waste to the Central Plains... A thousand years is an incredibly long time, after all.”
“And the fact that not even a record remains means…”
His shoulders slumped.
“Yes. The true scripture was likely lost, or perhaps it never existed in the first place.”
The true essence of the Maitreya Buddha was the scripture hidden inside it.
If the scripture had still been there, they could have simply restored the stone Buddha and recorded that they 'placed it back inside.'
The fact that they couldn't do that and instead erased it from history entirely pointed to only one conclusion.
The scripture was gone.
“Whew…”
“…”
Even chanting the Buddha's name required energy. In a moment of such hollow emptiness, they could do nothing but sigh.
A voice boomed.
“How can you show such weakness in the Ancestral Hall! It is in times like these that we must enforce our discipline even more strictly!”
“Myeonggyeong…”
The one shouting at the despondent monks was none other than the Disciplinary Hall Leader and the next in line for Abbot, the Iron-Faced Vajra Myeonggyeong.
“First, we must punish the woman who destroyed the Maitreya Buddha! And then lodge a formal protest with the Murim Alliance!”
True to his moniker, the Iron-Faced Vajra, his nature was to always stand at the forefront of enforcing rules.
A head shook.
“Are you blind, Nephew Myeonggyeong?”
“Library Hall Leader? What do you mean by…”
“On what charges do you plan to punish her? For revealing the truth to us when we could have lived on in blissful ignorance like fools?”
Nods.
“Ahem…”
“The Library Hall Leader makes a fair point.”
The monks in the Ancestral Hall murmured in agreement with Haegak's words.
“What are you saying! The destruction of the Maitreya Buddha is an undeniable fact! If we let this slide without punishment, what kind of precedent will that set for the future!”
Nods.
“That is also true.”
“What should we do about this…”
Punishing her lacked justification, yet letting it go ignored the very real damage that had been done.
It was only natural that the monks swayed like reeds between the two arguments.
A hand raised.
“Enough.”
When things reached such an impasse, it was the Abbot's duty to make the final call.
His everyday authority existed precisely for moments like this.
“I have no intention of punishing her, nor do I intend to let this slide.”
“Master!”
“Senior Brother!”
“Rest easy. We shall resolve this in the Buddhist way.”
Creak.
Squeak, squeak.
“Ugh, why are there rats in this cell?”
Ever since the Maitreya Buddha collapsed, I had been temporarily locked up in Shaolin's dungeon. They told me to wait here until they decided on my punishment.
If this were modern times, I'd at least be in a holding cell...
Thud, thud.
“Hey, if you're not going to eat that rat, toss it over here.”
“Wh-what?”
Since it was a dungeon, the surrounding cells were packed with hardened criminals.
Even though I was just a temporary guest, my arrival as the 'newbie' had drawn everyone's attention.
“Turning your nose up at a rat? You must be spoiled. What are you in for, newbie?”
“I told you, I'm not a newbie... What about you? What did you do to get locked up here?”
“Me? If I were to speak of my grand deeds, I once bathed half of the Murim in blood—”
Snicker.
“Look at this bastard bragging again!”
“Don't listen to him, newbie. He's in here for rape.”
“Rape?”
He was a sex offender?
“Hey, I was just trying to look cool! So, what about you, newbie?”
“Well... the Maitreya Buddha in the outer courtyard collapsed...”
“What?!”
Laughter erupted.
“Bwahaha! Now that is a masterpiece!”
“Isn't she the worst villain among us?”
“Temporary lockup, my foot! You better prepare yourself!”
“Dammit.”
I was already anxious enough, and these guys were just rubbing salt in the wound.
I really shouldn't associate with criminals.
Creak.
Clang, clang, clang.
“Quiet down in there!”
The dungeon door swung open, and several monks carrying trays walked in.
“Oh, is it mealtime?”
“Finally!”
Food?
Well, I suppose even hardened criminals need to eat.
Step, step.
Clatter.
They placed a tray in front of each cell. However...
“Cucumber and tofu?”
The tray held nothing but a raw cucumber and a block of tofu. There wasn't even any sauce to dip them in.
Eating raw cucumber? These guys really must have committed capital crimes to deserve this.
Step, step.
Just as I was resigning myself to my fate, a monk stopped in front of my cell.
“Ahem. The Library Hall Leader personally requested this for you.”
The Library Hall Leader... that old monk?
He did look quite troubled when I was being dragged away. If he personally requested this, maybe there are some dumplings?
Clatter.
Clatter.
Clatter.
“???”
What is this? Why are there so many dishes?
Stir-fried bamboo shoots, deep-fried tofu skin, and... grilled pine mushrooms?
“The assembly is currently underway in the Ancestral Hall, so a decision will be reached soon.”
Step, step.
Creak.
The monk left after setting down all the dishes.
Seeing the food put my mind at ease. They wouldn't feed me this well if they were planning to lock me up forever.
“What is that food?!”
“Is she really about to be released?”
The prisoners' eyes widened as they stared at the feast laid out before me.
For people who chewed on raw cucumbers every day, this had to be a massive shock.
Rattle, rattle.
The prisoner who had been trying to catch rats rattled his bars.
“Newbie! Just throw me one bite! Please!”
“Hmm, I might have given some to a murderer, but sharing with a rapist is a bit...”
Hand raised.
At that, a man in the adjacent cell raised his hand high.
“Really? I'm in here for murder! Give me a bite!”
I was just saying that.
Right, this was a dungeon...
Toss.
I had plenty of food anyway, so there was no need to go back on my word.
Chomp.
“Oh my god! It's so delicious! It tastes just like meat!!!”
He caught the fried tofu skin in his mouth like a dolphin catching a fish, his entire body shuddering with delight. Was it really that good?
Rattle, rattle.
“Aaaah! Give me some too! Please! I beg you!”
He must have been incredibly envious. The man in the opposite cell clung to his bars with a tearful face.
“I'm not really comfortable sharing with sex offenders...”
Of course, objectively speaking, murder was a worse crime... but why did I find the other guy so much more repulsive? It was a strange feeling.
Tears streaming.
“Please! I'll give you information! Good information! You're going to get out soon anyway!”
“Good information?”
“Yes! It's a secret that only I know in the entire Murim! I swear it's true!”
“Mister, you were bragging just a moment ago.”
“I'm serious! You know the Emei Sect, right?”
Emei Sect?
If Shaolin was a sect for male monks, there was also a sect exclusively for female Buddhist nuns. That was the Emei Sect in Sichuan.
“Yes! There's a pond there called the Thousand Water Pond! But—”
Gape.
The man stopped mid-sentence and opened his mouth wide.
Is he waiting for me to insert a coin to get the next sentence?
Toss.
I tossed a grilled pine mushroom right into his open mouth.
“Chomp, chomp. That pond is seriously bizarre. Even though it's water, it's colder than ice.”
“Does that even make sense?”
“Exactly! I got curious and went looking for the water source, and I found a cave. And inside—”
Toss.
“Chomp, chomp, chomp. The cave was completely covered in ice, and right in the center, there was a blue flower blooming!”
“Liar. If that were true, you would have picked it.”
“It's true! The cold energy was so intense I couldn't even get close. You'd probably need extreme Yang or extreme Yin energy to even approach it.”
“Really?”
“Yes! That's why I started cultivating Yang energy, but then I couldn't control it and ended up...”
“Ahem.”
I didn't need to hear the motive for your crime.
Nod.
“Anyway, so there's a pond called the Thousand Water Pond at the Emei Sect, and there's a cave nearby?”
“Right. To be precise, it's a cave halfway up the neighboring mountain.”
“...Here, eat the rest of this.”
“R-really?! Jackpot!”
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
He didn't seem to be lying.
Still, to think he committed a crime because he couldn't control his Yang energy. If he had met me earlier, he might have avoided the dungeon altogether.
Creak.
Thud.
While I was pondering the blue flower, the dungeon door opened once again.
“Benefactor Yeonhwa. A decision has been made regarding your punishment. Please come with me to see the Abbot.”
“Excuse me... what did you just say?”
“Exactly what I said, Benefactor Yeonhwa. You shall rebuild the Maitreya Buddha you destroyed with your own hands. That is the punishment Shaolin decrees.”
After leaving the dungeon, I was brought to the Disciplinary Hall.
The Abbot of Shaolin, whom I was meeting for the first time, looked surprisingly stern. I had expected an old grandfather with white eyebrows draping down to his cheeks.
I shook my head.
“But I've never built anything in my life. It's not some tiny statuette; you're asking me to rebuild that massive stone Buddha...”
Besides, what kind of punishment is this?
Sure, it was better than being locked up forever or having my meridians severed, but how on earth was I supposed to make something that huge?
“Do not worry. The Library Hall has manuals on sculpting Buddhist statues. You can refer to them.”
“Even so...”
A voice boomed.
“Master! I still cannot accept this!”
Whoa, startled me.
The monk standing behind me suddenly voiced his objection in a booming voice.
If he weren't wearing monastic robes, I would have believed he was a heavyweight champion.
“Myeonggyeong, what is your grievance now?”
“How can we resolve this so lightly!”
“The statue was not the original anyway. Rebuilding it is enough.”
“But what about Shaolin's reputation? What if the world looks down on us?”
“...Right now, you are the one making light of me.”
A chill swept through the room.
“Ugh...!”
Gasp...
The air in the Disciplinary Hall seemed to freeze with just a single sentence.
To exert such pressure without even using inner energy... Even the muscular Monk Myeonggyeong was completely frozen.
The Abbot stood tall.
“Who dares look down on us?! With or without that statue, we are Shaolin! We are the thousand-year-old Shaolin, the pillar of the Orthodox faction!”
“…”
“Tell me, Myeonggyeong! Is it Shaolin that is hurt by the collapsed statue, or is it your own pride?”
“…”
He couldn't even answer, just sweating profusely. Honestly, it was a bit satisfying to watch.
Step, step.
“Therefore, Benefactor Yeonhwa, you shall sculpt the stone Buddha. To Shaolin, the Maitreya Buddha is worth exactly that much.”
“I... I understand!!!”
He's terrifying. There's no way I can refuse.
“And Myeonggyeong.”
“Yes!”
“I shall hand down your punishment as well. You will assist Benefactor Yeonhwa in rebuilding the statue.”
“M-Master!”
“You must obey the benefactor's words absolutely. I shall watch to see if you can let go of your ego.”
“Excuse me? What about my opinion...”
What is he talking about? I'd rather do it alone! Why is he pairing me up with this monk!
Glare.
“Ah! M-Monk Myeonggyeong, I look forward to working with you...”
Aren't Shaolin Abbots supposed to be gentle with young women and strict only with their disciples?
Why is he terrifying to everyone...